Acquittance Ac·quit"tance transitive verb To acquit. [ Obsolete] Shak.

Acquitter Ac·quit"ter noun One who acquits or releases.

Acrania A·cra"ni·a noun [ New Latin , from Greek 'a priv. + ... skull.] 1. (Physiol.) Partial or total absence of the skull.

2. plural (Zoology) The lowest group of Vertebrata, including the amphioxus, in which no skull exists.

Acranial A·cra"ni·al adjective Wanting a skull.

Acrase, Acraze A·crase", A·craze" transitive verb [ Prefix a- + crase ; or confer French écraser to crush. See Crase , Craze .]

1. To craze. [ Obsolete] Grafton.

2. To impair; to destroy. [ Obsolete] Hacket.

Acrasia, Acrasy A·cra"si·a, Ac"ra·sy noun [ Greek akrasia .] Excess; intemperance. [ Obsolete except in Med .] Farindon.

Acraspeda A·cras"pe·da noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek 'a priv. + ... border.] (Zoology) A group of acalephs, including most of the larger jellyfishes; the Discophora.

Acre A"cre noun [ Middle English aker , Anglo-Saxon æcer ; akin to Old Saxon accar , Old High German achar , German acker , Icelandic akr , Swedish åker , Danish ager , Goth. akrs , Latin ager , Greek ..., Sanskrit ajra . √2, 206.] 1. Any field of arable or pasture land. [ Obsolete]

2. A piece of land, containing 160 square rods, or 4,840 square yards, or 43,560 square feet. This is the English statute acre. That of the United States is the same. The Scotch acre was about 1.26 of the English, and the Irish 1.62 of the English.

» The acre was limited to its present definite quantity by statutes of Edward I., Edward III., and Henry VIII.

Broad acres , many acres, much landed estate. [ Rhetorical] -- God's acre , God's field; the churchyard.

I like that ancient Saxon phrase, which calls
The burial ground, God's acre .
Longfellow.

Acreable A"cre·a·ble adjective Of an acre; per acre; as, the acreable produce.

Acreage A"cre·age noun Acres collectively; as, the acreage of a farm or a country.

Acred A"cred adjective Possessing acres or landed property; -- used in composition; as, large- acred men.

Acrid Ac"rid adjective [ Latin acer sharp; probably assimilated in form to acid . See Eager .] 1. Sharp and harsh, or bitter and not, to the taste; pungent; as, acrid salts.

2. Causing heat and irritation; corrosive; as, acrid secretions.

3. Caustic; bitter; bitterly irritating; as, acrid temper, mind, writing.

Acrid poison , a poison which irritates, corrodes, or burns the parts to which it is applied.

Acridity, Acridness A·crid"i·ty, Ac"rid·ness noun The quality of being acrid or pungent; irritant bitterness; acrimony; as, the acridity of a plant, of a speech.

Acridly Ac"rid·ly adverb In an acid manner.

Acrimonious Ac"ri·mo"ni·ous adjective [ Confer Late Latin acrimonious , French acrimonieux .] 1. Acrid; corrosive; as, acrimonious gall. [ Archaic] Harvey.

2. Caustic; bitter-tempered' sarcastic; as, acrimonious dispute, language, temper.

Acrimoniously Ac`ri·mo"ni·ous·ly adverb In an acrimonious manner.

Acrimoniousness Ac`ri·mo"ni·ous·ness noun The quality of being acrimonious; asperity; acrimony.

Acrimony Ac"ri·mo·ny noun ; plural Acrimonies [ Latin acrimonia , from acer , sharp: confer French acrimonie .] 1. A quality of bodies which corrodes or destroys others; also, a harsh or biting sharpness; as, the acrimony of the juices of certain plants. [ Archaic] Bacon.

2. Sharpness or severity, as of language or temper; irritating bitterness of disposition or manners.

John the Baptist set himself with much acrimony and indignation to baffle this senseless arrogant conceit of theirs.
South.

Syn. -- Acrimony , Asperity , Harshness , Tartness . These words express different degrees of angry feeling or language. Asperity and harshness arise from angry feelings, connected with a disregard for the feelings of others. Harshness usually denotes needless severity or an undue measure of severity. Acrimony is a biting sharpness produced by an imbittered spirit. Tartness denotes slight asperity and implies some degree of intellectual readiness. Tartness of reply; harshness of accusation; acrimony of invective.

In his official letters he expressed, with great acrimony , his contempt for the king's character.
Macaulay.

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

A just reverence of mankind prevents the growth of harshness and brutality.
Shaftesbury.

Acrisia, Acrisy A·cris"i·a, Ac"ri·sy noun [ Late Latin acrisia , Greek ...; 'a priv. + ... to separate, to decide.] 1. Inability to judge.

2. (Medicine) Undecided character of a disease. [ Obsolete]

Acrita Ac"ri·ta noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek ... indiscernible; 'a priv. + ... to distinguish.] (Zoology) The lowest groups of animals, in which no nervous system has been observed.

Acritan Ac"ri·tan adjective (Zoology) Of or pertaining to the Acrita. -- noun An individual of the Acrita.

Acrite Ac"rite adjective (Zoology) Acritan. Owen.

Acritical A·crit"ic·al adjective [ Greek 'a priv. + ... critical.] (Medicine) Having no crisis; giving no indications of a crisis; as, acritical symptoms, an acritical abscess.

