aboriginality 
aboriginality (ab-o-rij-i-nal'i-ti), n. Tim 
quality or state of being aboriginal. .Y. /.'. l>. 
aboriginally (ab-o-rij'i-nal-i), adv. In an ab- 
original manner; originally: from tho very 
first. 
There are hardly any domestic races . . . which have 
not been ranked . . . us tin- dcscrndauts <if ,iln,i-i,,:niillii 
distinct species. Darn-in, origin uf sp.virs. p. lii. 
aboriginary (ab-o-rij'i-na-ri), n. An aborigi- 
nal inhabitant. X. K. I). 
ab origine (ab 6-rij'i-nc). [L. : iih, from; ori- 
i/iiie, abl. of origo, origin.] From the origin, 
beginning, or start. 
aborigine (ab-o-rij'i-ne), n. [Sing, from L. pi. 
aborigines, as if the latter were an E. word.] 
One of the aborigines (which see) ; an aborigi- 
nal. Also called aborigen, alnirii/iii. 
aborigines (ab-o-rij'i-nez), n. pi. [L., pi., the 
first Inhabitants, applied especially to the ab- 
original inhabitants of Latium, the ancestors 
of the Roman people, < (lit, from, + origo (ori- 
gin-), origin, beginning.] 1. The primitive 
inhabitants of a country ; the people living 
in a country at the earliest period of which 
anything is known. 2. The original fauna 
and flora of a given geographical area. 
aborsementt (a-bors'meut), . [< L. ubornug, 
brought forth prematurely (collateral form of 
abortus: see abort, v.), + -ment.] Abortion. 
Bp. Hall. 
aborsivet (a-bor'siv), a. [< L. aborsus, collat- 
eral form of abortus (see abort, r.), + E. -ire.] 
Abortive ; premature. Fuller. 
abort (a-borf), *' [< L. abortnre, miscarry, 
< abortus, pp. of aboriri, miscarry, fail, < ab, 
from, away, + oriri, arise, grow.] 1. To mis- 
carry in giving birth. 2. To become aborted 
or abortive ; appear or remain in a rudimen- 
tary or undeveloped state : as, organs liable to 
abort. 
In the pelagic Pliyllirhoe, the foot abort*, as well as the 
mantle, and the body has the form of an elongated sac. 
Huxley, Anat. Invert., p. 438. 
The temperature now falls, and the disease [smallpox] 
in some cases will abort at this stage [at the end of forty- 
eight hours]. Quain, Med. Diet., p. 1442. 
abortt (a-bort')i H. [< L. nbortiiK, an abor- 
tion, miscarriage, < abortus, pp. of aboriri : 
see abort, v.] An abortion. liiirton. 
aborted (a-bor'ted), f). a. 1. Brought forth 
before its time. 2. Imperfectly developed; 
incapable of discharging its functions ; not 
having acquired its functions. 
Although the eyes of the Cirripeds are more or less 
aborted in their mature state, they retain sufficient sus- 
ceptibility of light to excite retraction of the cirri. 
Ouvn, Comp. Anat., xiii. 
aborticide (a-bor'ti-sid), . [< L. abortus (see 
abort, n.) T -cidiiim (as in homicidiitm, homi- 
cide 1 ), < caiaere, kill.] In obstet., the destruc- 
tion of a fetus in the uterus ; feticide. 
abortient (a-bor'shient), n. [< LL. abortien(t-)s, 
ppr. of abortire, miscarry, equiv. to abortare : 
see abortj c.] In bot., sterile ; barren. 
abortifacient (a-bor-ti-fa'shient), a. and . 
[< L. abortus (see abort, H.) + facien(t-)s, ppr. 
of facere, make.] I. a. Producing abortion : 
said of drugs and operative procedures. 
II. . In med., whatever is or may be used 
to produce abortion. 
The almost universal keeping of aborti/acientx by drug- 
gists, despite statutes to the contrary. 
