Amarine Am"a·rine noun [ Latin
amarus bitter.]
(Chemistry) A characteristic crystalline substance, obtained from oil of bitter almonds.
Amaritude A·mar"i·tude noun [ Latin
amaritudo , from
amarus bitter: confer Old French
amaritude .]
Bitterness. [ R.]
Amaryllidaceous, Amaryllideous Am`a·ryl`li·da"ceous, Am`a·ryl·lid"e·ous adjective (Botany) Of, pertaining to, or resembling, an order of plants differing from the lily family chiefly in having the ovary below the petals. The narcissus and daffodil are members of this family.
Amaryllis Am`a·ryl"lis noun [ Latin
Amaryllis , Greek ..., ..., the name of a country girl in Theocritus and Virgil.]
1. A pastoral sweetheart. To sport with Amaryllis in the shade.
Milton.
2. (bot.) (a) A family of plants much esteemed for their beauty, including the narcissus, jonquil, daffodil, agave, and others. (b) A genus of the same family, including the Belladonna lily.
Amass A·mass" transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Amassed ;
present participle & verbal noun Amassing .] [ French
ambusher , Late Latin amassare; Latin
ad +
massa lump, mass. See
Mass .]
To collect into a mass or heap; to gather a great quantity of; to accumulate; as, to amass a treasure or a fortune; to amass words or phrases. The life of Homer has been written by amassing all the traditions and hints the writers could meet with.
Pope.
Syn. -- To accumulate; heap up; pile.
Amass A·mass" noun [ Old French
amasse , from
ambusher .]
A mass; a heap. [ Obsolete]
Sir H. Wotton.
Amassable A·mass"a·ble adjective Capable of being amassed.
Amasser A·mass"er noun One who amasses.
Amassette A`mas`sette" noun [ French See
Amass .]
An instrument of horn used for collecting painters' colors on the stone in the process of grinding.
Amassment A·mass"ment noun [ Confer Old French
amassement .]
An amassing; a heap collected; a large quantity or number brought together; an accumulation. An amassment of imaginary conceptions.
Glanvill.
Amasthenic Am`as·then"ic adjective [ Greek ... together + ... force.]
(Photog.) Uniting the chemical rays of light into one focus, as a certain kind of lens; amacratic.
Amate A·mate" transitive verb [ Old French
amater ,
amatir .]
To dismay; to dishearten; to daunt. [ Obsolete or Archaic]
The Silures, to amate the new general, rumored the overthrow greater than was true.
Milton.
Amate A·mate" transitive verb [ Prefix
a- +
mate .]
To be a mate to; to match. [ Obsolete]
Spenser.
Amateur Am`a·teur" noun [ French, from Latin
amator lover, from
amare to love.]
A person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science as to music or painting; esp. one who cultivates any study or art, from taste or attachment, without pursuing it professionally.
Amateurish Am`a·teur"ish adjective In the style of an amateur; superficial or defective like the work of an amateur. --
Am`a*teur"ish*ly ,
adverb --
Am`a*teur"ish*ness ,
noun
Amateurism Am"a·teur·ism noun The practice, habit, or work of an amateur.
Amateurship Am"a·teur`ship noun The quality or character of an amateur.
Amative Am"a·tive adjective [ Latin
amatus , past participle of
amare to love.]
Full of love; amatory.
Amativeness Am"a·tive·ness noun (Phren.) The faculty supposed to influence sexual desire; propensity to love. Combe.
Amatorial Am`a·to"ri·al adjective [ See
Amatorious .]
Of or pertaining to a lover or to love making; amatory; as, amatorial verses.
Amatorially Am`a·to"ri·al·ly adverb In an amatorial manner.
Amatorian Am`a·to"ri·an adjective Amatory. [ R.]
Johnson.
Amatorious Am`a·to"ri·ous adjective [ Latin
amatorius , from
amare to love.]
Amatory. [ Obsolete] "
Amatorious poem."
Milton.
Amatory Am"a·to·ry adjective Pertaining to, producing, or expressing, sexual love; as, amatory potions.
Amaurosis Am`au·ro"sis noun [ Greek ..., from ... dark, dim.]
(Medicine) A loss or decay of sight, from loss of power in the optic nerve, without any perceptible external change in the eye; -- called also gutta serena , the " drop serene " of Milton.
Amaurotic Am`au·rot"ic adjective Affected with amaurosis; having the characteristics of amaurosis.
Amaze A·maze" transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Amazed ;
present participle & verbal noun Amazing .] [ Prefix
a- +
maze .]
1. To bewilder; to stupefy; to bring into a maze. [ Obsolete]
A labyrinth to amaze his foes.
Shak.
2. To confound, as by fear, wonder, extreme surprise; to overwhelm with wonder; to astound; to astonish greatly. "
Amazing Europe with her wit."
