nandhakumarms/qualc-wiktionary-en huggingface dataset:
Word: slammer Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From slam + -er. Pronunciation: /ˈslæmɚ/ 1. One who, or that which, slams. Example: Margaret was also, by her own admission, a determined slammer of doors. 2. Jail, prison. Labels: slang Example: A man being sentenced for starving some horses chose 24 hours in the slammer with no food rather than seven days with the regular amenities. 3. A tequila cocktail that is slammed onto a surface to induce fizzing. 4. One who takes part in slam-dance. 5. One who competes in a poetry slam. 6. In the game of Pogs, the heavier piece used to strike the stack of counters. Example: The basic modern 'Pog' game is played thus. Each child tosses a pog into the arena, face-up or face-down, as agreed. Each player in turn takes his slammer and pitches it hard onto the accumulated pile of pogs. 7. A slam-door train. Labels: UK, slang Example: I was in Britain, wanting to take a train to Portsmouth, and I only needed a one-way ticket. I did love the English trains; we still had slammers then. A slammer is a train where you got to slam the door shut yourself. 8. A fraudster who carries out slamming (fraudulent changes to a customer's service).
Word: Kalashnikov Part of Speech: name Etymology: Named after Russian inventor Mikhail Kalashnikov (1919–2013), from Russian Кала́шников (Kalášnikov). Pronunciation: /kəˈlæʃ.nɪˌkɒv/, /-ˌkɒf/, /kəˈlæʃnəˌkɑv/, /-ˌkɑf/ 1. A particular model of Russian assault rifle. Example: A Cameroonian soldier lies in a trench, the tip of his Kalashnikov rifle pointing toward the Nigerian town of Gambaru, which has been taken over by Boko Haram terrorists. Example: So, we are prepared to bear arms and yesterday we were given Kalashnikovs so we will be able to resist if Russian forces will come to Kyiv. 2. A transliteration of the Russian surname Кала́шников (Kalášnikov). Example: As if he were assembling a collection of Russian scary stories, the director Dmitrii Kalashnikov makes the bizarre beguiling.
Word: blunderbuss Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Dutch donderbus (“blunderbuss”, literally “thunder gun”), which was altered under the influence of blunder. Pronunciation: /ˈblʌn.dəˌbʌs/, /ˈblʌn.dɚˌbʌs/ 1. An old style of muzzleloading firearm and early form of shotgun with a distinctive short, large caliber barrel that is flared at the muzzle, therefore able to fire scattered quantities of nails, stones, shot, etc. at short range. Example: We fired the blunderbuss several times by way of salute, and soon after landed at the bank near the village of the Mahahas, or Shoe Indians, and were received by a crowd of people, who came to welcome our return. Example: One of the most picturesque of the old flintlock guns is the blunderbuss, which was often carried by coach guards for protection against highwaymen.
Word: blunderbuss Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Dutch donderbus (“blunderbuss”, literally “thunder gun”), which was altered under the influence of blunder. Pronunciation: /ˈblʌn.dəˌbʌs/, /ˈblʌn.dɚˌbʌs/ 1. To shoot with a blunderbuss. Labels: transitive
Word: claymore Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Scottish Gaelic claidheamh-mòr. Pronunciation: /ˈkleɪmɔːɹ/ 1. A large two-handed sword historically used by the Scottish Highlanders. 2. Alternative letter-case form of Claymore (“antipersonnel mine”). Labels: alt-of
Word: Agent Orange Part of Speech: name Etymology: From the orange-striped barrels in which it was shipped. 1. A potent herbicide and defoliant used by US forces in the Vietnam War.
Word: gunpowder Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰen- Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰéntis Proto-Germanic *gunþiz Old Norse gunnr Proto-Indo-European *kelh₂-der. Proto-Indo-European *kelh₂tís Proto-Germanic *hildiz Old Norse hildr Old Norse Gunnhildrder. Middle English gunne English gun English powder English gunpowder From gun + powder. Pronunciation: /ˈɡʌnˌpaʊdə/, /ˈɡʌnˌpaʊdɚ/, /ˈɡʊnˌpaʊdə/, /ˈɡʌnˌpʌʊdəɾ/ 1. An explosive mixture of saltpetre (potassium nitrate), charcoal and sulfur; formerly used in gunnery but now mostly used in fireworks. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: They have been a bold, heroic, and purely self dependent nation, never having either courted,—or been subdued by—other Tribes or Europeans. But what early mind—a power—could face gunpowder and the ﬁrelocks? Hence their annihilation! 2. Ellipsis of gunpowder tea. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
Word: gunpowder Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰen- Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰéntis Proto-Germanic *gunþiz Old Norse gunnr Proto-Indo-European *kelh₂-der. Proto-Indo-European *kelh₂tís Proto-Germanic *hildiz Old Norse hildr Old Norse Gunnhildrder. Middle English gunne English gun English powder English gunpowder From gun + powder. Pronunciation: /ˈɡʌnˌpaʊdə/, /ˈɡʌnˌpaʊdɚ/, /ˈɡʊnˌpaʊdə/, /ˈɡʌnˌpʌʊdəɾ/ 1. To destroy with gunpowder. Labels: transitive Example: […] he was […] never getting into quarrels with his neighbors and gunpowdering them out of house and home. His subjects loved him.
Word: gunpowder Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Possibly due to its smell resembling gunpowder during the British Raj. Pronunciation: /ˈɡʌnˌpaʊdə/, /ˈɡʌnˌpaʊdɚ/, /ˈɡʊnˌpaʊdə/, /ˈɡʌnˌpʌʊdəɾ/ 1. Idli podi/milagai podi; ground-up dry spices mixed with oil and ghee and served alongside idli or dosa. Labels: India, informal, uncountable Example: Some restaurants try and give their dosas the "ethnic" touch by slipping along a small dish of mulaga podi-gunpowder mixed with oil as well, but that isn't always enough. Example: It was a hardcore Andhra lunch from a restaurant famous for its lunch meals. And that is where I had my first run-in with 'gunpowder'. And to be honest, I hated it.
