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Alchemy

An imaginary art which aimed to transmute the baser metals into gold, to find the panacea, or universal remedy for diseases, etc. It led the way to modern chemistry.

Alco

A small South American dog, domesticated by the aborigines.

Alcoholate

A crystallizable compound of a salt with alcohol, in which the latter plays a part analogous to that of water of crystallization.

Alcoholature

An alcoholic tincture prepared with fresh plants.

Alcoholic

A person given to the use of alcoholic liquors.

alcoholism

Chronic excessive drinking of alcoholic beverages that leads to social, occupational, psychological and physiological problems.

Alcoholization

The act of reducing a substance to a fine or impalpable powder.

Alcoholmeter Alcoholometer

An instrument for determining the strength of spirits, with a scale graduated so as to indicate the percentage of pure alcohol, either by weight or volume. It is usually a form of hydrometer with a special scale.

Alcoholometry

The process or method of ascertaining the proportion of pure alcohol which spirituous liquors contain.

Alcoran

The Muslim Scriptures; the Koran (now the usual form).

Alcoranist

One who adheres to the letter of the Koran, rejecting all traditions.

Alcove

A recessed portion of a room, or a small room opening into a larger one; especially, a recess to contain a bed; a lateral recess in a library.

Alcyonacea

A group of soft-bodied Alcyonaria, of which Alcyonium is the type. See Illust. under Alcyonaria.

Alcyonaria

One of the orders of Anthozoa. It includes the Alcyonacea, Pennatulacea, and Gorgonacea.

Alcyonic

Of or pertaining to the Alcyonaria.

Alcyonium

A genus of fleshy Alcyonaria, its polyps somewhat resembling flowers with eight fringed rays. The term was also formerly used for certain species of sponges.

Alcyonoid

Like or pertaining to the Alcyonaria. A zo/phyte of the order Alcyonaria.

Aldebaran

A red star of the first magnitude, situated in the eye of Taurus; the Bull's Eye. It is the bright star in the group called the Hyades.

Aldehyde

A colorless, mobile, and very volatile liquid obtained from alcohol by certain processes of oxidation.

Aldehydic

Of or pertaining to aldehyde; as, aldehydic acid.

Alder

A tree, usually growing in moist land, and belonging to the genus Alnus. The wood is used by turners, etc.; the bark by dyers and tanners. In the U. S. the species of alder are usually shrubs or small trees.

Alderman

A senior or superior; a person of rank or dignity.

Aldermanic

Relating to, becoming to, or like, an alderman; characteristic of an alderman.

Aldermanity

Aldermen collectively; the body of aldermen.

Aldermanship

The condition, position, or office of an alderman.

Alderney

One of a breed of cattle raised in Alderney, one of the Channel Islands. Alderneys are of a dun or tawny color and are often called Jersey cattle. See Jersey, 3.

Aldine

An epithet applied to editions (chiefly of the classics) which proceeded from the press of Aldus Manitius, and his family, of Venice, for the most part in the 16th century and known by the sign of the anchor and the dolphin. The term has also been applied to certain elegant editions of English works.

Aldol

A colorless liquid, C4H8O2, obtained by condensation of two molecules of acetaldehyde: CH3CHO + CH3CHO = H3CH(OH)CH2CO; also, any of various derivatives of this. The same reaction has been applied, under the name of aldol condensation, to the production of many compounds.

Ale

An intoxicating liquor made from an infusion of malt by fermentation and the addition of a bitter, usually hops.

Aleak

In a leaking condition.

Aleatory

Depending on some uncertain contingency; as, an aleatory contract.

Alebench

A bench in or before an alehouse.

Aleberry

A beverage, formerly made by boiling ale with spice, sugar, and sops of bread.

Alecithal

Applied to those ova which segment uniformly, and which have little or no food yelk embedded in their protoplasm.

Aleconner

Orig., an officer appointed to look to the goodness of ale and beer; also, one of the officers chosen by the liverymen of London to inspect the measures used in public houses. But the office is a sinecure. [Also called aletaster.]

Alecost

The plant costmary, which was formerly much used for flavoring ale.

Alectorides

A group of birds including the common fowl and the pheasants.

