nandhakumarms/qualc-wiktionary-en huggingface dataset:
Word: nan Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Nan, pet form of the formerly very common female given names Anne and Agnes. As a nursemaid and grandmother, a clipping of earlier nana, from nanny under the probable influence of mama, also from Nan. Compare Mary. Pronunciation: /næn/, /nan/, /nɛn/ 1. Synonym of maid: a servant girl. Labels: obsolete 2. Synonym of nancy: an effeminate male homosexual. Labels: obsolete, slang 3. Synonym of nursemaid. Labels: UK, endearing 4. Synonym of grandmother. Labels: Australia, Canada, Ireland, UK, endearing Example: We had my nan over for Christmas dinner.
Word: nan Part of Speech: noun Etymology: See at naan. Pronunciation: /næn/, /nɑːn/, /nɑn/ 1. Alternative spelling of naan. Labels: alt-of, alternative Example: Gerry ordered poppadoms and parathas and then he was interrupted by requests for vindaloos, chicken madrases and sag joshes, rice, raita and nan, from Priest, Morgan and Maria Grazia.
Word: nape Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English nape, naape, of uncertain origin. Possibly from Old French hanap (“goblet”), from Frankish *hnapp, from Proto-Germanic *hnappaz ( > Old English hnæpp, hnæp (“cup, bowl, goblet”)), as there is a hollow at the base of the skull. More at nap. Pronunciation: /neɪp/ 1. The back part of the neck. Example: He was still stroking Radar, long glides of his hand from nape to tail. 2. The part of a fish or bird immediately behind the head.
Word: nape Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English nape, from Old French nape, nappe (“a cloth”), from Medieval Latin nappa, napa (“cloth, table-cloth, sheet”), alteration of Latin mappa (“a cloth, napkin, towel”). More at map, apron. Doublet of map, mop, and nappe. Pronunciation: /neɪp/ 1. A tablecloth. Labels: obsolete
Word: nape Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Short for napalm. Pronunciation: /neɪp/ 1. Napalm. Labels: slang, uncountable Example: RHAH: They got through Alpha Company! Anything behind you don't identify itself, blow it away. Two - air strike's coming in. They gonna lay snake and nape right on the perimeter so stay tight in your holes and don't leave 'em.
Word: nape Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Short for napalm. Pronunciation: /neɪp/ 1. To bombard with napalm. Labels: slang, transitive
Word: nave Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Ultimately from Latin nāvem, singular accusative of nāvis, possibly via a Romance source. Doublet of nef and nau. Pronunciation: /neɪv/ 1. The middle or body of a church, extending from the transepts to the principal entrances. Example: Then everybody once more knelt, and soon the blessing was pronounced. The choir and the clergy trooped out slowly, […], down the nave to the western door. […] At a seemingly immense distance the surpliced group stopped to say the last prayer. 2. The ground-level middle cavity of a barn.
Word: nave Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English nave, from Old English nafu, from Proto-West Germanic *nabu, from Proto-Germanic *nabō (compare Dutch naaf, German Nabe, Swedish nav), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃nebʰ- (“navel, hub”) (compare Latin umbō (“shield boss”), Latvian naba, Sanskrit नभ्य (nabhya)). Pronunciation: /neɪv/ 1. A hub of a wheel. Example: 'Out, out, thou strumpet Fortune! All you gods, In general synod take away her power; Break all the spokes and fellies from her wheel, And bowl the round nave down the hill of heaven[…] 2. The navel. Labels: obsolete Example: Till he faced the slave; / Which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him, / Till he unseam'd him from the nave to the chaps, / And fix'd his head upon our battlements
Word: neap Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Perhaps of Scandinavian origin: compare dialectal Norwegian neip (“forked pole”). Pronunciation: /niːp/ 1. The tongue or pole of a cart or other vehicle drawn by two animals.
Word: neap Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English neep, from Old English nēp (“scant, lacking”), possibly from Proto-Germanic *nōpiz (“narrow”). Found especially in Old English nēpflōd (“neap tide”, literally “low tide”). Compare Norwegian dialectal nøpen (“scarce, scant, barely enough”). Pronunciation: /niːp/ 1. Low; lowest; the ebb or lowest point of a tide. Labels: not-comparable 2. Designating a tide which occurs just after the first and third quarters of the moon, when there is the least difference between high tide and low tide. Labels: not-comparable Example: Little groups of sailors came swinging along and pushied their way noisily inside the gaudy joints. Sex everywhere: it was slopping over, a neap tide that swept the props from under the city.
Word: neap Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English neep, from Old English nēp (“scant, lacking”), possibly from Proto-Germanic *nōpiz (“narrow”). Found especially in Old English nēpflōd (“neap tide”, literally “low tide”). Compare Norwegian dialectal nøpen (“scarce, scant, barely enough”). Pronunciation: /niːp/ 1. To trap (a ship) in water too shallow to move, due to the smaller tidal range occurring in a period of neap tides. Labels: transitive Example: At 8, being high water, hauld her bow close ashore, but Keept her stern afloat, because I was afraid of Neaping her, and yet it was necessary to lay the whole of her as near the ground as possible. 2. To ooze, to sink, to subside, to tail. Labels: intransitive Example: It is well known that the spring tides happen at the change and full of the moon, at which time she is conjunction with and opposition to the sun. As these retire from their conjunction, the tides neap till about three days after the first quadrature, when the tides begin again to be more and more elevated, and arrive at their maximum about the third day after the opposition.
Word: neap Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English neep, from Old English nēp (“scant, lacking”), possibly from Proto-Germanic *nōpiz (“narrow”). Found especially in Old English nēpflōd (“neap tide”, literally “low tide”). Compare Norwegian dialectal nøpen (“scarce, scant, barely enough”). Pronunciation: /niːp/ 1. A neap tide. Example: Both […] swam not landward, but toward the horizon. Very good luck, for they entered a neap rushing headlong toward shore and into a river beyond.
