<B>abolitionism, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the principle or policy of abolition, especially of Negro slavery. </DL>
<A NAME="abolitionist">
<B>abolitionist, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a person who wishes to abolish something, such as an institution or custom. <DD><B> 2. </B>Also, <B>Abolitionist.</B> (in the 1700's and 1800's in the United States and Great Britain) a person who favored the compulsory abolition of Negro slavery. <DD><I>adj. </I> of or having to do with abolitionism or abolitionists. <BR> <I>Ex. ... abolitionist and retentionist theories of capital punishment (Observer).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="abomasal">
<B>abomasal, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with the abomasum. <BR> <I>Ex. abomasal feeding.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="abomasum">
<B>abomasum, </B>noun, pl. <B>-sa.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the fourth and true stomach of cows, sheep, deer, and other ruminants, in which the food is digested. </DL>
<A NAME="abomasus">
<B>abomasus, </B>noun, pl. <B>-si.</B> =abomasum.</DL>
<A NAME="abomb">
<B>A-bomb, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> an atomic bomb. <DD><I>v.t. </I> to bomb with an atomic bomb or bombs. noun <B>A-bomber.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="abominable">
<B>abominable, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>disgusting; hateful; detestable. <BR> <I>Ex. Kidnaping is an abominable act. Shall we pass by this monstrous heap of absurd notions, and abominable practices? (Edmund Burke).</I> (SYN) horrible, loathsome, revolting, odious, execrable. <DD><B> 2. </B>very unpleasant; disagreeable. <BR> <I>Ex. abominable manners. The weather for the picnic was abominable--rainy, windy, and cold.</I> (SYN) distasteful, offensive. noun <B>abominableness.</B> adv. <B>abominably.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="abominablesnowman">
<B>Abominable Snowman,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (according to local legends) a manlike or apelike hairy beast supposed to live in the higher parts of the Himalayas. Also called <B>Yeti.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="abominate">
<B>abominate, </B>transitive verb, <B>-nated,</B> <B>-nating.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to feel disgust for; hate very much; loathe. <BR> <I>Ex. Players abominate unfairness in an umpire.</I> (SYN) detest, abhor, despise, execrate. <DD><B> 2. </B>to dislike. <BR> <I>Ex. She abominates hot weather.</I> noun <B>abominator.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="abomination">
<B>abomination, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>anything that arouses strong disgust or loathing; a revolting thing. <BR> <I>Ex. Lying lips are abomination to the Lord (Proverbs 12:22).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a feeling of disgust; loathing. <BR> <I>Ex. Many people consider smoking with abomination.</I> (SYN) hate, detestation. <DD><B> 3. </B>a shamefully wicked action. <BR> <I>Ex. If we are going to revive the abomination of expurgatory oaths, why stop at one profession and one kind of objectionable behavior? (Atlantic).</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>anything strongly disliked. </DL>
<A NAME="abonmarche">
<B>a bon marche,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (French.) at a good price; cheap. </DL>
<B>aboral, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Zoology.) having to do with or located away from the mouth or at the opposite end from the mouth. adv. <B>aborally.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="aboriginal">
<B>aboriginal, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>first or earliest so far as science or history gives record; existing from the beginning. <BR> <I>Ex. The Indians are the aboriginal inhabitants of America.</I> (SYN) indigenous, original, native. <DD><B> 2. </B>of the earliest known inhabitants; primitive. <BR> <I>Ex. The use of horses was not an aboriginal custom in America, but was introduced by Europeans.</I> (SYN) indigenous. <DD><I>noun </I> an aborigine. adv. <B>aboriginally.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="aboriginality">
<B>aboriginality, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the state or quality of being aboriginal. </DL>
<A NAME="aborigine">
<B>ab origine,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Latin.) from the beginning. </DL>
<A NAME="aborigine">
<B>aborigine, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> one of the original or earliest known inhabitants of a country or area; a member of the native race, as distinguished from an invader or colonist. <BR> <I>Ex. The Eskimos are among the aborigines of North America. Among the Australian Aborigines ... females are excluded from religious spheres (rituals, secret societies, and the like) (Felix M. Keesing).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>aborigines,</B> </I>the plants and animals native to a particular region or area. <BR> <I>Ex. I doubt whether any case is on record of an invasion on so grand a scale of one plant over the aborigines (Charles Darwin).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="aborning">
