a. [ As if fr. abstort, fr. L. ab, abs + tortus, p. p. of torquere to twist. ] Wrested away. [ Obs. ] Bailey. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ Anglo-Norman agistour. ] (Law) (a) Formerly, an officer of the king's forest, who had the care of cattle agisted, and collected the money for the same; -- hence called gisttaker, which in England is corrupted into guest-taker. (b) Now, one who agists or takes in cattle to pasture at a certain rate; a pasturer. Mozley & W. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. ancestre, auncestre, also ancessour; the first forms fr. OF. ancestre, F. ancêtre, fr. the L. nom. antessor one who goes before; the last form fr. OF. ancessor, fr. L. acc. antecessorem, fr. antecedere to go before; ante before + cedere to go. See Cede, and cf. Antecessor. ] 1. One from whom a person is descended, whether on the father's or mother's side, at any distance of time; a progenitor; a fore father. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Biol.) An earlier type; a progenitor; as, this fossil animal is regarded as the ancestor of the horse. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Law) One from whom an estate has descended; -- the correlative of heir. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Ancestral. Grote. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. With regard to ancestors. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Law) A assister. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. One who attests. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. & t. [ Barn + storm, v. ] 1. To travel from place to place, making brief stops. [ PJC ]

2. To fly an airplane from place to place, usually at small airports, doing flying stunts or flying passengers for sightseeing, for the purpose of earning money. [ PJC ]

3. to tour the country to solicit votes.
Syn. -- whistlestop. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ Barn + storm, v. ] 1. An itinerant theatrical player who plays in barns when a theatre is lacking; hence, an inferior actor, or one who plays in the country away from the larger cities. -- Barn"storm`ing, n. [Theatrical Cant] [1913 Webster]

2. an aviator who flies an airplane from place to place, usually at small airports, doing flying stunts or flying passengers for sightseeing, for the purpose of earning money. It was a practise common in the early days of aviation, but by late 20th century was seldom encountered. [PJC]

v. i. & t. To storm. Young. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. bis + tortus, p. p. of torquere to twist: cf. F. bistorte. ] (Bot.) An herbaceous plant of the genus Polygonum, section Bistorta; snakeweed; adderwort. Its root is used in medicine as an astringent. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Arch.) The triforium as opposed to the clearstory. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A store where books are kept for sale; -- called in England a bookseller's shop. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_; &unr_;ox-guiding. ] Boustrophedonic. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. the clear (and often sudden) understanding of a complex situation; a sudden brilliant insight.
Syn. -- insight, brainwave. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. & i. to try to solve a problem by discussing it exhaustively in an intense group meeting encouraging uninhibited and spontaneous contributions from all members.
Syn. -- practice brainstorming. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ L. castor the beaver, Gr. &unr_;; of uncertain origin. ] 1. (Zool.) A genus of rodents, including the beaver. See Beaver. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Castoreum. See Castoreum. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A hat, esp. one made of beaver fur; a beaver. [ 1913 Webster ]

I have always been known for the jaunty manner in which I wear my castor. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A heavy quality of broadcloth for overcoats. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Caster, a small wheel. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. ] (Astron.) the northernmost of the two bright stars in the constellation Gemini, the other being Pollux. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ Castor and Pollux were twin sons of Jupiter and Leda. ] (Naut.) See Saint Elmo's fire, under Saint. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Bot.) The bean or seed of the castor-oil plant (Ricinus communis, or Palma Christi.) [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. See Castor. ] A peculiar bitter orange-brown substance, with strong, penetrating odor, found in two sacs between the anus and external genitals of the beaver; castor; -- used in medicine as an antispasmodic, and by perfumers. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a natural family comprising the beavers.
Syn. -- family Castoridae. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ From 1st Castor. ] (Chem.) A white crystalline substance obtained from castoreum. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ The minerals castor and pollux were so named because found together on the island of Elba. See Castor and Pollux. ] (Min.) A variety of the mineral called petalite, from Elba. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a genus of extinct beavers of the Pleistocene; of eastern and southern U.S.
Syn. -- genus Castoroides. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

A mild cathartic oil, expressed or extracted from the seeds of the Ricinus communis, or Palma Christi. When fresh the oil is inodorous and insipid. [ 1913 Webster ]

