📖 A — The English dictionary · page 44

arachnid — Everyday, meaning 1: An arachnid is a small animal with eight legs and a body in two main parts, such as a spider, scorpion, tick or mite.↗ Arachnids are not insects.↗ Example: A spider is an arachnid, not an insect.↗ · Arachnids have eight legs.↗ · Ticks are tiny arachnids that can carry disease.↗ · Scorpions are arachnids with a stinging tail.↗ · How many legs do 5 arachnids have in all?↗ · We drew an arachnid and labelled its two body parts.↗

aramaic — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: An ancient Semitic language related to Hebrew, once spoken across the Middle East.↗ Example: Onqelos, who renders it into Aramaic as צָדְיָא וְרוֹקָנְיָא tzadya weroqanya ‘(and the earth was) barren and desolate’ (https://cal.huc.edu/comment.php?coord=5100101021).↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation)↗ · Then spoke the Chaldeans to the king in Aramaic: 'O king, live for ever! tell thy servants the dream, and we will declare the interpretation.'↗ (Writings DAN.2.4, JPS 1917)↗ · And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Aramaic character, and set forth in the Aramaic tongue.↗ (Writings EZR.4.7, JPS 1917)↗

aramean — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: A person from Aram, an ancient land in what is now Syria.↗ Example: And Jacob outwitted Laban the Aramean, in that he told him not that he fled.↗ (Torah GEN.31.20, JPS 1917)↗ · And Isaac sent away Jacob; and he went to Paddan-aram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother.↗ (Torah GEN.28.5, JPS 1917)↗ · And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean, of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife.↗ (Torah GEN.25.20, JPS 1917)↗

arbiter — Everyday, meaning 1: A person who settles an argument or decides who is right.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A person who has great power to decide what is good, like in fashion or taste.↗ Example: The referee is the final arbiter on the pitch.↗ · Mum acted as arbiter in our argument.↗ · The court is the arbiter in disputes.↗ · The magazine was the arbiter of style.↗ · A fair arbiter listens to both sides.↗ · Let the teacher be the arbiter.↗ · There is no arbiter betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both.↗ (Writings JOB.9.33, JPS 1917)↗

arbitrarily — Everyday, meaning 1: Without a real reason or plan, by chance or by a choice that is not fair.↗ Example: He picked a card arbitrarily.↗ · Choose a starting number arbitrarily.↗ · The rules seemed to change arbitrarily.↗ · The teams were split arbitrarily.↗ · Prices were set arbitrarily.↗ · Pick any point arbitrarily on the line.↗

arbitrary — Everyday, meaning 1: Arbitrary means chosen by chance or by someone's wish, not for a good reason or rule.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (maths) An arbitrary number is any number you pick, used to show a rule works for all.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Unfair power used without rules: an arbitrary punishment.↗ Example: The order of the names was arbitrary.↗ · Pick an arbitrary number and double it.↗ · The rule seemed arbitrary to the pupils.↗ · It was an arbitrary punishment with no warning.↗ · The starting point on the line is arbitrary.↗ · Giving prizes by height is arbitrary.↗ · All the other commentaries mentioned above, together with all quotations of other expounders of the same book, contain nothing but a medley of arbitrary, mystical explanations and sophistical distortions of scriptural verses, astrological notions, oriental (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877)↗

arbitrator — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: A person chosen to settle a dispute between two sides.↗ Example: the two others, a supreme arbitrator.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗ · The Second sect admitted Three great Powers; two of them as in the first case, and a third Power whose function was to decide between [p. 7] the two others, a supreme arbitrator.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗

arbor — Everyday, meaning 1: An arbor is a shady place in a garden, made of trees, climbing plants or a frame covered with leaves, where people can sit.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (old use) An arbor can also be a leafy shelter where two people meet quietly.↗ Example: They sat in the arbor under the roses.↗ · The old arbor was covered with green vines.↗ · Tea was served in the garden arbor.↗

arbour — Everyday, meaning 1: An arbour is a shady place in a garden, made of trees or climbing plants, where people can sit.↗ This is the British spelling of «arbor».↗ Example: We ate our lunch in the arbour.↗ · Roses grew all over the arbour.↗ · The children hid in the arbour behind the wall.↗

