a. [ L. adjuvans, p. pr. of adjuvare to aid: cf. F. adjuvant. See Aid. ] Helping; helpful; assisting. [ R. ] “Adjuvant causes.” Howell. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. adjuvamentum, fr. adjuvare to help; ad + juvare to help. ] 1. An assistant. [ R. ] Yelverton. AS [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Med.) An ingredient in a prescription drug, which aids or modifies the action of the principal ingredient. AS [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Med., Immunology) A substance that non-specifically enhances immune response to an antigen, such as by enhancing the production of antibodies. AS [ AS ]

n. [ OE. avantage, avauntage, F. avantage, fr. avant before. See Advance, and cf. Vantage. ] 1. Any condition, circumstance, opportunity, or means, particularly favorable to success, or to any desired end; benefit; as, the enemy had the advantage of a more elevated position. [ 1913 Webster ]

Give me advantage of some brief discourse. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

The advantages of a close alliance. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Superiority; mastery; -- with of or over. [ 1913 Webster ]

Lest Satan should get an advantage of us. 2 Cor. ii. 11. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Superiority of state, or that which gives it; benefit; gain; profit; as, the advantage of a good constitution. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Interest of money; increase; overplus (as the thirteenth in the baker's dozen). [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

And with advantage means to pay thy love. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Tennis) The first point scored after deuce. [ PJC ]

Advantage ground, vantage ground. [ R. ] Clarendon. --
To have the advantage of (any one), to have a personal knowledge of one who does not have a reciprocal knowledge. “You have the advantage of me; I don't remember ever to have had the honor.” Sheridan. --
To take advantage of, to profit by; (often used in a bad sense) to overreach, to outwit. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Advantage, Advantageous, Benefit, Beneficial. We speak of a thing as a benefit, or as beneficial, when it is simply productive of good; as, the benefits of early discipline; the beneficial effects of adversity. We speak of a thing as an advantage, or as advantageous, when it affords us the means of getting forward, and places us on a “vantage ground” for further effort. Hence, there is a difference between the benefits and the advantages of early education; between a beneficial and an advantageous investment of money. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Advantaged p. pr. & vb. n. Advantaging ] [ F. avantager, fr. avantage. See Advance. ] To give an advantage to; to further; to promote; to benefit; to profit. [ 1913 Webster ]

The truth is, the archbishop's own stiffness and averseness to comply with the court designs, advantaged his adversaries against him. Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

What is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? Luke ix. 25. [ 1913 Webster ]

To advantage one's self of, to avail one's self of. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Advantageous. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ F. avantageux, fr. avantage. ] Being of advantage; conferring advantage; gainful; profitable; useful; beneficial; as, an advantageous position; trade is advantageous to a nation. [ 1913 Webster ]

Advabtageous comparison with any other country. Prescott. [ 1913 Webster ]

You see . . . of what use a good reputation is, and how swift and advantageous a harbinger it is, wherever one goes. Chesterfield. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. Profitably; with advantage. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Profitableness. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ For avant-guard. Cf. Avaunt, Van. ] The front of an army. [ Obs. ] See Van. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F., fr. avant before + courrier. See Avaunt, and Courier. ] A person dispatched before another person or company, to give notice of his or their approach. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. avant before + E. guard, F. avant-garde. See Avaunt. ] The most advanced group of people in any field of endeavor, especially in literary and artistic work, usually characterized by new ideas and experimental techniques. [ PJC ]

a. 1. Of, pertaining to, or belonging to the avant-garde. [ PJC ]

2. Characterized by the use of experimental techniques; modern; daring; radical. [ PJC ]

n. [ F. avant before + E. guard, F. avant-garde. See Avaunt. ] 1. The van or advanced body of an army. See Vanguard. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Same as avant-garde, n.. [ PJC ]

A slave; one who is bound to service without wages. [ 1913 Webster ]

If thy brother . . . be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee; thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bond servant: but as an hired servant. Lev. xxv. 39, 40. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖ pl. Bons vivants [ F. bon good + vivant, p. pr. of vivre to live. ] A good fellow; a jovial companion; a free liver. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Named from Cervantes a town in Spain. ] (Min.) See under Antimony. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖a. [ F., hitherto, formerly. ] Former; previous; of times gone by; as, a ci-devant governor. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Cooperating. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Med.) An adjuvant. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. conservans, p. pr. ] Having the power or quality of conservation. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ , a. [ L. curvans, p. pr. ] (Her.) Bowed; bent; curved. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. désavantage. ] 1. Deprivation of advantage; unfavorable or prejudicial quality, condition, circumstance, or the like; that which hinders success, or causes loss or injury. [ 1913 Webster ]

I was brought here under the disadvantage of being unknown by sight to any of you. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

Abandoned by their great patron, the faction henceforward acted at disadvantage. Palfrey. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Loss; detriment; hindrance; prejudice to interest, fame, credit, profit, or other good. [ 1913 Webster ]

They would throw a construction on his conduct, to his disadvantage before the public. Bancroft.

