6/11/2009 Words of the Day

abattoir:

An abattoir is a place where animals are killed in order to provide meat. (BRIT; in AM, use slaughterhouse)
      = slaughterhouse

 

abbess:

An abbess is the nun who is in charge of the other nuns in a convent.

 

abbot:

An abbot is the monk who is in charge of the other monks in a monastery or abbey.

 

abbey:

An abbey is a church with buildings attached to it in which monks or nuns live or used to live.

 

ABC:

The ABC of a subject or activity is the parts of it that you have to learn first because they are the most important and basic.
           ...the ABC of Marxism.

 

abdicate:

If a king or queen abdicates, he or she gives up being king or queen.
           The last French king was Louis Philippe, who abdicated in 1848.
     

   •  abdication      
           ...the most serious royal crisis since the abdication of Edward VIII.
     

If you say that someone has abdicated responsibility for something, you disapprove of them because they have refused to accept responsibility for it any longer. (FORMAL)
           Many parents simply abdicate all responsibility for their children.
     

   •  abdication            
           There had been a complete abdication of responsibility.

 

abdominals:

You can refer to your abdominal muscles as your abdominals when you are talking about exercise.

 

abduct:

If someone is abducted by another person, he or she is taken away illegally, usually using force.
           His car was held up and he was abducted by four gunmen...
           She was charged with abducting a six-month-old child.
      = kidnap 

   •  abduction      
           ...the abduction of four youths.
     

   •  abductor      
           She co-operated with her abductor.

 

aberrant:

Aberrant means unusual and not socially acceptable. (FORMAL)
           Ian's rages and aberrant behavior worsened.

 

aberrantion:

An aberration is an incident or way of behaving that is not typical. (FORMAL)
           It became very clear that the incident was not just an aberration, it was not just a single incident.

 

abet:

If one person abets another, they help or encourage them to do something criminal or wrong. Abet is often used in the legal expression `aid and abet'. (LEGAL FORMAL)
           His wife was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for aiding and abetting him...

 

abeyance:

If something is in abeyance, it is not operating or being used at the present time. (FORMAL)
           The Russian threat is, at the least, in abeyance...

 

abhor:

If you abhor something, you hate it very much, especially for moral reasons. (FORMAL)
           He was a man who abhorred violence and was deeply committed to reconciliation...
      = detest

 

abhorrence:

Someone's abhorrence of something is their strong hatred of it. (FORMAL)
           They are anxious to show their abhorrence of racism.
      = hatred

 

abide:

If you can't abide someone or something, you dislike them very much.
           I can't abide people who can't make up their minds...
      = can't stand  see also abiding, law-abiding

 

If you abide by a law, agreement, or decision, you do what it says you should do.
           They have got to abide by the rules.
      = observe

 

abiding:

An abiding feeling, memory, or interest is one that you have for a very long time.
           He has a genuine and abiding love of the craft...
      = lasting  ≠ short-lived

 

abject:

You use abject to emphasize that a situation or quality is extremely bad.
           Both of them died in abject poverty...
           This scheme was an abject failure.
      = total

 

abjure:

If you abjure something such as a belief or way of life, you state publicly that you will give it up or that you reject it. (FORMAL)
           ...a formal statement abjuring military action.

 

ablaze:

Something that is ablaze is burning very fiercely.
           Shops, houses, and vehicles were set ablaze.

     

If a place is ablaze with lights or colours, it is very bright because of them.
           The chamber was ablaze with light...