| ablution | (noun) the ritual washing of a priest's hands or of sacred vessels | - |
|---|
| ablutionary | (adjective) cleansing the body by washing; especially ritual washing of e.g. hands | Synonyms: cleansing |
|---|
| abocclusion | (noun) the condition in which the upper teeth do not touch the lower teeth when biting | - |
|---|
| absolute | (adjective) perfect or complete or pure | - |
|---|
| (adjective) not limited by law | - |
| (adjective) not capable of being violated or infringed | Synonyms: infrangible, inviolable |
| (adjective) expressing finality with no implication of possible change | - |
| (adjective) complete and without restriction or qualification; sometimes used informally as intensifiers | Synonyms: downright, out-and-out, rank, right-down, sheer |
| (noun) something that is conceived or that exists independently and not in relation to other things; something that does not depend on anything else and is beyond human control; something that is not relative | - |
| absolutely | (adverb) completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers | Synonyms: dead, perfectly, utterly |
|---|
| (adverb) totally and definitely; without question | - |
| absoluteness | (noun) the quality of being absolute | - |
|---|
| (noun) the quality of being complete or utter or extreme | Synonyms: starkness, utterness |
| absolution | (noun) the act of absolving or remitting; formal redemption as pronounced by a priest in the sacrament of penance | Synonyms: remission, remission of sin, remittal |
|---|
| (noun) the condition of being formally forgiven by a priest in the sacrament of penance | - |
| absolutisation | (noun) the process of rendering something absolute or converting it into an absolute. | Synonyms: absolutization |
|---|
| absolutism | (noun) the doctrine of an absolute being, often related to idealism in philosophy. | - |
|---|
| (noun) an ideological belief in the complete and unrestricted power of government. | Synonyms: totalism, totalitarianism |
| (noun) a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.) | Synonyms: authoritarianism, Caesarism, despotism, dictatorship, monocracy, one-man rule, shogunate, Stalinism, totalitarianism, tyranny |
| (noun) dominance through threat of punishment and violence | Synonyms: despotism, tyranny |
| absolutist | (adjective) pertaining to the principle of totalitarianism | Synonyms: absolutistic |
|---|
| (noun) one who advocates absolutism | - |
| absolutistic | (adjective) pertaining to the principle of totalitarianism | Synonyms: absolutist |
|---|
| absolutization | (noun) the process of rendering something absolute or converting it into an absolute. | Synonyms: absolutisation |
|---|
| acellular | (adjective) not made up of or divided into cells | Synonyms: noncellular |
|---|
| acervulus | (noun) small asexual fruiting body resembling a cushion or blister consisting of a mat of hyphae that is produced on a host by some fungi | - |
|---|
| acetabulum | (noun) the cup-shaped hollow in the hipbone into which the head of the femur fits to form a ball-and-socket joint | Synonyms: cotyloid cavity |
|---|
| acidophilus | (noun) a bacterium that is used to make yogurt and to supplement probiotics | Synonyms: Lactobacillus acidophilus |
|---|
| acromphalus | (noun) abnormal protrusion of the navel; sometimes the start of umbilical hernia | - |
|---|
| affluence | (noun) abundant wealth | Synonyms: richness |
|---|
| affluent | (adjective) having an abundant supply of money or possessions of value | Synonyms: flush, loaded, moneyed, substantial, wealthy |
|---|
| (noun) a branch that flows into the main stream | Synonyms: confluent, feeder, tributary |
| (noun) an affluent person; a person who is financially well off | - |
| affluenza | (noun) an inability to understand the consequences of one's actions because of financial privilege | - |
|---|
| aflutter | (adjective) excited in anticipation | Synonyms: nervous |
|---|
| agglutinate | (adjective) united as if by glue | Synonyms: agglutinative |
|---|
| (verb) clump together; as of bacteria, red blood cells, etc. | - |
| (verb) string together (morphemes in an agglutinating language) | - |
| agglutination | (noun) the building of words from component morphemes that retain their form and meaning in the process of combining | - |
|---|
| (noun) a clumping of bacteria or red cells when held together by antibodies (agglutinins) | - |
