nandhakumarms/qualc-wiktionary-en huggingface dataset:
Word: between Part of Speech: prep Etymology: PIE word *dwóh₁ From Middle English betwene, from Old English betwēonum (“between, among”, dative plural, literally “by the two, near both”), from Proto-Germanic *bi- (“be-”) + *twīhnaz (“two each”), corresponding to be- + twain. Cognate with Scots between (“between”), Scots atween (“between”), Gothic 𐍄𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌷𐌽𐌰𐌹 (tweihnai, “two each”), Old English betweoh (“between”), Old English twinn (“double, twofold”). More at betwixt, twin. More distantly related to Ancient Greek διά (diá, “through, across, by, over”) whence English dia- (“through, across, between”). For the meaning development also compare with Mongolian хооронд (xoorond, “between”), connected with Mongolian хоёр (xojor, “two”). Pronunciation: /bɪˈtwiːn/, /bɪˈtwɪjn/, /bəˈtwin/, /bɪˈtwin/, [bɪˈtʰwin] 1. In the position or interval that separates (two things), or intermediate in quantity or degree. (See Usage notes below.) Example: John stood between Amy and Mary. Let’s meet between two and three. Example: I want to buy one that costs somewhere between forty and fifty dollars. 2. Done together or reciprocally. Example: conversation between friends Example: She mixed furniture with the same fatal profligacy as she mixed drinks, and this outrageous contact between things which were intended by Nature to be kept poles apart gave her an inexpressible thrill. 3. Shared in confidence. Example: Between you and me, I think the boss is crazy. Let's keep this between ourselves. 4. In transit from (one to the other, or connecting places). Example: He's between jobs right now. The shuttle runs between the town and the airport. Example: [If] you don’t want to flip the channels between Biden and Trump, join [the] live chat, [which is covering] both town halls. 5. Combined (by effort or ownership). Example: Between us all, we shall succeed. We've only got £5 between us. Example: Between the leaky taps and the peeling wallpaper, there isn't much about this house to appeal to a buyer. 6. One of (representing a choice). Example: You must choose between him and me. Example: Some colour-blind people can't distinguish between red and green. 7. Taking together the combined effect of. Example: Between the food and the card games, this proved to be the best birthday party I have ever had.
Word: between Part of Speech: noun Etymology: PIE word *dwóh₁ From Middle English betwene, from Old English betwēonum (“between, among”, dative plural, literally “by the two, near both”), from Proto-Germanic *bi- (“be-”) + *twīhnaz (“two each”), corresponding to be- + twain. Cognate with Scots between (“between”), Scots atween (“between”), Gothic 𐍄𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌷𐌽𐌰𐌹 (tweihnai, “two each”), Old English betweoh (“between”), Old English twinn (“double, twofold”). More at betwixt, twin. More distantly related to Ancient Greek διά (diá, “through, across, by, over”) whence English dia- (“through, across, between”). For the meaning development also compare with Mongolian хооронд (xoorond, “between”), connected with Mongolian хоёр (xojor, “two”). Pronunciation: /bɪˈtwiːn/, /bɪˈtwɪjn/, /bəˈtwin/, /bɪˈtwin/, [bɪˈtʰwin] 1. A kind of needle, shorter than a sharp, with a small rounded eye, used for making fine stitches on heavy fabrics.
Word: iron Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English iren, from Old English īsern, īsærn, īren, īsen, from Proto-West Germanic *īsarn, from Proto-Germanic *īsarną (“iron”), from Proto-Celtic *īsarnom (“iron”), possibly a derivation from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ésh₂r̥ (“blood”). Cognates Cognate with Scots airn, ern (“iron”), Yola eeren (“iron”), Saterland Frisian Iersen (“iron”), West Frisian izer (“iron”), Bavarian Eisn (“iron”), Cimbrian aizarn (“iron”), Dutch ijzer (“iron”), German, Luxembourgish Eisen (“iron”), German Low German Isen (“iron”), Alemannic German Ise (“iron”), Limburgish iezer (“iron”), Mòcheno aisn (“iron”), Vilamovian ȧjza (“iron”), West Flemish yzer (“iron”), Yiddish אײַזן (ayzn, “iron”), Danish jern, jærn (“iron”), Faroese jarn (“iron”), Icelandic járn (“iron”), Jamtish járn, jáðn (“iron”), Norwegian Bokmål jern (“iron”), Norwegian Nynorsk jarn, jern, jønn (“iron”), Swedish jern, jaͤrn, järn (“iron”), Gothic 𐌴𐌹𐍃𐌰𐍂𐌽 (eisarn, “iron”). Pronunciation: /ˈaɪ.ən/, /ˈɑjən/, /ˈaɪ.ɚn/, /ˈaɪ.ɹən/, /ˈɑɪ.ən/ 1. Made of the metal iron. Labels: not-comparable 2. Strong (as of will), inflexible. Labels: figuratively, not-comparable Example: She had an iron will. Example: He held on with an iron grip.
