cstr/en-wiktionary-extracted-all huggingface dataset:
cicisbeo
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˌtʃɪtʃɪzˈbeɪəʊ/
ipa: /ˌt͡ʃit͡ʃəzˈbeɪoʊ/
rhymes: -eɪəʊ
Forms: form: cicisbeos
form: cicisbei
form: cicisbee
form: sigisbeo
Etymology: Borrowed from Italian cicisbeo, of onomatopoeic origin.
Senses: examples: text: My old Cicisbee says it would do: & he is (or was poor fellow!) a famous Scholar.
ref: 1784 December 7, Hester Thrale Piozzi, Thraliana:
text: The office of Cicisbeo is however an intolerably expensive one; especially to our countrymen.
ref: 1792, Thomas Holcroft, Anna St. Ives, volume II, 19:
text: Of course a cicisbeo is a normal enough figure in Alexandrian life, but things are going to become socially very boring for you if you go out with those two so much.
ref: 1957, Lawrence Durrell, Justine:
text: He accuses the women of having cicisbei, the girls of having lovers.
ref: 1962, WH Auden; Elizabeth Mayer, translating JW Goethe, Italian Journey, Penguin, published 1970, page 452:
glosses: A man who escorts a married woman to social functions, especially in 18th-century Italy; a married woman's lover.
Derived terms: cicisbeism
Related terms: cicisbea
polder
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈpəʊldə/
ipa: /ˈpɒldə/
rhymes: -əʊldə(ɹ)
Forms: form: polders
Etymology: Borrowed from Dutch polder, from Middle Dutch polre, from Old Dutch polra, of uncertain origin.
Senses: examples: text: The patron saint of the Oude Kerk, Saint Nicolaas, the ‘water saint’, was also very popular, as he protected the sailors and those living on the polders from the dangers of the sea.
ref: 1999, Geert Mak, translated by Philipp Blom, Amsterdam: A Brief Life of the City, Vintage, published 2001, page 43:
topics: geography
natural-sciences
glosses: An area of ground reclaimed from a sea or lake by means of dikes.
Derived terms: empolder
polderize
Related terms: dry lake
floodplain
polder
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈpəʊldə/
ipa: /ˈpɒldə/
rhymes: -əʊldə(ɹ)
Forms: form: polders
form: poldering
form: poldered
form: poldered
Etymology: Borrowed from Dutch polder, from Middle Dutch polre, from Old Dutch polra, of uncertain origin.
Senses: glosses: To reclaim an area of ground from a sea or lake by means of dikes.
Related terms: polder model
bwana
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈbwɑːnə/
rhymes: -ɑːnə
Forms: form: bwanas
Etymology: Borrowed from Swahili bwana (“master”), from Arabic أَبُونَا (ʔabūnā, “our father”). Doublet of abbot.
Senses: examples: text: It is Jim C.’s custom always to say “Up Simba” in a fake-deep bwana voice as he hefts the camera to his right shoulder […]
ref: 2005, David Foster Wallace, Consider the Lobster and Other Essays, New York: Little, Brown and Company, →ISBN, page 208:
glosses: Big boss, important person.
burro
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈbʊɹoʊ/
ipa: /ˈbɝoʊ/
rhymes: -ʊɹoʊ
rhymes: -ɜːɹoʊ
homophone: borough stripped-by-parse_pron_post_template_fn
Forms: form: burros
Etymology: Borrowed from Spanish burro.
Senses: glosses: A small donkey, especially when used as a pack animal or one that is feral and lives in the southwestern United States or northern Mexico.
Derived terms: burrobrush
burroweed
Related terms: ass
donkey
hinny
mule
cadastre
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: rhymes: -æstə(ɹ)
ipa: /kəˈdæstəɹ/
Forms: form: cadastres
form: cadaster
Etymology: Borrowed from French cadastre.
Senses: examples: text: As page 1 of the accompanying text helpfully explains, "ichnographic plans are particularly well suited for cadastres" but reveal nothing of the ups and downs and tops of things.
ref: 1992 December 20, Tom Ferrell, “Rome With a View”, in The New York Times:
topics: cartography
geography
natural-sciences
synonyms: cadastral survey
glosses: A public survey of land, originally for the purpose of taxation and to create an official register of land ownership.
examples: text: The only parts of Greece that have had a land registry and cadastre are the Dodecanese Islands, because they were occupied by the Italians from 1912 to the end of World War II. Land use on the islands, which include Rhodes and Kos, is still guided by Italian law.
ref: 2013 May 26, Suzanne Daley, “Who Owns This Land? In Greece, Who Knows?”, in The New York Times:
glosses: A register of such surveys, showing details of ownership and value.
Related terms: cadastral
cadastrally
cadi
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈkɑːdi/
rhymes: -ɑːdi
Forms: form: cadis
Senses: examples: text: […] look at these Christians closely, and you will abhor them. They are the worshippers of gold, not the followers of Alla. The poorest Mussulman has more hospitality than their Cadi; more charity than their Imans; more honesty than their Viziers.
ref: 1819, Henry Tudor Farmer, Imagination; the Maniac's Dream: And Other Poems, page 157:
text: The pretended cadi, directing his discourse to the feigned Ali Cogia, asked him what he had to lay to the merchant's charge.
ref: 1874, Arabian nights, James Mason, “The Story of Ali Cogia, A Merchant of Bagdad”, in The Arabian nights' entertainments, revised and annotated by J. Mason, page 681:
text: The cadi is to give licenses for marriages, and the imam will perform the marriage ceremony accordingly.
ref: 1882, Dopy of a Despatch Dated March 10th, 1882 from the Secretary of State for the Colonies to the High Commissioner of Cyprus, page 38:
glosses: Alternative form of qadi.
cadre
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈkɑː.də/
ipa: /ˈkɑː.dɹə/
ipa: /ˈkɑ.dɹeɪ/
ipa: /ˈkæd.ɹeɪ/
ipa: /ˈkɑ.dɹə/
ipa: /ˈkæd.ɹi/
ipa: /ˈkɑ.dɹi/
ipa: /ˈkɑ.dɚ/
Forms: form: cadres
Etymology: Borrowed from French cadre, from Italian quadro (“framed painting, square”), from Latin quadrum, from quattuor (“four”).
