15-letter words starting with a
- aerodynamically — the branch of mechanics that deals with the motion of air and other gases and with the effects of such motion on bodies in the medium. Compare aerostatics (def 1).
- aerodynamicists — Plural form of aerodynamicist.
- aeroplane cloth — a strong fabric made from cotton, linen, and nylon yarns, used for some light aircraft fuselages and wings
- aerotitis media — temporary deafness and pain arising from traumatic inflammation of the middle ear, caused by a rapid change in barometric pressure, as a rise in ambient cabin pressure in an aircraft descending from high altitude for landing.
- afars and issas — French Territory of the, a former name of Djibouti (def 1).
- affaire d'amour — a love affair
- affine geometry — the branch of geometry dealing with affine transformations.
- affirmativeness — The property of being affirmative.
- african buffalo — Cape buffalo.
- africanized bee — a hybrid of African and European honeybees, developed in Brazil and known for its disease resistance and superior honey production
- after a fashion — If you say that something was done after a fashion, you mean that it was done, but not very well.
- afternoon watch — the watch from noon until 4 p.m.
- aftershave balm — a soothing lotion for application to the face after shaving
- again and again — You can use again and again or time and again to emphasize that something happens many times.
- age of aquarius — an astrological era believed to bring increased spirituality and harmony on earth.
- age-appropriate — Something that is age-appropriate is suitable for the age that a person is.
- aggregate score — a score calculated by adding the results of several matches
- aggregate value — the total value of a number of smaller sums, added together and treated as an individual sum
- agranulocytosis — a serious and sometimes fatal illness characterized by a marked reduction of leucocytes, usually caused by hypersensitivity to certain drugs
- agree to differ — to end an argument amicably while maintaining differences of opinion
- agribusinessman — a person who engages in agribusiness
- agriculturalist — An agriculturalist is someone who is an expert on agriculture and who advises farmers.
- agro-industrial — the large-scale production, processing, and packaging of food using modern equipment and methods.
- agulhas current — a fast, warm ocean current flowing southwest along the SE coast of Africa
- ah, wilderness! — a comedy (1933) by Eugene O'Neill.
- air conditioned — If a room or vehicle is air conditioned, the air in it is kept cool and dry by means of a special machine.
- air conditioner — An air conditioner is a machine which keeps the air in a building cool and dry.
- air force cross — a U.S. Air Force decoration awarded for extraordinary heroism in action
- air-raid warden — a member of a civil defence organization responsible for enforcing regulations, etc, during an air attack
- air-superiority — designating a fighter aircraft built for long patrol capability at high altitudes and supersonic speeds, with air-to-air combat as its principal mission.
- airborne attack — an attack involving airborne troops
- airconditioning — Alternative spelling of air conditioning.
- aircraft hangar — a large workshop or building for storing and maintaining aircraft
- airing cupboard — In British houses, an airing cupboard is a warm cupboard where you put clothes and other things that have been washed and partly dried, to make sure they are completely dry.
- airmail edition — an edition of a newspaper that is printed on very thin paper so it is easier and cheaper to distribute
- airmail sticker — a sticker that is put on airmail letters to make sure they are not sent by surface mail
- airs and graces — If you refer to someone's airs and graces, you mean that they behave in a way that shows that they think they are more important than other people.
- aix-en-provence — a city and spa in SE France: the medieval capital of Provence. Pop: 145 721 (2006)
- aix-la-chapelle — Aachen
- akimiski island — an island in SW James Bay, in the SE Northwest Territories, in S central Canada. About 898 sq. mi. (2326 sq. km).
- akinetic mutism — a state of apparent alertness with normal eye movements but no speech or other voluntary motion, usually due to a stroke.
- al iskandariyah — Alexandria , Egypt
- al-iskandariyah — Arabic name of Alexandria.
- alan f. shugart — (person) The man who founded Shugart Associates and later co-founded Seagate Technology. Alan Shugart left Shugart Associates in 1974 [did he quit or was he fired?] and took a break from the disk-drive business. In 1979, he and Finis Conner founded a new company that at first was called Shugart Technology and later Seagate Technology.
- alaska purchase — purchase of the territory of Alaska by the U.S. from Russia in 1867 for $7,200,000. Compare Seward's Folly.
- albany congress — a meeting of delegates from seven American colonies, held in 1754 at Albany, New York, at which Benjamin Franklin proposed a plan (Albany Plan of Union) for unifying the colonies.
- albemarle sound — an inlet of the Atlantic in NE North Carolina. Length: about 96 km (60 miles)
- albert memorial — monument to Prince Albert of England in Kensington Gardens, London: 175 ft (53 m) high
- alberta clipper — (in Canada) an area of low pressure that forms in winter near the Rocky Mountains
- albertus magnus — Saint. original name Albert, Count von Böllstadt. ?1193–1280, German scholastic philosopher; teacher of Thomas Aquinas and commentator on Aristotle. Feast day: Nov 15