n. [ L. ablutio, fr. abluere: cf. F. ablution. See Abluent. ] 1. The act of washing or cleansing; specifically, the washing of the body, or some part of it, as a religious rite. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The water used in cleansing. “Cast the ablutions in the main.” Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (R. C. Ch.) A small quantity of wine and water, which is used to wash the priest's thumb and index finger after the communion, and which then, as perhaps containing portions of the consecrated elements, is drunk by the priest. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to ablution. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. absolutus, p. p. of absolvere: cf. F. absolu. See Absolve. ] 1. Loosed from any limitation or condition; uncontrolled; unrestricted; unconditional; as, absolute authority, monarchy, sovereignty, an absolute promise or command; absolute power; an absolute monarch. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Complete in itself; perfect; consummate; faultless; as, absolute perfection; absolute beauty. [ 1913 Webster ]

So absolute she seems,
And in herself complete. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Viewed apart from modifying influences or without comparison with other objects; actual; real; -- opposed to relative and comparative; as, absolute motion; absolute time or space. [ 1913 Webster ]

Absolute rights and duties are such as pertain to man in a state of nature as contradistinguished from relative rights and duties, or such as pertain to him in his social relations. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Loosed from, or unconnected by, dependence on any other being; self-existent; self-sufficing. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In this sense God is called the Absolute by the Theist. The term is also applied by the Pantheist to the universe, or the total of all existence, as only capable of relations in its parts to each other and to the whole, and as dependent for its existence and its phenomena on its mutually depending forces and their laws. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Capable of being thought or conceived by itself alone; unconditioned; non-relative. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ It is in dispute among philosopher whether the term, in this sense, is not applied to a mere logical fiction or abstraction, or whether the absolute, as thus defined, can be known, as a reality, by the human intellect. [ 1913 Webster ]

To Cusa we can indeed articulately trace, word and thing, the recent philosophy of the absolute. Sir W. Hamilton. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. Positive; clear; certain; not doubtful. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

I am absolute 't was very Cloten. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. Authoritative; peremptory. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The peddler stopped, and tapped her on the head,
With absolute forefinger, brown and ringed. Mrs. Browning. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. (Chem.) Pure; unmixed; as, absolute alcohol. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. (Gram.) Not immediately dependent on the other parts of the sentence in government; as, the case absolute. See Ablative absolute, under Ablative. [ 1913 Webster ]

Absolute curvature (Geom.), that curvature of a curve of double curvature, which is measured in the osculating plane of the curve. --
Absolute equation (Astron.), the sum of the optic and eccentric equations. --
Absolute space (Physics), space considered without relation to material limits or objects. --
Absolute terms. (Alg.), such as are known, or which do not contain the unknown quantity. Davies & Peck. --
Absolute temperature (Physics), the temperature as measured on a scale determined by certain general thermo-dynamic principles, and reckoned from the absolute zero. --
Absolute zero (Physics), the be ginning, or zero point, in the scale of absolute temperature. It is equivalent to -273° centigrade or -459.4° Fahrenheit. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Positive; peremptory; certain; unconditional; unlimited; unrestricted; unqualified; arbitrary; despotic; autocratic. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Geom.) In a plane, the two imaginary circular points at infinity; in space of three dimensions, the imaginary circle at infinity. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an absolute, independent, or unconditional manner; wholly; positively. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being absolute; independence of everything extraneous; unlimitedness; absolute power; independent reality; positiveness. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. absolution, L. absolutio, fr. absolvere to absolve. See Absolve. ] 1. An absolving, or setting free from guilt, sin, or penalty; forgiveness of an offense. “Government . . . granting absolution to the nation.” Froude. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Civil Law) An acquittal, or sentence of a judge declaring and accused person innocent. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (R. C. Ch.) The exercise of priestly jurisdiction in the sacrament of penance, by which Catholics believe the sins of the truly penitent are forgiven. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In the English and other Protestant churches, this act regarded as simply declaratory, not as imparting forgiveness. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Eccl.) An absolving from ecclesiastical penalties, -- for example, excommunication. P. Cyc. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. The form of words by which a penitent is absolved. Shipley. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. Delivery, in speech. [ Obs. ] B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