| (noun) the coalescing of small particles that are suspended in solution; these larger masses are then (usually) precipitated | Synonyms: agglutinating activity |
| agglutinative | (adjective) united as if by glue | Synonyms: agglutinate |
|---|
| (adjective) forming derivative or compound words by putting together constituents each of which expresses a single definite meaning | Synonyms: polysynthetic |
| agglutinin | (noun) an antibody that causes agglutination of a specific antigen | - |
|---|
| agglutinogen | (noun) any substance that acts as an antigen to cause agglutinin production | - |
|---|
| ailurophobia | (noun) a morbid fear of cats | - |
|---|
| alkaluria | (noun) a condition in which the urine (which is normally slightly acidic) is alkaline | Synonyms: alkalinuria |
|---|
| allude | (verb) make a more or less disguised reference to | Synonyms: advert, touch |
|---|
| allure | (noun) the power to entice or attract through personal charm | Synonyms: allurement, temptingness |
|---|
| (verb) dispose or incline or entice to | Synonyms: tempt |
| allurement | (noun) the act of enticing a person to do something wrong (as an offer of sex in return for money) | Synonyms: solicitation |
|---|
| (noun) the power to entice or attract through personal charm | Synonyms: allure, temptingness |
| (noun) attractiveness | - |
| alluring | (adjective) highly attractive and able to arouse hope or desire | Synonyms: beguiling, enticing, tempting |
|---|
| allusion | (noun) passing reference or indirect mention | - |
|---|
| allusive | (adjective) characterized by indirect references | - |
|---|
| allusiveness | (noun) a quality characterized by indirect reference | - |
|---|
| alluvial | (adjective) of or relating to alluvium | - |
|---|
| alluviation | (noun) the phenomenon of sediment or gravel accumulating | Synonyms: deposit, sedimentation |
|---|
| alluvion | (noun) clay or silt or gravel carried by rushing streams and deposited where the stream slows down | Synonyms: alluvial deposit, alluvial sediment, alluvium |
|---|
| (noun) the rising of a body of water and its overflowing onto normally dry land | Synonyms: deluge, flood, inundation |
| (noun) gradual formation of new land, by recession of the sea or deposit of sediment | - |
| alluvium | (noun) clay or silt or gravel carried by rushing streams and deposited where the stream slows down | Synonyms: alluvial deposit, alluvial sediment, alluvion |
|---|
| altocumulus | (noun) a cumulus cloud at an intermediate altitude of 2 or 3 miles | Synonyms: altocumulus cloud |
|---|
| alula | (noun) tuft of small stiff feathers on the first digit of a bird's wing | Synonyms: bastard wing, spurious wing |
|---|
| (noun) scalelike structure between the base of the wing and the halter of a two-winged fly | Synonyms: calypter |
| alular | (adjective) pertaining to alulae | - |
|---|
| alum | (noun) a double sulphate of aluminum and potassium that is used as an astringent (among other things) | - |
|---|
| (noun) a white crystalline double sulfate of aluminum: the potassium double sulfate of aluminum | Synonyms: potash alum, potassium alum |
| (noun) a white crystalline double sulfate of aluminum: the ammonium double sulfate of aluminum | Synonyms: ammonia alum, ammonium alum |
| (noun) a person who has received a degree from a school (high school or college or university) | Synonyms: grad, graduate |
| alumbloom | (noun) any of several herbs of the genus Heuchera | Synonyms: alumroot |
|---|
| alumina | (noun) any of various forms of aluminum oxide occurring naturally as corundum | Synonyms: aluminium oxide, aluminum oxide |
|---|
| aluminate | (noun) a compound of alumina and a metallic oxide | - |
|---|
| aluminiferous | (adjective) containing alum or aluminum | - |
|---|
| aluminise | (verb) cover with aluminum | Synonyms: aluminize |
|---|
| aluminium | (noun) a silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite | Synonyms: Al, aluminum, atomic number 13 |
|---|
| aluminize | (verb) cover with aluminum | Synonyms: aluminise |
|---|
| aluminous | (adjective) pertaining to or containing aluminum or alum | - |
|---|
| aluminum | (noun) a silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite | Synonyms: Al, aluminium, atomic number 13 |
|---|
| alumna | (noun) a female person who has received a degree from a school (high school or college or university) | - |
|---|
| alumnus | (noun) a male person who has received a degree from a school (high school or college or university) | - |