Acritochromacy Ac`ri·to·chro"ma·cy noun [ Greek ... undistinguishable; 'a priv. + ... to separate, distinguish + ... color.] Color blindness; achromatopsy.

Acritude Ac"ri·tude noun [ Latin acritudo , from acer sharp.] Acridity; pungency joined with heat. [ Obsolete]

Acrity Ac"ri·ty noun [ Latin acritas , from acer sharp: confer French âcreté .] Sharpness; keenness. [ Obsolete]

Acroamatic, Acroamatical Ac`ro·a·mat"ic, Ac`ro·a·mat"ic·al adjective [ Greek ..., from ... to hear.] Communicated orally; oral; -- applied to the esoteric teachings of Aristotle, those intended for his genuine disciples, in distinction from his exoteric doctrines, which were adapted to outsiders or the public generally. Hence: Abstruse; profound.

Acroatic Ac`ro·at"ic adjective [ Greek ..., from ... to hear.] Same as Acroamatic .

Acrobat Ac"ro·bat noun [ French acrobate , from Greek ... walking on tiptoe, climbing aloft; ... high + ... to go.] One who practices rope dancing, high vaulting, or other daring gymnastic feats.

Acrobatic Ac`ro·bat"ic adjective [ Confer French acrobatique .] Pertaining to an acrobat.

-- Ac`ro*bat"ic*al*ly , adverb

Acrobatism Ac"ro·bat·ism noun Feats of the acrobat; daring gymnastic feats; high vaulting.

Acrocarpous Ac`ro·car"pous adjective [ Greek ... extreme, highest + ... fruit.] (Botany) (a) Having a terminal fructification; having the fruit at the end of the stalk. (b) Having the fruit stalks at the end of a leafy stem, as in certain mosses.

Acrocephalic Ac`ro·ce·phal"ic adjective [ Greek ... highest + .... See Cephalic .] Characterized by a high skull.

Acrocephaly Ac`ro·ceph"a·ly noun Loftiness of skull.

Acroceraunian Ac`ro·ce·rau"ni·an adjective [ Latin acroceraunius , from Greek ... high, noun plural ... heights + ... thunderbolt.] Of or pertaining to the high mountain range of "thunder- smitten" peaks (now Kimara), between Epirus and Macedonia. Shelley.

Acrodactylum Ac`ro·dac"tyl·um noun [ New Latin , from Greek ... topmost + ... finger.] (Zoology) The upper surface of the toes, individually.

Acrodont Ac"ro·dont noun [ Greek 'a`kros summit + 'odoy`s , 'odo`ntos , a tooth.] (Zoology) One of a group of lizards having the teeth immovably united to the top of the alveolar ridge. -- adjective Of or pertaining to the acrodonts.

Acrogen Ac"ro·gen noun [ Greek 'a`kros extreme, high + -gen .] (Botany) A plant of the highest class of cryptogams, including the ferns, etc. See Cryptogamia .

The Age of Acrogens (Geol.) , the age of coal plants, or the carboniferous era.

Acrogenous Ac·rog"e·nous adjective (Botany) Increasing by growth from the extremity; as, an acrogenous plant.

Acrolein A·cro"le·in noun [ Latin acer sharp + olēre to smell.] (Chemistry) A limpid, colorless, highly volatile liquid, obtained by the dehydration of glycerin, or the destructive distillation of neutral fats containing glycerin. Its vapors are intensely irritating. Watts.

Acrolith Ac"ro·lith noun [ Latin acrolthus , Greek 'akroli`qos with the ends made of stone; 'a`kros extreme + li`qos stone.] (Arch. & Sculp.) A statue whose extremities are of stone, the trunk being generally of wood. Elmes.

Acrolithan, Acrolithic A·crol"i·than, Ac`ro·lith"ic adjective Pertaining to, or like, an acrolith.

Acromegaly Ac`ro·meg"a·ly noun [ New Latin acromegalia , from Greek 'a`kron point, peak + ..., ..., big.] (Medicine) Chronic enlargement of the extremities and face.

Acromial A·cro"mi·al adjective [ Confer French acromial .] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the acromion. Dunglison.

Acromion A·cro"mi·on noun [ Greek ...; 'a`kros extreme + ... shoulder: confer French acromion .] (Anat.) The outer extremity of the shoulder blade.

Acromonogrammatic Ac`ro·mon`o·gram·mat"ic adjective [ Greek 'a`kros extreme + ... alone + ... a letter.] Having each verse begin with the same letter as that with which the preceding verse ends.

Acronyc, Acronychal A·cron"yc, A·cron"ych·al adjective [ Greek 'akro`nychos at nightfall; 'a`kros + ny`x night.] (Astron.) Rising at sunset and setting at sunrise, as a star; -- opposed to cosmical .

» The word is sometimes incorrectly written acronical , achronychal , acronichal , and acronical .

Acronycally A·cron"yc·al·ly adverb In an acronycal manner as rising at the setting of the sun, and vice versa .

Acronyctous Ac"ro·nyc"tous adjective [ Greek 'akro`nyktos ; 'a`kros + ny`x , nykto`s , night.] (Astron.) Acronycal.

Acrook A·crook" adverb Crookedly. [ R.] Udall.

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