cstr/en-wiktionary-extracted-all huggingface dataset:
progress
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: prō'grĕs
ipa: /ˈpɹəʊ.ɡɹɛs/
enpr: prä'grĕs
ipa: /ˈpɹɑ.ɡɹɛs/
ipa: /-ɹəs/
ipa: /ˈpɹoʊ.ɡɹɛs/
ipa: [ˈp(ʰ)ɹoː.ɡɹɛs]
rhymes: -əʊɡɹɛs
rhymes: -ɒɡɹɛs
Forms: form: progresses
Etymology: From Middle English progresse, from Old French progres (“a going forward”), from Latin prōgressus (“an advance”), from the participle stem of prōgredī (“to go forward, advance, develop”), from pro- (“forth, before”) + gradi (“to walk, go”). Displaced native Old English forþgang.
Senses: examples: text: Testing for the new antidote is currently in progress.
glosses: Movement or advancement through a series of events, or points in time; development through time.
examples: text: Science has made extraordinary progress in the last fifty years.
text: You wish for progress? The Ascians have it. They are deafened by it, crazed by the death of Nature till they are ready to accept Erebus and the rest as gods.
ref: 1983, Gene Wolfe, chapter XXVIII, in The Citadel of the Autarch (The Book of the New Sun; 4), New York: Timescape, →ISBN, page 239:
text: Becoming more aware of the progress that scientists have made on behavioral fronts can reduce the risk that other natural scientists will resort to mystical agential accounts when they exceed the limits of their own disciplinary training.
ref: 2012 January 24, Stephen Ledoux, “Behaviorism at 100”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 1, archived from the original on 10 Nov 2013, page 60:
glosses: Specifically, advancement to a higher or more developed state; development, growth.
examples: text: ... Queen Elizabeth in one of her progresses, stopping at Crawley to breakfast, was so delighted with some remarkably fine Hampshire beer which was then presented to her by the Crawley of the day (a handsome gentleman with a trim beard and a good leg), that she forthwith erected Crawley into a borough to send two members to Parliament ...
ref: 1847 January – 1848 July, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 7, in Vanity Fair […], London: Bradbury and Evans […], published 1848, →OCLC:
text: With the king about to go on progress, the trials and executions were deliberately timed.
ref: 2011, Thomas Penn, Winter King, Penguin, published 2012, page 124:
glosses: An official journey made by a monarch or other high personage; a state journey, a circuit.
examples: text: Now Tim began to be struck with these loitering progresses along the garden boundaries in the gloaming, and wondered what they boded.
ref: 1886 May – 1887 April, Thomas Hardy, The Woodlanders […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London; New York, N.Y.: Macmillan and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:
glosses: A journey forward; travel.
examples: text: The thick branches overhanging the path made progress difficult.
glosses: Movement onwards, forwards, or towards a specific objective or direction; advance.
Derived terms: anti-progress
cross-progress
in progress
pilgrim's progress
practice makes progress
progress bar
progress report
royal progress
work in progress
progress
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: prō'grĕs
ipa: /ˈpɹəʊ.ɡɹɛs/
enpr: prä'grĕs
ipa: /ˈpɹɑ.ɡɹɛs/
ipa: /-ɹəs/
ipa: /ˈpɹoʊ.ɡɹɛs/
ipa: [ˈp(ʰ)ɹoː.ɡɹɛs]
rhymes: -əʊɡɹɛs
rhymes: -ɒɡɹɛs
enpr: prəgrĕs'
ipa: /pɹəˈɡɹɛs/
enpr: prō'grĕs
ipa: /ˈpɹəʊ.ɡɹɛs/
enpr: prä'grĕs
ipa: /ˈpɹɑ.ɡɹɛs/
ipa: /-ɹəs/
ipa: /ˈpɹoʊ.ɡɹɛs/
ipa: [ˈp(ʰ)ɹoː.ɡɹɛs]
rhymes: -əʊɡɹɛs
rhymes: -ɒɡɹɛs
Forms: form: progresses
form: progressing
form: progressed
form: progressed
Etymology: From the noun. Lapsed into disuse in the 17th century, except in the US. Considered an Americanism on reintroduction to use in the UK.
Senses: examples: text: Visitors progress through the museum at their own pace.
text: Scotland needed a victory by eight points to have a realistic chance of progressing to the knock-out stages, and for long periods of a ferocious contest looked as if they might pull it off.
ref: 2011 October 1, Tom Fordyce, “Rugby World Cup 2011: England 16-12 Scotland”, in BBC Sport:
glosses: To move, go, or proceed forward; to advance.
examples: text: Societies progress unevenly.
glosses: To develop.
glosses: To develop.
To improve; to become better or more complete.
examples: text: Or […] they came to progress matters in which Dudley had taken a hand, and left defrauded or bound over to the king.
ref: 2011, Thomas Penn, Winter King, Penguin, published 2012, page 266:
glosses: To expedite.
Related terms: congress
egress
grade
ingress
progression
progressive
progressivism
progressivist
regress
retrogress
propagate
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈpɹɒpəˌɡeɪt/
ipa: /ˈpɹɑpəˌɡeɪt/
ipa: /ˈpɹɔpəˌɡæɪt/
ipa: /ˈpɹɒpəˌɡæɪt/
note: Indic
ipa: /ˈprɔpəɡeʈ/
note: Indic
ipa: /prɵpəˈɡeʈ/
Forms: form: more propagate
form: most propagate
Etymology: First attested in 1535; from Latin prōpāgātus, perfect passive participle of prōpāgō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix). Participial usage up until Early Modern English.
Senses: glosses: propagated
raw_tags: as a participle and participial adjective
prophylactic
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /pɹɒfəˈlæktɪk/
rhymes: -æktɪk
Forms: form: prophylactics
Etymology: From Latin, from Ancient Greek πρό (pró, “before”) + φύλαξις (phúlaxis, “a watching, guarding”).
