(biology) Loss during evolution of the final stages of the ancestral ontogenetic pattern.
(linguistics) A shortened or contracted form of a word or phrase, used to represent the whole, utilizing omission of letters, and sometimes substitution of letters, or duplication of initial letters to signify plurality, including signs such as +, =, @.
(mathematics) Reduction to lower terms, as a fraction.
(music) A notation used in music score to denote a direction, as pp or mf.
(music) One or more dashes through the stem of a note, dividing it respectively into quavers, semiquavers, demisemiquavers, or hemidemisemiquavers.
Any convenient short form used as a substitution for an understood or inferred whole.
The process of abbreviating.
The result of shortening or reducing; abridgment.
abbreviations
abbreviations
noun
plural of abbreviation
abbroachment
abdominoanterior
abdominohysterectomy
abdominohysterectomy
noun
(surgery) Removal of the uterus via an incision made in the abdominal wall rather than via the vagina.
abdominohysterotomy
abdominohysterotomy
noun
(surgery) An incision of the uterus, done through a surgical hole in the abdomen.
abdominoposterior
abenteric
abenteric
adj
(pathology) Relating to organs outside of the intestine.
abernant
abernathy
abernethy
abernethy
Proper noun
A village in Perth and Kinross, Scotland
aberrant
aberrant
adj
(botany, zoology) Deviating from the ordinary or natural type; exceptional; abnormal.
(sometimes figuratively) Straying from the right way; deviating from morality or truth.
Differing from the norm.
noun
(biology) A group, individual, or structure that deviates from the usual or natural type, especially with an atypical chromosome number.
A person or object that deviates from the rest of a group.
aberrantly
aberrantly
adv
In an aberrant manner; abnormally.
aberrants
aberrants
noun
plural of aberrant
aberrating
aberrating
verb
present participle of aberrate
aberration
aberration
noun
(astronomy) A small periodical change of the apparent positions of the stars and other heavenly bodies, due to the combined effect of the motion of light and the motion of the observer.
(astronomy, by extension) The tendency of light rays to preferentially strike the leading face of a moving object (the effect underlying the above phenomenon).
(electronics) A defect in an image produced by an optical or electrostatic lens system.
(medicine) A deviation of a tissue, organ or mental functions from what is considered to be within the normal range.
(optics) The convergence to different foci, by a lens or mirror, of rays of light emanating from one and the same point, or the deviation of such rays from a single focus; a defect in a focusing mechanism that prevents the intended focal point.
(zoology, botany) A typical development or structure; deviation from the normal type; an aberrant organ.
A mental disorder, especially one of a minor or temporary character.
A partial alienation of reason.
The act of wandering; deviation from truth, moral rectitude; abnormal; divergence from the straight, correct, proper, normal, or from the natural state.
aberrational
aberrational
adj
Characterized by aberration.
aberrations
aberrations
noun
plural of aberration
aberuncate
aberuncate
verb
(rare, transitive) To eradicate; to pull up by the roots.
aberuncator
aberuncator
noun
A pruning device mounted on a pole, so as to reach high branches; a weeding machine.
abhorrent
abhorrent
adj
(archaic) Inconsistent with, or far removed from, something; strongly opposed.
Abhorring; detesting; having or showing abhorrence; loathing.
Contrary to something; discordant.
Detestable or repugnant.
abhorrently
abhorrently
adv
In a manner, or to a degree, that is abhorrent; with abhorrence.
abjurement
abjurement
noun
(rare) renunciation
abnegator
abnegator
noun
(rare) One who abnegates, denies, or rejects.
abnegators
abnegators
noun
plural of abnegator
abnormalities
abnormalities
noun
plural of abnormality
abnormities
abnormities
noun
plural of abnormity
aborsement
aborsement
noun
(obsolete) Abortment; abortion
abortient
abortient
adj
(archaic, medicine) Reproductively sterile or miscarrying.
noun
(archaic, medicine) Abortifacient; an agent producing abortion.
abortifacient
abortifacient
adj
(pharmacology) Producing miscarriage.
noun
(pharmacology) A drug or an agent that induces an abortion.
abortiveness
abortiveness
noun
(countable) The result or product of being abortive.
(uncountable) The quality of being abortive.
abortogenic
abortogenic
adj
Causing abortion; abortifacient.
noun
A substance that induces abortion; an abortifacient.
abranchiate
abranchiate
adj
(zoology) Without gills.
noun
(zoology) An organism that does not have gills.
abreacting
abreacting
verb
present participle of abreact
abreaction
abreaction
noun
(psychoanalysis) The re-living of an experience with a view to purging its emotional dross.
(US) An epitome or compend, as of a book; a shortened or abridged form; an abbreviation.
(US) The act of abridging; reduction or deprivation
(US) The state of being abridged or lessened.
(dated, law) Any of various brief statements of case law made before modern reporting of legal cases.
(law) The leaving out of certain portions of a plaintiff's demand, the writ still holding good for the remainder.
