alabaster 
II. a. Made of alabaster, or resembling it: 
as, "an alabaster column," Addison, Travels 
in Italy.- Alabaster glass, an opaque enamel or glass 
made in imitation of alabaster. 
alabastos (al-a-bas'tos), n. Same as alabastrum. 
alabastra, Plural of alabaetntm, 
alabastrian (iil-a-bas'tri-an), a. Pertaining to 
or like alabaster. 
alabastrine (al-a-bas'trin), a. Of, pertaining 
to, or resembling alabaster. Alabastrine posi- 
tive, in iilmtuy., a collodion positive on glass, in which the 
light portions of the picture have been bleached and 
rendered permanently white in a bath of bichlorid of mer- 
cury, alcohol, and nitric and hydrochloric acids. 
alabastrites (al"a-bas-trl'tez), . [L., < Gr. 
a'/MpaaTpiTi/i;, more correctly aAaftaariTr/g (sc. 
A/0of, stone), calcareous alabaster, < aAa/Wrof, 
a box or vase: see alabaster.} A precious and 
richly veined mineral much used in ancient art ; 
the hard Oriental alabaster. See alabaster, 2. 
It is evident from Pliny that the Alabastrite* which this 
Phrygian marble resembled was diversified with varied 
colours. Stuart and Remtt, Antiq. of Athens, I. v. 
127 
alar 
I have not that alacrity of spirit, applied ill Texas and westward, as in Mexico, 
Sor cheer of mind, that I was wont to have to S p ec j es of the COttonwood (Populus). 
alamodality (a"la-m6-dal'i-ti), n. [< nliiimtdr 
+ -nlity, after modality.} Conformity to the pre- 
vailing mode or fashion of the times. [Rare.] 
Doubtless it hath been selected for me because of its 
alamodality --a good and pregnant word. 
Southey, Doctor, interchapter \\. 
Hence 3. Readiness; quickness; swiftness. 
With a dream's alacrity of change, 
The priest, and the swart fisher by his side, 
Beheld the Eternal City lift its domes. 
Whittier, Dream of Pio Nono. 
alabastrum (al-a-bas'trum), n. ; pi. alabastra 
(-tra). [L., < Gr. a/M/}a<rrpov : see alabaster.} 
1. In Gr. antiq., a small elongated 
vase for unguents or perfumes, 
rounded at the bottom and provided 
with a broad rim about a small ori- 
fice. Vases of this class were originally so 
called because made of alabaster ; but the 
name was applied also to vessels of similar 
form and use in other materials, as metal, 
glass (sometimes richly ornamented in col- 
or), or pottery. Sometimes called alabaster, 
alabatttox. 
2. [NL., also alal>astrus; prop. L. 
alabaster (ace. pi. alabastros, in 
Pliny), a rose-bud: see alabaster.} 
A flower-bud. iconic alabastrum, a 
name sometimes given to an alabastrum 
terminating above in a figure or head. 
a la carte (a la kart). [F. -. A la \; -:-/ '$1 
(see A la); carte = Pr. Sp. It. ci/rtd, \iyjigr 
< L. charta, card: see eardl, chart, Alabastrum 
and charta.} By a bill of fare: as, 
dinner A la carte, that is, a dinner in which only 
such dishes as have been ordered from the bill 
of fare are paid for : opposed to table d'hote, in 
which a fixed charge is made covering the whole 
meal, whether all the dishes served in regular 
course are eaten, or only some of them. See 
carte 1 , 1. 
alack (a-lak'), interj. [Early mod. E. alac, 
alacke, North, alake, alaik; according to Skeat, 
< a 9 , ah, + lack, failure, fault, disgrace. Other- 
wise explained as a variation of alas, q. v. ; the 
phonetic change is unusual, but interjections 
are unstable. Also shortened to lack.} An 
exclamation expressive of sorrow. [Obsolete 
or poetical.] 
A lack, when once our grace we have forgot, 
Nothing goes right. Shak., M. for M., iv. 4. 
Alack, alack, his lips be wondrous cold ! 
Ford, Broken Heart, iv. 2. 
alackaday (a-lak'a-da), interj. [Also alack the 
day ! as if alas the day ! day being vaguely used. 
Also shortened to lackaday, q. v.] An exclama- 
tion expressive of regret or sorrow. Also writ- 
ten alack the day. [Now rare.] 
Alack the day, ... I pray you tell me is my boy . . . 
alive or dead? ' Shak., M. of V., ii. 2. 
alacrify (a-lak'ri-fi), v. t.; pret. and pp. alac- 
rified, ppf. alacrifying. [< L. alacer, alacris, 
cheerful, + -ficare, < facere, make : see -fy.} To 
make cheerful ; rouse to action ; excite. [Rare.] 
alacrioust (a-lak'ri-us), a. [< L. alacer, ala- 
cris, lively, brisk, quick, eager, active, cheerful 
(> It. altegro = OF. alegre: see allegro and ale- 
ger), + -CMS.] Acting with alacrity ; cheerfully 
prompt or brisk. 
'Twere well if we were a little more alacrious and exact 
in the performance of the duty. 
