nandhakumarms/qualc-wiktionary-en huggingface dataset:
Word: upper hand Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English over hond, from Old English ofer- + hand (superior control; superior position). Not, as supposed, from a card game or counting-out game. 1. Advantage or control. Labels: idiomatic, uncountable, usually Example: There was no refusing him, for he had got the complete upper hand of the community, and the peaceful burghers all stood in awe of him. Example: [C]uriosity began to get the upper hand, and I determined I should have one look through the cabin window. 2. The place of honour accorded to a social superior when walking together; the right of way in walking Labels: obsolete, uncountable, usually
Word: vagina dentata Part of Speech: noun Etymology: First attested 1908, from Latin vagina + dentata (“toothed”); popularized chiefly by Sigmund Freud. 1. The mythical toothed vagina; often related to castration anxiety. Example: This notion also associates the vampire more directly with the primal uncanny. The long quotation that Moretti uses from Marie Bonaparte's writings on Edgar Allen^([sic]) Poe includes reference to the mythical vagina dentata, the ‘strange’ notion that the vagina ‘is furnished with teeth, and thus a source of danger in being able to bite and castrate’. Example: My relationship towards tulips is inherently Lynchian. I think they are disgusting. Just imagine. Aren't these some kind of, how do you call it, vagina dentata, dental vaginas threatening to swallow you?
Word: sword of Damocles Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From the following story: Damocles was an obsequious courtier in the court of Dionysius II of Syracuse, a fourth century BC tyrant of Syracuse. Damocles exclaimed that, as a great man of power and authority, Dionysius was truly fortunate. Dionysius offered to switch places with him for a day, so he could taste that fortune first-hand. In the evening a banquet was held, where Damocles very much enjoyed being waited upon like a king. Only at the end of the meal did he look up and notice a sharpened sword hanging directly above his head, held only by a single horse-hair. Immediately, he lost all taste for the festivities and asked leave of the tyrant, saying he no longer wanted to be so fortunate. Dionysius had successfully conveyed a sense of the constant threat under which a powerful man lives. From Ancient Greek Δαμοκλῆς (Damoklês). Pronunciation: /ˈsɔɹd əv ˈdæməkliz/ 1. A thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune. Example: Every man, woman and child lives under a nuclear sword of Damocles hanging by the slenderest of threads, capable of being cut at any moment by accident, or miscalculation or by madness. The weapons of war must be abolished before they abolish us. Example: At some point the Sword of Damocles which hangs over all our railway operations will fall with catastrophic impact, just as it did at Hatfield in 2000.
Word: babes Part of Speech: noun Etymology: See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form. Pronunciation: /beɪbz/ 1. plural of babe Labels: form-of, plural
Word: babes Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰā- Proto-Germanic *bō-redup. Proto-Germanic *babô Proto-West Germanic *babō Old English *baba Middle English babe English babe English -syclip. English -s English babes From babe + -s (hypocoristic suffix). Pronunciation: /beɪbz/ 1. Alternative form of babe (“as a term of endearment to a loved one”). Labels: alt-of, alternative Example: Are you all right, babes?
Word: hunk Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Probably borrowed from West Flemish hunke (“hunk; chunk”), of obscure origin. Probably from an earlier *humke, *humpke, a diminutive related to Dutch homp (“hunk; lump”), English hump, equivalent to hump + -kin. The sense of an attractive man is recorded in Australian slang in 1941, in jive talk in 1945. Pronunciation: /hʌŋk/ 1. A large or dense piece of something. Example: a hunk of metal Example: "Jim, this is nice," I says. "I wouldn't want to be nowhere else but here. Pass me along another hunk of fish and some hot corn-bread." 2. An attractive man, especially one who is muscular. Labels: informal Example: The unfortunate thing about calling the season seven finale “The Dragon And The Wolf” is you can’t even reference it by name without picturing Daenerys Targaryen’s long-awaited hook-up with Jon Snow, her strapping hunk of an ally and also her nephew. Example: Diana’s most recent romantic adventure at that time was with the sturdy hunk Will Carling, captain of the England rugby team, whom she had met in 1995 working out at the Chelsea Harbor Club gym. 3. A record of differences between almost contiguous portions of two files (or other sources of information). Differences that are widely separated by areas which are identical in both files would not be part of a single hunk. Differences that are separated by small regions which are identical in both files may comprise a single hunk. Patches are made up of hunks. 4. A honyock. Labels: US, slang Example: "You ain't callin' me a country hunk, are you?" "Hell, naw!" Louie backed away and grinned. 5. A material object considered purely as extended stuff without identity criteria.
Word: hunk Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Dutch honk (“the base in a game”). Pronunciation: /hʌŋk/ 1. A goal or base in children's games. Labels: US
Word: pro rata Part of Speech: adv Etymology: From Latin prō (“according to”) + ratus (“calculated”). Pronunciation: /ˌpɹəʊ ˈɹɑːtə/ 1. In proportion to some factor that can be exactly calculated. Labels: not-comparable Example: Tenants who have given 30 days' notice who do not leave on the last day of the month will be charged on a pro rata basis. Example: The workers' overtime is calculated on pro rata basis.
Word: blesser Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree English bless Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere English -er English blesser From bless + -er. 1. One who blesses; one who bestows or invokes a blessing. 2. A rich man who offers support (typically financial and material) to a younger female companion in exchange for sex, friendship, etc. Labels: South-Africa, slang Example: Other participants suggested that girls with blessers were forward or naughty girls, thus exonerating the actual blessers from blame and responsibility.
