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athletic
A
defeat in the election | We were astounded by his success/
astounded to hear that he had won.
as·tra·khan /ˌæstrəˈkæn/ ||ˌæstrəkæn/ n [U] lamb's skin
with the wool in tight little curls: astrakhan coats
as·tral /'æstrəl/ adj of or concerning stars
a·stray /ə'streɪ/ adv away from the right path or way: One of
the sheep went astray and got lost. 1 (fig.) I seem to have gone
astray (=made a mistake) somewhere in my calculations. | (fig.)
The attractions of the big city soon led him astray. (=into
bad ways)
a·stride /ə'straɪd/ adv, prep with a leg on each side (of):
sitting astride his horse
as·trin·gent¹ /əˈstrɪndʒənt/ adj 1 able to tighten up the
skin or stop bleeding: astringent lotions 2 severe; bitter:
astringent criticism→ly adv→gency n [U]
astringent2 n [C;U] tech a substance or medicine that tight-
ens up the skin and stops bleeding
as·tro- → see WORD FORMATION TABLE
as·trol·o·ger /əˈstrɒlədʒər ||əˈstrɑː-/ n a person who prac-
tises astrology
as·trol·o·gy /əˈstrɒlədʒɪ ||əˈstrɑː-/ n [U] the art of under-
standing the supposed influence of the Sun, Moon, stars, and
PLANETS on events and on people's character. Astrology is
not considered to be a proper science, and is not taken
seriously by most people. → see Cultural Note at ZODIAC
--gi·cal /ˌæstrəˈlɒdʒɪkəl ||-ˈlɑː-/ adj --gi·cal·ly /kli/ adv
as·tro·naut /'æstrənɔːt ||-nɔːt, -nɑːt/ n a person who travels
in a spacecraft
as·tron·o·mer /əˈstrɒnə mər ||əˈstrɑː-/ n a scientist who
studies the sun, moon, stars etc
as·tro·nom·ic /ˌæstrəˈnɒmɪkəl ||-ˈnɑː-/
. . . . . . also
as·tro·nom·ic /ˌæstrəˈnɒmɪk ||-ˈnɑː-/ adj 1 [A no comp.] of
the stars or for the study of the stars: an astronomical
telescope 2 infl (usually of an amount or number) extremely
large: astronomical sums of money | a failure of astronomical
proportions →ly /kli/ adv
as·tron·o·my /əˈstrɒnəmɪ ||əˈstrɑː-/ n [U] the scientific
study of the Sun, Moon, stars etc
as·tro·phys·ics /ˌæstrəʊˈfɪzɪks, ˌæstrə-/ n [U] the scientific
study of the chemical nature of the stars and the natural
forces that influence them --ical adj --icist /-ˈfɪzsɪst/ n
As·tro·turf /ˈæstrəʊtɜːf ||-tɜːrf/ trademark a type of artificial
grass on which sport is played
as·tute /əˈstjuːt ||əˈstuːt/ adj clever and able to see quickly
something that is to one's advantage; SHREWD: an astute
businesswoman/investment→ly adv →ness n [U]
a·sun·der /əˈsʌndər/ adv lit 1 apart or into separate pieces:
The boat was torn asunder on the rocks. 2 Those whom God
hath joined together let no man put asunder let no one
try to destroy this marriage (part of the Christian marriage
service)
As·wan High Dam /ˌæswɒːn ˌhaɪ ˈdæm/ a DAM built across
the River Nile in southern Egypt. It is one of the largest
dams in the world and is used to produce electricity and
provide water for farming.
a·syl·um /əˈsaɪləm/ n 1 [U] protection and shelter, espe-
cially as given by one country to people who have left
another for political reasons: to seek/be granted political
asylum 2 [C] becoming rare a MENTAL HOSPITAL
a'sylum seeker n. a person who has left one country
usually for political reasons and is asking for protection and
shelter in another
a·sym·met·ric /ˌeɪsɪˈmetrk, ˌæsɪ-/ also -rical /kəl/ adj
having sides that are not alike; lacking SYMMETRY → opposite
SYMMETRICAL→ally /kli/ adv
a·syn·chro·nous /ˌeɪˈsɪŋkrənəs/ tech of or being a
method of sending computer information over telephone
lines in which specific BITs are used to show the beginning
and end of each character sent → compare SYNCHRONOUS
As You Like It a humorous play by William SHAKESPEARE,
set in the Forest of ARDEN about the adventures and mar-
riages of two couples, Rosalind and Orlando, and Celia and
Oliver
bus stop. || We arrived at the airport. 2 a) (shows an exact
point in time): at 10 o'clock | I'm busy at the moment.