Hammond, Works, IV. 550. 
alacriouslyt (a-lak'ri-us-li), adv. With alac- 
rity; briskly. 
alacriousnesst (a-lak'ri-us-nes), n. Alacrity; 
cheerful briskness. 
To infuse some life, some alacrioustiess into you. 
Hammond, Sermons, p. 553. 
alacritOUS (a-lak'ri-tus), a. [< alacrity + -ous.} 
Brisk ; lively ; cheerful ; full of alacrity. Haw- 
thorne. 
alacrity (a-lak'ri-ti), n. [= F. alacrite = It. 
alncrita, <'L. alacrita(t-)s, liveliness, briskness, 
< alacer, alacris, lively, brisk: see alacrioiix.} 1. 
Liveliness; briskness; sprightliness. 2. Cheer- 
ful readiness or promptitude ; cheerful willing- 
A hawk's leg erased 
,'t la cuisse, belled, 
jessed, and varveled. 
( From Berry's " Diet, 
of Heraldry.") 
a spotted colt.] A genus of rodent mammals, of 
the family Dipodidce, or jerboas, of the murine 
series of the suborder Simplicidentata, order 
liodentia. It belongs to the same subfamily (DipodiruK) 
as the true jerboas of the genus Dipm, but is distinguished 
from them by having hind feet with 5 toes instead of 3, 
plain instead of grooved upper incisors, a small upper 
premolar on each side, and certain cranial characters 
resulting from less development of the occipital region of 
the skull. The best-known species is A. jaculus, which 
resembles a jerboa, but is larger, with a longer, tufted 
tail. It is yellowish above and white beneath, moves on 
all-fours as well as by leaping, lives in colonies in tinder- 
ground burrows, and hibernates in winter. Species of 
the genus occur throughout a large part of central Asia, 
Syria, Arabia, etc., and also in northern Africa. They are 
a la cuisse (a la kwes). [P., at the thigh: see 
a la and cuisse.} Literally, at the thigh: ap- 
plied in her. to a leg used as a 
bearing, when it is erased or 
couped in the middle of the 
thigh. 
Aladdinist (a-lad'in-ist), re. [< 
Aladdin, a learned divine under 
Mohammed II. and Bajazet II., 
+ -ist. The name Aladdin, Ar. 
A'l-ad-din, means ' height of 
faith or religion'; < a'ld, height, 
acme, 'aliy, high, + al, the, + 
din, faith, creed.] A free-thinker among the 
Mohammedans. 
Aladdinize (a-lad'in-iz), v. t.; pret. and pp. 
Aladdinized, ppr. Aladdinizing . [< Aladdin, the 
possessor of the magic lamp, in the "Arabian 
Nights," a common personal name (see Alad- 
dinist), + -ize.} To transform as if by magic. 
N. E. D. 
aladja (al-a-ja'), n. [Prob. the same as alatcha, 
both appar. repr. Turk, alaja, spotted, streaked, 
< ala, spotted, + -ja, an adj. formative.] A cot- 
ton stuff made throughout Turkey and Greece ; 
nearly the same as alatcha (which see). 
alae, n. Plural of ala. 
alagai (al'a-gi), n. [Cf. aladja.} A mixed 
textile fabric of silk and cotton, obtained from 
southern Russia and Asia Minor. 
a-la-grecque, a-la-grec (a-la-grek'), . [P., 
after the Greek (fashion) : see a la and Greek.} 
In arch-., a name for the Greek fret. Sometimes 
written aligreel;. See frefi, n. 
Alahance (al-a-hans'), n. [Prob. of Ar. origin.] 
A small constellation, better called Sagitta 
(which see). 
alais6 (a-la-za'), a. [F. form, as if pp. oi*alaiser, 
< A faise, at ease, easily : see a la and ease.} In 
her., same as humete. 
Alali, n. Plural of Alalus. 
alalia (a-la'li-a), n. [NL., < Gr. as if t&aMa, < 
dAa/lof, not talking: see Alalus.} In pathol., 
partial or complete loss of the power of articu- 
lation, due to paralysis of muscles employed in 
articulating. See anarthria. 
alalite (al'a-lit), n. [< Ala, a valley in Piedmont, 
+ -lite, < Gr. U6oc,, stone.] Same as diopside. 
Alalus (al'a-lus), n. ; pi. Alali (-Ii). [NL., < Gr. 
aXaAof, not" talking, < o- priv. + Aa/Uw, talk.] 
Haeckel' s hypothetical "ape-man," a conjec- 
" , based upon the Pithe- 
speechless man, sup- 
iliG 
called the human form, but destitute of the 
power of framing and using speech, as well as 
of the capacities accompanying that faculty, 
Haeckel uses the terms ^4,/and Pithecan- 
thropus interchangeably. 
The ape-men, or Alali, were therefore probably already 
in existence toward the close of the tertiary epoch. 