Senses: glosses: A medicine which preserves or defends against disease; a preventive.
examples: text: It is not clear whether such education is to be directed to homosexuals (for whom prophylactics are not a contraceptive) or to heterosexuals as well (for whom prophylactics are a contraceptive).
ref: 1977, Human Life Center, International Review of Natural Family Planning, Human Life Center, St. John's University, page 2:
text: Given the widespread use of coitus interruptus and male prophylactics as contraceptive practices in France […]
ref: 1994, Mary Louise Roberts, Civilization Without Sexes: Reconstructing Gender in Postwar France, 1917–1927, University of Chicago Press, page 96:
text: Some men put the prophylactic on just the tip of the penis: this is a mistake, because the prophylactic will come off.
ref: 2000, Peter Parnell, John Irving, The Cider House Rules: Here in St. Cloud's, Dramatists Play Service, Inc., page 46:
glosses: A medicine which preserves or defends against disease; a preventive.
A prophylactic condom.
synonyms: word: condom
word: cum catcher
word: rubber
examples: text: The securities laws are a prophylactic against stock fraud.
text: Since tere are increasingly powerful anti-free speech tendencies in the left in general and in the Lesbian and Gay movements in particular in the form of the antiporn movement and other tendencies, I will quote extensively from the second chapter of On Liberty, "On The Liberty Of Thought And Discussion," as a valuable and much needed prophylactic to these trends.
ref: 1984 December 8, Robert Halfhill, “Pornography, Free Speech and Gay Separatism”, in Gay Community News, volume 12, number 21, page 5:
glosses: Any device or mechanism intended to prevent harmful consequences.
prophylactic
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /pɹɒfəˈlæktɪk/
rhymes: -æktɪk
Forms: form: more prophylactic
form: most prophylactic
Etymology: From Latin, from Ancient Greek πρό (pró, “before”) + φύλαξις (phúlaxis, “a watching, guarding”).
Senses: glosses: Serving to prevent or protect against an undesired effect, especially disease or pregnancy
Synonyms: preventative
Derived terms: chemoprophylactic
immunoprophylactic
metaprophylactic
nonprophylactic
pharmacoprophylactic
prophylactically
prophylactic rule
psychoprophylactic
zooprophylactic
Related terms: prophylaxis
prosper
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈpɹɒspə(ɹ)/
ipa: /ˈpɹɑspɚ/
Forms: form: prospers
form: prospering
form: prospered
form: prospered
form: prospre
Etymology: From Old French prosperer, from Latin prosperō (“I render happy”), from prosperus (“prosperous”), from Proto-Italic *prosparos, from Proto-Indo-European *speh₁- (“to succeed”), whence also Latin spēs (“hope, expectation”).
Senses: examples: text: Yet his passion for her had grown fiercer than ever, and he swore to himself that he would win her back from her phantasies. She, one may believe, was ready enough to listen. As she walked with him by the Sker water his words were like musick to her ears, and Alison within doors laughed to herself and saw her devices prosper.
ref: 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:
glosses: To be successful; to succeed; to be fortunate or prosperous; to thrive; to make gain.
examples: text: And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand.
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 39:3:
glosses: To grow; to increase.
examples: text: Prosper thou our handiwork.
ref: 1549 March 7, Thomas Cranmer [et al.], compilers, The Booke of the Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacramentes, […], London: […] Edowardi Whitchurche […], →OCLC:
text: The Gods defenders of the innocent,
Will neuer proſper your intended driftes,
That thus oppreſſe poore friendles paſſengers.
ref: c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene ii:
text: All things concur to prosper our design.
ref: 1700, [John] Dryden, “Iphis and Ianthe”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
glosses: To favor; to render successful.
Synonyms: word: prosper
word: do well
word: do well for oneself
word: gain
word: grow
word: thrive
word: flourish
word: succeed
Related terms: cheaters never prosper
cheats never prosper
ill-gotten gains never prosper
prosperer
prosperity
prosperous
protean
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈpɹəʊ.tɪ.ən/
ipa: /pɹəʊˈtiː.ən/
enpr: prō'ti-ən
enpr: prō-tē'ən
ipa: /ˈpɹoʊ.tɪ.ən/
ipa: /pɹoʊˈtiː.ən/
homophone: protein stripped-by-parse_pron_post_template_fn
Forms: form: more protean
form: most protean
Etymology: From Ancient Greek Πρωτεύς (Prōteús, literally “first”), the Greek warden of sea-beasts, renowned for his ability to change shape.
Senses: examples: text: An amoeba is a protean animalcule.
text: Virus infection of the blood and bone marrow is probably responsible for all forms of the disease. The viral theory of origin accounts for the protean manifestations of the condition.
ref: 1954 February 15, Henry E. Michelson, “The Syndrome of Lupus Erythematosus”, in Modern Medicine, volume 22, number 4, Minneapolis, Minn.: Modern Medicine Publications, Inc., page 96:
text: […] the word's protean expressiveness has been observed in a xeroxlore item printed in Robert Anton Wilson's Playboy's Book of Forbidden Words […]
ref: 1980, Gershon Legman, The New Limerick:
text: He loved to show off his protean talent.
ref: 1987, William A. Henry III, Time Magazine, volume 129:
text: In the intervening decades she has become a protean figure, an emblem of different things to different people, depending upon their viewpoint — a visionary, a victim, a martyr, a feminist icon, a schizophrenic, a virago, a prisoner of gender — or, perhaps, a genius, as both Plath and Hughes maintained during her lifetime.
ref: 2020 October 27, Daphne Merkin, “Shifting the Focus From Sylvia Plath’s Tragic Death to Her Brilliant Life”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
text: In recent years, Europe has struggled to find the right balance between freedom of expression and the protean security concerns it faces.
