cstr/en-wiktionary-extracted-all huggingface dataset:
needy
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈniːdi/
rhymes: -iːdi
Forms: form: needier
form: neediest
Etymology: From Middle English nedy, nedi (“necessitous”), from Old English nēdiġ, *nīediġ ("of need, obligated, compelled"; found in the derivative nīediġnes (“obligation”)), from Proto-Germanic *naudigaz (“of need, forced, compelled”), equivalent to need + -y. Cognate with Scots nedy, neidy (“needy, necessitous, impoverished”), Saterland Frisian niedich (“miserable, poor, wretched, needy”), Saterland Frisian nöödich (“necessary, needful”), West Frisian nedich (“needful, needed”), Dutch nodig (“necessary”), Middle Low German nōdich (“necessary, urgent, by requirement”), German nötig (“necessary, needful”), Danish nødig (“necessary”), Swedish nödig (“necessary”), Icelandic nauðugur (“constrained”).
Senses: examples: text: Needy people want to give too, but have few material goods to offer.
text: Such monitoring has often been a sticking point in the past, amid fears that food aid might be diverted to the Northern elite - or its military - rather than the needy.
ref: 2012 February 29, Aidan Foster-Carter, “North Korea: The denuclearisation dance resumes”, in BBC News:
glosses: In need; poor.
examples: text: It's emotionally exhausting to be around her because she's so needy.
glosses: Desiring constant affirmation; lacking self-confidence.
examples: text: It is the measure of things, and their time (that is, their measure, as to space and time), and yet it is above, and prior to, time: it is full in needy things, and overflows in full things; it is unutterable, innominable: it is above understanding […]
ref: 1861, Isaak August Dorner, Patrick Fairbairn, History of the development of the doctrine of the person of Christ:
glosses: Needful; necessary.
Derived terms: needihood
needily
neediness
needyhood
needy mizzler
unneedy
weathervane
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: weathervanes
Senses: glosses: Alternative spelling of weather vane.
precarious
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /pɹɪˈkɛəɹi.əs/
rhymes: -ɛəɹi.əs
Forms: form: more precarious
form: most precarious
Etymology: From Latin precārius (“begged for, obtained by entreaty”), from prex, precis (“prayer”). Compare French précaire, Portuguese precário, and Spanish and Italian precario.
Senses: examples: text: One morning I had been driven to the precarious refuge afforded by the steps of the inn, after rejecting offers from the Celebrity to join him in a variety of amusements. But even here I was not free from interruption, for he was seated on a horse-block below me, playing with a fox terrier.
ref: 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:
text: Never had he been so fond of this body of his as now when his tenure of it was so precarious.
ref: 1906 May–October, Jack London, chapter III, in White Fang, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., published October 1906, →OCLC, part 1 (The Wild):
text: The existence of Jewish partisans was precarious. They lived from hand to mouth, stealing when necessary, arranging secret deliveries of food, and spending hours and even days in holes in the ground when danger threatened.
ref: 2016, Doris L. Bergen, “8 - Flashover: The Killing Centers, 1942-1944”, in War and Genocide: A Concise History of the Holocaust, page 266:
text: One can't escape the huge nuclear facility at Sellafield (supplier of much of the line's remaining freight traffic), or miss the wild shingle beaches with exposed and precarious bungalows sandwiched between the railway and the shore at Braystones.
ref: 2022 November 2, Paul Bigland, “New trains, old trains, and splendid scenery”, in RAIL, number 969, page 57:
synonyms: unsteady
rickety
shaky
tottering
unsafe
unstable
wobbly
glosses: Dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous.
topics: law
glosses: Depending on the intention of another.
Derived terms: bioprecarity
precariat
precariously
precariousness
precarisation
precarity
precarization
Related terms: pray
precarious
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /pɹɪˈkɛəɹi.əs/
rhymes: -ɛəɹi.əs
Etymology: From pre- + carious.
Senses: topics: dentistry
medicine
sciences
glosses: Relating to incipient caries.
extrasolar
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Forms: form: extra-solar
Etymology: From extra- + solar.
Senses: examples: text: Some comets are thought to have an extrasolar origin.
topics: astronomy
natural-sciences
glosses: of or originating outside the Solar System.
examples: text: A four-inch telescope was once used to find an extrasolar planet.
text: Of course, no one has any idea whether the extrasolar life is anything more than a few trillion microbes.
ref: 1993, Octavia E. Butler, Parable of the Sower, HEADLINE PUBLISHING GROUP (2019), page 78:
topics: astrophysics
glosses: of or originating in a system other than Earth's, the solar system.
Coordinate terms: exo-
Derived terms: extrasolar planet
extrasolar system
Related terms: extragalactic
extraplanetary
extraterrestrial
solar
interstellar
Africanist
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: Africanists
Etymology: From African + -ist.
Senses: examples: text: Noted Africanist, William Fagg, consistently stresses the tribality of sub-Saharan art […]
ref: 1994, Trout Gallery, Peter M. Lukehart, Cornelius Oyeleke Adepegba, Ahistorical Sculpture of West Africa, page 5:
glosses: A specialist in African studies.
examples: text: The ANC was criticized by a number of Africanist members who accused the leadership of protecting the interests of the landlords at the expense of the tenants.
ref: 1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela, London: Abacus, published 2010, page 194:
glosses: An African nationalist; someone who subscribes to the doctrine of Africanism.
Related terms: African
Africanism
Afrocentrist
pan-Africanist
parallax
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈpæɹ.əˌlæks/
Forms: form: parallaxes
Etymology: From Middle French parallaxe, from Ancient Greek παράλλαξις (parállaxis, “alteration”) from παραλλάσσω (parallássō, “to cause to alternate”) from ἀλλάσσω (allássō, “to alter”) from ἄλλος (állos, “other”).
