Amortize A·mor"tize transitive verb [ Middle English
amortisen , Late Latin
amortisare ,
admortizare , French
amortir to sell in mortmain, to extinguish; Latin
ad +
mors death. See
Mortmain ].
1. To make as if dead; to destroy. [ Obsolete]
Chaucer. 2. (Law) To alienate in mortmain, that is, to convey to a corporation. See Mortmain . 3. To clear off or extinguish, as a debt, usually by means of a sinking fund.
Amortizement A·mor"tize·ment noun [ French
amortissement .]
Same as Amortization .
Amorwe A·mor"we adverb [ Prefix
a- on + Middle English
morwe . See
Morrow .]
1. In the morning. [ Obsolete]
Chaucer. 2. On the following morning. [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
Amotion A·mo"tion noun [ Latin
amotio . See
Amove .]
1. Removal; ousting; especially, the removal of a corporate officer from his office. 2. Deprivation of possession.
Amotus A·mo"tus adjective [ Latin , withdrawn (from it...place).]
(Zoology) Elevated, -- as a toe, when raised so high that the tip does not touch the ground.
Amount A·mount" intransitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Amounted ;
present participle & verbal noun Amounting .] [ Old French
amonter to increase, advance, ascend, from
amont (equiv. to Latin
ad montem to the mountain) upward, French
amont up the river. See
Mount ,
noun ]
1. To go up; to ascend. [ Obsolete]
So up he rose, and thence amounted straight.
Spenser.
2. To rise or reach by an accumulation of particular sums or quantities; to come ( to ) in the aggregate or whole; -- with to or unto . 3. To rise, reach, or extend in effect, substance, or influence; to be equivalent; to come practically ( to ); as, the testimony amounts to very little.
Amount A·mount" transitive verb To signify; to amount to. [ Obsolete]
Amount A·mount" noun 1. The sum total of two or more sums or quantities; the aggregate; the whole quantity; a totality; as, the amount of 7 and 9 is 16; the amount of a bill; the amount of this year's revenue. 2. The effect, substance, value, significance, or result; the sum; as, the amount of the testimony is this. The whole amount of that enormous fame.
Pope.
Amour A·mour" noun [ French, from Latin
amor love.]
1. Love; affection. [ Obsolete]
2. Love making; a love affair; usually, an unlawful connection in love; a love intrigue; an illicit love affair. In amours with ,
in love with. [ Obsolete]
Amour propre A"mour` pro"pre (ȧ"mōr` pro"pr'). [ French] Self-love; self-esteem.
Amovability A·mov`a·bil"i·ty noun Liability to be removed or dismissed from office. [ R.]
T. Jefferson.
Amovable A·mov"a·ble adjective [ Confer French
amovible .]
Removable.
Amove A·move" transitive verb [ Latin
amovere ;
a- (
ab ) +
movere to move: confer Old French
amover .]
1. To remove, as a person or thing, from a position. [ Obsolete]
Dr. H. More. 2. (Law) To dismiss from an office or station.
Amove A·move" transitive verb & i. [ Middle English
amovir , Latin
admovere to move to, to excite;
ad +
movere .]
To move or be moved; to excite. [ Obsolete]
Spenser.
Ampelite Am"pe·lite (ăm"pe*līt)
noun [ Latin
ampelitis , Greek
'ampeli^tis , from
'a`mpelos vine.]
(Min.) An earth abounding in pyrites, used by the ancients to kill insects, etc., on vines; -- applied by Brongniart to a carbonaceous alum schist.
Ampelopsis Am`pe·lop"sis (ăm`pe*lŏp"sĭs)
noun [ New Latin , from Greek
'a`mpelos vine +
'o`psis appearance.]
(Botany) A genus formerly including the Virginia creeper.
Amperage Am·per"age noun (Electricity) The strength of a current of electricity carried by a conductor or generated by a machine, measured in ampères.
Ampère Am`père" (äN`pâr"),
Am*pere" (ăm*pār")
noun [ From the name of a French electrician.]
(Electricity) The unit of electric current; -- defined by the International Electrical Congress in 1893 and by U. S. Statute as, one tenth of the unit of current of the C. G. S. system of electro-magnetic units, or the practical equivalent of the unvarying current which, when passed through a standard solution of nitrate of silver in water, deposits silver at the rate of 0.001118 grams per second. Called also the international ampère .