Senses: examples: text: […] He took away the frame itself, as well as the notice.
Mr. MacCulloch. I recollect Mr. Dobrée stating that his reason for taking the cadre was, that the notice was pasted, and that he could not unpaste it.
ref: 1848, Parliamentary Papers, volume 27, page 283:
glosses: A frame or framework.
examples: text: From the original plan, thirty-four cadre battalions, with a total of 116 companies, had actually been formed, a total of about 700 officers and another 600 key enlisted men.
ref: 2002, Barry M. Stentiford, chapter 9, in The American Home Guard: the State Militia in the Twentieth Century, →ISBN, page 202:
topics: government
military
politics
war
glosses: The framework or skeleton upon which a new regiment is to be formed; the officers of a regiment forming the staff.
examples: text: In an article concerning Yunnan, it pointed out that the efforts of the Nuchiang Lisu Autonomous Chou’s party committee had resulted in a doubling of minorities cadres since 1965, and that many of these persons had assumed the first and second positions in leadership squads at different levels.
ref: 1976, June Teufel Dreyer, China's Forty Millions: Minority Nationalities and National Integration in the People's Republic of China, Harvard University Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 242:
text: After the war, he was a party cadre and worked as a correspondent for the daily newspaper Zeri i Popullit (The People's Voice).
ref: 1986, Robert Elsie, Dictionary of Albanian Literature, page 101:
text: Finally, the exchange, circulation and education of local cadres constitute another key strategy implemented by the provincial leadership in its efforts to diffuse economic development into the backward inland region.
ref: 1997, Jae Ho Chung, edited by David S.G. Goodman, China's Provinces in Reform: Class, community and political culture, Routledge, page 146:
text: Party cadres must guard against the temptations of power, money and sex.
ref: 2006, “China airbrushes Chen”, in Financial Times:
glosses: The core of a managing group, or a member of such a group.
raw_tags: in communism
glosses: A small group of people specially trained for a particular purpose or profession.
Derived terms: cadreman
cadreship
vox populi
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈvɒks ˈpɒpjuːlaɪ/
Etymology: Borrowed from Latin vox populi (“voice of the people”).
Senses: glosses: voice of the people.
examples: text: “To the extent that the Council passed a local law amending the Charter and the Council represents the people, it may be considered that the vox populi, which secured the initiated legislation, changed its own voice,” Justice Arthur E. Blyn of State Supreme Court wrote in the lower-court decision in 1987.
ref: 2001 February 22, Eric Lipton, “Vox Populi Aside, Power to the City Council”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
topics: government
politics
glosses: The public comment portion of a public meeting.
Synonyms: word: vox pop
word: vox
Related terms: public opinion
opinion poll
VOX
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: glosses: Abbreviation of voice operated recording.
glosses: Alternative spelling of VOx.
Related terms: VOR
VCO2
vox angelica
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: vox angelicas
Etymology: From Latin vox (“voice”) + angelica (“angelic”).
Senses: topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: an organ stop giving a gentle tremolo effect; the voix céleste
capital
Language: English
Part of speech: intj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈkæpɪtəl/
ipa: [ˈkʰæp.ɪ.ɾɫ̩]
homophone: capitol
rhymes: -æpɪtəl
Forms: form: capitall
Etymology: From Middle English capital, borrowed partly from Old French capital and partly from Latin capitālis (“of the head”) (in sense “head of cattle”), from caput (“head”) (English cap) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives). Use in trade and finance originated in Medieval economies when a common but expensive transaction involved trading heads of cattle. The noun is from the adjective.
Compare chattel and kith and kine (“all one’s possessions”), which also use “cow” to mean “property”.
Doublet of cattle and chattel.
Senses: examples: text: That's an amazing idea! Capital!
text: "Capital! And I shall soon get a bonus."
ref: 1918, Fyodor Dostoevsky, translated by Constance Garnett, White Nights, page 83:
glosses: used as an expression of approval, satisfaction, or delight.
Derived terms: anticapital
biocapital
block capital
block capitals
capital account
capital adequacy
capital appreciation bond
capital asset
capital budgeting
capital city
capital control
capital crime
capitaldom
capitaled
capital equipment
capital expenditure
capital expense
capital flight
capital gain
capital gains tax
capital good
capital goods
capital grant
capital-intensive
capital intensive
capital investment
capitalism
capitalistic
capitalitis
capitalize
capital loss
capitally
capital market
capital market line
capital messuage
capital murder
capitalness
capital offence
capital offense
capital punishment
capital share
capital ship
capital stock
capital structure
capital surplus
capital value
capital virtues
capitonym
countercapital
cultural capital
cybercapital
economic capital
erotic capital
financial capital
fixed capital
human capital
in capital letters
intellectual capital
make capital out of
marginal cost of capital
medial capital
National Capital Region
noncapital
personal capital
political capital
provincial capital
real capital
risk capital
sexual capital
share capital
small capital
social capital
state capital
subcapital
subcultural capital
trust capital
venture capital
weighted-average cost of capital
working capital
working capital requirement
world capital
Related terms: capita
capitol
capitulate
capitulation
captain
chapiter
chapter
capital
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈkæpɪtəl/
ipa: [ˈkʰæp.ɪ.ɾɫ̩]
homophone: capitol
rhymes: -æpɪtəl
Forms: form: capitals
form: capitall
Etymology: From Middle English capitale, partly from Old French capital and partly from Late Latin capitellum (“capital or chapiter of a column”), a form of Latin capitulum (“head-like object or structure; chapter”) (whence English capitulum, chapter, and the synonym chapiter (“uppermost part of a column”)), from caput (“head”) + -ulum (diminutive suffix). Doublet of caddie, cadel, cadet, capitellum, and caudillo.
