cstr/en-wiktionary-extracted-all huggingface dataset:
stamina
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈstæmɪnə/
ipa: /ˈstæmənə/
rhymes: -æmɪnə
Etymology: From Latin stāmina, plural of stāmen.
Senses: examples: 1790, William Curtis, The Botanical Magazine, Or, Flower-Garden Displayed, Volume 3, 2006 Gutenberg eBook edition,
In the specimens we have examined, and which perhaps have been rendered luxuriant by culture, the number of stamina has been from twelve to sixteen; of styles, from six to eight; of flowers on the same stalk, from one to eight.
1832 December 8, Spirit of Discovery, in The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction, Number 579, 2005 Gutenberg eBook edition,
The gay flowers of the hibiscus tiliaceus, as well as the splendid huth or Barringtonia speciosa, covered with its beautiful flowers, the petals of which are white, and the edges of the stamina delicately tinged with pink, give to the trees when in full bloom a magnificent appearance; the hibiscus rosa-chinensis, or kowa of the natives also grows in luxuriance and beauty.
glosses: plural of stamen
flatfish
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈflætfɪʃ/
rhymes: -ætfɪʃ
Forms: form: flatfish
form: flatfishes
Etymology: From flat + fish.
Senses: glosses: A fish of the order Pleuronectiformes, the adults of which have both eyes on one side and usually swim with the other side down, such as a flounder, a halibut, or a sole.
Synonyms: word: pleuronectiform
word: flatfish
word: flatty
Hypernyms: word: fish
Hyponyms: word: brill
word: dab
word: sanddab
word: flounder
word: halibut
word: megrim
word: plaice
word: sole
word: tonguefish
word: turbot
luck
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /lʌk/
ipa: [lɐk]
ipa: /lʌk/
ipa: /lʊk/
rhymes: -ʌk
homophone: look stripped-by-parse_pron_post_template_fn
Forms: form: lucks
form: lucking
form: lucked
form: lucked
Etymology: From Middle English luk, lukke, related to Old Frisian luk (“luck”), West Frisian gelok (“luck”), Saterland Frisian Gluk (“luck”), Dutch geluk (“luck, happiness”), Low German luk (“luck”), German Glück (“luck, good fortune, happiness”), Danish lykke (“luck”), Swedish lycka (“luck”), Icelandic lukka (“luck”). According to the OED, it may be related to lock.
A loanword into English in the 15th century (probably as a gambling term) from Middle Dutch luc, a shortened form of gheluc (“good fortune”), whence Modern Dutch geluk.
Middle Dutch luc, gheluc has parallels with Middle High German lücke, gelücke (Modern German Glück). The word occurs only from the 12th century, apparently first in Rhine Frankish. Perhaps from a Frankish *galukki. The word enters standard Middle High German during the 13th century, and spreads to English and Scandinavian in the Late Middle Ages. Its origin seems to have been regional or dialectal, and there were competing German words such as gevelle or schick, or the Latinate fortūne from Latin fortūna. Its etymology is unknown, although there are numerous proposals as to its derivations from a number of roots.
Use as a verb in American English is late (1940s), but there was a Middle English verb lukken (“to chance, to happen by good fortune”) in the 15th century.
Senses: examples: text: I lucked upon a seat, settled in, nodded off and 20 minutes later heard my name being called by the admitting nurse.
ref: 2004 December, The Crisis, volume 111, page 50:
text: But then I lucked on a backpackers' lodge lying half-hidden behind some trees right next to the road. It was a considerable relief to both my mind and my muscles.
ref: 2010, Riaan Manser, Around Africa On My Bicycle:
glosses: To find something through good fortune; used with into, on, onto or upon.
Derived terms: luck in
luck into
luck out
luck through
Related terms: lucky
replica
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɹɛplɪkə/
Forms: form: replicas
form: repliche
Etymology: Borrowed from Italian replica, derived from Latin replicare (“to fold or bend back; to reply”). Doublet of reply and replicate.
Senses: examples: text: The statue on the museum floor is an authentic replica.
glosses: An exact copy.
examples: text: He collected replicas of old cars.
coordinate_terms: scale model
glosses: A copy made at a smaller scale than the original.
Related terms: replicant
replicate
replication
reply
digital twin
simulacrum
simulation
gyroscope
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈd͡ʒaɪ.ɹəˌskəʊp/
ipa: /ˈd͡ʒaɪ.ɹəˌskoʊp/
Forms: form: gyroscopes
Etymology: Borrowed from French gyroscope, coined in 1852 by physicist Leon Foucault, equivalent to gyro- + -scope, from Ancient Greek γῦρος (gûros, “circle”) and σκοπός (skopós, “watcher”).
Senses: examples: text: Working with NR, ScotRail and Porterbrook, Perpetuum has fitted sensors with gyroscopes and accelerometers to trains that are already in passenger service.
ref: 2022 March 23, “Network News: Hitachi on-train track monitoring trial expands to Scottish routes”, in RAIL, number 953, page 13:
glosses: An apparatus composed of a wheel which spins inside of a frame (gimbal) and causes the balancing of the frame in any direction or position. In the form of a gyroscopic stabilizer, used to help keep aircraft and ships steady.
wikipedia: Leon Foucault
Derived terms: gyroscope compass
gyroscopic
gyroscopic stabilizer
microgyroscope
Related terms: gyro
gyrocompass
gyroscopy
lasergyro
INS
Medicaid
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈmɛdɪˌkeɪd/
Etymology: Blend of medical + aid.
Senses: examples: text: Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon has warned Musk that he needs to be "careful" about cutting Medicaid as a "lot of MAGA" uses the health care plan.
ref: 2025 February 14, Monica Sager, “How Popular Is Elon Musk's DOGE? Very, According to Focus Group”, in Newsweek:
glosses: US government system for providing medical assistance to persons unable to afford medical treatments.
