Words whose 9th letter is A

Accommodation (n.) The act of fitting or adapting, or the state of being fitted or adapted; adaptation; adjustment; -- followed by to.

Accommodation (n.) Whatever supplies a want or affords ease, refreshment, or convenience; anything furnished which is desired or needful; -- often in the plural; as, the accommodations -- that is, lodgings and food -- at an inn.

Acetabular (a.) Cup-shaped; saucer-shaped; acetabuliform.

Achlamydate (a.) Not possessing a mantle; -- said of certain gastropods.

Acronychal (a.) Rising at sunset and setting at sunrise, as a star; -- opposed to cosmical.

Adansonia (n.) A genus of great trees related to the Bombax. There are two species, A. digitata, the baobab or monkey-bread of Africa and India, and A. Gregorii, the sour gourd or cream-of-tartar tree of Australia. Both have a trunk of moderate height, but of enormous diameter, and a wide-spreading head. The fruit is oblong, and filled with pleasantly acid pulp. The wood is very soft, and the bark is used by the natives for making ropes and cloth.

Aesthesia (n.) Perception by the senses; feeling; -- the opposite of anaesthesia.

Agglomerate (n.) A mass of angular volcanic fragments united by heat; -- distinguished from conglomerate.

Amblygonal (a.) Obtuse-angled.

Amphipoda (n. pl.) A numerous group of fourteen -- footed Crustacea, inhabiting both fresh and salt water. The body is usually compressed laterally, and the anterior pairs or legs are directed downward and forward, but the posterior legs are usually turned upward and backward. The beach flea is an example. See Tetradecapoda and Arthrostraca.

Analytical (a.) Of or pertaining to analysis; resolving into elements or constituent parts; as, an analytical experiment; analytic reasoning; -- opposed to synthetic.

Anastigmatic (a.) Not astigmatic; -- said esp. of a lens system which consists of a converging lens and a diverging lens of equal and opposite astigmatism but different focal lengths, and sensibly free from astigmatism.

Apochromatic (a.) Free from chromatic and spherical aberration; -- said esp. of a lens in which rays of three or more colors are brought to the same focus, the degree of achromatism thus obtained being more complete than where two rays only are thus focused, as in the ordinary achromatic objective.

Anticlimax (n.) A sentence in which the ideas fall, or become less important and striking, at the close; -- the opposite of climax. It produces a ridiculous effect.

Apneumona (n. pl.) An order of holothurians in which the internal respiratory organs are wanting; -- called also Apoda or Apodes.

Apocrypha (n. pl.) Something, as a writing, that is of doubtful authorship or authority; -- formerly used also adjectively.

Appropriate (v. t.) To set apart for, or assign to, a particular person or use, in exclusion of all others; -- with to or for; as, a spot of ground is appropriated for a garden; to appropriate money for the increase of the navy.

Aromatical (a.) Pertaining to, or containing, aroma; fragrant; spicy; strong-scented; odoriferous; as, aromatic balsam.

Arquebusade (n.) A distilled water from a variety of aromatic plants, as rosemary, millefoil, etc.; -- originally used as a vulnerary in gunshot wounds.

Asteridea (n. pl.) A class of Echinodermata including the true starfishes. The rays vary in number and always have ambulacral grooves below. The body is star-shaped or pentagonal.

Atrabiliary (a.) Melancholic or hypohondriac; atrabilious; -- from the supposed predominance of black bile, to the influence of which the ancients attributed hypochondria, melancholy, and mania.

Aurocephalous (a.) Having a gold-colored head.

Autogeneal (a.) Self-produced; autogenous.

Babylonian (n.) An astrologer; -- so called because the Chaldeans were remarkable for the study of astrology.

Backwardation (n.) The seller's postponement of delivery of stock or shares, with the consent of the buyer, upon payment of a premium to the latter; -- also, the premium so paid. See Contango.

Barracouata (n.) A large edible fresh-water fish of Australia and New Zealand (Thyrsites atun).

Beatification (n.) The act of beatifying, or the state of being beatified; esp., in the R. C. Church, the act or process of ascertaining and declaring that a deceased person is one of "the blessed," or has attained the second degree of sanctity, -- usually a stage in the process of canonization.

Beetlehead (n.) The black-bellied plover, or bullhead (Squatarola helvetica). See Plover.

Beneficial (a.) Conferring benefits; useful; profitable; helpful; advantageous; serviceable; contributing to a valuable end; -- followed by to.

Bicarbonate (n.) A carbonate in which but half the hydrogen of the acid is replaced by a positive element or radical, thus making the proportion of the acid to the positive or basic portion twice what it is in the normal carbonates; an acid carbonate; -- sometimes called supercarbonate.

Bicorporate (a.) Double-bodied, as a lion having one head and two bodies.

Bicuspidate (a.) Having two points or prominences; ending in two points; -- said of teeth, leaves, fruit, etc.

Bluethroat (n.) A singing bird of northern Europe and Asia (Cyanecula Suecica), related to the nightingales; -- called also blue-throated robin and blue-throated warbler.

Bottlehead (n.) A cetacean allied to the grampus; -- called also bottle-nosed whale.

Brachyura (n. pl.) A group of decapod Crustacea, including the common crabs, characterized by a small and short abdomen, which is bent up beneath the large cephalo-thorax. [Also spelt Brachyoura.] See Crab, and Illustration in Appendix.

Bretwalda (n.) The official title applied to that one of the Anglo-Saxon chieftains who was chosen by the other chiefs to lead them in their warfare against the British tribes.

Bridgehead (n.) A fortification commanding the extremity of a bridge nearest the enemy, to insure the preservation and usefulness of the bridge, and prevent the enemy from crossing; a tete-de-pont.

