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Of or pertaining to the earliest Stone age; -- applied to a prehistoric period preceding the Paleolithic age.

science or study of antiquities, esp. prehistoric antiquities, such as the remains of buildings or monuments of an early epoch, inscriptions, implements, and other relics, written manuscripts, etc.

Antiquity of style or use; obsoleteness. A select vocabulary corresponding (in point of archaism and remoteness from ordinary use) to our Scriptural vocabulary. De Quincey.

The pistillidium or female organ in the higher cryptogamic plants, corresponding to the pistil in flowering plants.

The vital principle or force which (according to the Paracelsians) presides over the growth and continuation of living beings; the anima mundi or plastic power of the old philosophers. [Obs.] Johnson.

The higher order of clergy in Russia, including metropolitans, archbishops, and bishops. Pinkerton.

A chief of a monastery, corresponding to abbot in the Roman Catholic church.

an instrument, said to have been invented by Archimedes, for raising water, formed by winding a flexible tube round a cylinder in the form of a screw. When the screw is placed in an inclined position, and the lower end immersed in water, by causing the screw to revolve, the water is raised to the upper end. Francis.…

A person skilled in the art of building; one who understands architecture, or makes it his occupation to form plans and designs of buildings, and to superintend the artificers employed.

Used in building; proper for building. Derham.

Of or pertaining to the art of building; conformed to the rules of architecture. -- Ar`chi*tec"tur*al*ly, adv.

The art or science of building; especially, the art of building houses, churches, bridges, and other structures, for the purposes of civil life; -- often called civil architecture. Many other architectures besides Gothic. Ruskin.

The group of moldings, or other architectural member, above and on both sides of a door or other opening, especially if square in form.

The architectural member surrounding the curved opening of an arch, corresponding to the architrave in the case of a square opening.

The group including man alone.

The act of bending or curving; incurvation; the state of being bent; crookedness. Coxe.

sh words; as, coward, reynard, drunkard, mostly from the French, in which language this ending is of German origin, being orig. the same word as English hard. It usually has the sense of one who has to a high or excessive degree the quality expressed by the root; as, braggart, sluggard.

Attended with great labor, like the ascending of acclivities; difficult; laborious; as, an arduous employment, task, or enterprise.

e floor of a room or church, or of the ground within an inclosure; an open space in a building. The Alban lake . . . looks like the area of some vast amphitheater. Addison.

Pertaining to, or resembling, silver; made of, or sounding like, silver; silvery. Celestial Dian, goddess argentine. Shak.