A C R 



A C R 



verfr, hut fomething added at the end of a pfalm, or fome- 

 thinjj frequently repeated in the courfc of apfaliii,'anf\veriiig 

 to our }^!oria fiitri. 



Some pretend to find acroftics in the pfalms, particularly 

 in thole called abecedarian pfalms. 



ACROSTICHUM, formed of axfo; rix'''i fninmus onto, 

 ruflyback, luall-rut, ox forhed fern, in Botany, a genus" of the 

 tryptogamla fJ'iui clafs and order ; the character of \\ hich is, 

 that the fructifications cover the whole inferior furface of the 

 frond or leaf. Profeflbr Martyn, in his edition of Miller's 

 Dictionary, enumerates 44, and Gmclin 4; fpecies, which are 

 dillributcd into different claflc;:, comprehending thofc with a 

 fimple frond, undivided and divided ; and tliofe with a com- 

 pound fiond, pinnate, f\ib-bipinnate, bipinnate, and fupra- 

 deconipound. Under the full dillribution with a frond 

 fimple, undivided, are included, A. ItinwiLilum, dtrifoliiim, ht- 

 Mrophyllum, crinl'um,pun{latum,fpiciilitin, lingua, and hajlalum : 

 and thofe with a frond fimple, divided, are \. ftptentnitiak, 

 aujlrah, pedinaium, dichotomum, ili<;itjiiim, ferrug'uieum, and 

 polypod'w'uUs. Under the fecond diftrihution, are compre- 

 hended the pinnate, I'/s. A. aurcvin, rufuin, pur.3alum, for- 

 iiifoliiim^ areolatuin, vmrginatum, J'anctum, plalyneitron, and 

 trifaliatam ; the fub-bipinnate, via. A. filiijiiofum, ihaliclroi- 

 des, marants, ihenji, elencum, M\A ftircaiiim : the bipinnate, 

 viz. A. aculealum, cruciatum, barbaium, calomchnos, vivipa- 

 rum, Villeum, Jimplex, petiolattim, lalifolium, inll-jfum, nuil'co- 

 Jiim,fcrnilatum,graminoides, and ftdphureum. Gmelin omits 

 the viviparum, introduces the longifolium and Jilare, makes 

 fome difference in the arrangement of the fpecies, and refers 

 the acuhatum to a clafs with a fupra-decompound frond. 

 Of thefe fpecies, two only are natives of Great Britain, -y/a. 

 A., fiptentrionale, forked or horned fern, with fronds, naked, 

 linear, and laciniate, or jagged ; the fruftifications, in an 

 immature ftate, are in fliort indiftinft lines or dots, refem- 

 bling an afphnium, but in an adult ftate, the lower furface 

 of the leaf^ is totally covered with brown dufly capfules ; 

 from two to five inches high ; found in clefts of rocks, and 

 old walls in YorkPiure, Weftmoreland, W.\les, and Scot- 

 land : and A. ilvenfe, or hairy fern, the polypodium 

 ilvenfe of Withering, witli fronds fub-bipinnate, the pinnas or 

 wings oppofitely coadunate or united, obtufe or blunt, hir- 

 fute or hairy underneath, and quite e:itire at the bafe ; the 

 ftipe or ftem is greenifh, and not blackifh pui-ple, fearcely 

 more than a finger's length ; called A. alpinum by Bolton ; 

 perennial, and flowering from July to Sctember, found on 

 rocks in Wales. The A. marants, with fronds fub-bipinnate, 

 the pinnas oppofitely coadunate, ver)' hirfute underneath, and 

 a little toothed at the bafe, is a native of the fouthern coun- 

 tries of Europe ; but all the reft belong to hotter climates, 

 as the Eaft or Weft Indies, Africa, and the fouthern pro- 

 vinces of North America. The A. punclatum, with fronds 

 heart-tongued, acuminate, quite entire, dotted above, re- 

 fembles hart's-ton^ue, and is probably rather a fpecies of 

 polypody. It is ufed medicinally in China, where it was 

 firft remarked by J. Fothergill. Few of the fpecies have 

 been introduced into ga;Jens. Thofe of Europe may be 

 pr.fcfved in pots, filled with gravel and lime-rubbifh, or 

 planted on walls and artificial rocks: but moft of th,m, be- 

 ing natives of very hot chmates, maft be planted in pots, 

 and plunged into the bark-pit. Maityn's Miller. 



