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. |
a-1 |
a prefix that means "on," "at," "into," or "to." |
A.A. |
abbreviation of "Associate in Arts," an undergraduate degree conferred on a person who has completed a curriculum in the liberal arts. |
aardvark |
a nocturnal mammal of southern Africa that has a long snout, long ears, and powerful claws for digging, and that feeds on ants using its extensile tongue. |
aardwolf |
a striped, nocturnal African mammal of the hyena family that feeds primarily on insects. |
abalone |
a large sea snail that has several shiny colors on the inside of its shell. Abalone are mollusks. People eat abalone meat and make decorations from the shells. |
ablaze |
on fire. [1/2 definitions] |
aboard |
on or into a ship, plane, bus, or plane; on board. [2 definitions] |
ABO system |
a classification system for the inherited antigens found on the surface of human red blood cells, which determine compatibility for blood transfusions. |
about |
on each side of; around. [1/8 definitions] |
about to |
ready to; just on the point of. |
above |
at, on, or to a higher place than something else. [1/2 definitions] |
abrasion |
a spot or patch that has been scraped, as on the skin. [1/2 definitions] |
absent |
not focused on the here and now; unattentive. [1/4 definitions] |
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 pitch |
the exact pitch of a single musical tone as determined by its rate of vibrations as measured on a standard scale. [1/2 definitions] |
absolute temperature |
temperature measured on a scale in which zero equals the lowest temperature that can be obtained physically. |
abstention |
in parliamentary procedure, a declaration that one intends not to vote on a motion. [1/2 definitions] |
abstract |
hard to understand because not based on one's experience of the world. [1/3 definitions] |
abut |
to adjoin or press against; be next to; border on. [2 definitions] |
Acadia |
a former French colony on the northeastern coast of Canada. |