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`AMERICAN
`HER1TAGE®
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`A LAUREL BOOK
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`Published by
`Dell Publishing
`a division of
`Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, inc.
`I540 Broadway
`New York, New York 10036
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`P If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen i
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`Words are included in this Dictionary on the basis of their usage. Words that are known '
`to have current trademark registrations areshown with an initial capital and are also
`identified as trademarks. No investigation has been made of conimon-,law‘trademarl<*_*
`rights in any word because such investigation is impracticable. The inclusion of any
`word in this Dictionary is not, however, an expression of the Publisher's opinion as to
`whether or not it is subject to proprietary rights. indeed, no definition in this Dictionary
`is to be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark.
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`American Heritage‘ andthe eagle logo are registered trademarks of Forbes lnc. i_
`Their use is pursuant. to a license agreement with Forbes Inc.
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`Copyright © 1994 by Houghton Mifflin Company
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`lieprinted byiarrangenient withfloughton Mifllin‘ Company
`Printed in_the United States of‘America .
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`Published simultaneous_ly Canada
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`‘V
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`assassin I assume
`. Lat; asrilrre. jump on.] -—-as-sallla-ble adi.
`duil-ty (§s"i'-do‘o"i-té, dyti‘o'-) n. .55..
`-—-as-salvant n. -—as-salller n.
`sidiwous-iy adv. -as-sldfu-ous-new ,,_*
`"as-sas~sln (a—sasIin) n. A murderer, esp. of
`as-sign (9-sin’) v. 1. To specify; designa(e_ ‘
`a prominent person. [< Ar. lia3'.i‘fi§Tn.]
`2. To. select for a duty; appoint. 3. To give
`as-sas-sl-mite (a-sasla-nat’) v. -nat-ed.
`out as a task; allot. 4. To ascribe; atti-ibure_
`-nat-lng. 1. To murder by surprise attack.
`5. Low. To transfer (e.g., property) from.
`one to another. [< Lat. a.tsignfire.] -33.
`as for political reasons. 2. To destroy (a ii-
`val's character). -—as-sas’sl-naltlon n.
`sign’:-bli'_l°ty n. —as-slgn'a-blefad,'_
`-as-slgnler n.
`_
`as°saull: (9-S511’) n. 1. A violent physical or
`verbal attack. 2. An unlawful threat or at-
`as-slg-na-tlon (as’ig-na'sh9n) ri. An ap.
`pointrnent for a meeting between lovers,
`tempt to do bodily injury to another. 3. The ~
`as~slgn-ment (9-5lI"l’m0l'lI) n. 1. The act of
`crime of rape. [< Lat. assilire. assult-,
`assigning. 2. Something assigned.
`Jump on.] —as's_ault' v. —as-saultfer n.
`astsim-l-late (a—sIm'c-lat’) v. -lat-ed. -lat.
`--as-sauvtlve ad}.
`,
`mg. 1. To take in. digest. and transform
`' assault and battery n. Law. A physical as-
`(food) into living tissue. 2. To take in and
`sault involving bodily injury to another.
`understand. 3. To make or become similar.
`as-say tasia’. a—sa') n. Qualitative or quan-
`[< Lat. assimilfire, make similar to.) ~35.
`titative analysis of a substance, esp. of an
`slmil-la-ble (-la—bel) adj. —as-slm’I-tar.
`ore or drug. --v. (a-sa'. as'a'). 1. To sub-
`-tlon n. _—as-slmll-la'tor n.
`ject to or undergo an assay. 2. To evaluate;
`As-sln-l-boln (a-sin’;-boin’) n.. pl. -boln or
`assess. 3. To attempt. [< OFr. arsai, ss-
`-bolns. 1. A member of a Native American
`SAY.] —as'say'a-bio adj. --as-sayter n.
`people of N Montana and adiacent regions
`as-sem-blage (a-semiblii) n. 1. The act of
`of Canada. 2. Their Siouan language.
`‘assembling or the state of being assembled.
`astslst (9-sistf) v. To help; support. ,—n._ An
`2. A_ collection of persons or things. 3. A
`act of giving aid: help. [< Lat. assistere :
`fitting together of parts. as in a machine. 4.
`AD— + sistere. stand: see sti-‘J -as~
`An art work consisting of an arrangement
`slsitance n.
`‘
`of miscellaneous objects, such as pieces of
`asvsls-tant (9-sIs'tont) n. One that assists;
`metal, cloth, and string.
`’
`helper. -as-sisltant adi.
`as-sem-ble (asémlbal) v. -hlai. -bllng. 1.
`‘ Syns: assistant, aide, coadiutor, help.
`To bring or gather together. 2. To fit togeth-
`er, lieutenant, second :1.
`er the parts of. [< OFr. assembler.)
`as-size (9-sizi) n. 1. A session or a decree of
`as-sem-bier (:3-semlblar) n. 1. One that as-
`a court. 2. asslzes. One of the periodic
`sembles. 2. A computer program or lan-
`court sessions formerly, held in the counties
`guage that translates symbolic code into the
`of England and Wales. [< Lat. assidére, sit
`equivalent executable machine code.
