"HisAlmagisteand bookes, grete and small."
ALMANAC. A record of the days, feasts, and celestial phenomena of the year. Though confounded with calendar, it is essentially different—the latter relating to time in general, and the almanac to that of a year; but the term calendar can be properly used for a particular year. (SeeEphemeris.)
ALMATH [Hamal]. The star in Aries whence the first mansion of the moon takes its name. The Frankeleine in Chaucer says:—
"And by his eighte speres in his werking,He knew ful wel how farAlnathwas shoveFro the hed of thilke fix Aries above,That in the ninthe spere considered is."
ALMIRANTE. A great sea-officer or high-admiral in Spain.
ALMIRANTESA. The wife of an admiral.
ALMURY. The upright part of an astrolabe.
ALNUS CAVER. Transport-ships of the early English, so called from the wood of which they were constructed.
ALOFT [Anglo-Saxon,alofte, on high]. Above; overhead; on high. Synonymous with up above the tops, at the mast-head, or anywhere about the higher yards, masts, and rigging of ships.—Aloft there!the hailing of people in the tops.—Away aloft!the command to the people in the rigging to climb to their stations. Also, heaven: "Poor Tom is gonealoft."
ALONDE. An old English word for ashore, on land.
ALONG [Saxon]. Lengthwise.—Alongside, by the side of a ship; side by side.—Lying along, when the wind, being on the beam, presses the ship over to leeward with the press of sail; or,lying alongthe land.
ALONGSHORE. A common nautical phrase signifying along the coast, or a course which is in sight of the shore, and nearly parallel to it. (See'Longshore.)
ALONGST. In the middle of a stream; moored head and stern.
ALOOF. The old word for "keep your luff," in the act of sailing to the wind. (SeeLuff.)—Keep aloof, at a distance.
ALOOFE.SeeAlewife.
ALOW. Synonymous withbelow; asalowandaloft, though more properlylowandaloft. Carrying all sailalow and aloftis when the reefs are shaken out, and all the studding-sails set.
ALPHABETICAL LIST. This is a list which accompanies the ship's books; it contains the names and number of every person in the pay-book.
ALTAIR. The bright nautical star α Aquilæ, binary.
ALTAR. A platform in the upper part of a dock.
ALTEMETRIE. The old term for trigonometry among navigators.
ALTERNATE. Reciprocal.—Alternate anglesare the internal angles formed by a line cutting two parallels, and lying on the opposite side of the cutting line; the one below the first parallel, and the other above.—Alternate ratiois that of which the antecedents and consequents bear respectively to each other in any proportion which has the quantities of the same kind.
ALTERNATING WINDS. Peculiar winds blowing at stated times one way, and then, from a sudden alteration in the temperature of the elements, setting in the contrary direction. A remarkable instance is that of the Gulf of Arta in the Ionian Sea, where the effect is promoted by local causes. All land and sea breezes are strictly alternating winds. These however are mostly intertropical; the solarheat causing the sea-breeze to blow on the land by day, and condensation and greater heat of the sea causing a reaction when the land has cooled to a lower temperature.
ALTERNATIONor Permutation of Quantities, is the varying or changing their order, and is easily found by a continual multiplication of all numbers.
ALTIMETRY. Trigonometry; the art of measuring heights or depressions of land, whether accessible or not.
ALTITUDE. The elevation of any of the heavenly bodies above the plane of the horizon, or its angular distance from the horizon, measured in the direction of a great circle passing through the zenith. Also the third dimension of a body, considered with regard to its elevation above the ground.—Apparent altitudeis that which appears by sensible observations made on the surface of the globe.—Altitude of the pole.The arc of the meridian between the pole of the heavens and the horizon of any place, and therefore equal to its geographical latitude.—Altitude of the cone of the earth's and moon's shadow, is the height of the one or the other during an eclipse, and is measured from the centre of the body.—Altitude of a shot or shell.The perpendicular height of the vertex of the curve in which it moves above the horizon.—Meridian altitude.The arc of the meridian,—or greater or less altitude, measured from the horizon, of a celestial object in its passage over the meridian, above or below the pole, of the place of the observer. In Polar regions two such transits of the sun, and in England similarly, circumpolar stars afford double observations for the determination of time or latitude. The general term is understood by seamen to denote mid-day, when the passage and meridian altitude of the sun affords the latitude.—True altitudeis that produced by correcting the apparent one for parallax and refraction.
