Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 1.djvu/70

 ACR

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ACQ

found in other Places, particularly the" Mountains about Acquittal is of two Kinds- in Law and in Fatl-— Trent. Some derive its Name from mthm, a Rock naked When two are appealed or indicted of Felony one as Prin-

.W hare of Earth, whereon the Plant readily thrives. cipal the other as Acceflbry ; the Principal being difcharg'd

'It was alio called //uwtrSr®- ; as killing Mice with its bare the Acceflbry is by Confequence alfo treed : In which Cafe' fmell, according to <Ptwy.—The Poets feign it to have arofe as the Acceflbry is acquitted by Law, fo is the Principal in from the Foam of (fee Dog Cer&erus, when Hercules drag'd FaB. See Accessory. him out of Hell. Acquittal is alfo ufed, where there \s a Lord Mefn,

The Antients ufed this ilantagamft the Srmg of the Scorpi- and Tenant, and the Tenant holds Lands of the Mefn, and on, which is laid to be deaden d by the Touch of the Aconite, the Mefn holds over of the Lord Paramount : Here, the

and reilor'd to its Vigour by that of Hellebore.- 'Tbco- Mefn ought to acquit the Tenant of all Services claimed by

fhraftm relates, that they had a way of preparing it in thofe any other for the fame Lands ; the Tenant being to do Ser- Days, io as it Jhould only deftroy at the End of one or two vice to the Mefn only, and not to divers Lords tor one Par- Years.— Arrows dipt in its Juice prove mortal wherever they eel of Land. See Mesn, and Service. wound.— The Indians ufe Aconite, correflcd in Cows Urine, ACQUITTANCE, or Quittance," a Releafe, or Dif- with good fuccefs againft Fevers. Letr. Edif. & Cur. charge in Writing, of a Sum cf Money, or other Duty

ACONTIAS, a Name ufed by fome Authors, for a fort which ought to be paid or done. See Receipt. of Comet, or Meteor, whofe Head appears round or oblong, The Verb Acquit, the Participle Ac and its Tail very long and flender, refcmbling a Javelin. See Comet, and Meteor.

It takes its Denomination from a Serpent thus call'd, fre- quent in Calabria and Sicily ; where it is alfo named Saet- rene, by reafon of its flying at Paflengcrs like an Arrow ; in order to which, it winds it felf up a Tree, to fpring thence with the greater Violence. For the like Reafon, the Greeks call it Acontias, of axovrt% a 2)art, or Arrow.

ACOPUM, a Fomentation, of warm and emollient things, to allay the Senfe of Wearinefs, occafion'd by too violent Labour or Exercife. See Fomentation, Bathing, &c.

The Word is compounded of the Privative a, and koto?, labor.

ACORN, Glaus. See Fruit, Seed, Sowing, &c.

ACORUS, a Medicinal Plant, of the Rum. or Flag Kind ; frequently confounded by the Antients, and alfo by the mo- dern Apothecaries, with the Calamus Odoratus. See Ca- lamus.

There are two Species ftf" Acerus; the Verus h or true, and Acra,'ufcd for Akena,\ Land-Meafure among the Antients, the faife.—- They are diiHnguifli'd by this, that from the containing io Feet.

.-. ;iple Acquitted., and the Noun Acquittal, do alfo fignify a Difcharge from an Offence ob- jected. — In this Senfe, we meet with Acquitted by Procla- mation. See Acqjjittae.

ACRASIA, ec'jtggwfo, is ufed by fome Writers in Phyfick, for the Excefs or Predominancy of one Quality above ano- ther 5 either in a Mixture, or in the ConLHtution of a hu- man Body. See Crasis, Temper a.ment, Constitu- tion, &c.

ACRE, a Quantity cf Land, containing four fquare Roods, or 160 fquare Poles. See Measure $ Yee alfo Rood, and Perch.

By a Statute of 31 Eliz. it is ordain'd, That if any Man erect a new Cottage, he fhall add four Acres of Land to it. See Cottage.

To find the Quantity of Acres in a 'Eiece cf Ground, &c. See Surveying,

The Word is form'd from the Saxon Acber, or Acker, Field ; of the Latin Ager. Tho Salmafius derives it from

middle of fome of the Leaves of the' former, there arife; longifh Cutler of an Infinity of little Flowers, the Thick- nefs of the little Finger, and refcmbling Macropiper, or - Long Pepper.— The falfe Acorus is the common Sword- grafs.

'Tis only the Root of the Acorus that is ufed in Phyfick 5 and 'ris this we ufually call Acorus. — The true is brought from Lithuania and <Tartary .- It is knotty, reddi/h wich- our, and white within 5 as thick as the little Finger, and half a Foot long.

It is fpicy and bitterifh ; and ufed in Cephalic and Sto- machic Competitions. — It is alfo an Ingredient in the T'ber't- aca Andrcmacbi.

Some rank Galangals as a Species of Acorus. Sec Ga-

LANGALS.

ACOUSTICKS, Acoustica,

The Kingdom of England contains by Computation 39038500 Acres : The United Provinces 4382000, £5c. See Political Arithmetick.

