American ism

Any word, phrase, or idiom, in general use among the inhabitants of the United States, which deviates from the English standard. Every living language is subject to continual changes; and it is not to be expected that a large community, in a state of social and political activity, who are daily developing new and characteristic features, will fail to exercise their share of influence upon that which they naturally consider as a part of their inheritance. Indeed, the number of new words, or of words now used in America in a different sense from that which they have in England, is but small among our good writers, and some of them have already been adopted in the mother-country. Although the lash of ridicule has been unsparingly applied to the American pronunciation, there is much greater uniformity in the U. S. than in Great Britain, and the general standard is certainly higher. In many places, as for example Philadelphia, the pronunciation is at least as good as in any place in the British dominions. See Bartlett's Dict. of A. Americanize, v. a. To render American; to naturalize in America. Amer'icus Vespucius, properly AMERIGO VES PUCCI, an eminent navigator, B. at Florence, 1451. After receiving a liberal education, he was sent by his father one was not intoxicated by drinking liquors from out Am'ianth, n. ( Min .) See AMIANTHUS. of an amethystine cup.] ( Min .) A variety of Quartz , Am i a nth i form, and AMIAN'THOID, a . [From aiman Its clear purple or bluish-violet color is due to thus, and form .] Kesembling amianthus. manganese, or to a compound of iron and soda. - The Oriental A. is a precious variety of Sapphire , dist in- guished by its purple color. (Her.) A violet color, used instead of purpure , in emblazoning the arms of the English nobility only. Amethys'tine, a. Having the color, or composed of, the amethyst. Am'e-walk, n. A small settlement and Friends' meeting-house, on the eastern boundary of York town, West Chester co., N. Y.-The post-office near is named Hallock's Mills. Am'ga, a river of Siberia, rising in the mountains of Yablonoi-Krebet, and after a course of 466 m., falling into the Aldan, in lon. 135° E. Amha'ra, an independent kingdom of Aby in i a; Lat. between 100 and 14° N.; Lon. between 35° 10' and 38° 30 E. Amharic, n. The chief language spoken in Aby in i a. The name comes from Amhara, where it is spoken in its greatest purity. A knowledge of the A. enables a traveller to make himself understood in nearly every part of Aby in i a. Am'herst, JEFFERY, Lord , a distinguished British off i- сег, в. 1717. He entered the army at an early age, and ultimately became major- general. Sent over to America, he captured Louis bourg, and followed it up by the reduction of Forts Duquesne, Niagara, and Ticonderoga, which paved the way for the entire conquest of Cana- da. In 1763, A. was made governor of Virginia, and created Baron Amherst of Holmes dale in 1776. He was appointed command- er-in-chief of the British army in 1778, in which capacity he took a most Fig . 108.- LORD AMHERST. active, but humane part in suppre ing the London riots of 170. Upon resigning his chief command in Amherst, WILLIAM PITT, Earl , nephew of the above; appointed British amba ador-extraordinary to the Court of Pekin, in 1816. He was not allowed to pene- trate into the interior of China, and refusing to conform to the prescribed etiquette of the court, obtained his letter of recall. A. was subsequently appointed governor- general of India, and created an Ear!. D. 1857. Am'herst, a seaport town and spacious harbor of Brit- ish Burmah, on a point of land in the N.E. angle of the Gulf of Martaban, facing the mouth of the Tchantweng and the isle of Balu to the N. Lat. 16° 4′ 48′′ N.; Lon. 97° 45′ 24′′ E. Pop . 6,580. Amherst, a northern district of Tena erim, British Burmah. Pop . (1895) 235,738. Capital, Maul main. Amherst, in Maine , a post-township of Hancock co., 25 m. E. of Bangor. Amherst, in Ma achusetts , a town of Hampshire co., on a branch of the Connecticut river, 82 m. W. of the city of Boston. Near the town is situated Am- herst College, an institution founded in 1821, and now one of the most flourishing in America. It po e es a cab i- net of natural history, and an astronomical observatory. Am'herst, in Minnesota, a township of Fill more Am'herst, in New Hampshire, a post-township of Hills borough co., on the Souhegan river, 23 m. S. of Ames', JOSEPH, the historian of English Typography, B. at Yarmouth, 1689; D. 1759. He was a ship-chandler at Wapping, in London, which busine he carried on until his death, notwithstanding his antiquarian pur- suits. He published a work entitled Typographical ty. Antiquities; being an Historical Account of Printing in Amherst, in Ohio , a village of Allen co. England, dc., 4to. By the labors of subsequent editors, -A township of Lorain county. In this township is a this work has been improved and extended to 4 vols. Ames', in New York , a post-village in Canajoharie town- ship, Montgomery co., about 13 m. from Fonda. Ames', in Ohio , a post-township of Athens co., about 30 m. W. of Marietta. Ames'-ace, n. The same as AMBS-ACE, q. v. Ames'bury, or Ambres'bury, a town and parish of England, in the co. of Wilts, on the Avon, 7 m. N. of Salisbury. It is the birthplace of Add is on. Pop . 