cstr/en-wiktionary-extracted-all huggingface dataset:
outgrowth
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈaʊtˌɡroʊθ/
Forms: form: outgrowths
Etymology: From out- + growth.
Senses: glosses: Anything that grows out of something else.
A branch or offshoot of a plant.
glosses: Anything that grows out of something else.
An appendage of an animal.
glosses: Anything that grows out of something else.
A byproduct or consequence of an action or event.
glosses: Excessive growth.
Derived terms: neurite outgrowth
neuronal outgrowth
Jodrell
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Etymology: The rhyming slang comes from Jodrell Bank.
Senses: glosses: A surname.
Jodrell
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: Jodrells
Etymology: The rhyming slang comes from Jodrell Bank.
Senses: examples: text: He's gone to the toilet for a Jodrell.
qualifier: Mancunian rhyming slang
glosses: A wank.
Related terms: english: hamlet etc.
translation: hamlet etc.
word: Jodrell Bank
cameraman
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: cameramen
Etymology: From camera + -man.
Senses: examples: text: ‘We were getting a grand shot of a charging rhino when the cameraman got scared and bolted. The fathead!’
ref: 1932, Delos W. Lovelace, King Kong, published 1965, page 24:
coordinate_terms: camerawoman
glosses: Somebody who operates a movie camera or television camera.
Synonyms: camera operator
cameraperson
broken home
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: broken homes
Senses: glosses: A home in which the parents have separated or divorced.
corroborating
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Senses: glosses: present participle and gerund of corroborate
corroborating
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Senses: examples: corroborating evidence
glosses: supporting
motor pool
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: motor pools
Senses: examples: text: A sound truck joined the vehicles on the dock, whose number was growing almost to a full-sized motor pool.
ref: 1963, Thomas Pynchon, V., J. B. Lippincott & Co., →LCCN, →OCLC, page 31:
text: Head through the Motor Pool to get to the Ops Center.
ref: 2007 September 25, Bungie, Halo 3, spoken by Avery Johnson (David Scully), Microsoft Game Studios, Xbox 360, level/area: Crow's Nest:
topics: government
military
politics
war
glosses: A fleet of vehicles for use by a military installation; the department that maintains them
fast rope
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: fast ropes
form: fast roping
form: fast roped
form: fast roped
Senses: glosses: To slide down a rope as a means of descending to the ground, especially from a hovering helicopter
bacchanalia
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˌbæk.əˈnɑː.lɪə/
Forms: form: bacchanalias
Etymology: From Bacchanalia.
Senses: examples: text: His sexuality had been an open secret within the industry for decades: his pool parties, described as “blond bacchanalias”, were legendary.
ref: 2023 October 6, Ryan Gilbey, “The double life of Rock Hudson: ‘Let’s be frank, he was a horndog!’”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
text: Now counting about 600 homes, it is a place of mythic weekend-long parties and carnal pleasure, a byword for bacchanalia and fleshy hedonism – but also simply a secluded haven where people can be themselves.
ref: 2025 June 11, Oliver Wainwright, “‘Made for sex’: the hedonistic party palaces of New York’s Fire Island – and the blond bombshell who made them”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
glosses: Any wild, orgiastic party or celebration.
Related terms: bacchanal
saturnalia
dionysia
backbit
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Senses: glosses: simple past and past participle of backbite
denticulate
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: -ɪkjʊlɪt
Etymology: First attested in 1661; borrowed from Latin denticulātus, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (noun-forming suffix).
Senses: examples: text: […]the mouth is formed by a rather strong tooth over a denticulate margin, confronting what may be called the upper jaw,
ref: 1904, Thomas R. R. Stebbing, “South African Crustacea. Part II.”, in Marine Investigations in South Africa, volume 2, page 80:
text: Selaginella tarda differs from S. sertata in that the plants are smaller and lacking flagelliform shoots, the leaves are denticulate, and the median leaves are not peltate.
ref: 1992, Rogers McVaugh, William R. Anderson, Flora Novo-Galiciana: Gymnosperms and Pteridophytes, page 430:
topics: biology
botany
natural-sciences
zoology
glosses: Finely dentate, as a leaf edge; bearing many small toothlike structures.
examples: text: Each is embellished with Italian Renaissance-inspired detail, including rusticated stonework, pedimented window hoods, consoles, cartouches, a denticulate cornice and a roof-mounted balustrade
ref: 2001, Ray McDevitt, Courthouses of California, page 330:
topics: architecture
synonyms: denticulated
glosses: Having dentils or denticules.
Derived terms: bidenticulate
denticulated
denticulately
microdenticulate
multidenticulate
nondenticulate
plumodenticulate
semidenticulate
subdenticulate
unidenticulate
denticulate
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: -ɪkjʊlɪt
Forms: form: denticulates
Etymology: First attested in 1661; borrowed from Latin denticulātus, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (noun-forming suffix).
Senses: glosses: A denticulated object.
dentil
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: dental
Forms: form: dentils
Etymology: From French dentille, ultimately from Latin dente, ablative singular of dēns.
Senses: topics: architecture
glosses: Any one of a series of small rectangular blocks projecting like teeth from a molding or beneath a cornice.
Derived terms: dentilated
dentilation
dentiled
dentilled
interdentil
Lettic
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Etymology: From Lett + -ic.
Senses: glosses: Of or pertaining to the Latvian people or the Latvian language.
examples: text: "491.8 Other Slavonic [...] .9 Lettic .91 Old Prussian .92 Lithuanian .93 Lettish (Livonian)"
ref: 1922, Melvil Dewey, Decimal classification and relative index for libraries and personal use:
glosses: Of or pertaining to the Baltic family of languages.
Related terms: Latvian
Lettish
Lettish
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈlɛtɪʃ/
rhymes: -ɛtɪʃ
Etymology: From Lett + -ish.
Senses: glosses: Of or pertaining to the Latvian people or the Latvian language.
