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apathy absence of desire or emotion. [2 definitions]
apatosaur another name for brontosaurus; apatosaurus.
apatosaurus see "apatosaur."
APB a general bulletin or alert sent to many law-enforcement agencies; all-points bulletin.
APC a pain-relieving white substance consisting of aspirin, phenacetin, and caffeine, usu. taken to reduce fevers.
ape any of a group of primates, such as the gorilla, chimpanzee, gibbon, or orangutan. Apes are large mammals and do not have tails. [5 definitions]
ape-man an extinct primate representing the transitional point in evolution between apes and modern man. (Cf. missing link.)
aperçu (French) a quick glimpse; glance. [3 definitions]
aperient mildly laxative. [2 definitions]
aperiodic occurring without regular intervals or cycles; not periodic.
apéritif a drink, esp. of an alcoholic beverage, taken before a meal to stimulate the appetite.
aperture a narrow opening, such as a hole, crack, gap, or slit. [2 definitions]
apetalous without petals.
apex the uppermost point; tip; summit; vertex. [2 definitions]
aphasia partial or total loss of the ability to use or to understand spoken or written language, usu. as a result of damage to the brain.
aphelion the point that is farthest from the sun in the orbit of a planet or comet.
apheresis the dropping or omission of a letter, sound, or the like at the beginning of a word, as in "scuse" for "excuse".
aphesis the loss or dropping of an unstressed vowel at the beginning of a word, such as the "a" from "adobe".
aphid a small soft-bodied and slow-moving insect that feeds by sucking the juices of plants; plant louse.
aphorism a terse, sometimes witty statement of a general truth or observation; adage.
aphrodisiac a substance, such as a food or drug, that arouses sexual desire. [2 definitions]