Apositic adjective [ Greek ...; ... from + ... food.] (Medicine) Destroying the appetite, or suspending hunger.

Apostasy noun ; plural Apostasies [ Middle English apostasie , French apostasie , Latin apostasia , from Greek ... a standing off from, a defection, from ... to stand off, revolt; ... from + ... to stand. See Off and Stand .] An abandonment of what one has voluntarily professed; a total desertion of departure from one's faith, principles, or party; esp., the renunciation of a religious faith; as, Julian's apostasy from Christianity.

Apostate noun [ Latin apostata , Greek ..., from .... See Apostasy .]
1. One who has forsaken the faith, principles, or party, to which he before adhered; esp., one who has forsaken his religion for another; a pervert; a renegade.

2. (R. C. Ch.) One who, after having received sacred orders, renounces his clerical profession.

Apostate adjective Pertaining to, or characterized by, apostasy; faithless to moral allegiance; renegade.

So spake the apostate angel.
Milton.

A wretched and apostate state.
Steele.

Apostate intransitive verb [ Latin apostatare .] To apostatize. [ Obsolete]

We are not of them which apostate from Christ.
Bp. Hall.

Apostatic adjective [ Latin apostaticus , Greek ....] Apostatical. [ R.]

Apostatical adjective Apostate.

An heretical and apostatical church.
Bp. Hall.

Apostatize intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Apostatized ; present participle & verbal noun Apostatizing .] [ Late Latin apostatizare .] To renounce totally a religious belief once professed; to forsake one's church, the faith or principles once held, or the party to which one has previously adhered.

He apostatized from his old faith in facts, took to believing in ...emblances.
Carlyle.

Apostemate intransitive verb [ See Aposteme .] To form an abscess; to swell and fill with pus. Wiseman.

Apostemation noun [ Late Latin apostematio : confer French apostémation .] (Medicine) The formation of an aposteme; the process of suppuration. [ Written corruptly imposthumation .] Wiseman.

Apostematous adjective Pertaining to, or partaking of the nature of, an aposteme.

Aposteme noun [ Latin apostema , Greek ... the separation of corrupt matter into an ulcer, from ... to stand off: confer French apostème . See Apostasy .] (Medicine) An abscess; a swelling filled with purulent matter. [ Written corruptly imposthume .]

Apostil, Apostille noun [ French apostille . See Postil .] A marginal note on a letter or other paper; an annotation. Motley.

Apostle noun [ Middle English apostle , apostel , postle , Anglo-Saxon apostol , Latin apostolus , from Greek ... messenger, one sent forth or away, from ... to send off or away; ... from + ... to send; akin to German stellen to set, English stall : confer French apôtre , Of. apostre , apostle , apostele , apostole .]
1. Literally: One sent forth; a messenger. Specifically: One of the twelve disciples of Christ, specially chosen as his companions and witnesses, and sent forth to preach the gospel.

He called unto him his disciples, and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles .
Luke vi. 13.

» The title of apostle is also applied to others, who, though not of the number of the Twelve, yet were equal with them in office and dignity; as, "Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ." 1 Cor. i. 1. In Hebrew iii. 1 , the name is given to Christ himself, as having been sent from heaven to publish the gospel. In the primitive church, other ministers were called apostles (Rom. xvi. 7).

2. The missionary who first plants the Christian faith in any part of the world; also, one who initiates any great moral reform, or first advocates any important belief; one who has extraordinary success as a missionary or reformer; as, Dionysius of Corinth is called the apostle of France, John Eliot the apostle to the Indians, Theobald Mathew the apostle of temperance.

3. (Civ. & Admiralty Law) A brief letter dimissory sent by a court appealed from to the superior court, stating the case, etc.; a paper sent up on appeals in the admiralty courts. Wharton. Burrill.

Apostles' creed , a creed of unknown origin, which was formerly ascribed to the apostles. It certainly dates back to the beginning of the sixth century, and some assert that it can be found in the writings of Ambrose in the fourth century. -- Apostle spoon (Antiq.) , a spoon of silver, with the handle terminating in the figure of an apostle. One or more were offered by sponsors at baptism as a present to the godchild. B. Jonson.

Apostleship noun The office or dignity of an apostle.

Apostolate noun [ Latin apostolatus , from apostolus . See Apostle .]
1. The dignity, office, or mission, of an apostle; apostleship.

Judas had miscarried and lost his apostolate .
Jer. Taylor.

2. The dignity or office of the pope, as the holder of the apostolic see.

Apostolic noun [ Latin apostolicus .] (Eccl. Hist.) A member of one of certain ascetic sects which at various times professed to imitate the practice of the apostles.

