-al; -ial, -eal

Pertaining to the location or direction away from dead, dying, or injured tissue: The abmortal electric currents were generated by the injured muscles in his leg.

The corrective surgery performed an abmortal relocation of the damaged nerves on Joe's foot. Joe was a long distance runner.

1. Not average, nor typical; irregular, deviant: Richard had abnormal powers of concentration despite the distractions that were going on around him.
2. Unusual or unexpected, especially in a way that causes alarm or anxiety: The abnormal extremes in weather conditions are causing officials to declare mandatory evacuations which is resulting in a great deal of stress for residents in certain areas of the world.
3. Pertaining to something much greater than expected or usual: Abnormal profits might be blamed for the financial crisis that exists in the present time.
4. Regarding a departure from what is typical or what is usually expected, for example in intelligence and physical development: The parents were very distressed when they found out that their daughter was considered to be intellectually abnormal in school.

The abnormal circumstances surrounding Gertrude's decision to travel caused a great deal of concern for her parents.

The neighbor's cat has an abnormal fear of birds.

5. Etymology: This word was once spelled anormal and it came from the Greek anomalos, meaning irregular. Later the b was added by analogy with the Latin word for irregular, abnormis from Latin ab-, "from" + norma, "norm"; and so, "away from the norm".

Pertaining to something opposite to, away from, or distantly remote from the mouth: Dale held his fork in an aboral position waiting for the food on it to cool enough to put into his mouth.

1. Referring to or pertaining to the native people of a geographical area: There are several aboriginal groups in the United States.

The Indians are the aboriginal people of America.

Some of the aboriginal people of Canada are known as Inuit, "the people".

Mike's sister was enrolled in the Aboriginal Studies program at the local university.

A reference to the killing of a fetus: The aborticidal operation was performed because the mother could not survive the pregnancy any more.

Tom, the veterinarian, agreed with the farmer that an aborticidal operation on the sow would be the only way to save her life.

1. Expulsion of a fetus from the womb before it is viable, however medical personnel will also use this term for a miscarriage, which is involuntary: Vivian had to go to the hospital because of an unexpected spontaneous abortion of her unborn baby.
2. Induced termination of pregnancy before the fetus is capable of independent survival: The doctor had to induce an abortion because the health and safety of the mother was at risk.
3. Anything that fails to develop, progress, or mature, such as a design, project, or a badly developed plan, etc.: The abortion of the plans to build the new civic center was regretted by just about everyone in the community.

The attempt to redesign the airplane was an abortion or failure.

4. An early or untimely abandonment of an endeavor : The inclement weather helped Norman to determine that the abortion of their hiking plans was the only safe thing to do.
5. Etymology: ab-, "from, away from" + oriri, "to come into being, to rise, to be born".

In zoology, the lack of gills and branchiæ; abranchiate; abranchious; debranchiate: In his book, Jill found out that earthworms were abranchial because their respiratory processes were carried out by the moist skin.

Referring to something that is totall vital and important: Because Virginia wanted to become a German citizen, it was absolutely essential for her to have her original documents on hand for the immigration process.

A surgical suture material prepared from a substance that can be absorbed by body tissues and is therefore not permanent: Absorbable surgical sutures are available in various diameters and tensile strengths, and can be treated to modify its resistance to integration into a person's physique.

Each absorbable surgical suture is assimilated into the skin and therefore it does not need to be removed.

Relating to the top surface of a jellyfish; exumbrellar: Mary learned that a large siphonophore, for example a man-of-war, had an abumbral outer covering that looked like an umbrella.

1. Immeasurably deep, severe, or extreme; fathomless: The depth of her sorrow was an abysmal situation and, as a result, she could find no expression except to cry.
2. Incapable of being measured or even understood; incomprehensible, inscrutable: Kristy felt like an abysmal failure because she couldn't remember how to spell the key word in the spelling contest.
3. Etymology: from the year 1656, formed in English from obsolete abysm, "bottomless gulf, greatest depths"; from Old French abisme, from Vulgar Latin abyssimus. © ALL rights are reserved.

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1. Pertaining to the depths of the ocean to which light does not penetrate; unfathomable: In order to explore the abyssal regions of the sea, specialized underwater robots were used.
2. In oceanography, of or relating to the deepest regions of the sea and to the organisms inhabiting that environment at depths between 4,000 and 6,000 meters (13,123 feet and 19,685 feet): The abyssal fishes appeared to be blind because there was no light where they lived.

A flat, sediment-covered area in the deep ocean basin, usually at a depth between 3,000 and 5,000 meters: Several sunken ships have been mired in the abyssal plains of the Atlantic Ocean.

In oceanography, of or relating to the deepest regions of the sea and the organisms inhabiting that environment: There was an article in Jim's newspaper reporting that a ship recently sank in the abyssal-benthic area of the Pacific Ocean near California and was completely inaccessible or unreachable.

1. Pertaining to higher institution of learning; academic: Such academica studies involve the literary or classical aspects rather than the technical or vocational facets of the subject matters. .
2. Referring to the school or philosophy of Plato: Some of the academical theories of Plato contrast the abstract things, or entities, with objects in the material world.