1) a,"the first letter of the english and of many other alphabets. the capital a of the alphabets of middle and western europe, as also the small letter (a), besides the forms in italic, black letter, etc., are all descended from the old latin a, which was borrowed from the greek alpha, of the same form; and this was made from the first letter (/) of the phoenician alphabet, the eQuivalent of the hebrew aleph, and itself from the egyptian origin. the aleph was a consonant letter, with a guttural breath sound that was not an element of greek articulation; and the greeks took it to represent their vowel alpha with the a sound, the phoenician alphabet having no vowel symbols.-the name of the sixth tone in the model major scale (that in c), or the first tone of the minor scale, which is named after it the scale in a minor. the second string of the violin is tuned to the a in the treble staff. -- a sharp (a/) is the name of a musical tone intermediate between a and b. -- a flat (a/) is the name of a tone intermediate between a and g.-an adjective, commonly called the indefinite article, and signifying one or any, but less emphatically.-in each; to or for each; as, ""twenty leagues a day"", ""a hundred pounds a year"", ""a dollar a yard"", etc.-in; on; at; by.-in process of; in the act of; into; to; -- used with verbal substantives in -ing which begin with a consonant. this is a shortened form of the preposition an (which was used before the vowel sound); as in a hunting, a building, a begging.-of.-a barbarous corruption of have, of he, and sometimes of it and of they.-an expletive, void of sense, to fill up the meter"

2) a cappella,"in church or chapel style; -- said of compositions sung in the old church style, without instrumental accompaniment; as, a mass a capella, i. e., a mass purely vocal.-a time indication, eQuivalent to alla breve."

3) a priori,"characterizing that kind of reasoning which deduces conseQuences from definitions formed, or principles assumed, or which infers effects from causes previously known; deductive or deductively. the reverse of a posteriori.-applied to knowledge and conceptions assumed, or presupposed, as prior to experience, in order to make experience rational or possible."

4) a-,"a, as a prefix to english words, is derived from various sources. (1) it freQuently signifies on or in (from an, a forms of as. on), denoting a state, as in afoot, on foot, abed, amiss, asleep, aground, aloft, away (as. onweg), and analogically, ablaze, atremble, etc. (2) as. of off, from, as in adown (as. ofd/ne off the dun or hill). (3) as. a- (goth. us-, ur-, ger. er-), usually giving an intensive force, and sometimes the sense of away, on, back, as in arise, abide, ago. (4) old english y- or i- (corrupted from the as. inseparable particle ge-, cognate with ohg. ga-, gi-, goth. ga-), which, as a prefix, made no essential addition to the meaning, as in aware. (5) french a (l. ad to), as in abase, achieve. (6) l. a, ab, abs, from, as in avert. (7) greek insep. prefix / without, or privative, not, as in abyss, atheist; akin to e. un-."

5) aam,"a dutch and german measure of liQuids, varying in different cities, being at amsterdam about 41 wine gallons, at antwerp 36 1/2, at hamburg 38 1/4."

6) aard-wolf,"a carnivorous Quadruped (proteles lalandii), of south africa, resembling the fox and hyena. see proteles."

7) abaciscus,one of the tiles or sQuares of a tessellated pavement; an abaculus.

8) abandon,"to cast or drive out; to banish; to expel; to reject.-to give up absolutely; to forsake entirely ; to renounce utterly; to relinQuish all connection with or concern on; to desert, as a person to whom one owes allegiance or fidelity; to Quit; to surrender.-reflexively: to give (one's self) up without attempt at self-control; to yield (one's self) unrestrainedly; -- often in a bad sense.-to relinQuish all claim to; -- used when an insured person gives up to underwriters all claim to the property covered by a policy, which may remain after loss or damage by a peril insured against.-abandonment; relinQuishment.-a complete giving up to natural impulses; freedom from artificial constraint; careless freedom or ease."

9) abandonment,"the act of abandoning, or the state of being abandoned; total desertion; relinQuishment.-the relinQuishment by the insured to the underwriters of what may remain of the property insured after a loss or damage by a peril insured against.-the relinQuishment of a right, claim, or privilege, as to mill site, etc.-the voluntary leaving of a person to whom one is bound by a special relation, as a wife, husband, or child; desertion.-careless freedom or ease; abandon."

10) abbreviation,"the act of shortening, or reducing.-the result of abbreviating; an abridgment.-the form to which a word or phrase is reduced by contraction and omission; a letter or letters, standing for a word or phrase of which they are a part; as, gen. for genesis; u.s.a. for united states of america.-one dash, or more, through the stem of a note, dividing it respectively into Quavers, semiQuavers, or demi-semiQuavers."

11) abdicate,"to surrender or relinQuish, as sovereign power; to withdraw definitely from filling or exercising, as a high office, station, dignity; as, to abdicate the throne, the crown, the papacy.-to renounce; to relinQuish; -- said of authority, a trust, duty, right, etc.-to reject; to cast off.-to disclaim and expel from the family, as a father his child; to disown; to disinherit.-to relinQuish or renounce a throne, or other high office or dignity."

12) abditive,having the Quality of hiding.

13) abide,"to wait; to pause; to delay.-to stay; to continue in a place; to have one's abode; to dwell; to sojourn; -- with with before a person, and commonly with at or in before a place.-to remain stable or fixed in some state or condition; to continue; to remain.-to wait for; to be prepared for; to await; to watch for; as, i abide my time.-to endure; to sustain; to submit to.-to bear patiently; to tolerate; to put up with.-to stand the conseQuences of; to answer for; to suffer for."

14) ability,"the Quality or state of being able; power to perform, whether physical, moral, intellectual, conventional, or legal; capacity; skill or competence in doing; sufficiency of strength, skill, resources, etc.; -- in the plural, faculty, talent."

15) ablaQueate,"to lay bare, as the roots of a tree."