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One who subtracts.

The act or operation of subtracting or taking away a part.

Tending, or having power, to subtract.

Any species of sponge of the division Tetractinellida. Also used adjectively.

he spicules are siliceous and have four branches diverging at right angles. Called also Tetractinellinæ.

rds of Latin origin. It signifies from, away , separating, or departure, as in abduct, abstract, abscond. See A- (6).

r reduce from a higher to a lower state, number, or degree; to lessen; to diminish; to contract; to moderate; toto cut short; as, to abate a demand; to abate pride, zeal, hope. His eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. Deut. xxxiv. 7.

To make briefer; to shorten; to abridge; to reduce by contraction or omission, especially of words written or spoken. It is one thing to abbreviate by contracting, another by cutting off. Bacon.

The form to which a word or phrase is reduced by contraction and omission; a letter or letters, standing for a word or phrase of which they are a part; as, Gen. for Genesis; U.S.A. for United States of America.

An abridgment; a compendium or abstract. This is an excellent abbreviature of the whole duty of a Christian. Jer. Taylor.

To shorten or contract by using fewer words, yet retaining the sense; to epitomize; to condense; as, to abridge a history or dictionary.

Inattention to things present; abstraction (of mind); as, absence of mind. "Reflecting on the little absences and distractions of mankind." Addison. To conquer that abstraction which is called absence. Landor.

Absent in mind; abstracted; preoccupied. -- Ab`sent-mind"ed*ness, n. -- Ab`sent-mind"ed*ly, adv.

In an absent or abstracted manner.

g.: A field of bloodshed. The system of warfare . . . which had already converted immense tracts into one universal aceldama. De Quincey.

An extract or tincture obtained from Aconitum napellus, used as a poison and medicinally. Winter aconite, a plant (Eranthis hyemalis) allied to the aconites.

An intensely poisonous alkaloid, extracted from aconite.

The poisonous herb aconite; also, an extract from it. Strong As aconitum or rash gunpowder. Shak.

that of friendship or intimacy; as, I know the man; but have no acquaintance with him. Contract no friendship, or even acquaintance, with a guileful man. Sir W. Jones.

The act of adding two or more things together; -- opposed to subtraction or diminution. "This endless addition or addibility of numbers." Locke.