Search the Dictionary

eed when it begins to germinate; the plumule in germination; -- so called from its spiral form.

ich the first or the last letters of the lines, or certain other letters, taken in order, form a name, word, phrase, or motto.

One of the pedestals, for vases or statues, forming a part roof balustrade.

or doing; the exercise of power, or the effect, of which power exerted is the cause; a performance; a deed. That best portion of a good man's life, His little, nameless, unremembered acts Of kindness and of love. Wordsworth. Hence, in specific uses:

A large division of Anthozoa, including those which have simple tentacles and do not form stony corals. Sometimes, in a wider sense, applied to all the Anthozoa, expert the Alcyonaria, whether forming corals or not.

An animal of the class Anthozoa, and family Actinidæ. From a resemblance to flowers in form and color, they are often called animal flowers and sea anemones. [See Polyp.].

Having the form of rays; radiated, as an actinia.

A peculiar larval form of Phoronis, a genus of marine worms, having a circle of ciliated tentacles.

A kind of embryo of certain hydroids (Tubularia), having a stellate form.

The event or connected series of events, either real or imaginary, forming the subject of a play, poem, or other composition; the unfolding of the drama of events.

Applied to a form of the verb; -- opposed to Ant: passive. See Active voice, under Voice.

A theatrical performer; a stageplayer. After a well graced actor leaves the stage. Shak.

Involving or comprising action; active. [Obs.] Her walking and other actual performances. Shak. Let your holy and pious intention be actual; that is . . . by a special prayer or action, . . . given to God. Jer. Taylor.

To carry out in practice; to perform. [Obs.] "To actuate what you command." Jer. Taylor.

Tendency or impulse to act. [R.] Acturience, or desire of action, in one form or another, whether as restlessness, ennui, dissatisfaction, or the imagination of something desirable. J. Grote.

As a prefix ad- assumes the forms ac-, af-, ag-, al-, an-, ap-, ar-, as-, at-, assimilating the d with the first letter of the word to which ad- is prefixed. It remains unchanged before vowels, and before d, h, j, m, v. Examples: adduce, adhere, adjacent, admit, advent, accord, affect, aggregate, allude, annex, appear,…

The projection formed by the thyroid cartilage in the neck. It is particularly prominent in males, and is so called from a notion that it was caused by the forbidden fruit (an apple) sticking in the throat of our first parent. -- Adam's flannel (Bot.), the mullein (Verbascum thapsus). -- Adam's needle (Bot.), the pop…

The result of adapting; an adapted form.

oncretion on reeds and grass in marshy grounds in Galatia. It is soft and porous, and was formerly used for cleansing the skin from freckles and tetters, and also in leprosy. Dana.

s, so as to increase the number, augment the quantity, enlarge the magnitude, or so as to form into one aggregate. Hence: To sum up; to put together mentally; as, to add numbers; to add up a column. Back to thy punishment, False fugitive, and to thy speed add wings. Milton. As easily as he can add together the ideas of…