accumbent 
dons of an embryo when their edges lie against 
or are opposed to the radicle. 
II. t One who reclines, as at meals ; one 
at table, whether reclining or sitting. 
A penance must be done by every accumbent in sitting 
out the passage through all these dishes. 
Bp. Hall, Occas. Med., No. 81. 
accumbert (a-kum'ber), v. t. [< ME. acumbren, 
(U'omhri-n, for earlier cncunibrcn, aicombrcn : see 
cucumber, and - 1( * and en- 1 .] To encumber; 
clog. 
And lette his sheep acombred in the mire. 
Chaucer, Prol. Parson's Tale. 
Accumbred with carriage of women and children. 
Campion, Hist. Ireland, p. 28. 
accumulate (a-ku'mu-lat), v.', pret. and pp. 
accumulated, ppr. accumulating. [<L. acciiniu- 
latus, pp. of accumulare, heap up, < ad, to, + 
cumulare, heap, (cumulus, a heap: see cumu- 
late and cumulus.'} I. trans. 1. To heap up; 
collect or bring together; make a pile, mass, 
or aggregation of: as, to accumulate earth or 
stones; to accumulate money or sorrows. 
Never pray more ; abandon all remorse ; 
On horror's head horrors accumulate. 
Shak., Othello, iii. 3. 
2. To form by heaping up or collecting the 
parts or elements of; obtain by gathering in; 
amass: as, to accumulate wealth. [Rare in the 
physical sense, as in the first extract.] 
Soon the young captive prince shall roll in fire, 
And all his race aecuin ulate the pyre. 
J. Barlow, Columbiad, iii. 362. (N. E. D.) 
In the seventeenth century a statesman who was at the 
head of affairs might easily, and without giving scandal, 
accumulate in no long time an estate amply sufficient to 
support a dukedom. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., iii. 
A weak mind does not accumulate force enough to hurt 
itself. 0. W. Holmes, Autocrat, ii. 
II. intrans. 1. To grow in size, number, or 
quantity ; go on increasing by successive addi- 
tions : as, public evils accumulate. 
Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey, 
Where wealth accumulates, and men decay. 
Goldsmith, Des. Vil., 1. 52. 
We are the heirs to an inheritance of truth, grandly ac- 
cumulating from generation to generation. 
Sumner, Orations, I. 51. 
2. To take degrees by accumulation, as in some 
English universities. See accumulation. 
accumulatet (a-ku'mu-lat), j>. a. [< L. accmnu- 
latus, pp. : see accumulate, v.~\ Collected into 
a mass or quantity ; increased ; intensified. 
A more accumulate degree of felicity. 
South, Sermons, viii. 147. 
Haply made sweeter by the accumulate thrill. 
Lowell, Cathedral. 
accumulation (a-ku-mu-la'shon), n. [< L. accu- 
nml<itio(n-),<.accumulare: see accumulate, v. ] 1. 
The act of accumulating, or state of being accu- 
mulated ; an amassing ; a collecting together. 
It is essential to the idea of wealth to be susceptible of 
accumulation ; things which cannot, after being produced, 
be kept for some time before being used are never, I think, 
regarded as wealth. J. S. Mill. 
2. Growth by continuous additions, as the ad- 
dition of interest to principal. Specifically, in law: 
(a) The adding of the interest or income of a fund to the 
principal, pursuant to the provisions of a will or deed pre- 
venting its being expended. The law imposes restrictions 
on the power of a testator or creator of a trust to prohibit 
thus the present beneficial enjoyment of a fund in order to 
increase it for a future generation, (b) The concurrence 
of several titles to the same thing, or of several circum- 
stances to the same proof : more correctly, cumulation. 
3. That which is accumulated ; a heap, mass, 
or aggregation : as, a great accumulation of sand 
at the mouth of a river. 
Our days become considerable, like petty sums by minute 
accumulations. Sir T. Browne, Urn-burial, v. 
Accumulation of degrees, in some of the English uni- 
versities, the taking of a higher and a lower degree to- 
gether, or at shorter intervals than is usual or is gener- 
ally allowed by the rules. Accumulation of power, 
that amount of force or capacity for motion which some 
machines possess at the end of intervals of time, during 
which the velocity of the moving body has been constantly 
accelerated. 
accumulative (a-ku'mu-la-tiv), a. [< accumu- 
late + -ive; = Sp! acmmilaiivo (in adv. acumula- 
tiramentc) =Pg. accumulative.] Tending to or 
arising from accumulation ; cumulative Accu- 
mulative Judgment, in law, a second judgment against 
a person, the effect of which is to begin after the first has 
expired. 
accumulatively (a-ku'mu-la-tiv-li), adv. In an 
accumulative manner ; by heaping ; in heaps. 
accumulativeness (a-kii'mu-la-tiv-nes), n. 
The quality of being accumulative ; tendency 
to accumulate. 
accumulator ( a-ku'mu-la-tor), n . [< L. accumu- 
lator, < accumulare, accumulate.] 1. One who 
or that which gathers, accumulates, or amasses. 
