9-letter words that end in a
- astrantia — a hardy flowering plant from the genus Astrantia and family Apiaceae. It produces tiny flowers in the mid-summer months and dies back after flowering every year
- astroglia — The group of star-shaped glial cells in the brain and spinal cord.
- asynergia — lack of coordination between muscles or parts, as occurs in cerebellar disease
- atabalipa — Atahualpa.
- atahualpa — ?1500–33, the last Inca emperor of Peru (1525–33), who was put to death by the Spanish under Pizarro
- athabasca — river rising in the Rocky Mountains of SW Alberta, Canada, and flowing northeast into Lake Athabasca: 765 mi (1,231 km)
- athabaska — a river in W Canada, rising in the Rocky Mountains and flowing northeast to Lake Athabaska. Length: 1230 km (765 miles)
- athanasia — deathlessness; immortality.
- attotesla — one-quintillionth (10 -18) of a tesla. Abbreviation: aT.
- aubrietia — any trailing purple-flowered plant of the genus Aubrieta, native to European mountains but widely planted in rock gardens: family Brassicaceae (crucifers)
- audiencia — a high court, found in South America during the colonial period
- auditoria — the space set apart for the audience in a theater, school, or other public building.
- australia — a country and the smallest continent, situated between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific: a former British colony, now an independent member of the Commonwealth, constitutional links with Britain formally abolished in 1986; consists chiefly of a low plateau, mostly arid in the west, with the basin of the Murray River and the Great Dividing Range in the east and the Great Barrier Reef off the NE coast. Official language: English. Religion: Christian majority. Currency: dollar. Capital: Canberra. Pop: 23 029 674 (2013 est). Area: 7 682 300 sq km (2 966 150 sq miles)
- austrasia — the eastern region of the kingdom of the Merovingian Franks that had its capital at Metz and lasted from 511 ad until 814 ad. It covered the area now comprising NE France, Belgium, and western Germany
- autopista — a Spanish motorway
- ave maria — “Hail, Mary,” the first words of the Latin version of a prayer to the Virgin Mary used in the Roman Catholic Church
- ayahuasca — a Brazilian plant, Banisteriopsis caapi, that has winged fruits and yields a powerful hallucinogenic alkaloid sometimes used to treat certain disorders of the central nervous system: family Malpighiaceae
- ayia napa — a coastal resort in SE Cyprus. Pop: 9500 (2004 est)
- ayutthaya — a city in S Thailand, on the Chao Phraya River: capital of the country until 1767; noted for its canals and ruins. Pop (province): 727 300 (2000)
- baby mama — the biological mother of a man's child, not married to the child's father and usually not in a relationship with him.
- babylonia — the southern kingdom of ancient Mesopotamia: a great empire from about 2200–538 bc, when it was conquered by the Persians
- balaclava — A balaclava is a tight woollen hood that covers every part of your head except your face.
- balaklava — a small port in S Crimea: scene of an inconclusive battle (1854), which included the charge of the Light Brigade, during the Crimean War
- balalaika — a plucked musical instrument, usually having a triangular body and three strings: used chiefly for Russian folk music
- ballerina — A ballerina is a woman ballet dancer.
- ballymena — a district in central Northern Ireland, in Co Antrim. Pop: 59 516 (2003 est). Area: 634 sq km (247 sq miles)
- band-gala — (in India) (of a coat) closed at the neck
- banda sea — a part of the Pacific in Indonesia, between Sulawesi and New Guinea
- bandurria — a Spanish musical instrument of the guitar family with six pairs of double strings.
- bar kokba — Simon, died a.d. 135, Hebrew leader of insurrection against the Romans a.d. 132–135.
- barasinga — a species of deer, Cervus duvaucelii, native to India and Nepal, known for the many-pointed nature of its antlers
- barcelona — the chief port of Spain, on the NE Mediterranean coast: seat of the Republican government during the Civil War (1936–39); the commercial capital of Spain. Pop: 1 582 738 (2003 est)
- barracuda — A barracuda is a large tropical sea fish that eats other fish.
- bass tuba — a tuba pitched in F or E-flat
- bathsheba — the wife of Uriah, who committed adultery with David and later married him and became the mother of his son Solomon (II Samuel 11–12)
- batrachia — amphibians, including frogs and toads, which have gills and a tail in their larval state, which are discarded later in life
- battersea — a district in London, in Wandsworth: noted for its dogs' home, power station (now a leisure centre), and park
- beach pea — either of two plants of the legume family, Lathyrus japonicus, of seashores of the North Temperate Zone, or L. littoralis, of the temperate western coast of North America, both having oblong leaves and clusters of pealike flowers.
- beccaccia — a woodcock
- beersheba — a town in S Israel: commercial centre of the Negev. In biblical times it marked the southern limit of Palestine. Pop: 183 000 (2003 est)
- belgravia — a fashionable residential district of W central London, around Belgrave Square
- ben bella — Mohammed Ahmed (ˈɑːmɪd). 1916–2012, Algerian statesman: first prime minister (1962–65) and president (1963–65) of independent Algeria: overthrown and imprisoned (1965–80)
- beriosova — Svetlana (svɪtˈlanə). 1932–98, British ballet dancer, born in Lithuania
- bethsaida — a ruined town in N Israel, near the N shore of the Sea of Galilee
- betsiboka — a river in central Madagascar, flowing NW to the Mozambique Channel. About 200 miles (320 km) long.
- bharatiya — of or relating to India
- big media — the mainstream media, as television and newspapers: blogs that compete with big media.
- bigorexia — muscle dysmorphia.
- bilharzia — schistosome
- billerica — a city in NE Massachusetts.