cstr/en-wiktionary-extracted-all huggingface dataset:
curry favor
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: curries favor
form: currying favor
form: curried favor
form: curried favor
form: curry favour
Etymology: Originally from a French poem Roman de Fauvel, written in the early 1300s; Fauvel was a conniving stallion, and the play was a satire on the corruption of social life. The name Fauvel points to the French fauve (“chestnut, reddish-yellow, or fawn”), another sense of fauve meaning the class of wild animals whose coats are at least partly brown, and the medieval belief that a fallow horse was a symbol of deceit and dishonesty. The phrase curry Fauvel, then, referred to currying (“combing”) the horse, and was altered (as folk etymology) by later speakers to curry favor.
Senses: examples: text: […]always promising to pay, promising to pay, tomorrow, and dying today, insolvent; seeking to curry favor, to get custom, by how many modes, only not state-prison offences;[…]
ref: 1854 August 9, Henry D[avid] Thoreau, Walden; or, Life in the Woods, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC:
text: Other people would say so, and would allege that he was currying favor with Bulstrode for the sake of making himself important and getting on in the world.
ref: 1871–1872, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], chapter XVIII, in Middlemarch […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC, book (please specify |book=I to VIII):
text: Poor old Uncle Silas—why, it’s pitiful, him trying to curry favor that way—so hard pushed and poor, and yet hiring that useless Jubiter Dunlap to please his ornery brother.
ref: 1896, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter 1, in Tom Sawyer, Detective:
text: And what of those thousands and tens of thousands who join the church because it is a part of the regime of respectability, a way to make the acquaintance of the rich, to curry favor and obtain promotion, to get customers if you are a tradesman, to extend your practice if you are a professional man?
ref: 1917, Upton Sinclair, The Profits of Religion […] :
text: [T]he full text of these exchanges, provided to The Atlantic, shows that Manafort attempted to leverage his leadership role in the Trump campaign to curry favor with a Russian oligarch close to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.
ref: 2017 October 2, Julia Ioffe, Franklin Foer, “Did Manafort Use Trump to Curry Favor With a Putin Ally?”, in The Atlantic:
text: Unlike Sansa, Daenerys can’t rely on her family name to curry favor; unlike Jon or even Arya, she can’t regale the Northerners with tales of exploits, though that’s probably for the best when it comes to her “liberating” Yunkai and Meereen.
ref: 2019 May 5, Danette Chavez, “Campaigns are Waged On and Off the Game Of Thrones Battlefield (Newbies)”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 28 Jan 2021:
glosses: To seek to gain favor by flattery or attention.
wikipedia: Roman de Fauvel
Related terms: fauvism
dang it
Language: English
Part of speech: intj
Forms: form: dangit
Senses: examples: text: Dang it! I forgot to wash the car.
qualifier: minced oath
glosses: An expression used to show displeasure. A less emphatic, less profane version of dammit.
dative of purpose
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: datives of purpose
Senses: examples: text: The dative of purpose is rare in this type of writing.
topics: human-sciences
linguistics
sciences
glosses: The dative case in its use to indicate purpose.
raw_tags: in definite
examples: text: This poem is filled with datives of purpose.
topics: human-sciences
linguistics
sciences
glosses: A specific use of the dative case in this way.
de die in diem
Language: English
Part of speech: adv
Pronunciation: ipa: /deɪˌdiːeɪjɪnˈdiːɛm/
Etymology: Learned borrowing from Latin dē diē in diem.
Senses: examples: text: The workers are paid de die in diem.
text: She received her salary de die in diem.
topics: law
glosses: From day to day.
Synonyms: de die ad diem
dittography
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /dɪˈtɑɡɹəfi/
ipa: /dɪˈtɒɡɹəfi/
rhymes: -ɒɡɹəfi
Forms: form: dittographies
Etymology: From Ancient Greek διττός (dittós, “double”) + -graphy. Not related to English ditto.
Senses: glosses: The accidental error of repeating a word, phrase or combination of letters by a scribe or copyist.
glosses: An error produced thereby.
Related terms: dittograph
Dyuti
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Etymology: Borrowed from Hindi [Term?], meaning halo, radiance and brightness.
Senses: glosses: A female given name from India.
graven
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: -eɪvən
Etymology: From Middle English graven, igraven, from Old English grafen, ġegrafen, from Proto-Germanic *grabanaz, past participle of Proto-Germanic *grabaną (“to dig, trench”).
Senses: examples: text: Deep lines were graven on her pale forehead, and on her wan, thin cheeks.
ref: 1872, James De Mille, The Cryptogram, HTML edition, The Gutenberg Project, published 2009:
glosses: past participle of grave
graven
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: -eɪvən
Etymology: From Middle English graven, igraven, from Old English grafen, ġegrafen, from Proto-Germanic *grabanaz, past participle of Proto-Germanic *grabaną (“to dig, trench”).
Senses: examples: text: Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 20:4:
glosses: carved, engraved
Derived terms: graven image
intergraven
ungraven
graven
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: -eɪvən
Forms: form: gravens
form: gravening
form: gravened
form: gravened
Etymology: From graven (adjective) above.
Senses: examples: text: I saw I was not only gravened upon the palms of his hands, or set as a seal upon his arm, but I was pourtrayed upon his heart.
ref: 1786, Thomas Doolittle, A treatise concerning the Lord's Supper:
glosses: To make graven or engraved
graven
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: -eɪvən
Forms: form: gravens
form: gravening
form: gravened
form: gravened
Etymology: From grave (adjective) + -en.
