ABO 



ABR 



that motion may be. It will be least whea 

 the planet is stationary ; and greatest in 

 the superior planets, when they are in 

 opposition ; but in the inferior planets, 

 the aberration is greatest at the time of 

 their superior conjunction. 



ABERRATION, in optics, a deviation of 

 the rays of light, when reflected, whereby 

 they are prevented from meeting in the 

 same point. Aberrations are of two kinds; 

 one arising from the figure of the reflect- 

 ing body, the other from the different re- 

 frangibility of the rays themselves : this 

 last is called the Newtonian aberration, 

 from the name of the discoverer. 



ABETTOR, or ABBETTOR, in law, the 

 person who promotes or procures a crime 

 to be committed : thus, an abettor of mur- 

 der is one who commands or counsels an- 

 other to commit it. An abettor, accord- 

 ing as he is present or absent at the time 

 of committing the fact, is punishable as a 

 principal or accessary. See ACCESSARY. 



An abettor is the same with one who is 

 deemed arta.ndpart,bythe. law of Scotland. 



ABEYANCE, in law, is that which is in 

 expectation, remembrance, and intend- 

 ment of law. By a principle of law, in 

 every land there is a fee simple in some- 

 body, or it is in abeyance; that is, though 

 at present it be in no man, yet it is in ex- 

 pectaacy, belonging to him that is next to 

 enjoy the land. Where no person is seen 

 or known, in whom the inheritance can 

 rest, it may be in abeyance, as in limita- 

 tion to several persons, and the survivor, 

 and the heirs of such survivor, because it 

 is uncertain who will be the survivor, yet 

 the freehold cannot, because there must 

 be a tenant to the pracipe always. 



ABJURATION, in law, is used for re- 

 nouncing, disclaiming, and denying the 

 Pretender to have any mannerof right to 

 the throne of these kingdoms ; and that 

 upon oath, which is required to be taken 

 upon divers pains and penalties by many 

 statutes, particularly 1 W. and M. 13 W. 

 HI. 1 Anne, 1 Geo.I. 



ABOLITION, in law, denotes the re- 

 pealing any law or statute, and prohibit- 

 ing some custom, ceremony, &c. Some- 

 times also it signifies leave granted by the 

 king, or a judge, to a criminal accuser, to 

 forbear any farther prosecution. 



Abolition is also used by ancient civi- 

 lians and lawyers, for desisting from, or 

 annulling, a legal prosecution; for remit- 

 ting the punishment of a crime; and for 

 cancelling or discharging a public debt. 



ABOMASUS, ABOMASUM, or ABOMASI- 

 TTS, in comparative anatomy, names used 

 for the fourth stomach of ruminating 1 



leasts, or such as chew the cud. Thest 

 have four stomachs, the first of which is 

 called "venter / the second, reticulum , the 

 third, omasus; and the fourth, a&omawg. 

 This last is the place where the chyle is 

 formed, and from which the food descends 

 immediately into the intestines. 



ABORTION, in medicine, an untimely 

 or premature birth of a foetus, otherwise 

 called a miscarriage ; but if this happen 

 before the second month of pregnancy, 

 it is only called a false conception. See 

 MEDICINE, MIDWIFERY, &c. 



ABORTION, in law, if caused by giving 

 a potion to, or striking, a pregnant wo- 

 man, was murder, but now is said to be a 

 great misprision only, and not murder, 

 unless the child be born alive, and die 

 thereof. 



ABOUT, in military affairs, a word to 

 express the movement, by which a body 

 of troops changes its front, by facing ac- 

 cording to any given word of command. 



ABRA, a silver coin of Poland, nearly 

 equivalent to the English shilling 1 . See 

 COIN. 



ABREAST, a sea term, expressing the 

 situation of two or more ships, that lie 

 with their sides parallel to each other, and 

 their heads advanced. When the line of 

 battle at sea is formed abreast, the whole 

 squadron advances uniformly. Abreast 

 within the ship, denotes on a line with the 

 beam, or by the side of any object aboard. 



ABRIDGEMENT, in law, the shorten- 

 ing a count, or declaration : thus, in as- 

 size, a man is said to abridge his plaint, 

 and a woman her demand in action of 

 dower, if any land is put therein, which is 

 not in the tenure of the defendant; for, on 

 a plea of non-tenure, in abatement of the 

 writ, the plaintiff may leave out those 

 lands, and pray that the tenant may an- 

 swer to the remainder. The reason is, 

 that these writs run in general, and there- 

 fore shall be good for the rest. 



ABROMA, in botany, a word signifying 

 not fit for food, is used in opposition to 

 Theobroma, is a genus of plants belong- 

 ing to the natural order of Columniferx, 

 and the eighteenth class of Polyadelphia 

 Dodecandria. There are two species, viz. 

 the maple-leaved abroma, which is a tree 

 with astraighttrunk,yieldinga gum when 

 cut, and filled with a white pith like the 

 elder; it flowers from June to October, 

 and its fruit ripens in September and Oc- 

 tober ; it is a native of New South Wales 

 and the Philippine islands,was introduced 

 into Kew gardens about 1770, and is a 

 hot-house plant, requiring great heat, and 

 much water: and Wheler's Abroma, go 



