nandhakumarms/qualc-wiktionary-en huggingface dataset:
Word: ossify Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Back-formation from ossification, or modeled on French ossifier and formed from Latin os, ossis (“bone”) + -ify. Pronunciation: /ˈɒs.ɪ.faɪ/, /ˈɑ.sə.faɪ/ 1. To transform (or cause to transform) from a softer animal substance into bone; particularly the processes of growth in humans and animals. Labels: ambitransitive Example: […], nor do all bones of the same skeleton ossify during the samе period of time. 2. To become (or cause to become) inflexible and rigid in habits or opinions. Labels: ambitransitive, animate Example: Before long, the entire organization ossifies. Example: Possession of absolute knowledge would ossify the human spirit, quenching human creativity; 3. To grow (or cause to grow) formulaic and permanent. Labels: ambitransitive, inanimate Example: This accidental repartition gets repeated, develops advantages of its own, and gradually ossifies into a systematic division of labour. Example: Now, in turn, we apply a revolutionary critique that […] ossifies into a rhetoric to become "the monstrous Latin of a monstrous church." 4. To calcify. Labels: rare Example: The cartilages become brittle, and in many instances are ossified; the ligaments are rendered harder, but are less capable of resisting extension.
Word: oust Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Anglo-Norman ouster, oustier, from Old French oster (modern French ôter), from post-classical Latin obstare (“to remove”), classical obstāre (“to obstruct, stand in the way of”). Not related to out. Pronunciation: /aʊst/, /ʌʊst/ 1. To expel; to remove. Labels: transitive Example: The protesters became so noisy that they were finally ousted from the meeting. Example: The CEO was ousted by the board of directors.
Word: ouster Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Old French ouster, oustre, a nominalization of Anglo-Norman oustre (“to oust”). Pronunciation: /ˈæɔstə/, /ˈʌʊstəɹ/, /ˈæʊstə/, /ˈaʊstə/, /ˈaʊstəɹ/ 1. A putting out of possession; dispossession; ejection. Labels: historical 2. Action by a cotenant that prevents another cotenant from enjoying the use of jointly owned property. 3. The forceful removal of a politician or regime from power; a coup; an ousting. Labels: US Example: According to three Lakeview employees, Mr. [RC] Kendrick’s ouster came as the nursing home was telling staff members to try to clear out less-profitable residents to make room for a new class of customers who would generate more revenue: patients with Covid-19. Example: Mr. [Rishi] Sunak, a former chancellor whose resignation in July precipitated Mr. [Boris] Johnson’s ouster, earlier said he would not serve in Ms. [Liz] Truss’s cabinet.
Word: ouster Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Old French ouster, oustre, a nominalization of Anglo-Norman oustre (“to oust”). Pronunciation: /ˈæɔstə/, /ˈʌʊstəɹ/, /ˈæʊstə/, /ˈaʊstə/, /ˈaʊstəɹ/ 1. To oust.
Word: ouster Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree English oust Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere English -er English ouster From oust + -er. Pronunciation: /ˈæɔstə/, /ˈʌʊstəɹ/, /ˈæʊstə/, /ˈaʊstə/, /ˈaʊstəɹ/ 1. Someone who ousts. Labels: UK
Word: ouzel Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English osel, from Old English ōsle, from Proto-West Germanic *ą̄slā, *amslā, from Proto-Germanic *amslǭ. Cognate with German Amsel. For the spelling, compare Early Modern English bloud (“blood”). Pronunciation: /ˈuːzəl/ 1. A Eurasian blackbird (Turdus merula). Labels: regional 2. A water ouzel, an aquatic perching bird (Cinclus mexicanus). Labels: Canada, US
Word: ovate Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Borrowed from Latin ōvātus, from ōvum (“an egg”) + -ātus; see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (noun-forming suffix). Pronunciation: /ˈəʊ.veɪt/, /ˈoʊ.veɪt/, /ˈəʉ.væɪt/ 1. Shaped like an egg. Example: The Geese, Anserinæ, have the body ovate, the head small, the bill stout and somewhat conical; the legs rather long; the wings of great length and breadth. 2. With the broadest extremity near the base.
Word: ovate Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Latin ōvātus, from ōvum (“an egg”) + -ātus; see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (noun-forming suffix). Pronunciation: /ˈəʊ.veɪt/, /ˈoʊ.veɪt/, /ˈəʉ.væɪt/ 1. An egg-shaped hand axe. Example: Slightly derived handaxes from the Mildenhall glaciofluvial sands, generally in fresh condition and dominated by ovates and cordates.
Word: ovate Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Ultimately from a Celtic language, see Proto-Celtic *wātis. Pronunciation: /ˈəʊ.veɪt/, /ˈoʊ.veɪt/, /ˈəʉ.væɪt/ 1. An Irish bard. 2. A member at a certain grade of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, a neo-druidism order based in England. 3. A modern-day bard of a gorsedd, especially one acknowledged at an eisteddfod.
