| Term | Definition |
|---|
| macadamize | v. To cover or pave, as a path or roadway, with small broken stone. |
| machinery | n. The parts of a machine or engine, taken collectively. |
| machinist | n. One who makes or repairs machines, or uses metal-working tools. |
| macrocosm | n. The whole of any sphere or department of nature or knowledge to which man is related. |
| madden | v. To inflame with passion. |
| Madonna | n. A painted or sculptured representation of the Virgin, usually with the infant Jesus. |
| magician | n. A sorcerer. |
| magisterial | adj. Having an air of authority. |
| magistracy | n. The office or dignity of a magistrate. |
| magnanimous | adj. Generous in treating or judging others. |
| magnate | n. A person of rank or importance. |
| magnet | n. A body possessing that peculiar form of polarity found in nature in the lodestone. |
| magnetize | v. To make a magnet of, permanently, or temporarily. |
| magnificence | n. The exhibition of greatness of action, character, intellect, wealth, or power. |
| magnificent | adj. Grand or majestic in appearance, quality, or action. |
| magnitude | n. Importance. |
| maharaja | n. A great Hindu prince. |
| maidenhood | n. Virginity. |
| maintain | v. To hold or preserve in any particular state or condition. |
| maintenance | n. That which supports or sustains. |
| maize | n. Indian corn: usually in the United States called simply corn. |
| makeup | n. The arrangements or combination of the parts of which anything is composed. |
| malady | n. Any physical disease or disorder, especially a chronic or deep-seated one. |
| malaria | n. A fever characterized by alternating chills, fever, and sweating. |
| malcontent | n. One who is dissatisfied with the existing state of affairs. |
| malediction | n. The calling down of a curse or curses. |
| malefactor | n. One who injures another. |
| maleficent | adj. Mischievous. |
| malevolence | n. Ill will. |
| malevolent | adj. Wishing evil to others. |
| malign | v. To speak evil of, especially to do so falsely and severely. |
| malignant | adj. Evil in nature or tending to do great harm or mischief. |
| malleable | adj. Pliant. |
| mallet | n. A wooden hammer. |
| maltreat | v. To treat ill, unkindly, roughly, or abusively. |
| man-trap | n. A place or structure dangerous to human life. |
| mandate | n. A command. |
| mandatory | adj. Expressive of positive command, as distinguished from merely directory. |
| mane | n. The long hair growing upon and about the neck of certain animals, as the horse and the lion. |
| man-eater | n. An animal that devours human beings. |
| maneuver | v. To make adroit or artful moves: manage affairs by strategy. |
| mania | n. Insanity. |
| maniac | n. a person raving with madness. |
| manifesto | n. A public declaration, making announcement, explanation or defense of intentions, or motives. |
| manlike | adj. Like a man. |
| manliness | n. The qualities characteristic of a true man, as bravery, resolution, etc. |
| mannerism | n. Constant or excessive adherence to one manner, style, or peculiarity, as of action or conduct. |
| manor | n. The landed estate of a lord or nobleman. |
| mantel | n. The facing, sometimes richly ornamented, about a fireplace, including the usual shelf above it. |
| mantle | n. A cloak. |
| manufacturer | n. A person engaged in manufacturing as a business. |
| manumission | n. Emancipation. |
| manumit | v. To set free from bondage. |
| marine | adj. Of or pertaining to the sea or matters connected with the sea. |
| maritime | adj. Situated on or near the sea. |
| maroon | v. To put ashore and abandon (a person) on a desolate coast or island. |
| martial | adj. Pertaining to war or military operations. |
| Martian | adj. Pertaining to Mars, either the Roman god of war or the planet. |
| martyrdom | n. Submission to death or persecution for the sake of faith or principle. |
| marvel | v. To be astonished and perplexed because of (something). |
| masonry | n. The art or work of constructing, as buildings, walls, etc., with regularly arranged stones. |
