-ance, -ancy

1. A state or condition significantly different from the normal: The reality of the housing development was certainly an aberrance from what Sam had expected.
2. A wandering from what is considered to be the "right way"; a deviation from truth: The confessions by the criminals that were made at the police station appeared to be aberrances when compared to the actual facts of the case.

1. The ability of a material or tissue to take in or to collect radiation which depends on temperature and wavelength, which is expressed as the negative common logarithm of the transmittance, or the ratio of transmitted energy to incident energy: The new equipment in the laboratory was able to effectively measure the absorbance of Grace's diseased tissue.
2. A measure of the extent to which a substance transmits light or other electromagnetic radiations: Absorbance varies with factors, such as wavelength, solution concentration, and path length.

The ratio between the radiation absorbed by a surface (absorber) and the total amount of solar radiation striking the surface.

1. A more than plentiful quantity of something: An abundance of wealth is a great amount of cash.
2. A lifestyle with more than adequate material provisions: Barry's family has abundances of different homes around the world as well as all of the luxuries that can be obtained for them.
3. A fullness of spirit that overflows: The sermon by the preacher was filled with an abundance of goodwill and kindness.
4. The extent to which an element is present in the earth or in a rock: There is a rumor of an abundance of minerals hidden in the abandoned mine.
5. The proportion of one isotope of an element, expressed by number of atoms, to the total quantity of the element: Mr. Young, the chemistry teacher, urged his classes to study and to understand the abundance factors of the chemical components.
6. Etymology: nothing suggests great abundance more vividly than overflowing waves; and that is the literal meaning of the word abundance.

In Latin, unda means "wave", poetically "sea". The Romans combined ab, "from", and unda into the word abundare, "to overflow"; literally, "to come from the waves" or "from the sea"; applied to anything very plentiful.

The stem of abundare resulted in the English verb "to abound", and a derivative provided the noun abundance. Inundate, "to flood", also comes from unda, as does undulate, "to move like the waves".

That which is plentiful, abounding, ample, and copious: The city has an abundancy of good restaurants.

The sharpness of a photographic or printed image; a numerical measure of this: For his book on art, Tom needed to be sure that the clearly cut edges of the acutance of the photos were not only very good, but excellent!

Not affected by radiant heat energy.

The condition of being impervious to or unaffected by heat waves: Jake's aunt often experienced adiathermancy and so she didn't find the heat of the desert all that uncomfortable.

1. Skillful arrangement in aid; assistance.
2. The office of an adjutant: "His position as an adjutancy allows him certain privileges which probably would not exist otherwise."

1. The right to enter; permission to enter: Admittance to the conference was by invitation only.
2. Permission to enter or the right of entry: Melvin and Dawn felt that they should also have the privilege of being allowed admittance to the business meeting.

It is often maintained that admittance should be used only to refer to achieving physical access to a place as the following example shows: Shirley was denied admittance to the restaurant because all of the tables were taken and so there was no place for her to be seated.

Joe's admittance to the club was denied because he was not a member.

It was easy for Karen to secure admittance to the public library, however she soon found several doors marked: "Admittance for staff members only."

To pledge by promise of marriage; to betroth.

1. A close association of nations, people, or other groups who agree to cooperate, and which are formed to advance common interests or causes.
2. A connection based on kinship, marriage, or common interest; a bond or tie.
3. A similarity in nature or type; an affinity.
4. The act of becoming allied or the condition of being allied.
5. Etymology: from Old French aliance, from alier, "to combine, to unite".

Originally it referred to "a union by marriage".