<B>aborning, </B>adverb, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> while being born or produced. <BR> <I>Ex. The plan, which died aborning, would have made two important changes in United States troop dispositions (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="abort">
<B>abort, </B>verb, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to fail to develop or come to completion; end a mission, test, or experiment prematurely. <BR> <I>Ex. The rocket flight aborted.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to give birth before the embryo can live outside the mother's body because it is still dependent upon her body system to support its own; miscarry. <DD><B> 3. </B>to end prematurely and fruitlessly. <DD><B> 4. </B>(Biology.) to be arrested in growth, as an organ; fail to develop. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to end or abandon (a mission, test, or experiment) before completion. <DD><B> 2. </B>to cause to give birth prematurely. <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>an aborting or being aborted. <BR> <I>Ex. Any malfunction of the power plant, which must be completely automatic, ... will cause an abort and loss of the missile (Ben I. Funk).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(U.S.) a test, operation, or mission, as of a missile launching, broken off or abandoned prior to completion. <DD><B> 3. </B>(U.S.) a mechanism that fails to begin, or to complete, a scheduled operation or test. <DD><B> 4. </B>an aircraft mission, sortie, or flight given up for reasons other than enemy action. noun <B>aborter.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="aborticide">
<B>aborticide, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the destroying of a human embryo within the womb, especially by drugs or surgery. <DD><B> 2. </B>an abortifacient. </DL>
<A NAME="abortifacient">
<B>abortifacient, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> a drug or agent used to cause abortion. <DD><I>adj. </I> causing abortion. </DL>
<A NAME="abortion">
<B>abortion, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1a. </B>(in mammals) birth that occurs before the embryo has developed enough to live, usually during the first twelve weeks of pregnancy; miscarriage. <DD><B> b. </B>the inducing of premature delivery in order to destroy offspring. <DD><B> 2a. </B>the failure of anything to develop properly or to be completed; imperfect development. <DD><B> b. </B>anything that fails to develop properly, such as an animal, a plan or project, or a building. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Biology.) <DD><B> a. </B>the failure of an organ to develop beyond an early stage. <DD><B> b. </B>an imperfectly developed organ. </DL>
<A NAME="abortional">
<B>abortional, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> characterized by failure. </DL>
<A NAME="abortionist">
<B>abortionist, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person who induces or seeks to induce an abortion, especially an illegal abortion. </DL>
<A NAME="abortionpill">
<B>abortion pill,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a tablet of synthetic steroid taken to abort a pregnancy by blocking progesterone so that the fertilized egg does not become implanted in the uterus. <BR> <I>Ex. The revolutionary new abortion pill, RU 486, is ... considered by the medical profession to be a far better means of abortion than surgical procedures (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="abortive">
<B>abortive, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>coming to nothing; unsuccessful; fruitless. <BR> <I>Ex. Early attempts to make airplanes fly proved abortive. The League of Nations was part of an abortive effort to secure world peace.</I> (SYN) ineffective, futile. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Biology.) imperfectly formed or developed; rudimentary. <DD><B> 3. </B>born or happening before the right time; premature. <DD><B> 4. </B>causing abortion; abortifacient. <DD><B> 5. </B>ending or shortening the course of a disease. <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a drug causing abortion; abortifacient. <DD><B> 2. </B>an abortive birth. adv. <B>abortively.</B> noun <B>abortiveness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="abortus">
<B>abortus, </B>noun, pl. <B>-tuses.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Medicine.) an aborted fetus. </DL>
<A NAME="abought">
<B>abought, </B>verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Archaic.) past tense and past participle of <B>aby</B> and of <B>abide</B> (2). </DL>
<A NAME="aboulia">
<B>aboulia, </B>noun. =abulia.</DL>
<A NAME="aboulic">
<B>aboulic, </B>adjective. =abulic.</DL>
<A NAME="abound">
<B>abound, </B>intransitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to be plentiful or numerous. <BR> <I>Ex. Fish abound in the ocean. Rock abounds under the soil.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to be rich (in). <BR> <I>Ex. America abounds in oil. Shakespeare's poetry abounds in imagery.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to be well supplied; be filled (with). <BR> <I>Ex. The ocean abounds with fish.</I> (SYN) teem, swarm. adv. <B>aboundingly.</B> </DL>
