af -abbr
- affix
AF -abbr
- air force
- audio frequency
afar [ə-'fär] -adv
- from, to, or at a great distance
- a great distance
AFB -abbr
- air force base
AFC -abbr
- American Football Conference
- automatic frequency control
AFDC -abbr
- Aid to Families with Dependent Children
afeard [ə-'fird] -adj
- afraid
afe·brile [(,)ā-'fe-,brī(-ə)l also -'fē-] -adj
- not marked by or having a fever
aff -abbr
- affirmative
af·fa·ble ['a-fə-bəl] -adj, n, adv
- being pleasant and at ease in talking to others
- characterized by ease and friendliness
af·fair [ə-'fer] -n
- commercial, professional, public, or personal business
- matter, concern
- a procedure, action, or occasion only vaguely specified
- an object or collection of objects only vaguely specified
- their house was a 2-story affair
- a romantic or passionate attachment typically of limited duration : liaison
- a matter occasioning public anxiety, controversy, or scandal : case
af·fect ['a-,fekt] -n
- feeling, affection
- the conscious subjective aspect of an emotion considered apart from bodily changes
- a set of observable manifestations of a subjectively experienced emotion
- patients...showed perfectly normal reactions and affect s -- Oliver Sacks
- to aim at
- to have affection for
- to be given to : fancy
- to make a display of liking or using : cultivate
- to put on a pretense of : feign
- affect indifference, though deeply hurt
- to tend toward
- drops of water affect roundness
- frequent
- incline
affect [-,fek-tə-'bi-lə-tē] -vt, n, adj
- : to produce an effect upon: as
- to produce a material influence upon or alteration in
- paralysis affect ed his limbs
- to act upon (as a person or a person's mind or feelings) so as to effect a response : influence
af·fec·ta·tion [,a-,fek-'tā-shən] -n
- the act of taking on or displaying an attitude or mode of behavior not natural to oneself or not genuinely felt
- speech or conduct not natural to oneself : artificiality
- a striving after
af·fect·ed [ə-'fek-təd, a-] -adj, adv, n
- inclined, disposed
- was well affected toward her
- given to or marked by affectation
- spoke in an affected manner
- assumed artificially or falsely : pretended
- an affected interest in art
af·fect·ing [ə-'fek-tiŋ, a-] -adj, adv
- evoking a strong emotional response
af·fec·tion [ə-'fek-shən] -n, adj
- a moderate feeling or emotion
- tender attachment : fondness
- she had a deep affection for her parents
- a bodily condition
- disease, malady
- attribute
- shape and weight are affection s of bodies
- partiality, prejudice
- the feeling aspect (as in pleasure) of consciousness
- propensity, disposition
- affectation
- the action of affecting : the state of being affected
af·fec·tion·al [ə-'fek-shnəl, -shə-nᵊl] -adj, adv
- of or relating to the affections
af·fec·tion·ate [ə-'fek-sh(ə-)nət] -adj, adv
- inclined, disposed
- having affection or warm regard : loving
- motivated by affection : tender
af·fec·tioned [-shənd] -adj
- having a tendency, disposition, or inclination : disposed
af·fec·tive [a-'fek-tiv] -adj, adv, n
- relating to, arising from, or influencing feelings or emotions : emotional
- cognitive and affective symptoms
- expressing emotion
affective disorder -n
- mood disorder
af·fect·less ['a-,fekt-ləs, a-'fekt-] -adj, n
- showing or expressing no emotion
- unfeeling
- a ruthless affectless society
af·fen·pin·scher ['a-fən-,pin-chər] -n
- any of a breed of toy dogs with a wiry black, red, tan, or gray coat, erect ears, large round eyes, and bushy eyebrows, chin tuft, and mustache
af·fer·ent ['a-fə-rənt, -,fer-ənt, -,fe-rənt] -adj, adv
- bearing or conducting inward
- conveying impulses toward the central nervous system
afferent -n
- an afferent anatomical part (as a nerve)
af·fi·ance [ə-'fī-ən(t)s] -n
- trust, confidence
affiance -vt
- to solemnly promise (oneself or another) in marriage : betroth
af·fi·ant [ə-'fī-ənt] -n
- one who swears to an affidavit
- deponent
afficionado [-'nä-(,)dō] -n
(variant of aficionado)
- a person who likes, knows about, and appreciates a usu. fervently pursued interest or activity : devotee
- aficionado s of the bullfight
af·fi·da·vit [,a-fə-'dā-vət] -n
- a sworn statement in writing made esp. under oath or on affirmation before an authorized magistrate or officer