Absolution day (R. C. Ch.), Tuesday before Easter. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The state of being absolute; the system or doctrine of the absolute; the principles or practice of absolute or arbitrary government; despotism. [ 1913 Webster ]

The element of absolutism and prelacy was controlling. Palfrey. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Theol.) Doctrine of absolute decrees. Ash. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who is in favor of an absolute or autocratic government. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Metaph.) One who believes that it is possible to realize a cognition or concept of the absolute. Sir. W. Hamilton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to absolutism; arbitrary; despotic; as, absolutist principles. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to absolutism; absolutist. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. absolutorius, fr. absolvere to absolve. ] Serving to absolve; absolving. “An absolutory sentence.” Ayliffe. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. advolvere, advolutum, to roll to. ] A rolling toward something. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. & a. [ Pref. a- + flutter. ] In a flutter; agitated. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. agglutinans, -antis, p. pr. of agglutinare. ] Uniting, as glue; causing, or tending to cause, adhesion. -- n. Any viscous substance which causes bodies or parts to adhere. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. United with glue or as with glue; cemented together. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Physiol.) Consisting of root words combined but not materially altered as to form or meaning; as, agglutinate forms, languages, etc. See Agglutination, 2. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Agglutinated p. pr. & vb. n. Agglutinating. ] [ L. agglutinatus, p. p. of agglutinare to glue or cement to a thing; ad + glutinare to glue; gluten glue. See Glue. ] To unite, or cause to adhere, as with glue or other viscous substance; to unite by causing an adhesion of substances. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. agglutination. ] 1. The act of uniting by glue or other tenacious substance; the state of being thus united; adhesion of parts. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Physiol.) Combination in which root words are united with little or no change of form or loss of meaning. See Agglutinative, 2. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. agglutinatif. ] 1. Pertaining to agglutination; tending to unite, or having power to cause adhesion; adhesive.
Syn. -- polysynthetic, holophrastic. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Philol.) Formed or characterized by agglutination, as a language or a compound. [ 1913 Webster ]

In agglutinative languages the union of words may be compared to mechanical compounds, in inflective languages to chemical compounds. R. Morris. [ 1913 Webster ]

Cf. man-kind, heir-loom, war-like, which are agglutinative compounds. The Finnish, Hungarian, Turkish, the Tamul, etc., are agglutinative languages. R. Morris. [ 1913 Webster ]

Agglutinative languages preserve the consciousness of their roots. Max Müller. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pref. a- not + L. glutire to swallow. ] (Med.) Inability to swallow. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pref. a- not + L. glutire to swallow. ] (Med.) Inability to swallow; dysphagia.
Syn. -- dysphagy. [ 1913 Webster + AS ]

a. [ L. alutacius, fr. aluta soft leather. ] 1. Leathery. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Of a pale brown color; leather-yellow. Brande. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Alutaceous. ] The tanning or dressing of leather. [ Obs. ] Blount. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. 1 an abrupt change within a sentence from one syntactic structure to another.
Syn. -- anacoluthon [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Lacking grammatical sequence. -- An`a*co*lu"thic*al*ly adv. [1913 Webster]

‖n. [ Gr. &unr_;, &unr_;, not following, wanting sequence; 'an priv. + &unr_; following. ] (Gram.) A lack of grammatical sequence or coherence in a sentence; an instance of a change of construction in a sentence so that the latter part does not syntactically correspond with the first part.
Syn. -- anacoluthia [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ Cf. F. archiluth, It. arciliuto. ] (Mus.) A large theorbo, or double-necked lute, formerly in use, having the bass strings doubled with an octave, and the higher strings with a unison. [ 1913 Webster ]

. A solution used as a vehicle in applying bronze pigments. In addition to acetote, benzine, and a little pyroxylin, it contains amyl acetate, which gives it the odor of bananas. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

a. [ Basi- + solute, a. ] (Bot.) Prolonged at the base, as certain leaves. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Beluted; p. pr. & vb. n. Beluting. ] [ Pref. be- + L. lutum mud. ] To bespatter, as with mud. [ R. ] Sterne. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Circumvolve. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. The act of rolling round; the state of being rolled. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A thing rolled round another. Arbuthnot. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A roundabout procedure; a circumlocution. [ 1913 Webster ]