ref: 2025 January 3, The Christian Science Monitor's Editorial Board, “The art of Poland’s diplomacy”, in The Christian Science Monitor:
synonyms: word: multiform
word: polymorphic
word: polymorphous
word: shapeshifting
word: chameleon
word: chameleonic
word: chameleonlike
word: diverse
raw_tags: in this sense
word: multiform
word: multiversant
word: pluriform
word: polymorphic
word: polymorphous
word: protean
word: variform
glosses: Exceedingly variable; readily assuming different shapes or forms.
glosses: Alternative letter-case form of Protean (of or relating to Proteus).
protean
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈpɹəʊ.tɪ.ən/
ipa: /pɹəʊˈtiː.ən/
enpr: prō'ti-ən
enpr: prō-tē'ən
ipa: /ˈpɹoʊ.tɪ.ən/
ipa: /pɹoʊˈtiː.ən/
homophone: protein stripped-by-parse_pron_post_template_fn
Forms: form: proteans
Etymology: From Ancient Greek Πρωτεύς (Prōteús, literally “first”), the Greek warden of sea-beasts, renowned for his ability to change shape.
Senses: topics: biochemistry
biology
chemistry
microbiology
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: A protein that has been slightly modified by water, dilute acid, or enzymes, but not modified to the extent of a metaprotein.
Related terms: Protea
provocative
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /pɹəˈvɒk.ə.tɪv/
ipa: /pɹəˈvɑ.kə.tɪv/
ipa: [pɹəˈvɑ.kə.ɾɪv]
ipa: /pɹəˈvɔk.ə.tɪv/
note: Indic, without stress shift from provocate
ipa: /prŏ.vɒ.keʈ.ɪv/
note: Indic, without stress shift from provocate
ipa: /-vo-/
Forms: form: more provocative
form: most provocative
Etymology: Borrowed from Middle French provocatif, and its source, Late Latin provocativus, from Latin provocare.
Senses: synonyms: agitative
glosses: Serving or tending to elicit a strong, often negative sentiment in another person; exasperating.
glosses: Serving or tending to excite, stimulate or arouse sexual interest; sexy.
examples: text: [I]t is a terrible long and slippery descent, and a shocking bad road. At the bottom, however, there is a pleasant public; whereat we must really take a modest quencher, for the down air is provocative of thirst.
ref: 1857, Thomas Hughes, Tom Brown's School Days:
text: And the ‘wailing noise,’ which had induced the prosaic, indurated London cabman to get twice off his box to see what was the matter, what anguish had been provocative of that?
ref: 1897, Richard Marsh, The Beetle:
glosses: Provoking or triggering any response.
Related terms: provoke
provocation
provocator
provocateur
provocative
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /pɹəˈvɒk.ə.tɪv/
ipa: /pɹəˈvɑ.kə.tɪv/
ipa: [pɹəˈvɑ.kə.ɾɪv]
ipa: /pɹəˈvɔk.ə.tɪv/
note: Indic, without stress shift from provocate
ipa: /prŏ.vɒ.keʈ.ɪv/
note: Indic, without stress shift from provocate
ipa: /-vo-/
Forms: form: provocatives
Etymology: Borrowed from Middle French provocatif, and its source, Late Latin provocativus, from Latin provocare.
Senses: examples: text: She used by way of Provocative, to read the wanton Verses of her Paramour in the day time [...].
ref: 1723, Charles Walker, Memoirs of the Life of Sally Salisbury:
text: [A]nd that one great and all-important occasion and provocative of these beliefs was actually the rise of self-consciousness — that is, the coming of the mind to a more or less distinct awareness of itself and of its own operation, and the consequent development and growth of Individualism, and of the Self-centred attitude in human thought and action.
ref: 1920, Edward Carpenter, Pagan and Christian Creeds, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., page 165:
text: In Turkey, Iran, and Syria salep is popular as a restorative and also as a provocative to amatory activity.
ref: 1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 213:
glosses: Something that provokes an appetite, especially a sexual appetite; an aphrodisiac.
prurient
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈpɹʊəɹ.i.ənt/
ipa: /ˈpɹʊɹ.i.ənt/
Forms: form: more prurient
form: most prurient
Etymology: Learned borrowing from Latin prūriēns, present participle of prūriō (“itch”).
Senses: examples: text: We know that at that period certain indecencies in the dresses, even of those who were considered as the most refined and polished men of the age, were not only tolerated but ostentatiously displayed, and every sort of device that the most prurient mind could think of was had recourse to, to attract attention or excite a smile.
ref: 1823, “The London Literary Gazette and Journal of Belles Lettres, Arts, Sciences, Etc”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), page 781:
text: For example, some of the more prudish senders may have averted their attention from the sexual pictures while other more prurient viewers may have intensified their gaze.
ref: 1995, Brian Parkinson, Ideas and Realities of Emotion, page 124:
text: It must be removed at once, lest it disturb the young and arouse in adults the most prurient thoughts.
ref: 2010 [2008], Stephen Sartarelli, Love and the Erotic in Art, US: John Paul Getty Trust, translation of Amore ed erotismo by Stefano Zuffi, page 7:
glosses: Uneasy with desire; itching; especially, having a lascivious anxiety or propensity; lustful.
examples: text: […]nor is it more prurient or lascivious than many productions to be found in a circulating library.
ref: 1825, The Literary Chronicle for the Year 1825, London, page 156:
text: But in contemporary consumerist societies, when the kids are safely in bed, television programs allow viewers to indulge their more prurient interests.
ref: 2008, Marcel Danesi, Popular Culture: Introductory Perspectives, page 204:
glosses: Arousing or appealing to sexual desire.
examples: text: Had she known that prurient anecdotes, breaches of confidence, scandalous facts, and cruel observations, were intended to constitute the matter and to enhance the price, her very heart would have broken under the affliction such a disgraceful proceeding exhibited,...
ref: 1842, [anonymous collaborator of Letitia Elizabeth Landon], “(please specify the page)”, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, pages 303–304:
text: Much of my discussion in the previous two chapters has focused on the dichotomy in Alemán's novel between the author's stated interest in moral didacticism and the more prurient appeal of the novel's representations of material privation and violent spectacle.
ref: 2005, Donald Gilbert-Santamaría, Writers on the Market: Consuming Literature in Early Seventeenth-century Spain, page 130:
glosses: Curious, especially inappropriately so.