Related terms: word: Medicare
word: NHS
scalene
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈskeɪliːn/
ipa: /ˈskeɪlin/
ipa: /skeɪˈlin/
rhymes: -eɪlin
Forms: form: scalenus
Etymology: Borrowed from Late Latin scalēnus (“of unequal sides”), from Ancient Greek σκᾰληνός (skălēnós, “uneven, unequal”).
Senses: examples: text: scalene triangle
topics: mathematics
sciences
trigonometry
glosses: Having sides all unequal in length.
topics: anatomy
medicine
sciences
glosses: Of or pertaining to the scalene muscle.
Derived terms: interscalene
intrascalene
scalene muscle
scalene triangle
scaleno-
scalene
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈskeɪliːn/
ipa: /ˈskeɪlin/
ipa: /skeɪˈlin/
rhymes: -eɪlin
Forms: form: scalenes
form: scalenus
Etymology: Borrowed from Late Latin scalēnus (“of unequal sides”), from Ancient Greek σκᾰληνός (skălēnós, “uneven, unequal”).
Senses: topics: anatomy
medicine
sciences
glosses: Ellipsis of scalene muscle.
topics: mathematics
sciences
trigonometry
glosses: Ellipsis of scalene triangle.
Related terms: equilateral
isosceles
bepelt
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: bepelts
form: bepelting
form: bepelted
form: bepelted
Etymology: From be- + pelt.
Senses: glosses: To pelt soundly.
hammerman
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: hammermen
Etymology: From hammer + -man.
Senses: glosses: A hammerer; a forgeman.
pancreas
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈpæŋkɹɪəs/
ipa: /ˈpæŋ.kɹi.əs/
ipa: /ˈpeɪŋ-/
ipa: /ˈpæn-/
ipa: /ˈpeɪn-/
Forms: form: pancreases
form: pancreata
Etymology: Existing in English since the sixteenth century: from Latin pancreas, from Ancient Greek πάγκρεας (pánkreas), from πᾶν (pân, “all”) (equivalent to English pan-) + κρέας (kréas, “flesh”).
Senses: examples: text: Chronic pancreatitis is a condition in which the pancreas is inflamed or swells for an extended period.
ref: 2024 October 9, Maxine Lipner, “What Does It Mean When Your Poop Floats?”, in Health:
topics: anatomy
medicine
sciences
synonyms: gutbread
stomach sweetbread
belly sweetbread
glosses: A gland near the stomach which secretes a fluid into the duodenum to assist with food digestion.
Derived terms: hepatopancreas
pancreatectomy
pancreatic
pancreatitis
pancreatoduodenectomy
splenopancreas
Related terms: diabetes
digestion
insulin
handed
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈhændɪd/
ipa: /ˈhændəd/
rhymes: -ændɪd
Etymology: From hand + -ed.
Senses: glosses: simple past and past participle of hand
palace
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈpæl.ɪs/
note: General Australian or weak vowel merger
ipa: /ˈpæl.əs/
rhymes: -ælɪs
Forms: form: palaces
Etymology: From Middle English paleys, from Old French palais, which comes from Latin palātium, from Palātium, in reference to the Palatine (Palatine Hill), one of the seven hills of Rome, where the aristocracy of the Roman Republic—and later, Roman emperors—built large, splendid residences. The name is ultimately either from Etruscan, the same source as Pales (“Pales, the Italic goddess of shepherds, flocks and livestock”), or Latin palus (“stake; enclosure”). Doublet of palazzo and Pfalz.
Senses: glosses: Official residence of a head of state or other dignitary, especially in a monarchical or imperial governmental system.
examples: text: On Madame de Mercœur's arrival at the palace she found the carriage and guards in waiting, the Queen having decided that she would do her niece the honour of going to meet her.
ref: 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XXV, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 293:
text: The original family who had begun to build a palace to rival Nonesuch had died out before they had put up little more than the gateway,[…].
ref: 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 1, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
glosses: A large and lavishly ornate residence.
glosses: A large, ornate public building used for entertainment or exhibitions.
Derived terms: coffee palace
Crystal Palace
gin palace
golden palace monkey
ice palace
Lambeth Palace
lobster palace
mayor of the palace
memory palace
mind palace
minipalace
movie palace
palace car
palace coup
palaceful
palace intrigue
palacelike
palace of culture
palaceous
palace politics
palace-politics
palace revolution
palaceward
palacewards
palacious
palatial
people's palace
picture palace
pleasure palace
Potala Palace
presidential palace
puck palace
Puzzle Palace
palace
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈpæl.ɪs/
note: General Australian or weak vowel merger
ipa: /ˈpæl.əs/
rhymes: -ælɪs
Forms: form: palaces
form: palacing
form: palaced
form: palaced
Etymology: From Middle English paleys, from Old French palais, which comes from Latin palātium, from Palātium, in reference to the Palatine (Palatine Hill), one of the seven hills of Rome, where the aristocracy of the Roman Republic—and later, Roman emperors—built large, splendid residences. The name is ultimately either from Etruscan, the same source as Pales (“Pales, the Italic goddess of shepherds, flocks and livestock”), or Latin palus (“stake; enclosure”). Doublet of palazzo and Pfalz.
Senses: examples: text: And this Great King was a far-way, tremendous, golden figure, moving in a splendor as of fairy tales; palaced marvelously, so travelers told, in cities compared with which even Athens seemed mean.
ref: 1921, Kenneth Morris, The Crest-Wave of Evolution:
text: May, with her green lap full of sprouting leaves and bright blossoms, her song-birds making the orchards and meadows vocal, and rippling streams and cultivated gardens; June, with full-blown roses and humming-bees, plenteous meadows and wide cornfields, with embattled lines rising thick and green; August, with reddened orchards and heavy-headed harvests of grain, October, with yellow leaves and swart shadows; December, palaced in snow, and idly whistling through his numb fingers;-all have their various charm; and in the rose-bowers of summer, and as we spread our hands before the torches of winter, we say joyfully, "Thou hast made all things beautiful in their time."
ref: 1874, Benj. N. Martin, Choice Specimens of American Literature, And Literary Reader:
glosses: To decorate or ornate.
handmaid
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈhændˌmeɪd/
rhymes: -ændmeɪd
homophone: handmade
Forms: form: handmaids
form: handmaiden
form: handmayd
Etymology: Inherited from Middle English handemayde, hand-maide, handmaide, handmayd, hand mayde, hand-mayde, haundmaid, hondemayde, hondmaide, hond-mayde. By surface analysis, compound of hand + maid, the first component in the sense of "ready at hand".