Haeckel, Evol. of Man (trans.), II. 182. 
alameda (ii-la-ma'da), . [Sp. and Pg., a pop- 
lar-grove, any public walk planted with trees, 
< Sp. and Pg. alamo, poplar: see alamo.} A 
shaded public walk, especially one planted with 
poplar-trees. [Texas, and other parts of the 
United States settled by Spaniards.] 
alamo (a'la-mo), n. [Sp., = Pg. alamo, alemo, 
the poplar; Sp. alamo bianco, white poplar, 
alamo negro, 'black poplar,'!, e., alder; prob. 
(through "almo, *alno) < L. alnus, alder: see 
The Spanish name of the poplar-tree : 
'} .la and mode.} I. adv. In the 
fashion ; according to the fashion or prevailing 
mode. 
II. a. Fashionable ; according to some par- 
ticular fashion. Alamode beef, beef alamode 
(often, or more commonly, beef a la modi'), beef larded 
and stewed or braised with spices, vegetables, fine herbs, 
wine. etc. 
III. n. If. A fashion. 
For an old man to marry a young wife ... is become the 
A la mode of the times. 
Kennet, tr. of Erasm. Moria; Enc., p. 44. (N. E. D.) 
2. A thin glossy silk for hoods, scarfs, etc. 
alamort, a la mort (al-a-m6rt', a la mort), a. 
[Sometimes written all amort, as if all, adv., with 
amort, q. v. ; < F. a la mort, lit. to the death : a la 
(see a la) ; mort, < L. mor( t-)s, death : see mortal. } 
In a half-dead or moribund condition ; de- 
pressed ; melancholy. 
'Tis wrong to bring into a mix'd resort 
What makes some sick, and others a-la-mort. 
Cowper, Conversation, 1. 292. 
alant, alantt, n. [Early mod. E. also allan, al- 
land, etc., < ME. alant, aland, alaunt, < OF. alan, 
"allan, a kind of big, strong, thick-headed and 
short-snouted dog; the brood whereof came 
first out of Albania (old Epirus). Allan de 
boucherie is like our mastivo, and serves butch- 
ers to bring in fierce oxen, and to keep their 
stalls. Allan gentil is like a greyhound in all 
properties and parts, his thick and short head 
oxcepted. Allan yautre, a great and ugly cur 
of that kind (having a big head, hanging lips, 
and slouching ears), kept only to bait the bear, 
and wild boar" (Cotgrave), also with excres- 
cent t, alant, allant, It. Sp. alano = Pg. alilo, < 
ML. alanus, a kind of hunting-dog, perhaps 
named from the Alani (L. Alani, Gr. 'AAavoi), a 
Scythian nation upon the Tanais (Don).] 1. A 
species of large dog, used to hunt beasts of prey. 
Aboute his char ther wenten white alauntz 
Twenty and mo, as gret as any stere, 
To hunten at the Icon or the dere. 
Chaucer, Knight's Tale, 1. 1290. 
2. In her., a mastiff-dog with short ears. 
Also written aland, alaun, 
alawnd, alaunt, etc. 
I aland 1 (a-land'), prep. phr. as 
adv. [< !ME. alond, alonde, o 
lande, < AS. ore land (ace.), 
ore lande (dat.): on, E. on, a s ; 
land, lande, E. land.} On or at 
land. [Obsolete or poetical.] 
Alan. He made his shippe alonde for to 
(From Berry's "Diet. sette. 
of Heraldry." } Chaucer, Good Women, 1. 2186. 
3d Fish. Master, I marvel how the fishes live in the sea. 
1st Fi*h. Why, as men do a-land ; the great ones eat 
up the little ones. Shak., Pericles, ii. 1. 
A well-hooped cask our shipmen brought aland 
That knew some white-walled city of the Rhine. 
William Morris, Earthly Paradise, I. 33. 
aland 2 (al'and), re. [< Dan. aland, the chaven- 
der, chub, = Icel. Slum, *olunn, a fish, supposed 
to be the mackerel, = OS. alund (Kluge) = OHG. 
alant, alunt, MHG. G. alant, the chub or mul- 
let ; origin obscure.] A fish, same as orfe. 
aland :; t, re. Same as alan. 
alandier (a-lan'der), . [Appar. < P. a landier : 
a, to, with; landier, andiron: see andiron.} A 
fireplace used in connection with a porcelain- 
kiln. See kiln. 
alane (a-lan'), a. and adv. Scotch form of alone. 
alanin, alanine (al'a-nm), . [<L. al(dehyde) 
+ -an (a meaningless syllable) + -in 2 , -ine 2 .} An 
organic base (C 3 H 7 NOo) obtained by heating 
aldehyde ammonia with hydrocyanic acid in 
presence of an excess of hydrochloric acid. It 
forms compounds both with acids and with 
some of the metals, as copper, silver, and lead. 
alantt, . Same as alan. 
alantin, alantine (a-lan'tin), . [< G. alant, 
OHG. alant (origin unknown), elecampane, + 
E. -in 2 , -ine 2 .} A substance resembling starch, 
found in the root of elecampane ; inulin (which 
see). 
alar (a'lar), o. [< L. rtteris, more frequently 
alarms ( '"> E. alary), < ala, a wing : see aisle. } 1 . 
Pertaining to or having alas or wings. 2. In 
bot., borne in the forks of astern; axillary; situ- 
