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To make (a thing) certain to the mind; to free from obscurity, doubt, or change; to make sure of; to fix; to determine. [Archaic] The divine law . . . ascertaineth the truth. Hooker. The very deferring [of his execution] shall increase and ascertain the condemnation. Jer. Taylor. The ministry, in order to ascertain a m…

use; hence, one who practices extreme rigor and self-denial in religious things. I am far from commending those ascetics that take up their quarters in deserts. Norris. Ascetic theology, the science which treats of the practice of the theological and moral virtues, and the counsels of perfection. Am. Cyc.…

The first day of Lent; -- so called from a custom in the Roman Catholic church of putting ashes, on that day, upon the foreheads of penitents.

dust and ashes, In sackcloth and ashes, with humble expression of grief or repentance; -- from the method of mourning in Eastern lands. -- Volcanic ashes, or Volcanic ash, the loose, earthy matter, or small fragments of stone or lava, ejected by volcanoes.

lso, masonry made of squared or hewn stone. Rough ashlar, a block of freestone as brought from the quarry. When hammer-dressed it is known as common ashlar. Knight.

On, or to, one side; out of a straight line, course, or direction; at a little distance from the rest; out of the way; apart. Thou shalt set aside that which is full. 2 Kings iv. 4. But soft! but soft! aside: here comes the king. Shak. The flames were blown aside. Dryden.

; to seek to obtain by words; to petition; to solicit; - - often with of, in the sense of from, before the person addressed. Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God. Judg. xviii. 5. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. John xv. 7.

To turn aside. [Poet.] O, how are they wrapped in with infamies That from their own misdeeds askance their eyes! Shak.

Slopingly; aslant; declining from an upright direction; sloping. "Set them not upright, but aslope." Bacon.

One of the Asmonean family. The Asmoneans were leaders and rulers of the Jews from 168 to 35 b. c.

ogenous, crystallizable substance, C4H8N2O3+H2O, found in many plants, and first obtained from asparagus. It is believed to aid in the disposition of nitrogenous matter throughout the plant; -- called also altheine.

Prospect; outlook. [Obs.] This town affords a good aspect toward the hill from whence we descended. Evelyn.

of several species of poplar bearing this name, especially the Populus tremula, so called from the trembling of its leaves, which move with the slightest impulse of the air.

r-proof cement for bridges, roofs, etc.; asphaltic cement. Artificial asphalt is prepared from coal tar, lime, sand, etc. Asphalt stone, Asphalt rock, a limestone found impregnated with asphalt.

Apparent death, or suspended animation; the condition which results from interruption of respiration, as in suffocation or drowning, or the inhalation of irrespirable gases.

ine compound of acetyl and salicylic acid used as a drug for the salicylic acid liberated from it in the intestines.

The felonious removal of goods from the place where they were deposited.

dupois pounds does to the troy ounce, the weight in milligrams of precious metal obtained from an assay ton of ore gives directly the number of ounces to the ton.

y assert Eternal Providence, And justify the ways of God to men. Milton. I will assert it from the scandal. Jer. Taylor.

To lend aid; to help. With God not parted from him, as was feared, But favoring and assisting to the end. Milton.