ABASE, [abaisser, F.] to cast down; to depress. HUMBLE, [humus, the earth, L.] to reduce to a low state. DEGRADE, [de, down, gradus, a step, L.] to put out of office, state, degree, or dignity. DISGRACE, [disgracier, F.]to put to shame; to turn out of favor. DEBASE, [baisser, F.] to reduce in estimation or value. The proud should be abased; the lofty humbled; the unworthy become degraded; the vicious disgrace and debase themselves by their follies and vices. ABASH, [ébatrir, to frighten, F.] to make ashamed; to cast down. CONFOUND, [con, together, fundo, to pour, L.] to throw into disorder or consternation. CONFUSE, [confundo, L.] to hurry the mind. Let the haughty be abashed; the ignorant, superstitious, and wicked, are frequently confounded; the modest, diffident, and weak, are frequently confused. So spake the Son of God, and Satan stood Awhile as mute, confounded what to say.-(Milton.) ABATE, [abattre, F.] to grow less; to mitigate. DIMINISH, [diminuo, L.] to make or grow less in size, appearance, or quantity. SUBSIDE, [subsido, to settle, L.] to sink or become lower. DECREASE, [decresco, L.] to grow less in size, amount, or quality. LESSEN, [les, less, S.] to make smaller. INTERMIT, [inter, between, mitto, to send, L.] to leave off for a while. Pain, fever, passion, and ardor abate; the storm abates. Crete's ample fields diminish to our eye.-(Pope). Joys, tumults, commotions subside; numbers, days, stores decrease. That might decrease their present store.-(Prior.) A thing lessens in weight, value; punishment, power, reputation may be lessened. Kings may give to beggars, and not lessen their own greatness.—(Denham.) Diseases, fevers, intermit. Pray to the gods to intermit the plague.-(Shakspere.) ABETTOR, [betan, to push forward, S.] one that advises or assists another in doing an unlawful act. ACCESSARY, [accedo, to join, L.] a person guilty of felony, not principally, but by participation; as in commanding, advising, or concealing. ACCOMPLICE, [con, with, plico, to fold, L.] one that has a hand or principal lead in a business; or that is privy to, and active in, the same design or crime with another. Abettors propose, set on foot, encourage; accessaries assist, aid, help, further; accomplices execute, complete, perfect. ABHOR, [abhorreo, L.] to hate extremely. HATE, [hatian, S.] to bear ill-will to. ABIDE-ABILITY. DETEST, [detestor, to witness against, L.] to hate as mean. We abhor cruelty and inhumanity; hate pride and vice of all sorts; hate an oppressor; detest treachery and injustice; abominate impiety, profaneness, and indecency; loathe the sight of enormous offenders, offensive objects, and, when sick, food. ABIDE, [abidan, S.] to tarry for a short time. SOJOURN, [soggiornare, Ita.] to continue for some time in any place. DWELL, [dvæler, Dan.] to abide permanently. RESIDE, resideo, L.] to stay in a place for a long, though indefinite, period. INHABIT, [inhabito, to dwell, L.] to occupy as a place of settled residence; to dwell. Abide for a night; sojourn for a week; dwell in a house with continuance ; reside in a street or house for a season; inhabit a cottage, or place. ABJECT, [abjicio, to throw away, L.] mean, contemptible. BEGGARLY, [piccaro, beggar, Ita.] poor, indigent. SORDID, [sordes, filth, L.] niggardly, paltry. BASE, [bas, low, F.] dishonorable, wicked. VILE, [vilis, L.] morally worthless. Abject in spirit; mean in nature; mean action; low in birth, education, habit, and sphere of life; beggarly in turn of mind or appearance; pitiful in character; sordid in the love of gain; base traitor; vile malefactor. ABILITIES, [habilitas, L.] qualifications; faculties of the mind. CLEVERNESS, [gleaw, skilful, S.] dexterity, skill. He had great abilities, ingenuity of invention, cleverness to perform, and parts to discern. ABILITY, [habilitas, L.] active power, whether bodily or mental. CAPACITY, [capacitas, L.] aptness to receive or contain knowledge; passive power. TALENT, [talentum, L.] genius, gift of nature. FACULTY, [facultas, L.] power to perform an action, or to receive and modify a perception: as, seeing, hearing, speaking, remembering, imagining, &c. POWER, [potentia, L.] force; energy of mind. DEXTERITY, [dexter, right, prompt, L.] readiness of limbs; activity of mind; promptness in devising expedients. SKILL, [scylan, to distinguish, S.] familiar knowledge of any art or science, united with dexterity of performance and readiness of application. 8 ABJURE-ABRIDGE. ADDRESS, [dirigo, to direct, L.] skilful management. Ability to discern, act, execute, mentally or corporeally; capacity to understand, comprehend, retain; talent for some particular art, office, or profession; faculty of seeing, hearing, understanding, explaining; power of thinking, acting, &c.; dexterity to elude a blow, to handle an instrument; skill in executing; address to conduct a negotiation. ABJURE, [abjuro, to deny upon oath, L.] to renounce with solemnity. RECANT, [recanto, to recall, L.] to contradict a former de claration. RETRACT, [retraho, to draw back, L.] to withdraw a charge or assertion. REVOKE, [revoco, to call back, L.] to repeal, or make void. Men abjure a religion, or faith; recant an opinion, principle, or doctrine; retract a promise; revoke a decree; recall an expression; recall our words. ABLE, [habilis, L.] capable to perform. SKILFUL, [skill and full,] experienced in. LEARNED, [learnian, to learn, S.] versed in literature, science, or the arts. An able lawyer; a skilful mathematician; a learned