Search the Dictionary

t of accelerating, or the state of being accelerated; increase of motion or action; as, a falling body moves toward the earth with an acceleration of velocity; -- opposed to retardation. A period of social improvement, or of intellectual advancement, contains within itself a principle of acceleration. I. Taylor. (Astr.…

Literally, a befalling; an event that takes place without one's foresight or expectation; an undesigned, sudden, and unexpected event; chance; contingency; often, an undesigned and unforeseen occurrence of an afflictive or unfortunate character; a casualty; a mishap; as, to die by an accident. Of moving accidents by fl…

Those fortuitous effects produced by luminous rays falling on certain objects so that some parts stand forth in abnormal brightness and other parts are cast into a deep shadow.

ts befitting a station." Thackeray. Accomplishments have taken virtue's place, And wisdom falls before exterior grace. Cowper.

A stone, or metallic mass, which has fallen to the earth from distant space; a meteorite; a meteoric stone.

) The ratio which the light reflected from an unpolished surface bears to the total light falling upon that surface.

To form in line; to fall into line.

antity, as of food or drink; hence, a limited quantity of meat and drink, when provisions fall short. I can give the boy a handsome allowance. Thackeray.

ace; by turns first one and then the other; hence, reciprocal. And bid alternate passions fall and rise. Pope.

A unit, employed in calculating fall of pressure in distributing mains, equivalent to a current of one ampère flowing through one foot of conductor.

tance of time; belonging to times long past; specifically applied to the times before the fall of the Roman empire; -- opposed to modern; as, ancient authors, literature, history; ancient days. Witness those ancient empires of the earth. Milton. Gildas Albanius . . . much ancienter than his namesake surnamed the Wise.…

The sacred shield of the Romans, said to have-fallen from heaven in the reign of Numa. It was the palladium of Rome.

One of a class of "fallen angels;" an evil spirit; as, the devil and his angels.

t-lined angle, one formed by two right lines. -- Right angle, one formed by a right line falling on another perpendicularly, or an angle of 90º (measured by a quarter circle). -- Solid angle, the figure formed by the meeting of three or more plane angles at one point. -- Spherical angle, one made by the meeting of t…

A neuropterous insect, the larva of which makes in the sand a pitfall to capture ants, etc. The common American species is Myrmeleon obsoletus, the European is M. formicarius.

polytheistic deity. In its recoil from the gross anthropopathy of the vulgar notions, it falls into the vacuum of absolute apathy. Hare.

A sentence in which the ideas fall, or become less important and striking, at the close; -- the opposite of climax. It produces a ridiculous effect. Example: Next comes Dalhousie, the great god of war, Lieutenant-colonel to the Earl ANTICLINAL An`ti*cli"nal, a. Etym: [Pref. anti- + Gr.

connection with the receiving apparatus for reading wireless signals. The electric waves falling on this contrivance increase its resistance several times. The anticoherer can be used in conjunction with a telephone.

Archers, or bowmen, collectively. Let all our archery fall off In wings of shot a-both sides of the van. Webster (1607).

. -- As for, or As to, in regard to; with respect to. -- As good as, not less than; not falling short of. -- As good as one's word, faithful to a promise. -- As if, or As though, of the same kind, or in the same condition or manner, that it would be if. -- As it were (as if it were), a qualifying phrase used to ap…