Word: ovate Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Borrowed from Latin ovātus, perfect passive participle of ovō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Pronunciation: /ˈəʊ.veɪt/, /ˈoʊ.veɪt/, /ˈəʉ.væɪt/ 1. To give someone an ovation. Labels: rare, transitive 2. To applaud enthusiastically. Labels: intransitive, rare
Word: oxalic Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Borrowed from French oxalique, from Oxalis (“the sorrel plant”). Pronunciation: /ɒkˈsælɪk/, /ɑkˈsælɪk/ 1. Of or pertaining to oxalic acid or its derivatives. Labels: not-comparable Example: If not sufficiently purified, a little hydrochloric or oxalic acid, or caustic potash may be put in the water, according as the stains are from grease or from ink. 2. Of or pertaining to oxaluria. Labels: not-comparable, rare
Word: oxeye Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From ox + eye. Apparently in some senses, specifically Buphthalmum, translated from Arabic عَيْن الْبَقَر (ʕayn al-baqar, literally “ox-eye”), as also the case for French œil-de-bœuf. 1. Several daisy-like flowers in various genera, 2. Several daisy-like flowers in various genera, 3. Several daisy-like flowers in various genera, 4. Any oxeye daisy. 5. Any oxeye daisy. 6. The corn camomile (Anthemis arvensis). 7. A titmouse, especially the great titmouse (Parus major) or the blue titmouse (Parus caeruleus). 8. The dunlin (Calidris alpina) 9. A fish of species Boops boops (bogue, box)
Word: paean Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Latin paeān (“a hymn, especially a victory hymn, to Apollo or another god”), from Ancient Greek παιᾱ́ν (paiā́n, “a chant or song, especially a thanksgiving or victory hymn, to Apollo under the name Παιᾱ́ν (Paiā́n)”), from the phrase Ἰὼ Παιᾱ́ν (Iṑ Paiā́n, “O Paean!, Thanks to Paean!”). According to Homer, Paián or Paean was the name of the physician of the gods; its further etymology is unclear. It has been suggested that Παιᾱ́ν is derived from *παιάϝων (*paiáwōn, “one who heals illnesses through magic”), from *παῖϝα (*paîwa), *παϝία (*pawía, “to blow”), related to παίω (paíō, “to hit, strike”) (from Proto-Indo-European *pēu-, *pyu-, *pū- (“to hit; to cut”)), or from παύω (paúō, “to bring to an end; to abate, to stop”) (from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂w- (“few, little; smallness”)), or that it may be a Pre-Greek word. Compare Middle French and French pæan (also French péan), Italian peana, Portuguese peã, péan. Pronunciation: /ˈpiː.ən/, /ˈpi.ən/ 1. To sing a paean; to praise. Labels: rare, transitive Example: Then let the pæaned hymn aspire, / Nor longer court unholy gloom; / Let happier music wake thy lyre, / Than haunts the precincts of the tomb. Example: Solemn, "as it were a pause in nature," was his [George Washington's] transit to eternity; thronged by the shades of heroes, his approach to the confines of bliss; pæaned by the songs of angels, his journey beyond the stars!
Word: pall Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English pal, palle, from Old English pæl, pæll, from Old French paile and Latin pallium (“cloak; covering”) (and thus a doublet of pallium), probably from palla (“piece of cloth worn as apparel”) (possibly from Proto-Indo-European *pel- (“to cover, wrap; hide, skin; cloth”)) + -ium (suffix forming abstract nouns). Pronunciation: /pɔːl/, /poːl/, /pɔl/, /pɑl/, /pɒl/ 1. Senses relating to cloth. Labels: archaic, poetic 2. Senses relating to cloth. Example: After his death he [Diocletian] remained corporeally in possession of the palace, his tomb resting in the centre of the mausoleum. Thirty years or so later, a woman was put to death for stealing the purple pall from his sarcophagus, a strange, crazy crime, […] 3. Senses relating to cloth. 4. Senses relating to cloth. Labels: obsolete 5. Senses relating to clothing. Labels: archaic Example: In a long purple pall, whose ſkirt with gold, / Was fretted all about, ſhe was arayd, […] Example: His [Hercules's] Lyons skin chaungd to a pall of gold, / In which forgetting warres, he onely ioyed / In combats of ſweet loue, and with his miſtreſſe toyed. 6. Senses relating to clothing. Labels: figuratively Example: The early election results cast a pall over what was supposed to be a celebration. Example: A pall came over the crowd when the fourth goal was scored. 7. Senses relating to clothing. Example: By the way, a pall is a pontifical vestment, considerable for the matter, making, and mysteries thereof. […] But, to speak plainly, the mystery of mysteries in this pall was, that the archbishops' receiving it showed therein their dependence on Rome; and a mote, in this manner ceremoniously taken, was an acknowledgement of their subjection. And as it owned Rome's power, so in after-ages it increased their profit. For, though now such palls were freely given to archbishops, […] yet in after-ages the archbishop of Canterbury's pall was sold for five thousand florins: […] Example: Or it might be a magnificent pall, in the days in which this garment had lost its primitive character, that taxed the skill and the patience of the fair needlewoman. It was about the year a.d. 601 that Pope Gregory [I] sent two archbishop's palls into England; the one for London, which see was afterwards removed to Canterbury, and the other to York. 8. Senses relating to clothing. Example: The flag of South Africa has a green pall
Word: pall Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From the noun pall (“cloth”). Pronunciation: /pɔːl/, /poːl/, /pɔl/, /pɑl/, /pɒl/ 1. To cloak or cover with, or as if with, a pall. Labels: transitive Example: Come, thick Night, / And pall thee in the dunneſt ſmoake of Hell, / That my keene Knife ſee not the Wound it makes, / Nor Heauen peepe through the Blanket of the darke, / To cry, hold, hold.
Word: pall Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Formed by aphesis from appal, appall (“(obsolete) to make pale; to weaken; to become weak; to lose flavour or become stale”), possibly under the influence of the figurative meaning of the unrelated noun pall. Alternatively, the word may be derived from Middle English pallen (“to diminish, impair, weaken; to become faint; to lose spirit”), formed by aphesis from apallen (“to become or make faint or tired; to become indifferent; to fade or cause to fade away; to dim, weaken; to become stale; to be frightened; to frighten; to become pale”), from Old French apalir (“to become or cause to become pale”), possibly from Latin pallidus (“pale, pallid; pale with fright, frightened; mouldy, musty”), from palleō (“to be pale, turn pale; to be anxious or fearful; to fade or change colour”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pel-, *pelH- (“grey; pale”)) + -idus (suffix meaning ‘tending to’ forming adjectives). Pronunciation: /pɔːl/, /poːl/, /pɔl/, /pɑl/, /pɒl/ 1. To make vapid or insipid; to make lifeless or spiritless; to dull, to weaken. Labels: transitive Example: […] Reaſon and Reflection, which by repreſenting perpetually to the mind of Man the meanneſs of all ſenſual Gratifications, do, in great meaſure, blunt the edge of his keeneſt Deſires, and pall all his Enjoyments. 2. To become dull, insipid, tasteless, or vapid; to lose life, spirit, strength, or taste. Labels: intransitive Example: The liquor palls. Example: [T]he ale and byere haue palled, and were nought, by cause such ale and biere hathe taken wynde in spurgyng.
