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<HTML> <HEAD><TITLE>DICTIONARY: awkward - axion</TITLE></HEAD> <BODY BGCOLOR="#ffffff"> <A HREF="a.dic">A</A> <A HREF="b.dic">B</A> <A HREF="c.dic">C</A> <A HREF="d.dic">D</A> <A HREF="e.dic">E</A> <A HREF="f.dic">F</A> <A HREF="g.dic">G</A> <A HREF="h.dic">H</A> <A HREF="i.dic">I</A> <A HREF="j.dic">J</A> <A HREF="k.dic">K</A> <A HREF="l.dic">L</A> <A HREF="m.dic">M</A> <A HREF="n.dic">N</A> <A HREF="o.dic">O</A> <A HREF="p.dic">P</A> <A HREF="q.dic">Q</A> <A HREF="r.dic">R</A> <A HREF="s.dic">S</A> <A HREF="t.dic">T</A> <A HREF="u.dic">U</A> <A HREF="v.dic">V</A> <A HREF="w.dic">W</A> <A HREF="x.dic">X</A> <A HREF="y.dic">Y</A> <A HREF="z.dic">Z</A> <A NAME="awkward"> awkward, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1a. not graceful or skillful in movement or shape; clumsy. Ex. Seals are very awkward on land, but graceful in the water. <DD> b. not done with grace or skill; unable to do or use with ease or effectiveness. Ex. an awkward drawing of stick figures. His awkward speech made him difficult to understand. <DD> 2. not well suited to use. Ex. The handle of this pitcher has an awkward shape. (SYN) unhandy. <DD> 3. not easily managed; difficult to negotiate. Ex. This is an awkward corner to turn. <DD> 4. inconvenient or embarrassing. Ex. an awkward moment. He asked me such an awkward question that I did not know what to reply. <DD> 5. ill at ease; embarrassed. Ex. An awkward manner makes everyone uneasy. adv. awkwardly. noun awkwardness. </DL> <A NAME="awkwardage"> awkward age,<DL COMPACT><DD> the time of life when one is no longer a child and yet not fully grown up; the beginning of adolescence. Ex. Handling a suddenly grown body and many new problems makes the awkward age an awkward time to go through. </DL> <A NAME="awl"> A.W.L.,<DL COMPACT><DD> (Military.) <DD> 1. absence with leave. <DD> 2. absent with leave. </DL> <A NAME="awl"> awl, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a sharp-pointed tool used for making small holes in leather or wood. </DL> <A NAME="awless"> awless, adjective. =aweless.</DL> <A NAME="awlshaped"> awl-shaped, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> slender and tapering toward the extremity from a broadish base; subulate. Ex. awl-shaped leaves. </DL> <A NAME="awlwort"> awlwort, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a small, stemless water plant of the mustard family, with slender leaves which taper to a point. It is found in Europe, Siberia, and North America. </DL> <A NAME="awmous"> awmous, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Scottish.) alms. </DL> <A NAME="awn"> awn, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. one of the bristly hairs forming the beard on a head of barley, oats, and other grasses. <DD> 2. any similar bristly growth. </DL> <A NAME="awned"> awned, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having awns. </DL> <A NAME="awning"> awning, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a piece of canvas, metal, or other material spread before a door or window or over a porch, deck, or patio. Awnings are used for protection from the sun or rain. </DL> <A NAME="awninged"> awninged, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> fitted with one or more awnings. Ex. an awninged porch. </DL> <A NAME="awnless"> awnless, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> without awns. </DL> <A NAME="awny"> awny, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having awns; bearded. </DL> <A NAME="awoke"> awoke, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> a past tense and past participle of awake. Ex. I awoke early. My sister has not yet awoke. </DL> <A NAME="awoken"> awoken, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Especially British.) a past participle of awake. Ex. She was awoken by a loud noise. </DL> <A NAME="awol"> AWOL or Awol, adjective, adverb, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD>adj., adv. absent without leave. Ex. to be AWOL for 12 days. <DD>noun (Slang, especially U.S.) a person who is absent without leave. </DL> <A NAME="awol"> A.W.O.L., AWOL (no periods), or a.w.o.l.,<DL COMPACT><DD> (Military, especially U.S.) absent without leave. </DL> <A NAME="awry"> awry, adverb, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. with a twist or turn to one side. Ex. Her hat was blown awry by the wind. <DD> 2. (Figurative.) out of order; wrong. Ex. Our plans have gone awry. The seasons at this time of year are all awry (New Yorker). </DL> <A NAME="ax"> ax or axe, noun, pl. axes,verb, axed, axing.<DL COMPACT><DD>noun 1. a tool with a flat, sharp blade fastened to a handle, used for chopping, splitting, and shaping wood. <DD> 2. a weapon like this; battleax. <DD> 3. =ice ax. <DD> 4. (U.S. Slang.) a musical instrument. <DD>v.t. 1. to shape or trim with an ax. <DD> 2. (Informal, Figurative.) <DD> a. to discharge (an employee or employees), especially summarily. Ex. Some executives in a merged company question their future and get out before they're axed (Wall Street Journal). <DD> b. to reduce greatly; make much less. Ex. The budget was axed to keep expenses down. Prices were axed for the holiday sale. expr. get the ax, (Informal.) <DD> a. to be discharged. Ex. This department shut down when its members got the ax last week. <DD> b. to reduce the size of or get rid of in order to reduce in size. Ex. 17 chapters will get the ax within four years unless membership rises (Look). expr. give the ax, (Informal.) to discharge, dismiss, or spurn. Ex. A growing number of men in the South Pacific