Emily Dickinson Lexicon

AL'PINE, a. [L. alpinus, from Alpes.]

1. Pertaining to the Alps, or to any lofty mountain; very high; elevated.
2. Growing on high mountains; as, alpine plants. – Milton. Thomson.

AL'PINE, n.

A kind of strawberry growing on lofty hills.

AL'PIST, or AL'PI-A, n.

The seed of the fox-tail; a small seed used for feeding birds. – Encyc.

AL'QUI-ER, n.

A measure in Portugal for dry things, as well as liquids, containing half an almude, or about two gallons. It is called also Cantar. – Port. Dict.

AL'QUI-FOU, n.

A sort of lead ore, which, when broken, looks like antimony. It is found in Cornwall, England; used by potters to give a green varnish to their wares, and called potter's ore. A small mixture of manganese gives it a blackish hue. – Encyc.

AL-READ'Y, adv. [alred'dy; all and ready. See Ready.]

Literally, a state of complete preparation; but, by an easy deflection, the sense is, at this time, or at a specified time. Elias is come already. – Matth. xvii. Joseph was in Egypt already. – Exod. i. It has reference to past time, but may be used for a future past; as, when you shall arrive the business will be already completed, or will have been completed already.

AL'SO, adv. [all and so. Sax. eal and swa; eal, all, the whole, and swa, so.]

Likewise; in like manner. Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. – Matth. xvi.

ALT, or AL'TO, a. [It. from L. altus, high; Celt. alt, ailt, a high place; Heb. עלית, upper, על, high.]

In music, a term applied to high notes in the scale. In sculpture, alto-relievo, high relief, is when the figures project half or more, without being entirely detached from the ground. – Encyc. Cyc.

AL-TA'IC, or AL-TA'IAN, a. [Tart. alatau, perhaps al-tag, high mountain. Tooke 1, 121.]

Pertaining to the Altai, a vast ridge of mountains extending, in an easterly direction, through a considerable part of Asia, and forming a boundary between the Russian and Chinese dominions. – Pinkerton. Encyc.

AL'TAR, n. [L. altare, probably from the same root as altus, high; Celt. alt, a high place.]

1. A mount; a table or elevated place, on which sacrifices were anciently offered to some deity. Altars were originally made of turf, afterwards of stone, wood, or horn; some were round, others square, others triangular. They differed also in highth, but all faced the east. The principal altars of the Jews were the altar of incense, of burnt-offerings, and of show-bread; all of shittim wood, and covered with gold or brass. – Encyc.
2. In modern churches, the communion table; and, figuratively, a church; a place of worship.
3. In Scripture, Christ is called the altar of Christians, he being the atoning sacrifice for sin. We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat, who serve tabernacles. – Heb. xiii.

AL'TAR-AGE, n.

The profits arising to priests from oblations, or on account of the altar. Also, in law, altars erected in virtue of donations, before the Reformation, within a parochial church, for the purpose of singing a mass for deceased friends. – Encyc.

AL'TAR-CLOTH, n.

A cloth to lay upon an altar in churches.

AL'TAR-FIRE, n.

Fire on an altar.

AL'TAR-IST, or AL'TAR-THANE, n.

In old laws, an appellation given to the priest to whom the altarage belonged; also a chaplain. – Cyc.

AL'TAR-PIECE, n.

A painting placed over the altar in a church. – Warton.

AL'TAR-WISE, adv.

Placed in the manner of an altar. – Howell.

AL'TER, v.i.

To become, in some respects, different; to vary; as, the weather alters almost daily. The law which altereth not. – Dan. vi.

AL'TER, v.t. [Fr. alterer; Sp. alterar; It. alterare; from L. alter, another. See Alien. Alter is supposed to be a contraction of αλλοτερῤος, alienus, of αλλος and ετερος.]

1. To make some change in; to make different in some particular; to vary in some degree, without an entire change. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that has gone out of my lips. – Ps. lxxxix.
2. To change entirely or materially; as, to alter an opinion. In general, to alter is to change partially; to change is more generally to substitute one thing for another, or to make a material difference in a thing.

AL-TER-A-BIL'I-TY, n.

The quality of being susceptible of alteration.

AL'TER-A-BLE, a.

That may become different; that may vary.

AL'TER-A-BLE-NESS, n.

The quality of admitting alteration; variableness.

AL'TER-A-BLY, adv.

In a manner that may be altered, or varied.

AL'TER-AGE, n. [From alo, to feed.]

The breeding, nourishing, or fostering of a child. Sir J. Davies. But this is not an English word.

AL'TER-ANT, a.

Altering; gradually changing.

AL'TER-ANT, n.

A medicine which gradually corrects the state of the body, and changes it from a diseased to a healthy condition. An alterative. – Encyc. Quincy.