abacus
1. a frame with beads or balls sliding back and forth on wires or in
slots, for doing or teaching arithmetic
2. a slab forming the uppermost part of the capital of a column
abaft
adv. at or toward the stern or rear of a ship; aft - prep. naut.
behind; back of
abdicate
1. to give up formally (a high office, throne, authority, etc.) 2. to
surrender or repudiate (aright, responsibility, etc.)
aberrant
1. turning away from what is right, true, etc.
2 deviating from what is normal or typical
abiogenesis
spontaneous generation
abject
1. of the lowest degree; miserable; wretched
2. lacking self-respect; degraded
abjure
1. to give up (rights, allegiance, etc.) on oath; renounce
2. to give up (opinions) publicly; recant
ablactation
the act or process of weaning
ablate
1. to remove, as by surgery
2. to wear away, melt, or vaporize (surface material)
by entering into or passing through the atmosphere at supersonic speed
3. to wear away, as by erosion
abluent
any substance used for cleaning
ablution
1. a washing of the body, esp. as a religious ceremony
2. the liquid used for such washing
abnegate
to deny and refuse; give up (rights, claims, etc.); renounce
abrazo
an embrace or hug, esp. in greeting a person
abreact
to relieve (arepressed emotion), as by talking about it
abroach
1. opened so that the liquid contents can come out; broached
2. in motion; astir
abrogate
to cancel or repeal by authority; annul
abscess
a swollen, inflamed area in body tissues, in which pus gathers
abscission
1. a cutting off, as by surgery
2. the normal separation of fruit, leaves, etc. from
plants by the development of a thin layer of pithy cells at the base
of their stems
abscond
to go away hastily and secretly; run away and hide, esp. in order to
escape the law
absolve
1. to pronounce free from guilt or blame; acquit
2. a) to give religious absolution to b) to remit (a sin)
3. to free (from a duty, promise, etc.)
abstemious
1. moderate, esp. in eating and drinking; temperate
2. characterized by abstinence
absterge
1. to wipe away; clean
2. to purge
abstruse
hard to understand; deep; recondite
abut
to end at; border upon
abye
to pay the penalty for
abysmal
1. of or like an abyss; bottomless; unfathomable
2. wretched to the point of despair; immeasurably bad
acanthoid
spiny; spine-shaped
acarpous
bearing no fruit; sterile
acaudal
having no tail
accede
1. to enter upon the duties (of an office); attain (to)
2. to give assent; give in; agree (to)
3. to become a party (to a treaty) between nations
accentuate
1. to pronounce or mark with an accent or stress
2. to emphasize; heighten the effect of
acclivity
an upward slope of ground
accolade
1. an embrace formerly used in conferring knighthood
2. a touch on the shoulder with the flat side of a sword,
now used in conferring knighthood
3. anything done or given as a sign of great respect,
approval, appreciation, etc.
4. Music a vertical line joining
two or more staffs
accost
1. to approach and speak to; greet first, before being greeted, esp.
in an intrusive way
2. to solicit for sexual purposes: said of a prostitute, etc.
accoucheur
a doctor who attends childbirth cases; male midwife or obstetrician
accouter
to outfit; equip, esp. for military service
accrete
1. to grow by being added to
2. to grow together; adhere
accumbent
1. lying down
2. lying against some other part
acedia
spiritual sloth and indifference
acephalous
1. headless; having no part of the body differentiated as the head
2. having no leader
acerb
1. sour in taste
2. sharp, bitter, or harsh in temper, language, etc.
acidulate
to make somewhat acid or sour
acidulous
1. somewhat acid or sour
2. somewhat sarcastic
acquiesce
to agree or consent quietly without protest, but without enthusiasm
acquisitive
eager to acquire; good at getting and holding wealth, etc.; grasping
acrid
1. sharp, bitter, stinging, or irritating to the taste or smell
2. bitter or sarcastic in speech, etc.
acrimony
bitterness or harshness of temper, manner, or speech; asperity
acuity
acuteness; keenness, as of thought or vision
acumen
keenness and quickness in understanding and dealing with a situation; shrewdness
adage
an old saying that has been popularly accepted as a truth
addendum
1. a thing added or to be added
2. an appendix or supplement to a book, etc.
