cstr/en-wiktionary-extracted-all huggingface dataset:
splice
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /splaɪs/
rhymes: -aɪs
Forms: form: splices
form: splicing
form: spliced
form: spliced
Etymology: Circa 1525, borrowed from Middle Dutch splissen (Modern Dutch splitsen); akin to Middle Dutch splitten (“to split”), German spleißen (“to split, splice”), Spliss (“split ends, hair breakage”), French épisser (also from Dutch). The Dutch word originally referred only to the fraying of the ropes' ends but was then also used for the entire process of fraying and retying; hence the peculiar semantic development from “split” to “join”. The same development occurred in German.
Senses: glosses: To unite, as two ropes, or parts of a rope, by a particular manner of interweaving the strands, the union being between two ends, or between an end and the body of a rope.
glosses: To unite, as spars, timbers, rails, etc., by lapping the two ends together, or by applying a piece which laps upon the two ends, and then binding, or in any way making fast.
examples: text: But come, it's getting dreadful late, you had better be turning flukes--it's a nice bed; Sal and me slept in that ere bed the night we were spliced.
ref: 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “chapter 3”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC:
glosses: To unite in marriage.
examples: text: He argues against attempts to splice different genres or species of literature into a single composition.
glosses: To unite as if splicing.
topics: biology
genetics
medicine
natural-sciences
sciences
glosses: To remove intron sequences from the pre-messenger RNA, and then join together exons.
topics: computing
engineering
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
sciences
software
glosses: To add, remove and/or replace several array/data elements in one operation.
Related terms: splice the mainbrace
splitter
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈsplɪtə(ɹ)/
ipa: /ˈsplɪtɚ/
ipa: [ˈsplɪɾɚ]
rhymes: -ɪtə(ɹ)
Forms: form: splitters
Etymology: From split + -er.
Senses: glosses: A person or a thing that splits.
glosses: A wedge used to cut logs down the middle.
glosses: A quarry worker who splits slate into sheets.
hyponyms: species-monger
glosses: A scientist in one of various fields who prefers to split categories such as species or dialects up into smaller groups.
topics: ball-games
baseball
games
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: A split-finger fastball.
topics: computing
engineering
graphical-user-interface
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
sciences
glosses: A draggable vertical or horizontal bar used to adjust the relative sizes of two adjacent windows.
glosses: A wheaten cake split and buttered when hot.
glosses: One who splits hairs in argument, etc.
glosses: A device with two electrical plugs that plugs into an electrical outlet, effectively converting the electrical outlet into two; socket converter.
topics: geometry
mathematics
sciences
coordinate_terms: cleaver
glosses: A line segment through one of the vertices of a triangle that bisects the perimeter of the triangle.
Synonyms: sense: GUI
word: sash
Derived terms: beam splitter
hair-splitter
log splitter
middle splitter
splitter bus
thumb splitter
Y-splitter
sprain
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /spɹeɪn/
rhymes: -eɪn
Forms: form: sprains
form: spraining
form: sprained
form: sprained
Etymology: 1601, verb attested 1622. Possibly borrowed from Middle French espraindre (“to press out, to wring”), from Latin exprimere, in which case cognate to express.
Senses: examples: text: He sprained his knee after falling off the bicycle.
text: Hi! I suppose you're expecting the Roadrunner! Well, he sprained a giblet cornering a sharp coive the other day, uh, so, uh, I'm standing in for him.
ref: 1963 June 8, Hare-Breadth Hurry, spoken by Bugs Bunny:
glosses: To weaken, as a joint, ligament, or muscle, by sudden and excessive exertion, as by wrenching; to overstrain, or stretch injuriously, but without luxation
Synonyms: tear
twist
wrench
sprain
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /spɹeɪn/
rhymes: -eɪn
Forms: form: sprains
Etymology: 1601, verb attested 1622. Possibly borrowed from Middle French espraindre (“to press out, to wring”), from Latin exprimere, in which case cognate to express.
Senses: examples: text: a bad sprain of the wrist
glosses: The act or result of spraining; lameness caused by spraining
Synonyms: wramp
spree
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /spɹiː/
rhymes: -iː
Forms: form: sprees
Etymology: Unknown. According to Douglas Harper’s Online Etymological Dictionary, “a word of uncertain origin. Perhaps [Barnhart] an alteration of French esprit (“lively wit”) (see esprit). According to Klein, Irish spré seems to be a loan-word from Old Norse sprakr. Watkins proposes a possible origin as an alteration of Scots spreath (“cattle raid”), from Gaelic sprédh, spré (“cattle; wealth”), from Middle Irish preit, preid (“booty”), ultimately from Latin praeda (“plunder, booty”)”.
Senses: examples: text: spending spree
text: Then all three major builders were called upon to deliver 105 Berkshires before the buying spree was over.
ref: 1959, David P. Morgan, editor, Steam’s Finest Hour, Kalmbach Publishing Co., page 27:
text: Twitter has been on a hiring spree, spending $630 million on stock-based compensation in 2021, a 33 percent increase from the previous year.
ref: 2022 April 25, Kate Conger, “Twitter Employees Search for Answers as Musk Deal Takes Shape”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
glosses: Uninhibited activity.
examples: text: Tradition says she spent the last two years of her life in the strange den I have been speaking of, after having indulged herself in one final, triumphant and satisfying spree.
ref: 1880, Mark Twain [pseudonym] (Samuel L[anghorne] Clemens), chapter XXI, in A Tramp Abroad; […], Hartford, Conn.: American Publishing Company; London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC, page 205:
text: It would be a long time before he could be like the majority of these men of the road, who roamed until the hunger for drink and for women mastered them, and then went to work with a purpose in mind, and stopped when they had the price of a spree.
ref: 1905 April–October, Upton Sinclair, chapter XXII, in The Jungle, New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 26 February 1906, →OCLC, page 262:
synonyms: carousal
glosses: A merry frolic; especially, a drinking frolic.
