Aggressor Ag·gres"sor noun [ Latin : confer French
agresseur .]
The person who first attacks or makes an aggression; he who begins hostility or a quarrel; an assailant. The insolence of the aggressor is usually proportioned to the tameness of the sufferer.
Ames.
Aggrievance Ag·griev"ance noun [ Old French
agrevance , from
agrever . See
Aggrieve .]
Oppression; hardship; injury; grievance. [ Archaic]
Aggrieve Ag·grieve" transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Aggrieved ;
present participle & verbal noun Aggrieving ] [ Middle English
agreven , Old French
agrever ;
a (L.
ad ) +
grever to burden, injure, Latin
gravare to weigh down, from
gravis heavy. See
Grieve , and confer
Aggravate .]
To give pain or sorrow to; to afflict; hence, to oppress or injure in one's rights; to bear heavily upon; -- now commonly used in the passive TO be aggrieved . Aggrieved by oppression and extortion.
Macaulay.
Aggrieve Ag·grieve" intransitive verb To grieve; to lament. [ Obsolete]
Aggroup Ag·group" transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Aggrouped ;
present participle & verbal noun Aggrouping .] [ French
agrouper ;
à (L.
ad ) +
groupe group. See
Group ..]
To bring together in a group; to group. Dryden.
Aggroupment Ag·group"ment noun Arrangement in a group or in groups; grouping.
Aggry Ag"gry Ag"gri adjective Applied to a kind of variegated glass beads of ancient manufacture; as, aggry beads are found in Ashantee and Fantee in Africa.
Aghast A·ghast" transitive verb See Agast , transitive verb [ Obsolete]
Aghast A·ghast" adjective & past participle [ Middle English
agast ,
agasted , past participle of
agasten to terrify, from Anglo-Saxon prefix
ā- (cf. Goth.
us- , German
er- , orig. meaning
out ) +
g...stan to terrify, torment: confer Goth.
usgaisjan to terrify, primitively to fix, to root to the spot with terror; akin to Latin
haerere to stick fast, cling. See
Gaze ,
Hesitate .]
Terrified; struck with amazement; showing signs of terror or horror. Aghast he waked; and, starting from his bed,
Cold sweat in clammy drops his limbs o'erspread.
Dryden.
The commissioners read and stood aghast .
Macaulay.
Agible Ag"i·ble adjective [ Confer Late Latin
agibilis , from Latin
agere to move, do.]
Possible to be done; practicable. [ Obsolete] "Fit for
agible things."
Sir A. Sherley.
Agile Ag"ile adjective [ French
agile , Latin
agilis , from
agere to move. See
Agent .]
Having the faculty of quick motion in the limbs; apt or ready to move; nimble; active; as, an agile boy; an agile tongue. Shaking it with agile hand.
Cowper.
Syn. -- Active; alert; nimble; brisk; lively; quick.
Agilely Ag"ile·ly adverb In an agile manner; nimbly.
Agileness Ag"ile·ness noun Agility; nimbleness. [ R.]
Agility A·gil"i·ty noun [ French
agilié , Latin
agilitas , from
agilis .]
1. The quality of being agile; the power of moving the limbs quickly and easily; nimbleness; activity; quickness of motion; as, strength and agility of body. They . . . trust to the agility of their wit.
Bacon.
Wheeling with the agility of a hawk.
Sir W. Scott.
2. Activity; powerful agency. [ Obsolete]
The agility of the sun's fiery heat.
Holland.
Agio Ag"i·o noun ;
plural Agios [ Italian
aggio exchange, discount, premium, the same word as
agio ease. See Ease.]
(Com.) The premium or percentage on a better sort of money when it is given in exchange for an inferior sort. The premium or discount on foreign bills of exchange is sometimes called agio .
Agiotage Ag"i·o·tage noun [ French
agiotage , from
agioter to practice stockjobbing, from
agio .]
Exchange business; also, stockjobbing; the maneuvers of speculators to raise or lower the price of stocks or public funds. Vanity and agiotage are to a Parisian the oxygen and hydrogen of life.
Landor.
