Discover a variety of words that start with “au,” enhancing your vocabulary with terms ranging from common to obscure.
- Aubade- a poem or piece of music appropriate to the dawn or early morning.
- Aubergine- the British term for eggplant.
- Auburn- a reddish-brown color.
- Auction- a public sale in which goods or property are sold to the highest bidder.
- Audacious- showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks.
- Audacity- the willingness to take bold risks; rude or disrespectful behavior.
- Audible- able to be heard.
- Audience- the assembled spectators or listeners at a public event, such as a play, movie, concert, or meeting.
- Audio- sound, especially when recorded, transmitted, or reproduced.
- Audit- an official inspection of an organization’s accounts, typically by an independent body.
- Audition- a trial performance to appraise an entertainer’s merits.
- Auditorium- a large room or hall where people gather to watch performances or hear speeches.
- Auger- a tool with a helical bit for boring holes in wood.
- Aught- anything at all.
- Augment- make (something) greater by adding to it; increase.
- Augmentation- the action or process of making or becoming greater in size or amount.
- August- respected and impressive.
- Auk- a seabird related to the guillemots, having a black back and white underparts.
- Auld- old; used in a dialectical or humorous context.
- Aunt- the sister of one’s father or mother or the wife of one’s uncle.
- Aura- the distinctive atmosphere or quality that seems to surround and be generated by a person, thing, or place.
- Aureole- a circle of light or brightness surrounding something, especially as depicted in art around the head or body of a person.
- Auricle- a structure resembling an ear or earlobe.
- Auriferous- bearing or yielding gold.
- Aurora- a natural light display in the Earth’s sky, predominantly seen in the high-latitude regions.
- Auspice- a divine or prophetic token.
- Auspicious- conducive to success; favorable.
- Austere- severe or strict in manner or attitude.
- Austerity- sternness or severity of manner or attitude.
- Autarch- a ruler who has absolute power.
- Authentic- of undisputed origin and not a copy; genuine.
- Authenticate- prove or show (something, especially a claim or an artistic work) to be true or genuine.
- Authority- the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience.
- Authorization- the action of authorizing.
- Authorize- give official permission for or approval to (an undertaking or agent).
- Autism- a developmental disorder characterized by difficulties with social interaction and communication, and by restricted or repetitive patterns of thought and behavior.
- Auto- relating to cars and automobiles.
- Autobiography- an account of a person’s life written by that person.
- Autoclave- a strong heated container used for chemical reactions and other processes using high pressures and temperatures.
- Autocracy- a system of government by one person with absolute power.
- Autocrat- a ruler who has absolute power.
- Autodidact- a self-taught person.
- Autoimmune- relating to disease caused by antibodies or lymphocytes produced against substances naturally present in the body.
- Automation- the use of largely automatic equipment in a system of manufacturing or other production process.
- Automaton- a moving mechanical device made in imitation of a human being.
- Autonomous- having self-government, at least to a significant degree.
- Autonomy- the right or condition of self-government.
- Autostrada- an Italian expressway typically toll free.
- Autumn- the season after summer and before winter.
- Auxiliary- providing supplementary or additional help and support.
- Auxin- a plant hormone that promotes root formation and bud growth.
- Auteur- a filmmaker whose personal influence and artistic control over a movie are so significant that they are regarded as the author of the movie.
- Authenticity- the quality of being authentic or genuine.
- Autoclave- a device that uses steam under pressure to sterilize equipment and other objects.
- Autopsy- a post-mortem examination to discover the cause of death or the extent of disease.
- Autochthonous- indigenous rather than descended from migrants or colonists.
- Autogenesis- another term for spontaneous generation.
- Autolysis- the destruction of cells or tissues by their own enzymes.
- Automorphism- a mathematical expression or function which is invariant under a particular transformation.
- Autophagy- the process by which a cell consumes its own damaged or unnecessary components.
- Autotelic- having a purpose in and not apart from itself.
- Autotroph- an organism that can produce its own food using light, water, carbon dioxide, or other chemicals.
- Au pair- a young foreign person, typically a woman, who helps with housework or childcare in exchange for room and board.
- Auricular- relating to the ear or hearing.
- Augustine- a Christian theologian and philosopher who greatly influenced the medieval church.
- Aureola- another term for aureole.
- Aurora Borealis- another term for the northern lights.
- Aurist- an ear specialist.
- Auslander- a foreigner or outsider, especially one who doesn’t belong to a particular group or community.
- Auspex- an ancient Roman religious official who interpreted omens.
- Auster- the south wind.
- Austerities- the plural of austerity; severe and strict measures.
- Auteuil- an area in the southwestern part of Paris, France.
- Authoress- a female author (dated term).
- Auvitran- a brand name in professional audio technology.
- Auctioneer- a person who conducts auctions by accepting bids and declaring goods sold.
- Audiology- the branch of science that studies hearing, balance, and related disorders.
- Auditor- a person appointed and authorized to examine accounts.
- Augury- an omen or sign taken from observing birds.
- Augustus- the title given to Octavian, the first Roman emperor.
- Aurally- in a manner that relates to the ears or hearing.
- Aurigraphy- a hypothetical process of photographing auras.
- Auspicating- forecasting, especially from omens.
- Autarky- economic independence or self-sufficiency.
- Autochthon- an aboriginal inhabitant of a place; an indigenous person.
- Autocue- a device that prompts the person speaking with an electronic visual text of a speech or script.
- Autogyro- an aircraft with a freely rotating rotor that turns due to the passage of air upward through the rotor so it acts more like a helicopter.
- Autolithography- a process in lithography where the artist draws directly onto the lithographic stone.
- Automat- a cafeteria where food and drinks are dispensed by machines.
- Automaticity- the ability to do things without occupying the mind.
- Autonomist- an advocate of autonomy.
- Autophyte- another term for an autotroph.
- Autopilot- a device for automatically steering ships, aircraft, and spacecraft.
- Autoplastic- referring to changes within oneself.
- Autopodium- the part of a limb formed by the tarsus and metatarsus or the wrist and metacarpus.
- Autopsychoanalysis- self-analysis, especially in the context of psychoanalysis.
- Autoradiograph- an image on an x-ray film or photographic film produced by the radiation emitted from a specimen.
- Autoschediasm- something made up on the spur of the moment; impromptu.
- Autosome- any chromosome that is not a sex chromosome.
- Autotune- a software that can correct the pitch in vocal and instrumental performances.