| arseniuretted | adj. | combined with arsenic to form an arsenide | ||
| arshin | n. | measurement of about 28 inches used in Imperial Russia and up to 1925 | ||
| artemon | n. | square sail on a sharply steeved spar at the bow of ancient Roman or Greek merchant vessels and ships | ||
| asafetida | n. | stinky gum used in cooking, derived from plant of the same name | ||
| ascend | v. | to move upward | ||
| aseity | n. | metaphysical quality of absolute self-sufficient self existence, existence derived solely from self | ||
| ashlar | n. | square-cut stone; masonry made of such stone | ||
| asininity | n. | stupid obstinacy, extreme foolishness; stupid remark | ||
| asker | n. | newt | idiom | |
| aspergillum | n. | holy water sprinkler | ||
| asperse | v. | to bespatter with false accusations; to slander, to traduce | ||
| assart | v. | to root up trees and bushes from land for cultivation | ||
| assertoric | adj. | of a proposition which states fact neither self-evident nor merely possible | ||
| asseverate | v. | to assert, to aver | ||
| assiduous | adj. | persistently diligent, constant | ||
| assort | v. | to distribute like things according to type | ||
| astart | v. | to befall; to escape, to start off | ||
| asthenia | n. | debility, lack of strength | ||
| astonied | adj. | stunned; dazed | archaic | |
| astragal | n. | anklebone; bead-shaped molding; molding at junction of double doors to prevent drafts | ||
| asyndeton | n. | figure omitting conjunctions | rhetoric | |
| atabal | n. | Moorish tambour or kettle-drum | ||
| 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 | ||
| attrit | v. | to wear down or erode (usu. by physical action); [military] to lose troops by engagement with larger forces or firepower | ||
| 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 | ||
| autofiction | n. | blend of autobiography and fiction | ||
| 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 |
