Aspect As"pect noun (Aëronautics) A view of a plane from a given direction, usually from above; more exactly, the manner of presentation of a plane to a fluid through which it is moving or to a current. If an immersed plane meets a current of fluid long side foremost, or in broadside aspect , it sustains more pressure than when placed short side foremost. Hence, long narrow wings are more effective than short broad ones of the same area.

Aspect ratio Aspect ratio (Aëronautics) The ratio of the long to the short side of an aëroplane, aërocurve, or wing.

Aspectable As·pect"a·ble adjective [ Latin aspectabilis .] Capable of being; visible. "The aspectable world." Ray. " Aspectable stars." Mrs. Browning.

Aspectant As·pect"ant adjective (Her.) Facing each other.

Aspected As·pect"ed adjective Having an aspect. [ Obsolete] B. Jonson.

Aspection As·pec"tion noun [ Latin aspectio , from aspicere to look at.] The act of viewing; a look. [ Obsolete]

Aspen Asp"en (ăs"pĕn), Asp (ȧsp) noun [ Anglo-Saxon æsp , æps ; akin to Old High German aspa , Icelandic ösp , Danish æsp , Swedish asp , Dutch esp , German espe , äspe , aspe ; confer Lettish apsa , Lithuanian apuszis .] (Botany) One of several species of poplar bearing this name, especially the Populus tremula , so called from the trembling of its leaves, which move with the slightest impulse of the air.

Aspen Asp"en (ăs"pĕn) adjective Of or pertaining to the aspen, or resembling it; made of aspen wood.

Nor aspen leaves confess the gentlest breeze.
Gay.

Asper As"per (ăs"pẽr) adjective [ Middle English aspre , Old French aspre , French âpre , from Latin asper rough.] Rough; rugged; harsh; bitter; stern; fierce. [ Archaic] "An asper sound." Bacon.

Asper As"per (ăs"pẽr) noun [ Latin spiritus asper rough breathing.] (Greek Gram.) The rough breathing; a mark placed over an initial vowel sound or over ρ to show that it is aspirated, that is, pronounced with h before it; thus "ws , pronounced hōs, "rh`twr , pronounced hrā"tōr.

Asper As"per noun [ French aspre or Italian aspro , from MGr. 'a`spron , 'a`spros , white (prob. from the whiteness of new silver coins).] A Turkish money of account (formerly a coin), of little value; the 120th part of a piaster.

Asperate As"per·ate transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Asperated ; present participle & verbal noun Asperating .] [ Latin asperatus , past participle of asperare , from asper rough.] To make rough or uneven.

The asperated part of its surface.
Boyle.

Asperation As`per·a"tion noun The act of asperating; a making or becoming rough. Bailey.

Asperges As·per"ges noun [ Latin , Thou shalt sprinkle.] (R. C. Ch.) (a) The service or ceremony of sprinkling with holy water. (b) The brush or instrument used in sprinkling holy water; an aspergill.

Aspergill As"per·gill As`per*gil"lum noun [ Late Latin aspergillum , from Latin aspergere . See Asperse , transitive verb ] 1. The brush used in the Roman Catholic church for sprinkling holy water on the people. [ Also written aspergillus .]

2. (Zoology) See Wateringpot shell .

Aspergilliform As`per·gil"li·form adjective [ Aspergillum + -form .] (Botany) Resembling the aspergillum in form; as, an aspergilliform stigma. Gray.

Asperifoliate, Asperifolious As`per·i·fo"li·ate, As`per·i·fo"li·ous adjective [ Latin asper rough + folium leaf.] (Botany) Having rough leaves.

» By some applied to the natural order now called Boraginaceæ or borageworts.

Asperity As·per"i·ty noun ; plural Asperities [ Latin asperitas , from asper rough: confer French aspérité .] 1. Roughness of surface; unevenness; -- opposed to smoothness . "The asperities of dry bodies." Boyle.

