Words that start with A

Arabic is a language spoken in a number of countries in the Middle East and northern Africa.

Arachnophobia is a fear of spiders and other arachnids, like scorpions. Someone who is arachnophobic may get a panic attack simply from being somewhere they think there are spiders, like when they see cobwebs.

An arch is a curved, self-supporting shape usually used over doorways or to support old bridges. Arches shift the downwards force at the top of the arch to a sideways force at the bottom of the arch, so there must be a strong wall holding the base of the arch up. Arches work particularly well underground where the earth holds the sideways force. When two arches are put next to each other, the sideways forces are cancelled out, so a row of arches together e.g. under a long bridge only need thin walls or pillars holding the arches up. The stone at the top center of an arch is usually a slightly different shape, or is more decorative. It is called the keystone.

An archer is someone who uses a bow to shoot arrows for a living. In earlier times, an archer would have been a hunter or someone in an army. Today, archery is a sport or hobby.

An area is a part of any surface. Areas are usually separated from everything around them by some kind of boundary, such as a fence or a line drawn around them on a piece of paper. Area also describes the total size of that area. Different shapes have different formula for calculating how big they are.