Word: iron Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English iren, from Old English īsern, īsærn, īren, īsen, from Proto-West Germanic *īsarn, from Proto-Germanic *īsarną (“iron”), from Proto-Celtic *īsarnom (“iron”), possibly a derivation from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ésh₂r̥ (“blood”). Cognates Cognate with Scots airn, ern (“iron”), Yola eeren (“iron”), Saterland Frisian Iersen (“iron”), West Frisian izer (“iron”), Bavarian Eisn (“iron”), Cimbrian aizarn (“iron”), Dutch ijzer (“iron”), German, Luxembourgish Eisen (“iron”), German Low German Isen (“iron”), Alemannic German Ise (“iron”), Limburgish iezer (“iron”), Mòcheno aisn (“iron”), Vilamovian ȧjza (“iron”), West Flemish yzer (“iron”), Yiddish אײַזן (ayzn, “iron”), Danish jern, jærn (“iron”), Faroese jarn (“iron”), Icelandic járn (“iron”), Jamtish járn, jáðn (“iron”), Norwegian Bokmål jern (“iron”), Norwegian Nynorsk jarn, jern, jønn (“iron”), Swedish jern, jaͤrn, järn (“iron”), Gothic 𐌴𐌹𐍃𐌰𐍂𐌽 (eisarn, “iron”). Pronunciation: /ˈaɪ.ən/, /ˈɑjən/, /ˈaɪ.ɚn/, /ˈaɪ.ɹən/, /ˈɑɪ.ən/ 1. To pass an iron over (clothing or some other item made of cloth) in order to remove creases. Labels: transitive Example: You'd be wise to iron that shirt before you wear it. Example: Out of that tub had come the day before - Tess felt it with a dreadful sting of remorse - the very white frock upon her back which she had so carelessly greened about the skirt on the damping grass - which had been wrung up and ironed by her mother's own hands. 2. To engage in such pressing of clothing. Labels: intransitive Example: They were washing and ironing all morning. 3. To shackle with irons; to fetter or handcuff. Labels: archaic, transitive Example: [...] is it he who is ironed like a malefactor—who is to be dragged on a hurdle to the common gallows—to die a lingering and cruel death, and to be mangled by the hand of the most outcast of wretches? 4. To furnish, clad, or arm with iron. Labels: transitive Example: to iron a wagon
Word: buzzard Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English bosart, from Anglo-Norman buisart, from Old French busart, busard, a derivative ( + -ard) of Old French buison, buson (French buse), possibly from Latin būteō (“hawk”). Pronunciation: /ˈbʌzəd/, /ˈbʌzɚd/, /ˈbɐzəd/, /ˈbʊzəd/, /ˈbʌzəɾd/ 1. Any of several Old World birds of prey of the genus Buteo with broad wings and a broad tail. 2. Any scavenging bird, such as the American black vulture (Coragyps atratus) or the turkey vulture (Cathartes aura). Labels: Canada, US 3. In North America, a curmudgeonly or cantankerous man; an old person; a mean, greedy person. Labels: colloquial, derogatory, slang Example: Perhaps the crusty old buzzard loved his only child more than anyone had given him credit for all these years — maybe even more than he himself had realized. 4. A blockhead; a dunce. Labels: archaic Example: 1640, George Herbert, Jacula Prudentum; or, Outlandish Proverbs, Sentences, etc., in The Remains of that Sweet Singer of the Temple George Herbert, London: Pickering, 1841, p. 142, An old man’s shadow is better than a young buzzard’s sword. Example: It is common, to a proverb, to call one who can not be taught, or who continues obstinately ignorant, a buzzard. 5. Synonym of double bogey. 6. A fighter plane. Labels: US, World-War-I, slang 7. The insignia of a colonel, or a petty officer within the navy. Labels: US, dated, slang 8. A military discharge (due to the military discharge certificate). Labels: US, slang
Word: buzzard Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /ˈbʌzəd/, /ˈbʌzɚd/, /ˈbɐzəd/, /ˈbʊzəd/, /ˈbʌzəɾd/ 1. A bastard. Labels: euphemistic
Word: bitters Part of Speech: noun 1. plural of bitter Labels: form-of, plural
Word: bitters Part of Speech: noun 1. A liquid used in mixed drinks or as a tonic into which bitter herbs have been steeped (it can also be found in powdered form for adding to mixed drinks).
Word: bitters Part of Speech: verb 1. third-person singular simple present indicative of bitter Labels: form-of, indicative, present, singular, third-person
Word: stork Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Inherited from Middle English stork, from Old English storc, from Proto-West Germanic *stork, from Proto-Germanic *sturkaz, from Proto-Indo-European *sr̥ǵos (“stork”). Near cognates include Dutch stork, German Storch, Swedish stork, and Icelandic storkur. Compare also Latvian stārķis (“stork”), borrowed from Germanic. Pronunciation: /stɔɹk/, /stɔːk/, /stoːk/ 1. A large wading bird with long legs and a long beak of the order Ciconiiformes and its family Ciconiidae. 2. The mythical bringer of babies to families, or good news. Labels: euphemistic Example: My sister's expecting a visit from the stork. 3. The seventeenth Lenormand card.
Word: rock dove Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /ɹɒk dʌv/ 1. The dove/pigeon species Columba livia.
Word: GNP Part of Speech: noun 1. Initialism of gross national product. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Word: fricative Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From New Latin fricatīvus, from Latin fricāre (“to rub”). Pronunciation: /ˈfɹɪkətɪv/, /ˈfɾɪkətɪv/, /fɾɪˈkeʈɪv/ 1. Any of several speech sounds produced by air flowing through a constriction in the oral cavity and typically producing a sibilant, hissing, or buzzing quality; a fricative consonant. Example: Watt listened for a time, for the voice was far from unmelodious. The fricatives in particular were pleasing.
Word: fricative Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From New Latin fricatīvus, from Latin fricāre (“to rub”). Pronunciation: /ˈfɹɪkətɪv/, /ˈfɾɪkətɪv/, /fɾɪˈkeʈɪv/ 1. produced by air flowing through a restriction in the oral cavity.
Word: SAMPA Part of Speech: name Etymology: Acronym of Speech Assessment Methods Phonetic Alphabet. Pronunciation: /ˈsæmpə/ 1. An alphabet based on the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), but using only 7-bit ASCII characters, to work around text encoding problems before the introduction of Unicode.
Word: jackdaw Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Compound of jack + daw. The first element, also present in Low German (North Saxon) Jöker (“jackdaw”), may refer either to its characteristic call, often represented as tchak-tchak, maybe influenced by association with the name Jack. The second element means “jackdaw” in itself, from Old English *dāwe, from Proto-West Germanic *dāhwā. Cognate with Old Prussian doacke (“starling”), Latin faccilāre (“the sound or timbre of the thrush”), and German Dohle (“jackdaw”). Pronunciation: /ˈdʒækˌdɔː/, /ˈd͡ʒækˌdɔ/, /ˈd͡ʒækˌdɑ/ 1. A bird of the genus Coloeus, similar in appearance to crows and found within the same family; traditionally associated with church towers and ruins, where it frequently likes to nest.