arc — Everyday, meaning 1: An arc is part of the curved line of a circle, or any curved line shaped like this.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To arc is to move in a curve: the ball arced through the air.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A story arc is the shape a story or a character's change follows from beginning to end.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (science) An electric arc is a bright spark that jumps across a gap.↗ Example: Use a compass to draw an arc.↗ · An arc is part of the edge of a circle.↗ · The ball arced high over the goalkeeper's head.↗ · A rainbow is an arc of colours.↗ · The hero's character arc goes from scared to brave.↗ · The welder's arc was so bright we could not look at it.↗

arcade — Everyday, meaning 1: An arcade is a place with games you play using coins or tokens.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: An arcade is a covered passage with shops along it.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: In buildings, an arcade is a row of arches.↗ Example: He won 50 tickets at the arcade.↗ · Each arcade game costs 2 tokens.↗ · She spent 12 dollars at the arcade.↗ · They traded 30 tickets for a prize.↗ · We played air hockey at the arcade.↗ · The shopping arcade has a bookshop.↗ · Old arcade games are fun to play.↗ · The arcade was full of flashing lights.↗ · She saved her tickets for a big teddy bear.↗ · The church has a long stone arcade.↗ · The lazzarone sleeps under the arcade, whose pavement in old times was to be trodden only by the feet of high nobility.↗

arch — Everyday, meaning 1: An arch is a curved shape or structure, like the top of a doorway or a bridge, that goes up and over.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: The arch of your foot is the curved part underneath between heel and toes.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To arch means to bend into a curved shape, like a cat arching its back.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: Arch- at the start of a word means chief or main, as in archenemy.↗ Example: We walked under the old stone arch.↗ · The bridge has three big arches.↗ · The cat arched its back and hissed.↗ · A rainbow made an arch across the sky.↗ · The ballet teacher told us to point our toes and lift the arch of our foot.↗ · The Romans were very good at building arches.↗ · Flat feet have a low arch.↗ · Batman's archenemy is the Joker.↗ · The tin soldier could already see daylight shining where the arch ended.↗ · And God was with the lad, and he grew; and he dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.↗ (Torah GEN.21.20, JPS 1917)↗ · And there were arches round about, five and twenty cubits long, and five cubits broad.↗ (Prophets EZK.40.30, JPS 1917)↗ · And the arches thereof were toward the outer court; and palm-trees were upon the posts thereof; and the going up to it had eight steps.↗ (Prophets EZK.40.31, JPS 1917)↗ · And he led me toward the south, and behold a gate toward the south; and he measured the posts thereof, and the arches thereof according to these measures.↗ (Prophets EZK.40.24, JPS 1917)↗

archaeological — Everyday, meaning 1: About archaeology: the study of the past by digging up and studying old objects, buildings and bones.↗ Example: Stonehenge is a famous archaeological site.↗ · They found Roman coins on an archaeological dig.↗ · Archaeological evidence shows people lived here 5,000 years ago.↗ · We visited an archaeological museum.↗ · The farmer's field became an archaeological treasure.↗ · Archaeological work must be done slowly and carefully.↗ · I therefore hope that the candid reader will consider the great difficulties I had to overcome in this still unbeaten way of the ancient Jewish spiritual region, and will receive with indulgence this new contribution to archaeological knowledge.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877)↗

archaeologist — Everyday, meaning 1: An archaeologist is a scientist who studies how people lived long ago by digging up and examining old things they left behind, such as bones, tools, pots and buildings.↗ Example: The archaeologist found a Roman coin in the field.↗ · Archaeologists dig very slowly with small trowels and brushes.↗ · An archaeologist can tell how old a pot is.↗ · Archaeologists found a Viking ship under the ground.↗ · When I grow up I want to be an archaeologist.↗ · The archaeologists marked every find on a map.↗ · Archaeologists study ancient Egypt by looking at tombs.↗ · But the time of its composition and the name of its author have not yet been ascertained, despite of the most elaborate researches of renowned archaeologists.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877)↗

archaeology — Everyday, meaning 1: The study of the human past by digging up and examining old things people left behind, such as tools, bones, pots, coins and buildings.↗ Example: Archaeology tells us how Vikings lived.↗ · Archaeologists found Roman coins under the car park.↗ · We did an archaeology dig in the school sandpit.↗ · Archaeology helps us learn about people who never wrote anything down.↗ · The deeper layers in an archaeology dig are usually older.↗ · Dinosaur bones are studied by palaeontologists, not by archaeology.↗ · He has endeavoured in his illustrations to retain as much as possible of Celtic ornamentation; for all details of Celtic archaeology he has authority.↗

