Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary

ALL-KIND — ALLISION

ALL-KIND, a. Perfectly kind or benevolent.

ALL-KNOWING, a. Having all knowledge; omniscient.

ALL-LICENSED, a. Licensed to every thing.

ALL-LOVING, a. Of infinite love.

ALL-MAKING, a. Making or creating all; omnific.

ALL-MATURING, a. Maturing all things.

ALL-MERCIFUL, a. Of perfect mercy or compassion.

ALL-MURDERING, a. Killing or destroying every thing.

ALL-OBEDIENT, a. Entirely obedient.

ALL-OBEYING, a. [See Obey.] Receiving obedience from all.

ALL-OBLIVIOUS, a. Causing total oblivion.

ALL-OBSCURING, a. Obscuring every thing.

ALL-PATIENT, a. Enduring every thing without murmurs.

ALL-PENETRATING, a. Penetrating every thing.

ALL-PERFECT, a. Completely perfect; having all perfection.

ALL-PERFECTNESS, n. The perfection of the whole; entire perfection.

ALL-PIERCING, a. Piercing every thing.

ALL-POWERFUL, a. Almighty; omnipotent.

ALL-PRAISED, a. Praised by all.

ALL-RULING, a. Governing all things.

ALL-SAGACIOUS, a. Having all sagacity; of perfect discernment.

ALL-SAINTS-DAY, n. The first day of November, called also all hallows; a feast in honor of all the saints.

ALL-SANCTIFYING, a. Sanctifying the whole.

ALL-SAVING, a. Saving all.

ALL-SEARCHING, a. Pervading and searching every thing.

ALL-SEEING, a. Seeing every thing.

ALL-SEER, n. One that sees every thing.

ALL-SHAKING, a. Shaking all things.

ALL-SHUNNED, a. Shunned by all.

ALL-SOULS-DAY, n. The second day of November; a feast or solemnity held by the church of Rome, to supplicate for the souls of the faithful deceased.

ALL-SPICE, n. The berry of the pimento, a tree of the West Indies; a spice of a mildly pungent taste, and agreeably aromatic.

ALL-SUFFICIENCY, n. Complete or infinite ability.

ALL-SUFFICIENT, a. Sufficient to every thing; infinitely able.

ALL-SUFFICIENT, n. The all-sufficient Being; God.

ALL-SURROUNDING, a. Encompassing the whole.

ALL-SURVEYING, n. [See Survey.] Surveying every thing.

ALL-SUSTAINING, a. Upholding all things.

ALL-TELLING, a. Telling or divulging every thing.

ALL-TRIUMPHING, a. Triumphant every where or over all.

ALL-WATCHED, a. Watched throughout.

ALL-WISE, a. Possessed of infinite wisdom.

ALL-WITTED, a. Having all kinds of wit.

ALL-WORSHIPED, a. Worshiped or adored by all.

ALL-WORTHY, a. Of infinite worth; of the highest worth.

ALLAGITE, n. A mineral, of a brown or green color, massive, with a flat conchoidal fracture, and nearly opake, found in the Hartz near Elbingerode.

ALLANITE, n. A mineral named from Mr. Allan, of Edinburg, who first recognized it as a distinct species. It is massive, of a brownish black color, and conchoidal fracture. A siliceous oxyd of cerium.

ALLANTOIS, ALLANTOID, n. [Gr. a sausage, and form.]

A thin membrane, situated between the chorion and amnios in quadrupeds, and forming one of the membranes which invest the fetus in those animals.

ALLATRATE, v.t. [L. allatro.] To bark, as a dog. [Not used.]

ALLAY, v.t. [Gr.; L. ligo, to bind; but this may be the same word differently applied, that is, to set, to fix, to make fast, to unite. Allay and alloy were formerly used indifferently; but I have recognized an entire distinction between them, applying alloy to metals.]

1. To make quiet; to pacify, or appease; as, to allay the tumult of the passions, or to allay civil commotions.

2. To abate, mitigate, subdue or destroy; as, to allay grief or pain.

Females, who soften and allay the bitterness of adversity.

3. To obtund or repress as acrimony; as, to allay the acrid qualities of a substance.

4. Formerly, to reduce the purity of; as, to allay metals. But, in this sense, alloy is now exclusively used. [See Alloy.]

ALLAY, n.

1. Formerly, a baser metal mixed with a finer; but in this sense it is now written alloy, which see.

2. That which allays, or abates the predominant qualities; as, the allay of colors.

Also, abatement; diminution by means of some mixture; as, joy without allay. But alloy is now more generally used.

ALLAYED, pp. Layed at rest; quieted; tranquilized; abated; [reduced by mixture. Obs.]

ALLAYER, n. He, or that which allays.

ALLAYING, ppr. Quieting; reducing to tranquility; abating; [reducing by mixture. Obs.]

ALLAYMENT, n. The act of quieting, or a state of tranquility; a state of rest after disturbance; abatement; ease; as, the allayment of grief.