1,138. Ames'bury, in Ma achusetts , a post-township of Es- Ames'ville, in Illinois , a post-village of Boone co., 70 m. W.N.W. of Chicago. Ames'ville, in New York , a village of Ulster co. Ames'ville, in Ohio , a post-village in Ames township, Athens co., 11 m. N.E. of Athens. Ametabo'lia, n . pl . ( Zool .) A division of insects which do not undergo any metamorphosis. Ametabolian, n . [From Gr. a , priv., and metabollein , to change.] ( Zool .) An insect that does not undergo any metamorphosis. A'methie, a town of British India, in the district of Partabgurah, Oude; Lat. 26° 8'; Lon. 82° 2'; pop . 10,000. Am'ethyst, n. [Gr. amesthystos, a remedy against drunkenne , so called because, according to Plutarch, post-village of the same name, 33 m. S.W. by W. of Cleveland. Am'herst, in Virginia , a county bounded on the S.W. and S. by James river, and on the N. by the Blue Ridge. Formed from Albemarle in 1761. Area , 418 sq.m. The soil is fertile, and the scenery picturesque. The pa age of the James river through the Blue Ridge is especially noted. Prod . Tobacco, corn, wheat, and oats. Cap . Amherst Court-House. Pop . in 1880, 18,705; in 1890, 17,551. Am'herst, in Wisconsin , a post-village and township of Portage co., 12 m. E. of Stanton. Am'herstburg, a town of Ontario, Canada, 3 miles above the entrance of the river Detroit into Lake Erie. Pop . (1890), 2,279. Amherst Court-House, in Virginia , a post-vil- lage, cap. of Amherst co., abt. 15m. N. by E. of Lynchburg. Amherst Four-Corners, in Ohio , a village of Am- herst township in Lorain co., 35 m. S.W. by W. of Cleveland. Am her stieæ, n . pl . ( Bot . ) A tribe of plants, sub- ord. Cæsalpiniex. Am'ia, n. ( Zool .) A small malacopterygious fish, found in the rivers of South America. It belongs to the fam. Clupeider. Amiability, n. The quality or state of being amia- ble; amiablene . A'miable, a. [0. Fr. amiable , from Lat. amiabilis ; Fr. aimable.] Lovely; pleasant; worthy of love;-generally applied to persons. A'miablene , n . The quality of being amiable; lovingne ; amiability. IMG:content-0213.png:[graphic] Amicabolo, in Georgia , a post-office of Dawson co. Ami'cal, a . [Fr.] Amicable. (R.) Am'ica, a lake of S. America, in the prov. of Cumana, Venezuela, on a plateau between the Rupumung and Tocoto rivers. In the age of Queen Elizabeth, the vicinity of this lake was called the El Dorado, - "The great lake with the golden banks," and near it was supposed to stand the wonderful imperial city of Manoa, forming the object of the expedition of Sir Walter Raleigh and his ill-fated followers, but which they failed to dis- IMG:content-0214.png:[graphic] 'Twixt us and them no league nor amity ." - Sir J. Denham. -Between private persons it expre es an ordinary amount of goodwill, without intimacy or strong feeling; friendline ; goodwill. Am'ity, in Arkansas, a post-village of Clarke co. Am'ity, in Illinois, a post-village of Rich land co., 50 m. Am'ity, in Indiana, a post-village of Johnson co., abt. 7 m. S.E. of Franklin. Am'ity, in low a, a township of Page co. -A post-office of Scott co. Am'ity, in Maine, a post-township of A roos took co., 100 m. N.E. of Bangor. Am'ity, in New York, a township of Alleghany county. -A post-village of Orange co., 120 m. S. of Albany. Am'ity, in Oregon , a post-village and township of Yam Hill co., 11 m. S. of Lafayette. Am'ity, in Pennsylvania, a township of Berks coun -A township of Erie co. -A post-village of Washington co., 35 m. S.W. of Pittsburg. Am'ity Hill, in North Carolina , a P. O. of Iredell co. Amityville, in New York , a post-village of Suffolk co., 31 m. E. of Brooklyn, on L. I. R.R. Pop . (1898) 2,750. A'mjherra, in North India, a small Rajpoot state; area, 584 sq. m.; pop . about 58,000.-There is a town of the same name, 60 m. N.W. of Oojein, containing about 500 houses, and well supplied bazaars. Am'la, one of the Andrea nov islands, E. of Atcha, 40 m. long and 10 broad. Am'lai, one of the Aleutian islands, in the Fox group, the E. point of which is in Lat. 52° 6' N.; Lon. 17:20 Amlwch, a seaport town of England, in N. Wales, on the N. shore of the island of Angle sea. It has a good port. The famous copper mines in the adjoining Pary's Mountain are considered inexhaustible.