LANGUAGE 



221 



SYNONYMS 



To Abandon, Desert, Forsake. Relinquish. The 



idea of leaving or separating one's self from an object is 



common to these terms, which vary in the circumstances 



of the action ; the two former are more positive acts than 



the two latter. To abandon may be an act of necessity 



or discretion, as a captain abandons a vessel when it is no 



longer safe to remain in it. Abandoning is a violation of 



the most sacred ties, and exposes the object to every 



:y; desertion is a breach of honor and fidelity; it 



deprives a person of the assistance or the countenance 



which he has a right to expect; by forsaking, the kindly 



feelings are hurt, and the social ties are broken. A bad 



T abandons her offspring; a soldier deserts his 



comrades; a man forsakes his companions. Things as 



w.-ll as persons may be abandoned, deserted, or forsaken; 



things only are relinquished. To relinquish is an act of 



-nee or imprudence; men often inadvertently relin- 



prospects in order to follow some favorite 



scheme which terminates in their ruin. 



To Aba*e. Humble. Degrade, Disgrace, Debase. 

 To abase expresses the strongest degree of self-humilia- 

 tion. To humble marks a prostration to the ground, and 

 figuratively a lowering of the thoughts and feelings. 

 Abase and humble have regard to persons considered 

 absolutely, degrade and disgrace to their relative situa- 

 tion. To degrade signifies to lower in the estimation of 

 others. It supposes a state of elevation either in out- 

 ward circumstances or in public opinion. To disgrace, 

 is always attendexl with circumstances of more or less 

 ignominy. To degrade or disgrace one's self is always a 

 culpable act. The penitent man humbles himself, the 

 contrite man abases himself, the man of rank degrades 

 himself by a too familiar deportment with his inferiors; 

 he disgraces himself by his vices. 



To Abhor. Detest, Abominate, Loathe. These 

 terms equally denote a sentiment of aversion. What 

 we abhor is repugnant to our moral feelings; what we 

 detest is opposed to our moral principles; what we abom- 

 inate does violence to our religious and moral sentiments; 

 what we loathe offends our physical taste. We abhor 

 what is base and ungenerous, we detest hypocrisy; we 

 abominate profanation and open impiety; we loathe 

 food when we are sick. 



To \bide, Sojourn, Dwell, Live, Reside. Inhabit. 

 Abide is to make a partial stay. Sojourn signifies to pass 

 the day, that is, a certain portion of one's time, in a place. 

 Dwell conveys the idea of a movable habitation, such as 

 was the practice of living formerly in tents. At present 

 it implies a stay in a place by way of residence, which is 

 expressed in common discourse by the word Live, for 

 passing one's life. Reside conveys the full idea of a set- 

 it. Inhabit signifies to have or occupy for a 

 permanency. The length of stay implied in these terms 

 ts marked by a certain -gradation. Abide denotes the 

 est stay; to sojourn is of longer continuance; dwell 

 comprehend* the idea of perpetuity in a given place, but 

 reside and inhabit are partial and local we dwell only 

 in <>ne spot, but we may reside at or inhabit many places. 



Ability, Capacity, Faculty, Talent. Ability is to 

 capacity as the genus to the species. Ability compre- 

 power of doing in general, without specifying 

 quality or degree; capacity is a particular kind of 

 ability. Ability may be either physical or mental; 

 capacity, when said of persons, is mental only. Ability 

 respects action, capacity respects thought. Ability 

 always supposes something able to be done; capacity is 

 a mental endowment, and always supposes something 

 ready to receive or hold. Ability relates to human 

 power generally, by which a man is enabled to act; it 

 may vary in degree and quality with times, persons, and 

 .instances; health, strength, and fortune are abili- 

 ties; faculty is a gift of nature directed to a certain end. 

 and following a certain rule. An ability may be acquired, 



OOeeqaeoUy i-. properly applied t. individual 

 ability to speak extempore or an abihty to \vnte; but a 

 fncultv belongs to the species, as a faculty ..f speech, or 

 of hearing, etc. Talent imitates but does not originate. 



M'l'-. < ..p..M,-. < ap is. Able is said of that 



<ne can do, as to be able to write or read; capable 

 is said of that which other a person or a thing can 

 take, receive, or hold; a person is capable of an office, or 

 capable of great things; a thing is capable of improve- 

 - used only of the property httT&M the 

 amplitude of space, or a power to take in or comprehend. 

 A hall may be said to be capacious, or, figuratively, a 

 man has a capacious mind. 



To AI-MIX... t i, .true, impe.i, h. Vrralgn. The 

 Idea of asserting something to the prejudice of another 



charge of moral qualities constituting the character* 1 , we 

 a person of murder; we charge him with d.- 



honesty. High officials are impeached ; criminals are 

 arraigned. 



