Abattoir: a slaughterhouse; massacre
Absinthe: wormwood liquor of a bright-green color
Acciaccatura: grace note, an embellishing note usually written in smaller size
Acedia: ennui; state of torpor or listlessness; spiritual apathy
Acervuline: aggregated, heaped up, bundled, collected or localized
Acidulous: somewhat acidic or sour in taste or manner; somewhat sarcastic
Acolyte: ranked clergy member; assistant in liturgical rites
Acoustic: of or relating to sound, the sense of hearing, or the science of sound
Acquiesce: to passively accept; to accept, comply, or submit passively
Adroit: quick or skillful; adept in action or thought
Adumbrate: to explain faintly or opaquely outline; describe
Aeipathy: continued passion; unyielding disease
Aeneous: brassy; a type of golden-green
Aeolian: pertaining to, of, related to, caused by or like the wind or Aeolus
Aeonian: continuing forever; eternal
Aerial: of, in, or caused by the air; existing or living in the air
Aesthete: person who appreciates art or beauty
Aestival: pertaining to, relating, designating, or of summer
Aeviternal: eternal, endless, never-ending
Afflatus: strong creative impulse, especially as a result of divine inspiration; inspiration
Aileron: small moveable platforms on the back of plane wings that alter air movements
Ailurophile: cat-lover, one who loves or appreciates cats
Alabaster: dense translucent, white or tinted, fine-grained gypsum
Alienate: to estrange; to cause to become unfriendly or hostile
Aliment: something that nourishes; food; to supply with sustenance or food
Allegretto: music term, moderately fast tempo
Alleviate: to allay; to lessen in pain or negative occurrence or consequence
Alloquy: speaking to another; an address
Allure: attraction; temptation; to attract with something desirable
Alluvium: unconsolidated sediments carried by water
Amaranth: deep-hued purple; a type of purple flower; used as a metaphor for immortality
Amber: light brown; light yellow
Ambience: atmosphere; a particular environment or surrounding influence; aura
Ambivalence: simultaneous, conflicted feelings towards a thing, person, etc.
Ambrosia: the food of the gods; something overpoweringly delicious or fragrant
Ameliorate: to make better; improve, enhance
Amelus: individual exhibiting Amelia (the congenital absence of one or more limbs)
Amethyst: deep purple; deep-purple gemstone
Amnesia: partial or total loss of memory
Amphisbaena: Greek mythological being, a two-headed snake with a head on each end
Amphora: ceramic, two-handled vase with a narrow neck, usually containing alcohol
Amulet: a charm against evil or impurity, often a piece of jewelry
Analemma: sundial, figure-8 indicating sun’s position
Ancestry: the inception or origin of a phenomenon, object, idea, or style; lineage
Andante: music, moderately slow
Anemone: a flowery marine creature
Antebellum: before or existing before a war, especially the American civil war
Anxiolytic: preventing or reducing anxiety; antianxiety medication; tranquilizer
Aperitif: alcoholic drink taken as an appetizer before a meal
Aphelion: point indicated when the orbit of the earth is furthest from the sun
Aphesis: omission of sound or verbiage at the beginning of a word or phrase
Aphotic: devoid of light, especially of areas where no light naturally occurs
Apocope: omission of sound or verbiage at the end of a word or phrase
Apophenia: the perception of or belief in connectedness among unrelated phenomena
Apoplexy: stroke; impairment or neuralgia from cerebral hemorrhage
Aposiopesis: abrupt stop of a thought in a sentence, as if the speaker could not continue
Apostasy: abandonment of one’s religious faith, political party, one’s principles, or a cause
Apostolicity: being of or contemporary with the Apostles in character
Apotheosis: deification; quintessence; exaltation to divine rank or stature
Apropos: appropriate of; appropriate
Aquarelle: painting done in transparent