Thomas Davidson

“ Autom′atism, automatic or involuntary action: power of self-moving: power of initiating vital processes from within the cell, organ, or organism, independently of any direct or immediate stimulus from without: the doctrine that animals are automata, their motions, &c., being the result of mechanical laws; Autom′atist, one who holds the doctrine of automatism. [Gr. automatos, self-moving—autos, self, and a stem mat-, to strive after, to move.] ”

“ Autarchy, awt′är-ki, n. absolute power. [Gr., from autos, self, and archein, to rule.]
Authentic, -al, aw-thent′ik, -al, adj. real: genuine, as opposed to counterfeit, apocryphal: original: true: entitled to acceptance, of established credibility. A distinction is sometimes made between authentic and genuine—the former, that the writing is trustworthy, as setting forth real facts; the latter, that we have it as it left its author's hands—an authentic history: a genuine text.—adv. Authent′ically. [Fr. and L. from Gr. authentēs, one who does anything with his own hand—autos, self.] ”

“ Au′tography, act of writing with one's own hand: reproduction of the outline of a writing or drawing by fac-simile. [Gr. autos, self, graphē, writing.]
Autogravure, aw-to-grav′ūr, n. a process of photo-engraving akin to autotype. [Gr. auto, self; Fr. gravure, engraving.]
Autolatry, aw-tol′a-tri, n. worship of one's self.—n. Autol′ogy is merely a justifiable enough scientific study of ourselves. [Gr. autos, self, latreia, worship.]
Autolycus, aw-tol′i-kus, n. a thief: a snapper up of unconsidered trifles: a plagiarist. [From the character in Shakespeare's Winter's Tale.] ”

“ Auth′orship, Auth′oring, Auth′orism, state or quality of being an author. [Through Fr. from L. auctor—augēre, auctum, to cause things to increase, to produce.]
Authority, awth-or′it-i, n. legal power or right: power derived from office or character: weight of testimony: permission:—pl. Author′ities, precedents: opinions or sayings carrying weight: persons in power.—adj. ”

“ Autoschedias′tic. [Gr. autos, self, schedios, off-hand.]
Autotheism, aw′to-thē-izm, n. assumption of divine powers: the doctrine of the self-subsistence of God, esp. of the second person in the Trinity.—n. Au′totheist, a self-deifier. [Gr. autos, self, theos, a god.] ”

“ Automaton, aw-tom′a-ton, n. a self-moving machine, or one which moves by concealed machinery: a living being regarded as without consciousness: the self-acting power of the muscular and nervous systems, by which movement is effected without intelligent determination: a human being who acts by routine, without intelligence:—pl. ”

“ Autoch′thony, Autoch′thonism, the condition of being autochthonous. [Gr.; made up of autos, self, chthōn, chthonos, the soil; the Athenians claiming to have actually sprung from the soil on which they lived.]
Autocrat, aw′to-krat, n. one who rules by his own power: an absolute sovereign.—n. Autoc′racy, an absolute government by one man: despotism.—adj. Autocrat′ic,—adv. Autocrat′ically. [Gr. autokratēs—autos, self, kratos, power.] ”

“ Autonomy, aw-ton′om-i, n. the power or right of self-government: (Kant's philos.) the doctrine that the human will carries its guiding principle within itself.—adjs. Auton′omous, Autonom′ic. [Gr.—autos, and nomos, law.]
Autonym, aw′ton-im, n. a writing published under the author's real name. [Gr. autos, self, onoma, a name.]
Autophagous, aw-tof′ag-us, adj. self-devouring.—n. Autoph′agy, sustenance by self-absorption of the tissues of the body. [Gr. autos, self, phagein, to eat.]
Autophoby, aw-tof′ob-i, n. a shrinking from making any reference to one's self. [Gr. autos, self, phobia, fear.] ”

“ Again, General average is the apportionment of loss caused by measures taken for the ship's safety, as cutting away the masts, throwing overboard cargo, accepting towage, or the like.—adj. containing a mean value: ordinary.—v.t. to fix an average.—v.i. to exist in, or form, a mean quantity. ”