Britannia (n.) A white-metal alloy of tin, antimony, bismuth, copper, etc. It somewhat resembles silver, and is used for table ware. Called also Britannia metal.

Carromata (n.) In the Philippines, a light, two-wheeled, boxlike vehicle usually drawn by a single native pony and used to convey passengers within city limits or for traveling. It is the common public carriage.

Caducibranchiate (a.) With temporary gills: -- applied to those Amphibia in which the gills do not remain in adult life.

Calcification (n.) The process of change into a stony or calcareous substance by the deposition of lime salt; -- normally, as in the formation of bone and of teeth; abnormally, as in calcareous degeneration of tissue.

Caledonia (n.) The ancient Latin name of Scotland; -- still used in poetry.

Calycozoa (n. pl.) A group of acalephs of which Lucernaria is the type. The body is cup-shaped with eight marginal lobes bearing clavate tentacles. An aboral sucker serves for attachment. The interior is divided into four large compartments. See Lucernarida.

Campanula (n.) A large genus of plants bearing bell-shaped flowers, often of great beauty; -- also called bellflower.

Campanulaceous (a.) Of pertaining to, or resembling, the family of plants (Camponulaceae) of which Campanula is the type, and which includes the Canterbury bell, the harebell, and the Venus's looking-glass.

Campanularian (n.) A hydroid of the family ampanularidae, characterized by having the polyps or zooids inclosed in bell-shaped calicles or hydrothecae.

Campanulate (a.) Bell-shaped.

Carinaria (n.) A genus of oceanic heteropod Mollusca, having a thin, glassy, bonnet-shaped shell, which covers only the nucleus and gills.

Carpathian (a.) Of or pertaining to a range of mountains in Austro-Hungary, called the Carpathians, which partially inclose Hungary on the north, east, and south.

Carrancha (n.) The Brazilian kite (Polyborus Brasiliensis); -- so called in imitation of its notes.

Centreboard (n.) A movable or sliding keel formed of a broad board or slab of wood or metal which may be raised into a water-tight case amidships, when in shallow water, or may be lowered to increase the area of lateral resistance and prevent leeway when the vessel is beating to windward. It is used in vessels of all sizes along the coast of the United States

Cephalata (n. pl.) A large division of Mollusca, including all except the bivalves; -- so called because the head is distinctly developed. See Illustration in Appendix.

Cerebropathy (n.) A hypochondriacal condition verging upon insanity, occurring in those whose brains have been unduly taxed; -- called also brain fag.

Chaetognatha (n. pl.) An order of free-swimming marine worms, of which the genus Sagitta is the type. They have groups of curved spines on each side of the head.

Chloroplastid (n.) A granule of chlorophyll; -- also called chloroleucite.

Chondroganoidea (n.) An order of ganoid fishes, including the sturgeons; -- so called on account of their cartilaginous skeleton.

Chromograph (n.) An apparatus by which a number of copies of written matter, maps, plans, etc., can be made; -- called also hectograph.

Chromoplastid (n.) A protoplasmic granule of some other color than green; -- also called chromoleucite.

Chronogram (n.) An inscription in which certain numeral letters, made to appear specially conspicuous, on being added together, express a particular date or epoch, as in the motto of a medal struck by Gustavus Adolphus in 1632: ChrIstVs DVX; ergo trIVMphVs.- the capitals of which give, when added as numerals, the sum 1632.

Chrysoprase (n.) An apple-green variety of chalcedony, colored by nickel. It has a dull flinty luster, and is sometimes used in jewelry.

Cineraria (n.) A Linnaean genus of free-flowering composite plants, mostly from South Africa. Several species are cultivated for ornament.

Circumstantial (n.) Something incidental to the main subject, but of less importance; opposed to an essential; -- generally in the plural; as, the circumstantials of religion.

Claytonia (n.) An American genus of perennial herbs with delicate blossoms; -- sometimes called spring beauty.

Collateral (a.) Descending from the same stock or ancestor, but not in the same Communicable (a.) Communicative; free-speaking.

Concentrate (v. t.) To increase the strength and diminish the bulk of, as of a liquid or an ore; to intensify, by getting rid of useless material; to condense; as, to concentrate acid by evaporation; to concentrate by washing; -- opposed to dilute.

Conchoidal (a.) Having elevations or depressions in form like one half of a bivalve shell; -- applied principally to a surface produced by fracture.

Confederate (a.) Of or pertaining to the government of the eleven Southern States of the United States which (1860-1865) attempted to establish an independent nation styled the Confederate States of America; as, the Confederate congress; Confederate money.

Confederate (n.) A name designating an adherent to the cause of the States which attempted to withdraw from the Union (1860-1865).

Considerable (a.) Of some distinction; noteworthy; influential; respectable; -- said of persons.

Consideration (n.) Attentive respect; appreciative regard; -- used especially in diplomatic or stately correspondence.

Consubstantiation (n.) The actual, substantial presence of the body of Christ with the bread and wine of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper; impanation; -- opposed to transubstantiation.

Contorniate (n.) A species of medal or medallion of bronze, having a deep furrow on the contour or edge; -- supposed to have been struck in the days of Constantine and his successors.

Copperhead (n.) A poisonous American serpent (Ancistrodon conotortrix), closely allied to the rattlesnake, but without rattles; -- called also copper-belly, and red viper.

Countercaster (n.) A caster of accounts; a reckoner; a bookkeeper; -- used contemptuously.

Counterpane (n.) A duplicate part or copy of an indenture, deed, etc., corresponding with the original; -- now called counterpart.

Counterpassant (a.) Passant in opposite directions; -- said of two animals.

Countryman (n.) One born in the same country with another; a compatriot; -- used with a possessive pronoun.

