Browse dictionary
Showing 1-20 of 35998 results in 35998 entries
1. A, n. View full entry OE
...The letter, and the sound it represents....
2. aandblom, n. View full entry 1793
...Any of several evening-scented wild flowers of the family Iridaceae; esp. Hesperantha falcata, which has fragrant white flowers that open in the late afternoon....
3. aardvark, n. View full entry 1785
...A medium-sized, nocturnal African mammal, Orycteropus afer, which has sparse hair, long ears, an elongated snout, strong burrowing limbs, and a thick tail, feeding solely on ants and termites. Also...
4. aardwolf, n. View full entry 1833
...A small, nocturnal African hyena, Proteles cristata, which has a mane along the back and black vertical stripes, feeding chiefly on termites. Also called earth wolf, maanhaar...
5. aaron, n.1 View full entry ?c1425
...The wild arum or cuckoo pint, Arum maculatum. Cf. arum...
6. Aaron's beard, n. View full entry 1820
...Any of several plants which are thought to resemble a beard in growth, habit, or appearance; esp.the rose of Sharon, Hypericum calcinum, which has prominent tufts of hair-likeeither...
7. aasvoel, n. View full entry 1821
...A vulture; esp. the Cape vulture, Gyps coprotheres....
8. abaca, n. View full entry 1751
...A kind of banana plant, Musa textilis, native to the Philippines, the petioles of which yield a strong fibre. Also: the fibre itself, used for making paper, ropes, matting, etc.;...
9. abactinal, adj. View full entry 1857
...Designating the part or surface of an echinoderm or other radiate animal that is furthest from the mouth (as the upper side of a starfish); relating to this part; = aboral...
10. abalone, n. View full entry 1850
...An edible gastropod mollusc of the genus Haliotis, typically found in warm seas, having a shallow ear-shaped shell lined with mother-of-pearl and pierced with a line of respiratory holes; an...
11. abapical, adj. View full entry 1866
...Designating a side or part that is furthest from or opposite to an apex....
12. abasic, adj.2 View full entry 1982
...Of a nucleotide: lacking a purine or pyrimidine base. Of DNA, or a specific site in a sequence of nucleotides: containing a nucleotide or nucleotides of this type....
13. † abate, v.3 View full entry a1475
...intr. Of a falcon, hawk, etc.: to beat or flap the wings, to flutter. Cf. bate...
14. abaxial, adj. View full entry 1835
...Designating the surface of an organ, esp. a leaf, which during development initially faces away from the main axis or stem (usually the underside or outer surface); of or relating to such...
15. abaxile, adj. View full entry 1847
...Of a plant embryo: positioned off the main axis or central line; = abaxial2Obs....
16. † abay, n. View full entry c1330
...The barking or baying of hounds at a hunted animal, esp. when they have driven it into a position from which it is unable to flee further but must turn and face...
17. abbreviated, adj. View full entry c1487
...That has been abbreviated (in various senses); shortened, contracted; cut short. Also: reduced in size; small....
18. Abdim, n. View full entry 1872
...In full Abdim's stork. A small stork native to Eastern Africa, Ciconia abdimii, with predominantly black plumage and white underparts....
19. abdomen, n. View full entry ?1541
...Anat. and Zool. In humans and other vertebrates: the belly; the part of the trunk of body between the chest and the pelvis; the cavity of the body bounded...
20. abdominal, adj. and n. View full entry 1650
...Anat. and Zool. Of or relating to the abdomen (abdomen1); located on or in the abdomen....
