<B>acid test,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a thorough test to find out the real quality of some person or thing; decisive test. <BR> <I>Ex. ... political assumptions which, I think, could not long withstand the acid test of logic (Wall Street Journal).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="acidtongued">
<B>acid-tongued, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> sharp-tongued; caustic. <BR> <I>Ex. This acid-tongued diplomat has managed to play a controversial role in almost every East-West dispute (Newsweek).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="acidtrip">
<B>acid trip,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Slang.) a hallucinatory experience that results from using LSD. </DL>
<A NAME="acidulate">
<B>acidulate, </B>transitive verb, <B>-lated,</B> <B>-lating.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to make slightly acid or sour. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) to make caustic or harsh. <BR> <I>Ex. a compliment acidulated with some scorn.</I> noun <B>acidulation.</B> </DL>
<B>acidulous, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>slightly acid or sour. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) caustic; harsh. <BR> <I>Ex. It is beautiful, therefore ... to find a woman, George Eliot, departing utterly out of that mood of hate or even of acidulous satire in which Thackeray so often worked (Sidney Lanier).</I> adv. <B>acidulously.</B> noun <B>acidulousness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="acidvalue">
<B>acid value,</B> =acid number.</DL>
<A NAME="acidy">
<B>acidy, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having an acid quality. </DL>
<A NAME="acierage">
<B>acierage, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the process of depositing a layer of iron on another metal by electric action. </DL>
<A NAME="acierate">
<B>acierate, </B>transitive verb, <B>-ated,</B> <B>-ating.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Especially U.S.) to convert (iron) into steel. </DL>
<A NAME="acieration">
<B>acieration, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> conversion into steel. </DL>
<B>acinar, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Anatomy.) having to do with an acinus or acini. </DL>
<A NAME="aciniform">
<B>aciniform, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> clustered like grapes; acinous. </DL>
<A NAME="acinose">
<B>acinose, </B>adjective. =acinous.</DL>
<A NAME="acinous">
<B>acinous, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> composed of or like a cluster of small berries; consisting of acini. </DL>
<A NAME="acinus">
<B>acinus, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ni.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>(Botany.) <DD><B> a. </B>one of the small, fleshy berries (drupelets) that make up such compound fruits as the blackberry. <DD><B> b. </B>the compound fruit that they compose. <DD><B> c. </B>the stone or seed of a grape or berry. <DD><B> d. </B>a berry which grows in clusters, such as grapes or currants. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Anatomy.) a minute lobule; one of the small terminal sacs with constricted lumen in a lung or exocrine gland. </DL>
<A NAME="acipenserid">
<B>acipenserid, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>=acipenseroid.</B> <DD><I>noun </I> an acipenseroid fish, such as the sturgeon. </DL>
<A NAME="acipenseroid">
<B>acipenseroid, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with a group of fishes that includes the sturgeons and related forms. </DL>
<A NAME="acis">
<B>Acis, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Greek Myth.) a youth who fell in love with Galatea and was slain by Polyphemus in a jealous rage. His blood became the river Acis, in Sicily. </DL>
<B>ackee, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a tropical tree of the soapberry family, native to West Africa, whose fruit contains oily seeds embedded in a white, spongy aril. <DD><B> 2. </B>the aril, which is cooked and eaten as a vegetable. Also, <B>akee.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="acknowledge">
<B>acknowledge, </B>transitive verb, <B>-edged,</B> <B>-edging.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to admit to be true or to exist. <BR> <I>Ex. He acknowledges his own faults.</I> (SYN) grant, concede, confess, avow, own. <DD><B> 2. </B>to recognize the authority or claims of. <BR> <I>Ex. The boys acknowledged the pitcher to be the best player on the baseball team.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to express appreciation of or make known that one has received (a favor, service, gift, or message). <BR> <I>Ex. She acknowledged the gift with a pleasant letter. I acknowledged her letter at once.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Law.) <DD><B> a. </B>to recognize as genuine; certify. <BR> <I>Ex. to acknowledge a deed before a notary public.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>to admit (a debt or other liability). <DD><B> 5. </B>to respond to. <BR> <I>Ex. He acknowledged the greeting with a nod.</I> adj. <B>acknowledgeable.</B> adv. <B>acknowledgedly.</B> noun <B>acknowledger.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="acknowledgment">
