Emily Dickinson Lexicon

A-SLANT', a. [or adv. a and slant. See Slant.]

On one side; obliquely; not perpendicularly or with a right angle. The shaft drove through his neck aslant. – Dryden.

A-SLEEP', a. [or adv. a and sleep, or Sax. geslapan, to sleep.]

1. Sleeping; in a state of sleep; at rest. Sisera was fast asleep. – Judges iv.
2. To a state of sleep; as, to fall asleep.
3. Dead; in a state of death. Concerning them who are asleep, sorrow not. – 1 Thess. iv.
4. To death. For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue. – 2 Pet. iii.

A-SLOPE, a. [or adv. a and slope. See Slope.]

With leaning or inclination; obliquely; with declivity or descent, as a hill; declining from an upright direction. Set them not upright, but aslope. – Bacon.

A-SLUG', adv.

In a sluggish manner. [Not used.] – Fotherby.

AS-MO-NE'AN, a.

Pertaining to Asmoneus, the father of Simon, and chief of the Asmoneans, a family that reigned over the Jews 126 years.

AS-MO-NE'AN, n.

One of the family of Asmoneus.

A-SO'MA-TOUS, a. [Gr. α privative and σωμα, body.]

Without a material body; incorporeal. – Todd.

ASP, or ASP'IC, n. [L. aspis; Gr. ασμις, a round shield and an asp; supposed to be from Heb. and Ch. אספ, to gather in, or collect; from the coil of this serpent, with his head elevated in the center, like the boss of a buckler.]

A small poisonous serpent of Egypt and Libya, whose bite occasions inevitable death, but without pain. It is said that the celebrated Cleopatra, rather than be carried a captive to Rome by Augustus, suffered death by the bite of the asp; but the fact has been questioned. Authors are not agreed, as to what species the asp of the ancients should be referred. Bruce thinks it the Coluber cerastes, Linn.

AS-PAL'A-THUS, n.

A plant.

AS-PAR'A-GIN, n.

A crystalized substance discovered in the juice of asparagus. It is an aspartate of ammonia, or rather asparamid. – Thomson.

AS-PAR'A-GUS, n. [L. and Gr; probably from σπαρασσω, to tear, from its lacerated appearance, or from the root of σπειρα, a spire, from its stem.]

Sparagus; sperege; vulgarly, sparrow-grass; a genus of plants. That which is cultivated in gardens, has an upright herbaceous stalk, bristly leaves, and equal stipulas. The roots have a bitterish mucilaginous taste; and the stalk is, in some degree, aperient and deobstruent, but not very efficacious.

AS-PAR'A-MID, n.

A modification of aspartate of ammonia, in which one equivalent of the hydrogen of the ammonia, and one equivalent of the oxygen of the acid, have left the salt and formed water: the remaining compound is asparamid. – Thomson.

AS-PAR'TATE, n.

Any compound of the aspartic acid with a salifiable base.

AS-PAR'TIC-AC-ID, n.

A concrete or crystaline acid, obtained from asparagus, and composed of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen.

AS-PECT, n. [L. aspectus, from aspicio, to look on, of ad and specio, to see or look.]

1. Look; view; appearance to the eye or the mind; as, to present an object or a subject in its true aspect, or under a double aspect. So we say, public affairs have a favorable aspect.
2. Countenance; look, or particular appearance of the face; as a mild or severe aspect.
3. View; sight; act of seeing. [This sense is now unusual.]
4. Position or situation with regard to seeing, or that position which enables one to look in a particular direction; as, a house has a southern aspect, that is, a position which faces or looks to the south.
5. In astronomy, the situation of one planet with respect to another. The aspects are five; sextile, when the planets are 60° distant; quartile, or quadrate, when their distance is 90°, or the quarter of a circle; trine, when the distance is l20°; opposition, when the distance is 180°, or half a circle; and conjunction, when they are in the same degree.

AS-PECT, v.t.

To behold. [Not used.] – Temple.

AS-PECT'A-BLE, a.

That may be seen. [Not used.] – Raleigh.

AS-PECT'ED, a.

Having an aspect. [Not used.] – B. Jonson.

AS-PEC'TION, n.

The act of viewing. [Not used.] – Brown.

ASP'EN, a.

Pertaining to the aspen, or resembling it; made of aspen wood. Nor aspen leaves confess the gentlest breeze. – Gay.

ASP'EN, or ASP, n. [D. esp; G. aspe, äspe; Sax. æspe; S. asp; Dan. æsp; Qu. from the Ar. خَشَفَ‎‎ gashafa, to be agitated.]

A species of the poplar, so called from the trembling of its leaves, which move with the slightest impulse of the air. Its leaves are roundish, smooth, and stand on long slender foot-stalks.

AS'PER, a. [L. See Asperate.]

Rough; rugged. [Little used.] – Bacon.

AS'PER, n. [L. aspiro, to breathe.]

In grammar, the Greek accent ', importing that the letter over which it is placed ought to be aspirated,or pronounced as if the letter h preceded It. – Encyc.

AS'PER, n.

A Turkish coin, of which three make a medine. Its value is about a cent and 12 decimals.

AS'PER-ATE, v.t. [L. aspero, from asper, rough.]

To make rough or uneven. – Boyle.