aventre 
aventret, ' * [< It. amntare, throw, shoot, 
dart, < a (< L. ad, to) + rentti, wind; cf. Pr. 
i'cnttir = OF. venter, cast to the wind: see rent.] 
To throw, as a spear or dart. 
Her mortal! speare 
She mightily areutred towards one, 
And downe him sniot. Spenser, F. Q., III. l. 28. 
aventuret, . [The older form of adventure, 
q. v.] Adventure; chance; accident; specifi- 
cally, in old laic, a mischance causing a per- 
son's death without felony, as drowning or fall- 
ing from a house. 
aventurin, aventurine (a-ven'tu-rin), n. and 
a. [< F. amiturinc, < It. avvent-urino, < amen- 
tum, chance: see adventure, n.~\ I. . 1. A 
sort of opaque golden-brown glass filled with 
specks or drops of a bright gold-color and of 
different sizes, used, under the name of gold- 
stone, for various ornaments. Its preparation was 
discovered at Murano, near Venice, by the accident of 
dropping a quantity of brass filings into a pot of melted 
glass ; hence the name. 
2. A variety of feldspar, usually ohgoclase, 
spangled with scales of hematite, gothite, or 
mica. It is often called sunstone. The most 
highly prized variety is obtained in Russia. 
3. A similar variety of quartz containing span- 
gles of mica or other mineral. 4. A kind of 
sealing-wax, of a translucent brpwTi color and 
abounding in gold specks or particles Chrome 
aventurin, a glass made by freely adding chromate of pot- 
ash to the other materials used, thus separating spangles 
of oxiti of chromium. 
II. a. Having the appearance of aventurin : 
as, aventurin lacquer, etc Aventurin glaze, a 
glaze for porcelain. It is brownish, with crystalline lami- 
nae of a golden luster. 
Also written avanturin, avantnrine, 
aventuroust (a-ven'tu-rus), a. Obsolete form 
of adventurous. 
avenue (av'e-nu), n. [Formerly also advenue, 
avenevi, < F. avenue, orig. pp. fern, of avenir, < 
L. advenire, come to, < ad, to, + venire, come. 
Cf. advene.'] 1. A passage; a way or an open- 
ing for entrance into a place ; any opening or 
passage by which a thing is or may be intro- 
duced or approached. 
Good guards were set up at all the aeenufn of the city, 
to keep all people from going out. Clarendon. 
2. A roadway of approach to a country-house, 
particularly when straight, of considerable 
length, and shaded by a row of trees on each 
side; a drive in a private country-place; a 
walk in a garden or demain of some preten- 
sions as to style or size. 
A long avenue wound and circled from the outermost 
gate through an untrimmed woodland. 
//. James, Jr., Pass. Pilgrim, p. 4S. 
8. A street; properly, a wide street planted 
with trees and often with turfed spaces on 
either side, or a garden or shaded promenade 
in the middle : used in New York, Washington, 
etc., in the names of the longest and general- 
ly the widest streets, as Fifth or Pennsylvania 
Avenue, but in some American cities without 
special reference to the character of the street. 
4. Figuratively, means of access or attain- 
ment. 
There are no avenue* to the public service opened for 
talent. Brougham. 
aver 1 (a-ver'), v. t. ; pret. and pp. averred, ppr. 
averring. [Early mod. E. also arerr, < ME. 
averren, < OF. averrer, averer, mod. F. averer = 
Pr. averar = Ii. awerare, < ML. adverare, make 
true, prove true, be true, < L. ad, to, + verus, 
true : see verify, verity, etc.] If. To assert the 
truth of. 2f. To confirm; verify; prove to be 
true. 3. To affirm with confidence; declare 
in a positive or peremptory manner. 
And I aver that, to this day, I have done no official act 
in mere deference to my abstract judgment and feeling 
on slavery. Lincoln, in Raymond, p. 481. 
4. In law, to avouch or verify ; offer to verify ; 
allege as a fact. See averment. 5. To assert 
the existence of; offer in evidence. [Archaic.] 
Averring notes 
Of chamber-hangings, pictures, this her bracelet. 
Shak., Cymbeline, v. 5. 
