THE AMERICAN ENCYCLOPEDIC DICTIONARY.

VOLUME II.

EXPLANATORY.

In the present Work the aim has been to give ALL the words in the English language now in use, with their several significations re-investigated, re-classified, arranged afresh, and illustrated by examples, a large number of them having been brought together by independent research.

In addition to these, a very large number of obsolete words have been introduced, which, it is hoped, will afford readers much assistance in the perusal of Old English authors. Obsolete spellings and significations of existing words have also been given, the latter chronologically arranged, so as, if possible, to show the process by which the present meaning has arisen. Obsolete words and significations are marked with an asterisk,*; those which have not dropped altogether out of use, but are only rarely found, with an obelisk, t.

Special attention has been given to scientific and technical terms.

COMPOUND WORDS in which complete adhesion has taken place between the two or more constituents have been arranged as independent words; while those still so loosely united as to be usually connected by hyphens, have been placed under the first word of the compound.

THE PRONUNCIATION is indicated by diacritical marks, a key to which will be found at the foot of the several pages. The division into syllables has been made solely with reference to pronunciation, and with no reference to the etymology of the word. In syllables wherein two or more vowels come together, not forming diphthongs, only that one of them which gives its sound to the syllable bears a diacritical mark, the others being treated as mute. Thus, in bread, sẽa, flōat, the a is mute, the syllables being pronounced as if spelled brěd, sẽ, flōt. Words of more than one syllable bear a mark upon the accented syllable, as âl'-ter.

THE ETYMOLOGY will be found enclosed within brackets immediately following each word. To understand the plan adopted, let it be noted (1) that retrogression is made from modern languages to ancient; and (2) that when after a word there appears such a derivation as this-"In Fr. .... Sp..... Port. .... Ital. .... from Lat.....," the meaning is, not that it passed through Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and French before reaching English, but that there are or have been analogous words in French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian, all derived, like the English, from a Latin original.

The illustrations are intended not for the purpose of embellishment merely, but also to impart a conception of the objects represented clearer than any mere verbal definition could afford.

A. N. Anglo-Norman.

Arab. Arabic.

Aram. Aramaic.

Arm. Armorican.

A. S. Anglo-Saxon.

Assyr. Assyrian.

Bole. Bohemian, or Czech.

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS WORK.

Bret. Bas-Breton, or Celtic of Brit

e. g. exempli gratia=for example.

elect. electricity.

entom. entomology.

etym. etymology.

ex. example.

f., or fem. feminine.

fig. figurative, figuratively.

fort. fortification.

freq. frequentative.

fr. from.

fut. future.

gen. general, generally.

gend. gender.

gonit. genitive.

geog. geography.

geol. geology.

geom. geometry.

gram. grammar.

her. heraldry.
hist. history.
hor. horology.
hortic. horticulture.
hydraul. hydraulics.
hydros. hydrostatics.
i e. id est that is.
ichthy. ichthyology.
Ibid. ibidem the same.
imp. impersonal.
imper. imperative.
indic. indicative.
infin. infinitive.
intens. intensitive.
lang. language.
Linn. Linnæus.
lit. literal, literally.
mach. machinery.
m., or masc. masculine.
math. mathematics.
mech. mechanics.
med. medicine, medical.
met. metaphorically.
metal. metallurgy.
metaph. metaphysics.
meteorol. meteorology.
meton. metonymy
mil., milit. military.

min., miner. mineralogy.
mod. modern.

myth. mythology.

N. North.

n., or neut. neuter.

nat. phil. natural philosophy.

naut. nautical.
nomin. nominative.
numis. numismatology.
obj. objective

obs. obsolete.

ord. ordinary.

ornith. ornithology.

palæont. paleontology.
pass. passive.

path. pathology.

perf. perfect.

pers. person, personal.
persp. perspective.
phar. pharmacy.
phil. philosophy.
philol. philology.
phot. photography.
phren. phrenology.
phys. physiology.
pl., plur. plural.

poet. poetry, or poetical.

polit. econ. political economy.

poss. possessive.

pref. prefix.

pres. present.

pret. preterit.

prim. primary.

priv. privative.

prob. probable, probably.

pron. pronounced, pronunciation.

pros. prosody.

psychol. psychology.

pyrotech. pyrotechnics.

q. v. quod vide=which see.

rhet. rhetoric.

Scrip. Scripture.

sculp. sculpture.
sing. singular.

S. South.

sp. gr. specific gravity.
spec. special, specially.
suff. suffix.

sup. supine.

surg. surgery.
tech. technical.
theol. theology.
trig. trigonometry.
typog. typography.
var. variety.
viz. namely.
W. West.
zool. zoology.

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