Senses: examples: text: Whatever it was that had cast a dark shadow and gravened the faces of those normally ebullient people was much too complicated for me to understand.
ref: 2012, Samuel W Herbert, Avenue:
glosses: To make or become grave (serious or sombre)
catalogue raisonné
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: catalogues raisonnés
form: catalogue raisonne
form: catalog raisonné
Etymology: Borrowed from French catalogue raisonné.
Senses: examples: text: Listing in a catalogue raisonné is essential, because auction houses and dealers rely on the entry to support the authenticity of any work they sell.
ref: 2010, Don Thompson, The $12 Million Stuffed Shark, Aurum Press Limited, →ISBN:
text: There is no public list, or catalogue raisonné, of Hirst’s sculptural works, so galleries, auctioneers and museums rely on Science for details.
ref: 2024 March 19, Maeve McClenaghan, “Damien Hirst formaldehyde animal works dated to 1990s were made in 2017”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
glosses: A complete index, usually with descriptions and reproductions, of a body of work, such as all the creations of a single artist.
greige goods
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ɡɹeɪʒ ˈɡʊdz/
ipa: /ɡɹɛʒ-/
ipa: /ɡɹeɪʒ ˈɡʊdz/
ipa: /ɡɹɛʒ-/
ipa: /ɡɹeɪ-/
rhymes: -ʊdz
Etymology: From greige (“of clothing, textiles, etc.: neither bleached nor dyed, nor otherwise fully processed”) + goods.
Senses: topics: business
manufacturing
textiles
synonyms: gray goods
greige
grey goods
glosses: Clothing, textiles, etc., which have neither been bleached nor dyed, nor otherwise fully processed.
hands down
Language: English
Part of speech: adv
Forms: form: more hands down
form: most hands down
form: hands-down
Etymology: The origin of this colloquialism seems to have its roots in mid-19th century horseracing. When a horse jockey is nearing the finish line far ahead of the competition, "with victory certain", he could drop his hands, relaxing his hold on the reins, and "still win the race". By the late 19th century the phrase was being used in non-racing contexts to mean 'with no trouble at all.'
Senses: glosses: without much effort; easily
glosses: by a large margin (in a game or contest)
examples: text: That is a rather difficult task, hands down.
glosses: without question; undoubtedly
glosses: Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see hands, down.
hands down
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: hands-down
Etymology: See hand down
Senses: glosses: third-person singular simple present indicative of hand down
-ic
Language: English
Part of speech: suffix
Pronunciation: enpr: ĭk
ipa: /ɪk/
ipa: /ək/
Forms: form: -ick
Etymology: From Middle English -ik, from Old French -ique, from Latin -icus, from Proto-Indo-European *-kos, *-ḱos, formed with the i-stem suffix *-i- and the adjectival suffix *-kos, *-ḱos. Compare Ancient Greek -ικός (-ikós), Sanskrit -इक (-ika) and Old Church Slavonic -ъкъ (-ŭkŭ). Doublet of -y; compare also -ac.
Proto-Indo-European *-kos on noun stems carried the meaning 'characteristic of, like, typical, pertaining to', and on adjectival stems it acted emphatically.
Senses: examples: text: Cyril + -ic → Cyrillic
text: acid + -ic → acidic
glosses: Used to form adjectives from nouns with the meaning “of or pertaining to”.
topics: chemistry
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: Used to denote certain chemical compounds in which a specified chemical element has a higher oxidation number than in the equivalent compound whose name ends in the suffix -ous. For example sulphuric acid (H₂SO₄) has more oxygen atoms per molecule than sulphurous acid (H₂SO₃).
Related terms: -adic
-ical
-ician
-ics
-al
-an
-ar
-ate
-ese
-esque
-ian
-id
-ish
-like
-oid
-ory
-ous
-ship
-tion
-y
ke-mo sah-bee
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: kemo sabe
form: kemosabe
Etymology: Of unclear origin; sometimes supposed to derive from a Native American term meaning "trusted friend". It was popularized by the American show The Lone Ranger, in which characters sometimes addressed each other as Kemo Sabe.
Senses: glosses: An address to a friend, said to mean "my trusted friend".
Kevyn
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Senses: glosses: A male given name from Irish, of rare usage, variant of Kevin.
locknote
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: locknotes
Etymology: Humorously from keynote and lock, as though the key in keynote were the kind that opens a door.
Senses: examples: 1985. EDN,Electric Engineering, Rogers Pub. Co., 1985, page 211http://books.google.com/books?lr=&id=5O4EAQAAIAAJ&dq=%22locknote%22+speaker&q=%22locknote%22+&pgis=1#search_anchor
...the Software Summit, the Resellers Roundtable, and the "locknote" (wrap-up)...
2007. The Alternative Sustainable Renewable Energy Summit 2007, April 23 & 24, 2007, Croke Park Convention Centre, Dublin http://193.178.1.196/News_Events/Events/Brochure_Alt_Energy.pdf
4:15 Locknote Address Spatial Planning and Renewable Energy Plans.
2009. Microsoft Parner Connection Seminar Agenda, New Zealand http://www.microsoft.com/nz/events/connectionz/agenda.mspx
Locknote Address - Therese Walsh (NZRFU)
glosses: The last presentation in an academic or business conference with a broad thematic overview. Typically, the best-known speakers or scholars at a conference give keynote and locknote addresses.
Related terms: keynote
lustrious
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈlʌs.tɹɪ.əs/
ipa: /ˈlʌs.tɹi.əs/
ipa: /ˈləs-/
Forms: form: more lustrious
form: most lustrious
Etymology: From lustre + -ious, modelled after illustrious.