Word: pall Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From the verb pall (“to make vapid”). Pronunciation: /pɔːl/, /poːl/, /pɔl/, /pɑl/, /pɒl/ 1. A feeling of nausea caused by disgust or overindulgence. Labels: obsolete, rare Example: Tho the Impatience of abſtaining be greater; the Pleaſure of Indulgence is really leſs. The Palls or Nauseatings which continually intervene, are of the worſt and moſt hateful kind of Senſation. Hardly is there any thing taſted which is wholly free from this ill reliſh of a ſurfeited Senſe and ruin'd Appetite.
Word: pall Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /pɔːl/, /poːl/, /pɔl/, /pɑl/, /pɒl/ 1. Alternative form of pawl. Labels: alt-of, alternative
Word: pall Part of Speech: verb Pronunciation: /pɔːl/, /poːl/, /pɔl/, /pɑl/, /pɒl/ 1. Alternative form of pawl. Labels: alt-of, alternative
Word: pard Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English parde, from Old French, from Latin pardus, from Ancient Greek πάρδος (párdos), possibly of Iranian origin and related to other Sanskrit and Ancient Greek terms (see leopard). Pronunciation: /ˈpɑː(ɹ)d/ 1. A leopard; a panther. Labels: archaic, literary Example: Then a soldier, Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard, Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel … Example: Ten Brace, and more, of Greyhounds, snowy fair, And tall as Stags, ran loose, and cours'd around his Chair, A Match for Pards in flight, in grappling, for the Bear
Word: pard Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From pardner (“partner”), by shortening. Pronunciation: /ˈpɑː(ɹ)d/ 1. Partner; fellow; Used as a friendly appellation Labels: colloquial Example: He had long believed, in secret, that his old pard, Tom Terror, was the leader of the Thugs that infested the famous pass; he was confident of it now, and it would be safe to say that, as he rode along, his neck did not itch as formerly. Example: 'He's my pard, and you shall not bully him,' he cried.
Word: parser Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From parse + -er. Pronunciation: /ˈpɑː(ɹ).zə/, /ˈpɑː(ɹ).sə/, /ˈpɑɹ.sɚ/ 1. A computer program that parses. 2. One who parses.
Word: pas Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from French pas. Pronunciation: /pɑː/ 1. The right of going foremost; precedence. Labels: archaic Example: ‘Nobody of any elegance of manners can exist, where tradesmen, attornies, and mechanics have the pas.’ Example: Even Mrs. Bute Crawley, the Rector's wife, refused to visit her, as she said she would never give the pas to a tradesman's daughter. 2. A step in a dance. Example: The premier pas in life is the most important of all ……
Word: pas Part of Speech: noun Etymology: See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form. Pronunciation: /pɑːz/ 1. plural of pa Labels: form-of, plural
Word: paster Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Ancient Greek παστός (pastós) Ancient Greek παστά (pastá)bor. Late Latin pasta Old French pastebor. Middle English paste English paste English -er English paster From paste + -er. 1. One who, or that which, pastes. 2. A slip of paper, usually bearing a name, intended to be pasted by the voter, as a substitute, over another name on a printed ballot. 3. A diagram of the circuitry of a telephone, glued inside the telephone itself.
Word: pated Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From pate + -ed. 1. Having a pate or a particular type of pate (head) Labels: not-comparable Example: long-pated Example: shallow-pated
Word: patina Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Italian patina, from Latin patina (“dish, pan”), itself a borrowing from Ancient Greek πατάνη (patánē), either from Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- (“to spread”) or from Pre-Greek. Doublet of paten, patena, and patine. Pronunciation: /ˈpætɪnə/, /pəˈtiː.nə/, /ˈpæ.tɪ.nə/ 1. A paten, flat type of dish. Labels: countable, uncountable 2. The colour or incrustation which age and wear give to (mainly metallic) objects; especially, the green rust which covers works of art such as ancient bronzes, coins and medals. Labels: countable, uncountable 3. A green colour, tinted with grey, like that of bronze patina. Labels: countable, uncountable 4. A gloss or superficial layer. Labels: countable, figuratively, uncountable Example: he enjoys a patina of respect by the police, despite being an ex-criminal Example: It demonstrates how scientific authority could be constructed on the fly, as it were, by someone with no connections and no psychological credentials who offered a technique that had the patina of modern science[…]
Word: patina Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Borrowed from Italian patina, from Latin patina (“dish, pan”), itself a borrowing from Ancient Greek πατάνη (patánē), either from Proto-Indo-European *peth₂- (“to spread”) or from Pre-Greek. Doublet of paten, patena, and patine. Pronunciation: /ˈpætɪnə/, /pəˈtiː.nə/, /ˈpæ.tɪ.nə/ 1. Of a green colour, tinted with grey, like that of bronze patina. Labels: not-comparable
Word: peaky Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From peak + -y. Pronunciation: /ˈpiːki/ 1. Sickly; peaked. Example: Her appetite did not improve, however, and she looked very thin and peaky. 2. Characterised by peaks. Example: Or over hills with peaky tops engrail'd, / And many a tract of palm and rice, / The throne of Indian Cama slowly sail'd / A summer fann'd with spice. Example: A wide spread of possible outcomes will give a relatively flat distribution and so indicate a risky project. A narrow spread of results will give a very peaky graph and indicate a low risk project.
