""to rub or wear away; rub or scrape off," 1670s, from Latin abradere "to scrape off, shave away," from ab "off" (see ab-) + radere "to scrape" (see raze (v.)). Abrase, from the stem of the Latin verb, is attested from 1590s. Related: Abraded; abrading.

1670s, "soaking up, swallowing," present-participle adjective in a figurative sense from absorb (v.). Originally in medicine. Figurative sense of "engrossing" is by 1826. Related: Absorbingly.

"becoming sour," 1670s, from French acescent, from Latin acescentem (nominative acescens), present participle of acescere "become sour," from acer "sharp" (from PIE root *ak- "be sharp, rise (out) to a point, pierce").

"freed, exonerated," 1670s, past-participle adjective from acquit (v.). Formerly in this sense was acquit (late 14c.).

1670s, agent noun in English form from adjust. The insurance sense of "one who settles the amount to be paid for a claim under a policy, after making proper allowances and deductions," is from 1830.

1670s, "making worse or more heinous" (implied in aggravatingly), present-participle adjective from aggravate (v.). The phrase aggravating circumstances is recorded from 1790. The weakened sense of "provoking, annoying" is by 1775. An earlier adjective in the sense "troublesome, causing difficulty" was Middle English aggravaunt (mid-15c.)

1670s, "person who first attacks," from Latin aggressor, agent noun from past-participle stem of aggredi "to approach; to attempt; to attack" (see aggression).

"large web-footed sea-bird of the petrel family," 1670s, probably from Spanish or Portuguese albatros, an alteration of alcatraz "web-footed sea-bird; cormorant," originally "pelican" (16c.). This name is perhaps from Arabic al-ghattas "sea eagle" [Barnhart]; or from Portuguese alcatruz "the bucket of a water wheel" [OED], from Arabic al-qadus "machine for drawing water, jar" (which is said to be from Greek kados "jar"). If the second, the name would be a reference to the pelican's pouch (compare Arabic saqqa "pelican," literally "water carrier").

The spelling was influenced by Latin albus "white." The name was extended by 17c. English sailors to a larger sea-bird (order Tubinares), which are not found in the North Atlantic. [In English the word also formerly was extended to the frigate-bird.]

These albatrosses follow ships for days without resting and were held in superstitious awe by sailors. The figurative sense of "burden" (1936) is from Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (1798) about a sailor who shoots an albatross and then is forced to wear its corpse as an indication that he alone, not the crew, offended against the bird. The prison-island of Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay is named for pelicans that roosted there. In Dutch, stormvogel; in German Sturmvogel "storm-bird."

"vaulted recess," 1670s, from French alcôve (17c.), from Spanish alcoba, from Arabic al-qobbah "the vaulted chamber," from Semitic base q-b-b "to be bent, crooked, vaulted." The al- is the Arabic definite article, "the."

1670s, "pertaining to alkalis," from alkali + -ine (1). Of soils, from 1850. Related: Alkalinity.