aggression 
hence, any offensive action or procedure : as, an 
aggression upon a country, or upon vested rights 
or liberties. 
We have undertaken to resent a supreme insult, anil 
have had to bear new insults and aggression*, even to the 
direct menace of our national capital. 
0. W. Uolmes, Old Vol. of Life, p. 103. 
2. The practice of making assaults or attacks ; 
offensive action in general. 
Only this policy of unceasing and untiring aggression, 
this wearing nut and crushing out, this war upon all the 
resources and all the armies of the rebellion, could now 
succeed. Badeau, Mil. Hist, of Grant, II. 10. 
= Syn. Attack, invasion, assatilt. encroachment, injury, 
offense. 
aggressionist (a-gresh'on-ist), n. [< aggression 
+ -ist.~\ One who commits or favors aggres- 
sion. 
Aggressionists would much more truly describe the anti- 
freetraders than the euphemistic title "protectionists";' 
since, that one producer may gain, ten consumers are 
fleeced. //. Spencer, Pop. Sci. Mo., XXV. 156. 
aggressive (a-gres'iv), a. [< aggress + -ire; = 
F. agressif.] Characterized by aggression; 
tending to aggress ; prone to begin a quarrel ; 
making the first attack ; offensive, as opposed 
to defensive: as, the minister pursued an ag- 
gressive foreign policy. 
That which would be violent if aggressive, might be justi- 
fied if defensive. Phiuiinore's Reports, II. 136. 
I do not think there is ever shown, among Italians, 
either the ttffffratin pride or the abject meanness which 
marks the intercourse of people and nobles elsewhere in 
Europe. Howells, Venetian Life, xxi. 
= Syn. Aggressive, Offensive. 0/engice is the direct op- 
posite to defensive. Offensive warfare is that in which one 
is quick to give battle, as opportunity offers or can be 
made, and presses upon the enemy. Aggressive warfare 
is only secondarily of this sort ; primarily it is a warfare 
prompted by the spirit of encroachment, the desire of 
conquest, plunder, etc. A war that is thus aggressive is 
naturally o/enxioe at first, but may lose that character by 
the vigor of the resistance made; it then ceases to be 
thought of as aggressive. Hence aggressive has come to be 
often synonymous with offensive. 
The steady pushing back of the boundary of rebellion, 
in spite of resistance at many points, or even of such ag- 
yrmtflst inroads as that which our armies are now meeting 
with their long lines of bayonets. 
O. W. Holmes, Old Vol. of Life, p. 101. 
The peremptory conversion of Lee's clever offensive into 
a purely defensive attitude, ... in marked contrast with 
the tactics of his rival. 
Badeau, Mil. Hist, of Grant, II. 130. 
aggressively (a-gres'iv-li), adv. In an aggres- 
sive or offensive manner. 
aggressiveness (a-gres'iv-nes), n. The qual- 
ity of being aggressive ; the disposition to en- 
croach upon or attack others. 
aggressor (a-gres'or), n. [L., also adgressor, < 
uijgrcssus, pp. of aggredi, adgredi : see aggress, 
.] The person who first attacks ; one who be- 
gins hostilities or makes encroachment ; an as- 
sailant or invader. 
There is nothing more easy than to break a treaty rati- 
fied in all the usual forms, and yet neither party be the 
aggressor. Goldsmith, Citizen of the World, xvii. 
aggrievancet (a-gre'vans), n. [< ME. aggre- 
raunce, -auns, < OF. agrevance, < agrever: see 
aggrieve and -ance.] Oppression; hardship; 
injury; grievance. 
Deliver those aggrieoanee*, which lately 
Your importunity po&sest our council 
Were fit for audience. 
Fletcher (and another), fair Maid of the Inn, iii. 1. 
aggrieve (a-greV), v. ; pret. and pp. aggrieved, 
ppr. aggrieving. [< ME. agreven, < OF. agrever, 
agriever, later restored agraver, aggrarer, to 
aggravate, exasperate, = Sp. agravar = Pg. ag- 
gravar = It. aggravare, < L. aggravare, make 
heavy, make worse, aggravate : see aggravate. 
Cf. aggredge and grieve.] I. trams. If. To give 
pain or sorrow to ; afflict ; grieve. 
Which yet aggrieves my heart. Spenser. 
2. To bear hard upon ; oppress or injure in 
one's rights ; vex or harass, as by injustice : 
used chiefly or only in the passive. 
The two races, so long hostile, soon found that they had 
common interests and common enemies. Both were alike 
aggrieved by the tyranny of a bad king. Macaulay. 
So the bargain stood : 
They broke it, and he felt himself aggrieved. 
Browning, King and Book, II. 27. 
II. t intrans. To mourn; lament. 
My heart aggriec'd that such a wretch should reign. 
Mir. for Mays., p. 442. 
aggroupt (a-grop'), v. t. [< F. agrouper (= Sp. 
Pg. agrupar = It. aggrupparc and aggroppare), 
< a, to, + grouper, group : see group, v. J To 
bring together ; group ; make a group of. 
