Part 3

<hw>A</hw>. <ety>[From AS. <ets>of</ets> off, from. See <er>Of</er>.]</ety> <def>Of.</def> <mark>[Obs.]</mark> "The name of John <i>a</i> Gaunt." "What time <i>a</i> day is it ?" <i>Shak</i>. "It's six <i>a</i> clock." <i>B. Jonson</i>.

<h1>A</h1> <Xpage=1>

<hw>A</hw>. <def> A barbarous corruption of <i>have</i>, of <i>he</i>, and sometimes of <i>it</i> and of <i>they</i>.</def> "So would I <i>a</i> done" "<i>A</i> brushes his hat."

<i>Shak.</i>

<h1>A</h1> <Xpage=1>

<hw>A</hw>. <def> An expletive, void of sense, to fill up the meter</def>

<blockquote>A merry heart goes all the day, Your sad tires in a mile-<b>a</b>. <i>Shak.</i></blockquote>

<h1>A-.</h1> <Xpage=1>

<hw>A-.</hw> <def>A, as a prefix to English words, is derived from various sources. (1) It frequently signifies <i>on</i> or <i>in</i> (from <i>an</i>, <i>a</i> forms of AS. <i>on</i>), denoting a state, as in <i>a</i>foot, on foot, <i>a</i>bed, <i>a</i>miss, <i>a</i>sleep, aground, <i>a</i>loft, <i>a</i>way (AS. <i>onweg</i>), and analogically, <i>a</i>blaze, <i>a</i>tremble, etc. (2) AS. <i>of</i> off, from, as in <i>a</i>down (AS. <i>ofd\'81ne</i> off the <i>dun</i> or hill). (3) AS. \'be- (Goth. <i>us-</i>, <i>ur-</i>, Ger. <i>er-</i>), usually giving an intensive force, and sometimes the sense of <i>away</i>, <i>on</i>, <i>back</i>, as in <i>a</i>rise, <i>a</i>bide, <i>a</i>go. (4) Old English <i>y-</i> or <i>i-</i> (corrupted from the AS. inseparable particle <i>ge-</i>, cognate with OHG. <i>ga-</i>, <i>gi-</i>, Goth. <i>ga-</i>), which, as a prefix, made no essential addition to the meaning, as in aware. (5) French <i>\'85</i> (L. <i>ad</i> to), as in <i>a</i>base, <i>a</i>chieve. (6) L. <i>a</i>, <i>ab</i>, <i>abs</i>, from, as in <i>a</i>vert. (7) Greek insep. prefix &alpha; without, or privative, not, as in <i>a</i>byss, <i>a</i>theist; akin to E. <i>un-</i>.</def>

<note>Besides these, there are other sources from which the prefix <i>a</i> takes its origin.</note>

<h1>A 1</h1> <Xpage=1>

<hw>A 1</hw> <tt>(#)</tt>. <def> A registry mark given by underwriters (as at Lloyd's) to ships in first-class condition. Inferior grades are indicated by A 2 and A 3.</def>

<note>A 1 is also applied colloquially to other things to imply superiority; prime; first-class; first-rate.</note>

<h1>Aam</h1> <Xpage=1>

<hw>Aam</hw> <tt>(#)</tt>, <tt>n.</tt> <ety>[D. <ets>aam</ets>, fr. LL. <ets>ama</ets>; cf. L. <ets>hama</ets> a water bucket, Gr. <?/]</ety> <def>A Dutch and German measure of liquids, varying in different cities, being at Amsterdam about 41 wine gallons, at Antwerp 36\'ab, at Hamburg 38\'ac.</def> <altsp>[Written also <asp>Aum</asp> and <asp>Awm</asp>.]</altsp>

<h1>Aard-vark</h1> <Xpage=1>

<hw>Aard"-vark`</hw> <tt>(#)</tt>, <tt>n.</tt> <ety>[D., earth-pig.]</ety> <fld>(Zo\'94l.)</fld> <def>An edentate mammal, of the genus <spn>Orycteropus</spn>, somewhat resembling a pig, common in some parts of Southern Africa. It burrows in the ground, and feeds entirely on ants, which it catches with its long, slimy tongue.</def>

<h1>Aard-wolf</h1> <Xpage=1>

<hw>Aard"-wolf`</hw> <tt>(#)</tt>, <tt>n.</tt> <ety>[D, earth-wolf]</ety> <fld>(Zo\'94l.)</fld> <def>A carnivorous quadruped (<spn>Proteles Lalandii</spn>), of South Africa, resembling the fox and hyena. See <er>Proteles</er>.</def>

<h1>Aaronic, Aaronical</h1> <Xpage=1>

<hw><hw>Aa*ron"ic</hw> <tt>(#)</tt>, <hw>Aa*ron"ic*al</hw> <tt>(#)</tt>,<hw> <tt>a.</tt> <def>Pertaining to Aaron, the first high priest of the Jews.</def>

<h1>Aaron's rod</h1> <Xpage=1>

<hw>Aar"on's rod`</hw> <tt>(#)</tt>. <ety>[See Exodus vii. 9 and Numbers xvii. 8]</ety> <p><b>1.</b> <fld>(Arch.)</fld> <def>A rod with one serpent twined around it, thus differing from the caduceus of Mercury, which has two.</def>

<p><b>2.</b> <fld>(Bot.)</fld> <def>A plant with a tall flowering stem; esp. the great mullein, or hag-taper, and the golden-rod.</def>

<h1>Ab-</h1> <Xpage=1>

<hw>Ab-</hw> <tt>(#)</tt>. <ety>[Latin prep., etymologically the same as E. <ets>of</ets>, <ets>off</ets>. See <er>Of</er>.]</ety> <def>A prefix in many words of Latin origin. It signifies <i>from</i>, <i>away</i> , <i>separating</i>, or <i>departure</i>, as in <i>ab</i>duct, <i>abs</i>tract, <i>abs</i>cond. See <er>A-</er>(6).</def>

<h1>Ab</h1> <Xpage=1>

<hw>Ab</hw> <tt>(#)</tt>, <tt>n.</tt> <ety>[Of Syriac origin.]</ety> <def>The fifth month of the Jewish year according to the ecclesiastical reckoning, the eleventh by the civil computation, coinciding nearly with August.</def>