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. See Parallax.
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. An annular eclipse 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 that the 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. (See Ring.)
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. See Anomalistic 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 anomaly formerly 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. (See Excentric and Equated.)
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 has answered the signal. This boat will not answer.
ANSWERS HER HELM. When a ship obeys the rudder or steers.
ANTARCTIC. Opposite to the Arctic—abbreviated from anti-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 the scorpion'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. (See Antiscii.)
ANTE LUCAN. Before daylight.
ANTE MERIDIAN. Before noon.
ANTE MURAL. See Outworks.
ANTHELION. A mock or spurious sun; a luminous meteor, resembling, but usually larger than, the solar disc.
ANTHRACITE. [Gr. anthrax and lithos.] 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 as Hormigas.
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 clip
The anvil of my sword."
It is moreover a little narrow flag at the end of a lance.
ANYHOW. Do the duty
