Bryson's Dictionary For Writers And Editors (v5.0) Read Free Page B

(1940–) American racecar driver.
    Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. (No apos.)
    androgenous, androgynous. The first applies to the production of male offspring; the second means having both male and female characteristics.
    Andromache. In Greek mythology, the wife of Hector.
    Androscoggin. A county, river, and lake in Maine.
    and which. Almost always
and which
should be preceded by a parallel
which
(“The home run, which was his tenth of the month and which was the longest hit in the park this year…”). The stricture applies equally to such constructions as
and that, and who, but which,
and
but who
. See also THAT, WHICH.
    anesthesia, anesthesiologist.
    aneurysm.
    Anfinsen, Christian B(oehmer). (1916-1995) American biochemist, awarded Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1972.
    anfractuosity. Having many turns.
    Angelico, Fra. (1387-1455) Florentine painter, also known as Fra Giovanni da Fiesole.
    Angkor. Complex of ruins in Cambodia. Angkor Wat is a single temple within the compound.
    Angleterre. French for England.
    anglicize. (Lowercase.)
    angora. Type of wool. Angora is the former name of Ankara, Turkey.
    Angostura bitters.
    angstrom/Ã¥ngström. (Abbr. Å.) Unit used to measure wavelengths of light, and equal to one ten-billionth of a meter; named for Anders Ångström (1814-1874), Swedish physicist.
    Anheuser-Busch. Brewery.
    Anhui. Chinese province, formerly spelled
Anhwei
.
    Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve, Alaska.
    animus, but animosity.
    aniseed. A flavorful seed.
    anisette. A drink flavored with aniseed.
    Ankara. Capital of Turkey.
    Annabessacook, Lake, Maine.
    Annapolis. Capital of Maryland.
    Annapurna. A cluster of mountains in the Himalayas, of which the highest peak is Annapurna I (26,545 feet; 8,091 meters).
    Ann Arbor, Michigan, home of the University of Michigan.
    Anne Arundel County, Maryland.
    Anne of Cleves. (1515-1557) Fourth wife of Henry VIII.
    annex for both noun and verb.
    Annieopsquotch Mountains, Newfoundland, Canada.
    annihilate.
    Ann-Margret. (1941–) American actress; born Ann-Margret Olsson. Note hyphen and irregular spelling
Margret
.
    anno Domini. (Lat., cap.
D
only.) “The year of the Lord.” See also AD .
    annus mirabilis. (Lat.) Remarkable year.
    anomaly, anomalous.
    anonymous, anonymity.
    Anouilh, Jean. (1910-1987) French playwright; pronounced
an'-wee.
    Anschluss. (Ger.) A union; particularly applied to that of Germany and Austria in 1938.
    Antananarivo. Capital of Madagascar.
    Antassawamock Neck, Massachusetts.
    antebellum. (Lat.) “Before the war” especially applied to the period before the American Civil War.
    antecedence, antecedents.
Antecedence
means precedence;
antecedents
are ancestors or other things that have gone before.
    antediluvian. Antiquated, primitive.
    ante meridiem. (Lat.) “Before midday.” Abbr. a.m./AM; not to be confused with antemeridian (one word), meaning of or taking part in the morning.
    antennae, antennas. Either is correct as the plural of
antenna
, but generally
antennae
is preferred for living organisms (“a beetle’s antennae”) and
antennas
for manmade objects (“radio antennas made possible the discovery of quarks”).
    anticipate. To anticipate something is to look ahead to it and prepare for it, not to make a reasonable estimate. A tennis player who anticipates his opponent’s next shot doesn’t just guess where it is going to go but is there to meet it.
    Anti-Defamation League.
    Antigone. In Greek mythology, daughter of Oedipus; also (in italics) the title of a play by Sophocles.
    Antigua and Barbuda. Caribbean state; capital St. John’s.
    antipasto. (It.) Appetizer, hors d’oeuvre; pl.
antipasti.
    Antipodean. Of Australia or New Zealand.
    antirrhinum. Note
-rr-.
A flower, also known as a snapdragon.
    Antofagasta, Chile.
    Antonioni, Michelangelo. (1912-2007) Italian film director.
    Antony and Cleopatra. Not
Anthony.
Play by Shakespeare (c. 1606).
    Antwerpen.