Lettish
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈlɛtɪʃ/
rhymes: -ɛtɪʃ
Etymology: From Lett + -ish.
Senses: glosses: The Latvian language.
Related terms: Latvian
Lettic
pirn
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /pɜː(ɹ)n/
rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)n
Forms: form: pirns
form: pern
Etymology: Perhaps from prin (“twig, shoot”), variant of prene (“spike, nail”), from Old English preon, from Proto-Germanic *preunaz (“knitting needle”).
Senses: glosses: A cone-shaped spool or bobbin on which thread or yarn is wound, used most often for weaving.
glosses: The amount of thread wound on a shuttle or reel.
pirn
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /pɜː(ɹ)n/
rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)n
Forms: form: pirns
form: pirning
form: pirned
form: pirned
form: pern
Etymology: Perhaps from prin (“twig, shoot”), variant of prene (“spike, nail”), from Old English preon, from Proto-Germanic *preunaz (“knitting needle”).
Senses: glosses: To wind (yarn) onto a pirn, usually by means of a pirn winder.
Yotvingian
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: Yotvingians
Senses: glosses: Alternative form of Jatvingian.
Yotvingian
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Senses: glosses: Alternative form of Jatvingian.
Yotvingian
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Senses: glosses: Alternative form of Jatvingian.
Yatvingian
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: Yatvingians
Senses: glosses: Alternative form of Jatvingian.
Yatvingian
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Senses: glosses: Alternative form of Jatvingian.
Yatvingian
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Senses: glosses: Alternative form of Jatvingian.
Jatvingian
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: Jatvingians
form: Yatvyag
form: Yatvyagian
form: Yatvingian
form: Yotvingian
Senses: glosses: Sudovian.
Jatvingian
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Forms: form: Yatvyag
form: Yatvyagian
form: Yatvingian
form: Yotvingian
Senses: glosses: Sudovian.
Jatvingian
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Forms: form: Yatvyag
form: Yatvyagian
form: Yatvingian
form: Yotvingian
Senses: glosses: The Sudovian language.
pantrophic
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Forms: form: more pantrophic
form: most pantrophic
Etymology: From pan- + -trophic.
Senses: glosses: Able to thrive in many different environments.
raw_tags: of a microorganism etc
insolubility
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: insolubilities
Etymology: From Latin insolūbilitās or from insoluble + -ity.
Senses: glosses: The quality of being insoluble
sea-sickness
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Etymology: From seasick + -ness and/or sea + sickness.
Senses: glosses: Alternative form of seasickness.
verbid
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: verbids
Etymology: Established 1910–15 from verb + -id.
Senses: topics: grammar
human-sciences
linguistics
sciences
glosses: A nonfinite verb form, such as, in English, an infinitive, participle, or gerund.
Synonyms: sense: nonfinite verb form
word: verbal
bactericide
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /bækˈtɪəɹ.ɪˌsaɪd/
Forms: form: bactericides
Etymology: From bacterium + -cide.
Senses: glosses: Any substance that kills bacteria, especially one that is otherwise harmless.
Synonyms: bacteriacide
bacteriocide
Related terms: bactericidal
bactericidin
bactericidal
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Forms: form: bacteriacidal
form: bacteriocidal
Etymology: From bacteri(um) + -cidal.
Senses: examples: text: It would, therefore, have seemed a natural inference that the same agent would exert a similar bactericidal effect when added to other infectious body fluids.
ref: 1901 December 20, H. Watkins-Pitchford, “Rinderpest”, in The Agricultural Journal and Mining Record, volume 4, number 21, page 641:
glosses: That kills bacteria.
glosses: Of or pertaining to a bactericide.
Coordinate terms: bacteristatic
bacteriostatic
Derived terms: bactericidally
cyanobactericidal
microbactericidal
mycobactericidal
nonbactericidal
photobactericidal
bactericidal
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: bactericidals
form: bacteriacidal
form: bacteriocidal
Etymology: From bacteri(um) + -cidal.
Senses: glosses: A bactericide.
bactericidin
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: bactericidins
Etymology: From bactericide + -in.
Senses: glosses: Any antibody that, together with a complement, can kill bacteria.
bacteriologist
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /bækˌtɪəɹiˈɒlədʒɪst/
Forms: form: bacteriologists
Etymology: From bacterio- + -logist.
Senses: examples: text: 'This again,' said the Bacteriologist, slipping a glass slide under the microscope, 'is a preparation of the celebrated Bacillus of cholera – the cholera germ.'
ref: 1895, H. G. Wells, The Stolen Bacillus:
glosses: A microbiologist whose speciality is bacteriology.
Derived terms: cyanobacteriologist
enterobacteriologist
mycobacteriologist
phytobacteriologist
Related terms: bacteria
bacteriology
microbiologist
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: microbiologists
Etymology: From micro- + biologist.
Senses: examples: text: On a tour of the cavernous and gleaming BrewDog plant in Ellon, just north of Aberdeen, Dickie happily batted around terminology – IBU, ABV, pH, haze, present gravity, headspace oxygen – with PhD-level microbiologists working in the lab.
ref: 2016 March 24, Jon Henley, “The aggressive, outrageous, infuriating (and ingenious) rise of BrewDog”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
text: No, because we obsessively clean it (or use paper coverings at work), said microbiologist Charles Gerba, a professor of public health, environmental science and immunology at the University of Arizona.
ref: 2019 October 7, Sandee LaMotte, “The germiest place in your home and the best way to combat those microbes”, in CNN:
glosses: A scientist whose speciality is microbiology.
Hyponyms: bacteriologist
Derived terms: geomicrobiologist
bacteriologic
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Forms: form: more bacteriologic
form: most bacteriologic
Senses: glosses: bacteriological
bacteriological
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Etymology: From bacterio- + -logical.
Senses: glosses: Of or pertaining to bacteriology.
