{abscissa}

1: shedding of flowers and leaves and fruit following formation of scar tissue in a plant 2: the act of cutting something off [syn: {cutting off}]

1: run away; usually includes taking something or somebody along [syn: {bolt}, {absquatulate}, {decamp}, {run off}, {go off}]

1: a fugitive who runs away and hides to avoid arrest or prosecution

1: the act of running away secretly (as to avoid arrest) [syn: {decampment}]

1: a descent down a nearly vertical surface by using a doubled rope that is coiled around the body and attached to some higher point v : lower oneself with a double rope coiled around the body from a ...

1: a person who descends down a nearly vertical face by using a doubled rope that is wrapped around the body and attached to some high point

1: the state of being absent; "he was surprised by the absence of any explanation" [ant: {presence}] 2: failure to be present [ant: {presence}] 3: the time interval during which something or somebody ...

1: unauthorized military absence [syn: {unauthorized absence}]

1: not in a specified place physically or mentally [ant: {present}] 2: lost in thought; showing preoccupation; "an absent stare"; "an absentminded professer"; "the scatty glancing quality of a hyperac...

1: one that is absent or not in residence

1: (election) a ballot that is cast in absentia (usually mailed in prior to election day)

1: the percentage of workers who do not report to work

1: habitual absence from work

1: in an absent-minded or preoccupied manner; "he read the letter absently" [syn: {abstractedly}, {inattentively}, {absentmindedly}]

1: lost in thought; showing preoccupation; "an absent stare"; "an absentminded professer"; "the scatty glancing quality of a hyperactive but unfocused intelligence" [syn: {absent}, {abstracted}, {scat...

1: in an absent-minded or preoccupied manner; "he read the letter absently" [syn: {absently}, {abstractedly}, {inattentively}]

1: preoccupation so great that the ordinary demands on attention are ignored

1: strong green liqueur flavored with wormwood and anise [syn: {absinthe}]

1: aromatic herb of temperate Eurasia and North Africa having a bitter taste used in making the liqueur absinthe [syn: {common wormwood}, {old man}, {lad's love}, {Artemisia absinthium}] 2: strong gre...

1: a dark bitter oil obtained obtained from wormwood leaves; flavors absinthe liqueurs [syn: {wormwood oil}]

1: perfect or complete or pure; "absolute loyalty"; "absolute silence"; "absolute truth"; "absolute alcohol" [ant: {relative}] 2: complete and without restriction or qualification; sometimes used info...

1: pure ethyl alcohol (containing no more than 1% water)

1: the maximum altitude at which an airplane can maintain horizontal flight

1: the number of observations in a given statistical category [syn: {frequency}]

1: (astronomy) the magnitude that a star would have if it were viewed from a distance of 10 parsecs (32.62 light years) from the earth

1: (elections) more than half of the votes [syn: {majority}]

1: the ability to identify the pitch of a tone [syn: {perfect pitch}]

1: a temperature scale that defines absolute zero as 0 degrees; water freezes at 273.16 degrees and boils at 373.16 degrees [syn: {Kelvin scale}]

1: physical space independent of what occupies it

1: temperature measured on the absolute scale

1: the lowest level of stimulation that a person can detect

1: a numerical value regardless of its sign

1: a measure of the resistance to flow of a fluid under an applied force [syn: {coefficient of viscosity}, {dynamic viscosity}]

1: (cryogenics) the lowest temperature theoretically attainable (at which the kinetic energy of atoms and molecules is minimal); 0 Kelvin or -273.15 Centigrade or -459.67 Fahrenheit

1: completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers; "an absolutely magnificent painting"; "a perfectly idiotic idea"; "you're perfectly right"; "utterly miserable"; "you can be d...

1: the quality of being absolute; "the absoluteness of the Pope's decree could not be challenged"

1: the condition of being formally forgiven by a priest in the sacrament of penance 2: the act of absolving or remitting; formal redemption as pronounced by a priest in the sacrament of penance [syn: ...

1: dominance through threat of punishment and violence [syn: {tyranny}, {despotism}] 2: a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opp...

1: pertaining to the principle of totalitarianism [syn: {absolutistic}] n : one who advocates absolutism

1: pertaining to the principle of totalitarianism [syn: {absolutist}]

1: grant remission of a sin to; "The priest absolved him and told him to say ten Hail Mary's" 2: let off the hook; "I absolve you from this responsibility" [syn: {justify}, {free}] [ant: {blame}]

1: freed from any question of guilt; "is absolved from all blame"; "was now clear of the charge of cowardice"; "his official honor is vindicated" [syn: {clear}, {cleared}, {exculpated}, {exonerated}, ...