Senses: examples: text: […] Heliocentrick places, to which the Parallaxes being applied, give the Geocentrick.
ref: 1685, J. Flamsteed, Philosophical Transactions, XV, p. 1217:
text: Planes farther back on the z-axis scroll more slowly than those in front of them, producing a parallax effect. Early games with parallax scrolling tended to have their action taking place all in the forefront plane […]
ref: 2008, Bernard Perron, Mark J. P. Wolf, The Video Game Theory Reader 2, page 157:
glosses: An apparent shift in the position of two stationary objects relative to each other as viewed by an observer, due to a change in observer position.
topics: astronomy
natural-sciences
glosses: The angle of seeing of the astronomical unit.
Derived terms: cognitive parallax
motion parallax
parallactic
parallax motion
parallax second
parsec
Related terms: parallel
parallax
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈpæɹ.əˌlæks/
Forms: form: parallaxes
form: parallaxing
form: parallaxed
form: parallaxed
Etymology: From Middle French parallaxe, from Ancient Greek παράλλαξις (parállaxis, “alteration”) from παραλλάσσω (parallássō, “to cause to alternate”) from ἀλλάσσω (allássō, “to alter”) from ἄλλος (állos, “other”).
Senses: glosses: To measure (a distance) based on parallax observations.
qualifier: animation
glosses: To produce an illusion of levels of distance by shifting layers at different rates.
parallax second
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: parallax seconds
Senses: glosses: A unit of length, used in astronomy, defined as the distance from the Earth of an object that exhibits a parallax of 1 arcsecond. It is approximately equal to 3.08568025 × 10¹³ kilometers or 3.2616 light years.
Synonyms: word: parsec
word: psc
word: pc
spotty
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: rhymes: -ɒti
Forms: form: spottier
form: spottiest
Etymology: From Middle English spotty, equivalent to spot + -y.
Senses: glosses: Having spots; spotted.
examples: text: Mobile phone reception in this area tends to be rather spotty.
glosses: Occurring in non-contiguous positions or locations.
examples: text: Many of the buyers had a spotty credit history.
glosses: Of inconsistent quality.
spotty
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: rhymes: -ɒti
Forms: form: spotties
Etymology: From Middle English spotty, equivalent to spot + -y.
Senses: examples: text: I went fishing today and all I caught were spotties.
glosses: A common New Zealand fish, Notolabrus celidotus
Derived terms: spottiness
decalibrate
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /diːˈkælɪbɹeɪt/
Forms: form: decalibrates
form: decalibrating
form: decalibrated
form: decalibrated
Etymology: From de- + calibrate.
Senses: examples: text: Aneroid and electronic instruments, decalibrate easily and frequently and require routine accuracy checks.
glosses: To lose calibration and therefore not be accurate.
raw_tags: of a measuring instrument
examples: text: it is important to not go over the pipetteman volume limit because that will decalibrate the machine.
glosses: To perform some action to remove the calibration of an instrument.
Hellenistic Greek
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Etymology: See Hellenistic, from Ancient Greek Ἑλληνιστής (Hellēnistḗs, “a user of the Greek language”).
Senses: glosses: Synonym of Koine (the Greek language from the time of Alexander the Great)
synonyms: word: Koine
extra: the Greek language from the time of Alexander the Great
blue screen of death
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: blue screens of death
Etymology: First use appears c. 1993 with the release of Windows NT 3.1. See cite below.
Senses: examples: text: The only remaining problem is--NT still locks up the machine at exactly the same point. The only difference is that I don't get the blue screen of death--NT just freezes.
ref: 1993 October 10, tay...@saturn.brooks.af.mil, “NT Patch--doesn't fix Services for Macintosh”, in comp.os.ms-windows.nt.setup (Usenet):
text: A Blue Screen of Death is like an encrypted message from your computer telling you there's a problem. We're going to help you make sense of the gobbledygook so you can fix whatever's ailing your PC!
ref: 2007, Paul Lilly, “BSOD Crash Course”, in Maximum PC, page 40:
topics: computing
engineering
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
sciences
synonyms: blue screen
BSOD
stop error
glosses: An error screen displayed by some operating systems, especially Microsoft Windows, after encountering an unrecoverable error which causes the system to shut down.
wikipedia: Windows 8
Windows NT 3.1
Hyponyms: screen of death
Related terms: black screen of death
fail whale
fatal system error
kernel panic
red ring of death
yellow light of death
loving cup
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: loving cups
Etymology: Named around 1810 for the sense of unity its use brought.
Senses: examples: text: Each Branch of Local remitting not less than $50 and under $100 in memberships and subscriptions will receive a library valued at $5 and a loving cup.
ref: 1915 May, The Crisis, volume 10, number 1, whole number 55, 294
text: Good-fellowship is like a loving cup; it must be passed around to make it of value.
ref: 1909, The Loving Cup: original toasts by original folks, page 6:
text: Harriet's aunt, Miss Darcy, had lost her father's signet ring, and a loving cup [...]
ref: 1984, Winston Graham, The Loving Cup: a novel of Cornwall, 1813-1815, page 173:
glosses: A large cup with two or more handles, passed around for all to drink from
glosses: A ceremonial version of such a cup awarded as a trophy.
small screen
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Etymology: Analogy with big screen.
