| Term | Definition |
|
abase |
To lower in position, estimation, or the like; degrade. |
|
abbess |
The lady superior of a nunnery. |
|
abbey |
The group of buildings which collectively form the dwelling-place of a society of monks or nuns. |
|
abbot |
The superior of a community of monks. |
|
abdicate |
To give up (royal power or the like). |
|
abdomen |
In mammals, the visceral cavity between the diaphragm and the pelvic floor; the belly. |
|
abdominal |
Of, pertaining to, or situated on the abdomen. |
|
abduction |
A carrying away of a person against his will, or illegally. |
|
abed |
In bed; on a bed. |
|
aberration |
Deviation from a right, customary, or prescribed course. |
|
abet |
To aid, promote, or encourage the commission of (an offense). |
|
abeyance |
A state of suspension or temporary inaction. |
|
abhorrence |
The act of detesting extremely. |
|
abhorrent |
Very repugnant; hateful. |
|
abidance |
An abiding. |
|
abject |
Sunk to a low condition. |
|
abjure |
To recant, renounce, repudiate under oath. |
|
able-bodied |
Competent for physical service. |
|
ablution |
A washing or cleansing, especially of the body. |
|
abnegate |
To renounce (a right or privilege). |
|
abnormal |
Not conformed to the ordinary rule or standard. |
|
abominable |
Very hateful. |
|
abominate |
To hate violently. |
|
abomination |
A very detestable act or practice. |
|
aboriginal |
Primitive; unsophisticated. |
|
aborigines |
The original of earliest known inhabitants of a country. |
|
aboveboard |
& - Without concealment, fraud, or trickery. |
|
abrade |
To wear away the surface or some part of by friction. |
|
abrasion |
That which is rubbed off. |
|
abridge |
To make shorter in words, keeping the essential features, leaning out minor particles. |
|
abridgment |
A condensed form as of a book or play. |
|
abrogate |
To abolish, repeal. |
|
abrupt |
Beginning, ending, or changing suddenly or with a break. |
|
abscess |
A Collection of pus in a cavity formed within some tissue of the body. |
|
abscission |
The act of cutting off, as in a surgical operation. |
|
abscond |
To depart suddenly and secretly, as for the purpose of escaping arrest. |
|
absence |
The fact of not being present or available. |
|
absent-minded |
Lacking in attention to immediate surroundings or business. |
|
absolution |
Forgiveness, or passing over of offenses. |
|
absolve |
To free from sin or its penalties. |
|
absorb |
To drink in or suck up, as a sponge absorbs water. |
|
absorption |
The act or process of absorbing. |
|
abstain |
To keep oneself back (from doing or using something). |
|
abstemious |
Characterized by self denial or abstinence, as in the use of drink, food. |
|
abstinence |
Self denial. |
|
abstruse |
Dealing with matters difficult to be understood. |
|
absurd |
Inconsistent with reason or common sense. |
|
abundant |
Plentiful. |
|
abusive |
Employing harsh words or ill treatment. |
|
abut |
To touch at the end or boundary line. |
|
abyss |
Bottomless gulf. |
|
academic |
Of or pertaining to an academy, college, or university. |
|
academician |
A member of an academy of literature, art, or science. |
|
academy |
Any institution where the higher branches of learning are taught. |
|
accede |
To agree. |
|
accelerate |
To move faster. |
|
accept |
To take when offered. |
|
access |
A way of approach or entrance; passage. |
|
accessible |
Approachable. |
|
accession |
Induction or elevation, as to dignity, office, or government. |
|
accessory |
A person or thing that aids the principal agent. |
|
acclaim |
To utter with a shout. |
|
accommodate |
To furnish something as a kindness or favor. |
|
accompaniment |
A subordinate part or parts, enriching or supporting the leading part. |
|
accompanist |
One who or that which accompanies. |
|
accompany |
To go with, or be associated with, as a companion. |
|
accomplice |
An associate in wrong-doing. |
|
accomplish |
To bring to pass. |
|
accordion |
A portable free-reed musical instrument. |
|
accost |
To speak to. |
|
account |
A record or statement of receipts and expenditures, or of business transactions. |
|
accouter |
To dress. |
|
accredit |
To give credit or authority to. |
|
accumulate |
To become greater in quantity or number. |
|
accuracy |
Exactness. |
|
accurate |
Conforming exactly to truth or to a standard. |
|
accursed |
Doomed to evil, misery, or misfortune. |
|
accusation |
A charge of crime, misdemeanor, or error. |
