| alveolar |
of or pertaining to small cavities such as the terminal air sacs of the lungs or the cells of a honeycomb. [1/4 definitions] |
| alveolus |
a small cavity or pit, such as one of the terminal air sacs of the lungs or one cell of a honeycomb. [1/2 definitions] |
| anaerobe |
any of various microorganisms, such as certain bacteria, that are capable of living without air or oxygen. |
| antiaircraft |
designed for defense, esp. by ground-based weapons, against enemy air attack. [2 definitions] |
| areaway |
a sunken area in front of basement doors or windows allowing access from outside, or permitting light and air to pass through. [1/2 definitions] |
| Argand burner |
an oil or gas burner having a metal tube inside a cylindrical wick, through which air is conducted directly to the flame. |
| artificial respiration |
the resumption or continuation of a person's breathing, as by forcing air into and out of the person's lungs. |
| aspirate |
in phonetics, to pronounce (a speech sound) with an audible release or rush of air, as the "h" in "helium" or the "p" in "pickle". [2/5 definitions] |
| atmosphere |
the air of a particular place. [1/3 definitions] |
| autogiro |
an aircraft that is pulled forward by a conventional propeller and held up in the air by a large horizontal rotor mounted on top of the fuselage. |
| backwash |
in aeronautical terminology, air that a propeller, jet engine, or the like pushes toward the rear of an airplane. [1/4 definitions] |
| ball lightning |
a rare form of lightning manifested in the form of a glowing reddish ball, approximately six inches to a foot in diameter, that moves rapidly along the ground or in the air until it disintegrates. |
| balloon |
a large bag made of thin material designed to inflate and be lifted off the ground when filled with hot air or a gas that is lighter than air. [2/8 definitions] |
| balloon tire |
a wide tire with deep walls that is inflated with relatively low air pressure to cushion shocks or facilitate travel on sand. |
| BB |
a small shot of .18 inch diameter, used in an air rifle or air pistol. |
| BB gun |
an air gun that shoots BB shot. |
| bellows |
(used with a sing. or pl. verb) a device with a flexible, valved air chamber that can be expanded to draw in air and compressed to expel it through a nozzle, used to blow air on a fire or to sound a musical instrument. [1/3 definitions] |
| Bessemer process |
a process for making steel by blasting hot compressed air through molten pig iron to remove impurities. |
| blackout |
the extinguishing or hiding of all the lights of a city or region, as in a power failure or air raid. [1/4 definitions] |
| blade |
a thin, flat part of a device or mechanism that pushes something such as air or water as it moves. [1/6 definitions] |
| blast furnace |
a large, vertical furnace in which metal, esp. iron, is smelted from ore by means of heat intensified by a blast of air forced in at the bottom. |