Amelioration noun [ Confer French amélioration .] The act of ameliorating, or the state of being ameliorated; making or becoming better; improvement; melioration. " Amelioration of human affairs." J. S. Mill.

Ameliorative adjective Tending to ameliorate; producing amelioration or improvement; as, ameliorative remedies, efforts.

Ameliorator noun One who ameliorates.

Amen interj., adverb , & noun [ Latin amen , Greek 'amh`n , Hebrew āmēn certainly, truly.] An expression used at the end of prayers, and meaning, So be it . At the end of a creed, it is a solemn asseveration of belief. When it introduces a declaration, it is equivalent to truly , verily . It is used as a noun, to denote: (a) concurrence in belief, or in a statement; assent; (b) the final word or act; (c) Christ as being one who is true and faithful.

And let all the people say, Amen .
Ps. cvi. 48.

Amen , amen , I say to thee, except a man be born again, he can not see the kingdom of God.
John ii. 3. Rhemish Trans.

To say amen to , to approve warmly; to concur in heartily or emphatically; to ratify; as, I say Amen to all.

Amen transitive verb To say Amen to; to sanction fully.

Amenability noun The quality of being amenable; amenableness. Coleridge.

Amenable adjective [ French amener to lead; ... (L. ad ) = mener to lead, from Latin minare to drive animals (properly by threatening cries), in Late Latin to lead; Latin minari , to threaten, minae threats. See Menace .]
1. (Old Law) Easy to be led; governable, as a woman by her husband. [ Obsolete] Jacob.

2. Liable to be brought to account or punishment; answerable; responsible; accountable; as, amenable to law.

Nor is man too diminutive . . . to be amenable to the divine government.
I. Taylor.

3. Liable to punishment, a charge, a claim, etc.

4. Willing to yield or submit; responsive; tractable.

Sterling . . . always was amenable enough to counsel.
Carlyle.

Amenableness noun The quality or state of being amenable; liability to answer charges; answerableness.

Amenably adverb In an amenable manner.

Amenage transitive verb [ Old French amesnagier . See Manage .] To manage. [ Obsolete] Spenser.

Amenance noun [ Old French See Amenable .] Behavior; bearing. [ Obsolete] Spenser.

Amend transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Amended ; present participle & verbal noun Amending .] [ French amender , Latin emendare ; e ( ex ) + mendum , menda , fault, akin to Sanskrit minda personal defect. Confer Emend , Mend .] To change or modify in any way for the better ; as, (a) by simply removing what is erroneous, corrupt, superfluous, faulty, and the like; (b) by supplying deficiencies; (c) by substituting something else in the place of what is removed; to rectify.

Mar not the thing that can not be amended .
Shak.

An instant emergency, granting no possibility for revision, or opening for amended thought.
De Quincey.

We shall cheer her sorrows, and amend her blood, by wedding her to a Norman.
Sir W. Scott.

To amend a bill , to make some change in the details or provisions of a bill or measure while on its passage, professedly for its improvement.

Syn. -- To Amend , Emend , Correct , Reform , Rectify . These words agree in the idea of bringing things into a more perfect state. We correct (literally, make straight) when we conform things to some standard or rule; as, to correct proof sheets. We amend by removing blemishes, faults, or errors, and thus rendering a thing more a nearly perfect; as, to amend our ways, to amend a text, the draft of a bill, etc. Emend is only another form of amend , and is applied chiefly to editions of books, etc. To reform is literally to form over again, or put into a new and better form; as, to reform one's life. To rectify is to make right; as, to rectify a mistake, to rectify abuses, inadvertencies, etc.

Amend (ȧ*mĕnd") intransitive verb To grow better by rectifying something wrong in manners or morals; to improve. "My fortune . . . amends ." Sir P. Sidney.

Amendable adjective Capable of being amended; as, an amendable writ or error. -- A*mend"a*ble*ness , noun

Amendatory adjective Supplying amendment; corrective; emendatory. Bancroft.

Amende noun [ French See Amend .] A pecuniary punishment or fine; a reparation or recantation.

Amende honorable (Old French Law) A species of infamous punishment in which the offender, being led into court with a rope about his neck, and a lighted torch in his hand, begged pardon of his God, the court, etc. In popular language, the phrase now denotes a public apology or recantation, and reparation to an injured party, for improper language or treatment.

Amender noun One who amends.

Amendful adjective Much improving. [ Obsolete]

Amendment noun [ French amendement , Late Latin amendamentum .]
1. An alteration or change for the better; correction of a fault or of faults; reformation of life by quitting vices.

2. In public bodies; Any alternation made or proposed to be made in a bill or motion by adding, changing, substituting, or omitting.

3. (Law) Correction of an error in a writ or process.

Syn. -- Improvement; reformation; emendation.

Amends noun sing. & plural [ French amendes , plural of amende . Confer Amende .] Compensation for a loss or injury; recompense; reparation. [ Now const. with sing. verb.] "An honorable amends ." Addison.

Yet thus far fortune maketh us amends .
Shak.

Amenity noun ; plural Amenities [ French aménité , Latin amoenitas , from amoenus pleasant.] The quality of being pleasant or agreeable, whether in respect to situation, climate, manners, or disposition; pleasantness; civility; suavity; gentleness.

