against 
as, to strike against a rock ; the rain beats 
against the window ; to ride against the wind. 
Agayns his daughter hastilich goth he. 
Chamer, Clerk's Tale, 1. 911. 
The birds against the April wind 
Mew northward, siiuriiu: as they flew. 
n'liiltifi; What the Birds Said. 
2. Of position: () In an opposite position; 
directly opposite; in front of: in this sense 
often preceded by over: as, a ship is against 
the mouth of a river. 
[Aaron] lighted the lamps thereof urer against the ran- 
dlestick. Num. viii. 3. 
(6) In contact with; bearing upon: as, to lean 
against a wall; in optical contact with (some- 
thing behind); athwart: as, the ship loomed 
up dark and grim against the sky. 
He saw 
High up in heaven the hall that Merlin built, 
Blackening against the dead-green stripes of even. 
Tennyson, Pelleas and Ettarre. 
3. Of action or purpose: (a) In opposition to; 
in contrariety to; adverse or hostile to: as, 
twenty votes against ten ; against law, reason, 
or public opinion. 
His hand will be against every man. Gn. xvi. 12. 
When a scandalous story is believed against one, there 
certainly is no comfort like the consciousness of having 
deserved it. Sheridan, School for Scandal, Iv. S. 
(6) In resistance to or defense from : as, pro- 
tection against burglars, cold, fire, etc. ; to warn 
one against danger ; the public are cautioned 
against pickpockets. 
As if the man had fixed his face, 
In many a solitary place, 
Against the wind and open sky ! 
Wordsworth, Peter Bell, i. 26. 
(c) In provision for; in preparation for; in an- 
ticipation of ; with reference to. 
Agaitut the day of my burying hath she kept this. 
John xii. 7. 
It was now high time to retire and take refreshment 
against the fatigues of the following day. 
Goldsmith, Vicar, iii. 
(d) In exchange for; in return for; as a bal- 
ance to: as, an exporter draws against mer- 
chandise shipped. 
Vavasours subdivide again to vassals, exchanging land 
and cattle, human or otherwise, against fealty. 
Motley, Dutch Republic, I. 28. 
Against the grain. Seeyraini. Against the sun, in a 
direction contrary to the apparent movement of the sun. 
Against time. () Literally, in competition with time : 
as, a match or a race against time, that is, with the effort 
to finish before the close of a given time. 
I always felt as if I was riding a race against time. 
Die/cent. 
(b) For the purpose of consuming time : as, he talked 
against time, that is, merely to gain time, a method some- 
times adopted by members of legislative and deliberative 
assemblies who desire to defeat some measure or motion 
by lapse of time, or to gain time for supporters to assem- 
ble. TO be against, to be unfavorable to : as, the bid is 
aqainst you, that is, in favor of some other bidder. To 
bear against, to bristle against, to go against, etc. 
See these verbs. To run against, to meet accidentally. 
II. conj. (by ellipsis). Against the time that ; 
by the time that; before: as, be ready against 
I get back. [Now only colloq. or dial.] 
Throw on another log of wood against father conies 
home. Dickens, Pickwick. 
106 
typified by the genus Agaleiia, of the order 
againstandt (a-gen'stand), v. t. [< ME. 
agen-standen, -stonden, < AS. agen-, ongedn-stan- 
dan : see again and stand.] To stand against ; 
withstand: oppose. 
againwardt, adv. [ME. agayn-, again-, ayen- 
irard, etc.; < again + -ward.] 1. Backward; 
back again. Chaucer. 2. In return; back. 
Sir T. More. 3. Again; once more. 4. Con- 
versely; vice versa. Spenser. 5. On the con- 
trary ; on the other hand. (Sir T. More. 
agalactia (ag-a-lak'ti-a), n. [NL.,< Gr. dya/tax- 
rla, want of milk, < dydJWrof, wanting milk : see 
agalactous.] In patltol., a deficiency of milk in 
a mother after childbirth. Also called agalaxtj. 
agalactOUS (ag-a-lak'tus), a. [< Gr. dya/la/croc, 
wanting milk, ( a- priv. + yd'/a (yaZanT-) = L. 
lac (lact-), milk.] Characterized by agalactia. 
Syd. Soc. Lex. 
agal-agal (a'gal-a'gal), n. Same as agar-agar. 
agalaxy (ag'a-lak-si), n. Less correct form of 
agalactia. 
Agalena (ag-a-le'na), . [NL., < Gr. a- priv. 
+ ya/l^v??, repose, calmness, tranquillity: in al- 
lusion to the spider's restlessness.] A genus 
of true spiders, founded by Walckenaer, giving 
name to the family Agalenidce. A. labyrinthica is 
a pretty British species which spins its web upon herbage. 
Usually written, incorrectly, Agelentt. 
agalenid (ag-a-le'nid), . A spider of the 
family AgalenidcB. 
