Aaron's rod

1. n. (also a) (pl. As or A's) 1 the first letter of the alphabet. 2 Mus. the sixth note of the diatonic scale of C major. 3 the first hypothetical person or example. 4 the highest class or category (of roads, academic marks, etc.). 5 (usu. a) Algebra the first known quantity. 6 a human blood type of the ABO system. Phrases and idioms: A1 1 Naut. a a first-class vessel in Lloyd's Register of Shipping. b first-class. 2 colloq. excellent, first-rate. A1, A2 , etc. the standard paper sizes, each half the previous one, e.g. A4 = 297 x 210 mm, A5 = 210 x 148 mm. from A to B from one place to another (a means of getting from A to B). from A to Z over the entire range, completely. 2. abbr. (also A.) 1 Brit. (of films) classified as suitable for an adult audience but not necessarily for children. Usage: Now replaced by PG. 2 = A LEVEL. 3 ampere(s). 4 answer. 5 Associate of. 6 atomic (energy etc.).

1. adj. (also an before a vowel) (called the indefinite article) 1 (as an unemphatic substitute) one, some, any. 2 one like (a Judas). 3 one single (not a thing in sight). 4 the same (all of a size). 5 in, to, or for each (twice a year; {pound}20 a man; seven a side). Etymology: weakening of OE an one; sense 5 orig. = A(2) 2. prep. (usu. as prefix) 1 to, towards (ashore; aside). 2 (with verb in pres. part. or infin.) in the process of; in a specified state ( a-hunting; a-wandering; abuzz; aflutter). 3 on (afire; afoot). 4 in (nowadays). Etymology: weakening of OE prep. an, on (see ON) 3. abbr. atto-.

1. prefix not, without (amoral; agnostic; apetalous). Etymology: Gk a-, or L f. Gk, or F f. L f. Gk 2. prefix implying motion onward or away, adding intensity to verbs of motion (arise; awake). Etymology: OE a-, orig. ar- 3. prefix to, at, or into a state (adroit; agree; amass; avenge). Etymology: ME a- (= OF prefix a-), (f. F) f. L ad- to, at 4. prefix. 1 from, away (abridge). 2 of (akin; anew). 3 out, utterly (abash; affray). 4 in, on, engaged in, etc. (see A(2)). Etymology: sense 1 f. ME a-, OF a-, f. L ab; sense 2 f. ME a- f. OE of prep.; sense 3 f. ME, AF a- = OF e-, es- f. L ex 5. prefix assim. form of AD- before sc, sp, st.

abbr. 1 Automobile Association. 2 Alcoholics Anonymous. 3 Mil. anti-aircraft. 4 Brit. (of films) classified as suitable for persons of over 14 years. Usage: Now replaced by PG.

abbr. 1 (in the UK) Amateur Athletic Association. 2 American Automobile Association. 3 Australian Automobile Association.

abbr. (Hymns) Ancient and Modern.

abbr. 1 artists and recording. 2 artists and repertoire.

n. a nocturnal mammal of southern Africa, Orycteropus afer, with a tubular snout and a long extendible tongue, that feeds on termites. Also called ant-bear, earth-hog. Etymology: Afrik. f. aarde earth + vark pig

n. (pl. aardwolves) an African mammal, Proteles cristatus, of the hyena family, with grey fur and black stripes, that feeds on insects. Etymology: Afrik. f. aarde earth + wolf wolf

n. any of several plants, esp. rose of Sharon (Hypericum calycinum). Etymology: ref. to Ps. 133:2

n. any of several tall plants, esp. the great mullein (Verbascum thapsus). Etymology: ref. to Num. 17:8

abbr. Australasia.

n. a vulture. Etymology: Afrik. f. aas carrion + vogel bird

abbr. US Amateur Athletic Union.

