cstr/en-wiktionary-extracted-all huggingface dataset:
waterfowl
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: waterfowl
form: waterfowls
Etymology: From Middle English waterfoul, water-foul, equivalent to water + fowl. Compare Old English dopfugel (“waterfowl, moorhen”, literally “dipping-fowl”).
Senses: hypernyms: fowl#Noun
<
bird#Noun
<
animal#Noun
<
organism#Noun
species#Noun
coordinate_terms: landfowl#Noun
glosses: Any of the birds, such as ducks, geese and swans, that spend most of their non-flying time on water; especially those of the family Anatidae.
Related terms: game bird
gamefowl
poultry
wildfowl
odiousness
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: odiousnesses
Etymology: From odious + -ness.
Senses: glosses: The condition of being odious
glosses: An odious thing
Bentley
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Pronunciation: enpr: bĕnt'lē
ipa: /ˈbɛntliː/
Forms: form: Bently
Etymology: From Old English Beonetlēah. Originally a Sussex habitational name, the word lēah or lēag meaning field in Old English. Hence, equivalent to bent (“bent-grass”) + -leigh/lea (“meadow, field”); compare Bentham.
Senses: glosses: An English habitational surname from Old English.
glosses: A place name, including:
A suburb of Perth, Western Australia.
glosses: A place name, including:
A town in Alberta, Canada.
glosses: A place name, including:
A number of places in England:
A hamlet in Rowley parish, East Riding of Yorkshire (OS grid ref TA0135).
glosses: A place name, including:
A number of places in England:
A hamlet north-west of Brentwood, Brentwood borough, Essex (OS grid ref TQ5696).
glosses: A place name, including:
A number of places in England:
A village and civil parish in East Hampshire district, Hampshire (OS grid ref SU7844).
glosses: A place name, including:
A number of places in England:
A village and civil parish in Babergh district, Suffolk (OS grid ref TM1136).
glosses: A place name, including:
A number of places in England:
An outer suburb of Doncaster, South Yorkshire (OS grid ref SE5605).
glosses: A place name, including:
A number of places in England:
A hamlet and civil parish (served by Bentley and Merevale Parish Council) in North Warwickshire district, Warwickshire (OS grid ref SP2895).
glosses: A place name, including:
A number of places in England:
A suburban area in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, West Midlands (OS grid ref SO9899).
glosses: A place name, including:
A number of places in England:
Lower Bentley and Upper Bentley in Bentley Pauncefoot parish, Bromsgrove district, Worcestershire.
glosses: A place name, including:
A number of places in the United States:
A small town in Hancock County, Illinois.
glosses: A place name, including:
A number of places in the United States:
A small city in Sedgwick County, Kansas.
glosses: A place name, including:
A number of places in the United States:
An unincorporated community in Bay County, Michigan.
glosses: A place name, including:
A number of places in the United States:
A township in Gladwin County, Michigan.
glosses: A place name, including:
A number of places in the United States:
An unincorporated community in Hettinger County, North Dakota.
Derived terms: Bentleyan
Bentley Heath
Bentley Pauncefoot
Great Bentley
Little Bentley
Lower Bentley
Upper Bentley
Bentley
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: bĕnt'lē
ipa: /ˈbɛntliː/
Forms: form: Bentleys
form: Bently
Etymology: Named after the founder of Bentley Motors, WO Bentley.
Senses: examples: text: The car she reclined in was a 1960s Bentley.
ref: 2014, Ian McEwan, The Children Act, Penguin Random House (2018), page 148:
text: The EXP 100 GT is a two-door, four-seat behemoth measuring 19 feet (5.8 meters) in length. It’s designed to show what a Bentley GT might look like in the year 2035, complete with a pure-electric powertrain and self-driving capabilities.
ref: 2019 July 10, John McIlroy, “Bentley marks 100th birthday with futuristic new concept car”, in CNN, archived from the original on 19 Apr 2023:
text: While auto sales as a whole have suffered from factory shutdowns and other disruptions due to the pandemic, sales of super-expensive cars, like Ferraris, Bentleys and Lamborghinis, finished 2020 at a blistering pace.
ref: 2021 April 1, Peter Valdes-Dapena, “Sales of Bentleys and Lamborghinis are booming because rich people are bored”, in CNN, archived from the original on 24 Sep 2024:
glosses: A motor car manufactured by this company.
Related terms: Bentleigh
Bently
impudence
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɪmpjədəns/
ipa: /ˈɪmpjudəns/
Forms: form: impudences
Etymology: From Middle French impudence, from Latin impudentia.
Senses: glosses: The quality of being impudent, not showing due respect.
examples: text: That the young Mr. Churchills liked—but they did not like him coming round of an evening and drinking weak whisky-and-water while he held forth on railway debentures and corporation loans. Mr. Barrett, however, by fawning and flattery, seemed to be able to make not only Mrs. Churchill but everyone else do what he desired. And if the arts of humbleness failed him, he overcame you by sheer impudence.
ref: 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter II, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
glosses: Impudent language, conduct or behavior.
Synonyms: word: cheek
word: sauciness
word: audacity
word: audaciousness
word: brashness
word: brass
word: brazenness
word: bronze
word: cheekiness
word: chutzpah
word: crust
word: disrespect
word: effrontery
word: gall
word: outdaciousness
word: immortal rind
word: impudence
word: insolence
word: irreverence
word: impertinence
word: pertness
word: rind
word: temerity
Related terms: word: impudent
word: cheeky
word: courage
EOD
Language: English
Part of speech: adv
Senses: topics: medicine
sciences
glosses: Initialism of every other day.
EOD
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: EODs
Senses: topics: government
law-enforcement
military
politics
war
glosses: Initialism of explosive ordnance disposal.
topics: business
finance
law
glosses: Initialism of event of default.
topics: computing
engineering
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
sciences
glosses: Initialism of end of data.
glosses: Initialism of end of discussion.
topics: business
glosses: Initialism of end of day.
topics: aeronautics
aerospace
aviation
business
engineering
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: Initialism of end of daylight.
