Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1st 100 Pages). Noah Webster
English abbot, the head of an abbey; but commonly a title of respect given in France to every one vested with the ecclesiastical habit or dress. Littr‚. µ After the 16th century, the name was given, in social parlance, to candidates for some priory or abbey in the gift of the crown. Many of these aspirants became well known in literary and fashionable life. By further extension, the name came to be applied to unbeneficed secular ecclesiastics generally. Ab¶bess (?), n. [OF.abaesse, abeesse, F. abbesse, L. abbatissa, fem. of abbas, abbatis, abbot. See Abbot.] A female superior or governess of a nunnery, or convent of nuns, having the same authority over the nuns which the abbots have over the monks. See Abbey. Ab¶bey (?), n.; pl. Abbeys (?). [OF. aba‹e, F. abbaye, L. abbatia, fr. abbas abbot. See Abbot.] 1. A monastery or society of persons of either sex, secluded from the world and devoted to religion and celibacy; also, the monastic building or buildings. µ The men are called monks, and governed by an abbot; the women are called nuns, and governed by an abbess. 2. The church of a monastery.
<—p. 3—>
In London, the Abbey means Westminster Abbey, and in Scotland, the precincts of the Abbey of Holyrood. The name is also retained for a private residence on the site of an abbey; as, Newstead Abbey, the residence of Lord Byron.
Syn.Ð Monastery; convent; nunnery; priory; cloister. See Cloister.
Ab¶bot (?), n. [AS. abbod, abbad, L. abbas, abbatis, Gr. ?, fr. Syriac ? father. Cf. Abba, Abb.]
1. The superior or head of an abbey.
2. One of a class of bishops whose sees were formerly abbeys.
Encyc.Brit.
Abbot of the people, a title formerly given to one of the chief magistrates in Genoa. Ð Abbot of Misrule (or Lord of Misrule), in medi‘val times, the master of revels, as at Christmas; in Scotland called the Abbot of Unreason.
Encyc.Brit.
Ab¶botÏship (?), n. [Abbot + Ïship.] The state or office of an abbot.
AbÏbre¶viÏate (?), 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.
AbÏbre¶viÏate (?), a. [L. abbreviatus, p.p.] 1. Abbreviated; abridged; shortened. [R.] ½The abbreviate form.¸
Earle.
2. (Biol.) Having one part relatively shorter than another or than the ordinary type.
AbÏbre¶viÏate, n. An abridgment. [Obs.]
Elyot.
AbÏbre¶viÏa·ted (?), a. Shortened; relatively short; abbreviate.
AbÏbre·viÏa¶tion (?), n. [LL. abbreviatio: cf. F. abbr‚viation.] 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 demiÐsemiquavers.
Moore.
AbÏbre¶viÏa·tor (?), n. [LL.: cf. F. abbr‚viateur.] 1. One who abbreviates or shortens.
2. One of a college of seventyÐtwo 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.
AbÏbre¶viÏaÏtoÏry (?), a. Serving or tending to abbreviate; shortening; abridging.
AbÏbre¶viÏaÏture (?), 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 (?). See Abb.
A B C¶ (?). 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 Cÿof finance.
A B C book, a primer.
Shak.
ØAb¶dal (?), n. [Ar. badÆl, pl. abd¾l, a substitute, a good, religious man, saint, fr. badalaÿto change, substitute.] A religious devotee or dervish in Persia.
AbÏde¶riÏan (?), 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.
AbÏde¶rite (?), n. [L. Abderita, Abderites, fr. Gr. '?.] An inhabitant of Abdera, in Thrace.
The Abderite, Democritus, the Laughing Philosopher.
Ab¶dest (?), n. [Per. ¾bdast; ab water + dast hand.] Purification by washing the hands before prayer; Ð a Mohammedan rite.
Heyse.
Ab¶diÏcaÏble (?), a. Capable of being abdicated.
Ab¶diÏcant (?), a. [L. abdicans, p.pr. of abdicare.] Abdicating; renouncing; Ð followed by of.
Monks abdicant of their orders.
Whitlock.
Ab¶diÏcant, n. One who abdicates.
Smart.
Ab¶diÏcate (?), v.t. [imp. & p.p. Abdicated (?); p.pr. & vb.n. Abdicating.] [L. abdicatus, p.p. of abdicare; ab + dicare to proclaim, akin to dicere to say. See Diction.] 1. To surrender or relinquish, as sovereign power; to withdraw definitely from filling or exercising, as a high office, station, dignity; as, to abdicate the throne, the crown, the papacy.
µ The word abdicate was held to mean, in the case of James II., to abandon without a formal surrender.
The crossÐbearers abdicated their service.
Gibbon.
2. To renounce; to relinquish; Ð said of authority, a trust, duty, right, etc.
He abdicates all right to be his own governor.
Burke.
The understanding abdicates its functions.
Froude.
3. To reject; to cast off. [Obs.]
Bp. Hall.
4. (Civil Law) To disclaim and expel from the family, as a father his child; to disown; to disinherit.
Syn. - To give up; quit; vacate; relinquish; forsake; abandon; resign; renounce; desert. Ð To Abdicate, Resign. Abdicate commonly expresses the act of a monarch in voluntary and formally yielding up sovereign authority; as, to abdicate the government. Resign is applied to the act of any person, high or low, who gives back an office or trust into the hands of him who conferred it. Thus, a minister resigns, a military officer resigns, a clerk resigns. The expression,½The king resigned his crown,¸ sometimes occurs in our later literature, implying that he held it from his people. Ð There are other senses of resign which are not here brought into view.
Ab¶diÏcate (?), v.i. To relinquish or renounce a throne, or other high office or dignity.
Though a king may abdicate for his own person, he cannot abdicate for the monarchy.
Burke.
Ab·diÏca¶tion (?), n. [L. abdicatio: cf. F. abdication.] The act of abdicating; the renunciation of a high office, dignity, or trust, by its holder; commonly the voluntary renunciation of sovereign power; as, abdication of the throne, government, power, authority.