| a2 |
"A" has a meaning like "any." When you use "a" before a word, you are talking about any one of some group or kind of thing. When you say "a cat," it means any cat of all the cats in the world, or it means any cat of a group of cats. [2/3 definitions] |
| abbreviate |
When you abbreviate a word, you use a shorter form of it, You often use just a few letters of the word to stand for the whole thing. We often abbreviate things like the names of months, names for the days of the week, and words in addresses like "Street" and "Road." [1/2 definitions] |
| abbreviation |
a shortened form of a word or phrase used in writing. |
| abolition |
The word "Abolition," spelled with a capital letter, refers to the end of slavery in the United States. Abolition--the act of abolishing slavery--occurred in 1865. [1/2 definitions] |
| absolutely |
When something is absolutely right, it is exactly right. If something is absolutely beautiful, "beautiful" is the exact word to describe this thing, and there is nothing about this thing that isn't beautiful. [1/2 definitions] |
| accent |
the stress a speaker gives to one syllable in a word. [4/5 definitions] |
| acronym |
a word formed by putting together the first letters or parts of a series of words in a longer phrase. |
| action |
The word action can mean a lot of things happening quickly or at the same time. [1/4 definitions] |
| ad |
"Ad" is a short word for "advertisement." An advertisement is something that tells people about things to buy or things that are happening. You often see advertisements on television. Sometimes you hear ads on the radio or see them online. Also, when you are outside, you sometimes see advertisements on signs. |
| adios |
a word that means "good-bye" in Spanish. |
| adjective |
a word that describes a noun or pronoun. In the sentence, "It was a hard test," the word "hard" is an adjective. It describes the noun "test." |
| adverb |
a word that describes a verb, adjective, or other adverb. Adverbs are also used to modify a whole sentence. |
| affix |
a word part, such as a prefix or suffix, that is added to a word to change its meaning or function. The prefix "un-" and the suffix "-ness" are both affixes. [1/2 definitions] |
| ah |
a word used to express surprise, joy, pain, understanding, dislike, and other feelings. |
| aha |
a word used to express feelings like surprise, success, discovery, or satisfaction. |
| ahoy |
a word used as a greeting to attract the attention of sailors on a ship. |
| alas |
a word used to express sadness or disappointment. |
| alcohol |
We sometimes use the word alcohol to talk about drinks that have alcohol in them. [1/2 definitions] |
| algae |
Algae are living things that live mainly in water and make their food by using light from the sun. Algae are similar to plants, but they are not usually considered to be plants because they are different in some ways. For example, algae don't have roots and leaves like plants do. Most forms of algae are very helpful for animals and people. Seaweed is a kind of algae, which many people eat and can also be used in making other things. Fish and other water animals use algae for food. "Algae" is a plural word. The singular form is "alga." |
| aloha |
a Hawaiian word used for saying either "hello" or "goodbye." |
| Alsatian |
the British word for "German shepherd," a breed of large brown or black dogs that are often used as guard dogs and as guide dogs for blind people. |