Avestan 
Avestan (a-ves'tnn), ti. and n. [< Avesta + -an.] 
I. a. Belonging to the Avesta. 
II. n. The language of the Avesta; Zend, 
avestruz (a-ves-troz'), " U J f?-> a i s aoestrut, = 
Kp. iiri'xtnt:, ostricli : soo oslricli.] A name 
of the South American ostrich. / 
396 
Greediness ; strong appetite : applied to the 
senses. 2. Eagerness ; intenseness of desire : 
applied to the mind. 
Aviility to know the causes of things is the parent of 
all philosophy. Jteitl. 
Syn. 2. Earnestness, Zeal, etc. See eagerness. 
aviador (av'i-ii-dcV), . [Amer. Sp., < Sp. aviet (a-vi'), prep. phr. as adv. [< a + vie, 
to provide articles for a journey, pre- after F. a Venn, in emulation, emulously : see 
pa iv, < a (< L. ltd), to, + ria, < L. via, way, vie.] Emulously. 
< it (< L. (/), f(> ! + '''" < L. fl, way, 
road: see via."] One who furnishes to the pro- 
prietor of a mine money and supplies for work- 
ing it. 
Mim-ral in-iniloi;^, nr providers nt' ^'muls :mil provisions, 
which they obtained on credit. 
Quoted ill Mi>/< >>/ '. Aii/.miii anil Soliora, p. 12(>. 
avian (a'vi-an), a. and w. [< L. avis, a bird, + 
-an.] I. n. Of or pertaining to Avcs, or birds ; 
ornithic. 
The fun-ilium is distinctly uriun. 
O. C. Marth, Pop. Sci. Mo., X.X. 313. 
Avian anatomy. See anatomy. 
II. . A member of the class ^fles; a bird: 
as, "this ancient ariitn," Cones. 
They strive aoie our with another in variety of colours. 
aviewt (a-vu'), r. t. [Early mod. E. also mi- 
ni ii\ aavetce, < late ME. avcwe, < a-, ad-, + 
rcii-i; view. Cf. OF. avucr, neater, follow with 
the eye (iin-iniii'iit. a view), < a, to, + rue, view, 
sight.] To view or inspect; survey; recon- 
noiter. 
avifauna (a'vi-fa-nS), n. ; pi. avifauna! (-ne). 
[NL., < L. avis, a bird (see Aves), + fanna. <|. 
v.] 1. A collective name for the birds of any 
given locality or geographical area ; the fauna 
of a region or district so far as concerns birds. 
2. A treatise upon the birds of a given re- 
gion 
aviary (a'vi-a-ri), . ; pi. aviaries (-riz). [< L. 
<";r;;""b1'rd n '^isT^^^'^& avifaunal (a'vi-fa-nal), a. [< avifauna.] Of or 
. avis, DI i . see A tes.j A wrg ng, pertamm g to an avifauna, 
or mclosure m which birds are reared or kept. ,i form ( |'vi.f6nn), a, [< L. avis, a bird, + 
avicula (a-vik'u-la), . [L., dim. of am, a /orafl form .] Bird-shaped ; having the stAic- 
bird.] 1. A little bird; hence, any ungrown QJ characteristic of the class Aves; avian, in 
Sssr? ^ -SZL 3ftss? Te e w. 
ck. 4. ^irm-^r: sr,s=5^=2fe--^ av jiet (a-vil'), v. t. [ME. aoiten, < OF. aviler, 
F. ajiiKf = Pr. Sp. avilar = It. awilire, avvilare, 
< L. as if "advilare, "advilire, < orf, to, + vilis, 
vile : see vile.] To make vile ; treat as vile ; 
depreciate ; debase. 
Want makes us know the price of what we avile. 
B. Jonson, Prince Henry's Barriers. 
avilementt, n. [< OF. avilement (mod. F. avilis- 
sement) : see avile and -ment.] The act of ren- 
Wing-shell (Atiicula hirundo). 
dering vile, or of treating as vile, 
avine (a'vin), a. [< L. avis, a bird, + -ine 1 .] 
O ' 
name as avian. 
avireptilian (a"vi-rep-tiri-an), o. [< L. avis, 
bird, -f reptilis, reptile, -I- -an.] Combining 
avian and reptilian characters; sauropsidan, 
as a bird. [Rare.] 
The head is in a stage of avi-reptUian transition. 
" W. Shu/eldt, in The Century, XXXI. 3S5. 
[NL.: 
in allusion to 
the wing-like 
expansion of 
the hinge.] In 
conch., a genus of bivalve mollusks, typical of 
the family Aviculida; ; the wing-shells. A. Iti- 
ruiido is the type. 
avicular (a-vik'u-lar), a. [< L. avicularius, n., 
a bird-keeper, prop, adj., pertaining to birds, < 
avicula, a little bird: see ay lento.] Pertaining 
to birds. Thomas, Mod. Diet. 
avicularia, n. Plural of avicularium. 
avicularian (a-yik-u-la'ri-an), a. Of or per- 
taining to an avicularium. " 
avicularium (a-vik-u-la'ri-um), n. ; pi. avicu- 
laria (-a). [NL., neut. of L. avicularius, adj. : 
see avicular.] In zodl., a singular small pre- 
hensile process, resembling a bird's head, with avist, An obsolete form of advice. 
a movable mandible, which snaps incessantly, avisandt, Advising; giving advice, 
found in many of the Polyzoa. Compare fldbel- avisandum, . See avizandwn. 
larium, vibraeuUtrium. aviset, '' and v. An obsolete form of advice, 
In the avicularia, a large adductor muscle which takes advise. 