Word: KM Part of Speech: noun 1. Initialism of knowledge management. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, initialism, uncountable
Word: welkin Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Inherited from Middle English welkne (“weather; heavens; (earlier) cloud”), from Old English wolcnu (“sky, heavens”), plural form of wolcn (“cloud”), from Proto-West Germanic *wolkn (“cloud”), from Proto-Germanic *wulkną (“cloud”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *wĺ̥ɡ-no-m, from *welg- (“damp; wet”). Cognate with Dutch wolk (“cloud”), German Wolke (“cloud”). Pronunciation: /ˈwɛlkɪn/, /ˈwɛlkən/ 1. The sky which appears to an observer on the Earth as a dome in which celestial bodies are visible; the firmament. Example: He leaues the vvelkin vvay moſt beaten playne, / And rapt with vvhirling vvheeles, inflames the ſkyen, / With fire not made to burne, but fayrely for to ſhyne. Example: The ſkye it ſeemes vvould povvre dovvn ſtinking pitch, / But that the Sea, mounting to th' vvelkins cheeke, / Daſhes the fire out. 2. The upper atmosphere occupied by clouds, flying birds, etc. Example: [W]ho you are, and vvhat you vvould are out of my vvelkin, I might ſay Element, but the word is ouer-vvorne. Example: Rhotus was going on when day appear'd, / And with its light the cloudy welkin clear'd. 3. The place above the Earth where God or other deities live; heaven. Example: [T]his villanous Poetry vvill vndoe you, by the VVelkin. Example: Hovv glittereth novv this place of great requeſt, / Like to the ſeat of heavenly vvelkin hie?
Word: mainland Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English mayne londe; equivalent to main + land. Compare Scots mayn-land, magan-land, madin-land (“mainland”), Faroese meginland (“mainland”), Icelandic meginland (“mainland”). Pronunciation: /ˈmeɪnlənd/, /-lænd/, /ˈmeɪnlænd/, /mæɪnlænd/ 1. The continent; the principal land, as distinguished from islands or a peninsula. Example: […]I got to the mainland, where, to my great comfort, I clambered up the cliffs of the shore and sat me down upon the grass, free from danger and quite out of the reach of the water. Example: You may have not realised when I was using the term mainland Europe, I was excluding the British Isles. 2. The principal island of a group. 3. Great Britain. Labels: Northern-Ireland Example: All of the people I interviewed were from Protestant backgrounds, with proud British traditions. Yet when they set foot on the mainland, they were met at times with jeering, derision and othering from the very people with whom they were raised to believe they had the most in common.
Word: loaded Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From load + -ed. Pronunciation: /ˈləʊ.dəd/, /ˈloʊ.dɪd/ 1. simple past and past participle of load Labels: form-of, participle, past
Word: loaded Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From load + -ed. Pronunciation: /ˈləʊ.dəd/, /ˈloʊ.dɪd/ 1. Burdened by some heavy load; packed. Example: Let’s leave the TV; the car is loaded already. Example: With regard to France and Holland, therefore, I muſt think, Sir, and it has always been the general Opinion, that the Subjects of each are more loaded and more oppreſſed with Taxes and Exciſes than the People of this Kingdom ; 2. Having a live round of ammunition in the chamber. Example: No funny business; this heater’s loaded! 3. Possessing great wealth. Labels: colloquial Example: He sold his business a couple of years ago and is just loaded. Example: She told me that her Dad was loaded / I said “In that case, I’ll have rum and coca-cola” 4. Drunk. Labels: slang Example: ‘Well, I’m loaded right now and I can’t remember where it is right now, tiny country . . . in the west?’ Example: By the end of the evening, the guests in the club were really loaded. 5. Pertaining to a situation where there is a runner at each of the three bases. Example: It's bottom of the ninth, the bases are loaded and there are two outs. 6. Of a die or dice: weighted asymmetrically, and so biased to produce predictable throws. Labels: also, figuratively Example: He was playing with loaded dice and won a fortune. Example: They played awhile to Corinius’s great content, for at every throw he won and the other’s purse waxed light. But at this eleventh stanza the son of Corund cried out that the dice of Corinius were loaded. 7. Designed to produce a predictable answer, or to lay a trap. Example: That interviewer is tricky; he asks loaded questions. Example: At a press conference held in a Valencia hotel two weeks ago, Jesús “Suso” García Pitarch was asked why Peter Lim had bought the city’s football team in the first place. It was a loaded question, one supporters have pondered often over the last couple of years, and the answer, or the lack of one, felt loaded as well. 8. Having strong connotations that colour the literal meaning and are likely to provoke an emotional response. Sometimes used loosely to describe a word that simply has many different meanings. Example: "Ignorant" is a loaded word, often implying lack of intelligence rather than just lack of knowledge. Example: The more loaded phrase is the middle one, "she slit his gullet," since it captures a sense of crudeness and suddenness that the other two do not. 9. Equipped with numerous options. Example: She went all out; her new car is loaded. 10. Covered with a topping or toppings; especially, covered with all available toppings that are offered as options for the dish. Labels: colloquial Example: loaded fries Example: loaded potato wedges 11. Weighted with lead or similar. Example: a loaded cane or whip