Synonyms: sense: uneasy with desire
word: lustful
sense: sexually arousing or appealing
word: titillating
Derived terms: prurience
pruriency
prurient interest
pruriently
Related terms: prurition
pruritus
pry
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /pɹaɪ/
rhymes: -aɪ
Forms: form: pries
Etymology: The verb is inherited from Middle English prien, pryen (“to look closely, peer into, pry, spy”) [and other forms], from Old English *prīwan, *prēowian (“to look narrowly, to squint at”), attested by Old English beprīwan, beprēwan (“to wink”); further etymology unknown, but probably akin to Old English *prēowot (“closing of the eyes”), attested only in combination – compare prēowthwīl (“blink or twinkling of an eye, moment”), princ (“a wink”): see prink.
The noun is derived from the verb.
Senses: examples: text: With those beauties, scarce discern'd, / Kept with such sweet privacy, / That they seldom meet the eye / Of the little loves that fly / Round about with eager pry.
ref: 1817 March 3, John Keats, “[Poems.] To ****”, in Poems, London: […] [Charles Richards] for C[harles] & J[ames] Ollier, […], →OCLC; reprinted in Poems (The Noel Douglas Replicas), London: Noel Douglas, 1927, →OCLC, stanza 1, page 37:
synonyms: prying
glosses: An act of prying; a close and curious look.
synonyms: word: Paul Pry
glosses: A person who is very inquisitive or nosy; a busybody, a nosey parker.
Related terms: english: predates sense 2
translation: predates sense 2
word: Paul Pry
pry
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /pɹaɪ/
rhymes: -aɪ
Forms: form: pries
Etymology: The noun is probably a back-formation from prise, prize (“tool for levering, lever”), construed as the plural of pry.
The verb is either derived from the noun, or is a back-formation from prise (“to force open with a lever”), construed as pries, the third-person singular present form of pry.
Senses: synonyms: word: prise
word: prize
word: prybar
word: pry bar
glosses: A tool for levering; a crowbar, a lever.
pry
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /pɹaɪ/
rhymes: -aɪ
Forms: form: pries
form: prying
form: pried
form: pried
Etymology: The noun is probably a back-formation from prise, prize (“tool for levering, lever”), construed as the plural of pry.
The verb is either derived from the noun, or is a back-formation from prise (“to force open with a lever”), construed as pries, the third-person singular present form of pry.
Senses: examples: text: "Oh! he's going home to Down East," said another; "so far eastward, you know, shippy, that they have to pry up the sun with a handspike."
ref: 1850, Herman Melville, “A Dish of Dunderfunk”, in White-Jacket; or, The World in a Man-of-War, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, publishers; London: Richard Bentley, published 1855, →OCLC, page 158:
glosses: To use leverage to open, raise, or widen (something); to prise or prize.
synonyms: quarry
wring
glosses: Usually followed by out (of): to draw out or get (information, etc.) with effort.
Derived terms: prybar
pry bar
psalm
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /sɑːm/
ipa: /sɑm/
ipa: /sɑlm/
ipa: /sɔm/
ipa: /sɔlm/
ipa: /sæm/
rhymes: -ɑːm
rhymes: -ɑːlm
rhymes: -ɔːlm
Forms: form: psalms
Etymology: From Middle English salm or psalme, from Old English psealm, later reinforced from Old French psalme (modern French psaume), both from Latin psalmus, from Ancient Greek ψαλμός (psalmós, “the sound emanating from twitching or twanging perhaps with the hands or fingers, mostly of musical strings”) (from ψάλλω (psállō, “to make a sound by striking, touching, plucking, rubbing, twanging, or vibrating”)), but later in New Testament times the meaning of ψαλμός (psalmós) evolved from its Classical meaning of "a tune played to the harp" to a more general tune that could be played with any instrument; even a song sung with or without musical accompaniment. By the Byzantine Period, it lost all of its instrumental nuances.
Senses: topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
religion
glosses: A sacred song; a poetical composition for use in the praise or worship of God.
glosses: One of the hymns by David and others, collected into one book of the Old Testament, or a modern metrical version of such a hymn for public worship.
Derived terms: word: psalmist
word: psalmodic
word: psalmody
word: Psalms
raw_tags: of the book of the Bible in which the psalms are collected
word: psalm-smiter
Related terms: psalter
psalm
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /sɑːm/
ipa: /sɑm/
ipa: /sɑlm/
ipa: /sɔm/
ipa: /sɔlm/
ipa: /sæm/
rhymes: -ɑːm
rhymes: -ɑːlm
rhymes: -ɔːlm
Forms: form: psalms
form: psalming
form: psalmed
form: psalmed
Etymology: From Middle English salm or psalme, from Old English psealm, later reinforced from Old French psalme (modern French psaume), both from Latin psalmus, from Ancient Greek ψαλμός (psalmós, “the sound emanating from twitching or twanging perhaps with the hands or fingers, mostly of musical strings”) (from ψάλλω (psállō, “to make a sound by striking, touching, plucking, rubbing, twanging, or vibrating”)), but later in New Testament times the meaning of ψαλμός (psalmós) evolved from its Classical meaning of "a tune played to the harp" to a more general tune that could be played with any instrument; even a song sung with or without musical accompaniment. By the Byzantine Period, it lost all of its instrumental nuances.
