nandhakumarms/qualc-wiktionary-en huggingface dataset:
Word: rhapsody Part of Speech: noun Etymology: The noun is derived from Latin rhapsōdia (“part of an epic poem suitable for uninterrupted recitation”), from Koine Greek ῥαψῳδία (rhapsōidía, “part of an epic poem suitable for uninterrupted recitation; rigmarole”), Ancient Greek ῥαψῳδία (rhapsōidía, “composition or recitation of Epic poetry”), from ῥαψῳδός (rhapsōidós, “composer or performer of Epic poetry”) + -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā, suffix forming feminine abstract nouns). Ῥαψῳδός (Rhapsōidós) is derived from ῥᾰ́πτω (rhắptō, “to sew”) (possibly from Proto-Indo-European *werb- (“to bend; to turn”)) + ᾠδή (ōidḗ, “ode; song”) (ultimately from Proto-Hellenic *awoidā́ (“song”)) + -ος (-os, suffix forming o-grade action nouns). Sense 2.2 (“instrumental composition of irregular form”) probably developed from sense 2.1 (“exaggeratedly enthusiastic or exalted expression of feeling in speech or writing”), and both of these senses may have been influenced by rapture (“extreme excitement, happiness, or pleasure”), the latter being a quality associated with the senses. Sense 2.3 (“literary composition consisting of miscellaneous works”) is borrowed from Middle French rhapsodie (modern French rhapsodie), from Latin rhapsōdia: see above. The verb is derived from the noun. Cognates * French rhapsodie (“instrumental composition of irregular form”) * German Rhapsodie (“instrumental composition of irregular form”) Pronunciation: /ˈɹæpsədi/ 1. An epic poem, or part of one, suitable for uninterrupted recitation. Labels: historical 2. An exaggeratedly enthusiastic or exalted expression of feeling in speech or writing. Labels: broadly, sometimes Example: Of course here Mr. Pen went off into a rhapsody through which, as we have perfect command over our own feelings, we have no reason to follow the lad. Of course, love, truth, and eternity were produced: and words were tried but found impossible to plumb the tremendous depth of his affection. 3. An instrumental composition of irregular form, often incorporating improvisation. Labels: broadly 4. A random collection or medley; a miscellany; also, a confused string of stories, words, etc. Labels: archaic, broadly Example: Such an act / That blurs the grace and blush of modesty; / Calls virtue hypocrite; takes off the rose / From the fair forehead of an innocent love / And sets a blister there; makes marriage vows / As false as dicers' oaths; O, such a deed / As from the body of contraction plucks / The very soul, and sweet religion makes / A rhapsody of words! Example: This concerneth not those mingle-mangles of many kinds of stuffe, or as the Grecians call them Rapsodies, that for such are published[…]. 5. A literary composition consisting of miscellaneous works. Labels: broadly, obsolete, sometimes
Word: rhapsody Part of Speech: verb Etymology: The noun is derived from Latin rhapsōdia (“part of an epic poem suitable for uninterrupted recitation”), from Koine Greek ῥαψῳδία (rhapsōidía, “part of an epic poem suitable for uninterrupted recitation; rigmarole”), Ancient Greek ῥαψῳδία (rhapsōidía, “composition or recitation of Epic poetry”), from ῥαψῳδός (rhapsōidós, “composer or performer of Epic poetry”) + -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā, suffix forming feminine abstract nouns). Ῥαψῳδός (Rhapsōidós) is derived from ῥᾰ́πτω (rhắptō, “to sew”) (possibly from Proto-Indo-European *werb- (“to bend; to turn”)) + ᾠδή (ōidḗ, “ode; song”) (ultimately from Proto-Hellenic *awoidā́ (“song”)) + -ος (-os, suffix forming o-grade action nouns). Sense 2.2 (“instrumental composition of irregular form”) probably developed from sense 2.1 (“exaggeratedly enthusiastic or exalted expression of feeling in speech or writing”), and both of these senses may have been influenced by rapture (“extreme excitement, happiness, or pleasure”), the latter being a quality associated with the senses. Sense 2.3 (“literary composition consisting of miscellaneous works”) is borrowed from Middle French rhapsodie (modern French rhapsodie), from Latin rhapsōdia: see above. The verb is derived from the noun. Cognates * French rhapsodie (“instrumental composition of irregular form”) * German Rhapsodie (“instrumental composition of irregular form”) Pronunciation: /ˈɹæpsədi/ 1. Synonym of rhapsodize. Labels: transitive 2. Synonym of rhapsodize. Labels: obsolete, rare, transitive 3. Synonym of rhapsodize. Labels: intransitive
Word: scheme Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From late Middle English scheame, from Medieval Latin schēma (“figure, form”), from Ancient Greek σχῆμα (skhêma, “form, shape”), from ἔχω (ékhō, “to hold”). Doublet of schema. Compare sketch. Pronunciation: /skiːm/ 1. An artful deviation from the ordinary arrangement of words. Labels: obsolete, rhetoric 2. A representation of the aspects of the celestial bodies for any moment or at a given event. Example: a blue case, from which was drawn a scheme of nativity 3. A systematic plan of future action. Example: The stoical scheme of supplying our wants by lopping off our desires, is like cutting off our feet when we want shoes. Example: Originally the opening had doubtless marked the projection of another road, but the scheme had come to nothing. 4. A plot or secret, devious plan. Example: Her brain is continually fermenting new schemes. 5. An orderly combination of related parts. Example: the appearance and outward scheme of things Example: such a scheme of things as shall at once take in time and eternity 6. A chart or diagram of a system or object. Example: April 29, 1694, Robert South, A Sermon Preached at Westminster Abbey to draw an exact scheme of Constantinople, or a map of France 7. A mathematical structure that generalizes the notion of an algebraic variety in several ways, such as taking account of multiplicities and allowing "varieties" defined over any commutative ring. Formally, a locally ringed space that admits a covering by open sets, each of which is isomorphic to an affine scheme (i.e. the spectrum of some commutative ring). 8. A council housing estate. Labels: Scotland, UK, colloquial Example: It was all too dear. They all just put their prices up because it was out in the scheme. Example: “You can’t really say to the kids in the schemes [Scottish council estates]^([sic]): don’t do drugs, they’ll wreck your life, you’ll never get a job or a house or buy nice things.” 9. Part of a uniform resource identifier indicating the protocol or other purpose, such as http: or news:. Labels: Internet 10. A portfolio of pension plans with related benefits comprising multiple independent members. Labels: UK
Word: scheme Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From late Middle English scheame, from Medieval Latin schēma (“figure, form”), from Ancient Greek σχῆμα (skhêma, “form, shape”), from ἔχω (ékhō, “to hold”). Doublet of schema. Compare sketch. Pronunciation: /skiːm/ 1. To plot, or contrive a plan; to maneuver. Labels: intransitive Example: Laura snatches coins from inside a truck to make a telephone call, scrounges shoes and clothes for them at a municipal beach, schemes to get a room key so she and Howie can sleep overnight in the Starlight Motel, steals a Jeepster from a deputy sheriff who's trying to arrest them. Example: The openly ridiculous plot has The Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) scheming to win the Pirate Of The Year competition, even though he’s a terrible pirate, far outclassed by rivals voiced by Jeremy Piven and Salma Hayek. 2. To plan; to contrive; to maneuver. Labels: transitive Example: He schemed a plot. He made use of the hotel's stationery to write a letter.
