nandhakumarms/qualc-wiktionary-en huggingface dataset:
Word: killer whale Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Calque or mistranslation of Spanish asesina-ballenas (“whale killer”), referring to their tendency to hunt whales. Equivalent to killer + whale. 1. A sea mammal related to dolphins and porpoises (Orcinus orca). Example: Of this whale, little is known to the Nantucketer, and nothing at all to the professed naturalist. From what I have seen of him at a distance, I should say that he was about the bigness of a grampus. He is very savage - a sort of Feegee fish. He sometimes takes the great Folio whales by the lip and hangs there like a leech until the mighty brute is worried to death. The killer is never hunted. I have never heard what sort of oil he has. Exception might be taken to the name of this whale, on the grounds of its indistinctness. For we are all killers on land and on sea; Bonaparts and sharks included. Example: Once or twice, too, I saw the killer-whale (Orca gladiator), the little species so readily known by its prominent back-fin.
Word: podgy Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From podge + -y. Pronunciation: /ˈpɒd͡ʒi/, /ˈpɑd͡ʒi/ 1. Slightly fat. Labels: informal 2. Stodgy. Labels: archaic Example: When you have got him [the horse] clean from all soft podgy food, you must be particular that none but what is clean and wholesome is served to him.
Word: forefather Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English forefader, forfader, vorvader, from Old English forefæder (“forefather”), but possibly also merged with Old Norse forfaðir. Equivalent to fore- + father. Compare Dutch voorvader (“forefather”), German Vorvater, Vorfahr (“forefather”), Danish forfader (“forefather”), Swedish förfader (“forefather”). Pronunciation: /ˈfɔːˌfɑːðə/, /ˈfɔɹˌfɑːðɚ/ 1. An ancestor. Example: His forefathers had been, as a rule, professional men—physicians and lawyers; his grandfather died under the walls of Chapultepec Castle while twisting a tourniquet for a cursing dragoon; an uncle remained indefinitely at Malvern Hill; an only brother at Montauk Point having sickened in the trenches before Santiago. 2. A cultural ancestor; one who originated an idea or tradition.
Word: sow one's wild oats Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From being a typical useless or counterproductive occupation (wild oats is a weed, and would not be sown). 1. To spread one's genes around by impregnating many females. Labels: figuratively, idiomatic 2. To engage in premarital or extramarital flings. Labels: broadly, idiomatic Example: Let the boys be boys,—the longer the better,—and let the young men sow their wild oats if they must,—but mothers, sisters, and friends may help to make the crop a small one, and keep many tares from spoiling the harvest, by believing,—and showing that they believe,—in the possibility of loyalty to the virtues which make men manliest in good women's eyes. Example: The young men go down to the sea and sow their wild oats in the wicked ports, returning periodically, between voyages, to live the old intensive morality, to court till ten o’clock, to sit under the minister each Sunday, and to listen at home to the same stern precepts that the elders preached to them from the time they were laddies. 3. To have numerous sexual partners. Labels: broadly, idiomatic 4. To indulge in a period of irresponsible behavior. Labels: broadly, idiomatic, often
Word: flinch Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle French flenchir (“to bend”), of Germanic origin. Compare Middle High German lenken (“to bend”). Attested in English since the 16th century. Pronunciation: /ˈflɪnt͡ʃ/, [ˈfl̥ɪnt͡ʃ] 1. A reflexive jerking away. Example: My eye doctor hates the flinch I have every time he tries to get near my eyes. 2. The slipping of the foot from a ball, when attempting to give a tight croquet.
Word: flinch Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle French flenchir (“to bend”), of Germanic origin. Compare Middle High German lenken (“to bend”). Attested in English since the 16th century. Pronunciation: /ˈflɪnt͡ʃ/, [ˈfl̥ɪnt͡ʃ] 1. To make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a (usually negative) stimulus; to cringe; to blench. Labels: intransitive Example: A child, by a constant course of kindness, may be accustomed to bear very rough usage without flinching or complaining. 2. To dodge (a question), to avoid an unpleasant task or duty 3. To let the foot slip from a ball, when attempting to give a tight croquet.
Word: flinch Part of Speech: verb Pronunciation: /ˈflɪnt͡ʃ/, [ˈfl̥ɪnt͡ʃ] 1. Alternative form of flense. Labels: alt-of, alternative
Word: footbridge Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English fot-brigge, equivalent to foot + bridge. Pronunciation: /ˈfʊtˌbɹɪd͡ʒ/ 1. A bridge over a road, railway, river, etc for pedestrians. Example: The girder bridge at the head of the pass is used as a footbridge, and is roughly decked.
Word: hardly Part of Speech: adv Etymology: From Middle English hardely, hardliche, from Old English heardlīċe (“boldly; hardily; without ease; in a way that causes pain; not easily; only by degrees”), equivalent to hard + -ly. Compare Dutch hardelijk, German härtlich. Pronunciation: /ˈhɑːdli/, /ˈhɑɹdli/ 1. Barely, only just, almost not. Example: They hardly ever watch television. Example: It's hardly possible he could lose the election. 2. Certainly not; not at all. Example: I hardly think they'll come in this bad weather! Example: With this the second of three games in seven days for Stoke, it was hardly surprising to see nine changes from the side that started against Newcastle in the Premier League on Monday. 3. With difficulty. Labels: archaic Example: And what gentle flame soever doth warme the heart of young virgins, yet are they hardly drawne to leave and forgoe their mothers, to betake them to their husbands […]. Example: While in Chelsea, Anne Smiley pined, taking very hardly to her unaccustomed role of wife abandoned. 4. Harshly, severely; in a hard manner. Labels: dated Example: I was a fool when I married him; and I am so far an incurable fool on that subject, that, for the sake of what I once believed him to be, I wouldn’t have even this shadow of my idle fancy hardly dealt with. Example: "Mr. Cholmondeley, the young men out here are much too hardly worked to allow them time for paying impertinent compliments." 5. Firmly, vigorously, with strength or exertion. Labels: obsolete Example: Let him hardly be possest with an honest curiositie to search out the nature and causes of all things […]. Example: Sometimes my pulse beat so quickly and hardly, that I felt the palpitation of every artery; at others, I nearly sank to the ground through languor and extreme weakness.