Word: woggle Part of Speech: noun Etymology: 1923, coined in Australia by Bill Shankley, from earlier American boondoggle. Popularized from 1929 by use in Scouting for Boys, 14th edition, by Baden-Powell. Pronunciation: /ˈwɒɡəl/ 1. A Boy Scout's neckerchief clasp or slide, originally a loop or ring of leather.
Word: woggle Part of Speech: verb Pronunciation: /ˈwɒɡəl/ 1. Alternative spelling of waggle. Labels: alt-of, alternative, archaic, dialectal
Word: Vegemite Part of Speech: name Etymology: Named as a result of an Australian national competition. The name was chosen in part for its similarity to Marmite. Pronunciation: /ˈve.d͡ʒiː.mɑɪt/, /ˈvɛ.d͡ʒɪ.maɪt/ 1. An Australian food paste made from brewer's yeast. Labels: Australia, New-Zealand Example: I said, "Do you speak-a my language?" / And he just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich Example: This story introduces the reader to Australian food. A baby possum named Hush eats many kinds of food to become visible again after Grandma Poss uses magic to make him invisible. He even eats a vegemite sandwich.
Word: caustic soda Part of Speech: noun 1. sodium hydroxide (NaOH), a strong alkaline substance used in the manufacture of paint, soap and detergents, or as a drain cleaner. Labels: uncountable, usually
Word: the cat's pyjamas Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Popular in the US as early as 1922 around which the bee's knees, cat's whiskers, and numerous other similar phrases gained prominence. Sometimes attributed to cartoonist Tad Dorgan. It is widely believed that the origin of this idiom predates considerably, tracing back to the early 1800s in England. During this period, a tailor named E.B. Katz crafted silk pajamas for members of royalty and the upper class. 1. A highly sought-after and fancy example of something, usually referring to inanimate objects. Labels: UK, dated, idiomatic, plural, plural-only Example: That new car was really the cat's pyjamas.
Word: basta Part of Speech: intj Etymology: Borrowed from Italian basta. Pronunciation: /ˈbɑstɑ/ 1. (that's) enough; stop! Labels: literary, poetic Example: Baſta, content thee: for I haue it full.
Word: endure Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Etymology tree Latin indūrō Latin indūrāreder. Old French endurerbor. Middle English enduren English endure From Middle English enduren, from Old French endurer, from Latin indūrō (“to make hard”). Displaced Old English drēogan, which survives dialectally as dree. Doublet of dure. Pronunciation: /ɪnˈd͡ʒʊə(ɹ)/, [ɪnˈd͡ʒʊə̯(ɹ)], /ɪnˈd͡ʒɔː(ɹ)/, /ɪnˈdjʊə(ɹ)/, [ɪnˈdjʊə̯(ɹ)] 1. To continue or carry on, despite obstacles or hardships; to persist. Labels: intransitive Example: The singer's popularity endured for decades. Example: […] The life that almost dies in me: That dies not, but endures with pain, ⁠And slowly forms the firmer mind, ⁠Treasuring the look it cannot find, The words that are not heard again. 2. To tolerate or put up with something unpleasant. Labels: transitive 3. To last. Labels: intransitive Example: Our love will endure forever. Example: He ſhall leane vpon his houſe, but it ſhall not ſtand: he ſhal hold it faſt, but it ſhall not endure. 4. To remain firm, as under trial or suffering; to suffer patiently or without yielding; to bear up under adversity; to hold out. Example: Can thine heart indure, or can thine hands be ſtrong in the dayes that I ſhall deale with thee? 5. To suffer patiently. Labels: transitive Example: He endured years of pain. Example: Dirk Kuyt sandwiched a goal in between Carroll's double as City endured a night of total misery, with captain Carlos Tevez limping off early on with a hamstring strain that puts a serious question mark over his participation in Saturday's FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United at Wembley. 6. To indurate. Labels: obsolete
Word: unless Part of Speech: conj Etymology: From Middle English unlesse, earlier on lesse (modern on + less), from (not) on lesse (than) (“(not) on a less compelling condition (than)”). The quality of negation in the word and the lack of stress changed on to un-. Pronunciation: /ənˈlɛs/, /ʌnˈlɛs/, /ʊnˈlɛs/, /ɪnˈlɛs/ 1. Except on a specified condition; if not. Example: I’m leaving unless I get a pay rise. Example: You can't go out unless it stops raining. 2. If not; used with counterfactual conditionals. Example: Who would know of Alexander or Caesar, or would respect the Stoics or the Peripatetics, unless they had been distinguished by the memorials of writers? Example: And Joab said, As God liveth, unless thou hadst spoken, surely then in the morning the people had gone up every one from following his brother. 3. Except if; used with hypothetical conditionals. Example: Q. If Lieutenant P. had given the word "Fire," would you have fired, and at what?—A. I should not have known, unless he had told me what to fire at. Example: Lie down and finish out the night, since you are here; but, for heaven's sake! don't repeat that horrid noise: nothing could excuse it, unless you were having your throat cut!
Word: chemical reaction Part of Speech: noun 1. A process, typically involving the breaking or making of interatomic bonds, in which one or more substances are changed into others.
Word: rôle Part of Speech: noun 1. Dated spelling of role. Labels: often, poetic Example: We have referred to the Bull many times, both in his astronomical aspect as pioneer of the Spring-Sun, and in his more direct rôle as plougher of the fields[.] Example: Somehow, I was not quite as elated as I might have been. I remembered that Cynthia had begun her confidences in much the same way. Besides, a father confessor should be elderly, it is not at all the rôle for a young man.