Word: peal Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English pele, peil, probably an apheretic variant of Middle English apel, appel, from Old French apel (“an appeal; pealing of bells”). Compare appeal. Pronunciation: /piːl/ 1. A loud sound, or a succession of loud sounds, as of bells, thunder, cannon, shouts, laughter, of a multitude, etc. Example: Whether thoſe peales of praiſe be his or no. Example: a fair peal of artillery 2. A set of bells tuned to each other according to the diatonic scale. Labels: collective Example: Ingulphus, the chronicler of Croyland Abbey, mentions that a peal of seven bells was put up there in the tenth century, and that there was not such a harmonious peal in the whole of England; which implies that rings of bells were then common. 3. The changes rung on a set of bells; in the strict sense a full peal of at least 5040 changes.
Word: peal Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English pele, peil, probably an apheretic variant of Middle English apel, appel, from Old French apel (“an appeal; pealing of bells”). Compare appeal. Pronunciation: /piːl/ 1. To sound with a peal or peals. Labels: intransitive Example: Then pealed the bells more loud and deep... Example: To the church we'll swiftly steal, then our wedding bells will peal, / You can go as far you like with me, in my merry Oldsmobile 2. To utter or sound loudly. Labels: transitive Example: The warrior's name, / Though pealed and chimed on all the tongues of fame. 3. To assail with noise. Labels: transitive Example: Nor was his ear less pealed. 4. To resound; to echo. Labels: intransitive Example: And the whole air pealed / With the cheers of our men. 5. To appeal. Labels: obsolete Example: To A baron of chekker þay mun hit pele'.
Word: peal Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Uncertain. Pronunciation: /piːl/ 1. A small salmon; a grilse; a sewin.
Word: pelter Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From pelt + -er. 1. One who pelts. Example: With this mighty resolution framed and glassed, and hung over his bed, along with a pleasing representation of a gleaming eye, bearing the legend, "Thou, God, seest me," he managed by bearing himself humbly among his fellows, or rather, by having humility thrust upon him, to avert for a period such calamity as doth befall the Sunday swimmer, the fruit stealer, the school wagger, the root smoker, the Chinaman pelter, and the window smasher. Example: Sketching is always a peltable or mobable offence, as being contrary to the Koran, and sitting down tempts the pelter. 2. A pelting; a shower of missiles, rain, anger, etc. Labels: figuratively, sometimes 3. A pinchpenny; a mean, sordid person; a miser; a skinflint. Labels: dated
Word: pelter Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From pelt + -er. 1. To pelt. Labels: dialectal, nonstandard Example: A person is "peltered" when he is subjected to a shower of stones, a shower of hail-stones, or a shower of anything. "Naay, gi'e ower peltering — one at a time! that's enew." Example: Suddenly Iliin's machine-gun started rattling, peltering the columns, and a second machine-gun followed suit, whilst the Cossacks opened a continuous fire from all sides, seconded by the third, fith and second squadrons.
Word: peltry Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Old French peleterie, the trade of a skinner or peltmonger (peletier). Equivalent to pelt + -ry. Pronunciation: /ˈpɛltɹi/ 1. Pelts or skins, collectively; skins with the fur on them; furs. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: ...those Indians informed him, that the war was not yet at an end, and that he would live better and with more safety among the French; who, in truth, do much indulge the Indians, and furnish them whatever they desire, because they employ those Indians to kill them beaver, and moose, and other peltry, whereby they gain much. Example: It has gray hair, and the fleece is sometimes sold with other peltries, but it is not worth much, although it has some odor.
Word: pelvic Part of Speech: adj Etymology: By surface analysis, pelv- + -ic. Pronunciation: /ˈpɛlvɪk/ 1. Of, pertaining to, or in the region of, the pelvis Labels: not-comparable Example: pelvic cellulitis Example: pelvic movement
Word: pelvic Part of Speech: noun Etymology: By surface analysis, pelv- + -ic. Pronunciation: /ˈpɛlvɪk/ 1. pelvic fin 2. a pelvic examination Example: 2022 Sunshine Smith, quoted in Spencer Beswick, "The model for mobilizing to protect abortion rights beyond voting", The Washington Post, May 17. [W]omen learn the basics of self-cervical exams, do pelvics on each other, and learn how to do menstrual extraction.
Word: penna Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Latin penna (“feather”). Doublet of panne, pen, and pinna. 1. a contour feather
Word: penner Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From pen + -er. Pronunciation: /ˈpɛnə(ɹ)/ 1. One who pens; a writer. Example: the penners of those bookes 2. A case for holding pens. Labels: historical Example: He collects his penner that holds his writing quills, his knife, and his horn tube containing ink. He carries these in his belt[…]
Word: pep Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Abbreviation of pepper (“spice”). Pronunciation: /pɛp/ 1. To inject with energy and enthusiasm. Labels: informal, transitive Example: At least a couple of weeks since I last slept, Kept takin' sleepers, but now I keep myself pepped.
Word: pep Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Abbreviation of pepper (“spice”). Pronunciation: /pɛp/ 1. Energy, high spirits. Labels: countable, informal, uncountable Example: She was particularly pleased with the wine, which at not infrequent intervals she tasted. Beyond all doubt it promised to be of vintage quality. Clearly the long hot summer had put more than a little pep into the berries.