1: someone who grants absolution

1: providing absolution [syn: {exonerative}, {forgiving}]

1: become imbued; "The liquids, light, and gases absorb" 2: take up mentally; "he absorbed the knowledge or beliefs of his tribe" [syn: {assimilate}, {ingest}, {take in}] 3: take up, as of debts or pa...

1: capable of being absorbed or taken in through the pores of a surface [ant: {adsorbable}]

1: a material that has been or is capable of being absorbed

1: wholly absorbed as in thought; "deep in thought"; "that engrossed look or rapt delight"; "the book had her totally engrossed"; "enwrapped in dreams"; "so intent on this fantastic...narrative that s...

1: inducing or promoting absorption [syn: {sorbefacient}]

1: the property of being absorbent [ant: {nonabsorbency}]

1: having power or capacity or tendency to absorb or soak up (liquids); "as absorbent as a sponge" [syn: {absorptive}] [ant: {nonabsorbent}] n : a material having capacity or tendency to absorb anothe...

1: cotton made absorbent by removal of the natural wax

1: a material having capacity or tendency to absorb another substance [syn: {absorbent}]

1: (physics) material in a nuclear reactor that absorbs radiation

1: capable of arousing and holding the attention; "a fascinating story" [syn: {engrossing}, {fascinating}, {gripping}, {riveting}]

1: a measure of the rate of decrease in the intensity of electromagnetic radiation (as light) as it passes through a given substance; the fraction of incident radiant energy absorbed per unit mass or ...

1: (chemistry) a process in which one substance permeates another; a fluid permeates or is dissolved by a liquid or solid [syn: {soaking up}] 2: (physics) the process in which incident radiated energy...

1: a dark band in the spectrum of white light that has been transmitted through a substance that exhibits absorption at selective wavelengths

1: a measure of the rate of decrease in the intensity of electromagnetic radiation (as light) as it passes through a given substance; the fraction of incident radiant energy absorbed per unit mass or ...

1: (physics) the property of a body that determines the fraction of the incident radiation or sound flux absorbed or absorbable by the body [syn: {absorptivity}]

1: an indicator used in reactions that involve precipitation

1: the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation that has passed through a medium that absorbed radiation of certain wavelengths

1: a unit for measuring absorption

1: having power or capacity or tendency to absorb or soak up (liquids); "as absorbent as a sponge" [syn: {absorbent}] [ant: {nonabsorbent}]

1: (physics) the property of a body that determines the fraction of the incident radiation or sound flux absorbed or absorbable by the body [syn: {absorption factor}]

1: run away; usually includes taking something or somebody along [syn: {abscond}, {bolt}, {decamp}, {run off}, {go off}]

1: refrain from voting 2: choose no to consume; "I abstain from alcohol" [syn: {refrain}, {desist}] [ant: {consume}]

1: practices self denial as spiritual discipline [syn: {ascetic}] 2: a person who refrains from drinking intoxicating beverages [syn: {abstinent}, {nondrinker}] [ant: {drinker}]

1: sparing in consumption of especially food and drink; "the pleasures of the table, never of much consequence to one naturally abstemious"- John Galsworthy [ant: {gluttonous}] 2: marked by temperance...

1: in a sparing manner; without overindulgence; "he ate and drank abstemiously"; "indulged temperately in cocktails" [syn: {temperately}]

1: restricted to bare necessities 2: moderation in eating and drinking

1: the trait of abstaining (especially from alcohol) [syn: {abstinence}]

1: self-restraining; not indulging an appetite especially for food or drink; "not totally abstinent but abstemious" [syn: {abstinent}]

1: the trait of abstaining (especially from alcohol) [syn: {abstention}] 2: act or practice of refraining from indulging an appetite

1: self-restraining; not indulging an appetite especially for food or drink; "not totally abstinent but abstemious" [syn: {abstentious}] n : a person who refrains from drinking intoxicating beverages ...

1: existing only in the mind; separated from embodiment; "abstract words like `truth' and `justice'" [ant: {concrete}] 2: not representing or imitating external reality or the objects of nature; "a la...