Senses: topics: broadcasting
media
glosses: The broadcast or cable television screen, as opposed to the cinema screen (or big screen)
examples: text: Jane Smith made her small-screen debut in 1998, appearing as a patient in a hospital drama.
text: "Marvel’s attempts to conquer TV as comprehensively as it has done cinema continues with what might be its most distinctive small-screen effort yet."
ref: 2018, Ferran Adrià, “What's on Netflix and Amazon this month - July 2018”, in The Guardian:
glosses: Television.
suppository
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /səˈpɒzɪtəɹi/
enpr: sə-päzʹĭ-tôr'ē
ipa: /səˈpɑzɪˌtɔɹi/
Forms: form: suppositories
Etymology: From Middle English suppositorie, from Anglo-Norman, from Medieval Latin suppositorium, from Late Latin, neuter of suppositorius (“placed beneath”), from Latin supponere (“to put under”).
Senses: examples: text: rectal suppository
text: vaginal suppository
text: He's smoother than a suppository, only his suppositories contain dynamite.
ref: 1976 September, Saul Bellow, Humboldt’s Gift, New York, N.Y.: Avon Books, →ISBN, page 372:
topics: medicine
sciences
glosses: A medicine in the form of a small plug that is inserted into a bodily cavity, especially the rectum, vagina or urethra, where it melts at body temperature.
Related terms: depository
depot
repository
supposition
suppositor
buttplug
clyster
enema
Demotic Greek
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Etymology: From Greek δημοτική (γλώσσα) (dimotikí (glóssa), “[language] of the people”).
Senses: glosses: The Modern Greek vernacular language. It became the official Modern Greek in 1976 when Katharevousa was replaced, and was written in polytonic script until 1982, and in monotonic script after 1982.
Coordinate terms: sense: Coordinate terms
word: Ancient Greek
sense: Coordinate terms
word: Classical Greek
sense: Coordinate terms
word: Katharevousa
sense: Coordinate terms
word: Koine
Related terms: demotic
Katharevousa
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˌkaθəˈɹɛvuːsə/
ipa: /ˌkɑθəˈɹɛvusɑ/
ipa: /ˌkɑθəˈɹɛvəsɑ/
Forms: form: katharevousa
Etymology: From Greek καθαρεύουσα (katharévousa), feminine of καθαρεύων (katharévon), present participle of Ancient Greek καθαρεύω (kathareúō, “to be clean, pure”).
Senses: examples: text: ‘You read the poetry of Cavafy, I have taught you to speak Katharevousa and Italian.’
ref: 1994, Louis de Bernières, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Minerva, published 1995, page 87:
text: A year later, after much deliberation and public discussion, an act of parliament established that demotic Greek was to replace the hybrid katharevousa as the official language of education – and therefore, in practice, in most walks of life (exceptions are the Church and law).
ref: 2019, Roderick Beaton, Greece: Biography of a Modern Nation, Penguin, published 2020, page 345:
coordinate_terms: Classical Greek
Demotic Greek
Ancient Greek
Koine
purist Greek
glosses: A learned, archaising form of Modern Greek, based on Classical Greek and used for formal and official purposes; it was legally displaced as the official language of Greece in 1976 by Demotic Greek.
Related terms: Category of Katharevousa words
helium speech
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: glosses: Speech whose timbre (but not pitch) has been affected by the inhalation of helium, due to the difference in the speed of sound in that gas, compared with air.
earnings
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Etymology: From earning + -s.
Senses: glosses: Wages, money earned, income.
topics: business
finance
glosses: Business profits.
topics: business
finance
glosses: Gains on investments; returns.
Derived terms: attachment of earnings
earnings beat
earnings miss
earnings power
earnings season
net earnings
price-earnings ratio
retained earnings
transfer earnings
stylometry
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Etymology: From style + -o- + -metry.
Senses: examples: text: Stylometry is a tool to be used when external evidence is lacking and the solution to the problem must come from the study of the texts which present the problem. Stylometry is therefore particularly useful in classical studies, especially for Greek texts which were written and reproduced by hand in an era when the rights of authors were limited, […].
ref: 1973, S. Michaelson, A. Q. Morton, “Positional stylometry”, in The Computer and Literary Studies, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, →ISBN, page 69:
text: Later WS bends it, stops mid-line, wraps around lines. This is early. Comp stylometry will confirm.
ref: 2011, Arthur Phillips, The Tragedy of Arthur, New York: Random House, →ISBN, page 182:
glosses: A statistical method of analyzing a text to determine its author.
Synonyms: stylometrics
Derived terms: adversarial stylometry
Related terms: stylometric
stylometrician
stylometrist
dysphoric
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: rhymes: -ɒɹɪk
Forms: form: more dysphoric
form: most dysphoric
Etymology: From dysphoria + -ic.
Senses: glosses: Pertaining to dysphoria, or of being in a state of dysphoria.
glosses: Causing dysphoria.
Derived terms: dysphorically
dysphoric milk ejection reflex
gender-dysphoric
nondysphoric
premenstrual dysphoric disorder
dysphoric
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: rhymes: -ɒɹɪk
Forms: form: dysphorics
Etymology: From dysphoria + -ic.
Senses: glosses: A person who is experiencing dysphoria.
engaol
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: -eɪl
Forms: form: engaols
form: engaoling
form: engaoled
form: engaoled
form: enjail
Etymology: From en- + gaol.
Senses: glosses: To imprison in a gaol.
Synonyms: jail
jailbird
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: jailbirds
Etymology: From jail + bird, circa 1600. Compare gallows bird.