Word: neap Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /niːp/ 1. Alternative form of neep. Labels: alt-of, alternative
Word: negate Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Latin negātus, perfect passive participle of negō (“to deny, refuse, decline”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Pronunciation: /nɪˈɡeɪt/ 1. To deny the existence, evidence, or truth of; to contradict. Example: The investigation tending to negate any supernatural influences. 2. To nullify or cause to be ineffective. Example: Progress on the study has been negated by the lack of funds. Example: Persecution can be negated through exposure. 3. To be negative; bring or cause negative results. Example: a pessimism that always negates 4. To perform the NOT operation on.
Word: nereid Part of Speech: noun Etymology: See Nereid. Pronunciation: /ˈnɪəɹiɪd/ 1. Alternative letter-case form of Nereid. Labels: Greek, alt-of 2. A youthful and pretty bather. Labels: figuratively Example: I knew in the back of my mind that the “nereid” wore a bikini intended for photography and that she lived in that bikini all summer.
Word: nereid Part of Speech: noun Etymology: See nereidid. Pronunciation: /ˈnɪəɹiɪd/ 1. Alternative form of nereidid. Labels: alt-of, alternative
Word: neural Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Ancient Greek νεῦρον (neûron, “a sinew, nerve”) + -al. Pronunciation: /ˈnʊɹəl/, /ˈnɝəl/, /ˈnjʊəɹəl/, /ˈnjəɹəl/, /ˈnjʉːɹəl/ 1. Of, or relating to the nerves, neurons or the nervous system. Labels: not-comparable Example: neural connections Example: neural interface 2. Modelled on the arrangement of neurons in the brain. Labels: not-comparable
Word: neuron Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From New Latin, from Ancient Greek νεῦρον (neûron, “nerve”), doublet of nerve and sinew. By surface analysis, neuro- + -on. Pronunciation: /ˈn(j)ʊɹɑn/, /ˈn(j)uɹɑn/, /ˈn(j)ɝɑn/, /ˈnjʊəɹɒn/, /ˈnjəɹɑn/ 1. A cell of the nervous system, which conducts nerve impulses; consisting of an axon and several dendrites. Neurons are connected by synapses. Example: The yawning gap in neuroscientists’ understanding of their topic is in the intermediate scale of the brain’s anatomy. Science has a passable knowledge of how individual nerve cells, known as neurons, work. It also knows which visible lobes and ganglia of the brain do what. But how the neurons are organised in these lobes and ganglia remains obscure. 2. A nervure of an insect's wing. 3. A mathematical function serving as an essential unit of an artificial neural network.
Word: newel Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Inherited from Middle English nowel, *newel, from Old French noel, from either Early Medieval Latin nōdellus (“buckle”, diminutive of nōdus "knot") or Late Latin nucālis (“nut-like”, derivative of nux "nut"). Doublet of noil and noyau. Pronunciation: /ˈnjuː.əl/, /ˈnu.əl/, /ˈnju.əl/ 1. Either of two kinds of supporting post in a staircase. 2. Either of two kinds of supporting post in a staircase. Example: We went along the hall to the end and up a flight of stairs with a carved handrail and newel post.
Word: newel Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From new + -el, modelled after novel (“new, original”). Pronunciation: /ˈnjuː.əl/, /ˈnu.əl/, /ˈnju.əl/ 1. A novelty; a new thing. Labels: obsolete Example: 1882: Edmund Spenser (Alexander Balloch Grosart, ed) The Complete Works in Verse and Prose of Edmund Spenser He was so enamoured with the newel.
Word: niacin Part of Speech: noun Etymology: in 1942 derived from nicotinic + acid + vitamin, chosen to dissociate it from nicotine, to avoid the perception that vitamins or niacin-rich food contains nicotine, or that cigarettes contain vitamins. Pronunciation: /ˈnaɪəsɪn/ 1. A water-soluble vitamin, a component of vitamin B complex, found in meat, yeast, and dairy products; it is essential to metabolism. Labels: uncountable Example: Mixing the alkali into the recipe in the right way chemically releases the otherwise unavailable niacin in the corn, which stops pellagra in its tracks, and allowed corn-based agricultural populations to grow and spread.
Word: nib Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From a variant of neb, perhaps due to association with nibble. Pronunciation: /nɪb/ 1. The tip of a pen or tool that touches the surface, transferring ink to paper. Example: Slowly welling from the point of her gold nib, pale blue ink dissolved the full stop; for there her pen stuck; her eyes fixed, and tears slowly filled them. Example: Ford, whose often acid nib belied a deep love of all things Iberian, is one of 20 British authors profiled in a new Spanish book[…]. 2. A bird's beak. Labels: dialectal 3. Bits of trapped dust or other foreign material that form imperfections in painted or varnished surfaces. 4. A piece of a roasted, hulled cocoa bean. 5. A small and pointed thing or part; a point; a prong. Example: the little nib or fructifying principle 6. One of the handles projecting from a scythe snath. 7. The shaft of a wagon.
Word: nib Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From a variant of neb, perhaps due to association with nibble. Pronunciation: /nɪb/ 1. To fit (a pen) with a nib. Labels: transitive Example: In nibbing the pen, place the inside of the point flat upon the nail of your left-hand thumb (holding the quill between the first and second finger of that hand), and let the whole length of the split be extended thereon, to steady the pen as much as possible […]
Word: nibbed Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From nib + -ed. 1. Having a nib or point. 2. Of a stamp: having the nib of its perforation removed or damaged.
