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au·re·ole or au·re·o·la noun : HALO, NIMBUS

au re·voir noun [ORIGIN: F, lit., till seeing again]

: a concluding remark or gesture at parting : GOOD-BYE

Synonyms

adieu, bon voyage, farewell, good-bye—more at GOOD-BYE

au·ri·cle noun : an atrium of the heart

au·ric·u·lar adjective 1 : told privately <~ confession>

2 : known or recognized by the sense of hearing

Synonyms

acoustic, auditory, aural—more at AUDITORY

au·ro·ra noun, plural auroras or au·ro·rae 1 : the first appearance of light in the morning followed by sunrise

2 : a luminous phenomenon of streamers or arches of light appearing in the upper atmosphere esp. of a planet's polar regions

— au·ro·ral adjective

Synonyms

cockcrow, dawn, morning, sunrise—more at DAWN

aurora aus·tra·lis noun : an aurora that occurs in earth's southern hemisphere

aurora bo·re·al·is noun : an aurora that occurs in earth's northern hemisphere

AUS abbreviation Army of the United States

aus·pice noun, plural aus·pic·es [ORIGIN: L auspicium, fr. auspic-, auspex diviner by birds, fr. avis bird + specere to look, look at]

1 : observation of birds by an augur

2 plural : kindly patronage and protection

3 : a prophetic sign or omen

Synonyms

augury, foreboding, omen, portent, presage—more at OMEN

aus·pi·cious adjective 1 : promising success : PROPITIOUS

2 : FORTUNATE, PROSPEROUS

— aus·pi·cious·ly adverb

— aus·pi·cious·ness noun

Synonyms

bright, encouraging, favorable, heartening, hopeful, likely, promising, propitious, rosy, upbeat—more at HOPEFUL

aus·tere adjective 1 : stern and cold in appearance or manner : STERN, SEVERE

2 : ABSTEMIOUS

3 : UNADORNED <~ style>

— aus·tere·ly adverb

— aus·ter·i·ty noun

Synonyms

authoritarian, flinty, hard, harsh, heavy-handed, ramrod, rigid, rigorous, severe, stern, strict—more at SEVERE

aus·tral adjective : SOUTHERN

Aus·tra·lian noun : a native or inhabitant of Australia

— Australian adjective

Aus·tri·an noun : a native or inhabitant of Austria

— Austrian adjective

Aus·tro·ne·sian adjective : of, relating to, or constituting a family of languages spoken in the area extending from Madagascar eastward through the Malay Peninsula to Hawaii and Easter Island

auth abbreviation 1 authentic

2 author

3 authorized

au·then·tic adjective : not false or imitation

— au·then·tic·i·ty noun

Synonyms

bona fide, genuine, real, right, true; also actual, historical, original

Antonyms

bogus, counterfeit, fake, false, mock, phony, pseudo, sham, spurious, unauthentic, unreal

accurate, exact, faithful, precise, right, strict, true, veracious—more at FAITHFUL

au·then·ti·cal·ly adverb : in actual fact

Synonyms

actually, genuinely, really, veritably, very—more at VERY

au·then·ti·cate verb -cat·ed; -cat·ing : to prove genuine

— au·then·ti·ca·tion noun

Synonyms

attest, avouch, certify, testify, vouch, witness—more at CERTIFY

au·thor noun [ORIGIN: ME auctour, fr. AF auctor, autor, fr. L auctor originator, author, fr. augēre to increase]

1 : one that originates or creates

2 : one that writes or composes a literary work

Synonyms

creator, father, founder, originator—more at FATHER

au·thor·ess noun : a woman author

au·thor·i·tar·i·an adjective 1 : characterized by or favoring the principle of blind obedience to authority

2 : characterized by or favoring concentration of political power in an authority not responsible to the people

— authoritarian noun

Synonyms

autocratic, bossy, despotic, dictatorial, domineering, imperious, masterful, overbearing, peremptory, tyrannical, tyrannous—more at BOSSY

austere, flinty, hard, harsh, heavy-handed, ramrod, rigid, rigorous, severe, stern, strict—more at SEVERE

au·thor·i·ta·tive adjective : supported by, proceeding from, or being an authority

— au·thor·i·ta·tive·ly adverb

— au·thor·i·ta·tive·ness noun

Synonyms

forceful, influential, weighty—more at INFLUENTIAL

au·thor·i·ty noun, plural -ties 1 : a citation used in support of a statement or in defense of an action; also