Senses: examples: text: But a great wonder of this chamber, and a marvel to behold, was how the capital of every one of the four-and-twenty pillars was hewn from a single precious stone, carved by the hand of some sculptor of long ago into the living form of a monster: […]
ref: 1922, E[ric] R[ücker] Eddison, The Worm Ouroboros: A Romance, London: Jonathan Cape […], →OCLC, page 3:
topics: architecture
synonyms: chapiter
glosses: The uppermost part of a column.
who knows
Language: English
Part of speech: phrase
Senses: examples: text: It could be one or the other, or both. Who knows?
text: Do you think I'll get married before I turn 30? – Who knows, you might never marry.
glosses: A rhetorical question asked to show that the person asking it neither knows the answer nor knows who might.
examples: text: Who knows? Maybe someday he'll finish writing his book and make lots of money selling it.
text: Since she hasn't studied at all I don't think she'll pass the test, but who knows?
text: Don't touch that – who knows where it's been?
glosses: A rhetorical question asked to express the idea that anything is possible or that anything could happen.
Related terms: fuck knows
God knows
who knew
you never know
go figure
who can tell
who cares
who would have thunk it
we
Language: English
Part of speech: det
Pronunciation: enpr: wē
ipa: /wiː/
ipa: /wi/
homophone: oui
homophone: wee
homophone: Wii (wine–whine merger)
homophone: whee
rhymes: -iː
Etymology: From Middle English we, from Old English wē (“we”), from Proto-West Germanic *wiʀ, from Proto-Germanic *wīz, *wiz (“we”), from Proto-Indo-European *wéy (“we (plural)”). Cognate with Scots wee, we (“we”), North Frisian we (“we”), West Frisian wy (“we”), Low German wi (“we”), Dutch we, wij (“we”), German wir (“we”), Danish, Swedish and Norwegian vi (“we”), Icelandic vér, við (“we”), Avestan 𐬬𐬀𐬉𐬨 (vaēm), Sanskrit वयम् (vayám).
Senses: examples: text: We Canadians like to think of ourselves as different.
text: We the undersigned wish to express our disapproval.
glosses: Designates the speaker(s)/writer(s) as belonging to or constituting the stated category of people.
we
Language: English
Part of speech: pron
Pronunciation: enpr: wē
ipa: /wiː/
ipa: /wi/
homophone: oui
homophone: wee
homophone: Wii (wine–whine merger)
homophone: whee
rhymes: -iː
ipa: /wə/
enpr: wē
ipa: /wiː/
ipa: /wi/
homophone: oui
homophone: wee
homophone: Wii (wine–whine merger)
homophone: whee
rhymes: -iː
Senses: examples: text: He was a propa gadgie, and always bought we drinks after a long shift.
translation: He was a great guy, and always bought us drinks after a long shift.
english: He was a great guy, and always bought us drinks after a long shift.
bold_translation_offsets: 38
40
text: And what have you done for we since? Nowt!
translation: And what have you done for us since? Nothing!
english: And what have you done for us since? Nothing!
bold_translation_offsets: 27
29
glosses: Us.
he
Language: English
Part of speech: det
Pronunciation: enpr: hē
ipa: /ˈhiː/
ipa: [hiː]
ipa: [hɪj]
ipa: [hi(ː)]
ipa: [çi(ː)]
ipa: /(h)i/
ipa: /(h)ɪ/
rhymes: -iː
Forms: form: hee
form: hée
Etymology: From Middle English he, from Old English hē, from Proto-West Germanic *hiʀ, from Proto-Germanic *hiz (“this, this one”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱís (“this”).
Cognate with Scots he (“he”), North Frisian he, hi (“he”), Saterland Frisian hie (“he”), West Frisian hy (“he”), Dutch hij, ie (“he”), German Low German he (“he”), Middle High German her (“he”) Central Franconian hä (“he”), Gothic *𐌷𐌹𐍃 (*his, “this”).
Senses: qualifier: African-American Vernacular
glosses: Synonym of his.
synonyms: word: his
he
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: hē
ipa: /ˈhiː/
ipa: [hiː]
ipa: [hɪj]
ipa: [hi(ː)]
ipa: [çi(ː)]
ipa: /(h)i/
ipa: /(h)ɪ/
rhymes: -iː
Forms: form: hes
form: hee
form: hée
Etymology: From Middle English he, from Old English hē, from Proto-West Germanic *hiʀ, from Proto-Germanic *hiz (“this, this one”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱís (“this”).
Cognate with Scots he (“he”), North Frisian he, hi (“he”), Saterland Frisian hie (“he”), West Frisian hy (“he”), Dutch hij, ie (“he”), German Low German he (“he”), Middle High German her (“he”) Central Franconian hä (“he”), Gothic *𐌷𐌹𐍃 (*his, “this”).
Senses: glosses: The game of tag, or it, in which the player attempting to catch the others is called "he".
glosses: The player who chases and attempts to catch the others in this game.
examples: text: Is your cat a he or a she?
glosses: A male.
he
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: hē
ipa: /ˈhiː/
ipa: [hiː]
ipa: [hɪj]
ipa: [hi(ː)]
ipa: [çi(ː)]
ipa: /(h)i/
ipa: /(h)ɪ/
rhymes: -iː
ipa: /heɪ/
enpr: hē
ipa: /ˈhiː/
ipa: [hiː]
ipa: [hɪj]
ipa: [hi(ː)]
ipa: [çi(ː)]
ipa: /(h)i/
ipa: /(h)ɪ/
rhymes: -iː
Forms: form: hay
form: hei
form: hey
form: hee
form: hée
Etymology: Transliteration of various Semitic letters, such as Phoenician 𐤄 (h), Hebrew ה (h), Classical Syriac ܗ (h, “hē”), and Old South Arabian 𐩠 (h).