He had neither time nor temper for sentimental circumvolutions. Beaconsfield. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. cloche, cloke, claw, Scot. clook, cleuck, also OE. cleche claw, clechen, cleken, to seize; cf. AS. gelæccan (where ge- is a prefix) to seize. Cf. Latch a catch. ] 1. A gripe or clinching with, or as with, the fingers or claws; seizure; grasp. “The clutch of poverty.” Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

An expiring clutch at popularity. Carlyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

But Age, with his stealing steps,
Hath clawed me in his clutch. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. pl. The hands, claws, or talons, in the act of grasping firmly; -- often figuratively, for power, rapacity, or cruelty; as, to fall into the clutches of an adversary. [ 1913 Webster ]

I must have . . . little care of myself, if I ever more come near the clutches of such a giant. Bp. Stillingfleet. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Mach.) A device which is used for coupling shafting, etc., so as to transmit motion, and which may be disengaged at pleasure. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Any device for gripping an object, as at the end of a chain or tackle. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Zool.) The nest complement of eggs of a bird. [ 1913 Webster ]

Bayonet clutch (Mach.), a clutch in which connection is made by means of bayonets attached to arms sliding on a feathered shaft. The bayonets slide through holes in a crosshead fastened on the shaft. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Clutched p. pr. & vb. n. Clutching. ] [ OE. clucchen. See Clutch, n. ] 1. To seize, clasp, or grip with the hand, hands, or claws; -- often figuratively; as, to clutch power. [ 1913 Webster ]

A man may set the poles together in his head, and clutch the whole globe at one intellectual grasp. Collier. [ 1913 Webster ]

Is this a dagger which I see before me . . . ?
Come, let me clutch thee. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To close tightly; to clinch. [ 1913 Webster ]

Not that I have the power to clutch my hand. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To reach (at something) as if to grasp; to catch or snatch; -- often followed by at. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. to become too tense or frightened to perform properly; used sometimes with up; as, he clutched up on the exam. [ PJC ]

n. 1. the act of grasping.
Syn. -- clasp, clench, clutch, grasp, grip, hold. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. control; power; -- used in the phrase in one's clutches. Same as clutch{ 2 }. [ PJC ]

n. (Baseball) a batter who hits safely more frequently when men are on base or the team is behind in the score. [ PJC ]

Clutching at the phantoms of the stock market. Bankroft. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. W. cludair heap, pile, cludeirio to heap. ] 1. A confused collection; hence, confusion; disorder; as, the room is in a clutter. [ 1913 Webster ]

He saw what a clutter there was with huge, overgrown pots, pans, and spits. L'Estrange. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Clatter; confused noise. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Cluttered p. pr. & vb. n. Cluttering. ] To crowd together in disorder; to fill or cover with things in disorder; to throw into disorder; to disarrange; as, to clutter a room. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To make a confused noise; to bustle. [ 1913 Webster ]

It [ the goose ] cluttered here, it chuckled there. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ From Clod, n. ] To clot or coagulate, as blood. [ Obs. ] Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. colluere, collutum, to wash. ] (Med.) A medicated wash for the mouth. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. small genus of Eurasian shrubs with yellow flowers and bladdery pods.
Syn. -- genus Colutea. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Of or pertaining to Complutum (now Alcala de Henares) a city near Madrid; as, the Complutensian Bible. [ 1913 Webster ]

. (Mach.) A friction clutch with conical bearing surfaces. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ From Conglutinate. ] (Chem.) A variety of vegetable casein, resembling legumin, and found in almonds, rye, wheat, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L., conglutinans, p. pr. ] Cementing together; uniting closely; causing to adhere; promoting healing, as of a wound or a broken bone, by adhesion of the parts. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. conglutinatus, p. p. of conglutinare to glue; con- + glutinare to glue, gluten glue. ] Glued together; united, as by some adhesive substance. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Conglutinated; p. pr. & vb. n. Conglutinating. ] To glue together; to unite by some glutinous or tenacious substance; to cause to adhere or to grow together. [ 1913 Webster ]

Bones . . . have had their broken parts conglutinated within three or four days. Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To unite by the intervention of some glutinous substance; to coalesce. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. conglutinatio: cf. F. conglutination. ] A gluing together; a joining by means of some tenacious substance; junction; union. [ 1913 Webster ]

Conglutination of parts separated by a wound. Arbuthnot. [ 1913 Webster ]