Synonyms: bacteriologic
Derived terms: bacteriologically
clinicobacteriological
cytobacteriological
histobacteriological
mycobacteriological
bigeminal
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: -ɛmɪnəl
Etymology: Latin bigeminus (“doubled”), from bi- (“two”) + geminus (“double”).
Senses: examples: a bigeminal pulse
glosses: Occurring in pairs; doubled or twinned
Related terms: bigeminy
parabigeminal
bigeminal
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: -ɛmɪnəl
Forms: form: bigeminals
Etymology: Latin bigeminus (“doubled”), from bi- (“two”) + geminus (“double”).
Senses: glosses: The occurrence of premature atrial or ventricular heartbeats in pairs.
day for night
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: topics: broadcasting
film
media
television
glosses: A cinematographic technique in which a crew films in a high-contrast situation, typically in the early morning or late afternoon, with a blue filter, causing the scene to look as if it were shot in moonlight.
day for night
Language: English
Part of speech: adv
Senses: examples: The Sandcrawler scene in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope was shot day for night.
topics: broadcasting
cinematography
film
media
television
glosses: In the daytime, with a blue filter, causing the scene to look as if it were shot in moonlight.
brackishness
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Etymology: From brackish + -ness.
Senses: glosses: distastefulness; unpleasantness
glosses: saltishness
brisant
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Senses: examples: text: The use of gun-cotton proper (trinitrocellulose) could not be thought of, owing to the brisant action of this body, but it was found that collodion-wool (dinitrocellulose, soluble gun-cotton), which was less brisant, could be converted into a nearly homogeneous mass which satisfied many of the requirements of a smoke-free powder, but it was still so brisant when used alone as to produce too high gas pressures and too irregular initial velocities.
ref: 1893, Charles E. Munroe, Notes on the Literature of Explosives, No. XXIII: Proceedings of the United States Naval Institute, Volume 18, page 123:
text: 1959, Mitchel H. Bertram, William V. Feller, Memorandum 5-24-59L: A Simple Method for Determining Heat Transfer, Skin Friction, and Boundary-Layer Thickness for Hypersonic Laminar Boundary-Layer Flows in a Pressure Gradient, NASA, 5,
At the start of the run a shattering or "brisant" detonation occurred in the line between the oxidant control valve (number 5, fig. 2(a)) and the oxidant tank. […] The propellant tank showed evidence of high internal pressure but no brisant detonation.
text: Two charges should be used: a cratering charge, and a small charge of a brisant explosive.
ref: 1962, NAVWEPS OP [Ordnance Pamphlet] 2212: Demolition Materials, Bureau of Naval Weapons, pages 6–12:
text: It is highly brisant with a VoD of 7300 ms-1 at a charge density of approximately 1.5 g cm-3.
ref: 2016, Materials Analysis in Forensic Science:
glosses: Having a shattering effect.
raw_tags: of an explosion or explosive
explicator
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: explicators
Senses: glosses: One who or that which explicates.
Related terms: explicate
explication
explicit
tabbouleh
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /təˈbuːli/
ipa: /təˈbuːleɪ/
rhymes: -uːli
rhymes: -uːleɪ
Forms: form: tabboulehs
form: tabboleh
form: tabooley
form: tabooli
form: taboulah
form: taboule
form: tabouleh
form: tabouli
Etymology: Borrowed from Arabic تَبُّولَة (tabbūla).
Senses: glosses: A Levantine salad or meze generally consisting of bulgur wheat, chopped tomatoes, parsley, olive oil and lemon juice.
paradigma
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /pæɹəˈdɪɡma/
Forms: form: paradigmata
Etymology: From Late Latin paradīgma, from Ancient Greek παράδειγμα (parádeigma, “pattern”). As a loanword in both languages, paradigma typically maintains the Greek plural form in both Latin and English.
Senses: examples: text: The volume before us presents, first of all, a paradigma, or specimen sheet, on which each letter of the English alphabet, small and capital, written and printed, is accompanied by its pronunciation in Chinese phonetic signs, as well as in Mandchou letters.
ref: 1844, John Holmes Agnew, Walter Hilliard Bidwell, The Eclectic Magazine, page 569:
text: […]and it precedes, moreover, together with VII and VIII ὸ ἱερεύς και ἡ ἱέρεια the paradigma τό σκαμνίον. / Further there is nothing to be wondered at, neither as to the paradigma of το σκαμνισν nor as to the priestess: these examples are taken from the famous Ars Grammatica of Donatus, and in particular the Ars minor.
ref: 1985, Krijnie Ciggaar, Jos. M.M. Hermans, Byzantium and the Low Countries in the Tenth Century: Aspects of Art and History in the Ottonian Era, →ISBN, page 92:
text: No paradigma prescribed a recto tono recitative.
ref: 2004, Analecta Romana Instituti Danici, page 247:
glosses: Archaic form of paradigm.
Kodava
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: Kodavas
form: Kodava
form: Codava
Etymology: Borrowed from Kodava ಕೊಡವ (koḍava).
Senses: glosses: A member of the ethnic Coorg Community.
Kodava
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Forms: form: Codava
Etymology: Borrowed from Kodava ಕೊಡವ (koḍava).
Senses: synonyms: Coorgi
Kodagu
glosses: A Dravidian language spoken in the Kodagu district of Karnataka, India.
Related terms: Badaga
Kannada
Tamil
Wiktionary’s coverage of Kodava terms
Fennoscandia
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Etymology: From Latin Fennia (“Finland”) + Scandia (“Scandinavia”).
Senses: synonyms: Fennoscandinavia
Fenno-Scandinavia
glosses: A pensinula in Northern Europe, comprising, besides the Scandinavian Peninsula, also Finland, the Kola Peninsula and Karelia (and sometimes also including Denmark, although it is not part of the Scandinavian Peninsula).
topics: geography
geology
natural-sciences
glosses: the Fennoscandian Shield underlying Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Northern Denmark; Baltic Shield.
qualifier: culture
glosses: the culture group comprising the Finnic, Sami, and Scandinavian cultures.
