ANURA, a-n[=u]'ra, _n.pl._ tailless amphibia, as the frog and toad.--Also
ANOU'RA. [Gr. _an-_, priv., _oura_, tail.]
ANUS, [=a]n'us, _n._ the lower orifice of the bowels. [L., for _as-nus_,
'sitting-part,' from root _as_, to sit.]
ANVIL, an'vil, _n._ an iron block on which smiths hammer metal into
shape.--ON or UPON THE ANVIL, in preparation, under discussion. [A.S.
_anfilte_, _on filte_; _on_, on, and a supposed _filtan_, to weld,
appearing also in FELT.]
ANXIOUS, angk'shus, _adj._ uneasy regarding something doubtful:
solicitous.--_n._ ANX[=I]'ETY, state of being anxious--_adv._
AN'XIOUSLY.--_n._ AN'XIOUSNESS. [L. _anxius_--_ang-[)e]re_, to press
tightly. See ANGER, ANGUISH.]
ANY, en'ni, _adj._ one indefinitely: some: whoever. _n._ AN'YBODY, any
single individual.--_adv._ ANYHOW, in any way whatever: in any case, at
least.--_ns._ AN'YTHING, a thing indefinitely, as opposed to nothing: any
whit, to any extent; ANYTHING[=A]'RIAN, one with no beliefs in particular;
ANYTHING[=A]'RIANISM--_advs._ AN'YWAY, AN'YWAYS, in any manner: anyhow: in
any case; AN'YWHERE, AN'YWHEN, in any place whatever, at any time;
AN'YWISE, in any manner, to any degree.--ANY ONE, any single individual,
anybody.--AT ANY RATE, whatever may happen, at all events.--IF ANYTHING, if
in any degree. [A.S. _ænig_--_an_, one.]
AONIAN, [=a]-[=o]'ni-an, _adj._ pertaining to _Aonia_ in Greece, or to the
Muses supposed to dwell there.--AONIAN FOUNT, the fountain Aganippe, on a
slope of Mount Helicon--the Æonian mount.
AORIST, [=a]'or-ist, _n._ the name of certain tenses in the Greek verb
expressing indefinite time.--_adj._ AORIST'IC. [Gr. _aoristos_,
indefinite--_a_, neg., and _horistos_, _horizein_, _horos_, a limit.]
AORTA, [=a]-or'ta, _n._ the great arterial trunk which, rising from the
left ventricle of the heart, sends its branches ramifying through the whole
body--in man subdivided into the _arch_, the _thoracic aorta_, and the
_abdominal aorta_.--_adjs._ AOR'TAL, AOR'TIC. [Gr. _aort[=e]_--_aeir-ein_,
to raise up.]
APACE, a-p[=a]s', _adv._ at a quick pace: swiftly: fast: said of the flight
of time generally. [Prep. _a_, and PACE.]
APAGOGIC, -AL, ap-a-goj'ik, -al, _adj._ proving indirectly by an _apagoge_
or reduction to an absurdity, the truth of the thesis being evinced through
the falsehood of its opposite--opposed to _direct_ or _ostensive_ proof.
[Gr. _apag[=o]g[=e]_, leading away, abduction, _apagein_, to lead off.]
APANAGE. See APPANAGE.
APART, a-pärt', _adv._ separately: aside: asunder, parted: separate: away
from all employment: out of consideration, not considered for the moment
(with _from_).--_n._ APART'NESS.--TO SET APART, to separate, consecrate.
[Fr. _à part_--L. _a parte_, from the part or side.]
APARTMENT, a-pärt'ment, _n._ a separate room in a house occupied by a
particular person or party: (_arch._) a suite or set of such rooms--now in
this sense the _pl._: (_obs._) a compartment.--_adj._ APARTMENT'AL. [Fr.
_appartement_, a suite of rooms forming a complete dwelling, through Low
L., from L. _ad_, and _part[=i]re_, to divide--_pars_, a part.]