Senses: examples: text: (The teeming lady comes, / The lustrious orb, Venus contralto, the blooming mother. / Sister of loftiest gods, Alboni's self I hear.)
ref: 1892, Walt Whitman, “Proud Music of the Storm”, in Leaves of Grass […], Philadelphia, Pa.: David McKay, publisher, […], →OCLC, stanza 3, page 313:
glosses: Amazing, fantastic; splendid.
synonyms: glowing
lustrous
radiant
shimmering
glosses: Dazzling, sparkling; beautiful.
Derived terms: lustriously
lustriousness
Existenz
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Etymology: Unadapted borrowing from German Existenz. Doublet of existence.
Senses: topics: human-sciences
philosophy
sciences
glosses: Existence; state of existing.
mouseprint
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Etymology: From mouse + print.
Senses: glosses: The fine print found within ads for products telling consumers the details, usually positioned as a few small lines at the bottom of the ad.
opination
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: opinations
Etymology: From opine + -ation.
Senses: examples: text: Because of this lack of detail in the Constitution, the role of the Supreme Court had been open to opination.
glosses: The state or process of opining.
pat slide
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: pat slides
Senses: glosses: A special sheet of plastic used to transfer patients in hospital from beds to trolleys and vice versa.
access control list
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: access control lists
Senses: examples: text: The hackers broke through the B security model, so no more role-level security: all critical data must use access control lists from now on.
topics: computing
engineering
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
sciences
glosses: A security scheme for file-level security (as opposed to traditional user, group levels, or the somewhat stricter role levels). Abbreviated ACL.
plushophilia
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˌplʌ.ʃəˈfɪ.li.ə/
ipa: /-ˈfiː.li.ə/
rhymes: -ɪliə
rhymes: -iːliə
Etymology: From plush + -o- + -philia.
Senses: examples: text: Plushophilia began for him when he was around seven years old, even though he didn't own any stuffed animals
ref: 2003, Edward Ksenych, Forbidden Desires: Deviance and Social Control, page 52:
text: Plushophilia is a modern concept and describes an obsession with stuffed animal toys. For some people, plushophilia also extends to a fascination with large, furry animal suits.
ref: 2013, Julie Peakman, The Pleasure's All Mine: A History of Perverse Sex, page 205:
text: These misconceptions have made their way into academic works with researchers associating Furries with plushophilia: […]
ref: 2021, Jessica Ruth Austin, Fan Identities in the Furry Fandom, page 28:
glosses: The paraphilia for plushies, typically stuffed toy animals.
Related terms: plushophile
plushophilic
plushification
Rambabu
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Etymology: The name originated from southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, meaning son of lord Ram. From Ram (god) + babu (son).
Senses: glosses: A male given name from India, a common Hindu male name in India.
ranchette
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: ranchettes
Etymology: From ranch + -ette.
Senses: examples: text: There are trace elements of ranchettes all the way to St. Cloud, the Stearns County seat.
ref: 2001 August 26, Garrison Keillor, “In Search of Lake Wobegon”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
glosses: A small ranch or large home lot, often on the outskirts of a major metropolitan area and just past the planned neighborhoods, consisting of 40 acres and a house and possibly a barn or other outbuildings.
waist chain
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: waist chains
Senses: glosses: An ornamental chain worn around the waist; seen by some as a symbol of slavery.
glosses: A physical restraint worn by prisoners, consisting of a chain around the waist, to which the prisoner's hands may be chained or cuffed.
Synonyms: belly chain
sidewalk superintendent
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: sidewalk superintendents
Senses: examples: text: Even the most occasional sidewalk superintendent knows that in the construction of a tall building the first floor is put in before the second, the second before the third, and so on.
ref: 1962 January 14, “Builder to Start on the Top Floor”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
topics: business
construction
manufacturing
hypernyms: kibitzer
glosses: A passer-by or other person who watches and possibly advises work at a construction project from a sidewalk or other vantage point.
Related terms: back-seat driver
snow shower
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: snow showers
form: snowshower
Etymology: From snow + shower.
Senses: glosses: A short duration of moderate snowfall. Some accumulation is possible.
Talibanesque
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Etymology: From Taliban + -esque.
Senses: examples: Talibanesque militancy
glosses: Reminiscent of the Taliban.
to a T
Language: English
Part of speech: prep_phrase
Forms: form: down to a T
form: to a tee
form: to a "T"
form: to the T
Etymology: The origins of this phrase are uncertain, but it has been observed in print since at least 1693, and likely was around well before that. The possibly related phrase to a tittle is found in a 1607 play, The Woman Hater by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher ("I'll quote him to a tittle"). The T in the phrase to a T is likely the first letter of a word, with tittle being the most likely source.
* Other theories with little evidence point to golf tees, for their small size; this may have at least influenced the alternative form to a tee. Some speculate a relationship with T-square, a measuring device introduced around the turn of the century. Others claim the expression refers to the correct completion of the letter t by crossing it.
*In print from "Two Years Before the Mast" published in 1840, and, even then, using quotes, refers to the practice of squaring up a yardarm with a mast on a sailing ship such that it made a perpendicular T.