1. n. a human blood type of the ABO system. 2. abbr. 1 able rating or seaman. 2 US Bachelor of Arts. Etymology: sense 1 f. able-bodied; sense 2 f. L Artium Baccalaureus

prefix off, away, from (abduct; abnormal; abuse). Etymology: F or L

n. (also abba, abaya) a sleeveless outer garment worn by Arabs. Etymology: Arab. ' aba'

n. 1 Manila hemp. 2 the plant, Musa textilis, yielding this. Etymology: Sp. abac{aacute}

adv. 1 archaic backwards, behind. 2 Naut. (of a sail) pressed against the mast by a head wind. Phrases and idioms: take aback 1 surprise, disconcert (your request took me aback; I was greatly taken aback by the news). 2 (as taken aback) (of a ship) with the sails pressed against the mast by a head wind. Etymology: OE on b{aelig}c (as A(2), BACK)

n. (pl. abacuses) 1 an oblong frame with rows of wires or grooves along which beads are slid, used for calculating. 2 Archit. the flat slab on top of a capital, supporting the architrave. Etymology: L f. Gk abax abakos slab, drawing-board, f. Heb. ' abak dust

n. 1 hell. 2 the Devil (Rev. 9:11). Etymology: Heb., = destruction

adv. & prep. Naut. --adv. in the stern half of a ship. --prep. nearer the stern than; aft of. Etymology: A(2) + -baft f. OE be{aelig}ftan f. be BY + {aelig}ftan behind

n. any mollusc of the genus Haliotis, with a shallow ear-shaped shell having respiratory holes, and lined with mother-of-pearl, e.g. the ormer. Etymology: Amer. Sp. abul{oacute}n

v. & n. --v.tr. 1 give up completely or before completion (abandoned hope; abandoned the game). 2 a forsake or desert (a person or a post of responsibility). b leave or desert (a motor vehicle or ship). 3 a give up to another's control or mercy. b refl. yield oneself completely to a passion or impulse. --n. lack of inhibition or restraint; reckless freedom of manner. Derivatives: abandoner n. abandonment n. Etymology: ME f. OF abandoner f. {agrave} bandon under control ult. f. LL bannus, -um BAN

adj. 1 a (of a person) deserted, forsaken (an abandoned child). b (of a building, vehicle, etc.) left empty or unused (an abandoned cottage; an abandoned ship). 2 (of a person or behaviour) unrestrained, profligate.

v.tr. & refl. humiliate or degrade (another person or oneself). Derivatives: abasement n. Etymology: ME f. OF abaissier (as A-(3), baissier to lower ult. f. LL bassus short of stature): infl. by BASE(2)

v.tr. (usu. as abashed adj.) embarrass, disconcert. Derivatives: abashment n. Etymology: ME f. OF esba{iuml}r (es- = A-(4) 3, ba{iuml}r astound or baer yawn)

v. 1 tr. & intr. make or become less strong, severe, intense, etc. 2 tr. Law a quash (a writ or action). b put an end to (a nuisance). Derivatives: abatement n. Etymology: ME f. OF abatre f. Rmc (as A-(3), L batt(u)ere beat)

n. (also abattis) (pl. same; abatises, abattises) hist. a defence made of felled trees with the boughs pointing outwards. Derivatives: abatised adj. Etymology: F f. abatre fell: see ABATE

n. a slaughterhouse. Etymology: F (as ABATIS, -ORY(1))

adj. Bot. facing away from the stem of a plant, esp. of the lower surface of a leaf (cf. ADAXIAL). Etymology: AB- + AXIAL

(also abba) var. of ABA.

n. (pl. -ies) the office, jurisdiction, or period of office of an abbot or abbess. Etymology: ME f. eccl.L abbacia f. abbat- ABBOT

n. & adj. --n. a member of a dynasty of caliphs ruling in Baghdad 750-1258. --adj. of this dynasty. Etymology: Abbas, Muhammad's uncle d. 652

adj. of an abbey, abbot, or abbess. Etymology: F abbatial or med.L abbatialis (as ABBOT)

n. a woman who is the head of certain communities of nuns. Etymology: ME f. OF abbesse f. eccl.L abbatissa (as ABBOT)

n. & adj. --n. the culture of the earliest palaeolithic period in Europe. --adj. of this culture. Etymology: F Abbevillien f. Abbeville in N. France

n. (pl. -eys) 1 the building(s) occupied by a community of monks or nuns. 2 the community itself. 3 a church or house that was once an abbey. Etymology: ME f. OF abbeie etc. f. med.L abbatia ABBACY

n. a man who is the head of an abbey of monks. Derivatives: abbotship n. Etymology: OE abbod f. eccl.L abbas -atis f. Gk abbas father f. Aram. ' abba

v.tr. shorten, esp. represent (a word etc.) by a part of it. Etymology: ME f. LL abbreviare shorten f. brevis short: cf. ABRIDGE

n. 1 an abbreviated form, esp. a shortened form of a word or phrase. 2 the process of abbreviating.

