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.)

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$cris, Lat.] Gay; cheerful; sprightly: a word, not now used. Coffee, the root and leaf betle, and leaf tobacco, of which the Turks are great takers, do all condense the spirits, and make them strong and aleger. Bacon's Natural History. A'lehoof, ale'h66f. n. s. [from ale and hoopb, head.J Groundivy; so called by our Saxon ancestors, as being their chief ingredient in ale. An herb. Alehoof or groundivy is, in my opinion, of the most excellent and most general use and virtue, of any plants we have among us. Temple. A'lehouse, ale'hduse. n.s. [from ale and hmse.] A house, where ale is publickiy sold; a tipling-house. It is distinguish- ed from a tavern, where they sell wine. Thou, most beauteous inn! Why should hard-favour'd grief be lodg'd in thee, When triumph is become an ale-house guest? Sfuikspeare. One would think, it should be no easy matter to bring any man of sense in love with an ale-house; in- deed of so much sense, as seeing and smelling amounts to; there being such strong encounters of both, as would quickly send him packing, did not the love of good fellowship reconcile to these nui- sances. South. Thee shall each ale-house, thee each gill-house mourn; And answ'ring ginshops sourer sighs return. Pope. A'lehouse-kekper, ale'house-ke-pur. n. s. [from ale/iouse, and kee/ier.] He that keeps ale publickiy to sell. You resemble perfectly the two alehouse-keepers in Holland, who were at the same time burgomas- ters of the town, and taxed one another's bills alter- nately. Letter to Swift. A'leknight, ale'nite. n.s. [from ale, and knight.'] A pot-companion; a tipler: a word now out of use. The old ale-knights of England were well depainted by Hanville, in the ale-house colours of that time. Camden. Ale'mbick, a-lem'bik. n. s. A vessel, used in distilling; consistingof a vessel placed over a fire, in which is contained the substance to be distilled; and a concave, closely fitted on, into which the fumes arise by the heat: this cover has a beak or spout, into which the vapours rise; and by which they pass into a serpen- tine pipe, which is kept cool by making many convolutions in a tub of water, here the vapours are condensed; and what entered the pipe in fumes, comes out in drops. Though water may be rarefied, into invisible va- pours; yet it is not changed into air, but only scat- tered into minute parts; which, meeting together in the alcmbkk, or in the receiver, do presently return into such water, as they constituted before. Boyle. Ale'ngth, a-ieng///. adv. [from a for at, and length.'] At full length; along; stretched along the ground. ALE'RT, a-lert'. adj. [alerte, Fr. perhaps from alacrisi but probably trom d I'art, according to art or rule.] 1. In the military sense, on guard; watch- ful; vigilant; ready at a call. 2. In the common sense, brisk; pert; pe- tulant; smart; implying some degree of censure and contempt. I saw an alert young fellow, that cocked his hat upon a friend of his; and accosted him, Well, Jack, the old prig is dead at last. Addison, Spectator. VOL. I. Alf/rtness, a-lert'ness. n. s. [from alert.] The quality, of being alert; sprightli ness; pertness. That alertness and unconcern for matters of com- mon life, a campaign or two would infallibly have given him. Addison, Spectator. A'letaster, ale-tast'ur. n. a.88 [from air, and taster.] An officer, appointed in every court leet; and sworn, to look to the assize and the goodness of bread, and ?le or beer, within the precincts of that lordship. Coivell. A'levat, ale'vat. n. s. [from ale, and vat.] The tub, in which the ale is fermented. A'lew, a-lu'. n. s. Clamour; outcry. Not in use. Sfienser. A'lewashed, ale'wosht. crf/.3fi9 [from ale and wash.] Steeped or soaked in ale: not now in use. What, a beard of the general's cut, and a horrid suit of the camp, will do among foaming bottles and ale-washed wits is wonderful to be thought on. Shakspeare. A'lewife, ale'wife. n.s. [from ale, and wife.] A woman, that keeps an ale- house. Perhaps he will swagger and hector, and threaten to beat and butcher an ale-wife; or take the goods by force, and throw them down the bad halfpence. Swift's Draper's Letters. A'lexanders, al'egz-an-durz. n.s. [smyr- nium, Lat ] The name of a