Related terms: word: BOD
word: BOF
word: EOB
word: EOF
word: EOL
word: EOW
sense: explosives
word: UXO
EOD
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Forms: form: EODs
Senses: glosses: Abbreviation of Earth Overshoot Day.
Nipponize
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: Nipponizes
form: Nipponizing
form: Nipponized
form: Nipponized
form: Nipponise
form: nipponize
Etymology: From Nippon + -ize.
Senses: examples: text: Christianity should be Japan’s greatest ally in Nipponizing its new territory.
ref: 1913 January, “A Great Crime Against Justice”, in Doremus Scudder, editor, The Friend, volume LXXI, number 1, Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii: Hawaiian Board Book Rooms, page 4, column 2:
text: The movie “Nipponizes” King Lear within the protocols of the formalistic patterns of traditional “Noh” drama.
ref: 2012, “Introduction to the Focus Edition”, in William Shakespeare, edited by Kenneth S[prague] Rothwell, The Tragedy of King Lear (New Kittredge Shakespeare), Newburyport, Mass.: Focus Publishing/R[on] Pullins Company, →ISBN, page xxii:
text: He invited me for a meal. The table was set with plates and chopsticks, little dishes of soy sauce and wasabi paste; bigger platters of sushi, sashimi, tempura, and dumplings; bowls of miso soup. “I have been thoroughly Nipponized,” Floyd said.
ref: 2017, Paul Theroux, “Best Man”, in Mother Land, Boston, Mass.; New York, N.Y.: Eamon Dolan Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, →ISBN, page 361:
synonyms: Japanize
Japanicize
glosses: To make or become Japanese, as to customs, culture, or style.
glosses: To convert to katakana or to enable to work with the Japanese script.
glosses: To translate into Japanese.
hence
Language: English
Part of speech: intj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈhɛns/
rhymes: -ɛns
Etymology: A later Middle English spelling, retaining the voiceless -s, of hennes (henne + adverbial genitive ending -s), from Old English heonan (“away", "hence”), from a Proto-West Germanic *hin-, from Proto-Germanic *hiz, and Proto-Germanic *-anē.
Cognate with Old Saxon hinan, Old High German hinnan (German hinnen), Dutch heen, Swedish hän. Related to Old English her (“here”).
Senses: examples: text: Zuc[cone]. Hence auant I will marie a woman with no wombe, a creature with two noſes, a wench with no haire rather then remarie thee, […]
ref: 1604 (date written), Iohn Marston [i.e., John Marston], Parasitaster, or The Fawne, […], London: […] T[homas] P[urfoot] for W[illiam] C[otton], published 1606, →OCLC, Act IV, scene i:
text: Mira[nda]. Beſeech you Father.
Proſ[pero]. Hence: hang not on my garments.
ref: 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii], page 6, column 1:
glosses: Go away! Begone!
hence
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈhɛns/
rhymes: -ɛns
Forms: form: hences
form: hencing
form: henced
form: henced
Etymology: A later Middle English spelling, retaining the voiceless -s, of hennes (henne + adverbial genitive ending -s), from Old English heonan (“away", "hence”), from a Proto-West Germanic *hin-, from Proto-Germanic *hiz, and Proto-Germanic *-anē.
Cognate with Old Saxon hinan, Old High German hinnan (German hinnen), Dutch heen, Swedish hän. Related to Old English her (“here”).
Senses: glosses: To utter "hence!" to; to send away.
glosses: To depart; to go away.
avocation
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /avə(ʊ)ˈkeɪʃən/
ipa: /ævoʊˈkeɪʃən/
ipa: /ævəˈkeɪʃən/
Forms: form: avocations
Etymology: From Latin āvocātiō (“a distraction”), from āvocō (“I call off, distract”).
Senses: examples: text: But though she could neither sleep nor rest in her bed, yet, having no avocation from it, she was found there by her father at his return from Allworthy's, which was not till past ten o'clock in the morning.
ref: 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC:
glosses: A calling away; a diversion.
examples: text: But yield who will to their separation,
My object in living is to unite
My avocation and my vocation
As my two eyes make one in sight.
ref: 1934, Robert Frost, Two Tramps in Mud Time:
text: Gardening is a wholesome avocation that encourages appreciation for nature and concern for the preservation and enhancement of our environment.
ref: 18 April, 1986, Ronald Reagan, Proclamation 5462
glosses: A hobby or recreational or leisure pursuit.
glosses: That which calls one away from one's regular employment or vocation.
examples: text: November 1, 1711, William King, Letter to Jonathan Swift
I have several things on the anvil, and near finished, that perhaps might be useful, if published: but the continual avocation by business, the impositions on me by impertinent visits, and the uneasiness of writing, which grows more intolerable to me every day, I doubt, will prevent my going any farther.
text: [W]hen his other more momentous Avocations of Pedantry and Pedagogiſm vvill give him an Interval from VVrath and Contention, he vvill ſet apart a Moment to conſider humane Nature Deviliz'd, and give us a Mathematical Anatomical Deſcription of it; […]
ref: 1726, [Daniel Defoe], “Of Satan’s Agents or Missionaries, and Their Actings upon and in the Minds of Men in His Name”, in The Political History of the Devil, as well Ancient as Modern: […], London: […] T. Warner, […], →OCLC, part II (Of the Modern History of the Devil), page 244:
text: I have been received with unsurpassable politeness, delicacy, sweet temper, hospitality, consideration, and with unsurpassable respect for the privacy daily enforced upon me by the nature of my avocation here and the state of my health.
ref: 1842 December – 1844 July, Charles Dickens, The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1844, →OCLC:
glosses: Pursuits; duties; affairs which occupy one's time; usual employment; vocation.
glosses: The calling of a case from an inferior to a superior court.
