Part 7

Abbot of the people. a title formerly given to one of the chief magistrates in Genoa. -- Abbot of Misrule (or Lord of Misrule), in mediæval times, the master of revels, as at Christmas; in Scotland called the Abbot of Unreason. Encyc. Brit.

Ab"bot*ship (&?;), n. [Abbot + - ship.] The state or office of an abbot.

Ab*bre"vi*ate (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Abbreviated (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Abbreviating.] [L. abbreviatus, p. p. of abbreviare; ad + breviare to shorten, fr. brevis short. See Abridge.] 1. To make briefer; to shorten; to abridge; to reduce by contraction or omission, especially of words written or spoken.

It is one thing to abbreviate by contracting, another by cutting off. Bacon.

2. (Math.) To reduce to lower terms, as a fraction.

Ab*bre"vi*ate (&?;), a. [L. abbreviatus, p. p.] 1. Abbreviated; abridged; shortened. [R.] "The abbreviate form." Earle.

2. (Biol.) Having one part relatively shorter than another or than the ordinary type.

Ab*bre"vi*ate, n. An abridgment. [Obs.] Elyot.

Ab*bre"vi*a`ted (&?;), a. Shortened; relatively short; abbreviate.

Ab*bre`vi*a"tion (&?;), n. [LL. abbreviatio: cf. F. abbréviation.] 1. The act of shortening, or reducing.

2. The result of abbreviating; an abridgment. Tylor.

3. The form to which a word or phrase is reduced by contraction and omission; a letter or letters, standing for a word or phrase of which they are a part; as, Gen. for Genesis; U.S.A. for United States of America.

4. (Mus.) One dash, or more, through the stem of a note, dividing it respectively into quavers, semiquavers, or demi-semiquavers. Moore.

Ab*bre"vi*a`tor (&?;), n. [LL.: cf. F. abbréviateur.] 1. One who abbreviates or shortens.

2. One of a college of seventy-two officers of the papal court whose duty is to make a short minute of a decision on a petition, or reply of the pope to a letter, and afterwards expand the minute into official form.

Ab*bre"vi*a*to*ry (&?;), a. Serving or tending to abbreviate; shortening; abridging.

Ab*bre"vi*a*ture (&?;), n. 1. An abbreviation; an abbreviated state or form. [Obs.]

2. An abridgment; a compendium or abstract.

This is an excellent abbreviature of the whole duty of a Christian. Jer. Taylor.

Abb" wool (b" wl). See Abb.

A B C" ( b s"). 1. The first three letters of the alphabet, used for the whole alphabet.

2. A primer for teaching the alphabet and first elements of reading. [Obs.]

3. The simplest rudiments of any subject; as, the A B C of finance.

A B C book, a primer. Shak.

||Ab"dal (&?;), n. [Ar. badl, pl. abdl, a substitute, a good, religious man, saint, fr. badala to change, substitute.] A religious devotee or dervish in Persia.

Ab*de"ri*an (&?;), a. [From Abdera, a town in Thrace, of which place Democritus, the Laughing Philosopher, was a native.] Given to laughter; inclined to foolish or incessant merriment.

Ab*de"rite (&?;), n. [L. Abderita, Abderites, fr. Gr. 'Abdhri`ths.] An inhabitant of Abdera, in Thrace.

The Abderite, Democritus, the Laughing Philosopher.