Word: hardly Part of Speech: intj Etymology: From Middle English hardely, hardliche, from Old English heardlīċe (“boldly; hardily; without ease; in a way that causes pain; not easily; only by degrees”), equivalent to hard + -ly. Compare Dutch hardelijk, German härtlich. Pronunciation: /ˈhɑːdli/, /ˈhɑɹdli/ 1. Not really. Example: I think the Beatles are a really overrated band. ― Hardly!
Word: blogophile Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *weyh₁-? Proto-Indo-European *wiHrós Proto-Germanic *weraz Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *h₂életi Proto-Germanic *alaną Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Germanic *-þiz Proto-Germanic *aldiz Proto-Germanic *weraldiz Proto-West Germanic *weraldi Old English weorold Middle English world English world Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ Proto-Indo-European *dwi- Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European *h₁weydʰh₁-der. Proto-Germanic *wīdaz Old English wīd English wide English -wide English worldwide Proto-Indo-European *webʰ-der. Proto-Germanic *webaną Proto-Germanic *wabją Old English webb Middle English web English web English World Wide Web English Web Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *légʰyeti Proto-Germanic *ligjaną Old Norse liggjader.? Middle English logge English log Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂ǵosder.? Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂g-der.? Proto-Germanic *bōks Proto-West Germanic *bōk Old English bōc Middle English bok English book English logbook English log English weblog English blog Ancient Greek -ο- (-o-)der. Latin -o-bor. English -o- Latin -philalbor. English -phile English blogophile From blog + -o- + -phile. 1. A person who is fond of blogs or blogging.
Word: weigh down Part of Speech: verb 1. To act as a ballast for. Labels: transitive Example: We used some sandbags to weigh down the balloon. 2. To be too much for someone to cope with. Labels: idiomatic, transitive Example: All the news of murder and famine is weighing me down.
Word: skim Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English skemen, skymen, variants of scumen, from Old French escumer (“to remove scum”), from escume (“froth, foam”), from Frankish *skūm (“froth, foam”), from Proto-Germanic *skūmaz (“foam”), from Proto-Indo-European *skew- (“to cover, conceal”). See scum. Pronunciation: /skɪm/ 1. To pass lightly; to glide along in an even, smooth course; to glide along near the surface. Labels: intransitive Example: Not so when swift Camilla scours the plain, / Flies o'er the unbending corn, and skims along the main. 2. To pass near the surface of; to brush the surface of; to glide swiftly along the surface of. Labels: transitive Example: Homer describes Mercury as flinging himself from the top of Olympus, and skimming the surface of the ocean. 3. To hasten along with superficial attention. Example: They skim over a science in a very night superficial survey. 4. To put on a finishing coat of plaster. Example: Ceilings are lined with fibrous asbestos, the internal plastering being reduced to skimming alone. 5. To throw an object so it bounces on water. Labels: transitive Example: skimming stones 6. To ricochet. Labels: intransitive 7. To read quickly or describe summarily, skipping some detail. Labels: transitive Example: (through) Example: I skimmed the newspaper over breakfast. 8. To scrape off; to remove (something) from a surface Labels: transitive 9. To clear (a liquid) from scum or substance floating or lying on it, by means of a utensil that passes just beneath the surface. Labels: transitive Example: to skim milk Example: to skim broth 10. To clear a liquid from (scum or substance floating or lying on it), especially the cream that floats on top of fresh milk. Labels: transitive Example: to skim cream 11. To steal money from a business before the transaction has been recorded, thus avoiding detection. Example: Obviously, the longer cash sits around before being recorded, the more likely it is that a skimming fraud will occur. Example: […] take this money without entering anything into the record-keeping system, thereby accomplishing a theft by skimming. 12. To surreptitiously scan a payment card in order to obtain its information for fraudulent purposes. 13. To become coated over. Labels: intransitive
Word: skim Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English skemen, skymen, variants of scumen, from Old French escumer (“to remove scum”), from escume (“froth, foam”), from Frankish *skūm (“froth, foam”), from Proto-Germanic *skūmaz (“foam”), from Proto-Indo-European *skew- (“to cover, conceal”). See scum. Pronunciation: /skɪm/ 1. Having lowered fat content. Labels: not-comparable
Word: skim Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English skemen, skymen, variants of scumen, from Old French escumer (“to remove scum”), from escume (“froth, foam”), from Frankish *skūm (“froth, foam”), from Proto-Germanic *skūmaz (“foam”), from Proto-Indo-European *skew- (“to cover, conceal”). See scum. Pronunciation: /skɪm/ 1. A cursory reading, skipping the details. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: For a first quick appreciation of the approach, we recommend a fast reading of Chapter 1, then a skim through the figures of the next two chapters — glancing at the definitions of key concepts that appear below the figures in Chapters 2 and 3. 2. Skim milk. Labels: countable, informal, uncountable Example: Two percent milk has only a fraction less fat than whole milk, so unless you are feeding a child or someone whose diet requires whole milk, skim is best. 3. The act of skimming. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Then you could jump 150 years and enjoy a skim across the Solent in Britain's remarkable Hovercraft. 4. That which is skimmed off. Labels: countable, uncountable 5. Theft of money from a business before the transaction has been recorded, thus avoiding detection. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: It's a hustle, but it keeps me busy. I can take in three to three-fifty a week, more with skims. Example: This potential is further increased by the ease of passing on the costs of corruption and racketeering to consumers; a skim of only one percent of a construction project can amount to hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars.