Agalenidae (ag-a-le'ni-de), n. pi. [NL., < Aga- 
lena + -idle.] A family of tubitelarian spiders, 
They have an ..lilunp .-,.], h;ilutlmni\, with tin- 
large cephalic region distinct, and the upper mammilla: 
larger than the lower. The species are numerous, and 13 
genera have been admitted for those of Europe. Aiimn>: 
them are some of the most familiar spiders which spin 
tuhnlar \veli.-. 
agalloch (a-gal'ok), . Same as ii<i<ill<><-liniii. 
agallochum (a-gal'o-kum), . [NL., < Gr. <i; >- 
'fjoxov (Dioscorides), not, as stated in Liddell 
and Scott's Lexicon, the bitter aloe, but the 
fragrant wood also called in later times i-v'Aa'A6t/, 
in NL. transposed Aloe'jryloit (another genus), 
translated lignum nloes, E. lign-aloes, q. v. ; of 
eastern origin : cf. Heb. akhdlim, masc. pi., from 
a sing, akhal, Hind, agliil, Skt. aguru, agalloch, 
aloes-wood. See aloe.] A fragrant wood, the 
aloes or lign-aloes of the Scriptures. It is much 
used by the Orientals, and especially by the Chinese, as in- 
cense in their religious ceremonies. It is the produce of 
Aquilaria Agallocha, a large tree which grows in the 
mountains of Cochin-China, Assant, and adjoining regions, 
and belongs to the natural order ThinneleacefK. Portions 
of the trunk and branches become saturated with a dark 
aromatic resin, and these alone are used in the prepara- 
tion of incense. The resin is sometimes extracted by dis- 
tillation or infusion. The wood is also called calambac, 
aloes-wood, and agila-, agal-, or eagleicoud. See eagle- 
vood. 
agalma (a-gal'ma), M. ; pi. aqalmata (-ma-ta). 
[NL., < Gr. aya/.fia, a delight, honor, a pleasing 
gift, esp. to the gods, a statue, any image or work 
of art, < djd/Ue<j0a<, take delight in, d)d/Um>, 
honor, glorify.] 1. In lair, the impression orim- 
age of anything upon a seal. 2. In Gr. antiq., a 
votive offering to a deity, especially a statue, but 
also a painting or any other art-object. See 
etymology of anathema. 3. leap.] In zodl., 
a genus of physophorous oceanic hydroids, the 
type of the family Agalmidte. Eschscholtz, 1829. 
agalmatolite (ag-al-mat'o-lit), n. [< Gr. ayaX- 
//a(r-), image, + /./0of, stone.] A soft stone, of 
a grayish or greenish color, found in China and 
elsewhere. It can in- cut with a knife and polished, 
and in China is thus formed into works of art, as grotesque 
figures, pagodas, etc. It belongs in part to the mineral 
pinite, and in part to pyrophyllite and steatite. Also 
called figure-stone, lardstune, bildxtein, and pagodite. 
Agalmidae (a-gal'mi-de), n.pl. [NL. ; < Agalma 
+ -ida;.] A family of physophorous siphonoph- 
orous hydrozoans, having a greatly elongated 
and spirally twisted stem, the swimming-col- 
umn with two or more rows of nectocalyces, 
and hydrophyllia and tentacles present. 
Agalniopsis (a-gal-mop'sis), n. [NL., < Agalma 
+ ii\litf, appearance.] A genus of Agalmida.' 
resembling Agalma, having deciduous hydro- 
phyllia replaced by nectocalyces, a saecule and 
an involucre, a terminal filament and no vesicle. 
Sars, 1846. 
agalwood (ag'al-wud), n. [See eaglewood.] 
Same as agallochum. 
Agama 1 (ag'a-ma), it. [NL., from the Carib- 
bean name.] 1. A genus of small saurian 
reptiles, typical of the family Agamidce (which 
see). 2. [/. c.] A member or species of the 
genus Agama, or of closely related genera : with 
a plural, agamax (-maz). 
Agama 2 (ag'a-ma), n. pi. [NL., neut. pi. of 
agamtm: see agamous.] The agamous division 
of mollusks. Latreille, 1825. See agamous, 2. 
Agamae (ag'a-me), n. pi. [NL. (sc. plantw), 
fern. pi. of agamus: see agamous.] A name 
given by some authors to the large division of 
eryptogainic plants, which were formerly sup- 
posed to be without distinctions of sex. 
agami (ag'a-mi), n. [F. agamy (1741), now 
agami, from the native name in Guiana.] A 
grallatorial bird, 
Psophia crepitans, 
a native of South 
America, often 
called the golden- 
breastedtrumpet- 
er. It is in body of 
the size of a pheasant; 
it runs with great 
speed, but flies poorly. 
is easily tamed, ana 
becomes as docile and 
attached to man as a 
dog. See Pxoi>ltiiilif. 
agamian 1 (a-ga'- 
mi-an), a. and n. 
