A dictionary of the English language: in which the words are deduced from their originals, and illustrated in their different significations by examples from the best writers : to which are prefixed a history of the language, and an English grammar (Volume 1).

Johnson, Samuel, 1709-1784.

Date:: 1819

Credit: A dictionary of the English language: in which the words are deduced from their originals, and illustrated in their different significations by examples from the best writers : to which are prefixed a history of the language, and an English grammar (Volume 1). Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

Title Page

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$ABB ABB ABD hind-legs to the ground both at once, and observes the same exactness in all the times. Diet. Aba'tement, a-bate'ment. n. s. [abate- ment, Fr.] 1. The act of abating or lessening. Xenophon tells us, that the city contained about ten thousand houses, and allowing one man to every house, who could have any share in the govern- ment (the rest, consisting of women, children, and servants), and making other obvious abatements, these tyrants, if they had been careful to adhere to- gether, might have been a majority even of the peo- ple collective. Stoift on the Contests of Athens and Rome. 2. The state of being abated. Coffee has, in common with all nuts, an oil strongly combined and entangled with earthy par- ticles. The most noxious part of the oil exhales in roasting, to the abatement of near one quarter of its weight. Arbuthnot on Aliments. 3. The sum or quantity taken away by the act of abating. The law of works is that law, which requires per- fect obedience, without remission or abatement; so that, by that law, a man cannot be just, or justified, without an exact performance of every tittle. Locke. 4. The cause of abating; extenuation. As our advantages towards practising and pro- moting piety and virtue were greater than those of other men; so will our excuse be less, if we neglect to make use of them. We cannot plead, in abate- ment of our guilt, that we were ignorant of our duty, under the prepossession of ill habits, and the bias of a wrong education. Alterbury. 5. [In law.] The act of the abator; as, the abatement of the heir into the land before he hath agreed with the lord. The affection or passion of the thing abated; as, abatement of the writ. Coivell. 6. [With heralds.] An accidental mark, which being added to a coat of arms, the dignity of it is abased, by reason of some stain or dishonourable quality of the bearer. Diet. Aba'ter, a-ba tilr.08 n. s. The agent or cause by which an abatement is pro- cured; that by which any thing is les- sened. Abaters of acrimony or sharpness, are expressed oils of ripe vegetables, and all preparations of such; as of almonds, pistachoes, and other nuts. Arbuthnot on Diet. Aba'tor, a-ba'tur. n. s. [a law term.] One who intrudes into houses or land, void by the death of the former posses- sour, and yet not entered upon or taken up by his heir. Diet. A'batude, a'ba-tude. n. s. [old records.] Any thing diminished. Bailey. A'bature, a'ba-ture. n. s. [from abatre, French.] Those sprigs of grass which are thrown down by a stag in his passing by. Diet. Abb, ab. n. s. The yarn on a weaver's warp: a term among clothiers. Chambers. A'BBA, ab'ba. n. s. [Heb. 3K.] A Syriac word, which signifies father. A'bbacy, ab'ba-se.452 n. s. [Lat. abbatia.'] The rights or privileges of an abbot. See Abbey. According to Felinus, au abbacy is the dignity it- self, since an abbot is a term or word of dignity, and not of office; and, therefore, even a secular per- son, who has the care of souls, is sometimes, in the canon law, also stiled an abbot. Ayliffe's Par. Juris Canonici. A'bbkss, ab'bess. n. s. [Latin abbatissa, from whence the Saxon abubirj*e,then probably abbatess, and by contraction a b- besse in Fr. and abbess, Eng.] The su- periour or governess of a nunnery or monastery of women. They fled Into this abbey, whither we pursued them; And here the abbess shuts the gate on U9, And will not suffer us to fetch him out. Shaksp. I have a sister, abbess in Terceras, Who lost her lover on her bridal day. Dryden. Constantia, as soon as the solemnities of her re- ception were over, retired with the abbess into her own apartment. Addison. A'bbey, or Abby, ab'be.270 n. s. [Lat. ab- batia; from whence probably first Abba- cy; which see.] A monastery of religious persons, whether men or women; dis- tinguished from