Word: eat pussy Part of Speech: verb 1. To perform cunnilingus. Labels: slang, vulgar Example: Somethin' I wanted, but I never was pushy The motherfucker never ate my pussy
Word: go down on Part of Speech: verb 1. To perform oral sex on (someone). Labels: colloquial, euphemistic, idiomatic Example: An older version of me / Is she perverted like me? / Would she go down on you in a theater?
Word: on purpose Part of Speech: prep_phrase 1. By design, as opposed to by accident; intentionally; deliberately. Labels: idiomatic Example: That wasn't an accident! You did it on purpose! 2. In order to (do something); with the objective that. Labels: archaic Example: Blifil bowed and stammered, and looked like a fool; but Western, without giving him time to form a speech for the purpose, answered, “Well, well, I am to blame, if you will, I always am, certainly; but come, let the girl be fetched back again, or let Mr Blifil go to her.——He’s come up on purpose, and there is no time to be lost.” Example: I send this to the town, on purpose to have it reach you by the earliest post […].
Word: poppy Part of Speech: noun Etymology: PIE word *péh₂wr̥ The noun is derived from Late Middle English poppy, Middle English popy, popi, popie (“plant of the genus Papaver; poppy seeds used as a spice”) [and other forms], from Old English popiġ (“poppy”), Early Old English popeġ, popaeġ, popæġ, popei [and other forms], perhaps from Late Latin *papavum, popauer, from Latin papāver (“poppy”), which may be from a reduplication of Proto-Indo-European *péh₂wr̥ (“bonfire”). Doublet of papaver. Sense 3 (“artificial poppy flower to remember those who died in the two World Wars and other armed conflicts”) reflects the efforts of American professor and humanitarian Moina Michael (1869–1944) to popularize the wearing of artificial poppies in remembrance of those who fought and died in World War I; she was inspired by the poem “In Flanders Fields” (1915) by the Canadian poet and soldier John McCrae (1872–1918): see the quotation. The adjective is derived from the noun. Pronunciation: /ˈpɒpi/, /ˈpɑpi/ 1. Any plant of the genus Papaver or the family Papaveraceae, with crumpled, often red, petals and a milky juice having narcotic properties; especially a common poppy or corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas) which has orange-red flowers; the flower of such a plant. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: In Flanders fields the poppies blow / Between the crosses, row on row, / That mark our place; […] / If ye break faith with us who die / We shall not sleep, though poppies grow / In Flanders fields. Example: We cherish, too, the poppy red / That grows on fields where valor led; / It seems to signal to the skies / That blood of heroes never dies, / […] / And now the torch and poppy red / We wear in honor of our dead. / Fear not that ye have died for naught; / We've learned the lesson that ye taught / In Flanders fields. 2. A bright red colour tinted with orange, like that of the common poppy flower. Labels: countable, uncountable 3. A simple artificial poppy flower worn in a buttonhole or displayed in other contexts to remember those who died in the two World Wars and other armed conflicts, especially around Remembrance Day/Remembrance Sunday. Labels: Australia, Canada, UK, countable, uncountable Example: Troops from the garrison town formed a guard of honour for both sets of players, who emerged for the national anthem with poppies proudly stitched into their tracksuit jackets.
Word: poppy Part of Speech: adj Etymology: PIE word *péh₂wr̥ The noun is derived from Late Middle English poppy, Middle English popy, popi, popie (“plant of the genus Papaver; poppy seeds used as a spice”) [and other forms], from Old English popiġ (“poppy”), Early Old English popeġ, popaeġ, popæġ, popei [and other forms], perhaps from Late Latin *papavum, popauer, from Latin papāver (“poppy”), which may be from a reduplication of Proto-Indo-European *péh₂wr̥ (“bonfire”). Doublet of papaver. Sense 3 (“artificial poppy flower to remember those who died in the two World Wars and other armed conflicts”) reflects the efforts of American professor and humanitarian Moina Michael (1869–1944) to popularize the wearing of artificial poppies in remembrance of those who fought and died in World War I; she was inspired by the poem “In Flanders Fields” (1915) by the Canadian poet and soldier John McCrae (1872–1918): see the quotation. The adjective is derived from the noun. Pronunciation: /ˈpɒpi/, /ˈpɑpi/ 1. Of a bright red colour tinted with orange, like that of the common poppy flower (Papaver rhoeas). Labels: not-comparable
Word: poppy Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From pop (“loud, sharp sound; fizzy drink; to make or burst with a loud, sharp sound; to stand out”) + -y (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘having the quality of’). Pronunciation: /ˈpɒpi/, /ˈpɑpi/ 1. Having a popping or bursting sound. Labels: informal 2. Of a beverage: resembling soda pop; effervescent, fizzy. Labels: informal 3. Of eyes: protruding, sticking out. Labels: informal
Word: poppy Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From pop(ular) + -y (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘having the quality of’). Pronunciation: /ˈpɒpi/, /ˈpɑpi/ 1. Popular. Labels: dated, informal 2. Typical of, or in the style of, pop music. Labels: informal Example: I thought Sparks were great; they were very poppy for Island Records. They were considered an oddity but you have to remember that at the time Roxy Music, now everyone's seminal band, were seen as very poppy.
