nandhakumarms/qualc-wiktionary-en huggingface dataset:
Word: anti-aliasing Part of Speech: noun 1. Alternative form of antialiasing. Labels: alt-of, alternative, uncountable
Word: aquacise Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ékʷeh₂ Proto-Italic *akʷā Latin aqua Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos Proto-Italic *-ātos Latin -ātus Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icus Latin -āticus Latin aquāticusder. Middle French aquatiquebor. English aquatic Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰ Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰs Proto-Italic *eks Latin ex Latin ex- Proto-Indo-European *h₂erk-der. Proto-Italic *arkeō Latin arceō Latin exerceō Latin exercitiumder. Old French exercisebor. Middle English exercise English exercise blend English aquacise Blend of aquatic + exercise. Pronunciation: /ˈækwə(ˌ)saɪz/, /ˈɑːkwə(ˌ)saɪz/ 1. A type of physical exercise practiced in water mostly vertically and without swimming, typically in a swimming pool in waist deep or deeper water. Labels: uncountable
Word: aquacise Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ékʷeh₂ Proto-Italic *akʷā Latin aqua Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos Proto-Italic *-ātos Latin -ātus Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icus Latin -āticus Latin aquāticusder. Middle French aquatiquebor. English aquatic Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰ Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰs Proto-Italic *eks Latin ex Latin ex- Proto-Indo-European *h₂erk-der. Proto-Italic *arkeō Latin arceō Latin exerceō Latin exercitiumder. Old French exercisebor. Middle English exercise English exercise blend English aquacise Blend of aquatic + exercise. Pronunciation: /ˈækwə(ˌ)saɪz/, /ˈɑːkwə(ˌ)saɪz/ 1. To practice such exercise. Labels: informal Example: She aquacised the hippos in the zoo's pond before feeding them.
Word: authoring Part of Speech: verb 1. present participle and gerund of author Labels: form-of, gerund, participle, present
Word: authoring Part of Speech: noun 1. The process of creating the content of a document or other content item, i.e., writing or composition. 2. The result of this process; a writing or composition.
Word: multimedia Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *mel-der. Proto-Indo-European *ml̥tós? Proto-Italic *moltos Latin multus Latin multīder. Middle English multi- English multi- English media English multimedia From multi- + media. Pronunciation: /ˌmʌltiˈmiːdi.ə/, /ˌmʌltiˈmidi.ə/, /ˌmɐltiˈmiːdi.ə/, /ˌmaltiˈmiːdi.ə/ 1. The combined use of sound, video, and text to present an idea. Labels: uncountable
Word: multimedia Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *mel-der. Proto-Indo-European *ml̥tós? Proto-Italic *moltos Latin multus Latin multīder. Middle English multi- English multi- English media English multimedia From multi- + media. Pronunciation: /ˌmʌltiˈmiːdi.ə/, /ˌmʌltiˈmidi.ə/, /ˌmɐltiˈmiːdi.ə/, /ˌmaltiˈmiːdi.ə/ 1. of, or relating to this combined use of media Labels: not-comparable 2. of, or relating to an application that can combine such media into an integrated package Labels: not-comparable
Word: authoring program Part of Speech: noun 1. Software that can combine text with other multimedia to make an integrated package.
Word: ladette Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Middle English ladde English lad Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Italic *-tosder.? Latin -ittus Old French -ettebor. Middle English -ette English -ette English ladette From lad + -ette. Pronunciation: /læˈdɛt/ 1. A young woman who behaves in a laddish manner, namely being boisterous and loud and drinking to excess. Labels: informal Example: It could be argued that the rise of the socially conscious model reflects a very 2017 archetype: the “woke” young woman, who looks set to define femininity this decade in the same way that the lager-swilling ladette did in the 90s. It is also symptomatic of a broader cultural “awokening” that has reached the stuffiest institutions; even the royal family has recently relaxed its upper lip. Example: So the rise in drinking seems to centre on gen X women, or, to give us our proper title, ladettes.
Word: meishi Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Japanese 名刺. 1. A Japanese business card. Example: Typically, a meishi features the company name at the top in the largest print, followed by the job title and then the name of the individual.
Word: business card Part of Speech: noun 1. A small card with a person's name and professional information (such as occupation, business phone number, e-mail address, etc.).
Word: back to basics Part of Speech: adv Etymology: From back + to + basics. 1. back to fundamental principles Labels: not-comparable Example: You can't teach them calculus when they can't add up; let's get back to basics. Example: While Strachan’s men have succeeded in adopting a more expansive, fluid style of play in recent times, it was very much a case of back to basics for this one.
Word: back to basics Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From back + to + basics. 1. A conscious return to principles such as self-respect, decency and honesty; especially the discredited policy of the Conservative government in the 1990s. Labels: UK, uncountable
Word: e-mail address Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /ˈiːmeɪl əˈdɹɛs/ 1. A unique identifier of the form user name@domain name specifying a virtual location to which e-mail can be sent.
Word: balsamic vinegar Part of Speech: noun 1. A dark, sweet vinegar, made from reduced white wine, that has been matured in wooden barrels, the resins of which contribute to its flavour; especially such a vinegar from Modena in Italy. Labels: countable, uncountable
Word: banoffee pie Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Blend of banana + toffee + pie 1. A dessert made from bananas, toffee and cream on a base of crushed biscuit or similar. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Many walkers who had never travelled this route before were hugely impressed by the scenic beauty of the line, which they enjoyed along with another excellent meal of lasagne with garlic bread, followed by banoffee pie.