APATHY, ap'ath-i, _n._ want of feeling: absence of passion:
indifference.--_adjs._ APATHET'IC, APATHET'ICAL (_rare_).--_adv._
APATHET'ICALLY. [Gr.; _a_, neg., _pathos_, feeling.]
APATITE, ap'a-t[=i]t, _n._ a phosphate of lime of great variety of colour.
[Gr. _apat[=e]_, deceit, its form and colour being deceptive.]
APAY, a-p[=a]', _v.t._ (_arch._) to satisfy, content: (_obs._) to repay.
[O. Fr. _apayer_, from L. _ad_, and _pac[=a]re_ _pac-em_, peace.]
APE, [=a]p, _n._ a monkey: a monkey without a tail or with a very short
one: a simian proper, linking man and the lower animals, and hence termed
_Anthropoid_--gorilla, chimpanzee, orang-outang, or gibbon: one who plays
the ape, a silly imitator: (_Shak._) an imitator in a good or neutral
sense.--_v.t._ to imitate as an ape.--_ns._ APE'DOM; APE'HOOD; AP'ERY,
conduct of one who apes, any ape-like action: a colony of apes.--_adj._
AP'ISH, like an ape: imitative: foppish.--_adv._ AP'ISHLY.--_ns._
AP'ISHNESS, AP'ISM (_Carlyle_).--GOD'S APE, a born fool.--TO LEAD APES IN
HELL, believed to be the lot of old maids there; TO MAKE ANY ONE HIS APE,
TO PUT AN APE IN HIS HOOD (_obs._), to make a fool of any one. [A.S. _apa_;
Ger. _affe_.]
APEAK, APEEK, a-p[=e]k', _adv._ (_naut._) vertical--the anchor is apeak
when the cable is drawn so as to bring the ship's bow directly over it.
[_a_, to, and PEAK.]
APELLES, a-pel'ez, _n._ any consummate artist, from the great Greek painter
_Apelles_, under Alexander the Great.
APEPSY, a-pep'si, APEPSIA, a-pep'si-a, _n._ weakness of digestion. [Gr.
_apepsia_, indigestion; _a_, priv., _peptein_, to digest.]
APERÇU, a-per's[=oo], _n._ a summary exposition: a brief outline. [Fr.
_aperçu_, pa.p. of _apercevoir_, to perceive.]
APERIENT, a-p[=e]'-ri-ent, _adj._ opening: mildly purgative.--_n._ any
laxative medicine. [L. _aperientem_, _aper[=i]re_, to open.]
APERT, a-pert', _adj._ (_arch._) open, public--opp. to _Privy_.--_n._
APERT'NESS. [L. _apert-um_, pa.p. of _aper[=i]re_, to open.]
APERTURE, a'p[.e]rt-[=u]r, _n._ an opening: the space through which light
passes in an optical instrument: a hole. [L. _apertura_--_aper[=i]re_, to
open.]
APETALOUS, a-pet'al-us, _adj._ (_bot._) without petals. [Gr. _a_, neg., and
_petalon_, a petal.]
APEX, [=a]'peks, _n._ the summit or point: the vertex of a triangle: the
culminating point, climax of anything:--_pl._ APEXES ([=a]'peks-ez), APICES
(ap'i-s[=e]z). [L. _apex_, the peak of the flamen's cap.]
APHÆRESIS, APHERESIS, a-fer'i-sis, _n._ (_gram._) the taking away of a
letter or syllable at the beginning of a word. [Gr. _aphairesis_, a taking
away, _apo_, away, and _haire-ein_, to take.]
APHANIPTERA, af-an-ip't[.e]r-a, _n.pl._ a small order of insects having but
rudimentary scales in place of wings.--_adj._ APHANIP'TEROUS. [Gr.
_aphan[=e]s_, invisible, _pteron_, wing.]
APHASIA, a-f[=a]'zi-a, _n._ inability to express thought in words by reason
of some brain disease: or, more widely still, the loss of the faculty of
interchanging thought, without any affection of the intellect or
will.--_adj._ APHAS'IC. [Gr.; _a_, neg., _phasis_, speech--_phanai_, to
speak.]