Derived terms: Fennoscandian
Kodavas
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: glosses: plural of Kodava
safety-deposit box
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: safety-deposit boxes
Senses: glosses: A safe-deposit box.
Miserere
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Pronunciation: /mɪzəˈɹɛəɹi/
Forms: form: the Miserere
Etymology: Borrowed from Latin miserēre (“have pity”), the first word of the psalm in that language.
Senses: examples: text: One of the most impressive ceremonies of Holy Week is the chanting of the Miserere.
ref: 1845, J. T. Headley, Letters from Italy, page 130:
text: When someone did want to designate a short interval, the usual phrasing drew on religious vocabulary, calling up the duration of common prayers: the Paternoster, the Ave Maria, and the Miserere.
ref: 2004, Joyce E. Salisbury, The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Daily Life: 15th and 16th Centuries, →ISBN, page 132:
text: Psalm 50, the “Miserere,” was linked to the Passion of Christ by a peculiar story from the thirteenth century known as the “rood legend,” a popular history concerning the wood of the Cross. According to that legend, David had composed the “Miserere” as penance for his sins under the very tree that provided the wood for the Holy Cross.
ref: 2008, Lorenzo Candelaria, The Rosary Cantoral: Ritual and Social Design in a Chantbook from Early Renaissance Toledo, →ISBN, page 75:
glosses: The 51st Psalm (50th in the older Greek and Latin numbering), beginning “Have mercy upon me, O God …” in the King James Version; sometimes set to music.
Fennoscandian
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Etymology: From Fennoscandia + -an.
Senses: glosses: Of, from or pertaining to Fennoscandia
Fennoscandian
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: Fennoscandians
Etymology: From Fennoscandia + -an.
Senses: glosses: someone from Fennoscandia
miserere
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Etymology: From Middle English miserere, a borrowing from Latin miserēre (“have pity”), first word of the 51st Psalm (50th in the older Greek and Latin numbering), translating Ancient Greek ἐλέησον (eléēson) and Biblical Hebrew חָנֵּנִי (ḥānnēnî), inflected form of חָנַן (ḥānan, “have mercy”).
Senses: examples: text: The miserere, that is to say, have mercy on us, is a psalm, composed of stanzas, which are sung alternately in a very different manner.
ref: 1807, [Germaine] de Staël Holstein, translated by D[ennis] Lawler, “[Book X. Holy week.] Chap[ter] IV.”, in Corinna; or, Italy. […], volume III, London: […] Corri, […]; and sold by Colburn, […], and Mackenzie, […], →OCLC, page 47:
glosses: Alternative letter-case form of Miserere (“the 51st/50th Psalm”).
miserere
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: misereres
Etymology: From Middle English miserere, a borrowing from Latin miserēre (“have pity”), first word of the 51st Psalm (50th in the older Greek and Latin numbering), translating Ancient Greek ἐλέησον (eléēson) and Biblical Hebrew חָנֵּנִי (ḥānnēnî), inflected form of חָנַן (ḥānan, “have mercy”).
Senses: glosses: An expression of lamentation or complaint.
glosses: A medieval dagger, used for the mercy stroke to a wounded foe; misericord.
topics: architecture
glosses: A small projecting boss or bracket on the underside of the hinged seat of a church stall, intended to give some support to a standing worshipper when the seat is turned up; a misericord.
glosses: Ileus.
misericord
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /mɪˈzɛɹɪkɔːd/
ipa: /mɪˈzɛɹɪkɔɹd/
rhymes: -ɛɹɪkɔː(ɹ)d
Forms: form: misericords
form: misericorde
form: miséricorde
Etymology: From 1200–1250, from Middle English misericorde (“an act of clemency”) from Old French, from Latin misericordia (“pity”). Doublet of misericordia.
Senses: glosses: Relaxation of monastic rules.
glosses: The room in a monastery for monks granted such relaxation.
examples: text: 1969, M. D. Anderson, The Iconography of British Misericords, G. L. Remnant, A Catalogue of Misericords in Great Britain, page xxiii,
Misericords are a very humble form of medieval art and it is unlikely that the most distinguished carvers of any period were employed in making them, except, perhaps, during their apprentice years.
text: A misericord - a hinged projection on the underside of a choir seat - dates from about 1200 and is possibly the oldest in England.
ref: 1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 223, about Hemingbrough:
text: In this essay I will focus primarily on the subject of the owl in order to illustrate how bestiary imagery was modified and developed in late medieval public church decoration, primarily in the form of the sculpted choir-seats known as misericords. The owl provides a good case study of this process as it was an especially popular misericord motif and its artistic and literary characterizations are largely informed by—but not limited to—the bestiaries.
ref: 1999, Mariko Miyazaki, “Misericord Owls and Medieval Anti-semitism”, in Debra Hassig, Debra Higgs Strickland, editors, The Mark of the Beast: The Medieval Bestiary in Art, Life, and Literature, page 23:
text: The construction of a misericord stall is very peculiar. The shaped standards or elbows are cut out of wide planks. They are notched over a deep and massive bottom rail (to which the misericords are hinged in many cases), and are housed into the massive capping, which is very wide and hollowed out with semicircular recesses to form curved backs for the stalls.
ref: 2007, F. E. Howard, F. H. Crossley, English Church Woodwork, page 155:
glosses: A ledge, sometimes ornately carved, attached to a folding church seat to provide support for a person standing for long periods; a subsellium.
examples: text: The word misericordia implies an act of mercy but despite its amiable name, it refers to coercing or forcing a spirit to pass through the Gates of Death. In the age of medieval chivalry, knights carried a dagger called the misericorde that was used to strike the coup de grâce upon mortally wounded foes so that they did not have to suffer. The term “misericordia” carries a similar import in necromancy.
ref: 2024, Rob Douglas, Nonie Douglas, “Pathways to Resolution” (chapter 12), in Unquiet Voices: The Magical Art of Laying Ghosts, Llewellyn Worldwide, →ISBN, page 223:
glosses: A medieval dagger, used for the mercy stroke to a wounded foe.
