Alysia 164 
< d- priv. + 2wrdf, verbal adj. of Mav, loose.] amacratic (am-a-krat'ik), a. [Prop, hama- 
1. A genus of hymenopterous insects, belonging cratic, < Gr. a/ta',' together (akin to E. same), + 
to the series Pupivora or Spicuttfera, and to the updrof, power, akin to E. hard.'] Same as ama- 
fa,rmlyBraconida;(theIchneumonesadsciti). The sthenic. Sir J. Herschel. 
species, as A. manducator, are parasitic in the amadavat (am"a-da-vat'), . [An E. Ind. 
larvae of other insects. 2. A genus of scopeline 
fishes. 3. A genus of lepidopterous insects. 
alysm (al'izm), . [< Gr. ahvauAr,, anguish, 
disquiet, esp. of sick persons, < d^rai* or al.vstv, 
wander in mind, be ill at ease, distraught, weary, 
= L. alu-cinari, wander in mind : see hallucina- 
tion.'] In pathol., restlessness or disquiet ex- 
hibited by a sick person. 
alysson (a-lis'on), . [L. : see Alyssum.'] A 
plant of the genus Alyssum. Also spelled alison, 
alisson. 
Alyssum (a-lis'um), n. [NL. atyssum, L. alys- 
son (Pliny), < Gr. a/ttwow, a plant used to check 
hiccup ; referred to AV&IV, to hiccup, or other- 
wise to neut. of dAwCTOf, curing (canine) mad- 
ness, < a- priv. + AixTcra, madness.] 1. A genus 
of plants, natural order Cruciferce, containing 
name, appearing in" various other forms, ama- 
davad, amaduvad (sometimes Latinized as ama- 
davada'd), uradavat, and sometimes amandabal. 
Orig. brought to Europe from Amadabad in 
Guzerat. Cf. Amadina, amandava.~\ A small 
conirostral granivorous finch-like bird, of the 
order Passeres, suborder Oscines, family Plocei- 
dce, subfamily Spermestina ; the Estrilaa aman- 
* in r>i. a native of India, and one of the common- 
est exotic cage-birds. It is imported into Europe and 
the United States in large numbers, and is sometimes called 
etrawberry-finch by the dealers. It forms the type of one 
of th_e numerous subgenera or sections of the large genus 
Estrilda, which contains species of small size and gener- 
ally brilliant or varied colors, belonging to the same family 
as the weavers and whidah-birds. It i about 5 inches 
long, with a coral-red beak, and red-and-black plumage 
spotted with pearly white. Other forms are avadamt and 
arnaduvadf. 
of which bees are very fond. The rock-alyssum or gold- flocks 
Aiytes . ., 
a police omcer at the Olympic games; more 
probX Gr. dAvrop, continuous, unbroken, in allu- 
sion to the chain of eggs the frog carries about 
gregarious. Syd. SoC. Lex. 
~~'na), n. [NL., < amad(avat) 
of small conirostral birds, of 
subfamily Spermestince. it 
\sia, Africa, etc. The species are 
mostly of bright or variegated colors, having thick conical 
bills adapted to their granivorous habits. Some are com- 
mon cage-birds and fine songsters. 
amadou (am'a-d6), n. [F., < amadouer, coax, 
cajole, a word of disputed origin ; perhaps < 
Dan. made, feed (= Icel. and Sw. mata, feed), 
<.mad, food, = Sw. nai=Icel. matr = 'E. meat, 
food. Cf. L. esca, (1) food, (2) bait, in ML. also 
(3) tinder, > It. esca, in same senses, = Sp. yesca, 
tinder, fuel, incitement, = OF. eche, esche, mod. 
F. eche, aiche, bait ; It. adescare, bait, allure, en- 
tice, inveigle. Cf. also the E. phrase to coax a 
fire (that does not burn readily).] A soft spongy 
substance, consisting of the more solid portion 
of a fungus (Polyporus fomen tari us and other 
species found growing on forest-trees), steeped 
in a solution of saltpeter. Amadou has been suc- 
cessfully employed in surgery as a styptic, and in the form 
of punk it is used as a port-fire (which see). Also called 
Made-match, pyrotechnical sponge, and German tinder. 
amaduvade (am^a-dS-vad'), n. Same as ama- 
davat. P. L. Sclater. 
(cf. oAvTif, a chain): see Alysia.] A genus of amafroset, n. [<OF. amafrose (Cotgrave) for 
anurous amphibians, or tailless batrachians, amavrose for amaurose, < NL. amaurosis, q. v.] 
of the f&tmlyDiscoglossida;, sometimes made the An old form of amaurosis. Sylvester; Bailey. 
type of a family Alytida;. A. obstetricans is the amall(am'a),. [Aj]glo-Ind^,<_Pg.<MHa, anurse. 
Nurse-frog (Aiytes obstetricans'). 
nurse-frog or accoucheur-toad of Europe. 
