the name which Linnaeus gives to his third order of birds. This order is distinguished by the following marks: The beak is covered with a smooth skin skin or membrane, widest at the apex, and full of small holes like a sieve; the toes of the feet are connected by a membrane which enables them to swim; the tibia, or shin-bone, is short and flat. They live upon water-plants, fishes, &c. This order includes 12 genera, viz. the anas, mergus, phaeton, plotus, rhyncops, dromeda, alca, procellaria, pelecanus, larus, sterna, and columbus. See these articles, and Natural History.

Anser, in astronomy, a star of the fifth or sixth magnitude, in the milky-way, between the swan and eagle.

Anses, in astronomy, the same with ansae. See Anse.

Ansiactes, a people of Africa, in the western part of the isle of Madagascar.

Anso, a sea-port town of Norway, and province of Aggerhus, situated in 10° 12' E. long. and 59° 30' N. lat.

Anspach, or Ohnspach, a city of Germany, and circle of Franconia, situated in 10° 36' E. long. and 49° 22' N. lat.

It is the capital of the marquisate of Anspach, of which family was the late queen Caroline.

Anspessades, in the French armies, a kind of inferior officer in the foot, below the corporals, but above the common centinels. There are usually four or five of them in a company.

Anstruther East and West, two royal burghs of Scotland, situated on the south-east coast of the county of Fife, in 2° 25' W. long. and 56° 20' N. lat.

Ant, in zoology. See Formica.

Anta, in the ancient architecture, a square pilaster, placed at the corners of buildings.

Anta, in geography, a little city with a harbour, on the coast of Guinea in Africa.

Antachates, in natural history, a bituminous stone, which yields a smell like myrrh, in burning.

Antacids, in pharmacy, an appellation given to all medicines proper to correct acid or sour humours: Such are the absorbent and obtundent clastics, &c.

Antagonist, denotes an adversary, especially in speaking of combats and games.

Antagonist muscles, in anatomy, those which have opposite functions, as flexors and extensors, abductors and adductors, &c.

Antalis, in zoology, the trivial name of a species of the dentalium. See Dentalium.

Antalgics, in medicine, the same with anodynes. See Anodyne.

Antanaclasis, in rhetoric, a figure which repeats the same word, but in a different sense; as, dum vivimus, vivamus.

Antanagogé, in rhetoric, a figure by which, when the accusation of the adversary is unanswerable, we load him with the same or other crimes.

Antanisophyllum, in botany, a synonyme of a species of Boerhaavia. See Boerhaavia.

Antaphrodisiacs, in pharmacy, medicines proper to diminish the semen, and consequently extinguish or lessen all desires of venery.

Antarctic, in a general sense, denotes something opposite to the arctic or northern pole. Hence, antarctic circle is one of the lesser circles of the sphere, and distant only 23° 30' from the south pole, which is likewise called antarctic for the same reason.

Antares, a star of the first magnitude, otherwise called the scorpion's heart. See Scorpion.

Ante', in heraldry, denotes that the pieces are let into one another in such form as is there expressed; as, for instance, by dove-tails, rounds, swallow-tails, or the like.

Anteambulones, in Roman antiquity, servants who went before persons of distinction to clear the way before them. They used this formula, Date licum domino meo, i.e. Make room, or way, for my master.

Antecedent, in general, something that goes before another, either in order of time or place.

Antecedent, in grammar, the word to which a relative refers.

Antecedent, in logic, is the first of the two propositions in an enthymema.

Antecedent, in mathematics, is the first of two terms of a ratio, or that which is compared with the other.

Antecedent signs, in medicine, such as are observed before a distemper is so formed as to be reducible to any particular class.

Antecedence, in astronomy, an apparent motion of a planet towards the west, or contrary to the order of the signs.

Antecessor, one that goes before. It was an appellation given to those who excelled in any science: Justinian applied it particularly to professors of civil law; and, in the universities of France, the teachers of law take the title antecessores in all their theses.

Antecursores, in the Roman armies, a party of horse detached before, partly to get intelligence, provisions, &c. and partly to choose a proper place to encamp in. These were otherwise called antecessores, and by the Greeks prodromi.

Antedate, among lawyers, a spurious or false date, prior to the true date of a bond, bill, or the like.

Antediluvian, whatever existed before Noah's flood: Thus, the generations from Adam to Noah are called the antediluvians. See Deluge.

Antego, one of the Caribbee islands, in the Atlantic or American ocean, situated in 62° W. long. and 17° 30' N. lat. It is about 20 miles long, and as many broad.

Antejuramentum, by our ancestors called juramentum calunniae, an oath which anciently both accuser and accused were to take before any trial or purgation.

The accuser was to swear that he would prosecute the criminal; and the accused to make oath, on the day he was to undergo the ordeal, that he was innocent of the crime charged against him.

Antelope, in zoology. See Capra.

Antemurale, in the ancient military art, denotes much the same with what the moderns call an outwork.