| asceticism | (noun) rigorous self-denial and active self-restraint | Synonyms: ascesis |
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| (noun) the trait of great self-denial (especially refraining from worldly pleasures) | Synonyms: austerity, nonindulgence |
| (noun) the doctrine that through renunciation of worldly pleasures it is possible to achieve a high spiritual or intellectual state | - |
| asepsis | (noun) the process of inhibiting the growth and multiplication of microorganisms | Synonyms: antisepsis |
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| (noun) (of non-living objects) the state of being free of pathogenic organisms | Synonyms: antisepsis, sterileness, sterility |
| aspergillosis | (noun) an opportunistic infection by a fungus of the genus Aspergillus; characterized by inflammation and lesions of the ear and other organs | - |
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| (noun) disease especially in agricultural workers caused by inhalation of Aspergillus spores causing lumps in skin and ears and respiratory organs | - |
| (noun) severe respiratory disease of birds that takes the form of an acute rapidly fatal pneumonia in young chickens and turkeys | Synonyms: brooder pneumonia |
| aspidistra | (noun) evergreen perennial with large handsome basal leaves; grown primarily as a foliage houseplant | Synonyms: Aspidistra elatio, bar-room plant, cast-iron plant |
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| assist | (noun) (sports) the act of enabling another player to make a good play | - |
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| (noun) the activity of contributing to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose | Synonyms: aid, assistance, help |
| assistance | (noun) the activity of contributing to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose | Synonyms: aid, assist, help |
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| (noun) a person or thing that is a resource that helps make something easier or possible to do | Synonyms: aid, help |
| (noun) gift of money or other material help to support a person or cause | Synonyms: aid, economic aid, economic assistance, financial aid, financial assistance |
| assistant | (noun) a person who contributes to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose | Synonyms: help, helper, supporter |
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| associationism | (noun) (psychology) a theory that association is the basic principle of mental activity | Synonyms: association theory |
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| astereognosis | (noun) a loss of the ability to recognize objects by handling them | Synonyms: tactile agnosia |
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| asterisk | (noun) a star-shaped character * used in printing | Synonyms: star |
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| asterism | (noun) (astronomy) a cluster of stars (or a small constellation) | - |
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| (noun) (mineralogy) a star-shaped figure with six rays that is seen in some crystal structures under reflected or transmitted light | - |
| astigmatism | (noun) (optics) defect in an optical system in which light rays from a single point fail to converge in a single focal point | Synonyms: astigmia |
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| (noun) (ophthalmology) impaired eyesight resulting usually from irregular conformation of the cornea; common in nearsighted people | Synonyms: astigmia |
| astonishment | (noun) the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising | Synonyms: amazement |
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| astrologist | (noun) someone who predicts the future by the positions of the planets and sun and Moon | Synonyms: astrologer |
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| astrophysicist | (noun) an astronomer who studies the physical properties of celestial bodies | - |
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| asynchronism | (noun) the relation that exists when things occur at unrelated times | Synonyms: asynchrony, desynchronisation, desynchronization, desynchronizing |
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| asynclitism | (noun) the presentation during labor of the head of the fetus at an abnormal angle | Synonyms: obliquity |
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| ataraxis | (noun) the absence of mental stress or anxiety | Synonyms: heartsease, peace, peace of mind, peacefulness, repose, serenity |
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| atavism | (noun) a reappearance of an earlier characteristic | Synonyms: reversion, throwback |
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| atavist | (noun) an organism that has the characteristics of a more primitive type of that organism | Synonyms: throwback |
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| atelectasis | (noun) collapse of an expanded lung (especially in infants); also failure of pulmonary alveoli to expand at birth | - |
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| ateleiosis | (noun) a form of infantilism characterized by physical underdevelopment but normal intelligence | Synonyms: ateliosis |
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| ateliosis | (noun) a form of infantilism characterized by physical underdevelopment but normal intelligence | Synonyms: ateleiosis |
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| atheism | (noun) a lack of belief in the existence of God or gods | - |
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| atheist | (noun) someone who does not believe in the existence of a god | - |
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| atherogenesis | (noun) the formation of atheromas on the walls of the arteries as in atherosclerosis | - |
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| atherosclerosis | (noun) a stage of arteriosclerosis involving fatty deposits (atheromas) inside the arterial walls, thus narrowing the arteries | Synonyms: coronary artery disease |
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| athetosis | (noun) a continuous succession of slow, writhing, involuntary movements of the hands and feet and other body parts | - |
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| athleticism | (noun) intense energy | Synonyms: strenuosity |
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| atomisation | (noun) separating something into fine particles | Synonyms: atomization, fragmentation |
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| (noun) annihilation by reducing something to atoms | Synonyms: atomization |