Senses: examples: text: The announcement of the political endorsement was timed to a T.
text: I hope your Honour will be soon well enough to get down to your country-seat, where,—as your Honour takes so much pleasure in fortification, we could manage this matter to a T.
ref: 1759–1767, [Laurence Sterne], The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, volume (please specify |volume=I to IX), London: […] T. Becket and P. A. Dehondt, […]:
text: My ſpurrit to a T—My dear child!
ref: 1766, George Colman, David Garrick, The Clandestine Marriage, a Comedy. […], London: […] T. Becket and P. A. De Hondt, […]; R[oberts] Baldwin, […]; R. Davis, […]; and T[homas] Davies, […], →OCLC, Act III, scene ii, page 49:
text: That accounts for my having the dress, but it don't account for the piece that you left sticking to the rose-bush under Mrs. Lander's bed-room winder, which piece I took off that morning, and which piece I matched with the dress after you pitched it at me over them bannisters; it was an awful scragly tear, and it fitted to a T.
ref: 1868, Ann Sophia Stephens, Doubly False:
text: You've sure got everything figured out to a "T", boss!
ref: 1964, "On the Trail of the Amazing Spider-Man!" (page 7), Tales to Astonish #57, Marvel Comics
text: You see I'm six foot one and I'm tons of fun and I dress to a tee
ref: 1979, “Rapper’s Delight”, performed by Sugarhill Gang:
glosses: Precisely; exactly; perfectly; with great attention to detail.
wikipedia: Francis Beaumont
The Woman Hater
toilette
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: other: /twɑˈlɛt/
rhymes: -ɛt
Forms: form: toilettes
Etymology: Borrowed from French toilette; more at toilet.
Senses: examples: text: No such very great degree of genius can be displayed in the rest of the toilette. The dress has been chosen—it fits you à ravir—it has simply to be put on with mathematical accuracy: but the bonnet is the triumph of taste,—you must exert your intellect,—your destiny is in your own hands.
ref: 1831, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XXIII, in Romance and Reality. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 291:
text: He was elaborately attired. He would ogle the ladies who came to lionise the university, and passed before him on the arms of happy gownsmen, and give his opinion upon their personal charms, or their toilettes, with the gravity of a critic whose experience entitled him to speak with authority.
ref: 1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 19, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLC:
text: It is so painful in you, Celia, that you will look at human beings as if they were merely animals with a toilette, and never see the great soul in a man's face.
ref: 1871, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], chapter I, in Middlemarch […], volume I, Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC, book I, page 25:
glosses: Archaic form of toilet, in all senses related to dressing and personal grooming, but not a water closet.
Related terms: demi-toilette
eau de toilette
urostyle
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: urostyles
Etymology: From uro- + -style.
Senses: topics: anatomy
medicine
sciences
glosses: A styliform process forming the posterior extremity of the vertebral column in some fishes and amphibians.
valley of death
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: valleys of death
Etymology: Probably derived from the Old Testament, Psalm 23: "valley of the shadow of death".
Senses: examples: text: Into the valley of Death / Rode the six hundred.
ref: 1854 December 9, Lord Alfred Tennyson, “The Charge of the Light Brigade”, in The Examiner:
glosses: Death; or a place or period where death is impending.
glosses: A place of great danger.
topics: business
glosses: The phase of a startup business beginning with the entrepreneur's fulltime commitment to it and ending when the business has achieved sustainable cash flow.
Related terms: development hell
WENAO
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Senses: topics: economics
sciences
glosses: Initialism of Western Europe, North America, Oceania.
snecking
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Senses: glosses: present participle and gerund of sneck
Christianese
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Etymology: From Christian + -ese.
Senses: examples: text: Anthony answered, 'Talking Christianese is being the Church. Don't you think Church matters?' Fred said, 'Not when you define the Church as a group having Christian experiences. You need someone to tell you what Christianity is before you can define a group's experiences as Christian.'
ref: 2003, Helen K[atharine] Bond, Seth D[aniel] Kunin, Francesca Aran Murphy, editors, Religious Studies and Theology: An Introduction, New York, N.Y.: New York University Press, →ISBN, page 500:
text: I often ran them off with my self-righteous attitude or scared them away with Christianese language […]
ref: 2007, Dan C. Gilliam, “Friendship: A Superhero Faith”, in God Touches: Finding Faith in the Cracks and Spaces of Life, Cincinnati, Oh.: Standard Publishing, →ISBN, page 180:
text: Reasons for departure were simply expressed in "Christianese": "The Lord is leading us to fellowship elsewhere," "The Spirit is moving us on," and so on.
ref: 2007, Mike Minter, A Western Jesus: The Wayward Americanization of Christ and the Church, Nashville, Tenn.: B&H Publishing Group, →ISBN, page 8:
topics: Christianity
glosses: The terms, catchphrases and theological jargon used by some Christians, commonly from Christian theology and influenced by popular translations of the Bible.
Synonyms: Bible-speak
snecked
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Senses: glosses: simple past and past participle of sneck
dirty money
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: examples: text: Corruption is a force multiplier for the West's enemies, and yet the West continues to accept dirty money into its economies by the billion.
ref: 2018, Oliver Bullough, chapter 1, in Moneyland, Profile Books, →ISBN, page 15:
text: Taken together, the articles exposed a dark truth: “Dirty money” — terrorist financing, drug cartel funds, fortunes embezzled from developing nations, the profits from organized crime — flows so freely through the world’s most powerful financial institutions that it has become inextricable from the so-called legitimate economy.
ref: 2021 June 10, Mark Schoofs, “She Exposed the Truth About ‘Dirty Money’: It’s Everywhere”, in The New York Times:
topics: business
law
synonyms: ill-gotten gains
antonyms: clean money
glosses: Money that is illegally gained, illegally transferred or illegally utilized, especially money gained through forgery, bribery, prostitution, money laundering, or theft.
examples: text: The days should be long gone when workers are paid dirty money to do a risky job […]
ref: 1997, Janus, page 24:
text: […] much of the set was smeared with oil and grease. This did, however, lead to a very unpleasant working environment. 'Everyone working on the film was paid “dirty” money,' recalls Maurice. 'I got seven and six a week “dirty money”, which was wonderful for a fifteen-year-old.'
ref: 2015, Robert Sellers, The Secret Life of Ealing Studios:
glosses: Extra money paid to workers as compensation for dirty or dangerous work.