2, One who takes university degrees by ac- 
41 
cumulation (which see). 3. Anything used 
for collecting and storing energy, etc. Specifi- 
cally, in niech. : (a) An india-rubber spring serving for the 
itorage of energy to be utilized for lifting and other pur- 
poses, (b) An elastic section of a dredge-line, so placed 
as to prevent a sudden break- 
ing strain. (<r) An apparatus 
used principally in connec- 
tion with hydraulic machines 
as an equalizer of pressure, or 
for the accumulation of ener- 
gy to be expended intermit- 
tently, as in hydraulic cranes, 
elevators, riveters, etc. It 
consists of a cylinder fitted 
with a plunger, having at its 
upper end a cross-head or 
cap, to which are secured the 
weights necessary for the de- 
sired pressure. The water 
forced into the cylinder raises 
the plunger, whose weight, re- 
acting upon the water, trans- 
mits this pressure to the op- 
erating machinery. The total 
force, less friction, which can 
be expended is measured by 
the product of the weight of 
the plunger and its load into 
the distance traversed by it. 
The joint capacity of the 
force-pumps which supply the 
cylinder is such as will, by 
continuous running, accumu- 
late in the cylinder during 
periods of inaction an amount 
equal to that expended during 
a maximum effort. In an- 
other form, called the hydro- 
pneumatic accumulator, the 
water within the cylinder compresses air, which reacts 
upon it, thus serving as a substitute for the weights. 
Hydraulic Accumulator. 
a, cylinder; b, plunger; c, 
eland ; d, weight-case ; e, cross- 
nead ; f, bolt ; g , framework ; 
h, i, pipes. 
By availing ourselves of the hydrostatic pressure of 
water stored at high elevations, or by storing it under 
pressure artificially produced by means of an accumulator, 
we can utilise sources of power which without storage 
would be quite insufficient for a given purpose. 
C. P. B. Shelley, Workshop Appliances, p. 313. 
(d) In elect. : (1) A condenser (which see). (2) A storage bat- 
tery (which see, under battery). Hydro-pneumatic ac- 
cumulator, an apparatus intended to be used with hydro- 
static lifts and presses, and employing compressed air as 
the source of power. See above, 3 (c). 
accuracy (ak'u-ra-si), . [< accura(te) + -cy, 
as if < L. "accuratia. The sense is that of the 
rare L. accuratio.'] The condition or quality 
of being accurate ; extreme precision or exact- 
ness ; exact conformity to truth, or to a rule or 
model ; correctness : as, the value of testimony 
depends on its accuracy ; copies of legal instru- 
ments should be taken with accuracy. 
The schoolmen tried to reason mathematically about 
things which had not been, and perhaps could not be, de- 
fined with mathematical accuracy. 
Macaulay, Utilitarian Theory of Government. 
= Syn. Accurateness, exactness, exactitude, precision, 
carefulness, care, niceness, nicety. 
accurate (ak'u-rat), a. [ = Pg. accurado = It. 
accurato, < L. 'ac'curatus, prepared with care, 
exact, pp. of accurare, prepare with care, < ad, 
to, + curare, take care, < cura, care, pains: 
see cure.] 1. Characterized by extreme care ; 
hence, in exact conformity to truth, or to a 
standard or rule, or to a model; free from 
error or defect ; exact : as, an accurate ac- 
count ; accurate measure ; an accurate expres- 
sion ; an accurate calculator or observer. 
Our American character is marked by a more than aver- 
age delight in accurate perception, which is shown by the 
currency of the byword, "No mistake." 
Emerson, Essays, 1st ser., p. 207. 
2f. Determinate ; precisely fixed. 
Those conceive the celestial bodies have more accurate 
influences upon these things below. Bacon. 
= Syn. 1. Accurate, Correct, Exact, Precise, Nice, care- 
ful, particular, true, faithful, strict, painstaking, unerr- 
ing. Of these words correct is the feeblest ; it is barely 
more than not faulty, as tested by some standard or rule. 
Accurate implies careful and successful endeavor to be 
correct : as, an accurate accountant, and, by extension of 
the meaning, accurate accounts; an accurate likeness. 
Exact is stronger, carrying the accuracy down to minute 
details : as, an exact likeness. It is more commonly used 
of things, while precise is used of persons : as, the exact 
truth ; he is very precise in his ways. Precise may repre- 
sent an excess of nicety, but exact and accurate rarely do 
so : as, she is prim and precise. As applied more specifi- 
cally to the processes and results of thought and investi- 
gation, exact means absolutely true ; accurate, up to a 
limited standard of truth ; precise, as closely true as the 
utmost care will secure. Thus, the exact ratio of the cir- 
cumference to the diameter cannot be stated, but the 
value 3.14159205 is accurate to eight places of decimals, 
which is sufficiently precise for the most refined measure- 
ments. Nice emphasizes the attention paid to minute and 
delicate points, often in a disparaging sense : as, he is 
more nice than wise. 
What is told in the fullest and most accurate annals 
bears an infinitely small proportion to that which is sup- 
pressed. Macaulay, Hist. Eng. 
l!ut we all know that speech, correct speech, is not thus 
easily and readily acquired. 
