| anoint |
to confer a particular high status on by applying oil, as in a religious ritual. [1/2 definitions] |
| anticyclone |
a large system of winds that rotates around a center of high barometric pressure, moving clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern, and usu. producing cool, dry weather. (Cf. cyclone.) |
| anti-hero |
a central character in a story, novel, or play who lacks traditional heroic qualities, such as high purpose or moral strength. |
| a pretty penny |
(informal) a high price or large amount of money. |
| archangel |
a high-ranking celestial being, esp. in medieval Christian theology, a member of the nine orders of angels. [1/2 definitions] |
| archon |
a high-ranking magistrate in ancient Athens. [1/2 definitions] |
| aristocracy |
a high-ranking social class, having special privileges and influence and usu. determined by heredity. [1/5 definitions] |
| artist |
a person who does any act with a high level of skill or talent. [1/3 definitions] |
| audiophile |
someone with a great interest in high-fidelity sound reproduction. |
| austerity |
a tightened or stringent economy, as when there are high taxes, frozen wages, and shortages of consumer goods. [1/3 definitions] |
| baccarat |
a card game, often played for high stakes in European casinos, in which the dealer plays against several other players. |
| back road |
(often pl.) a country road or local road that avoids traffic as well as high speed travel. |
| badminton |
a sport in which players use light, long-handled rackets to propel a shuttlecock back and forth across a high net. |
| bake |
to cook using dry heat at a moderately high temperature. [1/5 definitions] |
| ballistic missile |
a long-range missile that reaches its target by falling freely at extremely high speed along a precalculated trajectory. |
| basalt |
a dense, fine-grained, dark-colored igneous rock created by lava flow that is rich in minerals containing magnesium and iron. The most common igneous rock on the Earth's surface due to its high abundance on the ocean floor. |
| basilisk |
any of various tropical American lizards characterized by an erectile crest on the head and the ability to run at high speeds. [1/2 definitions] |
| bass1 |
a person who sings the lowest part in a group of singers, especially in a group which is divided into four ranges of pitch from high to low. [1/5 definitions] |
| beau monde |
the world of high and fashionable society. |
| beep |
a short, usu. high-pitched warning signal. [1/3 definitions] |
| begum |
a high-ranking Muslim woman, often a widow. |