Word: poppy Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From pop (“affectionate form of father”) + -y (suffix forming terms of endearment). Pronunciation: /ˈpɒpi/, /ˈpɑpi/ 1. One's father or grandfather, or a male authority figure having similar standing. Labels: endearing, informal
Word: rudder Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁- Proto-Indo-European *h₁roh₁-(ye-)-tider. Proto-Germanic *rōaną Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr Proto-Indo-European *-trom Proto-Germanic *-þrą Proto-Germanic *rōþrą Proto-West Germanic *rōþr Old English rōþor Middle English rother English rudder From Middle English rodder, rother, ruder, from Old English rōþor (“oar, rudder”), from Proto-West Germanic *rōþr, from Proto-Germanic *rōþrą (“oar, rudder”) (compare Dutch and West Frisian roer, German Ruder), from Proto-Germanic *rōaną, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁reh₁- (“to row”) + Proto-Germanic *-þrą, *-þraz, instrumental suffix. Akin to Old English rōwan (“to row”). More at rōwan, -þor. Pronunciation: /ˈɹʌdəː/, [ˈɹʌdəː], /ˈɹʌdɚ/, [ˈɹʌ̈dɚ] ~ [ˈɹʌ̈dɹ̩] 1. An underwater vane used to steer a vessel. The rudder is controlled by means of a wheel, tiller or other apparatus (modern vessels can be controlled even with a joystick or an autopilot). 2. A control surface on the vertical stabilizer of a fixed-wing aircraft or an autogyro. On some craft, the entire vertical stabilizer comprises the rudder. The rudder is controlled by foot-operated control pedals. 3. A riddle or sieve. 4. That which resembles a rudder as a guide or governor; that which guides or governs the course. Labels: figuratively Example: For rhyme the rudder is of verses,/With which, like ships, they steer their courses. 5. The tail of an otter. Example: He sniffed Tarka’s hair from rudder to neck, and his nose remained at the neck. It was a strange smell, and he sniffed carefully, not wanting to touch the fur with his nostrils.
Word: snapdragon Part of Speech: noun Etymology: (1570s) From snap + dragon, from a fancied resemblance, especially by playing children that the flower is a dragon that opens its "mouth" when squeezed on the sides. Compare for this sense the etymology of Dutch leeuwenbek (“snapdragon”, literally “lion's mouth”) and German Löwenmaul. An ancient name was Old English hundeshéafod (literally “dog's head”). For the parlour game sense, the 1704 Swift quotation is apparently the earliest appearance in print. Other animal-based names for the flower are common; compare Greek σκυλάκι (skyláki, literally “puppy”) and Finnish leijonankita (literally “lion's mouth”). Pronunciation: /ˈsnæpdɹæɡən/ 1. Any plant of the genus Antirrhinum, with showy yellow, white or red flowers. Labels: countable Example: […]of kitchen-gardens, and straight herb-borders, and warm snap-dragon beset by bees; Example: Snapdragon leaves are asymmetrical with respect to dorsal-ventral surfaces (Fig. 6.6A). 2. A game in which raisins are snatched from a vessel containing burning brandy, and eaten; the substance snatched and eaten during the playing of the game; the vessel used for the game. Labels: uncountable Example: He bore a ſtrange kind of Appetite to Snap-dragon, and to the livid Snuffs of a burning Candle, which he would catch and ſwallow with an Agility, wonderful to conceive; [...] Example: "And now for snap-dragon," said Marian. "Exactly as you predicted, Mr. Graham," said Madeline; "blind-man's buff at a quarter past three, and snap-dragon at five."
Word: chicanery Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From French chicanerie (“trickery”), from chicaner, from Middle French chicaner, borrowed from Middle Low German schicken, from Old Saxon *skikkian, from Proto-West Germanic *skikkijan (“to order, arrange”). Related to German schicken (“to send, ship”), Middle English skekken (“to send forth, issue”). Pronunciation: /ʃɪˈkeɪn(ə)ɹi/, /ʃəˈkæɪn(ə)ɹi/ 1. Deception by the use of trickery, quibbling, or subterfuge. Labels: uncountable Example: They do not always find manors, got by rapine or chicanery, insensibly to melt away, as the poets will have it; or that all gold glides, like thawing snow, from the thief’s hand that grasps it. Example: He covered his tracks, he got that idiot at the copy shop to lie for him. You think this is something? You think this is bad? This? This chicanery? He's done worse. That billboard! Are you telling me that a man just happens to fall like that? No! He orchestrated it! Jimmy! 2. An individual act of trickery or deception. Labels: countable Example: Stanford University's honor code dates to 1921, written by students to help guide them through the minefield of plagiarism, forbidden collaboration, copying and other chicaneries that have tempted undergraduates since they first arrived on college campuses. 3. The quality of being inclined to trickery or deceitfulness. Labels: archaic, uncountable Example: He carried home with him all the knaviſh chicanery of the loweſt pettifogger, together with a wife whom he had purchſed of a drayman for twenty pounds; and he ſoon found means to obtain a Dedimus as an acting juſtice of peace.
Word: idiothetic Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From idio- + -thetic. 1. Relating to the use of internal cues when navigating a maze etc. Labels: not-comparable
Word: counterfactual Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From counter- + factual. Pronunciation: /ˌkaʊntɚˈfæktʃuəl/, /ˌkaʊn.tə(ɹ)ˈfæk.tʃu.əl/ 1. Contrary to known or agreed facts; untrue. Labels: not-comparable Example: a leaderless disinformation campaign, with claims leaping from conspiracy theorists to state propagandists to alternative-media outlets and back—an ecosystem I call the Counterfactual Community. 2. Of or in comparison to a hypothetical state of the world. Labels: not-comparable Example: What would have happened if those great Chinese voyages [by Zheng He] had continued? It's one of those questions in counter-factual history about which it is impossible to be sure. Example: The counterfactual 1982 of the novel plays variations on our historical record and contains clear allusions to the present.