Related terms: danger money
dirt cheap
funny money
money laundering
money does not smell
doughface
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: doughfaces
Etymology: From dough + face.
Senses: glosses: A person, especially a politician, who is perceived to be pliable or moldable.
glosses: A person, especially a politician, who is perceived to be pliable or moldable.
In particular, in the antebellum United States, a Northerner who espoused sympathies with the Southern Slave Power, especially a Northern Democrat who was more allied with the ideology of Southern Democrats than that of the majority of Northerners.
glosses: A face that resembles dough in its appearance or color; a face that is bloated, pale or plump.
Derived terms: doughfacism
dough-faced
Duluth pack
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: Duluth packs
Etymology: Duluth pack is a brand name of the Duluth Tent and Awning Co. They were designed in the early 1880s, but the term is commonly used to refer to any packs of the same style.
Senses: synonyms: portage pack
glosses: A traditional piece of luggage used in canoe travel, particularly in the Boundary Waters region of northern Minnesota and Ontario. A specialized type of backpack, made of either heavy canvas or nylon, that are approximately square in order to fit easily in the bottom of a canoe.
cathodic
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Forms: form: kathodic
Etymology: From cathode + -ic. Coined by William Whewell in 1837 in a letter to Michael Faraday.
Senses: topics: anatomy
medicine
sciences
glosses: Proceeding from a nerve centre; efferent.
topics: natural-sciences
physical-sciences
physics
hypernyms: electrodic#Adjective
;
ambiodic#Adjective
coordinate_terms: anodic#Adjective
glosses: Relating to, functioning as, or occurring at a cathode.
Derived terms: biocathodic
cathodically
photocathodic
Related terms: cathodal
cathodally
Dunkirk spirit
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Etymology: The phrase came into use following the evacuation of allied troops across the English Channel by flotillas of pleasure boats, working barges and other civilian craft at the Battle of Dunkirk in 1940.
Senses: glosses: The spirit of the British public pulling together to overcome times of adversity.
Related terms: Dunkirk jack
catholicity
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: catholicities
Etymology: From catholic + -ity.
Senses: synonyms: universality
comprehensiveness
glosses: The quality of being catholic, universal or inclusive.
Derived terms: noncatholicity
cattail
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈkæt.teɪl/
rhymes: -æteɪl
Forms: form: cattails
Etymology: From Middle English cattal, cattyle (also as cattestail), equivalent to cat + tail.
Senses: qualifier: historically
glosses: Any of several perennial herbs, of the genus Typha, that have long flat leaves, and grow in marshy places.
glosses: A cat-o'-nine-tails.
Synonyms: sense: herb in Typha
word: bulrush
sense: herb in Typha
word: reedmace
Related terms: catstail
East Overshoe
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Senses: examples: text: I don't get to see Jim much since he moved. Now he lives somewhere out in East Overshoe.
glosses: Often used to refer to a place moderately far away. It generally is used in place of a city or town name when that name is unknown or cannot be recalled.
glosses: A placeholder for a fictitious municipality in sample documents or hypothetical situations. (This usage is similar to the way John Doe is sometimes used as a placeholder for the name of a person.)
cattiness
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: cattinesses
Etymology: From catty + -ness.
Senses: examples: 2004 Ward Hunt et.al. - James Bowdoin and the Patriot Philosophers
Who had been tapped for the new society, and why, had become a topic of local gossip, conjecture, and even cattiness.
glosses: The quality of being catty; cattishness
catty-cornered
Language: English
Part of speech: adv
Etymology: From catty-corner + -ed.
Senses: glosses: Alternative form of catty-corner: cater-corner.
catty-cornered
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Etymology: From catty-corner + -ed.
Senses: glosses: Alternative form of catty-corner: catercorner.
caulker
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: caulkers
form: cauker
form: calker
Etymology: From caulk + -er.
Senses: examples: text: He was one of the best caulkers around.
ref: 2016, Yaa Gyasi, Homegoing, Penguin Books (2017), page 117:
glosses: A person who caulks various structures (as ships) and certain types of piping.
glosses: A tool used for caulking ships; a caulking iron.
examples: text: “Will you taste, messmate?” he asked; and when I had refused: “Well, I’ll take a dram myself, Jim,” said he. “I need a caulker, for there’s trouble on hand. And talking o’ trouble, why did that doctor give me the chart, Jim?”
ref: 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:
glosses: An alcoholic drink; a dram.
glosses: Archaic form of corker (“something large or remarkable, a whopper”).
Related terms: caulking
caulker
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: caulkers
form: cauker
form: calker
Etymology: From Latin calcāria (lime kiln).
Senses: topics: arts
crafts
glassblowing
hobbies
lifestyle
glosses: A lime kiln.
causeless
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈkɔːzləs/
Forms: form: more causeless
form: most causeless
Etymology: From Middle English causelees, causeles; equivalent to cause + -less.
