AAM
The aam was a Dutch and German liquid measure of varying capacity, from 170
to 200 litres, once used in England for Rhine wine.
AB
Ab is the fifth month of the Jewish ecclesiastical year, and the eleventh
month of the Jewish civil year. It coincides nearly with August.
ABA
An aba is a sack like garment worn by Arabs.
ABAC
An abac is a two dimensional matrix, or table, found at the back of a road
atlas which shows the distances between major towns etc.
ABACINATION
Abacination is a form of torture in which the victim is blinded by a red-hot
metal plate held before his or her eyes.
ABACTION
Abaction is the legal term for carrying away by force, and is especially applied to animals and was formerly a term referring to large-scale cattle rustling.
ABACTOR
In old law, the term abactor was applied to one who stole and drove away
cattle or beasts by herds or droves.
ABACULI
Abaculi are small cubes of coloured glass, enamel, stone or other material
used in marquetry and mosaic work.
ABACUS
An abacus is a counting frame with balls sliding on wires. It was first used
before the adoption of the ten digit numeric system and is still widely used
in China.
ABAISER
Abaiser is ivory black or animal charcoal.
ABANDONEE
In law, an abandonee is one to whom anything is legally abandoned.
ABANDUM
In law, the term abandum refers to anything forfeited or confiscated.
ABATABLE
In law, the term abatable refers to that which may be reduced, diminished, discontinued, or ended.
ABATE
In law, the term abate means to put an end to.
ABATEMENT
In English law, abatement refers to legal proceedings which are formerly
abated, or ended, on the marriage, death or bankruptcy of one of the parties,
or some change of interest in the matter in dispute.
ABATOR
In law, an abator is someone who abates a nuisance. Formerly, in law, the
term abator refered to a person who, without right, entered into a freehold
on the death of the last possessor, before the heir or devisee.
ABATURE
Abature is the name given to the path created by a stag when grass and
sprigs are beaten or trampled down by it passing through them.
ABATVOIX
An abatvoix is the sounding-board over a pulpit or rostrum.
ABBA
Abba is a devotional expression for the Divine Fatherhood, and apparently
the chief appellation of God used by Jesus in prayer. The name was also
adopted by a Swedish seventies music group from their initials.
ABBEY
An abbey is a body of monks or a monastic building.
ABBEY THEATRE
The Abbey Theatre is a theatre in Dublin, Ireland, that was home to the
Irish Nationalist movement in the early 1900s. The building itself was
purchased by Miss A.E.F. Horniman to house Frank and W. G. Fay’s Irish
National Dramatic Society. The Irish Nationalist movement embraced
naturalism, ensemble acting, and plays about Irish life. It premiered many
plays by Irish authors such as W.B. Yeats, Lady Gregory, J. M. Synge and
Sean O’Casey.
ABBOTSFORD CLUB
The Abbotsford Club was founded in 1834 on the model of the Bannatyne and
Maitland Clubs and printed works of history and antiquities having relation
to Scott and the Waverley Novels. Between 1835 and 1864 the club issued 34
volumes before it closed.
ABBREVIATE
Abbreviate means make shorter.
ABBREVIATION
An abbreviation is a short form of a word or words.
ABDEST
Abdest is the Islamic ritual of purification by washing the hands before
prayer.
ABDICATE
Abdicate means to renounce one’s thrown.
ABDITORY
An abditory is a place for hiding or preserving articles of value.
ABDUCT
Abduct means to take away by force or fraud.
ABDUCTION
In logic abduction is a syllogism or form of argument in which the major is
evident, but the minor is only probable.
ABECEDARIAN
An abecedarian is someone who is learning the alphabet. The term was also
given to someone engaged in teaching the alphabet.
ABERDEEN ACT
The Aberdeen Act was introduced by the earl of Aberdeen, and passed in 1845,
to enforce the observance of a convention made with Brazil in 1826 to put
down the slave trade. It was repealed in 1869.
ABERRANCY OF CURVATURE
In geometry, the aberrancy of curvature is the deviation of a curve from a
circular form.
ABERRATION
Aberration is another word for error.
ABET
Abet is a legal term meaning to encourage another to commit a crime.
ABETTOR
An abettor is some one who encourages another to commit a crime (abets).
ABEYANCE
Abeyance is a state of inactivity or suspension.
ABIB
Abib is the Jewish first month of the ecclesiastical year, when the feast of
the Passover is celebrated. It was later named Nisan.
ABINGTON LAW
Abington Law is an English equivalent of Jeddart Justice - that is of
hanging a man in haste, and trying him at leisure - it comes from the
summary hanging of a man at Abington by Major-General Brown.
ABJUDICATE
In law, the term abjudicate refers to depriving a person of something by court order or remove by order of court.
ABLATIVE
In the grammar of certain inflected languages, such as Latin, the ablative
case is the form of a noun, pronoun, or adjective used to indicate the agent
in passive sentences or the instrument, manner, or place of the action
described by the verb.
ABLUTION
Ablution is ceremonial washing.
ABNORMAL
Abnormal means deviating from normal.
ABODE
Abode is a place where something lives.
ABORT
Abort means to terminate early.
ABORTION
Abortion is the expulsion of the foetus from the uterus.
ABRACADABRA
Abracadabra is a qabbalistic magic word used by the Gnostics and others of
the second century and later as a spell to secure the assistance of good
spirits against evil. It was supposed, when written in the form of a
triangle and worn around the neck for nine days, to act as a charm against
fevers etc. The word first occurs in a poem by Sammonicus.
