<B>A.A.U.</B> or <B>AAU</B> (no periods),<DL COMPACT><DD> Amateur Athletic Union (of the United States). </DL>
<A NAME="aaup">
<B>A.A.U.P.</B> or <B>AAUP</B> (no periods),<DL COMPACT><DD> American Association of University Professors. </DL>
<A NAME="aauw">
<B>A.A.U.W.</B> or <B>AAUW</B> (no periods),<DL COMPACT><DD> American Association of University Women. </DL>
<A NAME="ab">
<B>Ab, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the eleventh (or, in leap year, the twelfth) month of the Jewish civil year, and the fifth month of the ecclesiastical year, beginning in July or in the first part of August. </DL>
<A NAME="ab">
<B>ab-</B> (1),<DL COMPACT><DD> (prefix.) from; away; away from; off. <BR> <I>Ex. Abnormal = away from normal.</I> <DL COMPACT><DD> Also: <B>a-</B> before <I>m, p, v;</I> <B>abs-</B> before <I>c, t.</I> </DL>
</DL>
<A NAME="ab">
<B>ab-</B> (2),<DL COMPACT><DD> (prefix.) the form of <B>ad-</B> before <I>b,</I> as in <I>abbreviate.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="ab">
<B>ab-</B> (3),<DL COMPACT><DD> a prefix in the names of theoretical electromagnetic units of measurement, such as <I>abampere</I> or <I>abhenry,</I> in the centimeter-gram-second system of measurement. </DL>
<A NAME="ab">
<B>ab.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> about. </DL>
<A NAME="ab">
<B>a.b.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>able-bodied (seaman). <DD><B> 2. </B>(Baseball.) (times) at bat. </DL>
<A NAME="ab">
<B>Ab</B> (no period),<DL COMPACT><DD> (Chemistry.) alabamine (the name originally used for <I>astatine</I>). </DL>
<A NAME="ab">
<B>AB</B> (no periods),<DL COMPACT><DD> one of the four major blood factors or groups widely used to determine blood compatibility in transfusions. A person with AB type blood can receive blood of either the AB, A, B, or O group. </DL>
<A NAME="ab">
<B>A.B.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>able-bodied (seaman). <DD><B> 2. </B>(Baseball.) (times) at bat. <DD><B> 3. </B>Also, <B>B.A.</B> Bachelor of Arts, a college degree usually given in the United States for four years' study (or the equivalent) beyond high school and generally with the emphasis on liberal arts (Latin, <I>Artium Baccalaureus</I>). </DL>
<A NAME="aba">
<B>aba, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a gownlike, sleeveless outer garment worn by Arabs. <DD><B> 2. </B>a woolen fabric, usually striped, made in Arabia, Syria, and neighboring countries. <DD><B> 3. </B>a coarse, thick, heavily felted woolen cloth, originally made and worn by Hungarian peasants. Also, <B>abba,</B> <B>abaya.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="aba">
<B>ABA</B> (no periods),<DL COMPACT><DD> abscisic acid. </DL>
<A NAME="abaca">
<B>abaca, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a strong fiber made from the leaves of a Philippine plant, used for making rope, fabrics, and matting; Manila hemp. <BR> <I>Ex. Many of the natives wear abaca slippers (Colby and Foster).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>the plant itself, related to the banana and now also grown in Central America. </DL>
<A NAME="abacist">
<B>abacist, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person skilled in using an abacus. <BR> <I>Ex. A Japanese abacist trounced an American operating a modern calculating machine (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="aback">
<B>aback, </B>adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Archaic.) backward. <BR><I>expr. <B>taken aback,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>suddenly surprised; upset or confused by something unexpected. </I> <I>Ex. John was taken aback by his friend's angry answer.</I> (SYN) disconcerted, abashed, startled. <DD><B> b. </B>(of a ship) caught by a head wind that presses the sails back against the mast, instantly stopping the ship. <BR> <I>Ex. The "Captain" [a ship] was taken as flat aback as could be by a squall striking her from starboard (London Daily News).</I> <DD><B> c. </B>(of sails) caught on the forward surface by the wind. <BR> <I>Ex. The ship nearly lost its mast when its sails were suddenly taken aback by the shifting gale.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="abactinal">
<B>abactinal, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Zoology.) <DD><B> 1. </B>located at a distance from the mouth or oral area: aboral. <DD><B> 2. </B>lacking tentacles or rays. <BR> <I>Ex. the abactinal end of a sea anemone.</I> adv. <B>abactinally.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="abaculus">
<B>abaculus, </B>noun, pl. <B>-li.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>one of the little cubes or slabs of colored glass, enamel, or stone used in mosaic work or marquetry; tessera. <DD><B> 2. </B>a small abacus. </DL>
<A NAME="abacus">
<B>abacus, </B>noun, pl. <B>-cuses,</B> <B>-ci.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a frame with rows of counters or beads used for adding and other tasks in arithmetic by the ancient Greeks and Romans and in China and other Asian countries. It is also used in schools to teach place value in the number system and to teach blind children arithmetic. <DD><B> 2. </B>a slab forming the top of a capital of a column. </DL>
<A NAME="abaddon">
<B>Abaddon, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>Apollyon, the destroying angel; angel of hell (in the Bible, Revelation 9:11). <DD><B> 2. </B>the place of the lost; bottomless pit; hell. </DL>
<A NAME="abaft">
<B>abaft, </B>adverb, preposition.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adv. </I> at or toward the back of a ship; aft; astern. <DD><I>prep. </I> back of; behind; astern of. <BR><I>expr. <B>abaft the mast.</B> </I>See under <B>mast</B> (1). </DL>
<A NAME="abalone">
<B>abalone, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a mollusk that can be eaten, especially one native to salt water along the Pacific coast of North America. Its large, rather flat shell is lined with mother-of-pearl. </DL>
