Aback. I was taken aback—I was greatly astonished—taken by surprise—startled. It is a sea term. A ship is "taken aback" when the sails are suddenly carried by the wind back against the mast, instantly staying the ship's progress—very dangerous in a strong gale.
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Ab′acus. A small frame with wires stretched across it. Each wire contains ten movable balls, which can be shifted backwards or forwards, so as to vary ad libitum the number in two or more blocks. It is used to teach children addition and subtraction. The ancient Greeks and Romans employed it for calculations, and so do the Chinese. The word is derived from the Phœn. abak (dust); the Orientals used tables covered with dust for ciphering and diagrams. In Turkish schools this method is still used for teaching writing. The multiplication table invented by Pythagoras is called Ab′acus Pythagor′icus. (Latin, abacus; Greek, ἄβαξ.)
Abaddon. The angel of the bottomless pit (Rev. ix. 11). The Hebrew abad means "he perished."
"The angell of the bottomlesse pytt, whose name in the hebrew tonge is Abadon."—Tindale.
Abam′bou. The evil spirit of the Camma tribes in Africa. A fire is kept always burning in his house. He is supposed to have the power of causing sickness and death.
Abandon means put at anyone's orders; hence, to give up. (Latin, ad, to; bann-um, late Latin for "a decree.")
Abandon fait larron. As opportunity makes the thief, the person who neglects to take proper care of his goods, leads into temptation, hence the proverb, "Neglect leads to theft."
Ab′aris. The dart of Abaris. Abaris, the Scythian, was a priest of Apollo; and the god gave him a golden arrow on which to ride through the air. This dart rendered him invisible; it also cured diseases, and gave oracles. Abaris gave it to Pythagoras.
"The dart of Abaris carried the philosopher wheresoever he desired it."—Willmott.
Abate (2 syl.) means properly to knock down. (French, abattre, whence a battue, i.e., wholesale destruction of game; O.E. a beátan.)
Abate, in horsemanship, is to perform well the downward motion. A horse is said to abate when, working upon curvets, he puts or beats down both his hind legs to the ground at once, and keeps exact time.
Abatement, in heraldry, is a mark of dishonour annexed to coat armour, whereby the honour of it is abated.
Ab′aton. (Greek α not; βαίνω, I go.) As inaceessible as Abăton. Artemisia, to commemorate her conquest of Rhodes, erected two statues in the island, one representing herself, and the other emblematical of Rhodes. When the Rhodians recovered their liberty they looked upon this monument as a kind of palladium, and to prevent its destruction surrounded it with a fortified enclosure which they called Abaton, or the inaccessible place. (Lucan speaks of an island difficult of access in the fens of Memphis, called Abăton.)
Abba′ssides (3 syl.). A dynasty of caliphs who reigned from 750–1258. The name is derived from Abbas, uncle of Mahomet. The most celebrated of them was Haroun-al-Raschid (born 765, reigned 786–808).
Abbey Laird (An). An insolvent debtor sheltered by the precincts of Holyrood Abbey.
"As diligence cannot be proceeded with on Sunday, the Abbey Lairds (as they were jocularly called) were enabled to come forth on that day to mingle in our society."—R. Chambers.
Abbey-lubber (An). An idle, well-fed dependent or loafer.
"It came into a common proverbe to call him an Abbay-lubber, that was idle, wel fed, a long, lewd, lither loiterer, that might worke and would not."—The Burnynge of Paules Church, 1663.
It is used also of religions in contempt; see Dryden's Spanish Friar.
Abbot of Misrule, or Lord of Misrule. A person who used to superintend the Christmas diversions. In France the "Abbott of Misrule" was called L'abbé de Liesse (jollity). In Scotland the master of revels was called the "Master of Unreason."
Abbotsford. A name given by Sir Walter Scott to Clarty Hole, on the south bank of the Tweed, after it became his residence. Sir Walter devised the name from a fancy he loved to indulge in, that the abbots of Melrose Abbey, in ancient times, passed over the fords of the Tweed.
Abd in Arabic = slave or servant, as Abd-Allah (servant of God), Abd-el-Kader (servant of the Mighty One), Abd-
