n. 1. a class mail comprising letters, postcards, and other mail sealed against inspection, having a higher priority than second, third, or fourth-class mail; -- it is the highest class of mail not handled in a special manner, as is registered or priority mail.
Syn. -- first-class, first-class mail, 1st-class mail [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ L. ab + E. articulation : cf. F. abarticulation. See Article. ] (Anat.) Articulation, usually that kind of articulation which admits of free motion in the joint; diarthrosis. Coxe. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. ablactatus, p. p. of ablactare; ab + lactare to suckle, fr. lac milk. ] To wean. [ R. ] Bailey. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The weaning of a child from the breast, or of young beasts from their dam. Blount. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Hort.) The process of grafting now called inarching, or grafting by approach. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. ablaqueatus, p. p. of. ablaqueare; fr. ab + laqueus a noose. ] To lay bare, as the roots of a tree. [ Obs. ] Bailey. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. ablaqueatio. ] The act or process of laying bare the roots of trees to expose them to the air and water. [ Obs. ] Evelyn. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. 'a priv. + &unr_; growth. ] (Biol.) Non-germinal. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. ablatio, fr. ablatus p. p. of auferre to carry away; ab + latus, p. p. of ferre carry: cf. F. ablation. See Tolerate. ] 1. A carrying or taking away; removal. Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Med.) Extirpation. Dunglison. AS [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Med.) Removing or destroying of a body tissue, especially by a surgical procedure. Dorland. [ AS ]

4. (Geol.) Wearing away; superficial waste, as of glacial ice or snow. Tyndall. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Aerospace) Wearing away of the outer layers of a protective shield or surface by the heat and aerodynamic forces caused by flying through the atmosphere at hypersonic speed, as during reentry from space; as, ablation of the heat shield during reentry. [ PJC ]

a. Diminishing; as, an ablatitious force. Sir J. Herschel. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ F. ablatif, ablative, L. ablativus fr. ablatus. See Ablation. ] 1. Taking away or removing. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Where the heart is forestalled with misopinion, ablative directions are found needful to unteach error, ere we can learn truth. Bp. Hall. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Gram.) Applied to one of the cases of the noun in Latin and some other languages, -- the fundamental meaning of the case being removal, separation, or taking away. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Gram.) The ablative case. [ 1913 Webster ]

ablative absolute, a construction in Latin, in which a noun in the ablative case has a participle (either expressed or implied), agreeing with it in gender, number, and case, both words forming a clause by themselves and being unconnected, grammatically, with the rest of the sentence; as, Tarquinio regnante, Pythagoras venit, i. e., Tarquinius reigning, Pythagoras came. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Ger., off-sound; ab off + laut sound. ] (Philol.) The substitution of one root vowel for another, thus indicating a corresponding modification of use or meaning; vowel permutation; as, get, gat, got; sing, song; hang, hung. Earle. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. & a. [ Pref. a- + blaze. ] 1. On fire; in a blaze, gleaming. Milman. [ 1913 Webster ]

All ablaze with crimson and gold. Longfellow. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. In a state of glowing excitement or ardent desire. [ 1913 Webster ]

The young Cambridge democrats were all ablaze to assist Torrijos. Carlyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To take one's self off; to decamp. [ A jocular word. U. S. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., from Gr. &unr_; a spine, thorn + &unr_; head. ] (Zool.) A group of intestinal worms, having the proboscis armed with recurved spines. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖ [ It. See Chapel. ] (Mus.) (a) In church or chapel style; -- said of compositions sung in the old church style, without instrumental accompaniment; as, a mass a capella, i. e., a mass purely vocal. (b) A time indication, equivalent to alla breve. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. a- not + capsular. ] (Bot.) Having no capsule. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. acceptilatio entry of a debt collected, acquittance, fr. p. p. of accipere (cf. Accept) + latio a carrying, fr. latus, p. p. of ferre to carry: cf. F. acceptilation. ] (Civil Law) Gratuitous discharge; a release from debt or obligation without payment; free remission. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. acclamare; ad + clamare to cry out. See Claim, Clamor. ] [ R. ] 1. To applaud. “A glad acclaiming train.” Thomson. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To declare by acclamations. [ 1913 Webster ]

While the shouting crowd
Acclaims thee king of traitors. Smollett. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To shout; as, to acclaim my joy. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To shout applause. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Acclamation. [ Poetic ] Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who acclaims. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. acclamatio: cf. F. acclamation. ] 1. A shout of approbation, favor, or assent; eager expression of approval; loud applause. [ 1913 Webster ]