N. Y. Jnaepf.nde.nl, July 24, 1873. 
abortion (a-bor'shon), n. [< L. abortio(n-), 
miscarriage, < aboriri, miscarry : see abort, 
v.] 1. Miscarriage ; the expulsion of the fetus 
before it is viable that is, in women, be- 
fore about the 28th week of gestation. Expul- 
sion of the fetus occurring later than this, but before the 
normal time, is called (when not procured by art, as by a 
surgical operation) premature labor. A somewhat use- 
less distinction has been sometimes drawn between abor- 
tion and im$carriaye , by which the former is made to 
refer to the tirst four months of pregnancy and the latter 
to the following three months. Criminal abortion is pre- 
meditated or intentional abortion procured, at any period 
of pregnancy, by artificial means, and solely for the pur- 
pose of preventing the birth of a living child ; feticide. 
At common law the criminality depended on the abortion 
being caused after quickening. Some modern statutes 
provide otherwise. 
In the penitential discipline of the Church, abortion was 
placed in the same category as infanticide, and the stern 
sentences to which the guilty person was subject imprint- 
ed on the minds of Christians, more deeply than any mere 
exhortations, a sense of the enormity of the crime. 
Lecky, Europ. Morals, II. 24. 
2. The product of untimely birth ; hence, a 
misshapen being ; a monster. 3. Any fruit 
or product that does not come to maturity ; 
hence, frequently, in a figurative sense, any- 
16 
thing which fails in its progress before it is 
matured or perfected, as a design or project. 
4. In bot. and rod/., the arrested development 
of an organ at a more or less early stage. 
In the complete abortion of the rostellum (of Csjihalan- 
fti'-rti <trandijlora] we have evidence <>f degradation. 
Dartrin, Fertil. of Orchids by Insects, p. 80. 
He [Mr. Bates] claims for that family | the //<7/. . 
the highest position, chiefly because of the ini|>erfect 
structure of the fore legs, which is then' runii'il to an r\ 
treme degree of abortion. 
A. R. Wallace, Nat. Si-h-i-.. p. m. 
abortional (a-bor'shon-al), . Of the nature of 
an abortion ; characterized by failure. 
The treaty . . . proved abortional, and never came to 
fulfilment. Cnrli/le, Frederick the Great, VI. xv. 22. 
abortionist (a-bdr'shon-ist), n. [< abortion + 
-ist.] One who produces or aims to produce 
a criminal abortion ; especially, one who makes 
a practice of so doing. 
He (Dr. Robb] urged the necessity of physicians using 
all their influence to discountenance the work of './- 
tionutt. N. y. Med. Jour., XL. 580. 
abortive (a-b&r'tiv), <(. and . [< L. abortirim. 
born prematurely, causing abortion, < abortus, 
pp. of aboriri, miscarry : see abort, v.] I. a. 1. 
Brought forth in an imperfect condition ; im- 
perfectly formed or inadequately developed, as 
an animal or vegetable production ; rudimen- 
tary. 2. Suppressed; kept imperfect; re- 
maining rudimentary, or not advancing to per- 
fection in form or function : a frequent use of 
the term in zoology. Compare vestigial. 
The toes [of seals] are completely united by strong webs, 
and the straight nails are sometimes reduced in number, 
or even altogether abortive. Huxley, Anat. Vert., p. 359. 
The power of voluntarily uncovering the canine [tooth] 
on one side of the face being thus often wholly lost, indi- 
cates that it is a rarely used and almost abortire action. 
Daririn, Express, of Emot., p. 253. 
Hence 3. Not brought to completion or to a 
successful issue ; failing ; miscarrying ; com- 
ing to nought : as, an abortiee scheme. 
Abortive as the first-born bloom of spring, 
Nipp'd with the lagging rear of winter's frost. 
Milton, S. A., 1. 1676. 
He made a salutation, or, to speak nearer the truth, an 
ill-defined, abortive attempt at courtesy. 
Hawthorne, Seven Gables, vii. 