Word: role Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From French rôle, from Middle French rolle, from Old French role, from Medieval Latin rotulus. Doublet of roll and rotulus. Pronunciation: /ɹəʊl/, [ɹəʊɫ], /ɹoʊl/, [ɹoʊɫ], /ɹol/ 1. A character or part played by a performer or actor. Example: My neighbor was the lead role in last year's village play. Example: Her dream was to get a role in a Hollywood movie, no matter how small. 2. The expected behaviour of an individual in a society. Example: The role of women has changed significantly in the last century. 3. The function or position of something. Example: Local volunteers played an important role in cleaning the beach after the oil spill. Example: What role does the wax in your earhole fulfill? 4. Designation that denotes an associated set of responsibilities, knowledge, skills, or privileges Example: The project manager role is responsible for ensuring that everyone on the team knows and executes his or her assigned tasks. Example: As students all over the United States knuckle down to learning, the rumble of war drums once more proclaims Mars high man in Europe. Discarding morbid curiosity, every student should consider it vitally necessary to get a general picture of the causes, movements, and possible effects of World War II. The average U. S. citizen's knowledge of World War II will probably decide his role in it. 5. The function of a word in a phrase. Example: Examining these verbs one by one, what one finds is that Auxiliary Selection does correlate in the expected way with the two kinds of optional transitivity, confirming that with each predicate, one semantic role has a fixed link with initial 1-hood, another with initial 2-hood. 6. In the Raku programming language, a code element akin to an interface, used for composition of classes without adding to their inheritance chain.
Word: role Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /ɹəʊl/, [ɹəʊɫ], /ɹoʊl/, [ɹoʊɫ], /ɹol/ 1. An ancient unit of quantity, 72 sheets of parchment. Labels: historical
Word: white pudding Part of Speech: noun 1. A meat dish, made from minced pork and oats cooked in a sausage skin. Labels: countable, uncountable
Word: drisheen Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Irish drisín. Pronunciation: /dɹɪʃiːn/ 1. A type of Irish sausage made from pigs' blood, suet, and salt; an Irish version of black pudding. Labels: Ireland Example: Mr Dedalus had ordered drisheens for breakfast and during the meal he crossexamined the waiter for local news.
Word: woomera Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Dharug wumara. Pronunciation: /wʊmra/ 1. A traditional spearthrower, consisting of a stick with a hooked end, used by First Nations Australians. Labels: Australia
Word: sundowner Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From sundown + -er. 1. An itinerant worker, such as a swagman, who arrives at a farm too late in the day to do any work, but readily accepts food and lodging. Labels: Australia, obsolete Example: What he saw was not usual in this part of Australia - a sundowner, a bush waif who tramps from north to south or from east to west, never working, cadging rations from the far-flung homesteads and having the ability of the camel to do without water, or find it. Example: Like the Australian sundowners, some of these trampers were suspected of never wanting to find a job. 2. An itinerant worker, a swagman. Labels: Australia, obsolete 3. A sea captain who shows harsh discipline by requiring all hands to be on board by sundown. Example: Arrogant, aloof, and suspicious, a “sundowner,” or strict disciplinarian, King inspired respect in many but affection in few. 4. A patient, usually demented, who tends to become agitated in the evening. Labels: colloquial Example: These patients may improve by day only to relapse at night (nocturnal delirium or sundowner's syndrome). Example: They generally occur in the evening or at night in the form of "sundowner" syndrome, as a result of diminished sensory input and social isolation and/or exposure to an unfamiliar environment (e.g., the hospital). 5. A cocktail consumed at sunset, or to signify the end of the day. Labels: Africa, Southern, especially Example: The cocktail, the universal “sherry and bitters” and sundowner will have to be retained. Example: Mrs. Lowe-Island […] had imagined the Sports Club as a large shadowy veranda, with native servants standing like willing statues around the walls, plenty of sundowners, and that laughter which is the result of personal comment […]. 6. A cocktail party held in the early evening. Example: The Sundowner is basically a cocktail party with a buffet on a riverbank in the bush. 7. A physician employed by the government who practises for private fees after his official hours. 8. Any worker who practises for private fees after official hours. Example: These "sundowners" hold jobs in other — usually related — trades, and do their servicing nights and weekends. Example: […] according to Home Furnishings Daily, “Public exposure of the sundowners provides strong support for our campaign for state licensing of TV technicians. […] 9. A northerly offshore wind which occurs in California along the southern Pacific slope of Santa Ynez Mountains when a region of high pressure is north of the area (the coast of which trends east to west), often preceding or following a Santa Ana and typically occurring at night and ceasing during the day (hence the name). Example: […] Sundowners originate as a high pressure nudges onto the coast of San Luis […] Example: […]winds, and "sundowners" (a dry north wind descending into southern California coastal valleys west of Los Angeles at sunset, displacing moist sea breezes). Extensive burning also occurs during heat waves caused by seaward retreat[…]
Word: multicellular 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 cellular English multicellular From multi- + cellular. 1. That has many cells, often differentiated in function. Labels: not-comparable
Word: multicellular 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 cellular English multicellular From multi- + cellular. 1. Such an organism
Word: dysfunction Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dews-? Proto-Indo-European *dus- Proto-Hellenic *dus- Ancient Greek δῠσ- (dŭs-)der. New Latin dys-der. English dys- Old French fonction Middle French functionbor. English function English dysfunction From dys- + function. Pronunciation: /dɪsˈfʌŋk.ʃən/ 1. A failure to function in an expected or complete manner. Usually refers to a disorder in a bodily organ (e.g. erectile dysfunction), a mental disorder, or the improper behavior of a social group. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Cerebellar dysfunction is characterized by truncal ataxia, a broad-based stance, dysmetria in which the limbs either overstep (hypermetria) or understep (hypometria), and tremor that is most pronounced when the animal attempts a goal-orientated movement (intention tremor). Example: We next consider the cognification of interpersonal dysfunctions in treating clinical depression.