1. n. 1 the alphabet. 2 the rudiments of any subject. 3 an alphabetical guide. 2. abbr. 1 Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2 American Broadcasting Company.

v.tr. 1 (usu. absol.) give up or renounce (the throne). 2 renounce (a responsibility, duty, etc.). Derivatives: abdication n. abdicator n. Etymology: L abdicare abdicat- (as AB-, dicare declare)

n. 1 the part of the body containing the stomach, bowels, reproductive organs, etc. 2 Zool. the hinder part of an insect, crustacean, spider, etc. Derivatives: abdominal adj. abdominally adv. Etymology: L

v.tr. 1 carry off or kidnap (a person) illegally by force or deception. 2 (of a muscle etc.) draw (a limb etc.) away from the middle line of the body. Derivatives: abduction n. abductor n. Etymology: L abducere abduct- (as AB-, ducere draw)

adv. 1 on a line at right angles to a ship's or an aircraft's length. 2 (foll. by of) opposite the middle of (a ship etc.). Etymology: A(2) + BEAM

adv. archaic in bed. Etymology: OE (as A(2), BED)

n. the white poplar, Populus alba. Etymology: Du. abeel f. OF abel, aubel ult. f. L albus white

n. 1 an animal of a Scottish breed of hornless black beef cattle. 2 this breed. Etymology: Aberdeen in Scotland, Angus Scottish county

adj. & n. --adj. of Aberdeen. --n. a native or citizen of Aberdeen. Etymology: med.L Aberdonia

adj. 1 esp. Biol. diverging from the normal type. 2 departing from an accepted standard. Derivatives: aberrance n. aberrancy n. Etymology: L aberrare aberrant- (as AB-, errare stray)

n. 1 a departure from what is normal or accepted or regarded as right. 2 a moral or mental lapse. 3 Biol. deviation from a normal type. 4 Optics the failure of rays to converge at one focus because of a defect in a lens or mirror. 5 Astron. the apparent displacement of a celestial body, meteor, etc., caused by the observer's velocity. Etymology: L aberratio (as ABERRANT)

v.tr. (abetted, abetting) (usu. in aid and abet) encourage or assist (an offender or offence). Derivatives: abetment n. Etymology: ME f. OF abeter f. {agrave} to + beter BAIT(1)

n. (also abettor) one who abets.

n. (usu. prec. by in, into) a state of temporary disuse or suspension. Derivatives: abeyant adj. Etymology: AF abeiance f. OF abeer f. {agrave} to + beer f. med.L batare gape

v.tr. (abhorred, abhorring) detest; regard with disgust and hatred. Etymology: ME f. F abhorrer or f. L abhorrere (as AB-, horrere shudder)

n. 1 disgust; detestation. 2 a detested thing.

adj. 1 (often foll. by to) (of conduct etc.) inspiring disgust, repugnant; hateful, detestable. 2 (foll. by to) not in accordance with; strongly conflicting with (abhorrent to the spirit of the law). 3 (foll. by from) inconsistent with. Derivatives: abhorrer n.

v. (past abided or rarely abode) 1 tr. (usu. in neg. or interrog.) tolerate, endure (can't abide him). 2 intr. (foll. by by) a act in accordance with (abide by the rules). b remain faithful to (a promise). 3 intr. archaic a remain, continue. b dwell. 4 tr. archaic sustain, endure. Derivatives: abidance n. Etymology: OE abidan (as A-(2), bidan BIDE)

adj. enduring, permanent (an abiding sense of loss). Derivatives: abidingly adv.