Word: email address Part of Speech: noun 1. Alternative form of e-mail address. Labels: alt-of, alternative
Word: BASE jump Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From BASE (“building, antenna-tower, span, earth”) + jump. 1. A parachute jump from a fixed point rather than from an aircraft; typically from a tall building, high bridge or rock formation.
Word: BASE jump Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From BASE (“building, antenna-tower, span, earth”) + jump. 1. To make such a jump. Labels: intransitive Example: Adventurer Johnny Strange, who grew up in Malibu, was killed Thursday when he crashed while wingsuit BASE jumping in the Swiss Alps.
Word: palo Part of Speech: noun 1. Any of the traditional musical forms in flamenco.
Word: CGI Part of Speech: noun 1. Initialism of Computer-Generated Imagery. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, initialism, uncountable
Word: CGI Part of Speech: name 1. Initialism of Common Gateway Interface. Labels: Internet, abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Word: CGI Part of Speech: verb 1. To create visuals using computer-generated imagery; to apply visual effects. Labels: informal, transitive Example: When a Transformer turns into a car, do you think it's a real car or was it also CGIed?
Word: bumboat Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Dutch bomschuit (“small fishing boat”) + boat. 1. A small boat used for carrying provisions to ships lying at anchor in a harbour.
Word: bumpkin Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Dutch boomken (“shrub, little tree”), equivalent to boom + -kin. Note that the English word boom is etymologically related to the aforementioned in the sense of "large stem", or "big tree". Compare German Baumke, Bäumchen. Pronunciation: /ˈbʌmpkɪn/, /ˈbʊmpkɪn/ 1. A clumsy, unsophisticated person; a yokel. Example: Since the onset of modernity in the nineteenth century, West Bengalis or ghotis from the Calcutta area, who are generally Hindu, have enjoyed a certain cultural ascendancy within Bengal: they consider themselves more modern, more culturally refined, and more progressive than the bangals, who are dismissed as comparatively backward country bumpkins. 2. A short boom or spar used to extend a sail or secure a stay. 3. Dance, a series of reels, Scottish. Example: They mix with Dancers, who now advance to the front, where a bumpkin, or dance of many interwoven reels, is performed; after which the Bride is led to a seat, and some of her Maidens sit by her.
Word: buoyage Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree English buoy Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos Proto-Italic *-ātos Latin -ātus Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icus Latin -āticus Latin -āticum Old French -agebor. Middle English -age English -age English buoyage From buoy + -age. 1. A series of buoys or floating beacons to mark the course for vessels. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: It has not been considered necessary to make any special inspection of particular ports or rivers in the United Kingdom, the greater number of the Committee being already more or less familar with the buoyage of our coasts. Example: There is no description available of the vessel, which served here until it was replaced by buoyage marking these channels . 2. Any of several codes of practice under which buoys of various shapes and colours are used for the same navigational purpose. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: For the more important channels the marking is done principally by means of buoys, and this makes the buoyage systems of very special importance in North America, and accounts for the large number in proportion to the area considered; more than half of the buoys of the world are in North America. Example: This chart will be affected by the introduction of a new system of buoyage (IALA System A) scheduled for implementation between April and August 1977. 3. A fee charged to all boats that use waters that are marked with buoys, which goes to their maintenance. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: The Corporation of the Trinity House supply the Humber with buoys and lights, and license pilots; all vessels pay buoyage, and a primage is paid on the cargoes from foreign vessels; and this Corporation also appoint the dock and harbour-masters. Example: Another great drawback for ships coming here is the heavy tonnage dues which are laid on every outgoing ship and the heavy buoyage tax levied on the steamers.
Word: code of practice Part of Speech: noun 1. A set of guidelines and regulations to be followed by members of some profession, trade, occupation, organization etc.; does not normally have the force of law. Example: The Group has recently concentrated on two main objectives, the implementation of a Code of Practice on minor station improvements and the preparation of a stock list of approved items of equipment for railway stations.
Word: burgee Part of Speech: noun 1. A flag, usually a broad tapering pennant, often with a swallowtail, flown by yachts to identify the owner's yacht club. 2. A flag in the form of a triangular swallowtail pennant regardless of use, as in the State Flag of Ohio, officially the 'Ohio Burgee'.
Word: swallowtail Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From swallow + tail. Pronunciation: /ˈswɒl.əʊˌteɪl/ 1. The forked tail of a swallow. 2. Anything, such as a burgee, of a similar forked shape. 3. A type of tailcoat with two long tapering tails. Example: They have a peculiar style of dress which they wear among themselves, a close-fitting white shirt with black trousers, and a black frock or upper shirt. The women seem to prefer a dress entirely black. On festivals and state occasions they adopt the swallow-tail coat, chimney-pot hat, and their accompaniments, displaying all the absurdity of our European fashionable dress. Example: It was April 22, 1831, and a young man was walking down Whitehall in the direction of Parliament Street. He wore shepherd's plaid trousers and the swallow-tail coat of the day, with a figured muslin cravat wound about his wide-spread collar. 4. Any of various butterflies of the family Papilionidae, many of which have a long extension to each hindwing. Example: Here I obtained the rare and beautiful swallow-tail butterflies, Papilio aenomaus and P. liris; the males of which are quite unlike each other, and belong in fact to distinct sections of the genus, while the females are so much alike that they are undistinguishable on the wing, and to an uneducated eye equally so in the cabinet. Example: Claudette visit me […] and the biggest, most beautiful black-and-yellow Jamaican swallowtail butterfly follow behind she, like it give us it little blessing.
