*abl*

a. Capable of being abdicated. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Abominable. [ A false orthography anciently used; h was foisted into various words; hence abholish, for abolish, etc. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

This is abhominable, which he [ Don Armado ] would call abominable. Shak. Love's Labor's Lost, v. 1. [ 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 ]

a. [ comp. Abler superl. Ablest ] [ OF. habile, L. habilis that may be easily held or managed, apt, skillful, fr. habere to have, hold. Cf. Habile and see Habit. ] 1. Fit; adapted; suitable. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

A many man, to ben an abbot able. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Having sufficient power, strength, force, skill, means, or resources of any kind to accomplish the object; possessed of qualifications rendering competent for some end; competent; qualified; capable; as, an able workman, soldier, seaman, a man able to work; a mind able to reason; a person able to be generous; able to endure pain; able to play on a piano. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Specially: Having intellectual qualifications, or strong mental powers; showing ability or skill; talented; clever; powerful; as, the ablest man in the senate; an able speech. [ 1913 Webster ]

No man wrote abler state papers. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Law) Legally qualified; possessed of legal competence; as, able to inherit or devise property. [ 1913 Webster ]

Able for, is Scotticism. “Hardly able for such a march.” Robertson. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Competent; qualified; fitted; efficient; effective; capable; skillful; clever; vigorous; powerful. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ See Able, a. ] [ Obs. ] 1. To make able; to enable; to strengthen. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To vouch for. “I 'll able them.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ F. -able, L. -abilis. ] An adjective suffix now usually in a passive sense; able to be; fit to be; expressing capacity or worthiness in a passive sense; as, movable, able to be moved; amendable, able to be amended; blamable, fit to be blamed; salable. [ 1913 Webster ]

The form -ible is used in the same sense. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ It is difficult to say when we are not to use -able instead of -ible. “Yet a rule may be laid down as to when we are to use it. To all verbs, then, from the Anglo-Saxon, to all based on the uncorrupted infinitival stems of Latin verbs of the first conjugation, and to all substantives, whencesoever sprung, we annex -able only.” Fitzed. Hall. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having a sound, strong body; physically competent; robust. “Able-bodied vagrant.” Froude. -- A`ble-bod"ied*ness, n.. [1913 Webster]

v. t. [ L. ablegatus, p. p. of ablegare; ab + legare to send with a commission. See Legate. ] To send abroad. [ Obs. ] Bailey. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (R. C. Ch.) A representative of the pope charged with important commissions in foreign countries, one of his duties being to bring to a newly named cardinal his insignia of office. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. ablegatio. ] The act of sending abroad. [ Obs. ] Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having much intellectual power. -- A`ble-mind"ed*ness, n. [1913 Webster]

[ F. ablet, ablette, a dim. fr. LL. abula, for albula, dim. of albus white. Cf. Abele. ] (Zool.) A small fresh-water fish (Leuciscus alburnus); the bleak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Ability of body or mind; force; vigor. [ Obs. or R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_;; 'a priv. + &unr_; to see. ] Blindness. [ R. ] Urquhart. [ 1913 Webster ]

a., comp. of Able. -- A"blest a., superl. of Able. [1913 Webster]

v. t. [ L. ab + ligatus, p. p. of ligare to tie. ] To tie up so as to hinder from. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. abligurito, fr. abligurire to spend in luxurious indulgence; ab + ligurire to be lickerish, dainty, fr. lingere to lick. ] Prodigal expense for food. [ Obs. ] Bailey. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. [ See Able. ] Perhaps. [ Scot. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

‖ /mhw>, adv. [ See Able. ] Perhaps; possibly. [ Scotch ] Burns. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. [ Pref. a- + bloom. ] In or into bloom; in a blooming state. Masson. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. abludere; ab + ludere to play. ] To be unlike; to differ. [ Obs. ] Bp. Hall. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. abluens, p. pr. of. abluere to wash away; ab + luere (lavere, lavare). See Lave. ] Washing away; carrying off impurities; detergent. -- n. (Med.) A detergent. AS [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. & a. [ Pref. a- + blush. ] Blushing; ruddy. [ 1913 Webster ]

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 ]

n. [ LL. abluvio. See Abluent. ] That which is washed off. [ R. ] Dwight. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an able manner; with great ability; as, ably done, planned, said. [ 1913 Webster ]

A suffix composed of -able and the adverbial suffix -ly; as, favorably. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. abolissable. ] Capable of being abolished. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ F. abominable. L. abominalis. See Abominate. ] 1. Worthy of, or causing, abhorrence, as a thing of evil omen; odious in the utmost degree; very hateful; detestable; loathsome; execrable. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Excessive; large; -- used as an intensive. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Juliana Berners . . . informs us that in her time [ 15th c. ], “abomynable syght of monkes” was elegant English for “a large company of friars.” G. P. Marsh. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality or state of being abominable; odiousness. Bentley. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an abominable manner; very odiously; detestably. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Capable of being abrogated. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. That may be absolved. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. absorbable. ] Capable of being absorbed or swallowed up. Kerr. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. That may be abused. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Capable of being accented. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ F. acceptable, L. acceptabilis, fr. acceptare. ] Capable, worthy, or sure of being accepted or received with pleasure; pleasing to a receiver; gratifying; agreeable; welcome; as, an acceptable present, one acceptable to us. [ 1913 Webster ]