Dictionary: AB'STRACT-LY – A-BUS'IVE

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AB'STRACT-LY, adv.

Separately; absolutely; in a state or manner unconnected with any thing else; as matter abstractly considered.

AB'STRACT-NESS, n.

A separate state; a state of being in contemplation only, or not connected with any object.

AB-STRINGE', v.t.

To unbind.

AB-STRUDE', v. [Infra.]

To thrust or pull away. [Not used.]

AB-STRUSE, a. [L. abstrusus, from abstrudo, to thrust away, to conceal; abs and trudo; Ar. طَرَدَ tarada; Ch. טרו, to thrust; Syr. Sam. id.; Eng. to thrust.]

Hid; concealed; hence, remote from apprehension; difficult to be comprehended or understood; opposed to what is obvious. [Not used of material objects.] Metaphysics is an abstruse science. – Encyc.

AB-STRUSE'LY, adv.

In a concealed manner; obscurely; in a manner not to be easily understood.

AB-STRUSE'NESS, n.

Obscurity of meaning; the state or quality of being difficult to be understood. – Boyle.

AB-STRU'SI-TY, n.

Abstruseness; that which is abstruse.

AB-SUME', v.t.

To bring to an end by a gradual waste.

AB-SURD', a. [L. absurdus, from ab and surdus, deaf, insensible.]

Opposed to manifest truth; inconsistent with reason, or the plain dictates of common sense. An absurd man acts contrary to the clear dictates of reason or sound judgment. An absurd proposition contradicts obvious truth. An absurd practice or opinion is repugnant to the reason or common apprehension of men. It is absurd to say six and six make ten, or that plants will take root in stone.

AB-SURD'I-TY, n.

  1. The quality of being inconsistent with obvious truth, reason, or sound judgment. Want of judgment, applied to men; want of propriety, applied to things. – Johnston.
  2. That which is absurd: in this sense it has a plural; the absurdities of men.

AB-SURD'LY, adv.

In a manner inconsistent with reason, or obvious propriety.

AB-SURD'NESS, n.

The same as absurdity, and less used.

A-BUND'ANCE, n. [F. abondance. See Abound.]

Great plenty; an overflowing quantity; ample sufficiency: in strictness applicable to quantity only; but customarily used of number, as an abundance of peasants. – Addison. In Scripture, The attendance of the rich is great wealth. – Eccl. v. Mark xii. Luke xxi. The abundance of the seas is great plenty of fish. – Deut. xxxiii. It denotes also fullness, overflowing; as, The abundance of the heart. – Matt. xii. Luke vi.

A-BUND'ANT, a.

Plentiful: in great quantity; fully sufficient; as, an abundant supply. In Scripture, abounding; having in great quantity; overflowing with. The Lord God is abundant in goodness and truth. – Ex. xxxii. Abundant number, in arithmetic, is one, the sum of whose aliquot parts exceeds the number itself. Thus 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, the aliquot parts of 12, make the sum of 16. This is opposed to a digital number, as 14, whose aliquot parts are 1, 2, 7, the sum of which is 10; and to a perfect number, which is equal to the sum of its aliquot parts, as 6, whose aliquot parts are 1, 2, 3.

A-BUND'ANT-LY, adv.

Fully; amply; plentifully; in a sufficient degree.

A-BU'SAGE, n.

Abuse. [Not used.]

A-BUSE', n.

  1. Ill use; improper treatment or employment; application to a wrong purpose; as, an abuse of our natural powers an abuse of civil rights, or of religious privileges; abuse of advantages, &c. Liberty may be endangered by the abuses of liberty, as well as by the abuses of power. – Federalist, Madison.
  2. A corrupt practice or custom; as, the abuses of government.
  3. Rude speech; reproachful language addressed to a person; contumely; reviling words. – Milton.
  4. Seduction. After the abuse he forsook me. – Sidney.
  5. Perversion of meaning; improper use or application; as, an abuse of words.

A-BUSE', v.t. [s as z; Fr. abuser; Sp. abusar; It. abusare; L. abator, abusus, of ab and utor, to use; Ir. idh; W. gweth, use; Gr. εθω; to accustom. See Use.]

  1. To use ill; to maltreat; to misuse; to use with bad motives or to wrong purposes; as, to abuse rights or privileges. They that use this world as not abusing it. – 1 Cor. vii.
  2. To violate; to defile by improper sexual intercourse. – Spenser.
  3. To deceive; to impose on. Nor be with all these tempting words abused. – Pope.
  4. To treat rudely, or with reproachful language; to revile. He mocked and abused them shamefully. – Mac.
  5. To pervert the meaning of; to misapply; as, to abuse words.

A-BUS'ED, pp. [s as z.]

Ill-used to a bad purpose; treated with rude language; misemployed; perverted to bad or wrong ends; deceived; defiled violated.

A-BUSE'FUL, a.

Using or practicing abuse; abusive. – Bp. Barlow.

A-BUS'ER, n. [s as z.]

One who abuses, in speech or behavior; one that deceives; a ravisher; a sodomite. – 1 Cor. vi.

A-BUS'ING, ppr. [s as z.]

Using ill; employing to bad purposes; deceiving; violating the person; perverting.

A-BU'SION, n. [abu'zhon.]

Abuse; evil or corrupt usage; reproach. [Little used.]

A-BUS'IVE, a.

  1. Practicing abuse; offering harsh words, or ill treatment; as, an abusive author; an abusive fellow.
  2. Containing abuse, or that is time instrument of abuse; as, abusive words; rude; reproachful. In the sense of deceitful; as, an abusive treaty. [Little used.] – Bacon.