Word: Shirl Part of Speech: name Pronunciation: /ʃɜːl/, /ʃɝl/ 1. A short form of the female given name Shirley. Example: Roland Jakes trips over the doorway and makes his way to Luisa. “Uh, this seat free? Didn’t eat a bite this morning. Shirl’s left me. Again.” 2. A surname.
Word: burgoo Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Of unclear origin. Apparently from the dialectal term burgood (“yeast”). * Perhaps ultimately from Welsh burym (“yeast”) + cawl (“cabbage, gruel”), * Or perhaps from Arabic بُرْغُل (burḡul). * Or, from an alteration of ragout. 1. A dish which originated among seafarers during the days of sail: a sort of porridge seasoned with sugar, salt and butter. Labels: countable, uncountable 2. A spicy stew, typically made with a combination of meats and vegetables, and often served with cornbread or corn muffins. Labels: Midwestern-US, countable, uncountable
Word: Shirley Part of Speech: name Etymology: English place name from Old English sċīr (“county”) + lēah (“meadow”). Equivalent to shire + -ley (“lea”). More at shire, leigh. Pronunciation: /ˈʃɜː(ɹ)li/ 1. An English habitational surname Example: Hold vp they head, vile Scot, or thou art like / Neuer to hold it vp againe! the spirits / Of valiant Sherley, Stafford, Blunt, are in my Armes; 2. A male given name transferred from the surname. Labels: rare Example: Shirley Blythe was with Una Meredith and both were rather silent because such was their nature. Shirley was a lad of sixteen, sedate, sensible, thoughtful, full of a quiet humour. 3. A female given name transferred from the surname, popular from the 1920s to the 1950s. Example: Shirley Keeldar (she had no christian name but Shirley: her parents, who had wished to have a son, finding that, after eight years of marriage, Providence had granted them only a daughter, bestowed on her the same masculine family cognomen they would have bestowed on a boy, if with a boy they had been blessed)—[…] Example: "Why a girl like you should be named Shirley is beyond me. You haven't a ruffle or a furbelow anywhere in your nature." "Is that meant for an insult?" she asked, flushing angrily. "No, it's just that it's incongruous. You are the 'give us this day our daily bread' sort of person. Shirley is party stuff." 4. Various places in England: 5. Various places in England: 6. Various places in England: 7. Various places in England: 8. Various places in England: 9. Various places in the United States: 10. Various places in the United States: 11. Various places in the United States: 12. Various places in the United States: 13. Various places in the United States: 14. Various places in the United States: 15. Various places in the United States: 16. Various places in the United States: 17. Various places in the United States: 18. Various places in the United States: 19. Various places in the United States: 20. Various places in the United States: 21. Various places in the United States: 22. Various places in the United States: 23. A suburb of Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand.
Word: Shirley Part of Speech: adv Etymology: A pun on surely and the name Shirley; probably inspired by the 1980 comedy film Airplane!, which has the exchange: "Surely you can’t be serious." "I am serious — and don’t call me Shirley." Pronunciation: /ˈʃɜː(ɹ)li/ 1. surely Labels: humorous, informal, not-comparable Example: Shirley the pepper mills are whipped away by the peppier after use, so no danger there. But what about the candles?
Word: burthen Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Old form of burden. Compare similar development in murder. Pronunciation: /ˈbɝðn̩/, /ˈbɜːðn̩/ 1. Archaic form of burden. Labels: alt-of, archaic Example: Nor less, I trust, To them I may have owed another gift, Of aspect more sublime; that blessed mood, In which the burthen of the mystery, In which the heavy and the weary weight Of all this unintelligible world, Is lightened: Example: It was with a daughter of Mr Shepherd, who had returned, after an unprosperous marriage, to her father's house, with the additional burthen of two children. 2. Archaic form of burden. Labels: historical, obsolete Example: It was a vessel of about seventy tons burthen, and shaped something like a Chinese junk. Example: [...] and thence to Calstock, a town on the Tamar, which is washed by the sea flowing through Plymouth Sound and Hamoaze, and which place vessels of 200 tons burthen can reach at spring tides—[...]. 3. Archaic form of burden. 4. Archaic form of burden.
Word: burthen Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Old form of burden. Compare similar development in murder. Pronunciation: /ˈbɝðn̩/, /ˈbɜːðn̩/ 1. Archaic form of burden. Labels: alt-of, archaic Example: he other men were variously burthened; some carrying picks and shovels – for that had been the very first necessary they brought ashore from the Hispaniola – others laden with pork, bread, and brandy for the midday meal.
Word: firming Part of Speech: adj 1. Of beauty products, intended to make the skin firmer. Labels: not-comparable Example: firming gel
Word: firming Part of Speech: verb 1. present participle and gerund of firm Labels: form-of, gerund, participle, present
Word: welly Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Clipping of Wellington boot + -y. Pronunciation: /ˈwɛli/ 1. Wellington boot. Labels: countable, informal Example: Dad has great big welly boots. For squishing in the mud; Two great big black welly boots: Thud, thud, thud. 2. Force on a pedal or increase to any fuel or power for an engine or motor. Labels: informal, uncountable 3. Force or effort. Labels: informal, uncountable Example: Come on! Put some welly into it!
Word: welly Part of Speech: adv Etymology: From welne, a dialectal variant of well-nigh. 1. Almost; nearly. Labels: Ireland, UK, dialectal, not-comparable, obsolete Example: A person exceedingly hungry says, "I'm welly clem'd; I'm almost or well-nigh starved." It is the ordinary appeal of a beggar in the streets, when asking for food.