ABRASION
Abrasion is a form of sexual activity involving the stimulation of the
surface of the body with abrasive materials, such as rough silk, chamois
leather, fine sandpaper, brushes or wire wool.
ABRIDGE
Abridge means to shorten by condensing.
ABSCESS
An abscess is a pus filled infection of an animal.
ABSCISSA
In co-ordinate geometry, the abscissa is the x-coordinate of a point (the horizontal distance of that point from the vertical or y-axis). For example, a point with the coordinates (9, 6) has an abscissa of 9.
ABSEIL
In mountaineering abseil means to descend using a rope.
ABSOLUTE
Absolute is that which is freed from relation, limitation or dependence. As
an adjective it is therefore applied to the essence of a thing apart from
its relations or appearances, and also to the complete or perfect state of
being. Hence comes its substantial meaning of ‘The Absolute’ as the self-
existent, self-sufficient Being, that which is free from all limitation, the
all-inclusive Reality. The absolute in one form or another forms a central
feature in the philosophical systems of Spinoza, Schelling and Hegel.
ABSOLUTISM
Absolutism or Absolute Monarchy is a system of government where the
hereditary ruler, usually a king, has complete power to decide a country’s
internal and external policy without having to consult anyone. A good
example of an absolute monarchy was Louis XIV of France. The French
Revolution heralded the end of absolutism, and in the nineteenth century
absolute monarchies everywhere gave place to constitutional monarchies or
republics.
ABSTRACT
Abstract means theoretical rather than practical.
ABYSSAL ZONE
The abyssal zone is the lower depths of the ocean below approximately 2000
metres, where there is effectively no light penetration. Abyssal organisms
are adapted for living under high pressures in cold dark conditions.
ACADEMY OF ART AND LETTERS
The Academy of Art and Letters is a group of American citizens qualified by
notable achievements in art, literature, or music, selected from the
membership of the National Institute of Arts and Letters, its parent body.
The academy’s aim is the furtherance of literature and the fine arts in the
USA and has its headquarters in New York. It gives awards in art, literature,
and music, jointly with the National Institute of Arts and Letters, and
maintains a library of 15,000 volumes; a museum for book and manuscript
exhibitions and storage of a permanent manuscript collection; an art gallery;
and a permanent exhibition of the work of US painters Childe Hassam and
Eugene Speicher. The academy also awards the Howells Medal for the Novel
(every five years); the Award of Merit Medal; and a prize of 1000 dollars
annually. It holds exhibitions of works of art, manuscripts, books, and
music scores. Paintings by American artists are purchased from the Childe
Hassam Fund and Speicher Fund for distribution to museums.
ACCADEMIA DELLA CRUSCAOR FURFURATORUM
The Accademia della Cruscaor Furfuratorum is an Italian academy founded in
Florence in 1582 by the writer Antonio Francesco Grazzini. It aimed at
purifying and cultivating Italian language and literature, and its
Vocabolario degli Accademici della Crusca (first published in 1612) is still
a model for works of the kind. The French Academy was modelled on this one.
ACCENT
An accent is a local mode of pronunciation in speech.
ACCEPTANCE TEST
An acceptance test is a test operation of a new or modified device or system
before usage by customers; ascertaining performance is to specifications.
The FCC equivalent is ‘Proof of Performance Testing.’
ACCOLADE
Accolade is the ceremony by which knighthood is conferred. Originally it was
an embrace around the neck, today is a gentle blow on the shoulders with the
flat of a sword. An accolade is given by a Sovereign or his representative.
ACCOMPLICE
An accomplice is someone associated with somebody else in the committing of
a crime.
ACCORDION PLEATS
Accordion pleats are a type of fine, narrow, regular pleating created by
sewing or pressing minute darts into the fabric of dresses and skirts,
usually from the waistband towards the hem. Accordion pleating was used in
the construction of ball gowns during the late 19th century. By the turn of
the century it was an integral part of many styles and became especially
popular during the 1920s and 1950s.
ACCUSATIVE
The accusative is the case of a noun or pronoun that is the object of a verb
or is governed by a preposition. For example: ‘He stroked the dog.’ ‘I
worked in the shed.’ Here, dog and shed are both in the accusative case. Dog
is the object of the verb ’stroked’; shed is governed by the preposition in.
In the grammar of some inflected languages, such as Latin, Greek, and
Russian, the accusative case is the form of a noun, pronoun, or adjective
used when it is the direct object of a verb. The accusative is also used for
the object of certain prepositions.
ACE
An ace is a playing card with one pip.
ACMEIST MOVEMENT
The Acmeist movement was a movement in early 20th-century Russian poetry
reacting against Symbolism. Acmeists developed a neo-classical emphasis on
clear words about demystified realities. Major figures include
Osip Mandelshtam, Anna Akhmatova, and Nikolay Gumilyov, founder of the
Acmeist organ Apollon.
ACRE
An acre is an ancient measurement of land area being (since 1824) 4840
square yards. Prior to that Edward I introduced the first standard for the
acre in Britain.
ACRONYM
An acronym is a word formed from the initials or syllables of other words
and intended as a pronounceable abbreviation
ACROSTIC
An acrostic is a poem in which the first or last letters of each line, read
downwards, form a word or sentence. Double acrostics became very popular in
1867.
