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A process or condition of acting or moving, as opposed to
rest; the doing of something; exertion of power or force, as when one
body acts on another; the effect of power exerted on one body by
another; agency; activity; operation; as, the action of heat; a man of
action. |
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An act; a thing done; a deed; an enterprise. (pl.):
Habitual deeds; hence, conduct; behavior; demeanor. |
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The event or connected series of events, either real or
imaginary, forming the subject of a play, poem, or other composition;
the unfolding of the drama of events. |
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Movement; as, the horse has a spirited action. |
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Effective motion; also, mechanism; as, the breech action of
a gun. |
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Any one of the active processes going on in an organism;
the performance of a function; as, the action of the heart, the
muscles, or the gastric juice. |
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Gesticulation; the external deportment of the speaker, or
the suiting of his attitude, voice, gestures, and countenance, to the
subject, or to the feelings. |
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The attitude or position of the several parts of the body
as expressive of the sentiment or passion depicted. |
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A suit or process, by which a demand is made of a right in
a court of justice; in a broad sense, a judicial proceeding for the
enforcement or protection of a right, the redress or prevention of a
wrong, or the punishment of a public offense. |
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A right of action; as, the law gives an action for every
claim. |
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A share in the capital stock of a joint-stock company, or
in the public funds; hence, in the plural, equivalent to stocks. |
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An engagement between troops in war, whether on land or
water; a battle; a fight; as, a general action, a partial action. |
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The mechanical contrivance by means of which the impulse of
the player's finger is transmitted to the strings of a pianoforte or to
the valve of an organ pipe. |
Verified Answer