APHELION, a-f[=e]'li-on, _n._ the point of a planet's orbit farthest away
from the sun:--_pl._ APH[=E]'LIA. [Gr. _apo_, from, _h[=e]lios_, the sun.]
APHELIOTROPIC, a-f[=e]-li-o-trop'ik, _adj._ turning away from the sun. [Gr.
_apo_, away, _h[=e]lios_, sun, and _tropikos_, belonging to
turning--_trep-ein_, to turn.]
APHEMIA, a-f[=e]m'i-a, _n._ loss of speech caused by difficulty in
articulation due to paralysis. [Gr. _a_, neg., and _ph[=e]m[=e]_, voice,
fame--_phanai_, to speak.]
APHERESIS. See APHÆRESIS.
APHESIS, af'es-is, _n._ the gradual loss of an unaccented vowel at the
beginning of a word, as in _squire_ = _esquire_--a special form of
Aphæresis.--_adj._ APHET'IC. [Coined by Dr Murray. Gr.]
APHIS, [=a]'fis, _n._ a family of small 'plant-lice' belonging to the order
of hemipterous insects, occurring in temperate regions as parasites on the
roots, leaves, stems, &c. of plants. Some kinds are tended, protected, and
imprisoned by ants for the 'honey-dew' which they secrete, hence called
Ant-cows:--_pl._ APHIDES (af'i-d[=e]z).--_adj._ and _n._ APHID'IAN. [Ety.
unknown; one conjecture connects the word with Gr. _apheideis_, unsparing
(_a_, neg., and _pheidomai_, to spare), from the remarkable rapidity of
propagation.]
APHONY, af-on-i, _n._ loss of voice: dumbness--the more common form is
APH[=O]'NIA.--_adjs._ APHON'IC, APHON'OUS, voiceless. [Gr. _a_, neg.,
_ph[=o]n[=e]_, voice.]
APHORISM, af'or-izm, _n._ a concise statement of a principle in any
science: a brief, pithy saying: an adage.--_v.t._ and _v.i._ APH'ORISE, to
coin or use aphorisms.--_ns._ APH'ORISER; APH'ORIST, a writer of
aphorisms.--_adj._ APHORIS'TIC, in the form of an aphorism.--_adv._
APHORIST'ICALLY. [Gr. _aphorizein_, to mark off by boundaries--_apo_, from,
and _horos_, a limit.]
APHRODISIAC, af-ro-diz'-i-ak, _adj._ exciting to sexual intercourse.--_n._
that which excites to sexual intercourse.--_adj._ APHRODIS'IAN, belonging
to Venus, devoted to sensual love. [Gr. _aphrodisiakos_--_Aphrodit[=e]_,
Venus, the goddess of love.]
APHTHÆ, af'th[=e], _n.pl._ small whitish ulcers on the surface of a mucous
membrane. [Gr. _aphtha_, mostly in pl. _aphthai_, usually connected with
_hapt-ein_, to set on fire.]
APHYLLOUS, a-fil'us, _adj._ (_bot._) destitute of leaves. [Gr. _a_, neg.,
_phyllon_, a leaf.]
APIARY, [=a]p'i-ar-i, _n._ a place where bees are kept.--_adjs._ APIAR'IAN,
AP'IAN, relating to bees or bee-keeping.--_n._ AP'IARIST, one who keeps an
apiary: one who studies the habits of bees. [L. _apiarium_--_apis_, a bee.]
APICAL, ap'ik-al, _adj._ relating to the apex, or top.--_adv._ AP'ICALLY.
[See APEX.]
APICES. See APEX.
APICIAN, a-pish'yan, _adj._ relating to _Apicius_, the Roman epicurean in
the time of Tiberius: luxurious and expensive in diet.
APICULTURE, [=a]'pi-cult-[=u]r, _n._ bee-keeping. [L. _apis_, bee, and
_cultura_, keeping--_col[)e]re_, to keep.]
APIECE, a-p[=e]s', _adv._ for each piece, thing, or person: to each
individually.--_adv._ APIEC'ES (_obs._), in pieces.