Word: dysfunction Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dews-? Proto-Indo-European *dus- Proto-Hellenic *dus- Ancient Greek δῠσ- (dŭs-)der. New Latin dys-der. English dys- Old French fonction Middle French functionbor. English function English dysfunction From dys- + function. Pronunciation: /dɪsˈfʌŋk.ʃən/ 1. To fail to function correctly; to malfunction. Labels: intransitive, nonstandard
Word: protist Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From translingual Protista, from Ancient Greek πρώτιστος (prṓtistos). Pronunciation: /ˈproʊtɪst/ 1. Any of the eukaryotic, usually unicellular organisms—including protozoans, slime molds and some algae—historically grouped into the kingdom Protista (or Protoctista), now distributed over several clades; any eukaryote that is not a plant, animal or fungus. Example: Besides the hundreds or thousands of metres of fungal mycelium in a teaspoon of healthy soil, there are more bacteria, protists, insects and arthropods than the number of humans who have ever lived on Earth. 2. Any of the eukaryotic, usually unicellular organisms—including protozoans, slime molds and some algae—historically grouped into the kingdom Protista (or Protoctista), now distributed over several clades; any eukaryote that is not a plant, animal or fungus. 3. Any of the eukaryotic, usually unicellular organisms—including protozoans, slime molds and some algae—historically grouped into the kingdom Protista (or Protoctista), now distributed over several clades; any eukaryote that is not a plant, animal or fungus. 4. Any of the eukaryotic, usually unicellular organisms—including protozoans, slime molds and some algae—historically grouped into the kingdom Protista (or Protoctista), now distributed over several clades; any eukaryote that is not a plant, animal or fungus.
Word: protozoa Part of Speech: noun 1. plural of protozoan Labels: form-of, plural 2. plural of protozoon Labels: form-of, plural
Word: slime mold Part of Speech: noun 1. Any of various primitive organisms, a naked mass or protoplasm in diverse taxonomic classifications: Labels: countable, uncountable 2. Any of various primitive organisms, a naked mass or protoplasm in diverse taxonomic classifications: Labels: countable, uncountable 3. Any of various primitive organisms, a naked mass or protoplasm in diverse taxonomic classifications: Labels: countable, uncountable 4. Any of various primitive organisms, a naked mass or protoplasm in diverse taxonomic classifications: Labels: countable, uncountable 5. Any of various primitive organisms, a naked mass or protoplasm in diverse taxonomic classifications: Labels: countable, uncountable 6. Any of various primitive organisms, a naked mass or protoplasm in diverse taxonomic classifications: Labels: countable, uncountable 7. Any of various primitive organisms, a naked mass or protoplasm in diverse taxonomic classifications: Labels: countable, uncountable
Word: protoplasm Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From German Protoplasma, coined by Czech physiologist Jan Evangelista Purkyně, from Ancient Greek πρῶτος (prôtos, “first”) + πλάσμα (plásma, “something molded”). By surface analysis, proto- + -plasm. Compare also protoplasma, used in Late Latin for the “first-created one” (i.e. Adam). 1. The entire contents of a cell comprising the nucleus and the cytoplasm. It is a semi-fluid, transparent substance which is the living matter of plant and animal cells. Labels: countable, uncountable
Word: cristal Part of Speech: adj 1. Relating to a crest. Labels: not-comparable
Word: cristal Part of Speech: noun 1. Obsolete spelling of crystal. Labels: alt-of, countable, obsolete, uncountable
Word: objet Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Ellipsis. Doublet of object and objectum. Pronunciation: /oʊbˈʒeɪ/ 1. Ellipsis of objet d'art. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
Word: proportional Part of Speech: adj 1. At a constant ratio (to). Two magnitudes (numbers) are said to be proportional if the second varies in a direct relation arithmetically to the first. Symbol: ∝. Example: A vacuum-controlled straight air brake system is fitted, in which the driver's vacuum brake valve applies the train brake and makes a proportional application of the locomotive air brake. Example: For example, according to the gas laws, pressure is directly proportional to temperature: the quotient derived from pressure (numerator) and temperature (denominator) will be constant; however, pressure is inversely proportional to volume, meaning that the product between volume and pressure will be constant. 2. In proportion (to), proportionate. Labels: US Example: This ensures consistency across your website design so that you don't end up with elements that are not adequately proportional with each other. 3. Of a typeface, having characters with natural (non-uniform) width (in contrast to monospace typefaces). Example: A font is proportional if all characters in the font have different widths due to their various sizes.
Word: proportional Part of Speech: noun 1. A proportion. Labels: archaic Example: It is almost superfluous to remark that the numbers attached to the elements of compounds are those of the proportionals in which they combine […]
Word: objet d'art Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from French objet (“object”) and d'art (“of art”). Pronunciation: /ˌɒbʒeɪ ˈdɑː(ɹ)/ 1. A work of art with some artistic merit. 2. An artwork exhibited for the purposes of decoration or the reflection of social status. Example: They have one of the largest collections of miniature furniture in the city (perhaps the largest), cases of object d'art ^([sic]), and, most importantly, a mountain of imported cards for those most special on your mailing list.
Word: Milky Way Part of Speech: name Etymology: From Middle English Milky Wey, a calque of Latin Via Lactea (literally “milky road”), a calque of Ancient Greek γαλαξίας (galaxías), referring to its appearance as a pale band of stars across the sky. Compare also Old English Īringes weġ (“Milky Way”), Old Norse Mjólkrhringr (“Milky Way”, literally “milk-ring, milk-circle”). The reference to the galaxy is an extension of the second sense. 1. The Milky Way Galaxy, the galaxy in which Earth is located. Example: Holonyms: Local Group < Virgo Supercluster < Laniakea < Universe Example: Meronyms: Earth < Solar System < Orion Arm 2. A broad band of diffuse white light, visible in the night sky; our view of the dense portions of the Milky Way Galaxy from inside the galaxy. Example: […] a random shower of amber lights—a spray of golden sparks that […] glinted softly upon the sea of dark foliage like the pallid stars of the milky-way.