Bodies of divers natures which are aggruuped (or com- 
bined) together are agreeable and pleasant to the sight. 
Drydrn, tr. of Dufresnoy, p. 197. 
112 
aggroupment (a-grSp'ment), n. Arrangement 
in a group, as in statuary or in a picture; 
grouping. Also spelled agr<iui>iueiit. 
aggry-beads (ag'ri-bedz), n. pi. [< aggry, prob. 
of African origin, + beads.] Glass beads, sup- 
posed to be of ancient Egyptian manufacture, 
occasionally found in the Ashantee and Fanti 
conn tries. They are of exquisite colors and designs, and 
are much valued by the natives. Also spelled aggri-beadt. 
agha, n. See aga. 
aghanee (ag-ha'ne), n. [Anglo-Ind., also writ- 
ten tiykitnee, repr. Hind, agliani, the produce 
of the month Aghan, the eighth in the Hindu 
year, answering to the last half of November 
and the first half of December.] The name 
given to the chief rice-crop in Hindustan. It is 
the second of the three crops, being sown along with the 
bhadoee crop in April and May, and reaped in November 
and December. Called amun in lower Bengal. 
aghast (a-gasf), p. or a. [The spelling with It 
is unnecessary and wrong; < ME. anast, rarely 
in the fuller form agatsted, pp. of the com- 
mon verb agasten, rarely agesten, pret. agaste, 
terrify. < a- (<_AS. a-) + gasten (pret. gaste, pp. 
gast), <. AS. gaistan, terrify: see a-l,gast, ghost, 
and ghastly, and cf. agazed.] Struck with 
amazement ; filled with sudden fright or hor- 
ror. See agast, v. t. 
At/hast he waked, and starting from his bed, 
Cold sweat in clammy drops his limbs o'erspread. 
Dryden, Mneid. 
Stupefied and aghast, I had myself no power to move 
from the upright position I had assumed upon first hearing 
the shriek. For, Tales, I. 372. 
= Syn. Horrified, dismayed, confounded, astounded, dum- 
founded, thunderstruck. 
agiblet (aj'i-bl), a. [< ML. agibilis, that can be 
done, < L. agere, do: see agent, act.'] Capable 
of .being done; practicable. 
When they were fit for agible things. 
Sir A. Shirleti, Travels, Persia, i. 
agila-WOOd (ag'i-la-wud), n. [See eagleutood.] 
Same as agallochu/n. 
agile (aj'il), a. [Early mod. E. agil, agill, < F. 
agtie, < L. agilw, < agere, do, move: see agent, 
act.] Nimble ; having the faculty of quick mo- 
tion; apt or ready to move; brisk; active: said 
of the mind as well as of the body. 
Shirley was sure-footed and agile ; she could spring like 
a deer when she chose. Charlotte Bronte, Shirley, xix. 
The subtle, agile Greek, unprincipled, full of change and 
levity. lie Quintey, Secret Societies, ii. 
- Syn. yimble, Agile (see nimble), quick, lively, alert, sup- 
ple, spry. 
agilely (aj'il-i), adv. In an agile or nimble 
manner ; with agility. 
agileness (aj'il-nes), n. The state or quality of 
being agile ; nimbleness ; activity ; agility. 
Agilia (a-jil'i-a), n. pi. [NL., neut. pi. of L. 
ayilis, agile: see agile.] In Illiger's classifica- 
tion of mammals, a family of rodents notable 
for their agility. It contains the squirrels and 
dormice. [Not in use.] 
agility (a-jil'i-ti), n. [< F. agilite, < L. agili- 
ta(t-)s, < agilis, agile : see agile.] 1. The state 
or quality of being agile ; the power of mov- 
ing quickly ; nimbleness : briskness ; activity, 
either of body or of mind. 
A limb overstrained by lifting a weight above iU power, 
may never recover ita former agility and vigour. Watts. 
The Common Dormouse . . . handles its hazel- or beech- 
nuts with all the air of a squirrel, and displays no less agility 
in skipping about the shrubbery and tangle it inhabits and 
forages in. Stand. A'at. Hint., V. 115. 
2t. Powerful action ; active force. 
No wonder there be found men and women of strange 
and monstrous shapes considering the agility of the sun's 
tiery heat. Holland. 
= Syn. 1. See agile. 
aging (a'jing), n. [ Verbal n. of age,v.] 1. Any 
process for imparting the characteristics and 
properties of age : as, the aging of wines and 
liquors by heat and agitation. 2. In calico- 
printing and dyeing, the process of fixing the 
soluble mordant or dye by exposing the cloth 
in well-ventilated chambers to air which is kept 
warm and moist, for a time sufficient to allow 
the mordant or dye laid upon the surface of the 
cloth to penetrate the fibers and become firmly 
attached to them. Any superfluous portions, 
or those which may remain soluble, are removed 
by dunging. 3. In ceram., the storage of pre- 
pared clay, to allow it time to ferment and ripen 
before using. E. H. Knight. The clay is kept wet, 
and is often mixed and tempered ; and the process some- 
times lasts for many years. 
