A C A 



11 



AtnnthiiA ticndtf (singing gr:issh<>p- 

 pers), had the tame meaning among the 

 ancients that timber tuntd has among 

 ourselves. 



ACA'NTHINE, pertaining to, or resem- 

 bling the plant acanthus. In architecture, 

 a border or fillet ornamented with the 

 acanthus-leaf. 



The acanthine garments of the an- 

 cients were made of the down of the 

 thistle, or embroidered with represent- 

 ations of the acanthus. 

 ACA'STHINK-GUM (yummi acanthinum}. 

 Gum-acacia is sometimes so called, be- 

 cause it is produced by a thorny tree, the 

 acacia tera. 



ACA'NTHOCEPHALA, an intestinal worm 

 constituting a family of the order paren- 

 chymata, and class entozoa, and forming 

 the genus echinorhynchus, of Gmelin. The 

 A. attach themselves to the intestines by 

 a prominence armed with recurved spines, 

 which also appear to act as a proboscis : 

 hence the name, ctxoittioz thorny; xit*.\r,, 

 head. 



ACA'NTHOMERA, in entomology, a genus 

 belonging to the tribe of blapsides of La- 

 treille; name, from etxat^s, spinous. 



ACA'NTHOPODA, a tribe of coleopterous 

 insects composed of the single genus he- 

 iervcents, of Bosc; remarkable for their 

 broadish flattened legs armed exteriorly 

 with spines : whence the name, otzotvQoc,, 

 a, spine, and JTOU;, a. foot. 



ACA'NTHOPTEKA, in entomology, a genus 

 belonging to the tribe of cerambycini of 

 !Latreille. It comprises the callichromet, 

 purpitricfintx, and i-trnacoruii, of Dejean; 

 name, ocxxtGae,. ampine,n.nA rrTJv, Ateing. 

 ACA'STHOPTERYGU, the first and by far 

 the most numerous division of fishes ; 

 distinguished by having the rays of their 

 fins bony, and many of them prickly at 

 the extremities : whence their name, 

 etxctvOa., a spine, and TK|, a jin. The 

 perch is an example of this order. 



ACA'XTHOPUS, in entomology, a genus of 

 hymenoptcra, hnlnn^ing to the apis of 

 Linua'us. and apiaria: of Latreille. 



ACA'NTHOSCKF.LJS, a genus of coleopte- 

 roiis insects ; anterior tibiae strongly 

 palmated : posterior short, broad, arched, 

 and spinoun : whence the name, ttxotiSat, 

 a ipme, vVc. 



AcA'NTHrs,from?svfof, prickly. L<tt. 

 1. In h'tanii, the plnnt bear's breech or 

 brank ursine: :i ircnus of about ten spe- 

 cies, receiving their name from their 

 prickles: class ditlynamia, order afij/io- 

 spermia. The aranthiis nmllis is that which 

 was formerly used in medicine: the branca 

 iirsi. It is a native of Italy, Sicily, and 



the Archipelago. 2. In architecture, 



the leaf which forms one of the orna- 

 ments of the Corinthian capital. The 

 honour of introducing it is ascribed, by 



A.CA 



Vitruvius, to Calllmachus, who was by 

 the Athenians called zac,Tct,-n%o; (the first 

 of artists). 



ACA'.VTICONE, a sub-species of pri*ma- 

 tpidal augitc, occurring chiefly in primi- 

 tive rocks, as micaceous schist, gneiss, 

 &c. It is known also as pistacite and 

 epidote. 



ACAPATLI, the iva frutescens, a corym- 

 biferous plant which produces the Mexi- 

 can quinquina. 



ACA'PNON, from otxairvot, unsmoked. 

 1. Honey taken from the hive without 

 smoking the bees. 2. The herb marjoram 

 (which when burnt gives out no smoke). 



ACA'RDA, a genus of fossil inollusca, be- 

 longing to the order of testaceous ace- 

 phala. The shells are thick, and of a 

 solid or porous tissue. M. de Lamarck 

 makes a family of this genus, which he 

 calls radiata. They are now usually di- 

 vided into radiolites, sphcerulites, hippu- 

 ritet, batholithes. 



ACA'RNAR, a bright star of the first 

 magnitude in Eridanus. 



ACA'RPIA, from tx.xtx.^'ros, unfruitful. 

 Unfruitf ulness. Acarpimw , sterile , barren. 



Ac* ARCS, the tick or mite ; a numerous 

 genus of insects of the order aptera, or 

 those which have no wings. The atari 

 are oviparous, have eight legs, two eyes, 

 and two-jointed tentacula. Name, from 

 axii^ca, not divisible, as though the in- 

 sect were too small to be divided. In the 

 system of Cuvier, the acarus belongs to 

 the family of hoMra, class arachnides, and 

 order trachearat. Linmrus enumerates 

 35, and Gmelin 82 species of aeari. They 

 are excessively numerous, and most of 

 them so small as to be almost microsco- 

 pical. They abound everywhere, even 

 attached to the bodies of other insects, 

 and have been found in the brain and eye 

 of man. 



ACATALEC'TIC, from otx<x.rK,).r,x-rof , not 

 defective in number. In ancient poetry, 

 applicable to such verses as have all their 

 regular feet and syllables, e. g. the first 

 two of the following lines of Horace are 

 acatalectic, and the Itist catnlectic: 

 Solvitur acris hyems grata vice 

 Veriset Favoni; 

 Trahuntque siccas machime carins. 



ACAT\LEP'SIA, from a., m-g. and xxrot 

 \ot,u,$.iia, to comprehend. Acatalepsy. 

 In medicine, uncertainty in the prognosis 

 or diagnosis of diseases. 



ACATALEPSY, from acataiepsia, (q. T.). 

 In ancient philosophy, the impossibility 

 of comprehending something. The dis- 

 tinguishing tenet of the pi/rrhonists was, 

 their asserting an absolute acatalepsy 

 regarding everything. 



ACATA'POSIS, f torn a., neg. and i 

 to swallow. Difficult deglutition 