Word: welly Part of Speech: adv 1. very. Labels: not-comparable Example: The real thrill comes to the investigator when, convinced that he is no mere casual diner, the waiter grins broadly and says, "You don't worry. I get you something welly nice."
Word: give it some welly Part of Speech: verb 1. To increase fuel or power to an engine, as to a car by depressing the gas pedal. Labels: UK Example: Believe me, if you give it a little welly down a twisty B-road this car feels pretty entertaining Example: Having put the engineer at ease, I think, it was time to give the car some welly and I was amazed how effortlessly it rocketed up to, er, high speeds, then lost speed almost as rapidly when the powerful brakes came into use. 2. To apply great physical effort to (something). Labels: UK Example: First they always obey the golden rule ‘Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might’ (Ecclesiastes 9:19), which translates as ‘always give it some welly’. Example: I was then given the floor and had already determined that an impassioned rather than a measured delivery was what the occasion called for and as these opportunities do not present themselves very often I thought I would give it some welly.
Word: clitoral hood Part of Speech: noun 1. A fold of skin that surrounds and protects the clitoris, homologous with the male foreskin; the female prepuce. Example: With a Q-tip, Dr. Rubin probes each part of the vulva for pain, pointing out the labia minora, labia majora and vaginal opening as her patient follows along. Then, she checks under the clitoral hood for adhesions or other skin conditions.
Word: clitoral Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From clitoris + -al. Pronunciation: /ˈklɪtəɹəl/, /klɪˈtɔɹəl/ 1. Of or relating to the clitoris. Labels: not-comparable Example: a clitoral orgasm Example: A clitoral orgasm is a localised phenomenon restricted to the clitoris itself.
Word: glower Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From an alteration (possibly Scots) of glore, from Middle English glōren, glouren (“to gleam; to glare, glower”); or from glow (“to stare”) (obsolete), and ultimately from a Scandinavian (North Germanic) language. Cognate with Low German gloren (“to flicker; to glimmer”), Dutch gloren, Icelandic glóra. By surface analysis, glow + -er (fossilized frequentative suffix). See more at glare. Pronunciation: /ˈɡlaʊə(ɹ)/ 1. To look or stare with anger. Labels: intransitive Example: [...] Last Morning I was unco airly out, / Upon a Dyke I lean'd and glowr'd about; / I ſaw my Meg come linkan o'er the Lee, / I ſaw my Meg, but Maggie ſaw na me: [...] Example: Now look at this board that I just flung into the dark aisle out o' the way, while Monkbarns was glowering ower a' the silver yonder.
Word: glower Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From an alteration (possibly Scots) of glore, from Middle English glōren, glouren (“to gleam; to glare, glower”); or from glow (“to stare”) (obsolete), and ultimately from a Scandinavian (North Germanic) language. Cognate with Low German gloren (“to flicker; to glimmer”), Dutch gloren, Icelandic glóra. By surface analysis, glow + -er (fossilized frequentative suffix). See more at glare. Pronunciation: /ˈɡlaʊə(ɹ)/ 1. An angry glare or stare. Example: She sure has an awful glower on her face. Example: [H]e [Rab, a dog] growled and gave now and then a sharp impatient yelp; he would have liked to have done something to that man. But James had him firm, and gave him a glower from time to time, and an intimation of a possible kick;—all the better for James, it kept his eye and his mind off Ailie.
Word: glower Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English glouere, equivalent to glow + -er. Pronunciation: /ˈɡləʊə(ɹ)/, /ˈɡloʊə(ɹ)/ 1. That which glows or emits light. Example: Table 45 presents computed relative and absolute values for the spectral radiant emittance of a Nernst glower at T = 1965 and 2000°K (the corresponding emissivities are 0.427 and 0.438).
Word: explicit Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Borrowed from French explicite, from Latin explicitus (“disentangled, easy”), variant of explicātus. Pronunciation: /ɪkˈsplɪs.ɪt/, /ɛk-/ 1. Very specific, clear, or detailed. Example: I gave explicit instructions for him to stay here, but he followed me, anyway. Example: If the task is indeed a difficult one, it may be worthwhile to attempt an explicit statement as to those aspects of the endeavor that appear to have the greatest importance for success or failure. 2. Containing material (e.g. language or film footage) that might be deemed offensive or graphic through clear and direct expressions. Labels: euphemistic Example: The film had several scenes including explicit language and sex. Example: Cerberus Scientist: I'm sorry, sir. None of Normandy's surveillance feeds have been responding since Shepard went rogue. Illusive Man: I want it back. Retry the remote lockdown protocols. Cerberus Scientist: After our last attempt, EDI flooded our server with seven zettabytes of explicit images. I think she was making a joke.
Word: explicit Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /ɪkˈsplɪs.ɪt/, /ɛk-/ 1. The final few words of a text.
Word: explicit Part of Speech: phrase Etymology: Abbreviated from Latin explicitus est liber (“the book is set in order, ended”). Pronunciation: /ɪkˈsplɪs.ɪt/, /ɛk-/ 1. Used at the conclusion of a book to indicate the end. Labels: obsolete
Word: scarf down Part of Speech: verb 1. To eat (something) quickly. Labels: US, informal, transitive Example: I plan to scarf down the rest of this sandwich and get back to work. Example: It was Jan. 26 — just two days into GameStop’s big week — when he and his brother hit up Hooters, scarfed down 30 wings and got 10 more to go.