ALLE, n. ally. The little auk, or black and white diver.

ALLECTIVE, a. Alluring. [Not used.]

ALLECTIVE, n. Allurement. [Not used.]

ALLEDGE, v.t. [L. allego, ad and lego, to send; Eng. lay.]

1. To declare; to affirm; to assert; to pronounce, with positiveness; as, to alledge a fact.

2. To produce as an argument, plea or excuse; to cite or quote; as, to alledge the authority of a judge.

ALLEDGED, pp. Affirmed; asserted, whether as a charge or a plea.

ALLEDGER, n. One who affirms or declares.

ALLEDGING, ppr. Asserting; averring; declaring.

ALLEGATION, n.

1. Affirmation; positive assertion or declaration.

2. That which is affirmed or asserted; that which is offered as a plea, excuse or justification.

3. In ecclesiastical courts, a formal complaint, or declaration of charges.

ALLEGE. [See Alledge.]

ALLEGEABLE, a. That may be alledged. [Not used.]

ALLEGEAS, ALLEGIAS, n. A stuff manufactured in the East Indies, of two kinds, one of cotton, the other of various plants which are spun like flax.

ALLEGEMENT, n. Allegation. [Not in use.]

ALLEGHANEAN, a. Pertaining to the mountains called Alleghany, or Alleghenny.

ALLEGHANY, n. The chief ridge of the great chains of mountains which run from N. East to S. West through the middle and southern states of North America; but, more appropriately, the main or unbroken ridge, which casts all the waters on one side to the east, and on the other side to the west. This ridge runs from Pennsylvania to Georgia, and chains extend through the United States.

This name is given also to the river Ohio, above its confluence with the Monongahela; but improperly, as the Indian name of the river to its source is Ohio.

ALLEGIANCE, n. [L. alligo, of ad and ligo, to bind. See Liege and League.]

The tie or obligation of a subject to his Prince or government; the duty of fidelity to a king, government or state. Every native or citizen owes allegiance to the government under which he is born. This is called natural or implied allegiance, which arises from the connection of a person with the society in which he is born, and his duty to be a faithful subject, independent of any express promise. Express allegiance, is that obligation which proceeds from an express promise, or oath of fidelity.

Local or temporary allegiance is due from an alien to the government or state in which he resides.

ALLEGIANT, a. Loyal. [Not used.]

ALLEGORIC, ALLEGORICAL, a. In the manner of allegory; figurative; describing by resemblances.

ALLEGORICALLY, adv. In a figurative manner; by way of allegory.

ALLEGORICALNESS, n. The quality of being allegorical.

ALLEGORIZE, v.t.

1. To form an allegory; to turn into allegory; as, to allegorize the history of a people.

2. To understand in an allegorical sense; as, when a passage in a writer may be understood literally or figuratively, he who gives it a figurative sense is said to allegorize it.

ALLEGORIZE, v.i. To use allegory; as, a man may allegorize, to please his fancy.

ALLEGORIZED, pp. Turned into allegory, or understood allegorically.

ALLEGORIZING, ppr. Turning into allegory, or understanding in all allegorical sense.

ALLEGORY, n. [Gr. other, to speak, a forum, an oration.]

A figurative sentence or discourse, in which the principal subject is described by another subject resembling it in its properties and circumstances. The principal subject is thus kept out of view, and we are left to collect the intentions of the writer or speaker, by the resemblance of the secondary to the primary subject. Allegory is in words that hieroglyphics are in painting. We have a fine example of an allegory in the eightieth Psalm, in which God’s chosen people are represented by a vineyard. The distinction in scripture between a parable and an allegory, is said to be that a parable is a supposed history, and an allegory, a figurative description of real facts. An allegory is called a continued metaphor. The following line in Virgil is an example of an allegory.

Claudite jam rivos, pueri, sat prata biberunt.

Stop the currents, young men, the meadows have drank sufficiently; that is let your music cease, our ears have been sufficiently delighted.

ALLEGRETTO, [from allegro,] denotes, in music, a movement or time quicker than andante, but not so quick as allegro.

ALLEGRO. [See Light.]

In music, a word denoting a brisk movement; a sprightly part or strain; the quickest except presto. Piu allegro is a still quicker movement.

ALLELUIAH, n. [Heb. praise to Jah.]

Praise to Jehovah; a word used to denote pious joy and exultation, chiefly in hymns and anthems. The Greeks retained the word in their praise to Io; probably a corruption of Jah. The Romans retained the latter word in their Io triumphe.

ALLEMAND, n. A slow air in common time, or grave, solemn music, with a slow movement. Also a brisk dance, or a figure in dancing.

ALLEMANNIC, a. Belonging to the Alemanni, ancient Germans, and to Alemannia, their country. The word is generally supposed to be composed of all and manni, all men. Cluver, p. 68. This is probably an error. The word is more probably composed of the Celtic all, other, the root of Latin alius and man, place; one of another place, a stranger. The Welsh allman is thus rendered, and this seems to be the original word.