Senses: examples: text: The same number in the Hebrew mysteries and Cabalistical accounts was the character of Generation; declared by the Letter He, the fifth in their Alphabet.
ref: 1658, Thomas Browne, The Garden of Cyrus, Folio Society, published 2007, page 210:
text: This Nehama claimed that in his own hand he recognized the consonant “he” of his Hebrew language, and in the letter “vav” his own male soul.
ref: 1988, Milorad Pavić, translated by Christina Pribićević-Zorić, Dictionary of the Khazars, Vintage, published 1989, page 7:
glosses: The name of the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets (Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, Arabic and others).
glosses: The name of the first letter of the Old South Arabian abjad.
he
Language: English
Part of speech: intj
Pronunciation: enpr: hē
ipa: /ˈhiː/
ipa: [hiː]
ipa: [hɪj]
ipa: [hi(ː)]
ipa: [çi(ː)]
ipa: /(h)i/
ipa: /(h)ɪ/
rhymes: -iː
ipa: /heɪ/
Forms: form: hee
form: hée
Senses: examples: text: (more common)
text: If e'er he went into excess, / 'Twas from a somewhat lively thirst; / But he who would his subjects bless, / Odd's fish!—must wet his whistle first; / And so from every cask they got, / Our king did to himself allot / At least a pot. / Sing ho, ho, ho! and he, he, he! / That's the kind of king for me.
ref: 1897, Charles Dudley Warner, Hamilton Wright Mabie, Charles Henry Warner, Lucia Isabella Gilbert Runkle, Library of the World's Best Literature: A-Z, page 1791:
text: "Well, what is your next tale?" said Sumner, a little brusquely. "He, he! he, he! . . . he, he!" chuckled the bottle, "the text tale I'm going to tell you in a very funny one. It will make you laugh. There's a lady in it—he, he!—a very comic affair."
ref: 1921, Norman Davey, The Pilgrim of a Smile, page 247:
synonyms: ha
hehe
glosses: An expression of laughter.
she
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ʃiː/
ipa: /ʃi/
ipa: /ʃə/
rhymes: -iː
homophone: sidhe
homophone: Xi
homophone: shee
Etymology: Inherited from Middle English sche, scho, hyo, ȝho (“she”), whence also Yorkshire dialectal shoo (“she”), Scots she, sho (“she”).
Probably from Old English hēo (whence dialectal English hoo), with an irregular change in stress from hēo to heō /hjoː/, then a development from /hj-/ to /ç/ to /ʃ-/, similar to the derivation of Shetland from Old Norse Hjaltland. In this case, she is from Proto-West Germanic *hiju, from Proto-Germanic *hijō f (“this, this one”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱe-, *ḱey- (“this, here”), and is cognate with Saterland Frisian jo, ju, West Frisian hja, North Frisian jü, Danish hun, Swedish hon; more at he.
A derivation from Old English sēo (“that one”, occasionally “she”) is also possible, though less likely. In that case, sēo would have undergone a change in stress from sēo to seō /sjoː/, then a change from /sj-/ to /ʃ-/, similar to the derivation of sure from Old French seur. It would then be cognate to Dutch zij and German sie.
Neither etymology would be expected to yield the modern vocalism in /iː/ (the expected form would be shoo, which is in fact found dialectally). It may be due to influence from he, but both hēo and sēo also have rare variants (hīe and sīe) that may give modern English /iː/.
Senses: examples: text: If somebody wants to go by “he,” continually “sheing” them [is invalidating].
ref: 2019 April 16, Natalia Deeb-Sossa, Community-Based Participatory Research: Testimonios from Chicana/o Studies, University of Arizona Press, →ISBN, page 193:
text: In his conversation with the woman, Ari would 'he' himself using the masculine pronoun and she would reply by consistently 'she'''ing' him. Such examples share something about the emotional quality of language[…]
ref: 2023 December 7, Laura L. Paterson, The Routledge Handbook of Pronouns, Taylor & Francis, →ISBN:
glosses: To refer to (someone) using she/her pronouns.
she
Language: English
Part of speech: det
Pronunciation: ipa: /ʃiː/
ipa: /ʃi/
ipa: /ʃə/
rhymes: -iː
homophone: sidhe
homophone: Xi
homophone: shee
Etymology: Inherited from Middle English sche, scho, hyo, ȝho (“she”), whence also Yorkshire dialectal shoo (“she”), Scots she, sho (“she”).
Probably from Old English hēo (whence dialectal English hoo), with an irregular change in stress from hēo to heō /hjoː/, then a development from /hj-/ to /ç/ to /ʃ-/, similar to the derivation of Shetland from Old Norse Hjaltland. In this case, she is from Proto-West Germanic *hiju, from Proto-Germanic *hijō f (“this, this one”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱe-, *ḱey- (“this, here”), and is cognate with Saterland Frisian jo, ju, West Frisian hja, North Frisian jü, Danish hun, Swedish hon; more at he.
A derivation from Old English sēo (“that one”, occasionally “she”) is also possible, though less likely. In that case, sēo would have undergone a change in stress from sēo to seō /sjoː/, then a change from /sj-/ to /ʃ-/, similar to the derivation of sure from Old French seur. It would then be cognate to Dutch zij and German sie.
Neither etymology would be expected to yield the modern vocalism in /iː/ (the expected form would be shoo, which is in fact found dialectally). It may be due to influence from he, but both hēo and sēo also have rare variants (hīe and sīe) that may give modern English /iː/.
Senses: qualifier: African-American Vernacular
glosses: Synonym of her.
synonyms: word: her
Related terms: She
shi
Shi
Shih
Shii
sis
they
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: thā
ipa: /ðeɪ/
ipa: /ðə/
rhymes: -eɪ
Forms: form: theys
form: theying
form: theyed
form: theyed
Etymology: Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *tóy
Proto-Germanic *þai
Proto-Norse *ᚦᚨᛁᛉ (*þaiʀ)
Old Norse þeirbor.
Middle English þei
English they
From Middle English þei, borrowed in the 1200s from Old Norse þeir, plural of the demonstrative sá which acted as a plural pronoun. Displaced native Middle English he from Old English hīe — which vowel changes had left indistinct from he (“he”) — by the 1400s, being readily incorporated alongside native words beginning with the same sound (the, that, this). Used as a singular pronoun since 1300, e.g. in the 1325 Cursor Mundi.
The Norse term (whence also Icelandic þeir (“they”), Faroese teir (“they”), Danish de (“they”), Swedish de (“they”), Norwegian Nynorsk dei (“they”)) is from Proto-Germanic *þai (“those”) (from Proto-Indo-European *to- (“that”)), whence also Old English þā (“those”) (whence obsolete English tho), Scots thae, thai, thay (“they; those”).
