Emily Dickinson Lexicon

autumn, adj. [OFr < L.; see August, adj.] (webplay: Golden, sun).

Fall; pertaining to the harvest period.

autumn (-s, -'s), n. [OFr < L.; see August, adj.] (webplay: sun, summer, winter, year).

1. Fall; third quarter of the year in New England; the months of September, October, and November; season from the fall equinox to the winter solstice; time period between summer and winter in the northern hemisphere.
2. Harvest; season of maturity; period of gradual decay; [personification] landscape artist who paints the trees with darker fall colors.

auxiliary (-ies), n. [L. 'help'.]

1. Adjunct; appendage; accessory; branch; [fig.] rainbow; celestial colors.
2. Ally; cohort; confederate; backup army; company of soldiers; troop of paid foreign fighters; [fig.] validation; confirmation; justification.

avail (-ed), v. [Fr. vaille < L. 'to be worth'.]

1. Work; succeed; take effect; have efficacy; be effectual; accomplish the purpose; answer the purpose.
2. Benefit; profit; assist; be of use to; turn to the advantage of.

avalanche (-s), n. [Fr. 'descent'.]

Large snow slide; vast fast-moving body of snow and ice sliding down a mountainside; [fig.] catastrophe; sudden loss; excessive pain; unbearable agony.

avarice, n. [OFr < L. 'greedy'.] (webplay: covet, gaining, sweetest).

Possessiveness; jealousy; vigilance; watchfulness; desire to keep for oneself; hope of hoarding something valuable; [fig.] emotional attachment; sorrow of parting; reluctance to let someone go.

avenge, v. [OFr < L. vindicāre, to claim as one's own; see vindicate, v.] (webplay: revenge).

Retaliate; counter; strike back; punish justly; gain satisfaction from inflicting justice.

avenging, verbal adv. [see vindicate, v.]

In retaliation; with a vengeance; [fig.] forcefully; with intensity.

aver (-ing), v. [Fr. < L. vērus, true.]

Confirm; affirm; prove; substantiate; declare the truth.

averse, adj. [L. a, from + vertěre, turn.] (webplay: abhorrence, water).

Unwilling; disinclined; reluctant; not interested in.