Word: Big Bang Part of Speech: name Etymology: Coined by English astronomer Fred Hoyle on the BBC Third Programme, broadcast at 18:30 GMT on 28 March 1949. It is a popular but misinformed belief that this was intended as a derogatory term, Hoyle being a proponent of the opposing steady state theory, but Hoyle himself has rejected that notion. 1. The cosmic event that marks the beginning of time and the rapid expansion of space for the visible universe. The evolution of the universe since that beginning point is described by the Big Bang Theory. Example: On scientific grounds this big bang assumption is much less the palatable of the two. 2. The sudden deregulation of financial markets effected by prime minister Margaret Thatcher in 1986. Labels: UK, historical
Word: flint Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English flynt, flint, from Old English flint, from Proto-West Germanic *flint, from Proto-Germanic *flintaz (compare Dutch vlint, flint (“flint, cobblestone”), German Flins, Flint (“flint, pebble”), Danish flint (“flint”)), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)plind- (“to split, cleave”) (compare Irish slinn (“slate, shingle”), Ancient Greek πλίνθος (plínthos)), from *(s)pley- (“to split”). More at split. Pronunciation: /flɪnt/ 1. A hard, fine-grained quartz that fractures conchoidally and generates sparks when struck against a material such as steel, because tiny chips of the steel are heated to incandescence and burn in air. Labels: uncountable Example: He used flint to make a fire. Example: Some of the enormous fragments of chalk which are interstratified with drift have not only layers of undisturbed flints, but also sandpipes in the middle of them, or cylindrical cavities filled with sand and gravel […] 2. A piece of flint, such as a gunflint, used to produce a spark by striking it with a firestriker. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: He used a flint to make a fire. 3. A small cylinder of some other material of the same function in a cigarette lighter, etc. Labels: countable, uncountable 4. A variety of maize/corn with a hard outer hull. Labels: countable, uncountable 5. Anything figuratively hard. Labels: countable, figuratively, uncountable 6. A tailor's employee who is paid by the day. Labels: UK, countable, obsolete, slang, uncountable
Word: flint Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English flynt, flint, from Old English flint, from Proto-West Germanic *flint, from Proto-Germanic *flintaz (compare Dutch vlint, flint (“flint, cobblestone”), German Flins, Flint (“flint, pebble”), Danish flint (“flint”)), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)plind- (“to split, cleave”) (compare Irish slinn (“slate, shingle”), Ancient Greek πλίνθος (plínthos)), from *(s)pley- (“to split”). More at split. Pronunciation: /flɪnt/ 1. To furnish or decorate an object with flint. Labels: transitive Example: No schoolboys lingered round Bob Robertson's (yclept Roberson's) blacksmith's shop, for this sleepy day no lusty throat bellowed attention to the flaming tongues fanned from its bloodily blazing teeth; no luminous stars flinted from the clanking anvil. Example: No change from the primordial doth appear, / Within the earth’s rotation of the year, / Nor are ye heirless of her sane decree, / The problem is potentiality / Of Spring and Autumn, burdenful with Fate, / Upon the seeds of labour ye must wait, / Sowing the Consequence by which ye came, / Flinting the fire not to fire but flame, / With all the end of Destiny the same!
Word: sandstone Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English sandston, from Old English *sandstān, from Proto-West Germanic *sandastain (“sandstone, chisel, gravel”), equivalent to sand + stone. Cognate with West Frisian sânstien (“sandstone”), Saterland Frisian Soundsteen (“sandstone”), Dutch zandsteen (“sandstone”), German Low German Sandsteen (“sandstone”), German Sandstein (“sandstone”), Danish sandsten (“sandstone”), Swedish sandsten (“sandstone”), Icelandic sandsteinn (“sandstone”). Pronunciation: /ˈsændˌstəʊn/, /ˈsændˌstoʊn/ 1. A sedimentary rock produced by the consolidation and compaction of sand, cemented with clay etc. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: It spread slowly up from the sea-rim, a welling upwards of pure white light, ghosting the beach with silver and drawing the grey bastions of sandstone out of formless space.
Word: minutes Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /ˈmɪnɪts/ 1. plural of minute Labels: form-of, plural
Word: minutes Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /ˈmɪnɪts/ 1. The official notes kept during a meeting. Labels: plural, plural-only Example: It was obvious from the prosecutions opening speech that they couldn't prove this intention on prima facie evidence: no letters, no minutes, no witnesses to testify to a wicked burning of the midnight oil as the PIE executive endeavoured […] Example: Minutes from a municipal council meeting published on Thursday showed that the village of about 100 people, 350km (215 miles) west of Vienna, will be named Fugging from 1 January 2021.
Word: minutes Part of Speech: verb Pronunciation: /ˈmɪnɪts/ 1. third-person singular simple present indicative of minute Labels: form-of, indicative, present, singular, third-person
Word: metallurgy Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From French métallurgie, from Ancient Greek μεταλλουργός (metallourgós, “miner”). Pronunciation: /məˈtæl.ə.d͡ʒi/, /ˈmɛt.əˌlɝ.d͡ʒi/ 1. The science of metals; their extraction from ores, purification and alloying, heat treatment, and working. Labels: uncountable, usually Example: Fowler was also interested in metallurgy and the use of new materials that could withstand greater stresses, something he expounded on when giving his presidential address to the new Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 1927.