Word: counterfactual Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From counter- + factual. Pronunciation: /ˌkaʊntɚˈfæktʃuəl/, /ˌkaʊn.tə(ɹ)ˈfæk.tʃu.əl/ 1. A claim, hypothesis, or other belief that is contrary to the facts. 2. A hypothetical state of the world, used to assess the impact of an action. Example: Just as counterfactuals employ too much imagination to qualify as historical works, alternate history often labors under too great a load of artificial "facts" to take flight as fiction. Example: We can spin out complicated counterfactuals that justify the Iraq invasion, and complicated counterfactuals that make it look even worse. 3. A conditional statement in which the conditional clause is false.
Word: heroine Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Latin hērōīna, from late Ancient Greek ἡρωΐνη (hērōḯnē) (2nd century), a feminine equivalent of ἥρως (hḗrōs, “hero, demigod”), equivalent to hero + -ine (suffix forming feminine nouns). * English from 1587. The sense of "female lead character" is from 1715. Pronunciation: /ˈhɪɹoʊɪn/, /hiro.ɪn/, /ˈhɛɹəʊɪn/, /ˈhɛɹoʊɪn/ 1. A female hero. 2. A female lead character. Example: Miss Phyllis Morgan, as the hapless heroine dressed in the shabbiest of clothes, appears in the midst of a gay and giddy throng; she apostrophises all and sundry there, including the villain, and has a magnificent scene which always brings down the house, and nightly adds to her histrionic laurels. Example: 'I infer that you are the lady of the paragraph,' and the lifted hand indicated the open sheet of the Record lying nearby. […] 'Oh,' said Mr Carrados with an amused and deepening interest, 'so in addition to being the heroine of the adventure you wrote it up?'
Word: heroine Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Partly from the noun and partly from hero + -ine (suffix forming adjectives). Pronunciation: /ˈhɪɹoʊɪn/, /hiro.ɪn/, /ˈhɛɹəʊɪn/, /ˈhɛɹoʊɪn/ 1. Characteristic of a heroine; heroic. Labels: not-comparable, rare Example: Theoxena to free hir Siſters children and hir owne from the laſciuious embraces of King Phillip, put weapons into their weaker hands, and perſwaded them Vt imminens ludibrium morte effugerent; to reſcue themſelues by Death from imminent diſgrace, wherein ſhe had no ſooner preuailed, but with a heroine reſolution ſhe ſhewed them by hir owne example, that what ſhee had taught them, was eaſie to be done. Example: Her Brows ſoft Fur was of a paler Dye, / Conformable to that which prettily / Peep’d on her upper Lip, and cowardly / Made shew of Heroine Virility.
Word: heroine Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /ˈhɪɹoʊɪn/, /hiro.ɪn/, /ˈhɛɹəʊɪn/, /ˈhɛɹoʊɪn/ 1. Obsolete spelling of heroin. Labels: alt-of, obsolete, uncountable Example: […] 1,451 ounces of heroine hydrochloride, and 19 ounces of codeine — the equivalent of 16,273 pounds of opium. Example: No manufacture of heroine is lawful in the United States of America, but it is permitted in some countries under the same conditions as for other narcotics under international control.
Word: heroin Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Since the 1890s, from German Heroin, originally a trademark, from Ancient Greek ἥρως (hḗrōs, “hero”) and the suffix -in (“-ine”). Said to have been called thus to evoke quick and sweeping effect as a painkiller and cough suppressant (its original uses). Alternatively explained as a reference to the heroic school of medicine. Pronunciation: /ˈhɛɹoʊ.ɪn/, /hɛəɹoʊ.ɪn/ 1. A powerful and addictive drug derived from opium producing intense euphoria, classed as an illegal narcotic in most of the world. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Wow, that heroin is in my blood / And the blood is in my head / Yeah, thank God that I'm good as dead / Ooohhh, thank your God that I'm not aware / And thank God that I just don't care / And I guess I just don't know Example: I saw a real strange, weird object / Standing up talking to the people / And I found out it was heroin / That deadly drug that go in your veins
Word: heroin Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /ˈhɛɹoʊ.ɪn/, /hɛəɹoʊ.ɪn/ 1. Obsolete spelling of heroine. Labels: alt-of, obsolete Example: Strictly Orthodox, Porcia has bent her Fortune and Applications to the Advantage of the true Religion. In a word, no Perfection is feeble, or ſhines dim in Porcia; all is ſtrenuous, bright, confirm’d, and unexceptionable. She only is worthy to ſupply the Loſs of Ximena, in ſo great a Breaſt as Horatio’s, were Fortune to do what Merit has done, wou’d ſhe not make the Union? Where more juſtly cou’d we beſtow the Charms of a Heroin, who has done all things for Vertue and Honour, than in the Arms of a Hero, who has left nothing undone for Fame and Glory?
Word: reiki Part of Speech: noun Etymology: 1970s, from Japanese 霊気 (reiki, literally “spiritual chi/ki”). Pronunciation: /ˈɹeɪki/ 1. A Japanese form of pseudomedicine that involves transferring chi through one's palms. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Demonstrated by experienced professionals, the fair will provide the opportunity to learn about unique healing methods such as Chakra Healing, Sound Therapy, Reiki, Kinesiology and Crystal Healing.
