Acrobat, ak′ro-bat, n. a rope-dancer: a tumbler: a vaulter.—adj. Acrobat′ic.—n. Acrobat′ism, the art of the acrobat. [Gr. akrobatos, walking on tiptoe; akros, point, batos—bainein, to go.]
Acrogen, ak′ro-jen, n. a plant that grows at the top chiefly, as a tree-fern.—adj. Acrog′enous. [Gr. akros, top, genēs, born.]
Acrolith, ak′ro-lith, n. a statue of the earlier Greek artists having the trunk made of wood and the extremities of stone. [Gr. akrolithos—akros, extreme, and lithos, stone.]
Acronycal, a-kron′ik-al, adj. midnight, applied to stars that rise at sunset and set at sunrise, or opposite to the sun.—adv. Acron′ycally. [Gr. akros, summit, middle (of time), and nyx, nyktos, night.]
Acropolis, a-kro′pol-is, n. a citadel, esp. that of Athens. [Gr. akropolis—akros, the highest, polis, a city.]
Acrospire, ak′ro-spīr, n. (bot.) the first leaf that appears when corn sprouts. [Gr. akros, summit, end, speira, anything twisted round.]
Across, a-kros′, prep. or adv. crosswise: from side to side. [Prep. a, and Cross.]
Acrostic, a-krō′stik, n. a poem of which, if the first or the last letter of each line be taken in succession, they will spell a name or a sentence.—adj. Acrō′stical.—adv. Acrō′stically.—n. Acrō′sticism, method of acrostics. [Gr. akros, extreme, and stichos, a line.]
Act, akt, v.i. to exert force or influence: to produce an effect: to behave one's self: to feign.—v.t. to perform: to imitate or play the part of.—n. something done or doing: an exploit: the very process of doing something: a law or decision of a prince or legislative body: an instrument in writing for verification: (theol.) something done once for all, in opposition to a work: a distinct section of a play: in universities, a public disputation or lecture maintained by a candidate for a degree.—n. Act′ing, action: act of performing an assumed or a dramatic part: feigning.—adj. performing some duty temporarily, or for another.—n. Act′or, one who acts: a stage-player:—fem. Act′ress.—Act of God, a result of natural forces, unexpected and not preventable by human foresight.—In act to, on the very point of doing something.—To act on, to act in accordance with; To act up to, to come up in practice to some expected standard: to fulfil. [L. agĕre, actum; Gr. agein, to put in motion; Sans. aj, to drive.]
Acta, ak′ta, n.pl. proceedings in a court civil or ecclesiastical, or the minutes of such.—Acta Martyrum, the early accounts of the martyrs; Acta Sanctorum, a general name for collections of accounts of saints and martyrs, especially of the great collection of the Bollandists, begun in 1643, interrupted in 1794 at the fifty-third vol. (Oct. 6), but resumed in 1845.