To Acquire, Obtain, Gain, Win, Earn. We 

 acquire by our own efforts; we obtain by the efforts of 

 others as well as ourselves; we gain or win by striving; 

 ; we earn by labor. 



To Act, Do, Make. We always act when we do, but 

 j we do not always do when we act. To act is applied 

 either to persons or things, as a spring or a lock acts; to 

 do applies in this sense to persons only. To act is also 

 mostly intransitive or reflective, as to act well or ill in 

 this or that manner; to do is always transitive, as to do 

 rinht or wrong, to do one's duty. To make is to bring a 

 thing to pass; as to make a pen. 



To Act, Work, Operate. A machine works, but 

 each of its parts is said to act; so beer works, and bread 

 works. Sometimes act as well as work is taken in the 

 sense of exerting a power upon other bodies and pro- 

 ducing changes, as the sun acts on the plants. Operate 

 , is applied to matters of a general nature in science or 

 morals, as a measure operates, or words may operate on 

 the mind, or reasons may operate on the understanding. 



To Abolish, \ hi-o-.it. . Repeal. Revoke, Annul, 

 Cancel. The word abolish conveys the idea of putting 

 a total end to a thing, and is applied properly to those 

 things which have been long in existence, and firmly 

 established; an abolition may be effected either by an 

 act of power, as to abolish an institution, or an order of 

 men, and the like. Or it may be a gradual act, or effected 

 by indirect means, as to abolish a custom, practice, etc. 

 Laws are either repealed or abrogated, but repealing is 

 a term of modern use, applied to the acts of public coun- 

 cils or assemblies, where laws are made or unmade by the 

 consent or open declaration of numbers. Abrogate is a 

 term of less definite import; to abrogate a law is to ren- 

 der it null by any act of the legislature; thus, the making 

 of a new law may abrogate the old one. Revoking is an 

 act of individual authority edicts are revoked; annul- 

 ling is an act of discretion, as official proceedings or pri- 

 vate contracts are annulled; cancelling is a species of 

 annulling, as in the case of cancelling deeds, bonds, obli- 

 gations, etc. 



Abridgment, Compendium, Epitome, Digest, 

 Summary. Abstract. The first four terms are applied 

 to a distinct work, the two latter to parts of a work. An 

 abridgment is the reduction of a work into a smaller 

 compass. A compendium is a general and concise view 

 of any science, as geography or astronomy. An epitome 

 is a compressed view of all the substantial parts of a thing, 

 or, in other words, the whole of any matter brought into 

 a small compass. A digest is any materials digested in 

 order. A summary comprehends the heads and subdi- 

 visions of a work. An abstract includes a brief but com- 

 prehensive view of any particular proceeding. It 

 essary to make abstracts of deeds or judicial proceedings. 



Absolute, Despotic, Arbitrary, Tyrannical. Ab- 

 solute power is independent of and superior to all other 

 power; an absolute monarch is uncontrolled, not only by 

 men, but things. When this absolute power is assigned 

 to any one according to the constitution of a .government, 

 it is despotic. Despotic power is something less than 

 absolute power; a prince is absolute of himself; he is 

 despotic by the consent of others. With arbitrariness 

 is associated the idea of caprice and selfishness. With 

 tyranny is associated the idea of oppression and iniu 



To Abstract, Separate, Distinguish. \\ e abstract 

 what we wish to regard particularly and individually; 

 we separate what we wish not to be united; we <1 

 guish what we wish not to confound. 1 he mind per- 

 forms the office of abstraction for itself; separating and 

 distinguishing are exerted on external objects. Arrange- 

 ment, place, time, and circumstances serve to separate: 

 the ideas formed of things, the outward marks attached 

 t" them, the qualities attributed to them, serve to 

 distinguish. 



To Abuse, Misuse. Everything is abused which 

 receives any sort of injury; it is misused if not used at 

 all, or turned to a wrong use. 



Acceptable, Grateful. \Vebonie. Acceptable sig- 

 v to be accepted. Grateful, pleasing, signifies 

 altogether pleasing; it is that which rr< 



The acceptable,, a relal.ve^ I; t ! ,r ,-, :, t ,( ,,I : *, " .M I : ve ; 



the i mis upon our external condition, the 



latter on our feelings and taste: welcome signifies come 

 well or in season for UK. It refers to whatever happens 

 according to our wishes. It is a grateful task to be the 

 bearer of welcome intelligence to our friend*. 



in Ucompllsh, Effect, Extent* \.i.i.-\e. To 

 accomplish an object signifies more than simply to effect 

 a purpose, both as to the thins mined at and the means 

 employed in bringing it about. K \traordi nary means 

 le for accomplishing, and ordinary means for 

 effecting. To accomplish is properly said of that which 