On such a day, a holiday having been voted by acclamation, an ordinary walk would not satisfy the children. Southey. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Antiq.) A representation, in sculpture or on medals, of people expressing joy. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. In parliamentary usage, the act or method of voting orally and by groups rather than by ballot, esp. in elections; specif. (R. C. Ch.), the election of a pope or other ecclesiastic by unanimous consent of the electors, without a ballot. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

Acclamation medals are those on which laudatory acclamations are recorded. Elmes. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to, or expressing approval by, acclamation. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. accolade, It. accolata, fr. accollare to embrace; L. ad + collum neck. ] 1. A ceremony formerly used in conferring knighthood, consisting of an embrace, and a slight blow on the shoulders with the flat blade of a sword. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Mus.) A brace used to join two or more staves. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Accumulated p. pr. & vb. n. Accumulating. ] [ L. accumulatus, p. p. of accumulare; ad + cumulare to heap. See Cumulate. ] To heap up in a mass; to pile up; to collect or bring together; to amass; as, to accumulate a sum of money. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To collect; pile up; store; amass; gather; aggregate; heap together; hoard. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To grow or increase in quantity or number; to increase greatly. [ 1913 Webster ]

Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey,
Where wealth accumulates, and men decay. Goldsmith. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. accumulatus, p. p. of accumulare. ] Collected; accumulated. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. 1 brought together into a group or crowd the accumulated letters in my office
Syn. -- assembled, collected, congregate, massed [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ L. accumulatio; cf. F. accumulation. ] 1. The act of accumulating, the state of being accumulated, or that which is accumulated; as, an accumulation of earth, of sand, of evils, of wealth, of honors. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Law) The concurrence of several titles to the same proof. [ 1913 Webster ]

Accumulation of energy or
power, the storing of energy by means of weights lifted or masses put in motion; electricity stored. --
An accumulation of degrees (Eng. Univ.), the taking of several together, or at smaller intervals than usual or than is allowed by the rules. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Characterized by accumulation; serving to collect or amass; cumulative; additional. -- Ac*cu"mu*la*tive*ly, adv. -- Ac*cu"mu*la*tive*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. ] 1. One who, or that which, accumulates, collects, or amasses. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Mech.) An apparatus by means of which energy or power can be stored, such as the cylinder or tank for storing water for hydraulic elevators, the secondary or storage battery used for accumulating the energy of electrical charges, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A system of elastic springs for relieving the strain upon a rope, as in deep-sea dredging. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. 1 not containing cells cellular
Syn. -- cell-free [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. not made up of or divided into cells cellular
Syn. -- noncellular [ WordNet 1.5 ]

3. occurring outside of cells or without the participation of cells. Opposite of cellular. [ PJC ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. Gr. &unr_;, adj. neut. pl., headless. See Acephal. ] (Zool.) That division of the Mollusca which includes the bivalve shells, like the clams and oysters; -- so called because they have no evident head. Formerly the group included the Tunicata, Brachiopoda, and sometimes the Bryozoa. See Mollusca. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Same as Acephal. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) Belonging to the Acephala. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Cup-shaped; saucer-shaped; acetabuliform. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. (Chem.) receive substitution of an acetyl group; of chemical compounds
Syn. -- acetylize [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. (Chem.) 1 introduce an acetyl group into a chemical compound
Syn. -- acetylize [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ Gr. 'a priv. + &unr_;. &unr_;. a short cloak. ] (Zool.) Not possessing a mantle; -- said of certain gastropods. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Bot.) Naked; having no floral envelope, neither calyx nor corolla. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Med.) A skeletal disorder beginning before birth; cartilage is converted to bone resulting in dwarfism. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. (Med.) of or pertaining to achondroplasia. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

‖n.; pl. Aciculæ [ L., a small needle, dimin. of acus needle. ] (Nat. Hist.) One of the needlelike or bristlelike spines or prickles of some animals and plants; also, a needlelike crystal. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Needle-shaped; slender like a needle or bristle, as some leaves or crystals; also, having sharp points like needles. [ 1913 Webster ]

A*cic"u*lar*ly, adv.. [1913 Webster]

{ a. (Nat. Hist.) (a) Furnished with aciculæ. (b) Acicular. (c) Marked with fine irregular streaks as if scratched by a needle. Lindley. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Acidulated p. pr. & vb. n. Acidulating ] [ Cf. F. aciduler. See Acidulous. ] To make sour or acid in a moderate degree; to sour somewhat. Arbuthnot. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. made slightly acidic [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. a strong soft crease-resistant fabric. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. Gr. &unr_;, &unr_;, a ray. ] (Zool.) A kind of embryo of certain hydroids (Tubularia), having a stellate form. [ 1913 Webster ]