Agist A·gist" transitive verb [ Old French
agister ;
à (L.
ad ) +
gister to assign a lodging, from
giste lodging, abode, French
gîte , Late Latin
gistum ,
gista , from Latin
jacitum , past participle of
jac...re to lie: confer Late Latin
agistare ,
adgistare . See
Gist .]
(Law) To take to graze or pasture, at a certain sum; -- used originally of the feeding of cattle in the king's forests, and collecting the money for the same. Blackstone.
Agistator Ag`is·ta"tor noun [ Late Latin ]
See Agister .
Agister, Agistor A·gist"er, A·gist"or noun [ Anglo-Norman
agistour .]
(Law) (a) Formerly, an officer of the king's forest, who had the care of cattle agisted, and collected the money for the same; -- hence called gisttaker , which in England is corrupted into guest- taker . (b) Now, one who agists or takes in cattle to pasture at a certain rate; a pasturer. Mozley & W.
Agistment A·gist"ment noun [ Old French
agistement . See
Agist .]
(Law) (a) Formerly, the taking and feeding of other men's cattle in the king's forests. (b) The taking in by any one of other men's cattle to graze at a certain rate. Mozley & W. (c) The price paid for such feeding. (d) A charge or rate against lands; as, an agistment of sea banks, i. e. , charge for banks or dikes.
Agitable Ag"i·ta·ble adjective [ Latin
agitabilis : confer French
agitable .]
Capable of being agitated, or easily moved. [ R.]
Agitate Ag"i·tate transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Agitated ;
present participle & verbal noun Agitating ] [ Latin
agitatus , past participle of
agitare to put in motion, from
agere to move: confer French
agiter . See
Act ,
Agent .]
1. To move with a violent, irregular action; as, the wind agitates the sea; to agitate water in a vessel. "Winds . . .
agitate the air."
Cowper. 2. To move or actuate. [ R.]
Thomson. 3. To stir up; to disturb or excite; to perturb; as, he was greatly agitated . The mind of man is agitated by various passions.
Johnson.
4. To discuss with great earnestness; to debate; as, a controversy hotly agitated . Boyle. 5. To revolve in the mind, or view in all its aspects; to contrive busily; to devise; to plot; as, politicians agitate desperate designs. Syn. -- To move; shake; excite; rouse; disturb; distract; revolve; discuss; debate; canvass.
Agitatedly Ag"i·ta`ted·ly adverb In an agitated manner.
Agitation Ag`i·ta"tion noun [ Latin
agitatio : confer French
agitation .]
1. The act of agitating, or the state of being agitated; the state of being moved with violence, or with irregular action; commotion; as, the sea after a storm is in agitation . 2. A stirring up or arousing; disturbance of tranquillity; disturbance of mind which shows itself by physical excitement; perturbation; as, to cause any one agitation . 3. Excitement of public feeling by discussion, appeals, etc.; as, the antislavery agitation ; labor agitation . "Religious
agitations ."
Prescott. 4. Examination or consideration of a subject in controversy, or of a plan proposed for adoption; earnest discussion; debate. A logical agitation of the matter.
L'Estrange.
The project now in agitation .
Swift.
Syn. -- Emotion; commotion; excitement; trepidation; tremor; perturbation. See
Emotion .
Agitative Ag"i·ta·tive adjective Tending to agitate.
Agitato A`gi·ta"to adjective [ Italian , agitated.]
(Mus.) Sung or played in a restless, hurried, and spasmodic manner.
Agitator Ag"i·ta`tor noun [ Latin ]
1. One who agitates; one who stirs up or excites others; as, political reformers and agitators . 2. (Eng. Hist.) One of a body of men appointed by the army, in Cromwell's time, to look after their interests; - - called also adjutators . Clarendon. 3. An implement for shaking or mixing.
Agleam A·gleam" adverb & adjective [ Prefix
a- +
gleam .]
Gleaming; as, faces agleam . Lowell.
Aglet Ag"let (ăg"lĕt),
Aig"let (āg"lĕt)
noun [ French
aiguillette point, tagged point, dim. of
aiguilee needle, from Late Latin
acucula for
acicula , dim. of Latin
acus needle, pin; confer Old French
agleter to hook on. See
Acute , and confer
Aiguillette .]
