16-letter words containing a, t
- ascending rhythm — rising rhythm.
- ascidian tadpole — the free-swimming larva of an ascidian, having a tadpole-like tail containing the notochord and nerve cord
- asiatic elephant — Indian elephant. See under elephant.
- asparagus beetle — either of two leaf beetles of the genus Crioceris that feed on the asparagus plant in both the larval and adult stages.
- assembly routine — assembler (def 2a).
- assessment tests — tests that form part of the regular assessment of students' knowledge and learning
- asset management — the way in which the acquisition, use and disposal of the assets of an individual or a company are managed in order to maximize any profit they generate
- assimilationists — Plural form of assimilationist.
- assistant editor — a person who assists an editor in their work
- assistant priest — a person who assists a priest in their work or who is not yet fully qualified as a priest
- assisted passage — a scheme whereby a government encourages people to emigrate or return home by agreeing to pay for their ticket
- assisted suicide — suicide committed with the assistance of a physician by a person terminally ill or in unmanageable pain
- associate degree — An associate degree is a college degree that is awarded to a student who has completed a two-year course of study.
- associate member — a person who is a member of a club, organization etc. but has only partial rights and privileges or subordinate status
- associated state — a nation with limited sovereignty, especially a former colony that now assumes responsibility for domestic affairs but continues to depend on the colonial ruler for defense and foreign policy.
- association area — any of the regions of the cerebral cortex of the brain connected by numerous nerve fibers to all parts of both cerebral hemispheres and coordinating such higher activities as learning and reasoning.
- associationistic — Of or pertaining to associationism.
- aston dark space — the dark region between the cathode and the cathode glow in a vacuum tube, occurring when the pressure is low.
- astroarchaeology — archaeoastronomy.
- astroengineering — (scifi) The construction of megastructures in space by technologically advanced beings.
- astrometeorology — the study of the theoretical effects of astronomical bodies and forces on the earth's atmosphere.
- astronomer royal — an honorary title awarded to an eminent British astronomer: until 1972, the Astronomer Royal was also director of the Royal Greenwich Observatory
- astrophotography — the photography of celestial bodies used in astronomy
- asymptomatically — showing no evidence of disease.
- at bayonet point — done while having a bayonet pointed at one
- at daggers drawn — If you say that two people are at daggers drawn, you mean they are having an argument and are still very angry with each other.
- at full throttle — If you say that something is done at full throttle, you mean that it is done with great speed and enthusiasm.
- at liberty to do — If someone is at liberty to do something, they have been given permission to do it.
- at one's leisure — when one has free time
- at the last gasp — at the point of death
- at the same time — If two or more things exist, happen, or are true at the same time, they exist, happen, or are true together although they seem to contradict each other.
- at the sharp end — If you say that someone is at the sharp end of a particular activity or type of work, you mean that they are involved in the most difficult or dangerous aspects of it.
- at-risk register — an official list of people or things considered to be exposed to possible threat, such as children in potentially abusive households or historic buildings in need of maintenance
- athanasian creed — a profession of faith widely used in the Western Church which, although formerly attributed to Athanasius, probably originated in Gaul between 381 and 428 ad
- atherothrombotic — (medicine) Pertaining to or caused by atherothrombosis, the sudden disruption of an atherosclerotic plaque.
- atlantic charter — the joint declaration issued by F. D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill on Aug 14, 1941, consisting of eight principles to guide a postwar settlement
- atlantic croaker — a person or thing that croaks.
- atmospheric tide — a movement of atmospheric masses caused by the gravitational attraction of the sun and moon and by daily solar heating.
- atomic mass unit — a unit of mass used to express atomic and molecular weights that is equal to one twelfth of the mass of an atom of carbon-12. It is equivalent to 1.66 × 10–27 kg
- atomic physicist — a scientist specializing in atomic physics
- atomic structure — the concept of an atom as a central positively charged nucleus consisting of protons and neutrons surrounded by a number of electrons. The number of electrons is equal to the number of protons: the whole entity is thus electrically neutral
- atrioventricular — of, relating to, or affecting both the atria and the ventricles of the heart
- attendance order — (in Britain) an order issued by a court requiring a young offender to attend a specified place at specified times in order to carry out unpaid work, usually as an alternative to being fined
- attendance sheet — an official document for listing those attending a meeting, class, course, etc
- attitude of mind — Your attitude of mind is your general way of thinking and feeling.
- attitude problem — a frame of mind perceived by others to be hostile or uncooperative
- attorney general — A country's Attorney General is its chief law officer, who advises its government or ruler.
- attorney-in-fact — a person authorized by power of attorney to act on the authorizer's behalf outside a court of law.
- attributive noun — a noun that occurs before and modifies another noun, as toy in toy store or tour in tour group.
- atwood's machine — a device consisting of two unequal masses connected by a string passed over a pulley, used to illustrate the laws of motion.