3. the part of a gear tooth that projects beyond the pitch
circle, or the distance that it projects
additament
a thing added; addition
addle
adj
1. rotten: said of an egg
2. muddled; confused
vt
1. to make or become rotten
2. to make or become muddled or confused
adduce
to give as a reason or proof; cite as an example
ademption
Law the extinction of a legacy by an act of the testator
before his death, as by his disposal of the bequeathed property
adhibit
1. to let in; admit
2. to affix
3. to administer, as a remedy
ad hoc
for the specific purpose; for a special case only, without general application
adhominem
appealing to one's prejudices rather than to reason, as by attacking
one's opponent rather than debating the issue
adiaphorous
1. morally neutral or indifferent
2. Med. neither harmful nor helpful
ad infinitum
endlessly; forever; without limit
ad initium
at or to the beginning
ad interim
1. in the meantime
2. temporary
adiposity
1. the state of being fat; obesity
2. a tendency to become obese
adjudicate
vt.
Law to hear and decide (a case); adjudge
vi. to serve as a judge (in or on a dispute or problem)
adjunct
n.
1. a thing added to something else, but secondary or not
essential to it
2. a person connected with another as a helper or subordinate associate
3. Gram. a word or phrase that qualifies or modifies
another word or other words
4. Logic a nonessential attribute
adj
added or connected in a secondary or subordinate way
adjure
1. to command or charge solemnly, often under oath or penalty
2. to entreat solemnly; appeal to earnestly
adjutant
1. an assistant
2. Mil. a staff officer who serves as an
administrative assistant to the commanding officer
adjuvant
adj. that helps or aids; auxiliary
n.
1. a person or thing that helps
2. a substance added to a drug to aid its action
ad libitum
at pleasure; as one pleases: used esp. as a musical direction that
the marked section may be altered or omitted to suit the performer
adminicle
a thing that helps or supplements; auxiliary
ad nauseam
to the point of disgust; to a sickening extreme
adobe
1. unburnt, sun-dried brick
2. the clay of which such brick is made
3. a building made of adobe, esp. in the Southwest
ad quem
to or at which
ad rem
to the point at issue; to the matter in hand
adroit
skillful in a physical or mental way; clever; expert
adscititious
added from an external source; supplemental
adscript
written after
adsorb
to collect (a gas, liquid, or dissolved substance) in condensed form
on a surface
adulate
to praise too highly or flatter servilely
adumbral
in shadow; shady
adunc
curving inward, as a parrot's beak
adust
1. scorched; burned
2. parched
3. sunburned
4. sallow and melancholy
ad valorem
in proportion to the value
advection
the transference of heat by horizontal currents of air
adventive
adj. not native to the environment
n. a plant or animal that is not native to the environment
advert
to call attention or turn one's attention; refer or allude
aeriferous
transmitting air
aesthete
1. a person highly sensitive to art and beauty
2. a person who artificially cultivates artistic sensitivity or
makes a cult of art and beauty
affable
1. pleasant and easy to approach or talk to; friendly
2. gentle and kindly
affiance
1. [Archaic] trust or faith
2. a plighting of faith; promise of marriage; betrothal
affidavit
a written statement made on oath before a notary public or other
person authorized to administer oaths
affined
1. joined or connected in some way; related
2. [Obs.] under obligation; bound
affray
a noisy brawl or quarrel; public fight or riot; breach of the peace
-vt. to frighten
affront
1. to insult openly or purposely; offend; slight
2. to confront defiantly
3. [Archaic] to come before; meet; face
n. an open or intentional insult; slight to one's dignity
affusion
a pouring on, as of water in baptism
aficionado
a devoted follower of some sport, art, etc.; devotee
afield
1. in, on, or to the field
2. away (from home)
3. off the right path; astray
a fortiori
all the more: said of a conclusion that follows with even greater
logical necessity than another already accepted in the argument
aggiornamento
the act of bringing up to date the principles, methods, ideas, etc.,
as of an institution
agglomerate
vt to gather into a cluster, mass, or ball
adj gathered into a mass or ball; clustered
n 1. a jumbled heap, mass, etc.
2. Geol. a mass of fragments of volcanic rock fused by heat