Senses: synonyms: word: by accident
word: incidental
word: random
word: accidental
word: accidentary
word: adventitious
word: by accident
word: by the by
word: casual
word: causeless
word: chanceable
word: fortuitous
word: incidental
word: lippening
word: occasional
word: random
word: serendipitous
word: unforeseen
word: unintended
word: unintentional
word: unplanned
glosses: Having no obvious cause; fortuitous or inexplicable.
examples: text: [H]e […] by his overcarefulneſſe and cauſeleſſe ſuſpicion, deprived himſelf of this benefit, and implunged himſelf in much juſt hatred for his unjuſt dealing and treachery.
ref: 1639, Thomas Fuller, “The Pilgrimes Arrivall at Constantinople, Entertainment, and Departure”, in The Historie of the Holy Warre, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: […] Thomas Buck, one of the printers to the Universitie of Cambridge [and sold by John Williams, London], →OCLC, book I, pages 22–23:
text: Alas my fears are cauſless, and ungrounded, / Fantaſtick dreams, and melancholick fumes / Of crazy ſtomacks, and diſtempered brains: / Has this convinc'd you?
ref: 1641 (first performance), [John Denham], The Sophy. […], 2nd edition, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for H[enry] Herringman, […], published 1667, →OCLC, Act III, page 36:
glosses: Groundless or unreasonable.
Derived terms: causelessly
causelessness
causticity
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: /kɔːˈstɪsɪti/
Forms: form: causticities
Etymology: From caustic + -ity.
Senses: examples: text: Causticity is that sharp and corroding quality, which many substances possess, such as the mineral acids, especially when concentrated, alkalies fixed and volatile, quicklime, arsenic, corrosive sublimate, lunar crystals, butter of antimony, and even most other salts with metallic bases.
ref: 1777, Pierre Macquer, translated by James Keir, A Dictionary of Chemistry, volume III, London: T. Cadell & P. Elmsly:
text: Some years ago, we read in a U.S. trade paper a method for determining causticity of bottle-washing solution when foil labels are contained on the bottles undergoing cleansing treatment.
ref: 1961, Bottling: A Quarterly Supplement to the Brewing Trade Review, numbers 147-154, page 171:
text: 1996, Christopher J. Biermann, Handbook of Pulping and Papermaking, Academic Press, 3.8 Kraft Pulping, p. 89, https://books.google.ca/books?id=sfZfyEmqs_AC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
Causticity is the ratio of NaOH to active alkali (as always both chemicals are on an Na₂O basis), expressed as a percentage.
glosses: The quality of being physically caustic; burning, corrosive.
examples: text: […] one in whom a discreet causticity went along with a manner less genial than polite […]
ref: 1924, Herman Melville, chapter 22, in Billy Budd, London: Constable & Co.:
text: He had not, he remarked with crushing causticity to one of his ministers, liberated France ‘to worry about the macaroni ration’.
ref: 1977, Alistair Horne, A Savage War of Peace, New York: Review Books, published 2006, page 65:
synonyms: pungency
glosses: Being caustic in speech, humour etc.
cautionary
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈkɔːʃənəɹi/
ipa: /ˈkɔːʃənɹi/
ipa: /ˈkɔʃəˌnɛɹi/
ipa: /ˈkɑ.ʃəˌnɛɹ.i/
ipa: /ˈkoː.ʃə.nə.ɹi/
ipa: /ˈkoː.ʃən.ɹi/
Forms: form: more cautionary
form: most cautionary
Etymology: Borrowed from Medieval Latin cautiōnārius.
Senses: examples: text: Most parents were optimistic, but others sounded a cautionary note.
glosses: Serving to caution or warn; admonitory
glosses: Serving to ward off; preventive
glosses: Held as security or hostage
Derived terms: cautionary block
cautionary tale
ensifer
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Etymology: Borrowed from Latin ēnsifer (“sword-bearing”).
Senses: topics: biology
microbiology
natural-sciences
glosses: A member of the genus Ensifer, of the bacteria family Rhizobiaceae.
Derived terms: ensiferous
cautiousness
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: cautiousnesses
Etymology: From cautious + -ness.
Senses: examples: text: This extreme cautiousness, which was, indeed, the most remarkable feature in his character, still made itself prominent after his elevation.
ref: 1853, Daniel Parish Kidder, The Lives of the Popes:
glosses: The state of being cautious; wariness
caviare
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: caviares
Senses: examples: text: But of that evening she had remembered a little pot of caviare: It had cost seven and sixpence. He could not get over it.
ref: 1917 October 4, Katherine Mansfield [pseudonym; Kathleen Mansfield Murry], “A Dill Pickle”, in Bliss and Other Stories, London: Constable & Company, published 1920, →OCLC, page 235:
glosses: Alternative spelling of caviar.
conjectural
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Forms: form: more conjectural
form: most conjectural
Etymology: From conjecture + -al.
Senses: examples: text: In conjectural statements, the French often use the Future or the Conditional, instead of the Perfect or the Pluperfect used in English.
ref: 1863, Jules Festu, Practical lessons on the comparative construction of the verb in the French and English languages:
text: Medicine, however, has been, and still continues to be, an art so conjectural and uncertain, that our astonishment at the anxiety with which empirics have been sought after and followed is much diminished.
ref: 1844, Thomas Joseph Pettigrew, On Superstitions Connected with the History and Practice of Medicine and Surgery:
glosses: In the nature of a conjecture, or based on a conjecture.
Synonyms: hypothetical
Derived terms: conjecturalism
conjecturalist
conjecturally
nonconjectural
conjectural
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: conjecturals
Etymology: From conjecture + -al.