(American linguist John McWhorter rejects this and suggests that they, them, and their are native English instead, from Old English þā, þām, þāra.)
The origin of the determiner they (“the, those”) is unclear. The OED, English Dialect Dictionary and Middle English Dictionary define it and its Middle English predecessor thei as a demonstrative determiner or adjective meaning “those” or “the”. This could be a continuation of the use of the English pronoun they's Old Norse etymon þeir as a demonstrative meaning “those”, but the OED and EDD say it is limited to southern, especially southwestern, England, specifically outside the region of Norse contact.
Senses: examples: text: I have a pin that says she/her, but I still get theyed all the time.
glosses: To refer to (someone, sometimes especially someone who does not use gender-neutral pronouns) using they/them pronouns.
they
Language: English
Part of speech: pron
Pronunciation: enpr: thā
ipa: /ðeɪ/
ipa: /ðə/
rhymes: -eɪ
Etymology: From earlier the'e, from there.
Senses: examples: text: They’s music in the twitter of the bluebird and the jay.
ref: 1889, James Whitcomb Riley, Pipes o' Pan:
text: MARY ELLEN is a different case from the others. She has five children and, she claims: "I don't know who they father is. I ain't never kept track. They is always another one. You know, I can catch me a guy[.]"
ref: 1974, Arthur Hippler, Hunter's Point: a black ghetto in America, page 88:
text: They ain’t nothin’ wrong with that.
ref: 2000, Janice Giles, Hill Man, page 58:
text: But they ain’t nothin’ in there you didn’t already have.
ref: 2008, Christian Carvajal, Lightfall, page 82:
text: Well, they’s a lot of ‘em didn’t survive, if you believe me.
ref: 2010, Alessandro Portelli, They Say in Harlan County: An Oral History, page 207:
glosses: There (especially as an expletive subject of be).
gaffe
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ɡæf/
rhymes: -æf
homophone: gaff
Forms: form: gaffes
form: gaff
Etymology: From French gaffe (“blunder”). Doublet of gaff.
Senses: examples: text: make a gaffe
synonyms: word: blooper
word: blunder
word: mistake
word: error
word: slip
word: slip-up
word: aberration
word: barbarism
word: bloomer
word: blooper
word: blunder
word: boner
word: boo-boo
word: break
word: clanger
word: cock-up
word: error
word: fault
word: faux pas
word: floater
word: flub
word: fluff
word: fuckup
word: gaffe
word: goof
word: howler
word: inaccuracy
word: lapse
word: lapsus
word: mess-up
word: misstep
word: mistake
word: oopsy
word: screwup
word: slip
word: slip-up
word: slipup
word: stumble
word: thinko
word: wrength
word: solecism
word: erroneity
glosses: A foolish and embarrassing error, especially one made in public; a social blunder; a breach of etiquette.
Derived terms: Kinsley gaffe
Related terms: Bushism
faux pas
Freudian slip
malapropism
me
Language: English
Part of speech: det
Pronunciation: enpr: mē
ipa: /miː/
enpr: mē
ipa: /mi/
note: Northern England, Ottawa Valley
enpr: mĭ
ipa: /mɪ/
note: Northern England, Ottawa Valley
note: some accents
enpr: mā
ipa: /meɪ/
note: some accents
rhymes: -iː
rhymes: -eɪ
rhymes: -ɪ
homophone: Me
homophone: mee
homophone: may (some accents)
Etymology: Variant form.
Senses: examples: text: There don't seem much to say just now. / (Yer what? Then don't, yer ruddy cow! / And give us back me cigarette!)
ref: a. 1918, Wilfred Owen, “The Letter”, in Douglas Kerr, editor, The Works of Wilfred Owen, page 54:
text: I want me money back!
ref: 1994, John Hodge, Shallow Grave, spoken by Alex Law (Ewan McGregor):
text: Get off me cheese! Get off! Get off!
ref: 1995, Nick Park, A Close Shave:
text: "What have I ever done to prove me worth, or where I could at least say as I'd made a difference?"
ref: 2016, Alan Moore, Jerusalem, Liveright, page 99:
glosses: Alternative form of my.
me
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: mē
ipa: /miː/
enpr: mē
ipa: /mi/
note: Northern England, Ottawa Valley
enpr: mĭ
ipa: /mɪ/
note: Northern England, Ottawa Valley
note: some accents
enpr: mā
ipa: /meɪ/
note: some accents
rhymes: -iː
rhymes: -eɪ
rhymes: -ɪ
homophone: Me
homophone: mee
homophone: may (some accents)
Etymology: From mi (“third note of a major scale”) + -e (“flat”), from Glover's solmization, Italian mi in the solmization of Guido of Arezzo, from the first syllable of Latin mīra in the lyrics of the scale-ascending hymn Ut queant laxis by Paulus Deacon.
Senses: topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: The solfeggio syllable used to indicate the flat of the third note of a major scale.
Related terms: word: Ime
word: myselfmemysen
word: mine
word: mymineme
word: we
word: us
word: ourselvesourselfoursen
word: oursourn
word: our
word: you
word: yourselfyoursen
word: yoursyourn
word: your
word: thou
word: thee
word: thyselftheeselfthysen
word: thine
word: thythine
word: youye
word: yourselves
word: you ally'all you guys
word: y'allselves
word: all yours y'all's you guys' your guys'
word: all your y'all's your all's you guys' your guys'
word: he
word: him
word: himselfhisselfhissen
word: hishisn
word: his
word: she
word: her
word: herselfhersen
word: hershern
word: ithit
word: itselfhitself
word: itshis
word: itshishits
word: they
word: them
word: themself
word: themselves
word: theirs
word: their
word: one
word: oneself
word: –
word: one's
word: themhem
word: 'em
word: themselvestheirsen
word: theirstheirn
word: The following table shows a list of English personal pronoun
word: including archaic and dialectal forms. Dialectal and obsolete
word: archaic forms are in italics. 1 See Appendix:English third-person singular pronouns for attested neopronoun.
him
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: note: weak form
ipa: /əm/
note: weak form
ipa: [ɪ̈m]
note: strong form, UK, US
enpr: hĭm
ipa: /ˈhɪm/
note: strong form, UK, US
homophone: hymn
homophone: 'em for unstressed in some pronunciations.
rhymes: -ɪm
Forms: form: hims
Etymology: From Middle English him, from Old English him, from Proto-Germanic *himmai (“to this, to this one”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian him (“him”), West Frisian him (“him”), Sylt North Frisian ham, höm (“him”), Dutch hem (“him”), German Low German hum, hüm, em (“him”), German ihm (“him”, dative).