In Ali/tes obstetricans, the female lays a chain of eggs, 
which the male twines round his thighs until the young 
leave the eggs. Pascoe, Zool. Class., p. 195. 
alytid (al'i-tid), n. One of the Alytida!. 
Alytidae (a-lit'i-de), . pi. [NL., < Aiytes + 
-idee.'] An artificial family of salient amphi- 
bians, characterized by Gunther as "Banina 
with webbed toes, with the processes of sacral 
vertebrae dilated, and with parotoids." it con- 
tains genera of pucoglossida: (Aiytes), Pelobatidce (Scaphi- 
opus), and Cyitionatnida (H 
In the dialects of southern India, Telugu, etc., 
arnma means 'mother,' and is affixed to the 
names of women in general, as a respectful 
term of address : see ammo.] 1. A nurse; espe- 
cially, a wet-nurse. 2. A lady's-maid ; a maid- 
servant. [A word in general use among Euro- 
peans in India and the East.] 
If [a man setting up housekeeping is] married, an Amah 
or female servant is required in addition [to the servants 
already enumerated], while an establishment including a 
number of children requires at least two more. 
IF. F. Mayers, Treaty Ports of China and Japan, p. 24. 
main^. force : see matnX] With force, strength, 
or violence ; violently ; furiously ; suddenly ; at 
full speed; hastily. 
[He] comes on amain, speed in his look. 
Hilton, S. A., 1. 1304. 
The soul strives amain to live and work through all 
things. Emerson, Compensation. 
Smote amain the hollow oak-tree. 
Longfellow, Hiawatha, xvii. 
To let go or strike amain (naut.), to let fall or strike 
lower quickly or suddenly : but see amainZ. 
amain'-'t (a-man'), v. [Early mod. E. also 
amayne, ameyne, < OF. amener, mod. F. amener, 
am (am). The first person singular, present amain 1 (a-man'), prep. phr. as adv. [< o 3 + 
tense, indicative mood of the verb to be. See&e. ""''~ 1 
am-. See ambi-. 
A. M. An abbreviation of several Latin phrases 
in common use : (a) Of artiuni magister, Master 
of Arts. M. A., which represents the English 
rendering, is now more usual in England, but in 
a purely Latin idiom the form A. M. is still pre- 
ferable. (6) Of anno mundi, in the year of the 
world: used in some systems of chronology, (c) 
Of ante meridiem, before noon : as, the party will 
start at 10 A. M. (also written A. M. or a. m.). 
Frequently used as synonymous with morning 
or forenoon: as, I arrived here this A. M. (pro- 
nounced a em), that is, this morning or forenoon. 
ama ^a'ma), . [L., more correctly hama, < 
Gr. apr/, a water-bucket, a pail, > aam, q. v.] 
In the early Christian church, a large vessel in 
which wine for the eucharist was mixed before 
consecration, and kept when consecrated imt.il 
poured into the smaller vessels for service at the 
altar or for removal. See ampulla, 2, and cruet. 
These amas were of precious metal in the wealthier 
churches, and of baser material in others. No specimen 
is known to exist. Also written hama. 
amabilityt (am-a-bil'j-ti), . [= F. amabilite 
(OF. amablete), <! L. "amabilita(t-)s, < amabilis, 
lovely, lovable, < amare, love : see amor. A diff. 
word, etymologically, from amiability, q. v.j 
Lovableness ; amiability. 
No rules can make amability. Jer. Taylor. 
les voiles, strike sail, amener pavilion, or simply 
amener, strike flag, surrender ; < a- (< L. ad, to) 
+ mener, lead, conduct, < LL. minare, drive, L. 
deponent minari, threaten, menace : see menace. 
Cf. amenable.'] I. trans. 1. To lead ; conduct; 
manage. 
That his majesty may have the ameyninff of the matters. 
Quoted in Strype, EccL Mem., II. 418. (N. E. D.) 
2. To lower (a sail), especially the topsail. 
He called to us to amaine our sailes, which we could 
not well doe. R. Hawkins, Voyage to South Sea. 
When you let anything downe into the Howie, lowering 
it by degrees, they say, Amaine ; and being downe, Strike. 
. . . When you would lower a yard so fast as you can, 
they call Amaine. 
Smith, Seaman's Gram., vii. 33, ix. 40. (.V. E. D.) 
amalgamate 
[In such use the Imperative of the verb would easily be 
confuted with the imperative phrase or adverb amain; 
hence, to let go or strike amain. See amatnl.] 
3. To lower ; abate. 
II. intrans. To lower the topsail or one's 
flag, in token of yielding ; yield ; surrender. 
amaist (a-masf), adv. [= E. almost, dial. 
amoat.~\ "Almost. [Scotch.] 
amaldar (am'al-dar), . [< Hind. Pers. amal- 
ddr, a manager, agent, governor of a district, 
collector of revenue, < Ar. 'ama!, work, busi- 
ness, affairs, collection of revenue, etc., + Pers. 
ddr, (in comp.) one who holds, possesses, man- 
ages, etc.] In India, a governor of a province 
under the Mohammedan rule. Also written 
amildar. 