ACT OF MEDIATION
The Act of Mediation was the Swiss constitution of February the 19th 1803,
which Bonaparte substituted for that of the Helvetic republic, and which
lasted to the end of 1813. In it Switzerland was first officially used as
the name of the Swiss confederation.
ACT OF SUCCESSION
The Act of Succession in 1534 declared the marriage of Henry VIII and
Catherine of Aragon null and void, and settled the succession to the throne
on the heirs of Henry VIII by Anne Boleyn.
ACTOR’S STUDIO
The Actor’s Studio is an acting school in New York that taught an
Americanised version of Stanislavsky’s Method and was very influential in
1950s and 60s American drama. It was founded in 1947-48 either by
Lee Strasberg or by Elia Kazan and Cheryl Crawford, depending on which
source you consult. Strasberg served as artistic director of the school
until his death in 1982. Many notable American actors of the 1950s and 1960s
were graduates, including Marlon Brando, Rod Steiger, James Dean,
Montgomery Clift and Eva Marie-Saint.
ACTS OF SUPREMACY
The Acts of Supremacy were passed in 1534 enacting that the King (Henry VIII)
was the only supreme head on earth of the Church of England, with power to
redress all heresies and abuses.
ADDISCOMBE COLLEGE
Addiscombe College was a college near Croydon, Surrey, which was purchased
by the East India Company in 1809, for the education of candidates for
scientific branches of the Indian army. It was closed in 1861.
ADDITIONAL FORCES ACT
The Additional Forces Act was passed in Britain by Pitt, owing to the
imminent danger of the invasion of the country by Napoleon in 1803 and the
following years. The act legalised the formation of second battalions to the
regular regiments then serving abroad. The United Kingdom was divided up
into districts, which were required by the act to furnish quotas of 3000 men
each. The act was repealed after the death of Pitt.
ADIT
An adit is the horizontal entrance to a mine.
ADJECTIVE
An adjective is a grammatical part of speech for words that describe nouns
(for example, new and beautiful, as in ‘a new hat’ and ‘a beautiful day’).
Adjectives generally have three degrees: the positive degree (new, beautiful)
, the comparative degree (newer, more beautiful), and the superlative degree
(newest, most beautiful) . Some adjectives do not normally need comparative
and superlative forms; one person cannot be ‘more asleep’ than someone else,
a lone action is unlikely to be ‘the most single-handed action ever seen’,
and many people dislike the expression ‘most unique’ or ‘almost unique’,
because something unique is supposed to be the only one that exists. For
purposes of emphasis or style these conventions may be set aside (’I don’t
know who is more unique; they are both remarkable people’). Double
comparatives such as ‘more bigger’ are not grammatical in Standard English,
but Shakespeare used a double superlative (’the most unkindest cut of all’).
Some adjectives may have both comparative and both superlative forms
(commoner and more common; commonest and most common); shorter words usually
take on the suffixes -er/-est but occasionally they may be given the more/
most forms for emphasis or other reasons (’Which of them is the most clear?’)
. When an adjective comes before a noun it is attributive; when it comes
after noun and verb (for example, ‘It looks good’) it is predicative. Some
adjectives can only be used predicatively (’The child was asleep’, but not ‘
the asleep child’). The participles of verbs are regularly used adjectivally
(’a sleeping child’, ‘boiled milk’), often in compound forms (’a quick-
acting medicine’, ‘a glass-making factory’, ‘a hard-boiled egg’, ‘ well-
trained teachers’).
Adjectives are often formed by adding suffixes to nouns (for example sand:
sandy; nation: national).
ADJOURNMENT
In law, adjournment is the postponement of the hearing of a case for later
consideration. If a hearing is adjourned sine die (’without day’) it is
postponed for an indefinite period. If a party requests an adjournment, the
court may find the costs of the adjournment have been unnecessarily incurred
and make an order for costs against that party.
ADULT
An adult is a fully grown being.
ADVERB
An adverb is the grammatical part of speech for words that modify or
describe verbs (for example ‘ she ran quickly’). Most adverbs are formed
from adjectives or past participles by adding -ly (quick: quickly) or -ally
(automatic: automatically). Sometimes adverbs are formed by adding -wise
(likewise and clockwise, as in ‘ moving clockwise’; in ‘a clockwise
direction’, clockwise is an adjective). Some adverbs have a distinct form
from their partnering adjective; for example, good/ well (’it was good work;
they did it well’). Others do not derive from adjectives (very, in ‘very
nice’; tomorrow, in ‘I’ll do it tomorrow’), and some are unadapted
adjectives (pretty, as in ‘It’s pretty good’). Sentence adverbs modify whole
sentences or phrases: ‘Generally, it rains a lot here’; ‘Usually, the town
is busy at this time of year.’ Sometimes there is controversy in such
matters. Hopefully is universally accepted in sentences like ‘He looked at
them hopefully’ (’He looked at them full of hope’), but some people dislike
it in ‘Hopefully, we’ll see you again next year’ (’We hope that we’ll see
you again next year’).
ADYTUM
An adytum is the inner most part of a temple.
ADZE
An adze is a carpenter’s tool for cutting away the surface of wood.
AELFRIC SOCIETY
The Aelfric Society was founded in 1842 to publish the Homilies of Aelfric,
archbishop of Canterbury and other Anglo-Saxon works. It closed in 1856.
AENEID
The Aeneid is Virgil’s epic poem in twelve books, setting forth the
wanderings of Aeneas. The poem has been translated into English several
times, among others by Gawin Douglas in 1513, Dryden in 1697 and
William Morris in 1876.