Senses: examples: text: Let us not assume such previous conjecturals, but rather consult and expostulate death, since death is the wages and the reward of sin.
ref: 1821, Richard Franck, Northern memoirs, page 15:
glosses: Something that is conjectural; a conjecture.
erasable programmable logic device
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: erasable programmable logic devices
form: EPLD
Senses: qualifier: semiconductors
glosses: An integrated circuit that is composed of an array of programmable logic devices that do not come pre-connected; the connections are programmed electrically by the user.
Related terms: word: CPLD
word: macrocell array
english: PAL
translation: PAL
word: programmable array logic
alt: PLD
word: programmable logic device
alt: FPGA
word: field-programmable gate array
caviler
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: cavilers
Etymology: From cavil + -er.
Senses: examples: 1817 John Nicholas - Illustrations of the Literary History of the Eighteenth Century
a man who comments on the Bible affords all the opportunity a caviler could wish for.
glosses: A person who cavils; a faultfinder, quibbler or nitpicker
et uxor
Language: English
Part of speech: phrase
Etymology: From Latin et (and) and uxor (his wife).
Senses: examples: text: I confirmed at Whitegate church about 300 persons, and returned to Vale Royal, where dined with me Sir Thomas Grosvenor et uxor, and Mrs. Rigby, Sir Philip Egerton, uxor et filius, Mr. Leftwich Oldfeild, Mr. Dean, Mr. Woods, vicar of Over, Mr. Marbury, rector of Davenham, Mr. Hanmore, Mr. Oakes, curate of Astbury, Mr. Oakes, Mr. Colley; and at supper Captain Birch and Captain Mainwaring more.
ref: post 1687, The Diary of Dr. Thomas Cartwright, Bishop of Chester; commencing at the time of his Elevation to that See, August M.DC.LXXXVI.; and terminating with the Visitation of St. Mary Magdalene College, Oxford, October M.DC.LXXXVII. Now first printed from the original MS. in the Possession of the Rev. Joseph Hunter, F.S.A., London, 1843, page 28
text: … Keyes plaintant, Hill et uxor, defendants. Anno 22 Eliz.
ref: 1616, Reports, or Causes in Chancery, collected by Sir George Cary, one of the Masters of the Chancery, Anno 1601. Out of the Labours of Mr. William Lambert. Reprinted from the Edition of 1820, London, 1872, page 129
topics: law
coordinate_terms: et conjunx
glosses: "And the wife" or "and his wife"; often used in the context of a legal document to include a man's wife in whichever obligation, ownership, etc. the document indicates.
Synonyms: et ux.
et ux
etux
exception that proves the rule
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: exceptions that prove the rule
form: exceptions that prove rules
Etymology: Derived from the medieval Latin legal principle "exceptio probat regulam in casibus non exceptis" ("the exception tests the rule in the cases not excepted").
Senses: examples: text: A bishop ... is not bound to obey any Mandate but the King's; which Exception proves the Rule, and that he is inexcusably oblig'd to obey the King's
ref: 1688, [anonymous], An Answer to a Paper Importing a Petition of the Archbishop of Canterbury and Six other Bishops to His Majesty, London: Henry Hills, page 14:
text: Some statutes give justices of the peace a power of proceeding on default, but the exception proves the rule in the thing not excepted; it seems therefore that the defendant should have been apprehended by a warrant
ref: 1775, "A Gentleman of Lincoln's Inn", A Digest of Adjudged Cases in the Court of King's Bench, London: G. Kearsly and G. Robinson, page 85:
glosses: The rare occurrence of a counterexample to a rule, used to demonstrate that the rule exists.
Related terms: exception proves the rule
the exception proves the rule
every law has its loophole
honor in the breach
more honored in the breach
the proof of the pudding is in the eating
macrocephaly
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: -ɛfəli
Forms: form: macrocephalies
Etymology: From macro- + -cephaly.
Senses: topics: medicine
sciences
glosses: A condition in which the head is abnormally large.
examples: text: Already Mexico City is a warning to other developing countries where centralized government, a high birth rate, neglect of agriculture and the rush to industrialize have combined to encourage migration to the cities. Twenty percent of the country's population lives here, and the term urban macrocephaly has been coined to describe the phenomenon.
ref: 1983 May 15, Alan Riding, “Problems of Mexico City: Warning to the Third World”, in New York Times:
text: Another physical impact of urbanization in Asia has been the intensification of the primacy of capital cities. Most countries in the region—except China, Vietnam, and India—are well known for suffering from “macrocephaly disease.” Capital cities such as Tokyo, Taipei, Seoul, Jakarta, Manila, and Bangkok have a population that is more than double that of the next largest metropolitan area.
ref: 2014, Natacha Aveline-Dubach, “Understanding Globalization in Urban Asia: Moving from Single to Plural Dimensions and Scales”, in Natacha Aveline-Dubach, Sue-Ching Jou, Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao, editors, Globalization and New Intra-Urban Dynamics in Asian Cities, Taipei: National Taiwan University Press, page 38:
topics: geography
natural-sciences
glosses: The excessive concentration of population and development in a single centre, to the detriment of other areas.
Synonyms: macrocephalism
Related terms: macrocephalic
extranoematic
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Forms: form: more extranoematic
form: most extranoematic
Etymology: From extra- + noematic.
Senses: glosses: Occurring outside of the confines of human thought.
macroclimate
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: macroclimates
Etymology: From macro- + climate.