Word: inclined plane Part of Speech: noun 1. One of the simple machines; a sloping surface such as a ramp such that an object can be raised with less effort than being lifted vertically. Example: On this railway there were three inclined planes of the self-acting type, the full wagons pulling up the empty.
Word: pulley Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English puly, poley, from Old French poulie, polie (“a pulley, windlass”), from Medieval Latin polidia, plural mistaken for the feminine of neuter polidium, from Ancient Greek πολίδιον (polídion, “little pivot”), diminutive of πόλος (pólos, “pivot, hinge, axis”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷel- (“to turn”). Associated with pull (verb) by folk etymology. Pronunciation: /ˈpʊli/, /ˈpɵlɪj/, /ˈpʉle/, /-lɪ/, /-li/ 1. One of the simple machines; a sheave, a wheel with a grooved rim, in which a pulled rope or chain lifts an object (more useful when two or more pulleys are used together, as in a block and tackle arrangement, such that a small force moving through a greater distance can exert a larger force through a smaller distance). Labels: countable Example: These pulleys […] placed collaterally. Example: Nine hundred of the ſtrongeſt Men were employed to draw up theſe Cords by many Pulleys faſtned on the Poles, and thus, in leſs than three Hours, I was raiſed and flung into the Engine, and there tyed faſt. 2. Annular ligament of the finger.
Word: pulley Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English puly, poley, from Old French poulie, polie (“a pulley, windlass”), from Medieval Latin polidia, plural mistaken for the feminine of neuter polidium, from Ancient Greek πολίδιον (polídion, “little pivot”), diminutive of πόλος (pólos, “pivot, hinge, axis”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷel- (“to turn”). Associated with pull (verb) by folk etymology. Pronunciation: /ˈpʊli/, /ˈpɵlɪj/, /ˈpʉle/, /-lɪ/, /-li/ 1. To raise or lift by means of a pulley. Labels: transitive Example: [a mine]is digg'd out with ease, being soft, and is between a white Clay and Chalk at first; but being pulley'd up with the open Air, it receives a crusty kind of hardness
Word: competitor Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Middle French compétiteur, from Latin competitor. Pronunciation: /kəmˈpɛt.ɪ.tɚ/ 1. A person or organization against whom one is competing. Example: Hitherto the river had given facilities to Kingston traders which their competitors elsewhere could not possess, but now the railway took the malt from distant towns to the London market at lower rates than the bargemasters. 2. A participant in a competition, especially in athletics. 3. Partner, associate, one working with another toward a common goal. Labels: obsolete Example: Ioine with me now in this my meane eſtate, […] And when my name and honor ſhall be ſpread, As far as Boreas claps his braſen wings, Or faire Botëes ſends his cheerefull light. Then ſhalt thou be Competitor with me, And ſit with Tamburlaine in all his maieſtie.
Word: Il Duce Part of Speech: name Etymology: Borrowed from Italian il Duce (literally “the Leader”), from duce (“commander, leader”), from Latin dux, accusative ducem (“leader”), from the nomen agentis form of Proto-Indo-European *dewk- (“to lead”). Doublet of duke. Pronunciation: /iːl ˈduːtʃeɪ/, /il ˈdutʃeɪ/ 1. The title which Italian dictator Benito Mussolini assumed during his rule (1922—1945). Labels: historical
Word: nepenthe Part of Speech: noun Etymology: A back-formation from nepenthes. Pronunciation: /nɪˈpɛnθi/, /nəˈpɛnθi/ 1. Alternative form of nepenthes (“a drug that relieves one of emotional pain, grief or sorrow”). Labels: alt-of, alternative, archaic Example: And in her other hand a cup ſhe hild, The which was with Nepenthe to the brim vpfild. Nepenthe is a drinck of ſouerayne grace, Deuized by the Gods, for to aſſwage Harts grief, and bitter gall away to chace, VVhich ſtirs vp anguiſh and contentious rage: In ſtead thereof ſweet peace and quiet age It doth eſtablish in the troubled mynd. Example: "Wretch," I cried, "thy God hath lent thee—by these angels he hath sent thee Respite—respite and Nepenthe, from thy memories of Lenore. Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!"
Word: teishoku Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Japanese 定食 (teishoku). 1. A set meal, usually a tray with one or more main courses, along with a number of side dishes (salad, rice, pickles, soup, etc.).
Word: autophagy Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From auto- + -phagy. Pronunciation: /ɔˈtɑfəd͡ʒi/ 1. The process of self-digestion by a cell through the action of enzymes originating within the same cell, and often a defensive or self-preservation measure. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Near-synonym: autocytolysis 2. A type of programmed cell death accomplished through self-digestion. Labels: countable, uncountable 3. Self-consumption; the act of eating oneself. Labels: countable, rare, uncountable
Word: occur Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Originally "meet (in argument)", borrowed from Middle French occurrer, from Latin occurrō (“run to meet, run against, befall, present itself”) from prefix ob- (“against”) + verb currō (“run, hurry, move”). Pronunciation: /əˈkɜː/, /əˈkɝ/, /əˈkʌr/, /əˈkøː/, /əˈkeː/ 1. To happen or take place. Labels: intransitive Example: The liftoff will occur in exactly twelve seconds. Example: And no use for anyone to tell Charles that this was because the Family was in mourning for Mr Granville Darracott […]: Charles might only have been second footman at Darracott Place for a couple of months when that disaster occurred, but no one could gammon him into thinking that my lord cared a spangle for his heir. 2. To present or offer itself. Labels: intransitive Example: I will write if the opportunity occurs. 3. To come or be presented to the mind; to suggest itself. Labels: impersonal Example: One little incident of my school days occurs to me as amusing. Example: It occurred to him to tell me of the problem. 4. To be present or found. Labels: intransitive Example: The chemical monofluoroacetate occurs in all parts of Dichapetalum cymosum, and is responsible for its toxic effects.