AcROsTicHUM is alfo a fpecies of P0LYP0DIu^f, 

 called Thelyphrii, and a fpecies of C-€nopteris, called 

 vii iparn. 



ACROSTOLIUM, in Ancient Naval JrchitiRure, an 

 emament of the prc.v, or forecaftle of a Hiip, chiefly of 

 war; fometimes '^.iped hke a buckler, a helmet, or an ani- 

 Bial, but move frequently circular or fpiral. The ancients 



had divers decorations or additional parts to their fhips, 

 called by a general name xofuji/Sa ; thofe on the prow were 

 more particularly called roAo:, of which the extreme part 

 alone was denominated acroftolium. 



To the ttcrnjlolia may be referred the anfernilus, men- 

 tioned by Bayfius ; and alfo tliofe polifhed fteel pieces rc- 

 fembling a duck's neck, uled by the Venetians at the heads 

 of their gondolas. 



The acrojtnlta ivere tom from vanquiflied lliips, and faft. 

 ened to the conqueror's, as a fignal of victory. ^Ve fre- 

 quently find tliem reprefented on the rcvcrfes of ancient me- 

 dals. An acroftolium is alfo feen in the famous fculpture of 

 tlic apnthenfis of Homer. The acroftolium was an ornament 

 on the medals of maritime towns, fuch as Sidon and Aradus, 

 and defigned to exprefs naval viclories. 



ACROTADUS, in Jncimt Geography, an ifland of the 

 Perfian gulf, mentioned by Pliny ; fuppofed by others to 

 be Athothadrus, or a delert ifland, mentioned by Nearchus, 

 according to Arrian, and called Caicandrus. 



ACROTELEUTIC, from axfo; and Ts^o.:, end, among 

 JLccJeJiaJlical U'riters, denotes the end of a verfe or pfalm : or 

 fomething added thereto to be fung by the people. 



In which ienfe acrotcleulic amounts to the fame with acro- 

 Jlic, hypopfalma, dinpfalma, epode, Sec. 



The gloria patri is by fome writers called the acroteleutic 

 to the pfalms ; becaufe always ufcd to be repeated by the 

 people at the end of each. 



Hence the word acroteleutic is fometimes alfo ufed as fy- 

 nonymous with doxology. 



ACROTERI, in Geography, a fmall town in the ifland 

 of Santorin, N. lat. 36''. 25'. E. long. 26". i'. 



ACROTERIA, or Acroters, formed of (/./.foj, in 

 Architecture, fmall pedeftals, ufually without bafes, anciently 

 placed at the middle, and the tvio extremities, of pedi- 

 ments ; and lerving alfo to fupport il:atues. 



Thofe at tlie extremes ought to be hall t'ne height of the 

 TYMPANUM ; and that in the middle, according to Vitru- 

 vius, fhould be one eighth part more. 



AcROTERiA, fometimes alfo fignify figure^!, whether of 

 ftone, or metal, placed as ornaments, or crownings, on the 

 tops of temples, or other buildings. 



Sometimes they alfo denote thofe fharp pinnacles, or 

 fpiry battlements, which ftand in ranges about flat build- 

 ings, with rails and balluilers. 



AcROTERiA, among ancient Ph-jftcians, were ufed to de- 

 note the great extremities of the body, as the head, hands, 

 and feet. ' 



Ariftotle alfo ufes acroten'a, for the tips or extreme parts 

 of the fingers, covered by the nails ; fometimes alfo for the 

 eminences of the bones. 



ACROTERIASM was anciently ufed for the amputa- 

 tion of any extrem'ty. 



ACROTHYMIA, in Surgery, the name of a large tu- 

 mor in the fleih, rifing in the fhapc of a wart, though fome- 

 times depreffed and flat, called thymus. Heifter. See 



N/EVUS. 



ACROTYNI, in Ancient Geography, a town placed by 

 Stcphanua Byzaiit. on the top of Mount Athos. See 

 Acroathon. 



ACRYDIUM, in Entomology, a name given by Degeep 

 to the Gryllus Ircvicornisfand the G. terrains ofth.' Lin- 

 nxan lyftem. The former, is fou.id in South America; 

 and the latter, at the Cape of Good Hope. 



ACSAC, a meafure of capacity in ufe both in Afia and 

 Egypt. See Log. 



ACSOR, in Geography, a town on the river Nile ia 

 Egypt, famed for its earthen ware. 



ACSTED» 



