aberration :: wandering or staying away; in optics, failure of rays to focus abettor :: encourager abeyance :: suspended action ablution :: washing abnegation :: repudiation; self-sacrifice abstinence :: restraint from eating or drinking accessory :: additional object: useful but not essential thing acclivity :: sharp upslope of a hill accolade :: award of merit accomplice :: partner in crime accord :: agreement accretion :: growth: increase acerbity :: bitterness of speech and temper acme :: top: pinnacle acoustics :: science of sound: quality that makes a room easy or hard to hear in acquiescence :: submission; compliance acquittal :: deliverance from a charge acumen :: mental keenness adage :: wise saying: proverb addiction :: compulsive, habitual need adjunct :: something attached to but holding an inferior position adjuration :: solemn urging admonition :: warning adulation :: flattery: admiration adumbration :: foreshadowing: outlining advent :: arrival adversity :: poverty: misfortune aegis :: shield; defense aeon :: long period of time; an age affidavit :: written statement made under oath affiliation :: joining: associating with affinity :: kinship affirmation :: solemn pledge by one who refuses to take an oath afflatus :: inspiration affluence :: abundance: wealth affray :: public brawl agenda :: items of business at a meeting agglomeration :: collection: heap agility :: nimbleness agitation :: strong feeling; excitement agnostic :: one who is skeptical of the existence or knowability of a god agronomist :: scientist engaged in the management of land alacrity :: cheerful promptness alchemy :: medieval chemistry alias :: an assumed name alimony :: payment by a husband to his divorced wife allegory :: story in which characters are used as symbols: fable alliteration :: repetition of beginning sound in poetry alloy :: a mixture as of metals allusion :: indirect reference altercation :: wordy quarrel altruism :: unselfish aid to others; generosity amazon :: female warrior ambrosia :: food of the gods amenities :: agreeable manners; courtesies amnesia :: loss of memory amnesty :: pardon amortization :: act of reducing a debt through partial payments amphitheater :: oval building with tiers of seats amulet :: charm; talisman anachronism :: an error involving time in a story analogy :: similarity; parallelism anarchy :: absence of governing body; state of disorder anathema :: solemn curse andirons :: metal supports in a fireplace for cooking utensils or logs anemia :: condition in which blood lacks red corpuscles anesthetic :: substance that removes sensation with or without loss of consciousness animadversion :: critical remark animosity :: active enmity animus :: hostile feeling or intent annals :: records; history annuity :: yearly allowance anomaly :: irregularity antagonism :: active resistance anthropologist :: a student of the history and science of mankind anticlimax :: letdown in thought or emotion antipathy :: aversion; dislike antiseptic :: substance that prevents infection antithesis :: contrast; direct opposite of or to aperture :: opening; hole apex :: tip; summit; climax aphasia :: loss of speech due to injury aphorism :: pithy maxim apiary :: a place where bees are kept aplomb :: poise apogee :: highest point apologue :: moral fable apostate :: one who abandons his religious faith or political beliefs apothecary :: druggist apothegm :: pithy, compact saying apotheosis :: deification; glorification apparition :: ghost; phantom appellation :: name; title appurtenances :: subordinate possessions aptitude :: fitness; talent arbiter :: a person with power to decide a dispute; judge arcade :: a covered passageway, usually lined with shops archaeology :: study of artifacts and relics of early mankind archetype :: prototype; primitive pattern archipelago :: group of closely located islands archives :: public records; place where public records are kept ardor :: heat; passion; zeal argot :: slang arrogance :: haughtiness arroyo :: gully artifacts :: products of primitive culture artifice :: deception; trickery artisan :: a manually skilled worker asceticism :: doctrine of self-denial asperity :: sharpness of temper aspersion :: slanderous remark aspirant :: seeker after position or status aspiration :: noble ambition asteroid :: small planet astigmatism :: eye defect which prevents proper focus atavism :: resemblance to remote ancestors rather than to parents atelier :: workshop; studio atrocity :: brutal deed atrophy :: wasting away attribute :: essential quality attrition :: gradual wearing down audacity :: boldness audit :: examination of accounts augury :: omen; prophecy aureole :: sun’s corona; halo auscultation :: act of listening to the heart or lungs to discover abnormalities austerity :: sternness; severity autocrat :: monarch with supreme power automaton :: mechanism which imitates actions of humans autopsy :: examination of a dead body; postmortem avarice :: greediness for wealth avatar :: incarnation avocation :: secondary or minor occupation awe :: solemn wonder axiom :: self-evident truth requiring no proof bandanna :: large, bright-colored handkerchief barb :: sharp projection from fishhook, etc. barrage :: barrier laid down by artillery fire barrister :: counselor-at-law barterer :: trader bassoon :: reed instrument of the woodwind family bauble :: trinket; trifle benediction :: blessing benefactor :: gift giver; patron beneficiary :: person entitled to benefits or proceeds of an insurance policy or will benignity :: state of being kind, benign, gracious benison :: blessing bereavement :: state of being deprived of something valuable or beloved bete noire :: aversion; person or thing strongly disliked or avoided bigotry :: stubborn intolerance billingsgate :: vituperation; abusive language bivouac :: temporary encampment blandishment :: flattery bludgeon :: club; heavy-headed weapon bouillon :: clear beef soup bourgeois :: middle class braggadocio :: boasting bravado :: swagger; assumed air of defiance brazier :: open pan in which live coals are burned
