<B>Adamesque, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of the style of Robert and James Adam. <BR> <I>Ex. The linked wreaths in the fireplace and friezes ... suggest that James Wyatt may have been the designer in his early Adamesque phase (London Times).</I> <DL COMPACT><DD> See <B>Adam</B> (2). </DL>
</DL>
<A NAME="adamic">
<B>Adamic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>of or having to do with Adam. <DD><B> 2. </B>like Adam. adv. <B>Adamically.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="adamical">
<B>Adamical, </B>adjective. <B>=Adamic.</B></DL>
<A NAME="adamite">
<B>adamite, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a yellow, hydrous zinc arsenate. </DL>
<B>Adamitic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>of an Adamite. <DD><B> 2. </B>like an Adamite. </DL>
<A NAME="adamsale">
<B>Adam's ale,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> water. </DL>
<A NAME="adamsapple">
<B>Adam's apple,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the slight lump at the front of a person's throat, formed by the thyroid cartilage of the larynx. It is normally more evident in men than in women. Its name derives from the notion that a piece of the forbidden fruit stuck in Adam's throat. </DL>
<A NAME="adamsite">
<B>adamsite, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a yellow, irritant smoke containing a poisonous form of arsenic, that causes sneezing, headache, vomiting, and temporary disablement, used as a harassing agent in chemical warfare; DM (no period). </DL>
<A NAME="adamsneedle">
<B>Adam's-needle, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> any one of several yuccas, especially a northern species much grown as a garden plant. </DL>
<B>adapt, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to make fit or suitable; adjust. <BR> <I>Ex. Cats can adapt themselves very well to indoor life. Can you adapt your way of working to the new job? But one of the striking facts of nature is the ability of living things to adapt themselves to practically any environment on earth (Scientific American).</I> (SYN) accommodate, temper. <DD><B> 2. </B>to change to fit a different use. <BR> <I>Ex. The boys adapted the old barn for use by the club. This motion picture has been adapted from a short story.</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> to become adjusted. <BR> <I>Ex. The Australopithecines ... were still in the process of adapting to erect progression (Science).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="adaptability">
<B>adaptability, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> power to change easily to fit different conditions; adaptable quality. <BR> <I>Ex. Japanese architecture has above all the qualities of elasticity and adaptability (Atlantic).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="adaptable">
<B>adaptable, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>easily changed to fit different conditions. <BR> <I>Ex. Mother has an adaptable schedule.</I> (SYN) flexible, pliant, malleable. <DD><B> 2. </B>changing easily to fit different conditions. <BR> <I>Ex. She is an adaptable person.</I> (SYN) flexible, pliant, malleable. noun <B>adaptableness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="adaptation">
<B>adaptation, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1a. </B>the act of adapting; changing to fit; adjustment (to different circumstances or conditions, usually over a period of time). <BR> <I>Ex. He made a good adaptation to his new school.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>the condition of being adapted or made to fit. <BR> <I>Ex. His adaptation to school away from home was painful and lonely.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>something made by changing to fit different conditions. <BR> <I>Ex. A motion picture is often an adaptation of a novel.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>a change in structure, form, or habits to fit different conditions. <BR> <I>Ex. Wings are adaptations of the front limbs for flight.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>adjustment of a sense organ, as the eye, to varying conditions. </DL>
<A NAME="adaptational">
<B>adaptational, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or involving adaptation. <BR> <I>Ex. The modifications which insect larvae undergo may be divided into two kinds--developmental, and adaptational or adaptive (Sir John Lubbock).</I> adv. <B>adaptationally.</B> </DL>
<B>adapted, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> fitted; suitable. <BR> <I>Ex. Florida has a climate adapted to the growing of oranges.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="adaptedness">
<B>adaptedness, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the state of being adapted or suited; adaptation. <BR> <I>Ex. ... the adaptedness of living matter to its environment (Beals and Hoijer).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="adapter">
<B>adapter</B> or <B>adaptor, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person or thing that adapts. <DD><B> 2. </B>a device for fitting parts to each other or a machine to a different use. </DL>
<B>adaptive, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1a. </B>of or characterized by adaptation. <DD><B> b. </B>showing adaptation. <DD><B> 2. </B>serving to adapt. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Biology.) enabling the organism to fit into a certain environment or situation. adv. <B>adaptively.</B> noun <B>adaptiveness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="adaptiveconvergence">
<B>adaptive convergence,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the tendency in distantly related animals or plants to assume similar characteristics, as of form, structure, or habits, under similar conditions. The similar shape of fish and whales is the result of adaptive convergence. </DL>
