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Glossary · Nouns · A

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TermTypeDefinitionClassificationsUpdated
Appreciatornouna person who is fully aware of something and understands itverifiedMay 18, 2026
Apprehendernouna person who seizes or arrests (especially a person who seizes or arrests in the name of justice)verifiedMay 18, 2026
Apprehensionnounthe act of apprehending (especially apprehending a criminal)verifiedMay 15, 2026
Apprehensivenessnounfearful expectation or anticipationverifiedMay 18, 2026
Apprenticeshipnounthe position of apprenticeverifiedMay 18, 2026
Apprisalnouninforming by wordsverifiedMay 18, 2026
Appronounan informal abbreviation of approvalverifiedMay 18, 2026
Approach PathnounMWEthe final path followed by an aircraft as it is landingverifiedMay 18, 2026
Approach PatternnounMWEthe path that is prescribed for an airplane that is preparing to land at an airportverifiedMay 18, 2026
Approach ShotnounMWEa relatively short golf shot intended to put the ball onto the putting greenverifiedMay 18, 2026
Approach TrenchnounMWEa trench that provides protected passage between the rear and front lines of a defensive positionverifiedMay 18, 2026
Approachabilitynounthe attribute of being easy to meet or deal withverifiedMay 18, 2026
Approbationnounofficial recognition or approvalverifiedMay 18, 2026
appropriate personnelnounMWEThe suitable or proper person or persons employed in an organization.RoleAug 30, 2026
Appropriatenessnounthe quality of being specially suitableverifiedMay 18, 2026
Appropriationnouna deliberate act of acquisition of something, often without the permission of the ownerverifiedMay 15, 2026
Appropriation BillnounMWEa legislative act proposing to authorize the expenditure of public funds for a specified purposeverifiedMay 18, 2026
Appropriatornounsomeone who takes for his or her own use (especially without permission)verifiedMay 18, 2026
approvalnounThe formal act of approving.ProcessMay 12, 2026
Approval to OperatenounMWEThe official management decision issued by a DAA or PAA to authorize operation of an information system and to explicitly accept the residual risk to agency operations (including mission, functions, image, or reputation), agency assets, or individuals.ArtifactRegulatedCUIMay 9, 2026
ApprovednounFederal Information Processing Standard (FIPS)-approved or National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)-recommended. An algorithm or technique that is either 1) specified in a FIPS or NIST Recommendation, or 2) adopted in a FIPS or NIST Recommendation.RequirementRegulatedMay 9, 2026
approved authorizationnounMWEA set of access permissions or privileges — granted to users, programs, or processes — that has been formally sanctioned through an organization's governance process (e.g., by a manager, system owner, or authorizing official) in accordance with applicable policy. What distinguishes it from authorization in general is the explicit "approved" qualifier: the rights must have passed through a defined review and approval workflow before they may be acted upon, tying individual entitlements back to a documented decision rather than informal or self-granted access. In practice, standards bodies such as NIST use the expression as the object of enforcement controls — systems must "enforce approved authorizations for logical access to information and system resources in accordance with applicable access control policies" — and equally as the basis for controlling information flows, as in controlling "the flow of CUI in accordance with approved authorizations." The expression is compositional in structure (adjective + noun), but it functions as a recurring technical phrase of art within NIST's access-control family, where authorization means "access privileges granted to a user, program, or pControlRegulatedCUIAug 30, 2026
Approved Mode of OperationnounMWEA mode of the cryptographic module that employs only Approved security functions (not to be confused with a specific mode of an Approved security function, e.g., Data Encryption Standard Cipher-Block Chaining (DES CBC) mode).ControlRegulatedCUIAug 30, 2026
