AB J 



AB'H AL, the fruit of a species of Asiatic 

 cypress, said to be a powerful emmeiia- 

 gogue. 



ABHO'RRERS, a name given to a party 

 in England about 1680, in opposition to 

 those who petitioned for a redress of 

 grievances. 



AB'IB, the first month of the Jewish 

 ecclesiastical year, called also Nisan. It 

 begins at the spring equinox, and answers 

 to the end of March and beginning of 

 April. Its name, which means a full ear 

 of corn, is derived from the wheat being 

 full grown in Egypt at that season. 



ABIDE, from Sax. abidan, to continue. 

 Abiding by tcritings, in Scotch law, means 

 compelling a person to abide by a false 

 deed us if it were true. 



ABIES, the trivial name of the Norway 

 spruce fir (pinus ubics), which affords the 

 Burgundy pitch, and common fraiikin- 

 ci-nse (abietit retina). Name, from ottriof, 

 a wild pear, to which its fruit bears some 

 resemblance. 



ABIETIC, from abies. A. acid (acid-urn 

 aiieticum), an acid discovered in the resin 

 of tiie pinus nines. It crystallises in square 

 plates, is soluble in alcohol, and forms 

 *alts with the alkalies. 



ABI'ETINB (adietinc,} , a resinous sub- 

 stance obtained from the Strasburg tur- 

 pentine. 



A'BIOA, the ground-pine, or chamaepitys 

 (Teucriumchanuepitys). Name, from abigo, 

 to expel, as it was supposed to promote 

 parturition. 



ABIGEAT (abigeatus), the crime of steal- 

 ing cattle in droves ; called also abactus. 

 Set ABACTOR. 



ABIL'ITT, from Lat. habilitas, ableness, 

 from habeo, to have. In laic, the power of 

 doing certain actions, principally with 

 regard to the acquisition and transfer of 

 property. 



ABI.NTES'TATE, from Lat. ab and intesta- 

 tus, without a will (testator). In late, 

 applied to the person who inherits the 

 estate of one dying intestate, or without a 

 will. 



ABIOTOS, deadly ; from , not, and j3ioa, 

 to live. A name given to hemlock 'coniutn 

 macwlatum), from its deadly qualities. 



ABIRRITATION, from aft and irritation, 

 a medical synonyme for asthenia, debi- 

 lity, &c. 



ABJURATION, from abjure, Lat. ab-juro, 

 to deny upon oath. A renunciation upon 

 oath ; e. g. " an abjuration of the realm," 

 by which a person swears to leave the 

 country for ever. This is much the same 

 with what in Scotland is called signing an 

 act of banishment, and was allowed for- 

 merly in England to felons who had taken 

 refuge in a church, and confessed their 

 guilt. In some statute*, it is an oath 

 disclaiming all allegiance to a pretender. 



fc ABO 



I The " uhjnratinn of ftfrf,;/ ," is Uir c&UUk- 

 lion of any relig'.ous doctrine a^ i-lv . 



ABLACTA'TION, the- weaning of a child 

 from the breast. In gardrmitj, a mode of 

 grafting, in which the scion i* not sepa- 

 rated from the parent stock till it is firmly 

 united to the new one. It is now called 

 grafting by approach, or inaivhiiig. 

 ABLAUUEA'TION, from Lat. nl/and laquear, 



I a covering. In garden imj, tin- operation 



I of laying bare the roots of trees to tho 

 air and water. 

 ABLA'TION, Lat. ab-latio, a carrying 

 away. In medicine, the taking a\>uy from, 

 the body whatever is hurtful: evacua- 

 tions generally. In chemistry, the removal 

 of whatever is finished. 



AB'LATIVE, Lat. ablativws, from avfero, 

 to carry away (of ab and /en;). In Latin 

 grammar, the name of the sixth case, 

 peculiar to that language. AVords are 

 used in this case when the actions of car- 

 rying away or taking from are signified. It 

 is therefore opposed to the dative. It is 

 sometimes called the comparative case, as 

 being much used in comparing things. 

 Ablative absolute, is when a word in that 

 case is independent in construction of the 

 rest of the sentence. 



ABLE-BODIED, in narttical language, it 

 denotes skill in seamanship. 



AJJLEC'TI (selected). In the Roman army, 

 a select body of soldiers chosen from 

 among those called extraordinarii. 



ABLE'OIMA (ajreXey^;). In Roman 

 archeeology, the parts of the victim which 

 were offered to the gods in sacrifice. The 

 word is derived from ablegere, in imitation 

 of the Greek <roAey<v. 



ABLEp'sy,Lat. ablepsia, from a,, not, and 

 jSAtrai, to see. Ulinduess. 



AB'LUENT, Lat. abluens, from ab-luo, to 

 wash away (Ir. lo, or lita, water.) la 

 ntedicine, that which purities the blood. 

 It is sometimes used in the sense of diluent, 

 and abstergent. 



ABLU'TION, Lat. ab-lutio (of Itto, or lavo, 

 to wash). 1. Purification by water. Ap- 

 propriately, the washing of the body as a 

 preparation for religious duties, enjoined 

 by Moses, and still practised in oriental 

 countries. The priests of Egypt used 

 daily ablutions ; the Grecians, sprinklings ; 

 the Komans, lustrations; the Jews, \\a-h- 

 ings and baptisms. The ancient Christiana 

 had their ablutions before communion; 

 the Roman Catholic has his before mass; 

 on Good Friday, the Syrians, Copts, &c., 



have solemn washings. 2. In chemistry, 



the separation of extraneous matters from 

 any substance by washing. 3. In medi- 

 cine, the washing of the body. 



ABNOR'MAL, or ABNOKMOCS. Lat. abnor- 

 mii, irregular. Deviating from nature: 

 unnatural. 



ABOARD (a and board), within a kkiy 