af·fil·i·ate [ə-'fi-lē-,āt] -vb, n
- to bring or receive into close connection as a member or branch
- to associate as a member
- affiliate s herself with the local club
- to trace the origin of
- to connect or associate oneself : combine
- an affiliated person or organization
af·fil·i·at·ed [-lē-,ā-təd] -adj
- closely associated with another typically in a dependent or subordinate position
- the university and its affiliated medical school
af·fine [a-'fīn, ə-] -n
- a relative by marriage : in-law
affine -adj, adv
- of, relating to, or being a transformation (as a translation, a rotation, or a uniform stretching) that carries straight lines into straight lines and parallel lines into parallel lines but may alter distance between points and angles between lines
af·fined [a-'fīnd, ə-] -adj
- joined in a close relationship : connected
- bound by obligation
af·fin·i·ty [ə-'fi-nə-tē] -n
- relationship by marriage
- sympathy marked by community of interest : kinship
- an attraction to or liking for something
- people with an affinity to darkness -- Mark Twain
- pork and fennel have a natural affinity for each other -- Abby Mandel
- an attractive force between substances or particles that causes them to enter into and remain in chemical combination
- a person esp. of the opposite sex having a particular attraction for one
- likeness based on relationship or causal connection
- found an affinity between the teller of a tale and the craftsman -- Mary McCarthy
- this investigation, with affinities to a case history, a psychoanalysis, a detective story -- Oliver Sacks
- a relation between biological groups involving resemblance in structural plan and indicating a common origin
affinity card -n
- a credit card which is issued in affiliation with a participating organization (as a charity or an airline) and the use of which earns a benefit for the organization or the cardholder
affinity chromatography -n
- chromatography in which a macromolecule (as a protein) is isolated and purified by passing it in solution through a column treated with a substance having a ligand for which the macromolecule has an affinity that causes it to be retained on the column
affinity group -n
- a group of people having a common interest or goal or acting together for a specific purpose (as for a chartered tour)
af·firm [ə-'fərm] -vb, adj, n
- validate, confirm
- to state positively
- he affirm ed his innocence
- to assert (as a judgment or decree) as valid or confirmed
- to express dedication to
- to testify or declare by affirmation as distinguished from swearing an oath
- to uphold a judgment or decree of a lower court
af·fir·ma·tion [,a-fər-'mā-shən] -n
- the act of affirming
- something affirmed : a positive assertion
- a solemn declaration made under the penalties of perjury by a person who conscientiously declines taking an oath
af·fir·ma·tive [ə-'fər-mə-tiv] -adj, adv
- asserting a predicate of a subject
- asserting that the fact is so
- positive
- favoring or supporting a proposition or motion
affirmative -n
- an expression (as the word yes) of affirmation or assent
- an affirmative proposition
- the side that upholds the proposition stated in a debate
affirmative action -n
- an active effort to improve the employment or educational opportunities of members of minority groups and women
- a similar effort to promote the rights or progress of other disadvantaged persons
af·fix [ə-'fiks, a-] -vt, adj, n
- to attach physically
- affix a stamp to a letter
- to attach in any way : add, append
- affix a signature to a document
- impress
- one or more sounds or letters occurring as a bound form attached to the beginning or end of a word, base, or phrase or inserted within a word or base and serving to produce a derivative word or an inflectional form
- appendage
af·fla·tus [ə-'flā-təs, a-] -n
- a divine imparting of knowledge or power : inspiration
af·flict [ə-'flikt] -vt
- humble
- overthrow
- to distress so severely as to cause persistent suffering or anguish
- afflict ed with arthritis
- trouble, injure
af·flic·tion [ə-'flik-shən] -n
- the state of being afflicted
- the cause of persistent pain or distress
- great suffering
af·flic·tive [ə-'flik-tiv] -adj, adv
- causing affliction : distressing, troublesome