n. (pl. -ies) 1 (often foll. by to + infin.) capacity or power (has the ability to write songs). 2 cleverness, talent; mental power (a person of great ability; has many abilities). Etymology: ME f. OF ablete f. L habilitas -tatis f. habilis able

adv. from the beginning. Etymology: L

n. 1 the formation of living organisms from non-living substances. 2 the supposed spontaneous generation of living organisms. Derivatives: abiogenic adj. Etymology: A-(1) + Gk bios life + GENESIS

adj. 1 miserable, wretched. 2 degraded, self-abasing, humble. 3 despicable. Derivatives: abjectly adv. abjectness n. Etymology: ME f. L abjectus past part. of abicere (as AB-, jacere throw)

n. a state of misery or degradation. Etymology: ME f. OF abjection or L abjectio (as ABJECT)

v.tr. 1 renounce on oath (an opinion, cause, claim, etc.). 2 swear perpetual absence from (one's country etc.). Derivatives: abjuration n. Etymology: L abjurare (as AB-, jurare swear)

n. 1 the surgical removal of body tissue. 2 Geol. the wasting or erosion of a glacier, iceberg, or rock by melting or the action of water. 3 Astronaut. the evaporation or melting of part of the outer surface of a spacecraft through heating by friction with the atmosphere. Derivatives: ablate v.tr. Etymology: F ablation or LL ablatio f. L ablat- (as AB-, lat- past part. stem of ferre carry)

n. & adj. Gram. --n. the case (esp. in Latin) of nouns and pronouns (and words in grammatical agreement with them) indicating an agent, instrument, or location. --adj. of or in the ablative. Phrases and idioms: ablative absolute an absolute construction in Latin with a noun and participle or adjective in the ablative case (see ABSOLUTE). Etymology: ME f. OF ablatif -ive or L ablativus (as ABLATION)

n. a change of vowel in related words or forms, esp. in Indo-European languages, arising from differences of accent and stress in the parent language, e.g. in sing, sang, sung. Etymology: G

predic.adj. & adv. 1 on fire (set it ablaze; the house was ablaze). 2 (often foll. by with) glittering, glowing. 3 (often foll. by with) greatly excited.

adj. (abler, ablest) 1 (often foll. by to + infin.; used esp. in is able, will be able, was able, etc., replacing tenses of can) having the capacity or power (was not able to come). 2 having great ability; clever, skilful. Phrases and idioms: able-bodied fit, healthy. able-bodied rating (or seaman) Naut. one able to perform all duties. Etymology: ME f. OF hable, able f. L habilis handy f. habere to hold

predic.adj. blooming; in flower.

predic.adj. blushing.

n. (usu. in pl.) 1 the ceremonial washing of parts of the body or sacred vessels etc. 2 colloq. the ordinary washing of the body. 3 a building containing washing-places etc. in a camp, ship, etc. Derivatives: ablutionary adj. Etymology: ME f. OF ablution or L ablutio (as AB-, lutio f. luere lut- wash)

adv. capably, cleverly, competently.

abbr. anti-ballistic missile.

v.tr. 1 give up or deny oneself (a pleasure etc.). 2 renounce or reject (a right or belief). Derivatives: abnegator n. Etymology: L abnegare abnegat- (as AB-, negare deny)

n. 1 denial; the rejection or renunciation of a doctrine. 2 = SELF-ABNEGATION. Etymology: OF abnegation or LL abnegatio (as ABNEGATE)

adj. 1 deviating from what is normal or usual; exceptional. 2 relating to or dealing with what is abnormal (abnormal psychology). Derivatives: abnormally adv. Etymology: earlier and F anormal, anomal f. Gk anomalos ANOMALOUS, assoc. with L abnormis: see ABNORMITY

n. (pl. -ies) 1 a an abnormal quality, occurrence, etc. b the state of being abnormal. 2 a physical irregularity.

n. (pl. -ies) 1 an abnormality or irregularity. 2 a monstrosity. Etymology: L abnormis (as AB-, normis f. norma rule)

n. & adj. (also abo) Austral. sl. usu. offens. --n. (pl. Abos) an Aboriginal. --adj. Aboriginal. Etymology: abbr.