Word: cuckoo Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English cokkou, kokkow, cukkuk, gokkouȝ, probably from Old French cocu, coquu, cucu (whence French coucou); ultimately onomatopoeic of the song of the male Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), perhaps via Latin cucūlus (“cuckoo”). Compare dialectal English gowkoo (“cuckoo”). Displaced Middle English gnokken (“cuckoo”) and native Middle English yeke, ȝek (from Old English ġēac (“cuckoo”)), see English gowk. The UK sense is by analogy from the bird's practice of brood parasitism. The Malaysian and Singaporean sense is a calque of Hokkien 咕咕鳥 /咕咕鸟 (ku-kú-chiáu) Pronunciation: /ˈkʊkuː/, /ˈkɵkʉw/, /ˈkuku/, /ˈkʉkʉ/ 1. Any of various birds, of the family Cuculidae within the order Cuculiformes, famous for laying its eggs in the nests of other species; but especially a common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), that has a characteristic two-note call. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: He knows me, as the blind man knows the cuckoo, By the bad voice. Example: At dawn they fly away, none knows whither. On the eve of the death of any other Tanville-Tankerton, comes (no matter what be the time of year) a cuckoo. It stays for an hour, cooing, then flies away, none knows whither. Whenever this portent occurs, my steward telegraphs to me, that I, as head of the family, be not unsteeled against the shock of a bereavement, and that my authority be sooner given for the unsealing and garnishing of the family-vault. 2. The sound of that particular bird. Labels: countable, uncountable 3. The bird-shaped figure found in cuckoo clocks. Labels: countable, uncountable 4. The cuckoo clock itself. Labels: countable, uncountable 5. A person who inveigles themselves into a place where they should not be (used especially in the phrase a cuckoo in the nest). Labels: countable, uncountable 6. Someone who is crazy. Labels: countable, slang, uncountable 7. Alternative form of coo-coo (Barbadian food). Labels: alt-of, alternative, countable, uncountable 8. Alternative form of ku ku jiao (the penis) Labels: Manglish, Singlish, alt-of, alternative, colloquial, countable, uncountable
Word: cuckoo Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English cokkou, kokkow, cukkuk, gokkouȝ, probably from Old French cocu, coquu, cucu (whence French coucou); ultimately onomatopoeic of the song of the male Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), perhaps via Latin cucūlus (“cuckoo”). Compare dialectal English gowkoo (“cuckoo”). Displaced Middle English gnokken (“cuckoo”) and native Middle English yeke, ȝek (from Old English ġēac (“cuckoo”)), see English gowk. The UK sense is by analogy from the bird's practice of brood parasitism. The Malaysian and Singaporean sense is a calque of Hokkien 咕咕鳥 /咕咕鸟 (ku-kú-chiáu) Pronunciation: /ˈkʊkuː/, /ˈkɵkʉw/, /ˈkuku/, /ˈkʉkʉ/ 1. To make the call of a cuckoo. Example: Switzerland is the home of many musical toys and here were carved whistles in the shapes of birds. These cuckooed realistically when blown into, with the beak opening and shutting, and the tail moving up and down to produce the 'cuck' and the 'oooh'. 2. To repeat something incessantly. 3. To take over the home of a vulnerable person for the purposes of carrying out organized crime in a concealed way. Labels: UK Example: She'll have been cuckooed. That'll be the Knezevics. They can't launder fast enough, so what do you do with it? Where do you put it? You hide it in somebody else's place; somebody who han't got a clue what's going on and couldn't do a fat lot about it if they did.
Word: cuckoo Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English cokkou, kokkow, cukkuk, gokkouȝ, probably from Old French cocu, coquu, cucu (whence French coucou); ultimately onomatopoeic of the song of the male Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), perhaps via Latin cucūlus (“cuckoo”). Compare dialectal English gowkoo (“cuckoo”). Displaced Middle English gnokken (“cuckoo”) and native Middle English yeke, ȝek (from Old English ġēac (“cuckoo”)), see English gowk. The UK sense is by analogy from the bird's practice of brood parasitism. The Malaysian and Singaporean sense is a calque of Hokkien 咕咕鳥 /咕咕鸟 (ku-kú-chiáu) Pronunciation: /ˈkʊkuː/, /ˈkɵkʉw/, /ˈkuku/, /ˈkʉkʉ/ 1. Crazy; not sane. Labels: slang Example: I think I'm going cuckoo! Example: 71...R/3xN†? [White] resigns?? Lengyel combined to get this cuckoo coup expecting 72 RxR BxP† to win. And Darga's mind, apparently in the same channel, also overlooked 73 K-K3.
Word: great spotted woodpecker Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /ˈɡɹeɪt ˈspɒtəd ˈwʊdpɛkəɹ/ 1. A species of woodpecker, Dendrocopos major.
Word: lesser spotted woodpecker Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /ˈlɛsə(ɹ)ˈspɒtəd ˈwədpɛkə(ɹ)/ 1. Any of species Dryobates minor of woodpeckers, principally of cooler regions of Eurasia.
Word: black woodpecker Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /ˈblækˈwʊdpɛkə(ɹ)/ 1. Any of species Dryocopus martius of woodpeckers (family Picidae).