Word: pew Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English pewe, from Old French puiee, puïe (“balustrade, balcony”), from Latin podia, plural of podium (“parapet, podium”), from Ancient Greek πόδιον (pódion, “little foot”), from πούς (poús, “foot”). Doublet of podia. Pronunciation: /ˈpjuː/, [ˈpʰjʊu̯] 1. One of the long benches in a church, seating several persons, usually fixed to the floor and facing the chancel. Example: In many churches some pews are reserved for either clerical or liturgical officials such as canons, or for prominent families. Example: No, we can't have alphabetical seating in the abbey. You'd have Iraq and Iran next to each other (laugh track)... Plus Israel and Jordan all sitting in the same pew (laugh track)! We'd be in danger of starting World War III (laugh track)! 2. The congregation of a church. Labels: broadly, in-plural Example: I think a lot of Americans are actually searching for a church that’s relatively apolitical in the pulpit and the pews. 3. An enclosed compartment in a church which provides seating for a group of people, often a prominent family. Example: At St. Patrick’s Cathedral, firefighters in dress blues and white gloves escorted families to the pews for a memorial service, led by Mr. Bloomberg, to honor the 343 Fire Department employees killed on 9/11. 4. Any structure shaped like a church pew, such as a stall, formerly used by money lenders, etc.; a box in a theatre; or a pen or sheepfold. Example: [H]e, a lollard indeed over his elbovv-cuſhion, in almoſt the ſeaventh part of 40. or 50. years teaches them ſcarce half the principles of religion; and his ſheep oft-times ſit the vvhile to as little purpoſe of benifiting as the ſheep in thir pues at Smithfield; […] Example: my wife and I […]did get into the play, the only one we have seen this winter: it was “The Five Hours’ Adventure:” but I sat so far I could not hear well, nor was there any pretty woman that I did see, but my wife, who sat in my Lady Fox’s pew with her. 5. A chair; a seat. Labels: colloquial, humorous Example: Pull up a pew. Example: Victor Crabbe's headmaster was a little man called Boothby […] who subscribed to a popular book club and had many long-playing records, who invited people to curry tiffin and said, "Take a pew."
Word: pew Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English pewe, from Old French puiee, puïe (“balustrade, balcony”), from Latin podia, plural of podium (“parapet, podium”), from Ancient Greek πόδιον (pódion, “little foot”), from πούς (poús, “foot”). Doublet of podia. Pronunciation: /ˈpjuː/, [ˈpʰjʊu̯] 1. To furnish with pews. Example: building a gallery and altering the pewing in the church at Catherington
Word: pew Part of Speech: intj Etymology: See phew. Pronunciation: /ˈpjuː/, [ˈpʰjʊu̯] 1. An expression of disgust in response to an unpleasant odor.
Word: pew Part of Speech: intj Etymology: Onomatopoeic. Pronunciation: /ˈpjuː/, [ˈpʰjʊu̯] 1. Representative of the sound made by the firing of a gun, particularly a blaster in science fiction. Labels: childish
Word: pewee Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Imitative of the vocalisations of various birds. For the passerine, originally imitative of the vocalisations of the eastern wood pewee, later extended to other members of the same genus. Pronunciation: /ˈpi.wi/ 1. Any of various tyrant flycatchers of the genus Contopus. Labels: countable 2. A woodcock. Labels: US, countable, dialectal 3. An American version of the children's game gilli-danda. Labels: uncountable Example: He was clumsy at the new games, but his teachers did not hoot at him. Instead they quarreled for the privilege of showing him how to hold the pewee stick. There are several schools of technique in pewee.
Word: phenol Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂-der. Proto-Hellenic *pʰáňňō Ancient Greek φαίνω (phaínō)der. French phènebor. English phenol From French phène, from Ancient Greek φαίνω (phaínō, “to clear”), as it was used for illumination, name given by Auguste Laurente in 1836. By surface analysis, pheno- + -ol. Pronunciation: /ˈfiːnɒl/, /ˈfiˌnɔl/, /ˈfiˌnɑl/, /ˈfiˌnoʊl/ 1. A caustic, poisonous, white crystalline compound, C₆H₅OH, derived from benzene and used in resins, plastics, and pharmaceuticals and in dilute form as a disinfectant and antiseptic; once called carbolic acid Labels: uncountable 2. Any of a class of aromatic organic compounds having at least one hydroxyl group attached directly to the benzene ring (or other aromatic ring) Labels: countable
Word: phenyl Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂-der. Proto-Hellenic *pʰáňňō Ancient Greek φαίνω (phaínō)der. French phéno- Proto-Indo-European *swel-der.? Ancient Greek ῡ̔́λη (hū́lē)der. French -yle French phénylebor. English phenyl Borrowed from French phényle, derived from the root of Ancient Greek φαίνω (phaínō, “to shine”) plus ὕλη (húlē, “wood; material, substance”). Equivalent to phen- + -yl. Pronunciation: /ˈfiː.naɪl/, /ˈfɛn.l̩/, /ˈfi.nl̩/, /pʰɪˈnajl/ 1. A univalent hydrocarbon radical, C₆H₅ (benzene minus one hydrogen atom), and the basis of an immense number of aromatic derivatives.
Word: phloem Part of Speech: noun Etymology: First attested in 1872. From German Phloëm, coined by Swiss botanist Carl Nägeli in 1858 from Ancient Greek φλόος (phlóos, “husk, bark”) + a Greek-sounding ending -em (cf. System). Pronunciation: /ˈfləʊ.əm/, /ˈfloʊ.əm/ 1. A vascular tissue in land plants primarily responsible for the distribution of sugars and nutrients manufactured in the shoot. Labels: countable, uncountable
Word: phobic Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From phobia + -ic, see -phobic. Pronunciation: /ˈfəʊbɪk/, /ˈfoʊbɪk/ 1. Relating to a phobia. Example: Anything can become a phobic stimulus. 2. Experiencing or expressing phobia (strong fear and/or dislike). Example: The mail carrier was phobic of dogs. Example: Even so, in many cases the homophobe truly is phobic of gays and lesbians, […]
Word: phobic Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From phobia + -ic, see -phobic. Pronunciation: /ˈfəʊbɪk/, /ˈfoʊbɪk/ 1. A person who has a phobia.
Word: phon Part of Speech: noun 1. A unit of apparent loudness, equal in number to the intensity in decibels of a 1,000-hertz tone judged to be as loud as the sound being measured.
