Assurgent, as-ur′jent, adj. rising, ascending: (bot.) rising in a curve to an erect position: (her.) of a bearing depicted as rising from the sea.—n. Assur′gency, the tendency to rise.
Asswage. A form of Assuage.
Assyrian, as-sir′i-an, adj. belonging to Assyria.—n. an inhabitant of Assyria: the language of Assyria.—ns. Assyriol′ogist; Assyriol′ogy, the science of Assyrian antiquities. [Gr. Assurios—Assuria, Assyria.]
Astare, a-stār′, adv. phrase, staring.
Astart, a-start′, v.i. (Spens.) to start up suddenly: to happen, fall out.—adv. with a start, suddenly. [Pfx. a-, and Start.]
Astatic, a-stat′ik, adj. having a tendency not to stand still: losing polarity, as a magnetic needle. [Gr. neg., astatos—a, neg., statos, verb. adj. of histanai, to stand.]
Astay, a-stā′, adv. applied to an anchor when, in lifting it, the cable forms such an angle with the surface of the water as to appear in a line with the stays of the ship. [Prep. a, on, and Stay.]
Aster, as′tėr, n. a genus of plants of the natural order Compositæ, with showy radiated flowers varying from white to lilac-blue or purple, mostly perennial, flowering in late summer and autumn, hence often called in England Michaelmas or Christmas daisies.—China aster, the best-known and most valued of the family, brought from China to France by a missionary in the 18th century. [Gr. astēr, a star.]
Asterias, as-tēr′i-as, n. a genus of Echinoderms, containing the common five-rayed starfish. [Gr. astērias, a fish—astēr, a star.]
Asterisk, as′tėr-isk, n. a star, used in printing as a reference to a note at the bottom or on the margin of the page, and sometimes as a mark of the omission of words, thus *.—n. As′terism, a group or collection of small stars: a constellation: three asterisks placed to direct attention to a passage: a property of some minerals which show a star-shaped luminous figure when viewed by reflected light—e.g. the asteriated sapphire. [Gr. asteriskos, dim. of aster, a star.]