Syn. -- Detriment; injury; hurt; loss; damage. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ Cf. F. désavantager. ] To injure the interest of; to be detrimental to. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Injurious; disadvantageous. [ Obs. ] Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. désavantageux. ] Attended with disadvantage; unfavorable to success or prosperity; inconvenient; prejudicial; -- opposed to advantageous; as, the situation of an army is disadvantageous for attack or defense. [ 1913 Webster ]

Even in the disadvantageous position in which he had been placed, he gave clear indications of future excellence. Prescott.

-- Dis*ad`van*ta"geous*ly, adv. -- Dis*ad`van*ta"geous*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. dis- + vantage. ] Disadvantageous. [ Obs. ] “Disadvantageous ground.” Drayton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A servant who attends faithfully to his duty only when watched. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ From Gallant. ] To play the beau; to wait upon the ladies; also, to roam about for pleasure without any definite plan. [ Slang ] Dickens. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. inobservans. See In- not, and Observant. ] Not observant; regardless; heedless. Bp. Hurd.

-- In`ob*serv"ant*ly, adv. [1913 Webster]

a. Not relevant; not applicable or pertinent; not bearing upon or serving to support; foreign; extraneous; as, testimony or arguments irrelevant to a case. -- Ir*rel"a*vant*ly, adv. [1913 Webster]

a. [ F., p. pr. of lever to raise. ] (Law) Rising or having risen from rest; -- said of cattle. See Couchant and levant, under Couchant. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ It. levante the point where the sun rises, the east, the Levant, fr. levare to raise, levarsi to rise: cf. F. levant. See Lever. ] 1. The countries washed by the eastern part of the Mediterranean and its contiguous waters. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A levanter (the wind so called). [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Eastern. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Forth rush the levant and the ponent winds. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ Cf. Sp. levantar to raise, go from one place to another. ] To run away from one's debts; to decamp. [ Colloq. Eng. ] Thackeray. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From Levant, v. ] One who levants, or decamps. [ Colloq. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From Levant, n. ] A strong easterly wind peculiar to the Mediterranean. W. H. Russell. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ F. levantin, or It. levantino. See Levant, n. ] Of or pertaining to the Levant. J. Spencer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A native or inhabitant of the Levant. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. [ F. levantine, or It. levantina. ] A stout twilled silk fabric, formerly made in the Levant. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A female servant. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A male servant. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. observans, -anits, p. pr. of observare: cf. F. observant. See Observe. ] 1. Taking notice; viewing or noticing attentively; watchful; carefully attentive; as, an observant spectator; observant habits. [ 1913 Webster ]

Wandering from clime to clime observant stray'd. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Submissively attentive; obediently watchful; regardful; mindful; obedient (to); -- with of, as, to be observant of rules. [ 1913 Webster ]

We are told how observant Alexander was of his master Aristotle. Sir K. Digby. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who observes forms and rules. [ Obs. ] Hooker. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A sycophantic servant. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Silly ducking observants,
That stretch their duties nicely. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (R. C. Ch.) An Observantine. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Fr. observantin. ] (R. C. Ch.) One of a branch of the Order of Franciscans, who profess to adhere more strictly than the Conventuals to the intention of the founder, especially as to poverty; -- called also Observants. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an observant manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. ovans triumphant, p. pr. of ovare to exult. ] Exultant. [ Obs. ] Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } adv. [ OF. par avant. See Par, and 1st Avaunt. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. In front; publicly. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Beforehand; first. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pike point (fr. F. pique) + F. devant before. ] A pointed beard. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Pursuivant. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To supply with provender or provisions; to provide for. [ Obs. ] Nash. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Provided for common or general use, as in an army; hence, common in quality; inferior. “A poor provant rapier.” B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]