abstergent Pronunciation Guide Pronunciation: -j nt Function: adjective Etymology: French or Latin; French, from Latin abstergent-, abstergens, present

participle of absterg re : CLEANSING, DETERGENT acacia Pronunciation Guide Pronunciation: k sh Function: noun Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, acacia tree, Egyptian thorn, from Greek akakia shittah 1 capitalized : a genus of woody plants (family Leguminosae) of warm regions having pinnate leaves and white or yellow flower clusters, the leaves in many Australian members being reduced to phyllodes -- see CATECHU, COOBA, WATTLE acaudal Pronunciation Guide Pronunciation: ( ) |k d l Variant(s): or acaudate \( ) k d t\ Function: adjective Etymology: 2a- + caudal, caudate : without a tail accede Pronunciation Guide Pronunciation: ak s d, k-, chiefly substand sFunction: intransitive verb Inflected Form(s): -ed/-ing/-s Etymology: Middle English acceden, from Latin accedere, from ad- + cedere to go, yield -- more at CEDE 1 archaic : to come forward : APPROACH 2 a (1) : to become a party (as to an agreement) by associating oneself with others <they were invited to accede to the covenant> (2) of a people or territory : to join in political union (as with another country) <Kashmir was said to have acceded to India> b : to express approval or give consent : ASSENT <ready to accede to his proposal -- Jane Austen>
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accelerando Pronunciation Guide Pronunciation: ( ) chel ran( )d , -nFunction: adverb (or adjective) Etymology: Italian, literally, accelerating, from Latin accelerandum, gerund of accelerare : gradually faster -- used as a direction in music acclivity Pronunciation Guide Pronunciation: kliv d. , a Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): -es Etymology: Latin acclivitas, from acclivus, acclivis ascending (from ad- + clivus slope) + -itas -ity -- more at DECLIVITY : an ascending slope (as of a hill) -- opposed to declivity achondroplasia Pronunciation Guide Pronunciation: | kndr pl zh( ) Function: noun Inflected Form(s): -s Etymology: New Latin, from 2a- + chondr- + -plasia : failure of normal development of cartilage resulting in dwarfism and occurring in many animals including man, cattle, and fowls -- called also, in man, fetal rickets; compare ATELIOSIS, CREEPER 9, 3DEXTER - achondroplastic \-|plastik\ adjective aconite Pronunciation Guide Pronunciation: ak n t, usu - d.+V Function: noun Inflected Form(s): -s Etymology: Middle French or Latin; Middle French, from Latin aconitum, from Greek akoniton, perhaps from neuter of akonitos without dust, without struggle, from a- 2a- + -konitos (from konis dust) -- more at INCINERATE 1 : a plant of the genus Aconitum; especially : the common monkshood (A. napellus) -see WINTER ACONITE acousto-optic Pronunciation Guide Pronunciation: |kst + Variant(s): also acousto-optical \"+\ Function: adjective Etymology: 1acoustic + -o- + optic, optical : of or relating to the use of ultrasound to modulate or change the direction of light in solids actuarial Pronunciation Guide Pronunciation: |akch |wer l, -kshFunction: adjective : of or relating to actuaries : determined by actuaries : relating to statistical calculation especially of life expectancy <a plan based on actuarial principles> - actuarially adverb adrenaline Pronunciation Guide Pronunciation: - dre-n -l n Function: noun Date: 1901 : EPINEPHRINE -- often used in nontechnical contexts <the fans were jubilant, raucous, their adrenaline running high -- W. P. Kinsella>