2. (Geol.) Pertaining to or designating a period or era recognized by the United States Geological Survey and some other authorities, between the Archæan and the Paleozoic, from both of which it is generally separated in the record by unconformities. Algonkian rocks are both sedimentary and igneous. Although fossils are rare, life certainly existed in this period. — n.

Defn: The Algonkian period or era, or system or group of systems.

ALGONQUIAN
Al*gon"qui*an, a.

Defn: Pertaining to or designating the most extensive of the linguistic families of North American Indians, their territory formerly including practically all of Canada east of the 115th meridian and south of Hudson's Bay and the part of the United States east of the Mississippi and north of Tennessee and Virginia, with the exception of the territory occupied by the northern Iroquoian tribes. There are nearly 100,000 Indians of the Algonquian tribes, of which the strongest are the Ojibwas (Chippewas), Ottawas, Crees, Algonquins, Micmacs, and Blackfeet. — n.

Defn: An Algonquian Indian.

ALGONQUIN; ALGONKIN
Al*gon"quin, Al*gon"kin, n.

Defn: One of a widely spread family of Indians, including many distinct tribes, which formerly occupied most of the northern and eastern part of North America. The name was originally applied to a group of Indian tribes north of the River St. Lawrence.

ALGOR
Al"gor, n. Etym: [L.] (Med.)

Defn: Cold; chilliness.

ALGORISM; ALGORITHM Al"go*rism, Al"go*rithm, n. Etym: [OE. algorism, algrim, augrim, OF. algorisme, F. algorithme (cf. Sp. algoritmo, OSp. alguarismo, LL. algorismus), fr. the Ar. al-Khowarezmi of Khowarezm, the modern Khiwa, surname of Abu Ja'far Mohammed ben Musa, author of a work on arithmetic early in the 9th century, which was translated into Latin, such books bearing the name algorismus. The spelling with th is due to a supposed connection with Gr.