| a1 |
the sixth note in the musical scale of C major. [1/3 definitions] |
| a2 |
"A" has a meaning like "any." When you use "a" before a word, you are talking about any one of some group or kind of thing. When you say "a cat," it means any cat of all the cats in the world, or it means any cat of a group of cats. [1/3 definitions] |
| a3 |
in every or in each; for every or for each. |
| aardvark |
a large mammal with a long snout, long ears, a long tail, and with long fur mostly around its legs. Aardvarks are active at night, when they use their powerful claws to dig open ant or termite nests. They catch their food with their long, sticky tongue. Aardvarks live in southern and central Africa. Although they are sometimes called anteaters, aardvarks are not closely related to any other kind of mammal. |
| abacus |
a device used for counting or calculating. An abacus has beads or other counters that slide along rods or in grooves. |
| abate |
to make less in amount or intensity. [2 definitions] |
| abbreviate |
When you abbreviate a word, you use a shorter form of it, You often use just a few letters of the word to stand for the whole thing. We often abbreviate things like the names of months, names for the days of the week, and words in addresses like "Street" and "Road." [1/2 definitions] |
| abbreviation |
a shortened form of a word or phrase used in writing. |
| ablaze |
like fire in color. [1/2 definitions] |
| able |
If you are an able swimmer, it means that you are a good swimmer. You have good skills in swimming. [1/2 definitions] |
| aboard |
on; in; on board. [1/2 definitions] |
| abolition |
(capitalized) the end of slavery in the United States. [1/2 definitions] |
| abolitionism |
a movement in the United States in the 1800s whose goal was to free the people who were slaves and make slavery against the law. |
| abolitionist |
An abolitionist is a person who supported the ending of slavery in the United States before and during the Civil War. Abolitionists fought hard in various ways to help the slaves become free and to make slavery against the law. The end of slavery finally came in 1865 near the end of the Civil War. |
| aborigine |
one of the first people to live in an area. |
| abound |
to be found in large numbers or amounts. |
| about |
near; in the area of. [2/8 definitions] |
| above |
at or to a higher place. [2/5 definitions] |
| abroad |
in or to a country that is not one's own. |
| abrupt |
When a person speaks in an abrupt manner, they speak with very few words, but they don't seem as if they are shy. They seem unfriendly or even rude. [1/2 definitions] |
| absent |
When you are absent, you are away. You are not in the usual place. |