1. A tag of a lace or of the points, braids, or cords formerly used in dress. They were sometimes formed into small images. Hence, " aglet baby" ( Shak. ), an aglet image. 2. (Haberdashery) A round white staylace. Beck.
Agley A·gley" adverb Aside; askew. [ Scotch]
Burns.
Aglimmer A·glim"mer adverb & adjective [ Prefix
a- +
glimmer .]
In a glimmering state. Hawthorne.
Aglitter A·glit"ter adverb & adjective [ Prefix
a- +
glitter .]
Glittering; in a glitter.
Aglossal A·glos"sal adjective [ Greek ....]
(Zoology) Without tongue; tongueless.
Aglow A·glow" adverb & adjective [ Prefix
a- +
glow .]
In a glow; glowing; as, cheeks aglow ; the landscape all aglow .
Aglutition Ag`lu·ti"tion noun [ Prefix
a- not + Latin
glutire to swallow.]
(Medicine) Inability to swallow.
Agminal Ag"mi·nal adjective [ Latin
agminalis ;
agmen ,
agminis , a train.]
Pertaining to an army marching, or to a train. [ R.]
Agminate, Agminated Ag"mi·nate, Ag"mi·na`ted adjective [ Latin
agmen ,
agminis , a train, crowd.]
(Physiol.) Grouped together; as, the agminated glands of Peyer in the small intestine.
Agnail Ag"nail noun [ Anglo-Saxon
angnægl ;
ange vexation, trouble +
nægel nail. Confer
Hangnail .]
1. A corn on the toe or foot. [ Obsolete]
2. An inflammation or sore under or around the nail; also, a hangnail.
Agnate Ag"nate adjective [ Latin
agnatus , past participle of
agnasci to be born in addition to;
ad +
nasci (for
gnasci ) to be born. Confer
Adnate .]
1. Related or akin by the father's side; also, sprung from the same male ancestor. 2. Allied; akin. "
Agnate words."
Pownall. Assume more or less of a fictitious character, but congenial and agnate with the former.
Landor.
Agnate Ag"nate noun [ Confer French
agnat .]
(Civil Law) A relative whose relationship can be traced exclusively through males.
Agnatic Ag·nat"ic adjective [ Confer French
agnatique .]
Pertaining to descent by the male line of ancestors. "The
agnatic succession."
Blackstone.
Agnation Ag·na"tion noun [ Latin
agnatio : confer French
agnation .]
1. (Civil Law) Consanguinity by a line of males only, as distinguished from cognation . Bouvier.
Agnition Ag·ni"tion (ăg*nĭsh"ŭn)
noun [ Latin
agnitio , from
agnoscere . See
Notion .]
Acknowledgment. [ Obsolete]
Grafton.
Agnize Ag·nize" (ăg*nīz")
transitive verb [ Formed like
recognize , from Latin
agnoscere .]
To recognize; to acknowledge. [ Archaic]
I do agnize a natural and prompt alacrity.
Shak.
Agnoiology Ag`noi·ol"o·gy (ăg`noi*ŏl"o*jȳ)
noun [ Greek
'a`gnoia ignorance +
-logy .]
(Metaph.) The doctrine concerning those things of which we are necessarily ignorant.
Agnomen Ag·no"men (ăg*nō"mĕn)
noun [ Latin ;
ad +
nomen name.]
1. An additional or fourth name given by the Romans, on account of some remarkable exploit or event; as, Publius Caius Scipio Africanus . 2. An additional name, or an epithet appended to a name; as, Aristides the Just .
Agnominate Ag·nom"i·nate (ăg*nŏm"ĭ*nāt)
transitive verb To name. [ Obsolete]
Agnomination Ag·nom`i·na"tion noun [ Latin
agnominatio . See
Agnomen .]
1. A surname. [ R.]
Minsheu. 2. Paronomasia; also, alliteration; annomination.
Agnostic Ag·nos"tic adjective [ Greek
'a priv. + ... knowing, ... to know.]
Professing ignorance; involving no dogmatic; pertaining to or involving agnosticism. --
Ag*nos"tic*al*ly adverb
Agnostic Ag·nos"tic noun One who professes ignorance, or denies that we have any knowledge, save of phenomena; one who supports agnosticism, neither affirming nor denying the existence of a personal Deity, a future life, etc.