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Abbas, Mahmoud
A,a
A, a /eɪ/ pl. A's, a's n 1 [C;U] the first letter of the English alphabet 2 [C;U] the sixth note in the musical SCALE of C MAJOR, or the musical KEY based on this note 3 [C] the highest mark that a student can get in an examination or for a piece of work: I got an A in French. 4 an A student AmE someone who regularly gets the best marks possible for their work in school or college 5 [U] used to refer in a short way to one of two different things or people. You can call the second one B: A demands £500, B offers £100. → see also PLAN B 6 from A to B from one place to another: Hiring a car was the best way to get from A to B. 7 from A to Z describing, including, or knowing everything about a subject: the history of 20th century art from A to Z 8 A34, A40 etc the name of a road in Britain that is smaller than a MOTORWAY, but larger than a B-ROAD → see also A-ROAD 9 [U] a common type of blood
a /ə; strong eɪ/ also an (before a vowel sound) indefinite article, determiner 1 (before a noun that names someone or something not already mentioned or known about): Have you got a car? | I had a pain in my leg. | This is a very good book. | That sounds like an excuse to me. | She's a doctor/a famous writer. | It's a pity you can't come. | He's a friend of mine. (=one of my friends) | She was a Jones (=one of the Jones family) before she married Bill. 2 a) one: a thousand pounds | a dozen eggs b) (before certain words of quantity): a few weeks | a lot of people | a little water | a great many times 3 each; every; per: six times a day | £2 a dozen 4 the thing called; any; every: A square has four sides. | I would say a parcel was bigger than a packet. 5 (before the first one of a pair that seems to be a single whole): a cup and saucer | a bucket and spade 6 [(before [U] nouns)] a container or unit of: I'd like a coffee, please. 7 a certain amount of; some a) (before [S] nouns, especially words for actions): Have a look at this. | You need a wash. | She has a good knowledge of chemistry. b) (before the -ing form of verbs when used as nouns): He drove off with a crashing of gears and a screeching of tyres. 8 a kind of: Médoc is a (very good) wine. | This is a good Médoc. 9 (before the name of a painter or other ARTIST) a work by: This painting is a Rembrandt. 10 one like or having the qualities of: They say the young actress is a (new) Marilyn Monroe! 11 a) (before names of people, showing that someone is unknown to the speaker) a certain: A Mrs Smith wishes to speak to you. b) (before names of times and places) a particular one: I can't remember a Christmas when it snowed so much. (compare It always snows at Christmas.) 12 a) (after half/rather/such/what/ (fml or lit) many): I've got rather a headache. | What a nice girl (she is)! | I've never met such a nice girl. | (fml or lit) Many a small business has failed (=many small businesses have failed) because of lack of investment. b) (after as/how/so/too+adj): He's got as big a car as you have. | I've never met so nice a girl. → see AN (USAGE)
A written abbrev. for amp or amps
AA /ˌeɪ ˈeɪ/ n abbrev. for 1 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS 2 Automobile Association; a British organization for people who own cars. The AA moves or repairs its members' cars if they have an accident or if their cars stop working while they are driving. 3 Associate of Arts; a US college degree in a subject such as history or literature, usually given after two years of studying at a COMMUNITY COLLEGE or JUNIOR COLLEGE. An AA is also called an ASSOCIATE DEGREE.
AAA /ˌtriːpəl ˈeɪ/ abbrev. for the American Automobile Association; an organization in the US for people who own cars. AAA moves or repairs its members' cars if they have an accident or if their cars stop working while they are driving.
