<B>apricot, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a roundish, pale orange-colored fruit about the size of a plum, that has a downy skin something like that of a peach. <DD><B> 2. </B>the tree that it grows on, belonging to the rose family. <DD><B> 3. </B>a pale orange-yellow. <DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>pale orange-yellow. <DD><B> 2. </B>made of or from apricots. <BR> <I>Ex. apricot bread.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="april">
<B>April, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the fourth month of the year. It has 30 days. (Abbr:) Apr. </DL>
<A NAME="aprilfool">
<B>April fool,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a person who gets fooled on April Fools' Day. </DL>
<A NAME="aprilfoolsday">
<B>April Fools' Day</B> or <B>April Fool's Day,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> April 1, a day observed by fooling people with tricks and jokes; All Fools' Day. </DL>
<A NAME="apriori">
<B>a priori,<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. </B>(of reasoning, arguments, or statements) from cause to effect; from a general rule to a particular case. <DD><B> 2. </B>based on opinion or theory rather than on actual observation or experience. <BR> <I>Ex. Where we think this book unreasonable and lopsided in its conclusion, is, for instance, in its a priori reasoning that there have been no important or really "modern" composers since Wagner (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="apriorism">
<B>apriorism, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>something assumed as if known a priori. <BR> <I>Ex. Unwarrantable apriorisms, ... pure unproved assumptions (The American).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a priori reasoning or doctrine. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Philosophy.) belief in the doctrine of innate ideas. noun <B>apriorist.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="aprioristic">
<B>aprioristic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>having an a priori character. <BR> <I>Ex. ... the emotional and aprioristic idea of a continuous and inherent progress of civilization (Alfred L. Kroeber).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=a priori.</B> adv. <B>aprioristically.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="apriority">
<B>apriority, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the quality of being based on or derived from a priori reasoning. <DD><B> 2. </B>practice of a priori reasoning. </DL>
<A NAME="apron">
<B>apron, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a garment worn over the front part of the body to cover or protect clothes. <BR> <I>Ex. a kitchen apron, a carpenter's apron.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>an area in front of an airport terminal or hangar on which to park aircraft. <DD><B> 3. </B>the area of a stage in front of the curtain. <DD><B> 4a. </B>a protective structure or layer of material to prevent the washing away of a surface, such as a riverbank, by water. <DD><B> b. </B>a platform at the bottom of a sluice to intercept the fall of water. <DD><B> 5. </B>a kind of flat conveyor belt. <DD><B> 6. </B>a protective sheet or plate of metal on certain parts of guns, roofs, or machines. <DD><B> 7. </B>a sheet of sand and gravel in front of a glacial moraine. <DD><B> 8. </B>a leather covering for the legs in certain types of open vehicles. <DD><B> 9. </B>a thick mass of skin on the chest of a ram. <DD><I>v.t. </I> to provide with or as if with an apron. <BR> <I>Ex. Then he aproned me again, stropped his razor, and whipped up a lather (New Yorker).</I> adj. <B>apronlike.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="apronstage">
<B>apron stage,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a stage extending into the theater so that the audience faces it on three sides. </DL>
<A NAME="apronstrings">
<B>apron strings,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the cord or cords by which an apron is fastened on the wearer. <BR><I>expr. <B>tied to the apron strings,</B> </I>dependent on or dominated by (one's mother, wife, or other female associate). <BR> <I>Ex. He could not submit to be tied to the apron strings even of the best of wives (Macaulay).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="apropos">
<B>apropos, </B>adverb, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adv. </I> <B>1. </B>fittingly; opportunely. <DD><B> 2. </B>by the way (introducing an incidental observation or question). <DD><I>adj. </I> to the point; fitting; suitable. <BR> <I>Ex. Your remark is certainly apropos to what we are discussing.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>apropos of,</B> </I>with regard to. <BR> <I>Ex. Apropos of the party, what are you going to wear?</I> </DL>
<A NAME="aproposderien">
<B>a propos de rien,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (French.) apropos of nothing; not pertinent; irrelevant. </DL>
<A NAME="aprowl">
<B>aprowl, </B>adverb, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> prowling about; on the prowl. <BR> <I>Ex. Along Madison Avenue ... he bumped into a Dartmouth contemporary ... aprowl for something to edit (New Yorker).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="apse">
<B>apse, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a semicircular or many-sided recess in a church, usually at the east end. The roof of an apse is vaulted or arched. <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=apsis </B>(def. 1). </DL>
<A NAME="apsidal">
<B>apsidal, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>of or having to do with an apse. <DD><B> 2. </B>including or attached to an apse. </DL>
<A NAME="apsis">
<B>apsis, </B>noun, pl. <B>-sides.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>either of two points in the elliptical orbit of a heavenly body at one of which, the lower apsis, it is nearest to, and at the other, the higher apsis, farthest from, the body or point about which it is revolving. These two points can be joined by the line of apsides. <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=apse </B>(def 1) </DL>
