nandhakumarms/qualc-wiktionary-en huggingface dataset:
Word: homophonous Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Adapted borrowing of Ancient Greek ὁμόφωνος (homóphōnos) + -ous. By surface analysis, homo- + -phonous. Pronunciation: /həˈmɒfənəs/ 1. Having the same pronunciation. Labels: not-comparable Example: "Cot" and "caught" are homophonous in some American accents, as are "there" and "they're". 2. Homophonic; sounding the same. Labels: not-comparable
Word: Anglican Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin Anglicānus, from anglicus (“English, Englishman”) + -ānus (“-an: forming adjectives”). Pronunciation: /ˈæŋ.ɡlɪ.kən/ 1. Relating to the Church of England, or one of several related churches, such as those in the Anglican Communion. Labels: not-comparable, usually 2. English. Labels: archaic, not-comparable, usually
Word: Anglican Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin Anglicānus, from anglicus (“English, Englishman”) + -ānus (“-an: forming adjectives”). Pronunciation: /ˈæŋ.ɡlɪ.kən/ 1. A member of an Anglican Church.
Word: gateau Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from French gâteau. Doublet of wastel. 1. A rich, usually iced, cake. Labels: UK, countable, uncountable Example: Determined on keeping up my strength for what the night might bring, I ate heartily—enjoying every morsel, especially of the two slices of gateau I didn’t feel it wrong to take as my share, since there was still one good-sized piece left for Judy. 2. A dish of minced meat made up like a pudding, and boiled in a shape or mould. Labels: countable, obsolete, uncountable Example: a gateau of veal
Word: anglicise Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Latin anglic(us) + -ise. Pronunciation: /ˈæŋɡlɪsaɪz/ 1. To make English, as to customs, culture, pronunciation, spelling, or style. Labels: transitive Example: Someone who is translating into English a German novel, the hero of which is named Heinrich, will leave the name as it is; he will not Anglicize it into Henry. Example: Other users of non-anglo descent have also alleged Lensa whitened their skin and anglicised their features, a common complaint of image-editing software on platforms like TikTok. 2. To dub or translate into English. Labels: transitive 3. To become English. Labels: intransitive
Word: leaven Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁lengʷʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-us Proto-Indo-European *h₁léngʰusder. ▲ Proto-Italic *breɣʷisinflu.? Proto-Italic *leɣʷis Latin levis Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin levō Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥ Proto-Italic *-mn̥ Latin -men Vulgar Latin *levāmender. Old French levainbor. Middle English levayn English leaven From Middle English levayn, borrowed from Old French levain, from Vulgar Latin *levāmen, a noun based on Latin levō (“raise”). Pronunciation: /ˈlɛv.ən/, [ˈlɛvn̩], /ˈlev.ən/, [ˈlevn̩] 1. Any agent used to make dough rise or to have a similar effect on baked goods. Labels: countable, uncountable 2. Anything that induces change, especially a corrupting or vitiating change. Labels: countable, figuratively, uncountable Example: Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod. Example: On the far side was reflected a single red and meteoric cloud, which had treasured one last crimson ray from the sunset, or perhaps nursed within it the fiery leaven. 3. Chametz. Labels: Judaism, countable, uncountable Example: On the fourteenth day of Nisan men search for leaven by candlelight.
Word: leaven Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁lengʷʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-us Proto-Indo-European *h₁léngʰusder. ▲ Proto-Italic *breɣʷisinflu.? Proto-Italic *leɣʷis Latin levis Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin levō Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥ Proto-Italic *-mn̥ Latin -men Vulgar Latin *levāmender. Old French levainbor. Middle English levayn English leaven From Middle English levayn, borrowed from Old French levain, from Vulgar Latin *levāmen, a noun based on Latin levō (“raise”). Pronunciation: /ˈlɛv.ən/, [ˈlɛvn̩], /ˈlev.ən/, [ˈlevn̩] 1. To add a leavening agent. Labels: transitive Example: Yeast is used to leaven bread, making it rise during baking. 2. To cause to rise by fermentation. Labels: transitive 3. To temper an action, decision, attitude, characteristic, etc. Labels: figuratively, transitive Example: Duke. No more euasion: We haue with a leauen'd, and prepared choice Proceeded to you; therefore take your honors:[...] Example: “A tinge of Jewish blood is not a bad thing. It leavens the”—she looked at him—“stolid stupidity of the ordinary Englishman.” 4. To imbue; to infect; to vitiate. Labels: figuratively, transitive Example: The comedian's jokes helped leaven the atmosphere during the serious meeting. Example: Her optimism seemed to leaven the otherwise tense environment. 5. To rise or become larger; to prove.