AEON
An aeon is an immeasurable period.
AEROMANCY
Aeromancy is divination by the air. It later evolved into weather-
forecasting.
AERTEX
Aertex is a cotton cellular fabric introduced in England during the late
19th century by Lewis Haslam, Sir Benjamin Ward Richardson and
Richard Greene. In 1888 the three men formed the
Aertex Company. By 1891 the company was manufacturing women’s underwear in
Aertex fabric. Aertex has always been popular for undergarments and
sportswear. Since the 1970s, it has also been made into shirts, blouses and
skirts for summer wear. It was the forerunner of the cotton thermal knit
worn as casual wear.
AFFIDAVIT
An affidavit is a sworn written statement by a person (the deponent), who
signs it in the presence of a commissioner for oaths. It sets out facts
known to the deponent. In certain cases, particularly proceedings in the
Chancery division of the High Court, evidence may be taken by affidavit
rather than by the witness appearing in person.
AFRIKAANS
Afrikaans is an official language (with English) of the Republic of
South Africa and Namibia. It is spoken mainly by the Afrikaners it is a
variety of the Dutch language, modified by circumstance and the influence of
German, French, and other immigrant as well as local languages. It became a
standardised written language about 1875.
AGE OF CONSENT
Age of consent is a term for an age that depends upon the legal
circumstances to which it refers. For commercial purposes, it is set at 18
years by the Family Law Reform Act (1969). A contract entered into by a
minor (i.e. someone below the age of consent) is not always capable of being
enforced.
AGENDA
An agenda is a list of tasks.
AGGLUTINATIVE LANGUAGES
Agglutinative languages are languages that combine into a single word
various linguistic elements, each of which has a distinct fixed connotation
and a separate existence. For example, in Basque the word ponetekilakoaekin
means ‘with him who has a ponet’. The principal agglutinative languages
include Turkish, Japanese, Finnish, Hungarian, Swahili, and Native American
languages. English has agglutinating features in such compound words as
ungodliness and unavoidably.
AGGRY BEADS
Aggry Beads are glass beads prized by West African natives as ornaments and
having magical and medicinal powers.
AGONY COLUMN
Originally, an agony column was a column in newspapers in which
advertisements regarding missing relatives and friends, secret
correspondence etc. were inserted. The name derived from the distress
betrayed in many of the adverts. Today, an agony column is more associated
with a column in a newspaper or magazine in which readers ask for advice on
difficult and usually controversial situations (such as having an affair
with a married person). The advice is given by an ‘agony aunt’, a regular
columnist working for the newspaper.
AGRICULTURAL HALL
Agricultural Hall is a building in Islington, London. Work commenced on it
in 1861, and it opened in 1862 for an exhibition of dogs. It was constructed
chiefly for the meetings of the Smithfield Club.
AIGRETTE
An aigrette is a long plume, usually of egret feathers, worn on a hat or as
a head-dress. The term is also applied to an ornament or piece of jewellery
in imitation of a plume of feathers.
AIR TRADE PROVISION
Aid trade provision (ATP) is a major component of the British aid programme,
which seeks to combine aid to developing countries with creating business
for UK companies. Subsidised loans and credits are offered to developing
countries on condition that goods and services are purchased from UK- based
enterprises.
AIRSPACE
Airspace is the space that lies above a state’s land and sea territory and
is subject to its exclusive jurisdiction.
AISLE
An aisle is a passage between rows of seats.
ALBERT MEDAL
The Albert Medal was a British decoration established in 1866 for gallantry
in the saving of life.
ALDEBARAN
Aldebaran is the chief star of the constellation of Taurus.
ALECTRYOMANCY
Alectryomancy is a form of divination using a cock and grains of corn.
ALEUROMANCY
Aleuromancy is divination by flour.
ALEUTIAN LOW
The Aleutian low is a sub-arctic belt of low pressure that stretches across
the North Pacific and is centred over the Aleutian Islands. It is separated
by an area of relatively high pressure over the North Pole from a similar
North Atlantic low pressure belt centred over Iceland. The Aleutian lows are
most intense during mid- winter.
ALEXANDRIAN LITURGY
The Alexandrian liturgy is a liturgy of the ancient Egyptian Church,
especially the eucharistic rite ascribed traditionally to St Mark.
ALFA 33
The Alfa 33 was a five door hatchback and estate model car made by
Alfa Romeo from 1984 to 1994. The
Alfa 33 came in three engine sizes: 1.5 litres with 98 BHP, 1.7 litres with
107 to 110 BHP and a 1.7 litre 16 valve edition providing 132 to 137 BHP,
all of which provided about 30 mpg. The Alfa 33 was criticised for its
heavy steering, poor comfort and unreliable gearchange, and has subsequently
proved to be at high risk to rusting.