Related terms: avocational
avocationally
vocation
volunteerism
Gaelic
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɡælɪk/
ipa: /ˈɡeɪlɪk/
ipa: /ˈɡalɪk/
ipa: /ˈɡeɪlɪk/
rhymes: -eɪlɪk
rhymes: -ælɪk
Forms: form: Galic
Etymology: From Gael + -ic.
Senses: examples: text: By the time this mysterious knight died in the 1360s, his book was available in every European language, including Dutch, Gaelic, Czech, Catalan, and Walloon.
ref: 2001 December 2, Giles Milton, “'The Riddle and the Knight'”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 19 Apr 2022:
text: She taught herself some Gaelic as a child. It’s hard to pronounce, and with no other Gaelic speakers around that she could practice on, she’s forgotten nearly all of what she learned.
ref: 2020, N. K. Jemisin, The City We Became, Orbit, page 342:
glosses: Goidelic; any Goidelic language.
glosses: Goidelic; any Goidelic language.
Irish Gaelic.
glosses: Goidelic; any Goidelic language.
Manx Gaelic.
glosses: Goidelic; any Goidelic language.
Scottish Gaelic.
Gaelic
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɡælɪk/
ipa: /ˈɡeɪlɪk/
ipa: /ˈɡalɪk/
ipa: /ˈɡeɪlɪk/
rhymes: -eɪlɪk
rhymes: -ælɪk
Forms: form: Galic
Etymology: From Gael + -ic.
Senses: examples: text: I began to study coats of arms, visit the Web sites of portrait galleries and look up the etymology of Gaelic names.
ref: 2012 August 13, Leslie Larson, “Up a family tree”, in CNN:
glosses: Of or relating to the Gaels, the Goidel peoples of Scotland and Ireland, and the Manx, or their languages.
Derived terms: Gaelic football
Gaelic handball
Gaelic
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɡælɪk/
ipa: /ˈɡeɪlɪk/
ipa: /ˈɡalɪk/
ipa: /ˈɡeɪlɪk/
rhymes: -eɪlɪk
rhymes: -ælɪk
Forms: form: Galic
Etymology: From Gael + -ic.
Senses: examples: text: Undoubtedly, the main reasons why many gifted young Irish sportsmen such as Niall Quinn, Kevin Moran and Frank Stapleton opted to play soccer instead of Gaelic is^([sic]) that soccer afforded them the opportunity to display and test their abilities in an international arena and earn a good living.
ref: 1995, John Sugden, Alan Bairner, Sport, Sectarianism and Society, page 42:
glosses: Ellipsis of Gaelic football.
autocrat
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɔːtəkɹæt/
Forms: form: autocrats
Etymology: Borrowed from French autocrate, itself from Ancient Greek αὐτοκρατής (autokratḗs, “sovereign”), from αὐτο- (auto-, “self”) (combining form of αὐτός (autós)) + κράτος (krátos, “strength, power”) + -ης (-ēs). By surface analysis, auto- + -crat.
Senses: examples: text: Your salary is high; you are to have apartments in the house; and to be the autocrat of the library, where, I shrewdly suspect, your reign will be undisturbed.
ref: 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “A Secretaryship”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 131:
text: Indeed, we take this trip at a time when the world faces a choice between autocracy and democracy. As Russia wages its premeditated, illegal war against Ukraine, killing thousands of innocents — even children — it is essential that America and our allies make clear that we never give in to autocrats.
ref: 2022 August 2, Nancy Pelosi, “Nancy Pelosi: Why I’m leading a congressional delegation to Taiwan”, in The Washington Post, archived from the original on 02 Aug 2022, Opinion:
text: We’ve gotten used to headlines predicting the demise of democracy. While the threats we face are real, a glance around the globe shows that it’s autocrats who are in retreat right now.
ref: 2022 December 1, John Avlon, “Opinion: The tide is turning against autocracy”, in CNN:
text: Trump added that the European autocrat is “a noncontroversial figure because he said, ‘This is the way it’s going to be,’ and that’s the end of it, right? He’s the boss and … he’s a great leader, fantastic leader. In Europe and around the world, they respect him.”
ref: 2024 March 8, Kristen Holmes and Andrew Millman, “Trump praises ‘fantastic’ Viktor Orbán while hosting Hungarian autocrat at Mar-a-Lago for meeting and concert”, in CNN:
text: If Trump defies the Court, there is little to restrain him from acting as an autocrat, given the supplication of Republicans in Congress.
ref: 2025 April 10, Adam Serwer, “The Confrontation Between Trump and the Supreme Court Has Arrived”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 11 Apr 2025:
synonyms: autocrator
despot
dictator
monarch
tyrant
strongman
glosses: An absolute ruler with infinite power.
glosses: A title borne by some such monarchs, as in Byzantium and tsarist Russia.
glosses: Until the 20th century, a favorable description of a ruler who was connected with the concept of lack of conflicts of interest and an indication of grandeur and power.
Derived terms: autocratess
autocratic
autocratical
autocratship
Related terms: autocracy
Highlander
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: Highlanders
Etymology: From Highlands + -er, equivalent to a specific application of highlander.
Senses: hypernyms: see Scot
coordinate_terms: Lowlander
glosses: A person from the Highlands.
Derived terms: Shanghailander
Related terms: highlander
Highlander
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Forms: form: Highlanders
Etymology: Americanized spelling of German Heilander.
Senses: glosses: A surname from German.
sense
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: sĕns
ipa: /sɛns/
ipa: /sɛnts/
ipa: /sɪns/
ipa: /sɪnts/
rhymes: -ɛns
homophone: cents
homophone: scents
homophone: since (pin–pen merger)
Forms: form: senses
form: sensing
form: sensed
form: sensed
form: sence
Etymology: From Middle English sense, from Old French sens, sen, san (“sense, perception, direction”); partly from Latin sēnsus (“sensation, feeling, meaning”), from sentiō (“feel, perceive”); partly of Germanic origin (whence also Occitan sen, Italian senno), from Vulgar Latin *sennus (“sense, reason, way”), from Frankish *sinn ("reason, judgement, mental faculty, way, direction"; whence also Dutch zin, German Sinn, Swedish sinne, Norwegian sinn). Both Latin and Germanic from Proto-Indo-European *sent- (“to feel”).