Synonyms: sense: mercy seat
word: subsellium
Related terms: misericorde
misericordia
Westphalia
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Pronunciation: ipa: /wɛstˈfeɪ̯ljə/
Etymology: Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin Westphalia, from Middle Low German Westvâlen, ultimately from the root of German Westfalen, which see. Related to Low German Westfaolen.
Senses: topics: government
politics
glosses: Westfalen, a subdivision (“Landschaftsverband”) of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.
glosses: Westfalen (a region of Germany in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony)
examples: text: Since the reign of Charlemagne, this country is divided into High and Low Germany... the provinces of Lower Germany towards the north conſiſt of the Low Country of the Rhine, Triers, Cologn, Mentz, Weſtphalia, Heſſe, Brunſwic, Miſnia, Luſatia, High Saxony upon the Elbe, Low Saxony upon the Elbe, Mecklenburg, Lauenburg, Brandenburg, Magdeburg, and Pomerania.
ref: 1759, George Sale et al., “The Modern Part of an Universal History”, in History of the German Empire, volume XXIX, page 2:
glosses: A former realm of Germany.
glosses: A city in Iowa.
glosses: A city in Kansas.
glosses: A village in Michigan.
glosses: A city in Missouri.
Related terms: Eastphalia
Westphalian
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: /wɛstˈfeɪljən/
Forms: form: Westfalian
Etymology: From Westphalia + -an.
Senses: examples: text: Then comes the imperative necessity of eating smoked Westphalian ham for breakfast: this is on the principle that imitation is the most delicate flattery.
ref: 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “Lady Marchmont to Sir Jasper Meredith. Courtiers.”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 259:
glosses: Of or pertaining to the Westphalia region or its people and culture.
topics: human-sciences
linguistics
sciences
glosses: Of or pertaining to Westphalian Low German.
examples: text: The long stagnation and despotism under the Chinese world order in East Asia before the late 19th century are thus pretentiously repackaged as China's alternative to the Western-dominated, Westphalian system of international relations.
ref: 2006 April 10, Fei-Ling Wang, “Heading off fears of a resurgent China”, in The New York Times:
topics: government
politics
glosses: Of or pertaining to the Peace of Westphalia of 1648 which established a new system of political order in Central Europe, based on the concept of co-existing sovereign states.
Derived terms: East Westphalian
North Rhine-Westphalian
post-Westphalian
pre-Westphalian
South Westphalian
Westphalian ham
Westphalian Peace
Westphalian sovereignty
Related terms: topics: region
location
word: Eastphalia
word: Eastphalian
Westphalian
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: /wɛstˈfeɪljən/
Forms: form: Westphalians
form: Westfalian
Etymology: From Westphalia + -an.
Senses: glosses: A native or inhabitant of Westphalia, a geographic region, part of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
glosses: One of the major dialect groups of West Low German spoken in Westphalia.
topics: geography
geology
natural-sciences
glosses: A European phase of the upper Carboniferous period.
glosses: A warmblood horse bred in the Westphalia region.
Synonyms: sense: dialect group
word: Westfalish
Meronyms: sense: dialect group
word: Münsterländisch
sense: dialect group
word: South Westphalian
sense: dialect group
word: Westmünsterländisch
Derived terms: english: from North Rhine-Westphalia
translation: from North Rhine-Westphalia
word: North Rhine-Westphalian
Related terms: sense: dialect group
word: Eastphalian
morosely
Language: English
Part of speech: adv
Forms: form: more morosely
form: most morosely
Etymology: From morose + -ly.
Senses: examples: text: "Oh, dry up,' said Arnold morosely.
ref: 1930, Norman Lindsay, Redheap, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, →OCLC, page 168:
glosses: In a morose or sulky manner; gloomily.
Et-Tell
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Etymology: From Arabic تَلّ (tall, “hillock”); see tell (“mound over an ancient settlement”).
Senses: glosses: An archaeological site in Israel popularly thought to be the biblical city of Ai.
equilibrious
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Forms: form: more equilibrious
form: most equilibrious
Senses: glosses: in equilibrium; balanced
empty suit
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: empty suits
Etymology: Derived from unfavorable observations that ineffective professionals are memorable only for their attire and not their accomplishments at the workplace. First use appears c. 1950 in the New York Times.
Senses: topics: government
politics
coordinate_terms: stuffed shirt
glosses: An ineffective or incompetent person in a place of authority.
examples: text: John Doe is an empty suit running on an anti-populist platform.
topics: government
politics
glosses: A politician who has not fulfilled any campaign promises.
Related terms: Peter principle
drop cap
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: drop caps
Senses: topics: media
publishing
typography
glosses: A large initial letter that drops below the first line of a paragraph, usually used at the beginning of a section or chapter of a book.
Synonyms: sense: large initial letter
word: initial
sense: large initial letter
word: versal
Yuwaaliyaay
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: Euahlayi
form: Yuwaalaraay
form: Yuwaalayaay
Etymology: From a Pama-Nyungan language.
Senses: glosses: An Australian Aboriginal people of New South Wales.
glosses: An extinct Pama-Nyungan Australian Aboriginal suffixing language or dialect, within the Wiradjuric group, formerly spoken by these people; often considered a dialect of Gamilaraay.
Yuwaaliyaay
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Forms: form: Euahlayi
form: Yuwaalaraay
form: Yuwaalayaay
Etymology: From a Pama-Nyungan language.
Senses: glosses: Of the Yuwaaliyaay people or language.
Related terms: Gamilaraay
Euahlayi
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: Yuwaaliyaay
form: Yuwaalayaay
Etymology: From a Pama-Nyungan language.
Senses: glosses: An Australian Aboriginal people of New South Wales.
Euahlayi
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Forms: form: Yuwaaliyaay
form: Yuwaalayaay
Etymology: From a Pama-Nyungan language.
Senses: glosses: Their language or dialect.
Euahlayi
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Forms: form: Yuwaaliyaay
form: Yuwaalayaay
Etymology: From a Pama-Nyungan language.
Senses: glosses: Of the Euahlayi people or language.
Related terms: Gamilaraay
Yuwaalaraay
punx
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: punk
Senses: glosses: Punks (members of punk subculture).
alban
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: ălʹbən
ipa: /ˈalbən/
ipa: [ˈalbn̩]
Forms: form: albane
Etymology: Borrowed from French albane (in the form alban, respelt after the German Alban), from the Latin albus (“white”) + the French -ane (“-an”).
Senses: topics: chemistry
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: A white crystalline resinous substance extracted from gutta-percha by the action of alcohol or ether.
Khrushchev
Language: English
Part of speech: name
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈkrʊʃ.t͡ʃɒf/
ipa: /ˈkruːʃ-/
ipa: /-t͡ʃɒv/
ipa: /-t͡ʃɛv/
Forms: form: Khrushchov
form: Khrushchyov
Etymology: From Russian Хрущёв (Xruščóv), usually written Хрущев (Xruščev) (see note about Russian letter ё (jo)).
Senses: examples: text: A built-in remedy for Khrushchev and Kennedy.
ref: 1974, Freddie Mercury, “Killer Queen”, in Sheer Heart Attack:
glosses: English transliteration of the Russian surname Хрущёв (Xruščóv); usually refers to the Russian revolutionary and Soviet Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU(b) Nikita Khrushchev.
retro-fitted
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Senses: glosses: Alternative spelling of retrofitted.
retros
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: glosses: plural of retro
retrofitted
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Senses: glosses: simple past and past participle of retrofit
retrofitted
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Senses: glosses: fitted or installed at a later date
fooling
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈfuːlɪŋ/
rhymes: -uːlɪŋ
Senses: glosses: present participle and gerund of fool
fooling
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈfuːlɪŋ/
rhymes: -uːlɪŋ
Forms: form: foolings
Senses: examples: c. 1775, Janet Schaw, Journal of a Lady of Quality
I laugh at him and use every little Art in my power to make him view things in a more cheerful light, but he knows better than I do, and tho' his good nature and politeness make him appear to be diverted with my foolings, I am sensible they do not amuse his melancholy.
glosses: The act of one who fools; foolish behaviour.
spare tyre
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: spare tyres
form: spare tire
Senses: synonyms: spare wheel
glosses: An extra tyre carried in case one of the vehicle's tyres is damaged or deflated.
glosses: A large paunch and rolls of fat around the waist.
spare tyres
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Senses: glosses: plural of spare tyre
blind leading the blind
Language: English
Part of speech: phrase
Forms: form: the blind leading the blind
Etymology: The phrase can be traced back to The Upanishads, written between 800 BCE and 200 BCE.
: Abiding in the midst of ignorance, thinking themselves wise and learned, fools go aimlessly hither and thither, like blind led by the blind. - Katha Upanishad
A similar expression exists in the Buddhist Pali Canon, composed in North India, and preserved orally until it was committed to writing during the Fourth Buddhist Council in Sri Lanka in 29 BCE.
The expression appears in Horace: Caecus caeco dux ("the blind leader of the blind"). Horace was a leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (27 BCE – 14 CE)
The saying appears in the King James Version of the Bible (1611), Gospel of Matthew, 15:14:
: Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
Senses: examples: text: Grandma teaching you to drive is like the blind leading the blind.
text: "The Lord preserve us from evil times. . . . Without his grace, we are the blind leading the blind."
ref: 1843, James Fenimore Cooper, “5:”, in Wyandotte:
text: "I have been giving them some good advice."
"Good advice!" laughed Janet. "Between you and Jamie Logan, it is the blind leading the blind, and nothing better."
ref: 1896, Amelia E. Barr, chapter 2, in A Knight of the Nets:
text: Instructor George Breathitt asked an audience of 300 computer enthusiasts in Louisville, Kentucky, how many seniors in the group would like to teach other seniors about computers. A younger member of the audience quipped disdainfully, "Wouldn't that be the blind leading the blind?"
ref: 1995 March 1, John F. Dickerson, “Aging: Never Too Old”, in Time, retrieved 04 Aug 2014:
text: Look, we're as fucked-up as you are. It's like the blind leading the blind.
ref: 1999 August 29, Jenny Bicks, “Games People Play”, in Sex and the City, season 2, episode 13, spoken by Samantha:
glosses: A situation in which an unqualified person is attempting to guide, advise, or train others.
rhapsode
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: /ˈɹæpˌsoʊd/
Forms: form: rhapsodes
Etymology: From Ancient Greek ῥαψῳδός (rhapsōidós).
Senses: examples: text: Socrates: And do the Epidaurians have contests of rhapsodes at the festival?
ref: 1892, Plato, translated by Benjamin Jowett, Ion:
glosses: One who performs the poetry of a poet for an audience; not necessarily a writer of poetry.
glosses: The interpreter of a poem.
Related terms: rhapsodist
rhapsody
safe-deposit box
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: safe-deposit boxes
form: safe deposit box
form: safety-deposit box
Senses: glosses: A fireproof metal box, stored in a secure vault, for holding personal valuables
banyan
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈbæn.jæn/
ipa: /ˈbæn.jən/
rhymes: -ænjən
Forms: form: banyans
form: banian
form: bannian
Etymology: From Portuguese baniano, from Arabic بَنِيَان (baniyān), from Gujarati વાણિયો (vāṇiyo, “merchant”), from Sanskrit वाणिज (vāṇijá), from earlier वणिज् (vaṇíj, “merchant, trader”). The name appears to have been first bestowed popularly on a famous tree of this species growing near Bandar Abbas, under which the Bannians, or Hindu traders settled at that port, had built a little pagoda. Doublet of bunnia.