Derived terms: killing spree
shooting spree
shopping spree
spending spree
spree killer
spree
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /spɹiː/
rhymes: -iː
Forms: form: sprees
form: spreeing
form: spreed
form: spreed
Etymology: Unknown. According to Douglas Harper’s Online Etymological Dictionary, “a word of uncertain origin. Perhaps [Barnhart] an alteration of French esprit (“lively wit”) (see esprit). According to Klein, Irish spré seems to be a loan-word from Old Norse sprakr. Watkins proposes a possible origin as an alteration of Scots spreath (“cattle raid”), from Gaelic sprédh, spré (“cattle; wealth”), from Middle Irish preit, preid (“booty”), ultimately from Latin praeda (“plunder, booty”)”.
Senses: examples: text: And I never spreed with the fellows as a student any more than I had enjoyed myself with the lads in the playground.
ref: 1892, Leonard Merrick, chapter V, in The Man Who Was Good, published 1921:
synonyms: carouse
glosses: To engage in a spree.
sprig
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /spɹɪɡ/
rhymes: -ɪɡ
Forms: form: sprigs
Etymology: From Middle English sprig, sprigge, of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Middle Low German sprik, spricke (“a dry, easily broken twig that has fallen from a tree; sprig”). Compare also dialectal English sprag (“sprig, twig”), Old English spræc (“a shoot”), German Low German Spricke, Sprick (“dry branch, twig”).
Senses: examples: text: a sprig of laurel or of parsley
text: […] from this bush in the dooryard, / With delicate-color’d blossoms and heart-shaped leaves of rich green, / A sprig with its flower I break.
ref: 1865, Walt Whitman, “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d”, in Sequel to Drum-Taps: When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d and other poems:
glosses: A small shoot or twig of a tree or other plant; a spray.
glosses: An ornament resembling a small shoot or twig.
glosses: One of the separate pieces of lace fastened on a ground in applique lace.
examples: text: a sprig whom I remember, with a whey-face and a satchel, not so many years ago
ref: 1815 February 24, [Walter Scott], Guy Mannering; or, The Astrologer. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and Archibald Constable and Co., […], →OCLC:
glosses: A youth; a lad.
glosses: A brad, or nail without a head.
glosses: A small eyebolt ragged or barbed at the point.
glosses: A house sparrow.
sprig
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /spɹɪɡ/
rhymes: -ɪɡ
Forms: form: sprigs
form: sprigging
form: sprigged
form: sprigged
Etymology: From Middle English sprig, sprigge, of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Middle Low German sprik, spricke (“a dry, easily broken twig that has fallen from a tree; sprig”). Compare also dialectal English sprag (“sprig, twig”), Old English spræc (“a shoot”), German Low German Spricke, Sprick (“dry branch, twig”).
Senses: glosses: To decorate with sprigs, or with representations of sprigs, as in embroidery or pottery.
glosses: To nail the sole onto a shoe.
Derived terms: sprigger
sprite
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: sprīt
ipa: /spɹaɪt/
rhymes: -aɪt
Forms: form: sprites
form: spright
Etymology: From Middle English sprite, spryt, spreyte, from Old French esprit (“spirit”), from Latin spīritus. Doublet of spirit, spiritus, spirytus, spright, and esprit.
(computer graphics): First used by Danny Hillis at Texas Instruments in the late 1970s.
(meteorology): An acronym for Stratospheric Perturbations Resulting from Intense Thunderstorm Electrification.
Senses: examples: text: He who torments the chafer's sprite
Weaves a bower in endless night.
ref: 1803, William Blake, Auguries of Innocence:
topics: human-sciences
mysticism
mythology
philosophy
sciences
glosses: Any of various supernatural beings, loosely defined:
A spirit; a soul; a shade.
topics: human-sciences
mysticism
mythology
philosophy
sciences
glosses: Any of various supernatural beings, loosely defined:
An apparition; a ghost.
topics: human-sciences
mysticism
mythology
philosophy
sciences
glosses: Any of various supernatural beings, loosely defined:
An elf, fairy, or goblin; one with a small humanlike physical body.
topics: computer-graphics
computing
engineering
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
sciences
glosses: A two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene.
topics: climatology
meteorology
natural-sciences
glosses: A large electrical discharge that occurs high above the cumulonimbus cloud of an active thunderstorm, which appears as a luminous red or orange flash.
glosses: The green woodpecker, or yaffle (Picus viridis).
topics: biology
entomology
natural-sciences
glosses: Any of various African damselflies of the genus Pseudagrion (of which, Australian species are named riverdamsels).
glosses: A spayed female ferret.
glosses: Alternative form of spright (“frame of mind, disposition”).
Synonyms: sense: supernatural creature
english: hostile
translation: hostile
word: goblin
Derived terms: red sprite
sprite halo
water sprite
Related terms: sprightly
sprite
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: sprīt
ipa: /spɹaɪt/
rhymes: -aɪt
Forms: form: sprites
form: spriting
form: sprited
form: sprited
form: spright
Etymology: From Middle English sprite, spryt, spreyte, from Old French esprit (“spirit”), from Latin spīritus. Doublet of spirit, spiritus, spirytus, spright, and esprit.
(computer graphics): First used by Danny Hillis at Texas Instruments in the late 1970s.
(meteorology): An acronym for Stratospheric Perturbations Resulting from Intense Thunderstorm Electrification.
