Aleger Al"e·ger adjective [ French
allègre , earlier
alègre , from Latin
alacer .]
Gay; cheerful; sprightly. [ Obsolete]
Bacon.
Alegge A·legge" transitive verb [ Middle English
aleggen ,
alegen , Old French
alegier , French
alléger , from Late Latin
alleviare , for Latin
allevare to lighten;
ad +
levis light. Confer
Alleviate ,
Allay ,
Allege .]
To allay or alleviate; to lighten. [ Obsolete]
That shall alegge this bitter blast.
Spenser.
Alehoof Ale"hoof` (āl"hōf`)
noun [ Anglo-Saxon
hōfe ground ivy; the first part is perhaps a corruption: confer Middle English
heyhowe hedgehove, ground ivy, "in old MSS.
heyhowe ,
heyoue ,
haihoue ,
halehoue ."
Prior .]
Ground ivy ( Nepeta Glechoma ).
Alehouse Ale"house` noun A house where ale is retailed; hence, a tippling house. Macaulay.
Alem Al"em noun [ Turk.
'alem , from Arabic
'alam .]
(Mil.) The imperial standard of the Turkish Empire.
Alemannic Al`e·man"nic adjective Belonging to the Alemanni, a confederacy of warlike German tribes.
Alemannic Al`e·man"nic noun The language of the Alemanni. The Swabian dialect . . . is known as the Alemannic .
Amer. Cyc.
Alembic A·lem"bic (ȧ*lĕm"bĭk)
noun [ French
alambic (cf. Spanish
alambique ), Arabic
al-anbīq , from Greek
'a`mbix cup, cap of a still. The cap or head was the
alembic proper. Confer
Limbec .]
An apparatus formerly used in distillation, usually made of glass or metal. It has mostly given place to the retort and worm still . Used also metaphorically.
The alembic of a great poet's imagination.
Brimley.
Alembroth A·lem"broth (-brŏth)
noun [ Origin uncertain.]
The salt of wisdom of the alchemists, a double salt composed of the chlorides of ammonium and mercury. It was formerly used as a stimulant. Brande & C.
Alençon lace A`len`çon" lace" See under Lace .
Alength A·length" (ȧ*lĕngth")
adverb [ Prefix
a- +
length .]
At full length; lengthwise. Chaucer.
Alepidote A·lep"i·dote adjective [ Greek
'a priv. + ..., ..., a scale.]
(Zoology) Not having scales. --
noun A fish without scales.
Alepole Ale"pole` noun A pole set up as the sign of an alehouse. [ Obsolete]
Aleppo boil, button A·lep"po boil, button or evil (Medicine) A chronic skin affection terminating in an ulcer, most commonly of the face. It is endemic along the Mediterranean, and is probably due to a specific bacillus. Called also Aleppo ulcer , Biskara boil , Delhi boil , Oriental sore , etc.
Aleppo grass Aleppo grass (Botany) One of the cultivated forms of Andropogon Halepensis (syn. Sorghum Halepense ). See Andropogon , below.
Alert A·lert" (ȧ*lẽrt")
adjective [ French
alerte , earlier
à l'erte on the watch, from Italian
all' erta on the watch, prop. (standing) on a height, where one can look around;
erta a declivity, steep,
erto steep, past participle of
ergere ,
erigere , to erect, raise, Latin
erigere . See
Erect .]
1. Watchful; vigilant; active in vigilance. 2. Brisk; nimble; moving with celerity. An alert young fellow.
Addison.
Syn. -- Active; agile; lively; quick; prompt.
Alert A·lert" noun (Mil.) An alarm from a real or threatened attack; a sudden attack; also, a bugle sound to give warning. "We have had an
alert ."
Farrow. On the alert ,
on the lookout or watch against attack or danger; ready to act.
Alertly A·lert"ly adverb In an alert manner; nimbly.
Alertness A·lert"ness noun The quality of being alert or on the alert; briskness; nimbleness; activity.
Alestake Ale"stake noun A stake or pole projecting from, or set up before, an alehouse, as a sign; an alepole. At the end was commonly suspended a garland, a bunch of leaves, or a "bush." [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
Aletaster Ale"tast`er noun See Aleconner . [ Eng.]
Alethiology A·le`thi·ol"o·gy noun [ Greek ... truth +
-logy .]
The science which treats of the nature of truth and evidence. Sir W. Hamilton.
Alethoscope A·leth"o·scope noun [ Greek ... true + ... to view.]
An instrument for viewing pictures by means of a lens, so as to present them in their natural proportions and relations.
Aleuromancy A·leu"ro·man`cy noun [ Greek ... wheaten flour +
-mancy : confer French
aleuromancie .]
Divination by means of flour. Encyc. Brit.
Aleurometer Al`eu·rom"e·ter noun [ Greek ... flour +
-meter .]
An instrument for determining the expansive properties, or quality, of gluten in flour. Knight.