Goldsmith. And all the people were amazed , and said, Is not this the son of David?
Matt. xii. 23.
Syn. -- To astonish; astound; confound; bewilder; perplex; surprise. --
Amaze ,
Astonish .
Amazement includes the notion of bewilderment of difficulty accompanied by surprise. It expresses a state in which one does not know what to do, or to say, or to think. Hence we are
amazed at what we can not in the least account for.
Astonishment also implies surprise. It expresses a state in which one is
stunned by the vastness or greatness of something, or struck with some degree of horror, as when one is overpowered by the ...normity of an act, etc.
Amaze A·maze" intransitive verb To be astounded. [ Archaic]
B. Taylor.
Amaze A·maze" transitive verb Bewilderment, arising from fear, surprise, or wonder; amazement. [ Chiefly poetic]
The wild, bewildered
Of one to stone converted by amaze .
Byron.
Amazedly A·maz"ed·ly adverb In amazement; with confusion or astonishment. Shak.
Amazedness A·maz"ed·ness noun The state of being amazed, or confounded with fear, surprise, or wonder. Bp. Hall.
Amazeful A·maze"ful adjective Full of amazement. [ R.]
Amazement A·maze"ment noun 1. The condition of being amazed; bewilderment [ Obsolete]; overwhelming wonder, as from surprise, sudden fear, horror, or admiration. His words impression left
Of much amazement .
Milton.
2. Frenzy; madness. [ Obsolete]
Webster (1661).
Amazing A·maz"ing adjective Causing amazement; very wonderful; as, amazing grace. --
A*maz"ing*ly ,
adverb
Amazon Am"a·zon noun [ Latin , from Greek ....]
1. One of a fabulous race of female warriors in Scythia; hence, a female warrior. 2. A tall, strong, masculine woman; a virago. 3. (Zoology) A name numerous species of South American parrots of the genus Chrysotis Amazon ant (Zoology) ,
a species of ant ( Polyergus rufescens ), of Europe and America. They seize by conquest the larvć and nymphs of other species and make slaves of them in their own nests.
Amazonian Am`a·zo"ni·an adjective 1. Pertaining to or resembling an Amazon; of masculine manners; warlike. Shak. 2. Of or pertaining to the river Amazon in South America, or to its valley.
Amazonite, Amazon stone Am"a·zon·ite, Am"a·zon stone` noun [ Named from the river
Amazon .]
(Min.) A variety of feldspar, having a verdigris-green color.
Amb-, Ambi- Amb-, Am·bi- [ Latin prefix ambi- , amb- , akin to Greek ..., Sanskrit abhi , Anglo-Saxon embe , emb , Old High German umbi , umpi , German um , and also Latin ambo both. Confer Amphi- , Both , By .] A prefix meaning about , around ; -- used in words derived from the Latin.
Ambages Am·ba"ges noun plural [ Latin (usually in plural); prefix
ambi- ,
amb- +
agere to drive: confer French
ambage .]
A circuit; a winding. Hence: Circuitous way or proceeding; quibble; circumlocution; indirect mode of speech. After many ambages , perspicuously define what this melancholy is.
Burton.
Ambaginous Am·bag"i·nous adjective Ambagious. [ R.]
Ambagious Am·ba"gious adjective [ Latin
ambagiosus .]
Circumlocutory; circuitous. [ R.]
Ambagitory Am·bag"i·to·ry adjective Ambagious. [ R.]
Ambary Am·ba"ry noun , or
Ambary hemp [ Hind.
ambārā ,
ambārī .]
A valuable East Indian fiber plant ( Hibiscus cannabinus ), or its fiber, which is used throughout India for making ropes, cordage, and a coarse canvas and sackcloth; -- called also brown Indian hemp .
Ambassade, Embassade Am"bas·sade, Em"bas·sade noun [ French
ambassade. See
Embassy .]
1. The mission of an ambassador. [ Obsolete]
Carew. 2. An embassy. [ Obsolete]
Strype.
Ambassador, Embassador Am·bas"sa·dor, Em·bas"sa·dor noun [ See
Embassador .]
1. A minister of the highest rank sent to a foreign court to represent there his sovereign or country. »
Ambassadors are either
ordinary [ or
resident ] or
extraordinary , that is, sent upon some special or unusual occasion or errand.
Abbott. 2. An official messenger and representative.
Ambassadorial Am·bas`sa·do"ri·al adjective Of or pertaining to an ambassador. H. Walpole.
Ambassadorship Am·bas`sa·dor·ship noun The state, office, or functions of an ambassador.
Ambassadress Am·bas"sa·dress noun A female ambassador; also, the wife of an ambassador. Prescott.
Ambassage Am"bas·sage noun Same as Embassage . [ Obsolete or R.]
Luke xiv. 32.
Ambassy Am"bas·sy noun See Embassy , the usual spelling. Helps.