Word: robin Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Short for robin redbreast. Also from Middle English robynet, robynett (“robin (bird)”), from the Middle English name Robynett, a diminutive of the Middle English name Robyn (“Robin”). ] ] Pronunciation: /ˈɹɒ.bɪn/, /ˈɹɑ.bɪn/ 1. Any of various passerine birds (about 100 species) of the families Muscicapidae, Turdidae and Petroicidae (formerly Eopsaltriidae), typically with a red breast. Example: As they turned into Hertford Street they startled a robin from the poet's head on a barren fountain, and he fled away with a cameo note. 2. Any of various passerine birds (about 100 species) of the families Muscicapidae, Turdidae and Petroicidae (formerly Eopsaltriidae), typically with a red breast. 3. A trimming in front of a dress. Labels: historical
Word: robin Part of Speech: noun 1. A toxalbumin obtained from the locust tree. Labels: uncountable
Word: IPA Part of Speech: name Pronunciation: /ˌaɪ.piːˈeɪ/, [ˌaɪ.pʰiːˈeɪ] 1. Initialism of International Phonetic Alphabet. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, initialism Example: However, beyond lexis, the Macmillan range includes other adaptations, such as IPA encoding which reflects Indian English pronunciation, and etymologies that distinguish between "tatsama" and "tadbhava" terms, based on McGregor (1992). Example: Those two proposals included a few retired and para-IPA letters, but consideration of historical and para-IPA modifiers was largely deferred until the IPA could more fully discuss the desired scope of such encoding through the newly established Alphabet, Charts and Fonts Committee. […] By ‘para-IPA,’ we mean symbols that are commonly used within IPA notation but that are not themselves part of the IPA alphabet. 2. Initialism of International Phonetic Association. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, initialism 3. Initialism of International Police Association. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Word: IPA Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /ˌaɪ.piːˈeɪ/, [ˌaɪ.pʰiːˈeɪ] 1. Initialism of isopropyl alcohol. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, initialism, uncountable 2. Initialism of isophthalic acid. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, initialism, uncountable 3. Initialism of isopropyl acetate. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, initialism, uncountable 4. Initialism of India pale ale. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism Example: Not bad for an amber or pale ale, but India pale ale, I don't think so. So why does Bass put IPA on the label? 5. Transcription written in the International Phonetic Alphabet. Labels: countable, uncountable 6. An IPA file, or an iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, or tvOS app distributed via IPA files. Labels: countable, uncountable
Word: altimeter Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Coined based on Latin altus (“high”) + -meter. Pronunciation: /ælˈtɪm.ɪ.tɚ/ 1. An apparatus for measuring altitude. Example: For that reason, if you do any mountain climbing, allow a generous margin of error of extra altitude—not only for possible altimeter error, but also for downdrafts that are particularly prevalent if high winds are encountered.
Word: altitude Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English, borrowed from Latin altitūdō (“height”), from altus (“high”). Pronunciation: /ˈælt.ɪˌtjuːd/, /ˈælt.ɪˌt͡ʃuːd/, /ˈælt.ɪˌtuːd/ 1. The absolute height of a location, usually measured from sea level. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: As the altitude increases, the temperature gets lower, so remember to bring warm clothes to the mountains. Example: Like most human activities, ballooning has sponsored heroes and hucksters and a good deal in between. For every dedicated scientist patiently recording atmospheric pressure and wind speed while shivering at high altitudes, there is a carnival barker with a bevy of pretty girls willing to dangle from a basket or parachute down to earth. 2. A vertical distance. Labels: countable, uncountable 3. The line perpendicularly connecting a figure’s vertex, especially a triangle’s apex, to the side opposite to the vertex. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: All three altitudes of any triangle will always meet at point known as the orthocentre or orthocenter. 4. The length of such a line; the distance measured perpendicularly from a figure's vertex to the side opposite to the vertex. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: The perpendicular height of a triangle is known as its altitude. 5. The angular distance of a heavenly body above our Earth's horizon. Labels: countable, uncountable 6. Height of rank or excellence; superiority. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Whoever has an ambition to be heard in a crowd, must press, and squeeze, and thrust, and climb, with indefatigable pains, till he has exalted himself to a certain degree of altitude above them. 7. Elevation of spirits; heroics; haughty airs. Labels: countable, dated, in-plural, uncountable Example: The man of law began to get into his altitudes. Example: Is this deified passion , in its greatest altitudes , fitted to stand the day ? 8. Highest point or degree. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: He is [proud] even to the altitude of his virtue. 9. Krull dimension. Labels: countable, dated, uncountable 10. Height. Labels: countable, uncountable
Word: applaud Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English applauden, from Latin applaudere (“to clap the hands together, applaud”), from ad (“to”) + plaudere (“to strike, clap”). Pronunciation: /əˈplɔːd/, /əˈplɔd/, /əˈplɑd/ 1. Applause; applauding. Labels: obsolete 2. Plaudit. Labels: obsolete
Word: applaud Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English applauden, from Latin applaudere (“to clap the hands together, applaud”), from ad (“to”) + plaudere (“to strike, clap”). Pronunciation: /əˈplɔːd/, /əˈplɔd/, /əˈplɑd/ 1. To express approval (of something) by clapping the hands. Labels: intransitive, transitive Example: After the performance, the audience applauded for five minutes. 2. To praise, or express approval for something or someone. Labels: intransitive, transitive Example: Although we don't like your methods, we applaud your motives. Example: Now by the Gods, I do applaude his courage.