Senses: examples: text: to psalm his praises.
text: I psalmed like a Moslem high in his mosque. And like a Greek priest, I sang the divine liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.
ref: 2012, George D. Manjounes, Good Morning, Morning Glory:
glosses: To extol in psalms; to make music; to sing
punk
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /pʌŋk/
rhymes: -ʌŋk
Forms: form: punker
form: punkest
Etymology: Uncertain. Possibly from punk (“rotten wood dust used as tinder”), attested since 1678, to anything worthless (attested since 1869) and then to any undesirable person (since 1908). The relatively tame 21st century usage of punk (“prank”, verb) was popularized by the American television show Punk'd (2003).
Senses: examples: text: Babbitt boomed on: "Pretty punk service the Company giving us on these car-lines. Nonsense to only run the Portland Road cars once every seven minutes. Fellow gets mighty cold on a winter morning, waiting on a street corner with the wind nipping at his ankles."
ref: 1922, Sinclair Lewis, “3”, in Babbitt, page 30:
glosses: Worthless, contemptible, particularly
Bad, substandard.
glosses: Worthless, contemptible, particularly
Thuggish, criminal.
examples: text: ... Donald Trump is also a coward. For all of his tough talk and bluster, the president of the United States is a punk ass bitch.
ref: 2018, Damon Jones, “Just Remember That Your Punk-Ass President Would Never, Ever, Ever Call LeBron James Dumb to His Face”, in The Root, archived from the original on 04 Aug 2018:
glosses: Worthless, contemptible, particularly
Cowardly.
qualifier: chiefly African-American Vernacular
examples: text: With the subtleties of dressing ran other complex worries. "I feel kind of punk this morning," he said. "I think I had too much dinner last evening. You oughtn't to serve those heavy banana fritters."
ref: 1922, Sinclair Lewis, “1”, in Babbitt, page 10:
glosses: Worthless, contemptible, particularly
Poorly, sickly.
glosses: Worthless, contemptible, particularly
Inexperienced.
examples: text: You look very punk with your t-shirt, piercing, and chains.
text: BrewDog, the craft beer company that prides itself on a “punk” ethos, has been accused of acting like “just another multinational corporate machine” after forcing a family-run pub to change its name or face legal action.
ref: 2017 March 26, Rob Davies, “BrewDog accused of hypocrisy after forcing pub to change name”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
glosses: Of or concerning punk rock or its associated subculture.
punk
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /pʌŋk/
rhymes: -ʌŋk
Forms: form: punks
Etymology: Unclear; first attested circa 1680 in writings about Native American practices, probably from Unami punkw (“dust”), though it has also been suggested it could be an alteration of spunk (“tinder”) (compare funk (“rotten wood”)).
Senses: examples: text: As the East-Indians use Moxa, so these burn with Punk, which is the inward Part of the Excrescence or Exuberance of an Oak.
ref: 1707, John Clayton (botanist), Virginia in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London XLI, page 149
text: If they attack a house that is pretty well manned, they [Indians in Pennsylvania] creep behind some fence, or hedge, or tree, and shoot red-hot iron slugs, or punk, into the roof, and fire the house […]
ref: 1756, John Bartram, edited by William Darlington, Memorials of John Bartram and Humphry Marshall, published 1849:
text: On one occasion a venerable old Indian man, who, in order to light his pipe, was trying to catch a spark upon a piece of punk struck from his flint and steel; ...
ref: 1899, H. B. Cushman, History of the Choctaw, Chickasaw and Natchez Indians, page 271:
text: The oil is mixed with bits of dry wood or punk and moulded into sticks about a cubit long and an inch in diameter by putting it into joints of small bamboo.
ref: 1922, Harry Ignatius Marshall, The Karen People of Burma, page 61:
text: He made him a little smoldering pocket of punk to light the fuses and waited.
ref: 2001, William W. Johnstone, War of the Mountain Man, page 116:
glosses: Any material used as tinder for lighting fires, such as agaric, dried wood, or touchwood, but especially wood altered by certain fungi.
examples: text: On the end a coal of fire slowly smouldered. It would last for hours, and my cell-mate called it a "punk."
ref: 1907, Jack London, The Road:
text: Then, without another word, he rose and left the shelter, apparently in order to light the vessel's wick with a punk from the dying campfire.
ref: 1994, Ashland Price, Viking Tempest, page 353:
text: He raised the cylinder high in the air with his bare hand, used a punk to light the fuse, and KABOOM!
ref: 2004, Shawn Shiflett, Hidden Place, page 221:
glosses: A utensil for lighting wicks or fuses (such as those of fireworks) resembling stick incense.
purlieu
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈpɜːljuː/
ipa: /ˈpɝl(j)u/
Forms: form: purlieus
form: purlieux
Etymology: From Middle English purlewe (“piece of land on the edge of a forest”), modification under the influence of Old French lieu (“place”) of porale, purale (“royal perambulation”), from Old French porale, from poraler (“to traverse”), from por- (“forth”) (from Latin prō- + aler, aller (“to go”).