Crustacea (n. pl.) One of the classes of the arthropods, including lobsters and crabs; -- so called from the crustlike shell with which they are covered.

Demonstration (n.) A course of reasoning showing that a certain result is a necessary consequence of assumed premises; -- these premises being definitions, axioms, and previously established propositions.

Dephlegmate (v. t.) To deprive of superabundant water, as by evaporation or distillation; to clear of aqueous matter; to rectify; -- used of spirits and acids.

Dephlegmation (n.) The operation of separating water from spirits and acids, by evaporation or repeated distillation; -- called also concentration, especially when acids are the subject of it.

Derotremata (n. pl.) The tribe of aquatic Amphibia which includes Amphiuma, Menopoma, etc. They have permanent gill openings, but no external gills; -- called also Cryptobranchiata.

Determination (n.) The addition of a differentia to a concept or notion, thus limiting its extent; -- the opposite of generalization.

Deuterocanonical (a.) Pertaining to a second canon, or ecclesiastical writing of inferior authority; -- said of the Apocrypha, certain Epistles, etc.

Deuterogamy (n.) A second marriage, after the death of the first husband of wife; -- in distinction from bigamy, as defined in the old canon law. See Bigamy.

Diathermanous (a.) Having the property of transmitting radiant heat; diathermal; -- opposed to athermanous.

Didrachma (n.) A two-drachma piece; an ancient Greek silver coin, worth nearly forty cents.

Diencephalon (n.) The interbrain or thalamencephalon; -- sometimes abbreviated to dien. See Thalamencephalon.

Digitigrade (a.) Walking on the toes; -- distinguished from plantigrade.

Digitigrade (n.) An animal that walks on its toes, as the cat, lion, wolf, etc.; -- distinguished from a plantigrade, which walks on the palm of the foot.

Doryphora (n.) A genus of plant-eating beetles, including the potato beetle. See Potato beetle.

Dyscrasia (n.) An ill habit or state of the constitution; -- formerly regarded as dependent on a morbid condition of the blood and humors.

Economical (a.) Managing with frugality; guarding against waste or unnecessary expense; careful and frugal in management and in expenditure; -- said of character or habits.

Economical (a.) Managed with frugality; not marked with waste or extravagance; frugal; -- said of acts; saving; as, an economical use of money or of time.

Egoistical (a.) Pertaining to egoism; imbued with egoism or excessive thoughts of self; self-loving.

Elenctical (a.) Serving to refute; refutative; -- applied to indirect modes of proof, and opposed to deictic.

Enantiopathy (n.) Allopathy; -- a term used by followers of Hahnemann, or homeopathists.

Enclitical (v. i.) Affixed; subjoined; -- said of a word or particle which leans back upon the preceding word so as to become a part of it, and to lose its own independent accent, generally varying also the accent of the preceding word.

Endorhiza (n.) Any monocotyledonous plant; -- so named because many monocotyledons have an endorhizal embryo.

Entomophaga (n. pl.) A group of edentates, including the ant-eaters.

Eparterial (a.) Situated upon or above an artery; -- applied esp. to the branches of the bronchi given off above the point where the pulmonary artery crosses the bronchus.

Epichordal (a.) Upon or above the notochord; -- applied esp. to a vertebral column which develops upon the dorsal side of the notochord, as distinguished from a perichordal column, which develops around it.

Epidemical (a.) Common to, or affecting at the same time, a large number in a community; -- applied to a disease which, spreading widely, attacks many persons at the same time; as, an epidemic disease; an epidemic catarrh, fever, etc. See Endemic.

Erythrina (n.) A genus of leguminous plants growing in the tropics; coral tree; -- so called from its red flowers.

Exanthema (n.) An efflorescence or discoloration of the skin; an eruption or breaking out, as in measles, smallpox, scarlatina, and the like diseases; -- sometimes limited to eruptions attended with fever.

Exaspidean (a.) Having the anterior scute/ extending around the tarsus on the outer side, leaving the inner side naked; -- said of certain birds.

Extravasate (v. t.) To pass by infiltration or effusion from the normal channel, such as a blood vessel or a lymphatic, into the surrounding tissue; -- said of blood, lymph, etc.

Exocardial (a.) Situated or arising outside of the heat; as, exocardial murmurs; -- opposed to endocardiac.

Exoterical (a.) External; public; suitable to be imparted to the public; hence, capable of being readily or fully comprehended; -- opposed to esoteric, or secret.

Expostulate (v. i.) To reason earnestly with a person on some impropriety of his conduct, representing the wrong he has done or intends, and urging him to make redress or to desist; to remonstrate; -- followed by with.

Extemporaneous (a.) Composed, performed, or uttered on the spur of the moment, or without previous study; unpremeditated; off-hand; extempore; extemporary; as, an extemporaneous address or production.

Floccillation (n.) A delirious picking of bedclothes by a sick person, as if to pick off flocks of wool; carphology; -- an alarming symptom in acute diseases.

Fodientia (n.pl.) A group of African edentates including the aard-vark.

Fulgurata (n.) A spectro-electric tube in which the decomposition of a liquid by the passage of an electric spark is observed.

Gallowglass (n.) A heavy-armed foot soldier from Ireland and the Western Isles in the time of Edward /

Glossohyal (a.) Pertaining to both the hyoidean arch and the tongue; -- applied to the anterior segment of the hyoidean arch in many fishes. -- n. The glossohyal bone or cartilage; lingual bone; entoglossal bone.

Glossopharyngeal (a.) Pertaining to both the tongue and the pharynx; -- applied especially to the ninth pair of cranial nerves, which are distributed to the pharynx and tongue. -- n. One of the glossopharyngeal nerves.