Senses: examples: text: I think this bird is a him, but it may be a her.
text: […] daring dizzying passages in other, fleeting and passionate dwellings within the hims and hers whom she inhabits […]
ref: 1985, Hélène Cixous, Sorties (translated)
text: Both hims took a good look at him.
ref: 2004, Tom Wolfe, I Am Charlotte Simmons: A Novel:
text: By this time, she had so many questions, but she only hit him up for one answer about those “hims” and “hers.” She asked, “Do both hims and hers reproduce hummers?”
ref: 2004, Charles J. Sullivan, Love and Survival, page 68:
synonyms: he
glosses: A male person or animal.
them
Language: English
Part of speech: det
Pronunciation: enpr: thĕm
ipa: /ˈðɛm/
note: stressed form, New York City
ipa: [ˈd̪ɛm]
enpr: thəm
ipa: /ˈðəm/
ipa: [ˈd̪ʌm]
ipa: /ˈðʌm/
note: pen-pin merger
ipa: /ˈðɪm/
rhymes: -ɛm
Forms: form: dem
Etymology: From Middle English þem, from Old Norse þeim.
Senses: examples: text: Gimme two of them yellow ones.
text: How would you like a scrummage, Andy, with them Scotchmen that stole your mother's chickens this morning?
ref: 1835, John Pendleton Kennedy, Horse Shoe Robinson: A Tale of the Tory Ascendency:
text: The world 'as got me snouted jist a treat; / Crool Forchin's dirty left 'as smote me soul. / An' all them joys o' life I 'eld so sweet / Is up the pole.
ref: 1915, C.J. Dennis, The Songs of the Sentimental Bloke, published 1916, page 13:
text: "I say it's a shame, Silas Linden, the way them children is treated."
ref: 1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:
text: America you don’t really want to go to war.
America it's them bad Russians.
Them Russians them Russians and them Chinamen. And them Russians.
ref: 1956, Allen Ginsberg, “America”, in Howl and Other Poems (Pocket Poets Series), City Lights Books, →OCLC, page 33:
text: "[…] Them two wild horses ain't fit to ride, and I been wonderin' how I was goin' to get you out of this place before them Spanish maybe circle back and finish the job."
ref: 2005, Elmer Kelton, Sons of Texas, Tor/Forge, page 111:
glosses: Those.
Taiwanese
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /taɪwəˈniːz/
enpr: tī'wä-nēzʹ
ipa: /ˌtaɪwɑˈniːz/
rhymes: -iːz
Forms: form: more Taiwanese
form: most Taiwanese
Etymology: From Taiwan + -ese.
Senses: examples: text: We know the “ethnic” distribution between Taiwanese and mainland Chinese households in each district (ch’ü) of Taipei. In 1963, the percent of Taiwanese households varied from only 28.8% in Taan district to 86% in Chiencheng district. In 1991, Taan again had the lowest percent of Taiwanese households (63%) and Tatung the highest (86%).
ref: 1996, Robert M. Marsh, “Solidarity with Extended Kin”, in The Great Transformation: Social Change in Taipei, Taiwan Since the 1960s, M.E. Sharpe, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, pages 149–150:
text: As Reece Overhalt spoke to the President, the first reports came in of China’s invasion of the Taiwanese island of Peikan, just off the coast of Fujian.
ref: 1997, Humphrey Hawksley, Simon Hoberton, chapter 7, in Dragon Strike: The Millennium War (Fiction), Sidgwick & Jackson, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 338:
text: At 6.30 am on 23 August 1958, Mao delivered his response to Khrushchev's peace initiative. The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) rained thousands of artillery shells onto the Taiwanese islands of Kinmen and Matsu. The bombardment continued unabated for 44 days, during which time Kinmen sustained hits from over 474,000 artillery shells.
ref: 1998, Robert Storey, “Islands of the Taiwan Straits”, in Taiwan (Lonely Planet), 4th edition, →ISBN, →OCLC, →OL, page 308:
glosses: Of or pertaining to Taiwan or its people, culture, language/s, etc.
Taiwanese
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /taɪwəˈniːz/
enpr: tī'wä-nēzʹ
ipa: /ˌtaɪwɑˈniːz/
rhymes: -iːz
Etymology: From Taiwan + -ese.
Senses: examples: text: Congregations consist mainly of Mandarin-speaking refugees from the mainland but Taiwanese are not excluded. Student centers were established at Taipei, Panchiao, and Tainan for Bible study, fellowship, and personal counseling.
ref: 1965, “Lutheranism in Asia”, in Julius Bodensieck, editor, The Encyclopedia of the Lutheran Church, volume I, Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 125, column 1:
text: Taiwan was the touchstone for both sides. We felt that we should not and could not abandon the Taiwanese; we were committed to Taiwan's right to exist as an independent nation.
ref: 1978, Richard Nixon, RN: the Memoirs of Richard Nixon, Grosset & Dunlap, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 570:
glosses: People from Taiwan.
Taiwanese
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Pronunciation: ipa: /taɪwəˈniːz/
enpr: tī'wä-nēzʹ
ipa: /ˌtaɪwɑˈniːz/
rhymes: -iːz
Etymology: From Taiwan + -ese.
