GLOSSARIAL AND ETYMOLOGICAL DICTIONARY, &c. &c. A. A. This letter was formerly used as a prefix to many words now become obsolete, in some it is still retained by the vulgar; as, abear, ado, adays, acold, abed, aweary, adream, &c.: but aggrate, adread, addeem, and others are now wholly disused; ameliorate, amidst, abroach, abroad, &c. still retain their place in our vernacular tongue As present age and eke posterite I gin to be aweary of the sun. FERREX AND PORREX. He scorns to be addeem'd so worthless, base. DANIEL'S CIVIL WAR. ABACK (S. on bac), on back, backwards; also, to put behind, or retard. He shall aye find that the trew man Was put abacke, whereas the falshede Yfurthered was. CHAUCER'S COMPLAINT OF THE BLACK KNIGHT, B A noble heart ought not the sooner yield, MIRROUR FOR MAGISTRATES. But when they came where thou thy skill didst shew, They drew abacke. SPENSER'S PASTORALS. ABAND (F. abandonner), to abandon, of which word it is a contraction; to resign, quit, desert, forsake; and, according to its primary signification, to band or put in bondage. All pleasures quite and joys he did aband. The barons of this land MIRR. FOR MAG. For him trauvailed sore, and brought him out of band. ROB. GLOUCESTER'S CHRON. ABAST (B. bastardd), an illegitimate child or bas tard. Bast Ywain he was yhote, For he was bigeten abast, God it wote.psdag 111* TALE OF MERLIN. bada, Hous ABATE (S. beatan, F. abbatre), to deject, subdue, dispirit; in its more modern sense, it signifies to beat down, subtract. ABATYDE, lowered, cast down. See "Abate." Doun he felle deed to grounde, Gronynge faste, with grymly wounde; They were abatyde. ROM. OF OCTAVIAN IMPERATOR. ABAWE (F. à bas), to abash, daunt, astonish, lower. My countenance is nicete And al abawed whereso I be. CHAUCER'S DREME. For soch another as I gesse CHAUCER'S ROM. OF THE ROSE. ABAYE (F. abbor), at bay, environed by enemies. Gif he myghte come on cas ROM. OF KYNGE ALISAUNDRE. ABEAR (S. abæran), to bear, to demean, as applied to courage or behaviour. Thus did the gentle knight himself abeare SPENSER'S F. QUEEN. ABEDGE, the same as ABY; to pay dear for, or suffer. There durst no wight hond on him ledge, CHAUCER'S REVE'S TALE. ABJECT (L. abjectus), to be degraded to a low or mean condition; also, the person so degraded or brought to contempt. I deemed it better so to die, Than at my foeman's feet an abject lie. Rebellion MIRR. FOR MAG.. Came like itself, in base and abject routs, K. HENRY IV. I was, at first, as other beasts that graze The trodden herb, of abject thoughts, and low. ABLAND, blinded, made blind. With seven walmes boiland, The walmes han th' abland. PAR. LOST. ROM. OF THE SEVEN SAGES. ABLE (S. abal), to answer for, to make able, to en able. Admitted! ay, into her heart I'll able it. O. P. THE WIDOW'S TEARS. To sell away all the powder in the kingdom MIDDL. GAME OF CHESS. ABORTIVE (F. abortif), untimely, prematurely brought forth, irregular, out of season. Thou elvish marked, abortive, rooting hog) Thou that was seal'd in thy nativity The slave of nature. K. RICHARD III. IB. ABRADE (L. abrado), to strike with barrenness, to waste away by degrees. Fair I woxe, and fair I sprad, ROM. OF THE SEVEN SAGES. ABRAHAM-COLOUR, supposed to be a dingy yellow. Archdeacon Nares thinks it a corruption of auburn, which was sometimes written abron, from which, by an easy transition, the present word came into use; but the greater probability is, that Abraham was depicted in the old tapestries with a yellow, or rather an orange tawny, beard, and hence that colour, or something nearly resembling it, derives its name. Shakspeare describes Slender, in the Merry Wives of Windsor, as having a Cain coloured beard; and Dryden sarcastically called Jacob Tonson's hair Judas coloured, i. e. red. The old figures of Cain in arras, uniformly represent Cain with a yellow beard, and Judas with red hair; and it is, therefore, not unreasonable to suppose, that Abraham colour owes its name to a similar cause. In the first folio edition of Shakspeare, the colour of the heads of the citizens in Coriolanus is said to be-some brown, some black, some Abram; and though in some subsequent editions the word has been changed to auburn, yet it is more than probable that Abram was the true reading, and that the editors, not understanding the meaning of Abram coloured, substituted a more common and obvious name. Where is the eldest son of Priam, HAWKINS'S O. P. ABRAHAM-MEN, a cant term for idle and thievish vagabonds, who formerly went about the country half naked, or drest in fantastical attire, pretending to have been mad and discharged from Bethlem Hospital. A person pretending sickness is still said "to sham Abraham." These Abraham-men be those that fayn themselves to have been mad, and have been kept in Bethelem or some other prison. HARMER'S CAVEAT FOR COMMON CURSETORS, Under what hedge, I pray you? or at what cost? Are they padders or Abram-men? NEW WAY TO PAY OLD DEBTS. ABRAYDE (S. abredan), to awake, to arise, to arouse a start from sleep. He had thoght to done hym harme, ROM. OF THE LIFE OF IPOMYDON, |