af·flu·ence ['a-(,)flü-ən(t)s also a-'flü- or ə-] -n
- an abundant flow or supply : profusion
- abundance of property : wealth
- a flowing to or toward a point : influx
af·flu·en·cy [-ən(t)-sē] -n
- affluence
af·flu·ent [-ənt] -adj, adv
- flowing in abundance
- having a generously sufficient and typically increasing supply of material possessions
affluent -n
- a tributary stream
- an affluent person
af·ford [ə-'fȯrd] -vt, n, adj, adv
- to manage to bear without serious detriment
- you can't afford to neglect your health
- to be able to bear the cost of
- can't afford to be out of work long
- to make available, give forth, or provide naturally or inevitably
- the sun afford s warmth to the earth
af·for·es·ta·tion [(,)a-,fȯr-ə-'stā-shən, ə-, -,fär-] -n, vt
- the act or process of establishing a forest esp. on land not previously forested
af·fray [ə-'frā] -n
- fray, brawl
- a fight between two or more people in a public place that disturbs the peace
affray -vt
- startle, frighten
af·fri·cate ['a-fri-kət] -n, n or adj
- a stop and its immediately following release into a fricative that are considered to constitute a single phoneme (as the t and sh of ch in choose)
af·fright [ə-'frīt] -vt
- frighten, alarm
affright -n
- sudden and great fear : terror
af·front [ə-'frənt] -vt
- to insult esp. to the face by behavior or language
- to cause offense to
- a system of law about both family and marriage that affront ed lay society -- J. H. Mundy
- to face in defiance : confront
- to encounter face-to-face
- to appear directly before
affront -n
- a hostile encounter
- a deliberate offense : insult
- an affront to his dignity
afft -abbr
- affidavit
af·fu·sion [a-'fyü-zhən] -n
- an act of pouring a liquid on (as in baptism)
Af·ghan ['af-,gan also -gən] -n, adj
- pashtun
- pashto
- a native or inhabitant of Afghanistan
- a blanket or shawl of colored wool knitted or crocheted in strips or squares
- a Turkoman carpet of large size and long pile woven in geometric designs
- afghan hound
Afghan hound -n
- any of a breed of tall slim swift hunting dogs originating in Afghanistan with a coat of silky thick hair and a long silky topknot
afi·cio·na·da [ə-,fi-sh(ē-)ə-'nä-də, -fē-, -sē-ə-, -,dä] -n
- a woman who is an aficionado
afi·cio·na·do [-'nä-(,)dō] -n
- a person who likes, knows about, and appreciates a usu. fervently pursued interest or activity : devotee
- aficionado s of the bullfight
afield [ə-'fēld] -adv or adj
- to, in, or on the field
- was weak at bat but strong afield
- away from home : abroad
- out of the way : astray
- irrelevant remarks that carried us far afield
afire [ə-'fī(-ə)r] -adj or adv
- being on fire : blazing
- being in a state of great excitement or energy
- her music set the audience afire
AFL -abbr
- American Football League
aflame [ə-'flām] -adj or adv
- afire
af·la·tox·in [,a-flə-'täk-sən] -n
- any of several carcinogenic mycotoxins that are produced esp. in stored agricultural crops (as peanuts) by molds (as Aspergillus flavus)
AFLCIO -abbr
- American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations
afloat [ə-'flōt] -adj or adv
- borne on or as if on the water
- being at sea
- free of difficulties : self-sufficient
- the inheritance kept them afloat for years
- circulating about
- nasty stories were afloat
- adrift
aflut·ter [ə-'flə-tər] -adj
- being in a flutter : fluttering
- nervously excited
- filled with or marked by the presence of fluttering things
- roofs aflutter with flags
AFM -abbr
- atomic force microscope
afoot [ə-'fu̇t] -adv or adj
- on foot
- in the process of development : under way
- something out of the ordinary was afoot -- Hamilton Basso
afore [ə-'fȯr] -adv or conj or prep
- before
afore·men·tioned [-'men(t)-shənd] -adj
- mentioned previously
afore·said [-,sed] -adj
- said or named before or above
afore·thought [-,thȯt] -adj
- previously in mind : premeditated, deliberate
afoul of [ə-'fau̇-ləv] -prep
- in or into conflict with
- in or into collision or entanglement with
AFP -abbr
- alpha-fetoprotein
Afr -abbr
- Africa; African
Afr- -comb form
- African: African and
afraid [ə-'frād, Southern also ə-'fred] -adj
- filled with fear or apprehension
- filled with concern or regret over an unwanted situation
- I'm afraid I won't be able to go
- having a dislike for something
