Amend, a-mend′, v.t. to correct: to improve: to alter in detail, as a bill before parliament, often so fundamentally as to overthrow entirely the thing originally proposed.—v.i. to grow or become better.—adjs. Amend′able, Amend′atory, corrective.—n. Amend′ment, correction: improvement: an alteration proposed on a bill under consideration: a counter-proposal put before a public meeting: a counter-motion.—n.pl. Amends′, supply of a loss: compensation: reparation. [Fr. amender for emender—L. emendāre, to remove a fault—e, ex, out of, and menda, a fault.]
Amende, ä-mend′, n. a fine, penalty.—Amende honorable, a public confession and apology made for any offence. [Fr. See Amend.]
Amenity, am-en′i-ti, n. pleasantness, as regards situation, climate, manners, or disposition. [Fr. aménité—L. amœnitas—amœnus, pleasant, from root of am-āre, to love.]
Amenorrhœa, Amenorrhea, a-men-ō-rē′a, n. absence of menstruation. [From Gr. a, priv., mēn, month, roia, a flowing.]
Amentum, a-men′tum, Ament, am′ent, n. a scaly sort of spike, as of the willow: a catkin:—pl. Amen′ta.—adjs. Amentā′ceous, Amen′tal. [L. amentum, thong.]
Amerce, a-mėrs′, v.t. to punish by a fine: to deprive of anything, or inflict loss upon.—n. Amerce′ment, a penalty inflicted—also Amerc′iament. [O. Fr. amercier, to impose a fine—L. merces, wages, fine.]
American, a-mer′ik-an, adj. pertaining to America, esp. to the United States.—n. a native of America.—v.t. Amer′icanise, to render American.—n. Amer′icanism, a custom, characteristic, word, phrase, or idiom peculiar to Americans: condition of being an American citizen: devotion to American institutions. [From America, so called unfairly from Amerigo Vespucci, a navigator who explored a small part of South America seven years after the first voyage of Columbus.]
Amethyst, a′meth-ist, n. a bluish-violet variety of quartz of which drinking cups used to be made, which the ancients supposed prevented drunkenness.—adj. Amethyst′ine, [Gr. amethystos—a, neg., methy-ein, to be drunken—methū, wine, cog. with Eng. mead, Sans. madhu, sweet.]
Amiable, ām′i-a-bl, adj. lovable: worthy of love: of sweet disposition.—ns. Amiabil′ity, Am′iableness, quality of being amiable, or of exciting love.—adv. Am′iably. [O. Fr. amiable, friendly—L. amicabilis, from amicus, a friend; there is a confusion in meaning with O. Fr. amable (mod. Fr. aimable), lovable—L. amabilis—am-āre, to love.]
Amiantus, a-mi-ant′us, n. the finest fibrous variety of asbestos—it can be made into cloth which when stained is readily cleansed by fire.—Also Amianth′us. [Gr. amiantos, unpollutable—a, neg.,and miain-ein, to soil.]