English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

Ae

name

A small village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.

Aegean

adj

Relating to the Aegean Sea, the body of water between Greece and Turkey, or the ancient civilizations around it.

aegidius

name

A male first name of Ancient Greek, of historical usage origin.

aegis

noun

Protection, support, or sponsorship provided by a powerful person or organization.

aerate

verb

To add oxygen or air to something.

aereous

adj

Like air, or made of air.

aerial

adj

Happening in or relating to the air, especially from above.

aeriform

adj

Relating to air.

aerify

verb

To add air to something.

aero

adj

Relating to aircraft or flying.

aerobatics

noun

Skilful, unusual flying movements not used on ordinary passenger flights.

aerobic

adjective

Describing exercise that raises the heart rate and breathing for a sustained period, using oxygen to supply energy to the muscles.

aerobics

noun

A form of exercise, often done to music, aimed at improving heart and lung fitness.

aerodrome

noun

A place where aircraft take off and land.

aerodynamic

adj

Shaped to move through air with minimal resistance.

aerodynamics

noun

The branch of science studying how air moves around objects and how that affects their motion.

aerogenerator

noun

A machine that makes electricity from wind; a wind turbine.

aeromechanics

noun

The branch of mechanics concerned with how gases move, covering both aerostatics and aerodynamics.

aeronaut

noun

Someone who flies in a balloon or airship.

aeronautic

adj

Relating to flying or navigating through the air.

aeronautical

adj

Connected with the science of flight.

aeronautics

noun

The science and practice of designing, building, and flying aircraft.

aeroplane

noun

British term for a powered aircraft with fixed wings; an airplane.

aerosol

noun

Tiny particles of liquid or solid suspended in a gas, such as air.

aerospace

noun

The industry involved in designing and building aircraft, spacecraft, and related technology.

aerospatial

adj

Relating to aerospace.

aerostatics

noun

The study of gases at rest, and of how balloons and aircraft behave in different atmospheric conditions.

Aeryn

name

A feminine given name, a modern variant spelling of Erin or Aaron-derived names.

aesculapian

adj

Connected with Aesculapius, the ancient god of medicine and healing.

aesthesia

noun

The capacity to feel or sense things.

aesthetic

adj

Relating to beauty, art, or how something looks and feels visually.

aesthetically

adv

In a way that relates to beauty or visual style.

aesthetics

noun

The branch of philosophy concerned with beauty, art, and taste.

aestuous

adj

Full of strong feeling; agitated or restless.

Aether

noun

An old term for the clear upper air thought to fill the sky above the clouds, later used in science for a hypothetical substance once believed to fill space.

aetiology

noun

The study of the causes of a disease, or the cause of a particular disease or case of one.

Af

noun

A historical, now offensive term used in colonial-era Rhodesia for a Black African.

AFAB

adjective

Assigned female at birth: recorded as female on a birth certificate on the basis of the body observed at delivery, regardless of the gender the person later identifies as.

afam

noun

In Philippine slang, a foreigner, especially a Western man romantically involved with a Filipino woman.

Afar

adv

From, at, or to a great distance; far away.

aff

noun

In debate competitions, the side arguing in favour of the resolution (short for "affirmative").

affable

adj

Friendly, easy to talk to, and pleasant in manner.

affair

noun

A matter, event, or piece of business, especially one being discussed in a general or vague way.

affect

verb

To influence or make a difference to something.

affectation

noun

Behaviour intended to seem natural when it is not; a false or artificial display.

affected

adj

Changed or influenced by something, often negatively.

affecting

adj

Causing strong emotion, especially sadness or sympathy.

affection

noun

A feeling of fondness, warmth, or love toward someone.

affectionate

adj

Showing warmth, fondness, or love readily and openly.

affectionately

adv

In a warm, loving, or fond manner.

affective

adj

Connected with feelings or emotion.

affghanistan

name

An old-fashioned spelling of Afghanistan.

affiance

verb

To promise to marry someone; to become engaged to them.

affiant

noun

(law) A person who signs a written statement made under oath.

afficky

name

A spelling that reflects the pronunciation of Africa.

affidavit

noun

A written statement made under oath, used as evidence in legal matters.

affiliate

noun

A person, company, or organisation formally connected to a larger group or network.

affiliated

adj

Officially connected to or associated with a larger organisation.

affiliation

noun

A formal connection or association between one group or person and another.

affinity

noun

A natural liking, attraction, or sense of connection toward someone or something.

affirm

verb

To state something confidently and firmly as true.

affirmation

noun

A statement declaring that something is true; the act of confirming something firmly.

affirmative

adj

Expressing agreement, confirmation, or a "yes" answer.

affirmative action

noun

A policy of actively favouring people from groups that have historically faced discrimination, especially in university admissions, hiring and government contracting, in order to increase their representation.

affirming

noun

The act of stating that something is true; a statement confirming something.

affix

noun

A bound morpheme attached to a word's stem, for example a prefix or a suffix.

affixed

adj

Firmly stuck or attached to something.

afflatus

noun

A sudden burst of creative inspiration, sometimes thought to come from a divine source.