Word: UDP Part of Speech: noun 1. Initialism of uridine diphosphate. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
Word: UDP Part of Speech: name 1. Initialism of Ulster Democratic Party. Labels: Northern-Ireland, abbreviation, alt-of, initialism 2. Initialism of Unit Deployment Program. Labels: US, abbreviation, alt-of, initialism 3. Initialism of User Datagram Protocol. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, initialism Example: Such an interface would also allow the UDP to pass a full internet datagram complete with header to the IP to send. 4. Initialism of United Democracy Project: a surrogate of AIPAC. Labels: US, abbreviation, alt-of, initialism Example: According to the most recent available disclosures, UDP has spent more than $910,000 backing Stevens. AIPAC, a hawkish pro-Israel group that supports both Democrats and Republicans, endorsed Stevens and has attacked Levin, who is Jewish and comes from one of Michigan’s most prominent Jewish political families, over his willingness to criticize some Israeli policy. 5. Initialism of Usenet Death Penalty. Labels: Internet, abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Word: bashment Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree English bash Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥ Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥tom Proto-Italic *-mentom Latin -mentum Old French -mentbor. Middle English -ment English -ment English bashment From bash + -ment. 1. A party or rave. Labels: Jamaican, countable, especially, slang 2. Dancehall music. Labels: Jamaican, especially, slang, uncountable
Word: thankful Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English thankful, from Old English þancful, þancfull (“thoughtful, pleasing, agreeable, pleasant, thankful, grateful”), equivalent to thank + -ful. Compare Old High German undankfol (“unthankful, ungrateful”). Pronunciation: /ˈθæŋkfəl/, [ˈθæŋkfəl] ~ [ˈθæŋkfl̩], /ˈðæŋkfəl/, [ˈðæŋkfəl] ~ [ˈðæŋkfl̩], /ˈθeɪ̯ŋkfəl/ 1. Showing appreciation or gratitude. Example: I'm thankful that you helped me out today. How can I ever repay you? 2. Obtaining or deserving thanks; thankworthy. Labels: obsolete
Word: sorcery Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English sorcery, borrowed from Middle French sorcerie, ultimately derived from Latin sors (“fate”), from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“to bind”). Cognate with serō, seriēs, sermō. Compare also French sorcier. Pronunciation: /ˈsɔɹ.sə.ɹi/, /ˈsɔː.sə.ɹi/ 1. Magical power; the use of witchcraft or magic arts. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: The tale is full of magic and sorcery. Example: In the Middle Ages, people were often accused of practicing sorcery. 2. Black magic. Labels: countable, uncountable
Word: spectacular Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Latin spectaculum (“a sight, show”) + -ar. Pronunciation: /spɛkˈtæk.jʊ.lə/, /spɛkˈtæk.jə.lɚ/ 1. Amazing or worthy of special notice. Example: The parachutists were spectacular. Example: A branch of rail transport that seems to been rather neglected by historians is that concerned with cliff railways, of which a fair number exist in Great Britain. This is probably because these lines are overshadowed by the more spectacular funicular railways in Switzerland and other mountainous regions; perhaps, too, because of the general habit of referring to them as "cliff lifts," which tends to associate them with the vertical indoor type. 2. Related to, or having the character of, a spectacle or entertainment. Labels: dated Example: the merely spectacular Example: The like clamour, and outcry, the Rabble of the unbelieving Jews and Gentiles made againſt Polycarp Biſhop of Smyrna, at the time of his Martyrdom. crying out againſt him to the Governour, that he ſhould caſt him to the Lyons, and when he anſwered them he could not, becauſe the Spectacular ſports were concluded, then they cry’d out, Burn him, burn him, juſt as the Jews cryed out againſt Chriſt to Pilate, Crucify him, crucify him. 3. Relating to spectacles, or glasses for the eyes.
Word: spectacular Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Latin spectaculum (“a sight, show”) + -ar. Pronunciation: /spɛkˈtæk.jʊ.lə/, /spɛkˈtæk.jə.lɚ/ 1. A spectacular display. Example: Though business has more or less held up so far, a series of drug-related spectaculars sparked an exodus of the city's upper class this summer. 2. A pop-up (folded paper element) in material sent by postal mail. Example: Here are a few examples of "spectaculars," or three-dimensional pieces, including those which have won awards […]
Word: IANA Part of Speech: phrase Pronunciation: /ˈaɪˌænə/ 1. Initialism of I am not a(n), a caveat used by lay people to distinguish themselves from professionals on a subject. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Word: IANA Part of Speech: name Pronunciation: /ˈaɪˌænə/ 1. Acronym of Internet Assigned Numbers Authority. Labels: Internet, abbreviation, acronym, alt-of 2. Initialism of Islamic Assembly of North America. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Word: FDL Part of Speech: name 1. Initialism of file definition language. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, initialism 2. Initialism of Free Documentation License. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, initialism 3. Initialism of Fond du Lac. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Word: colubrine Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Latin colubrinus, from colubra (“snake”) + -inus (“-ine”). Pronunciation: /ˈkɒljəˌbɹaɪn/ 1. Snakelike. Example: A buffle headed sub-chanter having been found guilty of absconsion from his butlership scuddled hastily with colubrine steps into the seclusion of his battish eggery. 2. Relating to snakes.
Word: colubrine Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Latin colubrinus, from colubra (“snake”) + -inus (“-ine”). Pronunciation: /ˈkɒljəˌbɹaɪn/ 1. Any snake of the subfamily Colubrinae
Word: charley horse Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Uncertain, although first attested in American baseball slang of the 1880s, possibly related to cramps suffered by the pitcher Charles Gardner Radbourn, who was nicknamed "Old Hoss", or possibly from period use of Charlie as a generic name for horses similar to Rover for dogs and Felix for cats. Pronunciation: /t͡ʃɑɹli hoɹs/, /t͡ʃali hɔːs/ 1. Synonym of cramp, a painful involuntary muscle contraction, particularly a strong cramp in the torso, arms, or legs. Labels: US, idiomatic Example: Several years ago, says the Chicago Tribune, Joe Quest, now of the Athletics, gave the name of ‘Charlie horse’ to a peculiar contraction and hardening of the muscles and tendons of the thigh, to which base ball players are especially liable from the sudden starting and stopping in chasing balls, as well as the frequent slides in base running. Example: Of course there had been plenty of bruises—one mild case of charley-horse, several dislocated or sprained fingers, a wrenched ankle or two and any number of cuts and scrapes, […] 2. A punch in the thigh. Labels: informal Example: I knew to just keep my mouth shut about it — unless I wanted the word "dummy" to be followed by a charley horse.
