Emily Dickinson Lexicon

A-BORT'IVE, n.

That which is brought forth or born prematurely.

A-BORT'IVE-LY, adv.

Immaturely; in an untimely manner.

A-BORT'IVE-NESS, n.

The state of being abortive; a failing in the progress to perfection or maturity; a failure of producing the intended effect.

A-BORT'MENT, n.

An untimely birth. Bacon.

A-BOUND', v.i. [L. abundo; Fr. abonder; It. abbondare; Sp. abundar. If this word is from L. unda, a wave, the latter has probably lost its first consonant. Abound may naturally be deduced from the Celtic. Arm. fonn, plenty; fonna, to abound; W. fyniaw, to produce, to generate, to abound, from fwn, a source, the root of fynon, L. fons, or fountain. Or it may be connected with L. bonus, in the sense of extending, enlargement.]

1. To have or possess in great quantity; to be copiously supplied; followed by with or in; as, to abound with provisions; to abound in good things.
2. To be in great plenty; to be very prevalent. Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. Rom. v.

A-BOUND'ING, n.

Increase. South.

A-BOUND'ING, ppr.

Having in great plenty; being in great plenty; being very prevalent; generally prevailing.

A-BOUT', adv.

1. Near to in quality or degree; as, about as high, or as cold.
2. Here and there; around; in one place and another. Wandering about from house to house. 1 Tim. v.
3. Round, or the longest way, opposed to across, or the shortest way; as, a mile about, and half a mile across. To bring about, to bring to the end; to effect or accomplish a purpose. To come about, to change or turn; to come to the desired point. In a like sense, seamen say go about, when a ship changes her course to go on the other tack. Ready about, about ship, are orders for tacking. To go about, signifies to enter upon; to prepare; to seek the Means. Why go ye about to kill me? John vii.

A-BOUT', prep. [Sax. abutan, onbutan, embutan, about, around; on or emb, coinciding with Gr. αμφι, and butan, without, (see But,) literally, around, on the outside.]

1. Around; on the exterior part or surface. Bind them about thy neck. Prov. iii. 3. Isa. 1. Hence,
2. Near to in place, with the sense of circularity. Get you up from about the tabernacle. Num. xvi.
3. Near to in time. He went out about the third hour. Mat. xxi. 3.
4. Near to in action, or near to the performance of some act. Paul was about to open his mouth. Acts xviii. 14. They were about to flee out of the ship. Acts xxvii. 30.
5. Near to the person; appended to the clothes. Every thing about him is in order. Is your snuff-box about you? From nearness on all sides, the transition is easy to, a concern with. Hence,
6. Concerned in, engaged in, relating to, respecting; as, what is he about? I must be about my father's business. Luke ii. 49. The painter is not to take so much pains about the drapery as about the face. Dryden.
7. In compass or circumference; two yards about the stern.
8. Near to in number or quantity. There fell that day about three thousand men. Ex. xxxii.

A-BOVE', adv.

1. Overhead; in a higher place. Bacon.
2. Before. Dryden.
3. Chief in rank or power. Deut. xxviii. Above all is elliptical; above all considerations; chiefly; in preference to other things. Above board; above the board or table; in open sight; without trick, concealment or deception. This expression is said by Johnson to be borrowed from gamesters, who, when they change their cards, put their hands under the table.

ABOVE', prep. [Sax. abufan, bufan, bufon, D. boven.]

1. Literally, higher in place. The fowls that fly above the earth. Gen. ii.
2. Figuratively, superior in any respect. I saw a light above the brightness of the sun. Acts xxvi. The price of a virtuous woman is above rubies. Prov. xxxi.
3. More in number or quantity; as, the weight is above a tun. He was seen by above five hundred brethren at once. 1 Cor. xv. 6.
4. More in degree; in a greater degree. Hananiah feared God above many. Neh. vii. 2. The serpent is cursed above all cattle. Gen. iii.
5. Beyond; in excess. In stripes above measure. 2 Cor. xl. God will not suffer you to be tempted above what ye are able. 1 Cor. x. 13.
6. Beyond; in a state to be unattainable; as, things above comprehension.
7. Too proud for; as, this man is above his business.
8. Too elevated in mind or rank; having too much dignity for; as, this man is above mean actions,
9. It is often used elliptically, for heaven, or the celestial regions; as, the powers above. Let not God regard it from above. Job iii.
10. In a book or writing, it denotes before or in a former place as, what has been said above; supra. This mode of speaking originated in the ancient manner of writing, a strip of parchment, beginning at one end and proceeding to the other. The beginning was the upper end.

A-BOVE'-CI-TED, a.

Cited before, in the preceding part of a book or writing.

A-BOVE'-GROUND, a.

Alive, not buried.

A-BOVE'-MEN-TION-ED, a.

Mentioned before.

A-BOVE'SAID, a.

Mentioned or recited before.

AB-OVO-USQUE-AD-MALA, adv. [Ab ovo usque ad mala. L.]

From the egg to the apples; from the beginning of supper to the end; from the first dish to the last.

ABP, n. [Abp.]

Abbrev. for Archbishop.

A-BRA-CA-DAB'RA, n.

The name of a deity worshiped by the Assyrians; a cabalistic word. The letters of his name, written on paper, in the form of an inverted cone, were recommended by Samonicus as an antidote against certain diseases. Encyc.

A-BRADE', v.t. [L. abrado, to scrape, from rado.]

To rub or wear off; to waste by friction; used especially to express the action of sharp, corrosive medicines, in wearing away or removing the mucus of the membranes.

A-BRAD'ED, pp.

Rubbed or worn off; worn; scraped.

A-BRAD'ING, ppr.

Rubbing off; wearing.

A-BRA-HAM'IC, a.

Pertaining to Abraham, the patriarch, as Abrahamic Covenant. Mason.

A-BRAN'CHIA, n.

An order of animals having no branchite, as the leech. Career.

A-BRA'SION, n. [abra'zhun.]

The act of wearing or rubbing off; also substance worn off by attrition. Quincy.

AB'RA-ZITE, n. [G. α neg. and βραζω, to bubble.]

A mineral that does not effervesce before the blow-pipe. See Gismondin. Shepard.