Senses: examples: text: sprited the new NPCs
topics: art
arts
glosses: To draw a (specifically) pixel art sprite.
spry
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /spɹaɪ/
rhymes: -aɪ
Forms: form: sprier
form: spriest
Etymology: From British dialectal sprey, from Old Norse sprækr (“nimble, lively”) from Proto-Germanic *sprēkiz (“lively”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)preg- (“to strew, jerk, sprinkle, scatter”). Cognate with Icelandic sprækur (“lively, spry”), Norwegian sprek (“lively, healthy”), dialectal Swedish sprygg (“brisk, very active, skittish”). More at spark. Related to sprack, sprig, sprug, freckle.
Senses: examples: text: What follows is a bunch of nonstop goofery involving chase sequences, dream sequences, fast-changing costumes and an improbable beard, a little musical help from Flight Of The Conchords, and ultimately a very physical confrontation with a surprisingly spry Victoria.
ref: 2012 April 26, Tasha Robinson, “Film: Reviews: The Pirates! Band Of Misfits :”, in The Onion AV Club:
glosses: Having great power of leaping or running; nimble; active.
examples: text: "I'm not sure about whether I shall go. I am the most incurably lazy devil that ever stood in shoe leather—that is, when the fit is on me, for I can be spry enough at times."
ref: 1887, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, A Study in Scarlet, page 37:
text: The Captain folded his brow into a look of intense perplexity. 'You seem exceedingly spry for a man who demolished an entire bottle of brandy and better part of an ounce of shag in a single evening.'
'And very nice too,' said the tramp. 'Now as to breakfast?'
ref: 1992, Robert Rankin, The Antipope, page 68:
glosses: Vigorous; lively; cheerful.
spurt
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: spû(r)t
ipa: /spɜːt/
enpr: spûrt
ipa: /spɝt/
rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)t
Forms: form: spurts
form: spurting
form: spurted
form: spurted
form: spirt
Etymology: From earlier spirt, sprit (“to sprout”), from Middle English sprytten, from Old English spryttan, from Proto-West Germanic *spruttjan, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)per- (“to strew, sow, sprinkle”).
Senses: glosses: To cause to gush out suddenly or violently in a stream or jet.
examples: text: Thus the small jet, which hasty hands unlock, / Spurts in the gardener's eyes who turns the cock.
ref: 1728, [Alexander Pope], “(please specify the page)”, in The Dunciad. An Heroic Poem. […], Dublin; London: […] A. Dodd, →OCLC:
text: With that he pulled open his shirt, and with his long sharp nails opened a vein in his breast. When the blood began to spurt out, he took my hands in one of his, holding them tight, and with the other seized my neck and pressed my mouth to the wound, so that I must either suffocate or swallow some to the . . . Oh, my God! My God! What have I done?
ref: 1897, Bram Stoker, chapter 21, in Dracula, New York, N.Y.: Modern Library, →OCLC:
text: In the floor of the valley the line passes hills of fantastic shape, like sleeping camels and inverted washbasins, and you can see the beautiful lakes Naivasha and Elementeita; at Eburru jets of steam spurt out of the ground.
ref: 1950 April, Timothy H. Cobb, “The Kenya-Uganda Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 265:
glosses: To rush from a confined place in a small stream or jet.
Synonyms: spout
spurt
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: spû(r)t
ipa: /spɜːt/
enpr: spûrt
ipa: /spɝt/
rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)t
Forms: form: spurts
form: spirt
Etymology: From earlier spirt, sprit (“to sprout”), from Middle English sprytten, from Old English spryttan, from Proto-West Germanic *spruttjan, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)per- (“to strew, sow, sprinkle”).
Senses: examples: a spurt of water; a spurt of blood
glosses: A brief gush, as of liquid spurting from an orifice or a cut/wound.
examples: text: "Clean all your spurt off me, man." And so I did.
ref: 2019, R.W. Clinger, Stockton County Cowboys Box Set, JMS Books LLC, →ISBN:
glosses: Ejaculation of semen.
examples: text: The Garden Sperages[…]send out at first certaine greene spurts or buds peeping forth of the ground.
ref: 1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “[Book II.]”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the World. Commonly Called, The Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. […], (please specify |tome=1 or 2), London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC:
glosses: A shoot; a bud.
spurt
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: spû(r)t
ipa: /spɜːt/
enpr: spûrt
ipa: /spɝt/
rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)t
Forms: form: spurts
form: spirt
Etymology: Uncertain. May be derived from Etymology 1.
Senses: synonyms: word: instant
word: jiffy
word: bat of an eye
word: bit
word: blink of an eye
word: crack
word: eyeblink
word: flash
word: glimpse
word: half a mo
word: instant
word: jiff
word: jiffy
word: jot
word: minute
word: mo
word: moment
word: New York minute
word: New York second
word: no time
word: sec
word: second
word: span
word: split-second
word: spurt
word: stound
word: tick
word: trice
word: twink
word: twinkle
word: twinkling
word: while
glosses: A moment, a short period of time.
examples: text: The boss's visit prompted a brief spurt of activity.
text: I seem to remember talking wanderingly to myself during that last spurt.
ref: 1898, H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, London: William Heinemann, page 111:
text: The long, steady sweep of the so-called "paddle" tried him almost as much as the breathless strain of the spurt.
ref: 1859, Thomas Hughes, Tom Brown At Oxford:
text: After a brief spurt of conviviality on our part, my partner and I quickly moved on to our priority— tracking down play parties.
ref: 1991 April 22, Wickie Stamps, “A Lesbian Looks At The GMSMA's 10ᵗʰ Anniversary Celebration”, in Gay Community News, page 11:
glosses: A sudden brief burst of, or increase in, speed, effort, activity, emotion or development.
examples: text: He thrust against her and deep inside, she felt his spurt of semen. Her clit jumped in response, and Lily tumbled into an orgasm that shook her clear to her toes.
ref: 2015, Shelley Munro, Alexandre:
glosses: The act of spurting, or something spurted
Derived terms: growth spurt
spurt
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: spû(r)t
ipa: /spɜːt/
enpr: spûrt
ipa: /spɝt/
rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)t
Forms: form: spurts
form: spurting
form: spurted
form: spurted
form: spirt
Etymology: Uncertain. May be derived from Etymology 1.
