Part 107

Ad"u*la*to*ry (&?;), a. [L. adulatorius, fr. adulari: cf. OF. adulatoire.] Containing excessive praise or compliment; servilely praising; flattering; as, an adulatory address.

A mere rant of adulatory freedom. Burke.

Ad"u*la`tress (&?;), n. A woman who flatters with servility.

A*dult" (&?;), a. [L. adultus, p. p. of adolescere, akin to alere to nourish: cf. F. adulte. See Adolescent, Old.] Having arrived at maturity, or to full size and strength; matured; as, an adult person or plant; an adult ape; an adult age.

A*dult", n. A person, animal, or plant grown to full size and strength; one who has reached maturity.

In the common law, the term is applied to a person who has attained full age or legal majority; in the civil law, to males after the age of fourteen, and to females after twelve.

A*dul"ter (&?;), v. i. [L. adulterare.] To commit adultery; to pollute. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

A*dul"ter*ant (&?;), n. [L. adulterans, p. pr. of adulterare.] That which is used to adulterate anything. -- a. Adulterating; as, adulterant agents and processes.

A*dul"ter*ate (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Adulterated (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Adulterating (&?;).] [L. adulteratus, p. p. of adulterare, fr. adulter adulterer, prob. fr. ad + alter other, properly one who approaches another on account of unlawful love. Cf. Advoutry.]

1. To defile by adultery. [Obs.] Milton.

2. To corrupt, debase, or make impure by an admixture of a foreign or a baser substance; as, to adulterate food, drink, drugs, coin, etc.

The present war has . . . adulterated our tongue with strange words. Spectator.

Syn. -- To corrupt; defile; debase; contaminate; vitiate; sophisticate.

A*dul"ter*ate, v. i. To commit adultery. [Obs.]

A*dul"ter*ate (&?;), a. 1. Tainted with adultery.

2. Debased by the admixture of a foreign substance; adulterated; spurious.

-- A*dul"ter*ate*ly, adv. -- A*dul"ter*ate*ness, n.

A*dul`ter*a"tion (&?;), n. [L. adulteratio.] 1. The act of adulterating; corruption, or debasement (esp. of food or drink) by foreign mixture.

The shameless adulteration of the coin. Prescott.

2. An adulterated state or product.

A*dul"ter*a`tor (&?;), n. [L.] One who adulterates or corrupts. [R.] Cudworth.

A*dul"ter*er (&?;), n. [Formed fr. the verb adulter, with the E. ending -er. See Advoutrer.] 1. A man who commits adultery; a married man who has sexual intercourse with a woman not his wife.

2. (Script.) A man who violates his religious covenant. Jer. ix. 2.

A*dul"ter*ess (&?;), n. [Fem. from L. adulter. Cf. Advoutress.] 1. A woman who commits adultery.

2. (Script.) A woman who violates her religious engagements. James iv. 4.

A*dul"ter*ine (&?;), a. [L. adulterinus, fr. adulter.] Proceeding from adulterous intercourse. Hence: Spurious; without the support of law; illegal.

When any particular class of artificers or traders thought proper to act as a corporation without a charter, such were called adulterine guilds. Adam Smith.

A*dul"ter*ine, n. An illegitimate child. [R.]