Word: scandal Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle French scandale (“indignation caused by misconduct or defamatory speech”), from Ecclesiastical Latin scandalum (“that on which one trips, cause of offense”, literally “stumbling block”), from Ancient Greek σκάνδαλον (skándalon, “a trap laid for an enemy, a cause of moral stumbling”), from Proto-Indo-European *skand- (“to jump”). Cognate with Latin scandō (“to climb”). First attested from Old Northern French escandle, but the modern word is a reborrowing. Doublet, via Old French esclandre, of slander. Sense evolution from "cause of stumbling, that which causes one to sin, stumbling block" to "discredit to reputation, that which brings shame, thing of disgrace" is possibly due to early influence from other similar sounding words for infamy and disgrace (compare Old English scand (“ignominity, scandal, disgraceful thing”), Old High German scanda (“ignominy, disgrace”), Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰 (skanda, “shame, disgrace”)). See shand, shend, shonda. Pronunciation: /ˈskændəl/, [ˈskændəl] ~ [ˈskændl̩], /ˈskeə̯ndəl/, [ˈskeə̯ndəl] ~ [ˈskeə̯ndl̩], /ˈskɛə̯ndəl/ 1. An incident or event that disgraces or damages the reputation of the persons or organization involved. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Their affair was reported as a scandal by most tabloids. Example: O, what a scandal is it to our crown, That two such noble peers as ye should jar! 2. Damage to one's reputation. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: The incident brought considerable scandal to his family. Example: Such a scandal as the prosecution of a brother for forgery—with a verdict of guilty—is a most truly horrible, deplorable, fatal thing. It takes the respectability out of a family perhaps at a critical moment, when the family is just assuming the robes of respectability:[…]. 3. Widespread moral outrage, indignation, as over an offence to decency. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: When their behaviour was made public it caused a great scandal. 4. A word or deed, lacking in rectitude in some manner, which is an occasion of the spiritual ruin of another. Labels: countable, uncountable 5. Defamatory talk; gossip, slander. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: According to village scandal, they weren't even married. Example: Scandal at Barchester affirmed that had it not been for the beauty of his daughter, Mr. Harding would have remained a minor canon; but here probably Scandal lied, as she so often does; for even as a minor canon no one had been more popular among his reverend brethren in the close, than Mr. Harding; and Scandal, before she had reprobated Mr. Harding for being made precentor by his friend the bishop, had loudly blamed the bishop for having so long omitted to do something for his friend Mr. Harding. 6. amateur or homemade pornography Labels: Philippines, colloquial, countable, uncountable 7. commotion. Labels: Philippines, colloquial, countable, informal, uncountable
Word: scandal Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle French scandale (“indignation caused by misconduct or defamatory speech”), from Ecclesiastical Latin scandalum (“that on which one trips, cause of offense”, literally “stumbling block”), from Ancient Greek σκάνδαλον (skándalon, “a trap laid for an enemy, a cause of moral stumbling”), from Proto-Indo-European *skand- (“to jump”). Cognate with Latin scandō (“to climb”). First attested from Old Northern French escandle, but the modern word is a reborrowing. Doublet, via Old French esclandre, of slander. Sense evolution from "cause of stumbling, that which causes one to sin, stumbling block" to "discredit to reputation, that which brings shame, thing of disgrace" is possibly due to early influence from other similar sounding words for infamy and disgrace (compare Old English scand (“ignominity, scandal, disgraceful thing”), Old High German scanda (“ignominy, disgrace”), Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰 (skanda, “shame, disgrace”)). See shand, shend, shonda. Pronunciation: /ˈskændəl/, [ˈskændəl] ~ [ˈskændl̩], /ˈskeə̯ndəl/, [ˈskeə̯ndəl] ~ [ˈskeə̯ndl̩], /ˈskɛə̯ndəl/ 1. To defame; to slander. Labels: obsolete Example: I do fawn on men and hug them hard And after scandal them. 2. To scandalize; to offend. Labels: obsolete Example: A propensity to scandal may partly proceed from an inability to distinguish the proper objects of censure
Word: legacy Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English legacie, from Old French legacie and Medieval Latin lēgātia, from Latin lēgātum. The boardgame sense was coined by game designer Rob Daviau in 2011 with the game Risk Legacy. Pronunciation: /ˈlɛɡəsi/, /ˈleɪɡəsi/, /ˈleɡəsi/ 1. Money or property bequeathed to someone in a will. 2. Something inherited from a predecessor or the past. Example: John Muir left as his legacy an enduring spirit of respect for the environment. Example: During the first year or so of British Railways, some of the simpler and more obvious inter-regional transfers of outlying sections were effected, such as those of the London, Tilbury & Southend Railway from the London Midland Region to the Eastern Region; the South Wales lines of the former L.M.S.R. to the Western Region; the Carlisle-Silloth branch (an L.N.E.R. legacy of a North British "border raid") to the London Midland, and so on. 3. The descendant of an alumnus, given preference in academic admissions. Example: Because she was a legacy, her mother's sorority rushed her.