Senses: examples: text: The bullion market spurted on Thursday.
text: The runners spurted to the last lap as if they had extracted new energy from the applauds of the audience.
glosses: To make a strong effort for a short period of time.
squaw
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /skwɔː/
rhymes: -ɔː
Forms: form: squaws
Etymology: From Massachusett squàw (“woman”), from Proto-Algonquian *eθkwe·wa (“(young) woman”). Cognate with Abenaki -skwa (“female, wife”), Mohegan-Pequot sqá, Cree iskwew / ᐃᐢᑫᐧᐤ (iskeyw, “woman”), Ojibwe ikwe (“woman”). In the 1970s, some non-linguists began to claim that the word originally meant "vagina"; this has been discredited.
The first recorded version of the word was found in a book called Mourt’s Relation: A Journey of the Pilgrims at Plymouth written in 1622. The term was not used in a derogatory fashion but spoke of the “squa sachim or Massachusets Queen” in the September 20, 1621 journal entry.
Senses: examples: text: The Indian maids, of course, turned out to be a few fat old squaws who knew all about white men.
ref: 1963, Lester del Rey, The Sky Is Falling:
glosses: A woman, wife; especially a Native American woman.
wikipedia: NPR
Derived terms: oldsquaw
squawberry
squawbush
squaw candy
squaw carpet
squawdom
squaw dress
squawfish
squaw flower
Squaw Grove
squaw huckleberry
squaw man
squaw mint
squawroot
squaw tea
Squaw Valley
squaw vine
squawweed
squaw winter
squire
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈskwaɪə/
ipa: /ˈskwaɪɚ/
rhymes: -aɪə(ɹ)
Forms: form: squires
Etymology: From Middle English esquire, from Old French escuier, from Latin scūtārius (“shield-bearer”), from scūtum (“shield”).
Senses: glosses: A shield-bearer or armor-bearer who attended a knight.
glosses: A title of dignity next in degree below knight, and above gentleman. See esquire.
glosses: A male attendant on a great personage.
glosses: A landowner from the English gentry during the early modern period.
glosses: A devoted attendant or follower of a lady; a beau.
glosses: A title of office and courtesy. See under esquire.
examples: text: Sorry squire, I've had a look 'round the back of the shop, and uh, we're right out of parrots.
ref: 1969, Dead Parrot sketch, Monty Python's Flying Circus:
glosses: Term of address to a male equal.
Derived terms: apple-squire
squarson
squirearchy
squire of dames
squiress
squire
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈskwaɪə/
ipa: /ˈskwaɪɚ/
rhymes: -aɪə(ɹ)
Forms: form: squires
form: squiring
form: squired
form: squired
Etymology: From Middle English esquire, from Old French escuier, from Latin scūtārius (“shield-bearer”), from scūtum (“shield”).
Senses: glosses: To attend as a squire.
examples: text: [O]n ſome occaſions, he diſplayed all his fund of good humour, vvith a vievv to beguile her ſorrovv; he importuned her to give him the pleasure of ’ſquiring her to ſome place of innocent entertainment; and, finally, inſiſted upon her accepting a pecuniary reinforcement to her finances, vvhich he knevv to be in a moſt conſumptive condition.
ref: 1753, [Tobias Smollett], “Count Fathom Unmasks His Battery; is Repulsed; and Varies His Operations without Effect”, in The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom. […], volume II, London: […] W. Johnston, […], →OCLC, pages 107–108:
text: Perceiving, however, that I had on my best wig, she offered, if I would ’squire her there, to send home the footman.
ref: 1759 October 24 (Gregorian calendar), [Oliver] Goldsmith, “On Dress”, in The Bee, a Select Collection of Essays, on the Most Interesting and Entertaining Subjects, […], new edition, London: […] W[illiam] Lane, […], published c. 1790, →OCLC:
text: To man a lady was, in former times, a phrase similar to the vulgar one at present in use, to squire.
ref: 1812, Henry [William] Weber, “The Spanish Curate”, in [John Fletcher, Philip Massinger], edited by Henry Weber, The Works of Beaumont and Fletcher, […], volume III, Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Company, for F. C. and J. Rivington; [et al.], Act IV, scene vii, footnote 3, page 326:
text: Yes, such a thing as thou wouldst make of me should wear a book at his girdle instead of a poniard, and might just be suspected of manhood enough to squire a proud dame-citizen to the lecture at Saint Antonlin’s, and quarrel in her cause with any flat-capped threadmaker that would take the wall of her.
ref: 1821 January 8, [Walter Scott], chapter IV, in Kenilworth; a Romance. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; and John Ballantyne, […]; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., →OCLC:
text: And raising good cotton, riding well, shooting straight, dancing lightly, squiring the ladies with elegance and carrying one’s liquor like a gentleman were the things that mattered.
ref: 1936 June 30, Margaret Mitchell, chapter 1, in Gone with the Wind, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company, →OCLC; republished New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company, 1944, →OCLC:
text: A butch entered squiring a blonde whore tottering along on spike heels under dairy whip hair, her chubby hand rising again and again to tuck a stray wisp back into the creamy dome.
ref: 1988, Edmund White, chapter 6, in The Beautiful Room is Empty, New York: Vintage International, published 1994:
synonyms: escort
glosses: To attend as a beau, or gallant, for aid and protection.
squire
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈskwaɪə/
ipa: /ˈskwaɪɚ/
rhymes: -aɪə(ɹ)
Forms: form: squires
Etymology: From Middle English squire, borrowed from Middle French esquierre (“rule, carpenter's square”), or from Old French esquire, another form of esquarre (“square”). Cognate with French équerre. Doublet of square.