| atomiser | (noun) a dispenser that turns a liquid (such as perfume) into a fine mist | Synonyms: atomizer, nebuliser, nebulizer, spray, sprayer |
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| atomism | (noun) (chemistry) any theory in which all matter is composed of tiny discrete finite indivisible indestructible particles | Synonyms: atomic theory, atomist theory, atomistic theory |
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| (noun) (psychology) a theory that reduces all mental phenomena to simple elements (sensations and feelings) that form complex ideas by association | - |
| atonalism | (noun) the absence of a key; alternative to the diatonic system | Synonyms: atonality |
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| atopognosis | (noun) absence or loss of topognosia; inability to locate correctly a point of touch | Synonyms: atopognosia |
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| audiovisual | (noun) materials using sight or sound to present information | Synonyms: audiovisual aid |
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| auriscope | (noun) medical instrument consisting of a magnifying lens and light; used for examining the external ear (the auditory meatus and especially the tympanic membrane) | Synonyms: auroscope, otoscope |
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| authorisation | (noun) the act of conferring legality or sanction or formal warrant | Synonyms: authorization, empowerment |
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| (noun) the power or right to give orders or make decisions | Synonyms: authority, authorization, dominance, potency, say-so |
| (noun) official permission or approval | Synonyms: authority, authorization, sanction |
| (noun) a document giving an official instruction or command | Synonyms: authorization, mandate |
| authoriser | (noun) an authority who authorizes (people or actions) | Synonyms: authorizer |
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| authoritarianism | (noun) a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.) | Synonyms: absolutism, Caesarism, despotism, dictatorship, monocracy, one-man rule, shogunate, Stalinism, totalitarianism, tyranny |
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| autism | (noun) (psychiatry) an abnormal absorption with the self; marked by communication disorders and short attention span and inability to treat others as people | - |
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| autocatalysis | (noun) catalysis in which the catalyst is one of the products of the reaction | - |
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| autoeroticism | (noun) using your own body as a sexual object | Synonyms: autoerotism |
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| autoerotism | (noun) using your own body as a sexual object | Synonyms: autoeroticism |
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| autogenesis | (noun) a hypothetical organic phenomenon by which living organisms are created from nonliving matter | Synonyms: abiogenesis, autogeny, spontaneous generation |
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| autolysis | (noun) lysis of plant or animal tissue by an internal process | Synonyms: self-digestion |
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| automatism | (noun) any reaction that occurs automatically without conscious thought or reflection (especially the undirected behavior seen in psychomotor epilepsy) | - |
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| automobilist | (noun) someone who drives (or travels in) an automobile | Synonyms: motorist |
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| autotelism | (noun) belief that a work of art is an end in itself or its own justification | - |
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| auxesis | (noun) growth from increase in cell size without cell division | - |
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| avitaminosis | (noun) any of several diseases caused by deficiency of one or more vitamins | Synonyms: hypovitaminosis |
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| avoirdupois | (noun) excess bodily weight | Synonyms: blubber, fat, fatness |
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| (noun) a system of weights based on the 16-ounce pound (or 7,000 grains) | Synonyms: avoirdupois weight |
| axis | (noun) the center around which something rotates | Synonyms: axis of rotation |
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| (noun) the 2nd cervical vertebra; serves as a pivot for turning the head | Synonyms: axis vertebra |
| (noun) a straight line through a body or figure that satisfies certain conditions | - |
| (noun) a group of countries in special alliance | Synonyms: bloc |
| (noun) the main stem or central part about which plant organs or plant parts such as branches are arranged | - |
| bacteriologist | (noun) a biologist who studies bacteria | - |
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| bacteriolysis | (noun) dissolution or destruction of bacteria | - |
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| bacteriostasis | (noun) inhibition of the growth of bacteria | - |
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| bagascosis | (noun) alveolitis caused by inhaling bagasse (sugarcane dust) | Synonyms: bagassosis |
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| bagassosis | (noun) alveolitis caused by inhaling bagasse (sugarcane dust) | Synonyms: bagascosis |
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| baisa | (noun) 1,000 baiza equal 1 riyal-omani in Oman | Synonyms: baiza |
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| bakshis | (noun) a relatively small amount of money given for services rendered (as by a waiter) | Synonyms: backsheesh, baksheesh, bakshish, gratuity, pourboire, tip |
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| bakshish | (noun) a relatively small amount of money given for services rendered (as by a waiter) | Synonyms: backsheesh, baksheesh, bakshis, gratuity, pourboire, tip |
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| balanitis | (noun) inflammation of the head of the penis | - |
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| balanoposthitis | (noun) inflammation of both the head of the penis and the foreskin | - |
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| ballista | (noun) ancient missile weapon that throws bolts or stones | Synonyms: bolt thrower |
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| ballistics | (noun) the science of flight dynamics | - |
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| (noun) the trajectory of an object in free flight | Synonyms: ballistic trajectory |