|
accusatory |
Of, pertaining to, or involving an accusation. |
|
accuse |
To charge with wrong doing, misconduct, or error. |
|
accustom |
To make familiar by use. |
|
acerbity |
Sourness, with bitterness and astringency. |
|
acetate |
A salt of acetic acid. |
|
acetic |
Of, pertaining to, or of the nature of vinegar. |
|
ache |
To be in pain or distress. |
|
Achillean |
Invulnerable. |
|
achromatic |
Colorless, |
|
acid |
A sour substance. |
|
acidify |
To change into acid. |
|
acknowledge |
To recognize; to admit the genuineness or validity of. |
|
acknowledgment |
Recognition. |
|
acme |
The highest point, or summit. |
|
acoustic |
Pertaining to the act or sense of hearing. |
|
acquaint |
To make familiar or conversant. |
|
acquiesce |
To comply; submit. |
|
acquiescence |
Passive consent. |
|
acquire |
To get as one's own. |
|
acquisition |
Anything gained, or made one's own, usually by effort or labor. |
|
acquit |
To free or clear, as from accusation. |
|
acquittal |
A discharge from accusation by judicial action. |
|
acquittance |
Release or discharge from indebtedness, obligation, or responsibility. |
|
acreage |
Quantity or extent of land, especially of cultivated land. |
|
acrid |
Harshly pungent or bitter. |
|
acrimonious |
Full of bitterness. |
|
acrimony |
Sharpness or bitterness of speech or temper. |
|
actionable |
Affording cause for instituting an action, as trespass, slanderous words. |
|
actuality |
Any reality. |
|
actuary |
An officer, as of an insurance company, who calculates and states the risks and premiums. |
|
actuate |
To move or incite to action. |
|
acumen |
Quickness of intellectual insight, or discernment; keenness of discrimination. |
|
acute |
Having fine and penetrating discernment. |
|
adamant |
Any substance of exceeding hardness or impenetrability. |
|
addendum |
Something added, or to be added. |
|
addle |
To make inefficient or worthless; muddle. |
|
adduce |
To bring forward or name for consideration. |
|
adhere |
To stick fast or together. |
|
adherence |
Attachment. |
|
adherent |
Clinging or sticking fast. |
|
adhesion |
The state of being attached or joined. |
|
adjacency |
The state of being adjacent. |
|
adjacent |
That which is near or bordering upon. |
|
adjudge |
To award or bestow by formal decision. |
|
adjunct |
Something joined to or connected with another thing, but holding a subordinate place. |
|
adjuration |
A vehement appeal. |
|
adjutant |
Auxiliary. |
|
administrator |
One who manages affairs of any kind. |
|
admissible |
Having the right or privilege of entry. |
|
admittance |
Entrance, or the right or permission to enter. |
|
admonish |
To warn of a fault. |
|
admonition |
Gentle reproof. |
|
ado |
unnecessary activity or ceremony. |
|
adoration |
Profound devotion. |
|
adroit |
Having skill in the use of the bodily or mental powers. |
|
adulterant |
An adulterating substance. |
|
adulterate |
To make impure by the admixture of other or baser ingredients. |
|
adumbrate |
To represent beforehand in outline or by emblem. |
|
advent |
The coming or arrival, as of any important change, event, state, or personage. |
|
adverse |
Opposing or opposed. |
|
adversity |
Misfortune. |
|
advert |
To refer incidentally. |
|
advertiser |
One who advertises, especially in newspapers. |
|
advisory |
Not mandatory. |
|
advocacy |
The act of pleading a cause. |
|
advocate |
One who pleads the cause of another, as in a legal or ecclesiastical court. |
|
aerial |
Of, pertaining to, or like the air. |
|
aeronaut |
One who navigates the air, a balloonist. |
|
aeronautics |
the art or practice of flying aircraft |
|
aerostat |
A balloon or other apparatus floating in or sustained by the air. |
|
aerostatics |
The branch of pneumatics that treats of the equilibrium, pressure, and mechanical properties. |
|
affable |
Easy to approach. |
|
affect |
To act upon |
|
affectation |
A studied or ostentatious pretense or attempt. |
|
affiliate |
Some auxiliary person or thing. |
|
affirmative |
Answering yes; to a question at issue. |
|
affix |
To fasten. |
|
affluence |
A profuse or abundant supply of riches. |
|
affront |
An open insult or indignity. |
|
afire |
On fire, literally or figuratively. |
|
afoot |
In progress. |
|
aforesaid |
Said in a preceding part or before. |
|
afresh |
Once more, after rest or interval. |
|
afterthought |
A thought that comes later than its appropriate or expected time. |
|
agglomerate |
