| 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. |
| abandon |
to allow (oneself) to be taken over completely by emotions or impulses. [1/6 definitions] |
| abort |
to cause (a fetus) to be expelled before it is able to survive outside the mother. [1/6 definitions] |
| abortion |
a project or idea that has failed to be carried to completion, or the result of the failure to reach completion. [1/4 definitions] |
| abound |
to be found in large numbers or amounts. |
| abrupt |
saying so little as to be rude or unpleasant. [1/2 definitions] |
| abscess |
a sore that forms within the tissues of the body and is filled with pus. Abscesses can be caused by an infection. |
| absentee ballot |
a ballot to be marked and delivered to an election official before election day because the voter will be unable to be at the polls on that day. |
| absolute temperature |
temperature measured on a scale in which zero equals the lowest temperature that can be obtained physically. |
| abstain |
to choose to refrain from something, esp. from actions or things considered to be unhealthy or unwise. [1/2 definitions] |
| absurd |
not at all logical; impossible to be true; ridiculous. [1/2 definitions] |
| abut |
to adjoin or press against; be next to; border on. [1/2 definitions] |
| abyss |
a vast pit, too deep to be measured. |
| accent |
a mark (' or `). Accents are used to show what parts of a word are to be said with more stress. [2/5 definitions] |
| accept |
to regard as unavoidable; be resigned to. [1/6 definitions] |
| acceptable |
good enough to be accepted or approved of. |
| accepting |
having become able to regard something unwanted as unavoidable and not to be fought against; resigned. [1/2 definitions] |
| access |
the characteristic of being able to be reached. [1/5 definitions] |
| accessible |
able to be entered. [2 definitions] |
| accidental |
in music, a symbol that indicates that a note should be played or sung one or two semitones higher or lower than is otherwise indicated. In most cases, the pitch is to be raised or lowered by one half step, as from F natural to F sharp. [1/5 definitions] |
| accommodate |
to be or become adaptable; conform. [1/6 definitions] |