Senses: examples: text: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Acts 2:18:
glosses: A maid that waits at hand; a female servant or attendant.
glosses: A moth of the species Dysauxes ancilla.
Related terms: wait on someone hand and foot
handmaiden
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: handmaidens
Etymology: From Middle English hande mayden, handmaiden, hand mayden, hand-mayden, handmayden, hondemaiden, hond maydyn, hoondmaydyn. By surface analysis, hand + maiden.
Sense 2 is an allusion to Canadian poet Margaret Atwood's novel The Handmaid's Tale (1985), in which "handmaids" are women who serve the male commanders in a patriarchal dystopia.
Senses: examples: text: Online and over Shabbat dinners, arguments about the election have grown bitter. Those grudgingly planning to vote for Labour have been called traitors to the community and self-hating Jews. Anti-Corbyn die-hards, on the other hand, have been branded the handmaidens of a hard Brexit.
ref: 2019 November 21, Benjamin Mueller, “At Odds With Labour, Britain's Jews Are Feeling Politically Homeless”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 13 Nov 2023:
glosses: Alternative form of handmaid.
examples: text: The fact that it is not possible to be seen as a supporter of trans people's human rights, as all feminists are or at least should be, unless we fully capitulate and take the metaphorical – and sometimes literal – boot in the face shows how extreme trans activists, enabled by their handmaiden allies, are nothing but a misogynistic men’s rights movement.
ref: 2020 July 22, Julie Bindel, “Trans activists risk falling for misogyny”, in The Spectator:
text: Solidarity with trans people but not women[,] I note[,] Angela. Especially the boring ones who fought for rights that you now enjoy. Enjoy being a handmaiden.
ref: 2021 November 10, Rebecca Chandler (@RachelWilde13), Twitter:
text: I have been called a handmaiden, a “pick me” girl, and been accused of vying for male attention.
ref: 2022 February 4, Marie Le Conte, “Feminism has been reduced to the transgender debate”, in The New Statesman:
qualifier: gender-critical slang
glosses: A cisgender woman who supports transgender rights.
Derived terms: handmaidenhood
handmaidenly
handsaw
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: handsaws
form: hand saw
form: hand saw
Etymology: From Middle English handsawe, handsagh, equivalent to hand + saw. Cognate with West Frisian hânseage (“handsaw”), Dutch handzaag (“handsaw”),
German Handsäge (“handsaw”), Danish håndsav (“handsaw”), Swedish handsåg (“handsaw”), Icelandic handsög (“handsaw”).
Senses: glosses: A saw small enough to be used by one hand.
Coordinate terms: backsaw
a handsaw that has a reinforcement along its back edge
crosscut saw
handsaw
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: handsaws
form: hand saw
form: hand saw
Etymology: Corruption of heronshaw.
Senses: examples: text: When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw.
ref: c. 1600, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, act II, scene II:
glosses: A heron.
pyramidal
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: enpr: pĭ-rămʹĭ-dəl
ipa: /pɪˈɹæm.ɪ.dl̩/
note: Indic
ipa: /p(ɪ)rəˈmɪɖəl/
Etymology: From Medieval Latin pȳramidālis.
Senses: examples: text: At one point was an isolated pyramidal rock, crowned by a great tree, which appeared to be separated by a cleft from the main crag.
ref: 1912, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC:
text: Below is the deep abyss of the Lauterbrunnen valley, and at its head a stately semi-circle of mountains, with the pyramidal Lauterbrunnen Breithorn as the centre-piece.
ref: 1960 December, Voyageur, “The Mountain Railways of the Bernese Oberland”, in Trains Illustrated, page 752:
text: Among its attractive features were decorative, tile-hung Italianate towers with pyramidal roofs.
ref: 2023 March 22, Dr Joseph Brennan, “Grand buildings on the list... and lost: Greenock Princes Pier”, in RAIL, number 979, page 52:
topics: geometry
mathematics
sciences
glosses: Pyramid-shaped.
topics: chemistry
crystallography
geometry
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
sciences
glosses: Pyramid-shaped.
Tetragonal.
Derived terms: bipyramidal
dipyramidal
extrapyramidal
infrapyramidal
interpyramidal
intrapyramidal
nonpyramidal
parapyramidal
pyramidal cell
pyramidalism
pyramidalize
pyramidalized
pyramidally
pyramidal neuron
pyramidal number
pyramidal tract
subpyramidal
superpyramidal
suprapyramidal
tetrapyramidal
pyramidal
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: pĭ-rămʹĭ-dəl
ipa: /pɪˈɹæm.ɪ.dl̩/
note: Indic
ipa: /p(ɪ)rəˈmɪɖəl/
Forms: form: pyramidals
Etymology: From Medieval Latin pȳramidālis.
Senses: topics: anatomy
medicine
sciences
glosses: One of the carpal bones.
Derived terms: peripyramidal
Related terms: cuneiform
unvalued
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Etymology: From un- + valued.
