A M E ( 



fault. In law, the correction of an error 

 in a writ or process. In parliament, a 

 word, clause, or paragraph added to, or 

 proposed to be added to, a bill. 



AMEXOR'RHCEA, from , neg. /u.r.v, a 

 month, and oitu, to flow. Morbid irregu- 

 larity of the menstrual discharge, a 

 disease of which there are two species, 

 emansio mensinm, and sitpprcssio mensium. 



AMENT, Lat. amentum, a thong. In 

 botany, a catkin ; a species of inflorescence 

 consisting of a simple peduncle, covered 

 with numerous chaffy scales, under which 

 are the flowers or parts of fructification, 

 exemplified in the poplar, birch, willow, 

 beech, &c. 



AMENTA'CEJ:, amentaceous plants ; a 

 natural order, comprehending all such as 

 have catkins or amenta. As this order 

 was found to comprise plants of different 

 kinds of structure, it has been broken up 

 into several others. 



AMENTA'CEOUS, having an ament or cat- 

 kin ; belonging to the order amentacete : 

 growing in an ament. 



AMENTIA, Lat. amens, deprived of mind. 

 Idiotism. 



AMEN'TUM, Latin of ament, (q. v.) ; called 

 also julits, nucamentum, calulus ; also a 

 name of the alumen scissum. 



AMER'CEMENT, 1 Fr. merci. A pecu- 



AMER'CEAMENT, I niary punishment in- 

 flicted on an offender, at the discretion 

 (mercy) of the court. It differs from 

 a fine, which is a fixed sum prescribed 

 by statute, whereas the amercement is 

 arbitrary. It has now, however, become 

 common to enact that the offender shall 

 be fined at the discretion of the court, and 

 thus the fine being rendered indefinite, 

 the word has in a measure superseded 

 amercement (written in old law-books 

 amerciament). Amercement-royal is a pe- 

 nalty imposed upon an officer for a misde- 

 meanour in his office. 



AMERIM'NUM, a genus of shrubaceons 

 plants of two species. Class diadelphia, 

 order decandria. Natives of the "West 

 Indies and South America. 



AMETABO'LIA, ametabolians. A division 

 of insects which do not undergo any 

 metamorphosis. Hence the name, from , 

 without, and / Lt;r/3A-/7, change. 



AM'ETHTST, Gr. ot[&i8ufTOS , from , 

 priv. and /j,tdvfxi, to be inebriated. 

 1. In mineralogy, a subspecies of rhombo- 

 hedral quartz : it is merely coloured rock 

 crystal. Its colour resembles that of the 

 violet, and when perfect it is considered a 

 gem of exquisite beauty ; but the colour 

 is sometimes confined to one part of the 

 stone, while the other is left almost co- 

 lourless. This is the amethyst proper : it 

 is called by lapidaries the occidental ame- 

 thyst, in distinction to the oriental amethyst, 

 variety of rhombohedral corundum of 



L A M M 



the most perfect violet colour and extra- 

 ordinary brilliancy and beauty. The 

 ancients supposed that wine drank out of 

 an amethystine cup did not produce in- 

 toxication. 2. In heraldry, a purple 



colour. It is the same in a nobleman's 

 escutcheon, as pin-pure in a gentleman's, 

 and mercury in that of a prince. 



AMIAN'TH, ) Gr. et-fjuwre; ,undefilcd. 



AMIAN'THUS J Mountain-flax or earth- 

 flax : a mineral of which there are seve- 

 ral varieties, all more or less fibrous, 

 flexile, and elastic. The colour is usu- 

 ally grayish or greenish white, not unliko 

 flax or unspun silk. It is incombustioie, 

 and anciently was woven into cloth, 

 which when soiled was put into the fire, 

 which cleaned it better than washing. 

 Pliny states that its principal use was to 

 wrap the bodies of the dead, previous to 

 their being exposed on the funeral pile, 

 that the ashes of the corpse might not be 

 mixed with those of the wood. Amiaa- 

 thine cloth, however, was very scarce, 

 and was sold at an enormous price. Ami- 

 anth includes the finer varieties of as- 

 bestos (q.v.) It is found in great profusion 

 in Corsica, and many other places, espe- 

 cially in Germany. 



AMIAN'THIJJITE, an amorphous variety 

 of actinolite, having an aniian thine or 

 fibrous fracture. 



AMIANTHOIDE, from amianth and uotf. 

 form. A mineral, in long capillary fila- 

 ments of an olive-green, found at Osians 

 in France. 



AMiAN'Tus.the same with amianthus or 

 amianth (q.v.) Amiantus is the correct, 

 but not the received, orthography. 



AMICE, Lat. amictus, clothed. The 

 square piece of linen cloth which the Ca- 

 tholic priest ties about his neck, hanging 

 down under the alb, when he ofllciates at 

 mass. 



AMID, from a and mibb, the middle. 

 Amid-ships is a nautical phrase signifying 

 the middle of a ship with regard to her 

 length and breadth. 



A'MIDINE, the soluble basis of starch 

 Fr. amidon, starch. When starch has been 

 gelatinized in water, it is converted into 

 run id inn, which is soluble in cold water ; 

 but, according to Raspail, starch consist* 

 of a vesicle which he terms amidine, and 

 of a soluble matter contained within the 

 vesicle, which he terms amidin. 



AMIRA.NTE, in Spain, a high officer an- 

 swering to our lord high-admiral. 



AM'MA, AM-IK*. In surgery, a girdle 

 or truss used in ruptures: written also 

 Hamma. 



AM 'MAN, > in the German and Selgit 



AM'MANT, f polity, a judge who has cog- 

 nizance in civil cases. In Frtmre, a notary 

 public. Germ, amtmann, the root of 

 which is ampt, office, charge. 



