AVANTURINE 



38 



AZOBENZENE 



=Snow-slip: the fall of a large body of ice or 

 enow down the slope of a hill. 



Avanturine, ( a-van'tu-rin ). [F. aventure, 

 chance.]=Aventurin: a mineral belonging 

 to the quartz group, especially brilliant, 

 owing to the presence of minute particles of 

 mica. A. glass=Gold. flux: glass artificially 

 coloured so as to resemble avanturine. The 

 name is said to have arisen from artificial 

 aventurine having been first made by acci- 

 dent. 



Avena, (a-ve'na). [The Latin name. ]= Oat: 

 a plant belonging to Graminaceaa. A . steriiis 

 =Animal oat, q.v. 



Avenaceous, (a-ve-na'she-us). [Avena, q.v.] 

 Relating to oats. 



Avenin, (a've-nin). A nitrogenous substance, 

 resembling leguinin, found in oats. 



Avens, (a'venz)=:Geum, q.v. : a plant belong- 

 ing to Rosacese. Mountain A.=Dryas octo- 

 petala. 



Averdupoise=Avoirdupoise, q.v. 



Averrhoa, (a-ver-ho'a). [Averhoes, a Spanish 

 physician.] An East Indian plant, having 

 fleshy winged fruits and sensitive leaves, 

 belonging to Oxalidaceoe. 



Aves, (a'vez). [L. aves, birds.] =Birds: the 

 general term for all birds: oviparous verte- 

 brate biped animals, covered with feathers, 

 and generally adapted to flying; have the 

 fore -limbs developed into wings, and hot 

 red blood; resemble mammalia in having an 

 amnion and allantpis, but differ in the ram us 

 being in several pieces, and not articulated 

 directly with the skull. 



Avicularium, (a-vik-u-la'ri-um). [L. avicula, 

 small bird.] An appendage present in some 

 Polyzoa, named from its resemblance to the 

 head of a bird, possibly zooids. 



Aviculopecten, (a-vik-u-lo-pek'ten). [L. avi- 

 cula, little bird; pecten, comb.] A bivalve 

 shell, common in Carboniferous Limestone. 



Avifauna, (a-vi-faw'na). [L. avis, bird;/awna, 

 animals.]=Birds. 



Avis, (a'vis). [L. avis, a bird.] Singular of 

 Aves, q.v. 



Avocet, (a'vo-set). A wading bird, belonging 

 to Grallatores, with very long flexible curved 

 beak=Recurvirostra avocetta. 



Avoirdupoise weight, (av-war-du-pois'). The 

 system of weight measurement in common 

 use in Britain. 437^ grains=.l ounce; 7000 

 grains=l pound; 28 poundsz^l quarter; 4 

 quarters = 1 hundredweight ; 20 hundred- 

 weight^ ton. 



Awl -wort, (awl'wurt). [Shape of leaves.]= 

 Subularia aquatica: a small aquatic plant. 



Awn, (awn)=Arista: the beard of such plants 

 as barley. 



Axe-stone. A variety of jade-stone, used in 

 the Pacific islands for axes and other weapons. 



Axial, (ak'si-al). [ Axis, q.v. ]=Axile: con- 

 nected with an axis. A. muscle: muscles 

 connected directly or indirectly with the axis 

 of the body or vertebrae. A. skeleton: the 

 central axis of the body. A. system of 

 mineralogy: by which the minerals are 

 classed according to their axes. A. develop- 

 ment: in most plants; and in Ccelenterata, 



Mollusca, Annulosa, and Vertebra ta, amongst 

 animals. 



Axiferous, (ak-sif'er-us). [Axis. q.v. ; L. fero, 

 I bear.] A term applied to plants having no 

 leaves or other appendages to the stem or axis. 



Axilla, (ak-sil'la). [L. ala, a wing.] 1. The 

 arm pit. 2. The junction of a leaf with its 

 stem. 3. Used generally for any junction of 

 a limb with a central body. 



Axillary, (ak-sil'la-ri). [Axilla, q.v.] Grow- 

 ing or proceeding from an axilla. 



Axinite, (ak'sin-it). [Gk. axine, axe.)=Thum- 

 ite: a mineral of the garnet group: chiefly a 

 silicate of alumina, lime, iron, tfcc., named 

 from the shape of its crystals. 



Axioms, (aks'i-omz). [Gk. axioma. ]=Neces- 

 sary truths: those that are self-evident, ami 

 therefore do not require to be demonstrated. 



Axis, (ak'sis). [L. axis, axle tree.] l=Shaft 

 Spindle=Axle=Arbor. 2. An imaginary 

 line joining the N. and S. poles of a planet. 

 3. The central line of iny organised body, as 

 the stem of a plant. 4. An Indian deer, an 

 animal belonging to Cervidse. A. vertebra, 

 =The second vertebra of the neck, on which 

 the atlas, supporting the head, turns as on 

 an axis. 



Axle, (ak'sl). [axis, the Latin word.] The 

 axis upon which a wheel revolves. 



Axolotl, (ak'so-lotl). [The Mexican name.] 

 Axolotes=Gyrinus: a small amphibious ani- 

 mal, common in. Mexico, having both lungs 

 and gills. 



Axotomous, (ak-sot'o-mus). [Gk. axon, axis; 

 temno, I cleave.] Used of minerals that caa 

 be cleaved in one given direction. 



Aye-aye, (ae-ae, its cry). [The local name.] 

 =Cheiromys Madagascariensis : a nocturnal 

 burrowing quadruped, found in Madagascar. 



Aye-green. [A.-S. aye, ever, and green. ] = 

 E ver-green= Scm pervi vum. 



Aymaras, An American race. 



Aymestry limestone. [A., Herefordshire.] 

 Remarkable for numerous Pentameri: be- 

 longs to Ludlow formation. 



Ayr-stone, (ar). [Ayr, in Scotland.]=Snake- 

 stone: a variety of whet-stone. 



Azalea, (a-za'le-a). [Gk. azaleas, parched.] 

 =Loiseleuria procumbens: a fragrant plant 

 belonging to Ericaceae. 



Azimuth, (a'zi-muth). [A. al, the; snmp, 

 path. ] The horizontal angular distance 

 between two meridians. Magnetic A.: the 

 horizontal angular dis- 

 tance of the magnetic 

 from the geographical 

 meridian. A. compass: 

 a variety of ship's com- 

 pass. 



Azimuth circle, ( az'i- 

 muth). [Ar. al, the; 

 samp , path. ] A gradu- 

 ated circle, showing the 



difference between two 



celestial meridians. 



Azo. A prefix implying Azimuth. 



the presence of nitrogen. 



Azobenzene, (a-zo-ben'zen). [Azote ami 7>/-w- 

 zene, q.v.] = CjoHlo^ Azobenzol Azoben- 



