A L X 
hi'gh-feafoned meats, a glafs of water acidulated with the 
acid elixir of vitriol, or in very weak ftomachs the iweet 
elixir of vitriol, is far more alliftant to the work of di- 
geftion than the common method of taking brandy. See 
Food and Drink. 
ALIME'NTAL, adj. That which has the quality of 
aliment; that which nourifhes ; that which feeds. 
ALIME'NTALLY, adv. So as to ferve for nourifh¬ 
ment.—The fubftance of gold is invincible by the power- 
fulleft heat, and that not only alimentary in a fubftantial 
mutation, but alfo mendicamentally -in any corporeal con- 
verfion. Brown. 
ALIME'NTARINESS, f. The quality of being ali¬ 
mentary, or of affording nourifhment. 
ALIME'NTARY, adj. That which belongs or relates 
to aliment. That which has the quality of aliment, or the 
power of nourilhing.—I do not think that water fupplies 
animals, or even plants, with nourifhment, but fefves for 
a vehicle to the alimentary particles, t.o convey and diftri- 
bute them to the feveral parts of the body. Ray. —Of 
alimentary roots, fome are pulpy and very nutritious ; 
as, turnips and carrots. Thefe have a fattening quality. 
Arbuthnot. 
Alimenta'rii Pueri, &c. were certain children main¬ 
tained and educated by the munificence of the emperors, 
in a fort of public places not unlike our hofpitals.—Tra¬ 
jan was the firft that brought up any of thefe alimentary 
boys. He was imitated by Adrian. Antonius Pius did 
the fame for a number of maids, at the folicitation of 
Fauftina ; and hence, in fome medals of that emprefs, we 
read pvellae favstinianae. —Alexander Severus did 
the like at the requeft of Mammasa j and the maids thus 
educated were called Mammxanx. 
Alimen'tary Duct or Canal, is a name given by 
Dr. Tyfon, and fome others, to that part of the body 
through which the food paffes from its reception into the 
mouth to its exit at the anus ; including the gula, ftomach, 
and inteftines. See Anatomy. 
This duel has been faid to be the true charafteriftic of 
an animal, or (in the jargon of the fchools) in proprium 
quarto modo: there being no animal without it, and what¬ 
ever has it being properly enough ranged under the clafs 
of animals. Plants receive their nourifhment by the nu¬ 
merous fibres of their roots, but have no common recep¬ 
tacle for digefting the food received, or for carrying off 
the recrements. But in all, even the lowed degree of 
animal life, we may obferve a ftomach and inteftines, even 
where we cannot perceive the leaft formation of any or¬ 
gan of the fenfes, unlefs that common one of feeling, as in 
oyfters. Phil. Tranf. No. 269, p. 776, et feq. 
Dr. Wallis brings an argument from the ftru&ure of 
the alimentary tube in man, to prove that he is not natu¬ 
rally carnivorous ; to which Dr. Tyfon makes fome ob¬ 
jections. V. Phil. Tranf. No. 269, p. 777. 
Alimentary Law, [/rir alimentaria, Lat.]:was an old 
law among the Romans, whereby children were obliged 
to find fuftenance for their parents. 
ALIMENTA'TION, /. The power of affording ali¬ 
ment ; the quality of nourilhing. The ftate of being nou- 
rifhed by a (Emulation of matter received.—Plants do nou- 
rifh:; inanimate bodies do not: they have an accretion, 
but no alimentation. Bacon. 
ALIMO'NIOUS, adj. That which; nourifhes: a word 
very little in ufe.—The plethora renders.us lean, by fup- 
preffing our fpirits, whereby they are incapacitated of di¬ 
gefting the alimonious humours into flefh. Harvey. 
A'LIMONY, f. [alimonia , Lat.} in law, is that main- 
tainance, which, after a divorce of hufband and wife, 
a menfaet tkora, the ecclefiaftical judge allows to the wo¬ 
man out of her- hufband’s eftate. But in cafe of elope¬ 
ment, and living with an adulterer, the law allows her no 
alimony; for, as that amounts to a forfeiture of her dower 
after his death, it is alfo a fufficient reafon why (he fhould 
not be a partaker of his eftate when living. ■$ Black. 94. 
A'LINGRAFIS, or A'ling.sa«s, an inland town of 
A t I 559 
Weft Gothland, in Sweden, where are fi!k, Woollen, tobac¬ 
co, and pipe, manufactories. Lat.50. 20. N. Ion. 13. 20. E. 
- A'LIPEDE, [a/ipes , Lat. of ales, a bird, and pes, a 
foot.] Nimble, fiwift of foot. 