Aframe ['ā-,frām] -n
- a support structure shaped like the letter A
- a building typically having triangular front and rear walls and a roof reaching to or nearly to the ground
afreet ['a-,frēt, ə-'frēt] -n
- a powerful evil jinni, demon, or monstrous giant in Arabic mythology
afresh [ə-'fresh] -adv
- from a fresh beginning : anew, again
Af·ri·can ['a-fri-kən also 'ä-] -n
- a native or inhabitant of Africa
- a person and esp. a black person of African ancestry
African [-kə(n)-nəs] -adj, n
- of, relating to, or characteristic of the continent of Africa or its people
Af·ri·ca·na [,a-fri-'ka-nə, -'kä-, -'kā- also ,ä-] -n pl
- materials (as books, documents, or artifacts) relating to African history and culture
Af·ri·canAmer·i·can [,a-fri-kə-nə-'mer-ə-kən, -'me-rə- also ,ä-] -n, adj
- an American of African and esp. of black African descent
African buffalo -n
- cape buffalo
African daisy -n
- any of a genus ( Arctotis) of widely cultivated composite herbs native to southern Africa
Af·ri·can·der [,a-fri-'kan-dər] -n
- any of a breed of tall red large-horned humped southern African cattle used chiefly for meat or draft
African elephant -n
- elephant
African gray -n
- a parrot ( Psittacus erithacus) native to equatorial Africa that has gray plumage, a red tail, and a whitish face and is commonly domesticated esp. for its ability in learning to talk
Af·ri·can·ism ['a-fri-kə-,ni-zəm also 'ä-] -n, adj
- a characteristic feature of African culture
- a characteristic feature of an African language occurring in a non-African language
- allegiance to the traditions, interests, or ideals of Africa
Africanist -n
- a specialist in African languages or cultures
Af·ri·can·ize [-,nīz] -vt, n
- to cause to acquire a distinctively African trait
- to bring under the influence, control, or cultural or civil supremacy of Africans and esp. black Africans
Africanized bee -n
- a honeybee that originated in Brazil as an accidental hybrid between an aggressive African subspecies ( Apis mellifera scutellata) and previously established European honeybees and has spread to Mexico and the southernmost U.S. by breeding with local bees producing populations retaining most of the African bee's traits called also Africanized honeybee killer bee
African mahogany -n
- mahogany
African swine fever -n
- swine fever
African violet -n
- any of several tropical African gesneriads (esp. Saintpaulia ionantha) widely grown as houseplants for their velvety fleshy leaves and showy purple, pink, or white flowers
African wild dog -n
- a powerful canid ( Lycaon pictus) having a mottled coat of black, white, and reddish yellow that was formerly common in sub-Saharan Africa where it hunted in large packs but is now restricted to small populations in southern and eastern Africa called also African hunting dog
Af·ri·kaans [,a-fri-'kän(t)s, ,ä-, -'känz, 'a-fri-,, 'ä-] -n
- a language developed from 17th century Dutch that is one of the official languages of the Republic of So. Africa
Afrikaans -adj
- of or relating to Afrikaners or Afrikaans
Af·ri·ka·ner [,a-fri-'kä-nər] -n
- a South African of European descent whose native language is Afrikaans
Af·ro ['a-(,)frō] -n, adj
- a hairstyle of tight curls in a full evenly rounded shape
Af·roAmer·i·can [,a-frō-ə-'mer-ə-kən, -'me-rə-] -n, adj
- African-American
Af·roAsi·at·ic [,a-frō-,ā-zhē-'a-tik, -zē- also -shē-] -adj
- of, relating to, or being a family of languages widely distributed over southwestern Asia and Africa including the Semitic, Egyptian, Berber, Cushitic, and Chadic subfamilies
Af·ro·cen·tric [,a-frō-'sen-trik] -adj, n, n or adj
- centered on or derived from Africa or the Africans
- emphasizing or promoting emphasis on African culture and the contributions of Africans to the development of Western civilization
aft ['aft] -adv
- near, toward, or in the stern of a ship or the tail of an aircraft
- rearward, after
aft ['ȯft] -adv
(variant of oft)
- often
AFT -abbr
- American Federation of Teachers
- automatic fine-tuning
af·ter ['af-tər] -adv
- following in time or place : afterward, behind, later
after -prep
- behind in place
- people lined up one after another
- subsequent to in time or order
- subsequent to and in view of
- used as a function word to indicate the object of a stated or implied action