Word: chigger Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From chigoe, likely from a Cariban language term such as Kari'na siko (“chigoe”) (early recorded variant chico), from Proto-Cariban *tikô. Pronunciation: /ˈt͡ʃɪɡɚ/ 1. A chigoe (Tunga penetrans), a kind of flea found in tropical climates. 2. A harvest mite (Trombiculidae spp.), a very small, red mite endemic to the Midwestern and Southeastern US, the infestation of which causes intense itching. Example: Dr. Lareau, an emergency medicine physician at Carilion Franklin Memorial Hospital in Virginia, had seen these marks once or twice before on patients. She knew what had caused them. They were from chiggers, a species of tiny, reddish-brown mites able to leave bites that remain itchy for days or weeks.
Word: chigger Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Blend of chink + nigger. Pronunciation: /ˈt͡ʃɪɡɚ/ 1. An East Asian person who behaves in ways similar to a stereotypical urban African American. Labels: US, derogatory, ethnic, offensive, slang, slur Example: —He's not black, Stacia Jacobs who smelled like pee said. — He's yellow and black. He's a chigger. Do you know what a chigger is? It's a chink and a nigger.
Word: candy striper Part of Speech: noun Etymology: First appears in the US c. 1944, from candy stripe + -er, due to the red-and-white striped jumpers worn by hospital volunteers, which resembled stick candy (being candy-striped); originally worn by a group of high-school girls who volunteered as hospital workers at East Orange General Hospital in New Jersey. 1. A volunteer worker in a hospital or hospice. Labels: US
Word: rheme Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Ancient Greek ῥῆμα (rhêma, “word, phrase, verb”). Pronunciation: /ɹiːm/ 1. The part of a sentence that provides new information regarding the current theme. 2. Synonym of sumisign.
Word: boll Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English bolle (“pod; shell”) and Middle Dutch bolle (“round object”), from Frankish *bollo, all ultimately from Proto-Germanic *bullô (“round object; bowl”). More at bowl. Pronunciation: /bɒl/, /bəʊl/, /boʊl/ 1. The rounded seed-bearing capsule of a cotton or flax plant. Example: Sometimes the slave picks down one side of a row, and back upon the other, but more usually, there is one on either side, gathering all that has blossomed, leaving the unopened bolls for a succeeding picking. Example: The champion picker of the day before was the hero of the dawn. If he prophesied that the cotton in today’s field was going to be sparse and stick to the bolls like glue, every listener would grunt a hearty agreement. 2. A protuberance or excrescence growing on the trunks of some trees, a burl. 3. An old dry measure equal to six bushels. Labels: Scotland Example: I ſowed on this Ground, without any Dung or Manure, a Lippy of Oats, from which I had a Boll wanting a Chopin. Example: The farmers ſervants who have families, and engage by the year, are called hinds, and receive 10 bolls oats, 2 bolls barley, and 1 boll peas, which two laſt articles are called hummel corn, […]
Word: boll Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English bolle (“pod; shell”) and Middle Dutch bolle (“round object”), from Frankish *bollo, all ultimately from Proto-Germanic *bullô (“round object; bowl”). More at bowl. Pronunciation: /bɒl/, /bəʊl/, /boʊl/ 1. To form a boll or seed vessel; to go to seed. Example: The barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled.
Word: husbandman Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English husbandman, husbondman, equivalent to husband + -man. Pronunciation: /ˈhəzbəndmən/ 1. a person who raises crops and tends animals; a farmer Labels: dated Example: The xviii day of May in the fourth yeare of the Raigne of the kinge most excellent Monarche and in the year of our lord god 1606 I Thomas Knages of Lythe within the county of york husbandman sicke in body but whole in mynde and in perfect remembrance praised be to god do make and ordayne this my last will and testament in manner and forme following . . - Example: 1684 Thomas Tusser, born at Riven-hall, was successively a Musician, School-master, Serving-man, and a Speculative Husbandman; - Anglorum Speculum: Or The Worthies of England, in Church and State - Thomas Fuller
Word: flatboat Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From flat + boat. 1. A boxy, flat-bottomed boat used for carrying livestock, freight, and people on rivers.
Word: titmouse Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English titmose, compound of tit (“small bird”) and mose, from Old English māse (“titmouse”), from Proto-West Germanic *maisā, from Proto-Germanic *maisǭ (compare Dutch mees, German Meise, Old Norse meisingr, French mésange), from *maisaz (“tiny, puny”) (compare Norwegian meis (“skinny weakling”)). Spelling as well as the plural form in imitation of the otherwise unrelated mouse. Pronunciation: /ˈtɪtmaʊs/ 1. Any small passerine bird mostly of the genus Baeolophus, which are found in the woods of the Northern Hemisphere and of Africa.
Word: hickey Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Unknown. Pronunciation: /ˈhɪk.i/ 1. A bruise-like mark made during petting by pressing the mouth to the skin on one’s partner’s body and sucking. Labels: slang Example: But Louis Vuitton bras all over your breasts / Got me wanting to put hickeys all over your chest Example: When it comes to hickeys, the best I can tell you is that a lot of girls cover them with makeup or a turtleneck shirt. But let me close with a final thought. Never be ashamed of your hickeys. Show them off proudly as badges of love. 2. A similar mark made by the pressure of a musical instrument such as a violin or viola against the neck. 3. A pimple. Labels: US, dialectal Example: No, a pimple is not a small pimp. It is what they call a hickey in the country. Look up papules. 4. An object whose name is unknown or cannot be recalled. Labels: informal, slang 5. A printing defect caused by foreign matter on the printing surface resulting in a ring where the ink is missing, appearing as a spot of ink surrounded by a halo, or as an unprinted spot within a solid printed area. 6. A serif or other ornamentation on type. Labels: informal Example: Years ago, there were internal company standards for dark center (ink color) hickeys and for white voids in solids/type. Example: It is generally believed, by those who study such things, that serif typefaces are easier to read when reading a lot of words. The hickeys (serifs) on each letter tend to push our eye toward the next letter. 7. Local swelling in a tissue area, especially skin, often due to injury. 8. A tool for making smooth, semicircular bends in conduit and pipe. 9. An unintended negative outcome or loss in regards to a deal or action. Labels: US, slang Example: take a hickey Example: Farmer Jones took a hickey on his soybean crop when the flood washed the seeds away.