Word: niched Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From niche + -ed. Pronunciation: /ˈniːʃt/, /ˈnɪtʃt/ 1. In a niche. Labels: not-comparable Example: They left early, yet the evening had seemed interminable; and considering that Emily was niched between an inlaid table, on which stood a shepherd in a yellow jacket offering a China—Chinese I mean—rose to a shepherdess in green and pink—and a tea-pot, all exquisite Dresden specimens—and an old lady, of whose shawl and shoulders Emily had the full benefit,...
Word: niggle Part of Speech: noun Etymology: First attested in 1599. Origin uncertain, but likely borrowed from dialectal Norwegian nigla (“to be stingy, to busy oneself with trifles”), ultimately from Old Norse hnøggr (“stingy; miserly”), related to Old English hnēaw (“stingy; niggardly”). More at niggard. Pronunciation: /ˈnɪɡəl/ 1. A minor complaint or problem. Example: The Olympic medal contender's back problem has been described as a "niggle" by the head coach, Charles van Commenee, but Porter's friend and former team-mate Danielle Carruthers revealed that the injury is playing on the Briton's mind. Example: He declared that it would take until the early New Year for all the faults and niggles to be ironed out, and that the rest of 2019 would be deemed to be a 'bedding in' period. 2. Small, cramped handwriting. Labels: obsolete
Word: niggle Part of Speech: verb Etymology: First attested in 1599. Origin uncertain, but likely borrowed from dialectal Norwegian nigla (“to be stingy, to busy oneself with trifles”), ultimately from Old Norse hnøggr (“stingy; miserly”), related to Old English hnēaw (“stingy; niggardly”). More at niggard. Pronunciation: /ˈnɪɡəl/ 1. To trifle with; to deceive; to mock. Labels: obsolete, transitive Example: I shall so feed your fierce vexation , And raise your worship ' s storms ; I shall so niggle you , And juggle you , and fiddle you , and firk you 2. To use, spend, or do in a petty or trifling manner. Labels: transitive 3. To dwell too much on minor points or on trifling details. Labels: intransitive 4. To fidget, fiddle, be restless. Labels: UK, intransitive 5. To walk with short steps. Labels: UK, archaic, dialectal, intransitive Example: I can see him now with his one eye closed as he came niggling along, and didn't he just give me a grandfather's blessing!
Word: niter Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English niter, nitere, nitre, nytre, from Old French nitre, from Latin nitrum (“native soda, natron”), from Ancient Greek νίτρον (nítron). Ultimately from Egyptian nṯrj (“natron”). Doublet of natron and trona. Compare also natrium, nitrogen. 1. A mineral form of potassium nitrate (saltpetre) used in making gunpowder. Labels: US, countable, uncountable 2. Native sodium carbonate; natron. Labels: countable, obsolete, uncountable
Word: nitric Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From nitro- + -ic, compare French nitrique. Pronunciation: /ˈnaɪtɹɪk/ 1. Of, pertaining to, or containing, nitrogen. Labels: not-comparable Example: In the case of nitric acid, however, the employment of the aræometer introduces far greater errors than when it is used for sulphuric acid, hydrochloric acid, and in most other cases, as the concentrated nitric acids as a rule always contain nitrogen tetroxide in solution, the quantity being seldom less than 1 per cent., but more generally several per cent., which makes its strength when taken with the aræometer seem greater than it actually is.
Word: nitric Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From nitro- + -ic, compare French nitrique. Pronunciation: /ˈnaɪtɹɪk/ 1. Nitric acid. Labels: uncountable
Word: nitty Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From nit + -y. The “foolish, inane” adjective sense is from nit (“fool, nitwit”), possibly under the influence of nutty (“crazy, mad”). The origin of the noun sense (“dope fiend, druggie”) is unknown, but could refer to a person who is under the influence of drugs to the extent that he or she is careless about personal hygiene and unkempt. Compare the verb nit (“to be a nitty”). Pronunciation: /ˈnɪtiː/, /ˈnɪtɪ/, /ˈnɪti/, /-ɾi/ 1. Full of nits. Labels: also, archaic, figuratively Example: About mid-night do I walke, and for the trickes I play they call me Pach. When I find a slut asleepe, I smuch her face if it be cleane; but if it be durty, I wash it in the next pisse-pot that I can finde: the balls I use to wash such sluts withal is a sows pancake or a pilgrimes salve. Those that I find with their heads nitty and scabby, for want of combing, I am their barbers, and cut their hayre as close as an apes tayle; or else clap so much pitch on it, that they must cut it off themselves to their great shame. Example: Tuc[ca]. […] Can thy Author doe it impudently enough? / Hiſt[rio]. O, I warrant you, Captaine: and ſpitefully inough too; he ha's one of the moſt ouerflowing villanous wits, in Rome. He will ſlander any man that breathes; If he diſguſt him. / Tucca. I'le know the poor, egregious, nitty Raſcall; and he haue ſuch commendable Qualities, I'le cheriſh him: […] 2. Foolish, inane. Labels: UK, slang Example: Stephen Colbert went overtime to get into the “nitty crazy” of President Donald Trump’s press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, noting that, he was shaken to his core, but “at 54, there’s not a lot of core left.”
