body. It inhabits the potatoes of Surinam. 23. The gymnopterorum, is reddiſh, with two ſcarlet ſpots on each ſide. It inhabits bees, &c. 24. The coleoptratorum, is reddiſh, with a white anus. It inhabits the ſcarabæus. 25. The rupeſtris, is yellowiſh, with a double coloured line on the back. It is a native of Europe. 26. The longicornis, is red, and the feelers are longer than the ſnout. It is a native of Europe. 27. The littoralis, is of a tawny yellowiſh colour, and has blood-red legs. It frequents the ſhores of Europe. 28. The fungorum is of a yellowiſh colour, and has a globular clammy belly. It inhabits the muſhroom. 29. The ſcaber, is aſh-coloured, and depreſſed; the ſides are ſcurfy. It is a native of Europe. 30. The ſalicinus, is red, with two yellow lines on the back; it is forked before. It dwells on the willows. 31. The croceus, is yellow, with a reddiſh ſpot on each ſide of the breaſt.
ACATALECTIC, a term, in the ancient poetry, for ſuch verſes as have all their feet or ſyllables, in contradiſtinction to thoſe that have a ſyllable too few.
ACATALEPSY, ſignifies the impoſſibility of comprehending any thing.
ACATALIS, a name given by the ancients to the juniper-berry.
ACATASTATOS, with phyſicians, ſignifies the irregular paroxyſins of a diſeaſe.
ACATERY, or Accatry, an officer of the king's houſehold, deſigned for a check betwixt the clerks of the kitchen and the purveyors.
ACATHARSIA, an impurity of the blood or humours.
ACATHISTUS, in an eccleſiaſtical ſenſe, a ſolemn hymn anciently sung in the Greek church on the Saturday of the fifth week of Lent, in honour of the Virgin, for having thrice delivered Conſtantinople from the invaſions of the barbarous nations.
ACATIUM, in antiquity, a kind of boat uſed in military affairs, and was a ſpecies of the naves actuariæ. See Actuariæ Naves.
ACATSIA-VALLI, in botany, a ſynonime of the caſſitha ſiliformis. See Cassitha.
ACAULIS, in botany, ſignifies plants that have no caulis or ſtem.
ACCALIA, in antiquity, ſolemn feaſts held in honour of Acca Laurentia, nurſe to Romulus. They were otherwiſe called Laurentalia.To the ſame Acca is alſo aſcribed the inſtitution of the fratres arvales.
ACCAPITARE, in law, the act of becoming vaſſal of a lord, or of yielding him homage and obedience. See Vassal and Homage.
ACCAPITUM, ſignifies the money paid by a vaſſal upon his admiſſion to a feud.
Accapitum, in our ancient law, was uſed alſo to expreſs the relief due to the chief lord. See Relief.
ACCEDAS ad curiam, in the Engliſh law, a writ lying, where a man has received, or fears falſe judgment, in an inferior court; it lies alſo for juſtice delayed, and is a ſpecies of the writ recordare.
ACCEDONES. See Accendones.
ACCELERATED, implies, in a general ſenſe, quickened, continually increaſing. Thus, accelerated motion is a motion continually increaſing. See Mechanics.
ACCELERATION, an increaſe of velocity in the motion of a body; it is oppoſed to retardation, which in a diminution of motion.
Acceleration, is alſo a term uſed by ancient aſtronomers, with whom it ſignified the difference between the revolution of the primum mobile, and that of the ſun, computed to be three minutes and fifty-ſix ſeconds.
ACCELERATOR, in anatomy, the name of two muſcles of the penis, which ſerve for ejecting the urine or ſemen. See Anatomy, Part VI]].
ACCENDENTES, a lower order of miniſters in the Romiſh church, whoſe office is to light and trim the candles.
ACCENDONES, in Roman antiquity, a ſort of gladiators, whoſe office was to excite and animate the combatants during the engagement. See Gladiator.
ACCENSI, among the ancient Romans, a kind of ſupernumerary ſoldiers, who ſerved to fill the places of thoſe who were killed or diſabled by their wounds.
Accensi ferenſes, among the Romans, an inferior order of officers, who attended the magiſtrates in the manner of our uſhers, ſerjeants, or tipſtaffs.
ACCENSION, in chemiſtry, the action of ſetting a body on fire: thus the accenſion of tinder is effected by ſtriking fire with flint and ſteel.
ACCENT, or accenting, in reading or ſpeaking: when we raiſe the tone higher in ſounding any particular word or ſyllable, that word or ſyllable is ſaid to be accented, or graced with an accent. In hexameters there is a capital accent in every line, eaſily diſtinguiſhable from the reſt by a good ear. Thus,
Nec bene promeritis capitûr, nec tangitur ira.
Accents either in proſe or poetry have a double effect: They contribute to the melody, by giving it air and ſpirit; they contribute not leſs to the ſenſe, by diſtinguishing words of importance from others. Accenting is entirely confined to long ſyllables; for a ſhort ſyllable is not capable of an accent. Every word in the hexameter line that has a long ſyllable may be accented, unleſs the ſenſe interpoſe, which rejects the accenting a word that makes no figure by its ſignification. But, notwithſtanding this circumſtance, there is conſtantly one accent in every line which makes a greater figure than any of the reſt. Thus,
Smooth flow the wâves, the zephyrs gently play, Belinda ſmîl’d, and all the world was gay.
In order to facilitate the reading of dead languages, grammarians have adopted various characters for diſtinguiſhing the accents belonging to particular ſyllables; ſuch as the acute, marked thus, (´), the grave thus (`), and the circumflex thus (˘), or (ˆ), &c.. The acute denotes that the voice is to be raiſed; the grave, that is to be lowered or flattened; and the circumflex, that the ſyllable is to be lengthened or dwelt upon.
