ANT '. 



from time immemorial for their provident 

 habits, and, in some countries, for their 

 depredations. The species are numerous, 

 and constitute a family of aculeate hy- 

 menoptera, to which Cuvier gives the 

 name of Heterogyna, the most celebrated 

 genus of which is the Formica of Linnaeus. 

 Gould describes five species of English 

 ants: viz. (1.) Formica rufa, Lin., the 

 hill ant; (2.) Formica fuliginosa, ~La.tr., the 

 jetant; (3.) Myrmica rubra, Lat., Formica, 

 Lin., the red ant ; (4.) Formica fiava, Latr., 

 the common yellow ant ; and, (5.) Formica 

 fused, Lin., the common yellow ant. The 

 larvae and nymphs are vulgarly called 

 ant-eqgs. 



ANTA (plural ANT.&,, Lat. from ante, 

 before. In architecture, a pilaster or 

 square projection attached to a wall. 

 When detached from the wall, antae are 

 termed parastatae by Vitruvius. 



ANTA'CIU, from cty-ri, against, and acid. 

 Applied to medicines whick neutralise 

 acidity of the stomach. 



ANT-BEAR, \ This name is common to 



ANT-EA.TER. j the Myrmecophaga and 

 Manis of Linnaeus. The first, which is pre- 

 eminently the ant-eater, is a hairy animal, 

 with a long muzzle, terminated by a 

 smooth toothless mouth, from which is 

 protruded a filiform tongue, which the 

 animal insinuates into ant-hills and the 

 nests of termites, whence these insects are 

 drawn by being entangled in the viscid 

 saliva that covers it. The manis, called 

 also the pangolin, or scaly ant-eater, is 

 also destitute of teeth, has a very extensile 

 tongue, and, like the true ant-eater, lives 

 on ants and termites ; but the body is co- 

 vered with large trenchant scales, ar- 

 ranged like tiles. The name of ant-bear 

 is confined to the Myrmecophaga,. all the 

 species of which belong to the Western 

 Continent ; while all the species of Manis 

 belong to the Eastern Continent. Uoth 

 belong to Cuvier's order of Endentata, or 

 quadrupeds without front teeth. 



ANT-CATCHER, the Myothera of Illiger, 

 a bird very much resembling the thrush. 

 The species live on insects, and chiefly on 

 ants. They are found on both continents. 

 ANTAG'ON IST, ee.vTt , against, and ctyuv%u, 

 to contend. An opponent. In anatomy, 

 a muscle whose action is opposed to that 

 of another muscle ; e. g. the flexors and 

 extensors of a limb are antagonists, and 

 also the adductors and abductors. 



ANTANACLA'SIS. u,vrau/iX:Z.\et,irn , a rheto- 

 rical figure, which repeats the same word 

 in a different sense, as, " Dum vivimtu, 

 vivamus " (whilst we live, let us live). The 

 return to the former train of thought after 

 the interruption of a parenthesis, is also 

 called antanaclasis. 



ANTAPHRODI'SIAC, } from ctvrt, against, 



AMIAPHRODI'TIC, j and A<p{&rj, Ve- 



J ANT 



mis. Applied: (1.) to medicines which 

 diminish venereal desire ; (2.) to medi- 

 cines against venereal syphilis. 



ANTARCTIC, from OC.VTI, opposite, and 

 et,$zros, a bear. Opposite the arctic or 

 northern pole : relating to the southern 

 pole, especially to a lesser circle, distant 

 23 28' from the south pole. See ARCTIC. 



ANTARES, a star of the first magnitude, 

 popularly known as the Scorpion's Heart. 



ANTATRO'FHIC, from avrt-oir^ia,, 

 against wasting. Counteracting atrophy. 



ANTE, a Latin preposition signifying 

 before, 1. In heraldry, ante denotes that 

 the pieces are let into one another, as by 

 dove r tails, rounds, swallow-tails, &c. - 

 2. In architecture, see ANTA. 



ANTECEDENCE, from ante, before, and 

 cedens, going. Precedence. In astronomy, 

 an apparent motion of a planet towards 

 the west, or contrary to the order of the 

 signs. 



ANTECEDENT, from ante, before, and 

 cedens, going. In grammar, the word or 

 words to which a relative refers. Inlogic, 

 the first of two members of a hypothetical 

 proposition; the second member is the 

 consequent. In mathematics, the first of 

 two terms of a ratio, or that which is com- 

 pared with the other. See RATIO. 



ANTECES'SOR, Lat., one who antecedes, 

 or goes before ; a leader, a principal ; for- 

 merly given as a title to one who excelled 

 in any science. In the universities of 

 France, the teachers of law take the title 

 antecessors in all their theses. 



ANTI/CIANS, Lat. antoeci, from i, 

 opposite, and ciztv, to dwell. Those 

 people who live under the same meridian 

 but on different sides of the equator, and 

 equally distant from it. They have the 

 same hours of day and night, but different 

 seasons, it being winter to the one, while 

 it is summer with the other. 



ANTECUR'SORS, Lat. antecur sores, fore- 

 runners. In the Roman armies, the ante- 

 cursores were a body of light horse de- 

 tached to obtain intelligence, provisions, 

 &c. They were also called antecessores 

 and by the Greeks <r{0$g0ytMf. 



ANTEJURAMEN'TUM, by our ancestors 

 called juramentum calumnies, an oath 

 which anciently both accuser and accused 

 were to take before any trial by purga- 

 tion. The accuser swore that he would 

 prosecute the criminal, and the accused 

 that he was innocent of the crime charged 

 against him. 



AN'TELOPE. See ANTILOPE. 



ANTELU'CAN, before light; ante, before, 

 and lux, light: applied to assemblies of 

 Christians in ancient times, held before 

 light in the morning. 



ANTEMU'RALE, ante, before, and munu, 

 a wall. In. fortification, an out- work. 



AMEN A'TI, from ante, before, and natu! c 