<B>acknowledgment</B> or <B>acknowledgement, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>something given or done to show that one has received a favor, service, gift, or message. <BR> <I>Ex. The supermarket's receipt was acknowledgment that the groceries had been paid for. The winner waved in acknowledgment of the crowd's cheers. What is the grateful acknowledgment of a friend's kindness?</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>admitting that something is true or exists. <BR> <I>Ex. acknowledgment of a mistake. The accused man made acknowledgment of his guilt.</I> (SYN) admission, concession, confession, avowal. <DD><B> 3. </B>answering; response. <BR> <I>Ex. acknowledgment of an introduction.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>the recognition of authority, claims, or merit. (SYN) acceptance. <DD><B> 5. </B>(Law.) <DD><B> a. </B>an official certificate in legal form. <DD><B> b. </B>admission of a debt or other liability. </DL>
<A NAME="aclastic">
<B>aclastic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Physics.) not refracting. </DL>
<A NAME="aclinic">
<B>aclinic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having no magnetic dip. </DL>
<A NAME="aclinicline">
<B>aclinic line,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> magnetic equator, at which a magnetic needle balances horizontally without dipping. </DL>
<A NAME="acls">
<B>ACLS</B> (no periods),<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>American Council of Learned Societies. <DD><B> 2. </B>Automatic Carrier Landing System. </DL>
<A NAME="aclu">
<B>ACLU</B> (no periods) or <B>A.C.L.U.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> American Civil Liberties Union. </DL>
<A NAME="acme">
<B>acme, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the highest point. <BR> <I>Ex. A baseball player usually reaches the acme of his skill before he is thirty.</I> (SYN) apex, culmination, climax. </DL>
<A NAME="acmeist">
<B>Acmeist, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> one of a group of Russian poets of the early 1900's who opposed symbolism and advocated precision and concreteness in poetry. </DL>
<A NAME="acne">
<B>acne, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a skin disease, especially of adolescence, in which the oil glands in the skin become clogged and inflamed, often causing pimples, particularly on the face. </DL>
<A NAME="acneform">
<B>acneform, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>of or having to do with acne. <DD><B> 2. </B>resembling acne. </DL>
<A NAME="acneiform">
<B>acneiform, </B>adjective. =acneform.</DL>
<A NAME="acnerosacea">
<B>acne rosacea,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a disorder, especially of middle age, characterized by pimples and chronic congestion of the blood vessels of the nose and central part of the face. </DL>
<A NAME="acock">
<B>acock, </B>adverb, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> in a cocked position. </DL>
<A NAME="acockbill">
<B>acockbill, </B>adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Nautical.) turned upward, as yards tiltedat an angle with the deck. </DL>
<A NAME="acoelomate">
<B>acoelomate, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> without either a true or false body cavity (coelom), as the flatworms. <DD><I>noun </I> an acoelomate worm; flatworm. </DL>
<A NAME="acoelous">
<B>acoelous, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having no digestive tract or body cavity. </DL>
<A NAME="acold">
<B>acold, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Archaic.) cold; chilled. <BR> <I>Ex. The owl, for all his feathers, was acold (Keats).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="acolyte">
<B>acolyte, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1a. </B>a person who helps a priest, deacon, or other person in charge of a church service by performing certain subordinate duties; altar boy. <BR> <I>Ex. The acolyte lit the candles on the altar.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>a person ordained to the fourth and highest minor order in the Roman Catholic Church. <DD><B> 2. </B>a youth who assists with certain parts of the service, but is not a member of the clergy, in some Protestant churches. <DD><B> 3. </B>an assistant; attendant; follower. <DD><B> 4. </B>(Astronomy.) an attendant star; satellite. </DL>
<A NAME="acompte">
<B>a compte,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (French.) as part payment; on account. </DL>
<A NAME="aconitase">
<B>aconitase, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> an enzyme that promotes the conversion of citric acid in the process of turning it into aconitic acid for further conversion from a food chemical into physical energy. </DL>
<A NAME="aconite">
<B>aconite, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a plant with irregular, blue, purple, yellow, or yellow-and-white flowers shaped like hoods. Only a few grow wild in North America, such as monkshood and wolfsbane. Aconite belongs to the crowfoot family and has poisonous roots, leaves, and seeds. <DD><B> 2. </B>a very poisonous drug prepared from the roots of monkshood, and used to relieve inflammation and pain. It contains aconitine, and was formerly used to reduce fever and slow the action of the heart but now is used occasionally in liniments. </DL>
<A NAME="aconitic">
<B>aconitic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with aconite. </DL>
<A NAME="aconiticacid">
<B>aconitic acid,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a whitish or yellowish crystalline acid obtained from aconite and bagasse or by dehydration of citric acid. </DL>
<A NAME="aconitin">
<B>aconitin, </B>noun. =aconitine.</DL>
<A NAME="aconitine">
<B>aconitine, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a very poisonous alkaloid derived from the roots of the common European aconite. </DL>
<A NAME="aconitum">
<B>aconitum, </B>noun. =aconite.</DL>
<A NAME="acontium">
<B>acontium, </B>noun, pl. <B>-tia.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> any one of several long, delicate threads equipped with stinging cells, arising from the septa of some sea anemones and protruding when the animal contracts. </DL>
