| Words | Parts of Speech | Meaning/Definition/Similar Words |
|---|---|---|
| acacia | noun | A roll or bag, filled with dust, borne by Byzantine emperors, as a memento of mortality. It is represented on medals., A genus of leguminous trees and shrubs. Nearly 300 species are Australian or Polynesian, and have terete or vertically compressed leaf stalks, instead of the bipinnate leaves of the much fewer species of America, Africa, etc. Very few are found in temperate climates., The inspissated juice of several species of acacia; — called also gum acacia, and gum arabic. |
| acacin | noun | Alt. of Acacine |
| acajou | noun | The cashew tree; also, its fruit. See Cashew., The mahogany tree; also, its timber. |
| acanth | noun | Same as Acanthus. |
| acarus | noun | A genus including many species of small mites. |
| acater | noun | See Caterer. |
| acates | noun pl. | See Cates. |
| accede | verb i. | To approach; to come forward; — opposed to recede., To enter upon an office or dignity; to attain., To become a party by associating one’s self with others; to give one’s adhesion. Hence, to agree or assent to a proposal or a view; as, he acceded to my request. |
| accend | verb t. | To set on fire; to kindle. |
| accent | noun | A superior force of voice or of articulative effort upon some particular syllable of a word or a phrase, distinguishing it from the others., A mark or character used in writing, and serving to regulate the pronunciation; esp.: (a) a mark to indicate the nature and place of the spoken accent; (b) a mark to indicate the quality of sound of the vowel marked; as, the French accents., Modulation of the voice in speaking; manner of speaking or pronouncing; peculiar or characteristic modification of the voice; tone; as, a foreign accent; a French or a German accent., A word; a significant tone, expressions in general; speech., Stress laid on certain syllables of a verse., A regularly recurring stress upon the tone to mark the beginning, and, more feebly, the third part of the measure., A special emphasis of a tone, even in the weaker part of the measure., The rhythmical accent, which marks phrases and sections of a period., The expressive emphasis and shading of a passage., A mark placed at the right hand of a letter, and a little above it, to distinguish magnitudes of a similar kind expressed by the same letter, but differing in value, as y’, y”., A mark at the right hand of a number, indicating minutes of a degree, seconds, etc.; as, 12’27”, i. e., twelve minutes twenty seven seconds., A mark used to denote feet and inches; as, 6′ 10” is six feet ten inches., To express the accent of (either by the voice or by a mark); to utter or to mark with accent., To mark emphatically; to emphasize. |
| accept | verb t. | To receive with a consenting mind (something offered); as, to accept a gift; — often followed by of., To receive with favor; to approve., To receive or admit and agree to; to assent to; as, I accept your proposal, amendment, or excuse., To take by the mind; to understand; as, How are these words to be accepted?, To receive as obligatory and promise to pay; as, to accept a bill of exchange., In a deliberate body, to receive in acquittance of a duty imposed; as, to accept the report of a committee. [This makes it the property of the body, and the question is then on its adoption.], Accepted. |
| access | noun | A coming to, or near approach; admittance; admission; accessibility; as, to gain access to a prince., The means, place, or way by which a thing may be approached; passage way; as, the access is by a neck of land., Admission to sexual intercourse., Increase by something added; addition; as, an access of territory. [In this sense accession is more generally used.], An onset, attack, or fit of disease., A paroxysm; a fit of passion; an outburst; as, an access of fury. |
| accite | verb t. | To cite; to summon. |
| accloy | verb t. | To fill to satiety; to stuff full; to clog; to overload; to burden. See Cloy. |
| accoil | verb t. | To gather together; to collect., To coil together. |
| accord | verb t. | Agreement or concurrence of opinion, will, or action; harmony of mind; consent; assent., Harmony of sounds; agreement in pitch and tone; concord; as, the accord of tones., Agreement, harmony, or just correspondence of things; as, the accord of light and shade in painting., Voluntary or spontaneous motion or impulse to act; — preceded by own; as, of one’s own accord., An agreement between parties in controversy, by which satisfaction for an injury is stipulated, and which, when executed, bars a suit., To make to agree or correspond; to suit one thing to another; to adjust; — followed by to., To bring to an agreement, as persons; to reconcile; to settle, adjust, harmonize, or compose, as things; as, to accord suits or controversies., To grant as suitable or proper; to concede; to award; as, to accord to one due praise., To agree; to correspond; to be in harmony; — followed by with, formerly also by to; as, his disposition accords with his looks., To agree in pitch and tone. |
| accost | verb t. | To join side to side; to border; hence, to sail along the coast or side of., To approach; to make up to., To speak to first; to address; to greet., To adjoin; to lie alongside., Address; greeting. |
| accrue | noun | To increase; to augment., To come to by way of increase; to arise or spring as a growth or result; to be added as increase, profit, or damage, especially as the produce of money lent., Something that accrues; advantage accruing. |
| accumb | verb i. | To recline, as at table. |
| accuse | noun | Accusation., To charge with, or declare to have committed, a crime or offense, to charge with an offense, judicially or by a public process; — with of; as, to accuse one of a high crime or misdemeanor., To charge with a fault; to blame; to censure., To betray; to show. [L.] |
| aceric | adjective | Pertaining to, or obtained from, the maple; as, aceric acid. |
| acetal | noun | A limpid, colorless, inflammable liquid from the slow oxidation of alcohol under the influence of platinum black. |
| acetic | adjective | Of a pertaining to vinegar; producing vinegar; producing vinegar; as, acetic fermentation., Pertaining to, containing, or derived from, acetyl, as acetic ether, acetic acid. The latter is the acid to which the sour taste of vinegar is due. |
| acetin | noun | A combination of acetic acid with glycerin. |
