Achieve, a-chēv′, v.t. to bring to a head or end: to perform: to accomplish: to carry out successfully: to gain, win.—adj. Achiev′able, that may be achieved.—n. Achieve′ment, a performance: an exploit: an escutcheon or armorial shield granted in memory of some achievement, applied especially to the escutcheon over the tomb of a dead person, generally called a hatchment. [Fr. achever, from à chief (venir)—Low L. ad caput venire, to come to a head. See Chief.]
Achillean, ak-il-lē′an, adj. like Achilles, the great Greek hero in the Trojan war, brave, swift of foot, unrelenting in wrath.—Achilles tendon, the attachment of the soleus and gastrocnemius muscles of the calf of the leg to the heel-bone, so named from the infant Achilles's mother, Thetis, having held him by the heel when she dipped him into the Styx to make him invulnerable.
Achitophel, ä-hit′ō-fel, n. an able but unprincipled counsellor, from the name of David's sage counsellor who treacherously abetted the rebellion of Absalom. Dryden in his famous satire applied the name to Shaftesbury.—Also Ahith′ophel.
Achromatic, a-krōm-at′ik, adj. transmitting light without colour, of a lens or telescope.—adv. Achromat′ically.—n. Achrom′atism, the state of being achromatic.—v.t. Achrom′atize, to render achromatic. [Gr. a, neg., and chrōma, chromatos, colour.]
Acicular, as-ik′ū-lar, adj. needle-shaped; slender and sharp-pointed.—Also Acic′ulate, Acic′ulated. [L. acicula, dim. of acus, a needle.]
Acid, as′id, adj. sharp: sour.—n. a sour substance: (chem.) one of a class of substances, usually sour, which turn vegetable blues to red, and combine with alkalies, metallic oxides, &c. to form salts.—adj. Acid′ifiable, capable of being converted into an acid.—ns. Acidificā′tion; Acid′ity, the quality of being acid or sour—also Ac′idness.—v.t. Acid′ulate, to make slightly acid. [L. ac-ēre, to be sour—root ak, sharp.]
Acidify, as-id′i-fī, v.t. to make acid: to convert into an acid:—pr.p. acid′ifying; pa.p. acid′ified. [L. acidus, sour, and facĕre, to make.]
Acidimeter, as-id-im′e-tėr, n. an instrument for measuring the strength of acids.—n. Acidim′etry, the act of such measurement. [Acid and Meter.]
Acidulous, as-id′ū-lus, adj. slightly sour: subacid: containing carbonic acid, as mineral waters: (fig.) caustic, sharp. [L. acidulus, dim. of acidus, sour. See Acid.]
Acierage, ā′sē-ėr-āj, n. the covering of an engraved copper-plate with a film of iron to ensure durability. [Fr. acier, steel—L. acies, a sharp point, and -age.]