Senses: examples: 1993 Silviculture: From the Cradle of Forestry to Ecosystem Management: Proceedings
Within climatic regions, physiography or landforms modify macroclimate and affect the movement of organisms, . . .
glosses: The climate of a relatively large geographic area.
Related terms: microclimate
faciendum
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: facienda
Etymology: Borrowed from Latin faciendum, from facere (“to do”).
Senses: glosses: Something that must be done.
macrocode
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: macrocodes
form: macro code
Senses: topics: computing
engineering
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
sciences
glosses: Code written using macros.
examples: text: In contrast, authors of junk fiction draw their contents from a repertoire of codified commonplaces that are catachresized in a macrocode of the reader's imagination. The result may seem like fantasy literature, but instead offers just trite factuality […]
ref: 2004, Phenomenological Inquiry, volumes 28-30, page 122:
glosses: Any relatively high-level coding system.
macrocode
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: macrocodes
form: macrocoding
form: macrocoded
form: macrocoded
form: macro code
Senses: glosses: To encode using a relatively high-level coding system.
macrocytosis
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: macrocytoses
Etymology: From macro- + cytosis.
Senses: glosses: The presence of macrocytes in the blood.
Derived terms: macrocytotic
macrofossil
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: -ɒsəl
Forms: form: macrofossils
Etymology: From macro- + fossil.
Senses: examples: text: The only other identifiable plant macrofossil present was a nutlet of club-rush that was morphologically most similar to grey club-rush (Schoenoplectus cf tabernaemontani). This form of club-rush is most often found near the sea, although it also grows in marshes and dune-slacks.
ref: 2017 January 9, Dan Garner, Hillforts of the Cheshire Ridge, Archaeopress Publishing Ltd, →ISBN, page 253:
topics: biology
history
human-sciences
natural-sciences
paleontology
sciences
glosses: Any fossil large enough to be examined without a microscope.
steads
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: glosses: plural of stead
steads
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Senses: glosses: third-person singular simple present indicative of stead
macrogamete
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: macrogametes
Etymology: From macro- + gamete.
Senses: topics: biology
cytology
medicine
natural-sciences
sciences
synonyms: megagamete
antonyms: microgamete
glosses: The larger of a pair of anisogamous, conjugating gametes; the female ovule in plants or ovum for animals.
sneck-bends
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: glosses: plural of sneck-bend
fantods
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: /ˈfæntɒdz/
Etymology: The first known record of the word is from 1839, in the book Adventures of Harry Franco by Charles Biggs.
Senses: examples: text: to have/give the fantods
translation: to be in a state of nervousness, distress, or anxiety
english: to be in a state of nervousness, distress, or anxiety
text: You have got strong symptoms of the fantods; your skin is so tight you can’t shut your eyes without opening your mouth.”
ref: 1839, Charles Frederick Briggs, Adventures of Harry Franco:
text: […]I catched a glimpse of fire away through the trees. I went for it, cautious and slow. By and by I was close enough to have a look, and there laid a man on the ground. It most give me the fantods.
ref: 1884 December 10, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: (Tom Sawyer’s Comrade) […], London: Chatto & Windus, […], →OCLC:
text: You can't be on the fence about this article. It'll make you cheer loudly or roar with annoyance. It gave two of our editors the fantods.
ref: 1935, The American Magazine, page 66:
text: I know, I know, the mere thought of a right-wing Dallas billionaire buying the presidency gives you the hot fantods.
ref: 1992 July/August, Molly Ivins, “Bubba's Billionaire”, in Mother Jones Magazine, page 8:
text: Last week a grounds-crew lawnmower sitting clean and silent and somehow menacing in the middle of the dawn kitchen gave Mrs. Clarke the fantods and resulted in Eggplant Parmesan for two suppers in a row, which sent shock waves.
ref: 1996, David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest […], Boston, Mass.; New York, N.Y.: Little, Brown and Company, →ISBN, page 632:
glosses: plural of fantod
macroglobulin
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: macroglobulins
Etymology: From macro- + globulin.
Senses: glosses: A plasma globulin of high molecular weight
Derived terms: macroglobulinemia
ovomacroglobulin
steading
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: steadings
Etymology: From Middle English steding (“place, farm”), from Middle English stede (“estate, property, holdings”), from Old English stede (“locality, place, site, position, station”).
Senses: examples: text: She never seemed to want for siller; the house was as bright as a new preen, the yaird better delved than the manse garden; and there was routh of fowls and doos about the small steading, forbye a wheen sheep and milk-kye in the fields.
ref: 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:
text: They said nothing further, but tramped on in the growing darkness, past farm steadings, into the little village, through the silent churchyard where generations of the Pallisers lay, and up the beech avenue that led to Northrop Hall.
ref: 1907 January, Harold Bindloss, chapter 1, in The Dust of Conflict, 1st Canadian edition, Toronto, Ont.: McLeod & Allen, →OCLC:
text: Alone with his longing, he lies down on his bed
and sings a lament; everything seems too large,
the steadings and the fields.
ref: 1999, Seamus Heaney, Beowulf, London: Faber and Faber, page 78:
text: … authorized the Grant in Organization a new steading on our southernmost continent. With your permission, we intend to call it the Steading of Harrington, and I ask you to assume the office of its Steadholder for yourself and your heirs.
ref: 2002, David Weber, The Honor of the Queen, Reissue edition (Sci-fi), Baen Books, →ISBN:
glosses: A farmhouse and outer buildings such as barns, stables, cattle-sheds, etc.; a farmstead; a homestead, an onstead, an estate.