To pile or heap together. |
|
aggrandize |
To cause to appear greatly. |
|
aggravate |
To make heavier, worse, or more burdensome. |
|
aggravation |
The fact of being made heavier or more heinous, as a crime , offense, misfortune, etc. |
|
aggregate |
The entire number, sum, mass, or quantity of something. |
|
aggress |
To make the first attack. |
|
aggression |
An unprovoked attack. |
|
aggrieve |
To give grief or sorrow to. |
|
aghast |
Struck with terror and amazement. |
|
agile |
Able to move or act quickly, physically, or mentally. |
|
agitate |
To move or excite (the feelings or thoughts). |
|
agrarian |
Pertaining to land, especially agricultural land. |
|
aide-de-camp |
An officer who receives and transmits the orders of the general. |
|
ailment |
Slight sickness. |
|
airy |
Delicate, ethereal. |
|
akin |
Of similar nature or qualities. |
|
alabaster |
A white or delicately tinted fine-grained gypsum. |
|
alacrity |
Cheerful willingness. |
|
albino |
A person with milky white skin and hair, and eyes with bright red pupil and usually pink iris. |
|
album |
A book whose leaves are so made to form paper frames for holding photographs or the like. |
|
alchemy |
Chemistry of the middle ages, characterized by the pursuit of changing base metals to gold. |
|
alcohol |
A volatile, inflammable, colorless liquid of a penetrating odor and burning taste. |
|
alcoholism |
A condition resulting from the inordinate or persistent use of alcoholic beverages. |
|
alcove |
A covered recess connected with or at the side of a larger room. |
|
alder |
Any shrub or small tree of the genus Alumnus, of the oak family. |
|
alderman |
A member of a municipal legislative body, who usually exercises also certain judicial functions. |
|
aldermanship |
The dignity, condition, office, or term of office of an alderman. |
|
alias |
An assumed name. |
|
alien |
One who owes allegiance to a foreign government. |
|
alienable |
Capable of being aliened or alienated, as lands. |
|
alienate |
To cause to turn away. |
|
alienation |
Estrangement. |
|
aliment |
That which nourishes. |
|
alkali |
Anything that will neutralize an acid, as lime, magnesia, etc. |
|
allay |
To calm the violence or reduce the intensity of; mitigate. |
|
allege |
To assert to be true, especially in a formal manner, as in court. |
|
allegory |
The setting forth of a subject under the guise of another subject of aptly suggestive likeness. |
|
alleviate |
To make less burdensome or less hard to bear. |
|
alley |
A narrow street, garden path, walk, or the like. |
|
alliance |
Any combination or union for some common purpose. |
|
allot |
To assign a definite thing or part to a certain person. |
|
allotment |
Portion. |
|
allude |
To refer incidentally, or by suggestion. |
|
allusion |
An indirect and incidental reference to something without definite mention of it. |
|
alluvion |
Flood. |
|
ally |
A person or thing connected with another, usually in some relation of helpfulness. |
|
almanac |
A series of tables giving the days of the week together with certain astronomical information. |
|
aloof |
Not in sympathy with or desiring to associate with others. |
|
altar |
Any raised place or structure on which sacrifices may be offered or incense burned. |
|
alter |
To make change in. |
|
alteration |
Change or modification. |
|
altercate |
To contend angrily or zealously in words. |
|
alternate |
One chosen to act in place of another, in case of the absence or incapacity of that other. |
|
alternative |
Something that may or must exist, be taken or chosen, or done instead of something else. |
|
altitude |
Vertical distance or elevation above any point or base-level, as the sea. |
|
alto |
The lowest or deepest female voice or part. |
|
altruism |
Benevolence to others on subordination to self-interest. |
|
altruist |
One who advocates or practices altruism. |
|
amalgam |
An alloy or union of mercury with another metal. |
|
amalgamate |
To mix or blend together in a homogeneous body. |
|
amateur |
Practicing an art or occupation for the love of it, but not as a profession. |
|
amatory |
Designed to excite love. |
|
ambidextrous |
Having the ability of using both hands with equal skill or ease. |
|
ambiguous |
Having a double meaning. |
|
ambitious |
Eagerly desirous and aspiring. |
|
ambrosial |
Divinely sweet, fragrant, or delicious. |
|
ambulance |
A vehicle fitted for conveying the sick and wounded. |
|
ambulate |