Word: bacteria Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Ancient Greek βακτηρία (baktēría) Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Ancient Greek -ῐος (-ĭos)? Ancient Greek -ιον (-ion) Ancient Greek βακτήριον (baktḗrion)bor. New Latin bactēriabor. English bacteria Borrowed from New Latin bacteria, plural of bactērium, from Ancient Greek βακτήριον (baktḗrion, “little rod”); by surface analysis, bacteri(um) + -a. Pronunciation: /bakˈtɪə̯.ri.ə/, /bækˈtɪɹ.i.ə/ 1. plural of bacterium Labels: form-of, plural
Word: bacteria Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Ancient Greek βακτηρία (baktēría) Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Ancient Greek -ῐος (-ĭos)? Ancient Greek -ιον (-ion) Ancient Greek βακτήριον (baktḗrion)bor. New Latin bactēriabor. English bacteria Borrowed from New Latin bacteria, plural of bactērium, from Ancient Greek βακτήριον (baktḗrion, “little rod”); by surface analysis, bacteri(um) + -a. Pronunciation: /bakˈtɪə̯.ri.ə/, /bækˈtɪɹ.i.ə/ 1. A type, species, or strain of bacterium. Labels: US Example: Anaerobic bacteria function in the absence of oxygen, where as aerobic bacteria require sunlight and also oxygen. Both these bacterias are capable of breaking down the organic matter […] 2. Alternative form of bacterium. Labels: US, alt-of, alternative, proscribed 3. Lowlife, slob (could be treated as plural or singular). Labels: derogatory, slang
Word: bacteria Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From New Latin bactēria, from Ancient Greek βακτηρίᾱ (baktēríā, “rod, stick”). Pronunciation: /bakˈtɪə̯.ri.ə/, /bækˈtɪɹ.i.ə/ 1. An oval bacterium, as distinguished from a spherical coccus or rod-shaped bacillus. Labels: dated
Word: basis Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Latin basis, from Ancient Greek βάσις (básis), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷémtis, derived from Proto-Indo-European *gʷem- (whence also come). Doublet of base. Pronunciation: /ˈbeɪ.sɪs/, /ˈbæɪ.sɪs/ 1. A physical base or foundation. Example: 1695, William Congreve, To the King, on the taking of Namur, 1810, Samuel Johnson, Alexander Chalmers (biographies), The Works of the English Poets from Chaucer to Cowper, Volume 10, page 271, Beholding rocks from their firm basis rent; Mountain on mountain thrown, With threatening hurl, that shook th' aerial firmament! Example: We see here the ground-plan of masses of houses, with their upper walls of fire-baked brick on a basis of stone. 2. A starting point, base or foundation for an argument or hypothesis. Example: I wonder if the South Korean side has any basis that its smog is from China. 3. An underlying condition or circumstance. Example: Allow us to compete on an equal basis. Example: Hodgson may now have to bring in James Milner on the left and, on that basis, a certain amount of gloss was taken off a night on which Welbeck scored twice but barely celebrated either before leaving the pitch angrily complaining to the Slovakian referee. 4. A regular frequency. Example: You should brush your teeth on a daily basis at minimum. Example: The flights to Fiji leave on a weekly basis. 5. The difference between the cash price a dealer pays to a farmer for his produce and an agreed reference price, which is usually the futures price at which the given crop is trading at a commodity exchange. Example: Included in the basis could be elevation, cleaning, freight by truck and/or rail, government inspection fees, administration fees, interest and storage charges as well as allowance for risk and profit for the grain dealer. 6. In a vector space, a linearly independent set of vectors spanning the whole vector space. 7. Amount paid for an investment, including commissions and other expenses. 8. A collection of subsets ("basis elements") of a set, such that this collection covers the set, and for any two basis elements which both contain an element of the set, there is a third basis element contained in the intersection of the first two, which also contains that element. Example: The collection of all possible unions of basis elements of a basis is said to be the topology generated by that basis.
Word: relaxed Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From relax + -ed, originally after Latin relaxātus. Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈlækst/ 1. Made slack or feeble; weak, soft. Labels: obsolete Example: It was a very wet morning. I woke relaxed and melancholy as in the country, and walked about an hour under cover, in the middle of the town […]. 2. Made more lenient; less strict; lax. Example: The relaxed rules were greatly tightened after the lawsuit. Example: I corralled the judge, and we started off across the fields, in no very mild state of fear of that gentleman's wife, whose vigilance was seldom relaxed. 3. Free from tension or anxiety; at ease; leisurely. Example: He's a relaxed kind of guy, he never lets himself get upset. Example: Students and faculty members lunch at the cafeteria and naturally communicate freely with one another in a relaxed and informal setting. 4. Without physical tension; in a state of equilibrium. 5. Of a muscle: soft, not tensed.
Word: relaxed Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From relax + -ed, originally after Latin relaxātus. Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈlækst/ 1. simple past and past participle of relax Labels: form-of, participle, past
Word: belly Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰelǵʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-is Proto-Indo-European *bʰólǵʰis Proto-Germanic *balgiz Proto-West Germanic *balgi Old English bielġ Middle English bely English belly Inherited from Middle English bely, beli, bali, below, belew, balyw, from Old English bielġ (“bag, pouch, bulge”), from Proto-West Germanic *balgi, *balgu, from Proto-Germanic *balgiz, *balguz (“skin, hide, bellows, bag”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰelǵʰ- (“to swell, blow up”). Cognate with Dutch balg, German Balg, Danish bælg, Old Irish bolg, Welsh bol. Doublet of bellows, blague, bulge, and budge. See also bellows. For the belly — bellows relation, compare typologically Macedonian мев (mev, “abdomen, belly; bellows”). Also compare Ancient Greek φῦσα (phûsa, “bellows; bladder; ...”), Latin venter — vēsīca, Russian пу́зо (púzo) — пузы́рь (puzýrʹ), пузырёк (puzyrjók). Pronunciation: /ˈbɛli/ 1. The abdomen (especially a fat one). Example: You've grown a belly over Christmas! Time to join the gym again. 2. stomach (an organ in animals that stores food in the process of digestion) Example: My belly was full of wine. 3. uterus (a reproductive organ of therian mammals in which the young are conceived and develop until birth) Labels: countable Example: Before I formed thee in the bellie, I knew thee; […] 4. The lower fuselage of an airplane. Example: There was no heat, and we shivered in the belly of the plane. 5. The part of anything which resembles (either closely or abstractly) the human belly in protuberance or in concavity; often, the fundus (innermost part). Example: the belly of a flask, muscle, violin, sail, or ship Example: […] I cried by reason of mine affliction vnto the Lord, and hee heard mee; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voyce. 6. The part of anything which resembles (either closely or abstractly) the human belly in protuberance or in concavity; often, the fundus (innermost part). 7. The part of anything which resembles (either closely or abstractly) the human belly in protuberance or in concavity; often, the fundus (innermost part).
Word: belly Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰelǵʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-is Proto-Indo-European *bʰólǵʰis Proto-Germanic *balgiz Proto-West Germanic *balgi Old English bielġ Middle English bely English belly Inherited from Middle English bely, beli, bali, below, belew, balyw, from Old English bielġ (“bag, pouch, bulge”), from Proto-West Germanic *balgi, *balgu, from Proto-Germanic *balgiz, *balguz (“skin, hide, bellows, bag”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰelǵʰ- (“to swell, blow up”). Cognate with Dutch balg, German Balg, Danish bælg, Old Irish bolg, Welsh bol. Doublet of bellows, blague, bulge, and budge. See also bellows. For the belly — bellows relation, compare typologically Macedonian мев (mev, “abdomen, belly; bellows”). Also compare Ancient Greek φῦσα (phûsa, “bellows; bladder; ...”), Latin venter — vēsīca, Russian пу́зо (púzo) — пузы́рь (puzýrʹ), пузырёк (puzyrjók). Pronunciation: /ˈbɛli/ 1. To position one’s belly; to move on one’s belly. Example: Bellying forward to the edge of the clearing, he found Hans, lying on his face, feathered with arrows like a porcupine. 2. To swell and become protuberant; to bulge or billow. Labels: intransitive Example: The Pow'r appeaſ'd, with Winds ſuffic'd the Sail, / The bellying Canvaſs ſtrutted with the Gale; […] Example: The halliards twanged against the tops, the bunting bellied broad, 3. To cause to swell out; to fill. Labels: transitive Example: Your breath of full consent bellied his sails; […] Example: A breeze which had crossed a thousand miles of wheat-lands bellied her taffeta skirt in a line so graceful, so full of animation and moving beauty, that the heart of a chance watcher on the lower road tightened to wistfulness over her quality of suspended freedom.