Senses: glosses: A prisoner or an ex-prisoner
Synonyms: yardbird
Related terms: gallows bird
Persian Gulf
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˌpɜːʒən ˈɡʌlf/
ipa: /ˌpɝʒən ˈɡʌlf/
Forms: form: The Persian Gulf
Senses: examples: text: Today, all the states of the Middle East face a major threat in Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Saddam's ambitions are not confined to Kuwait. Rather, his goal is to dominate the Persian Gulf region and use its vast wealth to become the greatest Arab hero of modern times, the leader of a new Arab superpower.
ref: 1994 [1990 November 29], Dan Quayle, Standing Firm: A Vice-Presidential Memoir, 1st edition, HarperCollins, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 253:
text: President Donald Trump is making plans for the United States to begin referring to the Persian Gulf as the Gulf of Arabia or the Arabian Gulf, two administration officials familiar with the discussions told CNN.
ref: 2025 May 7, Alayna Treene, “Trump planning to change how US refers to Persian Gulf”, in CNN:
synonyms: word: Arabian Gulf
english: used in some Arab countries
translation: used in some Arab countries
word: Gulf of Basra
english: Ottoman-era name
translation: Ottoman-era name
glosses: The gulf between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.
Derived terms: Persian Gulf oxide
Arabian Gulf
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Senses: examples: text: President Donald Trump is making plans for the United States to begin referring to the Persian Gulf as the Gulf of Arabia or the Arabian Gulf, two administration officials familiar with the discussions told CNN.
ref: 2025 May 7, Alayna Treene, “Trump planning to change how US refers to Persian Gulf”, in CNN:
glosses: Persian Gulf, the body of water between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.
glosses: Red Sea, the body of water between Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula.
propædeutic
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Senses: glosses: Obsolete spelling of propaedeutic.
propaedeutic
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: /ˌpɹoʊpiːˈdjuːtɪk/
/ˌpɹɑpəˈduːtik/
Forms: form: more propaedeutic
form: most propaedeutic
form: propedeutic
form: propadeutic
form: propædeutic
Etymology: From the Ancient Greek προπαιδεύω (propaideúō, “I give preparatory instruction”), from πρό (pró, “before”) + παιδεύω (paideúō, “I teach”).
Senses: examples: text: On the other hand, the German university exhibits a system in which the university course is almost wholly special; the liberal and propædeutic studies are relegated to the grammar-school.
ref: 1868, Mark Pattison, Suggestions on Academical Organisation with Especial Reference to Oxford, section VI: “Of the Studies Preliminary to the Degree”, § 4: ‘Liberal Studies (Arts) and Special Studies (Science)’, pages 261–262
text: Students were not allowed to repeat the first propedeutic year more than once or to spend more than six years at universities; […]
ref: 2014, Philip Altbach, editor, International Higher Education, volume 2, Routledge, →ISBN, page 624:
glosses: Preparatory or introductory.
raw_tags: of education
propaedeutic
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: /ˌpɹoʊpiːˈdjuːtɪk/
/ˌpɹɑpəˈduːtik/
Forms: form: propaedeutics
form: propedeutic
form: propadeutic
form: propædeutic
Etymology: From the Ancient Greek προπαιδεύω (propaideúō, “I give preparatory instruction”), from πρό (pró, “before”) + παιδεύω (paideúō, “I teach”).
Senses: examples: text: This chapter aims to be a propedeutic because there are many specific lines of argument that could, and should, be developed from the observation of the unique values-based and globalized-movement nature of co-operatives […]
ref: 2009, J. J. McMurtry, Darryl Reed, editors, Co-operatives in a Global Economy, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, →ISBN, page 56:
glosses: An introductory course of instruction.
snowball fight
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: snowball fights
Senses: examples: text: "Oh, I mean a snowball fight. This is probably the last of the season, and I was thinking we could get a lot of fellows together, make a fort, and have a regular battle like we read about in Cæsar to-day. It would be no end of sport."
ref: 1912, Stratemeyer Syndicate, chapter 2, in Baseball Joe on the School Nine:
glosses: A scuffle or play fight whose object is to hit opponents with snowballs.
subsumption
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /səbˈsʌmpʃən/
rhymes: -ʌmpʃən
Forms: form: subsumptions
Senses: examples: text: Phone calls that are instantly obeyed, ringing sounds followed by apparently involuntary movements of the limbs, the subsumption of the hearer’s will in the caller’s design.
ref: 2023, Vajra Chandrasekera, The Saint of Bright Doors, Solaris (2024), page 330:
glosses: The act of subsuming.
glosses: Something subsumed.
topics: human-sciences
logic
mathematics
philosophy
sciences
glosses: The premise of a syllogism that contains the minor term.
Derived terms: obliterative subsumption
dickheads
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: glosses: plural of dickhead
Greek numerals
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: Greek numeral
Senses: glosses: A system of numerals represented by letters of the Greek alphabet. These are used for special purposes, where in English Roman numerals might be used. The numerals are formed by the addition of a mark to the upper or lower case letter, i.e. Γ΄, δ΄, θ΄. In addition to the usual Greek letters three additional symbols are used: stigma (ϛ), koppa (ϟ) and sampi (ϡ); stigma (Ϛ or ϛ) may also be represented by ΣΤ΄ or στ΄.
piss-artist
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: piss-artists
Senses: glosses: Alternative form of piss artist.
pannage
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: pannages
Etymology: Borrowed into Middle English from Old French pasnage (modern French panage), from Late Latin pasnadium, pastinaticum, from pastionare (“to feed on mast, as swine”), from Latin pastio (“a pasturing, grazing”). See pastor.
Senses: glosses: Acorns and beech mast used as forage for pigs.
glosses: Feeding of pigs on acorns and beech mast in the woods.
glosses: The right to feed pigs in this manner.
examples: text: There is there a certain wood called Heton-woode in oaks and the like, in which the tenants of Heton, who hold by charter in fee, have house-bote and hay-bote, of the delivery of the lord; by which that wood is wasted [or much destroyed, destruitur], and on that account does not grow again as much in yearly value, in wood, pannage, or other issues of a wood.
ref: 1861, (Please provide the book title or journal name):
glosses: A tax formerly paid for the privilege of feeding swine in the woods.
