AMB 



y, dull, and -,}/, the eye. 

 Incipient amaurosis ; defect of sight, 

 without apparent defect of the organs of 

 vision. 



AMBLYRHYN'CHUS, Gr. a,a./3Xfj, obtuse, 

 and pvsxos, snout. A genus of marine 

 lizard. The A. cristefus is the only marine 

 lizard now known. It is found on the 

 shores of the Galapagos Islands. 



AMBLYTE'HES, a genus of phyllophaffii 

 (leaf-eating insects). 



AMBLYTE'HUS, Gr. oe,u,$Xi>; , obtuse, and 

 rrrEgov, a fin. A genus of fossil fishes, 

 which occur in the strata of the carboni- 

 ferous order. Their teeth are small and 

 numerous, and set closely together, like a 

 brush. They arc besides characterised by 

 rounded pectoral and ventral fins, from 

 which they take their generic name. 



AM'BON, <x.u.2w, a boss or knob. In 

 anatomy, the margin of a socket in which 

 the head of a bone is lodged. 



AM'BREADA, a sort of factitious amber 

 which the Europeans sell to the Africans. 



AM'BREATE, a salt formed by the com- 

 bination of the ambreic acid -with a 

 base. 



AM'BREIC ACID. Ambreic acid is a pro- 

 duct obtained by heating ambreine with 

 nitric acid. 



AM'BREINE, a fragrant substance ex- 

 tracted from ambergris, by digestion with 

 alcohol. It is obtained in white tufts, 

 which fuse at 100. 



AMBRO'SIA, AfA%%a<ri, immortality. In 

 mythology, the food of the gods : hence 

 whatever is pleasant to the taste or smell. 

 The name has been given to many alexi- 

 pharmic preparations, and to several 

 plants, as tansy, botrys, &c. It is also 

 the name of an American genus of plants 

 of the class monoscia, and order pentan- 

 dria. They are chiefly valued for their 

 fiosculous flowers. 



AMBRO'SIAN, pertaining to St. Ambrose. 

 The Ambrosian ritual is a formula of 

 worship in the church of Milan, instituted 

 t>y St. Ambrose in the fourth century. 

 The Ambrosian chant was also composed 

 for that church by St. Ambrose ; it is dis- 

 tinguished from the Gregorian chant by 

 monotony and want of beauty in its 

 melody. 



AMBRO'SIN, a coin of the middle ages, 

 struck by the Dukes of Milan ; on which 

 St. Ambrose was represented on horse- 

 back, with a whip in his right hand. 



AMBULA'CRA, Lat. ambulacrum, an alley. 

 The narrow longitudinal portions of the 

 shell of the sea-urchin (echinus), which 

 give passage through their perforations 

 to the tentacular suckers. 



AMBULANT, Lat. ambulans, wandering. 

 Ambulant brokers, at Amsterdam, are 

 certain exchange-brokers, or agents, who 



AME 



are not sworn, and whose evidence is not 

 received in courts of justice. 



AMBULA'TIOX, Lat. ambulo, to walk. In 

 surgery, the spreading of a gangrene. 



AMBULA'TOR, in entomology, ar species of 

 Lamia. 



AMBULATO'RES, Lat. plural of ambulator, 

 a wanderer. The name given by Illiger 

 to an order of birds nearly corresponding 

 to the Passeres of Linnaeus. 



AMBULATORY, not stationary; e. g. an 

 ambulatory court, which exercises its 

 jurisdiction in different places ; an ambu- 

 latory will, which may be revoked at 



pleasure, before the person's death. 



2. Formed for walking, e. g. the term is 

 applied to the feet of birds, when the toes 

 are placed three before and one behind, 

 as in the lark. 



AM'BURY, i in farriery, a tumour, wart, 



AN'BURY, j or swelling on a horse : it is 

 soft to the touch, and full of blood. 



AME'DIANS, a religious sect who style! 

 themselves the amati Deo, the beloved of 

 God. The name is compounded of amo, 

 to love, and D?us, God. 



AM'EL, the old word for enamel, (q. v.). 



AMELAN'CHIER, a genus of shrubaceous 

 plants, class icosandria, order pentagynia. 

 There is one European species and three 

 American. 



AMEL'LCS, the stancort ; a genus of plants, 

 class syngenesia, order pol. superjtua. 

 Named from theflos amellus of Virgil, but 

 t is not the same. There are three spe- 

 cies, natives of the Cape of Good Hope 

 and America. 



A'MEN. This word, with slight differ- 

 ences of orthography, is in all the dialects 

 of the Assyrian stock. As a verb, it signi- 

 fies to confirm or establish, to trust or 

 give confidence ; as a noun, truth, firmness, 

 trust, confidence. In English, after the 

 oriental manner, it is used at the begin- 

 ning, but more generally at the end of 

 declarations and prayers, in the sense 'be 

 it firm, be it established. 



AMEN'D, ) In France, the amende ho- 



AMEN'DE. ) norable is an infamous pu- 

 nishment (imposed for any false prosecu- 

 tion or groundless appeal), inflicted oa 

 traitors, parricides, and sacrilegious per- 

 sons. The culprit is delivered into the 

 hands of the executioner, who strips him 

 to the shirt, puts a rope about his neck, 

 and a taper into his hand : he is then led 

 into the court, and begs pardon of God, 

 the king, the court, and the country. For 

 smaller offences, this is the amount of the 

 punishment, but in some cases it is a 

 prelude to banishment to the galleys, or 

 even to death. The simple amende ho- 

 norable consists merely in an acknowledg- 

 ment and recantation in open court, 

 bareheaded and kneeling, of the offence 

 committed. 



AMENDMENT, Lat. emendo. of menda, ft 