Senses: glosses: The ground on the edges of a forest, especially when partly subject to the same forest laws concerning game hunting etc.
examples: text: Whether Lady Anne knew or suspected who it was that drew his steps from the purlieus of fashion he knew not, nor held himself bound to explain.
ref: 1842, [anonymous collaborator of Letitia Elizabeth Landon], chapter XXIX, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 76:
text: Bred up, like a bailiff or a shabby attorney, about the purlieus of the Inns of Court, Shepherd’s Inn is always to be found in the close neighbourhood of Lincoln’s-Inn Fields, and the Temple.
ref: 1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 43, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLC:
text: He seemed to wish to keep hold of him, and looked at him strangely, over his spectacles... when he learned that Hyacinth had taken a lodging not in their old familiar quarter but in the unexplored purlieus of Westminster.
ref: 1886, Henry James, The Princess Casamassima, London: Macmillan and Co.:
text: Wide blank courtyards surround the walls of this marvel, a little town hangs respectfully about its purlieus, and from far away across the plain, even from the streets of Madrid herself, you can see it brooding there on the edge of the mountains, looking at once holy, menacing and obsessed.
ref: 1964, Jan Morris, Spain, Faber and Faber, published 2008, →ISBN:
text: The mission occupied eight or ten ares of land, a barren purlieu that held a few goats and burros.
ref: 1985, Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian […] , →OCLC:
text: I wanted a beer, but coffee was undeniably easier to be had in the purlieus of the University, so we went into a cafe.
ref: 1995, Michael Chabon, Wonder Boys, Ch.1, at p.24
glosses: The outskirts of any place; an adjacent district; the environs or neighborhood; milieu.
purposeful
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈpɜː.pəs.fəl/
ipa: /ˈpɝ.pəs.fəl/
Forms: form: more purposeful
form: most purposeful
Etymology: From purpose + -ful.
Senses: glosses: Having purpose; intentional.
examples: text: An utterly emphatic 5-0 victory was ultimately capped by two wonder strikes in the last two minutes from Aston Villa midfielder Gary Gardner. Before that, England had utterly dominated to take another purposeful stride towards the 2013 European Championship in Israel. They have already established a five-point buffer at the top of Group Eight.
ref: 2011 November 10, Jeremy Wilson, “England Under 21 5 Iceland Under 21 0: match report”, in Telegraph:
glosses: Having a purpose in mind; resolute; determined.
Synonyms: sense: intentional
word: deliberate
word: intentional
word: purposive
sense: resolute
word: determined
sense: resolute
word: focused
sense: resolute
word: resolute
Derived terms: purposeful availment
purposefully
purposefulness
Related terms: purposive
nose to the grindstone
racy
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɹeɪsi/
rhymes: -eɪsi
Forms: form: racier
form: raciest
Etymology: From race (“having a characteristic taste (of wines, fruits, etc.)”) + -y.
Senses: examples: text: She wore a racy dress that was just barely appropriate for the occasion.
text: a racy story
glosses: Mildly risqué.
examples: text: a racy wine
synonyms: fresh
rich
glosses: Having a strong flavor indicating origin; of distinct characteristic taste; tasting of the soil.
glosses: Exciting to the mind by a strong or distinctive character of thought or language; peculiar and piquant; fresh and lively.
examples: text: These are some common descriptions of badly constructed tests: Tests that sometimes run, sometimes fail (often this is caused by the use of threads, or racy code that relies on specific timing, by reliance on external dependencies, the order of tests being run in the test suite, or on shared state)
ref: 2014, Pete Goodliffe, Becoming a Better Programmer: A Handbook for People Who Care About Code:
text: We evaluate the automatic fence insertion procedure by running our tool on a number of different benchmarks containing racy code.
ref: 2016, Elvira Albert, Ivan Lanese, Formal Techniques for Distributed Objects, Components, and Systems:
topics: computing
engineering
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
programming
sciences
glosses: Involving a data race or a race condition.
Derived terms: racily
raciness
racy of one's soil
racy of the soil
rag
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ɹæɡ/
rhymes: -æɡ
Forms: form: rags
form: ragging
form: ragged
form: ragged
Etymology: From Middle English ragge, from Old English ragg (suggested by derivative raggiġ (“shaggy; bristly; ragged”)), from Old Norse rǫgg (“tuft; shagginess”), from Proto-Germanic *rawwa-, probably related to *rūhaz. Cognate with Swedish ragg. Related to rug.
Senses: glosses: To decorate (a wall, etc.) by applying paint with a rag.
glosses: To become tattered.
glosses: To menstruate.
Derived terms: rag off
rag out
rag
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ɹæɡ/
rhymes: -æɡ
Forms: form: rags
Etymology: Unknown origin; perhaps the same word as Etymology 1, above.
Senses: examples: text: the three walls around the garden, each one of thirty-three feet, were built out of three layers of stone — pebble stone, flint and rag stone.
ref: 2003, Peter Ackroyd, The Clerkenwell Tales, page 1:
glosses: A coarse kind of rock, somewhat cellular in texture; ragstone.
Derived terms: coral rag
Kentish rag
ragwork
Rowley rag
rag
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ɹæɡ/
rhymes: -æɡ
Forms: form: rags
form: ragging
form: ragged
form: ragged
Etymology: Unknown origin; perhaps the same word as Etymology 1, above.
Senses: hypernyms: dress
glosses: To break (ore) into lumps for sorting.
examples: Near-synonym: rough
hypernyms: dress
glosses: To cut or dress roughly, as a grindstone.
rag
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ɹæɡ/
rhymes: -æɡ
Forms: form: rags
form: ragging
form: ragged
form: ragged
Etymology: Uncertain. Ideas about the scolding and tormenting senses being related to on the rag are only speculative.
Senses: glosses: To scold or tell off; to torment; to banter.
synonyms: beat#Verb
thrash#Verb
hypernyms: ride hard and put away wet
glosses: To drive a car or another vehicle in a hard, fast or unsympathetic manner.
glosses: To tease or torment, especially at a university; to bully, to haze.
Derived terms: bullirag
rag the puck
rag on
rag
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ɹæɡ/
rhymes: -æɡ
Forms: form: rags
Etymology: Uncertain. Ideas about the scolding and tormenting senses being related to on the rag are only speculative.
