| abracadabra |
a nonsense word thought to produce a magical effect such as the warding off of disaster or disease. [2 definitions] |
| abradant |
am abrasive substance. [2 definitions] |
| abrade |
to rub away by friction; erode. [4 definitions] |
| Abraham |
according to the Old Testament, the first of the postdiluvian patriarchs, father of Isaac, and ancestor of the Hebrews. |
| Abraham Lincoln |
the 16th President of the United States (1861-1865), who was Commander-in-Chief of the Union troops during the American Civil War and who signed the Emancipation Proclamation, thus bringing an end to slavery in the United States (b.1809--d.1865). |
| abranchiate |
lacking gills. |
| abrasion |
a spot or patch that has been scraped, as on the skin. [2 definitions] |
| abrasive |
a material or substance used to grind or polish surfaces. [3 definitions] |
| abreast |
side by side. [4 definitions] |
| abridge |
to shorten without removing basic contents; condense. [2 definitions] |
| abridged |
having been shortened without removing the most essential contents; condensed. |
| abridgment |
an act, process, or instance of abridging. [3 definitions] |
| abroad |
in or to a country that is not one's own. [4 definitions] |
| abrogate |
to abolish, repeal, or nullify by authority. [2 definitions] |
| abrupt |
sudden and unexpected. [3 definitions] |
| abs- |
from; away; off. |
| Abscam |
in the United States, an FBI investigation in 1978-80, as a result of which several members of Congress were indicted for taking bribes from FBI agents posing as Arab businessmen. |
| abscess |
a collection of pus in body tissue, usu. surrounded by an inflamed area. [2 definitions] |
| abscissa |
the distance of a point from the vertical axis of a graph as measured parallel to the horizontal axis. (Cf. ordinate.) |
| abscond |
to leave suddenly and secretly, esp. to avoid observation or capture. |
| absence |
the state or condition of being away or not present. [3 definitions] |