<B>aspirin, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a drug used to relieve the pain, especially of headaches and arthritis, and the fever of colds; acetylsalicylic acid. It is a white, crystalline compound, prepared from salicylic acid. </DL>
<B>asprawl, </B>adverb, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> in a sprawling posture; sprawling. </DL>
<A NAME="asquint">
<B>asquint, </B>adverb, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> with a squint; squinting. </DL>
<A NAME="asquirm">
<B>asquirm, </B>adverb, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> squirming; wriggling or writhing. <BR> <I>Ex. A swim, even in chlorinated water asquirm with kids, delightfully strips away fatigue (John Dos Passos).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="asr">
<B>ASR</B> (no periods) or <B>A.S.R.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>airport surveillance radar. <DD><B> 2. </B>air surveillance radar. </DL>
<A NAME="asroc">
<B>ASROC, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> an antisubmarine rocket launched from a ship. </DL>
<A NAME="ass">
<B>ass</B> (1), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a four-footed, hoofed mammal related to the horse, but smaller, with longer ears and a shorter mane, shorter hair on the tail, and a dark stripe along the back; donkey. It is a patient, stubborn, rather slow, but very sure-footed beast of burden when domesticated. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) a stupid, silly, or stubborn person; fool. </DL>
<A NAME="ass">
<B>ass</B> (2), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Slang.) the buttocks. </DL>
<B>assafetida</B> or <B>assafoetida, </B>noun. <B>=asafetida.</B></DL>
<A NAME="assagai">
<B>assagai, </B>noun, pl. <B>-gais,</B> verb, <B>-gaied,</B> <B>-gaing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a slender spear or javelin of hard wood, once the chief weapon of the Zulus and some other African tribes. <DD><B> 2. </B>a South African tree of the dogwood family, whose hard wood was formerly used to make these spears. <DD><I>v.t. </I> to strike or kill with an assagai. Also, <B>assegai.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="assai">
<B>assai</B> (1), adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Music.) very. <BR> <I>Ex. "Adagio assai" means very slowly.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="assai">
<B>assai</B> (2), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a tall, slender Brazilian palm. <DD><B> 2. </B>the purple fruit it bears. <DD><B> 3. </B>a beverage made from this fruit. </DL>
<A NAME="assail">
<B>assail, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to set upon with violence; attack repeatedly with violent blows. <BR> <I>Ex. The enemy assailed our fort.</I> (SYN) assault. <DD><B> 2. </B>to set upon vigorously with hostile words, arguments, or abuse. <BR> <I>Ex. The senators assailed the President on the subject of the treaty.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to come over (a person) strongly, as a feeling does; beset; trouble. <BR> <I>Ex. How sharp were the twinges of jealousy that were beginning to assail her (Theodore Dreiser).</I> adj. <B>assailable.</B> noun <B>assailer.</B> noun <B>assailment.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="assailant">
<B>assailant, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person who attacks. <BR> <I>Ex. The injured man did not know who his assailant was.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="assamese">
<B>Assamese, </B>adjective, noun, pl. <B>-mese.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> of Assam (a state in northeastern India) or its people. <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a native or inhabitant of Assam. <DD><B> 2. </B>the Indic language of Assam. </DL>
<A NAME="assart">
<B>assart, </B>verb, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> in British law: <DD><I>v.t. </I> to grub (trees and bushes) from woodland; to clear (woodland). <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>the act of assarting. <DD><B> 2. </B>a grubbed-up tree or bush. <DD><B> 3. </B>a piece of land cleared of trees and bushes. </DL>
<A NAME="assassin">
<B>assassin, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a murderer, especially one hired or chosen to murder by a sudden or secret attack. (SYN) killer. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) anyone who harms seriously or destroys, or seeks to do so. <BR> <I>Ex. a character assassin.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="assassinate">
<B>assassinate, </B>transitive verb, <B>-nated,</B> <B>-nating.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to murder (someone, especially a public personage) by a sudden or secret attack; kill. <BR> <I>Ex. President Lincoln was assassinated in April, 1865.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) to harm seriously or destroy (a name, reputation, or the like) by treachery, slander, or sudden attack. </DL>
<A NAME="assassination">
<B>assassination, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the act of murdering someone, especially a public personage, by a sudden or secret attack; a killing. <BR> <I>Ex. The family life of the Lincolns ... had ... painful strains before and after the assassination in Ford's Theater, but after April 14, 1865, the tragic tones multiply (Newsweek).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="assassinator">
<B>assassinator, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person who assassinates; assassin; murderer. </DL>
<A NAME="assassinbug">