AAA, the /ˌθriː ˈeɪz/ abbrev. for Amateur Athletic Association; a British organization for ATHLETES
A & E /ˌeɪ ənd ˈiː/ n [U] BrE abbrev. for Accident and Emergency; the part of a hospital where people who are injured or who need urgent treatment are brought
A&W /ˌeɪ ən ˈdʌbljuː/ trademark a popular type of ROOT BEER sold in the US. Many states have A&W FAST FOOD restaurants which are known for selling HAMBURGERS and root beer FLOATS (=root beer with ice cream in it).
aardvark /ˈɑːdvɑk||ˈɑrdvɑːrk/ n a large animal of southern Africa, similar to an ANTEATER which feeds on TERMITES at night. People sometimes use this word as an example of the first word that is likely to appear in a dictionary or ENCYCLOPEDIA.
aargh /ɑːx, ɑːlɑːrg, ɜːr/ interj (used to show you are disappointed, hurt, or annoyed): Aargh, the lid won't close.
Aa·ron /ˈeərən/ in the Old Testament of the Bible, a priest who was the brother of MOSES
Aaron, Hank (1934-) an American baseball player who is famous for hitting more HOME RUNS than Babe Ruth, who had held the record for almost 40 years
AARP /ˌeɪ eɪ ɑːr ˈpiː||-ɑːr-/ abbrev. for AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF RETIRED PERSONS
AB /ˌeɪ ˈbiː/ n [U] a common type of blood
ABA /ˌeɪ biː ˈeɪ/ abbrev. for AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION
A·bach·a, General Sa·ni /əˈbɑːtʃə, ˈsɑːni/ (1943-98) the military leader and President of Nigeria from 1993 until his death. In 1995 Nigeria was forced to leave the British Commonwealth.
a·back /əˈbæk/ adv be taken aback to be shocked, especially by something unpleasant or unexpected: I was rather taken aback by his rudeness.
abacus /ˈæbəkəs/ n a frame holding wires on which small balls can be moved, used for counting and calculating, especially in eastern countries.
ab·a·lo·ne /ˌæbəˈləʊni/ n [C;U] (the shell of) a kind of SHELLFISH used as food and known for its shell, which is lined with MOTHER-OF-PEARL
a·ban·don¹ /əˈbændən/ v [T] 1 to leave completely and for ever; DESERT: He abandoned his wife and children. | When the fire got out of control, the captain told the sailors to abandon ship. 2 to give up or bring an end to (something), especially without finishing it or gaining the intended result: The bad weather forced them to abandon their search. | They abandoned all hope of finding the child. | The party has now abandoned its earlier commitment to restoring full employment. | The game had to be abandoned after 40 minutes because of crowd trouble. → see also ABANDONED ---ment n [U]
abandon sbdy. to sthg. phr v [T] lit to allow (oneself) to be completely controlled by (a feeling, desire etc): He abandoned himself to grief.
abandon² n [U] the state when one's feelings and actions are uncontrolled: People were shouting and cheering in gay abandon. | The kids hurled pieces of wood on the fire with gay abandon.
a·ban·doned /əˈbændənd/ adj completely uncontrolled, especially in a way that is thought to be immoral: abandoned behaviour
a·base /əˈbeɪs/ v [T(to, before)] fml to make (oneself) lose self-respect; make HUMBLE ---ment n [U]
a·bashed /əˈbæʃt/ adj [F] uncomfortable and ashamed in the presence of others, especially when one has done something wrong or stupid → opposite UNABASHED
a·bate /əˈbeɪt/ v fml 1 [I] (of winds, storms, sounds, pain etc) to become less strong; decrease: The recent public anxiety about this issue may now be abating. → see also UNABATED 2 [T] law to bring to an end (especially in the phrase abate a nuisance) ---ment n [U]
ab·at·toir /ˈæbətwɑːr/ n BrE for SLAUGHTERHOUSE
Ab·ba /ˈæbə/ a Swedish POP GROUP made up of two men and two women, that became one of the most successful groups of the 1970s after winning the EUROVISION SONG CONTEST in 1974 with a song called Waterloo. They were popular with people of all ages, and their songs include Dancing Queen and The Winner Takes It All.
Ab·bas, Mah·moud /ˈæbæs, mɑːˈmuːd/ (1935-) a Palestinian politician who became the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority in May 2003, but decided to leave the job four months later. He was one of the people who signed