9-letter words that end in a
- lusitania — (italics) a British luxury liner sunk by a German submarine in the North Atlantic on May 7, 1915: one of the events leading to U.S. entry into World War I.
- ma-and-pa — mom-and-pop.
- macadamia — any Australian tree of the genus Macadamia, especially M. ternifolia, having whorled leaves and elongated clusters of pink flowers.
- macedonia — Also, Macedon [mas-i-don] /ˈmæs ɪˌdɒn/ (Show IPA). an ancient kingdom in the Balkan Peninsula, in S Europe: now a region in N Greece, SW Bulgaria, and the Republic of Macedonia.
- machinima — the process of making real-time animated films by utilizing the 3D graphics technology of computer games.
- macroalga — Large algae, often living attached in dense beds, such as kelp.
- macroglia — Any of various glial cells that are larger than microglia.
- macropsia — a defect of vision in which objects appear to be larger than their actual size.
- madariaga — Salvador de [sahl-vah-th awr th e] /ˌsɑl vɑˈðɔr ðɛ/ (Show IPA), (Salvador de Madariaga y Rojo) 1886–1978, Spanish diplomat, historian, and writer in England.
- madonsela — Thuli (ˈtʊlɪ). born 1962, South African advocate; in her term as Public Protector (2009–16) she was noted for exposing political corruption
- magdalena — a river in SW Colombia, flowing N to the Caribbean. 1060 miles (1705 km) long.
- maha yoga — a form of yoga incorporating elements of the other major forms
- maha yuga — a period of 12,000 years, comprising four Yugas.
- mahajanga — a port in NW Madagascar, on Bombetoka Bay. Pop: 147 000 (2005 est)
- maiasaura — a species of large, herbivorous, duck-billed dinosaur
- main idea — the most important or central thought of a paragraph or larger section of text, which tells the reader what the text is about: Find the main idea in each paragraph.
- maiquetia — a city in the Federal District, in N Venezuela.
- makeyevka — a city in SE Ukraine, N of the Sea of Azov.
- malaguena — a Spanish dance similar to the fandango, originating in Málaga.
- malatesta — an Italian family that ruled Rimini from the 13th to the 16th century
- malpighia — (botany) Any of the genus Malpighia of tropical American shrubs.
- manchuria — a historic region in NE China: ancestral home of the Manchu. About 413,000 sq. mi. (1,070,000 sq. km).
- mandibula — (anatomy) mandible.
- manyogana — An ancient/early Japanese syllabary in which Chinese characters represented sounds instead of their regular meaning as they again do today in the form of kanji; it was the predecessor of hiragana and katakana, present Japanese phonetic alphabets; used in the Manyosh\u016b, a poetic anthology.
- manzanita — any of several western North American shrubs or small trees belonging to the genus Arctostaphylos, of the heath family, having leathery leaves and clusters of white to pink flowers.
- marabunta — A large population of army ants on the move, eating anything in their wake.
- maracanda — ancient name of Samarkand.
- maranatha — a curse or exclamation
- margarita — a cocktail made of tequila, lime or lemon juice, and an orange-flavored liqueur, usually served in a salt-rimmed glass.
- marihuana — hemp (def 1).
- marijuana — hemp (def 1).
- marmolada — a mountain in N Italy: highest peak of the Dolomites, 11,020 feet (3360 meters).
- masinissa — 238–149 b.c, king of Numidia c210–149.
- massinisa — Masinissa.
- mastalgia — (chiefly uncountable) Breast pain.
- matagalpa — a city in W central Nicaragua.
- matanuska — a river in S Alaska flowing SW to Cook Inlet. 90 miles (145 km) long.
- mathusala — Methuselah (def 1).
- matricula — a register of people belonging to a group or organization, such as a guild or university
- matsuyama — a seaport on NW Shikoku, in SW Japan.
- mauna kea — a dormant volcano on the island of Hawaii. 13,784 feet (4201 meters).
- mauna loa — an active volcano on the island of Hawaii. 13,680 feet (4170 meters).
- maxillula — either of the first pair of maxillae of a crustacean
- mea culpa — an acknowledgment of one's responsibility for a fault or error.
- megafauna — land animals of a given area that can be seen with the unaided eye.
- megaflora — plants large enough to be seen by the naked eye
- megalesia — an ancient Roman festival in honor of the Magna Mater.
- megalopia — macropsia.
- meghalaya — a state in NE India. 8660 sq. mi. (22,429 sq. km). Capital: Shillong.
- meiofauna — Minute interstitial animals living in soil and aquatic sediments.