Senses: examples: text: But temperaunce, said he, with golden squire, / Betwixt them both can measure out a meane.
ref: 1590, Edmund Spenser, “(please specify the book)”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
text: do not you know my lady's foot by the squire.
ref: c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Loues Labour’s Lost”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii], line 474:
text: as for a workman not to know his axe, saw, squire, or any other toole, […].
ref: 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC:
text: twelve foot and a half by the squire.
ref: c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iv], line 348:
glosses: A ruler; a carpenter's square; a measure.
squirt
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /skwɝt/
ipa: /skwɜːt/
rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)t
Forms: form: squirts
Etymology: From Middle English squirten, squyrten, of uncertain origin; probably onomatopoeic. Akin to swirl. Compare Low German swirtjen (“to squirt”) and Swedish water onomatopoeias skvala, skvalp, skvimpa, and skvätta; Icelandic skvetta; and Norwegian skvette.
Senses: examples: text: The Karo-Bataks of Sumatra have a rain-making ceremony which lasts a week. The men go about with bamboo squirts and the women with bowls of water, and they drench each other or throw the water into the air and cry, "The rain has come," when it drips down on them.
ref: 1890, James George Frazer, The Golden Bough, volume 1, page 277:
glosses: An instrument from which a liquid is forcefully ejected in a small, quick stream.
examples: text: Chances are you′ll get a squirt of citrus juice in your eye.
ref: 2007, Peter Elst, Sas Jacobs, Object-Oriented ActionScript 3.0, page 9:
glosses: A small, quick stream; a jet.
topics: geography
hydrodynamics
hydrology
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
physics
glosses: The whole system of flow in the vicinity of a source.
examples: text: As the connection was broken, the receiver let out a shrill squirt of static.
ref: 2011, Andy Mulligan, Return to Ribblestrop:
glosses: A burst of noise.
examples: text: He was still there when I came up, a squirt with his hat over one eye and a camera hung round his neck and a grin on his squirt face. I thought maybe I had seen him around town, but maybe not, the squirts look so much alike when they grind them out of journalism school.
ref: 1946, Robert Penn Warren, All the King′s Men, published 2005, page 606:
glosses: An annoyingly pretentious person; a whippersnapper.
examples: text: Hey squirt! Where you been?
text: 1986, Alethea Helbig, Agnes Perkins, Cutlass Island, entry in Dictionary of American Children′s Fiction, 1960-1984: Recent Books of Recognized Merit, page 137,
Hurd returns with Mal, Mr. Eph, and Gumbo, the “town squirt” of twelve, and the boys′ activities come out.
text: 2010, Karen Witemeyer, A Tailor-Made Bride, Bethany House Publishers, US, page 66,
How the child managed to converse and fold at the same time was a marvel, yet the shirt lay in a tidy rectangle by the time she came up for air.
“Thanks, squirt.” He winked at her and she giggled.
glosses: A small child.
glosses: Female ejaculate.
examples: text: Excuse me, I need to take a squirt.
glosses: An act of urination.
glosses: A maneuver in which a kayak is forced into a nearly vertical position.
Synonyms: sense: small child
word: ankle-biter
Derived terms: sea squirt
squirt bottle
squirt gun
squirty
stadium
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈsteɪ.di.əm/
Forms: form: stadiums
form: stadia
Etymology: From Latin stadium (“a measure of length, a race course”) (commonly one-eighth of a Roman mile; translated in early English Bibles by furlong), from Ancient Greek στάδιον (stádion, “a measure of length, a running track”), especially the track at Olympia, which was one stadium in length. The Greek word may literally mean "fixed standard of length" (from στάδιος (stádios, “firm, fixed”), from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂-, whence also stand and Latin stare). Doublet of stade, stadion, and estadio.
Senses: examples: text: He is going for a cricket match at the stadium.
text: In a convulsion that has caught many in Brazil and beyond by surprise, waves of protesters denounced their leaders for dedicating so many resources to cultivating Brazil’s global image by building stadiums for international events, when basic services like education and health care remain woefully inadequate.
ref: 2013 June 18, Simon Romero, “Protests Widen as Brazilians Chide Leaders”, in New York Times:
glosses: A venue where sporting events are held.
synonyms: stadion
glosses: An Ancient Greek racecourse, especially, the Olympic course for foot races.
examples: text: Dionysiodorus[…]sent a letter ad superos after he was dead, from the centre of the earth, to signify what distance the same centre was from the superficies of the same, viz. 42,000 stadiums […].
ref: 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition 2, section 2, member 3, page 245:
glosses: Synonym of stadion, a Greek unit of length equivalent to about 185 m.
synonyms: word: stadion
extra: a Greek unit of length equivalent to about 185 m
glosses: A kind of telemeter for measuring the distance of an object of known dimensions, by observing the angle it subtends.
topics: geography
natural-sciences
surveying
glosses: A graduated rod used to measure the distance of the place where it stands from an instrument having a telescope, by observing the number of the graduations of the rod that are seen between certain parallel wires (stadia wires) in the field of view of the telescope.
topics: biology
natural-sciences
glosses: A life stage of an organism.