(obsolete) That which abridges or cuts short; hence, an entertainment that makes the time pass quickly
abridgments
abridgments
noun
plural of abridgment
abrotine
abrotine
noun
A colorless crystalline alkaloid obtained from abrotanum, C₂₁H₂₂N₂O.
abruptiones
abruptness
abruptness
noun
Suddenness; unceremonious haste or vehemence.
The state of being abrupt or broken
abruptnesses
abruptnesses
noun
plural of abruptness
absenter
absenter
adj
(rare) comparative form of absent: more absent
noun
One who stays away; one who absents herself or himself.
absenters
absenters
noun
plural of absenter
absorbefacient
absorbefacient
adj
(medicine) Inducing or increasing absorption (of a drug).
noun
(medicine) Any such medicine that induces absorption.
absorbent
absorbent
adj
Having the ability or tendency to absorb; able to soak up liquid easily; absorptive.
noun
(chemistry) A liquid used in the process of separating gases or volatile liquids, in oil refining.
(medicine) Any substance which absorbs and neutralizes acid fluid in the stomach and bowels, as magnesia, chalk, etc.; also a substance, e.g., iodine, which acts on the absorbent vessels so as to reduce enlarged and indurated parts.
(physiology, pluralized, now rare) The vessels by which the processes of absorption are carried on, as the lymphatics in animals, the extremities of the roots in plants.
Anything which absorbs.
absorbents
absorbents
noun
plural of absorbent
absorptance
absorptance
noun
(optics, physics) Absorbed radiation and incident radiation in a ratio format; a measurement that shows how well a surface absorbs radiation.
absorptances
absorptances
noun
plural of absorptance
absorptiveness
absorptiveness
noun
The quality of being absorptive; absorptive power.
abstainer
abstainer
noun
Agent noun of abstain; one who abstains; especially, one who abstains from something, such as the use of alcohol or drugs, or one who abstains for religious reasons; one who practices self-denial.
abstainers
abstainers
noun
plural of abstainer
abstergent
abstergent
adj
Cleansing, detergent.
noun
A substance used to cleanse; a detergent.
absterging
absterging
verb
present participle of absterge
abstersion
abstersion
noun
(archaic) Act of wiping clean; a cleansing; a purging.
abstersiveness
abstersiveness
noun
The quality of being abstersive.
abstertion
abstractedness
abstractedness
noun
The state of being abstracted; abstract character.
abstractiveness
abstractiveness
noun
The property of being abstractive.
abstractness
abstractness
noun
The quality of being abstract.
abstractnesses
abstractnesses
noun
plural of abstractness
abstrahent
abstruseness
abstruseness
noun
The property of being abstruse; abstrusity.
abstrusenesses
abstrusenesses
noun
plural of abstruseness
abterminal
abterminal
adj
(anatomy, of an electrical current in a muscle) Away from the end and towards the centre
abthainrie
acanthocereus
acanthomeridae
acanthopore
acanthopore
noun
(paleontology) A tubular spine in some bryozoans.
acanthopteran
acanthopteran
noun
Alternative form of acanthopterygian
acanthopteri
acanthopteri
noun
(zoology) A group of teleostean fishes having spiny fins. See Acanthopterygii.
acanthopterous
acanthopterous
adj
(zoology) Acanthopterygious
(zoology) Spiny-winged.
acanthopterygian
acanthopterygian
adj
(zoology) Similar to an acanthopterygian.
noun
(zoology) Any fish of the superorder Acanthopterygii.
acanthopterygii
acanthuridae
accelerant
accelerant
adj
Causing acceleration or speeding up; accelerating.
noun
(figurative) Something that speeds up a process or the uptake of something else.
A substance used to catalyze the vulcanization of rubber.
In the context of fire protection, a substance that accelerates the development of a fire, especially some hydrocarbon-based fuel used to spread a fire caused by arson.
accelerants
accelerants
noun
plural of accelerant
accelerating
accelerating
noun
An act of acceleration.
verb
present participle of accelerate
acceleratingly
acceleratingly
adv
In an accelerating manner.
acceleration
acceleration
noun
(countable) The amount by which a speed or velocity increases (and so a scalar quantity or a vector quantity).
(physics) The change of velocity with respect to time (can include deceleration or changing direction).
(uncountable) The act of accelerating, or the state of being accelerated; increase of motion or action; as opposed to retardation or deceleration.
The advancement of students at a rate that places them ahead of where they would be in the regular school curriculum.
accelerations
accelerations
noun
plural of acceleration
accentor
accentor
noun
(music, obsolete) One who sings the leading part; the director or leader.
(obsolete) The ovenbird, Seiurus aurocapilla.
Any bird of the Eurasian genus Prunella, such as the dunnock.
accentors
accentors
noun
plural of accentor
accentuator
accentuator
noun
An agent that accentuates.
accersition
accidentarily
accidentary
accidentary
adj
(obsolete) accidental; occurring by chance; occasional
(obsolete) logically accidental; non-essential
accipitrine
accipitrine
adj
(ornithology) Like or belonging to the Accipitres; raptorial; hawklike.
noun
A hawk or a hawk-like bird.
accipitrines
accipitrines
noun
plural of accipitrine
accounter
accounter
noun
A person providing an account of events.