Word: nitty Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From nit + -y. The “foolish, inane” adjective sense is from nit (“fool, nitwit”), possibly under the influence of nutty (“crazy, mad”). The origin of the noun sense (“dope fiend, druggie”) is unknown, but could refer to a person who is under the influence of drugs to the extent that he or she is careless about personal hygiene and unkempt. Compare the verb nit (“to be a nitty”). Pronunciation: /ˈnɪtiː/, /ˈnɪtɪ/, /ˈnɪti/, /-ɾi/ 1. A dope fiend, a druggie. Labels: Multicultural-London-English, slang Example: See me breeze in a cream Bentley / Fronting in the sun that’s two-seated / Believe it, pull up to the light and now you looking defeated / Girl, grilling my ice got you heated (yeah) / Yep, beef with the nitty I never needed (wha-wha) Example: Trapping ain't dead, the nitty still clucking and ringing my phone / Chilling with bro, talking ’bout money, dough to the dome
Word: nitty Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Probably from nitty(-gritty). Pronunciation: /ˈnɪtiː/, /ˈnɪtɪ/, /ˈnɪti/, /-ɾi/ 1. detailed or specific; fastidious, fussy, nit-picky. Example: Clearly, it’s that Secretariat is overrated. OK, exhale. I’m not trolling you. I’m just being extremely nitty about the marginal shades of “really, really great.” By “overrated,” I certainly don’t mean to imply that Secretariat isn’t the best 3-year-old American racehorse in history – he is. Example: There are only a few nits to pick. The nittiest is, of course, the supposed needlessness^([sic – meaning needless]) death of the dumb and worthless Rickon Stark. 2. Of a poker player: playing in an overly cautious and reactive manner. Labels: slang Example: Over the past year and a half Isildur1 has captivated the poker community with his overly aggressive play and mesmerizing swings in the highest cash games online. His most intriguing characteristic isn’t his combativeness or his disregard for money; however, it’s his anonymity. […] [Phil] Hellmuth is far too nitty to be the face behind an online maniac such as Isildur1, he’s already rumored to be "#1_Lucky_One" and he’s clearly not spending copious amounts of time grinding high stakes in Sweden. Example: I recently played the following hand in a $2–$5 game in Las Vegas. I had a $1,000 stack. A nitty regular player opened from under the gun for $20 with a $1,000 stack. Another nitty player directly to my right called. This player had about $350 behind.
Word: nitty Part of Speech: adj Etymology: A clipping of nitid (“bright, lustrous, shining”), or directly derived from Latin nitidus (“glittering, shining”), from niteō (“to glitter, shine; to look beautiful or bright”) (from Proto-Indo-European *ney- (“to shine”)) + -idus (“tending to”). Pronunciation: /ˈnɪtiː/, /ˈnɪtɪ/, /ˈnɪti/, /-ɾi/ 1. Shining; elegant, spruce. Labels: obsolete, rare Example: O dapper, rare, complete, sweet nitty youth! / Jesu Maria! How his clothes appear / Cross'd and recross'd with lace, sure for some fear / Lest that some spirit with a tippet mace / Should with a ghastly show affright his face.
Word: nob Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Pronunciation spelling of knob. Nobleman sense from white-nob (“white-head”) (18th century), referring to the powdered wigs used by those having or affecting upper middle-class status. Pronunciation: /nɒb/, /nɑb/ 1. The head. Example: Jack and Jill went up the hill / to fetch a pail of water; / Jack fell down and broke his crown / and Jill came tumbling after. / Up Jack got and home did trot, / as fast as he could caper, / to old Dame Dob / to mend his nob / with vinegar and brown paper. Example: "What a deep covey!" said a greasy butcher with his mouth open, a red night-cap on his nob, and pointing towards Jacco Maccacco. 2. A jack of the same suit as the card turned up by the dealer. Example: One for his nob. 3. The glans penis, the sensitive bulbous structure at the end of the penis also known as the head of the penis. (Also spelled knob.) Labels: slang 4. (vulgar, slang, chiefly UK, Ireland) The penis; dick. (Also spelled knob.) Labels: broadly 5. A contemptible person; dick. (Also spelled knob.) Labels: broadly, derogatory Example: Col wasn’t impressed with Dick’s patronising comments and turned his back and rolled his eyes whilst at the same time mumbling “Fucking nob, Dick by name Dick by nature” under his breath. Example: Christine would help Kelly with her submission so she didn’t look like a complete nob! And in exchange Kelly would introduce and talk Christine through some of her artistic works: giving her a personal guided tour from her earliest through to her latest pieces. 6. A wealthy or influential person; a toff. Labels: Ireland, UK, slang Example: The masses have risen up and shot all their nobs. 7. Obsolete form of knob (“rounded protuberance”). Labels: alt-of, obsolete Example: He spoke with a lisp, occasioned by the loss of two of his large front teeth, which allowed the tongue as he talked to appear through the opening in a round nob like a raspberry.
Word: nob Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Pronunciation spelling of knob. Nobleman sense from white-nob (“white-head”) (18th century), referring to the powdered wigs used by those having or affecting upper middle-class status. Pronunciation: /nɒb/, /nɑb/ 1. To hit in the head. Labels: slang, transitive
Word: nodal Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From node + -al. Pronunciation: /ˈnəʊdəl/ 1. Of the nature of, or relating to, a node. Labels: not-comparable Example: If the sexual component [in a prosecutorial case] cannot be construed, it must be constructed. It is the nodal point of the prosecutor's comprehension. Up to that point, everything […] may perplex or disturb. But once the sexuality has been imputed, everything that seemed normal can now be made abnormal and perverse. Example: Chapter 4 is nodal to the book, not simply because it stands at its very middle. It engages with Kaiserkritik but also it connects the previous chapter’s discussion of working method and sources to what follows in Chapter 5, where Zonaras’ interest in Roman antiquity is discussed in greater detail. 2. Of or relating to the nodus. Labels: not-comparable
Word: nodder Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From nod + -er. 1. One who nods. 2. One who nods. 3. Synonym of noddy (“cutaway scene of an interviewer nodding”).
Word: nodule Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Latin nōdulus (“small knot”), from nōdus (“knot”). Doublet of nodulus. Pronunciation: /ˈnɒdjuːl/, /ˈnɑd͡ʒul/ 1. A rounded mass or irregular shape; a small knot or lump. Example: Biotics manipulate mass effect fields using dozens of element zero nodules within their nervous system that react to electric stimuli from the brain. Amplifiers allow biotics to synchronize the nodules so they can form fields large and strong enough for practical use.