Word: legacy Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English legacie, from Old French legacie and Medieval Latin lēgātia, from Latin lēgātum. The boardgame sense was coined by game designer Rob Daviau in 2011 with the game Risk Legacy. Pronunciation: /ˈlɛɡəsi/, /ˈleɪɡəsi/, /ˈleɡəsi/ 1. Left over from the past; old and no longer current. Labels: especially, not-comparable Example: They have no idea what occurs in the network or its topology, and all of the services remain dependent on it — a very legacy approach to creating services in the optical network. Example: However, pre-relational DBMS are legacy. 2. Belonging to a class of boardgame where permanent changes are made to game elements such as the board, cards and rules over multiple play sessions. Labels: not-comparable, postpositional, sometimes Example: Risk Legacy, in 2011, was the first game to give visibility to the idea of progressive and irreversible discovery in the board gaming hobby, 2 and it did so by applying it to the well-known game Risk. Example: Over the course of the years that Daviau worked on Seafall, the first legacy game that was not based on a previously existing product, the mechanic became one of the hotter things in game design
Word: arguably Part of Speech: adv Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂erǵ- Proto-Indo-European *-us Proto-Indo-European *h₂érǵus Proto-Italic *argus Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *-ti Proto-Italic *-ō Proto-Italic *arguō Latin arguōder. Old French arguerbor. Middle English arguen English argue Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlis Proto-Italic *-ðlis Latin -bilis Latin -ābilis Old French -ablebor. Middle English -able English -able English arguable Proto-Indo-European *leyg-der. Proto-Germanic *līkąder. Proto-Germanic *-līkaz Proto-Germanic *-ê Proto-Germanic *-līkê Proto-West Germanic *-līkē Old English -līċe Middle English -ly English -ly English arguably From arguable + -ly. Pronunciation: /ˈɑːɡjuəbli/, /ˈɑɹɡjuəbli/ 1. As can be supported or proven by sound logical deduction, evidence, and precedent, but without absolute certainty. Example: In the early 1770s the bogey figure for opposition politicians was arguably not so much North in the Commons as Mansfield behind the curtain, the country's greatest lawyer (and another Caledonian to gratify the Scotophobes) keeping an irresolute Cabinet committed to waging war in America. Example: By random chance alone, 99 times out of 100, the Lions should have won an NFL or NFC championship. Worse for arguably the league’s unluckiest fan base, the Lions haven’t really been competitive.
Word: implementation Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From implement + -ation. Pronunciation: /ˌɪmplɪmənˈteɪʃən/, /ˌɪmpləmɛnˈteɪʃən/, /ˌɪmpləmənˈteɪʃən/ 1. The process of moving an idea from concept to reality. In business, engineering and other fields, implementation refers to the building process rather than the design process. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Now that the requirements are complete we can move on to implementation. 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. 2. A result of implementing something; a finished product, system or device. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: His implementation works, but it needs some fine-tuning.
Word: stubborn Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English stiborne, stibourne, stoburn, stoburne, styburne, stiborn, of uncertain origin; one hypothesis is that it may be from Old English *stybbor, from Old English stybb (“a stump, stub”) + -or (adjective-formation suffix, as in bitor, whence English bitter). Pronunciation: /ˈstʌbɚn/, /ˈstʌbən/, /ˈstʊbən/ 1. Refusing to move or to change one's opinion; obstinate; firmly resisting; persistent in doing something. Example: People are pretty stubborn about their political beliefs, so why bother arguing? Example: Blood can make a very stubborn stain on fabrics if not washed properly. 2. Physically stiff and inflexible; not easily melted or worked. Example: Under his hand a stubborn latch sprung noisily […]
Word: stubborn Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English stiborne, stibourne, stoburn, stoburne, styburne, stiborn, of uncertain origin; one hypothesis is that it may be from Old English *stybbor, from Old English stybb (“a stump, stub”) + -or (adjective-formation suffix, as in bitor, whence English bitter). Pronunciation: /ˈstʌbɚn/, /ˈstʌbən/, /ˈstʊbən/ 1. Stubbornness. Labels: informal, uncountable Example: But I have to say that one thing you inherited from your mother is a whole lot of stubborn. Example: That takes a lot of stubborn for a seventy-something man. 2. Ellipsis of stubborn disease (“a disease of citrus trees”). Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, uncountable Example: With evidence that the causal agent of stubborn is spread by insects, control or prevention of this disease will prove more difficult than formerly thought to be. Example: Sectorial infection of stubborn could be stable for long periods, but may be manifested once the trees are severely pruned, this causing the system spread of S. citri to other non-infected parts.
Word: arguable Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂erǵ- Proto-Indo-European *-us Proto-Indo-European *h₂érǵus Proto-Italic *argus Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *-ti Proto-Italic *-ō Proto-Italic *arguō Latin arguōder. Old French arguerbor. Middle English arguen English argue Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlis Proto-Italic *-ðlis Latin -bilis Latin -ābilis Old French -ablebor. Middle English -able English -able English arguable From argue + -able. Pronunciation: /ˈɑːɡjuəbl/, /ˈɑɹɡjuəbl/ 1. That can be argued; that can be proven or strongly supported with sound logical deduction, precedent, and evidence. 2. Open to doubt, argument or debate. Labels: colloquial Example: This led to a set of rules (play cannot begin before crossing East Blithedale Avenue), then subrules ("crossing" means reaching the always arguable halfway point of the avenue) […
Word: up to snuff Part of Speech: adj 1. Adequate; of acceptable quality; satisfying an appropriate standard. Labels: slang Example: About 40% of U.S. counties lack full-time public-health service. . . . Many registered hospitals are not up to snuff. 2. Mentally alert, shrewd, savvy. Labels: UK, dated, slang Example: "Dombey," says the Major, with appropriate action, "that is the hand of Joseph Bagstock: of plain old Joey B. . . . a rough and tough, and possibly an up-to-snuff, old vagabond." Example: But the people, who prided themselves on being what they called üppen zie schnuffen, or, as we should say, "up to snuff," and equal to every occasion, had already seen a way out of the difficulty.
