av -abbr

  1. avenue
  2. average
  3. avoirdupois

AV -abbr

  1. ad valorem
  2. audiovisual
  3. Authorized Version

avail [ə-'vāl] -vb

  1. to be of use or advantage : serve
    • our best efforts did not avail
  2. to produce or result in as a benefit or advantage : gain
    • his efforts avail ed him nothing
  3. advantage toward attainment of a goal or purpose : use
    • effort was of little avail

avail·abil·i·ty [ə-,vā-lə-'bi-lə-tē] -n

  1. the quality or state of being available
  2. an available person or thing

avail·able [ə-'vā-lə-bəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. having a beneficial effect
  2. valid used of a legal plea or charge
  3. present or ready for immediate use
    • available resources
  4. accessible, obtainable
    • articles available in any drugstore
  5. qualified or willing to do something or to assume a responsibility
    • available candidates
  6. present in such chemical or physical form as to be usable (as by a plant)
    • available nitrogen
    • available water

av·a·lanche ['a-və-,lanch] -n

  1. a large mass of snow, ice, earth, rock, or other material in swift motion down a mountainside or over a precipice
  2. a sudden great or overwhelming rush or accumulation of something
    • hit by an avalanche of paperwork
  3. a cumulative process in which photons or accelerated charge carriers produce additional photons or charge carriers through collisions (as with gas molecules)

avalanche -vb

  1. to descend in an avalanche
  2. overwhelm, flood

Av·a·lon ['a-və-,län] -n

  1. a paradise to which Arthur is carried after his death

avant ['ä-,vän(t), 'a-, -,vȯn(t), -,vōⁿ] -adj

  1. culturally or stylistically advanced : avant-garde
    • avant jazz

avantgarde [,ä-,vän(t)-'gärd, ,a-; ə-'vänt-,; ,a-,vōⁿ-', ,a-,vȯn(t)-'] -n

  1. an intelligentsia that develops new or experimental concepts esp. in the arts
  2. of or relating to an avant-garde
    • avantgarde writers

av·a·rice ['a-və-rəs, 'av-rəs] -n

  1. excessive or insatiable desire for wealth or gain : greediness, cupidity

av·a·ri·cious [,a-və-'ri-shəs] -adj, adv, n

  1. greedy of gain : excessively acquisitive esp. in seeking to hoard riches

avas·cu·lar [(,)ā-'vas-kyə-lər] -adj, n

  1. having few or no blood vessels
    • avascular tissue

avascular necrosis -n

  1. necrosis of bone tissue due to impaired or disrupted blood supply (as from traumatic injury or disease)

avast [ə-'vast] -vb imper

  1. a nautical command to stop or cease

av·a·tar ['a-və-,tär] -n

  1. the incarnation of a Hindu deity (as Vishnu)
  2. an incarnation in human form
  3. an embodiment (as of a concept or philosophy) often in a person
  4. a variant phase or version of a continuing basic entity
  5. an electronic image that represents and is manipulated by a computer user (as in a computer game)

avaunt [ə-'vȯnt, -'vänt] -adv

  1. away, hence

AVC -abbr

  1. automatic volume control

avdp -abbr

  1. avoirdupois

ave ['ä-(,)vā] -n

  1. an expression of greeting or of leave-taking : hail, farewell
  2. ave maria
  3. avenue

avel·lan [ə-'ve-lən] -adj

  1. having the four arms shaped like conventionalized filberts

Ave Ma·ria [,ä-(,)vā-mə-'rē-ə] -n

  1. hail mary

avenge [ə-'venj] -vt, n

  1. to take vengeance for or on behalf of
  2. to exact satisfaction for (a wrong) by punishing the wrongdoer

av·ens ['a-vənz] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Geum) of perennial herbs of the rose family with white, purple, red, or yellow flowers

av·en·tail ['a-vən-,tāl] -n

  1. ventail

aven·tu·rine [ə-'ven-chə-,rēn, -rən] -n

  1. glass containing opaque sparkling particles of foreign material (as copper or chromic oxide)
  2. a translucent quartz spangled throughout with scales of mica or other mineral

av·e·nue ['a-və-,nü, -,nyü] -n

  1. a way of access : route
  2. a channel for pursuing a desired object
    • avenue s of communication
  3. the principal walk or driveway to a house situated off a main road
  4. a broad passageway bordered by trees
  5. an often broad street or road