| masquerade | n. A social party composed of persons masked and costumed so as to be disguised. |
| massacre | n. The unnecessary and indiscriminate killing of human beings. |
| massive | adj. Of considerable bulk and weight. |
| masterpiece | n. A superior production. |
| mastery | n. The attainment of superior skill. |
| material | n. That of which anything is composed or may be constructed. |
| materialize | v. To take perceptible or substantial form. |
| maternal | adj. Pertaining or peculiar to a mother or to motherhood. |
| matinee | n. An entertainment (especially theatrical) held in the daytime. |
| matricide | n. The killing, especially the murdering, of one's mother. |
| matrimony | n. The union of a man and a woman in marriage. |
| matrix | n. That which contains and gives shape or form to anything. |
| matter of fact | n. Something that has actual and undeniable existence or reality. |
| maudlin | adj. Foolishly and tearfully affectionate. |
| mausoleum | n. A tomb of more than ordinary size or architectural pretensions. |
| mawkish | adj. Sickening or insipid. |
| maxim | n. A principle accepted as true and acted on as a rule or guide. |
| maze | n. A labyrinth. |
| mead | n. A meadow. |
| meager | adj. scanty. |
| mealy-mouthed | adj. Afraid to express facts or opinions plainly. |
| meander | v. To wind and turn while proceeding in a course. |
| mechanics | n. The branch of physics that treats the phenomena caused by the action of forces. |
| medallion | n. A large medal. |
| meddlesome | adj. Interfering. |
| medial | adj. Of or pertaining to the middle. |
| mediate | v. To effect by negotiating as an agent between parties. |
| medicine | n. A substance possessing or reputed to possess curative or remedial properties. |
| medieval | adj. Belonging or relating to or descriptive of the middle ages. |
| mediocre | adj. Ordinary. |
| meditation | n. The turning or revolving of a subject in the mind. |
| medley | n. A composition of different songs or parts of songs arranged to run as a continuous whole. |
| meliorate | v. To make better or improve, as in quality or social or physical condition. |
| mellifluous | adj. Sweetly or smoothly flowing. |
| melodious | adj. Characterized by a sweet succession of sounds. |
| melodrama | n. A drama with a romantic story or plot and sensational situation and incidents. |
| memento | n. A souvenir. |
| memorable | adj. Noteworthy. |
| menace | n. A threat. |
| menagerie | n. A collection of wild animals, especially when kept for exhibition. |
| mendacious | adj. Untrue. |
| mendicant | n. A beggar. |
| mentality | n. Intellectuality. |
| mentor | n. A wise and faithful teacher, guide, and friend. |
| mercantile | adj. Conducted or acting on business principles; commercial. |
| mercenary | adj. Greedy |
| merciful | adj. Disposed to pity and forgive. |
| merciless | adj. Cruel. |
| meretricious | adj. Alluring by false or gaudy show. |
| mesmerize | v. To hypnotize. |
| messieurs | n. pl. Gentlemen. |
| metal | n. An element that forms a base by combining with oxygen, is usually hard, heavy, and lustrous. |
| metallurgy | n. The art or science of extracting a metal from ores, as by smelting. |
| metamorphosis | n. A passing from one form or shape into another. |
| metaphor | n. A figure of speech in which one object is likened to another, by speaking as if the other. |
| metaphysical | adj. Philosophical. |
| metaphysician | n. One skilled in metaphysics. |
| metaphysics | n. The principles of philosophy as applied to explain the methods of any particular science. |
| mete | v. To apportion. |
| metempsychosis | n. Transition of the soul of a human being at death into another body, whether human or beast. |
| meticulous | adj. Over-cautious. |
| metonymy | n. A figure of speech that consists in the naming of a thing by one of its attributes. |
| metric | adj. Relating to measurement. |
| metronome | n. An instrument for indicating and marking exact time in music. |
| metropolis | n. A chief city, either the capital or the largest or most important city of a state. |
