ALM 



53 



ALM 



raldry, applied to the eyes of bensts, when 

 they are drawn sparkling and red, 



ALLD'VIA.L, composed of alluvion. 



ALLU'VION, \ Lat. alluvia, of <vi and luo, 



Atm'viuM, I to wash. Detritus, con- 

 sisting of earth, sand, gravel, stones, or 

 other transported matter, which has been 

 washed away and deposited by water 

 upon land, not permanently submerged 

 beneath the waters of lakes and seas. 

 Alluvion is distinguished by geologists 

 into ancient and modern : the first is cha- 

 racterised by the fossil remains of large 

 extinct mammalia andi-arnivora; and the 

 second, by the remains of man and co- 

 temporaueous animals and plants. 



ALMA.. 1. An alchemical name for 



water. 2. In Egyptian customs. See 



ALME 



AI.MADIC. 1. A bark canoe used on 



some parts of the coast of Africa. 2. A 



long ooat used at Calicut, in India, 80 feet 

 in length, and 6 or 7 broad ; called also 



~ALM.<VES/T, the name of a celebrated 

 book drawn up by Ptolemy ; being a col- 

 lection of the problems of the ancients 

 relative to geometry and astrolosry. Its 

 original Greek title was 2wvra|/,- ^liyttrrr, 

 (the Great Computation}. The Arabians 

 translated it in the ninth century, and 

 prefixed their article al, the, to the word 

 Mtyta-TY., which, when the work was re 

 translated into Latin, was corrupted into 

 Aitiuigeslum ; whence English Almagest 

 The best modem edition is that published 

 at ParLs in 1813-15, in 2 vols.,4to. Itcon 

 tains tne Greek and a French translation 

 by M. Halma. 



ArMA MATER, fostering mother. The 

 ixajne sometimes given to a university by 

 liiojH who have taken their degrees in it 

 AL'MANAC, | A small book containing 

 AL'MANACK, I a calendar of days and 

 months ; the rising and setting of the sun 

 the age, changes, &c., ef the moon 

 eclipses, tides, church festivals, &c., fo 

 the ensuing year. The Xantical Almanat. 

 and Astronomical ephimeris is a kind o 

 national almanac, published for every 

 year, by anticipation, under the direction 

 of the Commissioners of longitude : thi 

 astronomical calculations are adapted t 

 the meridian of Greenwich. The term i 

 compounded of Arabic al and tndndch 

 reckoning, perhaps from [jux.ia.xo;, a luna 

 circle. 



ALMAN'DINE, Fr. almandine. It. alaban 

 dina. A beautiful mineral of a red colour 

 of various shades : commonly translucen 

 often transparent. It is usually terme 

 precious garnet: the finest crystals are 

 those of Ceylon and Pegu, where the 

 occur in the sand of the rivers. 



AL'ME. In Egyptian customs, the aim 

 *ae girfc, whose occupation is to amuse 



omjiany with singing and dancing. They 

 erive their name from having received 

 superior education to other women. 

 AL'MKHRALES. In Mohammedan mosqutt, 

 . niche pointing out the direction of tho 

 ebla, or temple of Mecca, towards which 

 he faithful look during prayer. 

 ALMOND, the seed or kernel of the nut 

 r fruit of the almond-tree (amygdalut 

 omnntnis], which grows spontaneously in 

 warm countries, particularly in Barbary : 

 t nearly resembles the peach. There are 

 weet and bitter almonds, but they are 

 nly distinguishable by the taste and 

 iy chemical analysis. Sweet almonds 

 ontain 54 per cent, of a fixed oil ; bitter 

 almonds contain less of this oil, but they 

 vield instead a bitter poisonous principle, 



mown in chemistry as amygdaline. 



. The tonsils, two glands near the basis 

 >f the tongue, are called almonds of the 

 hi-oat, from their resemblance to that 

 ruit ; and the external glands of the neck, 

 ituated near the ears, are called almonds 



)ftheears. 3. Among lapidaries, almonds 



ignify pieces of rock crystal, used iii 

 adorning branch candlesticks : they are 



so called in reference to their form. 



A measure, by which the Portuguese 

 sell their oil, is called an almond (written 

 aimude) : 26 almudes = 1 pipe. 



ALMOND-FURNACE, a furnace used by 

 refiners to reduce to lead the slags of 

 itharge, used in refining silver, by the 

 aid of charcoal. 



ALMOND-PASTE, a paste made of blanched 

 bitter almonds, white of egg, spirit of 

 wine,&c. It is a cosmetic for softening the 

 skin and preventing chaps. 

 ALMOND-TREE. See AM IODALUS. 

 ALMONER, a distributor of alms. By the 

 ancient canons, every monastery was to 

 dispose of a tenth of its income in alms to 

 the poor, and all bishops were obliged 

 to keep an almoner. This title is some- 

 times given to a chaplain, as an almoner 

 of a ship or regiment. The lord almoner, 

 or lord high almoner of England, is an 

 ecclesiastical oflBcer, usually a bishop, 

 who has the forfeiture of all deodands, 

 and the goods which accrue from felo do 

 se, which he is required by his office to 

 distribute among the poor. The grand 

 almoner of France is the first ecclesiastical 

 dignitary, and has the superintendence of 

 hospitals and other charities. 



ALMONRY, the residence of the almoner, 

 or the place where the alms are distri- 

 buted. Hence the words ambry, aumbry, 

 and Scotch, aumery. 



ALMS, whatever is given out of charity 

 to the poor. Tenure byfreealmt, or frank- 

 almoign, was that by which the pos- 

 sessor was bound to pray for the soul of 

 the donor, whether dead or alive. By this 

 tenure most of the ancient monasteries 

 and religious houses in England held their 