Word: pony Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *pel- Proto-Indo-European *pelh₂- Proto-Indo-European *polH-on- Proto-Italic *polnos? Proto-Indo-European *peh₂w-? Proto-Indo-European *put-der.? Latin pullus Late Latin pullanus Old French poulenetder.? Scots powny English pony From Scots powny, apparently from Middle French poulenet (“little foal”), ultimately from Late Latin pullanus (“young of an animal”), from pullus. First attested in 1659. Doublet of foal and pullus. Sense “small serving of alcohol” from 19th century, both for small sizes generally and for a quarter pint specifically, from the small size. Pronunciation: /ˈpəʊni/, /ˈpoʊni/ 1. A small horse; specifically, any of several small breeds of horse under 14.2 hands at the withers. 2. A horse of any size. Labels: endearing 3. A contraption built like a mount, strong enough to support one's weight. 4. A small serving of an alcoholic beverage, especially beer. Labels: regional Example: 1879, “Some Queer Interviews: Interview with a Pony of Beer”, Puck, Vol. 5–6, p. 435 Example: ‘I’m on the inside track,’ said a pony of beer as it went galloping down a man’s throat. 5. A serving of 140 millilitres of beer (formerly 5 fl oz); a quarter pint. Labels: Australia, New-South-Wales, Western 6. Twenty-five pounds (money). Labels: UK, slang Example: “You said a pony,” interposed Clavering; “my dear fellow, you said a pony, and I’ll be eternally obliged to you; and I’ll not take it as a gift—only as a loan, and pay you back in six months. I take my oath, I will.” “Well—well—there’s the money, Sir Francis Clavering. […] Here’s five-and-twenty for you. 7. A translation used as a study aid; loosely, a crib, a cheat-sheet. Labels: US, slang Example: She kept the dates written down in her Latin 'pony', so she didn't have to bother about who it was. 8. A ponytail hairstyle. Labels: slang Example: His hair is a semilong dull red and pulled back in a sloppy pony at the base of his neck, and his face is riddled with small freckles and grease, but out here I can see personal hygiene isn't exactly at the top of the priority list. 9. One horsepower. Labels: slang Example: How many ponies are under the hood? 10. A dance from the 1960s in which the dancer mimics the high-stepping prance of a pony. Example: Do the monkey, do the pony / Do the slop, do the boogaloo twist. 11. A chorus girl of small stature. Labels: slang Example: He suggested a Rose Ballet in which he would use the G. V. Follies chorus girls, chiefly the ponies and mediums. 12. Ellipsis of Sony pony. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, derogatory, ellipsis, slang
Word: pony Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *pel- Proto-Indo-European *pelh₂- Proto-Indo-European *polH-on- Proto-Italic *polnos? Proto-Indo-European *peh₂w-? Proto-Indo-European *put-der.? Latin pullus Late Latin pullanus Old French poulenetder.? Scots powny English pony From Scots powny, apparently from Middle French poulenet (“little foal”), ultimately from Late Latin pullanus (“young of an animal”), from pullus. First attested in 1659. Doublet of foal and pullus. Sense “small serving of alcohol” from 19th century, both for small sizes generally and for a quarter pint specifically, from the small size. Pronunciation: /ˈpəʊni/, /ˈpoʊni/ 1. To lead (a horse) from another horse. Labels: transitive 2. To use a crib or cheat-sheet in translating.
Word: pony Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Clipping of pony and trap, rhyming with crap. Pronunciation: /ˈpəʊni/, /ˈpoʊni/ 1. Synonym of crap: of little worth. Labels: Cockney, not-comparable, slang
Word: pony Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Clipping of pony and trap, rhyming with crap. Pronunciation: /ˈpəʊni/, /ˈpoʊni/ 1. Synonym of crap: rubbish, nonsense. Labels: Cockney, slang, uncountable
Word: pony Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /ˈpəʊni/, /ˈpoʊni/ 1. Alternative form of pone. Labels: alt-of, alternative Example: If the dealer deals himself two cards together and then deals a third, the pony must draw a card at random from the dealer's hand.
Word: ounce Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English ounce, unce, from Middle French once, from Latin uncia (“Roman ounce, various similar units”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *óynos (“one”). Doublet of a, one, inch, uncia, onça, onza, oka, ouguiya, and awqiyyah. Pronunciation: /aʊns/ 1. An avoirdupois ounce, weighing ¹⁄₁₆ of an avoirdupois pound, or 28.349523125 grams. 2. A troy ounce, weighing ¹⁄₁₂ of a troy pound, or 480 grains, or 31.1034768 grams. 3. A US fluid ounce, with a volume of ¹⁄₁₆ of a US pint, 1.804688 cubic inches or 29.5735295625 millilitres. 4. A British imperial fluid ounce, with a volume of ¹⁄₂₀ of an imperial pint, 1.733871 cubic inches or 28.4130625 millilitres. 5. Any small amount, a little bit. Labels: figuratively Example: He didn't feel even an ounce of regret for his actions.