The name, Alemanni, seems to have been first given to the Germans who invaded Gaul in the reign of Augustus.

ALLERION, n. In heraldry, an eagle without beak or feet, with expanded wings; denoting Imperialists vanquished and disarmed.

ALLEVEUR, n. A small Swedish coin, value about a cent.

ALLEVIATE, v.t. [Low L. allevio; ad and levo, to raise, levis, light.]

1. To make light; but always in a figurative sense, as it is not applied to material objects. To remove in part; to lessen, mitigate, or make easier to be endured; applied to evils; as, to alleviate sorrow, pain, care, punishment, a burden, etc.; opposed to aggravate.

2. To make less by representation; to lessen the magnitude or criminality; to extenuate; applied to moral conduct; as, to alleviate an offense. [This sense of the word is rare.]

ALLEVIATED, pp. Made lighter; mitigated; eased; extenuated.

ALLEVIATING, ppr. Making lighter, or more tolerable; extenuating.

ALLEVIATION, n.

1. The act of lightening, allaying, or extenuating; a lessening or mitigation.

2. That which lessens, mitigates or makes more tolerable; as, the sympathy of a friend is an alleviation of grief.

I have not wanted such alleviations of life, as friendship could supply. Dr. Johnson’s letter to Mr. Hector.

This use of alleviation is hardly legitimate without supplying some word expressing evil, as trouble, sorrow, etc.

Without such alleviations of the cares of troubles of life.

ALLEVIATIVE, n. That which mitigates. [Not in use.]

ALLEY, n. al’ly

1. A walk in a garden; a narrow passage.

2. A narrow passage or way in a city, as distinct from a public street.

3. A place in London where stocks are bought and sold.

ALLIACEOUS, a. [L. allium, garlic.]

Pertaining to allium, or garlic; having the properties of garlic.

ALLIANCE, n. [Gr.; L.]

1. The relation or union between families, contracted by marriage.

2. The union between nations, contracted by compact, treaty or league.

3. The treaty, league, or compact, which is the instrument of confederacy; sometimes perhaps the act of confederating.

4. Any union or connection of interests between persons, families, states or corporations; as, an alliance between church and state.

5. The persons or parties allied; as, men or states may secure any alliances in their power.

ALLIANT, n. An ally. [Not used.]

ALLICIENCY, n. [Lat. allicio, ad and lacio, allecto, elicio.]

The power of attracting any thing; attraction; magnetism. [Little used.]

ALLICIENT, n. That which attracts. [Not used.]

ALLIED, pp. Connected by marriage, treaty or similitude. [See Ally.]

ALLIGATE, v.t. [L. alligo, and ad and ligo, to bind. See Allegiance, Liege, League.]

To tie together; to unite by some tie.

ALLIGATION, n.

1. The act of tying together; the state of being tied. [Little used.]

2. A rule of arithmetic, for finding the price or value of compounds consisting of ingredients of different values. Thus if a quantity of sugar, worth eight cents the pound, and another quantity worth ten cents, are mixed, the question to be solved by alligation is, what is the value of the mixture by the pound. Alligation is of two kinds, medial and alternate; medial, when the rate of a mixture is sought from the rates and quantities of the simples; alternate, when the quantities of the simples are sought from the rates of the simples, and the rate of the mixture.

ALLIGATOR, n. [The Latin word seems to be connected with lacertus, the arm; and the animal may be named from the resemblance of his legs to arms.]

The American crocodile. This animal is of the lizard genus, having a long naked body, four feet, with five toes on the fore feet, and four on the hind, armed with claws, a serrated tail. The mouth is very large, and furnished with sharp teeth; the skin is brown, tough, and, on the sides, covered with tubercles. The largest of these animals grow to the length of seventeen or eighteen feet. They live in and about the rivers in warm climates, eat fish, and sometimes catch hogs, on the shore, or dogs which are swimming. In winter, they burrow in the earth, which they enter under water and work upwards, lying torpid till spring. The female lays a great number of eggs, which are deposited in the sand, and left to be hatched by the heat of the sun.

ALLIGATOR-PEAR, n. A west India fruit, resembling a pear in shape, from one to two pounds in weight. It contains within its rind a yellow butyraceous substance, which, when the fruit is perfectly ripe, constitutes an agreeable food.

ALLIGATURE, n. See Ligature, which is the word in use.

ALLINEMENT, n. [L. linea.]

A reducing to a line or to a square; a state of being in squares, in a line, or on a level; a line; a row.

ALLIOTH, n. A star in the tail of the great bear, much used for finding the latitude at sea.

ALLISION, n. allizh’un. [L. allido, to dash or strike against of ad and lado, to hurt by striking.]

A striking against; as, the allision of the sea against the shore.