averpenny 
averpennyt (a'ver-pen"i), . [See avercorn.] 
In old (, money paid by a tenant to his lord 
in lieu of the service called arerai/i: 
averrable (a-ver'a-bl), . [< aver'- + -able.] 1. 
Capable of being verified or proved. 2. Capa- 
ble of being averred, asserted, or declared. 
Averrhoa (av-e-ro'a), n. [ML., named from 
Arerrhoes, Averroes: see Acrrroitst.] A genus 
of small trees, natural order (leraniacru; tribe 
OxaHdete, containing two Kast Indian species, 
cultivated for their very acid fruit. The bilim- 
hi, A. IliUnilji, is often pickled m- .'an. lie. 1, ami its juice 
removes the stahi of iron-rust ami other spots from linen. 
The caramlmla. A. Carnmkula, is also used as food. 
Averroism, Averrhoism (av-e-ro'izm), n. [< 
Arrrrhofn + -ism.] The doctrines held by 
Averrhoos and his followers. See Arirroist. 
The patriciansof Venice and the lecturers of Padua made 
Ai'cn-uixm synonymous with doubt and criticism in theol- 
ogy, and with sarcasm against the hierarchy. 
EUCIIC. Brit., III. 151. 
Averroist, Averrhoist (av-e-ro'ist), n. [< 
Arerrlioes or An rrorx + -int. Averroes is a 
Latinized form of Ar. Ibn-I{o.thd.] A follower 
of Averrhoe's, a celebrated Arabian philosopher 
and commentator on Aristotle, who was born 
at Cordova about A. D. 1126, and died 1198. 
The philosophy of the Averroists was little more than 
an imperfect interpretation of Aristotle's doctrines ; but 
Averroism was particularly characterized by its effort to 
separate philosophy and religion. 
Ayerroistic (av"e-ro-is'tik), a. [< Averroist + 
-is.] Of or pertaining to the Averroists or their 
doctrines. 
The A verroistic school, mainly composed of physicists 
and naturalists, was the most decided opponent of the 
scholastic system in its relation to theology. 
Prof. V. Botta, in Ueberweg's Hist. Phil., II. App. ii. 
averruncatet (av-e-rung'kat), v. t. ; pret. and 
pp. averruncated, ppr. averruncating. [< L. 
averruncatus, pp. of averruncare, avert, re- 
move, an ancient word peculiar to the lan- 
guage of religion, < a for ab, from, + verruncare, 
turn. Hence erroneously averruncate, averun- 
cate (Cockeram), aberuncate (Bailey and John- 
son), "to weed," "to pull up by the roots," 
from an erroneously assumed L. "aberuncarc, 
as if < ab, from, + cruncare, < e for ex, out, + 
rnncare, uproot, weed.] 1. To avert or ward 
off. [Obsolete or rare.] 
But sure some mischief will come of it, 
Unless by providential wit, 
Or force, we averruncate it. 
S. Butler, Hudibras, I. i. 758. 
2. [Improp. : see etym.] To weed; pull up by 
the roots. 
averruncationt (av'e-rung-ka'shon), . [< 
averruncate.] 1. The act of averting or ward- 
ing off (evils). [Obsolete or rare.] 
Aw Truncation of epidemical diseases by telesms. 
J. Robinson, Eudoxa (1658), p. 82. 
2. [Improp.] A rooting up; extirpation; re- 
moval. 
averruncator (av'e-rung-ka/tor), n. [< aver- 
runcate + -or; also spelled aberuncator: see 
aberuncate.] See aberuncator. 
aversant (a-v6r'sant), a. [< L. aversan(t-)s, 
ppr. of aversari, turn away, \ a for ab, away, + 
versari, turn. Cf. averse.] In her., 
turned to show the back: said of a 
right hand. Also called dorsed. 
aversation (av-er-sa'shon), n. [< L. 
aversatio(n-),( aversari, pp. aversatus: 
see aversant.] Aversion; a turning 
away from. [Obsolete or rare.] 
I had an aversation to this voyage 
When first my brother moved it. 
Chapman, Revenge of Bussy d'Ambois, ill. 1. 
Certainly for a king himself to charge his subjects with 
high treason, and so vehemently to prosecute them in his 
own cause as to do the office of a searcher, argued in 
him no great aversation from shedding blood. 