Senses: glosses: To use biological senses: to either see, hear, smell, taste, or feel.
examples: text: She immediately sensed her disdain.
glosses: To instinctively be aware.
glosses: To comprehend.
Platonic
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /pləˈtɒnɪk/
Forms: form: more Platonic
form: most Platonic
form: platonic
form: platonick
form: Platonick
Etymology: From Latin Platōnicus. By surface analysis, Plato + -n- (intervocalic) + -ic (“relating to”).
Senses: glosses: Of or relating to the ancient Greek philosopher Plato or his philosophies.
examples: text: The homosexual dismisses heterosexual love as a distasteful bondage to normalcy and bourgeois domestication, but the Platonic lover of the soul is dismissing all sexuality as bondage to the physical world.
ref: 1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 193:
glosses: Alternative letter-case form of platonic (non-sexual).
Derived terms: antiplatonic
Neoplatonic
Platonical
Platonically
Platonic body
Platonic dialogue
Platonic hydrocarbon
Platonic ideal
Platonic solid
Platonic year
Related terms: Plato
Platonism
Platonist
Platonistic
Platonic
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /pləˈtɒnɪk/
Forms: form: Platonics
form: platonic
form: platonick
form: Platonick
Etymology: From Latin Platōnicus. By surface analysis, Plato + -n- (intervocalic) + -ic (“relating to”).
Senses: glosses: A Platonist; a follower of Plato's ideas.
glosses: A Platonic solid.
discreet
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /dɪˈskɹiːt/
rhymes: -iːt
homophone: discrete
Forms: form: more discreet
form: discreeter
form: most discreet
form: discreetest
Etymology: From Middle English discrete, from Old French discret, from Latin discrētus, from past participle of discernere. Doublet of discrete.
Senses: examples: text: With a discreet gesture, she reminded him to mind his manners.
text: John just doesn't understand that laughing at Mary all day is not very discreet.
glosses: Respectful of privacy or secrecy; exercising caution in order to avoid causing embarrassment; quiet; diplomatic.
glosses: Not drawing attention, anger or challenge; inconspicuous.
Derived terms: discreetly
discreetness
indiscreet
ultradiscreet
undiscreet
Related terms: discretion
ordinal
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɔː.dɪ.nəl/
ipa: /ˈɔɹ.dɪ.nəl/
ipa: /ˈoː.dɪ.nəl/
rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)dɪnəl
rhymes: -ɔːɹdnəl
Etymology: Borrowed from Latin ōrdinālis, adjective formed from noun ōrdō (“order”), + adjective suffix -ālis.
Senses: examples: text: "Three" is a cardinal number, while "third" is the corresponding ordinal number.
topics: mathematics
sciences
glosses: Indicating position in a sequence.
raw_tags: of a number
topics: biology
natural-sciences
taxonomy
glosses: Pertaining to a taxon at the rank of order.
topics: nautical
transport
glosses: Intercardinal.
Coordinate terms: nominal
cardinal
interval
ratio
Derived terms: biordinal
disordinal
extraordinal
infraordinal
interordinal
intraordinal
nonordinal
ordinal adjective
ordinal date
ordinal direction
ordinal indicator
ordinalism
ordinality
ordinally
ordinal number
ordinal numeral
ordinal rank
ordinal scale
ordinal variable
subordinal
supraordinal
superordinal
ordinal
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɔː.dɪ.nəl/
ipa: /ˈɔɹ.dɪ.nəl/
ipa: /ˈoː.dɪ.nəl/
rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)dɪnəl
rhymes: -ɔːɹdnəl
Forms: form: ordinals
Etymology: Borrowed from Latin ōrdinālis, adjective formed from noun ōrdō (“order”), + adjective suffix -ālis.
Senses: examples: text: The most common numerals in Latin, as in English, are the "cardinals"[…]and the "ordinals"[…]
ref: 2005, F. M. Wheelock, Wheelock’s Latin, 6th revised edition, page 97:
glosses: An ordinal number such as first, second and third.
glosses: A book used in the ordination of Anglican ministers, or in certain Roman Catholic services
topics: business
cryptocurrencies
cryptocurrency
finance
glosses: A unique serial number assigned to a satoshi based on its position in the blockchain.
Derived terms: biordinal
limit ordinal
p-adic ordinal
southpaw
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈsaʊθˌpɔː/
ipa: /ˈsaʊθˌpɑ/
rhymes: -aʊθpɔː
rhymes: -aʊθpɑ
Forms: form: southpaws
Etymology: From south + paw.
Senses: examples: text: Never touch the food until your host has said grace ("Bismillah") and then not till he has told you to. Eat only with your right hand—it is considered very rude to use the left, even if you are a southpaw.
ref: 1943, United States Army, A short guide to Syria:
synonyms: left-hander
lefty
antonyms: northpaw
right-hander
glosses: One who is left-handed, especially in sports.
examples: text: Since home plate is generally in the southwest corner to avoid glare in the batter's eyes, a southpaw's pitching hand is to the south.
text: Eleanor would pitch, probably southpaw. Rosalind was outfield, wonderful hitter, Clara first base, maybe.
ref: 1920, F. Scott Fitzgerald, This Side of Paradise/Book Two/Chapter 5, Book Two/Chapter 5:
topics: ball-games
baseball
games
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
synonyms: left-hander
lefty
antonyms: northpaw
right-hander
glosses: One who is left-handed, especially in sports.
A left-handed pitcher.
synonyms: left-hander
lefty
antonyms: northpaw
right-hander
glosses: One who is left-handed, especially in sports.