Senses: examples: text: an unvalued estate
glosses: Not having been valued or appraised.
examples: c. 1601, Shakespeare, Hamlet, I, iii
For he himself is subject to his birth; / He may not, as unvalued persons do, / Carve for himself, for on his choice depends / The safety and health of this whole state, / And therefore must his choice be circumscribed / Unto the voice and yielding of that body / Whereof he is the head.
glosses: Not considered to be of worth; deemed valueless.
examples: text: Madam, whatſoeuer you eſteeme
Of this ſucceſſe, and loſſe vnualued,
Both may inueſt you Empreſſe of the Eaſt: […]
ref: c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene ii:
text: Mongst which there in a siluer dish did ly / twoo golden apples of vnualewd price: / far passing those which Hercules came by, / or those which Atalanta did entice.
ref: 1595, Edmund Spenser, “Sonnet LXXVII” in Amoretti or Sonnets
glosses: Having inestimable value; invaluable.
upbreathe
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: upbreathes
form: upbreathing
form: upbreathed
form: upbreathed
Etymology: From up- + breathe.
Senses: examples: text: To you corruptlesse hunny, and pure dew,
Upbreathes our holy fire
ref: 1606, John Marston, The Wonder of Women:
glosses: To breathe up or out; to exhale.
safari
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /səˈfɑːɹ.i/
rhymes: -ɑːɹi
Forms: form: safaris
Etymology: From Swahili safari (“journey”), from Arabic سَفَر (safar).
Senses: examples: text: We're going on a safari in Kenya.
glosses: A trip into any undeveloped area to see, photograph or to hunt wild animals in their own environment.
glosses: A caravan going on a safari.
examples: text: An ardent junker herself, Mrs. Egge tells how to conduct a fascinating junk safari into the attic or antique and secondhand shops and what to do with the trophies you bring home.
ref: 1968, Ruth Stearns Egge, How to Make Something from Nothing:
text: Come on, boy, move that body/ 'Cause tonight I'm naughty, naughty/ Dance with me like it's my party/ We go wild, we're in safari
ref: 2017, Serena, “Safari”:
glosses: Any trip for the purpose of discovering something new or acquiring prizes or trophies.
Derived terms: human safari
safari ant
safarier
safari-goer
safarigoer
safari jacket
safari man
safari park
safari suit
safari supper
safari zoo
surfari
whale safari
safari
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /səˈfɑːɹ.i/
rhymes: -ɑːɹi
Forms: form: safaris
form: safariing
form: safaried
form: safaried
Etymology: From Swahili safari (“journey”), from Arabic سَفَر (safar).
Senses: glosses: To take part in a safari.
handy
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: enpr: hăn'di
ipa: /ˈhæn.di/
rhymes: -ændi
Forms: form: handier
form: handiest
form: hendy
Etymology: From Middle English handy, hondi (attested in personal names), alteration of earlier hendi (“handy, skillful”), from Old English *hendiġ (“skillful”) (attested in listhendiġ (“skilled in art”)), from Proto-West Germanic *handīg, *handag, *handug, from Proto-Germanic *handugaz (“handy, skillful, nimble”), from *handuz (“hand”), equivalent to hand + -y. Cognate with Saterland Frisian jäntich (“handy”), Middle Low German handich (“skillful, apt”), Middle High German handec, hendec (“manual, hand-held”), Old Norse hǫndugr (“efficient”), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌿𐌲𐍃 (handugs, “wise, clever”). Akin to Dutch handig (“handy”), Norwegian hendig (“handy”), Swedish händig (“handy”).
Senses: examples: text: Some people regard duct tape as a handy fix-all.
glosses: Easy to use, useful.
examples: text: You wouldn’t have a screwdriver handy, would you?
text: I keep a first-aid kit handy in case of emergency.
synonyms: at hand
on hand
to hand
glosses: Nearby, within reach.
examples: text: She's very handy: she made all her own kitchen cupboards.
synonyms: crafty
glosses: Dexterous, skilful. (of a person)
examples: text: We had a sergeant who was a bit handy with the rougher elements. He dealt with them a little bit differently to what I do.
ref: 1974, William Purcell, British Police in a Changing Society, page 68:
text: The Sloanes said he had nothing on them, that he threatened them, made up a lot of lies. Tried to attack them, got a bit handy.
ref: 2012, Tania Carver, Choked:
glosses: Physically violent; tending to use one's fists.
glosses: Of a freight ship: having a small cargo capacity (less than 40,000 DWT); belonging to the handysize class.
Derived terms: handicam
handily
handiman
handiness
handiwoman
handwriting on the wall
handyish
handyman
handyperson
handywoman
unhandy
handy
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: hăn'di
ipa: /ˈhæn.di/
rhymes: -ændi
Forms: form: handies
Etymology: From hand + -y (diminutive suffix).
Senses: examples: text: Clap, clap handies
 Mammie's wee, wee ain.
ref: 1916, Blanche Fisher Wright, The Real Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme Illustration:
related: word: handie
glosses: The hand.
Related terms: handsies
handy
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: hăn'di
ipa: /ˈhæn.di/
rhymes: -ændi
Forms: form: handies
Etymology: Clipping of handgun and hand job followed by -y (diminutive suffix)
Senses: examples: text: Look left and right, when I cross these roads,
I don’t wanna get fright
We got handies and shotties,
which one should you decide?
ref: 2020 July 9, C1, “Even Steven”, 1:51–1:57:
glosses: A handgun.
related: word: handie
synonyms: wristy
glosses: A hand job.
handy
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: hăn'di
ipa: /ˈhæn.di/
rhymes: -ændi
Forms: form: handies
Etymology: Disputed; see German Handy: according to some commentators, this meaning is originally from German (a condensed form of Handfunktelefon), whereas others claim there was an early, but now neglected, antetype of it in English (from etymology 1).