Word: nonce Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Inherited from Middle English nonse, nones, a rebracketing of Middle English to þen anes, for þen anes (to/for the once (i.e., the one occasion or instance)), from the dative singular neuter of þe. The cryptography sense is commonly said to be a contraction of number used once, although this is probably incorrect. Pronunciation: /nɒns/, /nɑns/, /nɔns/ 1. The one or single occasion; the present reason or purpose. Labels: archaic Example: That will do for the nonce, but we'll need a better answer for the long term. Example: [...] Dunce, / Dotard, a-dozing at the very nonce, / After a life spent training for the sight! 2. A nonce word. Example: I had thought that the term was a nonce, but it seems as if it's been picked up by other authors. 3. A value constructed so as to be unique to a particular message in a stream, in order to prevent replay attacks. Example: The protocol opens with A communicating in clear to AS his own claimed identity and the identity of the desired correspondent, B, together with A's nonce identifier for this transaction, I_(A1). ("Nonce" means "used only once.") Example: The information gained by the eavesdropper would permit a replay attack, but only with a request for the same document, and even that may be limited by the server's choice of nonce.
Word: nonce Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Inherited from Middle English nonse, nones, a rebracketing of Middle English to þen anes, for þen anes (to/for the once (i.e., the one occasion or instance)), from the dative singular neuter of þe. The cryptography sense is commonly said to be a contraction of number used once, although this is probably incorrect. Pronunciation: /nɒns/, /nɑns/, /nɔns/ 1. One-off; produced or created for a single occasion or use. Denoting something occurring once. Labels: not-comparable Example: But particular men are not stereotyped for jobs nor particular desks (as against others) to sit at - the standard here is nonce. Example: Dickinson's association of heliotrope with Mary Bowles was nonce and fleeting, but the subject of gardens was always a safe one on which to address her: “How is your garden – Mary? Are the Pinks true –?”
Word: nonce Part of Speech: noun Etymology: 1975. Unknown, derived from British criminal slang. Several origins have been proposed; possibly derived from dialectal nonce, nonse (“stupid, worthless individual”) (but this cannot be shown to predate nonce "child-molester" and is likely a toned-down usage of the same insult), or Nance, nance (“effeminate man, homosexual”), from nancy or nancyboy. The rhyme with ponce has also been noted. As prison slang also said to be an acronym for "Not On Normal Communal Exercise" (Stevens 2012), but this is likely a backronym. Pronunciation: /nɒns/, /nɑns/, /nɔns/ 1. A sex offender, especially one who is guilty of sexual offences against children. Labels: Ireland, UK, derogatory Example: 1989 "assorted nonces, ponces and murderers, 'the worst men in the world' … on the nonce wing, where the child-killers, molesters and various perverts have to be protected from the other prisoners." (New Statesman, New Society, Volume 2, Statesman & Nation Publishing Company Limited) 2. A pedophile. Labels: broadly Example: ‘He's a nonce[. A] nonsense merchant, a paedophile[,’ Terry explained.] 3. A police informer, one who betrays a criminal enterprise Labels: Ireland, UK, derogatory, slang 4. A stupid or worthless person. Labels: Ireland, UK, derogatory, slang Example: Shut it, ya nonce!
Word: nones Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Latin nōnus (“ninth”). As a day of the Roman calendar, via nōnae (“ninth days”) from the original Roman practice of counting forward to the next full or new crescent moon, the nones' occurrence 8 days before the ides of every month (9 counting inclusively) following the establishment of a fixed calendar, and from the Latin practice of treating most recurring calendrical days as plurals. Some scholars believe the name is a variant of the nundines (nūndinae fēriae (“ninth-day festival”)), the Roman market days held every eight days (9 counting inclusively), which were likely announced for each coming month by the Roman kings on the first-quarter days. As a time of day, via the plural form of Middle English, Anglo-Norman, & French none and Latin nōna (“ninth hour”) after the manner of earlier matins, vespers, etc. As a meal, from the time of day, whether from its plural, genitive, or the occasional adverbial sense of -s. Pronunciation: /nəʊnz/ 1. The notional first-quarter day of a Roman month, occurring on the 7th day of the four original 31-day months (March, May, Quintilis or July, and October) and on the 5th day of all other months. Labels: capitalized, historical, often Example: The third day before the nones of March is March 5th; the third nones of August is August 3rd; and the third of the nones of November is November 3rd. Example: Þa monðas þe habbað iiii nonas æfter kalendas... habbað to idus xiii dagas and to ii kalendas eahtatyne. Those months that have 4 nones after the kalends... have 13 days to the ides and eighteen to the second kalends. 2. The ninth hour after dawn (about 3 pm). Labels: capitalized, historical, sometimes Example: ...the same Liturgy of prayers be used both at Nones and Vespers. [With the note:] Nones was what we call three o'clock in the afternoon. Example: From noon till nones The brethren sate. 3. The divine office appointed to the hour. Example: The Greek monks always listen to their reader recite Psalms 83, 84, and 85 from the Septuagint at nones. 4. Alternative form of noon: the sixth hour after dawn; midday (12 pm). Labels: alt-of, alternative, obsolete 5. Synonym of lunch: a meal eaten around noon. Labels: obsolete Example: I... ouer-seye me at my sopere and some tyme at nones.
