AMIR, a-m[=e]r'. Same as AMEER.
AMISS, a-mis', _adj._ in error: wrong.--_adv._ in a faulty manner.--_n._ AMISS'IBILITY.--_adjs._ AMISS'IBLE; AMISS'ING, wanting, lost. [_a_, on, and MISS, failure.]
AMITY, am'i-ti, _n._ friendship: good-will. [Fr. _amitie_--_ami_--L.
_amicitia_, friendship, _amicus_, a friend. See AMICABLE.]
AMMIRAL, an old spelling of ADMIRAL.
AMMONIA, am-m[=o]n'i-a, _n._ a pungent gas yielded by smelling-salts, burning feathers, &c.: a solution of ammonia in water (properly _liquid ammonia_): a name of a large series of compounds, analogous to ammonia, including _amines_, _amides_, and _alkalamides_.--_adjs._ AMMON'IAC, AMMON[=I]'ACAL, pertaining to, or having the properties of, ammonia.--_ns._ AMMON'IAC, AMMON[=I]'ACUM, a whitish gum resin of bitter taste and heavy smell, the inspissated juice of a Persian umbelliferous plant--used in medicine for its stimulant and expectorant qualities; AMMON'IAPHONE, an instrument invented about 1880, said to improve the quality of the singing and speaking voice, being an apparatus for inhaling peroxide of hydrogen and free ammonia.--_adj._ AMM[=O]N'IATED, containing ammonia.--_n._ AMMON'IUM, the hypothetical base of ammonia. [From _sal-ammoniac_, or smelling-salts, first obtained by heating camel's dung in Libya, near the temple of Jupiter Ammon.]
AMMONITE, am'mon-[=i]t, _n._ the fossil shell of an extinct genus of molluscs, so called because they resemble the horns on the statue of Jupiter Ammon, worshipped as a ram.
AMMUNITION, am-m[=u]n-ish'un, _n._ anything used for munition or defence: military stores, formerly of all kinds (as still in the word used adjectively, as in ammunition wagon, &c.), now esp. powder, balls, bombs, &c.--_v.t._ to supply with ammunition. [O. Fr. _amunition_. See MUNITION.]
AMNESIA, am-n[=e]'si-a, _n._ loss of memory. [Gr. _amnesia_]
AMNESTY, am'nest-i, _n._ a general pardon of political offenders: an act of oblivion.--_v.t._ to give amnesty to. [Gr. _a-mnestos_, not remembered.]
AMNION, am'ni-on, _n._ the innermost membrane enveloping the embryo of reptiles, birds, and mammals. [Gr.--_amnos_, a lamb.]
AMOEBA, a-m[=e]b'a, _n._ a name given to a number of the simplest animals or Protozoa, which consist of unit masses of living matter. They flow out in all directions in blunt processes (_pseudopodia_, 'false feet'), and have thus an endlessly varying form, hence the name:--_pl._ AMOEB'ae.--_adjs._ AMOEB'IFORM, AMOEB'OID. [Gr. _amoib[=e]_, change.]
AMOEBaeAN, am-e-b[=e]'an, _adj._ answering alternately, responsive, as in some of Virgil's eclogues. [L.--Gr. _amoibaios_, _amoib[=e]_, change, alternation.]
AMOMUM, a-m[=o]'mum, _n._ a genus of herbaceous tropical plants (nat. ord.
_Scitamineae_), allied to the ginger-plant, several species yielding the cardamoms and grains of paradise of commerce. [Gr. _am[=o]mon_.]
AMONG, a-mung', AMONGST, a-mungst', _prep._ of the number of: amidst. [A.S.
_on-gemang_--_mengan_, to mingle.]
AMONTILLADO, a-mon-til-ya'do, _n._ a dry or little sweet kind of sherry of a light colour and body. [Sp.]
AMORET, am'or-et, _n._ (_obs._) a sweetheart. [O. Fr. _amorette_--L.
_amor-em_.]
AMORETTO, am-or-et'to, _n._ a lover: a cupid:--_pl._ AMORET'TI. [It.]
AMORNINGS, a-morn'ingz, _adv._ (_obs._) of mornings. [OF and MORNING.]
AMOROSO, am-or-ro'so, _adj._ (_mus._) tender: descriptive of love.--_n._ one in love, a gallant:--_pl._ AMOR[=O]'SI.--_n._ AMOR[=O]'SITY (_rare_), fondness.
AMOROUS, am'or-us, _adj._ easily inspired with love: fondly in love (with _of_): relating to love.--_n._ AM'ORIST, a lover: a gallant.--_adv._ AM'OROUSLY.--_n._ AM'OROUSNESS. [O. Fr. _amorous_ (Fr. _amoureux_)--L.
_amoros-um_, _amor_, love.]
AMORPHA, a-mor'fa, _n._ a genus of North American shrubs of the bean family, the false indigoes or lead-plants--also _bastard_ or _wild indigo_.
AMORPHISM, a-mor'fizm, _n._ a state of being amorphous or without crystallisation even in the minutest particles.--_adj._ AMOR'PHOUS, without regular shape, shapeless, uncrystallised. [Gr. _a_, neg., _morph[=e]_, form.]
AMORT, a-mort', _adj._ (_obs._ or _arch._ merely) spiritless, dejected.--_n._ AMORTIS[=A]'TION.--_v.t._ AMORT'[=I]SE, to alienate in mortmain: to convey to a corporation:--_pr.p._ amort'[=i]sing; _pa.p._ amort'[=i]sed. [Fr. _a_, to, _mort_, death. See MORTAL.]