Senses: examples: text: Language. Mandarin is the official language, but many people speak Taiwanese (a variant of a southern Chinese dialect) and Japanese. The younger generation and those engaged in the tourist trade speak some English.
ref: 1975, Lawrence A. Clancy, Sunset Travel Guide to the Orient: Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, China, Menlo Park, California: Lane Publishing Co., page 108:
text: The gay and lesbian movement in Taiwan is composed largely of students and other intellectuals and therefore is largely Mandarin-speaking, middle-class, and young. Koa-a-hi actresses, by contrast, almost always speak Taiwanese as their primary language, are rarely educated beyond elementary school, and can barely make ends meet.
ref: 1999, Teri Silvio, “Reflexivity, Bodily Praxis and Identity in Taiwanese Opera”, in GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies, volume 5, number 4, Duke University Press, pages 585–604:
glosses: The variant of Hokkien spoken in Taiwan, the native language of the Hoklo.
Synonyms: Holo
Related terms: Formosan
Canadian
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /kəˈneɪ.di.ən/
ipa: [kʰəˈneɪ.ɾi.ən]
rhymes: -eɪdiən
Forms: form: more Canadian
form: most Canadian
Etymology: From Canada (noun) + -ian (suffix forming adjectives and nouns).
Senses: examples: text: After Trump spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in April 2017, the two sides offered vastly different accounts of what was discussed.
ref: 2018 July 24, Kaitlan Collins, “Exclusive: White House stops announcing calls with foreign leaders”, in CNN:
glosses: Of, belonging to, or relating to Canada, its culture, or people.
glosses: Of, belonging to, or relating to Canadian English.
glosses: Of, belonging to, or relating to Canadian French.
Synonyms: word: Canajun
word: Canajan
word: Canuck
word: Canuckistani
word: Canuckistanian
Derived terms: word: Canadian Alliance
word: Canadian as maple syrup
english: back bacon
translation: back bacon
word: Canadian bacon
word: Canadian Bill of Rights
word: Canadian canoe
word: Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
word: Canadian clipper
word: Canadian dainty
word: Canadian English
word: Canadian Eskimo Dog
word: Canadian Eskimo dog
word: Canadian Falls
word: Canadian football
word: Canadian Forces
word: Canadian French
word: Canadian garlic
word: Canadian hemp
word: Canadian horse
word: Canadianisation
word: Canadianise
word: Canadianism
word: Canadianist
word: Canadianization
word: Canadianize
word: Canadian Rockies
word: Canadian Shield
word: Canadian studies
word: Canadian Tire money
taxonomic: Elodea canadensis
word: Canadian waterweed
word: Canadian whisky
word: Dano-Canadian
word: English Canadian
word: English-Canadian
word: Franco-Canadian
word: French Canadian
word: French-Canadian
word: Germano-Canadian
word: I'm Canadian
word: non-Canadian
word: Norwego-Canadian
word: Western Canadian Select
Canadian
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /kəˈneɪ.di.ən/
ipa: [kʰəˈneɪ.ɾi.ən]
rhymes: -eɪdiən
Forms: form: Canadians
Etymology: From Canada (noun) + -ian (suffix forming adjectives and nouns).
Senses: examples: text: Even the Canadians have gone to war against them! They never go to war against anybody!
ref: 2021, Jenni Fagan, Luckenbooth, William Heinemann, page 180:
glosses: A native or inhabitant of Canada.
examples: text: “If you look back 20 years ago, we were all playing in the Canadians and high-level cashspiels,” Shantz, 51, said Friday.
ref: 2012 March 16, Monte Stewart, “Shantz takes on foes from yesteryear in quest for elusive national crown”, in Global News:
text: "When we were playing in the Canadians (championships) other teams would come around to watch us do our warm-ups," son Jayme Hall said.
ref: 2015 December 19, Mary Caton, “A legend on LaSalle diamonds for decades”, in The Windsor Star:
text: “With it being Canadians, I’m just, a little bit, not as good as the top girls are,” she said, despite playing in the Canadians in Belleville in 2013.
ref: 2017 September 21, Bill Doucet, “A scent of success for Hespeler horseshoe pitcher”, in The Cambridge Times:
topics: hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: Canadian national championship.
topics: hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: canoe (short for Canadian canoe, as opposed to kayak)
Synonyms: word: Canajun
word: Canajan
word: Canuck
word: Canuckistani
word: Canuckistanian
word: hoser
Derived terms: aboriginal Canadian
African Canadian
African-Canadian
Afro-Canadian
American Canadian
American-Canadian
Anglo-Canadian
anglophone Canadian
Anglophone Canadian
Arab Canadian
Arab-Canadian
Asian Canadian
Asian-Canadian
Asio-Canadian
Dano-Canadian
English Canadian
English-Canadian
Euro-Canadian
European Canadian
European-Canadian
Franco-Canadian
francophone Canadian
Francophone Canadian
French Canadian
French-Canadian
French-speaking Canadian
German Canadian
German-Canadian
Germano-Canadian
Hiberno-Canadian
Indian Canadian
Indian-Canadian
Indo-Canadian
Irish Canadian
Irish-Canadian
native-born Canadian
Native Canadian
native Canadian
neo-Canadian
Neo-Canadian
new Canadian
New Canadian
Norwego-Canadian
Ukraino-Canadian
Related terms: word: Canadien
english: directly borrowed from French
translation: directly borrowed from French
word: Canadienne
Canadian
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Pronunciation: ipa: /kəˈneɪ.di.ən/
ipa: [kʰəˈneɪ.ɾi.ən]
rhymes: -eɪdiən
Etymology: From Canada (noun) + -ian (suffix forming adjectives and nouns).
Senses: glosses: The English language (spoken or written) as used in Canada; Canadian English.
Canadian
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Pronunciation: ipa: /kəˈneɪ.di.ən/
ipa: [kʰəˈneɪ.ɾi.ən]
rhymes: -eɪdiən
Etymology: A name of uncertain origin. The city and town names are after the river.
Senses: glosses: The Canadian River, a river in New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, and Oklahoma in the United States, which is a tributary of the Arkansas River.
glosses: A town in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma.
glosses: A city, the county seat of Hemphill County, Texas, situated on the Canadian River.