ALTMIKLEC. A silver Turkish coin of 60 paras, or 2s.91⁄2d.sterling.
ALUFFE,or Aloof. Nearer to the wind. This is a very old form ofluff; being noticed by Matthew Paris, and other writers, as a sea-term. (SeeLuff.)
ALURE. An old term for the gutter or drain along a battlement or parapet wall.
ALVEUS. A very small ancient boat, made from the single trunk of a tree. A monoxylon, or canoe.
A.M. The uncials forante-meridian, or in the forenoon. (SeeMeridian.)
AMAIN [Saxona, andmægn, force, strength]. This was the old word to an enemy for "yield," and was writtenamayneandalmayne. Its literal signification is, with force or vigour, all at once, suddenly; and it is generally used to anything which is moved by a tackle-fall, as "lower amain!" let run at once. When we used to demand thesalute in the narrow seas, the lowering of the top-sail was calledstriking amain(seeStrike), and it was demanded by thewave amain(seeWaving), or brandishing a bright sword to and fro.
AMALPHITAN CODE, the oldest code of modern sea-laws, compiled, during the first Crusade, by the people of Amalfi in Italy, who then possessed considerable commerce and maritime power.
AMAYE. Sea-marks on the French coast.
AMBASSADOR. A practical joke performed on board ship in warm climates, in which the dupes are unmercifully ducked in the wash-deck tub:—
"And he was wash'd, who ne'er was wash'd before."
AMBER. A hard resinous substance of vegetable origin, generally of a bright yellow colour, and translucent. It is chiefly obtained from the southern shores of the Baltic, and those of Sicily, where it is thrown up by the sea, but it also occurs in beds of lignite.
AMBERGRIS. A fragrant drug found floating on sea-coasts, the origin and production of which was long a matter of dispute, although now known to be a morbid product developed in the intestines of the spermaceti whale (Physeter macrocephalus). It is of a grayish colour, very light, easily fusible, and is used both as a perfume and a cordial, in various extracts, essences, and tinctures.
AMBIENT [fromambio, Lat., to go round]. Surrounding, or investing; whence the atmosphere is designated ambient, because it encompasses the earth.
AMBIGENAL. One of the triple hyperboles of the second order.
AMBIT of a geometrical figure is the perimeter, or the line, or sum or all the lines, by which it is bounded.
AMBITION is usually denominated a virtue or a vice according to its direction; but assuredly more of the former, as it is a grand stimulus to officers to avoid reproach, and aspire to eminence and honour.
AMBLYGON. Obtuse angular.
AMBRY.SeeAumbrey.
AMBUSCADE [Span.emboscada]. A body of men lying in wait to surprise an enemy, or cut off his supplies; also the site where they lurk. This, as well asambush, obviously arose from woods having afforded hiding-places.
AMBUSH. Signifies an attempt to lie in concealment for the purpose of surprising the enemy without his perceiving the intention until he is attacked.
AMELIORATION. An allowance made to the neutral purchaser, on reclaiming a ship irregularly condemned, for repairs she has undergone in his service.
AMICABLE NUMBERS are such as are mutually equal to the sum of each other's aliquot parts.
AMIDSHIPS. The middle of the ship, whether in regard to her length between stem and stern, or in breadth between the two sides. To put the helmamidshipsis to place it in a line with the keel. The term, however, has a more general bearing to the axis of the ship; as guns, or stores, or place amidships has reference to that line, fore and aft. Externally the term "amidships" as to striking, boarding, &c., would be about the main-mast, or half the length of the ship. (SeeMidships.)
AMIDWARD. Towards the 'midship or middle section of the vessel.
AMLAGH. A Manx or Gaelic term denoting to manure with sea-weed.
AMLEE. A Manx or Gaelic term for sea-weed.
AMMUNITION. This word had an infinite variety of meanings. It includes every description of warlike stores, comprehending not only the ordnance, but the powder, balls, bullets, cartridges, and equipments.—Ammunition bread, that which is for the supply of armies or garrisons.—Ammunition chest, a box placed abaft near the stern or in the tops of men-of-war, to contain ammunition, for the arms therein placed, in readiness for immediate action.—Ammunition shoes, those made for soldiers and sailors, and particularly for use by those frequenting the magazine, being soft and free from metal.—Ammunition waggon, a close cart for conveying military effects.—Ammunition wife, a name applied to women of doubtful character.