A boxer who leads with the right hand and guards with the left.
kerf
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /kɜː(ɹ)f/
rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)f
Forms: form: kerfs
Etymology: From Middle English kerf, kirf, kyrf, from Old English cyrf (“an act of cutting, a cutting off; a cutting instrument”), from Proto-West Germanic *kurbi, from Proto-Germanic *kurbiz (“a cut; notch; clipping”), from Proto-Indo-European *gerbʰ- (“to scratch”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Käärf, West Frisian kerf, Swedish korv. Related also to Dutch kerf, German Low German Karve, Karv, German Kerbe.
Senses: glosses: The act of cutting or carving something; a stroke or slice.
examples: text: They pass through a cleft that has been made across a low range of hills, like a kerf in the top of a log, and enter into a lovely territory of subtly swelling emerald green fields strewn randomly with small white capsules that he takes to be sheep.
ref: 1999, Neal Stephenson, Cryptonomicon:
glosses: The groove or slit created by cutting or sawing something; an incision.
examples: 1991, Popular Mechanics, January issue, page 63, "Thin-kerf blades", by Rosario Capotostro
Sawing with a thin-kerf blade produces a kerf that's 1/2 to 1/3 the size of a standard blade kerf.
glosses: The portion or quantity (e.g. of wood, hay, turf, wool, etc.) removed or cut off in a given stroke.
examples: 1991, Popular Mechanics, January issue, page 63, "Thin-kerf blades", by Rosario Capotostro
Sawing with a thin-kerf blade produces a kerf that's 1/2 to 1/3 the size of a standard blade kerf.
glosses: The distance between diverging saw teeth.
examples: text: Sebastian, still not alone, is seated on the white-and-cinder-grey trunk of a felled tree. […] A Camberwell Beauty skims past and settles on the kerf, fanning its velvety wings.
ref: 1941, Vladimir Nabokov, The Real Life of Sebastian Knight, Penguin 1971 edition, page 115:
glosses: The flattened, cut-off end of a branch or tree; a stump or sawn-off cross-section.
Related terms: carve
swarf
kerf
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /kɜː(ɹ)f/
rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)f
Forms: form: kerfs
form: kerfing
form: kerfed
form: kerfed
Etymology: From Middle English kerf, kirf, kyrf, from Old English cyrf (“an act of cutting, a cutting off; a cutting instrument”), from Proto-West Germanic *kurbi, from Proto-Germanic *kurbiz (“a cut; notch; clipping”), from Proto-Indo-European *gerbʰ- (“to scratch”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Käärf, West Frisian kerf, Swedish korv. Related also to Dutch kerf, German Low German Karve, Karv, German Kerbe.
Senses: glosses: To cut a piece of wood or other material with several kerfs to allow it to be bent.
quest
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /kwɛst/
enpr: kwĕst
rhymes: -ɛst
Forms: form: quests
form: questing
form: quested
form: quested
Etymology: From Middle English quest, queste; partly from Anglo-Norman queste, Old French queste (“acquisition, search, hunt”), and partly from their source, Latin quaesta (“tribute, tax, inquiry, search”), noun use of quaesita, the feminine past participle of quaerere (“to ask, seek”).
Senses: glosses: To seek or pursue a goal; to undertake a mission or job.
examples: text: Next day we quested in search of our caravan, and after some pains recovered it.
ref: 1634, Thomas Herbert, Description of the Persian Monarchy now beinge the Orientall Indyes, Iles and other ports of the Greater Asia and Africk:
glosses: To search for something; to seek.
topics: biology
entomology
natural-sciences
glosses: To locate and attach to a host animal.
raw_tags: of a tick
quest
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /kwɛst/
enpr: kwĕst
rhymes: -ɛst
Forms: form: quests
Etymology: Blend of quiz + test, to avoid using the word test.
Senses: examples: text: I had a calculus quest (not a quiz or a test, but somewhere in between...) it was on limits, and l'hopital's rule...
ref: 1998 March 20, bill kao, “3rd per”, in alt.music.ash (Usenet):
text: However took a quest, quiz/test combination that this math progrm^([sic]) uses, and got ten out of ten on it!
ref: 2004 September 24, Kathy, “Weekly Diary Third Semester #4”, in alt.coffee.clutch (Usenet):
text: Quests, bigger than quizzes and smaller than tests, consist of around 10 questions worth 2 points each, designed to take about 30–40 minutes.
ref: 2015, Kathleen Gibson-Dee, “Learning Through Questing, Not Testing”, in College Teaching, volume 63, number 3, Taylor & Francis, →ISSN, page 133:
text: Most outcomes were assessed with 10 min, single-page, five-question quizzes/tests (“quests”) given at the beginning of class, followed immediately with a brief discussion of the correct answers; mastery could be demonstrated by the student with four of five complete, correct answers (with no partial credit). […] Students were given a finite number of “quest” retakes. Three class periods during the semester were used as quest makeup periods, during which students would be able to take new versions of EO and GO quests.
ref: 2017, Joshua Ring, “ConfChem conference on select 2016 BCCE presentations”, in Journal of Chemical Education, volume 94, number 12, ACS Publications, →ISSN, pages 2005–2006:
topics: education
glosses: A short test.
quorate
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈkwɔːɹət/
ipa: /ˈkwɔːɹeɪt/
rhymes: -ɔːɹət
Etymology: From quorum + -ate (adjective-forming suffix).
Senses: examples: text: With only five people making it to the meeting, we were barely quorate.
ref: (Can we date this quote?), “(please specify the article title)”, in The Times, London: News UK, →ISSN, →OCLC:
glosses: (of a meeting) Having a quorum; having the minimum number of people necessary to conduct business and to cast votes.
nuance
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈnjuː.ɑːns/
ipa: /njuː.ɒ̃(n)s/
ipa: /ˈnju.ɑns/
ipa: /ˈnuː.ɑns/
ipa: /ˈnjʉː.ɐːns/
note: Indic
ipa: /ˈnju.ɑns/
note: Indic
ipa: /-ɔns/
note: Indic
ipa: /-ans/
Forms: form: nuances
Etymology: Borrowed from French nuance (“nuance, shade, hue”). Several steps omitting from Latin nūbēs.