ACREME, a Term fometimes ufed in anticnt Law-Books, for ten Acres, See Acre.

ACRIBEIA, a Term purely Greek, W#«*, literally de- noting an exquiflte or delicate Accuracy 5 fometimes ufed in our Language for want of a Word of equal Significancy.

ACRIDOPHAGI, in the antient Geography, a Nation of People faid to feed on Locufts. — The Word is compound- ed of the Greek etxa^, Locujl, and ?><*>•«, I eat.

The Acridophagi are reprefented as a People of Ethiopia^ inhabiting near the Defarts. — In the Spring they made Pro- viiion of a large kind of Locufts, which they Llted, and kept for their {landing Food all the Year : They lived to forty

the Doctrine or Theory of Years of Age, then died of a fort of winged Worms gene- rated in their Bodies. See St. Jerom againft Jovinian,

Sounds. See Sound,

Acouflicks is what we otherwife call <Ebonicks. See L. II. and on St. John, C Phonicks.

Acousticks, or Acoustica, or Acoustic Medicines, are Remedies againft the Imperfections and Diforders of the Ear 5 or of the Senfe of Hearing, See Ear, and Hear- ing.

The Word is form'd of the Greek 'AW?, Hearing.

Acoustic is particularly applied to Lijlrumenis ufed by thofo who are (low of Hearing $ to fupply that Defect

Dr. Hook fays, it is by no means impoflible to hear the loweft Whifper that can be made, to the Diftance of a Fur-

4; . iJiodor. SwuL L. III. c.

and 29 5 and Strabo, L. XVI.— "Pliny alfo fpcaks of Acri- dophagi in 'Eartbia ; and St. Jerom in Libya.

Tho the Circumftances of thefe People be fabulous ; yet may the Acridopbagia be true ; and to this Day they eat Locufts in fome Parts of the Eaft. — And hence, St. John the Baptift is faid to have lived on Locufts, aKei-Pa, and wild Honey, Matt. c. 3. v. 4. See Honey.

Yet is the rendering of *x,eiAs by Lccujls, as the Englijh Tranllators have done, much controverted. — Ifid-ore of ( iV- lufiura, in his 133d Epirtle, [peaking of this Food of St.

long ; and that he knows a way of hearing any Perfon fpeak John, ftys, They were not Animals, but the Tops of Herbs;

thro' a Stone- Wall three Foot thick. See Whisper'ing- 'Elace, and Echo.

Acoustic Nerve. See Auditory Nerve.

ACQUEST, or Acquist, is underftood, in a legal Senfe, of Goods, or Effitts, immoveable, not defcended or held by Inheritance 5 but acquired, either by Purchafe or Dona- tion. See Goods.

The Word is French ; form'd of the Verb Acquerir, to acquire. — The French Laws make a deal of difference be- tween Acquefis, and hereditary Effects allows none. See Heir, Hereditary, £j?c.

The Word is alfo popularly ufed for Conqueft, or Places acquired by the Sword.

ACQUl'ETANDIS Elcgiis, a Writ lying for a Surety againft the Creditor that refufes to acquit him after the Debt is paid. See Surety.

ACQUIETARE, in our antient Law-Books, fignifies to pay the Debts of a Perfon deceas'd ; as the Heir thofe of his Father, &c.

ACQUISITION, properly fignifies an Acquefi. See Ac- quest

and even charges thofe who underftood 'em otherwife of Ignorance : But Sr. Auguflin, Seda, Ludolpbus, and others, are of a different Sentiment. Accordingly, the Jefuits of Antwerp reje£t with Contempt the Opinion of the Ebionites* who for enters; put efxei^, a delicious 2)iet prepared of Ho- ney and Oil ; that of fome other Innovators, who read d%a- eiAi, or ^ae/^f, Sea-Crabs ; and that of %e-za, who reads «vt,©i'^, wild Eears.

ACRIMONY, Afpcrity or Sharpncfs, expreffes a Qua- The Civil Law liry in Bodies, by which they corrode, deftroy, or diflblve others. See Corrosion, SS>c.

Salts are only cauftick in Virtue of their Acrimony. See

Salt, Caustic, &c. The Acrimony of the Bile is fup-

pofed the Caufe of divers Diforders. See Bile. — -A Catarrh is a Defluxion of Acrimonious Humour. See Catarrh, Defluxion, Rhume, £5?c.

ACROATICKS, a Name given to Arifiotlis Ledures in the more difficult and nice Parts of Philofophy ; to which none but Scholars and Friends were admitted. See Ari- stotelian, &c.

ACROMION, Acromium, in Anatomy, the upper Pro-

ACQUITTAL, a Difcharge, Deliverance, or fetting free cefs of the Omoplata, or Shoulder-Bone. See Omoplata.

of a Perlon from the Guilt or Sufpicion of an Offence. ■ The Word is derived from a«f©-, fuwmus, and «fi©-, Hu-

The like Difcharge in Civil Concerns, is called an Acquit- mertiSy q.d. the Extremity of theShoulder; and notfrom An- tance. See Ac qui trance. chor, on account of any refemblance in Figure which the Aero-

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