AMNESTY. An act of oblivion, by which, in a professional view, pardon is granted to those who have rebelled or deserted their colours; also to deserters who return to their ships.
AMOK. A term signifying slaughter, but denoting the practice of the Malays, when infuriated to madness with bang (a preparation from a species of hemp), of sallying into the streets, or decks, to murder any whom they may chance to meet, until they are either slain or fall from exhaustion.—To run a-muck.To run madly and attack all we meet (Pope,Dryden). As in the case of mad dogs, certain death awaited them, for if not killed in being taken, torture and impalement followed.
AMORAYLE. An archaism ofadmiral.
AMORCE [Fr.] A word sometimes used to signify priming-powder.
AMPERES. An ancient vessel, in which the rowers used an oar on each side at once.
AMPHIBIA. A class of animals which, from a peculiar arrangement of breathing organs, can live either in water or on land. [Gr.amphibios, having a double manner of life.] Henceamphibious.
AMPHIPRORÆ. Ancient vessels, both ends of which were prow-shaped, so that in narrow channels they need not turn.
AMPHISCII. The inhabitants of the torrid zone are thus denominated from their shadow being turned one part of the year to the north and the other to the south.
AMPHOTEROPLON.SeeHeteroplon.
AMPLITUDE. As a general term, implies extent. In astronomy, it is an arc of the horizon intercepted between the true east or west points thereof, and the centre of the sun, star, or planet, at its rising or setting. In other words, it is the horizontal angular distance of a star from the east or west points. It is eastern or ortive when the heavenly object rises, and western or occiduous when it sets, and is moreover northern or southern according to its quarter of the horizon.—Amplitude, in gunnery, is the range or whole distance of a projectile, or the right horizontal line subtending the curvilineal path in which it moved.—Amplitude, in magnetism, is the difference between the rising and setting of the sun from the east and west points, as indicated by the mariner's or magnetic compass—which subtracted from the true amplitude, constitutes the error of the compass, which is the combined effect of variation and local deviation.
AMPOTIS. The recess or ebb of the tide.
AMRELL. An archaic orthography foradmiral.
AMULET. A small relic or sacred sentence, preservative against disaster and disease, appended to the neck by superstitious people: few Italian or Spanish seamen are without them.
AMUSETTE. A kind of gun on a stock, like that of a musket, but mounted as a swivel, carrying a ball from half a pound to two pounds weight.
AMY. A foreigner serving on board, subject to some prince in friendship with us.
ANACLASTICS,or Anaclatics. The ancient doctrine of refracted light or dioptrics.—Anaclastic curves, the apparent curves formed at the bottom of a vessel full of water, or anything at great depths overboard to an eye placed in the air; also the heavenly vault as seen through the atmosphere.
ANADROMOUS. A term applied to migratory fishes, which have their stated times of ascending rivers from the sea, and returning again, as the salmon and others.
ANALEM. A mathematical instrument for finding the course and elevation of the sun.
ANALEMMA. A projection of the sphere on the plane of the meridian, taken in a lateral point of view, so that the colours become circles, whilst those whose planes pass through the eye become right lines, and the oblique circles ellipses. On globes it is represented by a narrow double-looped formed figure, the length of which is equal tothe breadth of the torrid zone, and is divided into months and days, to show approximately the solar declination and the equation of time.
ANALOGY. Resemblance, relation, or equality; a similitude of ratios or proportions.
ANALYSIS. The resolution of anything into its constituent parts: mathematically, it is the method of resolving problems by reducing them to equations.—Analysis of curvesis that which shows their properties, points of inflection, station, variation, &c.—Analysis of finite quantitiesis termed specious arithmetic or algebra.—Analysis of infinitesis a modern introduction, and used for fluxions or the differential calculus.—Analysis of powersis the evolution or resolving them into their roots.—Analysis of metals, fluids, solids, earths, manures, &c.
ANALYTIC. That which partakes of the property of analysis, and is reducible thereby.
ANAN. A word going out of use, uttered when an order was not understood, equal to "What do you say, sir?" It is also used by corruption foranon, immediately.
ANANAS. (Bromelia). Pine-apple.
ANAPHORA. A term sometimes applied to the oblique ascensions of the stars.
ANAS. A genus of water-birds of the orderNatatores. Now restricted to the typical ducks.
