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A1 or a noun (As, A's or a's) 1 the first letter of the English alphabet. 2 (A) music a the sixth note on the scale of C major; b the musical key which has this note as its base. 3 (usually A) someone or something of first class, first in a sequence, or belonging to a class arbitrarily designated A. 4 medicine one of the four blood types in the ABO blood group system. 5 the principal series of paper sizes, ranging from A0 (841 x 1189mm) to A10 (26 x 37mm). from A to B from one place or point to another. from A to Z from beginning to end.
abaca noun (abacas) 1 the fibre from a plant grown in the Philippine Islands. Also Manila hemp. 2 the plant itself.
abacus noun (abaci or abacuses) 1 an arithmetical calculating device, known to the Greeks, Romans and other ancient peoples, consisting of several rows of beads strung on horizontal wires or rods mounted in a frame. 2 archit the flat upper part of a column or capital.
ETYMOLOGY: 17c in sense 1; 16c in sense 2: Latin, from Greek abax drawing-board.
abalone noun (abalones) a marine gastropod mollusc which has a single flattened oval shell lined with bluish mother-of-pearl, with a series of holes around the edge.
ETYMOLOGY: 19c: from American Spanish abulón.
abandonee noun (abandonees) law an insurer to whom a wreck has been abandoned.
abbacy noun (abbacies) the office or authority of an abbot or abbess.
ETYMOLOGY: 15c: from Latin abbatia.
abbess noun (abbesses) a woman in charge of a group of nuns living in an abbey. Compare abbot.
ETYMOLOGY: 13c: from French abbesse.
abbey noun (abbeys) 1 a group of nuns or monks living as a community under an abbot or abbess. 2 the buildings occupied by such a community. 3 a church associated with such a community.
ETYMOLOGY: 13c: from French abeie.
ABC1 noun (ABCs or ABC's) 1 the alphabet. 2 the basic facts about a subject, especially when arranged alphabetically in a book. 3 an alphabetical guide.
Aberdeen Angus noun an early-maturing breed of hornless beef cattle with short black hair.
ETYMOLOGY: 19c: developed from a mixture of breeds in Aberdeenshire and Angus, former counties in Scotland.
aberrance and aberrancy noun (aberrances or aberrancies) a departure from what is normal.
ETYMOLOGY: 17c: see aberrant.
ability noun (abilities) 1 the power, skill or knowledge to do something. 2 great skill or intelligence.
ETYMOLOGY: 14c: from French ableté, remodelled in English on its ultimate origin, Latin habilitas suitability, though the spelled h- was dropped again by 1700.
abiogenesis noun the origination of living matter by non-living matter; spontaneous generation. Also called autogenesis. abiogenetic adj.
ETYMOLOGY: 1870: coined by T H Huxley, from a-2 + bio- + genesis.
abject adj 1 said of living conditions, etc: extremely sad, miserable or poor; wretched. 2 said of people or their actions: showing lack of courage or pride, etc; submissive • an abject apology. abjectly adverb. abjectness noun.
ETYMOLOGY: 15c, meaning 'rejected': from Latin abjicere, abjectum to throw away.
abnormal adj not normal; different from what is expected or usual. abnormality noun (abnormalities). abnormally adverb.
ETYMOLOGY: 19c: from French anormal, from Greek anomalos.
Abo or abo noun (Abos) offensive, slang an Australian aborigine. adj aboriginal.
ETYMOLOGY: 20c shortening.
aborigine noun (aborigines) 1 (also Aborigine) an Aboriginal. 2 a member of any people who were the first to live in a country or region, especially as compared to later arrivals.
ETYMOLOGY: 16c: from Latin aborigines a race of pre-Roman inhabitants of Italy, from ab origine from the beginning.
abrasive adj 1 said of a material: capable of wearing away the surface of skin, wood, etc by rubbing and scraping. 2 said of a material: used to smooth or polish another surface by rubbing. 3 relating to the process of abrasion. 4 said of people or their actions: likely to offend others by being harsh and rude. noun any hard material, such as sandpaper, pumice or emery, that is used to wear away the surface of other materials, usually in order to smooth or shape them. abrasively adverb. abrasiveness noun.