A person providing an accounting of expenditure or other actions.
accounters
accounters
noun
plural of accounter
accountrement
accoutering
accoutering
verb
present participle of accouter
accouterment
accouterment
noun
(archaic) The act of accoutering; furnishing.
(by extension) An identifying yet superficial characteristic.
(chiefly in the plural) An article of clothing or equipment, in particular when used as an accessory.
(military, chiefly in the plural) A soldier's equipment, other than weapons and uniform.
accouterments
accouterments
noun
plural of accouterment
accoutrement
accoutrement
noun
(Commonwealth) Alternative form of accouterment
accoutrements
accoutrements
noun
plural of accoutrement
accreditation
accreditation
noun
(education) The granting of approval to an institution of higher learning by an official review board after the school has met certain requirements.
The act of accrediting.
The giving of credentials.
accreditations
accreditations
noun
plural of accreditation
accrediting
accrediting
verb
present participle of accredit
accreditment
accreditment
noun
The process of becoming accredited.
accrementitial
accrementitial
adj
(physiology) Pertaining to accrementition.
accrementition
accrementition
noun
(physiology) The process of generation by development of blastema, or fission of cells, in which the new formation is in all respect like the individual from which it proceeds.
accrescent
accrescent
adj
(botany) Which keeps growing past the point it normally would stop and begin wilting.
Growing; increasing.
accreting
accreting
verb
present participle of accrete
accretion
accretion
noun
(astrophysics) The formation of planets and other bodies by collection of material through gravity.
(biology) A growing together of parts naturally separate, as of the fingers or toes.
(geology) The gradual increase of land by deposition of water-borne sediment.
(law) Gain to an heir or legatee; failure of a coheir to the same succession, or a co-legatee of the same thing, to take his share percentage.
(law) The adhering of property to something else, by which the owner of one thing becomes possessed of a right to another; generally, gain of land by the washing up of sand or sail from the sea or a river, or by a gradual recession of the water from the usual watermark.
Concretion; coherence of separate particles.
Something added externally to promote the external growth of an item.
The act of increasing by natural growth; especially the increase of organic bodies by the internal accession of parts; organic growth.
The act of increasing, or the matter added, by an accession of parts externally; an extraneous addition.
accretionary
accretionary
adj
Of, pertaining to, or in the form of an accretion
accretions
accretions
noun
plural of accretion
accriminate
accriminate
verb
(transitive, obsolete) To accuse of a crime.
accroachment
accroachment
noun
(obsolete) An encroachment; usurpation.
accruement
accruement
noun
The act of accruing.
accruements
accruements
noun
plural of accruement
accurateness
accurateness
noun
The state or quality of being accurate; accuracy
accuratenesses
aceanthrene
aceanthrenequinone
acentric
acentric
adj
Not centered; without a centre
noun
A segment of a chromosome that lacks a centromere
acentrous
acentrous
adj
(ichthyology) lacking vertebral centra
acerbating
acerbating
verb
present participle of acerbate
acertannin
acertannin
noun
(organic chemistry) The tannin 1,5-anhydro-2,6-bis-O-(3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoyl)-D-glucitol present in leaves of the maple Acer ginnala
acervation
acervation
noun
(obsolete, rare) A heaping up; accumulation
acetarsone
acetarsone
noun
Synonym of acetarsol
acetoarsenite
acetoarsenite
noun
(chemistry) Any mixed salt containing both acetate and arsenite anions
acetobromanilide
acetomorphin
acetomorphine
acetomorphine
noun
heroin
acetonitrile
acetonitrile
noun
(organic chemistry) The simplest organic cyanide or nitrile, CH₃CN, formally derived from acetic acid
acetonuria
acetonuria
noun
(pathology) A form of ketonuria characterized by the presence of acetone in the urine
acetonurometer
acetopiperone
acetopyrin
acetopyrine
acetopyrine
noun
(medicine) An acetylsalicylate of antipyrine
acetostearin
acetoveratrone
acetoveratrone
noun
(organic chemistry) The ketone 3,4-dimethoxy-acetophenone derived from veratrole
acetylcholinesterase
acetylcholinesterase
noun
(biochemistry) An enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine into choline and acetic acid.
acetylenediurein
acetylhydrazine
acetylhydrazine
noun
(organic chemistry) The acylhydrazine of acetic acid CH₃CO-NH-NH₂
acetylmethylcarbinol
acetylmethylcarbinol
noun
(organic chemistry) acetoin
acetylphenylhydrazine
acetylrosaniline
acetyltropeine
acharnement
acharnement
noun
(obsolete) Savage fierceness; ferocity.
acherontic
acherontic
adj
Alternative form of Acherontic
acherontical
achondrite
achondrite
noun
(astronomy, geology) Any stony meteorite that contains no chondrules
achondrites
achondrites
noun
plural of achondrite
achroanthes
achrodextrin
achrodextrin
noun
(biochemistry, cytology) A form of dextrin that is not colourable by iodine