Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors - Bill Bryson [6]
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/ångström. (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. The Flemish name for Antwerp, Belgium; the French name is Anvers.
anxious. Since anxious comes from anxiety, it should contain some connotation of being worried or fearful and not merely eager or expectant.
any. A tricky word at times, as here: “This paper isn’t very good, but neither is any of the others.” A simple and useful principle is to make the verb always correspond to the complement. Thus: “neither is any other” or “neither are any of the others.”
anybody, anyone, anything, anyway, anywhere. Anything and anywhere are always one word. The others are normally one word except when the emphasis is on the second element (e.g., “He received three job offers, but any one would have suited him”). Anybody and anyone are singular and should be followed by singular pronouns and verbs. A common fault—so common, in fact, that some no longer consider it a fault—is seen here: “Anyone can relax so long as they