2. Roughness or harshness of sound; that quality which grates upon the ear; raucity.

3. Roughness to the taste; sourness; tartness.

4. Moral roughness; roughness of manner; severity; crabbedness; harshness; -- opposed to mildness . " Asperity of character." Landor.

It is no very cynical asperity not to confess obligations where no benefit has been received.
Johnson.

5. Sharpness; disagreeableness; difficulty.

The acclivities and asperities of duty.
Barrow.

Syn. -- Acrimony; moroseness; crabbedness; harshness; sourness; tartness. See Acrimony .

Aspermatous A·sper"ma·tous adjective [ Greek 'a priv. + ..., ..., seed.] (Botany) Aspermous.

Aspermous A·sper"mous adjective [ Greek ...; 'a priv. + ... seed.] (Botany) Destitute of seeds; aspermatous.

Asperne A·sperne" transitive verb [ Latin aspernari ; a ( ab ) + spernari .] To spurn; to despise. [ Obsolete] Sir T. More.

Asperous As"per·ous adjective [ See Asper , adjective ] Rough; uneven. Boyle.

Asperse As·perse" transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Aspersed ; present participle & verbal noun Aspersing .] [ Latin aspersus , past participle of aspergere to scatter, sprinkle; ad + spargere to strew. See Sparse .] 1. To sprinkle, as water or dust, upon anybody or anything, or to besprinkle any one with a liquid or with dust. Heywood.

2. To bespatter with foul reports or false and injurious charges; to tarnish in point of reputation or good name; to slander or calumniate; as, to asperse a poet or his writings; to asperse a man's character.

With blackest crimes aspersed .
Cowper.

Syn. -- To slander; defame; detract from; calumniate; vilify. -- To Asperse , Defame , Slander , Calumniate . These words have in common the idea of falsely assailing the character of another. To asperse is figuratively to cast upon a character hitherto unsullied the imputation of blemishes or faults which render it offensive or loathsome. To defame is to detract from a man's honor and reputation by charges calculated to load him with infamy. Slander (etymologically the same as scandal ) and calumniate , from the Latin, have in common the sense of circulating reports to a man's injury from unworthy or malicious motives. Men asperse their neighbors by malignant insinuations; they defame by advancing charges to blacken or sully their fair fame; they slander or calumniate by spreading injurious reports which are false, or by magnifying slight faults into serious errors or crimes.

Aspersed As·persed" adjective 1. (Her.) Having an indefinite number of small charges scattered or strewed over the surface. Cussans.

2. Bespattered; slandered; calumniated. Motley.

Asperser As·pers"er noun One who asperses; especially, one who vilifies another.

Aspersion As·per"sion noun [ Latin aspersio , from aspergere : confer French aspersion .] 1. A sprinkling, as with water or dust, in a literal sense.

Behold an immersion, not and aspersion .
Jer. Taylor.

2. The spreading of calumniations reports or charges which tarnish reputation, like the bespattering of a body with foul water; calumny.

Every candid critic would be ashamed to cast wholesale aspersions on the entire body of professional teachers.
Grote.

Who would by base aspersions blot thy virtue.
Dryden.

Aspersive As·pers"ive adjective Tending to asperse; defamatory; slanderous. -- As*pers"ive*ly , adverb

Aspersoir As`per`soir" noun [ French] An aspergill.

Aspersorium As`per·so"ri·um noun ; plural Aspersoria [ Late Latin See Asperse .] 1. The stoup, basin, or other vessel for holy water in Roman Catholic churches.

2. A brush for sprinkling holy water; an aspergill.

Asphalt As"phalt transitive verb To cover with asphalt; as, to asphalt a roof; asphalted streets.

Asphalt, Asphaltum As"phalt, As·phal"tum noun [ Greek ..., of eastern origin: confer French asphalte .] 1. Mineral pitch, Jews' pitch, or compact native bitumen. It is brittle, of a black or brown color and high luster on a surface of fracture; it melts and burns when heated, leaving no residue. It occurs on the surface and shores of the Dead Sea, which is therefore called Asphaltites , or the Asphaltic Lake. It is found also in many parts of Asia, Europe, and America. See Bitumen .