Gonotheca (n.) A capsule developed on certain hydroids (Thecaphora), inclosing the blastostyle upon which the medusoid buds or gonophores are developed; -- called also gonangium, and teleophore. See Hydroidea, and Illust. of Campanularian.

Gymnocopa (n. pl.) A group of transparent, free-swimming Annelida, having setae only in the cephalic appendages.

Hallelujah (n. & interj.) Praise ye Jehovah; praise ye the Lord; -- an exclamation used chiefly in songs of praise or thanksgiving to God, and as an expression of gratitude or adoration.

Hallucinate (v. i.) To wander; to go astray; to err; to blunder; -- used of mental processes.

Hammerhead (n.) A fresh-water fish; the stone-roller.

Hammerhead (n.) An African fruit bat (Hypsignathus monstrosus); -- so called from its large blunt nozzle.

Harmonical (a.) Relating to harmony, -- as melodic relates to melody; harmonious; esp., relating to the accessory sounds or overtones which accompany the predominant and apparent single tone of any string or sonorous body.

Harmonical (a.) Having relations or properties bearing some resemblance to those of musical consonances; -- said of certain numbers, ratios, proportions, points, lines. motions, and the like.

Heliopora (n.) An East Indian stony coral now known to belong to the Alcyonaria; -- called also blue coral.

Hermetical (a.) Made perfectly close or air-tight by fusion, so that no gas or spirit can enter or escape; as, an hermetic seal. See Note under Hermetically.

Hermetically (adv.) By fusion, so as to form an air-tight closure.

Heterographic (a.) Employing the same letters to represent different sounds in different words or syllables; -- said of methods of spelling; as, the ordinary English orthography is heterographic.

Hexandrian (a.) Alt. of Hex-androus

Hexeikosane (n.) A hydrocarbon, C26H54, resembling paraffine; -- so called because each molecule has twenty-six atoms of carbon.

Hirudinea (n. pl.) An order of Annelida, including the leeches; -- called also Hirudinei.

Holocephali (n. pl.) An order of elasmobranch fishes, including, among living species, only the chimaeras; -- called also Holocephala. See Chimaera; also Illustration in Appendix.

Holohedral (a.) Having all the planes required by complete symmetry, -- in opposition to hemihedral.

Holophotal (a.) Causing no loss of light; -- applied to reflectors which throw back the rays of light without perceptible loss.

Holostomatous (a.) Having an entire aperture; -- said of many univalve shells.

Homaloidal (a.) Flat; even; -- a term applied to surfaces and to spaces, whether real or imagined, in which the definitions, axioms, and postulates of Euclid respecting parallel straight lines are assumed to hold true.

Homocercal (a.) Having the tail nearly or quite symmetrical, the vertebral column terminating near its base; -- opposed to heterocercal.

Homoousian (n.) One of those, in the 4th century, who accepted the Nicene creed, and maintained that the Son had the same essence or substance with the Father; -- opposed to homoiousian.

Hyalonema (n.) A genus of hexactinelHypernoea (n.) Abnormal breathing, due to slightly deficient arterialization of the blood; -- in distinction from eupnoea. See Eupnoea, and Dispnoea.

Ichthyolatry (n.) Worship of fishes, or of fish-shaped idols.

Ichthyosauria (n. pl.) An extinct order of marine reptiles, including Ichthyosaurus and allied forms; -- called also Ichthyopterygia. They have not been found later than the Cretaceous period.

Ichthyosaurus (n.) An extinct genus of marine reptiles; -- so named from their short, biconcave vertebrae, resembling those of fishes. Several species, varying in length from ten to thirty feet, are known from the Liassic, Oolitic, and Cretaceous formations.

Indonesian (n.) A member of a race forming the chief pre-Malay population of the Malay Archipelago, and probably sprung from a mixture of Polynesian and Mongoloid immigrants. According to Keane, the autochthonous Negritos were largely expelled by the Caucasian Polynesians, themselves followed by Mongoloid peoples of Indo-Chinese affinities, from mixture with whom sprang the Indonesian race.

Inantherate (a.) Not bearing anthers; -- said of sterile stamens.

Incognita (n.) The state of being in disguise; -- said of a woman.

Incorporate (v. t.) To unite with, or introduce into, a mass already formed; as, to incorporate copper with silver; -- used with with and into.

Incorporate (v. i.) To unite in one body so as to make a part of it; to be mixed or blended; -- usually followed by with.

Individualism (n.) An excessive or exclusive regard to one's personal interest; self-interest; selfishness.

Induplicate (a.) Having the edges bent abruptly toward the axis; -- said of the parts of the calyx or corolla in aestivation.

Induplicate (a.) Having the edges rolled inward and then arranged about the axis without overlapping; -- said of leaves in vernation.

Insabbatati (n. pl.) The Waldenses; -- so called from their peculiary cut or marked sabots, or shoes.

Intercalary (a.) Inserted or introduced among others in the calendar; as, an intercalary month, day, etc.; -- now applied particularly to the odd day (Feb. 29) inserted in the calendar of leap year. See Bissextile, n.

Inviscerate (a.) Deep-seated; internal.

Irrational (a.) Not capable of being exactly expressed by an integral number, or by a vulgar fraction; surd; -- said especially of roots. See Surd.

Irredeemable (a.) Not redeemable; that can not be redeemed; not payable in gold or silver, as a bond; -- used especially of such government notes, issued as currency, as are not convertible into coin at the pleasure of the holder.

Isonandra (n.) A genus of sapotaceous trees of India. Isonandra Gutta is the principal source of gutta-percha.

Jacaranda (n.) A genus of bignoniaceous Brazilian trees with showy trumpet-shaped flowers.

Jesuitical (a.) Designing; cunning; deceitful; crafty; -- an opprobrious use of the word.