historian. ABOLISH, [abolir, F.] to destroy utterly; to put an end to. ABROGATE, [abrogo, to repeal, L.] to annul by an act of authority. REVOKE; to reverse; to recall. REPEAL, [rappeler, to recall, F.] to make void by a legislative enactment. ANNUL, [annuller, F.] to reduce to nothing. CANCEL, [cancello, L.] to deface; to reduce to nothing. Abolish a custom; abrogate a law; revoke an edict; repeal a statute; annul a contract; cancel an obligation or a debt. ABOMINABLE, that is to be abhorred, or hated. DETESTABLE, very odious. EXECRABLE, [execror, to curse, L.] deserving to be cursed; hateful in the last degree. Abominable person, or action; detestable tyrant, or action, (worse than abominable;) execrable monster, or wretch. ABOVE, [abufan, S.] aloft, over head. OVER, [ofer, S.] rising_higher than the top. BEYOND, begeond, S.] at a distance not yet reached; farther than a given limit. The waters rose above their channels, overflowed the banks, and rested upon the hills far beyond their native coasts. ABRIDGE, [abréger, F.] to express in fewer words, still retaining the sense and substance. ABRIDGEMENT-ABSENT. 9 CURTAIL, [ court, short, tailler, to cut, F.] to cut off; to shorten. CONTRACT, [contracter, F. of contraho, L.] to draw into a less compass; to shrink. SHORTEN, [Sceort, S.] to diminish in length. DEPRIVE, [de, from, privo, to take away, L.] to take away something possessed or enjoyed. DEBAR, [from bar,] to exclude; to hinder. BEREAVE, [bereafian, S.] to deprive by death. STRIP, [streifen,] to make destitute; to divest. Abridge in quality, or substance; curtail in number; contract the sphere of action; contract in dimensions; abridge rights, privileges; curtail joys, advantages; shorten days, labours, life. Deprived of liberty; debarred of privilege; abridged of comforts. Bereaved of our children; deprived of our pleasures; stripped of our possessions. ABRIDGEMENT, [abrégé, F.] a short account of a book, writing, or matter. COMPENDIUM, [L.] a brief composition containing the general principles of a large work. EPITOME, [epi, upon, temno, to cut, Gr.] a writing or discourse contracted into a narrower compass. SUMMARY, [Sommaire, F.] a concise account. ABSTRACT, [abstraho, to draw from, L.] a small draught of any greater work. Abridgement of a work; compendium of science, or knowledge; epitome of events; summary of history; abstract of a treatise or of judicial proceedings; an abstract is smaller than an abridgement. ABRUPT, [abruptus, broken off, L.] sudden; hasty; rough; un seasonable. RUGGED, [rugosus, rough, L.] uneven; also severe, cross, austere. Resistless, roaring, dreadful, down it comes, From the rude mountain, and the mossy wild, Rugged path, temper, disposition, humor; rough stone, action, deportment. ABSCOND, [abscondo, to conceal, L.] to withdraw; to absent one's-self in a private manner. STEAL AWAY, to get away secretly. SECRETE ONE'S-SELF; to get into some secret place unper ceived. The fraudulent abscond; the detected thief steals away; cowards, fugitives, vagabonds secrete themselves. ABSENT, [absens, L.] not present, out of the way. ABSTRACTED, [abstractus, L.] drawn or separated from all objects. 10 ABSOLVE-ABSORB. DIVERTED, [diverto, to turn aside, L.] turned aside from the object that is present. DISTRACTED, [distraho, to draw apart, L.] drawn asunder by different objects. INATTENTIVE, heedless, careless, negligent, regardless. A man is absent or abstracted when, instead of thinking of the present company or conversation, his mind is occupied by some distant and foreign subject; diverted, when listening to other discourse than that addressed to him; distracted, by listening to the discourse of more than one person at a time; and inattentive, when he does not fix his mind steadily on an object. ABSOLVE, [absolvo, L.] to release from liability to punishment on account of sin. ACQUIT, [acquitter, F.] to discharge from an accusation. FORGIVE, [forgifan, S.] to overlook an offence, and treat the offender as not guilty. PARDON, [pardonner, F.] to excuse an offender. REMIT, [remitto, to send back, L.] to surrender the right of punishing. Absolved from sin by the mercy of God; acquitted of a charge by men; cleared from guilt; forgive offences; pardon criminals; remit punishment. Mutually forgive each other's offences, that God may pardon your transgressions, absolve you from guilt, and remit the punishment due to your sins. ABSOLUTE, [absolutus, absolved, L.] free from the power of another; that has perfection in itself; unlimited. DESPOTIC, [despotique, F.] uncontrolled by men, constitution or laws, supreme. ARBITRARY, [arbitrarius, L.] that which is voluntary, or that depends wholly on one's will or choice, not governed by any fixed rules. TYRANNICAL, [tyrannus, L.] imperious, unjustly severe. POSITIVE, [positivus, L.] not negative; capable of being affirmed. PEREMPTORY, [peremptus, taken away, L.] determinate; such as precludes all further expostulation. DEFINITE, [definitus, L.] certain, exact. CONFIDENT, [confido, to trust in, L.] affirmative, assured. Absolute monarch; despotic power of government; arbitrary measures; tyrannical proceedings. A positive good; a positive answer; absolute command, decree; peremptory refusal. Definite instructions; a positive command. Confident in ability; dogmatical in opinion; positive in assertion. Actual state; real grief; positive fact. ABSORB, [sorbio, to drink in, L.] to imbibe; to waste or consume; to engage wholly. SWALLOW UP, [swelgan, S.] to seize and waste. |