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The act of bringing down or humbling. "The abjection of the king and his realm." Joe.

Exceptional. [R.] It is this power which leads on from the accidental and abjunctive to the universal. I. Taylor.

epresentative of the pope charged with important commissions in foreign countries, one of his duties being to bring to a newly named cardinal his insignia of office.

a denial; a renunciation. With abnegation of God, of his honor, and of religion, they may retain the friendship of the court. Knox.

Abnormal; irregular. Hallam. A character of a more abnormous cast than his equally suspected coadjutor. State Trials.

objects; to wipe out. [Archaic] And with thy blood abolish so reproachful blot. Spenser. His quick instinctive hand Caught at the hilt, as to abolish him. Tennyson.

excites disgust and hatred; a hateful or shameful vice; pollution. Antony, most large in his abominations. Shak.

An animal or a plant native to the region. It may well be doubted whether this frog is an aboriginal of these islands. Darwin.

anything which in its progress, before it is matured or perfect; a complete failure; as, his attempt. proved an abortiori.

Near; not far from; -- determining approximately time, size, quantity. "To-morrow, about this time." Exod. ix. 18. "About my stature." Shak. He went out about the third hour. Matt. xx. 3.

curtail; as, to abridge labor; to abridge power or rights. "The bridegroom . . . abridged his visit." Smollett. She retired herself to Sebaste, and abridged her train from state to necessity. Fuller.

of a book; a shortened or abridged form; an abbreviation. Ancient coins as abridgments of history. Addison.

To annul by an authoritative act; to abolish by the authority of the maker or his successor; to repeal; -- applied to the repeal of laws, decrees, ordinances, the abolition of customs, etc. Let us see whether the New Testament abrogates what we so frequently see in the Old. South. Whose laws, like those of the Medes an…

One who absents himself from his country, office, post, or duty; especially, a landholder who lives in another country or district than that where his estate is situated; as, an Irish absentee. Macaulay.

as it would be sin or guilt to violate; to pronounce free; as, to absolve a subject from his allegiance; to absolve an offender, which amounts to an acquittal and remission of his punishment. Halifax was absolved by a majority of fourteen. Macaulay.

. Etym: [L., without this.] (Law) The technical words of denial used in traversing what has been alleged, and is repeated.

Abstaining from wine. [Orig. Latin sense.] Under his special eye Abstemious I grew up and thrived amain. Milton.

rown up in more modern times, which, if not introduced by Locke, has gained currency from his example, of applying the expression "abstract name" to all names which are the result of abstraction and generalization, and consequently to all general names, instead of confining it to the names of attributes. J. S. Mill.…

Separated or disconnected; withdrawn; removed; apart. The evil abstracted stood from his own evil. Milton.

tory; nonsensical; ridiculous; as, an absurd person, an absurd opinion; an absurd dream. This proffer is absurd and reasonless. Shak. 'This phrase absurd to call a villain great. Pope. p. 9