Word: bestow Part of Speech: noun Etymology: PIE word *h₁epi The verb is derived from Middle English bestowen, bistouen, bistowen (“to give, bestow; to apply (something to something else); to arrange or have control over (something); to place (someone) in a position; to use (for some purpose); (reflexive) to find (oneself) a place to live or shelter”) [and other forms], from bi- (prefix forming verbs, often with a completive, figurative, or intensive meaning) + stouen, stowen (“to pack (cargo) in a ship, stow; to place (someone) in a certain position; to provide quarters for, lodge; etc.”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- (“to place; to stand (up)”)). The English word is analysable as be- (intensifying prefix forming verbs) + stow (“to put (something) away in a suitable place; etc.”). The noun is derived from the verb. Pronunciation: /bɪˈstəʊ/, /bɪˈstoʊ/, /bɪˈsto/, /bɪˈstou/ 1. An act of presenting a thing to someone or something, especially as a gift or an honour; a bestowal. Labels: obsolete, rare, transitive Example: The Muſes bacely begge, or bibbe, or both, and muſt, for vvhy? / They finde as bad Beſtoe as is their Portage beggerly: / Yea novv by melancholie vvalkes and thred-bare coates vve geſſe / At Clyents and at Poetes: none vvorke more and profit leſſe, […]
Word: bewilder Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From be- (prefix used as an intensifier) + wilder (“to lead astray; to go astray, wander”). Pronunciation: /bɪˈwɪldə(ɹ)/, /bɪˈwɪldɚ/ 1. To confuse, disorientate, or puzzle someone, especially with many different choices. Labels: transitive Example: All the different possible options may bewilder us. Example: Don’t push me into that maze and bewilder me.
Word: blanket Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Inherited from Middle English blanket, blonket, blaunket, from Old Northern French blanket, blancet (“white horse", also "white woollen cloth or flannel; a type of jacket”, literally “that which is white”) (whence Modern French blanchet), diminutive of blanc (“white”), of Germanic origin (compare Old English blanca (“white horse”); see more at blank). Furthermore, the sense "white woollen cloth" is likely a calque of Old English hwītel (“blanket; cloak, mantle”), from Old English hwīt (“white”) + -el (diminutive suffix). Compare also Old Norse hvítill (“a white bed-cover, sheet”), Norwegian kvitel (“blanket”). Compare also blunket, plunket. Displaced native Middle English whytel, from Old English hwītel (whence Modern English whittle (“blanket, cloak, shawl”)). Pronunciation: /ˈblæŋ.kɪt/, [ˈblæŋ.kʰɪt], /ˈbleɪ̯ŋ.kɪt/, [ˈbleɪ̯ŋ.kʰɪt] ~ /ˈblɛ̃ŋ.kɪt/, [ˈblɛ̃ŋ.kʰɪt] 1. A heavy, loosely woven fabric, usually large and woollen, used for warmth while sleeping or resting. Example: The baby was cold, so his mother put a blanket over him. Example: The little boys in the front bedroom had thrown off their blankets and lay under the sheets. 2. A covering layer of anything. Example: The city woke under a thick blanket of fog. Example: In this case, the excavations were carried down to a depth of 3 ft. 9 in. below rail level, and pre-cast concrete slabs were laid between a 12 in. blanket of quarry waste and the ballast. 3. A thick rubber mat used in the offset printing process to transfer ink from the plate to the paper being printed. Example: A press operator must carefully wash the blanket whenever changing a plate. 4. A streak or layer of blubber in whales.