Approved Security FunctionnounMWEA security function (e.g., cryptographic algorithm, cryptographic key management technique, or authentication technique) that is either a) specified in an Approved Standard; b) adopted in an Approved Standard and specified either in an appendix of the Approved Standard or in a document referenced by the Approved Standard; or c) specified in the list of Approved security functions.CapabilityRegulatedMay 9, 2026
Approvernounan authority with power to approveverifiedMay 18, 2026
Approximate RangenounMWEnear to the scope or range of somethingverifiedMay 18, 2026
Approximationnounthe act of bringing near or bringing together especially the cut edges of tissueverifiedMay 15, 2026
Appurtenancenounequipment consisting of miscellaneous articles needed for a particular operation or sport etc.verifiedMay 18, 2026
Apraxianouninability to make purposeful movementsverifiedMay 18, 2026
ApricotnounAsian tree having clusters of usually white blossoms and edible fruit resembling the peachverifiedMay 18, 2026
Apricot BarnounMWEfruit bar containing apricot jamverifiedMay 18, 2026
Apricot SaucenounMWEfor Chinese dishes: apricot preserves and chutneyverifiedMay 18, 2026
Apricot TreenounMWEAsian tree having clusters of usually white blossoms and edible fruit resembling the peachverifiedMay 18, 2026
Aprilnounthe month following March and preceding MayverifiedMay 18, 2026
April FoolnounMWEa practical joke or trick played on the first day of AprilverifiedMay 18, 2026
Apronnounthe part of a modern theater stage between the curtain and the orchestra (i.e., in front of the curtain)verifiedMay 18, 2026
Apron StringnounMWE(usually used in the plural) a cord used to tie an apron at the waistverifiedMay 18, 2026
Apsenouna domed or vaulted recess or projection on a building especially the east end of a churchverifiedMay 18, 2026
Apsisnouna domed or vaulted recess or projection on a building especially the east end of a churchverifiedMay 18, 2026
Aptitudenouninherent abilityverifiedMay 18, 2026
Aptnessnouna disposition to behave in a certain wayverifiedMay 18, 2026
Apyretic TetanusnounMWEclinical neurological syndrome characterized by muscular twitching and cramps and (when severe) seizuresverifiedMay 18, 2026
Aquanouna shade of blue tinged with greenverifiedMay 18, 2026
Aqua FortisnounMWEacid used especially in the production of fertilizers and explosives and rocket fuelsverifiedMay 18, 2026
Aqua VitaenounMWEstrong distilled liquor or brandyverifiedMay 18, 2026
Aquaculturenounrearing aquatic animals or cultivating aquatic plants for foodverifiedMay 18, 2026
Aqualungnouna device (trade name Aqua-Lung) that lets divers breathe under waterverifiedMay 18, 2026
Aquamarinenouna transparent variety of beryl that is blue green in colorverifiedMay 18, 2026
Aquanautnounan underwater swimmer equipped with a face mask and foot fins and either a snorkel or an air cylinderverifiedMay 18, 2026
Aquaphobianouna morbid fear of drowningverifiedMay 18, 2026
Aquariumnouna tank or pool or bowl filled with water for keeping live fish and underwater animalsverifiedMay 18, 2026
Aquatic BirdnounMWEwading and swimming and diving birds of either fresh or salt waterverifiedMay 18, 2026
Aquatic FernnounMWEferns that grow in waterverifiedMay 18, 2026
Aquatic PlantnounMWEa plant that grows partly or wholly in water whether rooted in the mud, as a lotus, or floating without anchorage, as the water hyacinthverifiedMay 18, 2026
Aquatic VertebratenounMWEanimal living wholly or chiefly in or on waterverifiedMay 18, 2026
AquavitnounScandinavian liquor usually flavored with caraway seedsverifiedMay 18, 2026
Aqueductnouna conduit that resembles a bridge but carries water over a valleyverifiedMay 18, 2026
Aqueductus CerebrinounMWEa canal connecting the third and fourth ventriclesverifiedMay 18, 2026
Aqueous HumornounMWEthe limpid fluid within the eyeball between the cornea and the lensverifiedMay 18, 2026
Aqueous HumournounMWEthe limpid fluid within the eyeball between the cornea and the lensverifiedMay 18, 2026
