*si*

{ ‖‖ } n. [ Ar. & Per. abāsī, belonging to Abas (a king of Persia). ] A silver coin of Persia, worth about twenty cents. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. 'a priv. + bi`os life + ge`nesis, origin, birth. ] (Biol.) The supposed origination of living organisms from lifeless matter; such genesis as does not involve the action of living parents; spontaneous generation; -- called also abiogeny, and opposed to biogenesis. [ 1913 Webster ]

I shall call the . . . doctrine that living matter may be produced by not living matter, the hypothesis of abiogenesis. Huxley, 1870. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Abortive. [ Obs. ] Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. abrasio, fr. abradere. See Abrade. ] 1. The act of abrading, wearing, or rubbing off; the wearing away by friction; as, the abrasion of coins. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The substance rubbed off. Berkeley. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Med.) (a) A superficial excoriation of skin or mucous membranes. AS (b) Erosion of the tooth substance AS [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Producing abrasion. Ure. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. abscessio a separation; fr. absedere. See Abscess. ] A separating; removal; also, an abscess. [ Obs. ] Gauden. Barrough. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. abscisio. ] See Abscission. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. abscissio. See Abscind. ] 1. The act or process of cutting off. “Not to be cured without the abscission of a member.” Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The state of being cut off. Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Rhet.) A figure of speech employed when a speaker having begun to say a thing stops abruptly: thus, “He is a man of so much honor and candor, and of such generosity -- but I need say no more.” [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Physics) A unit of conductance equal to 109 mhos; -- the inverse of the abohm.
Syn. -- abmho [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Chem.) A combination of absinthic acid with a base or positive radical. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ F. absinthe. See Absinthium. ] 1. The plant absinthium or common wormwood. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A strong spirituous liqueur made from wormwood and brandy or alcohol. [ 1913 Webster ]

Absinthe makes the tart grow fonder. Ernest Dowson [ PJC ]

An article on absinthe was prepared by Matthew Baggott (bagg@ellis.uchicago.edu) for distribution on the newsgroup alt.drugs. [ PJC ]

a. Of or pertaining to wormwood; absinthian. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Of the nature of wormwood. “Absinthian bitterness.” T. Randolph. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ From L. absinthium: cf. L. absinthiatus, a. ] To impregnate with wormwood. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Impregnated with wormwood; as, absinthiated wine. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Chem.) Relating to the common wormwood or to an acid obtained from it. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Chem.) The bitter principle of wormwood (Artemisia absinthium). Watts. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The condition of being poisoned by the excessive use of absinth. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L., from Gr. &unr_;. ] (Bot.) The common wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), an intensely bitter plant, used as a tonic and for making the oil of wormwood. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Apsis. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ L. absistere, p. pr. absistens; ab + sistere to stand, causal of stare. ] To stand apart from; top leave off; to desist. [ Obs. ] Raleigh. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A standing aloof. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. abstersion. See Absterge. ] Act of wiping clean; a cleansing; a purging. [ 1913 Webster ]

The task of ablution and abstersion being performed. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. abstersif. See Absterge. ] Cleansing; purging. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Something cleansing. [ 1913 Webster ]

The strong abstersive of some heroic magistrate. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being abstersive. Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. abstrusio. See Abstruse. ] The act of thrusting away. [ R. ] Ogilvie. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Abstruseness; that which is abstruse. [ R. ] Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. abusion, abusioun, OF. abusion, fr. L. abusio misuse of words, f. abuti. See Abuse, v. t. ] Evil or corrupt usage; abuse; wrong; reproach; deception; cheat. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. abusif, fr. L. abusivus. ] 1. Wrongly used; perverted; misapplied. [ 1913 Webster ]

I am . . . necessitated to use the word Parliament improperly, according to the abusive acceptation thereof. Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Given to misusing; also, full of abuses. [ Archaic ] “The abusive prerogatives of his see.” Hallam. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Practicing abuse; prone to ill treat by coarse, insulting words or by other ill usage; as, an abusive author; an abusive fellow. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Containing abuse, or serving as the instrument of abuse; vituperative; reproachful; scurrilous. “An abusive lampoon.” Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Tending to deceive; fraudulent; cheating. [ Obs. ] “An abusive treaty.” Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Reproachful; scurrilous; opprobrious; insolent; insulting; injurious; offensive; reviling. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an abusive manner; rudely; with abusive language. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being abusive; rudeness of language, or violence to the person. [ 1913 Webster ]

Pick out mirth, like stones out of thy ground,
Profaneness, filthiness, abusiveness. Herbert. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. same as Ethiopia.
Syn. -- Ethiopia, Yaltopya [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Of or pertaining to Abyssinia. [ 1913 Webster ]

Abyssinian gold, an alloy of 90.74 parts of copper and 8.33 parts of zink. Ure. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A native of Abyssinia. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A member of the Abyssinian Church. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. 'a priv. + &unr_; calyx. ] (Bot.) Without a calyx, or outer floral envelope. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of kindling or the state of being kindled; ignition. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. accessibilitas: cf. F. accessibilité. ] The quality of being accessible, or of admitting approach; receptibility. Langhorne. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. accessibilis, fr. accedere: cf. F. accessible. See Accede. ] 1. Easy of access or approach; approachable; as, an accessible town or mountain, an accessible person. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Open to the influence of; -- with to. “Minds accessible to reason.” Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Obtainable; to be got at. [ 1913 Webster ]

The best information . . . at present accessible. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an accessible manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. accessio, fr. accedere: cf. F. accession. See Accede. ] 1. A coming to; the act of acceding and becoming joined; as, a king's accession to a confederacy. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Increase by something added; that which is added; augmentation from without; as, an accession of wealth or territory. [ 1913 Webster ]

The only accession which the Roman empire received was the province of Britain. Gibbon. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Law) (a) A mode of acquiring property, by which the owner of a corporeal substance which receives an addition by growth, or by labor, has a right to the part or thing added, or the improvement (provided the thing is not changed into a different species). Thus, the owner of a cow becomes the owner of her calf. (b) The act by which one power becomes party to engagements already in force between other powers. Kent. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. The act of coming to or reaching a throne, an office, or dignity; as, the accession of the house of Stuart; -- applied especially to the epoch of a new dynasty. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Med.) The invasion, approach, or commencement of a disease; a fit or paroxysm. AS [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Increase; addition; augmentation; enlargement. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Pertaining to accession; additional. [ R. ] Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Additional. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. serving to accuse; expressing accusation
Syn. -- accusatorial, accusatory [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adv. In an accusing manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ LL. acetositas. See Acetous. ] The quality of being acetous; sourness. [ 1913 Webster ]

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

n. 1. abnormally high acidity of the blood and other body fluids. [ WordNet 1.5 ]