Compare typologically Italian sfumatura (< Latin fūmus).
Senses: examples: text: hidden nuances
glosses: A minor distinction.
examples: text: Understanding the basics is easy, but appreciating the nuances takes years.
text: […] the richer our collections become, the more numerous are the proofs that all is more or less shaded (nuance), that the remarkable differences become obliterated […]
ref: 1901, Alpheus Spring Packard, Lamarck, the Founder of Evolution:
text: It’s a miracle Lindsey Graham has met the concept of nuance. And this is the man who once warned “the world is literally about to blow up.” So you’re not dealing with someone who likes to dabble with grey areas.
ref: 2016, Tim Carvell [et al.], “Encryption”, in Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, season 3, episode 5, John Oliver (actor), Warner Bros. Television, via HBO:
glosses: Subtlety or fine detail.
Derived terms: nuanced
nuanceless
nuance
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈnjuː.ɑːns/
ipa: /njuː.ɒ̃(n)s/
ipa: /ˈnju.ɑns/
ipa: /ˈnuː.ɑns/
ipa: /ˈnjʉː.ɐːns/
note: Indic
ipa: /ˈnju.ɑns/
note: Indic
ipa: /-ɔns/
note: Indic
ipa: /-ans/
Forms: form: nuances
form: nuancing
form: nuanced
form: nuanced
Etymology: Borrowed from French nuance (“nuance, shade, hue”). Several steps omitting from Latin nūbēs.
Compare typologically Italian sfumatura (< Latin fūmus).
Senses: glosses: To apply a nuance to; to change or redefine in a subtle way.
fervent
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈfɝ.vənt/
ipa: /ˈfɜː.vənt/
rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)vənt
Forms: form: more fervent
form: most fervent
Etymology: From Middle English fervent, from Old French fervent, from Latin fervens, ferventem, present participle of fervere (“to boil, ferment, glow, rage”).
Senses: examples: text: As I returned my fervent hopes were dashed by so many fears.
ref: 1819, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, chapter 3, in Mathilda:
text: President Joe Biden issued a fervent appeal Thursday for stricter gun laws – including a ban on assault weapons, tougher background check laws and a higher minimum age of purchase – as a spate of gun massacres have left the nation shaken and prompted new discussions on Capitol Hill about how to prevent them.
ref: 2022 June 2, Kevin Liptak and Kaitlan Collins, “Biden makes fervent plea for stricter gun laws: ‘How much more carnage are we willing to accept?’”, in CNN:
glosses: Exhibiting particular enthusiasm, zeal, conviction, persistence, and/or belief.
examples: text: Never again would those fresh lips touch his lips with their fervent kiss!
ref: 1876, Wilkie Collins, “Mr. Captain and the Nymph,”, in Little Novels:
glosses: Having or showing emotional warmth, fervor, and/or passion.
examples: text: But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Peter 3:10:
glosses: Glowing, burning, very hot.
Derived terms: fervently
ferventness
superfervent
unfervent
Related terms: fever
ferment
fervid
fervor
pitch
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /pɪt͡ʃ/
rhymes: -ɪtʃ
Forms: form: pitches
Etymology: From Middle English picche, piche, pich, from Old English piċ, from Proto-West Germanic *pik, from Latin pix. Cognate with Ancient Greek πίσσα (píssa, “pitch, tar”), Latin pīnus (“pine”). More at pine. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Pik (“pitch, tar”), Dutch pek (“pitch, tar”), German Low German Pick (“pitch, tar”), German Pech (“pitch, tar”), Catalan pega (“pitch”), Spanish pegar (“to stick, glue”), Franco-Provençal pouatche (“sap from a pine”) and French poix (“sap”). The adjective is probably back-formed from pitch-black, reinterpreting "pitch" as meaning "intense(ly)".
Senses: examples: text: It is hard to get this pitch off my hand.
glosses: A sticky, gummy substance secreted by trees; sap.
examples: text: They put pitch on the mast to protect it.
text: The barrel was sealed with pitch.
text: It was pitch black because there was no moon.
glosses: A dark, extremely viscous material still remaining after distilling crude oil and tar.
topics: geography
geology
natural-sciences
glosses: Pitchstone.
Derived terms: Burgundy pitch
Canada pitch
dark as pitch
earth pitch
Greek pitch
Jews' pitch
pitch apple
pitch black
pitch-black
pitchblende
pitch coal
pitch dark
pitch-dark
pitch darkness
pitch mining
pitch moth
pitch peat
pitch pine
pitch-tar
the devil to pay and no pitch hot or ready
Related terms: piceous
pitch
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /pɪt͡ʃ/
rhymes: -ɪtʃ
Forms: form: pitches
form: pitching
form: pitched
form: pitched
Etymology: From Middle English picche, piche, pich, from Old English piċ, from Proto-West Germanic *pik, from Latin pix. Cognate with Ancient Greek πίσσα (píssa, “pitch, tar”), Latin pīnus (“pine”). More at pine. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Pik (“pitch, tar”), Dutch pek (“pitch, tar”), German Low German Pick (“pitch, tar”), German Pech (“pitch, tar”), Catalan pega (“pitch”), Spanish pegar (“to stick, glue”), Franco-Provençal pouatche (“sap from a pine”) and French poix (“sap”). The adjective is probably back-formed from pitch-black, reinterpreting "pitch" as meaning "intense(ly)".
Senses: examples: text: “Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.”