religious houses of other denominations by larger privi- leges. See Abbot. With easy roads he came to Leicester; Lodg'd in the abbey, where the reverend abbot, With all his convent, honourably received him. Shakspeare. A'bbey-lub'ber, ab'be-lub'bux. n. s. [See Lubber.] A slothful loiterer in a religious house, under pretence of re- tirement and austerity. This is no father Dominic, no huge overgrown abbey-lubber; this is but a diminutive sucking friar. Dryden's Spanish Friar. A'BBOT, ab'biit.166 n. s. [in the lower Latin abbas, from 3N, father, which sense was still implied; so that the abbots were called pa tres, and abbesses matres monastcrii. Thus Fortunatus to the ab- bot Paternus: Arominis officiumjure, Pa- terne,geris.~\ The chief of a convent, or fellowship of canons. Of these, some in England were mitred, some not: those that were mitred, were exempted from the jurisdiction of the diocesan, having in themselves episcopal authority with- in their precincts, and being also lords of parliament. The other sort were subject to the diocesan in all spiritual government. Coivell. See Abbey. A'bbotship, ab'but-ship. n. s. The state or privilege of an abbot. Diet. To ABBREVIATE, ab-bre've-ate.605 v. a. [Lat. abbreviare.~\ 1. To shorten by contraction of parts, without loss of the main substance; to abridge. It is one thing to abbreviate by contracting, an- other by cutting off. Bacon, Essay 26. The only invention of late years, which hath contributed towards politeness in discourse, is that of abbreviating or reducing words of many syllables into one, by lopping oil the rest. Swift. 2. To shorten, to cut short. Set the length of their days before the flood; which were abbreviated after, and contracted into hundreds and threescores. Brown's Vulgar Errours, b. vi. c. 6. Arbrevia'tion, ab-bre-ve-a'shun. n. s. 1. The act of abbreviating. a 2 l 2. The means used to abbreviate, as cha- racters signifying whole words; words contracted. Such is the propriety and energy in them all. that they never can be changed, but to disadvan- tage, except in the circumstance of using abbrevia- tions. Swift. Abbrevia'tor, ab-bre-ve-a'tur.521 n. s. [abbreviateur, Fr.] One who abbrevi- ates, or abridges. Abbre'viature, ab-bre'-ve-a-tchure.46' n. s. [abbreviatura, Lat.! 1. A mark used for the sake of shortening. 2. A compendium or abridgment. He is a good man, who grieves rather for him that injures him, than for his own suffering; who prays for him that wrongs him, forgiving; all his faults; who sooner shews mercy than anger; who offers violence to his appetite, in all things endea- vouring to subdue the flesh to the spirit. This is an excellent abbreviature of the whole duty of a chris- tian. Taylor's Guide to Devotion ABBREUVOI'R, ab-bre'voir. [French, a watering place. Ital. abbeverato, dal verbo bevere. Lat. bibere. Abbeverari i cavalli. This word is derived by Me- nage, not much acquainted with the Teutonick dialects, from adbibare for adbibere; but more probably it comes from the same root with brew. See Brew.] Among masons, the joint or juncture of two stones, or the interstice between two stones to be filled up with mortar. £)ic(, A'biiy, ab'be. See Abbey. A, B, C, a, be, se. 1. The alphabet; as, he has not learned his a, b, c. 2. The little book by which the elements of reading are taught. Then comes question like an a, b, c, book. Shakspeare. To A'BDICATE, ab-de-kate.5°3 Vm a, [Lat. abdico.~~\ To give up right; to re- sign; to lay down an office. Old Saturn, here, with upcast eyes, Beheld his abdicated skies. Addison. Abdication, ab-de-ka'shun. n. s. [ab- dicatio, Lat.] The act of abdicating; re- signation; quitting an office by one's own proper act before the usual or stated expiration. Neither doth it appeal- how a prince's abdication can make any other sort of vacancy in the throne, than would be caused by his death; since he cannot abdicate for his children, otherwise than by his own consent in form to a bill from the two houses. Swift on the Sentiments of a Church of England Man. A'bdicative, ab'-de-ca-tive.512 adj. That which causes or implies an abdication. Diet. A'bditi-ve, ab-de'tive. adj. [from abdo, to hide.] That which has the power or quality of hiding. Diet. ABDO'MEN, ab-d6'-men.5°3 n. s. [Lat. from abdo, to hide.] A cavity common- ly called the lower venter or belly: it contains the stomach, guts, liver, spleen, bladder, and is within lined with a mem- brane called the peritonaeum. The lower part is called the hypogastrium:$