 | Term | Definition |
| |
authenticity |
The state or quality of being genuine, or of the origin and authorship claimed. |
| |
autobiography |
The story of one's life written by himself. |
| |
autocracy |
Absolute government. |
| |
autocrat |
Any one who claims or wields unrestricted or undisputed authority or influence. |
| |
automaton |
Any living being whose actions are or appear to be involuntary or mechanical. |
| |
autonomous |
Self-governing. |
| |
autonomy |
Self-government. |
| |
autopsy |
The examination of a dead body by dissection to ascertain the cause of death. |
| |
autumnal |
Of or pertaining to autumn. |
| |
auxiliary |
One who or that which aids or helps, especially when regarded as subsidiary or accessory. |
| |
avalanche |
The fall or sliding of a mass of snow or ice down a mountain-slope, often bearing with it rock. |
| |
avarice |
Passion for getting and keeping riches. |
| |
aver |
To assert as a fact. |
| |
averse |
Reluctant. |
| |
aversion |
A mental condition of fixed opposition to or dislike of some particular thing. |
| |
avert |
To turn away or aside. |
| |
aviary |
A spacious cage or enclosure in which live birds are kept. |
| |
avidity |
Greediness. |
| |
avocation |
Diversion. |
| |
avow |
To declare openly. |
| |
awaken |
To arouse, as emotion, interest, or the like. |
| |
awry |
& adj. Out of the proper form, direction, or position. |
| |
aye |
An expression of assent. |
| |
azalea |
A flowering shrub. |
| |
azure |
The color of the sky. |
| |
Baconian |
Of or pertaining to Lord Bacon or his system of philosophy. |
| |
bacterium |
A microbe. |
| |
badger |
To pester. |
| |
baffle |
To foil or frustrate. |
| |
bailiff |
An officer of court having custody of prisoners under arraignment. |
| |
baize |
A single-colored napped woolen fabric used for table-covers, curtains, etc. |
| |
bale |
A large package prepared for transportation or storage. |
| |
baleful |
Malignant. |
| |
ballad |
Any popular narrative poem, often with epic subject and usually in lyric form. |
| |
balsam |
A medical preparation, aromatic and oily, used for healing. |
| |
banal |
Commonplace. |
| |
barcarole |
A boat-song of Venetian gondoliers. |
| |
barograph |
An instrument that registers graphically and continuously the atmospheric pressure. |
| |
barometer |
An instrument for indicating the atmospheric pressure per unit of surface. |
| |
barring prep |
Apart from. |
| |
baritone |
Having a register higher than bass and lower than tenor. |
| |
bask |
To make warm by genial heat. |
| |
bass |
Low in tone or compass. |
| |
baste |
To cover with melted fat, gravy, while cooking. |
| |
baton |
An official staff borne either as a weapon or as an emblem of authority or privilege. |
| |
battalion |
A body of infantry composed of two or more companies, forming a part of a regiment. |
| |
batten |
A narrow strip of wood. |
| |
batter |
A thick liquid mixture of two or more materials beaten together, to be used in cookery. |
| |
bauble |
A trinket. |
| |
bawl |
To proclaim by outcry. |