Derived terms: retropannage
beech mast
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈbiːtʃˌmɑːst/
ipa: /ˈbitʃˌmæst/
Forms: form: beech masts
form: beechmast
Senses: glosses: the fruit or mast of the beech tree; beechnuts
Related terms: beech
beech nut
beech tree
bur
calybium
cupule
persuasive
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /pə(ɹ)ˈsweɪsɪv/
Forms: form: more persuasive
form: most persuasive
Etymology: From Middle French persuasif, from Medieval Latin persuāsīvus, from Latin past participle stem of persuādēre + -īvus.
Senses: examples: text: But I'm pretty persuasive, and I've learned how elected officials think. I know how to press their buttons.
ref: 2020 December 2, Andy Byford talks to Paul Clifton, “I enjoy really big challenges...”, in Rail, page 55:
synonyms: word: convincing
word: flexanimous
word: inducing
word: inducive
word: inductious
word: persuadable
word: persuading
word: persuasible
word: pleaful
word: psychagogic
word: psychagogical
word: suading
word: suasorian
word: suasory
antonyms: word: dehortative
word: dehortatory
word: dehorting
word: dissuading
word: dissuasive
word: retractive
word: unconvincing
word: unpersuasive
glosses: Able to persuade; convincing.
Derived terms: counterpersuasive
nonpersuasive
persuasively
persuasiveness
persuasive precedent
prepersuasive
purrsuasive
ultrapersuasive
persuasive
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /pə(ɹ)ˈsweɪsɪv/
Forms: form: persuasives
Etymology: From Middle French persuasif, from Medieval Latin persuāsīvus, from Latin past participle stem of persuādēre + -īvus.
Senses: examples: text: He smiled a very knowing smile, and setting up a halloo, and shaking his leathern thong, away we went at the rate of seven or eight miles an hour. I had no occasion to go further with my persuasives; the pace was kept up, […]
ref: 1839, George Robert Gleig, Germany, Bohemia, and Hungary: Visited in 1837, volume 1, page 68:
glosses: That which persuades; incitement.
porcelain
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈpɔːsəlɪn/
ipa: /ˈpɔɹsəlɪn/
ipa: /ˈpɔɹslɪn/
ipa: /ˈpoːslɘn/
Forms: form: porcelains
form: porcelaining
form: porcelained
form: porcelained
Etymology: From Middle French porcelaine (“cowrie, wampum; china, chinaware”), from Old Italian porcellana (“cowrie; china, chinaware”), from porcella (“female piglet”) + -ana. The material was so called because of its resemblance to the shell of the cowrie. Why the cowrie was named with a word meaning “piglet” is unclear.
Senses: glosses: To coat with a porcelain enamel.
panspermia
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Etymology: From panspermy + -ia.
Senses: examples: text: Lederberg's ideas were tinged with Cold War paranoia. In his hands, panspermia came to resemble horizontal gene transfer on a cosmic scale.
ref: 2020, Merlin Sheldrake, Entangled Life, page 88:
topics: biology
natural-sciences
glosses: The hypothesis that microorganisms may transmit life from outer space to habitable bodies; or the process of such transmission.
Derived terms: directed panspermia
lithopanspermia
necropanspermia
panspermial
panspermic
panspermically
radiopanspermia
Related terms: panspermy
panspermic
caver
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: -eɪvə(ɹ)
Forms: form: cavers
Etymology: From cave + -er.
Senses: examples: text: Pam has been caving for 25 years. She and her husband Tim are among the top cavers in the country. They are passionate about the world hidden beneath our feet and they were to be my instructors and guides on my first ever foray below ground that didn't involve getting on the tube.
ref: 2007 September 29, Kate Humble, “What lies beneath”, in The Guardian:
synonyms: spelunker
glosses: A person who explores caves.
topics: business
mining
glosses: One who works the tailings of a mine to extract small pieces of marketable ore.
pore over
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: pores over
form: poring over
form: pored over
form: pored over
Senses: examples: text: While the pictures of what precisely unfolded after Cissé looked to tread on Evans are not entirely conclusive, the Football Association will surely pore over them on Thursday before quite possibly using video evidence to impose lengthy retrospective bans stemming from an incident unseen by Anthony Taylor, the referee.
ref: 2015 March 4, Louise Taylor, The Guardian:
glosses: To examine something (especially written material) carefully and attentively.
speleologist
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: speleologists
Etymology: From speleology + -ist.
Senses: examples: text: Under this heading M. E. A. Martel, the distinguished speleologist or cave-explorer of Europe, whose researches have recently added considerably to our knowledge of the Adelsberg grotto, furnishes to La Nature an interesting account of the episode in the Lueg-Loch or Lur-Loch, near the Styrian capital, which so nearly resulted fatally to the seven members of the Höhlenforscher—Fasching, Fölzmann, Zweyer, Oswald, Maier, Kurz and Haidt—who, on the 28th of April, attempted the exploration of the lost passage of the Semriach.
ref: 1894 January 24, “A subterranean drama”, in Around the World, volume 1, number 2:
text: The first man known to have descended Gaping Gill is well known on the Continent as an expert cave-explorer or speleologist — to use the new term which he perhaps invented.
ref: 1895, Joseph Baron, Ribble-land: A Glance at Its Scenery, History and Legendary Lore, page 185:
text: The biography of Robert de joly, a famous French speleologist who spent his life exploring caves, revealed an experience in which he stumbled into some cave areas high in carbon dioxide (CO₂) and developed a severe headache lasting twenty-four hours.
ref: 2010, Paul G. Bahn, Prehistoric Rock Art: Polemics and Progress:
glosses: A person who studies or explores caves or studies the science of speleology.