Word: treatise Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English tretys, from Anglo-Norman tretiz and Old French traitis (“treatise, account”), from traitier (“to deal with, treat”). Pronunciation: /ˈtɹiːtɪs/, /ˈtɹiːtɪz/ 1. A formal, usually lengthy, systematic discourse on some subject. Example: "As you cannot make a speech, you must," said Henrietta, "put it into a treatise." Example: “[…] We are engaged in a great work, a treatise on our river fortifications, perhaps ? But since when did army officers afford the luxury of amanuenses in this simple republic ?[…]”
Word: duffer Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Cognate with duff, which see (origin is uncertain). Pronunciation: /ˈdʌfɚ/, /ˈdʌfə/ 1. comparative form of duff: more duff Labels: comparative, form-of
Word: duffer Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Cognate with duff, which see (origin is uncertain). Pronunciation: /ˈdʌfɚ/, /ˈdʌfə/ 1. An incompetent, indolent, or clumsy person. Labels: informal Example: Besides, I was anxious to take the wheel, the man in pink pyjamas showing himself a hopeless duffer at the business. 2. A player having little skill, especially a golfer who duffs. Example: 4. P-N5 BxP Clearly, Duras intends to have his fun with this duffer. 3. A pedlar or hawker, especially one selling cheap or substandard goods. Labels: archaic Example: Among them are several distinct and peculiar street-characters, such as the pack-men, who carry their cotton or linen goods in packs on their backs, and are all itinerants. Then there are duffers, who vend pretended smuggled goods, handkerchiefs, silks, tobacco or cigars; also, the sellers of sham sovereigns and sham gold rings for wagers. 4. Cheap or substandard goods sold by a duffer. Labels: archaic 5. Anything substandard, such as a counterfeit or a defective instance. Labels: archaic 6. A cow that does not produce milk or produces substantially less than her peers do. Labels: dated Example: We have some good cows in this State, but, unfortunately, we have too many duffer cows that are not only being fed and milked at a loss but are eating up a portion of the profit of the good cow which is being milked alongside them. Example: The truth is that cattlemen love a typical cow for her beauty and symmetry of form; but every herd-testing dairyman knows that an ugly animal may be a good producer, while many a beautiful cow is a duffer. 7. A cattle thief or thief of other livestock; one who alters the brands of cattle. Labels: Australia, dated Example: Judy was an associate (‘stud’) of a Whitefella cattle duffer named Brigalow Bill (aka WJJ Ward). 8. A racing pigeon that does not perform well. 9. Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genus Discophora.
Word: ecumenical Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From ecumenic + -al. By surface analysis, ecumene + -ical. Pronunciation: /ˌiːk.jʊˈmɛ.nɪ.kəl/, /ˌɛk.jʊˈmɛ.nɪ.kəl/ 1. Pertaining to the universal Church, representing the entire Christian world; interdenominational; sometimes by extension, interreligious. Labels: not-comparable Example: [William] Wake’s immense correspondence on behalf of Christian unity has been analysed fully, if not definitively, by Norman Sykes, and related to the situations in France, Switzerland, and Germany, but we may adventure a comment upon it without recapitulating an intricate, and like ecumenical narratives generally, often tedious, story. Example: Within Europe, the church's ecumenical partnerships have demonstrated that ecclesial unity may have political resonances. 2. General; universal; catholic; worldwide. Labels: not-comparable, rare
Word: up to scratch Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From scratch in the sense of a starting line, as in boxing. 1. sufficient; adequate; of acceptable or satisfactory quality Labels: idiomatic Example: They decided that his performance was not up to scratch. Example: But the new trains form just one part of Metro Flow. It's no good having new trains if the network itself isn't up to scratch.
Word: hebbosome Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Hebb + -o- + -some; named after Donald Hebb by Professor Seth Grant. 1. A multiprotein complex responsible for the detection of patterns of neuronal activity, and the conversion of the information represented by this activity into biological changes within the cell (neurone).
Word: focal length Part of Speech: noun 1. A measure of how strongly an optical system converges or diverges light, the inverse of optical power. In the simple case of a single convex lens, it is the distance along the optical axis from the principal plane of the lens to the lens's focal point (where, for instance, the film would be placed in a camera). For more complex or multi-element optical systems, focal length need not correspond to any obvious measurable physical distance.
Word: how-d'ye-do Part of Speech: noun 1. A troublesome state of affairs. Example: Her abrupt departure from the wedding ceremony was a fine how-d'ye-do.