Journeyman (n.) Formerly, a man hired to work by the day; now, commonly, one who has mastered a handicraft or trade; -- distinguished from apprentice and from master workman.

Kinetograph (n.) A combined animated-picture machine and phonograph in which sounds appropriate to the scene are automatically uttered by the latter instrument.

Keramographic (a.) Suitable to be written upon; capable of being written upon, as a slate; -- said especially of a certain kind of globe.

Lancepesade (n.) An assistant to a corporal; a private performing the duties of a corporal; -- called also lance corporal.

Laticostate (a.) Broad-ribbed.

Latidentate (a.) Broad-toothed.

Leatherback (n.) A large sea turtle (Sphargis coriacea), having no bony shell on its back. It is common in the warm and temperate parts of the Atlantic, and sometimes weighs over a thousand pounds; -- called also leather turtle, leathery turtle, leather-backed tortoise, etc.

Lenticular (a.) Resembling a lentil in size or form; having the form of a double-convex lens.

Littorina (n.) A genus of small pectinibranch mollusks, having thick spiral shells, abundant between tides on nearly all rocky seacoasts. They feed on seaweeds. The common periwinkle is a well-known example. See Periwinkle.

Liederkranz (n.) Lit., wreath of songs; -- used as the title of a group of songs, and esp. as the common name for German vocal clubs of men.

Loggerhead (n.) A very large marine turtle (Thalassochelys caretta, / caouana), common in the warmer parts of the Atlantic Ocean, from Brazil to Cape Cod; -- called also logger-headed turtle.

Lycopodiaceous (a.) Belonging, or relating, to the Lycopodiaceae, an order of cryptogamous plants (called also club mosses) with branching stems, and small, crowded, one-nerved, and usually pointed leaves.

Lyencephala (n. pl.) A group of Mammalia, including the marsupials and monotremes; -- so called because the corpus callosum is rudimentary.

Magnificat (n.) The song of the Virgin Mary, Luke i. 46; -- so called because it commences with this word in the Vulgate.

Malashaganay (n.) The fresh-water drumfish (Haploidonotus grunniens).

Maranatha (n.) "Our Lord cometh;" -- an expression used by St. Paul at the conclusion of his first Epistle to the Corinthians (xvi. 22). This word has been used in anathematizing persons for great crimes; as much as to say, "May the Lord come quickly to take vengeance of thy crimes." See Anathema maranatha, under Anathema.

Medialuna (n.) See Half-moon.

Megacephalous (a.) Large headed; -- applied to animals, and to plants when they have large flower heads.

Melastoma (n.) A genus of evergreen tropical shrubs; -- so called from the black berries of some species, which stain the mouth.

Meliphagan (n.) Any bird of the genus Meliphaga and allied genera; a honey eater; -- called also meliphagidan.

Midshipman (n.) Formerly, a kind of naval cadet, in a ship of war, whose business was to carry orders, messages, reports, etc., between the officers of the quarter-deck and those of the forecastle, and render other services as required.

Monarchian (n.) One of a sect in the early Christian church which rejected the doctrine of the Trinity; -- called also patripassian.

Monocephalous (a.) Having a solitary head; -- said of unbranched composite plants.

Monoclinal (a.) Having one oblique inclination; -- applied to strata that dip in only one direction from the axis of elevation.

Monopteral (a.) Round and without a cella; consisting of a single ring of columns supporting a roof; -- said esp. of a temple.

Monothalamous (a.) One-chambered.

Mortification (n.) Hence: Deprivation or depression of self-approval; abatement or pride; humiliation; chagrin; vexation.

Mortification (n.) A gift to some charitable or religious institution; -- nearly synonymous with mortmain.

Multipolar (a.) Having many poles; -- applied especially to those ganglionic nerve cells which have several radiating processes.

Myzostomata (n. pl.) An order of curious parasitic worms found on crinoids. The body is short and disklike, with four pairs of suckers and five pairs of hook-bearing parapodia on the under side.

Mycetozoa (n. pl.) The Myxomycetes; -- so called by those who regard them as a class of animals.

Naphthazarin (n.) A dyestuff, resembling alizarin, obtained from naphthoquinone as a red crystalNecessitarian (a.) Of or pertaining to the doctrine of philosophical necessity in regard to the origin and existence of things, especially as applied to the actings or choices of the will; -- opposed to libertarian.

Nemertina (n. pl.) An order of helminths usually having a long, slender, smooth, often bright-colored body, covered with minute vibrating cilia; -- called also Nemertea, Nemertida, and Rhynchocoela.

Nicotiana (n.) A genus of American and Asiatic solanaceous herbs, with viscid foliage and funnel-shaped blossoms. Several species yield tobacco. See Tobacco.

Noctiluca (n.) That which shines at night; -- a fanciful name for phosphorus.

Noctivagant (a.) Going about in the night; night-wandering.

Nucamentaceous (a.) Like a nut either in structure or in being indehiscent; bearing one-seeded nutlike fruits.

Nucleoplasmic (a.) Of or pertaining to nucleoplasm; -- esp. applied to a body formed in the developing ovum from the plasma of the nucleus of the germinal vesicle.

Occasionalism (n.) The system of occasional causes; -- a name given to certain theories of the Cartesian school of philosophers, as to the intervention of the First Cause, by which they account for the apparent reciprocal action of the soul and the body.

Occidental (a.) Of, pertaining to, or situated in, the occident, or west; western; -- opposed to oriental; as, occidental climates, or customs; an occidental planet.

Occidental (a.) Possessing inferior hardness, brilliancy, or beauty; -- used of inferior precious stones and gems, because those found in the Orient are generally superior.

Octangular (a.) Having eight angles; eight-angled.