|---|
| alumroot | (noun) any of several herbs of the genus Heuchera | Synonyms: alumbloom |
|---|
| alundum | (noun) a substance made of fused alumina | - |
|---|
| alveolus | (noun) a tiny sac for holding air in the lungs; formed by the terminal dilation of tiny air passageways | Synonyms: air cell, air sac |
|---|
| (noun) a bony socket in the alveolar ridge that holds a tooth | Synonyms: tooth socket |
| amatungulu | (noun) very large closely branched South African shrub having forked bright green spines and shiny leaves | Synonyms: Carissa grandiflora, Carissa macrocarpa, natal plum |
|---|
| amorphophallus | (noun) any plant of the genus Amorphophallus | - |
|---|
| amylum | (noun) a complex carbohydrate found chiefly in seeds, fruits, tubers, roots and stem pith of plants, notably in corn, potatoes, wheat, and rice; an important foodstuff and used otherwise especially in adhesives and as fillers and stiffeners for paper and textiles | Synonyms: starch |
|---|
| anacoluthia | (noun) an abrupt change within a sentence from one syntactic structure to another | Synonyms: anacoluthon |
|---|
| anacoluthic | (adjective) of or related to syntactic inconsistencies of the sort known as anacoluthons | - |
|---|
| anacoluthon | (noun) an abrupt change within a sentence from one syntactic structure to another | Synonyms: anacoluthia |
|---|
| angelus | (noun) the sound of a bell rung in Roman Catholic churches to announce the time when the Angelus should be recited | Synonyms: angelus bell |
|---|
| animalculum | (noun) microscopic organism such as an amoeba or paramecium | Synonyms: animalcule |
|---|
| annulus | (noun) (Fungi) a remnant of the partial veil that in mature mushrooms surrounds the stem like a collar | Synonyms: skirt |
|---|
| (noun) a toroidal shape | Synonyms: anchor ring, doughnut, halo, ring |
| antebellum | (adjective) belonging to a period before a war especially the American Civil War | - |
|---|
| antediluvial | (adjective) of or relating to the period before the biblical flood | Synonyms: antediluvian |
|---|
| antediluvian | (adjective) of or relating to the period before the biblical flood | Synonyms: antediluvial |
|---|
| (adjective) so extremely old as seeming to belong to an earlier period | Synonyms: antiquated, archaic |
| (noun) a very old person | Synonyms: ancient |
| (noun) any of the early patriarchs who lived prior to the Noachian deluge | Synonyms: antediluvian patriarch |
| antipollution | (adjective) intended to reduce pollution | - |
|---|
| apolune | (noun) apoapsis in orbit around the moon | Synonyms: aposelene |
|---|
| aqualung | (noun) a device (trade name Aqua-Lung) that lets divers breathe under water; scuba is an acronym for self-contained underwater breathing apparatus | Synonyms: Aqua-Lung, scuba |
|---|
| astragalus | (noun) the bone in the ankle that articulates with the leg bones to form the ankle joint | Synonyms: anklebone, astragal, talus |
|---|
| asylum | (noun) a hospital for mentally incompetent or unbalanced person | Synonyms: insane asylum, institution, mental home, mental hospital, mental institution, psychiatric hospital |
|---|
| (noun) a shelter from danger or hardship | Synonyms: refuge, sanctuary |
| autofluorescence | (noun) self-induced fluorescence | - |
|---|
| autofluorescent | (adjective) emitting light via self-induced fluorescence | - |
|---|
| bacillus | (noun) aerobic rod-shaped spore-producing bacterium; often occurring in chainlike formations; found primarily in soil | Synonyms: B |
|---|
| ballup | (noun) something badly botched or muddled | Synonyms: balls-up, cockup, mess-up |
|---|
| baluster | (noun) one of a number of closely spaced supports for a railing | - |
|---|
| balusters | (noun) a railing at the side of a staircase or balcony to prevent people from falling | Synonyms: balustrade, banister, bannister, handrail |
|---|
| balustrade | (noun) a railing at the side of a staircase or balcony to prevent people from falling | Synonyms: balusters, banister, bannister, handrail |
|---|
| beluga | (noun) valuable source of caviar and isinglass; found in Black and Caspian seas | Synonyms: Acipenser huso, hausen, white sturgeon |
|---|
| (noun) small northern whale that is white when adult | Synonyms: Delphinapterus leucas, white whale |
| bioluminescence | (noun) luminescence produced by physiological processes (as in the firefly) | - |
|---|