Word: phonic Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Ancient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ, “sound”) + -ic. Pronunciation: /ˈfɑn.ɪk/, /ˈfoʊ.nɪk/, /ˈfɒn.ɪk/ 1. Of or pertaining to sound; of the nature of sound; acoustic. Labels: not-comparable
Word: phonon Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From phono- + -on. From Ancient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ, “sound”). Modelled after photon. Pronunciation: /ˈfoʊ.nɑn/, /ˈfoʊ.nɔn/ 1. The quantum of acoustic or vibrational energy (sound), considered a discrete particle rather than a wave.
Word: phonon Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From phono- + -on. From Ancient Greek φωνή (phōnḗ, “sound”). Pronunciation: /ˈfoʊ.nɑn/, /ˈfoʊ.nɔn/ 1. A unit of phonemics.
Word: photon Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From photo- + -on. Coined by American physicist Leonard Troland in 1916 as a unit of light hitting the retina, and later popularized in a more modern sense by Gilbert N. Lewis, with the term gaining acceptance in the physics community by the late 1920s. Pronunciation: /ˈfəʊtɒn/ 1. The quantum of light and other electromagnetic energy, regarded as a discrete particle having zero rest mass, no electric charge, and an indefinitely long lifetime. It is a gauge boson. Labels: particle Example: The single-imaging optic of the mammalian eye offers some distinct visual advantages. Such lenses can take in photons from a wide range of angles, increasing light sensitivity. They also have high spatial resolution, resolving incoming images in minute detail.
Word: pica Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Latin pīca (“jay; magpie”). Doublet of pie (“magpie”). * (pathology): From the idea that magpies will eat almost anything. Pronunciation: /ˈpaɪkə/ 1. A disorder characterized by appetite and craving for non-edible substances, such as chalk, clay, dirt, ice, or sand. Labels: uncountable, usually Example: The three most common nonfood picas were eating of strings and rags; feces, vomit, and urine; and paper, cigarettes, and soil. 2. A magpie. Labels: countable
Word: pica Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Medieval Latin pica (“pica: a service book”), possibly from Latin pīca (“magpie”) after the piebald appearance of the typeset page (cf. pie (“disordered type”)). The relation to the printer's measure is unclear, as no edition of the text in pica type is known. The French pica derives from English rather than vice versa. Pronunciation: /ˈpaɪkə/ 1. A size of type between small pica and English, now standardized as 12-point. Labels: uncountable Example: I had been at Baldwin's before dinner in consequence of a letter from him which showed me that, by using a pica instead of an English letter in printing my book, I might comprise it within such a number of sheets as a guinea-volume should contain […]. Example: The difference to you of treacle on a marble background is scarcely greater than that of printers' ink on newspaper to me. But anything smaller than pica I do not read with comfort, and below long primer I cannot read at all. 2. A font of this size. Labels: uncountable, usually 3. A unit of length equivalent to 12 points, officially ³⁵⁄₈₃ cm (0.166 in) after 1886 but now (computing) ¹⁄₆ in. Labels: countable 4. A pie or directory: the book directing Roman Catholic observance of saints' days and other feasts under various calendars. Labels: countable, uncommon, uncountable
Word: pica Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /ˈpaɪkə/ 1. Archaic form of pika (“small lagomorph”). Labels: alt-of, archaic Example: Most travellers in the Himalaya are familiar with the pretty little Rodents, known as picas, tailless hares, or mouse-hares, which may be seen in the higher regions[…]
Word: piked Part of Speech: adj 1. Furnished with a pike; ending in a point. Labels: not-comparable 2. Describing a dive in which the knees are kept straight, but the body is bent at a right-angle at the hips. Labels: not-comparable
Word: piked Part of Speech: verb 1. simple past and past participle of pike Labels: form-of, participle, past
Word: piker Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From pike + -er. In some senses, it has been linked etymologically to the word pikey as well as to Pike County in eastern Missouri https://web.archive.org/web/20051111194645/http://www.yourdictionary.com/ahd/p/p0300200.html. In the latter instance the term originally denoted poor immigrants to California. Pronunciation: /ˈpaɪkə(ɹ)/ 1. A soldier armed with a pike, a pikeman. Labels: historical Example: Upstairs in a waiting room there were pikers whose tunics echoed Baudricourt′s gold lion shield painted up and down the rafters. Example: By 1600, the ratio of pikers to gunmen was roughly 3:2. By mid-century the ratio was only 1:2, and by 1670 there was just one piker to every three gunmen in the French Army. 2. One who bets or gambles only with small amounts of money. Example: “[…] Them rich fellers, they don't make no bad breaks with their money. They watch it all th' time b'cause they know blame well there ain't hardly room fer their feet fer th' pikers an' tin-horns an' thimble-riggers what are layin' fer 'em. […]” Example: Bud swelled his chest and laid his hand on Jeff′s shoulder. “Just to show you I′m not a piker,” he cried recklessly, “I′ll bet you twenty-five dollars I can beat your Skeeter with my Smoky horse that I rode in here. Is it a go?” 3. A stingy person; a cheapskate. Example: “And if you′ve got to be a piker,” said Dolly, “don′t be ashamed to be a piker. We′re not spending a hundred dollars because we can afford it, but because you dreamt a dream.” Example: The golden nuggets in the stream at Sutter′s Mill in California made Croesus look like a piker, and Australia, the Klondike, and South Africa were yet to come. 4. An amateur. 5. A bullock living in the wild. (Also used attributively.) Labels: Australia Example: ‘There's always a few old piker bullocks find their way into this country. But mostly cattle don't come this far.’ 6. One who refuses to go out with friends, or leaves a party early; a spoilsport or "chicken". Labels: Australia, New-Zealand, slang Example: Mate, don't be a piker! Come to Angie′s birthday party tonight! 7. One who pikes (quits or backs out of a promise). Labels: Australia, New-Zealand, slang 8. A male freshman at Cornell University. Labels: US, dated 9. A tramp; a vagrant.