Word: haute couture Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Unadapted borrowing from French haute couture (“haute couture, high fashion”), from haute (“high, elegant”) + couture (“sewing”). Pronunciation: /əʊt kuːˈtjʊə/ 1. High fashion as produced in Paris and imitated in other fashion capitals such as New York, London, and Milan. Labels: uncountable Example: But there are, unquestionably, parts of the clothes conversation that are less accessible than others. Most notably, the haute couture. 2. The fashion houses or fashion designers that create exclusive and often trendsetting fashions. Labels: uncountable 3. Any unique stylish design made to order for wealthy and high-status clients. Labels: uncountable 4. French fashion. Labels: uncountable
Word: slide rule Part of Speech: noun 1. An analog calculator consisting of three interlocking strips marked with logarithmic scales, such that multiplication, division etc. can be performed by the equivalent of addition and subtraction.
Word: returnee Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From return + -ee. Pronunciation: /ɹɪˌtɜːˈniː/, /ɹɪˌtɝˈniː/ 1. Someone who comes back or returns, especially to their own country or region. Example: They recognise too, from the gait, from her posture, that whatever this returnee’s specific reasons for crossing whatever borders she did, they were painful, heavier still than all of her luggage. 2. A person who sends something back.
Word: BANANA Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Contrived acronym of build absolutely nothing anywhere near anyone (or anything), as a play on "bananas" meaning "crazy, mad" Pronunciation: /bəˈnɑːnə/, /bəˈnænə/ 1. One who objects to the building of any structure in their neighbourhood or a certain type of structure anywhere, especially in public policy debate. Labels: attributive, derogatory, humorous, informal, often Example: David Taylor (Letters, January 23) does not appear to be aware that the NIMBY syndrome, with all its parochial overtones, has been superseded by the all embracing BANANA syndrome – Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone. Example: Communities have gone far beyond the NIMBY, or not-in-my-backyard, syndrome. Jeff Langholtz, of EPA's Hazardous Site Control Division said, "Right now they don't want us to build them anywhere." Langholtz called the latest in public thinking "BANANA" – build-absolutely-nothing-anywhere-near-anything. Those opposed to incinerators are more organized than ever, he added.
Word: NIMBY Part of Speech: phrase Etymology: Was used in a 1980 article by British writer Emilie Travel Livezey; popularized by British politician Nicholas Ridley, who was Conservative Secretary of State for the Environment. Prior to that, Joseph A. Lieberman, a member of the US Atomic Energy Commission, gave a keynote address in early 1979 at the Fort Magruder Conference Center in which he reportedly asserted that "the 'nimby' (not in my backyard) syndrome must be eliminated." As reported in the Newport News (Virginia) Daily Press, Tuesday, February 13th, 1979, "Radioactive Waste: National Regulations Needed." Source: WorldHistories.net. Pronunciation: /ˈnɪmbi/ 1. Alternative letter-case form of nimby. Labels: UK, US, alt-of Example: In cities like Houston, for example, all-white zoning boards targeted Black neighborhoods for the siting of noxious facilities, like landfills, incinerators and garbage dumps. Robert Bullard, a professor of urban planning and environmental policy at Texas Southern University, has called the practice “PIBBY” or “Place In Blacks’ Back Yard” — a spin on the acronym “NIMBY” (“Not In My Back Yard”).
Word: NIMBY Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Was used in a 1980 article by British writer Emilie Travel Livezey; popularized by British politician Nicholas Ridley, who was Conservative Secretary of State for the Environment. Prior to that, Joseph A. Lieberman, a member of the US Atomic Energy Commission, gave a keynote address in early 1979 at the Fort Magruder Conference Center in which he reportedly asserted that "the 'nimby' (not in my backyard) syndrome must be eliminated." As reported in the Newport News (Virginia) Daily Press, Tuesday, February 13th, 1979, "Radioactive Waste: National Regulations Needed." Source: WorldHistories.net. Pronunciation: /ˈnɪmbi/ 1. Opposition to something deemed harmful or unpleasant being located in one's own neighborhood. Labels: uncountable Example: The very thought of having even a secure landfill anywhere near them is anathema to most Americans today. It's an attitude referred to in the trade as NIMBY -- "not in my backyard." Example: Newman believes much of the resistance to the project stems from NIMBY (Not-In-My-Back-Yard) sentiment 2. Synonym of nimby. Labels: countable Example: Here again, the NIMBYs will try to derail any new dam project. Example: To distinguish themselves from NIMBYs, the current generation of housing activists has adopted new “back yard” variants (YIMBY, “Yes in my backyard”; PHIMBY, “Public housing in my backyard”; YIGBY, “Yes in God’s backyard”) to declare how they are for things (everything, subsidized housing, building on church parking lots) that a NIMBY presumably is not.
Word: NIMBY Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Was used in a 1980 article by British writer Emilie Travel Livezey; popularized by British politician Nicholas Ridley, who was Conservative Secretary of State for the Environment. Prior to that, Joseph A. Lieberman, a member of the US Atomic Energy Commission, gave a keynote address in early 1979 at the Fort Magruder Conference Center in which he reportedly asserted that "the 'nimby' (not in my backyard) syndrome must be eliminated." As reported in the Newport News (Virginia) Daily Press, Tuesday, February 13th, 1979, "Radioactive Waste: National Regulations Needed." Source: WorldHistories.net. Pronunciation: /ˈnɪmbi/ 1. Synonym of nimby. Example: The problem is that these demands tend to be more parochial than millenial,^([sic]) much more NIMBY (not in my back yard) than global, and more concerned with financial well-being than ecological health. Example: “There's a very 'NIMBY' feel about it,” Allen said.