Orchestra (n.) The space in a theater between the stage and the audience; -- originally appropriated by the Greeks to the chorus and its evolutions, afterward by the Romans to persons of distinction, and by the moderns to a band of instrumental musicians.

Orchestra (n.) A band composed, for the largest part, of players of the various viol instruments, many of each kind, together with a proper complement of wind instruments of wood and brass; -- as distinguished from a military or street band of players on wind instruments, and from an assemblage of solo players for the rendering of concerted pieces, such as septets, octets, and the like.

Orchestration (n.) The arrangement of music for an orchestra; orchestral treatment of a composition; -- called also instrumentation.

Ornithosauria (n. pl.) An order of extinct flying reptiles; -- called also Pterosauria.

Ortalidian (n.) Any one of numerous small two-winged flies of the family Ortalidae. The larvae of many of these flies live in fruit; those of others produce galls on various plants.

Orthogonal (a.) Right-angled; rectangular; as, an orthogonal intersection of one curve with another.

Parnassian (n.) One of a school of French poets of the Second Empire (1852-70) who emphasized metrical form and made the little use of emotion as poetic material; -- so called from the name (Parnasse contemporain) of the volume in which their first poems were collected in 1866.

Papistical (a.) Of or pertaining to the Church of Rome and its doctrines and ceremonies; pertaining to popery; popish; -- used disparagingly.

Participate (v. i.) To have a share in common with others; to take a part; to partake; -- followed by in, formely by of; as, to participate in a debate.

Particular (a.) Forming a part of a genus; relatively limited in extension; affirmed or denied of a part of a subject; as, a particular proposition; -- opposed to universal: e. g. (particular affirmative) Some men are wise; (particular negative) Some men are not wise.

Particular (n.) One of the details or items of grounds of claim; -- usually in the pl.; also, a bill of particulars; a minute account; as, a particular of premises.

Penicillate (a.) Having the form of a pencil; furnished with a pencil of fine hairs; ending in a tuft of hairs like a camel's-hair brush, as the stigmas of some grasses.

Pennatula (n.) Any one of numerous species of Pennatula, Pteroides, and allied genera of Alcyonaria, having a featherlike form; a sea-pen. The zooids are situated along one edge of the side branches.

Pentadecane (n.) A hydrocarbon of the paraffin series, (C15H32) found in petroleum, tar oil, etc., and obtained as a colorless liquid; -- so called from the fifteen carbon atoms in the molecule.

Pentalpha (n.) A five-pointed star, resembling five alphas joined at their bases; -- used as a symbol.

Pentamera (n. pl.) An extensive division of Coleoptera, including those that normally have five-jointed tarsi. It embraces about half of all the known species of the Coleoptera.

Peppergrass (n.) Any herb of the cruciferous genus Lepidium, especially the garden peppergrass, or garden cress, Lepidium sativum; -- called also pepperwort. All the species have a pungent flavor.

Perforata (n. pl.) A division of corals including those that have a porous texture, as Porites and Madrepora; -- opposed to Aporosa.

Periostracum (n.) A chitinous membrane covering the exterior of many shells; -- called also epidermis.

Peripteral (a.) Having columns on all sides; -- said of an edifice. See Apteral.

Perissodactyla (n. pl.) A division of ungulate mammals, including those that have an odd number of toes, as the horse, tapir, and rhinoceros; -- opposed to Artiodactyla.

Phanerogamous (a.) Having visible flowers containing distinct stamens and pistils; -- said of plants.

Phassachate (n.) The lead-colored agate; -- so called in reference to its color.

Pluviograph (n.) A self-registering rain gauge.

Plectognathic (a.) Alt. of Plec-tognathous

Podophthalmia (n. pl.) The stalk-eyed Crustacea, -- an order of Crustacea having the eyes supported on movable stalks. It includes the crabs, lobsters, and prawns. Called also Podophthalmata, and Decapoda.

Poinciana (n.) A prickly tropical shrub (Caesalpinia, formerly Poinciana, pulcherrima), with bipinnate leaves, and racemes of showy orange-red flowers with long crimson filaments.

Politician (n.) One primarily devoted to his own advancement in public office, or to the success of a political party; -- used in a depreciatory sense; one addicted or attached to politics as managed by parties (see Politics, 2); a schemer; an intriguer; as, a mere politician.

Polynomial (n.) An expression composed of two or more terms, connected by the signs plus or minus; as, a2 - 2ab + b2.

Polysyllable (n.) A word of many syllables, or consisting of more syllables than three; -- words of less than four syllables being called monosyllables, dissyllables, and trisyllables.

Polythalamous (a.) Many-chambered; -- applied to shells of Foraminifera and cephalopods. See Illust. of Nautilus.

Prochordal (a.) Situated in front of the notochord; -- applied especially to parts of the cartilaginous rudiments in the base of the skull.

Promethean (a.) Having a life-giving quality; inspiring.

Prudential (n.) That which relates to or demands the exercise of, discretion or prudence; -- usually in the pl.

Psilomelane (n.) A hydrous oxide of manganese, occurring in smooth, botryoidal forms, and massive, and having an iron-black or steel-gray color.

Pteroceras (n.) A genus of large marine gastropods having the outer border of the lip divided into lobes; -- called also scorpion shell.

Pulmonata (n. pl.) An extensive division, or sub-class, of hermaphrodite gastropods, in which the mantle cavity is modified into an air-breathing organ, as in Helix, or land snails, Limax, or garden slugs, and many pond snails, as Limnaea and Planorbis.

Purpuriparous (a.) Producing, or connected with, a purple-colored secretion; as, the purpuriparous gland of certain gastropods.

Quadrantal (n.) A cubical vessel containing a Roman cubic foot, each side being a Roman square foot; -- used as a measure.