Word: sarcoma Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Latin sarcoma, from Ancient Greek σάρκωμα (sárkōma), from σάρξ (sárx, “flesh”) + -ωμα (-ōma, “process”) or from Ancient Greek σαρκόω (sarkóō), itself from σάρξ (sárx); by surface analysis, sarc- + -oma. Pronunciation: /sɑɹˈkoʊmə/ 1. A type of malignant tumor of the bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, blood vessels, or other connective or supportive tissue. Example: Only about 1 per cent of cancers are found in connective tissue; these are known as sarcomas.
Word: satire Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle French satire, from Old French, from Latin satira, from earlier satura, from lanx satura (“full dish”), from feminine of satur. Altered in Latin by influence of Ancient Greek σάτυρος (sáturos, “satyr”), on the mistaken notion that the form is related to the Greek σατυρικὸν δράμα (saturikòn dráma, “satyr drama”). Pronunciation: /ˈsætaɪɹ/, /ˈsætaɪə/ 1. A literary device of writing or art which principally ridicules its subject often as an intended means of provoking or preventing change or highlighting a shortcoming in the work of another. Imitation, humor, irony, and exaggeration are often used to aid this. Labels: uncountable Example: Satire deflates and debases. It is an art which topples greatness, undermines pretension and punishes pride by revealing the low in the pretendedly high, the filth in the pure, the folly in reason. This belittling trick deploys telescopic lenses which picture the human as lesser and lower, or as a machine or beast, driven by depraved desires. Satire reduces what purports to be subtly superior to a repertoire of stigmatizing symbols and cardboard cut-outs, turning character into caricature, signalled by exaggerated physiognomical distortions - the huge nose, gaping mouth and bloated belly, or comparable animalistic traits. In this humbling of the complex into the simplistic, satire finally reduces the mind, soul or spirit to that flesh which always bespeaks inferiority on the Chain of Being. 2. A satirical work. Labels: countable Example: a stinging satire of American politics. 3. Severity of remark. Labels: dated, uncountable Example: CAESAR. No, by the gods! would that it had been! Vengeance at least is human. No, I say: those severed right hands, and the brave Vercingetorix basely strangled in a vault beneath the Capitol, were (with shuddering satire) a wise severity, a necessary protection to the commonwealth, a duty of statesmanship—follies and fictions ten times bloodier than honest vengeance!
Word: Sophia Part of Speech: name Etymology: Chiefly from Latin Sophia, from Ancient Greek Σοφία (Sophía), from σοφία (sophía, “wisdom”), especially in reference to holy or divine wisdom under the influence of Biblical Hebrew חוכמה (khokhmá), to the early martyr St. Sophia, and to many figures of European royalty and nobility. Also used as a calque for the many cognate forms, such as Italian Sofia, Ukrainian Софі́я (Sofíja), Russian Софи́я (Sofíja), Polish Zofia, etc. Doublet of Sofia. Pronunciation: /ˈsəʊ.fiː.ə/, /səˈfaɪ.ə/, /səˈfiːə/, /soʊˈfi.ə/ 1. A female given name from Ancient Greek. Example: To say the truth, Sophia, when very young, discerned that Tom, though an idle, thoughtless, rattling rascal, was nobody's enemy but his own […] Example: I intended to call her after Aunt Grizel, but my wife who, during pregnancy, had been reading romances, insisted upon her being called Olivia. In less than another year we had another daughter, and now I was determined that Grizel should be her name; but a rich relation taking a fancy to stand godmother, the girl was, by her directions, called Sophia, so that we had two romantic names in the family, but I solemnly protest I had no hand in it. 2. An aeon (a form of divine being) in the Gnostic tradition. 3. A town in West Virginia, United States; named for early resident Sophia McGinnis.
Word: Sophia Part of Speech: noun Etymology: See Sophy. Pronunciation: /ˈsəʊ.fiː.ə/, /səˈfaɪ.ə/, /səˈfiːə/, /soʊˈfi.ə/ 1. Archaic spelling of Safawi. Labels: alt-of, archaic, historical Example: It is written from Constantinople that the 'Sophia' of Persia is dead and that his brother had taken the government.