Word: nones Part of Speech: noun Etymology: See Nones. Pronunciation: /nʌnz/ 1. Alternative form of Nones: atheists or those without religious affiliation. Labels: alt-of, alternative, plural Example: Both the religiously dis-identified ("nones") and the religiously committed report mystical experiences. Example: Stable nones, that is, people who report in both years that they have no religious affiliation, are, in fact, much less religious
Word: notate Part of Speech: verb Etymology: First attested in 1871; back-formation from notation or from Latin notātus, perfect passive participle of notō; either way, see -ate (verb-forming suffix). By surface analysis, note + -ate. Pronunciation: /nəʊˈteɪt/ 1. To mark with spots or lines, which are often colored. 2. To add notes to; to annotate 3. To create notation (e.g. music or mathematics); to record/put down in the form of notation
Word: notate Part of Speech: adj Etymology: First attested in 1857; borrowed from Latin notātus, see Etymology 1 and -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more. 1. Marked with coloured spots or lines. Labels: not-comparable
Word: Nubia Part of Speech: name Etymology: The origin of this word is contested. At root it is probably a geographical rather than an ethnic designation. (See Nubians § Etymology on Wikipedia.Wikipedia ). The related term Noba was used (with some uncertainty even among the writers as to its meaning) both for a people already living in the area and for those who conquered it in the 4th century CE. 1. The region of the upper Nile valley now part of Sudan and far-southern Egypt. 2. The former polity ruling that region. Labels: broadly Example: Except date trees, and a few grape vines which I saw at Derr, there are no fruit-trees in Nubia. The climate of Nubia, though intensely hot in summer, particularly in the narrow rocky parts of the country, is very healthy, owing perhaps to the extreme aridity of the atmosphere. Example: Our knowledge of Nubia at the end of the 19th dynasty gradually becomes sparser. It appears that the Egyptians withdrew to the north, while the local population emigrated to the south.
Word: nubile Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From French nubile, from Latin nūbilis (“marriageable”), from nūbō (“marry, to take as husband”), from Proto-Indo-European *snewbʰ- (“to marry, to wed”). Possibly cognate with Ancient Greek νύμφη (númphē, “bride, young wife, nymph”) (English nymph), but this is disputed. Pronunciation: /ˈnubaɪl/, /ˈnjuːbaɪl/ 1. Of an age suitable for marriage; marriageable (principally of a young woman). Example: "Pretty little thing, isn't she?" said Mrs. Budge huskily, and panted two or three times. "Yes," Denis nodded agreement. Sixteen, slender, but nubile, he said to himself, and laid up the phrase in his memory as a happy one. 2. Sexually attractive (especially of a young woman).
Word: nubile Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From French nubile, from Latin nūbilis (“marriageable”), from nūbō (“marry, to take as husband”), from Proto-Indo-European *snewbʰ- (“to marry, to wed”). Possibly cognate with Ancient Greek νύμφη (númphē, “bride, young wife, nymph”) (English nymph), but this is disputed. Pronunciation: /ˈnubaɪl/, /ˈnjuːbaɪl/ 1. A woman of marriageable age; a sexually attractive young woman
Word: nulled Part of Speech: verb Pronunciation: /nʌld/ 1. simple past and past participle of null Labels: form-of, participle, past
Word: nulled Part of Speech: adj Pronunciation: /nʌld/ 1. Turned so as to resemble nulled work. Labels: not-comparable
Word: nurser Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From nurse + -er. 1. One who nurses; a nurse; one who cherishes or encourages growth.
Word: nutate Part of Speech: verb Etymology: First attested in 1880; back-formation from nutation (1610s) on the basis of -ate (verb-forming suffix), from Latin nūtātiō (“a nodding”), from nūtō (“to nod”), from Proto-Indo-European *neu-. Compare mutate. 1. To rock or sway involuntarily. Labels: intransitive 2. To wobble; to make a circular rocking motion. Labels: intransitive
Word: oaf Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Variant of awf, aufe, probably from Old Norse álfr (“elf”) (whence Norwegian Bokmål alv). Doublet of alf and elf. Pronunciation: /əʊf/, /oʊf/ 1. A person, especially a large male, who is clumsy or a simpleton. Labels: derogatory Example: Ouch! You dropped that box on my feet, you lumbering oaf! 2. An ill-mannered person; a boor. Labels: dated, derogatory Example: I hope you haven't been thinking me an awful oaf for not writing to thank you for so many jolly games after I left Tapsfield? 3. An elf's child; a changeling left by fairies or goblins, hence, a deformed or foolish child. Labels: obsolete
Word: oater Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From oat + -er (“Variety -er”). First use appears c. 1945-50, alluding to the fodder for horses, which are common in the movies. Pronunciation: /ˈoʊ.tɚ/ 1. A movie or television show about cowboy or frontier life; a western movie. Labels: US, informal Example: In recent years the western or horse opera, known in the trade as the "oater," has come to be recognized as an art form just as formal as the ballet or the symphony. […] To prove his contention that all this is so, Life Photographer John Florea took these unusual pictures during the filming of Yellow Sky. This is a $1,450,000 western with big-name stars […] and technical talent from 20th Century's top drawer, but is basically a typical oater. Example: By far the more common was the low-budget "hoss opera" or "oater," ground out in relentless numbers by studios such as Universal and Republic, and designed basically for edification of the young, who took them in on Fridays and Saturdays[…] There were, to be sure, degrees of the oater; a somewhat more subtle version, designed for adult as well as child viewing, was also made.