| metropolitan | adj. Pertaining to a chief city. |
| mettle | n. Courage. |
| mettlesome | adj. Having courage or spirit. |
| microcosm | n. The world or universe on a small scale. |
| micrometer | n. An instrument for measuring very small angles or dimensions. |
| microphone | n. An apparatus for magnifying faint sounds. |
| microscope | n. An instrument for assisting the eye in the vision of minute objects or features of objects. |
| microscopic | adj. Adapted to or characterized by minute observation. |
| microscopy | n. The art of examing objects with the microscope. |
| midsummer | n. The middle of the summer. |
| midwife | n. A woman who makes a business of assisting at childbirth. |
| mien | n. The external appearance or manner of a person. |
| migrant | adj. Wandering. |
| migrate | v. To remove or pass from one country, region, or habitat to another. |
| migratory | adj. Wandering. |
| mileage | n. A distance in miles. |
| militant | adj. Of a warlike or combative disposition or tendency. |
| militarism | n. A policy of maintaining great standing armies. |
| militate | v. To have weight or influence (in determining a question). |
| militia | n. Those citizens, collectively, who are enrolled and drilled in temporary military organizations. |
| Milky Way | n. The galaxy. |
| millet | n. A grass cultivated for forage and cereal. |
| mimic | v. To imitate the speech or actions of. |
| miniature | adj. Much smaller than reality or that the normal size. |
| minimize | v. To reduce to the smallest possible amount or degree. |
| minion | n. A servile favorite. |
| ministration | n. Any religious ceremonial. |
| ministry | n. A service. |
| minority | n. The smaller in number of two portions into which a number or a group is divided. |
| minute | adj. Exceedingly small in extent or quantity. |
| minutia | n. A small or unimportant particular or detail. |
| mirage | n. An optical effect looking like a sheet of water in the desert. |
| misadventure | n. An unlucky accident. |
| misanthropic | adj. Hating mankind. |
| misanthropy | n. Hatred of mankind. |
| misapprehend | v. To misunderstand. |
| misbehave | v. To behave ill. |
| misbehavior | n. Ill or improper behavior. |
| mischievous | adj. Fond of tricks. |
| miscount | v. To make a mistake in counting. |
| miscreant | n. A villain. |
| misdeed | n. A wrong or improper act. |
| misdemeanor | n. Evil conduct, small crime. |
| miser | n. A person given to saving and hoarding unduly. |
| mishap | n. Misfortune. |
| misinterpret | v. To misunderstand. |
| mislay | v. To misplace. |
| mismanage | v. To manage badly, improperly, or unskillfully. |
| misnomer | n. A name wrongly or mistakenly applied. |
| misogamy | n. Hatred of marriage. |
| misogyny | n. Hatred of women. |
| misplace | v. To put into a wrong place. |
| misrepresent | v. To give a wrong impression. |
| misrule | v. To misgovern. |
| missal | n. The book containing the service for the celebration of mass. |
| missile | n. Any object, especially a weapon, thrown or intended to be thrown. |
| missive | n. A message in writing. |
| mistrust | v. To regard with suspicion or jealousy. |
| misty | adj. Lacking clearness |
| misunderstand | v. To Take in a wrong sense. |
| misuse | v. To maltreat. |
| mite | n. A very small amount, portion, or particle. |
| miter | n. The junction of two bodies at an equally divided angle. |
| mitigate | v. To make milder or more endurable. |
| mnemonics | n. A system of principles and formulas designed to assist the recollection in certain instances. |
| moat | n. A ditch on the outside of a fortress wall. |
| mobocracy | n. Lawless control of public affairs by the mob or populace. |
| moccasin | n. A foot-covering made of soft leather or buckskin. |
| mockery | n. Ridicule. |
| moderation | n. Temperance. |
| moderator | n. The presiding officer of a meeting. |
| modernity | n. The state or character of being modern. |
| modernize | v. To make characteristic of the present or of recent times. |
| modification | n. A change. |
| modify | v. To make somewhat different. |