plant. A'lexander's-foot, al'£gz-an'durz-fiit.478 n. s. The name of an herb. Alexa'ndrine, a-legz-an'diin.160 n.s. A kind of verse borrowed from the French; first used in a poem, called Alexander They consist, among the French, of twelve and thirteen syllables, in alter- nate couplets; and, among us, of twelve. Our numbers should, for the most part, be lyrical. For variety, or rather where the majesty of thought requires it, they may be stretched to the English he- roic of five feet, and to the French Alexandrine of six. Dryden. Then, at the last and only couplet, fraught With some unmeaning thing they call a thought; A needless Alexandrine ends the song; That, like a wounded snake, drags its slow length along. Pope's Essay on Criticism. Alexipha'rmiok, a-lek-se-far'mik. adj. [from etXi^eu and pup/Mtxov.] That, which drives away poison; antidotal; that, which opposes infection. Some antidotal quality, it may have; since, not only the bone in the heart, but the horn of a deer, is alexipliarmick. Brown's Vulgar En-ours. Alexite'rioal, or Alexite'rick, a-lek- se-teVre-kal.509 or a-lek-se-teVrik. adj [from etXe^eu.] That which drives away poison; that which resists fevers. A'lgates, al'gates, adv. [from all and gate. Skimier. Gate is the same as via; and still used for way in the Scottish dialect.) On any terms; every way: now obsolete. Nor had the boaster ever risen more, But that Renaldo's horse ev'n then down fell; And, with the fall, his leg oppress'd so sore; That, for a space, there must he algates dwell. Fairfax. A'LGEBRA, al'je-bra.84 n s. [an Arabic word, of uncertain etymology: derived, J by some, from Geber the philosopher; H by some, from gefr, parchment; by others; from a/gehitia, a bonesetter; by Menage, from algiabarat, the restitution of tilings broken.] A peculiar kind of arithmetick; which takes the quantity sought, whether it be a number or a line, or any other quantity, as if it were granted; and, by means of one or more quantities given, proceeds by conse- quence, till the quantity (at first only supposed to be known, or at least some power thereof) is found to be equal to some quantity or quantities, which are known; and consequently itself is known. This art was in use among the Arabs, long before it c*me into this part of the world: and they are supposed to have borrowed it from the Persians; and the Persians, from the Indians. The first Greek author of algebra was Diophan tus; who, about the year 800, wrote thirteen books: in 1494, Lucas Paccio- lus (or Lucas de Burgos) a cordelier, printed atreatise of algebra in Italian, ai Venice: he says, that algebra came origi- nally from the Arabs. After several im- provements, by Vieta, Oughtred, Har- riot, and Descartes; Sir Isaac Newton brought this art to the height at which it still continues. Trevoux. Chambers. It would surely require no very profound skill in algebra, to reduce the difference of ninepence in thirty shillings. Swift. Algebra 'ick, al-je-bra'ik. > .. Algebra'ioal, ai-je-bra'e-kal. ) ■'' [from algebra.] 1. Relating to algebra; as, an algebraical treatise. 2. Containing operations of algebra; as, an algebraical computation. Algebra'ist, al-je-bia'ist. n. s. [from al- gebra.] A person, that understands or practises the science of algebra. When any dead body is found in England, no al- gebraist or uncipherer can use more subtle supposi- tions to find the demonstration or cipher; than every unconcerned person doth, to find the murderers. Graunt's Bills of Mortality. Confining themselves, to the synthetick and ana- lytick methods of geometricians and algebraists; they have too much narrowed the rules of method, :iv though every thing were to be treated in mathemati- cal forms. Watts's Logick. A'LGlD, a\'yid.s*adj. [algidus, Lat.] Cold; chill. Diet. ALGi'DiTY,al-jid'de-te.611> n. s. from al- A'lgidness, al-jid-n^ss. \ gid.] Chilness; cold. Diet. Algi'fic, al-jif'fik.''09 adj. [from algor, Lat.] That, which produces cold. Diet. A'LGOR, ai'gor. n. s. [Lat.] Extreme cold, chilness Diet. A'lgorism, aTgo-rizm.657 P n. s. Ara- A'lgorithm, al'go-rk/mn. 3 bick Words; which are used, to imply the six opera- tions of arithmetick, or the science of numbers. Diet. Algo'se, al'gose'.427 adj. [from algor, Lat.] Extremely cold; chill. Diet. A'LIAS, a'le-iU. adv. A Latin word, sig- nifying otherwise; often used in the$