To walk about |
|
ambush |
The act or state of lying concealed for the purpose of surprising or attacking the enemy. |
|
ameliorate |
To relieve, as from pain or hardship |
|
amenable |
Willing and ready to submit. |
|
Americanism |
A peculiar sense in which an English word or phrase is used in the United States. |
|
amicable |
Done in a friendly spirit. |
|
amity |
Friendship. |
|
amorous |
Having a propensity for falling in love. |
|
amorphous |
Without determinate shape. |
|
amour |
A love-affair, especially one of an illicit nature. |
|
ampere |
The practical unit of electric-current strength. |
|
ampersand |
The character &; and. |
|
amphibious |
Living both on land and in water. |
|
amphitheater |
An edifice of elliptical shape, constructed about a central open space or arena. |
|
amplitude |
Largeness. |
|
amply |
Sufficiently. |
|
amputate |
To remove by cutting, as a limb or some portion of the body. |
|
amusement |
Diversion. |
|
anachronism |
Anything occurring or existing out of its proper time. |
|
anagram |
The letters of a word or phrase so transposed as to make a different word or phrase. |
|
analogous |
Corresponding (to some other) in certain respects, as in form, proportion, relations. |
|
analogy |
Reasoning in which from certain and known relations or resemblance others are formed. |
|
analyst |
One who analyzes or makes use of the analytical method. |
|
analyze |
To examine minutely or critically. |
|
anarchy |
Absence or utter disregard of government. |
|
anathema |
Anything forbidden, as by social usage. |
|
anatomy |
That branch of morphology which treats of the structure of organisms. |
|
ancestry |
One's ancestors collectively. |
|
anecdote |
A brief account of some interesting event or incident. |
|
anemia |
Deficiency of blood or red corpuscles. |
|
anemic |
Affected with anemia. |
|
anemometer |
An instrument for measuring the force or velocity of wind. |
|
anesthetic |
Pertaining to or producing loss of sensation. |
|
anew |
Once more. |
|
angelic |
Saintly. |
|
Anglophobia |
Hatred or dread of England or of what is English. |
|
Anglo-Saxon |
The entire English race wherever found, as in Europe, the United States, or India. |
|
angular |
Sharp-cornered. |
|
anhydrous |
Withered. |
|
animadversion |
The utterance of criticism or censure. |
|
animadvert |
To pass criticism or censure. |
|
animalcule |
An animal of microscopic smallness. |
|
animate |
To make alive. |
|
animosity |
Hatred. |
|
annalist |
Historian. |
|
annals |
A record of events in their chronological order, year by year. |
|
annex |
To add or affix at the end. |
|
annihilate |
To destroy absolutely. |
|
annotate |
To make explanatory or critical notes on or upon. |
|
annual |
Occurring every year. |
|
annuity |
An annual allowance, payment, or income. |
|
annunciation |
Proclamation. |
|
anode |
The point where or path by which a voltaic current enters an electrolyte or the like. |
|
anonymous |
Of unknown authorship. |
|
antagonism |
Mutual opposition or resistance of counteracting forces, principles, or persons. |
|
Antarctic |
Pertaining to the south pole or the regions near it. |
|
ante |
In the game of poker, to put up a stake before the cards are dealt. |
|
antecede |
To precede. |
|
antecedent |
One who or that which precedes or goes before, as in time, place, rank, order, or causality. |
|
antechamber |
A waiting room for those who seek audience. |
|
antedate |
To assign or affix a date to earlier than the actual one. |
|
antediluvian |
Of or pertaining to the times, things, events before the great flood in the days of Noah. |
|
antemeridian |
Before noon. |
|
antemundane |
Pertaining to time before the world's creation. |
|
antenatal |
Occurring or existing before birth. |
|
anterior |
Prior. |
|
anteroom |
A room situated before and opening into another, usually larger. |
|
anthology |
A collection of extracts from the writings of various authors. |
|
anthracite |
Hard coal. |
|
anthropology |
The science of man in general. |
|
anthropomorphous |
Having or resembling human form. |
|
antic |
A grotesque, ludicrous, or fantastic action. |
|
Antichrist |
Any opponent or enemy of Christ, whether a person or a power. |
|
anticlimax |
A gradual or sudden decrease in the importance or impressiveness of what is said. |
|
anticyclone |
An atmospheric condition of high central pressure, with currents flowing outward. |
|
antidote |