ALFA ROMEO
Alfa Romeo is an Italian motor-car manufacturer, founded as the ‘Societa
Italiana Automobili Darracq’ in 1906 with the aim of manufacturing low cost
Darracq motor cars. That company quickly ran into difficulties when the
once booming car market began to falter and the Darracq factory that had
been built in the Portello district of Milan was then in 1910 sold to a
group of Italian car enthusiasts who called themselves the ‘Anonima
Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili’ (ALFA). Success was to be short lived,
because the company went into liquidation in 1915, and was then taken over
by an engineer and entrepreneur called Nicola Romeo. After the Great War
the company changed its name to ‘Societa Anonima Ing. Nicola Romeo & Co.’
having taken over a number of smaller firms: Officine Meccaniche di Saronno,
Officine Meccaniche Tabanelli of Rome and Officine Ferroviarie Meridionali
of Naples. Formally constituted by the notary, Federico Guasti, in Milan on
February the 3rd 1918, the new company proclaimed its purpose to be ‘the
construction and management of engineering, steel, agricultural, mining,
chemical and quarrying companies, with particular emphasis on military,
aviation, marine and agricultural equipment, internal combustion engines
for all possible applications: aeroplanes, automobiles, locomotive and
other wheeled transport.’ Today Alfa Romeo is known for its range of sporty
motor-cars.
ALFA SPRINT
The Alfa Sprint is a sporty front-wheel drive coupe automobile plagued by a
poor quality body and powered by a 1500 or 1700 CC engine giving roughly 30
mpg.
ALGEBRA
Algebra is a division of mathematics dealing with relations.
ALGEBRAIC
See “Algebra”
ALGOL
Algol is a star in the constellation of Perseus. It was catalogued by
Ptolemy as the lucida of the Gorgon. It is the model ‘eclipse star’ varying
in brightness over a two day period through the interpositions of a
revolving dark satellite. The light-changes of Algol were noticed by
Montanari in 1669 and methodically observed and explained by Goodricke in
1783.
ALGOLAGNIA
Algolagnia is a psychological term for the love of pain in sex.
ALGORITHM
An algorithm is a set of rules.
ALGRAPHY
Algraphy is a printing process in which aluminium plates are used.
ALIBI
The plea of alibi in a criminal prosecution means that the person accused
was elsewhere (alibi) at the time of the commission of the crime. If proved,
it is conclusive, however it is a plea easily and frequently fabricated.
ALIENATION
In law, alienation is the transfer of the title to property from one person
to another by conveyance, and not by inheritance.
ALIMENT
In Scottish law, aliment is the maintenance of children and other persons
who are entitled to claim on the grounds of relationship or marriage.
ALL SOULS’ DAY
All Souls’ Day is a festival of the Roman Catholic Church on November the
2nd, offering prayers to the faithful dead. It was instituted in 998 in the
monastery of Clugny.
ALLEY
An alley is a narrow street.
ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG
Allgemeine Zeitung is a German newspaper. It was founded in 1778 by
Johann Cota in Stuttgart.
ALLUVIUM
Alluvium is river transported deposits of mud, sand and gravel which
accumulate to form distinctive features such as levees, flood plains and
deltas.
ALOHA SHIRT
See “Hawaiian shirt”
ALPENSTOCK
An alpenstock is a stout staff, iron-tipped, used by mountain climbers. The
names of ascended peaks are often branded onto its shaft.
ALPHA
Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet.
ALPHABET
An alphabet is an ordered series of letters used in language.
ALPINE CLUB
The Alpine Club was an English society formed in London in 1857 to bring
together those people interested in mountain climbing.
ALPINE JOURNAL
The Alpine Journal was the magazine published by the Alpine Club. The
magazine was founded in 1863.
ALT.SEX.BONDAGE
alt.sex.bondage (also known as asb or a.s.b.) is an old, and well
established mixed gender and sexuality Usenet newsgroup concerned with a
wide range of SM activities including bondage.
ALTAR
An altar is a block used for making offerings to a deity.
ALTHING
The Althing is the parliament of Iceland, it was created in 928 on the lines
of the previously existing Norse Thing and is the oldest parliamentary
assembly in the world. It’s modern form was constituted in 1874.
ALTITUDE
Altitude is height above mean sea level.
ALTOCALCIPHILIA
Altocalciphilia is the sexual fetish for high heels.
AMBAREE
Ambaree is a fibre similar to jute and largely used in India. It is obtained
from Hibiscus cannabinus.
AMBIDEXTROUS
Ambidextrous is having the facility to use the left hand as effectively as
the right.
AMBO
In the early Christian Church, an ambo was a reading desk or pulpit from
which the lessons were read or the sermon preached.
AMBROSIAN LIBRARY
The Ambrosian Library is a famous library in Milan, founded in 1602 by
Carlos Borromeo, and named in honour of St Ambrose, the patron saint of the
city.
AMBULANCE
An ambulance is a wagon, litter or other means of transport used for the
conveyance of the sick and disabled.
AMERICAN
American is a term referring to someone or something which comes from, or is
found in, America.
AMERICAN ARBITRATION ASSOCIATION
The American Arbitration Association is a non-profit organization that provides arbitrators for the arbitration of disputes.
AMHARIC
The Amharic language is a language spoken in Ethiopia since the 13th century
when it succeeded Geez or Ethiopic. It is Semitic in origin and written
right to left.
AMICE
An amice is a white linen vestment worn by Roman Catholic and many Anglican
priests when officiating at Mass or Holy Eucharist.
AMICUS CURIAE
Amicus curiae is a legal term for a barrister advising the court in a legal
case as a neutral person, not representing either side. In England and Wales,
for example, where the public interest is concerned, the Attorney General
(or his or her representative) may be asked to express an opinion.
Professional bodies such as the Law Society may be represented in order to
give an opinion on matters affecting their members. In the USA, a person
with a strong interest in or views on the subject matter of an action, but
who is not a party to it, may be given the court’s permission to act as
amicus curiae, usually only in matters of broad public interest.