Word: pilfer Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From earlier pilfre, from Middle English pilfre (“booty”), from Old French pelfre (“plunder, booty, spoils”), of unknown origin. Compare pelf. Pronunciation: /ˈpɪl.fə/, /ˈpɪl.fɚ/ 1. To steal in small quantities, or articles of small value; to practise petty theft. Labels: ambitransitive Example: pilfer goods Example: pilfer from a store
Word: pinger Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From ping + -er. Pronunciation: /ˈpɪŋ.ə(ɹ)/, /ˈpɪŋ.ɚ/ 1. A device that emits a short, high-pitched sound burst, such as in sonar or other echo location systems. Example: We couldn't take the boat into the shallows near the reef because our sonar pinger was broken. 2. A device that periodically emits a signal that can be monitored to permit movement tracking. Example: The scientist attached a pinger to the carapace of the sea turtle to track its migration. 3. A computer program that sends a ping message over a network. Example: Some people like fancy pingers with extra features, but I always use the default ping application. 4. A user of a ping program; one who pings. Example: Every time we replace the main page, we get flooded with pingers making sure our web site is still there. 5. An illicit drug, especially ecstasy, taken for recreational purposes. Labels: slang Example: That was a great party. Everyone took a pinger or two.
Word: pinner Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English pynner, pynnere, pinnere, equivalent to pin + -er. Pronunciation: /ˈpɪnə(ɹ)/ 1. Agent noun of pin; one who pins. Labels: agent, form-of Example: This wrestler or pahlwan was a devotee of the old type of wrestling, in which the opponent is thrown down and pinned, unable to get out from under the pinner. 2. A headdress like a cap, with long lappets. 3. A cloth band for a gown. Example: Inſtead of Home-ſpun quoifs were ſeen / Good Pinners, edg'd with Colberteen: [...] Example: If by the dairy's hatch I chance to hie, / I ſhall her goodly countenance eſpie, / For there her goodly countenance I've ſeen, / Set off with kerchief ſtarch'd and pinners clean.
Word: pinner Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Variant of pinder, from Middle English pindere, pyndere, pundere, pendere, equivalent to pend (“to pen”) + -er. Pronunciation: /ˈpɪnə(ɹ)/ 1. One who pins or impounds cattle; a pinder. Labels: obsolete
Word: pion Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From pi + -on, as alteration of pi-meson. Pronunciation: /ˈpaɪɒn/ 1. Any of three semistable mesons, having positive, negative or neutral charge, composed of up and down quarks/antiquarks. Labels: particle
Word: pith Part of Speech: verb Etymology: The noun is derived from Middle English pith, pithe (“soft interior; pith, pulp”) [and other forms], from Old English piþa [and other forms], from Proto-Germanic *piþô, from earlier *piþō (oblique *pittan); further etymology unknown. Doublet of pit (“seed or stone inside a fruit”). The verb Middle English pethen (“to give courage or strength”), derived from the noun pith (noun), did not survive into modern English. Cognates * Dutch peen (“carrot”) * Middle Low German peddek, peddik, piddek (“bone marrow; medulla; spinal cord; inner part of a horn or quill; (figurative) core, essence”) (the last spelling rare) (Low German Peddik (“core; pulp”)) * West Frisian piid (“pulp, kernel”) Pronunciation: /pɪθ/ 1. To render insensate or kill (an animal, especially cattle or a laboratory animal) by cutting, piercing, or otherwise destroying the spinal cord. Labels: transitive 2. To extract the pith from (something or (figurative) someone). Labels: transitive Example: And yet, instead of exclaiming "Send this inconceivable Satanist to the stake," the respectable newspapers pith me by announcing "another book by this brilliant and thoughtful writer."
Word: pith Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From pi (“constant representing the ratio of the circumference of a Euclidean circle to its diameter”) + -th (suffix forming ordinal numerals). Pronunciation: /paɪθ/ 1. The ordinal form of the number pi (π; approximately 3.14159…). Labels: not-comparable, transitive Example: The pith root of pi is approximately 1.439… Example: (e^pi*i*i/2), or e^(-pi/2), which is the reciprocal of the square root of e to the pith power.
Word: pith Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From pi (“constant representing the ratio of the circumference of a Euclidean circle to its diameter”) + -th (suffix forming ordinal numerals). Pronunciation: /paɪθ/ 1. One divided by pi, that is, 1/π (approximately 0.31831…). Labels: transitive Example: not only that, but your "radian" axis can be labelled as *being* in units of pis, as opposed to the redundancy of 0pi, pi/2, pi etc.; conversely, your circumferential measure can be rational (or units) and your radius can be transcendental (or piths .-) Example: thought it was the two-sixths power of pi, and teh^([sic]) secondpower of six piths
Word: pitman Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-West Germanic *puti Old English pytt Middle English pit English pit English -man English pitman From pit + -man. Pronunciation: /ˈpɪt.mən/ 1. One who works in a pit, as in mining, in sawing timber, etc. Example: The train proceeded to North Pittington Colliery, 600 yd. away, where the Duke viewed the new winning, examined the pumping and drawing engines, and saw how pitmen descended and ascended the shaft. 2. A connecting rod in machinery, especially in a sawmill. Example: I also claim the combination of the separator shaft with the shoe, and with the pitman, for the purpose of imparting to it a recriprocating horizontal movement, and a vibratory movement on its axis at the same time,...