| ballistocardiogram | (noun) a graphical recording made by a ballistocardiograph | - |
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| ballistocardiograph | (noun) a medical instrument that measures the mechanical force of cardiac contractions and the amount of blood passing through the heart during a specified period by measuring the recoil of the body as blood is pumped from the ventricles | Synonyms: cardiograph |
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| balloonfish | (noun) similar to but smaller than porcupinefish | Synonyms: Diodon holocanthus |
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| balloonist | (noun) someone who flies a balloon | - |
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| banishment | (noun) rejection by means of an act of banishing or proscribing someone | Synonyms: proscription |
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| (noun) the state of being banished or ostracized (excluded from society by general consent) | Synonyms: Coventry, ostracism |
| banister | (noun) a railing at the side of a staircase or balcony to prevent people from falling | Synonyms: balusters, balustrade, bannister, handrail |
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| bannister | (noun) a railing at the side of a staircase or balcony to prevent people from falling | Synonyms: balusters, balustrade, banister, handrail |
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| baptism | (noun) a Christian sacrament signifying spiritual cleansing and rebirth | - |
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| baptistery | (noun) bowl for baptismal water | Synonyms: baptismal font, baptistry, font |
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| baptistry | (noun) bowl for baptismal water | Synonyms: baptismal font, baptistery, font |
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| barbarisation | (noun) an act that makes people primitive and uncivilized | Synonyms: barbarization |
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| barbarism | (noun) a brutal barbarous savage act | Synonyms: barbarity, brutality, savagery |
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| barrelfish | (noun) blackish fish of New England waters | Synonyms: black rudderfish, Hyperglyphe perciformis |
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| barrister | (noun) a British or Canadian lawyer who speaks in the higher courts of law on behalf of either the defense or prosecution | - |
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| basilisk | (noun) small crested arboreal lizard able to run on its hind legs; of tropical America | - |
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| (noun) ancient brass cannon | - |
| (noun) (classical mythology) a serpent (or lizard or dragon) able to kill with its breath or glance | - |
| basis | (noun) the fundamental assumptions from which something is begun or developed or calculated or explained | Synonyms: base, cornerstone, foundation, fundament, groundwork |
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| (noun) a relation that provides the foundation for something | Synonyms: footing, ground |
| (noun) the most important or necessary part of something | Synonyms: base |
| bassarisk | (noun) raccoon-like omnivorous mammal of Mexico and the southwestern United States having a long bushy tail with black and white rings | Synonyms: Bassariscus astutus, cacomistle, cacomixle, civet cat, coon cat, miner's cat, raccoon fox, ring-tailed cat, ringtail |
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| bassist | (noun) a musician who play the bass viol | - |
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| bassoonist | (noun) a musician who plays the bassoon | - |
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| bastardisation | (noun) an act that debases or corrupts | Synonyms: bastardization |
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| batfish | (noun) bottom-dweller of warm western Atlantic coastal waters having a flattened scaleless body that crawls about on fleshy pectoral and pelvic fins | - |
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| batiste | (noun) a thin plain-weave cotton or linen fabric; used for shirts or dresses | - |
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| bearnaise | (noun) a sauce like hollandaise but made with white wine and tarragon and shallots instead of lemon juice | - |
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| behaviorism | (noun) an approach to psychology that emphasizes observable measurable behavior | Synonyms: behavioristic psychology, behaviourism, behaviouristic psychology |
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| behaviorist | (noun) a psychologist who subscribes to behaviorism | Synonyms: behaviourist |
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| behaviourism | (noun) an approach to psychology that emphasizes observable measurable behavior | Synonyms: behaviorism, behavioristic psychology, behaviouristic psychology |
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| behaviourist | (noun) a psychologist who subscribes to behaviorism | Synonyms: behaviorist |
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| benison | (noun) a spoken blessing | - |
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| benniseed | (noun) small oval seeds of the sesame plant | Synonyms: sesame seed |
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| betise | (noun) a stupid mistake | Synonyms: folly, foolishness, imbecility, stupidity |
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| bibliopolist | (noun) a dealer in secondhand books (especially rare or curious books) | Synonyms: bibliopole |
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| bibliotist | (noun) someone who engages in bibliotics | - |
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| bicyclist | (noun) a person who rides a bicycle | Synonyms: bicycler, biker, cyclist, wheeler |
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| bigamist | (noun) someone who marries one person while already legally married to another | - |
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| bilateralism | (noun) the property of being symmetrical about a vertical plane | Synonyms: bilateral symmetry, bilaterality |
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| bilharziasis | (noun) an infestation with or a resulting infection caused by a parasite of the genus Schistosoma; common in the tropics and Far East; symptoms depend on the part of the body infected | Synonyms: bilharzia, schistosomiasis |
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