AMNESTY
Amnesty is an act granting forgiveness (literally, forgetfulness) to
political and other offenders.
AMOK
Amok is a Malay term denoting a sudden frenzy which seizes an individual,
sometimes as a result of intoxicants, but often unaccountably.
AMPHITHEATRE
An amphitheatre is a circular or ovular arena surrounded by tiers of seats.
ANABAPTIST
The Anabaptists were a 16th century Christian sect, so called because they
rejected infant baptism in reference of adult baptism. They were a fanatical
sect led by Nicholas Storck who intended reorganisation of German society
based upon civil and political equality.
ANABAPTISTS
See “Anabaptist”
ANARCHISM
Anarchists (from the Greek word anarchia, meaning nonrule) believe that
every form of government is evil. Towards the end of the last century
anarchists assassinated Czar Alexander of Russia and other political leaders
in order to draw attention to their theories. There was a strong anarchist
movement in Spain during the 1930s.
ANCIENT LIGHTS
Ancient lights is a legal term for light enjoyed for 20 years or more
through a defined aperture (such as a window) in a building. Under the
Prescription Act (1832) the owner of the building has a right to such light,
which may not thereafter be obstructed. Before the passing of this Act it
was very difficult to obtain rights to any light, as the common law
recognises no natural right to light.
ANCIENT MARINER
The Ancient Mariner is a poem by Coleridge, published in ‘Lyrical Ballads’
in 1798. The idea appears to have been taken from Captain Shelvocke’s ‘
Voyage Round the World’ published in 1757.
ANGLICANISM
Anglicanism is a family of Christian churches including the Church of
England, the US Episcopal Church, and those holding the same essential
doctrines, that is the Lambeth Quadrilateral 1888 Holy Scripture as the
basis of all doctrine, the Nicene and Apostles’ Creeds, Holy Baptism and
Holy Communion, and the historic episcopate.
ANGLO-JAPANESE TREATY
The Anglo-Japanese Treaty was a treaty signed by Great Britain and Japan on
January 30th 1902, by which the two powers agreed to safeguard their common
interests in China and Korea. In the event of one of them being at war with
a foreign power, the other would maintain a strict neutrality, but would
assist her ally if a second foreign power joined the first. The treaty also
stated that neither party would enter into agreements without the consent of
the other and would confide fully in the other if common interests were
endangered. The treaty was agreed for five years.
ANIMAL TRAINING
Animal training are sex games in which one or more partners, take on the
role of an animal, such as a horse (pony girl) or dog. The ‘animal’ may
imitate animal behaviour, wearing items such as collars, leads, bridles and
so on, or carry out tasks associated with the animal, such as pulling a
vehicle.
ANKER
The anker was a measurement used in Britain and Germany for beer, spirits
and the like. It was equivalent to 8. 5 gallons. The Scottish anker
contained 20 Scottish pints.
ANNATTO
Annatto is a yellow-red colouring obtained from the Aploppas and used for
colouring foods and by the South American Indians as body paint.
ANSI
ANSI is the American National Standards Institute. The official repository
of standards for the USA.
ANTI-CORN LAW LEAGUE
The Anti-Corn Law League was an organisation formed in 1838 with its
headquarters at Manchester, to effect the repeal of the corn laws in Britain.
It was led by Cobden, Bright, Villiers, Joseph Hume and Roebuck. The league
held meetings, oratories and published a paper (the League) and was an
organised, aggressive and effective body. With its objectives achieved by
the royal assent given to repeal the corn laws in 1846 to 1849 the league
was dissolved.
ANTI-RENTISM
Anti-rentism was a movement amongst the leaseholders of certain counties in
New York State, USA during 1839 to 1847 to resist the feudal dues
appertaining to the Dutch manorial and patroonship rights still remaining,
though virtually abolished in 1775. In 1839 the heirs of one of the largest
landowners in Albany county endeavoured to evict those tenants who had not
paid the feudal rents. The tenants resisted, the movement spread, ant-rent
associations were formed and disturbances occurred. Repressive measures were
adopted, and the resistance was put down. In 1846 feudal tenures of all
kinds were abolished, and agricultural leases were limited to a maximum
period of twelve years.
ANTI-VIVISECTION SOCIETY
The Anti-Vivisection Society was formed in London in 1876 to oppose
vivisection.
ANTIPODES
In geography, antipodes are two places precisely opposite one another on the
earth, such as Barfleur in Normandy and Antipodes Island, south-east of
New Zealand. At antipodes the hours and seasons are reversed, so that when
it is midnight in summer in Barfleur it is noon in winter on Antipodes.
ANTON PILLER ORDER
An Anton Piller order is a court injunction ordering the defendant to allow
the plaintiff to enter named premises to search for and take copies of
specified articles and documents. These orders are obtained by the plaintiff
‘ex parte’ (without the other party being present in court) to allow him to
preserve evidence in cases in which he has grounds to think it will be
destroyed. It is especially useful in ‘pirating’ cases. The order is not a
search warrant, so entry cannot be forced, but the defendant will be in
contempt of court if entry is refused. A solicitor must serve the order. It
is named after an order made in the High Court in 1976 against Anton Piller
KG.
ANVIL
An anvil is a block used by metal smiths.
AP
Ap is a Welsh prefix indicating ’son’, as ApRobert, son of Robert, now often
reduced to simply Probert.
APAREJO
An aparejo is a kind of American packsaddle made of stuffed leather cushions.
