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Given to argument; characterized by argument; disputatious; as, an argumentative writer. --Ar`gu*men"ta*tive*ly, adv. -- Ar`gu*men"ta*tive*ness, n.

g arms. [R.] They belonged to the armigerous part of the population, and were entitled to write themselves Esquire. De Quincey.

payment by the Greeks Of yesterday's arrear. Cowper. I have a large arrear of letters to write. J. D. Forbes. In arrear or In arrears, behind; backward; behindhand; in debt.

or exhibiting much art, skill, or contrivance; dexterous; skillful. He [was] too artful a writer to set down events in exact historical order. Dryden.

the four subkingdoms in the classification of Cuvier. It has been much modified by later writers.

To draw up or write in separate articles; to particularize; to specify. [Obs.]

One who assures. Specifically: One who insures against loss; an insurer or underwriter.

lieving the existence of a God; impious; godless; -- applied to persons; as, an atheistic writer. -- A`the*is"tic*al*ly, adv. -- A`the*is"tic*al*ness, n.

Of approved authority; true; trustworthy; credible; as, an authentic writer; an authentic portrait; authentic information.

One who composes or writers a book; a composer, as distinguished from an editor, translator, or compiler. The chief glory every people arises from its authors. Johnson.

One who writers his own life or biography.

One who writes his own life; an autobiographer. [R.]

to Avernus, a lake of Campania, in Italy, famous for its poisonous vapors, which ancient writers fancied were so malignant as to kill birds flying over it. It was represented by the poets to be connected with the infernal regions.

A Hindoo gentleman; native clerk who writes English; also, a Hindoo title answering to Mr. or Esquire. Whitworth.

Stand back! give place! -- a cant word of the Elizabethan writers, probably in ridicule of some person who pretended to a knowledge of Latin which he did not possess. Baccare! you are marvelous forward. Shak.

To write upon the back of; as, to back a letter; to indorse; as, to back a note or legal document.

A writer of ballads.

uage. See Solecism. The Greeks were the first that branded a foreign term in any of their writers with the odious name of barbarism. G. Campbell.

ality or condition of being base; degradation; vileness. I once did hold it a baseness to write fair. Shak.

ent manner; with more skill and wisdom, courage, virtue, advantage, or success; as, Henry writes better than John; veterans fight better than recruits. I could have better spared a better man. Shak.