Senses: examples: text: An important field of application for small rechargeable lithium ion batteries is that of the fast growing market of cellular phones or ‘handies’. 277,000,000 handies were sold worldwide in 1999.
ref: 2000, TELESCON 2000: The Third International Telecommunications Energy Special Conference, IEEE, →ISBN, section 9 (Look at the Market), page 127:
text: “I’m afraid Mister Franklyn is occupied until seven o’clock. He shall call when he breaks. I’ll take a handy to receive calls—”[…]The distance frees him to take phone calls on his handy.
ref: 2003, Regina Harris Baiocchi, Indigo Sound, Susaami Books, →ISBN, pages 79 and 82:
text: Life was good and quiet until six weeks ago when he received a phone call on his handy from Unbekannt Nummer --Unknown Number.
ref: 2017, Sheldon Charles, From Within the Firebird’s Nest, Valkyrie Spirit Publishing, →ISBN:
glosses: Synonym of mobile phone.
synonyms: word: mobile phone
raw_tags: used by Germans
hand-me-down
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: hand-me-downs
form: hand-me-on
Etymology: See hand down and me.
Senses: examples: text: Well, I'm willing, I'm able, I'm practically much alive / Well, I'm six-feet-tall, I ain't no hand-me-down
ref: 1948, Roy Brown, “Mighty Mighty Man”:
text: But these routes have always had hand-me-downs that aren't really designed for the job.
ref: 2023 November 29, Paul Clifton, “West is best in the Highlands”, in RAIL, number 997, page 61:
glosses: An item that is passed along for someone else to use.
glosses: A piece of clothing or other item which has been outgrown by an older sibling and passed down to a younger one.
hand-me-down
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Forms: form: hand-me-on
Etymology: See hand down and me.
Senses: examples: text: And what costume shall the poor girl wear / To all tomorrow's parties? / A hand-me-down dress from who knows where
ref: 1967, Lou Reed, “All Tomorrow's Parties”, in The Velvet Underground & Nico, performed by The Velvet Underground:
text: 1983, 19th of March, Presidential Radio Address by Ronald Reagan
I don't want America's recovery and security to be sacrificed on an altar of discredited hand-me-down theories. And if you'll help us, they won't be.
text: The old Pacers have vanished, replaced by a mix of hand-me-down fleets.
ref: 2022 November 2, Paul Bigland, “New trains, old trains, and splendid scenery”, in RAIL, number 969, page 58:
glosses: Used or second-hand, passed along by its prior user.
hand-me-down
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: hand-me-downs
form: hand-me-downing
form: hand-me-downed
form: hand-me-downed
form: hand-me-on
Etymology: See hand down and me.
Senses: examples: text: “See into life, don’t just look at it” is her [Anne Baxter’s] creditable credo, hand-me-downed from her famous architect grandfather, the late Frank Lloyd Wright.
ref: 1963, Cleveland Amory, Earl Blackwell, editors, Celebrity Register: An Irreverent Compendium of American Quotable Notables, Harper & Row, page 40:
text: The carpet was a montage of fade and unfade indicating that when new it had been used in another office—probably Mr. Barlowe’s—and then hand-me-downed when the decorators had cut loose.
ref: 1966, Mike Cohen, The Bright Young Man, J. B. Lippincott Company, page 27:
text: The traditional family was poorly adapted to consumption: its raison d’être was rooted in sharing, hand-me-downing, and cooperative endeavor.
ref: 1990, Jan E. Dizard, Howard Gadlin, The Minimal Family, The University of Massachusetts Press, →ISBN, page 41:
text: He had scraped together the funds to traipse off to the latest Bonanza camp, to buy speculative stocks, liquor and fine Sacramento meals for his boomer friends and fancy women, while my mother cut pieces of cardboard and canvas into soles to stuff inside our shoes to stop the holes, and hand-me-downed our clothes.
ref: 1998, Oakley M. Hall, Ambrose Bierce and the Queen of Spades: A Mystery Novel, Berkeley, Calif.; Los Angeles, Calif.: University of California Press, →ISBN, page 124:
text: The first thing Gabe saw as they pulled close was the flashing lights of Ruleton’s two police cruisers parked off to the side of the road—the new one Sheriff Dodd’s, the humble other the battered black-and-white that he’d hand-me-downed to his deputy, Ralph Simpson.
ref: 2006, Tom Bailey, Cotton Song, Shaye Areheart Books, →ISBN, page 283:
text: He could not change the past but he was determined that he would not follow in the grand family hand-me-downed legacy.
ref: 2012, Lee Beck, From a Dark Place, AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 442:
text: Instead I changed into a blue skirt and a white blouse with a scalloped collar, hand-me-downs from Marie Dowd that she had gotten hand-me-downed from cousins in Brooklyn who went to Catholic school.
ref: 2017, Carol Zoref, Barren Island, New Issues Poetry & Prose, →ISBN, page 157:
text: He wore a white dress shirt that was buttoned uncomfortably tight around his neck, a black tie, and an oversized blazer that had been hand-me-downed from one of his older cousins.
ref: 2018, Ty Marshall, “Love Seldom. Trust Never.”, in Goodfellas, Urban Books, →ISBN, chapter one (The Early Years):
glosses: To pass along to someone else.
pistil
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: rhymes: -ɪstəl
homophone: pistol
Forms: form: pistils
Etymology: Borrowed from French pistil. Doublet of pestle and pistillum.
Senses: examples: text: Some plant species have more than one pistil per flower.
topics: biology
botany
natural-sciences
synonyms: pistillum
glosses: A discrete organ in the center of a flower capable of receiving pollen and producing a fruit, it is divided into an ovary, style and stigma.
Derived terms: pistillaceous
pistillate
pistilliferous
pistillody
Related terms: stamen
gynoecium
carpel
handout
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈhændaʊt/
ipa: /ˈhændˌaʊt/
Forms: form: hand-out
Etymology: Deverbal from hand out.
Senses: glosses: Of a thing: given out free of charge, usually by hand.
glosses: Of or pertaining to the giving of handouts (gifts of money or material assistance, printed sheets, etc.).
worksheet
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: worksheets
form: wkst
form: wksht
Etymology: From work + sheet. First use appears c. 1823 in the publications of Isaac D'Israeli.