Ampère foot Am`père" foot (Electricity) A unit, employed in calculating fall of pressure in distributing mains, equivalent to a current of one ampère flowing through one foot of conductor.
Ampère hour Ampère hour (Electricity) The quantity of electricity delivered in one hour by a current whose average strength is one ampère. It is used as a unit of quantity, and is equal to 3600 coulombs. The terms Ampère minute and Ampère second are sometimes similarly used.
Ampère turn Ampère turn (Electricity) A unit equal to the product of one complete convolution (of a coiled conductor) into one ampère of current; thus, a conductor having five convolutions and carrying a current of half an ampère is said to have 2½ ampère turns . The magnetizing effect of a coil is proportional to the number of its ampère turns .
Ampèremeter, Amperometer Am`père"me`ter, Am`pe·rom"e·ter noun [
Ampère +
meter .]
(Physics) An instrument for measuring the strength of an electrical current in ampères.
Ampersand Am"per·sand noun [ A corruption of
and , per se
and , i. e., & by itself makes
and .]
A word used to describe the character ..., ..., or &. Halliwell.
Amphi- Am·phi- [ Greek 'amfi` .] A prefix in words of Greek origin, signifying both , of both kinds , on both sides , about , around .
Amphiarthrodial Am`phi·ar·thro"di·al adjective [ Prefix
amphi- +
arthrodial .]
Characterized by amphiarthrosis.
Amphiarthrosis Am`phi·ar·thro"sis noun [ New Latin , from Greek
'amfi` + ... a joining, ... a joint.]
(Anat.) A form of articulation in which the bones are connected by intervening substance admitting slight motion; symphysis.
Amphiaster Am"phi·as`ter noun [ New Latin , from Greek
'amfi` +
'asth`r a star.]
(Biol.) The achromatic figure, formed in mitotic cell-division, consisting of two asters connected by a spindle-shaped bundle of rodlike fibers diverging from each aster, and called the spindle .
Amphibia Am·phib"i·a noun plural [ See
Amphibium .]
(Zoology) One of the classes of vertebrates. » The Amphibia are distinguished by having usually no scales, by having eggs and embryos similar to those of fishes, and by undergoing a complete metamorphosis, the young having gills. There are three living orders: (1) The tailless, as the frogs (
Anura ); (2) The tailed (
Urodela ), as the salamanders, and the siren group (
Sirenoidea ), which retain the gills of the young state (hence called
Perennibranchiata ) through the adult state, among which are the siren, proteus, etc.; (3) The Cœcilians, or serpentlike Amphibia (
Ophiomorpha or
Gymnophiona ), with minute scales and without limbs. The extinct Labyrinthodonts also belonged to this class. The term is sometimes loosely applied to both reptiles and amphibians collectively.
Amphibial Am·phib"i·al (-
a l)
adjective & noun Amphibian. [ R.]
Amphibian Am·phib"i·an (-an)
adjective (Zoology) Of or pertaining to the Amphibia; as, amphibian reptiles.
Amphibian Am·phib"i·an noun (Zoology) One of the Amphibia.
Amphibiological Am·phib`i·o·log"ic·al adjective Pertaining to amphibiology.
Amphibiology Am·phib`i·ol"o·gy noun [ Greek ... amphibious +
-logy : confer French
amphibiologie .]
A treatise on amphibious animals; the department of natural history which treats of the Amphibia.
Amphibiotica Am·phib`i·ot"i·ca noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek
'amfi` +
biwtiko`s pertaining to life.]
(Zoology) A division of insects having aquatic larvæ.
Amphibious Am·phib"i·ous adjective [ Greek
'amfi`bios living a double life,
i. e. , both on land in water;
'amfi` +
bi`os life.]
1. Having the ability to live both on land and in water, as frogs, crocodiles, beavers, and some plants. 2. Pertaining to, adapted for, or connected with, both land and water. The amphibious character of the Greeks was already determined: they were to be lords of land and sea.
Hare.
3. Of a mixed nature; partaking of two natures. Not in free and common socage, but in this amphibious subordinate class of villein socage.
Blackstone.
Amphibiously Am·phib"i·ous·ly adverb Like an amphibious being.
Amphibium Am·phib"i·um noun ;
plural Latin
Amphibia ; English
Amphibiums [ New Latin , from Greek ... (sc. ... an animal). See
Amphibious .]
An amphibian.