Word: uracil Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From uro- + ac(etic) + -ile. Coined in 1885 by the German chemist Robert Behrend, who was attempting to synthesize derivatives of uric acid. Pronunciation: /ˈjʊərəsɪl/ 1. One of the bases of RNA, pairing with adenine. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: We did have some success with uracil when we would preincorporate the uracil into a mutant of E. coli that had a uracil requirement and then feed this cellular content from E. coli.
Word: adenine Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Ancient Greek ᾰ̓δήν (ădḗn)der. German Adeninbor. English adenine From German Adenin, from Ancient Greek ἀδήν (adḗn, “gland”). By surface analysis, aden- + -ine. It was named in 1885 by the German biochemist Albrecht Kossel, in reference to the pancreas (a specific gland) from which Kossel's sample had been extracted. Pronunciation: /ˈæ.dəˌniːn/, /ˈæ.dɪˌnɪn/ 1. A base, C₅H₅N₅, found in certain glands and tissues, which pairs with thymine in DNA and uracil in RNA. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: One of these labels is ethenoadenine, which is obtained by chemical modification of adenine. Example: There are two genes in the adenine biosynthetic pathway of yeast (ADE1 and ADE2) that, apart from producing an absolute requirement for adenine when mutant, also produce a change in colony color.
Word: thymine Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From thymus + -ine. Thymine was first isolated in 1893 by Albrecht Kossel and Albert Neumann from calves' thymus glands, hence its name. Pronunciation: /ˈθaɪmiːn/ 1. A heterocyclic base, 5-methylpyrimidine-2,4(1H,3H)-dione; it pairs with adenine in DNA. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Then he found them, the substances that made up the four-letter alphabet in whose language all life is written — adenine and cytosine, guanine and thymine. Example: In a recent paper on homopyrimidine decamers containing aeg-monomers and thymine monomers with a sulfomethyl substituent at the γ-position, similar triplexes has also been described [43 ].
Word: centum Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Learned borrowing from Latin centum (“hundred”), attested at least since 1890s. Its use in linguistics is due to it being a canonical example of a word retaining an original velar stop, as opposed to Avestan 𐬯𐬀𐬙𐬆𐬨 (satəm). Doublet of hundred and satem. Pronunciation: /ˈkɛntəm/, /ˈsɛntəm/ 1. Referring to an Indo-European language that did not produce sibilants from a series of Proto-Indo-European palatovelar stops. Labels: Indo-European-studies, not-comparable Example: Table 10.1 shows the relative chronology of centum and satem entries to the west. Along each trajectory, centum languages precede satem languages, and the frontier languages, thos most clearly showing peripheral type shift, are centum.
Word: centum Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Calque of Sanskrit शतक (śataka, “a hundred; a satakam”). The latter meaning is attested at least since 1991 and is explained by 100-point academic grading in India. Pronunciation: /ˈsɛntəm/ 1. Satakam, set of one hundred verses connected by the same metre or topic. Example: Tonda-mandala-sātacam, a centum of verses on the Conjeveram country, No. 148, C. M. 73. The sātacam is a poem of one hundred stanzas, in its appropriate metre. Example: Norman Cutler's Songs of Experience: The Poetics of Tamil Devotion (1987) provides a partial translation, choosing to translate just 50 hymns from the first two centums and a few phalasrutis, or the signature stanzas. 2. Perfect score on a board examination. Labels: India Example: Achyuta Satakam is a centum in Prakrit Language; Devanayaka Panchasat (the fifty on Devanayaka), in sanskrit and several poetical works in Tamil. Example: Though he secured a centum in mathematics, he failed to secure pass marks in other subjects.