=Syn. 3. Affirm, Declare, etc. (see asuert), say, allege, pro- 
test, insist, maintain. 
aver 2 (a'ver), n. [Sc. aver, aiver (def. 3); < 
ME. aver, avere, aveyr (later also avoir, havoir, 
havor, havour, after later OF.), < OF. aver, 
aveir, later avoir, mod. F. avoir = Sp. averes, 
haveres, pi., now hater, = Pg. haveres, pi., = It. 
avere (ML. averum, averium, avere, aver), sub- 
stance, property, stock, lit. 'having,' being the 
noun use of the inf., OF. aver, aveir, etc., < L. 
habere, have : see have. From its use as a col- 
394 Avernian 
lectiye sing, arose its use in the plural, in the ,.^ "u'iation, tK'X amountof 
special sense of stock, cattle, whence a new to tne S( | ul ;,. e llllle is tlle sanle the world over. 
sing. (ML. averia, averius, as well as averum, 
averium), a beast of burden.] If. Substance ; 
property; estate. 
Marchaunt he was of gret avoir. 
Si'iiim Sagex, 1. 2205, in Weber's Metr. Rom., III. 
2f. pi. Live stock ; cattle ; domestic animals. 
3. A beast of burden; a draft-ox or draft- 
horse ; an old horse. [North. Eng. and Scotch.] 
An inch of a nag is worth a span of an aver. 
In Hay, Proverbs (1678), p. 36. 
average 1 (av'e-raj), . [= Sc. avarage, contr. 
iirrtif/e, arage, now arriage, esp. in the combi- 
Luwell, Fireside Travels, p. 93. 
Hence 2. Of medium character, quality, etc. ; 
midway between extremes ; ordinary. 
They all (the Palicocosmic skeletons] represent a race 
of grand physical development, and of cranial capacity 
equal to that of the average modern European. 
Damson, Nature and the Bible, p. 174. 
The average intellect of five hundred persons, taken as 
they come, is not very high. 0. W. Holmes, Autocrat, vi. 
We mortals cross the ocean of this world 
Eacli in his average cabin of a life 
The best's not big, the worst yields elbow-room. 
Browning, Bishop Blougram's Apology. 
3. Estimated in accordance with the rules of 
was made good by an 
rage, appar. the same, with suffix -age, as ML. 
acera, a kind of service mentioned in Domes- 
market value of a ton of tongh-cake copper 
old law, a kind of service owed by tenants to 
their superior. The nature of the service is not clear. 
It is usually explained as service done with beasts of bur- 
den, but this appears to rest on a doubtful etymology 
(see above). 
average 2 (av'e-raj), .and. [Early mod. E. also 
avenge, averidge, avaridge, < late ME. average, 3^ ^o divide among a number proportionally; 
the same, with suffix -age (found only in E. and (jiyj^e the total amount of by the number of 
quantities; reduce to a mean. 2. To result 
in, as an arithmetical mean term ; amount to, 
as a mean sum or quantity : as, wheat averages 
56 pounds to the bushel. 
These spars average 10 feet in length. Belknap. 
the same, with suffix -age (found only in &. and fa v i& e the total amount of by the numbe: 
Anglo-L. averagium), as late ME. averays (for equal glares : as, to average a loss. 
arenjs t), < F. avaris, " decay of wares or mer- The an(Jllt aeemged prlce all kinds of commodi- 
chandise, leaking of wines, also the charges ot ties. Kni/lith Rev., VI. 261. 
the carriage or measuring thereon, also the fees avera g e 3 t (av'e-raj), n. [Also averaige, averish, 
or veils of a cook, etc." (Cotgrave), sing. prop. b an ex p au ' s i6 n (j n reverse imitation of Sc. 
avarie = Sp. arena = Pg. It. avarta, in ML. ava- \ ir . na<je arra ge, for average*-) of arrish, ersli : 
ria, averia ; cf. MD. avarij, D. liavery = G. liafc- gee arris ]i, ersli, eddish.'] The stubble and grass 
ret, haverie = Dan. havart = Sw. Jiaveri, from ]et in corn . nel( i s a f ter harvest. 
Rom. Origin disputed ; the orig. sense, a duty these monthes afte] . the corlme bee innede , t u meete 
on goods,' suggests a connection with ML. ave- to putt draughte hor8e8 am | oxen into the averith. 
ria, goods, property: see aver 2 . Perhaps ava- Quoted in Arch&ologia, xiii. 379. 
nia, through its appar. more orig. form avaria, is average-adjuster (av'e-raj-a-jus"ter), . An 
to be referred to the same source : see avania.~\ exper t accountant who'is employed in cases of 
I. n. 1. (of) A duty or tax upon goods. (6) A g enera i average to ascertain and state the sum 
small charge payable by the shippers of goods wn i c h each of the parties interested has to pay 
to the master of the ship, over and above the in order to make up the i ogs sus tained by some 
freight, for his care of the goods. Hence the for tne g enera i goo( j. Also called average- 
clause, in bills of lading, "paying so much siater , average-taker. 
averagely (av'e-raj-li), adv. In an average or 
medial manner"; in the mean between two ex- 
tremes. 