ANASTROUS.SeeDodecatimoria.
ANAUMACHION. The crime amongst the ancients of refusing to serve in the fleet—the punishment affixed to which was infamy.
ANCHIROMACHUS.—A kind of vessel of the middle ages used for transporting anchors and naval stores.
ANCHOR. A large and heavy instrument in use from the earliest times for holding and retaining ships, which it executes with admirable force. With few exceptions it consists of a long iron shank, having at one end a ring, to which the cable is attached, and the other branching out into two arms, with flukes or palms at their bill or extremity. A stock of timber or iron is fixed at right angles to the arms, and serves to guide the flukes perpendicularly to the surface of the ground. According to their various form and size, anchors obtain the epithets of thesheet,best bower,small bower,spare,stream,kedge, andgrapling(which see under their respective heads).
Anchor floating,seeFloating Anchor.—At anchor, the situation of a ship which rides by its anchor.—To anchor, to cast or to let go the anchor, so that it falls into the ground for the ship to ride thereby.—To anchorwith a spring on the cable,seeSpring.Anchoris also used figuratively for anything which confers security or stability.
ANCHORABLE. Fit for anchorage.
ANCHORAGE. Ground which is suitable, and neither too deep, shallow, or exposed for ships to ride in safety upon; also the set of anchors belonging to a ship; also a royal duty levied from vessels coming to a port or roadstead for the use of its advantages. It is generally marked on the charts by an anchor, and described according to its attributes of good, snug, open, or exposed.
ANCHOR-BALL. A pyrotechnical combustible attached to a grapnel for adhering to and setting fire to ships.
ANCHOR-CHOCKS. Pieces indented into a wooden anchor-stock where it has become worn or defective in the way of the shank; also pieces of wood or iron on which an anchor rests when it is stowed.
ANCHOR-DAVIT.SeeDavit.
ANCHORED. Held by the anchor; also the act of having cast anchor.
ANCHOR-HOLD. The fastness of the flukes on the ground; also the act of having cast anchor, and taken the ground. (SeeHome.)
ANCHOR-HOOPS. Strong iron hoops, binding the stock to the end of the shank and over the nuts of the anchor.
ANCHOR-ICE. The ice which is formed on and incrustates the beds of lakes and rivers: theground-gruof the eastern counties of England. (SeeIce-anchor.)
ANCHORING. The act of casting anchor.—Anchoring groundis that where anchors will find bottom, fix themselves, and hold ships securely: free from rocks, wrecks, or other matters which would break or foul the anchor or injure the cable. In legal points it is not admitted as either port, creek, road, or roadstead, unless it bestatio tutissima nautis. A vessel dropping anchor in known foul ground, or where any danger is incurred by inability to recover the anchor, or by being there detained until driven off by stress of weather, is not legally anchored.
ANCHOR-LINING. The short pieces of plank fastened to the sides of the ship, under the fore-channels, to prevent the bill of the anchor from tearing the ship's side when fishing or drawing it up. (See alsoBill-boards.)
ANCHOR-RING. Formerly the great ring welded into the hole for it. Recent anchors have Jew's-harp shackles, easily replaced, and not so liable to be destroyed by chain-cables.
ANCHOR-SEAT. An old term for the prow of a ship, still in use with eastern nations—Chinese, Japanese, &c.
ANCHOR-SHACKLE. An open link of iron which connects the chain with the anchor—a "Jew's-harp" shackle.
ANCHOR-SMITH. A forger of anchors.
ANCHOR-STOCK. A bar at the upper end of the shank, crossing the direction of the flukes transversely, to steady their proper direction.In small anchors it is made of iron, but in large ones it is composed of two long cheeks or beams of oak, strongly bolted and tree-nailed together, secured with four iron hoops. It is now generally superseded by the iron stock.
ANCHOR-STOCK-FASHION. The method of placing the butt of one wale-plank nearly over the middle of the other; and the planks being broadest in the middle, and tapered to the ends, they resemble an anchor-stock, with which it is more in keeping than is the method calledtop-and-butt; also pursued in fishing spars, making false rudder-heads, &c.
ANCHOR-STOCKING is a mode of securing and working planks in general with tapered butts.
ANCHOR-STOCK TACKLE. A small tackle attached to the upper part of the anchor-stock when stowing the anchor, its object being to bring it perpendicular and closer to the ship.
