Apogee, ap′o-jē, n. properly the greatest distance of the earth from any of the heavenly bodies (the earth being regarded as the centre of the universe in the old Ptolemaic astronomy), now restricted to the sun and moon, the sun's apogee corresponding to the earth's aphelion, and the moon's being the point of its orbit farthest from the earth: the highest point, climax—opp. to Perigee.—adjs. Apogæ′ic, Apogē′an; Apogeotrop′ic, turning away from the ground (of leaves, &c.).—adv. Apogeotrop′ically.—n. Apogeōt′ropism. [Gr. apogaion; apo, from, gē, the earth.]
Apograph, a′po-graf, n. an exact copy. [Gr. apographon, a copy—apo-graph-ein, to write off, copy.]
Apolaustic, a-po-law′stik, adj. devoted to the search of enjoyment.—n. the philosophy of the pleasurable. [Gr. apolaustikos—apolau-ein, to enjoy.]
Apollinarianism, a-pol-i-nā′ri-an-izm, n. the doctrine that the Logos, or divine nature in Christ, took the place of the rational human soul or mind, and that the body of Christ was a spiritualised and glorified form of humanity—taught by Apollinaris the younger, Bishop of Laodicea in Syria (died 390 A.D.), condemned as denying the true human nature of Christ by the second Œcumenical Council at Constantinople (381).—adj. Apollinā′rian.
Apollonian, a-po-lōn′i-an, adj. having the characteristics of Apollo, sun-god of the Greeks and Romans, patron of poetry and music: named from Apollonius of Perga, who studied conic sections in the time of Ptolemy Philopator.—Also Apollon′ic.
Apollonicon, a-pol-ōn′i-kon, n. a chamber organ of vast power, supplied with both keys and barrels, first exhibited in 1817. [Formed from Apollonic, as harmonicon from harmonic.]
Apollyon, a-pol′yun, n. the destroyer: Satan (same as Abaddon, Rev. ix. 11). [Gr. apollyōn, destroying utterly; apolly-ein, apo-, and ollynai, to destroy.]
Apologetic, -al, a-pol-oj-et′ik, -al, adj. excusing: regretfully acknowledging: said or written in defence.—adv. Apologet′ically.—n. Apologet′ics, that branch of theology concerned with the defence of Christianity. It falls under the two heads of natural and revealed theology—in the former it proves the existence of God, of the soul in man, a future state; in the latter, the canonicity, inspiration, and trustworthiness of Scripture.
Apologue, a′pol-og, n. a fable, parable, or short allegorical story, intended to serve as a pleasant vehicle for some moral doctrine—applied more particularly to one in which the actors are animals or inanimate things, e.g. the apologue of Jotham in Judges, ix. 7-15. [Fr.—Gr. apologos, a fable—apo, from, logos, speech.]
Apology, a-pol′oj-i, n. something spoken to ward off an attack: a defence or justification: frank acknowledgment of an offence: a poor substitute (with for; of is obsolete).—v.i. Apol′ogise, to make excuse: to express regret for a fault (with for).—n. Apol′ogist, one who makes an apology: a defender by argument. [Gr.; apo, from, -logia, speaking—leg-ein, to speak.]