aunis
ancient province (pays) of western France, corresponding to the northern part of the modern departement of Charente-Maritime with the southern part of Deux-Sevres. Subjected, from the 10th century on, to the counts of Poitiers, Aunis shared the political fortunes of neighbouring Poitou. In the pre-Revolutionary period it constituted, together with the islands of Re and Oleron, a military gouvernement with headquarters at La Rochelle.
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| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |