cstr/en-wiktionary-extracted-all huggingface dataset:
backhanded
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈbækˌhændəd/
Etymology: From back + hand + -ed.
Senses: glosses: simple past and past participle of backhand
backhanded
Language: English
Part of speech: adv
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈbækˌhændəd/
Forms: form: more backhanded
form: most backhanded
Etymology: From back + hand + -ed.
Senses: examples: text: As the man crumpled forward, Snow took a further step with his right foot and brought the pole down backhanded with all his power into the right side of the man's head.
ref: 2008, Maclean J. Storer, Forward O Peasant, →ISBN, page 279:
text: Then with her curved hand knife, she proceeded to clean the selected sprouts, flipping them backhanded into the top crate on her left when done.
ref: 2010, Ivano Franco Comelli, La Nostra Costa (Our Coast): A Family's Journey to and from the North Coast of Santa Cruz, California (1923-1983), →ISBN, page 58:
glosses: In a backhanded manner.
Related terms: backhand
badinage
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˌbæd.ɪˈnɑːʒ/
ipa: /ˌbæd.ɪˈnɑːdʒ/
ipa: /ˌbɑd.ɪˈnɑʒ/
rhymes: -ɑːʒ
rhymes: -ɑːdʒ
Forms: form: badinages
Etymology: Borrowed from French badinage, from the verb badiner (“jest, joke”) from badin (“playful”), from Occitan badar (“gape”). Distantly related to abash.
Senses: examples: text: I am persuaded, if all gay badinage were prefaced by an explanation, it would be infinitely better received.
ref: 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “Different Opinions”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 282:
text: Your badinage so airy, / Your manner arbitrary, / Are out of place / When face to face / With an influential Fairy.
ref: 1882, W. S. Gilbert, Iolanthe, act I:
text: "[…] God knows that if you were only safely married to Jacob I would not care how much you saw of Henri; but as you are not, I think these badinages are very ill-timed and take your mind off the principal business."
ref: 1893, Józef Ignacy Kraszewski, chapter XIII, in Linda Da Kowalewska, transl., The Jew, London: Heinemann, page 254:
text: […] take the word 'barnshoot'—a corruption of the Hindustani word bahinchut. A vile and unforgivable insult in India, this word is a piece of gentle badinage in England.
ref: 1933 January 9, George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], chapter XXXII, in Down and Out in Paris and London, London: Victor Gollancz […], →OCLC:
text: [Talia:] You'll forgive me if I'm not in the mood for your usual badinage.
ref: 1994, Lawrence G. DiTillio, “Spider in the Web”, in Babylon 5, 13m 19s:
text: "No, this was more a night of bellowed barbed badinage, boisterous BS, outrageous declamations and defiant roars."
ref: 2005 October 31, The Times, London:
text: Described at the time as "photographic badinages" the photographs in Die Erotik in der Photographie include one of a nude model stretched out languidly on a bearskin […]
ref: 2007, Alessandro Bertolotti, Books of Nudes, Abrams, page 92:
glosses: Playful raillery; banter.
badinage
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˌbæd.ɪˈnɑːʒ/
ipa: /ˌbæd.ɪˈnɑːdʒ/
ipa: /ˌbɑd.ɪˈnɑʒ/
rhymes: -ɑːʒ
rhymes: -ɑːdʒ
Forms: form: badinages
form: badinaging
form: badinaged
form: badinaged
Etymology: Borrowed from French badinage, from the verb badiner (“jest, joke”) from badin (“playful”), from Occitan badar (“gape”). Distantly related to abash.
Senses: glosses: To engage in badinage or playful banter.
bail
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: bāl
ipa: /beɪ(ə)l/
rhymes: -eɪl
homophone: bale
Forms: form: bails
Etymology: From Middle English baille, from the Old French verb bailler (“to deliver or hand over”) and noun bail (“lease”), from Latin bāiulāre (“carry or bear”), from baiulus (“porter; steward”) (English: bailiff).
Senses: examples: text: He was granted bail for £20000.
text: I ſuppoſe vve ſhall hardly Rehearſe the Comedy this Morning; for the Author vvas Arreſted as he vvas going home from King's Coffee-houſe; and, as I heard, it vvas for upvvards of Four Pound: I ſuppoſe he vvill hardly get Bail.
ref: 1736 March 16 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), Henry Fielding, Pasquin. A Dramatick Satire on the Times: […], London: […] J. Watts […], published 1736, →OCLC, Act I, page 1:
text: The Eighth Amendment to the US Constitution forbids excessive bail, and state bail laws are usually designed to prevent discrimination in setting bail.
ref: 2009, George Cole with Christopher Smith, The American System of Criminal Justice, International Edition, page 338:
text: The purpose of bail is to ensure the return of the accused at subsequent proceedings. If the accused is unable to make bail, he or she is detained in jail.
ref: 2011, Larry J. Siegel, Criminology, page 658:
glosses: Security, usually a sum of money, exchanged for the release of an arrested person as a guarantee of that person's appearance for trial.
topics: law
glosses: Release from imprisonment on payment of such money.
topics: law
glosses: The person providing such payment.
examples: text: The bail of a canoe […] made of a human skull.
ref: 1770, James Cook, Voyages Round the World:
glosses: A bucket or scoop used for removing water from a boat etc.
glosses: A person who bails water out of a boat.
examples: text: Silly Faunus now within their baile.
ref: 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book VII, Canto VI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
glosses: Custody; keeping.
Derived terms: anticipatory bail
bail bandit
bail bond
bail bondsman
bail-in
bail in
bail jumping
bailjumping
bail-out
bail out on
bail-piece
bailpiece
bailsman
bail up
go bail
Jew bail
jump bail
jump one's bail
leg bail
no-bail
no bail
on bail
out on bail
straw bail
wire bail
Related terms: bailiff
bail
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: bāl
ipa: /beɪ(ə)l/
rhymes: -eɪl
homophone: bale
Forms: form: bails
form: bailing
form: bailed
form: bailed
Etymology: From Middle English baille, from the Old French verb bailler (“to deliver or hand over”) and noun bail (“lease”), from Latin bāiulāre (“carry or bear”), from baiulus (“porter; steward”) (English: bailiff).
Senses: examples: text: For the first time, the arrests broadened beyond payments to police, with a Ministry of Defence employee and a member of the Armed forces held by police before also being bailed to a date in May.
ref: 2012 February 11, David Barrett, “Rupert Murdoch moves to reassure Sun staff after arrests”, in The Telegraph, UK:
glosses: To secure the release of an arrested person by providing bail.
topics: law
glosses: To release a person under such guarantee.
examples: text: to bail cloth to a tailor to be made into a garment; to bail goods to a carrier
topics: law
glosses: To hand over personal property to be held temporarily by another as a bailment.
examples: text: to bail water out of a boat
text: we had hard work to reach our haven, having to bail out the water with my straw hat.
ref: November 4, 1857, Henry William Harper, letter to St. John
text: ‘Bail out! bail out!’ yelled Job, ‘or we shall founder.’ I seized a large tin bowl with a handle to it, which was fixed under one of the seats, and the three of us bailed away for dear life.
ref: 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:
topics: nautical
transport
glosses: To remove (water) from a boat by scooping it out.
examples: text: to bail a boat
text: By the help of a small bucket and our hats we bailed her out.
ref: 1840, Richard Henry Dana Jr., Two Years Before the Mast, Chapter XVIII:
topics: nautical
transport
glosses: To remove water from (a boat) by scooping it out.
examples: text: Ne none there was to reskue her, ne none to baile.
ref: 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book IV, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 7:
glosses: To set free; to deliver; to release.
Derived terms: bailable
bailee
bailer
bailment
bailor
bail out
bailout
rebail
unbailed
Related terms: bailiff
bail
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: bāl
ipa: /beɪ(ə)l/
rhymes: -eɪl
homophone: bale
Forms: form: bails
form: bailing
form: bailed
form: bailed
Etymology: From a shortening of bail out, ultimately same as above.
Senses: examples: text: With his engine in flames, the pilot had no choice but to bail.
text: The Teacher Home Visit Program takes a huge commitment—time, energy, patience, diplomacy. Quite a few schools […] have tried it and bailed.
ref: 2010 September, Jeannette Cooperman, "Bringing It Home", St. Louis magazine, ISSN 1090-5723, volume 16, issue 9, page 62
glosses: To leave or exit abruptly.
examples: text: "No one bails on Bennie Milagros. No one, comprende? I'm gonna hold you to that midnight run — "
ref: 1997, Eric Lustbader, Dark homecoming:
text: And I ain't got no help. Goddamn Fitch bails on me, scrambles over to Finance.
ref: 1999, Robert Draper, Hadrian's walls:
text: A guy who bails on his young wife and son the way he did. Leaving us to fend for ourselves.
ref: 2010, David Handler, The Shimmering Blond Sister, page 119:
text: "We'll just tell Peter that you got called back to work. He bails on vacations all the time for that reason."
ref: 2010, Deborah Cooke, Whisper Kiss:
info_templates: extra_data: words: on
‘someone’
expansion: [with on ‘someone’]
glosses: To fail to meet a commitment (to a person).
bail
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: bāl
ipa: /beɪ(ə)l/
rhymes: -eɪl
homophone: bale
Forms: form: bails
Etymology: From Middle English beyle, from Old English bīeġels, from bīeġan + -els.
Senses: examples: text: I reached across beneath the cow to attach a metal bail to each end of the strap so that the bail hung about 5 inches below the cow's belly.[…]While stroking and talking to the cow, I reached under and suspended the machine on the bail beneath the cow, with its four suction cups dangling to one side.
ref: 2010, John M. Findley, Just Lucky, page 78:
glosses: A hoop, ring or handle (especially of a kettle or bucket).
examples: 1953, British Institute of Management, Centre for Farm Management, Farm Management Association, Farm Managememt, 1960, John Wiley, page 160,
More recently, the fixed bail, sometimes called the ‘milking parlour’, with either covered or open yards, has had a certain vogue and some very enthusiastic claims have been made for this method of housing.
2011, Edith H. Whetham, Joan Thirsk, The Agrarian History of England and Wales, Volume 8: Volumes 1914-1939, page 191,
Ten men thus sufficed for the milking of three hundred cows in five bails, instead of the thirty men who would normally have been employed by conventional methods.
glosses: A stall for a cow (or other animal) (usually tethered with a semi-circular hoop).
glosses: A hinged bar as a restraint for animals, or on a typewriter.
examples: text: But until he had poured enough milk into the vat above the separator, I drove unmilked cows into the bail where he had previously milked and released one. He moved from one bail to the other to milk the next one I had readied. I drove each cow into the empty bail, chained her in, roped the outer hind leg then washed and massaged the udder and teats.
ref: 2011, Bob Ellis, Hush Now, Don't Cry, page 153:
glosses: A frame to restrain a cow during milking or feeding.
glosses: A hoop, ring, or other object used to connect a pendant to a necklace.
examples: text: As Jason Roy's throw came in from deep mid-wicket, a diving Guptill was short when Buttler removed the bails, sending England and the whole of Lord's into delirious celebrations.
ref: 2019 July 14, Stephan Shemilt, “England win Cricket World Cup: Ben Stokes stars in dramatic finale against New Zealand”, in BBC Sport, London:
topics: ball-games
cricket
games
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: One of the two wooden crosspieces that rest on top of the stumps to form a wicket.
topics: furniture
lifestyle
glosses: Normally curved handle suspended between sockets as a drawer pull. This may also be on a kettle or pail.
bail
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: bāl
ipa: /beɪ(ə)l/
rhymes: -eɪl
homophone: bale
Forms: form: bails
form: bailing
form: bailed
form: bailed
Etymology: From Middle English beyle, from Old English bīeġels, from bīeġan + -els.
Senses: glosses: To secure the head of a cow during milking.
bail
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: bāl
ipa: /beɪ(ə)l/
rhymes: -eɪl
homophone: bale
Forms: form: bails
form: bailing
form: bailed
form: bailed
Etymology: From French baillier.
Senses: glosses: To confine.
glosses: To secure (a cow) by placing its head in a bail for milking.
examples: text: The transition over the rooftop would have been quicker if Sellers had not been bailed up by a particularly hostile spiritual presence speaking Swedish.
ref: 2006, Clive James, North Face of Soho, Picador, published 2007, page 128:
text: While celebrating our “graduation”, a handsome Scot bailed me up outside a pub and insisted I help him solve the cryptic crossword.
ref: 2023 January 31, Clem Bastow, “My bad trip – I met a handsome Scot with a crossword and thought it was true love”, in The Guardian:
glosses: To keep (a traveller) detained in order to rob them; to corner (a wild animal); loosely, to detain, hold up.
bailiwick
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: bā'lĭ-wĭk
ipa: /ˈbeɪ.lɪ.wɪk/
Forms: form: bailiwicks
Etymology: From bailie (“bailiff”) and wick (“dwelling”), from Old English wīc.
Senses: examples: The Bailiwick of Jersey.
glosses: The district within which a bailie or bailiff has jurisdiction.
examples: text: I established the fairly well-understood pattern that affairs of state were not in my bailiwick.
ref: 1961, Eleanor Roosevelt, The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt:
text: Jack is full of these insights, thoughtful turns of phrase from a character whose perpetual struggle between wastrel and righteous is all too familiar a bailiwick for the universal insecurities of the human condition.
ref: 2020 September 28, Alex McLevy, “Marilynne Robinson finds transcendence in the stunning, soul-searching Jack”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 01 Oct 2020:
glosses: A person's concern or sphere of operations, their area of skill or authority.
Synonyms: sense: area or subject of authority or involvement
word: domain
sense: area or subject of authority or involvement
word: department
sense: area or subject of authority or involvement
word: jurisdiction
sense: area or subject of authority or involvement
word: sphere
sense: area or subject of authority or involvement
word: province
sense: area or subject of authority or involvement
word: territory
sense: area or subject of authority or involvement
word: turf
sense: area or subject of authority or involvement
word: pale
sense: area or subject of authority or involvement
word: wheelhouse
Related terms: bailie
bailiff
bailey
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈbeɪli/
rhymes: -eɪli
Forms: form: baileys
Etymology: From Old French baile (“palisade, enclosure”), from Latin bacula, plural of baculum (“stick, rod”).
Senses: glosses: The outer wall of a feudal castle.
glosses: The space immediately within the outer wall of a castle or fortress.
examples: text: the Old Bailey in London; the New Bailey in Manchester
glosses: A prison or court of justice.
raw_tags: in certain proper names
examples: text: "Birds are dinosaurs" is the bailey; "birds are more similar to dinosaurs than anything else" is the motte.
ref: 2023 February 10, “Why Birds Are Not Dinosaurs (And Why It Matters)”, in Answers in Genesis, archived from the original on 15 Mar 2023:
glosses: An argument which is controversial and more difficult to defend (in the context of a motte and bailey fallacy).
Derived terms: motte and bailey
bait
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /beɪt/
rhymes: -eɪt
homophone: bate
Forms: form: baits
form: baiting
form: baited
form: baited
form: b8
Etymology: From Middle English bayte, bait, beite, from Old Norse beita (“food, bait”), from Proto-Germanic *baitō (“that which is bitten, bait”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeyd- (“to cleave, split, separate”). Cognate with German Beize (“mordant, corrosive fluid; marinade”), Old English bāt (“that which can be bitten, food, bait”). Related to bite.
Senses: glosses: To attract with bait; to entice.
examples: text: a crooked pin […] baited with a vile earthworm
ref: 1819 June 23 – 1820 September 13, Geoffrey Crayon [pseudonym; Washington Irving], “(please specify the title)”, in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., New York, N.Y.: […] C[ornelius] S. Van Winkle, […], →OCLC:
glosses: To affix bait to a trap or a fishing hook or fishing line.
glosses: To lay baits in an environment to control pest species.
glosses: To target a pest species by laying baits.
bait
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /beɪt/
rhymes: -eɪt
homophone: bate
Forms: form: baits
form: baiting
form: baited
form: baited
Etymology: French battre de l'aile or des ailes, to flap or flutter.
Senses: examples: text: Kites that baite and beate.
ref: c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:
glosses: To flap the wings; to flutter as if to fly; or to hover, as a hawk when she stoops to her prey.
bait
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /beɪt/
rhymes: -eɪt
homophone: bate
Forms: form: baiter
form: baitest
Etymology: Etymology unknown.
Senses: examples: text: I've been at home all day / Cloning £50 notes, this is sick / But it's a bit bait / Cause all the serial numbers are the same / So I can't spend them in the same place
ref: 2008, “Power”, in Famous?, performed by Jamie "Jme" Adenuga and Tim Westwood:
glosses: Obvious; blatant.
examples: text: My face is bait, I can't hide it
ref: 2017, “Bait Face”, in Godfather, performed by Richard "Wiley" Cowie and Ryan "Scratchy" Williams:
glosses: Well-known; famous; renowned.
baize
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /beɪz/
homophone: bays
homophone: Bayes
rhymes: -eɪz
Forms: form: baizes
Etymology: From French baies, feminine plural of adjective bai (“bay-colored”) mistaken as a singular noun.
Senses: glosses: A thick, soft, usually woolen cloth resembling felt; often colored green and used for coverings on card tables, billiard and snooker tables, etc.
examples: text: my goods being all English manufacture, such as cloths, stuffs, baize, and things particularly valuable and desirable in the country, I found means to sell them to a very great advantage...
ref: 1719, Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe:
text: At the further end, a flight of stairs mounted to a door covered with a red baize; and through this, Mr. Utterson was at last received into the doctor's cabinet.
ref: 1885, Robert Louis Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde:
glosses: A coarse woolen material with a long nap; usually dyed in plain colors.
Derived terms: baize door
green baize
knight of the green baize
baize
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /beɪz/
homophone: bays
homophone: Bayes
rhymes: -eɪz
Forms: form: baizes
form: baizing
form: baized
form: baized
Etymology: From French baies, feminine plural of adjective bai (“bay-colored”) mistaken as a singular noun.
Senses: glosses: To cover or line with baize.
bale
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /beɪ̯l/
ipa: [ˈbeɪ̯(ə)ɫ]
ipa: [beə̯ɫ]
rhymes: -eɪl
homophone: bail
Etymology: From Middle English bale (“evil”), from Old English bealu, from Proto-West Germanic *balu, from Proto-Germanic *balwą.
Cognate with Low German bal- (“bad, ill”), Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌻𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 (balweins, “torture”), Old High German balo (“destruction”), Old Norse bǫl (“disaster”).
Senses: glosses: Evil, especially considered as an active force for destruction or death.
examples: text: That other ſwayne, like aſhes deadly pale,
 Lay in the lap of death, rewing his wretched bale.
ref: 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book VI, Canto VII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], part II (books IV–VI), London: […] [Richard Field] for William Ponsonby, →OCLC, page 441:
text: Rome, and her Rats, are at the point of battell,
 The one ſide muſt haue baile.
ref: c. 1608–1609 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Coriolanus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i], page 2, column 2:
text: Ffor if you wold comfort me with a kisse,
 Then were I brought ffrom bale to blisse,
 Noe longer here wold I lye.
ref: 1885, “Sir Cawline”, in Francis James Child, editor, The English and Scottish popular ballads, volume 2:
glosses: Suffering, woe, torment.
Derived terms: baleful
bale
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /beɪ̯l/
ipa: [ˈbeɪ̯(ə)ɫ]
ipa: [beə̯ɫ]
rhymes: -eɪl
homophone: bail
Forms: form: bales
Etymology: From Middle English bale (“pyre, funeral pyre”), from Old English bǣl (“pyre, funeral pyre”), from Proto-Germanic *bēlą (“pyre”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to shine; gleam; sparkle”). Cognate with Old Norse bál (which may have been the direct source for the English word).
Senses: glosses: A large fire, a conflagration or bonfire.
glosses: A funeral pyre.
glosses: A beacon-fire.
Derived terms: balefire
bale
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /beɪ̯l/
ipa: [ˈbeɪ̯(ə)ɫ]
ipa: [beə̯ɫ]
rhymes: -eɪl
homophone: bail
Forms: form: bales
Etymology: From Middle English bale (“bale”), from Old French bale and Medieval Latin bala, of Germanic origin. Doublet of ball.
Senses: examples: text: So having made up my mind, I packed up in bales a quantity of precious stuffs suited for sea-trade and repaired with them from Baghdad-city to Bassorah-town, where I found ship ready for sea, and in her a company of considerable merchants.
ref: 1885, Richard F. Burton, The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, Night 563:
glosses: A rounded bundle or package of goods in a cloth cover, and corded for storage or transportation.
glosses: A bundle of compressed fibers (especially hay, straw, cotton, or wool), compacted for shipping and handling and bound by twine or wire.
glosses: A measurement of hay equal to 10 flakes. Approximately 70-90 lbs (32-41 kg).
glosses: A measurement of paper equal to 10 reams.
glosses: A block of compressed cannabis.
glosses: A group of turtles.
Coordinate terms: sense: measurement of paper
word: bundle
sense: measurement of paper
word: quire
sense: measurement of paper
word: ream
Derived terms: baleable
baleage
baleless
bale of dice
rebale
unbale
bale
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /beɪ̯l/
ipa: [ˈbeɪ̯(ə)ɫ]
ipa: [beə̯ɫ]
rhymes: -eɪl
homophone: bail
Forms: form: bales
form: baling
form: baled
form: baled
Etymology: From Middle English bale (“bale”), from Old French bale and Medieval Latin bala, of Germanic origin. Doublet of ball.
Senses: glosses: To wrap into a bale.
Derived terms: bale up
bale
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /beɪ̯l/
ipa: [ˈbeɪ̯(ə)ɫ]
ipa: [beə̯ɫ]
rhymes: -eɪl
homophone: bail
Forms: form: bales
form: baling
form: baled
form: baled
Etymology: Alternative spelling of bail.
Senses: topics: nautical
transport
glosses: To remove water from a boat with buckets etc.
ballista
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /bəˈlɪstə/
rhymes: -ɪstə
Forms: form: ballistas
form: ballistae
form: ballistæ
Etymology: Borrowed from Latin ballista, from Ancient Greek βαλλίστρα (ballístra), from βάλλω (bállō, “I throw”).
Senses: topics: engineering
government
military
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
politics
tools
war
weaponry
glosses: An ancient military engine, in the form of a crossbow, used for hurling large missiles.
Derived terms: ballistics
Related terms: catapult
banker
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈbæŋkə(ɹ)/
ipa: /ˈbæŋkɚ/
rhymes: -æŋkə(ɹ)
Forms: form: bankers
Etymology: From bank + -er, after French banquier.
Senses: examples: text: I have a good banker in this city, but I would not wish to draw upon the house until the time when I shall draw for a round sum.
ref: 1855 December – 1857 June, Charles Dickens, Little Dorrit, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1857, →OCLC:
glosses: One who conducts the business of banking; one who, individually, or as a member of a company, keeps an establishment for the deposit or loan of money, or for traffic in money, bills of exchange, etc.
glosses: The dealer in a casino, or one who keeps the bank in a banking game.
glosses: A money changer.
examples: text: [T]he new traceries, mullions, transoms, shafts, pinnacles, and battlements standing on the bankers half worked[.]
ref: 1895, Thomas Hardy, “II-ii”, in Jude the Obscure, London: Osgood:
glosses: The stone bench on which a mason cuts or squares his work.
synonyms: banker's envelope
invitation envelope
qualifier: stationery
glosses: A type of envelope with a diamond shape or V-flap that opens on the long edge.
Hyponyms: english: offering loans, esp. at very high interest
translation: offering loans, esp. at very high interest
word: usurer
english: offering loans at high interest
translation: offering loans at high interest
word: loan shark
english: early modern Middle East & India
translation: early modern Middle East & India
word: saraf
english: early modern India & SE Asia
translation: early modern India & SE Asia
word: shroff
Derived terms: bankerage
bankerdom
bankeress
bankerish
banker lamp
banker's lamp
bankerless
bankerly
banker's acceptance
banker's card
banker's cheque
banker's dozen
banker's draft
banker's envelope
bankership
bankers' hours
banker's lien
banker's order
bankers' rounding
bankster
biobanker
city banker
investment banker
merchant banker
nonbanker
private investment banker
Russian Banker
shadow banker
zombie banker
Related terms: bank
banking
banker
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈbæŋkə(ɹ)/
ipa: /ˈbæŋkɚ/
rhymes: -æŋkə(ɹ)
Forms: form: bankers
Etymology: From bank (“an elevation, or rising ground”) + -er (relational noun suffix) or + -er (occupational suffix).
Senses: examples: May 20 1815, John Quincy Adams, letter to a merchant
I think the 584 Bankers may be put down 36,540 tons, navigated by 4,627 men and boys
glosses: A vessel employed in the cod fishery on the banks of Newfoundland.
examples: text: But this was no storm, the bankers could have told him. It was break of the year.
ref: 1941, Ernestine Hill, My Love Must Wait, A&R Classics, published 2013, page 6:
glosses: A ditcher; a drain digger.
topics: business
mining
glosses: Synonym of browman.
synonyms: word: browman
glosses: A watercourse filled from bank to bank.
banker
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈbæŋkə(ɹ)/
ipa: /ˈbæŋkɚ/
rhymes: -æŋkə(ɹ)
Forms: form: bankers
Etymology: From bank on + -er.
Senses: topics: gambling
games
glosses: A bet that is almost certain to succeed.
examples: text: When Jose came to Manchester United, two and a half years ago, this was the no-brainer, the banker, the one which couldn't fail. The one who had never failed.
ref: 2018 December 19, Gary Neville, quotee, “Gary Neville on The Debate: Manchester United, Jose Mourinho and what's next at Old Trafford”, in Sky Sports, retrieved 23 Jul 2025:
glosses: A very safe option.
Synonyms: sure thing
banker
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈbæŋkə(ɹ)/
ipa: /ˈbæŋkɚ/
rhymes: -æŋkə(ɹ)
Forms: form: bankers
Etymology: From bank (“an incline or hill”) + -er.
Senses: examples: text: Between them these engines work passenger trains on the Keith line, and also act as bankers up to Dava when required.
ref: 1944 January and February, W. McGowan Gradon, “Forres as a Railway Centre”, in Railway Magazine, page 23:
text: Because of a shortage of W.R. pannier tanks, two "E6" 0-6-2 tanks, Nos. 32410/5, were engaged as bankers on the Folkestone Harbour branch at the beginning of March; [...].
ref: 1960 May, “Motive Power Miscellany: Southern Region”, in Trains Illustrated, page 314:
topics: rail-transport
railways
transport
glosses: A railway locomotive that can be attached to the rear of a train to assist it in climbing an incline.
Synonyms: sense: railway locomotive
word: bank engine
sense: railway locomotive
word: banking engine
sense: railway locomotive
word: helper
sense: railway locomotive
word: helper engine
banner
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈbænə/
ipa: /ˈbænɚ/
note: etymology 1
ipa: /ˈbænə/
note: etymology 2
ipa: /ˈbæːnə/
rhymes: -ænə(ɹ)
homophone: banter stripped-by-parse_pron_post_template_fn
Forms: form: banners
Etymology: From Middle English baner, from Old French baniere (Modern bannière), of Germanic origin. More at band.
Senses: examples: text: “To hold Arrakis,” the Duke said, “one is faced with decisions that may cost one his self-respect.” He pointed out the window to the Atreides green and black banner hanging limply from a staff at the edge of the landing field. "That honorable banner could come to mean many evil things."
ref: 1965, Frank Herbert, Dune (Science Fiction), New York: Ace Books, →OCLC, page 112:
glosses: A flag or standard used by a military commander, monarch or nation.
glosses: The military unit under such a flag or standard.
glosses: A military or administrative subdivision.
examples: text: The mayor hung a banner across Main Street to commemorate the town's 100th anniversary.
glosses: Any large sign, especially when made of soft material or fabric.
glosses: A large piece of cloth with a slogan, motto, or emblem carried in a demonstration or other procession or suspended in some conspicuous place.
examples: text: They usually make their case under the banner of environmentalism.
glosses: A cause or purpose; a campaign or movement.
topics: journalism
media
glosses: The title of a newspaper as printed on its front page; the nameplate; masthead.
topics: broadcasting
media
television
coordinate_terms: interstitial
popup
glosses: A type of advertisement on a web page or on television, usually taking the form of a graphic or animation above or alongside the content.
topics: government
heraldry
hobbies
lifestyle
monarchy
nobility
politics
glosses: The principal standard of a knight.
examples: text: Hanggin Rear Banner, Bayannur, Inner Mongolia, China
text: The first Inner Mongolian modern prose work was “Struggling in a Sea of Suffering” (Gashigun-u dotorakhi telchilegchi khemekhü üliger, 1940) by Rinchinkhorlo (1904-63) of Khüriye (Hure) banner, who also translated an American detective story from Japanese into Mongolian.
ref: 2004, Christopher P. Atwood, “literature”, in Encyclopedia of Mongolia and the Mongol Empire, Facts on File, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 337, column 2:
glosses: A type of administrative division in Inner Mongolia and Tuva, made during the Qing dynasty; at that time, Outer Mongolia and part of Xinjiang were also divided into banners.
Derived terms: ad banner
banner ad
banner blindness
banner carrier
banner cloud
Banner County
banner drop
bannerer
bannerette
banner exchange
bannerfish
bannerless
bannerlike
banner lord
bannerman
banner repeater
banner roll
bannerware
bannerwise
banner year
embannered
imbannered
red banner
snow banner
banner
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈbænə/
ipa: /ˈbænɚ/
note: etymology 1
ipa: /ˈbænə/
note: etymology 2
ipa: /ˈbæːnə/
rhymes: -ænə(ɹ)
homophone: banter stripped-by-parse_pron_post_template_fn
Etymology: From Middle English baner, from Old French baniere (Modern bannière), of Germanic origin. More at band.
Senses: examples: text: The year just closed has been the banner year for New-Hampshire Home Missions. The amount raised for the cause is $505,38 more than ever was raised before in any one year.
ref: 1853, New-Hampshire Missionary Society, “Annual Report of the Trustees of the New Hampshire Missionary Society, Volumes 50-57”, in Annual Report of the Trustees of the New Hampshire Missionary Society, volume 53, Steam power press of McFarland & Jenks, page 16:
text: The Zenger decision was a banner achievement for freedom of the press. It pointed the way to the kind of open public discussion required by the diverse society that colonial New York already was and that all America was to become.
ref: 2016, David M. Kennedy, Lizabeth Cohen, Mel Piehl, The Brief American Pageant: A History of the Republic, page 73:
glosses: Exceptional; very good.
banner
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈbænə/
ipa: /ˈbænɚ/
note: etymology 1
ipa: /ˈbænə/
note: etymology 2
ipa: /ˈbæːnə/
rhymes: -ænə(ɹ)
homophone: banter stripped-by-parse_pron_post_template_fn
Forms: form: banners
form: bannering
form: bannered
form: bannered
Etymology: From Middle English baner, from Old French baniere (Modern bannière), of Germanic origin. More at band.
Senses: glosses: To adorn with a banner.
examples: text: At 8:11, bannering the headline “Cheney in Charge?” the Drudge Report runs a story speculating that the president may be incapacitated.
ref: 2008, Howard Rosenberg, Charles S. Feldman, No Time To Think:
topics: journalism
media
glosses: To display as a banner headline.
banner
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈbænə/
ipa: /ˈbænɚ/
note: etymology 1
ipa: /ˈbænə/
note: etymology 2
ipa: /ˈbæːnə/
rhymes: -ænə(ɹ)
homophone: banter stripped-by-parse_pron_post_template_fn
Forms: form: banners
Etymology: From ban + -er.
Senses: examples: text: How ridiculous the banners of some of the books at present on the list will appear in the future.
ref: 1963, The Australian Library Journal, volumes 1-14, page 69:
glosses: One who bans something.
barque
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /bɑɹk/
ipa: /bɑːk/
rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)k
homophone: bark
Forms: form: barques
form: bark
Etymology: From Middle English barke (“boat”), borrowed from Middle French barque, itself borrowed from Italian barca or a Medieval Latin equivalent, from Late Latin barca, from Vulgar Latin barica, from Ancient Greek βᾶρις (bâris) 'Egyptian boat', from Coptic ⲃⲁⲁⲣⲉ (baare, “small boat”), from Demotic br, from Egyptian bꜣjr (“transport ship, type of fish”), b-bA-A-y:r*Z1-P1. Doublet of bark, barge and baris. Possibly cognate with Spanish barco.
Senses: examples: text: On being told, however, that the Norwegian barque Daphne was about to leave An-peng for Tamsui, I had my things taken on board, and we set sail a few hours later.
ref: 1873 (published 1889, 1996), William Campbell, An Account of Missionary Success in the Island of Formosa, SMC Publishing Inc., page 279
glosses: A sailing vessel of three or more masts, with all masts but the sternmost square-rigged, the sternmost being fore-and-aft-rigged
glosses: Any small sailing vessel.
examples: text: Barque of phosphor
On the palmy beach…
ref: 1922 (first published 1923-09-07), Wallace Stevens, Fabliau of Florida, from collection Harmonium
glosses: A sailing vessel or boat of any kind.
Synonyms: sense: small vessel
word: boat
bauble
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: [ˈbɔːbəɫ]
note: Scots
ipa: [ˈbɒbəɫ]
ipa: /ˈbɔbəl/
ipa: /ˈbɑbəl/
rhymes: -ɔːbəl
homophone: bobble (cot–caught merger)
Forms: form: baubles
Etymology: From Middle English bable, babel, babull, babulle, from Old French babel, baubel (“trinket, child's toy”), most likely a reduplication of bel, ultimately from Latin bellus (“pretty”).
Senses: examples: text: […] as to the bauble on which the chief proof rests, if she had earnestly desired it, I should have willingly given it to her, so much do I esteem and value her.
ref: 1816 June – 1817 April/May (date written), [Mary Shelley], chapter 8, in Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, published 1 January 1818, →OCLC:
text: Have none before or after him staked all their treasure of life, as a savage does his land and possessions against a draught of the fair-skins’ fire-water, or a couple of bauble eyes?
ref: 1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 6, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLC:
text: Many a young maid lost her baubles to my trade.
ref: 1977, Jimmy Webb, “Highwayman”:
glosses: A cheap showy ornament or piece of jewellery; a gewgaw.
examples: text: His hind quarters were likewise short, and not racinglike, and taken as a specimen of the horse, he was a mere bauble when looked at by the side of an English race-horse, much less a hunter.
ref: 1841, The New Monthly Magazine and Humorist, page 186:
glosses: Anything trivial and worthless.
glosses: A small shiny spherical decoration, commonly put on Christmas trees.
glosses: A club or sceptre carried by a jester.
Synonyms: sense: showy ornament
word: also: Thesaurus:trinket
Derived terms: baublery
beacon
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈbiːkən/
rhymes: -iːkən
Forms: form: beacons
Etymology: From Middle English beken, from Old English bēacn (“sign, signal”), from Proto-West Germanic *baukn, from Proto-Germanic *baukną, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂u-, *bʰeh₂- (“to shine”).
Doublet of buoy. Compare West Frisian beaken (“buoy”), Dutch baken (“beacon”), Middle Low German bāke (“beacon, sign”), German Bake (“traffic sign”), Middle High German bouchen (“sign”).
Senses: examples: text: No flaming Beacons caſt their Blaze afar, / The dreadful Signal of invaſive VVar.
ref: 1713, [John] Gay, Rural Sports. A Poem. […], 2nd edition, London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 15:
glosses: A signal fire to notify of the approach of an enemy, or to give any notice, commonly of warning.
examples: text: Henceforth, wherever thou may’st roam, / ⁠My blessing, like a line of light, / ⁠Is on the waters day and night, / And like a beacon guards thee home.
ref: 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XVII”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 28:
topics: nautical
transport
glosses: A signal, buoy, post, or other conspicuous mark erected on an eminence near the shore, or moored in shoal water, as a guide to mariners, particularly to warn vessels of danger.
glosses: A high hill or other easily distinguishable object near the shore which can serve as guidance for seafarers.
examples: text: a beacon of hope
text: Modest doubt is called / The beacon of the wise.
ref: c. 1602, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Troylus and Cressida”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:
text: Latin America’s largest economy, with a population of more than 200 million people, is a beacon for China’s delivery and ride-hailing companies looking to export their ruthlessly low-cost business models.
ref: 2025 June 20, Meaghan Tobin, “Chinese Companies Set Their Sights on Brazil”, in The New York Times:
glosses: That which gives notice of danger, hope, etc., or keeps people on the correct path; a source of inspiration.
glosses: An electronic device that broadcasts a signal to nearby portable devices, enabling smartphones etc. to perform actions when in physical proximity to the beacon.
glosses: Ellipsis of web beacon.
Derived terms: aerobeacon
beaconage
Beaconite
beaconless
beaconlike
beacon of hope
beaconry
beacon school
beaconwise
Belisha beacon
bog beacon
daybeacon
day beacon
emergency position indicating radio beacon
floating beacon
interbeacon
marker beacon
personal locator beacon
racon
radio beacon
rotating beacon
swamp beacon
web beacon
Related terms: cairn
leading mark
navigation aid
navigation mark
radar reflector
sea mark
seamark
beacon
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈbiːkən/
rhymes: -iːkən
Forms: form: beacons
form: beaconing
form: beaconed
form: beaconed
Etymology: From Middle English beken, from Old English bēacn (“sign, signal”), from Proto-West Germanic *baukn, from Proto-Germanic *baukną, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂u-, *bʰeh₂- (“to shine”).
Doublet of buoy. Compare West Frisian beaken (“buoy”), Dutch baken (“beacon”), Middle Low German bāke (“beacon, sign”), German Bake (“traffic sign”), Middle High German bouchen (“sign”).
Senses: glosses: To act as a beacon.
examples: text: That beacons the darkness of heaven.
ref: 1801, Thomas Campbell, Lochiel's Warning:
glosses: To give light to, as a beacon; to light up; to illumine.
glosses: To furnish with a beacon or beacons.
Related terms: beckon
beam
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: bēm
ipa: /biːm/
rhymes: -iːm
Forms: form: beams
form: beaming
form: beamed
form: beamed
Etymology: From Middle English beem, from Old English bēam (“tree, cross, gallows, column, pillar, wood, beam, splint, post, stock, rafter, piece of wood”), from Proto-West Germanic *baum, from Proto-Germanic *baumaz (“tree, beam, balk”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰew- (“to grow, swell”).
Cognate with North Frisian Boom, buum (“tree”), Saterland Frisian Boom (“tree”), West Frisian beam (“tree”), Cimbrian pome, póom, puam (“tree”), Dutch boom (“tree”), German Low German Boom (“tree”), German Baum (“tree”), Luxembourgish Bam (“tree”), Mòcheno pa'm (“tree”), Vilamovian baojm (“tree”), Yiddish בוים (boym, “tree”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, Swedish bom (“beam”), Icelandic baðmur (“tree”), Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌲𐌼𐍃 (bagms, “tree”), Albanian bimë (“a plant”). Doublet of boom.
The original English meaning of beam ("tree") is preserved in some compound words such as quickbeam.
The verb is from Middle English bemen, from Old English bēamian (“to shine, to cast forth rays or beams of light”), from the noun.
Senses: examples: text: to beam forth light
text: Jesus beams golden light from his solar plexus into Eric's root chakra.
ref: 2019, Justin Blackburn, The Bisexual Christian Suburban Failure Enlightening Bipolar Blues, page 23:
glosses: To emit beams of light; to shine; to radiate.
examples: text: to beam with pride
glosses: To smile broadly or especially cheerfully.
glosses: To furnish or supply with beams.
glosses: To give the appearance of beams to.
examples: text: Beam me up, Scotty; there's no intelligent life down here.
text: The injured crewmembers were immediately beamed to sickbay.
text: Beam me up (x4) / Beam me up town / Beam me down (x3) / Beam me back downtown
ref: 2010, “Beam Me Up”, in Walking the Midnight Streets, performed by Midnight Magic:
topics: literature
media
publishing
science-fiction
glosses: To transmit matter or information via a high-tech wireless mechanism.
examples: text: To beam a file using the File Transfer Protocol.
ref: 1996, Eric S. Raymond, Guy L. Steele, The New Hacker's Dictionary, page 208:
text: To beam a file to another Pocket PC, follow these steps: […]
ref: 2002, Michael Miller, 10 Minute Guide to Pocket PC 2002, page 74:
topics: computing
engineering
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
sciences
glosses: To transmit, especially by direct wireless means such as infrared.
qualifier: currying
glosses: To stretch something (for example, an animal hide) on a beam.
topics: business
manufacturing
textiles
weaving
glosses: To put (something) on a beam.
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: To connect (musical notes) with a beam, or thick line, in music notation.
Derived terms: beam up
beastly
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈbiːstli/
rhymes: -iːstli
Forms: form: beastlier
form: more beastly
form: beastliest
form: most beastly
Etymology: From Middle English beestly, bestely, beastelich, equivalent to beast + -ly. Compare West Frisian bistachtich (“beastly”), Dutch beestachtig (“beastly”), German biestig (“beastly”).
Senses: glosses: Pertaining to, or having the form, nature, or habits of, a beast.
examples: text: beastly culture
synonyms: brutal
filthy
glosses: Similar to the nature of a beast; contrary to the nature and dignity of human beings.
examples: text: beastly weather
text: Stop being so beastly to her!
text: And all the time, whenever we went to the Cedars, there was all sorts of silly fuss going on about the beastly wedding; boxes coming from London with hats and jackets in, and wedding presents—all glassy and silvery, or else brooches and chains—and clothes sent down from London to choose from.
ref: 1904, Edith Nesbit, The New Treasure Seekers, Chapter 1:
text: “Yes, I’ve got the most beastly headache.”
ref: 1920, Agatha Christie, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, London: Pan Books, published 1954, page 58:
text: "If you saw the care she takes over hoisting her beastly old carcass up and down those stairs, you could make a sure bet against her having another accident there."
ref: 1950, Norman Lindsay, Dust or Polish?, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 165:
glosses: Abominable; very unpleasant; hideous.
examples: text: In addition to a Core i7-860 with a full-sized heatsink and 4GB of DDR3 RAM, the company showed its SUGO SG07 housing today's most beastly graphics card, the dual-GPU Radeon HD 5970, which is about 30cm long.
ref: 2010 January 11, Matthew DeCarlo, “Silverstone mini-ITX case can fit Radeon HD 5970”, in TechSpot:
text: A very big, very black, and very beastly Hummer H2, Spotted in China in in the rain the great city of Zigong in Sichuan Province.
ref: 2014, March 21, Tycho de Feijter, “Hummer H2 is a Big Black Beast in the Rain in China”, CarNewsChina.com
text: Huawei’s Mate 20 phones have instantly become the best iPhone XS rivals out there, at least on paper, and the high-end model is easily the most beastly Android phone the world has seen so far.
ref: 2018 October 16, Chris Smith, “Huawei just unveiled the most beastly Android phone the world has ever seen”, in BGR:
glosses: Of computer hardware or motor vehicles etc.: ostentatiously powerful.
Synonyms: sense: like a beast
word: bestial
sense: like a beast
word: animalian
Derived terms: beasterly
beastlihead
beastlihood
beastlily
beastliness
beastly careless
beastlyhead
beastly
Language: English
Part of speech: adv
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈbiːstli/
rhymes: -iːstli
Forms: form: more beastly
form: most beastly
Etymology: From Middle English beestly, bestely, beastelich, equivalent to beast + -ly. Compare West Frisian bistachtich (“beastly”), Dutch beestachtig (“beastly”), German biestig (“beastly”).
Senses: examples: text: Beastly he threwe her downe, ne car'd to spill / Her garments gay with scales of fish that all did fill.
ref: 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto VIII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
text: They have insulted me most beastly. Moreover, they are, everyone of them, black-satan filthmen.
ref: 1901, The Literary World, volume 63, page 35:
text: The baths were mostly tiled showers, with an endless variety of spouting mechanisms, but with one definitely non-Laodicean characteristic in common, a propensity, while in use, to turn instantly beastly hot or blindingly cold upon you, depending on whether your neighbor turned on his cold or his hot to deprive you of a necessary complement in the shower you had so carefully blended.
ref: 1955, Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita:
glosses: Like a beast; brutishly.
beatification
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /biˌætɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/
rhymes: -eɪʃən
Forms: form: beatifications
Etymology: From Middle French béatification, from Medieval Latin beātificātiō.
Senses: glosses: The act of beatifying, or the state of being beatified; especially, in the Roman Catholic Church, the act or process of ascertaining and declaring that a deceased person is one of "the blessed," or has attained the second degree of sanctity, — usually a stage in the process of canonization.
bedeck
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /bɪˈdɛk/
rhymes: -ɛk
Forms: form: bedecks
form: bedecking
form: bedecked
form: bedecked
Etymology: From be- + deck. Compare West Frisian bedekke (“to cover”), Dutch bedekken (“to cover, coat, overlay”), German bedecken (“to cover, top, overlay”), Swedish betäcka (“to cover, shelter”). Doublet of bethatch.
Senses: examples: text: She bedecked her wedding gown with seed pearls.
glosses: To deck, ornament, or adorn
glosses: to grace.
Derived terms: bedecker