aver [ə-'vər] -vt

  1. to verify or prove to be true in pleading a cause
  2. to allege or assert in pleading
  3. to declare positively

av·er·age ['a-v(ə-)rij] -n

  1. a single value (as a mean, mode, or median) that summarizes or represents the general significance of a set of unequal values
  2. mean
  3. an estimation of or approximation to an arithmetic mean
  4. a level (as of intelligence) typical of a group, class, or series
    • above the average
  5. a ratio expressing the average performance esp. of an athletic team or an athlete computed according to the number of opportunities for successful performance

average -adj, adv, n

  1. equaling an arithmetic mean
  2. being about midway between extremes
    • a man of average height
  3. not out of the ordinary : common
    • the average person
  4. to be or come to an average
    • the gain averaged out to 20 percent
  5. to have a medial value of
    • a color averaging a pale purple
  6. to buy on a falling market or sell on a rising market additional shares or commodities so as to obtain a more favorable average price usu. used with down or up
  7. to do, get, or have on the average or as an average sum or quantity
    • average s 12 hours of work a day
  8. to find the arithmetic mean of (a series of unequal quantities)
  9. to bring toward the average
  10. to divide among a number proportionately

aver·ment [ə-'vər-mənt] -n

  1. the act of averring
  2. something that is averred : affirmation

averse [ə-'vərs] -adj, adv, n

  1. having an active feeling of repugnance or distaste usu. used with to
    • averse to strenuous exercise

aver·sion [ə-'vər-zhən, -shən] -n

  1. the act of turning away
  2. a feeling of repugnance toward something with a desire to avoid or turn from it
    • regards drunkenness with aversion
  3. a settled dislike : antipathy
    • expressed an aversion to parties
  4. a tendency to extinguish a behavior or to avoid a thing or situation and esp. a usu. pleasurable one because it is or has been associated with a noxious stimulus
  5. an object of aversion
    • inconstancy is my aversion -- Jane Austen

aversion therapy -n

  1. therapy intended to suppress an undesirable habit or behavior (as smoking) by associating the habit or behavior with a noxious or punishing stimulus (as electric shock)

aver·sive [ə-'vər-siv, -ziv] -adj, adv, n

  1. tending to avoid or causing avoidance of a noxious or punishing stimulus
    • behavior modification by aversive stimulation

avert [ə-'vərt] -vt

  1. to turn away or aside (as the eyes) in avoidance
  2. to see coming and ward off : avoid
    • avert disaster

Aves·ta [ə-'ves-tə] -n

  1. the book of the sacred writings of Zoroastrianism

Aves·tan [-tən] -n, adj

  1. an ancient Iranian language in which the sacred books of Zoroastrianism were written

avg -abbr

  1. average

av·gas ['av-,gas] -n

  1. gasoline for airplanes

av·go·lem·o·no [,äv-gō-'le-mə-(,)nō] -n

  1. a soup or sauce made with chicken stock, egg yolks, and lemon juice

avi·an ['ā-vē-ən] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or derived from birds
    • avian behavior
    • avian species

avian influenza -n

  1. highly variable influenza A of birds caused by any of the subtypes of the causative orthomyxovirus of which some strains have been or may be transmitted to other vertebrates including humans esp. after undergoing mutation called also avian flu

avi·ary ['ā-vē-,er-ē, -,e-rē] -n

  1. a place for keeping birds confined

avi·ate ['ā-vē-,āt, 'a-] -vi

  1. to navigate the air (as in an airplane)

avi·a·tion [,ā-vē-'ā-shən, ,a-] -n

  1. the operation of heavier-than-air aircraft
  2. military airplanes
  3. airplane manufacture, development, and design

avi·a·tor ['ā-vē-,ā-tər, 'a-] -n

  1. the operator or pilot of an aircraft and esp. an airplane

aviator glasses -n pl

  1. eyeglasses having a lightweight metal frame and relatively large usu. tinted lenses

avi·a·trix [,ā-vē-'ā-triks, ,a-] -n

  1. a woman who is an aviator

avi·cul·ture ['ā-və-,kəl-chər, 'a-] -n

  1. the raising and care of birds and esp. of wild birds in captivity

av·id ['a-vəd] -adj, adv, n

  1. desirous to the point of greed : urgently eager : greedy
    • avid for publicity
  2. characterized by enthusiasm and vigorous pursuit
    • avid readers