Word: sciagraphy Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Ancient Greek σκιά (skiá, “shadow”) + -graphy. 1. The art of representing shadows as realistically as possible. Labels: countable, uncountable 2. A vertical section through a building. Labels: countable, obsolete, uncountable 3. Radiography. Labels: countable, uncountable 4. The making of sundials. Labels: countable, uncountable
Word: ERA Part of Speech: noun 1. Initialism of Earth rotation angle (the rotation of the Earth from the Celestial Intermediate Origin that has no instantaneous motion along the equator.) Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable 2. Initialism of earned run average, a baseball statistic. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable Example: Taylor, listed at 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, went 0-1 with a 1.01 ERA in 15 games for Birmingham. He struck out 37 in 26 2/3 innings. 3. Initialism of electrically reconfigurable array. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable 4. Initialism of explosive reactive armor. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable 5. Initialism of engine room artificer, a Royal Navy position. Labels: UK, abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
Word: ERA Part of Speech: name 1. Initialism of European Railway Agency, called today the European Union Agency for Railways. Labels: European-Union, abbreviation, alt-of, initialism 2. Initialism of Equal Rights Amendment, a proposed amendment to the US Constitution. Labels: US, abbreviation, alt-of, initialism Example: ERA meant the equality of women, to those who urgently sought it, to those who abhorred it, and to those who found it obvious if not entirely redundant. Example: This Article argues that Congress can recognize the ERA as part of the Constitution despite the expiration of the ratification deadline in 1982. But Congress should not do so until there is no doubt that thirty-eight states have ratified the ERA. 3. Initialism of Employment Rights Act. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Word: Clotho Part of Speech: name Etymology: From Latin Clōthō, from Ancient Greek Κλωθώ (Klōthṓ), from κλώθω (klṓthō, literally “to spin”). Pronunciation: /ˈkloʊθoʊ/ 1. The youngest of the three Fates, a daughter of Zeus and Themis; the spinner of the thread of life. Her Roman equivalent is Nona. Labels: Greek 2. 97 Klotho, a main belt asteroid.
Word: Atropos Part of Speech: name Etymology: From Ancient Greek Ἄτροπος (Átropos, “inflexible, not turning”), from ᾰ̓- (ă-, “not”) + -τροπος (-tropos, “turned”). Pronunciation: /ˈætɹəpɒs/ 1. One of the three Fates, or Moirae; a daughter of Zeus and Themis; the cutter of the thread of life, depicted as an old woman. Her Roman counterpart is Morta. Labels: Greek
Word: ergonomics Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From ergo- (prefix indicating work) + -nomics (suffix indicating the rules of a discipline), probably modelled after Polish ergonomia (“ergonomics”) (used by Polish scientist Wojciech Jastrzębowski (1799–1882) in an 1857 article), from Ancient Greek ἔργον (érgon, “work”) + νόμος (nómos, “custom; law, ordinance”). The English word is widely regarded as having been introduced by British psychologist K. F. Hywel Murrell at a meeting at the Admiralty in London in July 1949, which led to the establishment of the Ergonomics Research Society (now The Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors) on 17 September 1949. Pronunciation: /ɜː.ɡəˈnɒm.ɪks/, /ˌɝ.ɡəˈnɑ.mɪks/, /ˌɝ.ɡəˈnɒm.ɪks/, /ˌɜː.ɡəˈnɔm.ɪks/ 1. The science of the design of equipment, especially so as to reduce operator fatigue, discomfort and injury. Labels: uncountable Example: Ergonomics is increasingly important in office-product design. Example: Ergonomics, deriving from the Greek word "ergon" work is now mainly considered to mean "the science of designing machines and environments that are most suited to the efficiency, comfort, safety and peace of mind of those working with them" (see Armbruster, 1983). […] Ergonomics goes beyond the prevention of health hazards, it aims to optimize the coexistence between people and technology within the working environment. […] In the broad sense of the word, ergonomics includes all the physical, social, and psychological aspects of work and workplace design. 2. Political economy. Labels: rare, uncountable Example: As the titlepage of this latter portion of his work indicates, M. Courcelle Seneuil confines himself to political economy considered as a practical science, or, as he chooses to call it, to ergonomics.
Word: YGM Part of Speech: phrase 1. Initialism of you've got mail: used to inform someone that an e-mail message has been sent to them. Labels: Internet, abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Word: Morgan le Fay Part of Speech: name Etymology: From Old Welsh or Old Breton Morgen (a female given name unrelated with the male one Morgan, literally “sea-born”) + Old French la fee (“the fairy”). Pronunciation: /ˌmɔːɡən lə ˈfeɪ/ 1. The half sister of King Arthur, known for being a powerful enchantress.
Word: Lachesis Part of Speech: name Etymology: From Ancient Greek Λάχεσις (Lákhesis). Pronunciation: /ˈlækɪsɪs/ 1. One of the three Fates (Moirae), daughter of Zeus and Themis; the measurer of each thread of life. Her Roman equivalent is Decima. Labels: Greek Example: And if it were asked how it is known that the pocket in which Erskine kept this key was sewn on to the front of his underhose, the answer to that would be this, that one day when Erskine was doing his number one against a bush, Watt, who as Lachesis would have it was doing his number one too against the same bush, but on the other side, caught a glimpse, through the bush, for it was a deciduous bush, of the key, gleaming among the flap buttons.