AMOUNT, a-mownt', _v.i._ to mount or rise to: to result in: to come in meaning or substance to (with _to_).--_n._ the whole sum: the effect or result. [O. Fr. _amonter_, to ascend--L. _ad_, to, _mont_, _mons_, a mountain.]
AMOUR, am-[=oo]r', _n._ a love intrigue, or illicit affection: a love affair (humorously only, for the old innocent sense is now obsolete).--_n._ AMOURETTE', a petty love affair: the love-grass, or quaking-grass: a cupid.--AMOUR PROPRE, self-esteem ready to take offence at slights.
[Fr.--L. _amor_, love.]
AMOVE, a-m[=oo]v', _v.t._ (_Spens._) to stir up: to affect:--_pr.p._ amov'ing; _pa.p._ amoved'. [L. _admov[=e]re_--_ad_, to, and _mov-[=e]re_, to move.]
AMOVE, a-m[=oo]v', _v.t._ to remove, esp. from a place (obsolete except in law). [O. Fr. _amover_--L. _amov[=e]re_, _ab_, from, _mov-[=e]re_, to move.]
AMPeRE, am-pehr', _n._ in electricity, unit of current. [From _Ampere_, a French electrician who died in 1836.]
AMPERSAND, am'p[.e]rs-and, _n._ a name formerly in use for the character _&_ (also called _short and_), commonly placed at the end of the alphabet in primers.--Also AM'PERZAND, AM'PUSSY-AND, and simply AM'PASSY. [A corr.
of _and per se and_--that is, _&_ standing by itself means _and_.]
AMPHIBALUS, am-fib'a-lus, _n._ an ecclesiastical vestment like the chasuble. [L.--Gr., from _amphi_, around, _ball-ein_, to cast.]
AMPHIBIA, am-fib'i-a, AMPHIBIALS, AMPHIBIANS, _n.pl._ animals capable of living both under water and on land.--_n._ AMPHIB'IAN.--_adj._ AMPHIB'IOUS.
[L.--Gr., from _amphi_, both, _bios_, life.]
AMPHIBOLE, am-fib'ol-[=e], _n._ the name of a group of minerals which are essentially silicates of lime and magnesia, but these bases are often partly replaced by alumina, and oxides of iron and manganese--tremolite, nephrite (jade), and hornblende. [Gr.]
AMPHIBOLOGY, am-fib-ol'o-ji, _n._ the use of ambiguous phrases or such as can be construed in two senses. A good example is Shakespeare's 'The duke yet lives that Henry shall depose' (2 _Henry VI._, I. iv. 33)--also AMPHIB'OLY.--_adjs._ AMPHIB'OLOUS, AMPHIBOL'IC. [Gr., from _amphi_, on both sides, _ball-ein_, to throw.]
AMPHIBRACH, am'fi-brak, _n._ in prosody, a foot of three syllables--a short, a long, and a short, as _[)a]m[=a]r[)e]_. The name is sometimes applied in English to such a word as _amusement_, where an accented syllable falls between two unaccented. [L.--Gr., made up of Gr. _amphi_, on each side, _brachys_, short.]
AMPHICTYONIC, am-fik-ti-on'ik, _adj._ The Amphictyonic Council was an old Greek assembly composed of deputies (Amphictyons) from twelve of the leading states.--_n._ AMPHIC'TYONY, an association of such states. [Gr.
_amphiktyones_, 'those dwelling around.']
AMPHIMACER, am-fim'a-s[.e]r, _n._ in prosody, a foot of three syllables, the middle one short, and the first and last long, as _c[=a]r[)i]t[=a]s_.
Sometimes applied to such Eng. words as _runaway_. [Gr., 'long at both ends;' _amphi_, on both sides, _makros_, long.]
AMPHIOXUS, am-f[=i]-oks'us, _n._ the lancelet, one of the lowest backboned animals, found on the sandy coasts of warm and temperate seas. The body is about two inches long and pointed at both ends. [Gr. _amphi_, on both sides, and _oxys_, sharp.]
AMPHIPODS, am'fi-pods, _n._ an order of small sessile-eyed crustaceans--a familiar example is the sand-hopper. [Gr. _amphi_, both ways, _pous_, _podos_, a foot.]
AMPHISBaeNA, am-fis-b[=e]'na, _n._ a family of lizard-snakes, chiefly found in tropical America, which have their tails so rounded as to give them the appearance of having a head at both ends.--_adj._ AMPHISB[=E]'NIC. [Gr.
_amphisbaina_--_amphi_, _amphis_, both ways, and _bain-ein_, to go.]
AMPHISCIANS, am-fish'i-anz, _n.pl._ the inhabitants of the torrid zone, whose shadows are thrown both ways--that is, to the north one part of the year, and to the south the other part, according as the sun is north or south of the equator. [Gr. _amphiskios_--_amphi_, both ways, _skia_, a shadow.]
AMPHISTOMOUS, am-fis't[=o]-mus, _adj._ having a mouth-like orifice at either end, as some parasitic worms. [Gr., _amphistomos_, double mouthed.]
AMPHITHEATRE, am-fi-th[=e]'a-t[.e]r, _n._ an oval or circular edifice having rows of seats one above another, around an open space, called the arena, in which public spectacles are exhibited: anything like an amphitheatre in form.--_adjs._ AMPHITHEAT'RICAL, AMPHITHEAT'RAL.--_adv._ AMPHITHEAT'RICALLY. [Gr. _amphi_, round about, _theatron_, a place for seeing--_theaomai_, to see.]
AMPHITRYON, am-fit'ri-on, _n._ a host or entertainer. [From _Amphitryon_ in Moliere's comedy, who gives a great dinner. Amphitryon in Gr. mythology was husband of Alcmene, who was deceived by Zeus in her husband's semblance, and so became the mother of Hercules.]
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