ANCHOR-WATCH. A subdivision of the watch kept constantly on deck during the time the ship lies at single anchor, to be in readiness to hoist jib or staysails, to keep the ship clear of her anchor; or in readiness to veer more cable or let go another anchor in case the ship should drive or part her anchor. This watch is also in readiness to avoid collision in close rivers by veering cable, setting sail, using the helm, &c., which formerly involved the essence of seamanship.
ANCHOVY. TheEngraulis encrasicholus. A small fish of the familyClupeidæ, about four inches in length, much used in sauces and seasoning when cured. It is migratory, but principally taken in the Mediterranean, where those of Gorgona are most esteemed in commerce.
ANCIENT. A term formerly used for the colours and their bearer, as ensign is now. Shakspeare's Nym was only a corporal, but Pistol was an ancient.
ANCON. A corner or angle of a knee-timber.—Ancon[Sp.] Harbour, bay, or anchorage.
ANCOR-STRENG. A very old designation of a cable.
ANCYLE. A kind of dart thrown with a leathern thong.
ANDREA-FERRARA.SeeFerrara.
ANDREW,or Andrew Millar. A cant name for a man-of-war, and also for government and government authorities.
ANDROMEDA. A hemispherical medusa found in the Indian and Red Seas. The body is transparent and brownish, with a black cross in the middle, and has foliaceous white arms on the under part.
ANDROMEDÆ α. (Alpheratz.) A star of the first magnitude in the constellation of Andromeda.
ANELACE. The early name for a dirk or dagger usually worn at the girdle.
ANEMOMACHIA. A whirlwind or hurricane in old writers.
ANEMOMETER,or Wind-gauge. An instrument wherewith to measure the direction and velocity of wind under its varying forces—a desideratum at sea.
ANEMONE.SeeAnimal Flowers.
ANEMOSCOPE. A vane index with pointers to tell the changes of the wind without referring to the weather-cock.
AN-END. The position of any spar when erected perpendicularly to the deck. The top-masts are said to bean-endwhen swayed up to their usual stations and fidded. To strike a spar or plankan-endis to drive it in the direction of its length. (SeeEvery Rope an-end.)
ANENT,or Anenst. Opposite to; over against.
ANEROID. A portable barometer or instrument for showing variations of the weather by the pressure of the atmosphere upon a metallic box hermetically sealed.
ANEROST. A coast-word of the western counties fornighoralmost.
ANEW. Enough, as relating to number.
ANGEL-FISH. TheSquatina angelus, of the shark family. It inhabits the northern seas, is six or eight feet long, with a cinereous rough back and white smooth belly; the mouth is beneath the anterior part of the head, and the pectoral fins are very large. (Also,Chætodon.)
ANGEL-HEAD. The hook or barb of an arrow; probablyangle-head.
ANGEL-SHOT. A ball cut in two, and the halves joined by a chain.
ANGIL. An old term for a fishing-hook [from the Anglo-Saxonongul, for the same]. It means also a red worm used for a bait in angling or fishing.
ANGLE. The space or aperture intersected by the natural inclination of two lines or planes meeting each other, the place of intersection being called the vertex or angular point, and the lines legs. Angles are distinguished by the number of degrees they subtend, to 360°, or the whole circumference of a circle. Angles areacute,obtuse,right,curvilinear,rectilinear, &c. (all of which see).
ANGLE-DOG,or Angle-twitch. A large earth-worm, sought for bait.
ANGLE-IRONS. Certain strips of iron having their edges turned up at an angle to each other; they are of various sizes, and used for the ribs and knees of the framing of iron vessels.
ANGLE OF COMMUTATION. The difference between the heliocentric longitudes of the earth and a planet or comet, the latter being reduced to the ecliptic.
ANGLE OF ECCENTRICITY. An astronomical term denoting the angle whose sine is equal to the eccentricity of an orbit.
ANGLE OF ELEVATION.SeeElevation.
ANGLE OF INCIDENCE.SeeIncidence.
ANGLE OF LEE-WAY. The difference between the apparent compass-course and the true one—arising from lateral pressure and the effect of sea when close-hauled. It is not applicable to courses when the wind and sea are fair.
ANGLE OF POSITION. A term usually confined to double stars, to distinguish the line of bearing between them when they are apparently very near to each other.
ANGLE OF REFLECTION.SeeReflection.