Which tends to render living more difficult for every 
anerarielu situated individual in the community. 
J. S. Mill, Polit. Econ., I. xiii. 4. 
safety is not in question, and which falls on average-stater, average-taker (av'e-raj-sta"- 
the owner of the particular property lost: ter, -ta*ker), n. Same as average-adjuster. 
averano (av-e-ra'no), n. [Appar. S. Amer.] 
A name of the birds of the genus Chasmorhyn- 
clius of Temminek, including several South 
American fruit-crows of the family Cottoffitke 
and subfamily Gymnodtrince, as C. variegattis, 
the averano of Buffon, and the arapunga. See 
freight, with primage and average accustomed." 
(c) A small charge paid by the master on account 
of the ship and cargo, such as pilotage, towage, 
etc.: called more specifically petty average. 
(d) A loss, or the sum paid on account of a loss 
(such as that of an anchor), when the general 
called more specifically particular average, 
(e) A contribution made by the owners of a 
ship's freight and cargo, in proportion to their 
several interests, to make good a loss that has 
been sustained or an expense incurred for the 
general safety of the ship and cargo. Thus, 
when for the safety of a ship in distress any destruction 
of property is incurred, either by cutting away the masts, 
throwing goods overboard, or in other ways, all persons 
who have goods on board or property in the ship (or the averCOrnt, " [Appar. < aver (repr. ML. avera 
insurers) contribute to the loss according to their aver- (see average^}, a kind of service) + corn.~\ In 
age, that is, according to the proportionate value of the ^ i aw corn pa j(j by a tenant to his superior 
goods of each on board. Average in this sense isalso called OQ /, ; , /_,! -.,, .,.., r ,L , 
cut under arapuiit/n . 
.n. See liavercake. 
as rent or in lieu of service. This word, like aver- 
Asm r>r rmnTitirv intprmndintp in a niim laml alul aorrpeiuiti, is not known ill vernacular use, and 
, ' Un i quantity intermediate to a num- jts tech| , i( . al sense ig u , lce rtain. See averaoe*. 
ber of different sums or quantities, obtained by aver( Jant (a-ver'dant), a. [See verdant.-] In 
adding them together and dividing the result , covered with" green herbage: chiefly ap- 
by the number of quantities added; an arith- lied to a mount in base . 
metieal mean proportion. Thus, if four persons ave risht (av'e-rish), n. Same as average*. 
lose respectively $10, $20, ISO, and $40, the aver- aver l an d (a'ver-land), n . [See avereorn.'] In 
age loss by the four is $2o. Hence 3. Any old Uw land 8ub i ect to the service called aver- 
medial amount, estimate, or general statement _, c pp nr , Pr nnel 
, L , _ ... (t(/C. OlTtJ UvVI llt/C , 
based on a comparison of a number of diverse avermen t ( a -ver'ment), n. [< oi-erl + -ment.~\ 
specific cases; a medium. l The act " of aver nng; affirmation; positive 
assertion. 
Publishing averments and innuendoes. 
Burke, Powers of Juries. 
2t. Verification; establishment by evidence. 
Bacon, 3. In law, an allegation or statement 
as a fact : commonly used of statements in a 
pleading which the party thereby professes to 
be ready to prove. 
Avernian (a-ver'ni-an), a. [< L. Arernus (sc. 
lacus), now (It.) Lagod'Arerno ; usually referred 
to Gr. aopvof, without birds ( < a- priv. + opvtr,, 
bird) ; called aopvof ).iftvr/ by Aristotle, 6 "Aopvof 
by Strabo.] Pertaining to Avernus, a lake of 
Campania in Italy, looked upon by the ancients 
as an entrance to hell. From its waters me- 
phitic vapors arose, which were supposed to 
kill birds that attempted to fly over it. 
A like number of men, through various kinds and de- 
grees of ill-success, reveal a mental capacity that is more 
or less below the average. J. Fiske, Evolutionist, p. 177. 
Yet I have no doubt that that people's rulers are as 
wise as the average of civilized rulers. 
Thorftm, Walden, p. 39. 
Average bond. See bondi. Upon or on an average, 
taking the arithmetical mean of several unequal numbers 
or quantities ; taking the arithmetical mean deduced from 
a great number of examples. 
On an average the male and female births are tolerably 
equal. Buckle, Civilization, I. iv. 
= Syn. 2 and 3. Medium, etc. See mean, n. 
II. a. 1 . Equal in amount to the sum of all 
the particular quantities of the same sort di- 
vided by the number of them : as, the average 
yield of wheat to the acre ; the average price of 
anything for a year. 
