asportation

The carrying away of something unlawfully.

assassin

A person who kills someone important, especially for political or ideological reasons.

asymptomatic

Not showing any symptoms of disease.

at large

1. Having a wide scope.

attrite

Regretting one’s wrongdoing only because of the fear of punishment.

aubade

Morning song, poem, or music.

audiophile

One who has a keen interest in high-fidelity sound reproduction.

Aunt Tom

A woman considered to be a traitor to a cause.

auricomous

Relating to golden hair.

autogamy

Self-fertilization, for example, of a flower by its own pollen.

autokinesy

Self-propelled or self-directed motion or energy.

autolatry

Self-worship.

autotelic

Having a purpose, motivation, or meaning in itself; not driven by external factors.

avarice

An extreme desire for wealth or material gain.

avuncular

Kind, friendly, and helpful, like an uncle, especially in a benevolent or indulgent way.

aweigh

Just clear of the bottom (used for a ship’s anchor).

bacchanalize

To engage in wild revelry.

back-form

To make a word by dropping an apparent affix from a longer word.

Baedeker

A guidebook.

balk or baulk

1. A check or hindrance.

balkanize

To divide a region, group, etc., into small, often hostile, entities.

Ballardian

Relating to a dystopian world, especially one characterized by social and environmental degradation,...

baloney or boloney

Nonsense, such as foolish, deceptive, or pretentious talk.

balter

To dance clumsily or walk unsteadily.

banjax

To destroy, damage, defeat, injure, etc.

barbermonger or barber-monger

One excessively concerned about appearance; a fop, a dandy.

bardolatry

Excessive admiration of William Shakespeare.

bareboned

Lean; spare; gaunt.

Barmecide

One giving only the illusion of abundance or some benefits.

barnacle

1. Any marine crustacean of the subclass Cirripedia that

Barney’s bull

Someone or something in a very bad condition or situation.

basilect

The least prestigious variety of a language.