are feeling bitter because their girls are now giving them "the ax" and marrying men in the States (Baltimore Sun). expr. have an ax to grind, to have a special purpose, usually from a selfish reason, for taking action or being interested. Ex. The habitual French fear that any high-level intimacy between London and Washington means that Britain has an axe to grind at France's expense (New York Times). adj. axlike, axelike. </DL> <A NAME="ax"> ax.,<DL COMPACT><DD> axiom. </DL> <A NAME="axegrinder"> axe-grinder, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Slang.) a person who acts because of a special purpose, usually from a selfish reason. </DL> <A NAME="axegrinding"> axe-grinding, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Slang.) the action or behavior of an axe-grinder. </DL> <A NAME="axehead"> axehead, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the edged head of an ax. </DL> <A NAME="axel"> axel, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a jump in figure skating in which the skater leaps from the outside front edge of one skate, takes one and a half turns in the air and lands on the outside back edge of the other skate. </DL> <A NAME="axeman"> axeman, noun, pl. -men. =axman.</DL> <A NAME="axenic"> axenic, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> characterized by an absence of contaminating organisms. Ex. an axenic culture. adv. axenically. </DL> <A NAME="axes"> axes (1), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> plural of ax. </DL> <A NAME="axes"> axes (2), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> plural of axis (1). </DL> <A NAME="axgrinder"> ax-grinder, noun. =axe-grinder.</DL> <A NAME="axgrinding"> ax-grinding, noun. =axe-grinding.</DL> <A NAME="axhead"> axhead, noun. =axehead.</DL> <A NAME="axial"> axial, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. of an axis; forming an axis. Ex. The wheel turns on an axial rod. <DD> 2. along, on, or around an axis. </DL> <A NAME="axialflow"> axial-flow, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having a fluid flow directed by rotary blades and stators along a line parallel to the axis of rotation. Ex. an axial-flow compressor, an axial-flow turbine. An axial-flow pump is a high-speed pump used for liquid or for air, especially for pumping air into jet engines. </DL> <A NAME="axially"> axially, adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD> in a line with or the direction of the axis; from pole to pole. </DL> <A NAME="axialskeleton"> axial skeleton,<DL COMPACT><DD> the skeleton of the trunk, head, and tail (distinguished from appendicular skeleton). </DL> <A NAME="axil"> axil, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the angle between the upper side of a leaf or stem and the supporting stem or branch. A bud is usually found in the axil. </DL> <A NAME="axile"> axile, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Botany.) situated in or belonging to an axis, as a placenta in the axis of the ovary. </DL> <A NAME="axilla"> axilla, noun, pl. axillae.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. =armpit. <DD> 2. =axil. <DD> 3. the undersurface of a bird's wing. </DL> <A NAME="axillar"> axillar, adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD>adj. =axillary. <DD>noun a long, stiff feather growing from the axilla of a bird. </DL> <A NAME="axillary"> axillary, adjective, noun, pl. -laries.<DL COMPACT><DD>adj. 1. of or near the armpit; alar. <DD> 2. in or growing from the axil of a plant; alar. Ex. axillary buds. <DD>noun =axillar. </DL> <A NAME="axinite"> axinite, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a mineral consisting essentially of an aluminum and calcium borosilicate, commonly occurring in flattened, brown crystals edged like an ax. </DL> <A NAME="axiological"> axiological, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with axiology. adv. axiologically. </DL> <A NAME="axiology"> axiology, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Philosophy.) the study of the nature, types, criteria, and status of human values. Axiology involves such questions as "What is beautiful?" "What is good?" "What is holy?" </DL> <A NAME="axiom"> axiom, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. a statement taken to be true without proof; self-evident truth. Ex. It is an axiom that a whole is greater than any one of its parts. It is an axiom that if equals are added to equals the results will be equal. <DD> 2. a well-established principle, rule, or law. Ex. It is an axiom that medicine should be kept out of the reach of young children. </DL> <A NAME="axiomatic"> axiomatic, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. accepted without proof; self-evident. Ex. It is axiomatic that a whole is greater than any one of its parts. <DD> 2. full of axioms or maxims; aphoristic. adv. axiomatically. </DL> <A NAME="axiomatical"> axiomatical, adjective. =axiomatic.</DL> <A NAME="axiomatize"> axiomatize, transitive verb, -tized, -tizing.<DL COMPACT><DD> to formulate in terms of axioms; state in the form of an axiom or axioms. Ex. to axiomatize a theory. noun axiomatization. </DL> <A NAME="axiomofchoice"> axiom of choice,<DL COMPACT><DD> (Mathematics.) an axiom stating that, given a collection of sets that do not overlap, it is possible to form a new set containing one element from each of the sets. </DL> <A NAME="axion"> axion, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a hypothetical elementary particle having neutral charge and zero spin, and a mass of less than one-thousandth of a proton. </DL> <A HREF="axis.dic">NEXT</A>