Synonyms: potholer
caver
spelunker
propitiatory
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /pɹəʊˈpɪʃɪətəɹɪ/
ipa: /pɹəˈpɪʃɪətɹi/
ipa: /pɹəˈpɪʃi.əˌtɔɹi/
ipa: /pɹoʊˈpɪʃi.əˌtɔɹi/
Forms: form: more propitiatory
form: most propitiatory
Etymology: From the Latin propitiātōrius (“atoning; reconciling, propitiating”).
Senses: examples: text: Hecatombs were early substituted for single victims; and, to render the worship still more propitiatory, these were soon exchanged for human sacrifices.
ref: 1831, Timothy Dwight, Theology Explained and Defended, in a Series of Sermons, page 493:
text: So that no words can be more propitiatory; and it is to be observed, that, while they are spoken, the Minister is holding the consecrated elements in his hand, tendering them at the same time to God, and to the communicants.
ref: 1838, Tracts for the Times, Volume 4: 1836-7, page 326:
text: "I beg your pardon, Sir," said Mr. Carker, riding up, with his most propitiatory smile. "I hope you are not hurt?”
ref: 1846 October 1 – 1848 April 1, Charles Dickens, “A Trifle of Management by Mr. Carker the Manager”, in Dombey and Son, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1848, →OCLC, page 224:
text: “Come, come, Olga,” urged the man, in propitiatory tones; “I but ask a half dozen words with you. I shall not harm you, nor shall I enter your cabin; but I cannot shout my message through the door.”
ref: 1913 June–December, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “Forging Bonds of Hate and ——?”, in The Return of Tarzan, New York, N.Y.: A[lbert] L[evi] Burt Company, […], published March 1915, →OCLC, page 20:
text: The weak branded those they feared evil, and praised the ‘propitiatory’ qualities natural to men like themselves who were incapable of aggression.[…]Those who cultivate humility and the other propitiatory virtues to cloak their weakness nourish an envious resentment against those stronger than themselves.
ref: 1978, Philippa Foot, “Nietzsche: The Revaluation of Values”, in Virtues and Vices and Other Essays in Moral Philosophy, University of California Press, published 1981, page 82:
synonyms: word: propitiary
glosses: Intended to propitiate, reconcile, expiate or appease; conciliatory.
paralipomenon
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: /pæɹəlɪˈpɒmɪnɒn/
Forms: form: paralipomena
Etymology: Borrowed from Ancient Greek Παραλειπομένων (Paraleipoménōn, “of things omitted”) παραλείπω (paraleípō, “I leave remaining”).
Senses: examples: text: There are other books, which seem of a different class, and are neither connected with the proceeding class, nor with each other; such is Job, such Tobias, and Esther, and Judith, and the two books of Machabees, and two of Esdras, which seem rather more to follow up that regular course of history, which closed with the Kingdoms, or the Paralipomenon: […]
ref: 1846, James Waterworth, The Faith of Catholics, 3rd edition, volume 1, London, page 336:
topics: biblical
lifestyle
religion
glosses: Either of the Books of Chronicles in the Old Testament.
examples: text: In a paralipomenon to the theses ‘On the Concept of History’ he writes: […]
ref: 2005, Werner Hamacher, “‘Now’: Walter Benjamin on Historical Time”, in Andrew Benjamin, editor, Walter Benjamin and History, A&C Black, →ISBN, page 52:
glosses: An omission, especially one of a book, added later as a supplement.
portolan
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈpɔːtələn/
Forms: form: portolans
form: portolano
form: portulan
Etymology: From French portulan, from Italian portolano.
Senses: examples: text: Portolans are as old as the European mariner's magnetic compass, and for about two centuries the two depended on each other for the growth and safe passage of Mediterranean trade.
ref: 2012, Simon Garfield, On the Map, Profile Books, page 110:
topics: nautical
transport
glosses: A chart of European navigable waters based on descriptions of coasts.
protosome
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: protosomes
Etymology: From proto- + -some.
Senses: glosses: The proboscis of hemichordate animals.
Derived terms: protosomal
Related terms: mesosome
metasome
paralyse
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: paralyses
form: paralysing
form: paralysed
form: paralysed
Senses: glosses: Non-Oxford British English standard spelling of paralyze.
Derived terms: paralysable
paralysation
paralyze
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈpæɹəlaɪz/
note: without the Mary–marry–merry merger
ipa: /ˈpæɹəˌlaɪz/
note: General American, Canada, Mary–marry–merry merger
ipa: /ˈpɛɹəˌlaɪz/
ipa: /ˈpæɹəlɑez/
ipa: /ˈpɛɹəlaɪz/
ipa: [ˈpɛɹəlɑez]
Forms: form: paralyzes
form: paralyzing
form: paralyzed
form: paralyzed
form: paralyse
Etymology: From French paralyser.
Senses: glosses: To afflict with paralysis.
examples: text: So I stood alone in horror / Paralyzed with fear and dread / When a voice dead and inhuman / Whispered to me "go, you fool, Warren's dead!"
ref: 2006, The H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society, “Harley Got Devoured by the Undead”, in An Even Scarier Solstice:
glosses: To render unable to move; to immobilize.
examples: text: The transport strike paralyzed the city.
glosses: To render unable to function properly.
Derived terms: paralyzation
paralyzer
Phrygian
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈfɹɪ.d͡ʒɪ.ən/
ipa: /ˈfɹɪ.d͡ʒi.ən/
Etymology: From Latin Phrygiānus + English -an (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives). Phrygianus is derived from Phrygia + -ānus (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’); and Phrygia is from Ancient Greek Φρῠγῐ́ᾱ (Phrŭgĭ́ā, “region in Anatolia”), from Φρῠ́ξ (Phrŭ́x, “person from Phrygia”) (further etymology unknown, possibly from Phrygian or related to Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- (“to ascend, rise up; to be elevated, up high”)) + -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā, suffix forming feminine abstract nouns).