Milton, Eikonoklastes, ix. 
Some men have a natural aversation to some vices or 
virtues and a natural affection to others. Jer. Taylor. 
averse (a-vers'), a. [< L. aversus, pp. of aver- 
tere, turn away: see avert.] 1. Turned away 
from anything ; turned backward ; averted. 
Earth . . . with her part averse 
From the sun's beam. Milton, P. L., viii. 138. 
The tracks averse a lying notice gave, 
And led the searcher backward from the cave. 
Dryden, Xneld, viii. 
Hence 2. Specifically: (a) In bot., turned 
away from the central axis : opposed to adverse 
(which see). (6) In ornith., set back or turned 
away from : applied to pygopodous or rump- 
footed birds, wnose legs are set so far back 
that the erect posture is necessitated, as in the 
case of the loon, grebe, or auk. 3. Disliking; 
unwilling ; having reluctance. 
395 
Averse alike to flatter, or offend. 
Pope, Essay on Criticism, 1. 743. 
As Mr. Wilniot knew Unit I could make very handgun 
settlement on my son, he was not vr*f to the match. 
fr'>lfl*ntiH<, Vicar, ii. 
4. Unfavorable; indisposed; adverse. 
Stum- miicli nt; /> I found and wondrous harsh, 
Contemptuous, proud, set on revenge and spite. 
Mill,,n, S. A.,1. 1461. 
Ami I'allas now accrue refused her aid. Iiri/dcn. 
This wont ami its derivatives are now regularly followed 
by tn, and not hy//vm<, allbi'ti^h the latter is used by some 
iii'i.lern writers. The word itself includes the idea of 
////) ; but the literal meaning is ignored, the affection of 
the minit siKiiilieil by the word lieinu rc^anliM as exertel 
Inward the object of dislike. Similarly, the. kindred tcrrn.- 
,-imt<-<i r<i. r<'/i":rn<iitt t etc., are also followed by M.] = Syn. 
3. Awrw, lii'lttctaiit, disinclined, backuanl, slow, loath, 
opposed. Arn-xf implies habitual dislike or unwilling- 
ness, though not of a very strong character, and is nearly 
synonymous with dininclitted : as, <MW*' to study, to active 
pursuits. Itffitftttnt, literally, stniijyling back from, im- 
plies some degree of struggle either with others w]m m 
inciting us on, or between our own inclination and some 
strong motive, as sense of duty, whether it operates as an 
impelling or as a restraining influence. See an 
Averse to pure democracy, yet lirni in his regard for ex- 
isting popular liberties. Bancroft, Hist. I*. S., I. 277. 
I would force from the reluctant lips of the Secretary 
of State his testimony to the real power of the masses. 
W. Phillips, Speeches, p. 44. 
4. Adverse, Inimical, etc. See A*v//. . 
averset (a-y6rs'), v. t. and '. [< L. aversux: 
see the adj.] To turn away; avert. Ii. .Inn- 
son. 
Wise Pallas' shield 
(By which, ray face aversed, in open field 
I slew the Gorgon). 
B. Jonson, Masque of Queens. 
aversely ( a-vers 'li), adv. 1. In the reverse or 
opposite direction ; backward. 2. With aver- 
sion or repugnance ; unwillingly. [Rare in 
both senses.] 
averseness (a-vers'nes), . [< averse + -ness.] 
The state of being averse ; opposition of mind ; 
dislike; unwillingness; backwardness. 
aversion (a-ver'shon), n. [< L. aversio(n-), < 
avertere : see averse, a., and avert.] If. A 
turning away ; a change of application. 
A figurative speech called apostrophe, which is an aver- 
sion of speech from one thing ... to another. 
Bp. Morton, Episcopacy Asserted, p. 101. 
2f. The act of averting or warding off. 3. An 
averted state of the mind or feelings; opposi- 
tion or repugnance of mind ; fixed or habitual 
dislike ; antipathy : used absolutely or with to, 
sometimes with from, for, or toward. 
His aversion towards the house of York. Bacon. 
Adhesion to vice, and aversion front goodness. 
Bp. Atterbury. 
A state for which they have so great an aversion. 
Addition. 
An aversion to a standing army in time of peace had 
long been one of the strongest of English sentiments. 