ALIPILA'RIUS, or Alipj'lus, in Roman antiquity, 
a fervant belonging to the baths, whofe bufinefs it was, 
by means of waxen plafters-, and an inftrument called vol- 
fella , to take off the hairs from the arm-pits, arms, legs,, 
dec. this being deemed a point of cleanlinefs. 
AI.l'PTERY, J. \_ahpieriumi, Lat. of Gr.] 
A place belonging to, or an apartment in, baths, where 
perfons were anointed. 
A'LIQJJANT, adj. [aliquantus, Lat.] Aliquant Part, is 
that part which Will not exaClly meafure or divide the 
whole, without leaving fome remainder. • Or the aliquant 
part is fuch, as, being taken or repeated anyjmmber off 
times, does not make up the whole exactly, but is either 
greater orlefs than it. Thus 4 is an aliquant part of io;. 
for 4 twice taken makes 8, which is lels than 10; an<i 
three times taken makes 12, which is greater than 10. 
A'LIQUOT, adj. [ aliquot , Lat.] Aliquot Part, is fuch 
a part of any whole, as will exactly meafure it without 
any remainder. Or the aliquot part is fuch, as being taken 
or repeated a certain number of times, exaCtly makes up,, 
or is equal to, the whole. So 1 is an aliquot part of 6, or 
of any other whole number ; 2 is alfo an aliquot part of 6 r 
being contained juft 3 times in 6 ; and 3 is alfo an aliquot 
part of 6, being contained juft 2 times : fo that all the 
aliquot parts of 6 are r, 2, 3. All the aliquot parts of any 
number may be thus found :—Divide the given number 
by its leaft divifor ; then divide the quotient^ alfo by its. 
lead divifor; and fo on, always dividing the laft quotient 
by its leaft divifor, till the quotient 1 is obtained; andi 
all the divifors, thus taken, are-the prime aliquot parts- 
of the given number. Then multiply continually thefe 
prime divifors, viz. every two of them, every three o£ 
them, every four of them, &c. and the products will be 
the other or compound aliquot parts of the given- number*. 
So if the aliquot parts of 60 be required ; firft divide it by 
2, and the quotient is 30: then 3.0 divided by a- alfo,. gives 
15, and 15 divided by 3 gives 3, and 5 divided by 5 gives 
1 : fo that all the prime divifors or aliquot parts are 1-, 2, 2 r 
3, 5. Then the compound ones, by multiplying every 
two, are 4, 6, 10, r5 ; and every three,. 10, 20, 30. So< 
that all the aliquot parts of the given number Go, are 1, z r 
3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20, 30.—In like manner it will be 
found that all the aliquot parts of 3^0 are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 5 , 
8, 9, 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 24, 30, 36, 40, 45, 60, 72, 1,80. 
ALISA'NUS, f. in botany. See Rh-exia. 
A'LISH, adj. [from ale.j Refembling ale ; having qua¬ 
lities of ale.— Stirring it and beating down the yeaft, gives- 
it the fweet alijk tafte. Mortimer. 
ALT'SMA,yi [a*?, Gr. the fea.] In botany, a genus 
of the hexandria polygynia clafs, ranking in the natural or¬ 
der oftfipetaloideae. The generic characters are—Calyx:: 
perianthium three-leaved; leaflets ovate, concave, perma¬ 
nent. Corolla-: three-petalled; petals roundifb; large, flat, 
very fpreading. Stamina: filaments awl-fhapedi, fhorter 
than the cOrolla; antherae roundifh. Piftillinn ::germs more 
th-anfive: ftylesfimpleftigmasobtufe. Periearpium : com- 
prefled capfules. Seeds: folitary, final).-— EJjhntialCharac¬ 
ter. Calyx, three-leaved ; petals, three;, feeds, feveral. 
Species. 5. Alifma plantago, or great water plantain ; 
leaves ovate, acute ; capfules obtufely triangular. Great 
water plantain is eafily known by its fmooth entire leaves 
on very long petioles; and by its purplifh flowers, grow¬ 
ing in a kind of umbel, at the end of a long fcape. Root 
roundifh and white. Height from two to three feet. Stems- 
and branches with three blunt corners- Petioles longer 
than the leaves, broader at the bafe. Leaves with feven 
or eight ribs, two of them near each edge. The-flowers 
are fully expanded about four in the afternoon. It growsr 
in watery places, on the banks of pools, lakes, and rivers, 
and flowers in July and Augufi, There ia a- variety off 
this with narrower leaves. 
av Alifma 5 
