also a-b-c, late 13c. (spelled abece) from the first three letters of it taken as a word (compare alphabet, abecedary, Old French abecé, abecedé "alphabet," 13c.). The sense of "rudiments or fundamentals (of a subject)" is from late 14c. As a shortening of American Broadcasting Company from 1944 (in a Billboard magazine headline), earlier of Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1931). Related: ABCs.

late 13c., "agreement, harmony of opinions," accourd, acord, from Old French acorde, acort "agreement, alliance," a back-formation from acorder "reconcile, agree, be in harmony" (see accord (v.)). Meaning "will, voluntary impulse or act" (as in of one's own accord) is from mid-15c.

late 13c., auys "opinion," from Old French avis "opinion, view, judgment, idea" (13c.), from phrase ço m'est à vis "it seems to me," or from Vulgar Latin *mi est visum "in my view," ultimately from Latin visum, neuter past participle of videre "to see" (from PIE root *weid- "to see"). Meaning "opinion offered as worthy to be followed, counsel" is from late 14c.

The unetymological -d- (on model of Latin words in ad-) was inserted occasionally in French by scribes 14c.-16c. and was made regular in English 15c. by Caxton. Substitution of -c- for -s- is 18c., to preserve the breath sound and to distinguish from advise. Early Modern English tended to alternate -ce and -se endings in otherwise confusable noun-verb pairs, using -se for the verb and -ce for the noun: devise/device, peace/appease, practice/practise, license/licence, prophecy/prophesy.

late 13c., avisen "to view, consider" (a sense now obsolete); late 14c., "to give counsel to," from Old French aviser "deliberate, reflect, consider" (13c.), from avis "opinion," from phrase ço m'est à vis "it seems to me," or from Vulgar Latin *mi est visum "in my view," ultimately from Latin visum, neuter past participle of videre "to see" (from PIE root *weid- "to see"). The unetymological -d- is from 16c. Related: Advised; advising.

late 13c., "long but indefinite period in human history," from Old French aage, eage (12c., Modern French âge) "age; life, lifetime, lifespan; maturity," earlier edage (11c.), from Vulgar Latin *aetaticum (source also of Spanish edad, Italian eta, Portuguese idade "age"), extended form of Latin aetatem (nominative aetas), "period of life, age, lifetime, years," from aevum "lifetime, eternity, age" (from PIE root *aiw- "vital force, life; long life, eternity").

Expelled native eld (Old English eald) "old age; an age; age as a period of life." The meaning "time something has lived, particular length or stage of life" is from early 14c. Used especially for "old age" since early 14c.; the meaning "effects of old age" (feebleness, senility, etc.) is from mid-15c.

In geology, in reference to great periods in the history of the earth, by 1855; in archaeology, from 1865 (Stone Age, etc.) naming periods for the materials used to make weapons and tools. Sometimes in early modern English "a century" (similar to French siècle "century," literally "an age"), hence plural use in Dark Ages, Middle Ages. To act (one's) age "behave with appropriate maturity" is attested by 1927.

late 13c., "on the ground," from a- "on" (see a- (1)) + ground (n.). Of ships and boats, "stranded," from c. 1500.

"one who tests the quality of ale," late 13c. as a surname, from ale + conner, from Old English cunnere "examiner, inspector," agent noun from cunnan "to know, know how" (see can (v.1)).

late 13c., allien, "join in marriage" (transitive), from Old French alier "combine, unite," from a differentiated stem of aliier (from Latin alligare "bind to, tie to," from ad "to" (see ad-) + ligare "to bind, bind one thing to another, tie" (from PIE root *leig- "to tie, bind"). The meaning "form an alliance, join, associate" is late 14c. Related: allied; allying.

late 13c., "with a loud voice;" c. 1300, "audibly, not whispered;" a contraction of on loude; see a- (1) + loud.

violet-colored quartz, late 13c., amatist, from Old French ametiste (12c., Modern French améthyste) and directly from Medieval Latin amatistus, from Latin amethystus, from Greek amethystos "amethyst," noun use of an adjective meaning "not intoxicating; not drunken," from a- "not" (see a- (3)) + methyskein "make drunk," from methys "wine" (from PIE root *medhu- "honey; mead;" see mead (n.1)).

The stone had a reputation among the ancients for preventing drunkenness; this was perhaps sympathetic magic suggested by its wine-like color. Beekes writes that the stone "was named after its color: the red of wine diluted with water such that it is no longer intoxicating." When drinking, people wore rings made of it to ward off the effects. The spelling was restored in early Modern English.