ABS 



dark lantern, used by the monks in bury- 

 ing the dead at night. Lot. 



ABSIN'THATE (absinthas), a salt formed 

 by the combination of absinthic acid with 

 a base. 



ABSIN'THIC, related to absinthium. A. 

 acid (acidum absinthicum) , a peculiar acid 

 contained in absinthium. 



ABSIN'THINE (absinthina) , the bitter 

 principle of absinthium. 



ASIN'THITES, wine impregnated with 

 absinthium. 



ABSINTHIUM, wormwood : a bitter plant 

 used in medicine as a tonic. It is a spe- 

 cies of artcmisia (artemisia absinthium]. 

 Name Latinised from ot-^tvDtov, supposed 

 to be derived from , not, and -3/ivOof, 

 sweet, on account of its bitterness. 



AB'SIS. in astronomy, the same with.4pss 

 (q.v.) 



ABSOLUTE. Lat. absolutus, independent 

 of anything extraneous. 1. In grammar, 

 the ABSOLUTE CASE is when a word or 

 member of a sentence is not immediately 

 dependent on the other parts of the sen- 

 tence in government, e.g. " Pray without 

 ceasing." the wordpraj/ is taken absolutely. 



2. In mathematics, an ABSOLUTE TERM 



or NUMBER, is one which is completely 

 known, and to which all the other part 

 of the equation is made equal, e.g. in the 

 eq. x + lOx = 25, the absolute number 

 term is 25, which is equal to the square of 

 x, added to ten times x.- 3. In astro- 

 nomy, ABSOLUTE EQUATION is the SUm Of 



the optic and eccentric equations: the 

 apparent inequality of a planet's motion 

 in its orbit, arising from its being at dif- 

 ferent times at different distances from 

 the'earth, is called its optic equation: the 

 eccentric inequality arises from the uni- 

 formity of the planet's motion in an ellip- 

 tical orbit, which for that reason appears 

 not to be uniform. 4. In physics, ABSO- 

 LUTE SPACE is space considered without 

 relation to any object. Absolute gravity is 

 that property in bodies by which they 

 are said to weigh so much, without regard 

 to circumstances of modification : this is 

 always as the quantity of matter they 



contain. 5. In chemistry, absolute is 



applied to substances free of some usual 

 combination, e. g. alcohol free of water is 

 called absolute alcohol. 



ABSOLUTION. Lat. absoltitio (of ab and 

 tolvo, to loosen). In civil law, a definitive 

 sentence of acquittal by a judge, releasing 

 the accused from all further prosecution. 

 In the Scotch Presbyterian church, a sen- 

 tence of the church judicatories, releasing 

 an individual from excommunication and 

 receiving him again into communion. In 

 Roman Catholic churches, a remission of 

 ins pronounced by a priest in favour of a 

 penitent. Absolutio ad cautelam is a pro- 

 visional absolution granted to a person 



ABS 



who has appealed from a sentence <A 

 excommunication. 



ABSOR'BENT, Lat. dbsorbens (otab-sorbeo, 

 to drink in). 1. In anatomy, the delicate, 

 transparent vessels which take up sub- 

 stances from the surface of the body, or 

 from any cavity, and carry it into the 

 blood, are termed absorbents. These are 

 the lacteals and lymphatics. The same 

 name is given by naturalists to those 

 fibres of roots which draw nourishment 



from the earth. 2. In chemistry the 



term is applied to any substance which 

 withdraws moisture from the atmosphere, 



neutralises acids, &c. 3. In pharmacy, 



a medicine which destroys acidities in 

 the stomach and bowels (e.g. magnesia, 

 prepared chalk). 



ABSORP'TION, Lat. absorptio (of ab- 

 sorbeo, to drink in). 1. In physiology, a 

 function of living organised bodies, which 

 consists in taking up substances, and con- 

 veying them into the mass of circulating 

 fluids, by means of the absorbing vessels. 



Hooper. 2. In chemistry, the passage 



of a gas into the pores of a liquid or solid 

 substance ; the passage of a liquid into the 

 pores of a solid. 



ABSTER'GENT, from dbstergo, to cleanse, 

 (abstergeo), a medicine which removes 

 foulness. The term detergent is now com- 

 monly used. 



AB'STRACT, from Lat. abs-traho, to sepa- 

 rate ; distinct from something else, e.g. 

 an abstract idea, in metaphysics, is an idea 

 separated from a complex object, or from 

 other ideas which naturally accompany 

 it : as the solidity of marble, considered 

 apart from its colour or figure. Abstract 

 terms are those which express abstract 

 ideas, as whiteness, roundness, (in con- 

 tradistinction to concretes, as white, 

 round), without regard to the subjects in. 

 which they exist. Abstract numbers are 

 numbers used without application to any 

 particular objects, as 3, 7; but when 

 applied to anything, as 6 men, they be- 

 come concrete. Abstract, or pure mathe- 

 matics, treat of magnitude or quantity in. 

 general, as arithmetic and geometry; 

 opposed to mixed mathematics, which 

 treat of the relations of quantity, as 

 applied to sensible objects, as astronomy, 

 optics. An abstract is a summary, or 

 epitome, containing the substance of a 

 treatise or writing. To abstract means, 

 in chemistry, to separate the volatile 

 parts of a substance by distillation. In 

 this sense the word extract is commonly 

 used. 



ABSTRAC'TI, in church history, a sect of 

 Lutherans, who asserted that Christ is to 

 be adored not only in the concrete, as the 

 Son of God, but that he is in the abstract 

 an object of adoration. 



ABSTRACTION, the act of separating or 

 state of being separated. Ste ABSTRACT. 