ETYMOLOGY: 19c: see abrade.
abrupt adj (sometimes abrupter, abruptest) 1 sudden and unexpected; very quick. 2 said especially of speech, etc: rather sharp and rude. 3 steep. abruptly adverb. abruptness noun.
ETYMOLOGY: 16c: from Latin abrumpere to break off.
ABS abbreviation, autos anti-lock braking system.
abscess noun (abscesses) pathol a localized collection of pus in a cavity surrounded by inflamed tissue, usually caused by bacterial infection.
ETYMOLOGY: 17c: from Latin abscessus going away.
abscissa noun (abscissas or abscissae) math in coordinate geometry: the first of a pair of numbers x and y, known as the x-coordinate, which specifies the distance of a point from the vertical or y-axis. See also ordinate.
ETYMOLOGY: 17c: from Latin abscissus cut off.
absentee noun (absentees) someone who is not present at a particular or required time, or in a particular place. absenteeism noun continual absence from work, school, etc.
absent-minded adj not noticing what one is doing or what is going on around one, especially because one is thinking about something else; preoccupied. absent-mindedly adverb. absent-mindedness noun.
absolute adj 1 complete; total; perfect. 2 without limits; not controlled by anything or anyone else. 3 certain; undoubted. 4 not measured in comparison with other things; not relative • an absolute standard. 5 pure; not mixed with anything else. 6 grammar a said of a clause or phrase: standing alone, ie not dependent on the rest of the sentence. Compare relative adj 5b. b said of an adjective or a transitive verb: standing alone, ie without a noun or an object respectively. noun 1 a rule, standard, etc which is thought to be true or right in all situations. 2 (the absolute) philos that which can exist without being related to anything else. absoluteness noun.
ETYMOLOGY: 14c: from Latin absolutus loosened or separate, from absolvere (see absolve).
absorbency noun (absorbencies) 1 the ability or capacity to absorb liquids, etc. 2 the degree to which something is able to absorb liquids, etc.
abstemious adj said of people, habits, etc: moderate or restrained in what one eats or drinks; taking food, alcohol, etc in very limited amounts. abstemiously adverb. abstemiousness noun.
ETYMOLOGY: 17c: from Latin abstemius, from abs away or from + temetum strong drink.
abstract adj 1 referring to something which exists only as an idea or quality. 2 concerned with ideas and theory rather than with things which really exist or could exist. 3 said of an art form, especially painting: that represents the subject by shapes and patterns, etc rather than in the shape or form it actually has. Compare concrete adj 2 4 grammar said of a noun: denoting a quality, condition or action rather than a physical thing. Compare concrete adj 4. noun 1 a brief statement of the main points (of a book, speech, etc). 2 an abstract idea, theory, etc. 3 an example of abstract painting, etc. verb (abstracted, abstracting) 1 to take out or remove something. 2 to summarize (a book, speech, etc). 3 to generalize about something from particular instances. abstractly adverb. abstractness noun. in the abstract in theory rather than in reality.
ETYMOLOGY: 14c, meaning 'derived': from Latin abs away or from + trahere to draw.
abstracted adj said of a person: thinking about something so much that they do not notice what is happening around them. abstractedly adverb. abstractedness noun.
abstruse adj hard to understand. abstrusely adverb. abstruseness noun.
ETYMOLOGY: 16c: from Latin abstrusus pushed away.
absurd adj (absurder, absurdest) 1 not at all suitable or appropriate. 2 ridiculous; silly. absurdity noun (absurdities). absurdly adverb. absurdness noun.
ETYMOLOGY: 16c: from Latin absurdus out of tune.
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