| abdication | (noun) a formal resignation and renunciation of powers | Synonyms: stepping down |
|---|
| (noun) the act of abdicating | Synonyms: stepping down |
| abdicator | (noun) one who formally relinquishes an office or responsibility | - |
|---|
| acatalectic | (noun) (prosody) a line of verse that has the full number of syllables | - |
|---|
| acataphasia | (noun) a disorder in which a lesion to the central nervous system leaves you unable to formulate a statement or to express yourself in an organized manner | - |
|---|
| acathexia | (noun) an inability to retain bodily secretions | - |
|---|
| acathexis | (noun) (psychoanalysis) a lack of cathexis; a condition in which significant objects or memories arouse no emotion in an individual | - |
|---|
| acciaccatura | (noun) an embellishing note usually written in smaller size | Synonyms: appoggiatura, grace note |
|---|
| acidification | (noun) the process of becoming acid or being converted into an acid | - |
|---|
| adjudication | (noun) the final judgment in a legal proceeding; the act of pronouncing judgment based on the evidence presented | - |
|---|
| adjudicator | (noun) a person who studies and settles conflicts and disputes | - |
|---|
| advocate | (noun) a person who pleads for a cause or propounds an idea | Synonyms: advocator, exponent, proponent |
|---|
| (noun) a lawyer who pleads cases in court | Synonyms: counsel, counsellor, counselor-at-law, counselor, pleader |
| advocator | (noun) a person who pleads for a cause or propounds an idea | Synonyms: advocate, exponent, proponent |
|---|
| affricate | (noun) a composite speech sound consisting of a stop and a fricative articulated at the same point (as `ch' in `chair' and `j' in `joy') | Synonyms: affricate consonant, affricative |
|---|
| affrication | (noun) the conversion of a simple stop consonant into an affricate | - |
|---|
| affricative | (noun) a composite speech sound consisting of a stop and a fricative articulated at the same point (as `ch' in `chair' and `j' in `joy') | Synonyms: affricate, affricate consonant |
|---|
| aguacate | (noun) a pear-shaped tropical fruit with green or blackish skin and rich yellowish pulp enclosing a single large seed | Synonyms: alligator pear, avocado, avocado pear |
|---|
| allocation | (noun) the act of distributing by allotting or apportioning; distribution according to a plan | Synonyms: allotment, apportioning, apportionment, assignation, parceling, parcelling |
|---|
| (noun) (computer science) the assignment of particular areas of a magnetic disk to particular data or instructions | Synonyms: storage allocation |
| (noun) a share set aside for a specific purpose | Synonyms: allotment |
| allocator | (noun) a person with authority to allot or deal out or apportion | Synonyms: distributor |
|---|
| altercation | (noun) noisy quarrel | Synonyms: affray, fracas |
|---|
| ammonification | (noun) impregnation with ammonia or a compound of ammonia | - |
|---|
| amplification | (noun) (electronics) the act of increasing voltage or power or current | - |
|---|
| (noun) addition of extra material or illustration or clarifying detail | Synonyms: elaboration |
| (noun) the amount of increase in signal power or voltage or current expressed as the ratio of output to input | Synonyms: gain |
| anticatalyst | (noun) (chemistry) a substance that retards a chemical reaction or diminishes the activity of a catalyst | - |
|---|
| application | (noun) the action of putting something into operation | - |
|---|
| (noun) a diligent effort | Synonyms: diligence |
| (noun) the act of bringing something to bear; using it for a particular purpose | Synonyms: practical application |
| (noun) the work of applying something | Synonyms: coating, covering |
| (noun) liquid preparation having a soothing or antiseptic or medicinal action when applied to the skin | Synonyms: lotion |
| (noun) a verbal or written request for assistance or employment or admission to a school | - |
| (noun) a program that gives a computer instructions that provide the user with tools to accomplish a task | Synonyms: application program, applications programme |
| applicator | (noun) a device for applying a substance | Synonyms: applier |
|---|
| authentication | (noun) validating the authenticity of something or someone | Synonyms: certification |
|---|
| (noun) a mark on an article of trade to indicate its origin and authenticity | Synonyms: assay-mark, hallmark |
