| ataraxy | n. | state of freedom from emotional distress and anxiety | ||
| athodyd | n. | ramjet | ||
| athwart | adv. | across from side to side, transversely; (nautical) from side to side of a ship; across the course of | ||
| atrabilious | adj. | melancholy; splenetic | ||
| atramental | adj. | of or related to ink or blacking | ||
| atresic | adj. | of or related to congenital lack or pathological obstruction of bodily cavity or opening | ||
| attap | n. | mangrove palm used in the construction of homes and buildings in villages throughout Malaysia, Indonesia, etc.; thatch roof made of such material | ||
| attar | n. | essential oil made from flowers, esp. from roses | ||
| attenuate | v. | to make thin or thinner; to reduce the force of | ||
| aubade | n. | song or poem in honor of the dawn | ||
| aubergine | n. | eggplant; dark purple | ||
| aumbry | n. | cupboard, locker; recess in church wall for storage (of sacramental vessels, books, etc.) (archaic spelling of ambry) | ||
| auscultation | n. | diagnosis through listening to bodily sounds, usually with a stethoscope | ||
| austringer | n. | trainer and keeper of goshawks or other short-winged hawks (also astringer) | ||
| autarchy | n. | self-government; absolute power | ||
| avaunt | int. | begone, go away | archaic | |
| avenaceous | adj. | of or related to oats | ||
| avernal | adj. | of or related to Lake Avernus, Italian lake famed for its noxious fumes and thought to be an entrance to Hell; hellish | ||
| avidin | n. | protein in white of eggs which prevents action of vitamin B | ||
| avoirdupois | n. | weight measurement system based upon a pound of 16 ounces; body weight | ||
| awhile | adv. | for a short period of time | ||
| axillary | adj. | of or related to the armpit | ||
| axletree | n. | fixed bar of wood or iron on the opposite ends of which the wheels of a wagon or carriage revolve | ||
| ayah | n. | nanny or nurse (usu. native) working for Europeans in Southeast Asia | ||
| azan | n. | Muslim call to prayer | ||
| azonic | adj. | not local, not of any particular region | ||
| azote | n. | nitrogen | ||
| backdate | v. | to antedate, to mark with date earlier than actual date | ||
| backhand | n. | handwriting that slopes to the left | ||
| bad cess to | n. | a curse upon, may evil befall | idiom | |
| badmash | miscreant, ruffian, dishonest man or youth | |||
| bailiwick | n. | area of expertise or skill | ||
| bain-marie | n. | steam table, receptacle containing hot water in which other vessels containing food are placed to cook or to keep warm; (British) double boiler | ||
| baize | n. | woolen fabric with long nap, usu. green, resembling felt, frequently seen covering billiard tables | ||
| baldachin | n. | rich brocade; canopy over a throne, altar, or doorway | ||
| baldric | n. | belt worn across the breast from shoulder to hip, supporting a sword or bugle, etc. | ||
| balliwick | n. | area of expertise; jurisdiction district for a bailiff | ||
| baluster | n. | (architecture) short pillar, usu. supporting a handrail or coping (which series is then called a balustrade) | ||
| bamboula | n. | drum made from a rum barrel; dance using such a drum | ||
| banal | adj. | unoriginal or common in a boring fashion | ||
| bandbox | n. | small cardboard box for storing collars or small hats | ||
| bangle | v. | to squabble, to noisily dispute | ||
| bangtail | n. | racehorse | slang | |
| banjo | v. | to beat, to knock down, to thrash | slang | |
| Bantustan | n. | one of the quasi-autonomous ‘homelands’ for blacks under South Africa’s apartheid regime | ||
| barbel | n. | slender filament dangling from the mouths of certain fishes (such as the catfish), in which taste buds are located | ||
| barbola | n. | decorative fruit or flowers made from barbotine; such decoration when added to a craft piece | ||
| barcarolle | n. | gondolier’s song | ||
| barchan | n. | crescent-shaped sand dune formed by wind | ||
| bariatric | adj. | of or related to treatment of obesity and associated conditions |
