| 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). |
| acetylcholine |
in biochemistry, the substance produced during nerve conduction that transmits nerve impulses across synapses and causes muscles to move. [1/2 definitions] |
| Achaean |
of or pertaining to the culture of the inhabitants of this region during the time of the ancient Greeks. [1/3 definitions] |
| Aegean |
of or pertaining to the culture of the inhabitants of this region during the Bronze Age. [1/3 definitions] |
| afternoons |
in or during any, every, or a usual afternoon. |
| Agent Orange |
an extremely toxic defoliant widely used by U.S. armed forces during the Vietnam War and now believed to cause cancer and birth defects. |
| airlift |
the systematic transportation of people or supplies by air when ground routes are impossible or dangerous to use, esp. in a battle zone or during an emergency. [1/2 definitions] |
| alchemy |
an ancient exploration and practice of chemistry which flourished particularly during medieval times. Practitioners used chemical processes in the hope of, for example, producing gold from base metals, finding the key to eternal life, and uncovering a single cure for all disease. [1/2 definitions] |
| alibi |
the legal defense of establishing one's location away from the scene of a crime during its commission. [1/4 definitions] |
| antitank |
designed for use against tanks or other armored vehicles during combat. |
| Anzac |
a soldier in the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during World War I (acronym for "Australia and New Zealand Army Corps"). [1/2 definitions] |
| Archean |
of, relating to, or designating the earlier of two geological periods of the Precambrian Era, ending approximately 2.5 billion years ago, during which highly crystalline igneous and metamorphic rocks were formed; Early Precambrian; Archeozoic; azoic. [1/2 definitions] |
| ark |
(sometimes cap.) according to the Old Testament, a large boat built by Noah to preserve life during the Flood. [1/4 definitions] |
| as1 |
during the time that; while. [1/11 definitions] |
| aspiration |
the exhalation of breath during speech. [1/2 definitions] |
| attorney |
one whose profession is to give legal advice and to act as a representative in court during legal proceedings; lawyer; attorney-at-law. |
| atty. |
abbreviation of "attorney," one whose profession is to give legal advice and to act as a representative in court during legal proceedings; lawyer; attorney-at-law. |
| Augustan |
a writer during one of the Augustan periods. [1/3 definitions] |
| auto-da-fé |
the public announcement of the judgment and sentences passed and imposed on people tried as heretics during the Spanish Inquisition. [1/2 definitions] |
| autointoxication |
in pathology, poisoning caused by toxic substances that have developed within the body itself, as in the intestines during digestion; autotoxemia. |
| axis |
(cap.) the alliance of Germany, Italy, Japan, and other nations during the Second World War (prec. by "the"). [1/4 definitions] |