4. In bot., defective ; barren. A. Gray. 5. Pro- 
ducing nothing ; chaotic ; ineffectual. 
The void profound 
Of unessential Night receives him next, 
Wide-gaping ; and with utter loss of being 
Threatens him, plunged in that abortiee gulf. 
Milton, P. 1.., ii. 438. 
6. In med., producing or intended to produce 
abortion ; abortifacient : as, abortire drugs. 
7. Deformed ; monstrous. [Rare.] 
Thou elvish-mark'd, abortive, rooting hog ! 
Thou that wast seal'd in thy nativity 
The slave of nature and the son of hell ! 
Shak., Rich. III., i. 3. 
Abortive vellum, vellum made from the skin of a still- 
born calf. 
II. n. [< L. abortirum, an abortion, abortive 
medicine ; neut. of abortirus, a. : see the adj.] 
1. That which is produced prematurely; an 
abortion ; a monstrous birth. 
Abortive*, presages, and tongues of heaven. 
Shak., K. John, iii. 4. 
2. A drug causing abortion; an abortifacient. 
abortive! (a-bor'tiv), r. I. trans. To cause to 
fail or miscarry. 
He wrought to abortiee the bill before it came to the 
birth. Bp. Uacket, Abp. Williams, i. 148. 
II. intrans. To fail ; perish ; come to nought. 
Thus one of your bold thunders may abortiee, 
And cause that birth miscarry. 
Toinki* (?), Albumazar, i. 3. 
When peace came so near to the birth, how it abortived, 
and by whose fault, come now to be remembered. 
Bp. Socket, Abp. Williams, it 147. 
abortively (a-bor'tiv-li), adv. In an abortive 
or untimely manner ; prematurely ; imperfect- 
ly ; ineffectually ; as an abortion. 
If abortively poor man must die, 
Nor reach what reach he might, why die in dread ? 
Young, Night Thoughts, vii. 
The enterprise in Ireland, as elsewhere, terminated abor- 
tiri'lii. Froude, Hist. Eng., IV. 94. 
abortiveness (a-bor'tiv-nes), n. The quality 
or state of being, or of tending to become, 
abortive ; a failure to reach perfection or ma- 
turity ; want of success or accomplishment. 
abortmentt (a-bort'ment), n. [< abort, *',+ 
-ment, = F. avortement, Sp. abortamiento, Pg. 
abortamento.] An untimely birth ; an abortion. 
The earth, in whose womb those deserted mineral riches 
must ever lie buried as lost abortmentt. 
Bacon, Phys. and Med. Remains. 
about 
abortus (a-bor'tus), .; pi. abortus. [L., an 
abortion: see abort, n.] In med., the fruit of 
an abortion ; a child born before the proper 
time ; an abortion. 
Abothrophera (a-both-rof'e-ra), . pi. [NL., 
prop, 'alxitlini/ilinra, < Gr. a- priv. + /3<%>or, a 
pit, + -<t>6/iof, < 0<Y)m> = E. bear*.] A group of 
old-world solenoglyph venomous serpents, cor- 
responding to the family f'iperida: So called be- 
cause of tin- ahst-nce of a pit between the eyes and nose, 
r'Hitrasliii^ in tliis ivsp< -rt with tilt- Botknjpufn. 
aboughtt, pret. of aby. [See abi/.] Endured; 
atoned for ; paid dearly for. 
The vcngfans of thilke yre 
That Athrotl nlm/ni/iti- trrttvh. 
Chaurrr, Knight's Tale, 1. 144ft. 
aboulia, aboulomania, . Same as abulia. 
abound (a-bound'), r. i. [< ME. abounden, 
abiiiiilrii, sometimes spelled habinideii, < OF. 
alxnidcr, Jiabondrr, . iiboiidcr = Sp. Pg. abun- 
dar = U. abltondare, < L. iibitmlarr, overflow, 
< ab, from, away, + uitdare, rise in waves, over- 
flow, < uiida, a wave: see undulate. Cf. redound, 
surround.] 1. To be in great plenty ; be very 
prevalent. 