Word: Lachesis Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Ancient Greek Λάχεσις (Lákhesis). Pronunciation: /ˈlækɪsɪs/ 1. The venom of Lachesis muta (South Anerican bushmaster snake), used to treat various conditions. Labels: uncountable
Word: tête-à-tête Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Unadapted borrowing from French tête-à-tête (“head-to-head”). Pronunciation: /ˌtɛt.əˈtɛt/, /ˌteɪt.əˈteɪt/ 1. A face-to-face meeting, or private conversation between two people, usually in an intimate setting; a head-to-head. Example: From the tête-à-tête with Mr. Thomas Tough, ſhe goes to her deſk again, and begins to write "With what appetite ſhe may," in the forlorn hope of procuring from her bookſeller part of the money ſhe has been compelled to promiſe to the ſaid Thomas's peremptory demands, on behalf of Mr. Humphrey Hotgooſe—[…] Example: Despite their explorations of what the Vatican termed "the family", it was uncertain whether the pope and the president concerned themselves with such issues during their behind-closed-doors tête à tête. 2. A bench or sofa that allows two people to talk face-to-face, especially one that is S-shaped. 3. A variety of early flowering, fragrant daffodil.
Word: tête-à-tête Part of Speech: adv Etymology: Unadapted borrowing from French tête-à-tête (“head-to-head”). Pronunciation: /ˌtɛt.əˈtɛt/, /ˌteɪt.əˈteɪt/ 1. In private, between two people; head-to-head. Labels: not-comparable Example: Swankey of the Body Guard himself, that dangerous youth, and the greatest buck of all the Indian army now on leave, was one day discovered by Major Dobbin tête-à-tête with Amelia, and describing the sport of pig-sticking to her with great humour and eloquence […] Example: In particular his tête-à-tête luncheons were described, to which, as it now turned out, practically every journalist listening had at one time or another been invited.
Word: Decima Part of Speech: name Etymology: From Latin meaning "the tenth". Pronunciation: /ˈdɛsɪmə/ 1. One of the three Fates, or Parcae, daughter of Jupiter and Justitia; the measurer of the thread of life. She is the Roman equivalent of Lachesis. Labels: Roman
Word: Nona Part of Speech: name Etymology: From the Latin meaning "the ninth", because she was prayed to in the ninth month of pregnancy. 1. The youngest of the three Fates, or Parcae, daughter of Jupiter and Justitia; the spinner of the thread of life. She is the Roman equivalent of Clotho. Labels: Roman
Word: Morta Part of Speech: name Etymology: From Latin mors (“death”). 1. One of the three Fates, or Parcae, daughter of Jupiter and Justitia; the cutter of the thread of life. She is the Roman equivalent of Atropos. Labels: Roman
Word: pithy Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English pithy, pythy, equivalent to pith + -y. Pronunciation: /ˈpɪθi/ 1. Concise and meaningful. Example: Mr. Lamb, on the contrary, being "native to the manner here," though he too has borrowed from previous sources, instead of availing himself of the most popular and admired, has groped out his way, and made his most successful researches among the more obscure and intricate, though certainly not the least pithy or pleasant of our writers. Example: The following passage, which is exquisitely pithy and exquisitely modest, winds up the description:- "In this apparatus there is nothing new but its simplicity and thorough trustworthiness." 2. Of, like, or abounding in pith; spongy or having small holes or pits. Example: 1863, Theodore Winthrop, “The Heart of the Andes”, Part 2 – Introduction, published posthumously in Life in the Open Air and other papers, Must we know the torrid zone only through travelled bananas, plucked too soon and pithy? or by bottled anacondas? or by the tarry-flavored slang of forecastle-bred paroquets? Example: 1910, Liberty Hyde Bailey, Manual of Gardening, Suggestions and Reminders I: For the North, April, Parsnip.—Dig the roots before they grow and become soft and pithy. 3. Vigorous, powerful, strong; substantial. Labels: Scotland, archaic Example: His bairns a’ before the flood / Had langer tack o’ fleſh and blood, / And on mair pithy ſhanks they ſtood / Than Noah’s line, / Wha ſtill hae been a feckleſs brood / Wi’ drinking wine. Example: Next, from the well-air’d ancient town of Crail, / Go out her craftsmen with tumultuous din, / Her wind-bleach’d fishers, garrulous and thin; / And some are flush’d with horns of pithy ale, […]
Word: Epimetheus Part of Speech: name Etymology: From Ancient Greek Ἐπιμηθεύς (Epimētheús, “afterthought, hindsight”). Pronunciation: /ɛpɪˈmiːθiəs/ 1. Son of Iapetus and Clymene, brother to Atlas, Menoetius and Prometheus, of whom he ignored warnings to beware of any gifts from Zeus. He accepted Pandora as his wife, thereby bringing sorrow to the world; father to Pyrrha. Labels: Greek 2. A moon of the planet Saturn.
Word: tete-a-tete Part of Speech: noun 1. Alternative form of tête-à-tête. Labels: alt-of, alternative Example: Yet time and her aunt moved slowly—and her patience and her ideas were nearly worn out before the tete-a-tete was over. Example: “Such a cunning teakettle and saucepan, and a tete-a-tete set, and lots of good things to eat. Do have toast for tea, Polly, and let me make it with the new toasting fork; it's such fun to play cook.”
Word: Erato Part of Speech: name Etymology: From Ancient Greek Ἐρατώ (Eratṓ). Pronunciation: /ˈɛɹətoʊ/ 1. The goddess of lyric poetry, particularly erotic poetry, eroticism, and mimic imitation, and one of the Muses; the daughters of Zeus & Mnemosyne. Usually depicted with a crown/wreath of myrtle and roses, holding a lyre and a golden arrow and doves. Often accompanies Eros/Cupid. Labels: Greek 2. 62 Erato, a main belt asteroid.