Anything that will counteract or remove the effects of poison, disease, or the like. |
|
antilogy |
Inconsistency or contradiction in terms or ideas. |
|
antipathize |
To show or feel a feeling of antagonism, aversion, or dislike. |
|
antiphon |
A response or alteration of responses, generally musical. |
|
antiphony |
An anthem or other composition sung responsively. |
|
antipodes |
A place or region on the opposite side of the earth. |
|
antiquary |
One who collects and examines old things, as coins, books, medals, weapons, etc. |
|
antiquate |
To make old or out of date. |
|
antique |
Pertaining to ancient times. |
|
antiseptic |
Anything that destroys or restrains the growth of putrefactive micro-organisms. |
|
antislavery |
Opposed to human slavery. |
|
antispasmodic |
Tending to prevent or relieve non-inflammatory spasmodic affections. |
|
antistrophe |
The inversion of terms in successive classes, as in "the home of joy and the joy of home". |
|
antitoxin |
A substance which neutralizes the poisonous products of micro-organisms. |
|
antonym |
A word directly opposed to another in meaning. |
|
anxious |
Distressed in mind respecting some uncertain matter. |
|
apathy |
Insensibility to emotion or passionate feeling. |
|
aperture |
Hole. |
|
apex |
The highest point, as of a mountain. |
|
aphorism |
Proverb. |
|
apiary |
A place where bees are kept. |
|
apogee |
The climax. |
|
apology |
A disclaimer of intentional error or offense. |
|
apostasy |
A total departure from one's faith or religion. |
|
apostate |
False. |
|
apostle |
Any messenger commissioned by or as by divine authority. |
|
apothecary |
One who keeps drugs for sale and puts up prescriptions. |
|
apotheosis |
Deification. |
|
appall |
To fill with dismay or horror. |
|
apparent |
Easily understood. |
|
apparition |
Ghost. |
|
appease |
To soothe by quieting anger or indignation. |
|
appellate |
Capable of being appealed to. |
|
appellation |
The name or title by which a particular person, class, or thing is called. |
|
append |
To add or attach, as something accessory, subordinate, or supplementary. |
|
appertain |
To belong, as by right, fitness, association, classification, possession, or natural relation. |
|
apposite |
Appropriate. |
|
apposition |
The act of placing side by side, together, or in contact. |
|
appraise |
To estimate the money value of. |
|
appreciable |
Capable of being discerned by the senses or intellect. |
|
apprehend |
To make a prisoner of (a person) in the name of the law. |
|
apprehensible |
Capable of being conceived. |
|
approbation |
Sanction. |
|
appropriate |
Suitable for the purpose and circumstances. |
|
aqueduct |
A water-conduit, particularly one for supplying a community from a distance. |
|
aqueous |
Of, pertaining to, or containing water. |
|
arbiter |
One chosen or appointed, by mutual consent of parties in dispute, to decide matters. |
|
arbitrary |
Fixed or done capriciously. |
|
arbitrate |
To act or give judgment as umpire. |
|
arbor |
A tree. |
|
arboreal |
Of or pertaining to a tree or trees. |
|
arborescent |
Having the nature of a tree. |
|
arboretum |
A botanical garden or place devoted to the cultivation of trees or shrubs. |
|
arboriculture |
The cultivation of trees or shrubs. |
|
arcade |
A vaulted passageway or street; a roofed passageway having shops, etc., opening from it. |
|
archaic |
Antiquated |
|
archaism |
Obsolescence. |
|
archangel |
An angel of high rank. |
|
archbishop |
The chief of the bishops of an ecclesiastical province in the Greek, Roman, and Anglican church. |
|
archdeacon |
A high official administrator of the affairs of a diocese. |
|
archaeology |
The branch of anthropology concerned with the systematic investigation of the relics of man. |
|
archetype |
A prototype. |
|
archipelago |
Any large body of water studded with islands, or the islands collectively themselves. |
|
ardent |
Burning with passion. |
|
ardor |
Intensity of passion or affection. |
|
arid |
Very dry. |
|
aristocracy |
A hereditary nobility |
|
aristocrat |
A hereditary noble or one nearly connected with nobility. |
|
armada |
A fleet of war-vessels. |
|
armful |
As much as can be held in the arm or arms. |
|
armory |
An arsenal. |
|
aroma |
An agreeable odor. |
|
arraign |
To call into court, as a person indicted for crime, and demand whether he pleads guilty or not. |
|
arrange |
To put in definite or proper order. |
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