Word: cytosine Part of Speech: noun Etymology: After German Cytosin, equivalent to Ancient Greek κύτος (kútos) + -ine. Cytosine was discovered and named by the German biochemists Albrecht Kossel and Albert Neumann in 1894 when it was hydrolyzed from calf thymus tissues. Pronunciation: /ˈsaɪtəsiːn/ 1. A heterocyclic base, 4-aminopyrimidin-2(1H)-one, which pairs with guanine in DNA and RNA (by means of three hydrogen bonds). Example: Then he found them, the substances that made up the four-letter alphabet in whose language all life is written — adenine and cytosine, guanine and thymine.
Word: guanine Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Quechua wanubor. Spanish guanobor. English guano Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Indo-European *-iHnos Proto-Italic *-īnos Latin -īnusder. Old French -inbor. Middle English -in English -ine English guanine From guano + -ine. Guanine was named by the German chemist Julius Bodo Unger in 1846 who isolated it from guano. Pronunciation: /ˈɡwɑː.niːn/ 1. A substance first obtained from guano; it is a nucleic base and pairs with cytosine in DNA and RNA (by means of three hydrogen bonds). Example: Then he found them, the substances that made up the four-letter alphabet in whose language all life is written — adenine and cytosine, guanine and thymine.
Word: regicide Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin rēgicidium (“king-killing”) Pronunciation: /ˈɹɛ.d͡ʒə.saɪd/ 1. The killing of a king.
Word: regicide Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Learned borrowing from Medieval Latin rēgicida (“king-killer”). Pronunciation: /ˈɹɛ.d͡ʒə.saɪd/ 1. One who kills a king. Example: The fact that the Yongle emperor was therefore a usurper, regicide and nepoticide (nephew-killer) made compiling the Veritable Record – or official history – of his reign a most dangerous scholarly post. The official given this ticklish task managed to survive several drafts, finally producing one that pleased his master as it omitted the dead nephew's reign altogether.
Word: suicide Part of Speech: verb Etymology: First attested in Thomas Browne's Religio Medici (1643) in noun sense 1, ostensibly from New Latin suīcīdium, from suī (genitive reflexive pronoun) + -cīdium (“act of killing or murder”), but often believed to have originated in English before entering Latin. Displaced native Middle English seolf-cwale from Old English selfcwalu (literally “self-slaughter”), after which suicide may have been modelled, or calqued (compare manuscript). Noun sense 3 is perhaps by analogy with words like homicide, patricide (see -cide), or, although unlikely, from Medieval Latin suīcīda; see the Etymology section at suīcīdium. Pronunciation: /ˈs(j)uːɪˌsaɪd/, /ˈsuɪˌsaɪd/, /ˈsʉːɪˌsɑed/, [ˈsʉːəˌsɑe̯d], /ˌsuːɪˈsaɪd/ 1. To intentionally kill oneself. Labels: intransitive Example: "Her husband suicided three years ago. Just like a man!" Example: Seems a lady poet suicided at Verringer's ranch in Sepulveda canyon one time. 2. To kill (someone) and make their death appear to have been a suicide rather than a homicide (now especially as part of a conspiracy). Labels: transitive Example: Have bought The Shanghai Chopsticks. Proprietor at first refused to sell, but when I ordered the boiling oil he became more reasonable. Editor reports that circulation is not what it ought to be. […] Will publish proclaimation, "Any person found not in possession of The Shanghai Chopsticks (current number) will be suicided." Example: Even if he did get charged, he would be suicided long before he could involve one of the city's most important politicians in the scam. 3. To destroy or self-destruct. Labels: ambitransitive, figuratively Example: At the conclusion of each wind, the movement of the driver's control lever back to the neutral position, and consequently the movement of the Ward Leonard controller back to its neutral position, firstly opens the directional contacts which isolate the generator field from the Ward Leonard exciter and, secondly, operates contactors which eliminate the effect of the residual field by suiciding the generator field as outlined above. Example: The problem is that the degradation of our common space requires a complete social transformation, because it's a part of Galician society's general degradation, a society demographically declining — demographically suiciding, as it were — with inactive employers and intellectual elites comfortably disconnected from real life;
Word: infanticide Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From French infanticide, from Latin īnfanticīdium. By surface analysis, infant + -i- + -cide. Pronunciation: /ɪnˈfæntɪsaɪd/ 1. The murder of an infant. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: PROLICIDE […] Admits of two divisions, fœticide or criminal abortion and infanticide or the destruction of the new born infant. Example: A recent government survey shows that 65 per cent of the families in Japan today are nuclear families, and a report on infanticide published this year by the Criminal Sience Club of Chuo University here indicates that eight out of ten infanticides today occur in nuclear families. 2. The murder of a child by a parent; filicide. Labels: countable, uncountable 3. The criminal offence of killing of a newborn, committed by its mother while psychologically disturbed by the effects of childbirth or lactation, not regarded as murder. Labels: Canada, countable, uncountable 4. The killing of a young, immature animal by a mature adult of the same species. Labels: countable, uncountable
Word: infanticide Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From French infanticide, from Latin īnfanticīda. By surface analysis, infant + -i- + -cide. Pronunciation: /ɪnˈfæntɪsaɪd/ 1. The murderer of a child: a person who has committed infanticide.