Senses: glosses: An Indian trader, merchant, cashier, or money changer.
examples: text: We climb and then descend; we pass by the great banyan which, like Atlas, settling himself powerfully on his contorted haunches, seems awaiting with knee and shoulder the burden of the sky.
ref: 1914, Teresa Frances, William Rose Benét, The East I Know, translation of original by Paul Claudel, page 33:
synonyms: banyan tree
glosses: A tropical Indian fig tree, Ficus benghalensis, that has many aerial roots.
glosses: Various other trees of the Ficus subgenus Urostigma, especially Ficus pertusa (Central American banyan) and Ficus microcarpa (Chinese banyan or Malayan banyan).
glosses: A type of loose gown worn in India.
examples: text: It was an honest letter, written by an honest man, then stewing in the Plains on two hundred rupees a month (for he allowed his wife eight hundred and fifty), and in a silk banian and cotton trousers.
ref: 1889, Rudyard Kipling, “At the Pit's Mouth”, in Under the Deodars, Boston: The Greenock Press, published 1899, page 50:
glosses: A vest; an undershirt; a singlet.
topics: government
military
naval
navy
politics
war
glosses: A camping excursion on shore, to give a ship's crew a break from shipboard routine.
Derived terms: banyan day
banyan fight
Related terms: Banyan in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)
aerial root
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: aerial roots
Senses: topics: biology
botany
natural-sciences
glosses: Any adventitious root that grows from a plant stem above ground.
Synonyms: air root
banzai
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: /ˈbɑːnˈzaɪ/
/ˈbænˈzaɪ/
Forms: form: more banzai
form: most banzai
Etymology: From Japanese 万歳(ばんざい) (banzai, “long live..., huzzah, hurrah”), from Middle Chinese 萬歲 (mjonᴴ sjwejᴴ), from Old Chinese 萬歲 (*mans s-qʷʰats, “10,000 years [of life]”, i.e. “immortality”), from 萬 /万 (wàn, “10,000”) 歲 /岁 (suì, “year (of age)”).
Compare Mandarin 萬歲／万岁 (wànsùi).
Senses: examples: text: Still, the Seca II isn't meant to be a racebike, and power is adequate for all but the most banzai backroad blitzing.
ref: 1991, Cycle World: Volume 30:
glosses: Thrill-seeking; wild.
Derived terms: banzai attack
banzai board
banzai charge
banzai crazy
Banzai pipeline
go banzai
banzai
Language: English
Part of speech: intj
Pronunciation: /ˈbɑːnˈzaɪ/
/ˈbænˈzaɪ/
Etymology: From Japanese 万歳(ばんざい) (banzai, “long live..., huzzah, hurrah”), from Middle Chinese 萬歲 (mjonᴴ sjwejᴴ), from Old Chinese 萬歲 (*mans s-qʷʰats, “10,000 years [of life]”, i.e. “immortality”), from 萬 /万 (wàn, “10,000”) 歲 /岁 (suì, “year (of age)”).
Compare Mandarin 萬歲／万岁 (wànsùi).
Senses: glosses: A cry or cheer of enthusiasm, or to celebrate victory.
banzai
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: /ˈbɑːnˈzaɪ/
/ˈbænˈzaɪ/
Forms: form: banzais
Etymology: From Japanese 万歳(ばんざい) (banzai, “long live..., huzzah, hurrah”), from Middle Chinese 萬歲 (mjonᴴ sjwejᴴ), from Old Chinese 萬歲 (*mans s-qʷʰats, “10,000 years [of life]”, i.e. “immortality”), from 萬 /万 (wàn, “10,000”) 歲 /岁 (suì, “year (of age)”).
Compare Mandarin 萬歲／万岁 (wànsùi).
Senses: glosses: A cry or cheer of "banzai", to express enthusiasm or celebrate victory.
glosses: Clipping of banzai charge.
banzai
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: /ˈbɑːnˈzaɪ/
/ˈbænˈzaɪ/
Forms: form: banzais
form: banzaiing
form: banzaied
form: banzaied
Etymology: From Japanese 万歳(ばんざい) (banzai, “long live..., huzzah, hurrah”), from Middle Chinese 萬歲 (mjonᴴ sjwejᴴ), from Old Chinese 萬歲 (*mans s-qʷʰats, “10,000 years [of life]”, i.e. “immortality”), from 萬 /万 (wàn, “10,000”) 歲 /岁 (suì, “year (of age)”).
Compare Mandarin 萬歲／万岁 (wànsùi).
Senses: glosses: To carry out a banzai charge (against).
gondolier
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˌɡɒndəˈlɪə(ɹ)/
ipa: /ˌɡɑndəˈlɪɹ/
rhymes: -ɪə(ɹ)
Forms: form: gondoliers
form: gondoliere
Etymology: From Italian gondoliere, through French gondolier. By surface analysis, gondola + -ier.
Senses: glosses: A boatperson who propels a gondola, especially in Venice.
gondoliere
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: gondolieres
Etymology: Directly from Italian gondoliere.
Senses: examples: text: A thousand lamps, from the illuminated squares of the city, reflected their burnished hues along the wave, and the mellow chaunt of the gondolieres kept time to the gentle plashing of their oars.
ref: 1826 [1824 May], “The Astrologer’s Prediction; or, The Maniac’s Fate!”, in Legends of Terror! and Tales of the Wonderful and Wild. Original and Select, in Prose and Verse., London: […] T. Richardson, […] Sherwood, Gilbert, and Piper, […]; and Hunter, Edinburgh, page 41, column 1:
text: Try the risi-bisi, a thick soup and traditional in Venice as the gondolieres.
ref: 1956, Cue, page 52:
text: The scene was oddly reminiscent of a bunch of Venetian gondolieres gone berserk with their oars, but the effort paid off.
ref: 2007, Antonia Riley, chapter 2, in The Sweetness of Bitter Water, [Bloomington, Ind.]: Xlibris, →ISBN, page 33:
glosses: Alternative form of gondolier.
beachhead
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈbiːt͡ʃhɛd/
Forms: form: beachheads
form: beach head
form: beach-head
Etymology: From beach + head.