| authenticator | (noun) one who determines authenticity (as of works of art) or who guarantees validity | Synonyms: appraiser |
|---|
| autocatalysis | (noun) catalysis in which the catalyst is one of the products of the reaction | - |
|---|
| avocation | (noun) an auxiliary activity | Synonyms: by-line, hobby, pursuit, sideline, spare-time activity |
|---|
| bearcat | (noun) arboreal civet of Asia having a long prehensile tail and shaggy black hair | Synonyms: Arctictis bintourong, binturong |
|---|
| beatification | (noun) (Roman Catholic Church) an act of the Pope who declares that a deceased person lived a holy life and is worthy of public veneration; a first step toward canonization | - |
|---|
| (noun) the action of rendering supremely blessed and extremely happy | - |
| (noun) a state of supreme happiness | Synonyms: beatitude, blessedness |
| beautification | (noun) the act of making something more beautiful | - |
|---|
| bifurcation | (noun) the act of splitting into two branches | - |
|---|
| (noun) the place where something divides into two branches | - |
| (noun) a bifurcating branch (one or both of them) | - |
| bilocation | (noun) the ability (said of certain Roman Catholic saints) to exist simultaneously in two locations | - |
|---|
| biocatalyst | (noun) a biochemical catalyst such as an enzyme | - |
|---|
| bobcat | (noun) small lynx of North America | Synonyms: bay lynx, Lynx rufus |
|---|
| borosilicate | (noun) a salt of boric and silicic acids | - |
|---|
| bycatch | (noun) unwanted marine creatures that are caught in the nets while fishing for another species | Synonyms: by-catch |
|---|
| calcification | (noun) a process that impregnates something with calcium (or calcium salts) | - |
|---|
| (noun) tissue hardened by deposition of lime salts | - |
| (noun) an inflexible and unchanging state | - |
| caricature | (noun) a representation of a person that is exaggerated for comic effect | Synonyms: imitation, impersonation |
|---|
| caricaturist | (noun) someone who parodies in an exaggerated manner | - |
|---|
| cartilaginification | (noun) abnormal formation of cartilage from other tissues; observed in some Asians | - |
|---|
| cat | (noun) feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats | Synonyms: true cat |
|---|
| (noun) any of several large cats typically able to roar and living in the wild | Synonyms: big cat |
| (noun) a whip with nine knotted cords | Synonyms: cat-o'-nine-tails |
| (noun) a large tracked vehicle that is propelled by two endless metal belts; frequently used for moving earth in construction and farm work | Synonyms: Caterpillar |
| (noun) the leaves of the shrub Catha edulis which are chewed like tobacco or used to make tea; has the effect of a euphoric stimulant | Synonyms: African tea, Arabian tea, kat, khat, qat, quat |
| (noun) a spiteful woman gossip | - |
| (noun) an informal term for a youth or man | Synonyms: bozo, guy, hombre, sod |
| catabiosis | (noun) normal aging of cells | - |
|---|
| catabolism | (noun) breakdown in living organisms of more complex substances into simpler ones together with release of energy | Synonyms: destructive metabolism, dissimilation, katabolism |
|---|
| catacaustic | (noun) a caustic curve formed by light reflecting from a curved surface. | - |
|---|
| catachresis | (noun) strained or paradoxical use of words either in error (as `blatant' to mean `flagrant') or deliberately (as in a mixed metaphor: `blind mouths') | - |
|---|
| cataclysm | (noun) an event resulting in great loss and misfortune | Synonyms: calamity, catastrophe, disaster, tragedy |
|---|
| (noun) a sudden violent change in the earth's surface | Synonyms: catastrophe |
| catacomb | (noun) an underground tunnel with recesses where bodies were buried (as in ancient Rome) | - |
|---|
| catafalque | (noun) a decorated bier on which a coffin rests in state during a funeral | - |
|---|
| catalase | (noun) enzyme found in most plant and animal cells that functions as an oxidative catalyst; decomposes hydrogen peroxide into oxygen and water | - |
|---|
| catalectic | (noun) (prosody) a line of verse that lacks a syllable in the last metrical foot | - |
|---|
| catalepsy | (noun) a trancelike state with loss of voluntary motion and failure to react to stimuli | - |
|---|
| cataleptic | (noun) a person suffering from catalepsy | - |
|---|
| catalexis | (noun) the absence of a syllable in the last foot of a line or verse | - |
|---|