Senses: examples: text: The rascal winked and grinned. 'There are always and means,' said he. 'But don't blame your foreman. He thought it was just a rag. I swapped clothes with his assistant, and in I came.'
ref: 1929, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, When the World Screamed:
glosses: A prank or practical joke.
glosses: A society run by university students for the purpose of charitable fundraising.
Derived terms: rag day
rag week
rag
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ɹæɡ/
rhymes: -æɡ
Forms: form: rags
Etymology: Perhaps from ragged. Compare later ragtime.
Senses: glosses: An informal dance party featuring music played by African-American string bands.
glosses: A ragtime song, dance or piece of music.
rag
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ɹæɡ/
rhymes: -æɡ
Forms: form: rags
form: ragging
form: ragged
form: ragged
Etymology: Perhaps from ragged. Compare later ragtime.
Senses: examples: text: Now let's rag it. We'll keep the notes more or less the same but make the rhythm more fun.
ref: 2020, Ned Bennett, How To Play Jazz Saxophone, page 9:
glosses: To play or compose (a piece, melody, etc.) in syncopated time.
glosses: To dance to ragtime music.
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: To add syncopation (to a tune) and thereby make it appropriate for a ragtime song.
raid
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ɹeɪd/
rhymes: -eɪd
Forms: form: raids
form: raiding
form: raided
form: raided
form: rade
Etymology: From Scots raid, from Northern Middle English rade, from Old English rād (“a riding, an expedition on horseback, road”), whence also the inherited English road (“way, street”). The earlier senses of “a riding, expedition, raid” fell into disuse in Early Modern English, but were revived in the northern form raid by Walter Scott in the early 19th century. The use for a swift police operation appears in the later 19th century and may perhaps have been influenced by French razzia (similar in both original meaning and sound).
Senses: examples: text: The police raided the gambling den.
text: The soldiers raided the village and burned it down.
text: A group of mobsters raided an art museum and stole a bunch of paintings.
text: Someone has been banned from Discord for raiding a server.
glosses: To engage in a raid against.
glosses: To lure from another; to entice away from.
examples: text: I raided the fridge for snacks.
glosses: To indulge oneself by taking from.
Derived terms: caught raiding the cookie jar
raider
ramraid
raider
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɹeɪdɚ/
rhymes: -eɪdə(ɹ)
Forms: form: raiders
Etymology: From raid + -er.
Senses: glosses: One who engages in a raid; a plunderer.
topics: business
glosses: A person who takes or attempts to take control of a firm against the will of current management by purchasing a controlling interest of stock and acquiring proxies.
topics: government
military
politics
war
glosses: A special forces operative; a commando.
topics: government
military
naval
navy
politics
war
glosses: A warship which is light, maneuverable, and fast-moving.
examples: text: It was attacked by an evening raider while pulling a passenger train in a south-east coast area.
ref: 1943 March and April, “Notes and News: Southern Locomotive Destroys Raider”, in Railway Magazine, page 119:
glosses: A warplane on an air raid.
glosses: A law enforcement official who conducts a raid on a building in search for illicit goods.
glosses: A person who uncovers evidence of improper behavior within governmental or private organizations.
Synonyms: sense: plunderer
word: buccaneer
word: corsair
word: freebooter
word: pirate
sense: person who uncovers evidence of improper behavior
word: muckraker
sense: person who uncovers evidence of improper behavior
word: activist
Derived terms: commerce raider
corporate raider
Nader's raider
ram-raider
ram raider
Remington raider
Zoom raider
rainy
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɹeɪni/
rhymes: -eɪni
Forms: form: rainier
form: rainiest
Etymology: From Middle English reyny, from Old English reġniġ, from Proto-West Germanic *regnag, from Proto-Germanic *regnagaz (“rainy”), equivalent to rain + -y. Cognate with Saterland Frisian rienig (“rainy”), West Frisian reinich (“rainy”), Dutch regenig (“rainy”), German regnig (“rainy”), Swedish regnig (“rainy”).
Senses: examples: text: Due to the rainy weather, we decided not to play in the park.
text: It's a very rainy day, so let's stay indoors.
text: This is itself a cheerless spot, particularly on a rainy day, when, overshadowed by the great massif of rock that towers in the background, and surrounded by the grey and cheerless quarries, it has a depressing character much in contrast with the green verdure encountered on the northern end of this interesting branch line.
ref: 1954 August, H. M. Madgwick, “The Blaenau Festiniog Tunnel”, in Railway Magazine, page 569:
glosses: Pouring with rain; wet; showery
Derived terms: rainily
raininess
rainy day
Rainy Lake
Rainy River
rainy season
rally
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɹæli/
rhymes: -æli
Forms: form: rallies
Etymology: From Middle French rallier (French rallier), from Old French ralier, from Latin prefix re- + ad + ligare (“to bind; to ally”).
Senses: examples: text: a campaign rally
text: an election rally
glosses: A public gathering or mass meeting that is not mainly a protest and is organized to inspire enthusiasm for a cause.
examples: text: a political rally
text: The EDL said Saturday’s rally was aimed at highlighting what it describes as a “continued increase in Islamic terrorism” linked to Birmingham.
ref: 2017 April 8, Nicola Slawson, “Birmingham mosque counters EDL rally with ‘best of British’ tea party”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 06 Jul 2019:
text: Mortenson, who asked to use a pseudonym for this story, says she has been attending rallies and vigils in her home state to regain her optimism, but she’s finding it tough.
ref: 2025 March 3, Nico Lang, ““Simply Trying to Exist”: How Trans Americans Are Navigating the Confusion and Chaos of Trump’s Passport Policy”, in Them, archived from the original on 13 Mar 2025:
glosses: A protest or demonstration for or against something, but often with speeches and often without marching, especially in North America.
topics: ball-games
games
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
squash
tennis
qualifier: table tennis; badminton; table tennis; badminton
glosses: A sequence of strokes between serving and scoring a point.
topics: hobbies
lifestyle
motor-racing
racing
sports
glosses: An event in which competitors drive through a series of timed special stages at intervals. The winner is the driver who completes all stages with the shortest cumulative time.
topics: business
finance
trading
synonyms: recovery moment
glosses: A recovery after a decline in prices (said of the market, stocks, etc.)