Apostolic delegate (R. C. Ch.) The diplomatic agent of the pope highest in grade, superior to a nuncio.

Apostolic, Apostolical adjective [ Latin apostolicus , Greek ...: confer French apostolique .]
1. Pertaining to an apostle, or to the apostles, their times, or their peculiar spirit; as, an apostolical mission; the apostolic age.

2. According to the doctrines of the apostles; delivered or taught by the apostles; as, apostolic faith or practice.

3. Of or pertaining to the pope or the papacy; papal.

Apostolical brief . See under Brief . -- Apostolic canons , a collection of rules and precepts relating to the duty of Christians, and particularly to the ceremonies and discipline of the church in the second and third centuries. -- Apostolic church , the Christian church; -- so called on account of its apostolic foundation, doctrine, and order. The churches of Rome, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem were called apostolic churches . -- Apostolic constitutions , directions of a nature similar to the apostolic canons , and perhaps compiled by the same authors or author. -- Apostolic fathers , early Christian writers, who were born in the first century, and thus touched on the age of the apostles. They were Polycarp, Clement, Ignatius, and Hermas; to these Barnabas has sometimes been added. -- Apostolic king (or majesty ), a title granted by the pope to the kings of Hungary on account of the extensive propagation of Christianity by St. Stephen, the founder of the royal line. It is now a title of the emperor of Austria in right of the throne of Hungary. -- Apostolic see , a see founded and governed by an apostle; specifically, the Church of Rome; -- so called because, in the Roman Catholic belief, the pope is the successor of St. Peter, the prince of the apostles, and the only apostle who has successors in the apostolic office. -- Apostolical succession , the regular and uninterrupted transmission of ministerial authority by a succession of bishops from the apostles to any subsequent period. Hook.

Apostolically adverb In an apostolic manner.

Apostolicalness noun Apostolicity. Dr. H. More.

Apostolicism, Apostolicity noun The state or quality of being apostolical.

Apostrophe noun [ (1) Latin , from Greek ... a turning away, from ... to turn away; ... from + ... to turn. (2) F., from Latin apostrophus apostrophe, the turning away or omitting of a letter, Greek ....]
1. (Rhet.) A figure of speech by which the orator or writer suddenly breaks off from the previous method of his discourse, and addresses, in the second person, some person or thing, absent or present; as, Milton's apostrophe to Light at the beginning of the third book of "Paradise Lost."

2. (Gram.) The contraction of a word by the omission of a letter or letters, which omission is marked by the character [ '] placed where the letter or letters would have been; as, call'd for called .

3. The mark [ '] used to denote that a word is contracted (as in ne'er for never, can't for can not), and as a sign of the possessive, singular and plural; as, a boy's hat, boys' hats. In the latter use it originally marked the omission of the letter e .

The apostrophe is used to mark the plural of figures and letters; as, two 10's and three a's. It is also employed to mark the close of a quotation.

Apostrophic adjective Pertaining to an apostrophe, grammatical or rhetorical.

Apostrophize transitive verb , [ imperfect & past participle Apostrophized ; present participle & verbal noun Apostrophizing .]
1. To address by apostrophe.

2. To contract by omitting a letter or letters; also, to mark with an apostrophe (') or apostrophes.

Apostrophize intransitive verb To use the rhetorical figure called apostrophe .

Apostume noun See Aposteme . [ Obsolete]

Apotactite noun [ Late Latin plural apotactitae , Greek ..., from ... set apart; ... from + ... to arrange, ordain.] (Eccl. Hist.) One of a sect of ancient Christians, who, in supposed imitation of the first believers, renounced all their possessions.

Apotelesm noun [ See Apotelesmatic .]
1. The result or issue. [ Obsolete]

2. (Astrol.) The calculation and explanation of a nativity. [ Obsolete] Bailey.

Apotelesmatic adjective [ Greek ..., from ... effect of the stars on human destiny, from ... to complete; ... from + ... to end, ... end.]
1. Relating to the casting of horoscopes. [ Archaic] Whewell.

2. Relating to an issue of fulfillment.

In this way a passage in the Old Testament may have, or rather comprise, an apotelesmatic sense, i. e. , one of after or final accomplishment.
M. Stuart.

Apothecary noun ; plural Apothecaries . [ Middle English apotecarie , from Late Latin apothecarius , from Latin apotheca storehouse, Greek apo , from ... to put away; ... from + ... to put: confer French apothicaire , Old French apotecaire . See Thesis .] One who prepares and sells drugs or compounds for medicinal purposes.