Word: blanket Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Inherited from Middle English blanket, blonket, blaunket, from Old Northern French blanket, blancet (“white horse", also "white woollen cloth or flannel; a type of jacket”, literally “that which is white”) (whence Modern French blanchet), diminutive of blanc (“white”), of Germanic origin (compare Old English blanca (“white horse”); see more at blank). Furthermore, the sense "white woollen cloth" is likely a calque of Old English hwītel (“blanket; cloak, mantle”), from Old English hwīt (“white”) + -el (diminutive suffix). Compare also Old Norse hvítill (“a white bed-cover, sheet”), Norwegian kvitel (“blanket”). Compare also blunket, plunket. Displaced native Middle English whytel, from Old English hwītel (whence Modern English whittle (“blanket, cloak, shawl”)). Pronunciation: /ˈblæŋ.kɪt/, [ˈblæŋ.kʰɪt], /ˈbleɪ̯ŋ.kɪt/, [ˈbleɪ̯ŋ.kʰɪt] ~ /ˈblɛ̃ŋ.kɪt/, [ˈblɛ̃ŋ.kʰɪt] 1. General; covering or encompassing everything. Labels: attributive, not-comparable Example: Another observer offered a less blanket criticism. Example: Some others appear to be adopting a more blanket approach
Word: blanket Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Inherited from Middle English blanket, blonket, blaunket, from Old Northern French blanket, blancet (“white horse", also "white woollen cloth or flannel; a type of jacket”, literally “that which is white”) (whence Modern French blanchet), diminutive of blanc (“white”), of Germanic origin (compare Old English blanca (“white horse”); see more at blank). Furthermore, the sense "white woollen cloth" is likely a calque of Old English hwītel (“blanket; cloak, mantle”), from Old English hwīt (“white”) + -el (diminutive suffix). Compare also Old Norse hvítill (“a white bed-cover, sheet”), Norwegian kvitel (“blanket”). Compare also blunket, plunket. Displaced native Middle English whytel, from Old English hwītel (whence Modern English whittle (“blanket, cloak, shawl”)). Pronunciation: /ˈblæŋ.kɪt/, [ˈblæŋ.kʰɪt], /ˈbleɪ̯ŋ.kɪt/, [ˈbleɪ̯ŋ.kʰɪt] ~ /ˈblɛ̃ŋ.kɪt/, [ˈblɛ̃ŋ.kʰɪt] 1. To cover with, or as if with, a blanket. Labels: attributive, transitive Example: A fresh layer of snow blanketed the area. Example: […] / I will preſerue my ſelfe, and am bethought / To take the baſeſt and moſt pooreſt ſhape, / That euer penury in contempt of man, / Brought neare to beaſt, my face ile grime with filth, / Blanket my loynes, elſe all my haire with knots, / And with preſented nakedness outface, / The wind, and perſecution of the skie, / […] 2. To traverse or complete thoroughly. Labels: attributive, transitive Example: The salesman blanketed the entire neighborhood. 3. To toss in a blanket by way of punishment. Labels: attributive, transitive Example: Hang him, poore grogran-raſcall, pray thee thinke not of him: I’le ſend for him to my lodging, and haue him blanketted when thou wilt, man. Example: Wee'll haue our men blanket 'hem i' the hall. 4. To take the wind out of the sails of (another vessel) by sailing to windward of it. Labels: attributive, transitive 5. To nullify the impact of (someone or something). Labels: attributive, transitive 6. Of a radio signal: to override or block out another radio signal. Labels: attributive
Word: microbe Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from French microbe, from Ancient Greek μικρός (mikrós, “small”) and βίος (bíos, “life”). By surface analysis, micro- + -obe. Pronunciation: /ˈmaɪkɹəʊb/, /ˈmaɪkɹoʊb/, [ˈmʌɪkɹoʊb], /ˈmɑɪkɹəʉb/, /ˈmɑɪkɹɐʉb/ 1. Any microorganism; (loosely, nonscientifically) especially, a harmful bacterium. Example: We humans and other complex animals are full of microbes, gajillions of them. People have so many that microbe cells living in our bodies outnumber our own vastly. Example: Yes, there are microbes everywhere and most are just fine for us, perhaps even beneficial to our microbiomes and immune systems. We don’t care about those.
Word: jeer Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From earlier gyr, probably from Dutch gieren (“to roar with laughter, laugh loudly”) (related to German gieren (“to gape, snap”)); or from Dutch gekscheren (“to jeer”, literally “to shear the fool”), from gek (“a fool”) (see geck) + scheren (“to shear”) (see shear (verb)). The OED states no verifiable connection to English cheer. Pronunciation: /d͡ʒɪə/, /d͡ʒɪɹ/, /ˈd͡ʒiə/, /ˈd͡ʒiɹ/, /ˈd͡ʒɛː/ 1. A mocking remark or reflection. Example: 1711, Jonathan Swift, The Fable of Midas, in The Works of Jonathan Swift, D.D., Vol XII, Sir Walter Scott, ed., Edinburgh: Archibald Constable and Co., 1824, pages 302-5, Midas, exposed to all their jeers, Had lost his art, and kept his ears.
Word: jeer Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From earlier gyr, probably from Dutch gieren (“to roar with laughter, laugh loudly”) (related to German gieren (“to gape, snap”)); or from Dutch gekscheren (“to jeer”, literally “to shear the fool”), from gek (“a fool”) (see geck) + scheren (“to shear”) (see shear (verb)). The OED states no verifiable connection to English cheer. Pronunciation: /d͡ʒɪə/, /d͡ʒɪɹ/, /ˈd͡ʒiə/, /ˈd͡ʒiɹ/, /ˈd͡ʒɛː/ 1. To utter sarcastic or mocking comments; to speak with mockery or derision; to use taunting language. Labels: intransitive Example: But when he saw her toy, and gibe, and geare, / And passe the bonds of modest merimake, / Her dalliance he despisd, and follies did forsake. Example: At the end of a frantic first 45 minutes, there was still time for Charlie Adam to strike the bar from 20 yards before referee Atkinson departed to a deafening chorus of jeering from Everton's fans. 2. To mock; treat with mockery; to taunt. Labels: archaic, transitive Example: And if we cannot jeer them, we jeer ourselves.
Word: jeer Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Compare gear. Pronunciation: /d͡ʒɪə/, /d͡ʒɪɹ/, /ˈd͡ʒiə/, /ˈd͡ʒiɹ/, /ˈd͡ʒɛː/ 1. A gear; a tackle. 2. An assemblage or combination of tackles, for hoisting or lowering the yards of a ship. Labels: in-plural Example: In the nineteenth century, 1811 to be exact, the jeers were unrove after the yard was slung, the weight of the yard being borne by chain slings. The jeers used then were a treble block lashed to the mast head through a hole in the center of the top
Word: vel Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Latin vel (“or”). 1. The ∨ symbol used to represent the inclusive or, which is a logical connective.
Word: journey Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English journe, from Old French jornee, from Vulgar Latin *diurnāta, from Late Latin diurnum, from Latin diurnus, from diēs (“day”). Displaced native Old English fær and Old English faru. Pronunciation: /ˈd͡ʒɝni/, /ˈd͡ʒɜːni/ 1. A set amount of travelling, seen as a single unit; a discrete trip, a voyage. Example: The journey to London takes two hours by train. Example: “Don't set out on a journey using someone else's donkey.” ~ African proverb 2. Any process or progression likened to a journey, especially one that involves difficulties or personal development. Labels: figuratively Example: the journey to political freedom Example: my journey of dealing with grief 3. The progress of a customer through a system, often a computer system. Example: We need to map out the user journey and make it more efficient. Example: a customer journey 4. A day. Labels: obsolete 5. A day's travelling; the distance travelled in a day. Labels: obsolete 6. A day's work. Labels: obsolete Example: But whan ye haue done that Iourney ye shal promyse me as ye are a true knyght for to go with me and to helpe me / and other damoysels that are distressid dayly with a fals knyghte / All your entente damoysel and desyre I wylle fulfylle / soo ye wyl brynge me vnto this knyghte 7. The weight of finished coins delivered at one time to the Master of the Mint. 8. A group of giraffes. Labels: collective, colloquial 9. Life on Earth.