“ Auger, aw′gėr, n. a carpenter's tool used for boring holes in wood.—n. Au′ger-bit, an auger that fits into a carpenter's brace (see Brace) . [A corr. of nauger, an auger, A.S. nafugár—nafu, a nave of a wheel, gár, a piercer. See Nave (of a wheel) , Gore, a triangular piece.]
Aught, awt, n. a whit: ought: anything: a part. [A.S. á-wiht, contr. to áht, whence ōht, ōght, and ought. Shakespeare, Milton, and Pope use ought and aught without distinction. Awiht is from á, ó, ever, and wiht, creature, a wight, a thing.] ”

“ Autobiog′rapher, one who writes his own life.—adjs. Autobiograph′ic, -al. [Gr. autos, one's self, bios, life, graphein, to write.]
Auto-car, aw′to-kär, n. a vehicle for the road moved from within by steam, electric power, &c. instead of by traction. [Gr. autos, self, and Car.]
Autocarpous, aw-to-kär′pus, adj. applied to such fruit as consists only of the pericarp, with no adnate parts. [Gr. autos, self, karpos, fruit.] ”

“ Augustin′ian, of or relating to St Augustine.—n. Augustin′ianism.
Auk, awk, n. a genus of web-footed sea-birds, with short wings used only as paddles, found in the northern seas. The Great Auk is supposed to have become extinct in 1844. [Ice. álka.]
Aula, aw′la, n. a hall.—adj. Aulā′rian, relating to a hall.—n. at Oxford, a member of a hall, as distinguished from a collegian.—Aula regis, also called Curia Regis, a name used in English history for a feudal assembly of tenants-in-chief, for the Privy Council, and for the Court of King's Bench. [L. aula, a hall.] ”

“ Auxil′iary, a helper: an assistant: (gram.) a verb that helps to form the moods and tenses of other verbs. [L. auxiliaris—auxilium, help—aug-ēre, to increase.]
Ava, ä′va, n. native name in the Sandwich Islands for a species of cordyline yielding an intoxicating drink, also called kava: any similar drink.
Avail, a-vāl′, v.t. to be of value or service to: to benefit: to take the benefit of (used reflexively with of) .—v.i. to be of use: to answer the purpose: (obs.) to take or draw advantage: (Amer.) to inform, assure of.—n. benefit: profit: service.—adj. ”

“ Avāle′ (Spens.) , to descend.—v.t. (Spens.) to cause to descend. [Fr. avaler, to slip down—L. ad, to, vall-em, the valley.]
Avant, av′ang, prefix used as adj. in combination, as in Av′ant-cour′ier, one who runs before, in pl. the skirmishers or advance-guard of an army; Av′ant-garde, the vanguard of an army. [Fr.;—L. ante.]
Avanturine. See Aventurine.
Avarice, av′ar-is, n. eager desire for wealth: covetousness.—adj. Avari′cious, extremely covetous: greedy.—adv. Avari′ciously.—n. Avari′ciousness. [Fr.—L. avaritia—avarus, greedy—avēre, to pant after.] ”

“ Augment, awg-ment′, v.t. to increase: to make larger.—v.i. to grow larger.—n. Aug′ment, increase: (gram.) the prefixed vowel to the past tenses of the verb in Sanskrit and Greek. Sometimes applied also to such inflectional prefixes as the ge- of the German perfect participle.—adjs. Augment′able, Augment′ative, having the quality or power of augmenting.—n. (gram.) a word formed from another to express increase of its meaning.—ns. Augmentā′tion, increase: addition: (her.) ”

“ Autos-da-fé. [Port. auto da fé = Sp. auto de fe; auto—L. actum, act; da—L. de, of; and fe—L. fides, faith.]
Autogenous, aw-toj′e-nus, adj. self-generated: independent.—n. Autog′eny, a mode of spontaneous generation. [Gr. autogenēs, autos, self, genos, offspring.] ”