<A NAME="abampere">
<B>abampere, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the basic theoretical electromagnetic unit of current in the centimeter-gram-second system, equal to 10 amperes. </DL>
<A NAME="abandon">
<B>abandon</B> (1), transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to give up entirely. <BR> <I>Ex. She abandoned her hope of being a nurse.</I> (SYN) relinquish, renounce, drop, discard. <DD><B> 2. </B>to desert, forsake, or leave without intending to return. <BR> <I>Ex. A good mother would not abandon her baby. Abandon ship!</I> (SYN) quit. <DD><B> 3. </B>to give (oneself) up completely (to a feeling or impulse); surrender. <BR> <I>Ex. The lost child abandoned himself to despair.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Obsolete.) to banish. noun <B>abandoner.</B> noun <B>abandonment.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="abandon">
<B>abandon</B> (2), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a yielding to natural impulses; freedom from self-control or restraint. <BR> <I>Ex. to dance with youthful abandon. The students on the winning side cheered with abandon.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="abandoned">
<B>abandoned, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>deserted; forsaken. <BR> <I>Ex. The boys often play in the abandoned house.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>wicked; immoral. <BR> <I>Ex. Gangsters live an abandoned life.</I> (SYN) dissolute, profligate, depraved. <DD><B> 3. </B>unrestrained. <BR> <I>Ex. abandoned laughter.</I> adv. <B>abandonedly.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="abandonee">
<B>abandonee, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Law.) a person to whom something is abandoned, especially the underwriter to whom the salvage of a wrecked vessel is abandoned. </DL>
<A NAME="abas">
<B>a bas,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (French.) down with (the person or thing named). <BR> <I>Ex. "A bas le roi!" means "Down with the king!"</I> </DL>
<A NAME="abase">
<B>abase, </B>transitive verb, <B>abased,</B> <B>abasing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to bring down; make lower in rank, condition, or character: <DD><B> a. </B>to degrade. <BR> <I>Ex. A man who betrays his country abases himself.</I> (SYN) debase, demean, dishonor. <DD><B> b. </B>to humble; humiliate. <BR> <I>Ex. to abase oneself before God.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Archaic.) to cast down. noun <B>abasement.</B> noun <B>abaser.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="abash">
<B>abash, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> to make uneasy, shy, and somewhat ashamed; embarrass and confuse; disconcert. <BR> <I>Ex. The boy was not abashed by the laughter of his classmates. ... a man whom no denial, no scorn could abash (Henry Fielding).</I> (SYN) chagrin, confound. noun <B>abashment.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="abashed">
<B>abashed, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> embarrassed and confused. <BR> <I>Ex. The shy, abashed girl rushed from the room as it filled with strangers.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="abasia">
<B>abasia, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> total or partial loss of the ability to coordinate the muscles used in walking. </DL>
<A NAME="abask">
<B>abask, </B>adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD> in pleasant warmth. </DL>
<A NAME="abatable">
<B>abatable, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> that can be abated. </DL>
<A NAME="abate">
<B>abate, </B>verb, <B>abated,</B> <B>abating.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to make less in force or intensity; decrease; diminish. <BR> <I>Ex. The medicine abated his pain. Soft words did not abate her fury.</I> (SYN) lessen. <DD><B> 2a. </B>to put an end to (a nuisance or an action). <BR> <I>Ex. We can abate the smoke nuisance by heating with gas.</I> (SYN) stop. <DD><B> b. </B>to render (a writ) null and void. <DD><B> 3. </B>to deduct something from; reduce. <BR> <I>Ex. to abate a tax.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Archaic.) to omit. <DD><B> 5. </B>(Archaic.) to bring down. <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to become less in force or intensity; diminish. <BR> <I>Ex. Although the rain has abated somewhat, the wind is still blowing very hard.</I> (SYN) lessen. <DD><B> 2a. </B>(of an action or a nuisance) to be at an end. <DD><B> b. </B>(of a writ) to become null and void. noun <B>abater,</B> <B>abator.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="abatement">
<B>abatement, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a decrease; lessening. <BR> <I>Ex. I had much abatement of my hopes; though not a total frustration (Oliver Cromwell).</I> (SYN) diminution, mitigation. <DD><B> 2. </B>an amount abated; reduction. (SYN) deduction. <DD><B> 3. </B>the act or process of putting an end to something. <DD><B> 4. </B>(Heraldry.) a mark of dishonor. </DL>
<A NAME="abatis">
<B>abatis, </B>noun, pl. <B>-tis.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a barricade of trees cut down and placed with their sharpened branches directed toward the enemy. <DD><B> 2. </B>a barricade of barbed wire. </DL>
<A NAME="abattery">
<B>A battery,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a low-voltage battery connected to both ends of the filament in an electron tube, for heating the filament. </DL>
<A NAME="abattoir">
<B>abattoir, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a slaughterhouse. <DD><B> 2. </B>a place of physical punishment, such as a boxing or wrestling ring or a bullfighting arena. </DL>
<A NAME="abaxial">
<B>abaxial, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> not in the axis. </DL>