| catalog | (noun) a book or pamphlet containing an enumeration of things | Synonyms: catalogue |
|---|
| (noun) a complete list of things; usually arranged systematically | Synonyms: catalogue |
| cataloger | (noun) a librarian who classifies publications according to a categorial system | Synonyms: cataloguer |
|---|
| catalogue | (noun) a book or pamphlet containing an enumeration of things | Synonyms: catalog |
|---|
| (noun) a complete list of things; usually arranged systematically | Synonyms: catalog |
| cataloguer | (noun) a librarian who classifies publications according to a categorial system | Synonyms: cataloger |
|---|
| catalpa | (noun) tree of the genus Catalpa with large leaves and white flowers followed by long slender pods | Synonyms: Indian bean |
|---|
| catalufa | (noun) brightly colored carnivorous fish of western Atlantic and West Indies waters | Synonyms: Priacanthus arenatus |
|---|
| catalysis | (noun) acceleration of a chemical reaction induced by the presence of material that is chemically unchanged at the end of the reaction | Synonyms: contact action |
|---|
| catalyst | (noun) something that causes an important event to happen | - |
|---|
| (noun) (chemistry) a substance that initiates or accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected | Synonyms: accelerator |
| catamaran | (noun) a boat with two parallel hulls held together by single deck | - |
|---|
| catamenia | (noun) the monthly discharge of blood from the uterus of nonpregnant women from puberty to menopause | Synonyms: flow, menses, menstruation, menstruum, period |
|---|
| catamite | (noun) a boy who submits to a sexual relationship with a man | - |
|---|
| catamount | (noun) large American feline resembling a lion | Synonyms: cougar, Felis concolor, mountain lion, painter, panther, puma |
|---|
| (noun) short-tailed wildcats with usually tufted ears; valued for their fur | Synonyms: lynx |
| catamountain | (noun) bushy-tailed wildcat of Europe that resembles the domestic cat and is regarded as the ancestor of the domestic cat | Synonyms: European wildcat, Felis silvestris |
|---|
| catananche | (noun) any of several plants of the genus Catananche having long-stalked heads of blue or yellow flowers | - |
|---|
| cataphasia | (noun) a speech disorder in which the same word is repeated several times in succession | - |
|---|
| cataphatism | (noun) the religious belief that God has given enough clues to be known to humans positively and affirmatively (e.g., God created Adam `in his own image') | - |
|---|
| cataphoresis | (noun) the motion of charged particles in a colloid under the influence of an electric field; particles with a positive charge go to the cathode and negative to the anode | Synonyms: dielectrolysis, electrophoresis, ionophoresis |
|---|
| cataphract | (noun) armor that protects the wearer's whole body | Synonyms: body armor, body armour, coat of mail, suit of armor, suit of armour |
|---|
| cataphyll | (noun) a reduced or scarcely developed leaf at the start of a plant's life (i.e., cotyledons) or in the early stages of leaf development | - |
|---|
| cataplasia | (noun) (biology) degenerative reversion of cells or tissue to a less differentiated or more primitive form | - |
|---|
| cataplasm | (noun) a medical dressing consisting of a soft heated mass of meal or clay that is spread on a cloth and applied to the skin to treat inflamed areas or improve circulation etc. | Synonyms: plaster, poultice |
|---|
| catapult | (noun) an engine that provided medieval artillery used during sieges; a heavy war engine for hurling large stones and other missiles | - |
|---|
| (noun) a plaything consisting of a Y-shaped stick with elastic between the arms; used to propel small stones | Synonyms: sling, slingshot |
| (noun) a device that launches aircraft from a warship | Synonyms: launcher |
| cataract | (noun) a large waterfall; violent rush of water over a precipice | - |
|---|
| (noun) an eye disease that involves the clouding or opacification of the natural lens of the eye | - |
| catarrh | (noun) inflammation of the nose and throat with increased production of mucus | - |
|---|
| catarrhine | (noun) of Africa or Arabia or Asia; having nonprehensile tails and nostrils close together | Synonyms: Old World monkey |
|---|
| catastrophe | (noun) an event resulting in great loss and misfortune | Synonyms: calamity, cataclysm, disaster, tragedy |
|---|
| (noun) a sudden violent change in the earth's surface | Synonyms: cataclysm |
