| 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] |
| Aphrodite |
in Greek mythology, the goddess of love and beauty; Venus. [2 definitions] |
| aphtha |
a small white spot or blister on the lips or in the mouth or intestines that is a symptom of certain viral or fungal infections. |
| Apia |
the capital of Western Samoa. |
| apiary |
a place where bees are kept in beehives, usu. for their honey. |