Word: satyr Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From French satyre, from Latin satyrus, from Ancient Greek σάτυρος (sáturos). Pronunciation: /ˈsætə/, /ˈseɪtɚ/, /ˈsætɚ/ 1. A sylvan deity or demigod, male companion of Pan or Dionysus, represented as part man and part goat, and characterized by riotous merriment and lasciviousness, sometimes pictured with a perpetual erection. Labels: Greek Example: Rough Satyrs danced; and Fauns, with cloven heel, / From the glad sound would not be absent long. male variation of nymphs 2. Synonym of faun. Labels: Roman 3. A lecherous man. Labels: broadly 4. Any of various butterflies of the nymphalid subfamily Satyrinae, having brown wings marked with eyelike spots; a meadow brown. 5. The orangutan. Labels: obsolete
Word: stereotype Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from French stéréotype (adjective), equivalent to stereo- + type. Printing sense is from 1817; the “conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified conception, opinion, or image” sense is recorded from 1922 in Walter Lippmann’s book Public Opinion. Pronunciation: /ˈstɛ.ɹi.əˌtaɪp/, /ˈstɪə.ɹi.əˌtaɪp/, /ˈstɛɹ.i.əˌtaɪp/, [ˈstɛɹ.i.əˌtʌɪp], /ˈstɪɹ.i.əˌtaɪp/ 1. A conventional, formulaic, and often oversimplified or exaggerated conception, opinion, or image of (a person or a group of people). Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Not all Zumbetonians wear plimsolls. That's just a stereotype. Example: Instead we notice a trait which marks a well known type, and fill in the rest of the picture by means of the stereotypes we carry about in our heads. 2. A person who is regarded as embodying or conforming to a set image or type. Labels: countable, uncountable 3. A metal printing plate cast from a matrix moulded from a raised printing surface. Labels: countable, uncountable 4. An extensibility mechanism of the Unified Modeling Language, allowing a new element to be derived from an existing one with added specializations. Labels: countable, uncountable
Word: stereotype Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Borrowed from French stéréotype (adjective), equivalent to stereo- + type. Printing sense is from 1817; the “conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified conception, opinion, or image” sense is recorded from 1922 in Walter Lippmann’s book Public Opinion. Pronunciation: /ˈstɛ.ɹi.əˌtaɪp/, /ˈstɪə.ɹi.əˌtaɪp/, /ˈstɛɹ.i.əˌtaɪp/, [ˈstɛɹ.i.əˌtʌɪp], /ˈstɪɹ.i.əˌtaɪp/ 1. To make a stereotype of someone or something, or characterize someone by a stereotype. Labels: transitive Example: Unable to ascertain what is in the minds of so many individuals, he must try to simplify his problems by eliminating individual differences: he must try to control and stereotype interests and beliefs by education and propaganda. Example: The heroines of these plays speak out against intraracial biases, stereotyping, lynchmobs, illiteracy, poverty, promiscuity, self-righteousness, verbally abusive men, rape, and miscegenation. […] Without warning the doctor, she chokes the life out of her child in order to keep him safe from white lynchmobs. 2. To prepare for printing in stereotype; to produce stereotype plates of. Labels: transitive Example: to stereotype the Bible 3. To print from a stereotype. Labels: transitive 4. To make firm or permanent; to fix. Labels: figuratively, transitive Example: Powerful causes tending to stereotype and aggravate the poverty of old conditions.
Word: stereotype Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Borrowed from French stéréotype (adjective), equivalent to stereo- + type. Printing sense is from 1817; the “conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified conception, opinion, or image” sense is recorded from 1922 in Walter Lippmann’s book Public Opinion. Pronunciation: /ˈstɛ.ɹi.əˌtaɪp/, /ˈstɪə.ɹi.əˌtaɪp/, /ˈstɛɹ.i.əˌtaɪp/, [ˈstɛɹ.i.əˌtʌɪp], /ˈstɪɹ.i.əˌtaɪp/ 1. Of an edition: printed in stereotype. Example: At the present Epoch (1800), the art of Printing is become rather retrograde; or we should not hear so much of Stereotype editions. Surely the use and very principle of the invention of Printing, is to have the types moveable! Example: Yet the whole of this mighty preparation ended in the production of a small stereotype edition of the New Testament, without the usual distinction of verses, and nearly without notes. 2. Synonym of stereotyped. Labels: figuratively, rare Example: It is an ingenious expression which I owe to you, sir, that the manners of the East are as it were stereotype. Ahhough I do not conceive that they are quite so strongly marked, yet, to make my idea understood, I would say that they are like the last impressions taken from a copper-plate engraving, where the whole of the subject to be represented is made out, although parts of it from much use have been obliterated. Example: Cartels by the hundred: which he, since the Constitution must be made first, and his time is precious, answers now always with a kind of stereotype formula: ‘Monsieur, you are put upon my List; but I warn you that it is long, and I grant no preferences.’
Word: stethoscope Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from French stéthoscope, a word coined by its inventor, physician René Laennec, equivalent to stetho- + -scope. Pronunciation: /ˈstɛθəskəʊp/, /ˈstɛθəsˌkoʊp/ 1. A medical instrument used for listening to sounds produced within the body.
Word: stethoscope Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Borrowed from French stéthoscope, a word coined by its inventor, physician René Laennec, equivalent to stetho- + -scope. Pronunciation: /ˈstɛθəskəʊp/, /ˈstɛθəsˌkoʊp/ 1. To auscultate, or examine, with a stethoscope. Labels: transitive Example: you wish me to submit to be stethoscoped; if so, you shall be gratified, although the prospect of undergoing that, or any other operation at Mr. Pigwidgeon's hands, is not the most agreeable
Word: Sophie Part of Speech: name Pronunciation: /ˈsəʊfi/ 1. A female given name from French Sophie, equivalent to English Sophia of Ancient Greek origin. Example: Wilt thou be a nun, Sophie? / Nothing but a nun? / Is it not a better thing / With thy friends to laugh and sing? Example: No, like a small child, my daughter, Sophie Anne Louise. We gave her three names, all of which exist in English as well as in French, so she can change her name just by changing her accent. - - - Sophie Anne Louise. It is a bit pretentious, do you not find? Maybe it is better in English. Sophie Anne Louise. No, it still sounds like one of Queen Victoria's grandchildren. 2. A diminutive of the female given name Sophia. Example: Sophia landed on her behind on the soft moss that lined the river bank. "Besides, you don't win yet, Sophie," he said. "I have one more stone still." 3. A village in Ouest department, Haiti.