| (noun) a state of extreme (usually irremediable) ruin and misfortune | Synonyms: disaster |
| catathymia | (noun) A state in which mental processes are under the control of the emotions. | - |
|---|
| catatonia | (noun) a form of schizophrenia characterized by a tendency to remain in a fixed stuporous state for long periods; the catatonia may give way to short periods of extreme excitement | Synonyms: catatonic schizophrenia, catatonic type schizophrenia |
|---|
| (noun) extreme tonus; muscular rigidity; a common symptom in catatonic schizophrenia | - |
| catbird | (noun) North American songbird whose call resembles a cat's mewing | Synonyms: Dumetella carolinensis, gray catbird, grey catbird |
|---|
| (noun) any of various birds of the Australian region whose males build ornamented structures resembling bowers in order to attract females | Synonyms: bowerbird |
| catboat | (noun) a sailboat with a single mast set far forward | - |
|---|
| catbrier | (noun) a very prickly woody vine of the eastern United States growing in tangled masses having tough round stems with shiny leathery leaves and small greenish flowers followed by clusters of inedible shiny black berries | Synonyms: briar, brier, bullbrier, greenbrier, horse-brier, horse brier, Smilax rotundifolia |
|---|
| catcall | (noun) a cry expressing disapproval | - |
|---|
| catch | (noun) the act of catching an object with the hands | Synonyms: grab, snap, snatch |
|---|
| (noun) the act of apprehending (especially apprehending a criminal) | Synonyms: apprehension, arrest, collar, pinch, taking into custody |
| (noun) a cooperative game in which a ball is passed back and forth | - |
| (noun) a fastener that fastens or locks a door or window | - |
| (noun) a restraint that checks the motion of something | Synonyms: stop |
| (noun) a drawback or difficulty that is not readily evident | Synonyms: gimmick |
| (noun) a break or check in the voice (usually a sign of strong emotion) | - |
| (noun) anything that is caught (especially if it is worth catching) | - |
| (noun) a person regarded as a good matrimonial prospect | Synonyms: match |
| (noun) the quantity that was caught | Synonyms: haul |
| catchall | (noun) an enclosure or receptacle for odds and ends | - |
|---|
| catcher | (noun) the position on a baseball team of the player who is stationed behind home plate and who catches the balls that the pitcher throws | - |
|---|
| (noun) (baseball) the person who plays the position of catcher | Synonyms: backstop |
| catchfly | (noun) mostly perennial herbs with sticky stems that catch insects; widespread in north temperate zone | Synonyms: lychnis |
|---|
| (noun) any plant of the genus Silene | Synonyms: campion, silene |
| catching | (noun) (baseball) playing the position of catcher on a baseball team | - |
|---|
| (noun) the act of detecting something; catching sight of something | Synonyms: detection, espial, spotting, spying |
| (noun) becoming infected | Synonyms: contracting |
| catchment | (noun) a structure in which water is collected (especially a natural drainage area) | - |
|---|
| catchphrase | (noun) a phrase that has become a catchword | Synonyms: catch phrase |
|---|
| catchweed | (noun) annual having the stem beset with curved prickles; North America and Europe and Asia | Synonyms: cleavers, clivers, Galium aparine, goose grass, spring cleavers |
|---|
| catchword | (noun) a favorite saying of a group, organization or individual | Synonyms: motto, shibboleth, slogan |
|---|
| (noun) a word printed at the top of the page of a dictionary or other reference book to indicate the first or last item on that page | Synonyms: guide word, guideword |
| catclaw | (noun) erect shrub with small if any spines having racemes of white to yellow flowers followed by curved pointed pods and black shiny seeds; West Indies and Florida | Synonyms: black bead, cat's-claw, Pithecellobium unguis-cati |
|---|
| catechesis | (noun) oral religious instruction (as before baptism or confirmation) | - |
|---|
| catechin | (noun) a tannic acid that is extracted from black catechu as a white crystalline substance | - |
|---|
| catechism | (noun) an elementary book summarizing the principles of a Christian religion; written as questions and answers | - |
|---|
| (noun) a series of questions put to an individual (such as a political candidate) to elicit their views | - |
| catechist | (noun) one who instructs catechumens in preparation for baptism (especially one using a catechism) | - |
|---|