| Term | Definition |
|---|
| abase | v. ~ oneself/sb lower oneself/sb in dignity; degrade oneself/sb ; |
| abash | embarass |
| abate | v. make or become less |
| abbreviate | v. ~ sth shorten (a word, phrase, etc), esp by omitting letters |
| abdicate | v. resign from or formally renounce the throne |
| aberrant | adj. not following the normal or correct way |
| aberration | Deviation from a right, customary, or prescribed course. |
| abet | v. ~ sb (in sth) help or encourage sb to commit an offence or do sth wrong |
| abeyance | n. be suspended temporarily; not be in force or use for a time |
| abhor | v. feel hatred and disgust for (sb/sth); detest, abominate |
| abide | v. (esp with can/could, in negative sentences or questions can/could) tolerate (sb/sth); endure; bear, put up with |
| abject | adj. wretched; hopeless |
| abjure | v. promise or swear to give up (a claim, an opinion, a belief, etc); renounce formally, recant, repudiate under oath |
| ablution | n. (fml or joc ) ceremonial washing of the body, hands, sacred vessels, etc |
| abnegation | n. denial or renunciation of your own interests in favor of someone else's. Self sacrifice |
| abode | n. house; home |
| abolish | v. end the existence of |
| abominable | adj. ~(fml ) causing disgust; detestable |
| abominate | v. feel hatred or disgust for (sth/sb); detest; loathe, abhor |
| aboriginal | adj. inhabiting a land from a very early period, esp before the arrival of colonists |
| abortive | adj. coming to nothing; unsuccessful |
| abrasive | adj. that scrapes or rubs sth away; rough |
| abridge | v. make shorter, esp by using fewer words; condense |
| abrogate | v. cancel, repeal or annul (sth) |
| abscission | The act of cutting off, as in a surgical operation. |
| abscond | v. ~go away suddenly and secretly, esp in order to avoid arrest |
| absolute | adj. complete; total |
| absolve | v. ~ sb (fml esp law , ) clear sb (of guilt); declare sb free (from blame, a promise, a duty, etc) |
| abstain | v. ~ keep oneself from doing or enjoying sth, esp from taking alcoholic drinks; refrain ; |
| abstemious | adj. not taking much food or drink; not self-indulgent; moderate |
| abstinence | n. ~ abstaining, esp from food or alcoholic drinks |
| abstract | adj. existing in thought or as an idea but not having a physical or practical existence |
| abstruse | adj. difficult to understand |
| abusive | adj. criticizing harshly and rudely; insulting |
| abut | v. ~adjoin |
| abysmal | adj. bottomless, so deep as to be unmeasurable, bad, wretched |
| abyss | n. hole so deep that it seems to have no bottom |
| academic | adj. of schools, colleges, etc |
| accede | v. ~ (fml ) take office |
| accelerate | v. make move faster or happen earlier; increase the speed of |
| accessible | adj. ~ that can be reached, used, etc |
| accessory | n. thing that is a useful or decorative extra but that is not essential; minor fitting or attachment |
| acclaim | v. welcome (sb/sth) with shouts of approval; applaud loudly |
| acclimate | to adapt to a new temperature, altitude, climate, environment, or situation |
| acclivity | n. upward slope |
| accolade | n. praise; approval |
| accommodate | v. provide lodging or room for |
| accomplice | n. person who helps another to do sth wicked or illegal |
| accord | n. peace treaty; agreement |
| accost | v. approach and speak to (sb) boldly |
| accoutre | equip |
| accretion | n. growth or increase by means of gradual additions |
| accrue | v. ~ (from sth) come as a natural increase or advantage, esp financial; accumulate |
| acerbity | Sourness of taste, character, or tone, Acidulous |
| acetic | adj. of, containing, producing, or derived from VINEGAR |
| acidulous | adj. rather sharp or bitter in taste or manner, Acerbic |
| acknowledge | v. accept the truth of admit (sth) |
| acme | n. highest stage of development; point of perfection |
| acne | n. inflammation of the oil-glands of the skin, producing red pimples on the face and neck |
| acoustics | n. qualities of a room, hall, etc that make it good or bad for carrying sound |
| acquiesce | v. ~ (fml ) accept sth without protest; offer no opposition (to a plan, conclusion, etc) |
| acquittal | n. judgement that a person is not guilty of the crime with which he has been charged |
| acrid | adj. having a strongly bitter smell or taste |
| acrimonious | adj. bitter |
| acrophobia | "acro'phobic adjectiv |
| actuarial | calculating; pertaining to insurance statistics |
| actuary | n. expert who calculates insurance risks and premiums |
| actuate | v. make (a machine, an electrical device, etc) move or work; make (a process) begin , ; |
| acuity | n. (esp of thought or the senses) sharpness; acuteness |
| acumen | n. ability to understand and judge things quickly and clearly; shrewdness |
| acute | adj. very great; severe |
| adage | n. traditional saying; proverb ; |
| adamant | adj. firmly or stubbornly determined; unwilling to be persuaded |
| addendum | n. thing that is to be added |
| addiction | n. ~ condition of taking drugs, etc habitually and being unable to stop doing so without suffering adverse effects |
| addle | v. confuse (sth/sb); muddle, make rotten |
| address | n. details of where a person lives, works or can be found, and where letters, etc may be delivered |
| adept | adj. ~ ~ (at/in doing sth) expert or skilful in (doing) sth |
| adhere | v. ~ (to sth) remain attached (to sth); stick (as if) by means of glue or suction |
| adherent | n. supporter of a party or doctrine |
| adjacent | having a common endpoint or border also immediately preceding or following |
| adjoin | v. be next or nearest to and joined with |
| adjourn | v. stop (a meeting, etc) for a time; postpone |
| adjunct | n. ~ thing that is added or attached to sth else but is less important and not essential |
| adjuration | solemn urging |
| adjutant | n. army officer responsible for administrative work in a battalion |
| admonish | to express warning or disapproval to especially in a gentle, earnest, or solicitous manner |
| adore | v. love deeply and respect (sb) highly |
| adorn | v. ~ sth/sb/oneself add beauty or ornament to sth/sb/oneself |
| adroit | adj. ~ skilful; clever |
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