Its origin from the greater part of the inner surface of the a Vised (a-visf), a. [Sc., prop, "vised, < F. vis, 
head is attached by a slender tendon to the mandible. face, + -ecft, with unorig. n- developed in comp.] 
_i j , , /- ,-jx ?.v,Anat. invert p 893. p aoe( j. only iu composition: as, black-omrrf, 
avicuhd (a-vik'u-lid), n. A bivalve of the f am- dark-complexioned ; lung-avis A long-faced. 
ily Avicuhdai. [Scotch ] 
Aviculid8e(av-i-ku'li-de), n. )>l. [NL. < Avicu- avlseful't (a-viz'ful), . [Also arizefull; < avise, 
la + -tdai.] A family of lamellibranchs, with = advise, -ful.] Circumspect. Spenser. 
oblique inequivalve shells, having an outer aviselyt, adv. Advisedly. Chaucer. 
prismatic cellular layer and inner nacreous av isementt (a-viz'ment), n. Obsoli 
layer, a small byssus-secretmg foot, and com- " 
pletely open mantle. There are several genera be- 
sides Avicula, the type, among them Melcayrma, which 
contains the famous pearl-mussel, M. maraarittfera , of 
the Indian ocean and Persian gulf and the Gulf of Mexico. 
See cut under avicula. 
aviculoid (a-vik'u-loid), a. [< Avicula + -oid.] 
Resembling the Aniculidai: as, "an aviculoid 
shell," Amer. Jour. Sci., 3d ser., XXXI. 140. 
Aviculopecten (a-vik"u-16-pek'ten), n. [NL., 
< Avicula + 1'ecten.] A genus of fossil bivalve 
mollusks: so called because it combines char- 
acters of the genera Avicula and 1'ecten. Spe- 
cies occur in the Silurian and Carboniferous 
rocks. 
aviculture (a'vi-kul-tur), n. [< L. avis, a bird, 
cultura, culture.] The care of birds; the 
rearing or keeping of birds in domestication or 
captivity. 
avid (av'id), a. [< L. avidus, greedy, eager, 
< avere, wish. Cf. avarice.] Eager; greedy. 
Avid of gold, yet greedier of renown. Kimtlicii. 
The voluptuous soul of Mirabeau was not more avid of 
pleasure than the vain, ambitions soul of Robespierre was 
of applause. <J. H, Lewes, Robespierre, p. 124. 
avidioust (a-vid'i-us), a. [Expanded form for 
"acidous, < L. avidus: see avid.] Same as 
avid: as, "avidious greedinesse," Bn. Bale, 
Select Works (1849), p. 418. 
Obsolete form of 
advisement. 
I think there never 
Marriage was managed with a more avisement. 
B. Jonson, Tale of a Tub, ii. 1. 
ayisiont, w. [ME., also avisiun, -own, < OF. avi- 
sion, avisiun (= Pr. avision). for vision ; confused 
with avis, advice, counsel.] Vision. Chaucer. 
avisot, n. [< Sp. aviso, advice, etc. : see advice.] 
1. Advice; intelligence. 
I had yours, . . . and besides your a vinos I must thank 
you for the rich flourishes wherewith your letter was em- 
broidered. HotcM, Letters, ii. 68. 
I am no footpost, 
No pedlar of avisos. Ford, Lady's Trial, i. 1. 
2. An advice- or despatch-boat. 
[< L. avitus, pertaining to 
w, a grandfather), + -al.] 
a grandfather; ancestral. 
I sneered just now at avital simplicity. 
C. Reade, Love me Little, etc., xi. 
SoH,e,, aviva K e (a-vi-vazh'), n. In dyeing, the process 
of clearing a fabric of superfluous coloring 
matter after it has left the vats, and of reviv- 
ing and brightening the colors. 
When the dyeing process is continued for more than six 
boon the colours produced stand clearing (avivage) less 
well than when the time has been shorter. 
Crookes, Dyeing and Calico-printing, p. 301. 
Avocado, or Alligntor-pear 
(Persia grattssiMa). 
avidiouslyt (a-vid'i-us-li), adv. In an avid or avizandum (av-i-zan dura), n. [Law L., also 
avidious manner; eagerly; with greediness ansandum, gerund of aware, < F. aviser, con- 
sider, advise : see advise.] In Scots law, private 
consideration. To make avimndum with a cause is to 
Nothing Is more avidiouslit desired than is the sweet 
peace of God. Bp. Bale, Image of the Two Churches. 
avidity (a-vid'i-ti), n. [< F. avidite, < L. avidi- 
remove it from the public court to the private considera- 
tio_n of the judge. Also spelled avisandum. 
