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 watercolors; watercolor; watercolor painting Aqueous: of, relating to, or resembling water; made from, with, or by water Aquiline: resembling an eagle’s beak; hooked like a beak Arabesque: a ballet twirl; type of artistry involving a continuous, rotating design Aria: air or song; a melody, solo in an opera accompanied by instrumentation Artemisia: type of plant, genus of aromatic shrubs or herbs Ascertain: to understand specific facts; to ferret out information Ashlar: a squared block of building stone and dressed for outward placement Asphodel: a type of flower, often associated with the Underworld Astral: of or pertaining to the aster; stellar; star-shaped; pertaining to the stars Asylum: refuge; a place to restore sanity or facilitate recovery Atelier: an artist’s studio; a place designated to create or perform art Athanasy: quality of being deathless; immortality Athenaeum: institution for the promotion of literary or scientific learning; phrontistery Aubade: poem or song about or evocative dawn or morning, the opposite of nocturne Auburn: moderate reddish-brown Aura: distinctive and pervasive quality or character; air; atmosphere; emanation Austere: severe or stern in disposition, discipline, or appearance; somber and grave Autumnal: pertaining to, like, relating, or evocative of autumn Auxiliary: additional, supplementary; reserve; acting as a subsidiary Avarice: extreme greed for wealth or material gain Avenue: wide street or thoroughfare; roadway lined with tress Azalea: type of plant, a common garden plant Azoth: mythologized universal solvent; panacea Azuline: light blue; similar to a light blue Azure: sky-blue or a light blue Baccalaureate: bachelor’s degree; valedictory speech Balustrade: architectural term, series of balusters or parapet Banderilla: a decorated dart that is shot into the neck of the bull during a bull fight Bardiglio: finely-grained, multi-gray Italian marble Basilica: large, public building the Romans used, usually as a courtroom or meeting hall Bastille: imprisonment, jail, prison Bayonet: blade adapted to fit the muzzle-end of a rifle and as a weapon in close combat Belladonna: a type of plant, highly poisonous; “pretty woman” Belle-lettres: “beautiful letters” aesthetic literature, as opposed to didactic Bellicose: inclined or eager to fight; aggressively hostile; belligerent; pugnacious Bellwether: leader or indicator of future trends, trendsetter Belvedere: roofed structure, on top of another building, which commands a large view Berceuse: lullaby; song used to put someone to sleep Bethesda: a hallowed, sanctified, or holy place; a chapel; holy ground Bezaleel: the shadow of God, God’s shadow Bibelot: trinket, bauble; small object which is rare or valuable or beautiful; a small book Bibliophile: someone who loves (and usually collects) books; book collector Bijouterie: pl. trinkets or jewelry, gallery thereof, display thereof Bivouac: temporary military or squad encampment Blaze: bright flame of fire; bright steady light or glare; hot gleam Blellum: an idle, indiscreet talker; noisy fainéant Bliss: joy, rapture, elation, felicity Blithe: carefree, nonchalant; heedless; lacking concern; joyous Blossom: billowing; period or condition of flowering or growth Bloviate: to make pompous or arrogant discourse Boeotian: marked by stupidity and philistinism; crudely obtuse; loutish Borasca: a squall, usually accompanied by thunder and lightning Bordereau: a detailed note or memorandum of account Boulevard: broad street, avenue; broad spectrum of something Bouleversement: reversal of fortunes; overturning; tumult Bourgeoisie: the middle class; the middle class in Communist theory Braggadocio: arrogant person; braggart; arrogant or boastful behavior Brecciate: to form rock into breccia (rocks made of sharp fragments set in a grainy matrix) Breeze: gentle push of the wind Breviloquence: speech characterized by brevity; shortness, briefness Brevity: briefness; swiftness; evanescence Bricolage: something made or put together using any materials that happen are available Brio: joie de vivre; vivacity; alacrity; gusto; esprit Burnish: to polish; the shine of a polished surface Caballero: skilled horseman; gentleman; cavalier Cabaret: a restaurant with live entertainment Cadence: rhythmic flow of the sounds of language; lilt Cadenza: musical or literary improvisation Caesious: a type of bluish gray Caesura: a pause in a line of verse, usually in poetry Calico: coarse, brightly printed cloth; a type of pattern Caliginous: misty; dim; obscure; dark; gloomy; tenebrous Calliope: musical instrument fitted with steam whistles, played from a keyboard Callipygian: having a beautiful, admirable, or sexy butt Callow: immature; green, lacking experience; naïve Calypso: a type of rare orchid; a tribal and fervid dance Cancrizans: backwards movement; crab walking; music moving backwards Candelabra: pl. branched candlestick with several candles Canticle: a song, poem, or hymn, usually of a church choir Capriccio: music, improvisation, without adherence to rules Capriccioso: music, lively and free of restraint, restriction, or direction Capricious: impulsive; whimsical; unpredictable Caress: touch or stroke lightly in a loving or endearing manner Cartesian: of or relating to the philosophy of Descartes Cascarilla: West Indian shrub with aromatic bark, typically used in incense or tonics Catena: closely linked series; connected series of related things, especially of writing Cathismata: pl. one of the 20 divisions in a Greek Psalter Cavil: to object or criticize adversely for trivial reasons; flimsy objection or qualm Cedilla: a diacritic beneath a letter designed to alter pronunciation “façade” Celadon: a type of pale green Celeripedean: quick-footed; swift; fast-running Celerity: speed; alacrity; briskness Celesta: ancient musical instrument