Alarming A·larm"ing adjective Exciting, or calculated to excite, alarm; causing apprehension of danger; as, an alarming crisis or report. -- A*larm"ing*ly, adv .
Alarmist A·larm"ist noun [ Confer French
alarmiste .]
One prone to sound or excite alarms, especially, needless alarms. Macaulay.
Alarum A·lar"um noun [ Middle English
alarom , the same word as
alarm , noun ]
See Alarm . [ Now Poetic] » The variant form
alarum is now commonly restricted to an alarm signal or the mechanism to sound an alarm (as in an alarm clock.)
Alary Al"a·ry adjective [ Latin
alarius , from
ala wing.]
Of or pertaining to wings; also, wing- shaped. The alary system of insects.
Wollaston.
Alas A·las" interj. [ Middle English
alas ,
allas , Old French
alas , French
hélas ;
a interj. (L.
ah .) +
las wretched (that I am), Latin
lassus weary, akin to English
late . See
Late .]
An exclamation expressive of sorrow, pity, or apprehension of evil; -- in old writers, sometimes followed by day or white ; alas the day , like alack a day , or alas the white .
Alate A·late" adverb [ Prefix
a- +
late .]
Lately; of late. [ Archaic]
There hath been alate such tales spread abroad.
Latimer.
Alate, Alated A"late, A"la·ted adjective [ Latin
alatus , from
ala wing.]
Winged; having wings, or side appendages like wings.
Alatern Al"a·tern Al`a*ter"nus noun [ Latin ala wing + terni three each.] (Botany) An ornamental evergreen shrub ( Rhamnus alaternus ) belonging to the buckthorns.
Alation A·la"tion noun [ French, from Latin
alatus winged.]
The state of being winged.
Alaunt A·launt" noun See Alan . [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
Alb Alb noun [ Middle English
albe , Late Latin
alba , from Latin
albus white. Confer
Album and
Aube .]
A vestment of white linen, reaching to the feet, an enveloping the person; -- in the Roman Catholic church, worn by those in holy orders when officiating at mass. It was formerly worn, at least by clerics, in daily life.
Alb Sunday Alb Sunday (Eccl.) The first Sunday after Easter Sunday, properly Albless Sunday , because in the early church those who had been baptized on Easter eve laid aside on the following Saturday their white albs which had been put on after baptism.
Albacore Al"ba·core noun (Zoology) See Albicore .
Alban Al"ban noun [ Latin
albus white.]
(Chemistry) A white crystalline resinous substance extracted from gutta-percha by the action of alcohol or ether.
Albanian Al·ba"ni·an adjective Of or pertaining to Albania, a province of Turkey. --
noun A native of Albania.
Albata Al·ba"ta noun [ Latin
albatus , past participle of
albare to make white, from
albus white.]
A white metallic alloy; which is made into spoons, forks, teapots, etc. British plate or German silver. See German silver , under German .
Albatross Al"ba·tross noun [ Corrupt. from Portuguese
alcatraz cormorant, albatross, or Spanish
alcatraz a pelican: confer Portuguese
alcatruz , Spanish
arcaduz , a bucket, from Arabic
al- qādus the bucket, from Greek
ka`dos , a water vessel. So an Arabic term for
pelican is
water-carrier , as a bird carrying water in its pouch.]
(Zoology) A web-footed bird, of the genus Diomedea , of which there are several species. They are the largest of sea birds, capable of long-continued flight, and are often seen at great distances from the land. They are found chiefly in the southern hemisphere.
Albe, Albee Al`be", Al`bee" conj. [ See
Albeit .]
Although; albeit. [ Obsolete]
Albe Clarissa were their chiefest founderess.
Spenser.
Albedo Al·be"do noun [ Latin , from
albus white.]
Whiteness. Specifically: (Astron.) The ratio which the light reflected from an unpolished surface bears to the total light falling upon that surface.
Albeit Al`be"it conj. [ Middle English
al be although it be, where
al is our
all . Confer
Although .]
Even though; although; notwithstanding. Chaucer. Albeit so masked, Madam, I love the truth.
Tennyson.
Albert ware Al"bert ware A soft ornamental terra-cotta pottery, sold in the biscuit state for decorating.
Albertite Al"bert·ite noun (Min.) A bituminous mineral resembling asphaltum, found in the county of A. ...bert, New Brunswick.
Albertype Al"ber·type noun [ From the name of the inventor,
Albert , of Munich.]
A picture printed from a kind of gelatine plate produced by means of a photographic negative.
Albescence Al·bes"cence noun The act of becoming white; whitishness.
Albescent Al·bes"cent adjective [ Latin
albescens , present participle of
albescere to grow white, from
albus white.]
Becoming white or whitish; moderately white.
Albicant Al"bi·cant adjective [ Latin
albicans , present participle of
albicare ,
albicatum , to be white, from
albus white.]
Growing or becoming white.
Albication Al`bi·ca"tion noun The process of becoming white, or developing white patches, or streaks.
Albicore Al"bi·core noun [ French
albicore (cf. Spanish
albacora , Portuguese
albacor ,
albacora ,
albecora ), from Arabic
bakr ,
bekr , a young camel, young cow, heifer, and the article
al : confer Portuguese
bacoro a little pig.]