Senses: glosses: Of or relating to Phrygia, its people, or their culture.
examples: text: ‘Then one day one of the infants stretched out his little hands to the shepherd and exclaimed bekos, which is the Phrygian word for bread.’
ref: 2022, R. F. Kuang, Babel, HarperVoyager, page 114:
glosses: Written or spoken in the Phrygian language.
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: In the Phrygian mode.
Derived terms: Hyperphrygian
Phrygian cap
Phrygian dominant scale
Phrygian mode
Phrygian Sibyl
Phrygian
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈfɹɪ.d͡ʒɪ.ən/
ipa: /ˈfɹɪ.d͡ʒi.ən/
Forms: form: Phrygians
Etymology: From Latin Phrygiānus + English -an (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives). Phrygianus is derived from Phrygia + -ānus (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’); and Phrygia is from Ancient Greek Φρῠγῐ́ᾱ (Phrŭgĭ́ā, “region in Anatolia”), from Φρῠ́ξ (Phrŭ́x, “person from Phrygia”) (further etymology unknown, possibly from Phrygian or related to Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- (“to ascend, rise up; to be elevated, up high”)) + -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā, suffix forming feminine abstract nouns).
Senses: examples: text: ‘And so Psammetichus decided the Phrygians must have been the first race on earth, and Phrygian the first language.’
ref: 2022, R. F. Kuang, Babel, HarperVoyager, page 114:
glosses: A native or inhabitant of Phrygia.
glosses: A Montanist.
Phrygian
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈfɹɪ.d͡ʒɪ.ən/
ipa: /ˈfɹɪ.d͡ʒi.ən/
Etymology: From Latin Phrygiānus + English -an (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives). Phrygianus is derived from Phrygia + -ānus (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’); and Phrygia is from Ancient Greek Φρῠγῐ́ᾱ (Phrŭgĭ́ā, “region in Anatolia”), from Φρῠ́ξ (Phrŭ́x, “person from Phrygia”) (further etymology unknown, possibly from Phrygian or related to Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- (“to ascend, rise up; to be elevated, up high”)) + -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā, suffix forming feminine abstract nouns).
Senses: glosses: The language of the Phrygian people.
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: Phrygian mode
Derived terms: hypophrygian
portraiture
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: /ˈpɔː(ɹ)tɹɪtjʊə(ɹ)/
/ˈpɔː(ɹ)tɹɪt͡ʃə(ɹ)/
Forms: form: portraitures
Etymology: From Middle English portraiture, portrature, purtraiture, pourtreture, from Old French portraiture, pourtraiture and Anglo-Norman purtraiture.
Senses: examples: text: For, by the image of my cause, I see / The portraiture of his.
ref: c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:
glosses: A portrait; a likeness; a painted resemblance; hence, that which is copied from some example or model.
glosses: The art of painting or photographing portraits.
glosses: A portrait (or portraits considered as a group).
Derived terms: autoportraiture
pigout
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: pigouts
Etymology: From pig + out, from the phrasal verb.
Senses: glosses: A meal at which an excessive quantity of food is eaten.
mudsled
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: mudsleds
Etymology: From mud + sled.
Senses: glosses: a small sled used by children to play on
pigs
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /pɪɡz/
rhymes: -ɪɡz
Senses: glosses: plural of pig
pigs
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /pɪɡz/
rhymes: -ɪɡz
Senses: glosses: third-person singular simple present indicative of pig
piglets
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: /ˈpɪɡ.ləts/
Senses: glosses: plural of piglet
pigs in a blanket
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: glosses: a dish of ground pork and/or beef cooked in cabbages
glosses: a dish of sausage or hot dog wrapped in dough or bacon and baked.
pigs in a blanket
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: glosses: plural of pig in a blanket
hook, line and sinker
Language: English
Part of speech: adv
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˌhʊk ˌlaɪn ən(d)ˈsɪŋkə(ɹ)/
Forms: form: rod, line and sinker
Etymology: From all the parts of a fishing tackle that may be lost to a fish.
Appeared in 1838 as a metaphor from angling.
Senses: examples: text: I told him you were just a friend, and he fell for it hook, line and sinker.
text: In a lengthy post on his social media website, Truth Social, Trump accused his voters on Wednesday of falling for what he called a “radical left” hoax by the opposition to discredit him. “Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this ‘bullshit,’ hook, line, and sinker.”
ref: 2025 July 17, Oliver Holmes, “Trump calls Epstein conspiracy a ‘hoax’ and turns on Maga ‘weaklings’”, in The Guardian:
glosses: Completely; (of a belief or acceptance) naively or unquestioningly.
Synonyms: completely
Related terms: eat something up with a spoon
twelfth man
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: twelfth men
Senses: topics: ball-games
cricket
games
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
synonyms: word: drinks waiter
glosses: A designated substitute player who may field but not bat or bowl.
topics: hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: Collectively, the fans of a team in many eleven-a-side sports, seen as helping the team to succeed.
Jayla
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Pronunciation: /ˈd͡ʒeɪlə/
Senses: examples: text: “When you sing your song, be sure to sing loud enough that everyone can hear,” Ms. Tate told her daughter.
“I hope I can sing that loud,” Jayla said.
ref: 2013, Caitlind L. Alexander, The Case of the Pageant Princess:
glosses: A female given name originating as a coinage, a 1990s coinage similar to Jaylen and Kayla.
up the gut
Language: English
Part of speech: adv
Senses: glosses: Describing a play in American football in which the player runs the ball through the middle of the field through defenders.