Derived terms: counterrally
pep rally
rally cap
rally English
rally
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɹæli/
rhymes: -æli
Forms: form: rallies
form: rallying
form: rallied
form: rallied
Etymology: From Middle French rallier (French rallier), from Old French ralier, from Latin prefix re- + ad + ligare (“to bind; to ally”).
Senses: synonyms: muster
glosses: To collect, and reduce to order, as troops dispersed or thrown into confusion; to gather again; to reunite.
examples: text: Innumerable parts of matter chanced just then to rally together, and to form themselves into this new world.
ref: 1664, John Tillotson, “Sermon I. The Wisdom of Being Religious. Job XXVIII. 28.”, in The Works of the Most Reverend Dr. John Tillotson, Late Lord Archbishop of Canterbury: […], London: […] B. Aylmer, […]; [a]nd W. Rogers, […], published 1696, →OCLC:
text: The Grecians rally, and their powers unite.
ref: 1697, Virgil, “(please specify the book number)”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
text: The USA were dominant but, to England’s immense credit, they repeatedly rallied, refusing to fold. Indeed they could conceivably have gone in level at the interval had Naeher not made an acrobatic, stretching, fingertip save to divert Walsh’s 25-yard thunderbolt as it whizzed unerringly on its apparently inexorable trajectory towards the top corner.
ref: 2019 July 2, Louise Taylor, “Alex Morgan heads USA past England into Women’s World Cup final”, in The Guardian:
synonyms: unite
glosses: To come into orderly arrangement; to renew order, or united effort, as troops scattered or put to flight; to assemble.
examples: text: Norbourne was almost thankful for any excuse that enabled him to avoid seeing Lady Marchmont. In vain he sought to rally his spirits, and to conceal his depression; but the idea of Ethel mocked his efforts to forget.
ref: 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, pages 40–41:
synonyms: recuperate
glosses: To collect one's vital powers or forces; to regain health or consciousness.
examples: text: Bitcoin has still plunged in value by almost two-thirds this year, it should be said. But it has also rallied by about 10% since the downwards lurch when FTX filed for bankruptcy in mid-November, which is extraordinary.
ref: 2022 December 14, Nils Pratley, “Bitcoin has rallied. What are crypto’s true believers still smoking?”, in The Guardian:
topics: business
finance
trading
synonyms: bounce back
rebound
antonyms: decline
qualifier: stocks etc.
glosses: To recover strength after a decline in prices.
raw_tags: of the market
Derived terms: boot and rally
rally around
rally around the flag
rally behind
rallying point
rally round
rally round the flag
rally
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɹæli/
rhymes: -æli
Forms: form: rallies
form: rallying
form: rallied
form: rallied
Etymology: From French railler. See rail (“to scoff”).
Senses: examples: text: But you must not rally him on the subject Sir Oliver—'tis a tender Point I assure you though He has been married only seven months.
ref: 1777, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The School for Scandal, II.iii:
text: Honeycomb […] rallies me after his way upon my country life.
ref: 1711 August 11 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison; Richard Steele et al.], “TUESDAY, July 31, 1711”, in The Spectator, number 132; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume II, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC:
text: Strephon had long confeſs'd his am'rous Pain, / VVhich gay Corinna railly'd vvith Diſdain: […]
ref: 1713 (indicated as 1714), [John] Gay, “Book I”, in The Fan. A Poem. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 5:
text: So the athletic Magnolia instantly impounded the little Lieutenant, and began to rally him, in the sort of slang she delighted in, with plenty of merriment and malice upon his tendre for Miss Chattesworth, and made the gallant young gentleman blush and occasionally smile, and bow a great deal, and take some snuff.
ref: 1863, J[oseph] Sheridan Le Fanu, “In Which the Sun Sets, and the Merry-making is Kept Up by Candle-light in the King’s House, and Lily Receives a Warning Which She Does Not Comprehend”, in The House by the Church-yard. […], volume I, London: Tinsley, Brothers, […], →OCLC, page 246:
glosses: To tease; to chaff good-humouredly.
rally
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɹæli/
rhymes: -æli
Etymology: From French railler. See rail (“to scoff”).
Senses: glosses: Good-humoured raillery.
rapper
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɹæpɚ/
homophone: wrapper
rhymes: -æpə(ɹ)
Forms: form: rappers
form: rappuh
Etymology: From rap + -er.
Senses: glosses: One who, or that which, raps or knocks.
The knocker of a door.
topics: business
mining
glosses: One who, or that which, raps or knocks.
A swinging knocker for making signals at the mouth of a shaft.
glosses: One who, or that which, raps or knocks.
A spiritualistic medium who claims to receive communications from spirits in the form of knocking sounds.
examples: text: He rose from the ghetto to become a successful rapper.
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: A performer of rap music, or someone who raps in any form of music.
glosses: A sword.
glosses: A flexible strip of metal, 45-60cm long, with handles at each end, used for Northumbrian rapper sword dancing.
glosses: A mechanical, or later electric, signalling device formerly used in the mines of north-eastern England to signal to the engineman that the cages carrying men or coals up and down the shaft were ready to be raised or lowered.
glosses: A bold lie; a whopper.
glosses: A loud oath.
Derived terms: backpack rapper
back-rapper
battle rapper
crapper
rapper sword