| bioluminescent | (adjective) (of living organisms) emitting light | - |
|---|
| bloodlust | (noun) a desire for bloodshed | - |
|---|
| blub | (verb) cry or whine with snuffling | Synonyms: blubber, sniffle, snivel, snuffle |
|---|
| blubber | (noun) excess bodily weight | Synonyms: avoirdupois, fat, fatness |
|---|
| (noun) an insulating layer of fat under the skin of whales and other large marine mammals; used as a source of oil | - |
| (verb) cry or whine with snuffling | Synonyms: blub, sniffle, snivel, snuffle |
| (verb) utter while crying | Synonyms: blubber out |
| blubberer | (noun) someone who sniffles and weeps with loud sobs | - |
|---|
| blubbery | (adjective) swollen with fat | - |
|---|
| blucher | (noun) a high shoe with laces over the tongue | - |
|---|
| bludgeon | (noun) a club used as a weapon | - |
|---|
| (verb) strike with a club or a bludgeon | Synonyms: club |
| (verb) overcome or coerce as if by using a heavy club | - |
| bludgeoner | (noun) an assailant who uses a bludgeon | - |
|---|
| blue | (adjective) of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky | Synonyms: blueish, bluish |
|---|
| (adjective) filled with melancholy and despondency | Synonyms: depressed, dispirited, down, down in the mouth, downcast, downhearted, gloomy, grim, low-spirited, low |
| (adjective) causing dejection | Synonyms: dark, dingy, disconsolate, dismal, drab, drear, dreary, gloomy, grim, sorry |
| (adjective) belonging to or characteristic of the nobility or aristocracy | Synonyms: aristocratic, aristocratical, blue-blooded, gentle, patrician |
| (adjective) morally rigorous and strict | Synonyms: puritanic, puritanical |
| (adjective) used to signify the Union forces in the American Civil War (who wore blue uniforms) | - |
| (adjective) suggestive of sexual impropriety | Synonyms: gamey, gamy, juicy, naughty, racy, risque, spicy |
| (adjective) characterized by profanity or cursing | Synonyms: blasphemous, profane |
| (noun) any of numerous small butterflies of the family Lycaenidae | - |
| (noun) the sodium salt of amobarbital that is used as a barbiturate; used as a sedative and a hypnotic | Synonyms: amobarbital sodium, Amytal, blue angel, blue devil |
| (noun) blue clothing | - |
| (noun) blue color or pigment; resembling the color of the clear sky in the daytime | Synonyms: blueness |
| (noun) any organization or party whose uniforms or badges are blue | - |
| (noun) the sky as viewed during daylight | Synonyms: blue air, blue sky, wild blue yonder |
| (noun) used to whiten laundry or hair or give it a bluish tinge | Synonyms: blueing, bluing |
| (verb) turn blue | - |
| bluebell | (noun) one of the most handsome prairie wildflowers having large erect bell-shaped bluish flowers; of moist places in prairies and fields from eastern Colorado and Nebraska south to New Mexico and Texas | Synonyms: Eustoma grandiflorum, prairie gentian, tulip gentian |
|---|
| (noun) perennial of Northern Hemisphere with slender stems and bell-shaped blue flowers | Synonyms: Campanula rotundifolia, harebell |
| (noun) sometimes placed in genus Scilla | Synonyms: harebell, Hyacinthoides nonscripta, Scilla nonscripta, wild hyacinth, wood hyacinth |
| blueberry | (noun) sweet edible dark-blue berries of either low-growing or high-growing blueberry plants | - |
|---|
| (noun) any of numerous shrubs of the genus Vaccinium bearing blueberries | Synonyms: blueberry bush |
| bluebill | (noun) diving ducks of North America having a bluish-grey bill | Synonyms: broadbill, scaup, scaup duck |
|---|
| bluebird | (noun) blue North American songbird | - |
|---|
| (noun) fruit-eating mostly brilliant blue songbird of the East Indies | Synonyms: fairy bluebird |
| bluebonnet | (noun) a brimless dark blue Scottish cap with a flat top and a plume on one side | Synonyms: Balmoral |
|---|
| (noun) low-growing annual herb of southwestern United States (Texas) having silky foliage and blue flowers; a leading cause of livestock poisoning in the southwestern United States | Synonyms: buffalo clover, Lupinus subcarnosus, Texas bluebonnet |
| bluebottle | (noun) blowfly with iridescent blue body; makes a loud buzzing noise in flight | Synonyms: Calliphora vicina |
|---|
| (noun) an annual Eurasian plant cultivated in North America having showy heads of blue or purple or pink or white flowers | Synonyms: bachelor's button, Centaurea cyanus, cornflower |
| bluecoat | (noun) a person dressed all in blue (as a soldier or sailor) | - |
|---|