Aleuronat A·leu"ro·nat noun [ See
Aleurone .]
Flour made of aleurone, used as a substitute for ordinary flour in preparing bread for diabetic persons.
Aleurone A·leu"rone noun [ Greek ... flour.]
(Botany) An albuminoid substance which occurs in minute grains ("protein granules") in maturing seeds and tubers; -- supposed to be a modification of protoplasm.
Aleuronic Al`eu·ron"ic adjective (Botany) Having the nature of aleurone. D. C. Eaton.
Aleutian, Aleutic A·leu"tian, A·leu"tic adjective [ Said to be from the Russian
aleut a bold rock.]
Of or pertaining to a chain of islands between Alaska and Kamtchatka; also, designating these islands.
Alevin Al"e·vin noun [ French
alevin , Old French
alever to rear, from Latin
ad +
levare to raise.]
Young fish; fry.
Alew A·lew" noun Halloo. [ Obsolete]
Spenser.
Alewife Ale"wife` noun ;
plural Alewives A woman who keeps an alehouse. Gay.
Alewife Ale"wife` noun ;
plural Alewives . [ This word is properly
aloof , the Indian name of a fish. See Winthrop on the culture of maize in America, "Phil Trans." No. 142, p. 1065, and Baddam's "Memoirs," vol. ii. p. 131.]
(Zoology) A North American fish ( Clupea vernalis ) of the Herring family. It is called also ellwife , ellwhop , branch herring . The name is locally applied to other related species.
Alexanders, Alisanders Al`ex·an"ders, Al`i·san"ders noun [ Middle English
alisaundre , Old French
alissandere , from
Alexander or
Alexandria .]
(Bot) A name given to two species of the genus Smyrnium , formerly cultivated and used as celery now is; -- called also horse parsely .
Alexandrian Al`ex·an"dri·an adjective 1. Of or pertaining to Alexandria in Egypt; as, the Alexandrian library. 2. Applied to a kind of heroic verse. See Alexandrine , noun
Alexandrine Al`ex·an"drine adjective Belonging to Alexandria; Alexandrian. Bancroft.
Alexandrine Al`ex·an"drine noun [ French
alexandrin .]
A kind of verse consisting in English of twelve syllables. The needless Alexandrine ends the song,
That, like a wounded snake, drags its slow length along.
Pope.
Alexia A·lex"i·a noun [ New Latin ;
a- not + Greek ... speech, from ... to speak, confused with Latin
legere to read.]
(Medicine) (a) As used by some, inability to read aloud, due to brain disease. (b) More commonly, inability, due to brain disease, to understand written or printed symbols although they can be seen, as in case of word blindness.
Alexipharmac, Alexipharmacal A·lex`i·phar"mac, A·lex`i·phar"ma·cal adjective & noun [ See
Alexipharmic .]
Alexipharmic. [ Obsolete]
Alexipharmic A·lex`i·phar"mic noun (Medicine) An antidote against poison or infection; a counterpoison.
Alexipharmic, Alexipharmical A·lex`i·phar"mic, A·lex`i·phar"mic·al adjective [ Greek ... keeping off poison; ... to keep off + ... drug, poison: confer French
alexipharmaque .]
(Medicine) Expelling or counteracting poison; antidotal.
Alexipyretic A·lex`i·py·ret"ic adjective [ Greek ... + ... burning heat, fever, ... fire.]
(Medicine) Serving to drive off fever; antifebrile. --
noun A febrifuge.
Alexiteric A·lex`i·ter"ic noun [ Greek ... a remedy, an amulet: confer French
alexitère , Late Latin
alexiterium .]
(Medicine) A preservative against contagious and infectious diseases, and the effects of poison in general. Brande & C.
Alexiteric, Alexiterical A·lex`i·ter"ic, A·lex`i·ter"ic·al adjective [ Greek ... fit to keep off or help, from ... one who keeps off, helper; ... to keep off: confer French
alexitère .]
(Medicine) Resisting poison; obviating the effects of venom; alexipharmic.
Alfa, Alfa grass Al"fa, Al"fa grass" noun A plant ( Macrochloa tenacissima ) of North Africa; also, its fiber, used in paper making.
Alfalfa Al·fal"fa noun [ Spanish ]
(Botany) The lucern ( Medicago sativa ); -- so called in California, Texas, etc.
Alfenide Al"fe·nide noun (Metal.) An alloy of nickel and silver electroplated with silver.
Alferes Al·fe"res noun [ Spanish , from Arabic
al- fārs knight.]
An ensign; a standard bearer. [ Obsolete]
J. Fletcher.
Alfet Al"fet noun [ Late Latin
alfetum , from Anglo-Saxon
ālfæt a pot to boil in;
āl burning +
fæt vat.]
A caldron of boiling water into which an accused person plunged his forearm as a test of innocence or guilt.
Alfilaria Al·fil`a·ri"a noun (Botany) The pin grass ( Erodium cicutarium ), a weed in California.
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