(Zoology) A name applied to several large fishes of the Mackerel family, esp. Orcynus alalonga . One species ( Orcynus thynnus ), common in the Mediterranean and Atlantic, is called in New England the horse mackerel ; the tunny. [ Written also
albacore .]
Albification Al`bi·fi·ca"tion noun [ Confer French
albification : Latin
albus white +
ficare (only in comp.),
facere , to make.]
The act or process of making white. [ Obsolete]
Albigenses Al`bi·gen"ses Al`bi`geois" noun plural [ From Albi and Albigeois , a town and its district in the south of France, in which the sect abounded.] (Eccl. Hist.) A sect of reformers opposed to the church of Rome in the 12th centuries. The Albigenses were a branch of the Catharists (the pure). They were exterminated by crusades and the Inquisition. They were distinct from the Waldenses.
Albigensian Al`bi·gen"sian adjective Of or pertaining to the Albigenses.
Albiness Al·bi"ness noun A female albino. Holmes.
Albinism Al"bi·nism noun The state or condition of being an albino: abinoism; leucopathy.
Albinistic Al`bi·nis"tic adjective Affected with albinism.
Albino Al·bi"no noun ;
plural Albinos [ Spanish or Portuguese
albino , orig. whitish, from
albo white, Latin
albus .]
A person, whether negro, Indian, or white, in whom by some defect of organization the substance which gives color to the skin, hair, and eyes is deficient or in a morbid state. An albino has a skin of a milky hue, with hair of the same color, and eyes with deep red pupil and pink or blue iris. The term is also used of the lower animals, as white mice, elephants, etc.; and of plants in a whitish condition from the absence of chlorophyll. Amer. Cyc. » The term was originally applied by the Portuguese to negroes met with on the coast of Africa, who were mottled with white spots.
Albinoism Al·bi"no·ism noun The state or condition of being an albino; albinism.
Albinotic Al`bi·not"ic adjective Affected with albinism.
Albion Al"bi·on noun [ Prob. from the same root as Gael.
alp a height or hill. "It may have been bestowed on the land lying behind the white cliffs visible from the coast of Gaul.
Albany , the old name of Scotland, means probably the "hilly land."
I. Taylor. ]
An ancient name of England, still retained in poetry. In that nook-shotten isle of Albion .
Shak.
Albite Al"bite noun [ Latin
albus white.]
(Min.) A mineral of the feldspar family, triclinic in crystallization, and in composition a silicate of alumina and soda. It is a common constituent of granite and of various igneous rocks. See Feldspar .
Albolith Al"bo·lith noun [ Latin
albus white +
-lith .]
A kind of plastic cement, or artificial stone, consisting chiefly of magnesia and silica; -- called also albolite .
Alborak Al"bo·rak noun [ Arabic
al- burāq , from
baraqa to flash, shine.]
The imaginary milk-white animal on which Mohammed was said to have been carried up to heaven; a white mule.
Albugineous Al`bu·gin"e·ous adjective [ See
Albugo .]
Of the nature of, or resembling, the white of the eye, or of an egg; albuminous; -- a term applied to textures, humors, etc., which are perfectly white.
Albugo Al·bu"go noun ;
plural Albugines [ Latin , whiteness, from
albus white.]
(Medicine) Same as Leucoma .
Album Al"bum noun [ Latin , neut. of
albus white: confer French
album . Confer
Alb .]
1. (Rom. Antiq.) A white tablet on which anything was inscribed, as a list of names, etc. 2. A register for visitors' names; a visitors' book. 3. A blank book, in which to insert autographs sketches, memorial writing of friends, photographs, etc.
Album Grćcum Al"bum Grć"cum [ Latin , Greek white.] Dung of dogs or hyenas, which becomes white by exposure to air. It is used in dressing leather, and was formerly used in medicine.
Albumen Al·bu"men noun [ Latin , from
albus white.]
1. The white of an egg. 2. (Botany) Nourishing matter stored up within the integuments of the seed in many plants, but not incorporated in the embryo. It is the floury part in corn, wheat, and like grains, the oily part in poppy seeds, the fleshy part in the cocoanut, etc. 3. (Chemistry) Same as Albumin .
Albumenize Al·bu"men·ize transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Albumenized ;
present participle & verbal noun Albumenizing .]
To cover or saturate with albumen; to coat or treat with an albuminous solution; as, to albumenize paper.
Albumin Al·bu"min noun (Chemistry) A thick, viscous nitrogenous substance, which is the chief and characteristic constituent of white of eggs and of the serum of blood, and is found in other animal substances, both fluid and solid, also in many plants. It is soluble in water and is coagulated by heat and by certain chemical reagents. Acid albumin ,
a modification of albumin produced by the action of dilute acids. It is not coagulated by heat. --
Alkali albumin ,
albumin as modified by the action of alkaline substances; -- called also albuminate .
Albuminate Al·bu"mi·nate noun (Chemistry) A substance produced by the action of an alkali upon albumin, and resembling casein in its properties; also, a compound formed by the union of albumin with another substance.
Albuminiferous Al·bu`mi·nif"er·ous adjective [ Latin
albumen +
-ferous .]
Supplying albumen.
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