<A NAME="apt">
<B>apt, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>fitted by nature; likely (to). <BR> <I>Ex. A careless person is apt to make mistakes.</I> (SYN) inclined, liable, prone. <DD><B> 2. </B>right for the occasion; suitable; fitting; appropriate. <BR> <I>Ex. His apt reply to the question showed that he had understood it very well.</I> (SYN) apposite. <DD><B> 3. </B>quick to learn; intelligent. <BR> <I>Ex. Some pupils in our class are more apt than others.</I> (SYN) prompt, ready, bright. adv. <B>aptly.</B> noun <B>aptness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="apt">
<B>apt.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> apartment. </DL>
<A NAME="apt">
<B>APT</B> (no periods),<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>advanced passenger train (a train capable of speeds of 150 miles per hour). <DD><B> 2. </B>automatic picture transmission (used to send pictures to earth from artificial satellites). <DD><B> 3. </B>automatically programmed tool (a system of machine-tool automation or numerical control). </DL>
<A NAME="apteral">
<B>apteral, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>without columns along the sides. <BR> <I>Ex. the sterile, apteral office buildings of the modern city.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=apterous.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="apterium">
<B>apterium, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ria.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> one of the featherless spaces on the skin of a bird intervening between the feathered tracts. </DL>
<A NAME="apterous">
<B>apterous, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>wingless. Lice are apterous insects. <DD><B> 2. </B>having no winglike expansions, as of stems, seeds, or other plant parts. </DL>
<A NAME="apterygial">
<B>apterygial, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> lacking wings, fins, or limbs. </DL>
<A NAME="apteryx">
<B>apteryx, </B>noun, pl. <B>-yxes.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a wingless, or practically wingless, nocturnal bird about the size of a chicken, that has hairlike feathers; kiwi. They live in New Zealand, but are now almost extinct. </DL>
<A NAME="aptitude">
<B>aptitude, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>natural tendency or talent; ability; capacity. <BR> <I>Ex. Edison had a remarkable aptitude for inventing new things.</I> (SYN) propensity. <DD><B> 2. </B>readiness in learning; quickness to understand. <BR> <I>Ex. He is a pupil of great aptitude.</I> (SYN) intelligence. <DD><B> 3. </B>special fitness; appropriateness. </DL>
<A NAME="aptitudetest">
<B>aptitude test,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a test given to a person to find out the sort of work, studies, or skill, for which he is specially suited. <BR> <I>Ex. Countless U.S. youths submit themselves to aptitude tests ... based on Freudian interpretation of personality structure (Time).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="aptote">
<B>aptote, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Grammar.) an indeclinable noun. </DL>
<A NAME="aptotic">
<B>aptotic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having no grammatical inflections, as certain languages. </DL>
<A NAME="apts">
<B>apts.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> apartments. </DL>
<A NAME="apulian">
<B>Apulian, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> of or having to do with Apulia (district in southeastern Italy). <DD><I>noun </I> a native or inhabitant of Apulia. </DL>
<A NAME="apurpose">
<B>apurpose, </B>adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Informal.) intentionally; on purpose. <BR> <I>Ex. He commenced brushing ... with a toothbrush he'd bought apurpose (Walter D. Edmonds).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="apyretic">
<B>apyretic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> free from fever. </DL>
<A NAME="apyrexial">
<B>apyrexial, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> absence of fever. </DL>
<B>AQ</B> (no periods) or <B>A.Q.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> achievement quotient. </DL>
<A NAME="aqua">
<B>aqua, </B>noun, pl. <B>aquae</B> , <B>aquas,</B> adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B><B>=water.</B> <DD><B> 2. </B>a liquid solution (used in many descriptive names in pharmacy and chemistry). <DD><B> 3. </B>aquamarine color. <DD><I>adj. </I> light bluish-green. </DL>
<A NAME="aquaammonia">
<B>aqua ammonia,</B> =aqua ammoniae.</DL>
<A NAME="aquaammoniae">
<B>aqua ammoniae,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> ammonia gas dissolved in water. </DL>
<A NAME="aquacade">
<B>aquacade, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a display of swimming, diving, and other aquatic skills before an audience. </DL>
<A NAME="aquacultural">
<B>aquacultural, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with aquaculture. Also, <B>acquicultural.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="aquaculture">
<B>aquaculture, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the raising of plants or animals, such as fish or shellfish, in or at the bottom of the sea, a lake, a river, or other body of water. Also, <B>aquiculture.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="aquaculturist">
<B>aquaculturist, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person who engages in aquaculture. </DL>
<A NAME="aquadag">
<B>Aquadag, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Trademark.) a colloidal suspension of graphite, used in making electrodes or as a lubricant. </DL>
<A NAME="aquafarm">
<B>aquafarm, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a pond or other body of water used for aquaculture. </DL>
<A NAME="aquafortis">
<B>aqua fortis,</B> or <B>aquafortis, </B>noun. =nitric acid.</DL>