Tippu had been a merchant as well as a prince; and 
during his reign he filled his warehouses with a vast va- 
riety of goods, which the Amildars, or governors of prov- 
inces, were expected to sell to the richer inhabitants at 
prices far in excess of their real value. 
J. T. Wheeler, Short Hist, India, p. 413. 
Amalfitan (a-nial'S-tan), a. [< ML. Amalfita- 
nus, < Amalfi, in Italy.] Pertaining to Amain, 
a seaport town of Italy. Also spelled Amalphi- 
tan Amalfltan code (ML. tabula Amalfttana), the 
oldest existing code of maritime law, compiled about the 
time of the first crusade by the authorities of Amain, which 
city then possessed considerable commerce and maritime 
power. 
amalgam (a-mal'gam), n. [< ME. amalgame, 
/a a h /n in (also as ML.), < OF. amalgame. mod. F. 
amalgame = Sp. Pg. It. amalgama = ML. amal- 
gama, sometimes algamala, supposed to be a 
perversion (perhaps through Ar., with Ar. art. 
al) of L. malagma, < Gr. uaXayfja, an emollient, 
poultice, any soft mass, < fia^daaetv, soften, < 
uahanof, soft, akin to L. mollis, soft : gee moll, 
mollify, emollient, etc.] 1. A compound of 
mercury or quicksilver with another metal; 
any metallic alloy of which mercury forms an 
essential constituent part. Amalgams are used for 
a great variety of purposes, as for cold-tinning, water- 
gilding, and water-silvering, for coating the zinc plates of 
a battery, and for the protection of metals from oxidation. 
A native amalgam of mercury and silver is found in iso- 
metric crystals in themines of Obermoschel in Bavaria, and 
in Hungary, Norway, Sweden, Chili, etc. 
2. Figuratively, a mixture or compound of dif- 
ferent things.-Anmlgam gliding, a method of gild- 
ing in which the metal to be coated is first cleaned, then 
rubbed with a solution of nitrate of mercury, and covered 
with a film of an amalgam of 1 part of gold with 8 parts 
of mercury. Heat volatilizes the mercury and leaves the 
gold adhering to the surface. Amalgam retort, an iron 
retort having a convex lid, luted at the edges, and held 
by a key or wedge pressed between its crown and the 
bail. Amalgam silvering, a process similar to that of 
amalgam gilding (which see), in which is used an amal- 
gam of 1 part of silver with 8 parts of mercury. Amal- 
gam varnish, an amalgam consisting of 1 part of mer- 
cury, 1 of bismuth, and 4 of till, mixed with white of eggs 
or with varnish. 
amalgamt (a-mal'gam), v. [<ME. amalgamen; 
from the noun.] I. trans. To mix, as metals, 
by amalgamation ; amalgamate. 
Some three ounces . . . of Gold, V amalgame with some 
six of Mercury. B. Jonson, Alchemist (1640), ii. 3. 
n. intrans. To become amalgamated. 
Quicksilver easily amalgams with metals. 
Boyle, Works, I. 638. 
amalgama (a-mal'ga-ma), n. [ML. : see iiiuiil- 
gam, .] Same as amalgam. 
They have divided this their amalgama into a number 
of ... republics. Kurke, Rev. in France. 
amalgamable (a-rnal'ga-ma-bl), a. [< amal- 
gam + -able.'] Capable of amalgamating or 
of being amalgamated. 
Silver modified by distilled water is brought back again 
to the amalgamates state by contact for a short time with 
rain or spring water. Ure, Diet., IV. 802. 
amalgamate (a-mal'ga-mat), v. ; pret. and pp. 
amalgamated, ppr. amalgamating. [< ML. 
amalgamatus, pp. of amalgamare, < amalgama, 
amalgam: see amalgam, .] I. trans. 1. To 
mix or alloy (a metal) with quicksilver. See 
amalgamation. The zinc plates used in the voltaic 
battery are always amalgamated by immersing them in 
mercury, for by this means a surface of pure zinc is in 
effect obtained, and, when the circuit is open, the waste 
caused by the local currents or local action (due to im- 
purities in the zinc) is prevented. 
2. In general, to mix so as to make a com- 
pound; blend; unite; combine. 
Ingratitude is indeed their four cardinal virtues com- 
pacted and amalgamated into one. Burke, Rev. in France. 
What would be the effect on the intellectual state of 
Europe, at the present day, were all nations and tribes 
amalgamated into one vast empire, speaking the same 
tongue? Everett, Orations, p. 33. 
Amalgamated societies or companies, two or more 
societies or joint-stock companies united for the promo- 
tion of their common interests under one general manage- 
ment. 
II. intrans. 1. To form an amalgam; blend 
with another metal, as quicksilver. Hence 