Word: how-d'ye-do Part of Speech: phrase 1. Alternative form of how do you do (greeting). Labels: alt-of, alternative Example: “How-d’ye-do, Jewel, how-d’ye-do?” asked the visitor, with that graceful freedom which distinguishes the truly well-bred. Example: Taking him by the hand in his usual familiar manner, Mr. H. said, ‘How-d’ye-do? How-d’ye-do?[…]’
Word: coat check Part of Speech: noun 1. A service provided at certain businesses which allows one to check one's coat for safekeeping while inside. Labels: US Example: There was no coat check / So we wore our dreams out on the dance floor
Word: charity Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English charite, from Old French charité, cherte, chariteit, cariteit, from Latin cāritās. * The Tyndale Bible uses native English love instead. Pronunciation: /ˈtʃæɹɪti/, /ˈt͡ʃɛɹəti/, [ˈt͡ʃɛɹəɾi], /ˈt͡ʃæɹəti/, [ˈt͡ʃæɹəɾi] 1. An organization, the objective of which is to carry out a charitable purpose. Labels: countable Example: ‘[…] I remember a lady coming to inspect St. Mary's Home where I was brought up and seeing us all in our lovely Elizabethan uniforms we were so proud of, and bursting into tears all over us because “it was wicked to dress us like charity children”.[…]’. Example: The event raised money for local charities. 2. The goods or money given to those in need, or the act of doing it. Labels: countable 3. Benevolence to the less fortunate; the providing of goods or money to those in need. Labels: uncountable Example: act of charity 4. In general, an attitude of kindness and understanding towards others, now especially suggesting generosity. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: July 20, 1677, John Mitchell Mason, letter to a friend Judge thyself with the judgment of sincerity, and thou witl judge others with the judgment of charity. Example: You go fuck yourself. You think I'm in this for charity? 5. Christian love; representing God's love of man, man's love of God, or man's love of his fellow-men. Labels: archaic, countable, uncountable Example: Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil. 6. A free throw. Labels: Philippines, US, countable, informal, uncountable
Word: gray matter Part of Speech: noun 1. Alternative spelling of grey matter. Labels: US, alt-of, alternative, uncountable
Word: Harriet Part of Speech: name Etymology: Anglicized form of French Henriette, feminine form of Henri (“Henry”), popular in England in the 18th and 19th centuries. Pronunciation: /ˈhæɹiɛt/ 1. A female given name from the Germanic languages. Example: Harriet, by the way, is a very sprightly name. It is the female of Harry, and is identified in my imagination with I know not what of the power of being lively and saucy, without committing the sweetness of womanhood. Example: I found myself wanting to explain it to her, this middle-aged woman with the kind of haircut you call a hairdo, which needed to be set in rollers every night, who had a name like Agnes or Harriet, a name that even predated my mother's generation.
Word: circumpolar Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker-der. Ancient Greek κίρκος (kírkos)bor. Latin circus Latin circum Latin circum-bor. English circum- Proto-Indo-European *kʷel-der. Proto-Indo-European *kʷól-os Proto-Hellenic *pólos Ancient Greek πόλος (pólos)der. Latin polus Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Latin -āris Late Latin polārislbor. English polar English circumpolar From circum- + polar. 1. Located or found throughout a polar region. Labels: not-comparable 2. Of a celestial body, continually visible above the horizon during the entire 360 degrees of daily travel. Labels: not-comparable Example: a circumpolar star
Word: AFDC Part of Speech: name 1. Initialism of Aid to Families with Dependent Children. Labels: US, abbreviation, alt-of, historical, initialism
Word: cowcatcher Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From cow + catcher. 1. A plough-shaped device affixed to the front of a locomotive (or other large vehicle), usually wedge or V-shaped so as to push or deflect objects on the tracks out of the way, to clear out the train's path and prevent the risk of derailment or major damage to it. Example: With its long tapered cowcatcher, massive headlamp and enormous diamond smokestack behind, wagon-top boiler, high running-plate above the driving-wheels reached from a front door in the square side-window cab, cylinders with slide valves mounted on top, and double bogie tender, General in its present form is typical of much earlier American locomotive practice. Example: The locomotive was black, an ungainly contraption led by the triangular snout of the cowcatcher, though there would be few animals where this engine was headed. 2. An advertisement at the start of a program. Example: Hitchhiker and cowcatcher plugs will be considered. Example: National advertisers have probably been major contributors to this practice through the use of so-called hitchhike and cowcatcher announcements.
Word: polythetic Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁- Proto-Indo-European *polh₁ús Ancient Greek πολῠ́ς (polŭ́s)lbor. English poly- Ancient Greek θέσις (thésis) Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icuslbor. Old French -iquebor. Middle English -ik English -ic English polythetic From poly- + Ancient Greek θέσις (thésis, “arrangement”) + English -ic. 1. Having many, but not all properties in common. Example: A polythetic taxon is one where the constituent organisms share a large number of characteristics.
Word: pedagogue Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English pedagoge, from Middle French pedagogue, from Latin paedagōgus, from Ancient Greek παιδαγωγός (paidagōgós), from παῖς (paîs, “child”) + ἀγωγός (agōgós, “guide”) (from ἄγω (ágō, “lead”)). By surface analysis, ped- (“child”) + -agogue. Pronunciation: /ˈpɛdəɡɒɡ/ 1. A teacher or instructor of children; one whose occupation is to teach the young. Example: Jones chid the pedagogue for his interruption, and then the stranger proceeded. Example: "No, that won't work." Reynders sighed, not in frustration — she was an excellent pedagogue, and never got frustrated while instructing — but in mental exhaustion. This project was testing the limits of what she could handle, in her state, though that was nothing compared to the number it was doing on Udo's head. "But it doesn't need to work. ATCP doesn't ossify, that's why it's armageddon-proof. We'd never be able to make this function if we were using standard protocols." 2. A pedant; one who by teaching has become overly formal or pedantic in his or her ways; one who has the manner of a teacher. Example: And novv I have gone thus far, perhaps you vvill think me ſome pedagogue, vvilling, by a vvell-timed puff, to encreaſe the reputation of his ovvn ſchool; but ſuch is not the caſe. 3. A slave who led the master's children to school, and had the charge of them generally. Labels: historical
Word: pedagogue Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English pedagoge, from Middle French pedagogue, from Latin paedagōgus, from Ancient Greek παιδαγωγός (paidagōgós), from παῖς (paîs, “child”) + ἀγωγός (agōgós, “guide”) (from ἄγω (ágō, “lead”)). By surface analysis, ped- (“child”) + -agogue. Pronunciation: /ˈpɛdəɡɒɡ/ 1. To teach.