<B>assassin bug,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an insect that lives largely on the blood of other insects and sometimes attacks man. It is a heteropterous insect with wings like that of a squash bug and a three-jointed proboscis. </DL>
<A NAME="assault">
<B>assault, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a sudden, vigorous attack made with blows or weapons. <BR> <I>Ex. The enemy made an assault on our fort.</I> (SYN) onslaught, charge. <DD><B> 2. </B>a sudden and violent attack made on traditions, opinions, or other institutions, with hostile words or actions. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Law.) a threat or attempt to strike or otherwise do physical harm to a person. Any carrying out of the threat or the success of an attempt is immaterial. <DD><B> 4. </B><B>=rape.</B> <DD><B> 5. </B>the final phase of a military attack; closing with the enemy in hand-to-hand fighting. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to make an assault on by means of blows, hand-to-hand fighting, or hostile words; attack. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Archaic.) to beset. <DD><I>v.i. </I> to make an assault. adj. <B>assaultable.</B> noun <B>assaulter.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="assaultandbattery">
<B>assault and battery,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Law.) a successful carrying out of threatened or attempted physical attack, as by a blow or beating. </DL>
<A NAME="assaultboat">
<B>assault boat</B> or <B>craft,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> any small boat used to carry troops and light arms from ship to shore, especially in forcing a landing. </DL>
<A NAME="assaultcarrier">
<B>assault carrier,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an aircraft carrier that provides a base for an airborne assault or for air support during an assault. </DL>
<A NAME="assaultive">
<B>assaultive, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>(Psychology.) compulsively violent. <BR> <I>Ex. ... she became assaultive ... and had delusions of persecution (Science News Letter).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Law.) involving assault. <BR> <I>Ex. assaultive offenses such as robbery and homicide.</I> adv. <B>assaultively.</B> noun <B>assaultiveness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="assay">
<B>assay, </B>verb, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to analyze (an ore or alloy) to find out the quantity of gold, silver, or other metal in it. <DD><B> 2. </B>to make an assay of; try, test, or examine. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Archaic.) to attempt. <DD><I>v.i. </I> to contain, as shown by analysis, a certain proportion of metal in ore, or of a particular ingredient in any substance, especially a drug. <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>the analysis of any substance, especially an ore, alloy, or drug, to find out the amount of metal or other ingredient in it by measuring, weighing, or calculating; determination of the proportion of gold or other metal in an ore or alloy or of an ingredient in a drug or other substance. <BR> <I>Ex. Hormonal assays showed both astronauts excreted greater amounts of aldosterone in space than on the ground (Science News).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>the substance or sample analyzed or tested. <DD><B> 3. </B>a list of the results of assaying any substance, especially an ore, alloy, or drug. <DD><B> 4. </B>a trial, test, or examination. <BR> <I>Ex. By no assay of reason ... (Shakespeare).</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>(Archaic.) an attempt. <DD><B> 6. </B>(Archaic.) the tasting of food or drink intended for another before serving it. adj. <B>assayable.</B> noun <B>assayer.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="assayton">
<B>assay ton,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a unit of weight used for testing ore, equivalent to 29.167 grams. </DL>
<B>assegai, </B>noun, pl. <B>-gais,</B> transitive verb, <B>-gaied,</B> <B>-gaing.</B> <B>=assagai.</B></DL>
<A NAME="assemblage">
<B>assemblage, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a group of persons gathered together; assembly. <BR> <I>Ex. an assemblage of all religions and races.</I> (SYN) concourse, gathering. <DD><B> 2. </B>a number of things brought together or found together; collection; group. <BR> <I>Ex. an assemblage of bare rocks.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>the act of bringing or coming together; meeting. <DD><B> 4. </B>the process of putting or fitting together. <BR> <I>Ex. That factory foreman supervises assemblage of parts in automobile engines.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>an art form made of a random collection of pieces of metal, wood, cloth, and other odds and ends. <DD><B> 6. </B>the state of being assembled. </DL>
<A NAME="assemblagist">
<B>assemblagist, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> an artist who creates assemblages. </DL>
<A NAME="assemble">
<B>assemble, </B>verb, <B>-bled,</B> <B>-bling.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to gather together; bring together. <BR> <I>Ex. The grandfather had assembled all the members of the family for the annual picnic.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to put together; fit together. <BR> <I>Ex. Some boys like to assemble model airplanes.</I> (SYN) construct. <DD><I>v.i. </I> to come together; meet. <BR> <I>Ex. Congress assembles in January.</I> (SYN) congregate. </DL>
<A NAME="assembler">
<B>assembler, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person or thing that assembles. <DD><B> 2. </B>a computer program or routine for converting instructions in an assembly language into machine language. </DL>
