AMPHORA, am'f[=o]-ra, _n._ a two-handled vessel or jar used by the Greeks and Romans for holding liquids.--_adj._ AM'PHORIC (_med._), like the sound produced by speaking into an amphora or any large vessel with a small mouth. [Gr. _amphoreus_, _amphiphoreus_--_amphi_, on both sides, _pher-ein_, to bear.]
AMPLE, am'pl, _adj._ spacious: large enough: abundant: liberal: copious, or of great length.--_ns._ AM'PLENESS; AMPLI[=A]'TION, enlarging, an enlargement.--_adj._ AMPLI[=A]'TIVE (_rare_).--_adv._ AM'PLY. [Fr.--L.
_amplus_, large.]
AMPLEXICAUL, am-pleks'i-kawl, _adj._ (_bot._) nearly surrounding the stem--said of sessile leaves. [Modern L. _amplexicaulis_--L. _amplexus_, embrace, and _caulis_, stem.]
AMPLIFY, am'pli-f[=i], _v.t._ to make more copious in expression: to add to.--_n._ AMPLIFIC[=A]'TION, enlargement.--_adj._ AMPLIFIC[=A]'TORY.--_n._ AM'PLIFIER, one who amplifies: a lens which enlarges the field of vision.
[L. _amplus_, large, and _fac-[)e]re_, to make.]
AMPLITUDE, am'pli-t[=u]d, _n._ largeness: abundance: width: splendour: wide range of mind: the distance from the east point of a horizon at which a heavenly body rises, or from the west point at which it sets. [Fr.--L.
_amplitudo_.]
AMPUL, am'pul, _n._ a small earthenware or glass vessel of an oblong globular form, used for containing consecrated oil or wine and water for the eucharistic service--now more commonly AMPUL'LA. [O. Fr. _ampole_--L.
_ampulla_.]
[Illustration]
AMPULLA, am-pul'la, _n._ a small two-handled flask or bottle for holding liquids or unguents: a vessel for holding consecrated oil or chrism, esp.
at the coronation of kings: a kind of cruet of transparent glass for holding the wine and water used at the altar: (_biol._) the dilated end of any canal or duct in an animal body, also the spongiole of a root in plants.--_adjs._ AMPULL[=A]'CEOUS, AM'PULLAR, AM'PULLARY, AM'PULLATE.--_n._ AMPULLOS'ITY, turgidity of language, bombast. [L.; made up of _amb_, on both sides, and _olla_, a jar; or an irregular dim. of _amphora_, a flagon.]
AMPUTATE, am'p[=u]t-[=a]t, _v.t._ to cut off, as a limb of an animal.--_n._ AMPUT[=A]'TION. [L. _amb_, round about, _put[=a]re_, to cut.]
AMRITA, am-r[=e]'ta, _n._ the drink of the gods in Hindu mythology. [Sans.]
AMUCK, a-muk', _adv._ madly: in murderous frenzy--hardly ever used save in the phrase 'to run _amuck_.' [Malay, _amoq_, intoxicated or excited to madness.]
AMULET, am'[=u]-let, _n._ a gem, scroll, or other object carried about the person, as a charm against sickness, harm, or witchcraft. [Fr.--L.
_amul[=e]tum_, a word of unknown origin; curiously like the mod. Ar.
_himalat_, lit. 'a carrier,' applied to a shoulder-belt, by which a small Koran is hung on the breast.]
AMUSE, a-m[=u]z', _v.t._ to occupy pleasantly: to divert: to beguile with expectation: (_obs._) occupy the attention with: (_arch._) to beguile.--_adj._ AMUS'ABLE, capable of being amused.--_n._ AMUSE'MENT, that which amuses: pastime.--_adj._ AMUS'ING, affording amusement: entertaining.--_adv._ AMUS'INGLY.--_n._ AMUS'INGNESS.--_adj._ AMUS'IVE (_rare_), having the power to amuse or entertain.--_n._ AMUS'IVENESS. [Fr.
_amuser_.]
AMUSETTE, am-[=u]-z[.e]t', _n._ a light field-gun invented by Marshal Saxe.
[Fr.]
AMUTTER, a-mut'[.e]r, _adv._ in a muttering state.
AMYGDALATE, a-mig'da-l[=a]t, _adj._ pertaining to, like, or made of almonds.--_adj._ AMYGDAL[=A]'CEOUS, akin to the almond. [L. _amygdala_--Gr.
_amygdal[=e]_, an almond.]
AMYGDALIN, AMYGDALINE, a-mig'da-lin, _n._ a crystalline principle existing in the kernel of bitter almonds.
AMYGDALOID, a-mig'da-loid, _n._ a variety of basaltic rock containing almond-shaped nodules of other minerals, as quartz, felspar.--_adj._ AMYGDALOI'DAL. [Gr. _amygdal[=e]_, and _eidos_, form.]
AMYL, am'il, _n._ the fifth in the series of the alcohol radicals, a natural product of the distillation of coal. As thus found, two molecules are united together, usually called _diamyl_, being a colourless liquid with an agreeable smell and burning taste.--_n._ AM'YLENE. [Gr. _amylon_, starchy, fine meal.]
AMYLACEOUS, am-i-l[=a]'shus, _adj._ pertaining to or resembling starch. [L.
_amylum_, starch--Gr. _amylon_.]