APARTHEID
Apartheid is the policy of racial segregation of people. It was first
established in South Africa in 1948 restricting the rights of non-whites and
establishing blacks only homelands.
APHELION
The aphelion is the point at which an object travelling around the sun in an
elliptical orbit is at its furthest from the sun.
APOLLO ASTEROID
The apollo asteroids are a group of small asteroids whose orbits cross that
of the earth. They were first discovered in 1932 and then lost until 1973.
APOLLO PROJECT
The Apollo Project was the US space project to land a person on the moon. It
was achieved by Apollo 11 in July 1969.
APOSIOPESIS
Aposiopesis is an abrupt breaking away from a sentence and leaving it
unfinished for the sake of greater effect.
APOSTLE SPOONS
Apostle spoons were spoons with figures of the apostles crowning the handles.
They were given as baptismal presents during the 16th and 17th centuries.
APPELLANT
An appellant is a person or organisation that appeals against the decision
of a court. The party resisting the appeal is called the respondent.
APPLIQUE
Applique is a type of embroidery used to create pictures or patterns by
applying pieces of material to a background fabric.
ARAF
Araf is the Muslim purgatory, a raised wall of separation between heaven and
hell.
ARBITRATION
Arbitration is the determination of a dispute by an arbitrator or
arbitrators rather than by a court of law. Any civil (i.e. non-criminal)
matter may be settled in this way; commercial contracts often contain
arbitration clauses providing for this to be done in a specified way. If
each side appoints its own arbitrator, as is usual, and the arbitrators fail
to agree, the arbitrators are often empowered to appoint an umpire, whose
decision is final. Arbitration is made binding on the parties by the
Arbitration Acts (1950 and 1975). Various industries and chambers of
commerce set up tribunals for dealing with disputes in their particular
trade or business.
ARCHIPELAGO
An archipelago is a group of islands.
ARE
The are is a French measurement of one square meter.
ARETE
An arete is a steep angular mountain ridge.
ARIES
Aries is one of the signs of the zodiac. Represented by the ram.
ARISTOCRACY
Aristocracy is a form of government in which the sovereign power is vested
in a small number of citizens who are theoretically the best qualified to
rule, as opposed to monarchy, in which the supreme authority is vested in
one person, and to democracy, in which the ultimate authority is exercised
by the entire body of citizens or their representatives. In an aristocracy,
although the power of government is wielded by a few, theoretically the
administration of government is carried on for the welfare of the many.
Whenever the interests of the people as a whole are made subservient to the
selfish interests of the rulers, aristocracy becomes a form of government
known as oligarchy. Athens, before the period of the Persian wars of the 5th
century BC, and Sparta, during practically its entire history, were
aristocracies. The same was true of Rome during the period of the Republic,
lasting from the 6th to the 1st century BC. During the Middle Ages no true
aristocracy existed, for although political power reposed in the hands of a
few, each feudal lord was sole master in his own domain. In England, the
government from the accession of the house of Hannover in 1714 through the
19th century, although parliamentary in form, was in fact an aristocracy,
since king and Parliament alike were under the control of a few great Whig
families.
ARITHMANCY
Arithmancy is divination by numbers.
ARMINIANISM
Arminianism is a doctrine in Christianity, formulated in the 17th century
and named after the Dutch Calvinist Jacobus Arminius, which declares that
human free will can exist without limiting God’s power or contradicting the
Bible. Arminius believed predestination was biblical and true - that God had
intended some persons for heaven and others for hell, as indicated by Jesus’
reference to ‘ sheep and goats.’ But he focused on God’s love more than on
God’s power in speaking of election, the process by which God chose those
intended for heaven. After Arminius died, a group of ministers who
sympathised with his views developed a systematic and rational theology
based on his teachings. In their declaration, a remonstrance issued in 1610,
the Arminians argued that election was conditioned by faith, that grace
could be rejected, that the work of Christ was intended for all persons, and
that it was possible for believers to fall from grace. At the Synod of Dort,
or Dordrecht, the High Calvinists prevailed over the Arminian party and
condemned the Remonstrants. The Synod of Dort declared that Christ’s work
was meant only for those elect to salvation, that people believing could not
fall from grace, and that God’s election depended on no conditions.
Remonstrants were not tolerated at all in Holland until 1630, and then not
fully until 1795. They have, however, continued an Arminian tradition in the
Netherlands into the late 20th century. The British theologian John Wesley
studied and affirmed the work of Arminius in his Methodist movement during
the 18th century in England. American Methodists for the most part have
leaned toward the theology of the Remonstrants. In popular expression
Arminianism has come to mean that no predestination exists and people are
free to follow or reject the gospel.
ARMORY SHOW
The Armory Show was an art exhibition in New York City in 1913 that was the
first major showing of avant-garde works in the USA.
ARRAY
In mathematics, an array is a collection of numbers (or letters representing
numbers) arranged in rows and columns. A matrix is an array shown inside a
pair of brackets; it indicates that the array should be treated as a single
entity.
ARROBA
Arroba was a Spanish unit of weight equal to about 25 lbs. It was also used
in South and Central America, where it was equivalent to about 32 lbs.
ARSHIN
Arshin is a Russian unit of measurement equivalent to 28 inches.
ARTICLED CLERK
Articled clerk is the name given to a trainee solicitor. The Law Society
lays down provisions regulating the training of solicitors. All trainees are
now graduates and will have taken professional examinations. They are then
required to be articled to (i.e. to sign an agreement to learn from) a
qualified solicitor for two years before being admitted as solicitors
themselves.