- : so as to resemble: as
- in accordance with
- with the name of or a name derived from that of
- in the characteristic manner of : in imitation of
- writing after the manner of Hemingway
- subsequently to the time when
- we will come after we make plans
- later in time
- located toward the rear and esp. toward the stern of a ship or tail of an aircraft
af·ter ['äf-tər] -verbal auxiliary
- used with a present participle to indicate action completed and esp. just completed
- the poor old man is after dying on me -- J. M. Synge
after -n
- afternoon
after all -adv
- in spite of considerations or expectations to the contrary : nevertheless
- decided to take the train after all
- in view of all circumstances
- literature which is after all only a special department of reading -- W. W. Watt
af·ter·birth ['af-tər-,bərth] -n
- the placenta and fetal membranes that are expelled after delivery
af·ter·burn·er [-,bər-nər] -n
- a device incorporated into the tailpipe of a turbojet engine for injecting fuel into the hot exhaust gases and burning it to provide extra thrust
- a device for burning or catalytically destroying unburned or partially burned carbon compounds in exhaust (as from an automobile)
af·ter·care [-,ker] -n
- the care, treatment, help, or supervision given to persons discharged from an institution (as a hospital)
af·ter·clap [-,klap] -n
- an unexpected damaging or unsettling event following a supposedly closed affair
af·ter·deck [-,dek] -n
- the part of a deck abaft amidships
af·ter·ef·fect ['af-tər-ə-,fekt] -n
- an effect that follows its cause after an interval
af·ter·glow ['af-tər-,glō] -n
- a glow remaining where a light has disappeared
- a pleasant effect or feeling that lingers after something is done, experienced, or achieved
- basking in the afterglow of success
af·ter·guard [-,gärd] -n
- the sailors stationed on the poop or after part of a ship
- the decision-making members of a sailboat racing team usu. including a helmsman, tactician, and navigator
af·terhours [,af-tər-'au̇(-ə)rz] -adj
- engaged in or operating after a legal or conventional closing time
af·ter·im·age ['af-tər-,i-mij] -n
- a usu. visual sensation occurring after stimulation by its external cause has ceased
af·ter·life ['af-tər-,līf] -n
- an existence after death
- a later period in one's life
- a period of continued or renewed use, existence, or popularity beyond what is normal, primary, or expected
- a TV show with a long afterlife in syndication
af·ter·mar·ket [-,mär-kət] -n
- the market for parts and accessories used in the repair or enhancement of a product (as an automobile)
- a secondary market available after sales in the original market are finished
- a movie in the videocassette aftermarket
af·ter·math [-,math] -n
- a second-growth crop called also rowen
- consequence, result
- stricken with guilt as an aftermath of the accident
- the period immediately following a usu. ruinous event
- in the aftermath of the war
af·ter·most [-,mōst] -adj
- farthest aft
af·ter·noon [,af-tər-'nün] -n, adj
- the part of day between noon and sunset
- a relatively late period (as of time or life)
- in the afternoon of the 19th century
af·ter·noons [-'nünz] -adv
- in the afternoon repeatedly : on any afternoon
af·ter·piece ['af-tər-,pēs] -n
- a short usu. comic entertainment performed after a play
af·ters ['af-tərz] -n pl
- dessert
af·ter·shave ['af-tər-,shāv] -n
- a usu. scented lotion for use on the face after shaving
af·ter·shock [-,shäk] -n
- a minor shock following the main shock of an earthquake
- an aftereffect of a distressing or traumatic event
af·ter·taste [-,tāst] -n
- persistence of a sensation (as of flavor or an emotion) after the stimulating agent or experience has gone
af·tertax [-'taks] -adj
- remaining after payment of taxes and esp. of income tax
af·ter·thought [-,thȯt] -n
- an idea occurring later
- something (as a part or feature) not thought of originally : something secondary
af·ter·time [-,tīm] -n
- future
af·ter·ward ['af-tə(r)-wərd] -adv
- at a later or succeeding time : subsequently, thereafter
af·ter·word [-,wərd] -n
- epilogue
af·ter·world [-,wərld] -n
- a future world : a world after death
AFTRA -abbr
- American Federation of Television and Radio Artists