A sweetness and amenity of temper.
Buckle.

This climate has not seduced by its amenities .
W. Howitt.

Amenorrhœa noun [ Greek 'a priv. + ... month + ... to flow: confer French aménorrhée .] (Medicine) Retention or suppression of the menstrual discharge.

Amenorrhœal adjective Pertaining to amenorrhœa.

Ament noun [ Latin amentum thong or strap.] (Botany) A species of inflorescence; a catkin.

The globular ament of a buttonwood.
Coues.

Amentaceous adjective [ Late Latin amentaceus .] (Botany) (a) Resembling, or consisting of, an ament or aments; as, the chestnut has an amentaceous inflorescence. (b) Bearing aments; having flowers arranged in aments; as, amentaceous plants.

Amentia noun [ Latin ] (Medicine) Imbecility; total want of understanding.

Amentiferous adjective [ Latin ament um + -ferous .] (Botany) Bearing catkins. Balfour.

Amentiform adjective [ Latin amen tum + -form .] (Botany) Shaped like a catkin.

Amentum noun ; plural Amenta Same as Ament .

Amenuse transitive verb [ Old French amenuisier . See Minute .] To lessen. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Amerce (ȧ*mẽrs") transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Amerced (ȧ*mẽrst"); present participle & verbal noun Amercing .] [ Old French amercier , from a merci at the mercy of, liable to a punishment. See Mercy .]
1. To punish by a pecuniary penalty, the amount of which is not fixed by law, but left to the discretion of the court; as, the court amerced the criminal in the sum of one hundred dollars.

» The penalty or fine may be expressed without a preposition, or it may be introduced by in , with , or of .

2. To punish, in general; to mulct.

Millions of spirits for his fault amerced
Of Heaven.
Milton.

Shall by him be amerced with penance due.
Spenser.

Amerceable adjective Liable to be amerced.

Amercement noun [ Old French amerciment .] The infliction of a penalty at the discretion of the court; also, a mulct or penalty thus imposed. It differs from a fine ,in that the latter is, or was originally, a fixed and certain sum prescribed by statute for an offense; but an amercement is arbitrary. Hence, the act or practice of affeering. [ See Affeer .] Blackstone.

» This word, in old books, is written amerciament .

Amercement royal , a penalty imposed on an officer for a misdemeanor in his office. Jacobs.

Amercer noun One who amerces.

Amerciament noun [ Late Latin amerciamentum .] Same as Amercement . Mozley & W.

American (ȧ*mẽr"ĭ*k a n) adjective [ Named from Americus Vespucius.]
1. Of or pertaining to America; as, the American continent: American Indians.

2. Of or pertaining to the United States. "A young officer of the American navy." Lyell.

American ivy . See Virginia creeper . -- American Party (U. S. Politics) , a party, about 1854, which opposed the influence of foreign-born citizens, and those supposed to owe allegiance to a foreign power. -- Native american Party (U. S. Politics) , a party of principles similar to those of the American party. It arose about 1843, but soon died out.

American plan In hotels, aplan upon which guests pay for both room and board by the day, week, or other convenient period; -- contrasted with European plan .

American Protective Association A secret organization in the United States, formed in Iowa in 1887, ostensibly for the protection of American institutions by keeping Roman Catholics out of public office. Abbrev. commonly to A. P .A .

Americanism noun
1. Attachment to the United States.

2. A custom peculiar to the United States or to America; an American characteristic or idea.

3. A word or phrase peculiar to the United States.

Americanization (ȧ*mẽr`ĭ*k a n*ĭ*zā"shŭn) noun The process of Americanizing.

Americanize (-īz) transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Americanizer ; present participle & verbal noun Americanizing .] To render American; to assimilate to the Americans in customs, ideas, etc.; to stamp with American characteristics.

Ames-ace noun Same as Ambs- ace .

Amess noun (Eccl.) Amice, a hood or cape. See 2d Amice .

Ametabola noun plural [ New Latin ] (Zoology) A group of insects which do not undergo any metamorphosis. [ Written also Ametabolia .]

Ametabolian adjective [ Greek ... unchangeable; 'a priv. + ... changeable, ... to change.] (Zoology) Of or pertaining to insects that do undergo any metamorphosis.

Ametabolic, Ametabolous adjective (Zoology) Not undergoing any metamorphosis; as, ametabolic insects.

Amethodist noun [ Prefix a- not + methodist .] One without method; a quack. [ Obsolete]

Amethyst [ French ametiste , amatiste , French améthyste , Latin amethystus , from Greek ... without drunkenness; as a noun, a remedy for drunkenness, the amethyst, supposed to have this power; 'a priv. + ... to be drunken, ... strong drink, wine. See Mead .]

1. (Min.) A variety of crystallized quartz, of a purple or bluish violet color, of different shades. It is much used as a jeweler's stone.

Oriental amethyst , the violet-blue variety of transparent crystallized corundum or sapphire.

2. (Her.) A purple color in a nobleman's escutcheon, or coat of arms.

Amethystine adjective [ Latin amethystinus , Greek ....]
1. Resembling amethyst, especially in color; bluish violet.

2. Composed of, or containing, amethyst.