| absolute |
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noun
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(geometry) In a plane, the two imaginary circular points at infinity; in space of three dimensions, the imaginary circle at infinity.
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(grammar) The first of the three degrees of comparison.
- That which is independent of context-dependent interpretation, inviolate, fundamental (referring to Adjective Definition 4)
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as in moral absolutes
adjective (more absolute or (rarely) absoluter, most absolute or (rarely) absolutest)
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Loosed from any limitation or condition; uncontrolled; unrestricted; unconditional; as, absolute authority, monarchy, sovereignty, an absolute promise or command.
- 1962, Hannah Arendt, On Revolution, (1990), page 155
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: The more absolute the ruler, the more absolute the revolution will be which replaces him.
- complete, Complete in itself; perfect; consummate; faultless.
- absolute perfection
- absolute beauty
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So absolute she seems, And in herself complete. "w:John Milton, John Milton
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Viewed apart from modifying influences or without comparison with other objects; actual; real; " opposed to relative and (compar); as, absolute motion; absolute time or space.
- Absolute rights and duties are such as pertain to man in a state of nature as contradistinguished from relative rights and duties, or such as pertain to him in his social relations.
- Loosed from, or unconnected by, dependence on any other being; self-existent; self-sufficing.
- Note: In this sense God is called the Absolute by the Theist. The term is also applied by the Pantheist to the universe, or the total of all existence, as only capable of relations in its parts to each other and to the whole, and as dependent for its existence and its phenomena on its mutually depending forces and their laws.
- Capable of being thought or conceived by itself alone; unconditioned; non-relative.
- Note: It is in dispute among philosophers whether the term, in this sense, is not applied to a mere logical fiction or abstraction, or whether the absolute, as thus defined, can be known, as a reality, by the human intellect.
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To Cusa we can indeed articulately trace, word and thing, the recent philosophy of the absolute. "w:William Hamilton, William Hamilton
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(rare) Positive; clear; certain; not doubtful.
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I am absolute "t was very Cloten. "Shakespeare, Cymbeline, IV,ii
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(rare) Authoritative; peremptory.
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The peddler stopped, and tapped her on the head, With absolute forefinger, brown and ringed. "w:Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Elizabeth Barrett Browning
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(chemistry) Pure; unmixed; as, absolute alcohol.
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(grammar) Not immediately dependent on the other parts of the sentence in government; as, the case absolute. (See ablative absolute.)
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| advection fog |
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noun
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(context, physics, meteorology) A type of fog caused by the passage of moist air horizontally over a relatively colder surface and the consequent cooling of that air to below its dew point.
advectional. Function: Adjective
Source: FM 3-6 Field Behavior of NBC Agents |
| advisory |
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noun (advisories)
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A warning.
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'The Coast Guard issued a small craft , warning little boats to watch out for bad weather.
adjective-
Able to give advice.
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The committee could only offer advice, but since that was almost always accepted they had real power.
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| aerography |
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noun (wikipedia, Aerography (Meteorology))
- the production of weather charts
- a branch of surrealist art in which paintings include a three-dimensional object
(wikipedia, Aerography (Art))
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| aerology |
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noun
- the branch of meteorology involving the observation of the atmosphere by means of balloons, airplanes, etc.
- The study of the air and of the atmosphere. Used in the US Navy until early 1957. The same as meteorology; however, this usage tended to be more administrative than scientific.
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| afterglow |
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noun
- the glow seen in the sky after sunset
- the light emitted by an incandescent object while cooling
- the light emitted by a phosphor after excitation
- the mildly euphoric feeling experienced after a pleasurable experience, especially after an orgasm or drug-induced high.
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| air mass |
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noun
- a widespread body of air, the properties of which can be identified as:
- having been established while that air was situated over a particular region of the earth's surface (airmass source region) and
- undergoing specific modifications while in transit away from the source region. An air mass is often defined as a widespread body of air that is approximately homogeneous in its horizontal extent, particularly with reference to temperature and moisture distribution; in addition, the vertical temperature and moisture variations are approximately the same over its horizontal extent.
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| albedo |
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noun
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(context, physics, meteorology, astronomy) The fraction of incident light or radiation reflected by a surface or body, commonly expressed as percentage.
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(context, biology) The white, whitish inner portion of the rind of citrus fruits that is a source of pectin.
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| alpenglow |
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noun
- A rosy or reddish glow seen near sunset or sunrise on the summits of mountains, especially snow covered mountains.
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| altocumulus |
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noun (altocumuli)
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{ {physics}} Meteorology. A principal medium-level cloud type, white and/or gray in color, which occurs as a layer or patch with a waved aspect, the elements of which appear as laminae, rounded masses, or rolls. These elements usually are sharply outlined, but they may become partly fibrous or diffuse; they may or may not be merged; they generally have shadowed parts; and, by convection, when observed at an angle of more than 30° above the horizon, subtend an angle between 1 degrees and 5 degrees. (Abbreviated Ac.)
Source: FM 3-6 Field Behavior of NBC Agents.
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| altostratus |
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noun (altostrati)
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(physics) Meteorology. A principal medium-level cloud type in the form of a gray or blue, bluish (never white) sheet or layer of striated, fibrous, or uniform appearance. Altostratus very often totally covers the sky, and may, in fact, cover an area of several thousand square miles. The layer has parts thin enough to reveal the position of the sun; and if gaps and rifts appear, they are irregularly shaped and spaced. (Abbreviated As.)
Source: FM 3-6 Field Behavior of NBC Agents.
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| anemology |
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noun
- The study of the movements of the winds.
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| anemometer |
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noun-
(meteorology) An instrument for measuring and recording the speed of the wind
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| anomaly |
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noun (anomal, ies)
- An irregularity or misproportion.
- Something that is strange or unusual.
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(context, NASAspeak) Any event, big or small, out of the ordinary, like a shuttle explosion or a broken instrument.
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| anticyclone |
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noun-
(meteorology) a system of winds that spiral out from a centre of high pressure
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| anvil |
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noun
- A heavy iron block used in the blacksmithing trade as a surface upon which metal can be struck and shaped.
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(anatomy) An incus bone in the inner ear.
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| Arctic |
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proper noun
- A region of the Earth above the Arctic Circle, containing the North Pole.
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| atmospheric |
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adjective
- of, relating to, produced by, or coming from the atmosphere
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(context, of a painting etc) translucent or hazy
- evoking a particular emotional or aesthetic quality
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a dark thriller
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| atmospheric pressure |
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noun
- The pressure caused by the weight of the atmosphere above an area.
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| Aurora |
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proper noun
- Roman goddess of the dawn
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| aurora borealis |
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noun
- The aurora of the northern hemisphere
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| auroral |
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adjective
- Belonging to, or resembling, the aurora (the dawn or the northern lights); rosy.
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