ABO 



boat, &c. : hence, la </u aboard, to enter a 

 hip : to boat-it, to enter a ship by force of 

 arms: to fall aboard, to strike a ship's 

 side, to encounter ; aboard main-tack, an 

 order to draw the main-tack, i.e. the 

 lower corner of the mainsail, down to the 

 chess- tree. 



ABOLI'TIOX, from Lat. ab and oleo 

 olesco, to grow. In laic, 1. The repealing 

 of any statute. 2. Remitting the punish- 

 ment of a criminal. 3. leave given to 

 a criminal accuser to desist from further 

 prosecution of the accused. 



Abolition conveys the notion of a 

 more gradual proceeding than either 

 repeal or abrogate, and seems more ap- 

 plicable to the obliteration of customs ; 

 e. g. we say a change of taste has 

 caused the abolition of tournaments; 

 but that such a law has been repealed, 

 or abrogated; such an edict has been 

 revolted, contract annulled, or debt can- 

 celled. 



ABOL'LA, in Roman archceology , a wool- 

 len cloak or pall, which was worn by 

 the soldiers; and also by judges. The 

 word is identical in signification with 

 pallium ($*<>;). 



ABOMAS'CS, the fourth stomach in rumi- 

 nating animals: from ab, and omasum, 

 the paunch. In calves, the runnet, or 

 earning, is formed in the abomasus. 



ABOMINATION, detestation: from Lat. 

 abomino (of ab and omen), to deprecate as 

 ominous. A. of desolation, foretold by 

 Daniel, the statue of Jupiter Olympius, 

 which Antiochus Epiphanes caused to b 

 put up in the temple of Jerusalem. A. of 

 desolation, mentioned by the evangelists, 

 the ensigns of the Roman army when 

 Jerusalem was besieged by Titus. 



ABO'REA, a species of duck called, by 

 Edwards, the black-bellied whistling 

 duck. It is of a reddish brown colour, 

 with a sort of crest on its head: the belly 

 is spotted with black and white. 



ABORI'GINES, the first inhabitants of a 

 country as the Celts in Europe, and the 

 Indians in America. The term is Lat. 

 from ab, and origo, origin. Adj. aboriginal. 

 The name was first given to the ancient 

 or original inhabitants of Italy, who, 

 according to tradition, were conducted 

 into Latium by Saturn. 



ABOR'TIENT, Lat. abortiens, miscarrying. 

 A term sometimes used by botanical wri- 

 ters, as synonymous with sterilis, barren. 

 ABORTION, Lat. abortio, miscarriage, 

 (of ab and orior). The premature expul- 

 sion of the foetus. If it occur before the 

 end of the sixth month it is called abortion, 

 or miscarriage : if between the sixth and 

 end of the ninth month, premature labour. 

 JUtearrinqt is restricted by some writers 

 ttr tv> expulsion of the foetus within six 

 Wraai alter conception: abortion and 



5 A BR 



miscarriage are, however, generally oa*4 

 synonymously. 



ABOR'TIVE, applied, 1. To a medicine 

 which has the power of exciting abortion 

 (q.v.) ; 2. To Howers or HoreU which do 

 not produce perfect seed. Abortive How- 

 ers are generally such as have stamens, 

 but no pistils. 



ABOUT, from Sax. abutan, coinciding 

 with ot/Mfn. About ship, the order to the 

 ship's crew for tacking; the situation of 

 the ship immediately after she has tacked. 

 AB Ovo, from the beginning: literally 

 from the egg, with which the banquet 

 began. 



ABP., abbreviation for archbishop. 

 ABRACADAB'RA, the name of a deity 

 worshipped by the Syrians. The name 

 was supposed by the cabalists to possess 

 great virtues in preventing and curing 

 fevers. To render its powers certain, H 

 was written on paper as many times as it 

 contained letters, omitting the iast letter 

 every time, thus 



ABRACADABRA 



ABRACADABR 



ABRACADAB 



ABRACADA 



A B R A C A D 



A B R A C A 



A B R A C 



A B R A 



A B R 



A B 



A 



The word is a corruption of Abrasaaalra. 

 which means " divine decree." 



ABRAC'ALAN, a cabalistic term, to which 

 the rabbins ascribed the same virtues as 

 to the Abracadabra. 



ABRAHAMIC, pertaining to Abraham the 

 patriarch, e. g. the Altrahamic cai-enant. 

 Abrabamites, a sect of heretics who 

 adopted the errors of Paulus, and who 

 are therefore called Paulicians. Also an 

 order of monks exterminated in the ninth 

 century, by Theophilus, for worshipping 

 images. 



ABRAN'CHIA, from , not, and ^otv^iot,, 

 gills. Animals which have no gills, or 

 apparent organs of respiration. 



ABRA_XCHI\'TA, from abranchia (q. v.), 

 the third order of Articulata, having no 

 apparent external organ of respiration, 

 but seem to respire, some by the entire 

 surface cf the skin, and others by internal. 

 cavities. They have a closed circulating 

 system, usually filled with red blood. 

 This order is divided into two families : 

 the A. setigera, which are provided with 

 setae which enable them to crawl, e. g. 

 the earth-worm; and the A. asetigera, 

 which are aquatic, and have no seta;, 

 e. g. the leech. 



ABRASAX, a word which has been de- 

 rived from the initial letters of the Hebrew 