Word: lower Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From low + -er (comparative suffix). Pronunciation: /ˈləʊ.ə/, /ˈloʊ.ɚ/, /ˈloʊ(ə)ɹ/, [ˈloː.(ə)ɹ] 1. comparative form of low: more low Labels: comparative, form-of 2. Bottom; more towards the bottom than the middle of an object. 3. Situated on lower ground, nearer a coast, or more southerly. Example: Lower Manhattan Example: Lower Burgundy 4. Older.
Word: lower Part of Speech: adv Etymology: From low + -er (comparative suffix). Pronunciation: /ˈləʊ.ə/, /ˈloʊ.ɚ/, /ˈloʊ(ə)ɹ/, [ˈloː.(ə)ɹ] 1. comparative form of low: more low Labels: comparative, form-of
Word: lower Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From low + -er (comparative suffix). Pronunciation: /ˈləʊ.ə/, /ˈloʊ.ɚ/, /ˈloʊ(ə)ɹ/, [ˈloː.(ə)ɹ] 1. To let descend by its own weight, as something suspended; to let down. Labels: transitive Example: lower a bucket into a well Example: to lower a sail of a boat 2. To pull down. Labels: transitive Example: to lower a flag 3. To reduce the height of. Labels: transitive Example: lower a fence or wall Example: lower a chimney or turret 4. To depress as to direction. Labels: transitive Example: lower the aim of a gun 5. To make less elevated. Labels: transitive Example: to lower one's ambition, aspirations, or hopes 6. To reduce the degree, intensity, strength, etc., of. Labels: transitive Example: lower the temperature Example: lower one's vitality 7. To bring down; to humble. Labels: transitive Example: lower one's pride 8. To humble oneself; to do something one considers to be beneath one's dignity. Labels: reflexive Example: I could never lower myself enough to buy second-hand clothes. 9. To reduce (something) in value, amount, etc. Labels: transitive Example: lower the price of goods Example: lower the interest rate 10. To fall; to sink; to grow less; to diminish; to decrease. Labels: intransitive Example: The river lowered as rapidly as it rose. 11. To decrease in value, amount, etc. Labels: intransitive 12. To reduce operations to single machine instructions, as part of compilation of a program. Labels: transitive
Word: lower Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From low + -er (comparative suffix). Pronunciation: /ˈləʊ.ə/, /ˈloʊ.ɚ/, /ˈloʊ(ə)ɹ/, [ˈloː.(ə)ɹ] 1. A bicycle suspension fork component.
Word: lower Part of Speech: verb Pronunciation: /ˈlaʊə/, /ˈlaʊ.ə/, /ˈlaʊɚ/, /ˈlaʊ.ɚ/ 1. Alternative spelling of lour. Labels: alt-of, alternative Example: Now is the winter of our diſcontent, / Made glorious ſummer by this ſonne of Yorke: / And all the cloudes that lowrd vpon our houſe, / In the deepe boſome of the Ocean buried. Example: [...] Juno took her place: / But ſullen Diſcontent ſat lowring on her Face.
Word: electric motor Part of Speech: noun 1. A motor that converts electrical energy into kinetic energy.
Word: sadguru Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Sanskrit सद्गुरु (sadguru, “true teacher”). 1. Alternative form of satguru. Labels: alt-of, alternative
Word: galore Part of Speech: adj Etymology: PIE word *ḱóm Borrowed from Irish go leor and Scottish Gaelic gu leòr, gu leòir (“till sufficient, enough, plenty”) (compare Manx dy liooar), from Irish go, Scottish Gaelic gu (“to; till, until”) + Irish leor, Scottish Gaelic leòr (“ample, sufficient”); go, gu are derived from Old Irish co, cu (“with”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“beside, by; near; with”); while leor, leòr are from Old Irish leor, from lour (“enough, sufficient”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leh₂w- (“to gain; to seize; a benefit; a prize”). Pronunciation: /ɡəˈlɔː/, /ɡəˈloɹ/, /ɡəˈloː/, /ɡəˈlo(ː)ɹ/, /ɡəˈloə/ 1. In abundance. Labels: not-comparable, postpositional Example: After the shipwreck there was whisky galore to be had for the taking. Example: […]But when I had bestridden the plank, quoth I to myself, "Thou deserveth all that betideth thee. All this is decreed to me of Allah (whose name be exalted!), to turn me from my greed of gain, whence ariseth all that I endure, for I have wealth galore."
Word: galore Part of Speech: noun Etymology: PIE word *ḱóm Borrowed from Irish go leor and Scottish Gaelic gu leòr, gu leòir (“till sufficient, enough, plenty”) (compare Manx dy liooar), from Irish go, Scottish Gaelic gu (“to; till, until”) + Irish leor, Scottish Gaelic leòr (“ample, sufficient”); go, gu are derived from Old Irish co, cu (“with”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“beside, by; near; with”); while leor, leòr are from Old Irish leor, from lour (“enough, sufficient”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leh₂w- (“to gain; to seize; a benefit; a prize”). Pronunciation: /ɡəˈlɔː/, /ɡəˈloɹ/, /ɡəˈloː/, /ɡəˈlo(ː)ɹ/, /ɡəˈloə/ 1. An abundance; plenty. Labels: archaic Example: The usual routine of confections and pastry follows, after which a galore of fruits of all kinds, with a chassè of excellent Mocha, the immediate servitude of which, after good dining, is, I think, universally acknowledged to be a great exhiliration.^([sic – meaning exhilaration]) Example: I have got the Innishowen and galores of bread and cheese ready, and all the neighbours are to join us.