| acetyl | noun | A complex, hypothetical radical, composed of two parts of carbon to three of hydrogen and one of oxygen. Its hydroxide is acetic acid. |
| achate | noun | An agate., Purchase; bargaining., Provisions. Same as Cates. |
| aching | present participle & vb. noun | of Ache, That aches; continuously painful. See Ache. |
| achean | a & noun | See Achaean, Achaian. |
| achene | noun | Alt. of Achenium |
| acidic | adjective | Containing a high percentage of silica; — opposed to basic. |
| acidly | adverb | Sourly; tartly. |
| acinus | noun | One of the small grains or drupelets which make up some kinds of fruit, as the blackberry, raspberry, etc., A grapestone., One of the granular masses which constitute a racemose or compound gland, as the pancreas; also, one of the saccular recesses in the lobules of a racemose gland. |
| acknow | verb t. | To recognize., To acknowledge; to confess. |
| acnode | noun | An isolated point not upon a curve, but whose coordinates satisfy the equation of the curve so that it is considered as belonging to the curve. |
| acopic | adjective | Relieving weariness; restorative. |
| acquit | past participle | Acquitted; set free; rid of., To discharge, as a claim or debt; to clear off; to pay off; to requite., To pay for; to atone for., To set free, release or discharge from an obligation, duty, liability, burden, or from an accusation or charge; — now followed by of before the charge, formerly by from; as, the jury acquitted the prisoner; we acquit a man of evil intentions., To clear one’s self., To bear or conduct one’s self; to perform one’s part; as, the soldier acquitted himself well in battle; the orator acquitted himself very poorly. |
| acrase | verb t. | Alt. of Acraze |
| acraze | verb t. | To craze., To impair; to destroy. |
| acrasy | noun | Excess; intemperance. |
| acrisy | noun | Inability to judge., Undecided character of a disease. |
| acrita | noun pl. | The lowest groups of animals, in which no nervous system has been observed. |
| acrite | adjective | Acritan. |
| acrity | noun | Sharpness; keenness. |
| acrook | adverb | Crookedly. |
| across | noun | From side to side; athwart; crosswise, or in a direction opposed to the length; quite over; as, a bridge laid across a river., From side to side; crosswise; as, with arms folded across., Obliquely; athwart; amiss; awry. |
| acting | present participle & vb. noun | of Act, Operating in any way., Doing duty for another; officiating; as, an acting superintendent. |
| action | noun | A process or condition of acting or moving, as opposed to rest; the doing of something; exertion of power or force, as when one body acts on another; the effect of power exerted on one body by another; agency; activity; operation; as, the action of heat; a man of action., An act; a thing done; a deed; an enterprise. (pl.): Habitual deeds; hence, conduct; behavior; demeanor., The event or connected series of events, either real or imaginary, forming the subject of a play, poem, or other composition; the unfolding of the drama of events., Movement; as, the horse has a spirited action., Effective motion; also, mechanism; as, the breech action of a gun., Any one of the active processes going on in an organism; the performance of a function; as, the action of the heart, the muscles, or the gastric juice., Gesticulation; the external deportment of the speaker, or the suiting of his attitude, voice, gestures, and countenance, to the subject, or to the feelings., The attitude or position of the several parts of the body as expressive of the sentiment or passion depicted., A suit or process, by which a demand is made of a right in a court of justice; in a broad sense, a judicial proceeding for the enforcement or protection of a right, the redress or prevention of a wrong, or the punishment of a public offense., A right of action; as, the law gives an action for every claim., A share in the capital stock of a joint-stock company, or in the public funds; hence, in the plural, equivalent to stocks., An engagement between troops in war, whether on land or water; a battle; a fight; as, a general action, a partial action., The mechanical contrivance by means of which the impulse of the player’s finger is transmitted to the strings of a pianoforte or to the valve of an organ pipe. |
| active | adjective | Having the power or quality of acting; causing change; communicating action or motion; acting; — opposed to passive, that receives; as, certain active principles; the powers of the mind., Quick in physical movement; of an agile and vigorous body; nimble; as, an active child or animal., In action; actually proceeding; working; in force; — opposed to quiescent, dormant, or extinct; as, active laws; active hostilities; an active volcano., Given to action; constantly engaged in action; energetic; diligent; busy; — opposed to dull, sluggish, indolent, or inert; as, an active man of business; active mind; active zeal., Requiring or implying action or exertion; — opposed to sedentary or to tranquil; as, active employment or service; active scenes., Given to action rather than contemplation; practical; operative; — opposed to speculative or theoretical; as, an active rather than a speculative statesman., Brisk; lively; as, an active demand for corn., Implying or producing rapid action; as, an active disease; an active remedy., Applied to a form of the verb; — opposed to passive. See Active voice, under Voice., Applied to verbs which assert that the subject acts upon or affects something else; transitive., Applied to all verbs that express action as distinct from mere existence or state. |
| actual | adjective | Involving or comprising action; active., Existing in act or reality; really acted or acting; in fact; real; — opposed to potential, possible, virtual, speculative, conceivable, theoretical, or nominal; as, the actual cost of goods; the actual case under discussion., In action at the time being; now exiting; present; as the actual situation of the country., Something actually received; real, as distinct from estimated, receipts. |
| acture | noun | Action. |
| acuate | verb t. | To sharpen; to make pungent; to quicken., Sharpened; sharp-pointed. |
| acuity | noun | Sharpness or acuteness, as of a needle, wit, etc. |
| aculei | plural | of Aculeus |
| acumen | noun | Quickness of perception or discernment; penetration of mind; the faculty of nice discrimination. |