Aqueous SolutionnounMWEa solution in waterverifiedMay 18, 2026
Aquiculturenouna technique of growing plants (without soil) in water containing dissolved nutrientsverifiedMay 18, 2026
Aquifernoununderground bed or layer yielding ground water for wells and springs etcverifiedMay 18, 2026
Aquilegenouna plant of the genus Aquilegia having irregular showy spurred flowersverifiedMay 18, 2026
Aquilegianouna plant of the genus Aquilegia having irregular showy spurred flowersverifiedMay 18, 2026
Arnouna unit of surface area equal to 100 square metersverifiedMay 18, 2026
Arabesquenounposition in which the dancer has one leg raised behind and arms outstretched in a conventional poseverifiedMay 18, 2026
Arabilitynounthe quality of land that is appropriate for cultivationverifiedMay 18, 2026
Arachnidnounair-breathing arthropods characterized by simple eyes and four pairs of legsverifiedMay 18, 2026
Arachnoid MembranenounMWEthe middle of the 3 meningesverifiedMay 18, 2026
Arachnophobianouna morbid fear of spidersverifiedMay 18, 2026
Aragonitenouna mineral form of crystalline calcium carbonateverifiedMay 18, 2026
Araknounany of various strong liquors distilled from the fermented sap of toddy palms or from fermented molassesverifiedMay 18, 2026
Aralianounany of various plants of the genus AraliaverifiedMay 18, 2026
Aramenounan edible seaweed with a mild flavorverifiedMay 18, 2026
AraribanounBrazilian tree with handsomely marked woodverifiedMay 18, 2026
Ararobanouna bitter yellow powder used to treat skin diseasesverifiedMay 18, 2026
Araucarianounany of several tall South American or Australian trees with large cones and edible seedsverifiedMay 18, 2026
Araucaria FamilynounMWEtall evergreen cone-bearing trees of South America and Australia with broad leathery leavesverifiedMay 18, 2026
Arbnounsomeone who engages in arbitrage (who purchases securities in one market for immediate resale in another in the hope of profiting from the price differential)verifiedMay 18, 2026
Arbalestnounan engine that provided medieval artillery used during siegesverifiedMay 18, 2026
Arbalistnounan engine that provided medieval artillery used during siegesverifiedMay 18, 2026
Arbiternounsomeone chosen to judge and decide a disputed issueverifiedMay 18, 2026
Arbitragernounsomeone who engages in arbitrage (who purchases securities in one market for immediate resale in another in the hope of profiting from the price differential)verifiedMay 18, 2026
Arbitrageurnounsomeone who engages in arbitrage (who purchases securities in one market for immediate resale in another in the hope of profiting from the price differential)verifiedMay 18, 2026
Arbitramentnounthe act of deciding as an arbiterverifiedMay 18, 2026
Arbitrarinessnounthe trait of acting unpredictably and more from whim or caprice than from reason or judgmentverifiedMay 18, 2026
Arbitrationnoun(law) the hearing and determination of a dispute by an impartial referee agreed to by both parties (often used to settle disputes between labor and management)verifiedMay 18, 2026
Arbitration ClausenounMWEa clause in a contract providing for arbitration of disputes arising under the contractverifiedMay 18, 2026
Arbitratornounsomeone chosen to judge and decide a disputed issueverifiedMay 18, 2026
Arbitrementnounthe act of deciding as an arbiterverifiedMay 18, 2026
Arbornounany of various rotating shafts that serve as axes for larger rotating partsverifiedMay 18, 2026
Arboreal SalamandernounMWEyellow-spotted brown salamander of California woodlandsverifiedMay 18, 2026
Arborescent PlantnounMWEhaving the shape or characteristics of a treeverifiedMay 18, 2026
Arboretumnouna facility where trees and shrubs are cultivated for exhibitionverifiedMay 18, 2026
Arboriculturenounthe cultivation of tree for the production of timberverifiedMay 18, 2026
Arboriculturistnounsomeone trained in forestryverifiedMay 18, 2026
Arboristnouna specialist in treating damaged treesverifiedMay 18, 2026
Arborolatrynounthe worship of treesverifiedMay 18, 2026
Arborvirusnouna large heterogeneous group of RNA viruses divisible into groups on the basis of the virionsverifiedMay 18, 2026