Word: plasm Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Late Latin plasma (“mold”) or Ancient Greek πλάσμα (plásma, “something formed”), in some cases via German Plasma or French plasme, like English plasma. Pronunciation: /ˈplæzəm/ 1. Protoplasm. Labels: archaic, countable, uncountable Example: "And that the germ plasm is different from the parthenogenetic egg?" "Why, surely!" I cried, and gloried in my own audacity. 2. A mold or matrix in which anything is cast or formed to a particular shape. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: A man very rarely has an image of a person with whom he is livingly, vitally connected. He only has dream-images of the persons who, in some way, oppose his life-flow and his soul's freedom, and so become impressed upon his plasm as objects of resistance. 3. A membrane or cell layer, especially one in an embryo that later develops into a structure; the constituent cells of such a layer. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: 1990, Robert Wall, This Side Up: Spatial Determination in the Early Development of Animals, Cambridge University Press, 2005, paperback, page 96, The last chapter showed severe limitations in the concept of 'mosaic' development as it applies to spiralian embryos. It did, however, demonstrate differential segregations occurring at cleavage there, and seen for visibly distinct plasms, some macromolecules and determinants inferred from experimental studies. Example: Shortly after fertilization the cytoplasmic components of the ascidian oocyte are redistributed according to a certain pattern and form five distinct territories or plasms (Figure 4.7). During cleavage these plasms become compartmentalized into different blastomeres which in turn give rise to the various cell lines.
Word: platen Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From French platine, from plat (“flat”). See plate, and compare platin. Pronunciation: /ˈplætən/ 1. The part of a printing press which presses the paper against the type and by which the impression is made. Example: And the form is inked, the paper is applied, the bed is slid, and the platen is levered down and the proof is printed. 2. The part of a typewriter or printer on which the paper rests to receive an impression. 3. The movable table of a planer or other machine tool, on which the work is fastened, and presented to the action of the tool. 4. The flat glass surface of a scanner or photocopier on which operators place items to be scanned.
Word: playa Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Spanish playa (“beach”). Doublet of plage. Pronunciation: /ˈplaɪə/ 1. A level area which habitually fills with water that evaporates entirely. Labels: US Example: Beyond the valley below lay a playa, a vast dried-white lake bed, its ends reaching farther than they could see. Example: “We are also deploying buses to Gerlach to take people to Reno who might walk off the playa. See our recommendations on when walking is viable or not. This is not likely a 24-hour operation at this time.”
Word: playa Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From a non-rhotic pronunciation of player Pronunciation: /ˈpleɪə/ 1. A dude (an informal term of address or general term to describe a person, typically male). Labels: error-unknown-tag, slang 2. A player (someone who plays the field, or has prowess in gaining romantic and sexual relationships). Labels: error-unknown-tag, slang Example: What Pimp was asking me to do was crazy. Off the fuckin' chain. Insane. He was scheming to stick up T.C. and Miss Lady's pool hall so we could pay off G, but a playa like me was getting ready to go to college and put all that two-bit robbing and stealing shit behind me. Example: In the end, all the things Grace claimed to like about Marlon—that he was not a ‘playa’, that he was gentle and awkward and not interested in money—were all the reasons she left him.
Word: pleura Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English, borrowed from Medieval Latin pleura. Pronunciation: /ˈplʊə.ɹə/, /ˈplʊɹ.ə/ 1. Each of a pair of smooth serous membranes which line the thorax and envelop the lungs in humans and other mammals. Example: The lungs […] may be said to be inclosed in separate bags, or to have distinct pleuras. 2. A lateral part in an animal body or structure.
Word: pleura Part of Speech: noun Etymology: See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form. Pronunciation: /ˈplʊə.ɹə/, /ˈplʊɹ.ə/ 1. plural of pleuron Labels: form-of, plural
Word: plumb Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English plumbe, plumme, from Old French *plombe, from Latin plumba, plural of plumbum. Pronunciation: /plʌm/, /plʊm/ 1. A little mass of lead, or the like, attached to a line, and used by builders, etc., to indicate a vertical direction. 2. A weight on the end of a long line, used by sailors to determine the depth of water. 3. The perpendicular direction or position. Example: Customers turned away from rickety chairs, stands of drawers that refused to open, or had no handles, lop-sided wardrobes whose doors were out of plumb or whose mirrors were cracked.
Word: plumb Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English plumbe, plumme, from Old French *plombe, from Latin plumba, plural of plumbum. Pronunciation: /plʌm/, /plʊm/ 1. Truly vertical, as indicated by a plumb line. 2. Describing an LBW where the batsman is hit on the pads directly in front of their wicket and should be given out.
Word: plumb Part of Speech: adv Etymology: From Middle English plumbe, plumme, from Old French *plombe, from Latin plumba, plural of plumbum. Pronunciation: /plʌm/, /plʊm/ 1. In a vertical direction; perpendicularly. Labels: not-comparable Example: Plumb down he drops. 2. Squarely, directly; deeply, completely. Labels: informal, not-comparable Example: It hit him plumb in the middle of his face. Example: Years ago the well plumb dried out, not a drop of water in there since.
Word: plumb Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English plumbe, plumme, from Old French *plombe, from Latin plumba, plural of plumbum. Pronunciation: /plʌm/, /plʊm/ 1. To determine the depth, generally of a liquid; to sound. 2. To attach to a water supply and drain. Example: The kitchen sink is now plumbed in / up. 3. To think about or explore in depth, to get to the bottom of. Labels: figuratively, transitive Example: to plumb the depths of Example: Delving to the core of her heart, his blue-green eyes plumbed her psyche, stripping it of all defenses, all resolve. 4. To use a plumb bob as a measuring or aligning tool. 5. To accurately align vertically or horizontally. 6. To seal something with lead. Labels: dated 7. To work as a plumber. Labels: intransitive 8. To fall or sink like a plummet. Labels: rare 9. To trace a road or track; to follow it to its end. Labels: US, colloquial, figuratively, obsolete 10. To position vertically above or below.
Word: plumb Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /plʌm/, /plʊm/ 1. Obsolete spelling of plum (“the fruit”). Labels: alt-of, obsolete Example: Without attending to sub-divisions, all the pears are of one species, as well as all the apples, plumbs, peaches, cherries, lemons, citrons, oranges […]
Word: plushy Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From plush + -y. Pronunciation: /ˈplʌʃi/ 1. Synonym of plushie.