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
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• asclepiasAny plant of the genus Asclepias.
• kalanchoeAny succulent flowering plant of the tropical genus Kalanchoe.
• aplysiaAny sea slug of the genus Aplysia.
• antechinusAny member of the genus Antechinus of small carnivorous Australian marsupials that resemble shrews.
• agapanthusAny member of the genus Agapanthus of flowering plants.
• 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.
• 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.
• erythrinaAny of the genus Erythrina of leguminous flowering plants; a coral tree.
• araucariaAn individual plant (tree) of the genus Araucaria.
• andropogonAny member of the grass genus Andropogon.
• 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.
• 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.
• alocasiaAny of several tropical Asian plants, of the genus Alocasia, having heart- or arrowhead-shaped leaves.
• aechmeaAny member of the genus Aechmea of bromeliaceous plants.
• acalyphaAny plant of the genus Acalypha of flowering plants, found in tropical and subtropical environments.
• 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.
• volvoxAny of the genus Volvox of chlorophytes.
• labeoAny carp of the genus Labeo.
• aglaonemaAny member of the genus Aglaonema of tropical foliage plants.
• 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.
• acanthopteriA group of teleostean fishes having spiny fins. See Acanthopterygii.
• acariformAny mite of the superorder Acariformes.
• acerentomidAny proturan in the family Acerentomidae.
• achatinaAny of the snails of the genus Achatina.
• aegyptianellosisInfection with Aegyptianella bacteria.
• aethaliumA flat, plump fruiting body, formed by the aggregation of plasmodia, in certain slime molds.
• 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.
• 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.
• alphavirusAny virus of the genus Alphavirus (family Togaviridae).
• altheineasparagine
• amalgavirusAny phytopathogenic RNA virus of the genus Amalgavirus.
• ampelopsisA vine of the genus Ampelopsis
• ampharetidAny polychete in the family Ampharetidae.
• amphiumaAny member of the genus Amphiuma of aquatic salamanders.
• amsoniaAny member of the genus Amsonia of flowering plants; a bluestar.
• anamirtinA solid glyceride found in the fatty matter extracted from grains of paradise.
• ankylosaurianAny member of the suborder Ankylosauria, herbaceous dinosaurs notable for their armor consisting of bony osteoderms.
• ankylosauridAny member of the family Ankylosauridae, ankylosaurians with clublike tails.
• ankylosaurineAny member of the subfamily Ankylosaurinae, herbaceous dinosaurs closely related to ankylosaurus.
• ankylosaurusAnkylosaurus magniventris, a large herbivorous dinosaur of the Cretaceous period notable for its heavy armor and clublike tail.
• anomopodAny crustacean of the suborder Anomopoda.
• anseriformOf or pertaining to birds of the order Anseriformes including ducks, geese, swans, and screamers.
• aphididAny member of the family Aphididae of aphids.
• appendiculaSynonym of appendicle.
• apternodontidAny member of the Apternodontidae.
• araneoidAny spider of the superfamily Araneoidea.
• araneomorphAny of the Araneomorphae, a suborder of spiders whose fangs cross with a pinching action.
• arapaimaAny large, bonytongue fish in the genus Arapaima, native to the Amazon and Essequibo basins of South America.
• archosaurA reptile of the taxon Archosauria, which includes modern crocodilians and birds, as well as the extinct pterosaurs, non-avian dinosaurs and other taxa.
• argentiniformAny fish of the order Argentiniformes of certain marine smelts.
• asaphidAny trilobite of the order †Asaphida.
• asclepiadAny one of the children of Asclepius and Epione (or Aristodama).
• aspidiumSynonym of dryopteris: a member of a certain genus of ferns, including the male fern.
• asteridAny member of the clade of asterids.
• asterineOf or relating to fungi of the genus Asterina or allied taxa.
• astrapiaAny of the birds in the genus Astrapia, found in New Guinea.
• astronesthidAny fish of the former family Astronesthidae, especially those of the genus Astronesthes.
• aubrietiaA creeping perennial plant native to southeastern Europe, Aubrieta deltoidea, grown as a groundcover and in rock gardens for its dense foliage and purple, pink or white flowers.
• aucubaAny of several decorative evergreen shrubs of the genus Aucuba.
• azorellaAny plant of the genus Azorella, many of which form mosslike covers over rocky surfaces.
• blumeaAny plant of the taxonomic genus Blumea, composites found chiefly in southern Asia, some used for traditional medicine.
• boa constrictorA large tropical American snake, Boa constrictor, that kills its prey by squeezing them.
• burlingiidAny trilobite in the family †Burlingiidae.