adv. & prep. 1 on or into (a ship, aircraft, train, etc.). 2 alongside. Phrases and idioms: all aboard! a call that warns of the imminent departure of a ship, train, etc. Etymology: ME f. A(2) + BOARD & F {agrave} bord

1. n. 1 a dwelling-place; one's home. 2 archaic a stay or sojourn. Etymology: verbal noun of ABIDE: cf. ride, rode, road 2. past of ABIDE.

v.tr. put an end to the existence or practice of (esp. a custom or institution). Derivatives: abolishable adj. abolisher n. abolishment n. Etymology: ME f. F abolir f. L abolere destroy

n. 1 the act or process of abolishing or being abolished. 2 an instance of this. Etymology: F abolition or L abolitio (as ABOLISH)

n. one who favours the abolition of a practice or institution, esp. of capital punishment or (formerly) of Negro slavery. Derivatives: abolitionism n.

n. (pl. abomasa) the fourth stomach of a ruminant. Etymology: mod.L f. AB- + OMASUM

n. = atomic bomb. Etymology: A (for ATOMIC) + BOMB

adj. 1 detestable; loathsome; morally reprehensible. 2 colloq. very bad or unpleasant (abominable weather). Phrases and idioms: Abominable Snowman an unidentified manlike or bearlike animal said to exist in the Himalayas; a yeti. Derivatives: abominably adv. Etymology: ME f. OF f. L abominabilis f. abominari deprecate (as AB-, ominari f. OMEN)

v.tr. detest, loathe. Derivatives: abominator n. Etymology: L abominari (as ABOMINABLE)

n. 1 loathing. 2 an odious or degrading habit or act. 3 (often foll. by to) an object of disgust. Etymology: ME f. OF (as ABOMINATE)

adj. away from or opposite the mouth. Etymology: AB- + ORAL

adj. & n. --adj. 1 (of races and natural phenomena) inhabiting or existing in a land from the earliest times or from before the arrival of colonists. 2 (usu. Aboriginal) of the Australian Aboriginals. --n. 1 an aboriginal inhabitant. 2 (usu. Aboriginal) an aboriginal inhabitant of Australia. Derivatives: aboriginally adv. Etymology: as ABORIGINE + -AL

n. (usu. in pl.) 1 an aboriginal inhabitant. 2 (usu. Aborigine) an aboriginal inhabitant of Australia. Usage: Aboriginal is preferred, esp. in the singular. 3 an aboriginal plant or animal. Etymology: back-form. f. pl. aborigines f. L, prob. f. phr. ab origine from the beginning

v. & n. --v. 1 intr. a (of a woman) undergo abortion; miscarry. b (of a foetus) suffer abortion. 2 tr. a effect the abortion of (a foetus). b effect abortion in (a mother). 3 a tr. cause to end fruitlessly or prematurely; stop in the early stages. b intr. end unsuccessfully or prematurely. 4 a tr. abandon or terminate (a space flight or other technical project) before its completion, usu. because of a fault. b intr. terminate or fail to complete such an undertaking. 5 Biol. a intr. (of an organism) remain undeveloped; shrink away. b tr. cause to do this. --n. 1 a prematurely terminated space flight or other undertaking. 2 the termination of such an undertaking. Etymology: L aboriri miscarry (as AB-, oriri ort- be born)

adj. & n. --adj. effecting abortion. --n. a drug or other agent that effects abortion.

n. 1 the expulsion of a foetus (naturally or esp. by medical induction) from the womb before it is able to survive independently, esp. in the first 28 weeks of a human pregnancy. 2 a stunted or deformed creature or thing. 3 the failure of a project or an action. 4 Biol. the arrest of the development of an organ. Etymology: L abortio (as ABORT)

n. 1 a person who carries out abortions, esp. illegally. 2 a person who favours the legalization of abortion.

adj. 1 fruitless, unsuccessful, unfinished. 2 resulting in abortion. 3 Biol. (of an organ etc.) rudimentary; arrested in development. Derivatives: abortively adv. Etymology: ME f. OF abortif -ive f. L abortivus (as ABORT)