2. A composition of bitumen, pitch, lime, and gravel, used for forming pavements, and as a water-proof cement for bridges, roofs, etc.; asphaltic cement. Artificial asphalt is prepared from coal tar, lime, sand, etc.

Asphalt stone , Asphalt rock , a limestone found impregnated with asphalt.

Asphalte As`phalte" noun [ French See Asphalt .] Asphaltic mastic or cement. See Asphalt , 2.

Asphaltic As·phal"tic adjective Pertaining to, of the nature of, or containing, asphalt; bituminous. " Asphaltic pool." " Asphaltic slime." Milton.

Asphaltite As·phal"tite adjective Asphaltic.

Asphaltite As·phal"tite adjective Asphaltic. Bryant.

Asphaltus As·phal"tus noun See Asphalt .

Asphodel As"pho·del noun [ Latin asphodelus , Greek .... See Daffodil .] (Botany) A general name for a plant of the genus Asphodelus . The asphodels are hardy perennial plants, several species of which are cultivated for the beauty of their flowers.

» The name is also popularly given to species of other genera. The asphodel of the early English and French poets was the daffodil. The asphodel of the Greek poets is supposed to be the Narcissus poeticus . Dr. Prior.

Pansies, and violets, and asphodel .
Milton.

Asphyctic As·phyc"tic adjective Pertaining to asphyxia.

Asphyxia, Asphyxy As·phyx"i·a, As·phyx"y noun [ New Latin asphyxia , from Greek ...; 'a priv. + ... to throb, beat.] (Medicine) Apparent death, or suspended animation; the condition which results from interruption of respiration, as in suffocation or drowning, or the inhalation of irrespirable gases.

Asphyxial As·phyx"i·al adjective Of or relating to asphyxia; as, asphyxial phenomena.

Asphyxiate As·phyx"i·ate transitive verb To bring to a state of asphyxia; to suffocate. [ Used commonly in the past pple.]

Asphyxiated, Asphyxied As·phyx"i·a`ted, As·phyx"ied past participle In a state of asphyxia; suffocated.

Asphyxiation As·phyx`i·a"tion noun The act of causing asphyxia; a state of asphyxia.

Aspic As"pic noun [ French See Asp .] 1. The venomous asp. [ Chiefly poetic] Shak. Tennyson.

2. A piece of ordnance carrying a 12 pound shot. [ Obsolete]

Aspic As"pic noun [ French, a corrupt. of spic (OF. espi , French épi ), Latin spica ( spicum , spicus ), ear, spike. See Spike .] A European species of lavender ( Lavandula spica ), which produces a volatile oil. See Spike .

Aspic As"pic noun [ French, probably from aspic an asp.] A savory meat jelly containing portions of fowl, game, fish, hard boiled eggs, etc. Thackeray.

Aspidobranchia As`pi·do·bran"chi·a noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek ..., ..., shield + ... gills.] (Zoology) A group of Gastropoda, with limpetlike shells, including the abalone shells and keyhole limpets.

Aspirant As·pir"ant adjective [ Confer French aspirant , present participle of aspirer . See Aspire .] Aspiring.

Aspirant As·pir"ant noun [ Confer French aspirant .] One who aspires; one who eagerly seeks some high position or object of attainment.

In consequence of the resignations . . . the way to greatness was left clear to a new set of aspirants .
Macaulay.

Aspirate As"pi·rate transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Aspirated ; present participle & verbal noun Aspirating ] [ Latin aspiratus , past participle of aspirare to breathe toward or upon, to add the breathing h ; ad + spirare to breathe, blow. Confer Aspire .] To pronounce with a breathing, an aspirate, or an h sound; as, we aspirate the words horse and house ; to aspirate a vowel or a liquid consonant.

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