Castor-oil plant. Same as Palma Christi. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Same as Clearstory. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. (Arch.) The upper story of the nave of a church, containing windows, and rising above the aisle roofs. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Clearstory. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. consistorial. ] Of or pertaining to a consistory. “Consistorial laws.” Hooker. “Consistorial courts.” Bp. Hoadley. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to a Presbyterian consistory; -- a contemptuous term of 17th century controversy. [ 1913 Webster ]

You fall next on the consistorian schismatics; for so you call Presbyterians. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

pos>n.; pl. Consistories [ L. consistorium a place of assembly, the place where the emperor's council met, fr. consistere: cf. F. consistoire, It. consistorio. See Consist. ] 1. Primarily, a place of standing or staying together; hence, any solemn assembly or council. [ 1913 Webster ]

To council summons all his mighty peers,
Within thick clouds and dark tenfold involved,
A gloomy consistory. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Eng. Ch.) The spiritual court of a diocesan bishop held before his chancellor or commissioner in his cathedral church or elsewhere. Hook. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (R. C. Ch.) An assembly of prelates; a session of the college of cardinals at Rome. [ 1913 Webster ]

Pius was then hearing of causes in consistory. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A church tribunal or governing body. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In some churches, as the Dutch Reformed in America, a consistory is composed of the minister and elders of an individual church, corresponding to a Presbyterian church session, and in others, as the Reformed church in France, it is composed of ministers and elders, corresponding to a presbytery. In some Lutheran countries it is a body of clerical and lay officers appointed by the sovereign to superintend ecclesiastical affairs. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. A civil court of justice. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of the nature of, or pertaining to, a consistory. “To hold consistory session.” Strype. [ 1913 Webster ]

. A store keeping a great variety of goods which are arranged in several departments. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC ]

n. See Digester. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. distortus, p. p. of distorquere to twist, distort; dis- + torquere to twist. See Torsion. ] Distorted; misshapen. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Her face was ugly and her mouth distort. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Distorted; p. pr. & vb. n. Distorting. ] 1. To twist of natural or regular shape; to twist aside physically; as, to distort the limbs, or the body. [ 1913 Webster ]

Whose face was distorted with pain. Thackeray. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To force or put out of the true posture or direction; to twist aside mentally or morally. [ 1913 Webster ]

Wrath and malice, envy and revenge, do darken and distort the understandings of men. Tillotson. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To wrest from the true meaning; to pervert; as, to distort passages of Scripture, or their meaning.

Syn. -- To twist; wrest; deform; pervert. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who, or that which, distorts. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. distortio: cf. F. distortion. ] 1. The act of distorting, or twisting out of natural or regular shape; a twisting or writhing motion; as, the distortions of the face or body. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A wresting from the true meaning. Bp. Wren. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The state of being distorted, or twisted out of shape or out of true position; crookedness; perversion. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Med.) An unnatural deviation of shape or position of any part of the body producing visible deformity. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Causing distortion. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a retail shop where medicine and other articles are sold.
Syn. -- apothecary's shop, chemist's, chemist's shop, dispensary, pharmacy. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. A strong windstorm that lifts particles of dust or dry soil into the air and blows them around, covering land or objects with a thick layer of dust. Dust storms may occur in arable areas during periods of drought; when a similar storm occurs in a desert area, such a storm is called a sandstorm. [ PJC ]

adj. 1. anabolic. [ prenominal ]
Syn. -- constructive-metabolic(prenominal). [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. [ See Instaurate. ] To restore. [ Obs. ] Wyclif. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ LL. faldistorium, faldestorium, from OHG. faldstuol; faldan, faltan, to fold (G. falten) + stuol stool. So called because it could be folded or laid together. See Fold, and Stool, and cf. Faldstool, Fauteuil. ] The throne or seat of a bishop within the chancel. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL., from Gaston M. Plante, the discover + Gr. &unr_; bird. ] (Paleon.) A genus of large eocene birds from the Paris basin. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A storm accompanied with hail; a shower of hail. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Haustoria [ LL., a well, fr. L. haurire, haustum, to drink. ] (Bot.) One of the suckerlike rootlets of such plants as the dodder and ivy. R. Brown. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. historialis: cf. F. historial. ] Historical. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]