Part 463

Av"ens (&?;), n. [OF. avence.] (Bot.) A plant of the genus Geum, esp. Geum urbanum, or herb bennet.

Av"en*tail (&?;), n. [OF. esventail. Cf. Ventail.] The movable front to a helmet; the ventail.

Av"en*tine (&?;), a. Pertaining to Mons Aventinus, one of the seven hills on which Rome stood. Bryant.

Av"en*tine, n. A post of security or defense. [Poetic]

Into the castle's tower, The only Aventine that now is left him. Beau. & Fl.

A*ven"tre (&?;), v. t. To thrust forward (at a venture), as a spear. [Obs.] Spenser.

A*ven"ture (?; 135), n. [See Adventure, n.] 1. Accident; chance; adventure. [Obs.] Chaucer.

2. (Old Law) A mischance causing a person's death without felony, as by drowning, or falling into the fire.

A*ven"tu*rine (&?;), n. [F. aventurine: cf. It. avventurino.] 1. A kind of glass, containing gold-colored spangles. It was produced in the first place by the accidental (par aventure) dropping of some brass filings into a pot of melted glass.

2. (Min.) A variety of translucent quartz, spangled throughout with scales of yellow mica.

Aventurine feldspar, a variety of oligoclase with internal firelike reflections due to the presence of minute crystals, probably of hematite; sunstone.

Av"e*nue (&?;), n. [F. avenue, fr. avenir to come to, L. advenire. See Advene.] 1. A way or opening for entrance into a place; a passage by which a place may by reached; a way of approach or of exit. "The avenues leading to the city by land." Macaulay.

On every side were expanding new avenues of inquiry. Milman.

2. The principal walk or approach to a house which is withdrawn from the road, especially, such approach bordered on each side by trees; any broad passageway thus bordered.

An avenue of tall elms and branching chestnuts. W. Black.

3. A broad street; as, the Fifth Avenue in New York.

A"ver ("vr), n. [OF. aver domestic animal, whence LL. averia, pl. cattle. See Habit, and cf. Average.] A work horse, or working ox. [Obs. or Dial. Eng.]

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A*ver" (*vr"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Averred (*vrd"); p. pr. & vb. n. Averring.] [F. avérer, LL. adverare, averare; L. ad + versus true. See Verity.] 1. To assert, or prove, the truth of. [Obs.]

2. (Law) To avouch or verify; to offer to verify; to prove or justify. See Averment.

3. To affirm with confidence; to declare in a positive manner, as in confidence of asserting the truth.

It is sufficient that the very fact hath its foundation in truth, as I do seriously aver is the case. Fielding.

Then all averred I had killed the bird. Coleridge.

Syn. -- To assert; affirm; asseverate. See Affirm.

Av"er*age (&?;), n. [OF. average, LL. averagium, prob. fr. OF. aver, F. avoir, property, horses, cattle, etc.; prop. infin., to have, from L. habere to have. Cf. F. avérage small cattle, and avarie (perh. of different origin) damage to ship or cargo, port dues. The first meaning was perh. the service of carting a feudal lord's wheat, then charge for carriage, the contribution towards loss of things carried, in proportion to the amount of each person's property. Cf. Aver, n., Avercorn, Averpenny.] 1. (OLd Eng. Law) That service which a tenant owed his lord, to be done by the work beasts of the tenant, as the carriage of wheat, turf, etc.

2. [Cf. F. avarie damage to ship or cargo.] (Com.) (a) A tariff or duty on goods, etc. [Obs.] (b) Any charge in addition to the regular charge for freight of goods shipped. (c) A contribution to a loss or charge which has been imposed upon one of several for the general benefit; damage done by sea perils. (d) The equitable and proportionate distribution of loss or expense among all interested.

General average, a contribution made, by all parties concerned in a sea adventure, toward a loss occasioned by the voluntary sacrifice of the property of some of the parties in interest for the benefit of all. It is called general average, because it falls upon the gross amount of ship, cargo, and freight at risk and saved by the sacrifice. Kent. -- Particular average signifies the damage or partial loss happening to the ship, or cargo, or freight, in consequence of some fortuitous or unavoidable accident; and it is borne by the individual owners of the articles damaged, or by their insurers. -- Petty averages are sundry small charges, which occur regularly, and are necessarily defrayed by the master in the usual course of a voyage; such as port charges, common pilotage, and the like, which formerly were, and in some cases still are, borne partly by the ship and partly by the cargo. In the clause commonly found in bills of lading, "primage and average accustomed," average means a kind of composition established by usage for such charges, which were formerly assessed by way of average. Arnould. Abbott. Phillips.

3. A mean proportion, medial sum or quantity, made out of unequal sums or quantities; an arithmetical mean. Thus, if A loses 5 dollars, B 9, and C 16, the sum is 30, and the average 10.