Senses: topics: education
synonyms: ditto
ditto worksheet
glosses: A sheet of paper or computerized document on which problems are worked out or solved and the answers are recorded.
examples: text: The final outshopping was 55002, which had arrived on October 14 [1980] for a two-month repair, with the usual worksheet taped to its bodyside stating "to be repainted in two-tone green".
ref: 2024 January 10, Howard Johnston, “The demise of the 'Deltics'”, in RAIL, number 1000, page 45:
hypernyms: sheet
glosses: A sheet of paper listing work that is completed, to be completed or in progress.
Derived terms: e-worksheet
worksheet
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: worksheets
form: worksheeting
form: worksheeted
form: worksheeted
form: wkst
form: wksht
Etymology: From work + sheet. First use appears c. 1823 in the publications of Isaac D'Israeli.
Senses: examples: text: Both reading and writing were viewed as a series of discreet and essentially uninteresting skills to be described, worksheeted, and tested. Students' own intentions or ability as speakers, listeners, readers, or writers were never a consideration.
ref: 1987, Charles R. Chew, Reflections by Teachers Who Write, page 65:
text: Lesson after lesson of worksheeting will quickly leave the children bored and disaffected. The class will also suss out pretty quickly that you're being lazy.
ref: 2004, Sue Cowley, Sue Cowley's A-Z of Teaching, page 117:
text: Students cannot be textbooked and worksheeted into mastery, proficiency, brilliance, and commitment.
ref: 2006, Keen J. Babbage, Extreme Students: Challenging All Students and Energizing Learning:
glosses: To teach or assess by means of worksheets.
leaflet
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: lēfʹlĭt
ipa: /ˈliːflɪt/
rhymes: -iːflɪt
Forms: form: leaflets
form: leavelet
Etymology: From leaf + -let.
Senses: topics: biology
botany
natural-sciences
glosses: One of the components of a compound leaf.
examples: text: The new leaflets at the end of the branch were a lighter shade of green than the mature leaves.
topics: biology
botany
natural-sciences
synonyms: leafling
glosses: A small plant leaf.
examples: text: A leaflet had been left under the car's windshield wiper.
synonyms: flyer
folder
handbill
pamphlet
glosses: A small sheet of paper containing information, used for dissemination of said information, often an advertisement.
topics: anatomy
medicine
sciences
glosses: A flap of a valve of a heart or blood vessel.
Derived terms: bileaflet
bi-leaflet valve
bileaflet valve
intergeniculate leaflet
interleaflet
leaflet drop
leafleteer
leafleter
leafletless
leaflet propaganda
leaflet raid
leaflet shell
Lillehei-Kalke bileaflet prosthesis
package leaflet
patient information leaflet
prolapsing mitral leaflet syndrome
subleaflet
Related terms: booklet
brochure
catalog
catalogue
circular
junk mail
pinna
pinnule
pamphlet
leaflet
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: lēfʹlĭt
ipa: /ˈliːflɪt/
rhymes: -iːflɪt
Forms: form: leaflets
form: leafleting
form: leafletting
form: leafleted
form: leafleted
form: leafletted
form: leafletted
form: leavelet
Etymology: From leaf + -let.
Senses: examples: text: A sidewalk preacher gave an impassioned sermon while an assistant leafleted those who stayed to listen.
text: At approximately 9:30 p.m. the demonstrators regrouped in front of the Copley Plaza and leafleted the area until an entourage of limousines entered the hotel.
ref: 1980 August 16, Warren Blumenfeld, “Disabled Group Pickets Sack Titanic Premiere”, in Gay Community News, volume 8, number 5, page 3:
text: Buxton: A survey of 3,000 users of the Monsal Trail has revealed 98% support for the rebuilding of the railway to Matlock. The Manchester & East Midlands Rail Action partnership has been leafleting homes to canvass support for its reopening campaign.
ref: 2023 January 11, Howard Johnston, “Regional News: North West”, in RAIL, number 974, page 18:
glosses: To distribute leaflets to.
examples: text: During the summer, Peter earned some extra cash by leafleting for a local pizza delivery restaurant.
text: The leafleter who takes reasonable care not to block the sidewalk, who does not become involved in incidents of violence, and whose leaflet is truthful, has the right to leaflet undisturbed.
ref: 2011, Staughton Lynd, Daniel Gross, Labor Law for the Rank & Filer: Building Solidarity While Staying Clear of the Law:
text: Leafleting in a suit and tie at a Boulogne-Billancourt market, Christophe Versini, a legal expert, parliamentary adviser and local delegate for the National Rally, said: […]
ref: 2024 June 7, Angelique Chrisafis, “‘You can feel a shift’: will the French be lured by Le Pen?”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
glosses: To distribute leaflets.
Derived terms: leafleting
brochure
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈbɹəʊ.ʃə(ɹ)/
ipa: /bɹoʊˈʃʊɚ/
ipa: /bɹoʊˈʃɝ/
rhymes: -ʊə(ɹ)
Forms: form: brochures
Etymology: 1748, from French brochure (“stitched work”), from brocher (“to stitch”), from Old French brochier (“to pierce”), from broche (“awl”), from Vulgar Latin brocca, from Latin broccus (“pointy-toothed”). Doublet of broach.
Senses: examples: text: Have a look in the Acme brochure for a new vacuum cleaner.
glosses: A booklet of printed informational matter, like a pamphlet, often for promotional purposes.
Derived terms: brochureware
e-brochure
Related terms: advertisement
booklet
catalogue
catalog
circular
flier
flyer
handbill
junk mail
leaflet
pamphlet
prospectus
tract
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /tɹækt/
homophone: tracked
rhymes: -ækt
Forms: form: tracts
form: tracting
form: tracted
form: tracted
Etymology: From Latin tractus, the participle stem of trahere (“to pull, drag”).