Where sin abmntdea, grace did much more abound. 
Rom. v. 20. 
In every political party, in the Cabinet itself, duplicity 
and perfidy abounded. Macaulay, Hallam's Const. Hist. 
2. To be unstinted in possession or supply (of 
anything) ; be copiously provided or furnished 
(with anything), (a) To be rich or affluent (in), as 
that which is a special property or characteristic, or con- 
stitutes an individual distinction : as, he abound* in 
wealth or in charity. 
Nature aboundu in wits of every kind, 
And for each author can a talent find. 
Dryden, Art of Poetry, i. 13. 
(6) To teem or be replete (ifith), as that which is furnished 
or supplied, or is an intrinsic characteristic : as, the coun- 
try abtnindg trith wealth, or irith fine scenery. 
The faithful man shall abound irith blessings. 
Prov. xxvlii. 20. 
To abound In or with one's own sense*, to be at 
liberty to hold or follow one's own opinion or judgment. 
I meddle not with Mr. Ross, but leave him to abound 
in his ovm sense. Bramhall, ii. 632. 
Moreover, as every one is said to abound with his own 
tetixe, and that among the race of man-kind, Opinions 
and Fancies are found to be as various as the severall 
Faces and Voyces ; so in each individual man there is a 
differing facultie of Observation, of Judgement, of Appli- 
cation. Hoicell, Forreine Travel!, i. 
aboundancet (a-boun'dans), n. An old form of 
abundance. Time's Storehouse, ii. 
abounding (a-boun'ding), n. [Verbal n. of 
abound.] The state of being abundant ; abun- 
dance: increase. South, Sermons, II. 220. 
abounding (a-boun'ding), p. a. Overflowing; 
plentiful ; abundant : as, abounding wealth. 
about (a-bouf), adr. and prep. [<ME. about, 
aboute, earlier abouten, abtite, abuten,<.AS. abft- 
tan (= OFries. dbuta), about, around, < a- for 
on (the AS. form onbutan also occurs, with 
an equiv. ymbutan, round about, < ymbe, ymb, 
around, about, = G. um = Gr. a/ifi : see am- 
]>hi-) + bfitan, outside, < be, by, + utan, out- 
side, from without, < fit, prep, and adv., out: 
see on, hi/, 6e- 2 , and out.] I. adr. 1. Around; 
in circuit ; circularly ; round and round ; on 
every side ; in every direction ; all around. 
Prithee, do not turn me about ; my stomach is not con- 
stant. Shak., Tempest, ii. 2. 
Algiers . . . measures barely one league about. 
J. Morgan, Hist. Algiers. 
2. Circuitously ; in a roundabout course. 
God led the people about through the way of the wilder- 
ness. Ex. xiii. 18. 
To wheel three or four miles about. Shak., Cor., i. 6. 
3. Hither and thither ; to and fro ; up and 
down ; here and there. 
He that goeth about as a tale-bearer. Prov. xx. 19. 
Wandering about from house to house. 1 Tim. v. 13. 
We followed the guide about among the tombs for a 
while. C. D. Warner, Roundabout Journey, xii. 
4. Near in time, number, quantity, quality, or 
degree; nearly; approximately; almost. 
He went out about the third hour. Mat. xx. 3. 
Light travels about 186,000 miles a second. 
J. y. Lockyer, Elem. Astron. 
The first two are about the nicest girls in all London. 
Hawley Smart, Social Sinners, I. 182. 
[In contracts made on the New York Stock Exchange, the 
term about means "not more than three days" when 
applied to time, and "not more than 10 per cent." when 
used with reference to a number of shares. ] 
5. In readiness; intending; going: after the 
verb to be. 
The house which I am about to build. 2 Chron. ii. 9. 
As the shipmeu were about to flee out of the ship. 
Acts xxvii. 30. 