archaeopteryx — Everyday, meaning 1: Archaeopteryx was a small animal that lived about 150 million years ago and had features of both dinosaurs and birds: feathers and wings, but also teeth, claws and a long bony tail.↗ Example: Archaeopteryx had feathers like a bird and teeth like a dinosaur.↗ · The first Archaeopteryx fossil was found in Germany.↗ · Archaeopteryx was about the size of a magpie.↗ · Our museum has a cast of an Archaeopteryx fossil.↗ · Archaeopteryx helps show that birds came from dinosaurs.↗ · Could Archaeopteryx really fly?↗ Scientists still argue about it.↗

archaic — Everyday, meaning 1: Very old and from the distant past.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Old-fashioned and no longer used, or too old to be useful.↗ Example: "Thou" is an archaic word for "you".↗ · Shakespeare's plays have many archaic words.↗ · The school's computers are archaic.↗ · That rule seems archaic now.↗ · Archaic rocks contain some of the oldest life on Earth.↗ · Grandpa uses some archaic phrases.↗ · This is indeed an archaic touch, which seems to hark back to primitive times and totemistic beliefs.↗

archbishop — Everyday, meaning 1: (church) An archbishop is a very senior bishop who is in charge of the bishops and churches in a large area.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (church, UK) The Archbishop of Canterbury is the leading bishop of the Church of England.↗ Example: The Archbishop of Canterbury crowned the king.↗ · An archbishop leads the bishops of a large area.↗ · The archbishop visited our cathedral at Easter.↗ · Thomas Becket was an archbishop killed in his cathedral long ago.↗ · The archbishop wore a tall hat called a mitre.↗ · Our school choir sang for the archbishop.↗ · Archbishop Desmond Tutu worked for fairness in South Africa.↗ · Eliza went, and the king and the archbishop followed her.↗

archduke — Everyday, meaning 1: A very important prince in the old royal family of Austria.↗ Example: Archduke Franz Ferdinand was killed in 1914.↗ · His death helped start the First World War.↗ · An archduke is higher than a duke.↗ · The archduke rode in an open car.↗ · The archduke's wife was also killed.↗ · Austria was ruled by archdukes and emperors.↗

archer — Everyday, meaning 1: An archer is a person who shoots arrows from a bow.↗ Example: The archer hit the target.↗ · Robin Hood was a famous archer.↗ · The archers stood ready with their bows.↗ · The archers have dealt bitterly with him, and shot at him, and hated him; (Torah GEN.49.23, JPS 1917)↗ · The children of Ephraim were as archers handling the bow, that turned back in the day of battle.↗ (Writings PSA.78.9, JPS 1917)↗ · And the sons of Ulam were mighty men of valour, archers; and had many sons, and sons' sons, a hundred and fifty.↗ (Writings 1CH.8.40, JPS 1917)↗ · And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers overtook him; and he was in anguish by reason of the archers.↗ (Writings 1CH.10.3, JPS 1917)↗

archerfish — Everyday, meaning 1: An archerfish is a small fish of warm rivers and mangroves in Asia and northern Australia that shoots a jet of water from its mouth to knock insects off leaves above the water.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: It then swims to eat the insect when it falls.↗ Example: The archerfish spat a jet of water and knocked a beetle into the river.↗ · An archerfish can hit insects more than a metre away.↗ · Archerfish live in mangrove swamps in Australia.↗ · The archerfish corrects its aim for the bending of light.↗ · Young archerfish learn by watching older ones.↗ · At the aquarium, the archerfish shot water at a target.↗ · The archerfish has stripes on its silvery sides.↗

archery — Everyday, meaning 1: Archery is the sport or skill of shooting arrows from a bow at a target.↗ Example: He practised archery every Saturday.↗ · Archery needs steady hands.↗ · She won a medal for archery.↗

archetype — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: The first or perfect model from which other things are copied.↗ Example: It is the model, or archetype, after (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914))↗

archipelago — Everyday, meaning 1: A group of islands close together in the sea.↗ Example: Indonesia is the biggest archipelago in the world.↗ · The Galápagos archipelago has giant tortoises.↗ · We sailed around the archipelago.↗ · Britain and Ireland are part of an archipelago.↗ · The Philippines is an archipelago of over 7,000 islands.↗ · Draw the archipelago on your map.↗