Word: Sophie Part of Speech: noun Etymology: See Sophy. 1. Archaic spelling of Safavi. Labels: alt-of, archaic Example: The Prince of Morocco: […]By this Symitare, That ſlew the Sophie, and a Perſian Prince[…] Example: The Safavid shahs were commonly termed by Western writers "Sophie", "Sophy", "Sophi" or "Soffi". All these terms were probably corruptions of Ṣafī, the name of the founder of the Safavid Order, rather than of Ṣūfī, as the Safavid supporters called themselves.
Word: stichomythia Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Latin, from Ancient Greek στιχομυθία (stikhomuthía), from στίχος (stíkhos, “line of verse”) (see sticho-) + μῦθος (mûthos, “speech”). Pronunciation: /stɪkəˈmɪθɪə/ 1. A technique in drama or poetry, in which alternating lines, or half-lines, are given to alternating characters, voices, or entities. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: The trial in the great hall under its high vaults, dusty sunlight shafting in, full of murmurers and growlers quietened by beadles and bailiffs, with howlers in the street held back with pikes, was by way of being a play without plot or exercise in what the Senecans term stichomythia. Example: The stichomythias are just as necessary in Sophocles' tragedies as are his choruses.
Word: strategy Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ster- Proto-Indo-European *sterh₃- Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *str̥tós Proto-Hellenic *strətós Ancient Greek στρατός (stratós) Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti Proto-Hellenic *ágō Ancient Greek ἄγω (ágō) Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Hellenic *-os Ancient Greek -ος (-os) Ancient Greek στρᾰτηγός (strătēgós) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ία (-ía) Ancient Greek στρατηγία (stratēgía)bor. Latin stratēgiader. English strategy Derived from Latin stratēgia, from Ancient Greek στρατηγία (stratēgía, “office of general, command, generalship”), from στρατηγός (stratēgós, “the leader or commander of an army, a general”), from στρατός (stratós, “army”) + ἄγω (ágō, “to lead, conduct”). Pronunciation: /ˈstɹæt.ɪ.d͡ʒɪ/, /ˈstɹæt.ɪ.d͡ʒi/, [ˈstɹæɾ.ɪ.d͡ʒi], /ˈstɹæt.ə.d͡ʒi/, [ˈstɹæɾ.ə.d͡ʒi] 1. The science and art of military command as applied to the overall planning and conduct of warfare. Labels: uncountable Example: “I came down like a wolf on the fold, didn’t I ? Why didn’t I telephone ? Strategy, my dear boy, strategy. This is a surprise attack, and I’d no wish that the garrison, forewarned, should escape. …” 2. A plan of action intended to accomplish a specific goal. Labels: countable Example: Oftentimes, the very simple strategies pay very great dividends. Example: Earless ghost swift moths become “invisible” to echolocating bats by forming mating clusters close[…]above vegetation and effectively blending into the clutter of echoes that the bat receives from the leaves and stems around them. Many insects probably use this strategy, which is a close analogy to crypsis in the visible world—camouflage and other methods for blending into one’s visual background. 3. The act of strategizing; the development of effective strategies. Labels: uncountable
Word: stoma Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From New Latin stoma, from Ancient Greek στόμα (stóma, “mouth”). Pronunciation: /ˈstəʊmə/, /ˈstoʊmə/ 1. One of the tiny pores in the epidermis of a leaf or stem through which gases and water vapor pass. 2. A small opening in a membrane; a surgically constructed opening, especially one in the abdominal wall that permits the passage of waste after a colostomy or ileostomy; an artificial anus. Example: From a large tote bag sat beside her, she takes out a Victoria Beckham makeup bag, which contains her urostomy night bag, which plugs into the bag on the stoma. 3. A mouthlike opening, such as the oral cavity of a nematode.
Word: stygian Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Latin stygius + -ian, from Ancient Greek Στύγιος (Stúgios, “relating to Styx”), from Στύξ (Stúx, “Styx, chief river of underworld”). Pronunciation: /ˈstɪd͡ʒ.i.ən/ 1. Alternative form of Stygian (“of or relating to the river Styx”). Labels: alt-of, alternative 2. Infernal or hellish. Labels: figuratively, literary 3. Dark and gloomy. Labels: figuratively, literary Example: The things which the Stygian darkness hid from my objective eye […] 4. Having a luminosity below 0%.
Word: symbiosis Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Ancient Greek συμβίωσις (sumbíōsis, “living together”). By surface analysis, sym- + -biosis. Pronunciation: /sɪmbaɪˈoʊsɪs/, /sɪmbiˈoʊsɪs/ 1. A relationship of mutual benefit, especially among different species. Labels: countable, uncountable 2. The close and long-term relationship or interaction between two or more different species. Labels: countable, uncountable 3. The close and long-term relationship or interaction between two or more different species. Labels: countable, especially, uncountable Example: Bees and flowers display symbiosis. The bees get nectar and the flowers get pollinated. 4. The state of people of different types, races, cultures, communities, etc., living together. Labels: countable, uncountable 5. The occurrence of two different or opposing things in the same time and place. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: In this peculiar and deadly symbiosis the presence of warfare stimulates trade and the presence of trade stimulates warfare.
Word: symphony Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱómder.? Proto-Indo-European *sem-der.? Proto-Hellenic *ksún Ancient Greek σύν (sún) Ancient Greek σῠν- (sŭn-) Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂-der. Proto-Hellenic *pʰōnā́ Ancient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ) Ancient Greek -ος (-os) Ancient Greek σῠ́μφωνος (sŭ́mphōnos) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā) ▲ Ancient Greek σῠν- (sŭn-) ▲ Ancient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ) ▲ Ancient Greek -ίᾱ (-íā) Ancient Greek -φωνίᾱ (-phōníā) Ancient Greek σῠμφωνῐ́ᾱ (sŭmphōnĭ́ā)der. Latin symphōniader. Old French simphonieder. Middle English symphonye English symphony From Middle English symphonye, from Old French simphonie, from Latin symphonia, from Ancient Greek συμφωνία (sumphōnía). By surface analysis, sym- + -phony. Doublet of sinfonia, symphonia, tsampouna, and zampogna. Pronunciation: /ˈsɪm.fə.ni/, [ˈsɪɱ.fə.nɪi̯] 1. An extended piece of music of sophisticated structure, usually for orchestra. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: classical symphony Example: compose a symphony 2. An instrumental introduction or termination to a vocal composition. Labels: countable, uncountable 3. Harmony in music or colour, or a harmonious combination of elements. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: She described the city at night as a symphony of lights and sounds. 4. A symphony orchestra. Labels: US, countable, informal, uncountable
Word: synoptic Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From New Latin synopticus, from Ancient Greek συνοπτικός (sunoptikós, “seeing the whole together or at a glance”), from σύνοψις (súnopsis, “a general view, synopsis”), from συν- (sun-, “with”) + ὄψις (ópsis, “view”). 1. Of or relating to a synopsis. 2. Obtained simultaneously over a wide area, for presenting a comprehensive and nearly instantaneous picture of the state of the atmosphere. Labels: especially 3. Pertaining to the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke.
Word: blintz Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Yiddish בלינצע (blintse). 1. A thin blin (pancake), filled (often with sweet cheese) and folded, then fried and often served with sour cream, fruit, or a sweet sauce. Example: He carries his tray of blintzes filled with cottage cheese to the coffee urns and drains off a mug’s worth.
Word: bris Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Yiddish ברית (bris), from Hebrew בְּרִית (bərîṯ, “covenant”). Pronunciation: /bɹɪs/ 1. Ritual male circumcision; the ceremony in which this is performed. Labels: Judaism Example: The night before the bris, he invited nine of his little buddies to come and say kerias shema around the baby's bassinet. Mommy and Daddy, who flew in for the bris, were so touched, they kept dabbing their eyes and coughing. Example: Although indigenous visual documentation of the bris was, until the advent of video, limited and often oblique, the ceremony is a longstanding fixture of Christian art.
Word: chutzpah Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Originated c. 1890–95 from Yiddish חוצפּה (khutspe), which was either borrowed via Medieval Hebrew or directly came from Aramaic חוּצְפָּא (ḥuṣpā, “audacity, boldness”), derived from חֲצַף (ḥăṣap̄, “to be impudent, arrogant”). Pronunciation: /ˈxʊts.pə/, [ˈχʊts.pə], [ˈhʊts.pə] 1. Nearly arrogant courage; utter audacity, effrontery or impudence; supreme self-confidence; exaggerated self-opinion. Labels: informal, uncountable, usually Example: If the service is rotten and the meal a disaster, we should withhold a tip and explain why we are doing so. Few of us have the chutzpah to do this. Example: But seriously, the ability to just come out and put on a placard that the Jurassic era is temporally contiguous with the Fifth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom of Egypt — well, there’s a word for that, and that word is chutzpah.
Word: dybbuk Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Yiddish דיבוק (dibek), from Hebrew דבק (dovek, “cling”). Pronunciation: /ˈdɪbʊk/, /ˈdɪbək/ 1. A malicious possessing spirit, believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person. Labels: Judaism Example: And who am I? A dybbuk—a demon of all shapes and no shape. My profession is forced entry into the minds of mortals; my speciality is Jews. Example: The Great Freddie stood up. “I'm glad that our paths crossed again. I want to help you. But I don't want to be possessed by a Jewish dybbuk. When I was growing up, I never saw a Jew. I thought they all wore horns and had tails.” Said the dybbuk, “What do you know? In the shtetl where I grew up, the muddy village, we thought all Christians had tails and horns. And the Nazi soldiers carried pitchforks.”
Word: gelt Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Irish geilt. Pronunciation: /ɡɛlt/ 1. A lunatic. Labels: rare Example: She […] like a ghastly Gelt whose wits are reaved, / Ran forth in hast with hideous outcry […]
Word: gelt Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Variation of gilt. Pronunciation: /ɡɛlt/ 1. Gilding; gilt. Labels: obsolete
Word: gelt Part of Speech: verb Etymology: See geld. Pronunciation: /ɡɛlt/ 1. simple past and past participle of geld Labels: form-of, participle, past
Word: gelt Part of Speech: noun Etymology: See geld. Pronunciation: /ɡɛlt/ 1. A gelding. Example: spay'd Gelts
Word: gelt Part of Speech: noun Etymology: In the basic sense of "money", attested since the early 16th century, initially from (an Early New High German continuation of) Middle High German gelt (modern German Geld), from Old High German gelt (“payment, money”), or in some cases from (an Early Modern Dutch continuation of) Middle Dutch gelt. Later, and in the Jewish-related senses, from Yiddish געלט (gelt). The German, Dutch and Yiddish words are all from Proto-Germanic *geldą (“reward, gift, money”). Doublet of native words geld and yield. Pronunciation: /ɡɛlt/ 1. Money. Labels: uncountable, usually Example: That nothynge had / There of theyr awne / Neyther gelt nor pawne. Example: It amounts to not above 12000 Fr. Rhenish, yearly, in bare gelt. 2. Tribute; tax. Labels: uncountable, usually Example: All these the king granted unto them […] free from all gelts [guilds] and payments, in a most full and ample manner. 3. Money, especially that given as a gift on Hanukkah or used in games of dreidel. Labels: Judaism, uncountable, usually 4. Chocolate candy in the shape of coins, usually wrapped in metallic foil, usually eaten on Hanukkah and often used for games of dreidel. Labels: Judaism, uncountable, usually
