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Having a protuberant belly; pot-bellied. Gorgonius sits, abdominous and wan, Like a fat squab upon a Chinese fan. Cowper.

The quality or state of being able; power to perform, whether physical, moral, intellectual, conventional, or legal; capacity; skill or competence in doing; sufficiency of strength, skill, resources, etc.; -- in the plural, faculty, talent. Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send reli…

gth, force, skill, means, or resources of any kind to accomplish the object; possessed of qualifications rendering competent for some end; competent; qualified; capable; as, an able workman, soldier, seaman, a man able to work; a mind able to reason; a person able to be generous; able to endure pain; able to play on a…

A small quantity of wine and water, which is used to wash the priest's thumb and index finger after the communion, and which then, as perhaps containing portions of the consecrated elements, is drunk by the priest.

The state or quality of being abnormal; variation; irregularity. Darwin.

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

The quality or state of being abominable; odiousness. Bentley.

The quality of being aboriginal. Westm. Rev.

The quality of being abortive.

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.

Surpassing in number or quantity; more than; as, above a hundred. (Passing into the adverbial sense. See Above, adv., 4.) above all, before every other consideration; chiefly; in preference to other things. Over and above, prep. or adv., besides; in addition to.

Up to a certain level or line; equally advanced; as, to keep abreast of [or with] the present state of science.

The quality of being absent-minded. H. Miller.

f double curvature, which is measured in the osculating plane of the curve. -- Absolute equation (Astron.), the sum of the optic and eccentric equations. -- Absolute space (Physics), space considered without relation to material limits or objects. -- Absolute terms. (Alg.), such as are known, or which do not contain…

The quality of being absolute; independence of everything extraneous; unlimitedness; absolute power; independent reality; positiveness.

Discordant; contrary; -- opposed to consonant. "Absonant to nature." Quarles.

The state or quality of being absorbable. Graham (Chemistry).

The quality of being absorptive; absorptive power.

The quality of being abstemious, temperate, or sparing in the use of food and strong drinks. It expresses a greater degree of abstinence than temperance.

The quality of being abstersive. Fuller.