» In England an apothecary is one of a privileged class of practitioners -- a kind of sub-physician. The surgeon apothecary is the ordinary family medical attendant. One who sells drugs and makes up prescriptions is now commonly called in England a druggist or a pharmaceutical chemist.

Apothecaries' weight , the system of weights by which medical prescriptions were formerly compounded. The pound and ounce are the same as in Troy weight; they differ only in the manner of subdivision. The ounce is divided into 8 drams, 24 scruples, 480 grains. See Troy weight .

Apothecium noun ; plural Apothecia [ New Latin ] (Botany) The ascigerous fructification of lichens, forming masses of various shapes.

Apothegm, Apophthegm noun [ Greek 'apo`fqegma thing uttered, apothegm, from 'apofqe`ggesqai to speak out; 'apo` from + fqe`ggesqai to speak.] A short, pithy, and instructive saying; a terse remark, conveying some important truth; a sententious precept or maxim. [ Apothegm is now the prevalent spelling in the United States.]

Apothegmatic, Apothegmatical adjective [ Greek 'apofqegmatiko`s .] Pertaining to, or in the manner of, an apothegm; sententious; pithy.

Apothegmatist noun A collector or maker of apothegms. Pope.

Apothegmatize intransitive verb To utter apothegms, or short and sententious sayings.

Apothem noun [ Greek ... + ... that which is placed, ... to place.]
1. (Math.) The perpendicular from the center to one of the sides of a regular polygon.

2. A deposit formed in a liquid extract of a vegetable substance by exposure to the air.

Apotheosis noun plural Apotheoses [ Latin , from Greek ..., from ... to deify; ... from + ... to deify, ... a god.]
1. The act of elevating a mortal to the rank of, and placing him among, "the gods;" deification.

2. Glorification; exaltation. "The apotheosis of chivalry." Prescott. "The noisy apotheosis of liberty and machinery." F. Harrison.

Apotheosize transitive verb To exalt to the dignity of a deity; to declare to be a god; to deify; to glorify.

Apothesis noun [ Greek ... a putting back or away, from .... See Apothecary .] (Architecture) (a) A place on the south side of the chancel in the primitive churches, furnished with shelves, for books, vestments, etc. Weale. (b) A dressing room connected with a public bath.

Apotome noun [ Greek ... a cutting off, from ... to cut off; ... from + ... to cut.]
1. (Math.) The difference between two quantities commensurable only in power, as between √2 and 1, or between the diagonal and side of a square.

2. (Mus) The remaining part of a whole tone after a smaller semitone has been deducted from it; a major semitone. [ Obsolete]

Apozem noun [ Latin apozema , Greek ..., from ... to extract by boiling; ... from + ... boil.] (Medicine) A decoction or infusion. [ Obsolete] Wiseman.

Apozemical adjective Pertaining to, or resembling, a decoction. [ Obsolete] J. Whitaker.

Appair transitive verb & i. [ Old French empeirier , French empire . See Impair .] To impair; to grow worse. [ Obsolete]

Appalachian adjective Of or pertaining to a chain of mountains in the United States, commonly called the Allegheny mountains.

» The name Appalachian was given to the mountains by the Spaniards under De Soto, who derived it from the neighboring Indians. Am. Cyc.

Appall transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Appalled ; present participle & verbal noun Appalling .] [ Old French appalir to grow pale, make pale; a (L. ad ) + pâlir to grow pale, to make pale, pâle pale. See Pale, adjective , and confer Pall .]
1. To make pale; to blanch. [ Obsolete]

The answer that ye made to me, my dear, . . .
Hath so appalled my countenance.
Wyatt.

2. To weaken; to enfeeble; to reduce; as, an old appalled wight. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Wine, of its own nature, will not congeal and freeze, only it will lose the strength, and become appalled in extremity of cold.
Holland.

3. To depress or discourage with fear; to impress with fear in such a manner that the mind shrinks, or loses its firmness; to overcome with sudden terror or horror; to dismay; as, the sight appalled the stoutest heart.

The house of peers was somewhat appalled at this alarum.
Clarendon.

Syn. -- To dismay; terrify; daunt; frighten; affright; scare; depress. See Dismay .

Appall intransitive verb
1. To grow faint; to become weak; to become dismayed or discouraged. [ Obsolete] Gower.

2. To lose flavor or become stale. [ Obsolete]

Appall noun Terror; dismay. [ Poet.] Cowper.

Appalling adjective Such as to appall; as, an appalling accident. -- Ap*pall"ing*ly , adverb

Appallment noun Depression occasioned by terror; dismay. [ Obsolete] Bacon.