Part 395

Asses' Bridge. [L. pons asinorum.] The fifth proposition of the first book of Euclid, "The angles at the base of an isosceles triangle are equal to one another." [Sportive] "A schoolboy, stammering out his Asses' Bridge." F. Harrison. -- To make an ass of one's self, to do or say something very foolish or absurd.

As`sa*fœt"i*da (&?;), n. Same as Asafetida.

As"sa*gai (&?;), As"se*gai (&?;), n. [Pg. azagaia, Sp. azagaya, fr. a Berber word. Cf. Lancegay.] A spear used by tribes in South Africa as a missile and for stabbing, a kind of light javelin.

||As*sa"i (&?;). [It., fr. L. ad + satis enough. See Assets.] (Mus.) A direction equivalent to very; as, adagio assai, very slow.

As*sail" (s*sl"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Assailed (-sld"); p. pr. & vb. n. Assailing.] [OE. assailen, asailen, OF. asaillir, assailler, F. assaillir; a (L. ad) + saillir to burst out, project, fr. L. salire to leap, spring; cf. L. assilire to leap or spring upon. See Sally.] 1. To attack with violence, or in a vehement and hostile manner; to assault; to molest; as, to assail a man with blows; to assail a city with artillery.

No rude noise mine ears assailing. Cowper.

No storm can now assail The charm he wears within. Keble.

2. To encounter or meet purposely with the view of mastering, as an obstacle, difficulty, or the like.

The thorny wilds the woodmen fierce assail. Pope.

3. To attack morally, or with a view to produce changes in the feelings, character, conduct, existing usages, institutions; to attack by words, hostile influence, etc.; as, to assail one with appeals, arguments, abuse, ridicule, and the like.

The papal authority . . . assailed. Hallam.

They assailed him with keen invective; they assailed him with still keener irony. Macaulay.

Syn. -- To attack; assault; invade; encounter; fall upon. See Attack.

As*sail"a*ble (&?;), a. Capable of being assailed.

As*sail"ant (&?;), a. [F. assaillant, p. pr. of assaillir.] Assailing; attacking. Milton.

As*sail"ant, n. [F. assaillant.] One who, or that which, assails, attacks, or assaults; an assailer.

An assailant of the church. Macaulay.

As*sail"er (&?;), n. One who assails.

As*sail"ment (&?;), n. The act or power of assailing; attack; assault. [R.]

His most frequent assailment was the headache. Johnson.

As"sa*mar (&?;), n. [L. assare to roast + amarus, bitter.] (Chem.) The peculiar bitter substance, soft or liquid, and of a yellow color, produced when meat, bread, gum, sugar, starch, and the like, are roasted till they turn brown.

As`sam*ese" (&?;), a. Of or pertaining to Assam, a province of British India, or to its inhabitants. -- n. sing. & pl. A native or natives of Assam.

||As`sa*pan" (&?;), ||As`sa*pan"ic (&?;), n. [Prob. Indian name.] (Zoöl.) The American flying squirrel (Pteromys volucella).

As*sart" (s*särt"), n. [OF. essart the grubbing up of trees, fr. essarter to grub up or clear ground of bushes, shrubs, trees, etc., fr. LL. exartum, exartare, for exsaritare; L. ex + sarire, sarrire, saritum, to hoe, weed.] 1. (Old Law) The act or offense of grubbing up trees and bushes, and thus destroying the thickets or coverts of a forest. Spelman. Cowell.

2. A piece of land cleared of trees and bushes, and fitted for cultivation; a clearing. Ash.

Assart land, forest land cleared of woods and brush.

As*sart", v. t. To grub up, as trees; to commit an assart upon; as, to assart land or trees. Ashmole.

As*sas"sin (&?;), n. [F. (cf. It. assassino), fr. Ar. ‘hashishin one who has drunk of the hashish. Under its influence the Assassins of the East, followers of the Shaikh al-Jabal (Old Man of the Mountain), were said to commit the murders required by their chief.] One who kills, or attempts to kill, by surprise or secret assault; one who treacherously murders any one unprepared for defense.