`beside : AD- + sedére, sit: see sed-‘.]
`as-sem-bty (a-semlble) n., pl. -bites. 1. The
`assn. abbr. Association.
`‘
`act of assembling or the state of being as-
`sembled. Z. A group of persons gathered to-
`assoc. abbr; 1. Associate. 2. Association.
`as-so-clrate (9-solshé-at’. -56?) v. -at-ed,
`gether for a common‘ purpose. 3. Assembly.
`The lower house of a legislature. 4.3. The
`«at-lng. 1. To join or connect in a relation-
`putting together of parts to make a product.
`ship."2. To connect in the mind or imagina-
`tion.
`-—-n. (-‘it. -at’). 1. A partner;
`b. A set of parts so assembled.
`I
`'
`' colleague. 2. A companion; comrade.
`assembly line». An arrangement of workers
`——adi. (-it, -at’). Joined in equal or nearly
`and tools in which the product passes from.
`equal status. [< Lat. associare. join to.)
`operation to operation until completed. ~
`as~so-cl-a-tion (a-s<‘>’se-a'shan. .-shé—) n.
`as~sent (9-sent’) v.-To agree: concur. [<
`1. The act of associating or‘ the state of be-
`Lat. asseIitfiri'.} --as~sent' n..-—as-senth _
`ing associated. 2.‘ Anorganized body of
`er. as-senltor n.
`~
`V
`V
`people; society. —as-so'cl-a'tion-al adi.
`as-sert (3~Sfil‘t’) v. 1.~~To statepositively: at‘-
`as-so-cl-a~tlve (a—s<'>Ishe-a'tIv,~ -se-, ~she-
`firn-i.~2.~To defend or ‘maintain. 3. To put
`tiv) adi. 1. Of or causing association. 2.
`~ (oneself) forward boldly. or forcefully. [Lat.
`-Math. Independent of the grouping of ele-
`asserere‘.] -as-serltlve adj.’ j—as-sar'ti_ve-
`ments‘. —-as-so'cl-a’tlve-lg adv.
`_
`lyadv. —as-sefltlve-ness n.~ __ ;
`as-sewtlon (a-st‘ir'shan) n; A positive, often
`as-sofnance (as'a—nans) It.’ Resemblance
`esp. of the vowel sounds in words. [< Lat.
`~' unsupported declaration.-
`ra.rs0m7re.* respond to.) —as'so-nant adi. &
`as-sess (a-sés') v.‘ l. To evaluate. esp. for
`n. —‘-as'so_-._nari'l:al (-nan'_tl) adi.‘
`’
`taxation.~2..To'set the amount of (a tax‘ or
`as-sort to-sort’) v. To separate into groups
`fine). 3. To charge with atax or fine. 4. To
`according to kind; classify“[< ‘OFr. assort-
`‘ make ajudgment_ about. [<7 Lat. assidére,
`_ er'.}_—-as-sortla‘-tlve‘ai1i.;--as-sort'er n.
`~ _asses.r-V, assist asiudge : Al)— V + sedére, sit; .
`as-sort-ed (a-s6r’tid) ad]. Of_ different
`see sad-9.1‘ —-asssessla-ble adi.
`-a_s-
`sesslment n.. -as-ses'sor_n.
`.
`-kinds: various: assorted sizes-
`I
`.
`as-‘sort-ment (a-sort'mant)'n.“1. The act o
`A ~'a‘s-sal:'(asIet'~)—n. ‘l.‘A useful or valuable
`assorting. 2. A collection of various kinds:
`1 .~quality.~person,*or ‘thing. 2. assets. All
`variety.’
`‘
`.
`‘
`-_
`-
`_'
`‘
`—
`_‘properties. su_c_h_as cashgor stock, that may
`asst. abbr. Assistant.
`'
`'
`cover the liabilities ‘of a person or business.
`[< AN a.ve‘z,‘enou‘gh.] ‘
`‘ as-suage (:»swai') v. -suaged.’-sung-in . 1.
`~'I‘o make less severe; ease.‘ 2. To satis y or r
`1as_-sev-_'er_-ate (9-séyfa-rat’), if. -at‘-ed, eat-
`_lng.‘To declare positively; asser‘t.'[Lat.~_‘ as- _
`appease._'[< OFr. assuagier < Lat. suavis,
`~sev§rfire.] —-as°sev"er-aftlon n.
`sweet. See swid—'.]»
`~
`‘
`" ‘
`~
`~
`~ as~sume (a-so"om') v. .-sumed. i-sum-‘lngft. , J
`as-sld‘-u-ous (a-slihm-as) adi. Constant in
`
`* To take upon oneself. 2. To take on; adopt.
`applic ion or attention: diligent.f[< Lat.
`
`3. To pretend; feign
`To take forgranted:
`7
`"
`'assi'd€‘re,“ attend to. Seenssr-;ss.]‘—as'sl-i .
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