Reciprocal (a.) Reflexive; -- applied to pronouns and verbs, but sometimes limited to such pronouns as express mutual action.

Reduplicate (a.) Valvate with the margins curved outwardly; -- said of the /stivation of certain flowers.

Refrigerant (n.) That which makes to be cool or cold; specifically, a medicine or an application for allaying fever, or the symptoms of fever; -- used also figuratively.

Regimentals (n. pl.) The uniform worn by the officers and soldiers of a regiment; military dress; -- formerly used in the singular in the same sense.

Ricinoleate (n.) A salt of ricinoleic acid; -- formerly called palmate.

Robertsman (n.) A bold, stout robber, or night thief; -- said to be so called from Robin Hood.

Rudbeckia (n.) A genus of composite plants, the coneflowers, consisting of perennial herbs with showy pedunculate heads, having a hemispherical involucre, sterile ray flowers, and a conical chaffy receptacle. There are about thirty species, exclusively North American. Rudbeckia hirta, the black-eyed Susan, is a common weed in meadows.

Schizognathous (a.) Having the maxillo-palatine bones separate from each other and from the vomer, which is pointed in front, as in the gulls, snipes, grouse, and many other birds.

Scratchback (n.) A toy which imitates the sound of tearing cloth, -- used by drawing it across the back of unsuspecting persons.

Scrophulariaceous (a.) Of or pertaining to a very large natural order of gamopetalous plants (Scrophulariaceae, or Scrophularineae), usually having irregular didynamous flowers and a two-celled pod. The order includes the mullein, foxglove, snapdragon, figwort, painted cup, yellow rattle, and some exotic trees, as the Paulownia.

Selenography (n.) The science that treats of the physical features of the moon; -- corresponding to physical geography in respect to the earth.

Semipalmated (a.) Having the anterior toes joined only part way down with a web; half-webbed; as, a semipalmate bird or foot. See Illust. k under Aves.

Sententiary (n.) One who read lectures, or commented, on the Sentences of Peter Lombard, Bishop of Paris (1159-1160), a school divine.

Septicidal (a.) Dividing the partitions; -- said of a method of dehiscence in which a pod splits through the partitions and is divided into its component carpels.

Sepulchral (a.) Unnaturally low and grave; hollow in tone; -- said of sound, especially of the voice.

Sexlocular (a.) Having six cells for seeds; six-celled; as, a sexlocular pericarp.

Serotherapy (n.) Serum-therapy.

Shovelboard (n.) A game played on board ship in which the aim is to shove or drive with a cue wooden disks into divisions chalked on the deck; -- called also shuffleboard.

Shovelhead (n.) A shark (Sphryna tiburio) allied to the hammerhead, and native of the warmer parts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans; -- called also bonnet shark.

Siderostat (n.) An apparatus consisting essentially of a mirror moved by clockwork so as to throw the rays of the sun or a star in a fixed direction; -- a more general term for heliostat.

Signorina (n.) Miss; -- a title of address among the Italians.

Socratical (a.) Of or pertaining to Socrates, the Grecian sage and teacher. (b. c. 469-399), or to his manner of teaching and philosophizing.

Solfeggiare (v. i.) To sol-fa. See Sol-fa, v. i.

Solifidian (n.) One who maintains that faith alone, without works, is sufficient for justification; -- opposed to nullifidian.

Spenserian (a.) Of or pertaining to the English poet Spenser; -- specifically applied to the stanza used in his poem "The Faerie Queene."

Sphenogram (n.) A cuneiform, or arrow-headed, character.

Splashboard (n.) A guard in the front part of vehicle, to prevent splashing by a mud or water from the horse's heels; -- in the United States commonly called dashboard.

Stellionate (n.) Any fraud not distinguished by a more special name; -- chiefly applied to sales of the same property to two different persons, or selling that for one's own which belongs to another, etc.

Stratigraphic (a.) Alt. of -ical

Streptobacteria (n. pl.) A so-called variety of bacterium, consisting in reality of several bacteria linked together in the form of a chain.

Subcontrary (a.) Having, or being in, a contrary order; -- said of a section of an oblique cone having a circular base made by a plane not parallel to the base, but so inclined to the axis that the section is a circle; applied also to two similar triangles when so placed as to have a common angle at the vertex, the opposite sides not being parallel.

Subdominant (n.) The fourth tone above, or fifth below, the tonic; -- so called as being under the dominant.

Subordinate (n.) One who stands in order or rank below another; -- distinguished from a principal.

Suburbicary (a.) Being in the suburbs; -- applied to the six dioceses in the suburbs of Rome subject to the pope as bishop of Rome.

Sulphocyanate (n.) A salt of sulphocyanic acid; -- also called thiocyanate, and formerly inaccurately sulphocyanide.

Sulphostannic (a.) Of, pertaining to, or designating, a sulphacid of tin (more exactly called metasulphostannic acid), which is obtained as a dark brown amorphous substance, H/SnS/, forming a well-known series of salts.

Superlunary (a.) Being above the moon; not belonging to this world; -- opposed to sublunary.

Superroyal (a.) Larger than royal; -- said of a particular size of printing and writing paper. See the Note under Paper, n.

Suprahepatic (a.) Situated over, or on the dorsal side of, the liver; -- applied to the branches of the hepatic veins.

Surangular (a.) Above the angular bone; supra-angular; -- applied to a bone of the lower jaw in many reptiles and birds.

Swallowtail (n.) An outwork with converging sides, its head or front forming a reentrant angle; -- so called from its form. Called also priestcap.

Swallowtail (n.) A swallow-tailed coat.

Tephrosia (n.) A genus of leguminous shrubby plants and herbs, mostly found in tropical countries, a few herbaceous species being North American. The foliage is often ashy-pubescent, whence the name.

