| 11th Amendment |
an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that guarantees a level of sovereign immunity to states by forbidding federal courts from ruling on cases brought against a state by a citizen of another state. |
| 22nd Amendment |
an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that ensures that no person can be elected to more than two four-year terms as President of the United States. The 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951, was passed in reaction to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four terms in office. |
| 4WD |
abbreviation of "four-wheel drive," a car that drives by means of all four wheels rather than the rear wheels only, or the drive system of such, in which both front and rear wheel axles are turned by the drive shaft. |
| A2 |
abbreviation of "ampere" or "amperes," a unit of electrical current that refers to the quantity of current that passes through a resistor of one ohm when a potential of one volt is applied, equal to one coulomb per second. |
| a1 |
the first letter of the English alphabet. [5/6 definitions] |
| a2 |
used to introduce one particular thing or person of a group or kind, but one which is not considered known to the listener. [1/3 definitions] |
| A.A. |
abbreviation of "Associate in Arts," an undergraduate degree conferred on a person who has completed a curriculum in the liberal arts. |
| aardwolf |
a striped, nocturnal African mammal of the hyena family that feeds primarily on insects. |
| Aaron |
according to the Old Testament, the older brother of Moses and the first high priest of the Hebrew nation. |
| AB1 |
one of the four human blood groups. (See ABO system.) |
| AB2 |
abbreviation of "Assembly Bill," in the U.S., a proposed law in consideration by a state assembly. |
| abaca |
a Philippine plant of the banana family that yields a fiber used in making rope. |
| aback |
so that the wind catches the front side of an open sail. [2 definitions] |
| Abaddon |
in the Old Testament, a place of destruction; abode of the wicked dead; hell. [2 definitions] |
| abaft |
in nautical terminology, toward the stern from; behind. [2 definitions] |
| abalone |
a large edible marine snail, the shell of which is lined with mother-of-pearl. |
| abandon |
to stop pursuing (an activity, goal, or the like); give up; relinquish. [1/6 definitions] |
| abandon ship |
to extricate oneself from a situation where danger or failure seems imminent, often at the expense of loyalty to a group or cause. [1/2 definitions] |
| abasement |
the act of bringing down or the state of being brought down in rank, status, or reputation. |
| abatement |
the act of lessening or reducing, or the condition of being lessened or reduced. [2 definitions] |
| abatis |
an obstacle constructed by bending and sharpening the branches of trees or implanting sharpened limbs in a soil barricade, sometimes interlaced with barbed wire. |