AGR 4 



for the support of the army. There were 

 many laws relating to the distribution of 

 the conquered lands, but that called agre- 

 garia lex, by way of eminence, originated 

 with Spurius Cassius, in 486, B.C. 



AGREE'ME.NT, In the fine arts, a certain 

 degree of resemblance in style and cha- 

 racter, whereby the parts seem to belong 



to each other. 2. In law, the consent 



of persons to anything done or to be done. 

 " All agreements, to be valid, ought to be 

 on a stamp, or at least duly stamped at 

 the Stamp-office within 21 days after the 

 date of the agreement. "We derive this 

 term immediately from the Fr. agrement. 



AGRF.STIS, Lat. from ager, a field. Per- 

 taining to the field : the trivial name of 

 many plants. The term is opposed to 

 hortis. 



AGRIA C^/a)- 1. The common holly 



(Ilex aquifolium). 2. A pustular disease 



of the skin, accompanied with redness and 

 erosion. 



AG'RICULTURE from Lat. ager, a field, 

 and cultura, cultivation. In a general 

 sense, the cultivation of the ground for the 

 purpose of producing vegetables and fruits 

 for the use of man and beast. In this 

 sense, the word includes gardening or 

 horticulture, and also the raising and 

 feeding of cattle. But appropriately, the 

 word is used to signify that species of 

 cultivation which is intended to raise 

 grain and other crops in large quantities. 

 The word is thus synonymous with hus- 

 bandry, and opposed to horticulture. The 

 term is also sometimes considered to in- 

 clude every description of territorial im- 

 provement, as embanking, road-making, 

 draining, planting, &c. 



AGRIELJEA, the oleaster or wild olive ; 

 (aygio;, wild, and eAa/a, the olive-tree). 



AGRIFO'LIUM, the holly-tree, so named 

 from ayyos, fierce, and folium, leaf, on 

 account of its sharp prickles. 



AG'RIMONIA, \ a genus of plants. Class, 



AG'RIMONY, j dodecandria,or&er digynia. 

 The name a^6,aa>nj was given by the 

 Greeks to a plant supposed to cure the ca- 

 taract in the eye, called tuoy^i^a- There 

 are seven species of this perennial, one of 

 vf\Ac.\i,A.euiMtoria, is common in Britain, 

 in waste places, as road-sides. 



AG'RIMONY, the popular name for Agri- 

 monia (q. v.). Hemp agrimony is Bidens 

 tripartita. 



AGBIOCOCCI'MELA, the sloe-tree (Primus 

 spinosa], from evytio;, wild; xoxxc;, a 

 berry ; and u^Asa, an apple-tree. 



AGRIOHIDJE, the name of a family of 

 dragon-flies (Libellula ,Lin.) , of which the 

 type is the blue dragon -fly (Agrion puella) , 

 found frequenting the sides of ditches in 

 most parts of Britain. 



ASRIP'ETIST, from Lat. ajrer.afield, and 



I AGO 



peto, to seek. One who claims a portion 

 in the division of lands. 



AGRIP'PA, a difficult birth. Agrippce, 

 children of difficult birth, ab cegro partu. 



AGROM'YZA, a genus of muscides (q. v.) . 

 From m-yati and tti|a;, a fly. 



AGRO'NOMT, from af/^o;, a field, and 

 votM>s, a rule. The art of cultivating the 

 ground : sometimes used synonymously 

 with agriculture. 



AGROSTEM'MA, corn-cockle or rose-cam- 

 pion (A.githago). A genus of the class de- 

 candria, and order pentagynia. Name, 

 "/%ov o-Tiuu**., garland of the field. The 

 trivial name githago is from gith, the 

 Celtic word for any peculiar black seed. 

 There are, besides that mentioned, seven 

 foreign species, most of which are per- 

 ennials. 



AGRO'STIS, bent-grass. A genus of the 

 class triandria, and order digynia. Xame, 

 ctyevtrri; , given by the Greeks to grasses 

 generally, from aygoj, a field. The genus 

 contains about 24 species, five of which, 

 are British, mostly perennials. 



AGROSTOL'OGY, from alarms, grass, 

 and Kvyos, discourse. The part of botany 

 which relates to grasses. The term is 

 commonly used as synonymous with 

 agrostography 



AGRYP'NIA, from j/jus-vj, sleepless. 

 Agrypny, sleeplessness. 



AGRYP'NOCOMA, from atyevfri/og , sleep- 

 less, and K/u/Mt, lethargy. A lethargic 

 state, common in bad cases of typhus 

 fever. It is synoiiimous M'ith coma-vigil. 



AGUE, a disease consisting of febrile 

 paroxysms, which completely subside and 

 return at certain intervals. The febrile 

 paroxysm is distinguished into three 

 stages the cold, the hot, and the sweating 

 and these follow in regular succession. 

 The name is also applied to a sense of 

 chilliness, attended with shaking, though 

 in health. The word is Goth, agis, fear, 

 which is one of the chief characteristics 

 of the disease. Ague-cake, the popular 

 name for a tumour, consisting of an en- 

 larged spleen, which projects under the 

 false ribs on the left side : it occurs in 

 persons who have suffered from pro- 

 tracted ague. Ague-drop. The medicine 

 sold under the name of Fowler's tasteless 

 ague-drop is a solution of arseniate of 

 potash in water (liquor arsenicalis of the 

 Pharmacopeia). 



AGUE-FREE, a name sometimes applied 

 to sassafras, on account of its supposed 

 febrifuge qualities. 



AOCIL'LANEUF, a form of rejoicing 

 among the ancient Franks on the first day 

 of the year ; it was derived from the dru- 

 idical custom of cutting misleto, which 

 was held sacred by the druids, who, cm 

 the first day of the year, consecrated it, 



