| abandon |
to give up (a structure or place) by withdrawing from it. [1/6 definitions] |
| acquired characteristic |
a change in the structure or function of a living organism that is caused by environmental factors and may not be transmitted genetically. |
| aerie |
a house or fortified structure located on a height. [1/2 definitions] |
| air bladder |
an air-filled sac in various animals and plants, esp. such a structure located near the spine of certain fish that functions to maintain buoyancy by regulating hydrostatic pressure. (See swim bladder.) |
| ala |
a wing or winglike part or structure on a living organism. |
| altar |
a raised structure, often a table or platform, upon or at which sacrifices or other religious ceremonies are performed. |
| ambient |
of music, characterized by sound and pattern rather than distinct notes of melody or rhythmic structure. [2/3 definitions] |
| amorphous |
not organized into an obvious structure. [1/2 definitions] |
| anacoluthon |
a sudden shift within a sentence from one grammatical structure to another, esp. when done for rhetorical effect. |
| analogue |
in biology, an organ or structure similar to another of different evolutionary origin. [1/2 definitions] |
| anastrophe |
reversal of the normal sentence structure or word order, as in the sentence "To the battlefield rode the commanders." |
| anatomical |
of or pertaining to the structure of a plant or animal. [1/2 definitions] |
| anatomize |
to dissect (a plant or animal) in order to examine in detail the structure or location of various parts. [1/2 definitions] |
| anatomy |
the structure of an organism or of its parts. [2/4 definitions] |
| ancien régime |
(French) the political and social structure of France before the French Revolution in 1789. [1/2 definitions] |
| angular |
having a bony structure, as a person's body. [1/3 definitions] |
| animal |
a living creature that is generally distinguished from plants by its cellular structure and by the ability to move voluntarily. [1/5 definitions] |
| annulus |
a ring-shaped part, structure, or area. |
| anomie |
a breakdown or lack of values, norms, or structure in a society. [1/3 definitions] |
| aqueduct |
a bridgelike structure designed to carry a waterway or pipe across a river or valley. [1/2 definitions] |
| arbor vitae |
the treelike structure of the white matter in the cerebellum when viewed in longitudinal cross section. |