AMYLOID, am'i-loid, _n._ a half-gelatinous substance like starch, found in some seeds.--_adj._ AMYLOID'AL. [Gr. _amylon_, the finest flour, starch; lit. 'unground'--_a_, neg., _myl[=e]_, a mill, and _eidos_, form.]
AN, an, _adj._ one: the indefinite article, used before words beginning with the sound of a vowel. [A.S. _[=a]n_. See ONE.]
AN, an, _conj._ if. [A form of AND.]
ANA, [=a]'na, a suffix to names of persons or places, denoting a collection of memorable sayings, items of gossip, or miscellaneous facts, as _Johnsoniana_, _Tunbrigiana_, &c.: applied also to the literature of some special subject, as _Boxiana_, _Burnsiana_, _Shakespeariana_.--_n.pl._ specially a collection of the table-talk of some one. [The neut. pl.
termination of L. adjectives in _-anus_ = pertaining to.]
ANABAPTIST, an-a-bapt'ist, _n._ one who holds that baptism ought to be administered only to adults (by immersion), and therefore that those baptised in infancy ought to be baptised again.--The name is disclaimed by recent opponents of infant baptism both in England and the Continent.--_v.i._ ANABAP'TISE.--_n._ ANABAPT'ISM.--_adj._ ANABAPTIST'IC.
[Gr. _ana_, again, _baptiz-ein_, to dip in water, to baptise.]
ANABASIS, an-ab'a-sis, _n._ a military advance into the interior of a country--specially the title of the famous story of the unfortunate expedition of Cyrus the Younger against his brother Artaxerxes, and of the retreat of his 10,000 Greek allies under the conduct of Xenophon. [Gr.; made up of _ana_, up, and _bain-ein_, to go.]
ANABLEPS, an'a-bleps, _n._ a genus of bony fishes with open air-bladders, and projecting eyes divided into an upper and lower portion, so that each eye has two pupils. [Gr. _anablepsis_, 'a looking up.']
ANABOLISM, an-ab'ol-izm, _n._ the constructive processes within the protoplasm, by which food or other material, at a relatively low level, passes through an ascending series of ever more complex and unstable combinations, till it is finally worked up into living matter. [Gr.
_anabol[=e]_, 'rising up.']
ANACANTHOUS, an-a-kan'thus, _adj._ without spine. [Gr. _an-_, without, _akantha_, spine.]
ANACARD, an'a-kard, _n._ the cashew-nut, the fruit of the _Anacardium occidentale_. [Gr., made up of _ana_, according to, and _kardia_, heart, from the shape of the fruit.]
ANACATHARSIS, an-a-kath-ar'sis, _n._ vomiting or expectoration.--_n._ ANACATHAR'TIC, a medicine with this effect--expectorants, emetics, sternutatorics, &c. [Gr.; made up of _ana_, up, and _kathair-ein_, to cleanse.]
ANACHARIS, an-ak'ar-is, _n._ a North American weed found in ponds and slow streams, which was first found in Britain in 1842, and is now very troublesome in the Trent, Derwent, and other rivers. [Made up of Gr. _ana_, up, and _charis_, grace.]
ANACHORISM, a-nak'[=o]-rizm, _n._ (_rare_) something incongruous with the spirit of the country. [Coined on the analogy of _anachronism_, from Gr.
_ana_, back, and _ch[=o]rion_, country, with suff. _ism_.]
ANACHRONISM, an-a'kron-izm, _n._ an error in regard to time, whereby a thing is assigned to an earlier or to a later age than it belongs to: anything out of keeping with the time.--_v.t._ ANA'CHRONISE.--_n._ ANA'CHRONIST.--_adjs._ ANACHRONIST'IC, ANA'CHRONOUS.--_adv._ ANA'CHRONOUSLY. [Gr. _ana_, backwards, _chronos_, time.]
ANACLASTIC, an-a-klas'tik, _adj._ pertaining to refraction: bending back.
[Gr. _ana_, back, _klaein_, break off.]
ANACOLUTHON, an-a-ko-l[=u]'thon, _n._ want of sequence in the construction of a sentence, when the latter part does not grammatically correspond with the former: a sentence exhibiting an ANACOLUTHIA, or the passing from one construction to another before the former is completed. [Gr.
_anakolouthos_--_a_, _an_, neg., and _akolouthos_, following.]
ANACONDA, an-a-kon'da, _n._ a large South American water-snake of the Python family, closely related to the boa-constrictor. [Singhalese (?).]
ANACREONTIC, an-a-kre-ont'ik, _adj._ after the manner of the Greek poet Anacreon: free, convivial, erotic.--_n._ a poem in this vein.--_adv._ ANACREONT'ICALLY.
ANACRUSIS, an-a-kr[=oo]'sis, _n._ (_pros._) an upward beat at the beginning of a verse, consisting of one or two unaccented syllables introductory to the just rhythm. [Gr. from _ana_, up, _krou-ein_, to strike.]
ANADEM, an'a-dem, _n._ a band or fillet bound round the head: a wreath or chaplet of flowers. [Gr. _anad[=e]ma_--_ana_, up, and _de-ein_, to bind.]
ANADROMOUS, an-ad'r[=o]-mus, _adj._ ascending rivers to spawn. [Gr. _ana_, up, _dromos_, running.]
ANaeMIA, an-[=e]m'i-a, _n._ a term employed to denote those conditions in which there is a deficiency of blood or of its red corpuscles: lack or poverty of blood marked by paleness and languor.--_adj._ ANaeM'IC. [Gr.; made up of _an_, neg., _haima_, blood.]