Emily Dickinson Lexicon

abolition, n. [Fr.]

Emancipation; act of ending captivity; [fig.] death.

about, adv. [see about, prep.] (webplay: come, house, longest, near, quantity, ready, round, there, turn, wandering).

1. Switching places; turning around; changing around.
2. All around; here and there; in one place and another.

about, prep. [OE onbutan, about, around, on the outside.] (webplay: around, day, easy, everything, face, father's, men, near, place, sides, take, time).

1. Regarding; concerning; respecting; relating to.
2. On every side of; concerning the outer appearance of.
3. Concerned in; doing business regarding.
4. Around; near in place to; in the area of; surrounding; in a defined area of.
5. Near in time.

above, adv. [OE abufan.] (webplay: alive, buried, expression, hands, first, higher, last, place, regard).

1. Superior in rank; higher in power; greater in size; advanced in wisdom.
2. From a position watching over.
3. In heaven; in a celestial place; in a higher invisible realm.
4. Higher in position; in contrast with something lower.
5. In the sky; above the earth.

above, prep. [see above, adv.] (webplay: actions, ancient, beyond, brethren, celestial, comprehension, earth, feared, God, heaven, higher, light, mind, man, of the sun, place, price, regard, serpent, things, weight, woman).

1. Higher in altitude than.
2. Past the extent of; beyond the limitations of.
3. Louder than.
4. In a position over; in a place higher than.

Abraham, proper n. [Heb. < av, father + hamon, multitude or goyim, nations.]

Abram's new name; father of Isaac; covenant name of the first Hebrew patriarch; (see Genesis 22).

abreast, adv. [see breast, n.]

Phrase. “Abreast of”: next to; alongside of; side by side with; in parallel position to.

abridge (-s), v. [OFr abregie-r, from L. ad + breviā-re, short; see bridge, n.] (webplay: abutments, debarring, deprive).

1. Lessen; diminish in quantity.
2. Decrease in quality; reduce the effect of something; [word play on bridge, n.] form a barrier; create a bridge.

abroad, adv. [OE on + brede; see broad, adv.] (webplay: air, beyond, bounds, home, house, out of, tree, walk, walls, widely).

1. Broadly; widely; extensively; over a broad or wide surface.
2. In dispersion.
3. Out of doors; out in the open air; out of one's house or abode.
4. In far places; in foreign lands; out of this country; away from this geographic location.

abroad, prep. [see abroad, adv.]

Around; about; through; to various places in (cf. the OED entry).