Emily Dickinson Lexicon

AD'NOUN, n. [ad and noun.]

In grammar, an adjective, or attribute. [Little used.]

AD-NU'BI-LA-TED, a.

Clouded; obscured.

A-DO', n. [Qu. a and do.]

Bustle; trouble; labor; difficulty; as, to make a great ado about trifles; to persuade one with much ado.

AD-O-LES'CENCE, n. [L. adolescens, growing, of ad and olesco, to grow, from oleo. Heb. {foreign}, to ascend; Ar. {foreign}, to be high.]

The state of growing, applied to the young of the human race; youth, or the period of life between childhood and manhood.

AD-O-NE'AN, a.

Pertaining to Adonis. Fair Adonean Venus. Faber.

A-DO'NI-A, n.

Festivals celebrated anciently in honor of Adonis, by females, who spent two days in lamentations and infamous pleasures. Encyc.

A-DON'IC, a.

An Adonic verse. Among the Anglo-Saxons, a poetic verse consisting of one long, two short and two long syllables. Henry's Brit. 2, 383.

A-DON'IC, a.

Adonic verse, a short verse, in which the death of Adonis was bewailed. It consists of a dactyl and spondee or trochee. Bailey. Cyc.

A-DO'NIS,

in botany, bird's eye or pheasant's eye.

A-DO'NISTS, n. [Heb. Ch. and Syr. {foreign} Adon; Lord, a scriptural title of the Supreme Being.]

Among critics, a sect or party who maintain that the Hebrew points ordinarily annexed to the consonants of the word Jehovah, are not the natural points belonging to that word, and that they do not express the true pronunciation of it; but that they are vowel points belonging to the words, Adonai and Elohim, applied to the ineffable name Jehovah, which the Jews were forbid to utter, and the true pronunciation of which was lost; they were therefore always to pronounce the word Adonai, instead of Jehovah. Encyc.

A-DOPT', v.t. [L. adopto, of ad and opto, to desire or choose. See Option.]

1. To take a stranger into one's family, as son and heir; to take one who is not a child, and treat him as one, giving him a title to the privileges and rights of a child.
2. In a spiritual sense, to receive the sinful children of men into the invisible church, and into God's favor and protection, by which they become heirs of salvation by Christ. Brown.
3. To take or receive as one's own, that which is not naturally so; as, to adopt the opinions of another; or to receive that which is new; as, to adopt a particular mode of husbandry.
4. To select and take; as, which mode will you adopt?

A-DOPT'ED, pp.

Taken as one's own; received as son and heir; selected for use.

A-DOPT'ED-LY, adv.

In the manner of something adopted.

A-DOP'TER, n.

1. One who adopts.
2. In chimistry, a large round receiver, with two necks, diametrically opposite to each other, one of which admits the neck of a retort, and the other is joined to another receiver. It is used in distillations, to give more space to elastic vapors, or to increase the length of the neck of a retort.

A-DOPT'ING, ppr.

Taking a stranger as a son; taking as one's own.

A-DOP'TION, n. [L. adoptio.]

1. The act of adopting, or the state of being adopted; the taking and treating of a stranger as one's own child.
2. The receiving as one's own, what is new or not natural.
3. God's taking the sinful children of men into his favor and protection. Eph. iv. Adoption by arms, an ancient ceremony of presenting arms to one for his merit or valor, which laid the person under an obligation to defend the giver. Adoption by baptism, is the spiritual affinity which is contracted by god-fathers and god-children, in the ceremony of baptism. It was introduced into the Greek church, and afterwards among the ancient Franks. This affinity was supposed to entitle the god-child to a share of the godfather's estate. Encyc. Adoption by hair, was performed by cutting off the hair of a person and giving it to the adoptive father. Thus Pope John VIII adopted Boson, king of Arles. Adoption by matrimony, is the taking the children of a wife or husband, by a former marriage, into the condition of natural children. This is a practice peculiar to the Germans; but is not so properly adoption as adfiliation. Encyc. Adoption by testament, is the appointing of a person to be heir, by will, on condition of his taking the name, arms, &c. of the adopter. Encyc. In Europe, adoption is used for many kinds of admission to a more intimate relation, and is nearly equivalent to reception; as, the admission of persons into hospitals or monasteries, or of one society into another. Encyc.

A-DOP'TION-IST, n.

One who maintains that Christ was the son of God by adoption only. Murdock.

A-DOPT'IVE, a. [L. adoptivus.]

That adopts, as an adoptive father; or that is adopted, as an adoptive son.

A-DOPT'IVE, n.

A person or thing adopted.

A-DOR'-A-BLE, a.

That ought to be adored; worthy of divine honors. In popular use, worthy of the utmost love or respect.

A-DOR'-A-BLE-NESS, n.

The quality of being adorable, or worthy of adoration.

A-DOR'-A-BLY, adv.

In a manner worthy of adoration.

AD-O-RA'TION, n.

1. The act of paying honors to a divine being; the worship paid to God; the act of addressing as a God. Adoration consists in external homage, accompanied with the highest reverence. It is used for the act of praying, or preferring requests, or thanksgiving to the Supreme Being.
2. Homage paid to one in high esteem; profound reverence. Adoration, among the Jews, was performed by bowing, kneeling, and prostration. Among the Romans, the devotee, with his head uncovered, applied his right hand to his lips, bowing and turning himself from left to right. The Persians fell on the face, striking the forehead against the earth, and kissing the ground. The adoration paid to the Grecian and Roman emperors, consisted in bowing and kneeling at the feet of the prince, laying hold of his robe, then withdrawing the hand and clapping it to the lips. In modern times, adoration is paid to the pope by kissing his feet, and to princes, by kneeling and kissing the hand. This word was used by the Romans for acclamation or great applause, given to public performers; and the election of a pope is sometimes by adoration, that is, by sudden acclamation without scrutiny. Encyc.

A-DORE', v.t. [L. adoro. In Ch. and Heb.{foreign}, hadar, to honor, reverence, or glorify, to adorn; Heb. {foreign}, to be magnificent or glorious, to magnify, to glorify. This word is usually referred to the Latin ad orare, to carry to one's month; ad and os, oris; as, in order to kiss one's hand, the hand is carried to one's mouth. See Calmet, ad verbum, who cites, in confirmation of this opinion, the ancient practice of kissing the hand. See Job xxxi. I Kings xix. Ps. ii. Gen. xli. Ainsworth supposes the word to be a compound of ad and oro, to pray; and if the word is compound, as I suspect, this opinion is most probably correct.]

1. To worship with profound reverence; to address with exalted thoughts, by prayer and thanksgiving; to pay divine honors to; to honor as a god or as divine. Dryden.
2. To love in the highest degree; to regard with the utmost esteem, affection, and respect; as, the people adore their prince. Tatler.

A-DOR'ED, pp.

Worshiped as divine; highly reverenced; greatly beloved.