arrow|head /æ roʊhed/ (arrowheads ) also arrow-head N‑COUNT An arrowhead is the sharp, pointed part of an arrow.
arrow|root /æ roʊruːt/ N‑UNCOUNT Arrowroot is a substance obtained from a West Indian plant. It is used in cooking, for example for thickening sauces or in making biscuits.
arse /ɑː r s/ (arses )
1 N‑COUNT Your arse is your bottom. [BRIT , INFORMAL , RUDE ] in AM, use ass 2 a pain in the arse → see pain
arse|hole /ɑː r shoʊl/ (arseholes ) N‑COUNT If one person calls another person an arsehole , they think that person is extremely stupid or has behaved in a stupid way. [BRIT , RUDE , DISAPPROVAL ] in AM, use asshole
ar|senal /ɑː r sən ə l/ (arsenals )
1 N‑COUNT An arsenal is a large collection of weapons and military equipment held by a country, group, or person. □ Russia and the other republics are committed to destroying most of their nuclear arsenals.
2 N‑COUNT An arsenal is a building where weapons and military equipment are stored.
3 N‑COUNT [usu sing] You can use arsenal to refer to a large number of tools, methods, or resources that someone has available to help them achieve what they want to do. □ Managers use a full arsenal of motivational techniques to get employees to take risks.
ar|senic /ɑː r sən I k/ N‑UNCOUNT Arsenic is a very strong poison which can kill people.
ar|son /ɑː r s ə n/ N‑UNCOUNT Arson is the crime of deliberately setting fire to a building or vehicle. □ …a terrible wave of rioting, theft and arson.
ar|son|ist /ɑː r sən I st/ (arsonists ) N‑COUNT An arsonist is a person who deliberately sets fire to a building or vehicle.
art ◆◆◆ /ɑː r t/ (arts )
1 N‑UNCOUNT Art consists of paintings, sculpture, and other pictures or objects which are created for people to look at and admire or think deeply about. □ …the first exhibition of such art in the West. □ …contemporary and modern American art. □ …Whitechapel Art Gallery.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Art is the activity or educational subject that consists of creating paintings, sculptures, and other pictures or objects for people to look at and admire or think deeply about. □ …a painter, content to be left alone with her all-absorbing art. □ …Farnham College of Art and Design. □ …art lessons.
3 N‑VAR The arts are activities such as music, painting, literature, cinema, and dance, which people can take part in for enjoyment, or to create works which express serious meanings or ideas of beauty. □ Catherine the Great was a patron of the arts and sciences. □ [+ of ] …the art of cinema.
4 N‑PLURAL [oft N n] At a university or college, arts are subjects such as history, literature, or languages in contrast to scientific subjects. □ …arts and social science graduates. □ …the Faculty of Arts.
5 ADJ [ADJ n] Arts or art is used in the names of theatres or cinemas which show plays or films that are intended to make the audience think deeply about the content, and not simply to entertain them. □ …the Cambridge Arts Cinema.
6 N‑COUNT If you describe an activity as an art , you mean that it requires skill and that people learn to do it by instinct or experience, rather than by learning facts or rules. □ Fishing is an art.
7 Art is an old-fashioned form of the second person singular of the present tense of the verb be .
8 → see also Bachelor of Arts , fine art , martial art , Master of Arts , state-of-the-art , work of art COLLOCATIONS art NOUN 1
adjective + art : contemporary, modern; abstract, conceptual
Art Deco /ɑː r t de koʊ/ also art deco N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Art Deco is a style of decoration and architecture that was common in the 1920s and 30s. It uses simple, bold designs on materials such as plastic and glass. □ …art deco lamps.
ar|te|fact /ɑː r t I fækt/ (artefacts ) also artifact N‑COUNT An artefact is an ornament, tool, or other object that is made by a human being, especially one that is historically or culturally interesting.
ar|te|rial /ɑː r t I ə riəl/
1 ADJ [ADJ n] Arterial means involving or relating to your arteries and the movement of blood through your body. □ …people with arterial disease.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] An arterial road or railway is a main road or railway within a complex road or railway system.
ar|te|rio|sclero|sis /ɑː r t I ə rioʊskleroʊ s I s/ N‑UNCOUNT Arteriosclerosis is a medical condition in which the walls of your arteries become hard and thick, so your blood cannot flow through them properly. [MEDICAL ]
ar|tery /ɑː r təri/ (arteries )
1 N‑COUNT Arteries are the tubes in your body that carry blood from your heart to the rest of your body. Compare vein . □ …patients suffering from blocked arteries.
2 N‑COUNT You can refer to an important main route within a complex road, railway, or river system as an artery . □ Clarence Street was one of the north-bound arteries of the central business district.
a rt form (art forms ) N‑COUNT If you describe an activity as an art form , you mean that it is concerned with creating objects, works, or performances that are beautiful or have a serious meaning. □ …Indian dance and related art forms.