(=now) b) (shows a period of time): I often work at night | It
sometimes snows at Christmas. 3 (shows an intended aim or
object towards which a thing or action is directed): Aim at
the target. | He shot at the bird, but missed it. (Compare He
shot the bird. (=he did not miss it)) | Look at this | She
shouted at the boy | to guess at the answer 4 (shows the cause
of an action or feeling): I was surprised/amused/pleased at
(=by) his behaviour. | I laughed at him/at his joke. || (AmE)
Don't be mad at me. (=angry with me) 5 (shows the subject
or activity in which a judgment about someone's ability is
made): He's clever at arranging things. | He's bad at games. |
She's a genius at chemistry. | She's getting on very well at her
job. 6 (shows a state or continued activity): I never smoke at
work/at school. | at liberty | at rest | The two countries are at
war. 7 (shows a price, rate, level, age, speed etc): sold at (a
price of) ten cents each | The temperature stood at 40°. | to stop
working at (the age of) 60 | to drive at 100 kilometres an hour |
The horse set off at a gallop. | I saw it at a distance. (=a long
way off) 8 (used before a SUPERLATIVE): It will cost at least
£1000. | The disease could affect, at worst, up to half the
population. 9 at a/an as a result of only one; in only one: to
reduce prices at a stroke (=by a single action or decision) |
two at a time 10 at that a) as well; besides: It's a new idea,
and a good one, at that. b) following or as a result of that;
then: She called him a liar, and at that he stormed out of the
room. 11 where it's at infl the most important thing:
Making lots of money and driving a big car -- that's where
it's at! → see also (not) at all (ALL³)
AT&T /ˌeɪ tiː ənd ˈtiː/ trademark abbrev. for American Telephone
and Telegraph, a large US company that makes telephones,
computers, and electronic equipment
At·a·türk, Ke·mal /ˈɑːtətɜːk ||-tɜːrk, kəˈmaːl/ (1881-1938) a
Turkish politician and army officer who established the
modern state of Turkey and became its first President in
1923. He made many changes to make Turkey a more
western country, for example by giving women the vote and
changing the writing system so that it used the Roman
alphabet instead of Arabic letters.
ATCSA, the /ˌeɪ tiː siː es ˈeɪ/ abbrev. for the Anti-Terrorism,
Crime and Security Act
ate /et, eɪt ||et/ past tense of EAT
The usual British pronunciation is /et/, though some
people say /eɪt|. Most Americans say /eɪt/, and /et/ is
thought to be nonstandard by most Americans.
a·the·ism /ˈeɪθi-ɪzəm/ n [U] disbelief in the existence of
God
a·the·ist /ˈeɪθi-ɪst/ n a person who does not believe in the
existence of God: a confirmed atheist → compare AGNOSTIC,
PAGAN→ic /ˌeɪθiˈɪstɪk(ə)l/ adj --ically /kli/ adv
A·the·na /əˈθiːnə/ also A·the·ne /əˈθini/ in Greek MYTHO-
LOGY, the goddess of WISDOM and the arts
A·the·nae·um Club, the /ˌæθiˈniːəm klʌb/ also the
Athenaeum a GENTLEMAN'S CLUB in central London, espe-
cially for men who have done important work in science,
literature etc
Ath·ens /ˈæθənz/ the capital city of Greece. Athens was the
most important city of ancient Greece, and many tourists
visit Athens to see its ancient monuments, especially the
ACROPOLIS. →Athenian /əˈθiːniən/ adj, n
ath·ero·scle·ro·sis /ˌæθərəʊsklˈrəʊsɪs/ n [U] med a form
of ARTERIOSCLEROSIS in which the arteries (ARTERY) become
blocked by fatty material (containing CHOLESTEROL), which
gradually reduces the blood flow through the body → see
also ARTERIOSCLEROSIS
Ath·er·ton, Mike /ˈæθətən ||-əər-/ (1968-) a British CRICK-
ETER, who was CAPTAIN of the English national team from
1993 to 1998 and who played for Lancashire from 1987 to
2001.
ath·lete /ˈæθliːt/ n a person who practises athletics
athlete's foot n [U] a disease in which the skin cracks
between the toes
ath·let·ic /æθˈletɪk, əθ-/ adj 1 [no comp.] of or concerning
athletes or athletics 2 (of people) physically strong and
active, with plenty of muscle and speed: of athletic build