Lecky, Eng. in 18th Cent., Hi. 
4t. Opposition or contrariety of nature: ap- 
plied to inanimate substances. 
Magnesia, notwithstanding this aversion to solution, 
forms a kind of paste with water. Fourcroy (trans.). 
5. A cause of dislike ; an object of repugnance. 
Had I no preference for any one else, the choice you 
have made would be my aversion. 
Sheridan, The Rivals, i. 2. 
= Syn. 3. Hatred, Dislike, Antipathy (see antipathy); 
unwillingness, shrinking, hesitation, disrelish, distaste, 
detestation. 
aversivet (a-ver'siv), a. [< L. aversus (see 
averse, a.) 4- -ive.] Averse; turning away. 
Those strong-bent humours, which aversive grew. 
Daniel, Civil Wars, vii. 78. 
aversivelyt (a-ver'siv-li), adv. With aversion ; 
backwaroly. Chapman. 
avert (a-vert'), v. [< L. avertere, turn away, < 
a for ab, from, away, + vertere, turn: see verse, 
version, averse, etc. Cf. advert, convert, divert, 
evert, invert, pervert, revert, subvert, etc.] I. 
trans. 1. To turn away; turn or cause to turn 
off or away: as, to avert the eyes from an 
object: now seldom with a personal object. 
When atheists and profane persons do hear of so many 
discordant and contrary opinions in religion, it doth avert 
them from the church. Bacon. 
To associate Himself with some persons and to avert 
Himself from others. //. James, Subs, and Shad., p. 158. 
2f. To give a turn or direction to ; direct. 
Avert your liking a more worthier way, 
Than on a wretch whom Nature is asham'd 
Almost to acknowledge hers. Shak., Lear, 1. 1. 
3. To ward off; prevent the occurrence or hap- 
pening of (evil or something threatened). 
Believing in the divine goodness, we must necessarily 
believe that the evils which exist are necessary to avert 
greater evils. Macavlay, Sadler's Ref. Refuted. 
Avesta 
4t. To oppose ; view with aversion. 
The nature of mankind doth certainly avert l>oth kilting 
and being kill d. 
lb;;,/i fhritt. Pin,, (Hun), vi. S it, i'il. (.V. K. ll.l 
II. intraim. To turn away. [Hare.] 
.1 f>'i-tni>> t'rnin ..in- nci-hli'iiM- s X'l. 
Thornton, spiinn, 1. 301. 
avertebrated (ii-ver'te-bra-ted), . [< Gr. a- 
priv. (-!**) + m'l'hru'liil.] Kvi i-telirated; in- 
vcrtebnite. 
The Linmean classification of nrrrtrltniti-<l animals. 
O.Joliu*tiiii(i-il. ofi'uvier, 184lt), p. 33.1. 
averted (a-ver'ted), p. <i. 1. Turned away or 
aside. 
When food was brought to them, her share 
TM his mvrlfil lips the child did bear. 
Slii'llry, Revolt of Islam, V. 30. 
2. Specifically, in anal, ilrnirint/, having the 
head of the object turned to the top of the fig- 
ure. Wilder. 
averter (a-ver'ter), H. One who or that which 
averts or turns away. 
Avtrters&nt\ pursers must yo together, as tending all to 
tin- same purpose, to divert this rebellious humour [mel- 
ancholy] and turn It another way. 
Burton, Anat. of Mel., p. 407. 
avertible (a-v6r'ti-bl), a. [< avert + -Me.] 
Capable of" being averted ; preventable : as, 
in-crliblc evils," Kinglake. 
avertimentf, . An erroneous form of adver- 
tisement. Milton. 
Aves (a'vez), . ]il. [L., pi. of avis, a bird; cf. 