Related terms: Canadian County
talent
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈtælənt/
ipa: /ˈtalənt/
rhymes: -ælənt
Forms: form: talents
Etymology: From Middle English talent, from Old English talente, borrowed from the plural of Latin talentum (“a Grecian weight; a talent of money”), from Ancient Greek τάλαντον (tálanton, “balance, a particular weight, especially of gold, sum of money, a talent”). Compare Old High German talenta (“talent”). Later figurative senses are from Old French talent (“talent, will, inclination, desire”), derived from the biblical Parable of the Talents.
Senses: examples: text: Feel awfully about Scott... I always knew he couldn't think—he never could—but he had a marvelous talent and the thing is to use it—not whine in public.
ref: 1936 Feb. 15, Ernest Hemingway, letter to Maxwell Perkins
text: He has a real talent for drawing.
synonyms: endowment
glosses: A marked natural ability or skill.
examples: text: For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew XXV:14-15:
glosses: A unit of weight and money used in ancient times in Greece, the Roman Empire, and the Middle East, equal to about 30 to 60 kg in various times and places.
glosses: A desire or inclination for something.
examples: text: The director searched their talent pool to fill the new opening.
text: And all over Hollywood, suits are licking their chops at the prospect of more malleable actors. “She’s not going to talk back,” one top talent wrangler told me dryly.
ref: 2025 October 4, Maureen Dowd, “When A.I. Came for Hollywood”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 05 Oct 2025:
topics: business
hobbies
lifestyle
media
sports
glosses: People of talent, viewed collectively; a talented person.
examples: text: Not much talent in this bar tonight—let's hit the clubs.
text: I went down to the beach front, of course, for that was the first thing that all Vaalies did: to look at the sea and to check the talent on the beach.
ref: 2011, Nic Venter, Wow! What a Life!, page 179:
glosses: The men or (especially) women of a place or area, judged by their attractiveness.
Derived terms: talent community
talent contest
talent management
talent scout
talent show
talent-spotter
talent-spotting
talent stack
voice talent
bepowder
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: bepowders
form: bepowdering
form: bepowdered
form: bepowdered
Etymology: From be- + powder.
Senses: glosses: To sprinkle or cover with powder; to powder.
graft
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ɡɹɑːft/
ipa: /ɡɹæft/
rhymes: -ɑːft
rhymes: -æft
Forms: form: grafts
form: graff
Etymology: From Middle English graffe, from Old French greffe (“stylus”), from Latin graphium (“stylus”), from Ancient Greek γραφείον (grapheíon), from γράφειν (gráphein, “to write”); probably akin to English carve. So named from the resemblance of a scion or shoot to a pointed pencil. Doublet of graphium. Compare graphic, grammar.
Senses: topics: agriculture
business
horticulture
lifestyle
glosses: A small shoot or scion of a tree inserted in another tree, the stock of which is to support and nourish it. The two unite and become one tree, but the graft determines the kind of fruit.
topics: agriculture
business
horticulture
lifestyle
glosses: A branch or portion of a tree growing from such a shoot.
topics: medicine
sciences
surgery
glosses: A portion of living tissue used in the operation of autoplasty.
Derived terms: allograft
antigraft
anti-graft
autograft
bone graft
cleftgraft
dendrigraft
downgraft
endograft
engraft
graftage
graftectomy
graftless
graftling
graftproof
graft-versus-host
graft-versus-host disease
heterograft
homograft
hypergraft
intergraft
intragraft
isograft
lipograft
micrograft
orthograft
perigraft
postgraft
regraft
skin graft
syngraft
transgraft
whip graft
white graft
xenograft
zoograft
graft
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ɡɹɑːft/
ipa: /ɡɹæft/
rhymes: -ɑːft
rhymes: -æft
Forms: form: grafts
form: grafting
form: grafted
form: grafted
form: graff
Etymology: From Middle English graffe, from Old French greffe (“stylus”), from Latin graphium (“stylus”), from Ancient Greek γραφείον (grapheíon), from γράφειν (gráphein, “to write”); probably akin to English carve. So named from the resemblance of a scion or shoot to a pointed pencil. Doublet of graphium. Compare graphic, grammar.
Senses: glosses: To insert (a graft) in a branch or stem of another tree; to propagate by insertion in another stock; also, to insert a graft upon.
glosses: To insert scions (grafts) from one tree, or kind of tree, etc., into another; to practice grafting.
topics: medicine
sciences
surgery
glosses: To implant a portion of (living flesh or akin) in a lesion so as to form an organic union.
examples: text: And graft my love immortal on thy fame!
ref: 1717, Alexander Pope, Eloisa to Abelard.:
text: Of course, this was a music cruise, a floating rock festival grafted onto a passenger ship, and a quietly thriving corner of the music and cruise industries.
ref: 2012 March 30, Joe Levy, “Rockers at Sea”, in The New York Times:
glosses: To join (one thing) to another as if by grafting, so as to bring about a close union.
topics: nautical
transport
glosses: To cover, as a ring bolt, block strap, splicing, etc., with a weaving of small cord or rope yarns.
topics: chemistry
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: To form a graft polymer
Synonyms: sense: to join as if by grafting
word: affix
word: attach
word: put together
word: unite
word: imp
word: join
Derived terms: graftable
graft the forked tree
misgraft
graft
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ɡɹɑːft/
ipa: /ɡɹæft/
rhymes: -ɑːft
rhymes: -æft
Forms: form: grafts
Etymology: From Middle Dutch graft (“canal”), from graven (“dig”). The contemporary senses “depth of digging blade” and “narrow spade” may have a separate history, but this is uncertain. Compare Old English grafet (“trench”), Old Norse grǫft (“the action of digging”). Attested from the 17th century.
Senses: glosses: A ditch, a canal.
examples: text: […] in the first operation, we dug through the peat, the hard sand, and gravel, and one spade's graft (about nine inches deep, and seven inches wide) into the quick sand, the whole length of this drain,[…]
ref: 1798 [1792], Memoirs of Science and the Arts, Transactions of the Society instituted at London for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce, page 117:
glosses: The depth of the blade of a digging tool such as a spade or shovel.
glosses: A narrow spade used in digging drainage trenches.
Derived terms: grafting tool