Synonyms: sense: venue where sporting events are held
word: arena
sense: graduated rod in surveying
word: stadia
sense: graduated rod in surveying
word: stadia rod
Derived terms: all-seater stadium
stadia rod
stadia wire
stadium horn
stadium mustard
stadium rock
stadium sailing
stadium trumpet
stag
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /stæɡ/
rhymes: -æɡ
Forms: form: stags
form: stagging
form: stagged
form: stagged
form: steg
form: staig
form: stagg
form: stagge
Etymology: From Middle English stagge, steg, from Old English stagga, stacga (“a stag”) and Old Norse steggi, steggr (“a male animal”), both from Proto-Germanic *staggijô, *staggijaz (“male, male deer, porcupine”), probably from Proto-Indo-European *stegʰ-, *stengʰ- (“to sting; rod, blade; sharp, stiff”). Cognate with Icelandic steggi, steggur (“tomcat, male fox”). Related to staggard, staggon.
Senses: glosses: To act as a "stag", an irregular dealer in stocks.
synonyms: shadow
glosses: To watch; to dog, or keep track of.
stag
Language: English
Part of speech: adv
Pronunciation: ipa: /stæɡ/
rhymes: -æɡ
Forms: form: steg
form: staig
form: stagg
form: stagge
Etymology: From Middle English stagge, steg, from Old English stagga, stacga (“a stag”) and Old Norse steggi, steggr (“a male animal”), both from Proto-Germanic *staggijô, *staggijaz (“male, male deer, porcupine”), probably from Proto-Indo-European *stegʰ-, *stengʰ- (“to sting; rod, blade; sharp, stiff”). Cognate with Icelandic steggi, steggur (“tomcat, male fox”). Related to staggard, staggon.
Senses: examples: text: My brother went stag to prom because he couldn't find a date.
glosses: Of a man, attending a formal social function without a date.
stager
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: -eɪdʒə(ɹ)
Forms: form: stagers
Etymology: From stage + -er.
Senses: glosses: An actor on the stage.
examples: text: Here the principal stagers of saints' plays appear to have been the civic authorities, and guilds or confreries, and the popularity of this type of drama owed much to the cult of saints[…]
ref: 1994, Richard Beadle, The Cambridge Companion to Medieval English Theatre, page 271:
glosses: One who stages a theatrical performance.
glosses: One who has long acted on the stage of life; a practitioner; a person of experience, or of skill derived from long experience.
glosses: A horse used in drawing a stagecoach.
Derived terms: old stager
stagger
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈstæɡə/
ipa: /ˈstæɡɚ/
rhymes: -æɡə(ɹ)
Forms: form: staggers
Etymology: From Middle English stakeren, from Old Norse stakra (“to push, stagger”). Cognate with dialectal Danish stagre.
Senses: examples: text: 7 October 2012, Paolo Bandini in The Guardian, Denver Broncos 21 New England Patriots 31 - as it happened
Put down the rosary beads folks, I believe hell may just have frozen over. Peyton Manning drops back, sees nothing open and runs for a first down. If you can call that running. More like the stagger of a wounded rhino. Did the job, though
text: Afy slowly gathered in the sense of the words. She gasped twice, as if her breath had gone, and then, with a stagger and a shiver, fell heavily to the ground.
ref: 1861, Ellen Wood, chapter 39, in East Lynne:
text: the stagger of a drunken man
text: And when old Fezziwig and Mrs. Fezziwig had gone all through the dance; advance and retire; both hands to your partner, bow and courtesy, corkscrew, thread the needle, and back again to your place; Fezziwig "cut"—cut so deftly that he appeared to wink with his legs, and came upon his feet again without a stagger.
ref: 1843 December 19, Charles Dickens, “(please specify the page number)”, in A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC:
glosses: An unsteady movement of the body in walking or standing as if one were about to fall; a reeling motion.
examples: text: parasitic staggers
text: apoplectic or sleepy staggers
topics: biology
medicine
natural-sciences
pathology
sciences
veterinary
zoology
glosses: A disease of horses and other animals, attended by reeling, unsteady gait or sudden falling.
glosses: Bewilderment; perplexity.
examples: 19 April 2016, Rachel Roddy in The Guardian, Rachel Roddy’s Roman spring vegetable stew recipe
I don’t include cured pork, although it is very nice, and rather than putting everything in the pan at once I prefer a stagger of ingredients, which ensures each one gets the right amount of time.
glosses: The spacing out of various actions over time.
topics: hobbies
lifestyle
motor-racing
racing
sports
glosses: The difference in circumference between the left and right tires on a racing vehicle. It is used on oval tracks to make the car turn better in the corners.
topics: aeronautics
aerospace
aviation
business
engineering
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: The horizontal positioning of a biplane, triplane, or multiplane's wings in relation to one another.
stagger
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈstæɡə/
ipa: /ˈstæɡɚ/
rhymes: -æɡə(ɹ)
Forms: form: staggers
Etymology: From stag + -er.
Senses: examples: text: Tallinn no longer takes pride in the title of 'favourite destination of British staggers'.
ref: 2013, Phil Hubbard, Cities and Sexualities, page 144:
glosses: One who attends a stag night.
staid
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /steɪd/
ipa: /sted/
rhymes: -eɪd
homophone: stade
homophone: stayed stripped-by-parse_pron_post_template_fn
Etymology: From an obsolete spelling of stayed, the past participle of stay, used as an adjective.