Word: kibosh Part of Speech: noun Etymology: The origin of the noun is uncertain; the following etymologies have been suggested: * According to Gerald Leonard Cohen, Stephen Goranson, and Matthew Little, at present the most likely derivation is as a non-rhotic variant of kurbash (“heavy whip, lash”), from Arabic كُرْبَاج (kurbāj, “lash, whip”), or from its etymon Ottoman Turkish قرباچ (kırbaç, “lash, whip”) (whence Turkish kırbaç (“whip”)). * From Irish caidhp bháis (literally “death cap”), said to denote, among other things, the black cap worn by English judges when pronouncing the death sentence, the hood put on a person before they were put to death by hanging, or a form of torture called pitchcapping. However, there appears to be no convincing evidence that the term was used in these senses. * From a Yiddish word (compare Hebrew כָּבַשׁ (kavásh, “to conquer, subjugate”)); however, no such word has been found. * From Middle English cabochen (“to cut off (the head, chiefly of a deer), behead”), from Middle French cabocher (“to cut off (the head)”), from caboche (“the head”) (Northern France, informal) (whence Middle English caboche (“head of cabbage”)), from Italian capocchia (“the head”) (derogatory), ultimately from Latin caput (“the head”). The Middle English word is said to have been adopted in Cockney slang; however, how this is supposed to have happened remains unexplained * A clogmakers’ term kibosh (“iron bar about a foot long that, when hot, is used to soften and smooth leather”). The verb is derived from the noun. Pronunciation: /ˈkaɪˌbɒʃ/, /kɪˈbɑʃ/, /ˈkaɪˌbɑʃ/, /kaɪˈbɑʃ/, /kɪ-/ 1. Chiefly in put on the kibosh or put the kibosh on: something which checks or restrains. Labels: slang, uncountable Example: “What do you mean by hussies?” interrupted a champion of the other party, who has evinced a strong inclination to get up a branch fight on her own account. (“Hoo-roa,” ejaculates a pot-boy in a parenthesis, “put the kye-bosh on her, Mary.”) Example: Once or twice triumphant memories of the earlier incidents nerve his face for awhile. "I put the ky-bosh on his little game," he remarks.
Word: kibosh Part of Speech: verb Etymology: The origin of the noun is uncertain; the following etymologies have been suggested: * According to Gerald Leonard Cohen, Stephen Goranson, and Matthew Little, at present the most likely derivation is as a non-rhotic variant of kurbash (“heavy whip, lash”), from Arabic كُرْبَاج (kurbāj, “lash, whip”), or from its etymon Ottoman Turkish قرباچ (kırbaç, “lash, whip”) (whence Turkish kırbaç (“whip”)). * From Irish caidhp bháis (literally “death cap”), said to denote, among other things, the black cap worn by English judges when pronouncing the death sentence, the hood put on a person before they were put to death by hanging, or a form of torture called pitchcapping. However, there appears to be no convincing evidence that the term was used in these senses. * From a Yiddish word (compare Hebrew כָּבַשׁ (kavásh, “to conquer, subjugate”)); however, no such word has been found. * From Middle English cabochen (“to cut off (the head, chiefly of a deer), behead”), from Middle French cabocher (“to cut off (the head)”), from caboche (“the head”) (Northern France, informal) (whence Middle English caboche (“head of cabbage”)), from Italian capocchia (“the head”) (derogatory), ultimately from Latin caput (“the head”). The Middle English word is said to have been adopted in Cockney slang; however, how this is supposed to have happened remains unexplained * A clogmakers’ term kibosh (“iron bar about a foot long that, when hot, is used to soften and smooth leather”). The verb is derived from the noun. Pronunciation: /ˈkaɪˌbɒʃ/, /kɪˈbɑʃ/, /ˈkaɪˌbɑʃ/, /kaɪˈbɑʃ/, /kɪ-/ 1. To decisively put a stop to or terminate (someone or something). Labels: slang, transitive Example: Philly Kiboshes Blackout Tutoring [title] […] Plan of the Pennsylvania State Council of Defense to ring in a State-wide network of 45 stations for an "educational" blackout test, was nixed by the Office of Censorship after it was okayed by the Third Service Command of the army. Skedded for Thursday (8), purpose of the broadcast was to educate public with air raid warning signals and all Pennsylvanians were urged to listen to instructions as broadcast. Example: Deal for network star Henry Morgan to sign a Majestic contract for two albums has fallen thru, with Paul Baron, newly-named artist and repertoire topper at the diskery, kiboshing a deal that virtually had been consummated between his predecessors and Music Corporation of America (MCA).
Word: kibosh Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Possibly a variant of bosh (“nonsense”). Pronunciation: /ˈkaɪˌbɒʃ/, /kɪˈbɑʃ/, /ˈkaɪˌbɑʃ/, /kaɪˈbɑʃ/, /kɪ-/ 1. Bosh, nonsense. Labels: UK, obsolete, rare, slang, uncountable Example: Still I wish you a 'Appy New Year, if you care for the kibosh, old Chappie, / Though 'taint 'Igh Art Cards full o' gush and green paint 'll make you and me 'appy. / Wot we want is lucre and larks, love and lotion as much as you'll carry! Example: Gar'n! Gives me the 'ump, all this kibosh 'bout morals, and taste, and all that.
Word: kibosh Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Origin unknown. Pronunciation: /ˈkaɪˌbɒʃ/, /kɪˈbɑʃ/, /ˈkaɪˌbɑʃ/, /kaɪˈbɑʃ/, /kɪ-/ 1. Chiefly preceded by the: fashion, style. Labels: UK, obsolete, rare, slang, uncountable Example: She was, in very Sooth, among the highest of the Rollers, but Hiram stood for the Bills with nary a Whimper. He was proud to be the Husband of the Lady Ki-Bosh of the Local Knickerbockers.
Word: klutz Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Yiddish קלאָץ (klots, literally “wooden beam”); cognate to German Klotz (“block, lump”). Doublet of clot and clod. Pronunciation: /klʌts/, /klʊts/ 1. A clumsy or stupid person. Labels: US, derogatory Example: Well, that's all right, then, Brian. Sit down. Have a scone. Make yourself at home. You klutz! Example: "Out of [one abortion doctor's] first six months of work, there are nine malpractice suits ... After it was apparent the guy was a klutz, they kept using him, and trying to cover for him, because they couldn't find another provider."