Senses: topics: government
military
politics
war
glosses: An area of hostile territory (especially on a beach) that, when captured, serves for the continuous landing (or movement into position) of further troops and material
examples: text: [...] the SR is confident of Newhaven's appeal as a starting point convenient for Southern England generally and of Dieppe's attraction as a beachhead from which motorists' routes to the principal holiday areas from the French coastline will be shortened.
ref: 1964 July, “BR develop Newhaven as UK's chief car-ferry port”, in Modern Railways, page 48:
glosses: A coastal landing place.
examples: text: Muslim influence in Arakan was of great cultural and political importance. In effect, Arakan was the beachhead for Muslim penetration into other parts of Burma even if it never achieved the same degree of importance it did in Arakan. As a result of the close land and sea contacts maintained between the two countries, Muslims played a key role in the history of the Kingdom of Arakan.
ref: 2002, Moshe Yegar, chapter 2, in Between Integration and Secession: The Muslim Communities of the Southern Philippines, Southern Thailand, and Western Burma/Myanmar:
glosses: An initial success that ensures the possibility of further advances in a project; a foothold.
Related terms: airhead
Beachy Head
bridgehead
railhead
bed-and-breakfast
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: bed-and-breakfasts
Senses: examples: text: Ms. Soar’s parents bought the property in 1976, and the couple moved in 15 years ago. They’ve spent much of that time struggling to maintain the sprawling estate, operating a bed-and-breakfast, a farm shop, a cider business, a bakery, a pork store and various other commercial ventures to support its upkeep.
ref: 2023 March 22, Ben West, “This 835-Year-Old English Manor Needs Some Modern Love”, in The New York Times:
glosses: Alternative form of bed and breakfast.
bed-and-breakfast
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Forms: form: bed-and-breakfasts
form: bed-and-breakfasting
form: bed-and-breakfasted
form: bed-and-breakfasted
Senses: examples: text: We bed-and-breakfasted around Ireland and everywhere had placed before us great slashed loaves of soda bread made with coarse brown flour, buttermilk and bicarbonate of soda.
ref: 2011, Pam Ayres, The Necessary Aptitude, page 360:
glosses: To stay in a bed and breakfast.
examples: text: However, other assets (e.g. works of art) are still sometimes bed-and-breakfasted for tax purposes.
ref: 2016, Jonathan Law, A Dictionary of Accounting:
topics: business
finance
glosses: To engage in a bed-and-breakfast deal.
bellhop
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈbɛlˌhɒp/
ipa: /ˈbɛlˌhɑp/
Forms: form: bellhops
Etymology: Shortening of bellhopper.
Senses: examples: text: Now, the bellhop's tears keep flowin'
And the desk clerk's dressed in black.
Well, they've been so long on Lonely Street
Well, they'll never, they'll never look back.
ref: 1956, “Heartbreak Hotel”, Mae Boren Axton, Tommy Durden, Elvis Presley (lyrics), performed by Elvis Presley:
glosses: An employee of a hotel who carries a guest's luggage and runs errands.
Synonyms: callboy
Derived terms: carhop
bellhop
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈbɛlˌhɒp/
ipa: /ˈbɛlˌhɑp/
Forms: form: bellhops
form: bellhopping
form: bellhopped
form: bellhopped
Etymology: Shortening of bellhopper.
Senses: glosses: To work as a bellhop.
Related terms: bellboy
bell captain
bellgirl
bellman
bellybutton
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Forms: form: bellybuttons
form: belly button
Etymology: From belly + button.
Senses: examples: text: Always used to have pain about navel when a boy (used to call it bellybutton ache)[…]
ref: 1909, The Boston Medical and Surgical Journal:
text: Some people can’t even bear the thought of picking the fluff out of their bellybuttons - these people suffer from what is known as omphalophobia.
ref: 2019 June 24, “Five phobias you didn’t know existed”, in BBC Bitesize:
glosses: The navel or umbilicus.
beltway
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: /ˈbɛltˌweɪ/
Forms: form: beltways
Etymology: From belt + way.
Senses: glosses: A freeway that encircles a city.
Synonyms: word: ring road
word: belt
betel
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈbiːtəl/
homophone: beetle
homophone: Beatle
Forms: form: betels
form: beetel
form: beetle
Etymology: Borrowed from Portuguese bétele, from Malayalam വെറ്റില (veṟṟila) or Tamil வெற்றிலை (veṟṟilai).
Senses: examples: text: Her face was flushed with the tingling effect of betel leaves.
ref: 1958, R. K. Narayan, The Guide, Penguin, published 1988, page 194:
glosses: Either of two (parts of) plants often used in combination
glosses: Either of two (parts of) plants often used in combination:
An evergreen Indian creeping shrub, Piper betle, whose dried leaves are chewed with betel nut: the betel pepper.
glosses: Either of two (parts of) plants often used in combination:
The betel palm, Areca catechu, and in particular its seed, the areca nut or betel nut.
examples: text: He went to the rail to spit out a scarlet mouthful of betel […]
ref: 1934, George Orwell, chapter 1, in Burmese Days:
text: Within the range of his powers, he sends her, secretly, […] cosmetics such as red lac, red arsenic, yellow arsenic, red mercury sulphide, and black collyrium; sandalwood paste and saffron; and, in course of time, areca nuts and betel leaves for betel.
ref: 2002, Vātsyāyana, translated by Wendy Doniger and Sudhir Kakar, Kama Sutra, Oxford University Press, 3.3.16, pp. 83-84:
glosses: A quid (chewing preparation) containing these and other plant materials; paan.
Derived terms: betel bag
betelchewing
betel leaf
betel nut
betel palm
betel pepper
betelseller
betel seller
wild betel
Related terms: areca
paan