ANGLE OF SITUATION. This was formerly called theangle of position, and is also termed theparallactic angle(which see).
ANGLE OF THE CENTRE. In fortification, the angle formed at the centre of the polygon by lines drawn from thence to the points of two adjacent bastions.
ANGLE OF THE SHOULDER.SeeEpaule.
ANGLE OF THE VERTICAL. The difference between the geographical and geocentric latitudes of a place upon the earth's surface.
ANGLER. A fisherman, or one who angles for recreation rather than profit. Also a species ofLophiusor toad-fish; from its ugliness and habits called also thesea-devil. It throws out feelers by which small fry are enticed within its power.
ANGLES OF TIMBERS.SeeBevelling.
ANGLING. The practice of catching fish by means of a rod, line, hook, and bait, which by its mixture of idleness and chance forms recreation; but however simple the art appears, it requires much nicety.
ANGON. A javelin formerly used by the French, the point of which resembled afleur-de-lis: it is also generally applied to the half-pike or javelin.
ANGOSIADE. An astronomical falsehood; a term originating from the pretended observations of D'Angos at Malta.
ANGRA [Sp.] Bay or inlet.—Angra grande,pequena, &c., on the coasts of Spanish and Portuguese settlements.
ANGUILLIFORM. Applied to fishes having the shape, softness, and appearance of eels.
ANGULAR CRAB. An ugly long-armed crustacean—theGoneplax angulata—with eyes on remarkably long stalks.
ANGULAR DISTANCE. This term, when applied to celestial bodies, implies that the sun and moon, or moon and stars, are within measuring distance for lunars.
ANGULAR MOTION is that which describes an angle, or moves circularly round a point, as planets revolving about the sun.
ANGULAR VELOCITY. This is a term used in the orbits of double stars, and implies the motion in a certain time of one star round the other.
ANILLA. A commercial term for indigo, derived from the plant whence it is prepared. [Sp.anil, indigo, Indigofera;alnyl, Arab.]
ANIMAL FLOWERS.Actiniæ, or sea-anemones and similar animals, which project a circle of tentacula resembling flowers. Formerly they were all classed under zoophytes.
ANIMATE. The giving power or encouragement.—To animate a battery, to place guns in its embrasures.—To animate a needle, to magnetize it.—To animate the crewin various ways for any special duty.
ANKER. An anker of brandy contains ten gallons. The kegs in which Hollands is mostly exported are ankers and half-ankers.
ANKER-FISH. A name of a kind of cuttle-fish.
ANKLE-BONE. An old seaman's term for the crawfish.
ANNELIDS. A class of worm-like animals, of which the body is composed of a series of rings.
ANNET. A sea-gull, well known in Northumberland and on the northern coasts.
ANNIVERSARY WINDS. Those which blow constantly at certain seasons of the year, as monsoon, trade, and etesian winds.
ANNONA. An ancient tax for the yearly supply of corn or provisions for the army and capital: still in use in Italy.
ANNOTINÆ. The ancient Roman victuallers or provision vessels.
ANNOTTO (Bixa orellana). The plant from the dried pulp of the seed-vessels of which a delicate red dye is obtained, used to give a rich colour to milk, butter, and cheese.
ANNUAL. Those astronomical motions which return or terminate every year.
ANNUAL ACCOUNTS. The ship's books and papers for the year.
ANNUAL EQUATION. An inequality in the moon's march, arising from the eccentricity of the earth's orbit, whereby the diurnal motion is sometimes quicker and at other times slower than her mean motion.
ANNUAL PARALLAX.SeeParallax.
ANNUAL RETURNS. In addition to the general accounts of the year, there are three returns to be transmitted to the admiral or senior officer for the Admiralty. They are, a report of the sailing and other qualities of the ship; state of the ship as to men; and progress of the young gentlemen in navigation.
ANNUAL VARIATION. The change produced in the right ascension or declination of a star by the precession of the equinoxes and proper motion of the star taken together. Also, the annual variation of the compass.
ANNUL,To. To nullify a signal.
ANNULAR. Resembling an annulus or ring. Anannulareclipse takes place when the apparent diameter of the moon is less than that of the sun, and a zone of light surrounds the moon while central.
ANNULAR SCUPPER. A contrivance for fitting scuppers so thatthe whole can be enlarged by a movable concentric ring, in order that a surcharge of water can be freely delivered; invented by Captain Downes, R.N.