Also spelled ageing. 
agio (aj'i-6 or a'ji-6), . [<Fr. agio, < It. agio, 
usually in this sense spelled aggiu, exchange, 
premium, the same word as agio, ease : see uda- 
agitate 
gin and ease. ] A commercial t erm in use, princi- 
pally on the continent of Europe, to denote 
() The rate of exchange between the currencies 
of two countries, as between those of Italy and 
the United States. (6) The percentage of dif- 
ference in the value of (1) two metallic curren- 
cies, or (2) a metallic and a paper currency of 
the same denomination, in the same country ; 
hence, premium on the appreciated currency, 
and disagio, or discount, on the depreciated one. 
Six years ago this kinsatsii [Japanese paper currency I 
stood at par and was even preferred by the natives to the 
gold and silver currency ; now, from 40% to 457 agio 's 
Paid. Rein, Japan, p. 382. 
(c) An allowance made in some places for the 
wear and tear of coins, as in Amsterdam, Ham- 
burg, etc. 
a giorno (a jor'no). [It., = F. a jour.] In deco- 
r/i/ii'i; art, same as a jour. 
agiotage (aj'i- or a'ji-o-taj), n. [F., < agioter, 
job or dabble in stocks, < agio, price, rate of 
exchange, discount: see agio.] Speculation in 
stocks, etc.; stock-jobbing. [Not used in the 
United States.] 
Vanity and agiotage are, to a Parisian, the oxygen and 
hydrogen of life. Landor, Imaginary Conversations, xlvii. 
agist (a-jisf), v. t. [< OF. agister (> ML. agis- 
tare, adgistare), < a- (L. ad, to) + gister, as- 
sign a lodging, < giste, a bed, place to lie on : see 
gist, giseV, gitel.] 1. To feed or pasture, as the 
cattle or horses of others, for a compensation : 
used originally of the feeding of cattle in the 
king's forests. 2. To rate or charge ; impose 
as a burden, as on land for some specific pur- 
pose. 
agistage (a-jis'taj), . [< agist + -age.] In 
law : (a) The taking and feeding of other men's 
cattle in the king's forests, or on one's own 
land. (6) The contract to do so for hife. (c) 
The price paid for such feeding, (d) Generally, 
any burden, charge, or tax. Also called gait 
and agistment. 
agistatort, . [ML., < agistare, pp. agistatus: 
see agist.] Same as agistor. 
agister, . See agistor. 
agistment (a-jist'ment), n. [< OF. agistement 
(sMli.agistanientum): see agist and -ment.] 1. 
Same as agistage. 
Henry de Lacy, earl of Lincoln, who . . . had iheagiet- 
ments and summer and winter herbage of Pendle. 
Raines, Hist. Lancashire, II. 25. 
No sooner had that [the Irish | Parliament, by ita reso- 
lutions concerning the tithe of agistment, touched the 
interests of his order, than he [Swift] did everything in 
his power to discredit it. Lecky, Eng. in 18th Cent., vii. 
2. A dike or embankment to prevent the over- 
flow of a stream or encroachments of the sea. 
E. H. Knight. 
agistor, agister (a-jis'tor, -tfer), i. [< ME. agis- 
ter, < AF. agistour, < OF. agister, v. : see agist.] 
An officer of the royal forests of England, hav- 
ing the care of cattle agisted, and of collecting 
the money for the same; one who receives 
and pastures cattle, etc., for hire. 
agitablet (aj'i-ta-bl), a. [< F. agitable, < L. agi- 
taliilis, < agitare: see agitate.] 1. Capable of 
being agitated or shaken. 2. That may be 
debated or discussed. 
agitate (aj'i-tat), r. ; pret. and pp. agitated, ppr. 
agitating. [< L. agitates, pp. of agitare, drive, 
move, arouse, excite, agitate, freq. of agere, 
drive, move, do: see agent and act.] I. trans. 
If. To move or actuate ; maintain the action of. 
Where dwells this sov'reign arbitrary soul, 
Which does the human animal controul, 
Inform each part, and agitate the whole ! 
Sir R. Blackmure. 
2. To move to and fro ; impart regular motion 
to. 
The ladies sigh, and agitate their fans with diamond- 
sparkling hands. 
J. E. Cooke, Virginia Comedians, I. xlviii. 
3. To move or force into violent irregular ac- 
tion ; shake or move briskly ; excite physically : 
as, the wind agitates the sea; to agitate water 
in a vessel. 
Tall precipitating flasks in which the materials were 
first agitated with the respective liquids and were then 
allowed to stand at rest under various conditions as to 
light, temperature, etc. 
Amer. Jour. Sci., 3d ser., XXIX. 2. 
4. To disturb, or excite into tumult; perturb. 
The mind of man is agitated by various passions. 
Jialtiuon. 
5. To discuss; debate; call attention to by 
speech or writing: as, to agitate the question 
of free trade. 
Though this controversy be revived and hotly aijitated 
among the moderns. Boyle., Colours. 