R. G. White, Every-day English, p. 130. 
accusative 
It [the map] presents nu scene to the imagination ; but 
it gives us i-xa<;t information as to the hearings of the 
various points. M<i>-'n<tu>t, Hailum's Const. Hist. 
A winning wave, deserving note, 
In the tempestuous petticoat, 
A careless shoe-string, in whose tie 
I see a wild civility, 
Do more bewitch me, than when art 
Is more precise in every part. Herrick. 
He is fastidiously niw in his choice of language, and a 
fondness for dainty and delicate epithets too often gives to 
his style an appearance of prettiness. 
Whipple, Ess. and Rev., I. 82. 
accurately (ak'u-rat-li), adv. In an accurato 
manner ; with precision ; without error or de- 
fect; exactly: as, a writing accurately copied. 
Nature lays the ground-plan of each creature accurately 
sternly fit for all his functions; then veils it scrupu- 
lously. Kni/'i-xon, Success. 
For no two seconds together does any possible ellipse 
accurately represent the orbit [of a planet]. 
W. K. Clifford, Lectures, I. 78. 
accurateness (ak'u-rat-nes), n. The state or 
quality of being accurate; accuracy; exact- 
ness; nicety; precision. 
accurse (a-kers'), v. t.; pret. and pp. accursed, 
ppr. accursing. [A wrong spelling, in imita- 
tion of L. words with prefix ac-, of acurse, < 
ME. acursien, acorsien,( a- 1 (< AS. a-) + cursien, 
corsien,<. AS. cursian, curse: see curse, v.] To im- 
precate misery or evil upon ; call down curses 
on; curse. [Now hardly used except in the 
past participle as an adjective : see below.] 
Hildebrand accursed and cast down from his throne 
Henry IV. llaleigh, Essays. 
accursed, accurst (a-kersf or a-ker'sed, a- 
kerst'), p. a. [< ME. acursed, akursed, acorsed, 
pp.: see accurst.'} 1. Subject to a curse ; 
doomed to harm or misfortune ; blasted ; ruined. 
The city shall be accursed. Josh. vi. 17. 
Thro' you my life will be accurst. 
Tennyson, The Letters, v. 
2. Worthy of curses or execrations ; detest- 
able; execrable; cursed: as, "deeds accursed," 
Collins, Ode to Fear. 
Thus cursed steel, and more accursed gold. 
Gave mischief birth, and made that mischief bold. 
Dryden, Ovid's Metamorph., i. 179. 
accursedly (a-ker'sed-li), adv. In an accursed 
manner. 
accursedness (a-ker'sed-nes), n. The state or 
quality of being accursed. 
accusable (a-ku'za-bl), a. [=F. accusable = 
Sp. acusablc = Pg. accusavel = It. accusabile 
(in E. sense), < L. accusabilis (found once 
in Cicero), blameworthy, < accusare, accuse, 
blame : see accuse,] Liable to be accused or 
censured ; chargeable ; blamable : as, accusable 
of a crime. 
Nature's improvision were justly accusable, if animals, 
so subject unto diseases from bilious causes, should want 
a proper conveyance for choler. 
Sir T. Browne, Vulg. Err., iii. 2. 
accusal (a-ku'zal), n. Accusation. JV. E. D. 
accusantt (a-ku'zant), n. [ = Pg. It. accuSante, 
an accuser^ <L. accusa(t-)s, ppr. of accusare, 
accuse : see accuse.] One who accuses ; an ac- 
cuser. 
The accumnt must hold him to the proof of the charge. 
Bp. Hall, Remains, Life, p. 531. 
accusation (ak-u-za'shon), n. [<ME. accusa- 
tion, -cioun, < Of. acusdtion, F. accusation = Sp. 
acnsacion = Pg. accusayao = It. accusazione, < L. 
accusatio(n-), an accusation, < accusare, accuse : 
see accuse.] 1 . A charge of wrong-doing ; a dec- 
laration of the commission of crime or error ; 
imputation of guilt or blame. 
Wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabi- 
tants of Judah and Jerusalem. Ezra iv. 6. 
The breath 
Of accusation kills an innocent name. 
Shelley, The Ceuci, iv. 4. 
2. That which is imputed as a crime or wrong ; 
the specific guilt or error charged, as in a state- 
ment or indictment : as, what -is the accusation 
against me ? the accusation is murder. 
And set up over his head his accusation. Mat. xxvii. 37. 
3. The act of accusing or charging ; crimination. 
Thus they in mutual accusation spent 
The fruitless hours. Milton, P. L, ix. 1187. 
= Syn, Charge, impeachment, arraignment, indictment, 
crimination, imputation. 
accusatival (a-ku-za-ti'val), a. Pertaining to 
the accusative case. Jour, of Philology. 
accusative (a-ku'za-tiv), a. and n. [=F. ac- 
cusatif= Sp. acusativo = Pg. It. accusative, all in 
the sense of accusative case, Pg. also in sense 
of censuring, < L. accusative, prop, belonging 
to an accusation, but used only in the gram- 
matical sense (with or without casus, case), 