1: an abstract genre of art; artistic content depends on internal form rather than pictorial representation [syn: {abstractionism}]

1: a painter of abstract pictures [syn: {abstractionist}]

1: a New York school of painting characterized by freely created abstractions; the first important school of American painting to develop independently of European styles [syn: {action painting}]

1: thinking that is coherent and logical [syn: {reasoning}, {logical thinking}]

1: taken out of or separated from; "possibility is...achievability, abstracted from achievement"- A.N.Whitehead [syn: {removed}] 2: lost in thought; showing preoccupation; "an absent stare"; "an absen...

1: in an absent-minded or preoccupied manner; "he read the letter absently" [syn: {absently}, {inattentively}, {absentmindedly}]

1: preoccupation with something to the exclusion of all else [syn: {abstraction}]

1: one who makes abstracts or summarizes information [syn: {abstractor}]

1: a concept or idea not associated with any specific instance; "he loved her only in the abstract--not in person" [syn: {abstract}] 2: the act of withdrawing or removing something 3: the process of f...

1: an abstract genre of art; artistic content depends on internal form rather than pictorial representation [syn: {abstract art}] 2: a representation having no reference to concrete objects or specifi...

1: not representing or imitating external reality or the objects of nature; "a large abstract painting" [syn: {abstract}, {nonfigurative}, {nonobjective}] n : a painter of abstract pictures [syn: {abs...

1: of an abstracting nature or having the power of abstracting; "abstractive analysis"

1: in abstract terms [ant: {concretely}]

1: the quality of being considered apart from a specific instance or object [ant: {concreteness}]

1: one who makes abstracts or summarizes information [syn: {abstracter}]

1: difficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge; "the professor's lectures were so abstruse that students tended to avoid them"; "a deep metaphysical theory";...

1: in a manner difficult to understand; "the professor's abstrusely reasoned theories were wasted on his students"

1: the quality of being unclear or abstruse and hard to understand [syn: {obscureness}, {obscurity}, {reconditeness}] [ant: {clarity}] 2: wisdom that is recondite and abstruse and profound; "the anthr...

1: wisdom that is recondite and abstruse and profound; "the anthropologist was impressed by the reconditeness of the native proverbs" [syn: {reconditeness}, {abstruseness}, {profoundness}, {profundity...

1: inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense; "the absurd predicament of seeming to argue that virtue is highly desirable but intensely unpleasant"- Walter Lippman [syn: {unreasonable}] 2: com...

1: a message whose content is at variance with reason [syn: {absurdness}, {ridiculousness}] 2: a ludicrous folly; "the crowd laughed at the absurdity of the clown's behavior" [syn: {fatuity}, {fatuous...

1: in an absurd manner or to an absurd degree; "an absurdly rich young woman"

1: a message whose content is at variance with reason [syn: {absurdity}, {ridiculousness}]

1: Arabian philosopher and physician; his interpretation of Aristotle influenced St. Thomas Aquinas; writings on medicine were important for almost 500 years (980-1037) [syn: {Avicenna}, {ibn-Sina}]

1: a sheikhdom of eastern Arabia and capital of the United Arab Emirates [syn: {United Arab Emirates's capital}]

1: a Palestinian international terrorist organization that split from the PLO in 1974; has conducted terrorist attacks in 20 countries; "in the 1980s the Fatah-RC was considered the most dangerous and...

1: a small gang of terrorist thugs claiming to seek a separate Islamic state for the Muslim minority in the Philippines; uses bombing and assassination and extortion and kidnapping; "In 2001 Abu Sayya...

1: damsel fishes [syn: {genus Abudefduf}]

1: large blue-gray black-striped damselfish; nearly worldwide [syn: {sergeant major}]

1: capital of Nigeria in the center of the country [syn: {capital of Nigeria}, {Nigerian capital}]

1: a bay on the Mediterranean Sea in northern Egypt [syn: {Abukir Bay}]

1: a bay on the Mediterranean Sea in northern Egypt [syn: {Abukir}]

1: Arabian philosopher born in Spain; wrote detailed commentaries on Aristotle that were admired by the Schoolmen (1126-1198) [syn: {Averroes}, {ibn-Roshd}]

1: a loss of will power [syn: {aboulia}]

1: suffering from abulia; showing abnormal inability to act or make decisions [syn: {aboulic}]

1: the property of a more than adequate quantity or supply; "an age of abundance" [syn: {copiousness}, {teemingness}] [ant: {scarcity}] 2: (physics) the ratio of the number of atoms of a specific isot...