Word: journey Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English journe, from Old French jornee, from Vulgar Latin *diurnāta, from Late Latin diurnum, from Latin diurnus, from diēs (“day”). Displaced native Old English fær and Old English faru. Pronunciation: /ˈd͡ʒɝni/, /ˈd͡ʒɜːni/ 1. To travel, to make a trip or voyage. Example: The arrangement for certain long-distance trains to call at suburban stations (saving passengers the trouble of journeying to the termini), which proved popular last year, is being extended.
Word: journey Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Reborrowing from French journée (day's activities), originally an unadapted borrowing from French journée, from Old French jornee, from Vulgar Latin *diurnāta. Pronunciation: /ˈd͡ʒɝni/, /ˈd͡ʒɜːni/ 1. The total time spent melting and working one piece.
Word: venom Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English venym, from Old French venim, from Vulgar Latin *venīmen, from Early Medieval Latin venīnum, from Classical Latin venēnum (“drug; poison; a charm”), ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- (“to love”). Doublet of venin and venene. Pronunciation: /ˈvɛnəm/ 1. An animal toxin intended for defensive or offensive use; a biological poison delivered by bite, sting, etc., to protect an animal or to kill its prey. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: […] There may be in the cup / A spider steep’d, and one may drink, depart, / And yet partake no venom, for his knowledge / Is not infected... Example: And from the Boughs brush off the evil dew, / And heal the harms of thwarting thunder blew, / Or what the cross dire-looking Planet smites, / Or hurtfull Worm with canker’d venom bites […] 2. Feeling or speech marked by spite or malice; vitriol. Labels: countable, figuratively, uncountable Example: The venom of such looks, we fairly hope, / Have lost their quality, and that this day / Shall change all griefs and quarrels into love. Example: […] as I was feasting my jaundiced eye one morning with a certain newspaper, which I was in the habit of employing as the vehicle of my venom, I was startled at discovering myself conspicuously pointed out in an angry column as a cowardly defamer […]
Word: venom Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English venym, from Old French venim, from Vulgar Latin *venīmen, from Early Medieval Latin venīnum, from Classical Latin venēnum (“drug; poison; a charm”), ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- (“to love”). Doublet of venin and venene. Pronunciation: /ˈvɛnəm/ 1. To infect with venom; to envenom; to poison. Labels: obsolete, transitive Example: 1566, Thomas Blundeville (translator and editor), The Fower Chiefyst Offices Belongyng to Horsemanshippe, London, Chapter 36, […] washe all the filth away with warme water, and annoynte the place with Hony and Fytch flower myngled together. But beware you touche none of the kirnelles with your bare finger, for feare of venoming the place, which is very apt for a Fistula to breede in. Example: Let’s leave the hermit pity with our mothers, / And when we have our armours buckled on, / The venom’d vengeance ride upon our swords, / Spur them to ruthful work, rein them from ruth.
Word: venom Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English venym, from Old French venim, from Vulgar Latin *venīmen, from Early Medieval Latin venīnum, from Classical Latin venēnum (“drug; poison; a charm”), ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- (“to love”). Doublet of venin and venene. Pronunciation: /ˈvɛnəm/ 1. Poisonous, poisoned; (figuratively) pernicious. Labels: not-comparable, obsolete Example: Why should the worm intrude the maiden bud? / Or hateful cuckoos hatch in sparrows’ nests? / Or toads infect fair founts with venom mud? Example: […] it is stopp’d with other flattering sounds, / As praises, of whose taste the wise are fond, / Lascivious metres, to whose venom sound / The open ear of youth doth always listen;
Word: ven Part of Speech: adj 1. Abbreviation of venerable. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, not-comparable
Word: get a move on Part of Speech: verb 1. To hurry up, to get moving. Labels: idiomatic, informal Example: I need to get a move on if I'm going to arrive before dark. Example: Bradly tapped the ashes from his pipe, signifying a leisured interlude over. "Time to get a move on," he said, and began unlace his boots for wading.
Word: vertebrate Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Adapted borrowing of French vertébré, from Latin vertebrātus (“jointed”) (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more). Pronunciation: /ˈvɛɹ.tɪ.bɹeɪt/ 1. Having a backbone. Labels: not-comparable 2. Of, being, or pertaining to Vertebrata, animals with backbones. Labels: not-comparable
Word: vertebrate Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From the substantivization of the above adjective through the associated taxon's name (Vertebrata) (see -ate (noun-forming suffix) for more). Pronunciation: /ˈvɛɹ.tɪ.bɹeɪt/ 1. An animal having a backbone: one belonging to the subphylum Vertebrata. Example: Under the white chalk, drawn on the blackboard / Under the x-ray, I'm just a vertebrate
Word: vermouth Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From French vermout, vermouth, from German Wermut (“wormwood”). Doublet of wormwood. Pronunciation: /vəˈmuːθ/, /ˈvɜːməθ/, /vɚˈmuθ/ 1. A dry, or sweet apéritif wine flavored with aromatic herbs, and often used in mixed drinks. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: He gazed around until on the lid of a spinet he spotted a promising collection of bottles, gin, whiskey, vermouth and sherry, mixed with violin bows, a flute, a toppling pile of books, six volumes of Grove's Dictionary mingled with paperback thrillers, a guitar without any strings, a pair of binoculars, a meerschaum pipe and a jar half-full of wasps and apricot jam. Example: Vermouth originated in the 18th century, when wine growers in the foothills of the French and Italian Alps developed a method of enhancing the taste of sour or uncompromising wines with the infusion of a variety of sweeteners, spices, herbs, roots, seeds, flowers, and peel. 2. A serving of vermouth. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: As we sat over our vermuths he glorified the Company’s business, and by-and-by I expressed casually my surprise at him not going out there.