ARTICLES
In English law, articles are summaries in writing of such matters as are to
be inquired of or presented before justices in eyre, or justices of assize,
or of the peace, in their sessions.
ARTIFICIAL PERSON
An artificial person is a person whose identity is recognised by the law but
who is not an individual. For example, a company is a person in the sense
that it can sue and be sued, hold property, etc. in its own name. It is not,
however, an individual or real person.
ASH WEDNESDAY
Ash Wednesday is the first day of lent, the seventh Wednesday before Easter.
ASSIZE OF BATTLE
Assize of Battle was by the old law of England, a means whereby a man
charged with murder might fight with the appellant, thereby to make proof of
his guilt or innocence. The law was struck off the statute book in 1819.
ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH EAST ASIAN NATIONS
The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a political and
economic grouping of the capitalist nations of South East Asia, formed in
1967 and comprising: Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia,
and Brunei. The countries are very diverse. For example the per capita
income of Singapore in 1986 was some 12 times that of Indonesia; interests
often diverge accordingly. While committed to strengthening economic ties,
progress has been limited. There has also been political co-operation, for
example over policy towards Indochina. There are regular consultations
between ASEAN and the major industrialised countries.
ASTEROID
An asteroid is a minor planetary body.
ASTON MARTIN LAGONDA
The Aston Martin Lagonda was a British, handbuilt, four-door car hailed as
the ’space age car’ when it was introduced in 1976. It featured touch
sensitive switches, including the gear change, and electronically
controlled instruments with graphic digital displays controlled by a micro-
processor. The speedometer could be changed from mph to kmh by the touch of
a switch. The 5340 CC engine had eight-cylinders in a V-configuration.
ASTRAGALOMANCY
Astragalomancy is divination using dice or knuckle bones. It seems to have
developed around the 17th century.
ATOLL
An atoll is a circular, or horseshoe-shaped coral island surrounding a
lagoon with one or more openings to the sea.
ATTAR
Attar (Otto of Roses) is a perfume which consists of the volatile or
essential oil distilled from certain varieties of rose.
AUCASSIN ET NICOLETTE
Aucassin et Nicolette is a celebrated French romance of the 12th century,
written in alternate prose and assonant verse of seven syllables. It
recounts the love of Aucassin, son of the Count of Beaucaire, for Nicolette,
the captive daughter of the king of Carthage.
AUDI A2
The Audi A2 is the world’s first mass produced motor-car constructed from
aluminium available in a five door hatchback design with either a 1.4 litre
petrol model offering 60 mpg and a 1.4 litre diesel model offering 80 mpg.
AUGMENTATION COURT
The augmentation court was a court erected by a statute of Henry VIII, to
augment the revenues of the crown by the suppression of monasteries.
AUGUST
The month of august was the sixth month of the Roman calendar and was
originally called Sextilis, by a decree of the senate it received its
present name in honour of Augustus Caesar in 8 BC.
AUNE
See “Ell”
AURORA BOREALIS
Aurora borealis (the Northern lights) is an electrical discharge seen by
night over the higher latitudes of the northern hemisphere.
AUTHORITARIAN
In politics, authoritarian is a term denoting a dictatorial system of
government.
AUTO DA FE
Auto da fe (Act of Faith) was the ritual execution of heretics by the
Inquisition after a confession had been extracted. The ceremony always took
place on a Sunday, but not at regular intervals, maybe once every two, three
or four years. The victims were walked in procession wearing the san benito,
the coroza, the rope around the neck, and carrying a yellow wax candle in
their hand. The san benito was a penitential tunic of yellow cloth reaching
to the knees and painted on it was a picture of the person who wore it,
burning in flames with figures of dragons and devils in the act of fanning
the flames. The costume indicated to the watching crowds the wearer was to
be burned alive as an incorrigible heretic. If the person was only to do
penance, then the san benito had on it a cross, and no painting or flames.
If the victim was converted just before being led out, then the san benito
was painted with the flames downward (known as fuego resuelto) and indicated
that the wearer was not to be burned alive, but to be first strangled before
burning. At one time the san benito were hung up in the churches as
monuments to the Inquisition. The coroza was a pasteboard cap, one meter
high, ending in a point. On it were likewise painted crosses, flames and
devils. Gags were kept on hand in case a victim insulted the tribunal or
revealed what had occurred to them as they were led along to the place of
execution where a large scaffold was erected. The stake where the victim was
to be burned varied in form, and was either a simple stake mounted in the
ground, or was about three meters tall, with a small board near the top
where the victim sat and was chained to the stake. Following prayers and
attempts to convert the victim to the Roman Catholic faith, burning furzes
were thrust into the face until the victim’s face was burned before furzes
around the base of the stake were ignited and the victim burned to death.
AUTOCRACY
Autocracy is absolute rule by one man.
AUTONOMY
Autonomy is a word of Greek origin meaning ’self-government’.
AVOIRDUPOIS
The avoirdupois scale is a measurement of weight.
AXINOMANCY
Axinomancy is divination by means of an axe-head. It seems to have developed
in the early 17th century.
AXIS
In geography an axis is the imaginary line running from pole to pole through
the centre of the earth.
AZILIAN
Azilian describes a Palaeolithic culture of Spain and south-west France that
can be dated to the 10th millennium BC. It is characterised by flat bone
harpoons and schematically painted pebbles.