| Acremonium |
the genus of fungi, formerly known as Cephalosporium, from which the antibiotic cephalosporin was originally isolated. Several species may cause disease in humans, esp. pneumonia. |
| Algeria |
a North African country located between Morocco and Libya, formerly a French colony. |
| Algonquin |
any of several Algonquian Indian tribes formerly living in the region of southern Canada and the St. Lawrence River, or a member of one of these tribes. [1/3 definitions] |
| Apache |
any member of a formerly nomadic North American Indian tribe chiefly inhabiting the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. [1/2 definitions] |
| Aral Sea |
formerly, a very large, single lake in Central Asia. Once one of the world's largest lakes, the Aral Sea has vastly diminished in volume of water and has divided into separate parts as a result of the diversion, for agricultural purposes, of the rivers that fed the lake. The southeastern part of the Aral Sea has become entirely dry. |
| Arapaho |
a member of a North American Indian tribe that formerly lived in the western plains from Texas and New Mexico to Canada, and now lives in Oklahoma and Wyoming. [1/2 definitions] |
| arcanum |
formerly, a supposed secret law underlying all of nature, sought by alchemists. [1/3 definitions] |
| Armenia |
a Near Eastern country between Georgia and Turkey; formerly a republic of the Soviet Union. [1/2 definitions] |
| armor |
a suit of leather or mail, formerly used to protect the body in warfare. [1/5 definitions] |
| asafetida |
a gum resin obtained from Oriental plants related to the carrot, with a strong, offensive odor and a bitter taste, formerly used as a medicine. |
| Azerbaijan |
a Near Eastern country on the Caspian Sea between Iran and Russia; formerly a republic of the Soviet Union. |
| balm of Gilead |
the aromatic resin of these trees, formerly used in healing ointments and now used chiefly in the making of perfumes. [1/2 definitions] |
| Baltic States |
the independent countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, formerly parts of the Soviet Union. |
| bamboo curtain |
(sometimes cap.) a barrier to trade and diplomacy, based on ideological and political differences, that formerly existed between the People's Republic of China and the West, attributed by the latter to the secrecy and censorship practiced by the Chinese. (Cf. iron curtain.) |
| Barbary Coast |
the North African Mediterranean coast from Egypt to the Atlantic, formerly known as a base for pirates. |
| Belarus |
a European country bordered by Poland, Lithuania, Russia, and Ukraine; formerly a republic of the Soviet Union; Belorussia; Byelorussia. |
| benefit of clergy |
formerly, a special privilege granted to members of the clergy, esp. that they be subject to ecclesiastical rather than secular courts. [1/2 definitions] |
| Bengal |
a region consisting of the northeastern state of West Bengal in India and the neighboring country of Bangladesh. Bengal was formerly a province of India before India's division into India and Pakistan. |
| bey |
a title of respect formerly used for Turkish rulers. [1/3 definitions] |
| bilbo |
(often pl.) a long iron bar with sliding shackles, formerly used to fetter prisoners' feet. |
| Blackfoot |
a member of an Algonquian Indian tribe formerly resident in Montana, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. [1/2 definitions] |