Senses: examples: text: Where may that treachour then (said he) be found, / Or by what meanes may I his footing tract?
ref: 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
glosses: To pursue, follow; to track.
examples: text: Speak to me , muse , the man , who after Troy was sack'd , Saw many towns and men , and could their manners tract.
ref: 1616, Beniamin Ionson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “Of The Art of Poetry”, in The Workes of Beniamin Ionson (First Folio), London: […] Will[iam] Stansby, →OCLC:
glosses: To draw out; to protract.
tract
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /tɹækt/
homophone: tracked
rhymes: -ækt
Forms: form: tracts
form: tracting
form: tracted
form: tracted
Etymology: From Latin tractāre, from tractō, from trahō + -tō.
Senses: glosses: To treat, discourse, negotiate.
duct
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: dŭkt
ipa: /dʌkt/
rhymes: -ʌkt
homophone: ducked
Forms: form: ducts
Etymology: Borrowed from Latin ductus (“leading, conducting”, noun), from dūcō (“to lead, conduct, draw”) + -tus (action noun suffix). Doublet of ductus and douit. Also via Medieval Latin ductus (“a conveyance of water; a channel”), which itself has the first mentioned etymology.
Senses: examples: text: heating and air-conditioning ducts
glosses: A pipe, tube or canal which carries gas or liquid from one place to another
glosses: A pipe, tube or canal which carries gas or liquid from one place to another
An enclosure or channel for electrical cable runs, telephone cables, or other conductors
topics: anatomy
medicine
sciences
glosses: A pipe, tube or canal which carries gas or liquid from one place to another
A vessel for conveying lymph or glandular secretions such as tears or bile
topics: biology
botany
natural-sciences
glosses: A pipe, tube or canal which carries gas or liquid from one place to another
A tube or elongated cavity (such as a xylem vessel) for conveying water, sap, or air
topics: natural-sciences
physical-sciences
physics
glosses: A layer (as in the atmosphere or the ocean) which occurs under usually abnormal conditions and in which radio or sound waves are confined to a restricted path
examples: text: […] otherwise to express His care and love to mankind, viz., in giving and consigning to them His written word for a rule and constant director of life, not leaving them to the duct of their own inclinations.
ref: 1650, Henry Hammond, Of the reasonableness of Christian religion:
glosses: Guidance, direction
Derived terms: aeroduct
air-duct
aqueduct
bypass duct
caliduct
caloriduct
coelomoduct
common bile duct
ductal
duct detector
duct engine
duct flute
ductiform
ductile
ductless
ductlike
ducto-
duct-
ductography
ductoscopy
duct tape
ductule
ductway
ductwork
Gaertner's duct
Gartner's duct
gonaduct
gonoduct
hepatic duct
intraduct
lipoduction
mesonephric duct
microduct
Mullerian duct
oviduct
polyduct
right lymphatic duct
spermaduct
spermoduct
submandibular duct
submaxillary duct
tympanic duct
urogenital duct
vanishing bile duct syndrome
ventiduct
vestibular duct
viaduct
Wharton's duct
duct
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: dŭkt
ipa: /dʌkt/
rhymes: -ʌkt
homophone: ducked
Forms: form: ducts
form: ducting
form: ducted
form: ducted
Etymology: Borrowed from Latin ductus (“leading, conducting”, noun), from dūcō (“to lead, conduct, draw”) + -tus (action noun suffix). Doublet of ductus and douit. Also via Medieval Latin ductus (“a conveyance of water; a channel”), which itself has the first mentioned etymology.
Senses: glosses: To enclose in a duct.
glosses: To channel something (such as a gas) or propagate something (such as radio waves) through a duct or series of ducts.
Derived terms: ducted
ductible
ducting
duction
ductor
reduct
Related terms: abduct
adduct
conduct
deduct
induct
subduct
gnaw
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: nô
ipa: /nɔː/
rhymes: -ɔː
enpr: nô
ipa: /nɔ/
enpr: nä
ipa: /nɑ/
homophone: nor (non-rhotic)
Forms: form: gnaws
form: gnawing
form: gnawed
form: gnew
form: gnawed
form: gnew
form: gnawn
Etymology: From Middle English gnawen, gnaȝen, from Old English gnagan, from Proto-West Germanic *gnagan, from Proto-Germanic *gnaganą (“to gnaw”), probably from Proto-Indo-European *gʰnēgʰ- (“to gnaw, scratch”).
Cognate with Dutch knagen, German nagen, Danish gnave (“to gnaw”), Norwegian Bokmål gnage, Norwegian Nynorsk gnaga, Swedish gnaga.
Senses: examples: text: The dog gnawed the bone until it broke in two.
text: Ten thousand men that fishes gnaw'd upon
ref: c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iv], line 25:
glosses: To bite something persistently, especially something tough.
examples: text: Her comment gnawed at me all day and I couldn't think about anything else.
glosses: To produce excessive anxiety or worry.
examples: text: VVots thou vvho's returnd, / The unthrift Bonvile, ragged as a ſcarre-crovv / The VVarres have gnavv'd his garments to the skinne: […]
ref: 1637, Thomas Heywood, The Royall King, and the Loyall Subject. […], London: […] Nich[olas] and John Okes, for James Becket, […], →OCLC, Act III, signature E4, verso:
glosses: To corrode; to fret away; to waste.
Derived terms: begnaw
forgnaw
gnawable
gnawer
gnawingly
gnaw someone's vitals
outgnaw
ungnawed
ungnawn
Related terms: nag
gnaw
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: nô
ipa: /nɔː/
rhymes: -ɔː
enpr: nô
ipa: /nɔ/
enpr: nä
ipa: /nɑ/
homophone: nor (non-rhotic)
Forms: form: gnaws
Etymology: From Middle English gnawen, gnaȝen, from Old English gnagan, from Proto-West Germanic *gnagan, from Proto-Germanic *gnaganą (“to gnaw”), probably from Proto-Indo-European *gʰnēgʰ- (“to gnaw, scratch”).
Cognate with Dutch knagen, German nagen, Danish gnave (“to gnaw”), Norwegian Bokmål gnage, Norwegian Nynorsk gnaga, Swedish gnaga.