Affleck

name

A surname of Scottish origin.

afflict

verb

To cause someone pain or suffering.

afflicted

adj

Suffering from pain, illness, or hardship.

affliction

noun

A condition or event that causes ongoing pain, suffering, or hardship.

affluence

noun

A plentiful flow or supply of something.

affluent

adj

Having a lot of money or material wealth.

afford

verb

To have enough money, time, or resources for something.

affordable

adj

Priced at a level most people can reasonably pay.

affray

verb

(archaic) To startle someone out of calm; to alarm them.

affreux

noun

A group of especially violent mercenary soldiers who fought in Africa and Asia in the 1960s.

affricate

noun

(phonetics) A speech sound made by combining a stop sound with a following hiss-like sound.

affright

noun

Great fear or terror.

affront

noun

An action or remark that deliberately insults or offends someone.

Afghan

adj

Relating to Afghanistan or its people and culture.

afghani

noun

The official currency of Afghanistan.

Afghanistan

name

A landlocked country in Central and South Asia, with Kabul as its capital.

afghanistani

noun

A person who lives in Afghanistan, of any ethnic background.

aficionada

noun

A woman who is a keen and devoted fan of something.

aficionado

noun

A person with a strong, informed enthusiasm for a particular hobby or interest.

afield

adv

Away from home or from a familiar starting point, often over a distance.

afire

adj

On fire, whether literally or as a figure of speech for strong emotion.

AFK

abbreviation

Away from the keyboard; used in chat, gaming and messaging to say that you are stepping away and will not respond for a while.

afl

noun

The sport known as Australian rules football.

aflame

adj

On fire or burning, often used figuratively for strong emotion or excitement.

afloat

adj

Floating on the surface of water rather than sinking.

aflutter

adj

Covered with things that flutter.

afoot

adv

Happening, in progress, or being planned, often secretly.

afore

adv

Before, in time or in position (old-fashioned or dialectal).

aforehand

adv

(archaic) Beforehand; ahead of time.

aforementioned

adj

Referred to or named earlier in the same document or conversation.

aforesaid

adj

Mentioned or named earlier in the same piece of writing or speech.

afraid

adj

Feeling fear; frightened.

afraidness

noun

A feeling of fear.

afresh

adv

Once more, from the beginning; anew.

Africa

name

The second-largest continent, bordered by the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, and the Indian Ocean.

African

adj

Relating to or coming from the continent of Africa.

afrikander

noun

An archaic form of Afrikaner (“member of ethnic group”).

afrikaner

noun

A person from southern Africa whose ancestors came from north-western Europe and who speaks Afrikaans.

afro

noun

A rounded, voluminous hairstyle of tightly curled hair.

aft

adv

At or toward the back (stern) of a ship, boat, or aircraft.

after

prep

Later in time than; following.

after all

adverb

Used to say that something turned out to be true or to happen in spite of what was expected or arranged.

after that

adverb

Following the event or point in time just mentioned; next in a sequence.

afterbear

noun

Someone born into a family after a particular relative; a descendant.

afterbirth

noun

The placenta and other tissue that comes away from the womb after an animal or person gives birth.

aftercare

noun

Medical care given to a patient while they recover from an operation or a stay in hospital.

aftercome

noun

Something that happens as a result of an earlier event.

aftercomer

noun

A person who follows another; in the plural, later generations.

afterhand

adj

Describes payment made once something has already happened, rather than beforehand.

afterknowledge

noun

Understanding that only comes once an event has already taken place.

afterlife

noun

A form of existence believed to continue after physical death.

aftermath

noun

The period or situation that results from a significant, usually damaging, event.

afternoon

noun

The part of the day between noon and evening.

afternoons

adv

Regularly, on afternoons; each afternoon as a habit.

afters

noun

A party held once a wedding meal has finished.

aftershave

noun

A scented lotion applied to the face after shaving.

aftershock

noun

A smaller earthquake that follows a larger one in the same area.

aftertaste

noun

A taste that lingers in the mouth after eating or drinking something.

afterthink

verb

To look back on something once it has already happened.

afterthought

noun

Something thought of or added later, often as a minor addition rather than part of the original plan.

afterwards

adv

At a later time; subsequently.

afterword

noun

A short piece of writing added at the end of a book.

afterworld

noun

A world that people are believed to enter once they have died.

ag

intj

An exclamation of mild annoyance, regret, or surprise (similar to "oh" or "ah").

Aga

noun

A large, heavy cast-iron cooking range that stays permanently hot, popular in British kitchens.

again

adv

One more time; once more.

against

prep

In opposition to; contrary to.

Agamemnon

name

In Greek mythology, the king of Mycenae who led the Greek forces in the Trojan War.

agape

adjective

With the mouth wide open, usually because of surprise, shock or wonder.

agate

noun

A translucent stone, related to quartz, marked with bands or cloudy patches of different colours.

Agatha

name

A feminine given name of Ancient Greek origin, meaning "good."

agathodaemon

noun

A kind, good-natured spirit, as opposed to an evil one.

agave

noun

A large succulent plant with sharp, spiky leaves that flowers only once, near the end of its life, and is used to make fibres and drinks such as tequila.

age

noun

The length of time someone or something has existed, usually counted in years.

aged

adj

Old, especially elderly.

agee

adv

Not straight; tilted or turned to one side.

ageful

adj

Old or elderly.

ageing

noun

The process of growing older.

ageism

noun

Unfair treatment of someone, especially an older person, based on assumptions about their age.

ageless

adj

Never seeming to grow old; appearing eternally youthful.

agelong

adj

Continuing for the whole of time; everlasting.

agency

noun

A business or organization that provides a particular service, often acting on behalf of others.