Alyssum
‖A‐lys″sum (ȧ‐lĭs″sŭm), n. [NL., fr. Gr. ἄλυσσον, name of a plant, perh. fr. ἀ priv. + λύσσα raging madness.] (Bot.) A genus of cruciferous plants; madwort. The sweet alyssum (A...
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, C. & G. Merriam Co., 1913.
7.793 entries
‖A‐lys″sum (ȧ‐lĭs″sŭm), n. [NL., fr. Gr. ἄλυσσον, name of a plant, perh. fr. ἀ priv. + λύσσα raging madness.] (Bot.) A genus of cruciferous plants; madwort. The sweet alyssum (A...
Am (�). [AS. am, eom, akin to Gothic im, Icel. em, Olr. am, Lith. esmi, L. sum., Gr. �, Zend ahmi, Skr. asmi, fr. a root as to be. �. See Are, and cf. Be, Was.] The first person...
Am′a‐bil″i‐ty (�), n. [L. amabilitas.] Lovableness. Jer. Taylor.☞ The New English Dictionary (Murray) says this word is “usefully distinct from Amiability.”
Am′a‐crat″ic (�), a.(Photog.) Amasthenic. Sir J. Herschel.
‖Am′a‐da‐vat″ (�), n. [Indian name. From Ahmedabad, a city from which it was imported to Europe.] (Zoöl.) The strawberry finch, a small Indian song bird (Estrelda amandava), com...
Am″a‐dou (�), n. [F. amadou tinder, prop. lure, bait, fr. amadouer to allure, caress, perh. fr. Icel. mata to feed, which is akin to E. meat.] A spongy, combustible substance, p...
A‐main″ (�), adv. [Pref. a- + main. See 2d Main, n.] 1. With might; with full force; vigorously; violently; exceedingly.They on the hill, which were not yet come to blows, perce...
A‐main″, v. t. [F. amener. See Amenable.] (Naut.) To lower, as a sail, a yard, etc.
A‐main″, v. i.(Naut.) To lower the topsail, in token of surrender; to yield.
A‐mal″gam (ȧ‐măl″gam), n. [F. amalgame, prob. fr. L. malagma, Gr. μάλαγμα, emollient, plaster, poultice, fr. μαλάσσειν to make soft, fr. μαλακόσ soft.] 1. An alloy of mercury wi...
A‐mal″gam, v. t. & i. [Cf. F. amalgamer] To amalgamate. Boyle.B. Jonson.
‖A‐mal″ga‐ma (�), n. Same as Amalgam.They divided this their amalgama into a number of incoherent republics.Burke.
A‐mal″ga‐mate (�), v. t. [imp. & p. p.Amalgamated; p. pr. & vb. n.Amalgamating.] 1. To compound or mix, as quicksilver, with another metal; to unite, combine, or alloy with merc...
A‐mal″ga‐mate, v. i. 1. To unite in an amalgam; to blend with another metal, as quicksilver.2. To coalesce, as a result of growth; to combine into a uniform whole; to blend; as,...
{ A‐mal″ga‐mate (�), A‐mal″ga‐ma′ted (�), } a. Coalesced; united; combined.
A‐mal′ga‐ma″tion (�), n. [Cf. F. amalgamation.] 1. The act or operation of compounding mercury with another metal; — applied particularly to the process of separating gold and s...
A‐mal″ga‐ma‐tive (�), a. Characterized by amalgamation.
A‐mal″ga‐ma′tor (�), n. One who, or that which, amalgamates. Specifically: A machine for separating precious metals from earthy particles by bringing them in contact with a body...
A‐mal″ga‐mize (�), v. t. To amalgamate.
A‐man″dine (�), n. [F. amande almond. See Almond.] 1. The vegetable casein of almonds.2. A kind of cold cream prepared from almonds, for chapped hands, etc.
‖Am′a‐ni″ta (?), n. [NL. See Amanitine.] (Bot.) A genus of poisonous fungi of the family Agaricaceæ, characterized by having a volva, an annulus, and white spores. The species r...
A‐man″i‐tine (�), n. The poisonous principle of some fungi.
A‐man′u‐en″sis (�), n.; pl.Amanuenses (�). [L., fr. a, ab + manus hand.] A person whose employment is to write what another dictates, or to copy what another has written.
‖A‐mar″a‐cus (�), n. A fragrant flower. Tennyson.
Am″a‐rant (�), n. Amaranth, 1. Milton.
Am′a‐ran‐ta″ceous (�), a.(Bot.) Of, pertaining to, or resembling, the family of plants of which the amaranth is the type.
Am″a‐ranth (�), n. [L. amarantus, Gr. �, unfading, amaranth; ἀ priv. + � to quench, cause to wither, fr. a root meaning to die, akin to E. mortal; — so called because its flower...