Senses: examples: text: have a gnaw of a bone
glosses: The act of gnawing.
merger
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈmɜː.d͡ʒə/
enpr: mûrʹjər
ipa: /ˈmɝ.d͡ʒɚ/
rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)dʒə(ɹ)
Forms: form: mergers
Etymology: From merge + -er.
Senses: glosses: One that merges.
merger
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈmɜː.d͡ʒə/
enpr: mûrʹjər
ipa: /ˈmɝ.d͡ʒɚ/
rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)dʒə(ɹ)
Forms: form: mergers
Etymology: From Anglo-Norman merger (verb used as noun).
Senses: examples: text: Club mergers reduced the number of teams by half
glosses: The act or process of merging two or more parts into a single unit.
examples: text: The company has had some success with its EV offerings, such as the Nissan Leaf, an asset it brought to the table in merger discussions.
EV development costs have created a powerful incentive for carmakers to explore mergers as a way to share the financial burden, according to analysts.
ref: 2025 February 13, Juliana Liu and Junko Ogura, “Carmakers Nissan and Honda call off merger talks”, in CNN:
topics: economics
sciences
glosses: The legal union of two or more corporations into a single entity, typically assets and liabilities being assumed by the buying party.
topics: law
glosses: An absorption of one or more estate(s) or contract(s) into one other, all being held by the same owner; of several counts of accusation into one judgement, etc.
examples: text: the cot-caught merger
text: If the presence of *θ in Sardinian words of Punic origin is indeed taken as evidence for an affricated realization of Semitic *z, this implies that the variety of Punic, that was the source of the Sardinian punicisms, did not exhibit the merger of Semitic *s, *z, *ṣ, *ś into /s/.
ref: 2025, Cid Swanenvleugel, The Pre-Roman Elements of the Sardinian Lexicon, page 394:
topics: human-sciences
linguistics
phonology
sciences
glosses: A type of sound change where two or more sounds merge into one.
Synonyms: word: combination
word: fusion
topics: linguistics
human-sciences
sciences
word: phonemic merger
Derived terms: antimerger
cot-caught merger
demerger
father-bother merger
horse-hoarse merger
hurry-furry merger
line-loin merger
low back merger
Mary-marry-merry merger
meet-meat merger
megamerger
mergerless
mirror-nearer merger
multimerger
nonmerger
nurse merger
phonemic merger
pin-pen merger
postmerger
premerger
reverse merger
wine-whine merger
Related terms: mergence
alliance
buyout
rollup
sellout
takeover
posh
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /pɑʃ/
ipa: /pɒʃ/
ipa: /pəʊʃ/
rhymes: -ɒʃ
Forms: form: posher
form: more posh
form: poshest
form: most posh
Etymology: Unknown.
Most likely derived from Romani posh (“half”), either because posh-kooroona (“half a crown”) (originally a substantial sum of money) was used metaphorically for anything pricey or upper-class, or because posh-houri (“half-penny”) came to refer to money generally.
A period slang dictionary defines "posh" as a term used by thieves for "money : generic, but specifically, a halfpenny or other small coin". An example is given from James Payn's The Eavesdropper (1888): "They used such funny terms: 'brads,' and 'dibbs,' and 'mopusses,' and 'posh' ... at last it was borne in upon me that they were talking about money."
Evidence exists for a slang sense from the 1890s meaning dandy, which is quite possibly related.
A popular folk etymology holds that the term is an acronym for "port out, starboard home", describing the cooler, north-facing cabins taken by the most aristocratic or rich passengers travelling from Britain to India and back. However, there is no evidence for this claim.
It could also possibly be a clipping of polished.
See also the articles mentioned in the References section below for additional discussion.
Senses: examples: text: She talks with a posh accent.
synonyms: upper-crust
glosses: Associated with the upper classes.
examples: text: Near-synonym: plush
text: After the performance, they went out to a very posh restaurant.
text: Jan Petter Vala is serving part of a 10-year murder sentence on a posh island in southern Norway.
ref: 2012 May 24, John D. Sutter, “Welcome to the world’s nicest prison”, in CNN:
synonyms: high-end
glosses: Stylish; elegant; exclusive; luxurious; expensive.
examples: text: We have a right posh git moving in next door.
synonyms: stuck-up
glosses: Snobbish, materialistic, prejudiced, under the illusion that one is better than everyone else.
raw_tags: in Ireland
Derived terms: poshdom
poshen
poshly
poshness
posh nosh
posho
poshocracy
poshocrat
poshtel
posh wank
poshy
semiposh
too posh to push
ultraposh
unposh
posh
Language: English
Part of speech: intj
Pronunciation: ipa: /pɑʃ/
ipa: /pɒʃ/
ipa: /pəʊʃ/
rhymes: -ɒʃ
Etymology: Unknown.
Most likely derived from Romani posh (“half”), either because posh-kooroona (“half a crown”) (originally a substantial sum of money) was used metaphorically for anything pricey or upper-class, or because posh-houri (“half-penny”) came to refer to money generally.
A period slang dictionary defines "posh" as a term used by thieves for "money : generic, but specifically, a halfpenny or other small coin". An example is given from James Payn's The Eavesdropper (1888): "They used such funny terms: 'brads,' and 'dibbs,' and 'mopusses,' and 'posh' ... at last it was borne in upon me that they were talking about money."
Evidence exists for a slang sense from the 1890s meaning dandy, which is quite possibly related.
A popular folk etymology holds that the term is an acronym for "port out, starboard home", describing the cooler, north-facing cabins taken by the most aristocratic or rich passengers travelling from Britain to India and back. However, there is no evidence for this claim.
It could also possibly be a clipping of polished.
See also the articles mentioned in the References section below for additional discussion.
Senses: examples: 1889: "The czar! Posh! I slap my fingers--I snap my fingers at him." — Rudyard Kipling, The Man Who Was
glosses: An exclamation expressing derision.
Derived terms: pish posh