Senses: examples: text: The Company had now ſtaid ſo long, that Mrs. Fitzpatrick plainly perceived they all deſigned to ſtay out each other. She therefore reſolved to rid herſelf of Jones, he being the Viſitant, to whom ſhe thought the leaſt Ceremony was due.
ref: 1749, Henry Fielding, “Which Consists of Visiting”, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume V, London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, book XIII (CONTAINING THE SPACE OF TWELVE DAYS), page 29:
text: Though Darcy could never receive him at Pemberley, yet, for Elizabeth's sake, he assisted him farther in his profession. Lydia was occasionally a visitor there, when her husband was gone to enjoy himself in London or Bath; and with the Bingleys they both of them frequently staid so long, that even Bingley's good humour was overcome, and he proceeded so far as to talk of giving them a hint to be gone.
ref: 1813 January 27, [Jane Austen], chapter XIX, in Pride and Prejudice: […], volume III, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 320:
text: Still the people were below and did not see many things, but the Sun staid higher up and saw more.
ref: 1898, James Mooney, The Jicarilla genesis:
glosses: Obsolete spelling of stayed.
stang
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: stăng
ipa: /stæŋ/
rhymes: -æŋ
Forms: form: stangs
Etymology: From Middle English stang, stong, from Old Norse stǫng, from Proto-Germanic *stangiz, *stangō (“bar, rod”), from Proto-Indo-European *stengʰ-, *stegʰ- (“to stick, sting, prick, be stiff”).
Senses: examples: text: The stang represents the horned god and the masculine force of nature. Much like the wand or athame, the stang is used for raising or directing power[…]
ref: 2006 January 7, Lady Sabrina, Exploring Wicca, Updated Edition, →ISBN, page 87:
text: In more common (and private) Wiccan circles, the stang is replaced by the athame (black handled knife) and the cauldron replaced with the chalice but its^([sic]) pretty much /whatever works for you/.
ref: 2009 June 22, Yowie, “Sikh Quaker?”, in soc.religion.quaker:
text: These stangs can be used as natural altars in outdoor rituals or simply as walking staffs.
ref: 2014 January 8, Ann Moura, Green Witchcraft: Folk Magic, Fairy Lore & Herb Craft, →ISBN, page 7:
topics: Wicca
lifestyle
paganism
religion
glosses: A forked ritual staff.
examples: text: Gripping the stang, she peered / At ghostly trees. Bus stopped. Bus disappeared.
ref: 1962, Vladimir Nabokov, Pale Fire:
glosses: A long bar; a pole; a shaft; a stake.
examples: text: These fields were intermingled with woods of half a stang,*... (with the corresponding footnote: "An old word for a perch, sixteen feet and a half. These small woods were therefore eight feet and a quarter.")
ref: 1880, Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's Travels into several Remote Nations of the World - Part I, Chapter II (page 15)
glosses: In land measure, a pole, rod, or perch.
Derived terms: stang ball
ride the stang
stang
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: stăng
ipa: /stæŋ/
rhymes: -æŋ
Forms: form: stangs
form: stanging
form: stanged
form: stanged
Etymology: From Middle English stangen, from Old Norse stanga (“prick, goad”).
Senses: glosses: To shoot with pain, to sting.
glosses: To spear; to sting.
stang
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: stăng
ipa: /stæŋ/
rhymes: -æŋ
Senses: glosses: simple past of sting
stang
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: stăng
ipa: /stæŋ/
rhymes: -æŋ
Forms: form: stangs
Senses: glosses: Short for "Mustang", a brand of automobile produced by the Ford Motor Company.
starch
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /stɑɹt͡ʃ/
ipa: /stɑːt͡ʃ/
rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)tʃ
Forms: form: starches
Etymology: From Middle English starche, sterche, from Old English *stierċe (“stiffness, rigidity, strength”), from Proto-West Germanic *starkī (“stiffness, rigidity, fortitude, strength”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sterg- (“stiff, rigid”).
Cognate with dialectal Dutch sterk (“strong”), Middle Low German sterke (“strength”), German Stärke (“strength", also "starch”), Swedish stärkelse (“starch”), Icelandic sterkja (“starch”). Related to English stark (“stiff, strong, vigorous, powerful”).
Senses: examples: text: Meronym: saccharide
text: The various elements found in food are the following: Starch, sugar, fats, albumen, mineral substances, indigestible substances.
ref: 1892, Ella Eaton Kellogg, “Foods”, in Science in the Kitchen: A Scientific Treatise on Food Substances and Their Dietetic Properties, Together with a Practical Explanation of the Principles of Healthful Cookery, and a Large Number of Original, Palatable, and Wholesome Recipes, Revised edition, Michigan: Health Publishing Company, page 25:
hypernyms: polysaccharide
<
carbohydrate
coordinate_terms: sugar
;
glycogen
;
cellulose
glosses: A widely diffused vegetable substance, found especially in seeds, bulbs and tubers, as extracted (e.g. from potatoes, corn, rice, etc.) in the form of a white, glistening, granular or powdery substance, without taste or smell, and giving a very peculiar creaking sound when rubbed between the fingers. It is used as a food, in the production of commercial grape sugar, for stiffening linen in laundries, in making paste, etc.
qualifier: nutrition
glosses: Carbohydrates, as with grain and potato based foods.
examples: text: this Professor is to give the society their stiffening, and infuse into their manners that beautiful political starch, which may qualify them for Levées, Conferences, Visits
ref: 1712 March 1 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison], “TUESDAY, February 19, 1711–1712”, in The Spectator, number 305; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume IV, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC:
glosses: A stiff, formal manner; formality.
examples: text: The thought of the gun in his back put some starch in him. He needed the handrail, and he limped step by step, but he ascended at his full height.
ref: 2017, Dean Koontz, The Silent Corner, page 98:
glosses: Fortitude.
examples: text: You're the starch in my collar / You're the lace in my shoe / You will always be my necessity / I'd be lost without you
ref: 1928, “You're the Cream in My Coffee”, Buddy DeSylva, Lew Brown (lyrics):
glosses: Any of various starch-like substances used as a laundry stiffener.
