Part 308

3. Of or pertaining to the pope or the papacy; papal.

Apostolical brief. See under Brief. -- Apostolic canons, a collection of rules and precepts relating to the duty of Christians, and particularly to the ceremonies and discipline of the church in the second and third centuries. -- Apostolic church, the Christian church; -- so called on account of its apostolic foundation, doctrine, and order. The churches of Rome, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem were called apostolic churches. -- Apostolic constitutions, directions of a nature similar to the apostolic canons, and perhaps compiled by the same authors or author. -- Apostolic fathers, early Christian writers, who were born in the first century, and thus touched on the age of the apostles. They were Polycarp, Clement, Ignatius, and Hermas; to these Barnabas has sometimes been added. -- Apostolic king (or majesty), a title granted by the pope to the kings of Hungary on account of the extensive propagation of Christianity by St. Stephen, the founder of the royal line. It is now a title of the emperor of Austria in right of the throne of Hungary. -- Apostolic see, a see founded and governed by an apostle; specifically, the Church of Rome; -- so called because, in the Roman Catholic belief, the pope is the successor of St. Peter, the prince of the apostles, and the only apostle who has successors in the apostolic office. -- Apostolical succession, the regular and uninterrupted transmission of ministerial authority by a succession of bishops from the apostles to any subsequent period. Hook.

Ap`os*tol"ic, n. [L. apostolicus.] (Eccl. Hist.) A member of one of certain ascetic sects which at various times professed to imitate the practice of the apostles.

Ap`os*tol"ic*al*ly, adv. In an apostolic manner.

Ap`os*tol"ic*al*ness, n. Apostolicity. Dr. H. More.

{ Ap`os*tol"i*cism (&?;), A*pos`to*lic"i*ty (&?;), } n. The state or quality of being apostolical.

A*pos"tro*phe (&?;), n. [(1) L., fr. Gr. &?; a turning away, fr. &?; to turn away; &?; from + &?; to turn. (2) F., fr. L. apostrophus apostrophe, the turning away or omitting of a letter, Gr. &?;.] 1. (Rhet.) A figure of speech by which the orator or writer suddenly breaks off from the previous method of his discourse, and addresses, in the second person, some person or thing, absent or present; as, Milton's apostrophe to Light at the beginning of the third book of "Paradise Lost."

2. (Gram.) The contraction of a word by the omission of a letter or letters, which omission is marked by the character ['] placed where the letter or letters would have been; as, call'd for called.

3. The mark ['] used to denote that a word is contracted (as in ne'er for never, can't for can not), and as a sign of the possessive, singular and plural; as, a boy's hat, boys' hats. In the latter use it originally marked the omission of the letter e.

The apostrophe is used to mark the plural of figures and letters; as, two 10's and three a's. It is also employed to mark the close of a quotation.

Ap`os*troph"ic (&?;), a. Pertaining to an apostrophe, grammatical or rhetorical.

A*pos"tro*phize (&?;), v. t., [imp. & p. p. Apostrophized (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Apostrophizing.] 1. To address by apostrophe.

2. To contract by omitting a letter or letters; also, to mark with an apostrophe (') or apostrophes.

A*pos"tro*phize, v. i. To use the rhetorical figure called apostrophe.

Ap"os*tume (&?;), n. See Aposteme. [Obs.]

Ap`o*tac"tite (&?;), n. [LL. pl. apotactitae, Gr. &?;, fr. &?; set apart; &?; from + &?; to arrange, ordain.] (Eccl. Hist.) One of a sect of ancient Christians, who, in supposed imitation of the first believers, renounced all their possessions.

A*pot"e*lesm (&?;), n. [See Apotelesmatic.] 1. The result or issue. [Obs.]

2. (Astrol.) The calculation and explanation of a nativity. [Obs.] Bailey.

Ap`o*tel`es*mat"ic (&?;), a. [Gr. &?;, fr. &?; effect of the stars on human destiny, fr. &?; to complete; &?; from + &?; to end, &?; end.] 1. Relating to the casting of horoscopes. [Archaic] Whewell.

2. Relating to an issue of fulfillment.

In this way a passage in the Old Testament may have, or rather comprise, an apotelesmatic sense, i. e., one of after or final accomplishment. M. Stuart.

A*poth"e*ca*ry (&?;), n.; pl. Apothecaries. [OE. apotecarie, fr. LL. apothecarius, fr. L. apotheca storehouse, Gr. apo, fr. &?; to put away; &?; from + &?; to put: cf. F. apothicaire, OF. apotecaire. See Thesis.] One who prepares and sells drugs or compounds for medicinal purposes.

In England an apothecary is one of a privileged class of practitioners -- a kind of sub-physician. The surgeon apothecary is the ordinary family medical attendant. One who sells drugs and makes up prescriptions is now commonly called in England a druggist or a pharmaceutical chemist.

Apothecaries' weight, the system of weights by which medical prescriptions were formerly compounded. The pound and ounce are the same as in Troy weight; they differ only in the manner of subdivision. The ounce is divided into 8 drams, 24 scruples, 480 grains. See Troy weight.

||Apo`*the"ci*um, n.; pl. Apothecia (&?;). [NL.] (Bot.) The ascigerous fructification of lichens, forming masses of various shapes.

{ Ap"o*thegm, Ap"oph*thegm } (&?;), n. [Gr. 'apo`fqegma thing uttered, apothegm, from 'apofqe`ggesqai to speak out; 'apo` from + fqe`ggesqai to speak.] A short, pithy, and instructive saying; a terse remark, conveying some important truth; a sententious precept or maxim. [Apothegm is now the prevalent spelling in the United States.]

{ Ap`o*theg*mat"ic (&?;), Ap`o*theg*mat"ic*al (&?;), } a. [Gr. 'apofqegmatiko`s.] Pertaining to, or in the manner of, an apothegm; sententious; pithy.

Ap`o*theg"ma*tist (&?;), n. A collector or maker of apothegms. Pope.