Word: glimpse Part of Speech: verb Etymology: The verb is derived from earlier glimse (obsolete), from Middle English glimsen (“to dazzle; to glisten; to glance with the eyes”), possibly from Old English *glimsian, from Proto-West Germanic *glimmisōjan, from Proto-Germanic *glimō, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰley- (“to shine”). Doublet of glimmer. The noun is derived from the verb. Cognates Dutch glimp (“glimpse”, noun) Middle Dutch glinsen (modern Dutch glinsteren (“to glint, glitter, shimmer, sparkle; to glance”), glimmen (“to gleam, shine”)) Middle High German glimsen (“to glow, smoulder”), glinsen (“to glimmer, shine”) Middle Low German glinsen, glintzen, glinzen (“to shimmer, shine”) Pronunciation: /ˈɡlɪm(p)s/, [ˈɡl̥ɪm(p)s] 1. To see or view (someone, or something tangible) briefly and incompletely. Labels: transitive Example: Morning!—the Vestal Mother of the Sun / Seem'st thou to be, since from thy bosom born, / (Thou that first glimpsest—like a white-stoled nun!—) / He springeth forth—Oh! thou triumphal Morn!— / His race of glory and of joy to run; […] Example: Those wild hills are surely the outpost of a frightful cosmic race—as I doubt all the less since reading that a new ninth planet has been glimpsed beyond Neptune, just as those influences had said it would be glimpsed. 2. To perceive (something intangible) briefly and incompletely. Labels: figuratively, transitive Example: I have only begun to glimpse the magnitude of the problem. Example: What memories? / The pure love thoughts and who may know / Thou glimpsest from the long ago? 3. Chiefly followed by at or upon: to look at briefly and incompletely; to glance. Labels: intransitive Example: The door always opens directly into the kitchen, without any vestibule; and, glimpsing in, you see that a cottager's life must be the very plainest and homeliest that ever was lived by men and women. 4. To shine with a faint, unsteady light; to glimmer, to shimmer. Labels: intransitive Example: O Lothſome place where I / Haue ſene and herd my dere / When in my hart her eye / Hath made her thought appere / By glimſing with ſuch grace / As fortune it ne would, / That laſten any ſpace, / Betwene vs lenger ſhould. Example: [O]ur curious yeares can finde / The chriſtal glas, vvhich glimſeth braue & bright, / And ſhevves the thing, much better than it is, / Beguylde vvith foyles, of ſundry ſubtil ſights, / So that they ſeeme, and couet not to be. 5. To appear or start to appear, especially faintly or unclearly; to dawn. Labels: archaic, intransitive, poetic Example: Straitvvaies on heapes the thronging cloudes ariſe, / As though the heauen vvere angry vvith the night, / Deformed ſhadovves, glimpſing in his ſight / As darkenes, for it vvould more darkened be, / Through thoſe poore crannies forcde it ſelfe to ſee. 6. Sometimes followed by out: to provide a brief and incomplete look. Labels: intransitive, rare
Word: glimpse Part of Speech: noun Etymology: The verb is derived from earlier glimse (obsolete), from Middle English glimsen (“to dazzle; to glisten; to glance with the eyes”), possibly from Old English *glimsian, from Proto-West Germanic *glimmisōjan, from Proto-Germanic *glimō, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰley- (“to shine”). Doublet of glimmer. The noun is derived from the verb. Cognates Dutch glimp (“glimpse”, noun) Middle Dutch glinsen (modern Dutch glinsteren (“to glint, glitter, shimmer, sparkle; to glance”), glimmen (“to gleam, shine”)) Middle High German glimsen (“to glow, smoulder”), glinsen (“to glimmer, shine”) Middle Low German glinsen, glintzen, glinzen (“to shimmer, shine”) Pronunciation: /ˈɡlɪm(p)s/, [ˈɡl̥ɪm(p)s] 1. Chiefly followed by of: a brief and incomplete look. Example: I only got a glimpse of the car, so I can tell you the colour but not the registration number. Example: [T]he Baſilike, whoſe eyes procure delight to the looker at the firſt glymſe, and death at the ſecond glaunce. 2. A brief, sudden flash of light; a glimmer. Labels: archaic Example: [W]hat may this meane, / That thou, dead corſe, againe in compleate ſteele, / Reuiſſits thus the glimſes of the Moone, / Making night hideous, and vve fooles of nature, / So horridely to ſhake our diſpoſition, / VVith thoughts beyond the reaches of our ſoules? Example: Sunk in his [Despair's] skull, his ſtaring eyes did glovve, / That made him deadly looke, their glimpſe did ſhovve / Like Cockatrices eyes, that ſparks of poyſon throvve. 3. A faint or imprecise idea; an inkling. Labels: figuratively Example: Every surmise and vaticination of the mind is entitled to a certain respect, and we learn to prefer imperfect theories, and sentences, which contain glimpses of truth, to digested systems which have no one valuable suggestion. Example: Let there be thistles, there are grapes; / If old things, there are new; / Ten thousand broken lights and shapes, / Yet glimpses of the true. 4. A brief, unspecified amount of time; a moment. Labels: figuratively, rare Example: […] Alwin smiled, / When aught that from his young lips archly fell / The gloomy film from Harold's eye beguiled; / And pleased for a glimpse appeared the woeful Childe. 5. A faint (and often temporary) appearance; a tinge. Labels: obsolete Example: Reuiued with a glimſe of grace old ſorowes to let fal, / The hidden ſtraines I know and ſecret ſnares of loue: / How ſoone a loke wil print a thought, that neuer may remoue. Example: [T]here is no man hath a vertue, that he hath not a glimpſe of, nor any mã [man] an attaint, but he carries ſome ſtain of it.