Word: minyan Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Hebrew מִנְיָן (minyán, “number, count, quorum”). Pronunciation: /ˈmɪn.jən/ 1. The minimum number of ten (male) adult Jews required for a communal religious service. Labels: Judaism Example: So without my visit, if Simon didn't attend, a minyan would be hard to come by. Example: As mourners cannot attend synagogue during shiva, a minyan gathers for morning, afternoon, and evening services in their home. 2. A Jewish prayer service. Labels: broadly Example: New people assume leadership positions as required and stay around for as long as the minyan meets their needs. Example: Tefillin are not used on Sabbaths and holidays, so unless you attend a minyan on weekday mornings or grew up in a home where men prayed daily, this practice may be unfamiliar to you.
Word: lox Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Yiddish לאַקס (laks, “salmon”). Doublet of lax. Pronunciation: /lɒks/, /lɑks/ 1. Salmon that is cured in brine and then smoked at a low temperature so that the flesh remains uncooked. Labels: US, uncountable
Word: lox Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Abbreviation of liquid oxygen. Pronunciation: /lɒks/, /lɑks/ 1. Acronym of liquid oxygen, molecular oxygen in liquid form. Labels: abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, uncountable Example: [Man]: Lox tanking secured? / [Man 2]: Lox tanking secured.
Word: lox Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Abbreviation of liquid oxygen. Pronunciation: /lɒks/, /lɑks/ 1. To supply with liquid oxygen. Labels: transitive Example: Fumes coming from the booster at the pad indicate that loxing has begun -- that is, the liquid oxygen has begun to be poured into its tank aboard the Atlas. Example: The crew chiefs refer to the process as "LOXing the fleet."
Word: schmaltz Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Yiddish שמאַלץ (shmalts) or German Schmalz. Doublet of smalt, smalto, and enamel. Pronunciation: /ʃmɒlts/, /ʃmɔːlts/, /ʃmɔlts/, /ʃmɑlts/ 1. Rendered chicken or goose fat. Labels: uncountable Example: Even now, as medical science has given a nod to the moderate consumption of saturated animal fats, and the culinary elite has fallen hard for the likes of lard, tallow and duck fat, poor schmaltz remains the babushka-clad cousin not invited to the table. This is a shame, because schmaltz is one the most versatile and flavorful fats you can use. 2. Excessively sentimental art or music. Labels: derogatory, figuratively, uncountable Example: Are you moved because the disco soundscape of “Moon Crystal” reminds you of TV shows from long ago, or because those high, whining violins over funk guitar are eternally gorgeous? […] Schmaltz is schmaltz, and it can make life worth living. Example: The cost, for [George] Saunders, of moving beyond the stylized violence of his early stories seems to be the transmutation of a portion of his violence into schmaltz.
Word: schmear Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Yiddish שמיר (shmir, “smear, spread”); compare German schmieren. Doublet of smear, smearcase. By surface analysis, schm- + smear. The sense “bribe” is from Yiddish שמירן (shmirn, “to smear, to bribe”), senses found also in German schmieren. The implication is that a bribe helps “lubricate” an interaction. Pronunciation: /ʃmɪə(ɹ)/ 1. A spread that goes on a bagel. 2. A batch of things that go together. Example: So you can buy a la carte programming, or you can buy the whole schmear. 3. An aggregate.
Word: schmear Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Borrowed from Yiddish שמיר (shmir, “smear, spread”); compare German schmieren. Doublet of smear, smearcase. By surface analysis, schm- + smear. The sense “bribe” is from Yiddish שמירן (shmirn, “to smear, to bribe”), senses found also in German schmieren. The implication is that a bribe helps “lubricate” an interaction. Pronunciation: /ʃmɪə(ɹ)/ 1. To spread something, often a bagel spread. 2. To bribe. Labels: slang, transitive Example: "What happened?" "Nothing." "How could nothing happen if you're not with her? Listen, did you grease that d.j.?" "No." "You didn't schmear him? You think the world owes you a living?" Example: […] I slipped the guy a hundred dollars." "You had to schmear him to sell you a patch?"
Word: schmo Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Yiddish, alteration of schmuck. Compare also Russian чмо (čmo, “jerk, schmuck”). Pronunciation: /ʃməʊ/ 1. A stupid, obnoxious, pathetic, or otherwise contemptible person; a schmuck. Labels: Jewish, US, slang Example: The poor schmo would immediately break down and confess that he did a lot of other bad things as well.
Word: schmo Part of Speech: noun Etymology: See Joe Schmoe § Etymology; schmo in this sense may well be homonymic to schmo in the sense above. Pronunciation: /ʃməʊ/ 1. Any average Joe; any Joe Schmoe. Labels: US, derogatory, humorous, informal Example: I'm just an average schmo Example: Of his early childhood, he told the Deseret News of Salt Lake City: “I'm a schmo. My family never made more than $25,000 a year. We're all bakers for generations.”
Word: schmooze Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Borrowed from Yiddish שמועס (shmues), from Hebrew שְׁמוּעוֹת (sh'mu'ót), plural of שְׁמוּעָה (sh'mu'á, “report, piece of news, rumor”). Cognate with German schmusen (“to cuddle”, older “to flirt, flatter, schmooze”). Pronunciation: /ʃmuːz/ 1. To talk casually, especially in order to gain an advantage or make a social connection. Labels: intransitive Example: I wish he could do his job as well as he schmoozes with the boss. Example: Until about 4 A.M. there were almost no patients to be seen, and I enjoyed the chance to schmooze with my brother.
Word: schmooze Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Yiddish שמועס (shmues), from Hebrew שְׁמוּעוֹת (sh'mu'ót), plural of שְׁמוּעָה (sh'mu'á, “report, piece of news, rumor”). Cognate with German schmusen (“to cuddle”, older “to flirt, flatter, schmooze”). Pronunciation: /ʃmuːz/ 1. A casual conversation, especially one held in order to gain an advantage or make a social connection.