Alectryomancy

Divination by means of a cock and grains of corn placed on the letters of the alphabet, the letters being put together in the order in which the grains were eaten.

Alee

On or toward the lee, or the side away from the wind; the opposite of aweather. The helm of a ship is alee when pressed close to the lee side.

Alegar

Sour ale; vinegar made of ale.

Aleger

Gay; cheerful; sprightly.

Alegge

To allay or alleviate; to lighten.

Alehoof

Ground ivy (Nepeta Glechoma).

Alehouse

A house where ale is retailed; hence, a tippling house.

Alem

The imperial standard of the Turkish Empire.

Alembic

An apparatus formerly used in distillation, usually made of glass or metal. It has mostly given place to the retort and worm still.

Alembroth

The salt of wisdom of the alchemists, a double salt composed of the chlorides of ammonium and mercury. It was formerly used as a stimulant.

Alepidote

Not having scales. A fish without scales.

Alepole

A pole set up as the sign of an alehouse.

Alert

An alarm from a real or threatened attack; a sudden attack; also, a bugle sound to give warning.

alerting

a state of readiness to respond.

Alertness

The quality of being alert or on the alert; briskness; nimbleness; activity.

Alestake

A stake or pole projecting from, or set up before, an alehouse, as a sign; an alepole. At the end was commonly suspended a garland, a bunch of leaves, or a /bush./

Alethiology

The science which treats of the nature of truth and evidence.

Alethoscope

An instrument for viewing pictures by means of a lens, so as to present them in their natural proportions and relations.

Aleurometer

An instrument for determining the expansive properties, or quality, of gluten in flour.

Aleuronat

Flour made of aleurone, used as a substitute for ordinary flour in preparing bread for diabetic persons.

Aleurone

An albuminoid substance which occurs in minute grains (/protein granules/) in maturing seeds and tubers; -- supposed to be a modification of protoplasm.

Aleut

a member of the people inhabiting the Aleutian Islands. Same as Aleutian, n.

Aleutian

a member of the people inhabiting the Aleutian Islands.

Aleutians

an archipelago in the North Pacific extending southwest from Alaska.

Aleutic Aleutian

Of or pertaining to a chain of islands between Alaska and Kamtchatka; also, designating these islands.

Alewife

A North American fish (Clupea vernalis) of the Herring family. It is called also ellwife, ellwhop, branch herring. The name is locally applied to other related species.

Alexander

a European herb (Smyrnium olusatrum) somewhat resembling celery widely naturalized in Britain coastal regions and often cultivated as a potherb.

Alexanders

same as Alexander[wn1]; Smyrnium olusatrum.

Alexandria

a city on the Mediterranean Sea, the chief port of Egypt.

Alexandrian

Of or pertaining to Alexandria in Egypt; as, the Alexandrian library.

Alexandrine

A kind of verse consisting in English of twelve syllables.

Alexia

Inability to read aloud, due to brain disease; the meanings of the words is nevertheless understood. Called also motor alexia. Inability, due to brain disease, to understand written or printed symbols. Called also Word blindness and text blindness.

alexipyretic

Serving to drive off fever; antipyretic; antifebrile. An antipyretic drug; a febrifuge.

alexiteric

A preservative against contagious and infectious diseases, and the effects of poison in general.

Alfa grass Alfa

A plant (Macrochloa tenacissima) of North Africa; also, its fiber, used in paper making.

Alfalfa

The lucern (Medicago sativa), a leguminous plant having bluish purple cloverlike flowers, and cultivated for fodder; -- so called in California, Texas, etc.

Alfenide

An alloy of nickel and silver electroplated with silver.

Alferes

An ensign; a standard bearer.

Alfet

A caldron of boiling water into which an accused person plunged his forearm as a test of innocence or guilt.

Alfilaria

The pin grass (Erodium cicutarium), a weed in California.

Alfione

An edible marine fish of California (Rhacochilus toxotes).

Alga

A kind of seaweed; pl. the class of cellular cryptogamic plants which includes the black, red, and green seaweeds, as kelp, dulse, sea lettuce, also marine and fresh water conferv/, etc. The algae are primitive chlorophyll-containing mainly aquatic eukaryotic organisms lacking true stems and roots and leaves.

Algal

Pertaining to, or like, alg/.

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