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Nearly; approximately; with close correspondence, in quality, manner, degree, etc.; as, about as cold; about as high; -- also of quantity, number, time. "There fell . . . about three thousand men." Exod. xxii. 28.

Heaped, or growing in heaps, or closely compacted clusters.

To carry on to a final close; to bring out into a perfected state; to accomplish; to perform; -- as, to achieve a feat, an exploit, an enterprise. Supposing faculties and powers to be the same, far more may be achieved in any line by the aid of a capital, invigorating motive than without it. I. Taylor.…

Anciently, a snake, called dart snake; now, one of a genus of reptiles closely allied to the lizards.

haps, also, he felt his professional acuteness interested in bringing it to a successful close. Sir W. Scott.

A muscle which draws a limb or part of the body toward the middle line of the body, or closes extended parts of the body; -- opposed to abductor; as, the adductor of the eye, which turns the eye toward the nose. In the bivalve shells, the muscles which close the values of the shell are called adductor muscles. Verrill.…

Lying near, close, or contiguous; neighboring; bordering on; as, a field adjacent to the highway. "The adjacent forest." B. Jonson. Adjacent or contiguous angle. (Geom.) See Angle.

To put off or defer to another day, or indefinitely; to postpone; to close or suspend for the day; -- commonly said of the meeting, or the action, of convened body; as, to adjourn the meeting; to adjourn a debate. It is a common practice to adjourn the reformation of their lives to a further time. Barrow. 'Tis a needfu…

A key or scale closely related to another as principal; a relative or attendant key. [R.] See Attendant keys, under Attendant, a.

elevated position. Give me advantage of some brief discourse. Shak. The advantages of a close alliance. Macaulay.

An apparatus consisting chiefly of a closed vessel (as a globe or cylinder) with one or more projecting bent tubes, through which steam is made to pass from the vessel, causing it to revolve. [Written also eolipile.]

ying speech. It consists of a phonograph diaphragm so arranged that its action opens and closes valves, producing synchronous air blasts sufficient to operate a larger diaphragm with greater amplitude of vibration.

To adopt; to receive into a family as a son; hence, to bring or receive into close connection; to ally. Is the soul affiliated to God, or is it estranged and in rebellion I. Taylor.

Closely connected, as by affinity.

Kinship generally; close agreement; relation; conformity; resemblance; connection; as, the affinity of sounds, of colors, or of languages. There is a close affinity between imposture and credulity. Sir G. C. Lewis.

To subjoin, annex, or add at the close or end; to append to; to fix to any part of; as, to affix a syllable to a word; to affix a seal to an instrument; to affix one's name to a writing.

A kind of pump for exhausting air from a vessel or closed space; also, a pump to condense air of force in into a closed space.

A hollow cylinder to contain air. It is closed above and open below, and has its open end plunged into water.

The substance of the cells which inclose the white of birds' eggs.

de away from the wind; the opposite of aweather. The helm of a ship is alee when pressed close to the lee side. Hard alee, or Luff alee, an order to put the helm to the lee side.