| A | B |
|---|
| abalone | a mollusc whose flesh is used for food and whose shell is used for mother of pearl |
| abbreviation | a short form of a word or expression |
| ability | something that you are able to do |
| abrogate | to abolish or annul by formal means |
| absence | the fact that someone is not in the place where people expect them to be |
| abyss | a deep empty space seen from a high point such as a mountain |
| accept | to take something that someone offers you |
| access | the way by which you can enter a building or reach a place. |
| accident | a situation in which someone is injured or something is damaged without anyone intending them to be |
| accidentally | without intending to |
| accommodate | to have or provide enough space for a particular number of people or things |
| accoutrements | things that you use or carry when doing a particular activity |
| accurate | correct because all the details are true |
| accuse | to say that somebody is guilty of a crime or of doing something bad |
| acerbic | criticising someone or something in a clever but rather cruel way |
| achieve | to succeed in doing something good or getting the result you wanted |
| acquaintance | someone who you know but is not a close friend |
| acquire | to buy or obtain something |
| acre | a unit for measuring area (4047 square metres) |
| acreage | an area of land measured in acres |
| acrobat | someone who entertains people by doing difficult physical actions such as walking on their hands |
| activity | something that you do for interest |
| actor | someone who performs in a film or television programme |
| addict | someone who is unable to stop taking drugs |
| address | the number of the building and name of the street and town where somebody lives |
| adjust | to make small changes to something in order to improve it |
| admiration | a feeling of admiring someone or something |
| adventure | an exciting experience in which dangerous or unusual things happen |
| affable | friendly and easy to talk to |
| affect | to do something that produces an effect or change in someone of something |
| afford | to have enough money to be able to buy or pay for something |
| agglutination | a state of being stuck together |
| agreement | an arrangement or promise to do something |
| alarm | something such as a light or bell that warns people of danger |
| albumen | the white of an egg |
| allow | to let someone do or have something |
| aloud | speaking in a normal loud voice |
| altar | a table or raised surface that is the centre of many religious ceremonies |
| alter | to change or to make someone or something change |
| always | at all times |
| ambulance | a special vehicle that is used to take someone ill to hospital |
| ameliorate | to make something better |
| amendment | a written change or improvement to a law or document |
| among | in the middle of |
| amount | a quantity of something such a time or money |
| amphibian | an animal that can live both on land and in water |
| anachronism | someone or something that seems to belong to the past |
| anaesthesia | the use of anaesthetics in medicine |
| ancestor | a member of your family who lived a long time ago |
| anchor | a piece of heavy metal that is attached to a ship and then lowered to the bottom to prevent the ship from moving |
| ancient | belonging to a time long ago |
| angel | a spirit who lives with God in heaven |
| angle | the space between two straight lines or surfaces - measured in degrees |
| annual | occurring once a year |
| annuity | a specified income paid at fixed intervals for a fixed period |
| annunciation | the ancement of the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary of her conception of Christ |
| antediluvian | very old fashioned or outdated |
| antidepressant | any drug used to relieve the symptoms of depression |
| antipruritic | a drug used to treat skin irritation. |
| antipyretic | a drug used to prevent or reduce fever |
| antirrhinum | a two-lipped flower of various colours |
| antiscorbutic | preventing or curing scurvy |
| apartment | a set of rooms within a larger building |
| apocryphal | an apocryphal story about a famous person or event is well-known but probably not true |
| apotheosis | the best and most perfect example of something |
| applaud | to clap to indicate that you have enjoyed a performance |
| apply | to make a formal request for something such as a job |
| appointment | an arrangement for a meeting at an agreed time and place for a specific purpose |
| appreciate | to understand how good or useful someone or something is |
| approach | to move towards or nearer to someone or something |
| arboreal | connected with trees or living in trees |
| arctic | connected with or from the most northern part of the world |
| argument | a situation in which two or more people disagree |
| arithmetic | the science of numbers involving adding and multiplying etc. |
| armadillo | a burrowing animal related to the anteater |
| arpeggio | the sounding of the notes of a chord in rapid succession instead of simultaneously |
| arrange | to organize or make plans for something trip |
| artist | someone who produces works of art like paintings or drawings |
| ascetic | a person who leads a simple and non-materialistic life |
| aspersorium | a vessel for holding holy water |
| assembly | a group of people who have gathered together for a particular purpose |
| assignment | a piece of work that is given to someone as part of their job |
| atmosphere | the gases that surround the earth |
| attitude | the opinions and feelings that you usually have about something |
| attract | to make someone interested in something or to make them want to take part in something |
| audacious | extremely bold or daring - fearless |
| audience | a group of people who watch or listen to a person or performer in public |
| aurochs | a large European wild ox extinct since the seventeenth century |
| auspicious | promising success |
| author | someone who writes books |
| autocracy | government by an individual with unrestricted authority |
| autoimmune | the immune response of an organism against any of its own components |
| automatic | a machine or car that is designed to be operated in a simple way - using only a few controls |
| automobile | a motor car |
| autumn | the season between summer and winter - when leaves change colour and the weather becomes slightly colder |
| aviation | the science or practice of flying in aircraft |
| aviatrix | a woman who is a pilot |
| avid | someone who does something as much as they can |
| avoid | to do something to prevent something bad from happening |
| aware | to realize that something - such as a danger - exists |
| aye-aye | a nocturnal lemur from Madagascar |
