Word origins

• AiméeA female given name from French.
• air de courA piece of secular vocal music of a kind popular in France in the late Renaissance and early Baroque period, from about 1570 until around 1650.
• air du tempsCurrent popular opinion or trends of a very large group of people, a city or a country.
• -aireOne whose wealth exceeds a specific number of units in the local currency.
• ajouréA technique for creating patterns of open areas in fabric by tying woven threads together.
• ajutageA tube through which is water is discharged; an efflux tube.
• a laIn the style or manner of.
• à la carteAllowing selection from a fixed list of individually priced options shown on the menu.
• a la minutePrepared to order, not prepared in advance.
• a la modeFashionable; in the current style or fashion.
• à la nageServed in a broth in which it was poached or cooked.
• à la russeOf a dinner service, having courses already cut and handed out to individual guests.
• AlbigensesThe inhabitants of Albi, a city in southern France.
• AlbouyA surname from French [in turn from Occitan].
• AlcindorA surname from French.
• alegarvinegar produced from fermented ale.
• AlençonAlençon lace.
• alépinemixed wool and silk or mohair and cotton fabric
• AlèsA town and commune of Gard department, Occitania, France.
• alevinNewly hatched fish, especially salmon.
• alexipharmacA medical remedy for protecting the body, or an antidote, against a harmful substance, especially a poison or venom (specifically, that of a snake); an alexipharmic, an antidote.
• AlfortvilleA commune in Val-de-Marne department, Île-de-France, France.
• algarotA pale white emetic powder formerly used in alchemy, consisting of a compound of trichloride and trioxide of antimony.
• algesiasensitivity to pain
• alidadeA type of sighting device used for measuring angles.
• alienismThe fact or position of being an alien; alienage.
• aligotA dish traditionally made in the south of Auvergne from melted Tomme cheese blended into mashed potatoes, often with garlic.
• alizariThe madder of the Levant; wild madder (Rubia peregrina).
• AlizéA female given name.
• alkekengiA herbaceous plant of the nightshade family (Alkekengi officinarum).
• allantoidThe allantois.
• all-dressedHaving all the standard or expected toppings, dressings, condiments, seasonings, etc.
• alléeAn alley in a formal garden or park, bordered by trees or bushes.
• allemande leftMove in which two facing dancers take left hands or forearms, turn halfway around to the left, let go, and step forward.
• all eyes and earsVery attentive.
• AlleymanA German, especially during the First World War.
• alley oopEncouraging or calling attention to a physical performance, especially one involving an upwards lift or leap.
• alloglotSpeaking a non-native language.
• allongeA slip of paper attached to a negotiable instrument to hold endorsements should the document itself be unable to hold any more.
• allonymA pseudonym, (particularly) another person's name used as a pseudonym by the author of a work.
• AllorA surname from French.
• alloyageThe act or art of alloying metals.
• almadieA canoe made from tree bark, formerly used in Africa.
• aloseEuropean shad (Alosa alosa); the allice or allis.
• alouatteA South American howler monkey (of the genus Alouatta).
• AlphanderyA surname from French [in turn from Arabic].
• alphenicWhite barley sugar
• alquifouA lead ore found in Cornwall, England, and used to give a green glaze to pottery.
• alter-Denotes a philosophy in opposition to or variation on the suffixed term.
• alterneOne of two or more plant communities that alternate with one another across a landscape with sharp boundaries, lacking an ecotone.
• AltessHighness.
• alunogenAn aluminium sulfate mineral often found on the walls of mines and quarries.
• amassmentThe act of amassing.
• AmazonomachiaA battle with Amazons (“mythical female warriors thought to inhabit the Black Sea region”); also (art), an artistic representation of such a scene.
• AmazonomachySynonym of Amazonomachia (“a battle with Amazons (“mythical female warriors thought to inhabit the Black Sea region”); also (art), an artistic representation of such a scene”).
• ambassadrySynonym of ambassadorship.
• Ambérieu-en-BugeyA commune in Ain department, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
• ambiguAn entertainment at which a medley of dishes is set on at the same time; a buffet.
• ambretteThe musk mallow plant (Abelmoschus moschatus).
• ambulancierambulanceman; paramedic
• âme damnéeSomeone who is utterly devoted to another and willing to carry out difficult or disagreeable tasks for them; a simp.
• amende honorableA public confession and apology.
• ameroA proposed unified currency of Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
• amidinStarch modified by heat so as to become a transparent mass, like horn. It is soluble in cold water.
• amnicolousThat lives by a river.
• amollishmentSoftening; mollification; appeasing; mitigation.
• amorceA hint about the future; an instance of foreshadowing.
• AmourouxA surname from French.
• amour propreSelf-regard, self-esteem.
• ampelographyThe discipline within botany concerned with the taxonomy of cultivars in the grapevine genus, Vitis.
• amphibologyAmphiboly.
• amphigoryA nonsense verse; a rigmarole, which is meaningless despite possibly appearing to have meaning.
• amphiptereA type of winged serpent, with two bat-like wings and typically with no other limbs.
• amputeTo amputate (a limb).
• amuse-boucheA bite-sized hors d'oeuvre or appetizer that is served before a meal.
• amusetteA light field cannon, or stocked gun mounted on a swivel.
• amygdaleAn almond-shaped inclusion in igneous rock or lava.
• anacyclicpalindromic
• anaerobiesanaerobes
• anagrammatistA creator or finder of anagrams.
• anapnographA form of spirometer.
• anastomoseTo join (two or more things) by anastomosis, to interconnect forming a network.
• anatronnative carbonate of soda; natron
• ancestrulaThe initial zooid of a bryozoan colony
• andouilletteA small andouille (type of sausage).
• AndoyA male given name from Cebuano, variant of Andy
• AndrinA surname from French.
• anecicBuilding deep vertical burrows and surfacing to feed.
• angaryThe right of one belligerent (government) in a conflict to seize, use or destroy the property of another belligerent or neutral state, or the private citizens thereof, provided compensation is paid.
• AngelierA surname from French.
• angéliqueA plucked bowl lute with two necks and most often sixteen strings, played in the manner of a harp, and popular in Baroque Europe.
• angelomorphicHaving the form of an angel; representing a specified person or object in such a manner.
• angelotA French gold coin from the reign of Louis XI, bearing the image of Saint Michael
• angiotenicThat is thought to stretch the blood vessels
• AngoulêmeA city, the capital of Charente department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.
• AngoumoisA geographic region, former county, and former province of France, with Angoulême as its capital; nearly corresponding to the modern-day Charente department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
• anhelationBreathing difficulty, shortness of breath.
• animalierAn artist who depicts animals.
• animalityThe nature of an animal.
• animal magnetismSexual attractiveness; charisma derived from non-intellectual characteristics.