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 6:14:
glosses: To cover or smear with pitch.
examples: 1704 (published), year written unknown, John Dryden, On the Death of Amyntas
Soon he found / The welkin pitch'd with sullen clouds.
glosses: To darken; to blacken; to obscure.
pitch
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /pɪt͡ʃ/
rhymes: -ɪtʃ
Forms: form: pitcher
form: pitchest
Etymology: From Middle English picche, piche, pich, from Old English piċ, from Proto-West Germanic *pik, from Latin pix. Cognate with Ancient Greek πίσσα (píssa, “pitch, tar”), Latin pīnus (“pine”). More at pine. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Pik (“pitch, tar”), Dutch pek (“pitch, tar”), German Low German Pick (“pitch, tar”), German Pech (“pitch, tar”), Catalan pega (“pitch”), Spanish pegar (“to stick, glue”), Franco-Provençal pouatche (“sap from a pine”) and French poix (“sap”). The adjective is probably back-formed from pitch-black, reinterpreting "pitch" as meaning "intense(ly)".
Senses: examples: For quotations using this term, see Citations:pitch.
glosses: Very dark black; pitch-black.
examples: text: Then I got back here - difficulty again: no trolly-bus, and and black pitcher than black - and have since been conning the Beveridge Report.
ref: 2008 July 15, Edward Morgan Forster, Christopher Isherwood, Letters Between Forster and Isherwood on Homosexuality and Literature, Palgrave MacMillan:
text: If you lose even once, that's it: The screen goes, like, the pitchest black ever, and you're [out].
ref: 2013 February 26, Dale E. Basye, Snivel: The Fifth Circle of Heck, Yearling, →ISBN, page 162:
text: For some of us postpartum depression is the pitchest black we have ever known. From the dark womb we welcome new life, and our own new life, a life we haven't known, unfolds[…]
ref: 2016 August 30, Mandy Arioto, Starry-Eyed: Seeing Grace in the Unfolding Constellation of Life and Motherhood, Zondervan, →ISBN, page 19:
glosses: Intense, deep, dark.
raw_tags: of a black color
pitch
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /pɪt͡ʃ/
rhymes: -ɪtʃ
Forms: form: pitches
Etymology: Unknown. Perhaps from the above sense of "inclination", "level", or "degree", or influenced by it.
Senses: examples: text: The pitch of middle "C" is familiar to many musicians.
text: Hertzian waves are not caused by vibrations of the ponderable matter of the brass balls, the form of which only determines the pitch.
ref: 1895 February 28, Ludwig Boltzmann, “On Certain Questions of the Theory of Gases" (Letters to the Editor)”, in Nature, volume 51, number 1322, page 414:
topics: entertainment
human-sciences
lifestyle
linguistics
music
phonetics
phonology
sciences
glosses: The perceived frequency of a sound, note or electromagnetic wave.
examples: text: Are we in baroque pitch for this one?
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: The standard to which a group of musical instruments are tuned or in which a piece is performed, usually by reference to the frequency to which the musical note A above middle C is tuned.
examples: text: Bob, our pitch, let out a clear middle "C" and our conductor gave the signal to start.
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: In an a cappella group, the singer responsible for singing a note for the other members to tune themselves by.
Derived terms: absolute pitch
baroque pitch
concert pitch
high-pitch
perfect pitch
pitch class
pitch-perfect
pitch pipe
pitch simultaneity
pitchy
relative pitch
pitch
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /pɪt͡ʃ/
rhymes: -ɪtʃ
Forms: form: pitches
form: pitching
form: pitched
form: pitched
Etymology: Unknown. Perhaps from the above sense of "inclination", "level", or "degree", or influenced by it.
Senses: examples: text: […] now the orchestra is playing yellow cocktail music and the opera of voices pitches a key higher.
ref: 1925, F[rancis] Scott Fitzgerald, chapter 3, in The Great Gatsby, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, published 1953, →ISBN, →OCLC:
glosses: To produce a note of a given pitch.
examples: text: His "hello" was enough to recognize his voice by. I pitched mine low so he wouldn't know it.
ref: 1955 October, Rex Stout, “Die Like a Dog”, in Three Witnesses, Bantam, published 1994, →ISBN, pages 196–197:
glosses: To fix or set the tone of.
screwball
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈskɹuːbɔːl/
rhymes: -uːbɔːl
Forms: form: screwballs
Etymology: From screw + ball.
Compare typologically German Spinner (akin to spin). Also compare weirdo, weird (ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *wert-).
Senses: examples: text: The screwball is not thrown much because it tends to damage pitcher's arms.
topics: ball-games
baseball
games
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: A pitch thrown with added pressure by the index finger and a twisting wrist motion resulting in a motion to the right when thrown by a right-handed pitcher.
examples: text: I will not listen to this screwball any longer.
glosses: One who behaves in a crazy manner.
glosses: A screwball comedy.
screwball
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈskɹuːbɔːl/
rhymes: -uːbɔːl
Forms: form: more screwball
form: most screwball
Etymology: From screw + ball.
Compare typologically German Spinner (akin to spin). Also compare weirdo, weird (ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *wert-).
Senses: examples: text: Also a big hand for Silver Linings Playbook, an exuberant modern screwball comedy we had, in an unseemly fit of cynicism, deemed "too entertaining" for Academy voters.
ref: 2013 January 11, Tom Shone, The Guardian:
glosses: Crazy, offbeat, bizarre, zany, or weird.
Derived terms: screwball comedy
Related terms: goofball
oddball
pitch in
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: pitches in
form: pitching in
form: pitched in
form: pitched in
Senses: examples: text: If we all pitch in, we can raise enough money for the renovation of the church.
text: He spent 20 minutes one afternoon describing the club he'd formed with other teenagers in his Brooklyn neighborhood. They'd each pitched in a buck a month to rent the basement of a mallet factory, which they used as a clubhouse.
ref: 2008 October, Davy Rothbart, “How I caught up with dad”, in Men's Health, volume 23, number 8, →ISSN, page 112:
glosses: To help out; lend assistance; contribute; to do one's part to help.
glosses: To begin briskly.