Word: objets Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /oʊbˈʒeɪz/ 1. plural of objet Labels: form-of, plural
Word: oblate Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From French oblat and its source, Ecclesiastical Latin oblātus (“person dedicated to religious life”), nominalization of oblātus, perfect passive participle of offerō (“to offer”); see -ate (noun-forming suffix). Pronunciation: /ˈɒbleɪt/, /ɒˈbleɪt/, /ˈɑbleɪt/ 1. A person dedicated to a life of religion or monasticism, especially a member of an order without religious vows or a lay member of a religious community. 2. A child given up by its parents into the keeping or dedication of a religious order or house. Example: 2007, The Venerable Bede started as an oblate at St Paul's, Jarrow, but by the time of his death in 735 was surely the most learned man in Europe. — Tom Shippey, ‘I Lerne Song’, London Review of Books 29:4, p. 19
Word: oblate Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From French oblat and its source, Ecclesiastical Latin oblātus (“person dedicated to religious life”), nominalization of oblātus, perfect passive participle of offerō (“to offer”); see -ate (noun-forming suffix). Pronunciation: /ˈɒbleɪt/, /ɒˈbleɪt/, /ˈɑbleɪt/ 1. Designating a person who is an oblate, of or belonging to an order of oblates. Labels: capitalized, not-comparable Example: an Oblate Father
Word: oblate Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Late Latin oblātus, from Latin ob (“in front of, before”) + lātus (“broad, wide”), (modeled after prōlātus (“extended, lengthened”)). Pronunciation: /ˈɒbleɪt/, /ɒˈbleɪt/, /ˈɑbleɪt/ 1. Flattened or depressed at the poles. Example: The Earth is an oblate spheroid. Example: Why should I not speak to him or to any human being who walks upright upon this oblate orange?
Word: oblate Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Borrowed from Latin oblātus, perfect passive participle of offerō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Doublet of offer. Pronunciation: /ˈɒbleɪt/, /ɒˈbleɪt/, /ˈɑbleɪt/ 1. To offer as either a gift or an oblation. Labels: rare
Word: oboe Part of Speech: noun Etymology: An earlier form in English is hautboy, but the spelling oboe was adopted into English ca. 1770 from the Italian oboè, a transliteration in that language's orthography of the 17th-century pronunciation of the French word hautbois, a compound word made of haut (“high, loud, high-pitched”) and bois (“wood, woodwind”). Pronunciation: /ˈəʊbəʊ/, /ˈoʊboʊ/, /ˈoʊbɔɪ/ 1. A soprano and melody wind instrument in the modern orchestra and wind ensemble. It is a smaller instrument and generally made of grenadilla wood. It is a member of the double reed family. Example: Whistles, mirlitons, flutes, trumpets or horns, clarinets, and oboes are all played in one or more parts of the continent. Example: This does become monstrously antimusical in one scene: when Tchaikovsky’s music, softly depicting the sleeping palace (my favorite passage of this composer’s entire oeuvre, with its beautifully muffled oboe melody suggesting how beauty ripens in sleep like a chrysalis), is turned into an epic battle for the poor passive Prince, conducted between the wicked Carabosse, with her ghoulish minions, and the Lilac Fairy, with her elves.
Word: oboist Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree English oboe Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Hellenic *-tās Ancient Greek -τής (-tḗs) Ancient Greek -ῐστής (-ĭstḗs)bor. Latin -istader. Old French -istebor. Middle English -ist English -ist English oboist From oboe + -ist. 1. Someone who plays an oboe.
Word: ocelot Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From French ocelot, a word formed by Buffon from Classical Nahuatl ōcēlōtl (“jaguar”). Pronunciation: /ˈɒsəlɒt/, /ˈɑsəlɑt/ 1. An American feline carnivore (Leopardus pardalis, syn. Felis pardalis) covered with blackish ocellated spots and blotches which are variously arranged.
Word: octane Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From oct- + -ane. Pronunciation: /ˈɒkteɪn/ 1. Any of the eighteen isomeric aliphatic hydrocarbons (C₈H₁₈) found in petroleum, especially an iso-octane 2,2,4 trimethyl-pentane; they are used as fuels and solvents. 2. octane number
Word: octant Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Latin octāns. Doublet of Octans. 1. The eighth part of a circle; an arc of 45 degrees. 2. The aspect of two planets that are 45°, or one-eighth of a circle, apart. 3. The eighth part of a disc; a sector of 45 degrees; half a quadrant. 4. An instrument for measuring angles, particularly of elevation.
Word: oft Part of Speech: adv Etymology: From Middle English oft (also ofte, often > Modern English often), from Old English oft (“often”), from Proto-West Germanic *oftu, *oftō, from Proto-Germanic *uftō (“often”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian oafte (“oft, often”), West Frisian oft, ofte (“oft, often”), Dutch oft (“oft, often”), German oft (“oft, often”). More at often. Pronunciation: /ɔft/, /ɑft/, /ɒft/ 1. often; frequently; not rarely Labels: dialectal, in-compounds, poetic Example: An oft-told tale Example: What I can do, can do no hurt to try: Since you ſet up your reſt 'gainſt remedy: He that of greateſt works is finiſher, Oft does them by the weakeſt miniſter; So holy writ in babes hath judgment ſhown, When judges have been babes.
Word: ofter Part of Speech: adv 1. comparative form of oft: more oft; more often Labels: comparative, dialectal, form-of, poetic
Word: ohmic Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Etymology tree English ohm Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icuslbor. Old French -iquebor. Middle English -ik English -ic English ohmic From ohm + -ic. Pronunciation: /ˈoʊmɪk/, /ˈəʊmɪk/ 1. Of or relating to, or measured in, ohms. 2. That obeys Ohm's law
Word: olefin Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From olefiant, "oil-producing". Pronunciation: /ˈəʊləfɪn/ 1. Any of a class of unsaturated open-chain hydrocarbons such as ethylene; an alkene with only one carbon-carbon double bond.
Word: omened Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From omen + -ed. 1. Acting as, or containing, an omen or omens. Labels: not-comparable Example: happy-omened day
Word: onyx Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English onix (c. 1300), earlier oniche (c. 1250), from Old French oniche or onix, from Latin onyx, from Ancient Greek ὄνυξ (ónux, “onyx”). Doublet of unguis. Pronunciation: /ˈɒnɪks/ 1. A banded variety of chalcedony, a cryptocrystalline form of quartz. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: People talk about using marble in the bathrooms. Marble wasn't good enough for use—we have onyx! 2. A jet-black color, named after the gemstone. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Near-synonyms: ebony, raven 3. Any of various lycaenid butterflies of the genus Horaga. Labels: countable, uncountable
Word: onyx Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English onix (c. 1300), earlier oniche (c. 1250), from Old French oniche or onix, from Latin onyx, from Ancient Greek ὄνυξ (ónux, “onyx”). Doublet of unguis. Pronunciation: /ˈɒnɪks/ 1. Jet-black; often, glossily so. Labels: not-comparable Example: Near-synonyms: ebony, raven Example: And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.