Word: attentat Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From either French attentat or German Attentat. Pronunciation: /ˌætɑnˈtɑː/ 1. Anything whatsoever, as a ruling, by the judge of a lower court in a matter pending an appeal. Labels: obsolete Example: All the several acts of one court day constitute, with reference to attentats, but one act, notwithstanding an appeal intermediate between those acts (h). Example: An attentat, in the language of the civil and canon laws, is anything, whatsoever, wrongfully innovated or attempted in the suit by the judge à quo, pending an appeal.[…]In Chichester v. Donegal (3) it was intimated by Sir John Nicholl that “The regular course for procuring the revocation of attentats was by a separate proceeding, civil or criminal, as against a judge à quo, and that it was not by charging the supposed attentats, accumulatively, in a mere ordinary libel of appeal.” 2. Any step wrongly innovated or attempted by an inferior judge in a suit. Labels: obsolete 3. An attempted assault or assassination of a political figure; a politically motivated attempted assault. Labels: obsolete Example: Their detestation of Popular Attentates, upon the Person or Authoritie of Princes. Example: The first attempt was the enactment of the Belgian so-called attentat clause by Belgium in 1856, following the case of Jacquin ² in 1854. A French manufaturer named Jules Jacquin, domiciled in Belgium, and a foreman of his factory named Célestin Jacquin, who was also a Frenchman, tried to cause an explosion on the railway line between Lille and Calais with the intention of murdering the Emperor Napolen III. France requested the extradition of the two criminals, but the Belgian Court of Appeal had to refuse the surrender on account of the Belgian extradition law interdicting the surrender of political prisoners.
Word: downgrade Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From down- + grade. Pronunciation: /ˈdaʊnˌɡɹeɪd/ 1. A reduction of a rating, as a financial or credit rating. 2. A downhill gradient on a road or railway. Example: [...] dynamic braking is fitted to the 99-ton, 55 ft.-long locomotives to help control these otherwise vacuum-braked trains on the long, continuous downgrades encountered on the coastal route. 3. A reduction in quality; a descent towards an inferior state. Example: Near-synonyms: degradation, worsening, deterioration
Word: downgrade Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From down- + grade. Pronunciation: /ˌdaʊnˈɡɹeɪd/ 1. To place lower in position. Example: The stock was downgraded from ‘buy’ to ‘sell’. Example: Basingstoke-Exeter will test this. From Salisbury westwards, it's largely single-track since British Rail downgraded it in 1967. There's a ten-mile loop between Templecombe and Yeovil, as well as shorter loops at Chard, Axminster and Honiton. 2. To reduce in complexity, or remove unnecessary parts; to dumb down. Example: More significantly, rigid deference to [Justin] Bieber’s still-young core fan base keeps things resolutely PG, with any acknowledgement of sex either couched in vague “touch your body” workarounds or downgraded to desirous hand-holding and eye-gazing. 3. To disparage. Labels: transitive Example: We cannot afford to downgrade the lifestyles of other lesbians; we cannot afford to portray lesbians thinly as drunken and bothersome separatists who push their views on "work-within-the-movement" dykes". Example: Without downgrading my friends in the Building Trades, driving a nail or sawing a board is relatively simple. 4. to reduce the official estimate of a storm's intensity. 5. To revert software back to an older version.
Word: explanatory style Part of Speech: noun 1. The automatic, natural, habitual way in which a person explains events.
Word: sprezzatura Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Italian sprezzatura (“nonchalance”), which was coined by Baldassare Castiglione in 1528. The term gained currency in English in the mid-20th century, often to describe art. 1. The art of performing a difficult task so gracefully that it looks effortless; calculated nonchalance. Labels: uncountable, usually Example: […] I have found quite a universal rule which in this matter seems to me valid above all others, and in all human affairs whether in word or deed: and that is to avoid affectation in every way possible as though it were some very rough and dangerous reef; and (to pronounce a new word perhaps) to practice in all things a certain sprezzatura [nonchalance]^([sic]), so as to conceal all art and make whatever is done or said appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it. Example: Cassandra Wilson's music is the essence of sprezzatura, or calculated nonchalance, that special attitude described nearly 500 years ago by Baldassare Castiglione in “The Courtier,” his primer on how to ingratiate yourself with the aristocracy.
Word: Erinys Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Ancient Greek Ἐρῑνῡ́ς (Erīnū́s). Possibly "the angry spirits" from ὀρῑ́νω (orī́nō, “to raise, stir, excite [towards anger]”). Pronunciation: /ɪˈɹɪnɪs/ 1. One of the female personifications of vengeance, particularly wrong or immoral deeds on behalf of the victims. Labels: Greek
Word: Euterpe Part of Speech: name Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁wes- Proto-Indo-European *-us Proto-Indo-European *h₁wésus? Proto-Indo-European *h₁es-? Proto-Indo-European *h₁su- Proto-Hellenic *ehu- Ancient Greek ἐΰς (eǘs) Ancient Greek εὖ (eû) Ancient Greek εὐ- (eu-) Ancient Greek τέρπω (térpō) Ancient Greek Εὐτέρπη (Eutérpē)bor. English Euterpe Borrowed from Ancient Greek Εὐτέρπη (Eutérpē). Pronunciation: /juˈtɝpi/, /juːˈtɜːpi/ 1. The Muse of music and lyric poetry. Labels: Greek 2. 27 Euterpe, a main belt asteroid.