Word: remiss Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English remisse, remysse, from Latin remissus (“languid, negligent”), perfect passive participle of remittō (“remit”). Pronunciation: /ɹəˈmɪs/ 1. At fault; failing to fulfill responsibility, duty, or obligations. Labels: not-comparable Example: It would be remiss of me, in my duties, if I did not give credit where credit was due. 2. Not energetic or exact in duty or business; careless; tardy; slack; hence, lacking earnestness or activity; languid; slow. Labels: not-comparable Example: Thou never waſt remiſs, I bear thee witneſs: Example: Its motion becomes more languid and remiss.
Word: think twice Part of Speech: verb 1. To reconsider, use judgement; to proceed with caution or thought. Labels: idiomatic Example: Think twice before you go, since it could be dangerous. Example: When your rooster crows at the break o' dawn Look out your windo' and I'll be gone You're the reason I'm a travelin' on But don't think twice, it's all right.
Word: native resolution Part of Speech: noun 1. The normal, out-of-the-box preset resolution for a computer monitor or projector.
Word: ADT Part of Speech: name 1. Initialism of Atlantic Daylight Time. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Word: ADT Part of Speech: noun 1. Abbreviation of Adult. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, uncountable 2. Initialism of astronomy diagnostic test. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable 3. Initialism of Automatic Double Tracking. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable 4. Initialism of acknowledged data transfer. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable 5. Initialism of advanced DRAM technology. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable 6. Initialism of admissions, discharge, transfer. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable 7. Initialism of American Discovery Trail. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable 8. Initialism of accumulated deployed time. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable 9. Initialism of active duty for training. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable 10. Initialism of ative duty tour. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable 11. Initialism of Active Denial Technology. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable 12. Initialism of abstract data type. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable 13. Initialism of algebraic data type. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable 14. Initialism of accelerated degradation testing. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable 15. Initialism of Average Daily Traffic. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable 16. Initialism of androgen deprivation therapy. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
Word: inadvertent Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Borrowed from Medieval Latin inadvertēns. Pronunciation: /ˌɪnədˈvɜːtn̩t/, /ˌɪnədˈvɝtn̩t/ 1. Not intentional; not on purpose; not conscious. Labels: not-comparable Example: We check everything because an inadvertent error could be disastrous. 2. Inattentive. Labels: not-comparable, obsolete Example: The Sharpers about Town very ingeniously understood themselves to be the undesigning Part of Mankind what Foxes are to Lambs, and therefore used the Word Biting to express any Exploit wherein they had over-reach'd any innocent and inadvertent Man of his Purse.
Word: keep faith Part of Speech: verb 1. To retain one's faith. Labels: intransitive 2. To continue to have confidence in someone or something, and to support them or it. Labels: transitive Example: It capped the perfect night for manager Southgate, who opted to restore Saka and keep faith with Foden, leaving out Marcus Rashford despite his two goals in the win over Wales.
Word: lege Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /ˈlɛd͡ʒ/ 1. Clipping of legislature. Labels: US, abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, colloquial, uncountable
Word: lege Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Abbreviated from allege (“to assert”). Pronunciation: /ˈlɛd͡ʒ/ 1. To allege; to assert. Labels: obsolete Example: Not onely he legeth his mercy to bynde his reason, but also his wysdome.
Word: lege Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Clipping of legend. Pronunciation: /ˈlɛd͡ʒ/ 1. A legend; colloquially used to describe a person who is held in high regard. Labels: Ireland, UK, slang, uncountable
Word: emerge Part of Speech: verb Etymology: First attested in the late 16th century. Borrowed from Middle French emerger, from Latin ēmergō (“to rise up or out”), from ē- (a variant of ex- (“out, forth”)) + mergō (“to dip, to sink”) Pronunciation: /ɪˈmɜːd͡ʒ/, /ɪˈmɝd͡ʒ/ 1. To come into view. Labels: intransitive Example: There were many wooden chairs for the bulk of his visitors, and two wicker armchairs with red cloth cushions for superior people. From the packing-cases had emerged some Indian clubs,[…], and all these articles[…] made a scattered and untidy decoration that Mrs. Clough assiduously dusted and greatly cherished. Example: The face which emerged was not reassuring. It was blunt and grey, the nose springing thick and flat from high on the frontal bone of the forehead, whilst his eyes were narrow slits of dark in a tight bandage of tissue. […]. 2. To come out of a situation, object, or a liquid. Labels: copulative, intransitive Example: He emerged unscathed from the accident. Example: The Soviet Union emerged from the ruins of an empire. 3. To become known. Labels: intransitive Example: Gradually the truth emerged. Example: The [Isaac] Newton that emerges from the [unpublished] manuscripts is far from the popular image of a rational practitioner of cold and pure reason. The architect of modern science was himself not very modern. He was obsessed with alchemy.
Word: emerge Part of Speech: noun Etymology: First attested in the late 16th century. Borrowed from Middle French emerger, from Latin ēmergō (“to rise up or out”), from ē- (a variant of ex- (“out, forth”)) + mergō (“to dip, to sink”) Pronunciation: /ɪˈmɜːd͡ʒ/, /ɪˈmɝd͡ʒ/ 1. Alternative spelling of emerg. Labels: alt-of, alternative