CQA
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: CQAs
Senses: glosses: Initialism of certified quality auditor.
second string
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: second strings
Senses: topics: hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: A unit of players which is considered to have a secondary level of talent and which usually plays after the first string.
Synonyms: junior varsity
second string
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Senses: examples: text: I got a new pair of shoes, so I think I'll use the old, second string pair in my garden.
glosses: Not as good; of a lower quality or condition.
Kiara
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Senses: glosses: A female given name from Irish, variant of Keira or Ciara.
have it your way
Language: English
Part of speech: phrase
Senses: examples: text: OK, have it your way: format the hard disk and see what happens.
synonyms: have it your own way
glosses: Do something the way you want to, but be prepared for the consequences.
Related terms: go one's own way
have it coming
it's your funeral
serve someone right
Peachtree
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Senses: glosses: A Dutch liqueur.
merci
Language: English
Part of speech: intj
Pronunciation: /mɛːˈsiː/
Etymology: Borrowed from French merci (“thank you”). Doublet of mercy.
Senses: examples: text: Rebecca Rosen, merci for helping me to understand that connection between you and The Other Side, and making the character of Theresa come alive.
ref: 2005, Victoria Laurie, A Vision of Murder: A Psychic Eye Mystery, →ISBN:
text: "Improve the roads! Merci for the reception!" With this insouciant remark and the banner he affixed to his automobile that read "Auto rally against roadlessness and slovenliness!"
ref: 2008, Lewis H. Siegelbaum, Cars for Comrades: The Life of the Soviet Automobile, →ISBN:
text: “Merci, Bob. I'll inform Lauren,” Bergere said as he hurried out of the office.
ref: 2014, Art Wiederhold, Hunter: Quebec, →ISBN:
glosses: thank you
Related terms: merci buckets
merci
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: /mɛːˈsiː/
Forms: form: mercis
Etymology: Borrowed from French merci (“thank you”). Doublet of mercy.
Senses: examples: text: Few games are won without the merci. In the final deal a King above a card of the same suit automatically blocks the game, and the merci should be used to free such a card.
ref: 1995, Peter Arnold, The Book of Card Games, →ISBN, page 15:
glosses: An extra card or set of cards that is allowed to play at the end of various card games.
Related terms: belle dame sans merci
Oakley
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈəʊkli/
ipa: /ˈoʊkli/
Etymology: From Old English Āclēa, from āc (“oak”) + lēah (“woodland clearing, glade”), thus a clearing in an oak forest; equivalent to oak + -ley (“lea”). Compare Ackley, Akeley and Oakleigh, which have the same origin.
Senses: glosses: Several places in England:
A village and civil parish in Bedford borough, Bedfordshire (OS grid ref TL0153).
glosses: Several places in England:
A village and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, previously in Aylesbury Vale district (OS grid ref SP6312).
glosses: Several places in England:
A village in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole district, Dorset (OS grid ref SZ0198).
glosses: Several places in England:
An eastern suburb of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire (OS grid ref SO9722).
glosses: Several places in England:
A village and civil parish (served by Oakley and Deane Parish Council) in Basingstoke and Deane district, Hampshire (OS grid ref SU5750).
glosses: Several places in England:
A suburb of Chinnor, South Oxfordshire district, Oxfordshire (OS grid ref SP7400).
glosses: Several places in England:
A hamlet in Loggerheads parish, Newcastle-under-Lyme borough, Staffordshire (OS grid ref SJ7036).
glosses: Several places in England:
A village in Brome and Oakley parish, Mid Suffolk district, Suffolk (OS grid ref TM1678).
glosses: A village in Fife council area, Scotland (OS grid ref NT0288).
glosses: Several places in the United States:
A neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio.
glosses: Several places in the United States:
A city in Contra Costa County, California.
glosses: Several places in the United States:
An unincorporated community in Sussex County, Delaware.
glosses: Several places in the United States:
A small city in Cassia County, Idaho.
glosses: Several places in the United States:
A township in Macon County, Illinois.
glosses: Several places in the United States:
An unincorporated community in Butler Township, Miami County, Indiana.
glosses: Several places in the United States:
A small city, the county seat of Logan County, Kansas, located in Gove County, Logan County and Thomas County.
glosses: Several places in the United States:
An unincorporated community in St. Mary's County, Maryland.
glosses: Several places in the United States:
A village in Brady Township, Saginaw County, Michigan.
glosses: Several places in the United States:
A ghost town in Reynolds County, Missouri.
glosses: Several places in the United States:
An unincorporated community in Pitt County, North Carolina.
glosses: Several places in the United States:
A small city in Summit County, Utah.
glosses: Several places in the United States:
An unincorporated community in the town of Spring Grove, Green County, Wisconsin.
glosses: Several places in the United States:
A census-designated place in Lincoln County, Wyoming.
glosses: A surname from Old English derived from the place names in England.
Derived terms: Brome and Oakley
Great Oakley
Little Oakley
degringolade
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: /deɪˌɡɹæŋ.ɡoʊˈlɑːd/
Forms: form: degringolades
form: dégringolade
Etymology: Borrowed from French dégringolade, from dégringoler (“to tumble down”), from Middle French desgringueler (comprising des- (“from”) + gringueler (“to tumble”)), from Middle Dutch crinkelen (“to make curl”), crinc or cring (“ring, circle”) (related to English crinkle and crank).
Senses: examples: text: The dégringolade of Kitty Bell is forever linked to the name of Marie Dorval, the actress (and Vigny's mistress) for whom the play was written.
ref: 1995, Peter Brooks, The melodramatic imagination, →ISBN, page 73:
glosses: A rapid decline or deterioration; a tumble.