1: present in great quantity; "an abundant supply of water" [ant: {scarce}]

1: in an abundant manner; "they were abundantly supplied with food"; "he thanked her profusely" [syn: {copiously}, {profusely}, {extravagantly}]

1: cruel or inhumane treatment [syn: {maltreatment}, {ill-treatment}, {ill-usage}] 2: a rude expression intended to offend or hurt; "when a student made a stupid mistake he spared them no abuse"; "the...

1: used improperly or excessively especially drugs; "an abused substance" 2: abused with language [ant: {unabused}] 3: physically abused; "an abused wife" [syn: {ill-treated}, {maltreated}, {mistreate...

1: someone who abuses [syn: {maltreater}]

1: expressing offensive reproach [syn: {insulting}, {opprobrious}, {scornful}, {scurrilous}] 2: characterized by physical or psychological maltreatment; "abusive punishment"; "argued...that foster hom...

1: in an abusive manner; "he behaved abusively toward his children"

1: lie adjacent to another or share a boundary; "Canada adjoins the U.S."; "England marches with Scotland" [syn: {border}, {adjoin}, {edge}, {march}, {butt}, {butt against}, {butt on}] [also: {abuttin...

1: herbs or shrubs or small trees: flowering maple; parlor maple; indian mallow [syn: {genus Abutilon}]

1: tall annual herb or subshrub of tropical Asia having velvety leaves and yellow flowers and yielding a strong fiber; naturalized in southeastern Europe and United States [syn: {velvetleaf}, {velvet-...

1: point of contact between two objects or parts 2: a masonry support that touches and directly receives thrust or pressure of an arch or bridge

1: an arch supported by an abutment

{abut}

1: the owner of contiguous property

{abut}

1: noisy like the sound of a bee; "the room was abuzz over the latest scandal" [syn: {buzzing}, {droning}]

1: a unit of potential equal to one-hundred-millionth of a volt

1: a power unit equal to the power dissipated when 1 abampere flows across a potential difference of 1 abvolt (one ten-thousandth of a milliwatt)

1: make amends for; "expiate one's sins" [syn: {expiate}, {abye}, {atone}] [also: {abye}, {abought}]

1: German art historian (1866-1929) [syn: {Warburg}, {Aby Warburg}]

1: German art historian (1866-1929) [syn: {Warburg}, {Aby Moritz Warburg}]

1: an ancient Greek colony on the Asiatic side of the Dardanelles; scene of the legend of Hero and Leander

{aby}

1: a promontory in northern Morocco opposite the Rock of Gibraltar; one of the Pillars of Hercules [syn: {Jebel Musa}, {Abila}]

1: a bottomless gulf or pit; any unfathomable (or apparently unfathomable) cavity or chasm or void extending below (often used figuratively) [syn: {abyss}]

1: very great; limitless; "abysmal misery"; "abysmal stupidity" 2: so deep as to be unmeasurable; "the abyssal depths of the ocean" [syn: {abyssal}, {unfathomable}]

1: in a terrible manner; "she sings terribly" [syn: {terribly}, {atrociously}, {awfully}, {abominably}, {rottenly}]

1: a bottomless gulf or pit; any unfathomable (or apparently unfathomable) cavity or chasm or void extending below (often used figuratively) [syn: {abysm}]

1: relating to ocean depths from 2000 to 5000 meters 2: so deep as to be unmeasurable; "the abyssal depths of the ocean" [syn: {abysmal}, {unfathomable}]

1: the deep sea (2000 meters or more) where there is no light

1: Ethiopia is a republic in northeastern Africa on the Red Sea; formerly called Abyssinia [syn: {Ethiopia}, {Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia}, {Yaltopya}]

1: a small slender short-haired breed of African origin having brownish fur with a reddish undercoat [syn: {Abyssinian cat}]

1: large evergreen arborescent herb having huge paddle-shaped leaves and bearing inedible fruit that resemble bananas but edible young flower shoots; sometimes placed in genus Musa [syn: {Ethiopian ba...

1: a small slender short-haired breed of African origin having brownish fur with a reddish undercoat [syn: {Abyssinian}]

1: a radioactive element of the actinide series; found in uranium ores [syn: {actinium}, {atomic number 89}] 2: an electric current that reverses direction sinusoidally; "In the US most household curr...