Amphiblastic Am`phi·blas"tic (ăm`fĭ*blăs"tĭk)
adjective [ Greek
'amfi` +
blastiko`s tending to sprout.]
(Biol.) Segmenting unequally; -- said of telolecithal ova with complete segmentation.
Amphibole Am"phi·bole (ăm"fĭ*bōl)
noun [ Greek
'amfi`bolos doubtful, equivocal, from
'amfiba`llein to throw round, to doubt: confer French
amphibole . Haüy so named the genus from the great variety of color and composition assumed by the mineral.]
(Min.) A common mineral embracing many varieties varying in color and in composition. It occurs in monoclinic crystals; also massive, generally with fibrous or columnar structure. The color varies from white to gray, green, brown, and black. It is a silicate of magnesium and calcium, with usually aluminium and iron. Some common varieties are tremolite , actinolite , asbestus , edenite , hornblende (the last name being also used as a general term for the whole species). Amphibole is a constituent of many crystalline rocks, as syenite, diorite, most varieties of trachyte, etc. See Hornblende .
Amphibolic Am`phi·bol"ic (ăm`fĭ*bŏl"ĭc)
adjective 1. Of or pertaining to amphiboly; ambiguous; equivocal. 2. Of or resembling the mineral amphibole.
Amphibological Am·phib`o·log"ic·al (ăm*fĭb`o*lŏj"ĭ*k
a l)
adjective Of doubtful meaning; ambiguous. "
Amphibological expressions."
Jer. Taylor. --
Am*phib`o*log"ic*al*ly ,
adverb
Amphibology Am`phi·bol"o·gy (ăm`fĭ*bol"o*jȳ)
noun ;
plural Amphibologies (- jĭz). [ Latin
amphibologia , for
amphibolia , from Greek
'amfiboli`a , with the ending
-logia as if from Greek
'amfi`bolos ambiguous +
lo`gos speech: confer French
amphibologie . See
Amphiboly .]
A phrase, discourse, or proposition, susceptible of two interpretations; and hence, of uncertain meaning. It differs from equivocation , which arises from the twofold sense of a single term.
Amphibolous Am·phib"o·lous adjective [ Latin
amphibolus , Greek ... thrown about, doubtful. See
Amphibole .]
1. Ambiguous; doubtful. [ Obsolete]
Never was there such an amphibolous quarrel -- both parties declaring themselves for the king.
Howell.
2. (Logic) Capable of two meanings. An amphibolous sentence is one that is capable of two meanings, not from the double sense of any of the words, but from its admitting of a double construction; e . g ., "The duke yet lives that Henry shall depose."
Whately.
Amphiboly Am·phib"o·ly noun ;
plural Amphibolies [ Latin
amphibolia , Greek ...: confer Middle English
amphibolie . See
Amphibolous .]
Ambiguous discourse; amphibology. If it oracle contrary to our interest or humor, we will create an amphiboly , a double meaning where there is none.
Whitlock.
Amphibrach Am"phi·brach (ăm"fĭ*brăk)
noun [ Latin ..., Greek ... short at both ends;
'amfi` +
brachy`s short.]
(Anc. Pros.) A foot of three syllables, the middle one long, the first and last short (⌣ -- ⌣); as, hăbērĕ . In modern prosody the accented syllable takes the place of the long and the unaccented of the short; as, pro-phet\'b6ic .
Amphicœlian, Amphicœlous Am`phi·cœ"li·an, Am`phi·cœ"lous adjective [ Greek ... hollowed all round;
'amfi` + ... hollow.]
(Zoology) Having both ends concave; biconcave; -- said of vertebræ.
Amphicarpic, Amphicarpous Am`phi·car"pic, Am`phi·car"pous adjective [ Greek
'amfi` +
karpo`s fruit.]
(Botany) Producing fruit of two kinds, either as to form or time of ripening.
Amphichroic Am`phi·chro"ic adjective [ Greek
'amfi` + ... color.]
(Chemistry) Exhibiting or producing two colors, as substances which in the color test may change red litmus to blue and blue litmus to red.
Amphicome Am"phi·come noun [ Greek ... with hair all round;
'amfi` + ... hair.]
A kind of figured stone, rugged and beset with eminences, anciently used in divination. [ Obsolete]
Encyc. Brit.
Amphictyonic Am·phic`ty·on"ic adjective [ Greek ....]
Of or pertaining to the Amphictyons or their League or Council; as, an Amphictyonic town or state; the Amphictyonic body. W. Smith.