English dictionary — definitions & meanings

avidity

noun

Greediness; strong appetite.

avidly

adv

In an avid manner; greedily; eagerly.

avidness

noun

The characteristic of being avid.

Avignon

name

A historic city in southern France, on the Rhône, once the seat of the medieval popes.

Avinash

name

A male given name of Hindi origin, meaning "indestructible".

avionics

noun

The science and technology of the development and use of electrical and electronic devices in aviation.

avocado

noun

A pear-shaped fruit with rich, buttery green flesh and a large central stone, eaten as a savoury food.

avocation

noun

A calling away; a diversion.

avocational

adj

Of, relating to, or being an avocation.

avoid

verb

To keep away from someone or something, especially something unwanted or harmful.

avoidable

adj

Capable of being vacated; liable to be annulled or made invalid; voidable.

avoidably

adv

In a manner so as to be avoidable.

avoidance

noun

The act of keeping away from something, or the habit of doing so.

avoiding

noun

The act of staying away from or steering clear of something; avoidance.

Avon

name

The name of several rivers in the UK and elsewhere, most famously the river running through Stratford-upon-Avon and Bristol.

avouch

verb

To declare freely and openly; to assert.

avouchment

noun

The act of avouching.

avow

verb

To declare openly and boldly, as something believed to be right; to own, acknowledge or confess frankly.

avowal

noun

An open declaration of affirmation or admission of knowledge.

avowed

adj

openly acknowledged

avraham

name

A male given name from Hebrew.

Avram

name

A male given name of Hebrew origin, equivalent to Abraham.

Avril

name

A female given name of French origin, equivalent to April.

aw

intj

Used to express disappointment, sympathy, or mild protest.

awa

noun

Kava, a plant used to make a traditional mildly intoxicating Pacific Island drink, or the drink itself.

await

verb

To wait for something or someone, often with a sense of expectation.

awake

adj

Not asleep; conscious.

awaken

verb

To cause to become awake.

awakened

adj

Having been roused from sleep; also, having become alert or aware of something.

awakening

noun

The act or moment of waking up, or of suddenly becoming aware of something.

award

noun

A prize or honour given for merit or achievement.

awarding

noun

The act of officially giving or granting something, such as a prize or contract.

aware

adj

Having knowledge or realisation of something.

awareness

noun

Knowledge or perception of a situation or fact.

awash

adj

Covered or flooded with water, so that waves wash over the surface.

away

adv

From this place or position; to or at a distance.

awe

noun

A powerful feeling of respect mixed with wonder or fear.

awed

adj

Filled with a feeling of awe.

aweless

adj

Without fear; fearless, unafraid.

awesome

adj

Extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring a sense of wonder.

awesomeness

noun

The quality of being awesome; greatness or excellence.

awestruck

adj

Filled or overcome with awe or wonder.

awful

adj

Very bad or unpleasant.

awfully

adv

Very or extremely.

awfulness

noun

The state or quality of being awful.

awhile

adv

For a short time.

awkward

adj

Causing or feeling embarrassment or discomfort, especially in a social situation.

awkwardly

adv

In a clumsy, uncomfortable, or embarrassed way.

awkwardness

noun

The quality of being awkward; clumsiness or social discomfort.

awl

noun

A pointed instrument for piercing small holes, as in leather or wood; used by shoemakers, saddlers, cabinetmakers, etc. The blade is differently shaped and pointed for different uses, as in the brad awl, saddler's awl, shoemaker's awl, etc.

awning

noun

A sheet of canvas or similar material fixed over a window, door, or deck to give shelter from sun or rain.

AWOL

adj

Absent without official permission, especially from military duty.

awry

adj

Turned or twisted to one side; crooked or out of the expected position.

aww

intj

An elongated, more emphatic form of "aw", used to express sympathy or affection.

Ax

noun

US spelling variant of axe: a tool with a heavy blade and long handle used for chopping wood.

axe

noun

A tool with a heavy blade on one side of the head and a long handle, used for chopping wood.

axed

adj

Cut, cancelled, or dismissed abruptly.

axel

noun

A figure-skating jump in which the skater takes off from the outside edge of one skate, rotates one and a half times (or more) in the air, and lands on the opposite foot.

Axelrod

name

A surname, often of Ashkenazi Jewish origin.

axeman

noun

A man who wields an axe.

axilla

noun

The armpit, or the cavity beneath the junction of the arm and shoulder.

axiom

noun

A statement accepted as true without proof, used as a starting point from which other results are derived.

axiomatic

adj

Self-evident or unquestionable.

axis

noun

An imaginary straight line around which something rotates or is arranged symmetrically.

Axl

name

A masculine given name, notably borne by musician Axl Rose.

axle

noun

The rod or shaft that a wheel turns on, or that turns together with a pair of wheels.

ay

intj

An exclamation of pain, dismay, or distress.

aya

adv

A dialectal or archaic form of "yes" or "aye."

ayahuasca

noun

A South American vine used to make a traditional psychoactive brew, or the brew itself.

Ayako

name

A feminine Japanese given name.

Ayala

name

A Spanish surname of Basque origin.

Ayano

name

A feminine Japanese given name, also used as a surname.

ayatollah

noun

A high-ranking religious leader and scholar in Shia Islam.

aye

intj

Yes (used especially in voting, formal agreement, or nautical/military commands).

Ayers

name

An English surname, sometimes derived from the town of Ayr in Scotland.

Ayesha

name

A feminine given name of Arabic origin, a variant spelling of Aisha.

Ayn

noun

The letter representing the guttural consonant sound written ع in Arabic and similar letters in other Semitic languages.

ayo

intj

Used to imply that what was said is inappropriate, perhaps sexually so.

Ayodhya

name

A city in Uttar Pradesh, India, revered in Hinduism as the birthplace of the deity Rama.

ayr

name

A town in South Ayrshire council area, Scotland (OS grid ref NS3321).

Ayres

name

An English surname.

Ayrton

name

A surname, notably borne by the Brazilian racing driver Ayrton Senna.

ayubowan

intj

Salutation wishing the recipient a long life, typically as a greeting or a goodbye.

Ayumi

name

A feminine Japanese given name.

aza

noun

A nitrogen atom substituted for a carbon atom within a ring.

azalea

noun

A flowering shrub, a type of rhododendron, prized for its brightly colored blossoms in spring.

Azhar

name

A surname of Arabic origin, meaning "shining" or "radiant", found mostly in Pakistan.

azimuth

noun

An arc of the horizon intercepted between the meridian of the place and a vertical circle passing through the center of any object.

Aziz

name

A masculine given name of Arabic origin, meaning "dear" or "beloved".

azotic

adj

Pertaining to azote, or nitrogen; formed or consisting of azote

Azrael

name

The angel of death in Islamic and some Christian traditions.

Aztec

adj

Relating to the Aztecs, the Nahuatl-speaking people who built a powerful empire in central Mexico before the Spanish conquest, or to their language and culture.

azure

noun

A bright blue color, like a clear sky.

Azusa

name

A city in Los Angeles County, California.

azygous

adj

Odd; not one of a pair; single.