Word: galore Part of Speech: adv Etymology: PIE word *ḱóm Borrowed from Irish go leor and Scottish Gaelic gu leòr, gu leòir (“till sufficient, enough, plenty”) (compare Manx dy liooar), from Irish go, Scottish Gaelic gu (“to; till, until”) + Irish leor, Scottish Gaelic leòr (“ample, sufficient”); go, gu are derived from Old Irish co, cu (“with”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“beside, by; near; with”); while leor, leòr are from Old Irish leor, from lour (“enough, sufficient”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leh₂w- (“to gain; to seize; a benefit; a prize”). Pronunciation: /ɡəˈlɔː/, /ɡəˈloɹ/, /ɡəˈloː/, /ɡəˈlo(ː)ɹ/, /ɡəˈloə/ 1. In abundance. Labels: not-comparable Example: "Nice stuff, water; eh, Nora?" he remarked, complying. "Why don't you file it away a lot?" she demanded, pointing to the slight incision he had made. "I want to wallow in it galore."
Word: dilly bag Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Yagara dili (“coarse grass; small fibre bag or basket”). 1. A traditional Australian Aboriginal string bag, made from twisted bark fibres and used for gathering food. Labels: Australia Example: I learned, too, at the camp to plait dilly-bags, to chop sugar-bags (otherwise hives of native bees) out of trees, to make drinking-vessels from gourds, and to play the jews′-harp. Example: The man had a long forked beard and carried a spear or two, and a spear-thrower. The woman carried a dilly-bag and a baby at her breast. 2. Any similar loose bag with a large strap, normally made of soft cloth. Labels: Australia, broadly Example: The woman carried two small battered suitcases, fastened with rope, and a plastic dilly bag; the man carried only a scent of garlic. Example: She handed him a slip of paper with the address of her uncle′s property in Penrith an outlying suburb of Sydney and he tucked it into his dilly bag to record in his diary for safekeeping. 3. Synonym of ditty bag.
Word: tucker Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From tuck + -er. Pronunciation: /ˈtʌkə/, [ˈtʰʌkə], /ˈtʌkɚ/, [ˈtʰʌkɚ] 1. To tire out or exhaust a person or animal. Labels: slang Example: Man, I’m so tuckered from my run today.
Word: tucker Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From tuck + -er. Pronunciation: /ˈtʌkə/, [ˈtʰʌkə], /ˈtʌkɚ/, [ˈtʰʌkɚ] 1. One who or that which tucks. Labels: countable Example: Discrimination. Firm, after having had a long controversy with its tuckers, laid off the whole tucking department for a week. Union maintained it was a clear case cf discrimination against the tuckers on account of the recent controversy. Determination: Complaint of the union was sustained. Tuckers were paid the amount of money they were deprived of through being discriminated against, $158.90. 2. Food; tuck. Labels: Australia, New-Zealand, colloquial, uncountable Example: By the fire the billies were boiling, the tucker of both camps spread out on tarpaulins. 3. Work that scarcely yields a living wage. Labels: countable, dated, slang, uncountable
Word: tucker Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Inherited from Middle English tukere (“one who dresses or finishes cloth”). Pronunciation: /ˈtʌkə/, [ˈtʰʌkə], /ˈtʌkɚ/, [ˈtʰʌkɚ] 1. Lace or a piece of cloth in the neckline of a dress. Labels: countable Example: “And, ma′am,” he continued, “the laundress tells me some of the girls have two clean tuckers in the week: it is too much; the rules limit them to one.” “I think I can explain that circumstance, sir. Agnes and Catherine Johnstone were invited to take tea with some friends at Lowton last Thursday, and I gave them leave to put on clean tuckers for the occasion.” Example: “Now let us go home, and never mind Aunt March to-day. We can run down there any time, and it′s really a pity to trail through the dust in our best bibs and tuckers, when we are tired and cross.” 2. A fuller; one who fulls cloth. Labels: obsolete
Word: linen tester Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From linen + tester. 1. A folding magnifying glass which, when unfolded, forms a frame for the lens at a pre-focussed distance. Commonly used in stamp collecting. 2. A small magnifying glass, as might be used to check the thread count of linens.
Word: gunyah Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Dharug gunya (“shelter”), first recorded 1803. 1. A traditional Aboriginal dwelling made of bark and sticks. Labels: Australia Example: The following day we reached the main creek ; and knowing where there was a fine water-hole and native gunyahs, we went there, intending to save what was left of our flour and dried meat, for the purpose of making another attempt to reach Mount Hopeless. Example: Across the country a wisp of smoke showed, then gunyahs, and in a moment more we were right in the bush camp.
Word: bushranger Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From bush + ranger. 1. A convict or outlaw who escapes to the bush to avoid capture; a roving bandit who lives in the bush. Labels: Australia, historical Example: We each discharged a shot in the direction of the explosion by the bushrangers, for we had no other guide in aiming, owing to the night being so very dark, which was rendered denser by the mizzling rain which had been falling all day. Example: The retribution for those who failed to help bushrangers could be severe. Thomas Kenton was imprisoned in 1825, accused of having allowed Matthew Brady to escape, but was later murdered by the bushranger as an informer.²⁸ 2. A person skilled in bushcraft. Labels: Australia, obsolete Example: 1824, The Australian, quoted in 1966, Sidney J. Baker, The Australian Language, 2nd edition, chapter II section 2, page 31, Mr Hovell lacks all the qualities befitting a bushranger.
Word: drover Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree English drove 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 drover From drove + -er. Pronunciation: /ˈdɹəʊ.və/, /ˈdɹoʊ.vəɹ/ 1. A person who drives animals (which are on foot or on the hoof, walking to some destination), especially cattle or sheep, and especially over long distances. Example: In the present day, we take it for granted that livestock are transported by truck or rail, but in past centuries, they were driven by drovers, and a herd might be met on any street, road, or highway. Example: Why, that's spoken like an honest drovier: so they sell bullocks.