av·i·din ['a-və-dən] -n

  1. a protein found in egg white that inactivates biotin by combining with it

avid·ity [ə-'vi-də-tē, a-] -n

  1. : the quality or state of being avid:
  2. keen eagerness
  3. consuming greed
  4. affinity

avi·fau·na [,ā-və-'fȯ-nə, ,a-, -'fä-nə] -n, adj

  1. the birds or the kinds of birds of a region, period, or environment

avi·on·ics [,ā-vē-'ä-niks, ,a-] -n pl, adj

  1. electronics designed for use in aerospace vehicles

avir·u·lent [(,)ā-'vir-(y)ə-lənt] -adj

  1. not virulent

avi·ta·min·osis [,ā-,vī-tə-mə-'nō-səs] -n, adj

  1. disease (as pellagra) resulting from a deficiency of one or more vitamins

AV node [,ā-'vē-, 'ā-,] -n

  1. atrioventricular node

avo ['a-(,)vü] -n

  1. see pataca at

av·o·ca·do [,ä-və-'kä-(,)dō, ,a-] -n

  1. a pulpy green- to purple-skinned nutty-flavored fruit of any of various tropical American trees (genus Perseaesp. P. americana) of the laurel family
  2. a tree bearing avocados
  3. a light yellowish green

avocado pear -n

  1. avocado

av·o·ca·tion [,a-və-'kā-shən] -n

  1. diversion, distraction
  2. customary employment : vocation
  3. a subordinate occupation pursued in addition to one's vocation esp. for enjoyment : hobby

av·o·ca·tion·al [,a-və-'kā-sh(ə-)nəl] -adj, adv

  1. of or relating to an avocation
    • an avocational interest in sports
  2. being such by avocation
    • an avocational musician

av·o·cet ['a-və-,set] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Recurvirostra) of rather large long-legged shorebirds with webbed feet and slender upward-curving bill

Avo·ga·dro's number [,a-və-'gä-(,)drōz-, ,a-və-, -'ga-] -n

  1. the number 6.022 10 23indicating the number of atoms or molecules in a mole of any substance called also Avogadro number

avoid [ə-'vȯid] -vt, adj, adv, n

  1. to make legally void : annul
    • avoid a plea
  2. void, expel
  3. to keep away from : shun
    • have been avoid ing me
  4. to prevent the occurrence or effectiveness of
    • avoid further delays
  5. to refrain from
    • avoid overeating
  6. to depart or withdraw from : leave

avoid·ance [ə-'vȯi-dᵊn(t)s] -n

  1. an action of emptying, vacating, or clearing away
  2. outlet
  3. annulment
  4. an act or practice of avoiding or withdrawing from something

av·oir·du·pois [,a-vər-də-'pȯiz, 'a-vər-də-,] -n

  1. avoirdupois weight
  2. weight, heaviness
  3. personal weight

avoirdupois -adj

  1. expressed in avoirdupois weight
    • one ounce avoirdupois

avoirdupois weight -n

  1. the series of units of weight based on the pound of 16 ounces and the ounce of 16 drams

avouch [ə-'vau̇ch] -vt

  1. to declare as a matter of fact or as a thing that can be proved : affirm
  2. to vouch for : corroborate
  3. to acknowledge (as an act) as one's own
  4. confess, avow

avouch·ment [-mənt] -n

  1. an act of avouching : avowal

avow [ə-'vau̇] -vt, n

  1. to declare assuredly
    • she avow ed her innocence
  2. to declare openly, bluntly, and without shame
    • ever ready to avow his reactionary outlook

avow·al [-'vau̇(-ə)l] -n

  1. an open declaration or acknowledgment

avow·ed·ly [ə-'vau̇-əd-lē] -adv

  1. with open acknowledgment : frankly
    • an avowedly hostile review
  2. by unsupported assertion or profession alone : allegedly
    • politicians remain skeptical of...avowedly democratic intentions -- Jerry Kirshenbaum

avulse [ə-'vəls] -vt

  1. to separate by avulsion

avul·sion [ə-'vəl-shən] -n

  1. : a forcible separation or detachment: as
  2. a tearing away of a body part accidentally or surgically
  3. a sudden cutting off of land by flood, currents, or change in course of a body of water
  4. one separating land from one person's property and joining it to another's

avun·cu·lar [ə-'vəŋ-kyə-lər] -adj, n, adv

  1. of or relating to an uncle
  2. suggestive of an uncle esp. in kindliness or geniality
    • avuncular indulgence