<A NAME="adaptiveoptics">
<B>adaptive optics,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> mirrors whose shape can be altered to compensate for the distortion of light by the atmosphere. <BR> <I>Ex. Adaptive optics, ... would enable telescopes to get crisp pictures ... but would also help improve mirrors used on spy satellites (Wall Street Journal).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="adaptiveradiation">
<B>adaptive radiation,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the evolution of closely related organisms into strikingly different forms because of different environmental requirements. The diverse forms of bats and mice result from adaptive radiation. </DL>
<A NAME="adaptivereuse">
<B>adaptive reuse,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the conversion and rehabilitation of older nonresidential buildings for residential use. <BR> <I>Ex. There are old school houses and factories that have undergone what preservationists call "adaptive reuse" (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="adaptometer">
<B>adaptometer, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a device for measuring the capacity of the eye to adapt to different conditions of light or distance. </DL>
<A NAME="adar">
<B>Adar, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the sixth month of the Jewish civil year, and the twelfth month of the ecclesiastical year, beginning in February or early March. </DL>
<A NAME="adarsheni">
<B>Adar Sheni, =Veadar.</B></DL>
<A NAME="adastraperaspera">
<B>ad astra per aspera,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Latin.) to the stars through difficulties (the motto of Kansas). </DL>
<A NAME="adat">
<B>adat, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (in Indonesia) a system of local customs stressing cooperation; law; custom. </DL>
<A NAME="adaxial">
<B>adaxial, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> on the side nearest to the axis. </DL>
<A NAME="aday">
<B>A-day, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B><B>=Able Day.</B> <DD><B> 2. </B>the date scheduled for the commencing or completing of anything. </DL>
<A NAME="adazzle">
<B>adazzle, </B>adverb, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> dazzling; brilliant. <BR> <I>Ex. The sky was once again adazzle with stars (Saturday Review).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="adc">
<B>ADC</B> (1) (no periods),<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>Aid to Dependent Children (a program of the federal and state governments in the United States to provide financial and medical assistance to needy children and the adults taking care of them). <DD><B> 2. </B>advanced developing country. <BR> <I>Ex. Foreign aid has contributed to the rise of a series of economically free and prosperous "ADCs," ... including South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Thailand (Time).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="adc">
<B>ADC</B> (2) (no periods) or <B>A.D.C.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>aide-de-camp. <DD><B> 2. </B>Air (or Aerospace) Defense Command. </DL>
<A NAME="adcaptandumvulgus">
<B>ad captandum vulgus,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Latin.) for the purpose of catching the crowd; intended to captivate the public. </DL>
<A NAME="add">
<B>add, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to find the sum of (numbers or quantities). <BR> <I>Ex. Add 8 and 2 and you have 10.</I> (SYN) total. <DD><B> 2. </B>to say further; go on to say or write. <BR> <I>Ex. She said good-by and added that she had had a pleasant visit.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to join (one thing to another or others); put together; put with. <BR> <I>Ex. Add more wood to the fire. She tasted her lemonade, then added sugar. The author added an index to his book.</I> (SYN) append, attach. <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to find the sum of numbers or quantities. <BR> <I>Ex. The little boy is learning to add and subtract.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to make or form an addition. <BR> <I>Ex. The fine day added to the pleasure of the picnic.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>add in,</B> </I>to include. <BR> <I>Ex. The figures are complete--the cost of transportation must be added in.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>add up,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>(Informal.) to make the correct, desired, or expected total. </I> <I>Ex. The figures made her cry. They wouldn't add up, she said (Dickens).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>(Informal.) to make sense; fit together. <BR> <I>Ex. The facts just don't add up.</I> <DD><B> c. </B>to find the sum of (a column or series of numbers). <BR> <I>Ex. This computer can add up a long list of numbers in less than a minute.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>add up to,</B> </I>(Informal.) to amount to. <BR> <I>Ex. The President's commission ... proposes a program ... which adds up almost to a condition of permanent mobilization (Baltimore Sun).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="add(noperiods)">
<B>ADD (no periods),</B><DL COMPACT><DD> attention deficit disorder. </DL>
<B>addable, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> that can be added. Also, <B>addible.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="addax">
<B>addax, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a large antelope with a heavy body, short legs, and long, loosely spiraled horns. It lives in the deserts of Arabia and North Africa. </DL>
<A NAME="addedline">
<B>added line,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Music.) a ledger line. </DL>