1: any of various spiny trees or shrubs of the genus Acacia

1: Australian tree that yields tanning materials [syn: {black wattle}]

1: scrubby Australian acacia having extremely foul-smelling blossoms [syn: {gidgee}, {stinking wattle}]

1: East Indian spiny tree having twice-pinnate leaves and yellow flowers followed by flat pods; source of black catechu [syn: {catechu}, {Jerusalem thorn}]

1: evergreen Australasian tree having white or silvery bark and young leaves and yellow flowers [syn: {silver wattle}, {mimosa}]

1: tropical American thorny shrub or small tree; fragrant yellow flowers used in making perfumery [syn: {huisache}, {cassie}, {mimosa bush}, {sweet wattle}, {sweet acacia}, {scented wattle}, {flame tr...

1: tall Australian acacia yielding highly valued black timber [syn: {lightwood}]

1: shrubby Australian tree having clusters of fragrant golden yellow flowers; widely cultivated as an ornamental [syn: {golden wattle}]

1: African tree supposed to mark healthful regions [syn: {fever tree}]

1: the academic world [syn: {academia}]

1: the academic world [syn: {academe}]

1: associated with academia or an academy; "the academic curriculum"; "academic gowns" 2: hypothetical or theoretical and not expected to produce an immediate or practical result; "an academic discuss...

1: an administrator in a college or university

1: a costume worn on formal occasions by the faculty or students of a university or college

1: an award conferred by a college or university signifying that the recipient has satisfactorily completed a course of study; "he earned his degree at Princeton summa cum laude" [syn: {degree}]

1: a division of a school that is responsible for a given subject

1: the freedom of teachers and students to express their ideas in school without religious or political or institutional restrictions

1: a gown worn by academics or judges [syn: {academic robe}, {judge's robe}]

1: (education) a program of education in liberal arts and sciences (usually in preparation for higher education)

1: a professional relation between instructors and those they instruct

1: a requirement for admission to or completion of an academic program

1: a gown worn by academics or judges [syn: {academic gown}, {judge's robe}]

1: the time during which a school holds classes; "they had to shorten the school term" [syn: {school term}, {academic term}, {session}]

1: the time during which a school holds classes; "they had to shorten the school term" [syn: {school term}, {academic session}, {session}]

1: the period of time each year when the school is open and people are studying [syn: {school year}]

1: in regard to academic matters; "academically, this is a good school"

1: someone elected to honorary membership in an academy 2: a scholar who is skilled in academic disputation [syn: {schoolman}] 3: an educator who works at a college or university [syn: {academic}, {fa...

1: the position of member of an honorary academy

1: orthodoxy of a scholastic variety [syn: {scholasticism}, {academism}]

1: orthodoxy of a scholastic variety [syn: {scholasticism}, {academicism}]

1: a secondary school (usually private) 2: an institution for the advancement of art or science or literature [syn: {honorary society}] 3: a school for special training 4: a learned establishment for ...

1: an annual award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for achievements in motion picture production and performance [syn: {Oscar}]

1: an academy that gives annual awards for achievements in motion picture production and performance

1: an academy that gives annual awards for outstanding achievements in television

1: the French-speaking part of the Canadian Maritime Provinces

1: a national park in Maine showing marine erosion and glaciation; includes seashore and also the highest point on the Atlantic coast

1: an early French settler in the Maritimes

1: a genus of herbs and shrubs belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae [syn: {genus Acalypha}]

1: weedy herb of eastern North America [syn: {three-seeded mercury}]

1: widely distributed herbs and shrubs and trees; sometimes placed in the order Scrophulariales [syn: {family Acanthaceae}, {acanthus family}]

{acanthus}

1: the craniometric point at the anterior extremity of the intermaxillary suture

1: a genus of Xenicidae [syn: {genus Acanthisitta}]

1: small green-and-bronze bird [syn: {rifleman bird}]

1: alternative names for the family comprising the New Zealand wrens [syn: {Xenicidae}, {family Xenicidae}, {family Acanthisittidae}]

1: phylum or class of elongated wormlike parasites that live in the intestines of vertebrates: spiny-headed worms [syn: {phylum Acanthocephala}]

1: any of various worms living parasitically in intestines of vertebrates having a retractile proboscis covered with many hooked spines [syn: {spiny-headed worm}]

1: mostly trailing cacti having nocturnal white flowers; tropical America and Caribbean region [syn: {genus Acanthocereus}]

1: cactus of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico having edible juicy fruit [syn: {pitahaya cactus}, {pitahaya}, {Acanthocereus tetragonus}]

1: cactus of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico having edible juicy fruit [syn: {pitahaya cactus}, {pitahaya}, {Acanthocereus pentagonus}]

1: wahoos [syn: {genus Acanthocybium}]

1: large fast-moving predacious food and game fish; found worldwide [syn: {wahoo}]