Skt. vi = Zend vi, a bird. Cf. also ovum and 
eyg 1 .] Birds ; feathered animals, considered as 
a class of vertebrates, next after mammals: 
sometimes united with Ileptilia in a superclass 
Sauropsida, distinguished on the one hand from 
Mammalia, and on the other from Iclithyopsida, 
or amphibians and fishes together. Aves are de- 
fined by the following characteristics: a body covered 
with feathers, a kind of exoskeleton no other animals 
possess; hot blood; completely double circulation; per- 
fectly 4-chanil>ered heart; single and dextral aortic arch; 
fixed lungs; air-passages prolonged into various air- 
sacs, even into the interior of some of the bones of the 
skeleton ; oviparous reproduction ; eggs large and mero- 
blastic, with copious food-yolk and albumen and a hard 
calcareous shell ; limbs 4 in number, the anterior pair of 
which are modified as wings, and generally subserve flight 
by means of their large feathers, the distal segment of the 
limb being compressed and reduced, with not more than 
3 digits, usually not unguiculate ; the metacarpals more 
or less ankylosed as a rule, and the free carpals normally 
only 2 in adult life ; a large breast-bone, usually carinate, 
and great pectoral muscles; numerous dorsolumbar, sa- 
cral, and urosacral vertebra; ankylosed into a sacrarium ; 
ilia greatly produced forward, and ilia and ischia back- 
ward, normally without median symphyses ; perforate 
cotyloid cavity ; the trochanter of the femur articulating 
with an iliac antitrochanter, and the fibula incomplete 
below ; the astragalus ankylosed with the tibia, and assist- 
ing in forming the tibial condyles ; mcdiotarsal ankle- 
joint ; not more than 4 metatarsals, 3 ankylosed together, 
and not more than 4 digits, the phalanges of which are 
usually 2, 3, 4, or 5 in number; the hind limb fitted as a 
whole for bipedal locomotion ; and no teeth in any recent 
forms, the jaws being sheathed in horn. Birds have un- 
dergone little modification since their first appearance in 
the Jurassic age ; their classification is consequently dif- 
ficult, and no leading authors agree in detail. Linnaeus 
(1766) divided them into 6 orders: Accipitres, Piece, An- 
seres, Grallce, Gallince, and Passeres. Cuvier's arrange- 
ment (1817) was similar, with the 6 orders Accipitres, 
Passerince, Scansores, Gallince, Grallce, and Pahnijiedes. 
A system said to have been originally proposed by Kirby, 
and formerly much in vogue among English ornithologists, 
recognized Natatores, Grallatores, Cursores, Jtasores, Scan- 
sores, Inswsores, and Raptorex as orders. The latest arti- 
ficial system is that of Sundevall (1872-3), with the orders 
Oscines, Volucres, Accipitres, Gallince, Grallatores, jiata- 
tores, Proceres, and Saurura*, 42 subordinate groups, and 
1,229 genera. In 1867 Huxley divided birds into 3 orders : 
Saururce, Ratitce, and Carinatce; the latter into 4 subor- 
ders, Dromatoffnathce, Schizotfnathcc, Desmoynathce, and 
AZffithognathce, and 16 superfamily groups an arrange- 
ment very different from any preceding one. The dis- 
covery of Odontornithes, or toothed birds, led to another 
primary division by Marsh into Odmitolcct, Odontotornux, 
and Saururce, this author not extending his classification 
to recent birds. In 1884 Cones divided all birds into 5 
subclasses : (1) Saururce, with teeth, amphiccclous verte- 
brae, carinate sternum, separate metacarpals, and long, 
lizard-like tail ; (2) Odontoturnue, with socketed teeth, bi- 
concave vertebra;, carinate sternum, ankylosed metacar- 
pals, and short tail ; (3) Odontulcce, with teeth in grooves, 
heteroccelous vertebra;, rudimentary wings, ratite ster- 
num, and short taJl ; (4) Ratitix, without teeth, with het- 
erocoelous vertebra;, ratite sternum, rudimentary wings, 
ankylosed metacarpals, and short tail ; (5) Carinatce, with- 
out teeth, with hetenxxelous vertebra;, carinate sternum, 
developed wings, ankylosed metacarpals, and short tail. 
The Carinatce include all living birds, except the few strn- 
thious or ratite birds. For the carinate suliclass or order, 
some 15 or 20 ordinal or subordinal groups are now usually 
adopted. One of these, Pattseres, includes a large majority 
of all birds. The genera or subgenera of birds in use now 
range from about 1,200 to about 2,900. The species are 
usually estimated at about 10,000. See bird and Saurop- 
sida. 
Avesta (a-ves'ta), w. The sacred writings at- 
tributed to Zoroaster. See Zend-Avesta. 
