12-letter words starting with a
- aiguillettes — Plural form of aiguillette.
- aileron roll — a roll consisting of one or more rotations, usually controlled by the use of ailerons.
- ailurophiles — Plural form of ailurophile.
- ailurophilia — a liking for cats, as by cat fanciers.
- ailurophilic — relating to ailurophilia
- ailurophobes — Plural form of ailurophobe.
- ailurophobia — an abnormal fear of cats
- ailurophobic — relating to ailurophobia
- aiming point — the point at which a gun or bombsight is aimed in order to strike a desired target, often a point in advance of or behind the actual target.
- air corridor — an air route along which aircraft are allowed to fly
- air cylinder — a cylinder containing air, esp one fitted with a piston and used for damping purposes
- air disaster — a very serious air crash in which in a lot of people are killed or injured
- air division — an organizational unit smaller than an air force, usually composed of a headquarters and two or more wings
- air drilling — Air drilling is a drilling method in which compressed air or nitrogen is used to cool the drill bit and lift cuttings out of the wellbore.
- air embolism — the presence in the tissues and blood of a gas, such as air or nitrogen bubbles, caused by an injection of air or, in the case of nitrogen, by an abrupt and substantial reduction in the ambient pressure
- air layering — a method of propagating a plant by girdling or cutting part way into a stem or branch and packing the area with a moist medium, as sphagnum moss, stimulating root formation so that the stem or branch can be removed and grown as an independent plant.
- air mattress — an inflatable mattress or pad, as of plastic or rubber, used for camping, as an extra bed, etc.
- air ministry — (in England) the department of government administering all civil and military matters concerning aviation.
- air observer — observer (def 3).
- air pressure — the force of air pressing down on an area
- air purifier — a device which removes pollutants and allergens from the air
- air terminal — An air terminal is a building in which passengers wait before they get on to an aeroplane.
- air-breather — an aircraft, missile, or submarine engine that requires air from the atmosphere for the combustion of its fuel.
- air-sea base — a centre from which military aircraft and naval vessels operate
- airbrush out — to remove evidence of (someone or something from photographs, books, or history)
- aircraftsman — a person holding the rank of noncommissioned officer in the RAF.
- airfreighted — Simple past tense and past participle of airfreight.
- airpocalypse — (informal) The presence of dense smog in many parts of China.
- airport code — a three-letter abbreviation of the names of the world's major airports, used especially as an identifier for routing baggage.
- airtightness — the quality of being airtight
- al-khwarizmi — Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi
- alalcomeneus — the first man: he reared Athena and reconciled Zeus and Hera.
- alan shugart — Alan F. Shugart
- alant starch — inulin.
- alarm signal — a signal warning of danger
- alarm system — a set of electronic devices that trigger an alarm
- alaska range — a mountain range in S central Alaska. Highest peak: Mount McKinley, 6194 m (20 320 ft)
- albert canal — ship canal in Belgium, from Liège to Antwerp: 81 mi (131 km)
- albert speer — Albert [al-bert;; German ahl-bert] /ˈæl bərt;; German ˈɑl bɛrt/ (Show IPA), 1905–81, German Nazi leader: appointed by Hitler as official Nazi architect.
- alberti bass — a reiterated broken-chord figure used as an accompaniment, especially in 18th-century rococo keyboard music.
- albumenizing — Present participle of albumenize.
- albuminoidal — (chemistry) Of the nature of an albuminoid.
- alcaptonuria — Alternative spelling of alkaptonuria.
- alchemically — in an alchemical manner
- alcohol-free — (of beer or wine) containing only a trace of alcohol
- alcoholicity — the strength of an alcoholic liquor
- alcoholizing — Present participle of alcoholize.
- aldebaranium — (chemistry, obsolete) A rejected name for ytterbium.
- aldermanlike — resembling an alderman, esp in being pompous
- aldolization — the conversion of an aldehyde to aldol