Derived terms: cornstarch
hydroxypropyl starch
hydroxypropyl starch glycerine
hydroxypropyl starch phosphate
modified starch
potato starch
starch generator
starch hyacinth
starch-root
starchy
tapioca starch
tous-les-mois starch
wheat starch
starch
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /stɑɹt͡ʃ/
ipa: /stɑːt͡ʃ/
rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)tʃ
Forms: form: starches
form: starching
form: starched
form: starched
Etymology: From Middle English starche, sterche, from Old English *stierċe (“stiffness, rigidity, strength”), from Proto-West Germanic *starkī (“stiffness, rigidity, fortitude, strength”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sterg- (“stiff, rigid”).
Cognate with dialectal Dutch sterk (“strong”), Middle Low German sterke (“strength”), German Stärke (“strength", also "starch”), Swedish stärkelse (“starch”), Icelandic sterkja (“starch”). Related to English stark (“stiff, strong, vigorous, powerful”).
Senses: examples: text: She starched her blouses.
glosses: To apply or treat with laundry starch, to create a hard, smooth surface.
starch
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /stɑɹt͡ʃ/
ipa: /stɑːt͡ʃ/
rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)tʃ
Etymology: From Middle English starche, sterche, from Old English *stierċe (“stiffness, rigidity, strength”), from Proto-West Germanic *starkī (“stiffness, rigidity, fortitude, strength”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sterg- (“stiff, rigid”).
Cognate with dialectal Dutch sterk (“strong”), Middle Low German sterke (“strength”), German Stärke (“strength", also "starch”), Swedish stärkelse (“starch”), Icelandic sterkja (“starch”). Related to English stark (“stiff, strong, vigorous, powerful”).
Senses: examples: text: misrepresenting Sobriety as a Starch and Formal, and Vertue as a Laborious and Slavish thing
ref: 1713, John Killingbeck, Eighteen sermons on practical subjects:
glosses: Stiff; precise; rigid.
Derived terms: starchness
startle
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈstɑːt(ə)l/
ipa: /ˈstɑɹt(ə)l/
rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)təl
Forms: form: startles
form: startling
form: startled
form: startled
Etymology: From Middle English startlen, stertlen, stertyllen (“to rush, stumble along”), from Old English steartlian (“to kick with the foot, struggle, stumble”), equivalent to start + -le. Cognate with Old Norse stirtla (“to hobble, stagger”), Icelandic stirtla (“to straighten up, erect”). Compare also Middle English stertil (“hasty”). More at start.
Senses: examples: text: a horse that startles easily
text: Why shrinks the soul / Back on herself, and startles at destruction?
ref: 1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene v, page 1:
text: He felt, too, that he was acting unjustly by Ethel: he had allowed a fortnight to elapse—he startled when he numbered up the days; it is strange how we allow them to glide imperceptibly away.
ref: 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “A Proposal of Marriage”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 127:
glosses: To move suddenly, or be excited, on feeling alarm; to start.
examples: text: The supposition, at least, that angels do sometimes assume bodies need not startle us.
ref: 1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC:
text: Nothing could startle her, make her scold or make her cry. She did not complain, she did not rebel.
ref: 1896, Joseph Conrad, chapter I, in An Outcast of the Islands, London: T. Fisher Unwin […], →OCLC, part I, page 10:
text: The high voice in the night air startled me. Without thinking, I started to run. Then stopped. I spun around, my heart heaving against my chest. And saw a boy. About my age.
ref: 1997, R. L. Stine, Say Cheese and Die, Again!:
glosses: To excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension; to frighten suddenly and not seriously; to alarm; to surprise.
examples: text: it would blast all their hopes, and startle all other princes from joining
ref: 1660, Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, The Life of Edward Earl of Clarendon, Lord High Chancellor of England:
text: As they turned into Hertford Street they startled a robin from the poet's head on a barren fountain, and he fled away with a cameo note.
ref: 1922, Michael Arlen, “Ep./4/2”, in “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days:
glosses: To deter; to cause to deviate.
Synonyms: sense: to move suddenly
word: start
sense: to excite suddenly
word: alarm
sense: to excite suddenly
word: frighten
sense: to excite suddenly
word: scare
sense: to excite suddenly
word: surprise
sense: deter
word: deter
Derived terms: startle up
startling
startle
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈstɑːt(ə)l/
ipa: /ˈstɑɹt(ə)l/
rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)təl
Forms: form: startles
Etymology: From Middle English startlen, stertlen, stertyllen (“to rush, stumble along”), from Old English steartlian (“to kick with the foot, struggle, stumble”), equivalent to start + -le. Cognate with Old Norse stirtla (“to hobble, stagger”), Icelandic stirtla (“to straighten up, erect”). Compare also Middle English stertil (“hasty”). More at start.
Senses: examples: text: The figure of a man heaving in sight amidst these wide solitudes, always causes a startle and thrill of expectation and doubt, similar to the feeling produced by the announcement of " a strange sail ahead" on shipboard, during a long voyage.
ref: 1845, George Hooker Colton, James Davenport Whelpley, chapter 1, in The American review:
glosses: A sudden motion or shock caused by an unexpected alarm, surprise, or apprehension of danger.
Derived terms: startle reflex
startler
startlish
Related terms: skittish