Synonyms: word: chip in
english: esp. financially
translation: esp. financially
word: kick in
word: muck in
Related terms: pitch into
do one's bit
oops
Language: English
Part of speech: intj
Pronunciation: enpr: o͞ops
ipa: /uːps/
ipa: /ʊps/
rhymes: -uːps
rhymes: -ʊps
Etymology: A presumably 'natural' exclamation, attested in writing since 1921. Related to or a variation of whoops (itself attested since 1933). A shortening of whoops-a-daisy, whoopsie-daisy, or oops-a-daisy, which in turn is a mispronunciation of ups-a-daisy or upsy-daisy.
Senses: examples: text: Oops! I left the lid off the ketchup.
text: Oops, I did it again / I played with your heart, got lost in the game
ref: 2000, Max Martin, Rami Yacoub, “Oops!… I Did It Again”, in Oops!… I Did It Again, performed by Britney Spears:
synonyms: oopsy
uh-oh
whoops
whoops-a-daisy
glosses: Acknowledging a mistake.
Derived terms: oops baby
oopsie
oopsortunity
oops
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: o͞ops
ipa: /uːps/
ipa: /ʊps/
rhymes: -uːps
rhymes: -ʊps
Forms: form: oopses
form: oops
Etymology: A presumably 'natural' exclamation, attested in writing since 1921. Related to or a variation of whoops (itself attested since 1933). A shortening of whoops-a-daisy, whoopsie-daisy, or oops-a-daisy, which in turn is a mispronunciation of ups-a-daisy or upsy-daisy.
Senses: examples: text: It's an oops, but one that's your fault, not your puppy's.
ref: 2011, Housetraining, →ISBN, page 14:
text: Every plan and every activity has an “oops.” Oops, we forgot to..., oops, who was supposed to do that? We all have experienced “oopses”.
ref: 2013, Bruce Tucker, Leadership at the Crossroads, →ISBN:
text: Isn't she the same woman who works at Wings that you and Billy almost got arrested for helping her with her last little oops?
ref: 2014, Al Rennie, Clearwater Oops!, →ISBN:
text: My parents had moved to this house, which sat on the border of Corktown and Mexicantown, from their tiny apartment in Ann Arbor—once they found out that their little oops was actually two little oops.
ref: 2015, Dawn Klehr, If You Wrong Us, →ISBN:
glosses: A minor mistake or unforeseen difficulty.
oops
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: o͞ops
ipa: /uːps/
ipa: /ʊps/
rhymes: -uːps
rhymes: -ʊps
Forms: form: oopses
form: oopsing
form: oopsed
form: oopsed
Etymology: A presumably 'natural' exclamation, attested in writing since 1921. Related to or a variation of whoops (itself attested since 1933). A shortening of whoops-a-daisy, whoopsie-daisy, or oops-a-daisy, which in turn is a mispronunciation of ups-a-daisy or upsy-daisy.
Senses: glosses: To make a mistake; to blunder.
squelch
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈskwɛlt͡ʃ/
rhymes: -ɛltʃ
Forms: form: squelches
form: squelching
form: squelched
form: squelched
Etymology: Unknown. Perhaps a blend of squash + quell + quench. Compare also English squolsh, English squoosh.
Senses: examples: text: Even the king's announcement could not squelch the rumors.
text: Oh 'twas your luck and mine to be squelched.
ref: c. 1615–1616, Thomas Middleton, John Fletcher, “The Nice Valour, or, The Passionate Mad-man”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1647, →OCLC, Act V, scene i:
text: If you deceive us you will be squelched.
ref: 1858–1865, Thomas Carlyle, History of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Called Frederick the Great, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: Chapman and Hall, […], →OCLC:
text: The party’s dominant right wing squelched not only Sherman’s hopes for an early convention, but may have also put the MLA out of contention for the leadership.
ref: 1982 December 11, Frances Russell, “Economic performance buoys Pawley’s position”, in The Vancouver Sun (The Weekend Sun), Vancouver, BC, page A6:
text: We believe that Facebook is using privacy as a pretext to squelch research that it considers inconvenient.
ref: 2021 August 10, Laura Edelson, Damon McCoy, “We Research Misinformation on Facebook. It Just Disabled Our Accounts.”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
synonyms: quash
glosses: To halt, stop, eliminate, stamp out, or put down, often suddenly or by force.
topics: broadcasting
electrical-engineering
engineering
media
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
radio
radio-technology
glosses: To suppress the unwanted hiss or static between received transmissions by adjusting a threshold level for signal strength.
examples: text: The mud squelched underfoot; it had been raining all night.
text: [After they both fell into the lake.] Reaching the mainland some moments later and squelching back to the house, accompanied by Bobbie, like a couple of Napoleons squelching back from Moscow, [...]
ref: 1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter XVI, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC:
glosses: To make a sucking, splashing noise as when walking on muddy ground.
examples: text: The mud was thick and sticky underfoot, but we squelched through it nonetheless.
glosses: To walk or step through a substance such as mud.
squelch
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈskwɛlt͡ʃ/
rhymes: -ɛltʃ
Forms: form: squelches
Etymology: Unknown. Perhaps a blend of squash + quell + quench. Compare also English squolsh, English squoosh.
Senses: glosses: A squelching sound.
topics: broadcasting
electrical-engineering
engineering
media
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
radio
radio-technology
glosses: The suppression of the unwanted hiss or static between received transmissions by adjusting the gain of the receiver.
glosses: A heavy blow or fall.
examples: text: Through a process of experimentation the 'acid squelch' sound came forth, which was recorded and passed on to DJ Ron Hardy to play at his Warehouse club.
ref: 1998, Colin Larkin, The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music, page 91:
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: A kind of electronic beat or sound mainly used in acid house and related music genres.
Derived terms: break squelch
squelchy