. . . . j" .. . - v..\. Jlltt^v*. ill. .TJH-llcu ([ t intllltl II HI. 
ta(t-)s, < amdus, greedy, eager: see avid.] 1. avizeH, v. An obsolete form of advise. 
avoid 
Avize 2 (a-yez') ( n. A sparkling wine named 
from the village of Avize, in the department of 
Marne, France. Soe champagne. 
avocado (av-o-ka'do), n. [Corrupted from Mex- 
ican name.] The alligator-pear, the fruit of 
I'ersea aratissima, nat- 
ural order Lavracea; a 
tree common in trop- 
ical America and the 
West Indies. It is from 
1 to 2 pounds in weight, is 
jirar-.sliaped, of a brownish- 
green or purple color, ami 
is highly esteemed, though 
rather as a vegetable than as 
afruit. The pulpisfirm and 
marrow-like, whence the 
fruit is sometimes known as 
vegetable marrow or mid- 
x/iijii/K'n'it butter. The oil 
is said to lie equal to palm 
oil for soap. The trn- is an 
evergreen, growing to the 
height of 30 feet. Also ai'u- 
cato, avifjato. 
avocat (av-o-kii'), n. 
[P., < L. advocat/ts: 
see advocate, n.] An advocate ; a lawyer. 
avocate (av'o-kat), v. t.; pret. and pp. co- 
cated, ppr. avocating. [< L. avocatus, pp. of 
avocare, call away, < a for ab, away, + vocare, 
call: see voice and vocal.] If. To call off or 
away. 
One . . . who avocateth his mind from other occupa- 
tions. Barmir, Works, III. xxii. 
2. To remove authoritatively from an inferior 
to a superior court. [Archaic.] 
Seeing . . . the cause avocated to Rome. 
Liml 11,'rhcrt, Hen. VIII., p. 2ft9. 
avocation (av-o-ka'shon), n. [< L. avocatio(n-), 
a calling off, interruption, < avocare, call off: 
see avocate.] If. The act of calling aside or 
diverting from some object or employment. 
God does frequently inject into the soul blessed im- 
pulses to duty, and powerful avocations from sin. South. 
2. The authoritative removal of a case or pro- 
cess from an inferior to a superior court. 
The pope's avocation of the process to Rome, by which 
his duplicity and alienation from the king's side were 
made evident, and the disgrace of Wolsey, took place in 
the summer of 1529. tlallam. 
3f. The state of being called, or of wandering 
aside or away; a diversion of the thoughts. 
If not from virtue, from its gravest ways, 
The soul with pleasing avocation strays. 
Parnell, To an Old Beauty. 
Hence 4. That which calls one away from 
one's proper business; a subordinate or occa- 
sional occupation; a diversion or distraction. 
Heaven is his vocation, and therefore he counts earthly 
employments avocations. Fuller, Holy State, iv. 9. 
Visits, business, cards, and I know not how many other 
avocations ... do succeed one another so thick, that in 
the day there is no time left for the distracted person to 
converse with his own thoughts. 
Boyle, Occasional Reflections, ii. 6. 
6. A person's regular business or occupation ; 
vocation ; calling. [An improper though com- 
mon use of the word.] 
Does it not require time for an individual, thrust out of 
one avocation, to gain admittance to another? 
Godwin, The Enquirer, p. 19fi. 
The ancient avocation of picking pockets. 
Sydney Smith. 
In a few hours, above thirty thousand men left his stan- 
dard, and returned to their ordinary avocations. 
Macaulay, Warren Hastings. 
The wandering avocation of a shepherd. 
Buckle, Civilization, II. i. 
avocativet (a-vok'a-tiv), a. and n. [< avocate + 
-ive. Cf. vocative.]" I. a. Calling off. Smollett. 
II. ft. That which calls aside ; a dissuasive. 
Incentives to virtue, and avocatives from vice. 
Barrow, The Creed. 
avocato (av-o-ka'to), n. Same as avocado. 
ayocatory (a-vok'a-to-ri), a. [< avocate + -ory.] 
Calling off; recalling Letters avocatory, letters 
by which the subjects of a sovereign are recalled from a 
foreign state with which he is at war, or which bid them 
abstain or desist from illegal acts. 
avocet, . See avoset. 
Avocetta (av-o-set'a), H. [NL.: see avoset.] 
1. A genus of birds, the avosets: a synonym 
of Eecurvirostra (which see). Brisson, 1760. 
See cut under avoset. 2. A genus of hum- 
ming-birds. Af/assiz. Also Avocettitltt. 
Avqgadro's law. See lair. 
avoid (a-void'), v. [< ME. avoiden, uroi/dcn, < 
AF. avoider, OF. runiidifi; csveudicr, empty out, 
< es- (< L. ex, out) + vuidirr. n mlier, < L. riduare, 
empty, < viduus, empty: see void, a., which has 
influenced avoid in some of its senses.] I. 
trans. 1. To make void; annul; make of no 
effect: chiefly used in legal phraseology: as, 
