Words that start with A

Antelope is a word used for any one of a large group of animals that are related to goats, sheep and cows. Many antelopes look like deer but are actually not closely related - antelopes keep their horns through their lifetime and deer shed their horns every year.
The antelope in the picture is an eland.

Something is antique if it is old, and people think it is worth collecting. Some antique things aren't worth very much, and people just like to collect them. But other things become more valuable the older they get, and some antique items can cost a lot of money to buy. Antique is often used to describe an old, expensive item, while vintage is often used to describe a less expensive old item, but the two words can be interchanged.

The antlion is the larval stage of a kind of flying insect often called a lacewing. Antlions get their name because they eat mostly ants. They live in dry, sandy areas and make their cocoons out of sand stuck together with silk. They catch ants to eat by digging small pits in the sand. Ants fall into the pits and have trouble getting back out, and the antlion comes out from hiding at the centre of the pit and eats them.

Anxious is another word for worried or nervous. When you are anxious you can be afraid of something other people might find normal, like answering the phone.

If you're worried or nervous all the time, you may have an anxiety disorder.

The aorta is the largest blood vessel in the body. It carries oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the rest of the body.

The aorta starts from the left side of the heart and then goes through the chest and into the abdomen. It splits into smaller arteries to deliver blood to organs, arms, and legs.

extension An aperture is an opening that lets something pass through, such as light, air, or sound. In a camera, it is the adjustable opening inside the lens. Its size controls how much light reaches the camera sensor and also affects how much of the picture looks sharp.

A wide aperture lets in more light and can make the background look blurry. A narrow aperture lets in less light and keeps more of the scene clear. The word comes from a Latin word meaning "an opening".

Aphids, also called plant lice, are a tiny, sapsucking insect. They are attracted to fresh new shoots of plants, especially developing fruit and flowerbuds. They can do a lot of damage to crops, and gardeners do not like them. Aphids can be killed by poison, removed by squirting them off with water from a hose, or their numbers can be reduced naturally by encouraging aphid-eaters like ladybugs and wasps into your garden.
The aphids in the picture are on a the developing flower bud of a rose.

App is short for application.

Something appears when it comes into view. You may also use the word to describe something that is obvious, or that you have just discovered; "You appear to have the measles".

The cat in the picture just appeared at the window.

smart_display Applauding is clapping after something happens to show you like it. People in an audience applaud after a performance like an opera if they think it was very good.