| modish | adj. Fashionable. |
| modulate | v. To vary in tone, inflection, pitch or other quality of sound. |
| mollify | v. To soothe. |
| molt | v. To cast off, as hair, feathers, etc. |
| momentary | adj. Lasting but a short time. |
| momentous | adj. Very significant. |
| momentum | n. An impetus. |
| monarchy | n. Government by a single, sovereign ruler. |
| monastery | n. A dwelling-place occupied in common by persons under religious vows of seclusion. |
| monetary | adj. Financial. |
| mongrel | n. The progeny resulting from the crossing of different breeds or varieties. |
| monition | n. Friendly counsel given by way of warning and implying caution or reproof. |
| monitory | n. Admonition or warning. |
| monocracy | n. Government by a single person. |
| monogamy | n. The habit of pairing, or having but one mate. |
| monogram | n. A character consisting of two or more letters interwoven into one, usually initials of a name. |
| monograph | n. A treatise discussing a single subject or branch of a subject. |
| monolith | n. Any structure or sculpture in stone formed of a single piece. |
| monologue | n. A story or drama told or performed by one person. |
| monomania | n. The unreasonable pursuit of one idea. |
| monopoly | n. The control of a thing, as a commodity, to enable a person to raise its price. |
| monosyllable | n. A word of one syllable. |
| monotone | n. The sameness or monotony of utterance. |
| monotonous | adj. Unchanging and tedious. |
| monotony | n. A lack of variety. |
| monsieur | n. A French title of respect, equivalent to Mr. and sir. |
| monstrosity | n. Anything unnaturally huge or distorted. |
| moonbeam | n. A ray of moonlight. |
| morale | n. A state of mind with reference to confidence, courage, zeal, and the like. |
| moralist | n. A writer on ethics. |
| morality | n. Virtue. |
| moralize | v. To render virtuous. |
| moratorium | n. An emergency legislation authorizing a government suspend some action temporarily. |
| morbid | adj. Caused by or denoting a diseased or unsound condition of body or mind. |
| mordacious | adj. Biting or giving to biting. |
| mordant | adj. Biting. |
| moribund | adj. On the point of dying. |
| morose | adj. Gloomy. |
| morphology | n. the science of organic forms. |
| motley | adj. Composed of heterogeneous or inharmonious elements. |
| motto | n. An expressive word or pithy sentence enunciating some guiding rule of life, or faith. |
| mountaineer | n. One who travels among or climbs mountains for pleasure or exercise. |
| mountainous | adj. Full of or abounding in mountains. |
| mouthful | n. As much as can be or is usually put into the or exercise. |
| muddle | v. To confuse or becloud, especially with or as with drink. |
| muffle | v. To deaden the sound of, as by wraps. |
| mulatto | n. The offspring of a white person and a black person. |
| muleteer | n. A mule-driver. |
| multiform | adj. Having many shapes, or appearances. |
| multiplicity | n. the condition of being manifold or very various. |
| mundane | adj. Worldly, as opposed to spiritual or celestial. |
| municipal | adj. Of or pertaining to a town or city, or to its corporate or local government. |
| municipality | n. A district enjoying municipal government. |
| munificence | n. A giving characterized by generous motives and extraordinary liberality. |
| munificent | adj. Extraordinarily generous. |
| muster | n. An assemblage or review of troops for parade or inspection, or for numbering off. |
| mutation | n. The act or process of change. |
| mutilate | v. To disfigure. |
| mutiny | n. Rebellion against lawful or constituted authority. |
| myriad | n. A vast indefinite number. |
| mystic | n. One who professes direct divine illumination, or relies upon meditation to acquire truth. |
| mystification | n. The act of artfully perplexing. |
| myth | n. A fictitious narrative presented as historical, but without any basis of fact. |
| mythology | n. The whole body of legends cherished by a race concerning gods and heroes. |
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