Word: schnoz Part of Speech: noun 1. Alternative form of schnozz. Labels: alt-of, alternative Example: “[laughing] Wow, look at all these memories.” [Tallulah chuckles] “The only thing that hasn't changed is the size of your schnoz.” “[laughing] True. I was one big-beaked baby.”
Word: shammes Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Yiddish שמשׂ (shames), from Hebrew שמש (shamásh). Doublet of shamash. Pronunciation: /ˈʃɑːmɪs/ 1. Alternative form of shamash (“sexton in a synagogue”). Labels: alt-of, alternative 2. Alternative form of shamash (“candle used to light other candles of a Hanukkah menorah”). Labels: alt-of, alternative
Word: shlep Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /ʃlɛp/ 1. Alternative form of schlep. Labels: alt-of, alternative
Word: shlep Part of Speech: verb Pronunciation: /ʃlɛp/ 1. Alternative form of schlep. Labels: alt-of, alternative
Word: shlong Part of Speech: noun 1. Alternative form of schlong. Labels: alt-of, alternative
Word: shtick Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Yiddish שטיק (shtik, “shtick, act, piece”). Cognate with German Stück, Dutch stuk. Doublet of shtuka, steck, and styca. Pronunciation: /ʃtɪk/ 1. A generally humorous routine. Example: Sally Marr: Lenny [Bruce] used to do a shtick between strippers. / The Interviewer: What kind of stick? / Sally Marr: No, it's shtick, darling, shtick. Example: Dag and I are drying glasses, a strangely restful activity, and we're listening to Mr. M. do his Mr. M. shtick. We feed him lines; it's like watching a Bob Hope TV special but with home viewer participation. 2. A characteristic trait or theme, especially in the way people or media present themselves. Example: I'm never ever gonna quit 'cause / Quittin' just ain't my shtick Example: Like you, I have stumbled through life without knowing what an umlaut signifies and looked it up today only because language is my shtick. 3. A gimmick.
Word: spiel Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from German Spiel (“game, performance”) or Yiddish שפּיל (shpil), both from Middle High German spil, from Old High German spil, from Proto-West Germanic *spil. Cognate with Old English spilian (“to revel, play”). See speel. Pronunciation: /ʃpiːl/, /spiːl/ 1. A lengthy and extravagant speech or argument usually intended to persuade. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: I'd love to be there with a real pretty spiel / But three little words can explain how I feel Example: The spiel ran on; the sale was brief and brisk; / The bargains fell to bidders, one by one. / Hope flushed my cheekbones with a scarlet disk. 2. An early form of rap music. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Watt gets his turn on the mic too, delivering an amusingly disjointed rap (following Minutemen tradition, he calls it a spiel) on "Me & You, Remembering." Example: A typical Last Poets song consisted of a "spiel," an early form of rap where song verses were spoken over conga drum percussions or jazz music.
Word: spiel Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Borrowed from German Spiel (“game, performance”) or Yiddish שפּיל (shpil), both from Middle High German spil, from Old High German spil, from Proto-West Germanic *spil. Cognate with Old English spilian (“to revel, play”). See speel. Pronunciation: /ʃpiːl/, /spiːl/ 1. To talk at length. Labels: intransitive Example: For a second our eyes met and he gave me a contemptuous smile, then he spieled again. Example: […] Oedipa spotted among searchlights and staring crowds a KCUF mobile unit, with her husband Mucho inside it, spieling into a microphone. 2. To give a sales pitch; to promote by speaking. Labels: intransitive
Word: spiel Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From the Scots spiel (“game, play; curling match”) from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German spel. Pronunciation: /spiːl/ 1. A game of curling. Example: The portion of ice set apart for a curling spiel was called the lead, rank, or rink (by which last name it is still described), and as it was then shorter than it is now — its ordinary length being 30 yards Example: On the Dock and Greensands the classical discus, or quoit, has in season due its modicum of disciples, (b) When the Nith is frozen over its surface becomes the scene of many a curling spiel
Word: Barbara Part of Speech: name Etymology: * From Latin Barbara, the name of Saint Barbara, feminine form of barbarus, from Ancient Greek βάρβαρος (bárbaros, “strange, foreign”). Doublet of Varvara. * (logic): From the given name; chosen because it has three A's in it representing universal affirmatives. Pronunciation: /ˈbɑɹb(ə)ɹə/, /ˈbɑːb(ə)ɹə/ 1. A female given name from Latin. Example: My mother had a maid call'd Barbara; / She was in love, and he she lov'd prov'd mad / And did forsake her; […] Example: All in the merrye month of May / When greene buds they were swellin / Yong Jemmye Grove on his death-bed lay / For love of Barbara Allen. 2. A syllogism in which all three propositions are of the form "All X are Y" or "X is a Y". Example: If you see a girl you like, prove it to her by Barbara and Celarent all the way to Fresison or whatever the logician's Omega is — I forget.
Word: barometer Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From baro- + -meter. Coined in 1665 by Robert Boyle as a name for the instrument invented by Torricelli some 20 years earlier; soon thereafter borrowed from English into various languages. Pronunciation: /bəˈɹɒm.ɪ.tə(ɹ)/, /bəˈɹɑ.mə.tɚ/, [bəˈɹɑ.mə.ɾɚ], /bəˈɹɒm.ə.tɚ/, [bəˈɹɒm.ə.ɾɚ] 1. An instrument for measuring atmospheric pressure. Example: Elsewhere, professionals could enthuse over new precision instruments capable, for instance, of measuring weights down to a tenth of a milligram, or over a host of self-registering thermometers and barometers, microscopes, typewriters, calculators and all sorts of technical and musical devices, including automatic concertinas, edeophones, auto-harps, bigophones and other long-forgotten objects. 2. Anything used as a gauge or indicator. Labels: broadly, figuratively Example: "An election is not necessarily an accurate barometer of public opinion. There are other ways in which it makes itself felt, through the press, the forum, discussion, and through every other type of communication." Example: The weakest members of society become social barometers or canaries in a coal mine.