Word: oocyte Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From oo- + -cyte. Pronunciation: /ˈəʊəsʌɪt/, /ˈoʊ.oʊ.saɪt/ 1. A cell that develops into an egg or ovum; a female gametocyte.
Word: opal Part of Speech: noun Etymology: In Florio’s A World of Words 1598 as opale, from French opale, from Latin opalus, from Byzantine Greek ὀπάλλιος (opállios), from Sanskrit उपल (upala, “gem, stone”), from उपरि (upári, “the upper millstone”). Distantly related to over. Pronunciation: /ˈəʊpəl/, /ˈoʊpəl/ 1. A mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity, of the chemical formula SiO₂·nH₂O. Example: Although there are dozens of different types of gems, among the best known and most important are […] . (Common gem materials not addressed in this article include amber, amethyst, chalcedony, garnet, lazurite, malachite, opals, peridot, rhodonite, spinel, tourmaline, turquoise and zircon.) 2. A mineral consisting, like quartz, of silica, but inferior to quartz in hardness and specific gravity, of the chemical formula SiO₂·nH₂O. 3. The colour of opal: any shade of blue with bright flecks of other colours, such as white, yellow, and red. Example: The witchery of the dawn turned the grey river-reaches to purple, gold, and opal; and it was as though the lumbering dhoni crept across the splendors of a new heaven. 4. A colloquial name used in molecular biology referring to a particular stop codon sequence, "UGA." 5. Any of various lycaenid butterflies of the genus Nesolycaena.
Word: operon Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From operator + -on. 1. A unit of genetic material that functions in a coordinated manner by means of an operator, a promoter, and structural genes that are transcribed together.
Word: opine Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Borrowed from Middle French opiner, from Latin opīnor (“to hold as an opinion”), from *opīnus (“thinking, expecting”), only in negative nec-opīnus (“not expecting”) and in-opīnus (“not expected”); akin to optō (“to choose, desire”), and to apīscor (“to obtain”); see optate and opt. Pronunciation: /ə(ʊ)ˈpaɪn/, /oʊˈpaɪn/, /əʉˈpɑen/, /ɐʉˈpaɪn/, [ɐʉˈpɑe̯n] 1. To express an opinion; to state as an opinion; to suppose, consider (that). Labels: intransitive, transitive Example: I opined that matters would soon become considerably worse. Example: "Your decisions," she opined, "have been unfailingly disastrous for this company." 2. To give one's formal opinion (on or upon something). Labels: intransitive Example: I had to opine on the situation because I thought a different perspective was in order. 3. To suppose, consider as correct, or entertain, an opinion. Labels: intransitive, transitive Example: Do you, Maister Francis, opine that ye will re-establish your father's credit by cutting your kinsman's thrapple, or getting your ain sneckit instead thereof in the College-yards of Glasgow? Example: This, I opine, is a correct and fair statement of the case.
Word: opine Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Derived from Ancient Greek ὀπός (opós, “juice of a plant”) + -ine. 1. Any of a class of organic compounds, derived from amino acids, found in some plant galls.
Word: orate Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Partly borrowed from Latin ōrātus, perfect passive participle of ōrō (“to speak; to pray”) and/or partly back-formation from oration, from Latin ōrātiō (“speech, discourse, oration”); either way, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix). By surface analysis, Latin or- + -ate. Pronunciation: /ɔːˈɹeɪt/, /ɒɹˈeɪt/, /əˈɹeɪt/, /ˈɔɹ.eɪt/, /ɔˈɹeɪt/ 1. To speak formally; to give a speech. 2. To speak passionately; to preach for or against something.
Word: orate Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Partly borrowed from Latin ōrātus, perfect passive participle of ōrō (“to speak; to pray”) and/or partly back-formation from oration, from Latin ōrātiō (“speech, discourse, oration”); either way, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix). By surface analysis, Latin or- + -ate. Pronunciation: /ɔːˈɹeɪt/, /ɒɹˈeɪt/, /əˈɹeɪt/, /ˈɔɹ.eɪt/, /ɔˈɹeɪt/ 1. Competent in oracy; having good speaking skills.
Word: ornery Part of Speech: adj Etymology: A contracted or dialectal pronunciation of ordinary. Sense 3 (“ordinary, commonplace”) was the earliest sense; the meaning of the word then shifted to “inferior, plain-looking, unpleasant”—presumably due to ordinariness—and finally to sense 1 (“disagreeable, stubborn, and troublesome to deal with”). Pronunciation: /ˈɔːnəɹi/, /ˈɔːnɹi/, /ˈɔɹnəɹi/, /ˈɔɹnɹi/, /ˈɔnɹi/ 1. Disagreeable, stubborn, and troublesome to deal with; cantankerous. Labels: Appalachia, especially, informal Example: Seemingly here was an intruder who was violating custom. Moreover, the partners had come to look upon this exceedingly rich district as their exclusive property. And so their indignation was extreme. "The low-down, ornery cuss!" said Dobbs. "The nerve of him, crowdin' in on us, just as if there wasn't lots of other places for him to go!" Example: Through Michael sped the thought: 'Could I make her jealous?' And he was shocked at it. A low-down thought—mean and ornery! 2. Troublesome to deal with in a good way; mischievous, prankish, teasing. Labels: US, general, humorous, informal 3. Ordinary, commonplace; hence, inferior, plain-looking, unpleasant. Labels: obsolete