ANNULUS. A geometrical figure. (SeeRing.)
ANNULUS ASTRONOMICUS. A ring of brass used formerly in navigation. In 1575 Martin Frobisher, when fitting out on his first voyage for the discovery of a north-west passage, was supplied with one which cost thirty shillings.
ANOMALISTIC MONTH.SeeAnomalistic Period.
ANOMALISTIC PERIOD. The time of revolution of a primary or secondary planet in reference to its line of apsides; that is, from one perigee or apogee to another.
ANOMALISTIC YEAR. The space of time in which the earth passes through her orbit—distinct from and longer than the tropical year, owing to the precession of the equinoxes.
ANOMALY. Deviation from common rule. An irregularity in the motion of a planet by which it deviates from the aphelion or apogee.—Mean anomalyformerly signified the distance of a planet's mean place from the apogee: it is the angular distance of a planet or comet from perihelion supposing it to have moved with its mean velocity.—True anomaly, the true angular distance of a planet or comet from perihelion. (SeeExcentricandEquated.)
ANON. Quickly, directly, immediately.
ANONYMOUS PARTNERSHIPS. Those not carried on under a special name, and the particulars known only to the parties themselves. This is much practised in France, and often occasions trouble in prize-courts.
ANSÆ. The dolphins or handles of brass ordnance. Also the projections or arms of the ring on each side of Saturn's globe, in certain situations relative to the earth.
ANSERES. Birds of the goose tribe.
ANSWER,To. To reply, to succeed; as, the frigate hasansweredthe signal. This boat will notanswer.
ANSWERS HER HELM. When a ship obeys the rudder or steers.
ANTARCTIC. Opposite to the Arctic—abbreviated fromanti-arctic.
ANTARCTIC CIRCLE. One of the lesser circles of the sphere, on the south parallel of the equator, and 231⁄2° from the south pole.
ANTARCTIC OCEAN. That which surrounds the south pole, within the imaginary circle so called.
ANTARCTIC POLE. The south end of the earth's axis.
ANTARES. A star of the first magnitude, popularly known as thescorpion's heart(α Scorpio): it is one of those called "nautical" stars, used for determining the latitude and longitude at night.
ANTECEDENTAL METHOD. A branch of general geometrical proportion, or universal comparison of ratios.
ANTECEDENTIA. A planet's apparent motion to the westward, contrary to the order of the signs.
ANTECEDENT OF A RATIO. The first of the two terms.
ANTECIANS. Those inhabitants of the earth who live under the same meridian, but in opposite hemispheres. (SeeAntiscii.)
ANTE LUCAN. Before daylight.
ANTE MERIDIAN. Before noon.
ANTE MURAL.SeeOutworks.
ANTHELION. A mock or spurious sun; a luminous meteor, resembling, but usually larger than, the solar disc.
ANTHRACITE. [Gr.anthraxandlithos.] A stone coal demanding great draught to burn, affording great heat, little smoke, and peculiarly adapted for steamers.
ANTICHTHONES. The inhabitants of countries diametrically opposite to each other.
ANTI-GALLICANS. A pair of extra backstays, sometimes used by merchantmen, to support the masts when running before the trades.
ANTI-GUGGLER. A straw, or crooked tube, introduced into a spirit cask or neck of a bottle, to suck out the contents; commonly used in 1800 to rob the captain's steward's hanging safe in hot climates. Is to be found in old dictionaries.
ANTILOGARITHM. The complement of the logarithm of a sine, tangent, or secant.
ANTIPARALLELS. Those lines which make equal angles with two other lines, but contrary ways.
ANTIPATHES. A kind of coral having a black horny stem.
ANTIPODES. Such inhabitants of the earth as are diametrically opposite to each other. From the people, the term has passed to the places themselves, which are situated at the two extremities of any diameter of the earth.
ANTISCII. The people who dwell in opposite hemispheres of the earth, and whose shadows at noon fall in contrary directions.
ANT ISLANDS. Generally found on Spanish charts asHormigas.
ANVIL. The massive block of iron on which armourers hammer forge-work. It is also an archaism for the handle or hilt of a sword: thus Coriolanus—
"Here I clipThe anvil of my sword."
It is moreover a little narrow flag at the end of a lance.
ANYHOW. Do the duty by all means, and at any rate or risk: as Nelson, impatient for getting to Copenhagen in 1801, exclaimed—