[=F. agamit-H, < 
NL. Agama 1 .] I. 
a. Pertaining or 
belonging to the 
Agamida;. 
II. n. A mem- 
ber of the family 
Alia HI ida: (which 
agamoid 
agamian'-' (a-ga'mi-an), a. [As agamic + 
-i-rtH.] Same as agamic. 
agamic (a-gam'ik), a. [< Gr. aya/im;, unmarried 
(see agamous), + -ic.] 1. Asexual: in zool., 
applied to reproduction without the congress 
of individuals of opposite sexes, as by fission, 
budding, encystment, or parthenogenesis ; used 
also of ova capable of germination without im- 
pregnation. 'Hie word is of general application t<> 
asexual reproduction, but has some special applicability 
to the phenomena of alternate generation or discontinuous 
development which may intervene in ordinary sexual re- 
production. Opposed to gamic. See aganwtjenesis. 
The agamic reproduction of insects and other animals. 
. B. Carpenter, in Corr. of Forces, p. 426. 
The agamic ova may certainly be produced, and give rise 
to embryos, without impregnation. 
Huxley, Anat. Invert., p. 250. 
2. In bat., of or pertaining to the Agama: or 
cryptogams. 
agamically (a-gam'i-kal-i), adv. In an agamic 
or asexual manner ; asexually. 
agamic! (ag'a-mid), n. A lizard of the family 
Agamidie. 
Agamidae (a-gam'i-de), n. pi. [NL., < Agama 1 
+ -ida'.] A family of saurian reptiles, order 
Lacertilia, superf amily Agamoidea. They are char- 
acterized by having a short, thick tongue, entire (that is, 
uncleft) or nearly so, and not extensible ; small rhombic 
overlapping ventral scales ; a long tail ; round pupil, and 
brachynra. 
i, or Trumpeter (Psophia 
crefitans}. 
eyes provided with lids. The family is very closely re- 
lated to the Iguanidae, but the dentition Is acrodont, uot 
pleurodont. It is named from the leading genus, Agama 
(or Amphibolurut), but contains several others, among 
them Draco. D. mlans is the so-called flying lizard. The 
family is divided into Agamitur and Draconince. 
Agaminae (ag-a-mi'ne), n. pi. [< Agama 1 + 
-tntf.] A subfamily of agamoid lizards with 
no wing-like lateral expansions, a mouth of 
moderate size, and small conical incisors. It 
embraces about 70 species, inhabiting Asia, 
Africa, and Australasia. 
aganiine (ag'a-min), n. A lizard of the sub- 
family Agamince. 
agamist (ag'a-mist), n. [< Gr. ayuuof, unmar- 
ried (see agamous), + -ist.] One who does not 
marry ; one who refuses to marry ; one who op- 
poses the institution of marriage. 
Agamists and wilful rejecters of matrimony. 
Foxe, Book of Martyrs. 
agamogenesis (ag"a-m6-jen'e-8is), n. [< Gr. 
a}a//of, unmarried (see agamous), + yeveatf, pro- 
duction.] Non-sexual reproduction, (a) In zodl., 
the production of young without the congress of the sexes, 
one of the phenomena of alternate generation ; partheno- 
genesis : opposed to gamogenesis. 
Agamogene*i8 is of frequent occurrence among insects, 
and occurs under two extreme forms ; in the one, the 
parent is a perfect female, while the germs have all the 
morphological characters of eggs, and to this the term 
parthenogenesis ought to lie restricted. In the other, the 
parent has incomplete female genitalia, and the germs 
have not the ordinary characters of insect eggs. 
Huxley, Anat. Invert., p. 383. 
(6) In 6o(., natural reproduction by buds, offshoots, cell- 
division, etc. 
agamogenetic (ag*a-m6-je-net'ik), a. [< aga- 
mogenesis, after genetic, q. v.] Of or pertaining 
to agamogenesis; produced without the con- 
gress of the sexes. 
All known agamogenttit processes . . . end In a com- 
plete return to the primitive stock. 
Huxley, Lay Sermons, p. 312. 
agamogenetically(ag' l 'a-m6-je-net / i-kal-i),adfl. 
In an agamogenetic manner ; by or with asex- 
ual generation. 
In most Discophora, the embryo becomes a fixed actin- 
nla, . . . multiplies agamogenetically by budding, and 
gives rise to permanent colonies of Hydriform polyps. 
Huxley, Anat. Invert., p. 133. 
agamoid (ag'a-moid), a. and n. [< Agama 1 + 
-oid, q. v.] I. a. In zool., pertaining to or re- 
sembling the Agamidae or Agamoidea. 
II. n. A lizard of the family Agamidce or su- 
perfamily Agtintniili-ti. 
