Dictionary's Most Wanted: Letter A

a line of defense consisting of a barrier of felled or live trees with branches (sharpened or with barbed wire entwined) pointed toward the enemy

a loose black robe from head to toe

the jurisdiction or office of an abbot

of or having to do with or belonging to an abbey or abbot, or abbess

an instance of sudden interruption

remove or separate by abscission

strong green liqueur flavored with wormwood and anise

(physics) the property of a body that determines the fraction of the incident radiation or sound flux absorbed or absorbable by the body

grow, accumulate, or fuse together

lacking a head or a clearly defined head

cause to be bitter or resentful

a fabric made from fibers of cellulose acetate

the simplest ketone

the organic group of acetic acid (CH3CO-)

causing a dull and steady pain

especially of some bacteria; growing well in an acid medium

a glassy thermoplastic

draw a limb towards the body

relating to or resembling lymphatic glands or lymphoid tissue

composed of animal fat

mix or blend

a dish of marinated vegetables and meat or fish

an organism that requires air or free oxygen for life

the performance of stunts while in flight in an aircraft

the application of soil and plant sciences to land management and crop production

characterized by lightness and insubstantiality

having no fever

a strong creative impulse; divine inspiration

a colloidal extract of algae

a contest that was held during ancient Greek and Roman times

a British colony in the West Indies

an airfoil that controls lateral motion

a white linen liturgical vestment with sleeves

prince consort of Queen Victoria of England (1819-1861)

a water-soluble protein found in many animal tissues and liquids

a mayor or chief magistrate of a Spanish town

any of various Spanish fortresses or palaces built by the Moors

chilly

north temperate shrubs or trees having toothed leaves and conelike fruit; bark is used in tanning and dyeing and the wood is rot-resistant

any of a series of univalent groups of the general formula CnH2n+1 derived from aliphatic hydrocarbons

of or pertaining to the botanical genus Allium

large genus of perennial and biennial pungent bulbous plants: garlic; leek; onion; chive; sometimes placed in family Alliaceae as the type genus

a formal or authoritative address that advises or exhorts

late Jurassic carnivorous dinosaur

a deep red garnet consisting of iron aluminum silicate

an official in a British hospital who looks after the social and material needs of the patients

low tufted plant having hairy stems each topped by a flower head with short narrow yellow rays; northwestern United States

a flat expanse of salt left by the evaporation of a body of salt water

naked and blind and dependent on parents for food

any garden plant of the genus Alyssum having clusters of small yellow or white flowers

a deep red garnet consisting of iron aluminum silicate

of or related to the amaranth plant

an Italian almond liqueur

partial or total loss of sight without pathology of the eye

waxy substance secreted by the sperm whale and found floating at sea or washed ashore; used in perfume

a river in western Europe that rises in northern France and flows generally east into Belgium where it joins the Meuse at Namur

any organic compound containing the group -CONH2

any organic compound containing the group -CONH2

a compound derived from ammonia by replacing hydrogen atoms by univalent hydrocarbon radicals

the direct method of cell division characterized by simple division of the nucleus without formation of chromosomes

a meter that measures the flow of electrical current in amperes

(pregnancy) extraction by centesis of amniotic fluid from a pregnant woman (after the 15th week of pregnancy) to aid in the diagnosis of fetal abnormalities

thin innermost membranous sac enclosing the developing embryo of higher vertebrates (reptiles, birds and mammals)

pale medium-dry sherry from Spain

a usually secretive or illicit sexual relationship

an antibiotic

the basic unit of electric current adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

a central nervous system stimulant that increases energy and decreases appetite; used to treat narcolepsy and some forms of depression

a hydrocarbon radical that occurs in many organic compounds

a large boa of tropical South America

repetition of the final words of a sentence or line at the beginning of the next

an organism that does not require air or free oxygen to live

a word used to avoid repetition

hypersensitivity reaction to the ingestion or injection of a substance (a protein or drug) resulting from prior contact with a substance

not astigmatic

one retired from society for religious reasons

any of various tropical American plants cultivated for their showy foliage and flowers

a piece of ornamented cloth that protects the back of a chair from hair oils

direct opposite

an expert or collector of antiquities

a common complex mineral consisting of calcium fluoride phosphate or calcium chloride phosphate; a source of phosphorus

a short synopsis or outline

alcoholic beverage taken before a meal as an appetizer

(linguistics) omission at the beginning of a word as in `coon' for `raccoon' or `till' for `until'

apoapsis in solar orbit

a short moral story (often with animal characters)

mentioning something by saying it will not be mentioned

a communist who was a member of the administrative system of a communist party

a domed or vaulted recess or projection on a building especially the east end of a church; usually contains the altar

nocturnal flightless bird of New Zealand having a long neck and stout legs; only surviving representative of the order Apterygiformes

any of several cultivated sour cherry trees bearing pale red fruit with colorless juice

Scandinavian liquor usually flavored with caraway seeds

branch out like trees

any of several evergreen shrubs of the genus Arbutus of temperate Europe and America

of or relating to the earliest known rocks formed during the Precambrian Eon

a district under the jurisdiction of a bishop of highest rank

the domain controlled by an archduke or archduchess

any of several tall tropical palms native to southeastern Asia having egg-shaped nuts

small circular area such as that around the human nipple or an inflamed area around a pimple or insect bite

a sharp narrow ridge found in rugged mountains

of lustrous grey

a white clay (especially a white clay used by potters)

wild sheep of semidesert regions in central Asia

a short aria

a short recitative that is melodic but is not an aria

an abnormal rate of muscle contractions in the heart

of or involving or contained in the arteries

lung disease caused by inhaling asbestos particles

tending or directed upward

drug (trade name Isordil) used to treat angina pectoris and congestive heart failure

a rectangular block of hewn stone used for building purposes

powdery starch from certain sago palms

savory jelly based on fish or meat stock used as a mold for meats or vegetables

the slender spear of the Bantu-speaking people of Africa

appointed to a post or duty

able to be absorbed and incorporated into body tissues

the regulation of weights and measures of articles offered for sale

freeing from fear and anxiety

growing or extending upward

a chiefly fall-blooming herb with showy daisylike flowers

a literary or scientific association for the promotion of learning

a stage of arteriosclerosis involving fatty deposits (atheromas) inside the arterial walls, thus narrowing the arteries

a hotel providing overnight lodging for travelers

a quantity of no importance

black-and-white short-necked web-footed diving bird of northern seas

elaborately or excessively ornamented

of, relating to, containing, or derived from gold

an expressway in a German-speaking country

the burning to death of heretics

originating within the body

derived from organisms of the selfsame individual

pertaining to filberts or hazelnuts

any of various perennials of the genus Geum having usually pinnate basal leaves and variously colored flowers

a declaration that is made emphatically

a leader and organizer and spokesman

long-legged web-footed black-and-white shorebird with slender upward-curving bill

a forcible tearing or surgical separation of one body part from another

the upper angle between an axis and an offshoot such as a branch or leafstalk

situated on or along or in the direction of an axis

(in India) a native nursemaid who looks after children

a high-ranking Shiite religious leader who is regarded as an authority on religious law and its interpretation and who has political power as well

any of numerous ornamental shrubs grown for their showy flowers of various colors

the azimuth of a celestial body is the angle between the vertical plane containing it and the plane of the meridian

before the appearance of life