Word origins

• cactusAny member of the family Cactaceae, a family of flowering New World succulent plants suited to a hot, semi-desert climate.
• drosophilaAny fruit fly of the genus Drosophila
• araThe great blue and yellow macaw (Ara ararauna).
• sequoiaSequoiadendron giganteum, a coniferous evergreen tree formerly in the genus Sequoia, now placed in Sequoiadendron.
• rheaA large flightless bird of the order Rheiformes, native to South America.
• adelphiaAny plant of the genus Adelphia, of Latin America.
• hydrangeaAny of several shrubs, of the genus Hydrangea, having large clusters of white, pink or blue flowers.
• aspergillusAny of many molds, of the genus Aspergillus, many of which are pathogenic.
• cytomegalovirusAny of several herpes viruses, of the genus Cytomegalovirus, that infect the salivary glands of certain primates, including humans.
• petuniaAny of the flowering plants of genus Petunia, of which most garden varieties are hybrids.
• wisteriaAny of several woody climbing vines, of the genus Wisteria, native to the East Asian countries of China, Korea, and Japan and the eastern United States.
• tilapiaAny of various edible fish, formerly species of the genus Tilapia, but now placed in other cichlid genera (such as Oreochromis), native to Africa and the Middle East but cultivated worldwide.
• artemisiaAny of many aromatic flowering plants of the genus Artemisia, including wormwood, sagebrush, and tarragon, often used as traditional medicine, oral contraceptive and flavoring.
• alliumAny of many bulbous plants of the genus Allium, including onions and garlic.
• arnicaAny of several plants, of the genus Arnica, considered to have medicinal properties, especially Arnica montana.
• chlorellaAny single-celled green alga, of the genus Chlorella, found especially in stagnant water; now produced commercially as a food supplement.
• aspidistraAny of several Asian plants of the genus Aspidistra, having large leaves and small bell-shaped flowers; widely cultivated as a houseplant.
• anophelesA mosquito of the genus Anopheles, some insects of which transmit various parasites of the genus Plasmodium that are the cause of malaria.
• arbutusA strawberry tree, any of the flowering plants in the genus Arbutus.
• crustaceaCrustaceans.
• agrobacteriumA soil bacterium, of the genus Agrobacterium, which can fix nitrogen, and causes the formation of crown galls in plants.
• AsgardAny of the kingdom Promethearchaeati of archaea that contain eukaryotic signature proteins.
• alstroemeriaAny member of the genus Alstroemeria of South American flowering plants, the Peruvian lilies.
• nicotianaAny ornamental plant of the genus Nicotiana
• bougainvilleaAny of several South American flowering shrubs or lianas, of the genus Bougainvillea, having three showy, colorful bracts attached below each group of three inconspicuous flowers.
• squalidExtremely dirty and unpleasant.
• hantavirusAny virus of the genus Hantavirus, transmitted by aerosolized rodent excreta or rodent bites, especially the deer mouse. Hantaviruses cause Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS): incubation lasts for 1–5 weeks, sickness begins with fever and muscle aches, followed by shortness of breath and coughing.
• anthuriumAny of several tropical American evergreen plants, of the genus Anthurium, grown for their ornamental leaves and spathes.
• copepodAny of very many small crustaceans of the subclass Copepoda; they are widely distributed and ecologically important.
• heliconiaAny of the genus Heliconia of flowering plants.
• asclepiasAny plant of the genus Asclepias.
• kalanchoeAny succulent flowering plant of the tropical genus Kalanchoe.
• velociraptorA small agile dinosaur, of the genus Velociraptor, having sickle-shaped claws. It is also thought to have had a feathered coat. Fossils have been found in Late Cretaceous deposits Mongolia and China (around 75-71 mya).
• aplysiaAny sea slug of the genus Aplysia.
• antechinusAny member of the genus Antechinus of small carnivorous Australian marsupials that resemble shrews.
• breadfruitAny member of the species Artocarpus altilis of evergreen trees, native to islands of the east Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean.
• agapanthusAny member of the genus Agapanthus of flowering plants.
• flatwormAny of very many parasitic or free-living worms, of the phylum Platyhelminthes, having a flattened body with no skeleton or body cavity.
• amphipodAny species of the taxonomic order Amphipoda of small, shrimp-like crustaceans.
• alyssumAny of several plants, of the genus Alyssum, mostly of Eurasian origin, that have racemes of white or yellow flowers.
• tocoCorporal punishment; chastisement; beatings.
• perillaAn East Asian herb with flavorful leaves used in cooking and as a garnish, Perilla frutescens. Also grown for the seeds, which contain an edible and industrially-useful oil.
