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aldehyde in chemistry, any of a group of organic compounds, such as formaldehyde, the molecule of which contains a terminal carbon atom bound separately to a hydrogen and an oxygen atom.
alder any of several deciduous trees and shrubs of the birch family that grow in cool, damp regions.
alderman a member of the lawmaking body of some cities and towns; councilman or councilwoman.
ale a drink, made by fermenting malt, that is heavier and more bitter than beer.
aleatory pertaining to or depending on luck, chance, or contingency.
alee at or toward that side of a ship which is farthest from the source of wind.
a leg to stand on a valid or convincing basis for a point of view.
alehouse an establishment where ale is served; tavern.
alembic a device, used in the past for distillation, whose main vessel has a beaked top. [2 definitions]
aleph the name of the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
alert keenly attentive or responsive; quick to perceive. [3 definitions]
Aleut a member of a native people of the Aleutian Islands, or a descendant thereof; Aleutian. [2 definitions]
Aleutian of or pertaining to the Aleutian Islands or their people, culture, or the like. [2 definitions]
Aleutian Islands a chain of Alaskan islands that extends from the southwest coast toward Russia.
alewife1 a small fish, related to the herring and resembling the shad, found in North America in the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes.
alewife2 a female alehouse keeper.
Alexander Graham Bell U.S. inventor of the telephone (b.1847--d.1922).
Alexander the Great the king of Macedonia in 336-323 B.C. and conqueror of an empire that included Persia, Egypt, and part of Greece (356-323 B.C.).
Alexandria an Egyptian seaport on the Nile delta, founded by Alexander the Great.
Alexandrian of or pertaining to Alexander the Great or the period of his reign. [2 definitions]
alexandrine (sometimes cap.) in poetry, a twelve-syllable line with alternating unstressed and stressed syllables, usu. with a clear pause after six syllables. [2 definitions]