Terephthalic (a.) Of, pertaining to, or designating, a dibasic acid of the aromatic series, metameric with phthalic acid, and obtained, as a tasteless white crystalTetradecane (n.) A light oily hydrocarbon, C14H30, of the marsh-gas series; -- so called from the fourteen carbon atoms in the molecule.

Tetrahexahedron (n.) A solid in the isometric system, bounded by twenty-four equal triangular faces, four corresponding to each face of the cube.

Tetrakosane (n.) A hydrocarbon, C24H50, resembling paraffin, and like it belonging to the marsh-gas series; -- so called from having twenty-four atoms of carbon in the molecule.

Thaliacea (n. pl.) A division of Tunicata comprising the free-swimming species, such as Salpa and Doliolum.

Thermostat (n.) A self-acting apparatus for regulating temperature by the unequal expansion of different metals, liquids, or gases by heat, as in opening or closing the damper of a stove, or the like, as the heat becomes greater or less than is desired.

Thomsonianism (n.) An empirical system which assumes that the human body is composed of four elements, earth, air, fire, and water, and that vegetable medicines alone should be used; -- from the founder, Dr. Samuel Thomson, of Massachusetts.

Thermoanaesthesia (n.) Alt. of -anesthesia

Thermostable (a.) Capable of being heated to or somewhat above 55? C. without loss of special properties; -- said of immune substances, etc.

Timberhead (n.) The top end of a timber, rising above the gunwale, and serving for belaying ropes, etc.; -- called also kevel head.

Totipalmate (a.) Having all four toes united by a web; -- said of certain sea birds, as the pelican and the gannet. See Illust. under Aves.

Tripitaka (n.) The three divisions, or "baskets" (pitakas), of buddhist scriptures, -- the Vinayapitaka [Skr. Vinayapi/aka] , or Basket of Discipline; Suttapitaka [Pali] , or Basket of Discourses; and Abhidhammapitaka [Pali] , or Basket of Metaphysics.

Trisaccharide () Alt. of -rid

Tractarian (n.) One of the writers of the Oxford tracts, called "Tracts for the Times," issued during the period 1833-1841, in which series of papers the sacramental system and authority of the Church, and the value of tradition, were brought into prominence. Also, a member of the High Church party, holding generally the principles of the Tractarian writers; a Puseyite.

Translunary (a.) Being or lying beyond the moon; hence, ethereal; -- opposed to sublunary.

Transpadane (a.) Lying or being on the further side of the river Po with reference to Rome, that is, on the north side; -- opposed to cispadane.

Transpalatine (a.) Situated beyond or outside the palatine bone; -- said of a bone in the skull of some reptiles.

Triangulate (v. t.) To make triangular, or three-cornered.

Trichromatic (a.) Having or existing in three different phases of color; having three distinct color varieties; -- said of certain birds and insects.

Trilateral (a.) Having three sides; being three-sided; as, a trilateral triangle.

Triplasian (a.) Three-fold; triple; treble.

Trundletail (n.) A round or curled-up tail; also, a dog with such a tail.

Typothetae (n. pl.) Printers; -- used in the name of an association of the master printers of the United States and Canada, called The United Typothetae of America.

Umbellularia (n.) A genus of deep-sea alcyonaria consisting of a cluster of large flowerlike polyps situated at the summit of a long, slender stem which stands upright in the mud, supported by a bulbous base.

Unappealable (a.) Not to be appealed from; -- said of a judge or a judgment that can not be overruled.

Unicameral (a.) Having, or consisting of, a single chamber; -- said of a legislative assembly.

Unilateral (a.) Being on one side only; affecting but one side; one-sided.

Unilateral (a.) Pertaining to one side; one-sided; as, a unilateral raceme, in which the flowers grow only on one side of a common axis, or are all turned to one side.

Unisilicate (n.) A salt of orthosilicic acid, H4SiO4; -- so called because the ratio of the oxygen atoms united to the basic metals and silicon respectively is 1:1; for example, Mg2SiO4 or 2MgO.SiO2.

Unseasonable (a.) Not seasonable; being, done, or occurring out of the proper season; ill-timed; untimely; too early or too late; as, he called at an unseasonable hour; unseasonable advice; unseasonable frosts; unseasonable food.

Vernacular (a.) Belonging to the country of one's birth; one's own by birth or nature; native; indigenous; -- now used chiefly of language; as, English is our vernacular language.

Vulcanization (n.) The act or process of imparting to caoutchouc, gutta-percha, or the like, greater elasticity, durability, or hardness by heating with sulphur under pressure.

Wapinschaw (n.) An exhibition of arms. according to the rank of the individual, by all persons bearing arms; -- formerly made at certain seasons in each district.

Wentletrap (n.) Any one of numerous species of elegant, usually white, marine shells of the genus Scalaria, especially Scalaria pretiosa, which was formerly highly valued; -- called also staircase shell. See Scalaria.

Whitmonday (n.) The day following Whitsunday; -- called also Whitsun Monday.

Whitsunday (n.) The seventh Sunday, and the fiftieth day, after Easter; a festival of the church in commemoration of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost; Pentecost; -- so called, it is said, because, in the primitive church, those who had been newly baptized appeared at church between Easter and Pentecost in white garments.

Xerophthalmia (n.) An abnormal dryness of the eyeball produced usually by long-continued inflammation and subsequent atrophy of the conjunctiva.

Xylanthrax (n.) Wood coal, or charcoal; -- so called in distinction from mineral coal.

About the author

Mark McCracken Author: Mark McCracken is a corporate trainer and author living in Higashi Osaka, Japan. He is the author of thousands of online articles as well as the Business English textbook, "25 Business Skills in English".

Copyright © 2011 by Mark McCracken, All Rights Reserved.