• anhingaSynonym of darter: any bird of the genus Anhinga.
• erythrinaAny of the genus Erythrina of leguminous flowering plants; a coral tree.
• aspleniumSynonym of spleenwort: any plant of the genus Asplenium.
• megalodonA species of extinct shark that lived during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs (†Otodus megalodon).
• araucariaAn individual plant (tree) of the genus Araucaria.
• zingiberAny member of the genus Zingiber of gingers.
• andropogonAny member of the grass genus Andropogon.
• osmanthusAny of several widely distributed evergreen flowering plants, of the genus Osmanthus, often used to create several liquors, jams, jellies, syrups, and teas.
• anthemiscamomile, in genus Anthemis.
• ajugaAny plant in the genus Ajuga, especially the ornamental ground cover Ajuga reptans.
• photobacteriumAny of the genus Photobacterium of bioluminescent bacteria.
• albiziaA plant of the genus Albizia; a siris or silk tree.
• brachiosaurusA large herbivorous sauropod dinosaur, Brachiosaurus altithorax, which lived during the Late Jurassic in North America.
• laeliaAny plant of the genus Laelia.
• glossinaA tsetse fly; any fly of the genus Glossina.
• spinosaurusA large, extinct, carnivorous dinosaur of genus †Spinosaurus, with a long snout like that of a crocodile and with a sail on its back. It is considered to be the largest theropod dinosaur.
• baptisiaAny of various ornamental plants of the genus Baptisia.
• alocasiaAny of several tropical Asian plants, of the genus Alocasia, having heart- or arrowhead-shaped leaves.
• tabebuiaAny of the plants in the genus Tabebuia.
• aechmeaAny member of the genus Aechmea of bromeliaceous plants.
• acalyphaAny plant of the genus Acalypha of flowering plants, found in tropical and subtropical environments.
• iguanodonAny large dinosaur of the genus †Iguanodon, of the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.
• azollaSynonym of mosquito fern (“any of several species of small floating aquatic ferns in the genus Azolla”).
• ancylostomaAny hookworm of the genus Ancylostoma.
• abroniaA plant of the genus Abronia.
• alternantheraAny of the herbaceous plants in the genus Alternanthera in the amaranth family.
• volvoxAny of the genus Volvox of chlorophytes.
• labeoAny carp of the genus Labeo.
• aglaonemaAny member of the genus Aglaonema of tropical foliage plants.
• aroniachokeberry
• aeoniumAny member of the genus Aeonium of succulent, subtropical plants with rosette leaves on a basal stem, mostly native to the Canary Islands.
• helianthemumAny member of the species in the genus Helianthemum of rockroses.
• hedysarumAny of the sweetvetches of the genus Hedysarum.
• acanthocinineAny longhorn beetle of the tribe Acanthocinini.
• acanthoptA member of the taxonomic superorder of fish, Acanthopterygii.
• acanthopteriA group of teleostean fishes having spiny fins. See Acanthopterygii.
• acariformAny mite of the superorder Acariformes.
• acarusAny member of the subclass Acari (aka Acarina): thus, a mite or a tick; specifically, any mite of the genus Acarus.
• accipitridAny member of the family Accipitridae of birds of prey.
• acerentomidAny proturan in the family Acerentomidae.
• achatinaAny of the snails of the genus Achatina.
• actiniaA sea anemone, specifically a member of the genus Actinia.
• adapiformAny of a group of extinct primate of the infraorder Adapiformes.
• aegyptianellosisInfection with Aegyptianella bacteria.
• aelurillineAny spider in the tribe Aelurillini.
• aethaliumA flat, plump fruiting body, formed by the aggregation of plasmodia, in certain slime molds.
• agalinisAny member of the genus Agalinis of flowering plants.
• aglajidAny gastropod in the family Aglajidae.
• agnostidA trilobite of the order †Agnostida.
• agnostineAny trilobite in the superfamily †Agnostina.
• agnostoidAny trilobite in the superfamily †Agnostoidea.
• aiphanolA stilbenolignan found in the seeds of Aiphanes aculeata.
• albizziaAny of a number of trees and shrubs considered either now or formerly to belong to the genus Albizia.
• aleocharineAny rove beetle of the subfamily Aleocharinae
• aletheAny of the birds in the genus Alethe or Chamaetylas, found in the subtropical and tropical forests of Africa.
• allamandinAn iridoid lactone found in Allamanda species.
• alnuinThe active principle of Alnus rubra.
• alpharetrovirusAny virus of the genus Alpharetrovirus.