| alder |
a tree or shrub of the birch family that grows in mostly cool, damp areas and drops its leaves every year. |
| ale |
an alcoholic drink that is like beer but more bitter. |
| alert |
watching carefully; quick to notice and act. [3 definitions] |
| Aleut |
a member of a native people of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. |
| Alexandria |
a city in Egypt on the Mediterranean Sea at the tip of the Nile delta. Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great. |
| alfalfa |
a plant with purple flowers that is grown as food for cattle and horses. Alfalfa is a member of the legume family of plants. |
| alga |
singular form of "algae." |
| algae |
organisms that live mainly in the water and make their food through photosynthesis. Algae are different from plants in that they have no true leaves, roots, or stems. Seaweeds are algae. "Algae" is a plural noun; the singular form is "alga." |
| algebra |
a form of mathematics used to solve problems in which some of the numbers are not known. In an algebra problem, letters stand for the unknown numbers. |
| Algeria |
a country in northern Africa. Algiers is the capital of Algeria. |
| alias |
a false name used to hide one's real name. [2 definitions] |
| alibi |
a way of defending oneself against criminal charges by showing that one was not at the scene of the crime when it happened. [2 definitions] |
| alien |
someone who lives in a country who is not a citizen of that country. [5 definitions] |
| alight1 |
to step down or get off. [2 definitions] |
| alight2 |
lighted up, or appearing to be lighted up. [2 definitions] |
| align |
to place or arrange in a straight line. |
| alike |
in the same way; similarly or equally. [2 definitions] |
| alimentary canal |
the tube in the body through which food travels as it is digested. The alimentary canal goes from the mouth to the anus, and includes the esophagus, the stomach, and the small and large intestines. |
| alimony |
money that a court orders one member of a divorced couple to pay to the other. |
| a little |
a small amount of something. [5 definitions] |
| alive |
having life; living. [3 definitions] |