Word: tone Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English ton, tone, from Latin tonus (“sound, tone”) (possibly through Old French ton), from Ancient Greek τόνος (tónos, “strain, tension, pitch”), from τείνω (teínō, “to stretch”). Doublet of tune, ton, tonos, and tonus. Pronunciation: /ˈtəʊn/, [ˈtʰəʊ̯n], /ˈtoʊn/, [ˈtʰoʊ̯n] ~ [ˈtʰəʊ̯n], [ˈtʰoːn] 1. A specific pitch. 2. (in the diatonic scale) An interval of a major second. 3. (in a Gregorian chant) A recitational melody. 4. The character of a sound, especially the timbre of an instrument or voice. 5. The pitch of a word's sound that distinguishes a difference in meaning, as for example in Chinese. 6. A whining style of speaking; a kind of mournful or artificial strain of voice; an affected speaking with a measured rhythm and a regular rise and fall of the voice. Labels: dated Example: Children often read with a tone. 7. The manner in which speech or writing is expressed, especially the aspects of diction (word choice), connotation, emotiveness, and register. Example: Their tone was dissatisfied, almost menacing. 8. State of mind; temper; mood. Labels: obsolete Example: c. 1714 (undated), Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke, letter to Alexander Pope The strange situation I am in and the melancholy state of public affairs, […] drag the mind down […] from a philosophical tone or temper, to the drudgery of private and public business. 9. The shade or quality of a colour. Example: We make crude visual distinctions and effectively meaningless categorizations based on average skin tones, such as black or white. 10. The favourable effect of a picture produced by the combination of light and shade, or of colours. Example: This picture has tone. 11. The definition and firmness of a muscle or organ; see also: tonus. 12. The state of a living body or of any of its organs or parts in which the functions are healthy and performed with due vigor. 13. Normal tension or responsiveness to stimuli. 14. a gun Labels: slang Example: But nigga don't step wrong, cuz 8ball keep a tone Example: M.A.C.T.D.O.G got the tone so hoe you know it's on 15. The general character, atmosphere, mood, or vibe (of a situation, place, etc.). Labels: figuratively Example: Her rousing speech gave an upbeat tone to the rest of the evening. Example: Mr O'Brien confirmed the warning from the council was based on the fact that the structure the mural was painted on was not a temporary one and on the claim that it changes the tone of the street and impacts on the area. 16. The quality of being respectable or admirable. Labels: figuratively Example: "I am going to raise the tone of the business. That's wot I want you for. To raise the tone of the business." Example: The teaching we have had of late has lowered the tone of Christianity, as the remarks by the two gentlemen who preceded me will attest; and, instead of producing stalwart manhood, it has generated a brood of mountebanks. Give us a pure Gospel or a vacant pulpit!
Word: tone Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English ton, tone, from Latin tonus (“sound, tone”) (possibly through Old French ton), from Ancient Greek τόνος (tónos, “strain, tension, pitch”), from τείνω (teínō, “to stretch”). Doublet of tune, ton, tonos, and tonus. Pronunciation: /ˈtəʊn/, [ˈtʰəʊ̯n], /ˈtoʊn/, [ˈtʰoʊ̯n] ~ [ˈtʰəʊ̯n], [ˈtʰoːn] 1. to give a particular tone to Labels: transitive 2. to change the colour of Labels: transitive 3. to make (something) firmer Labels: transitive 4. to utter with an affected tone. Labels: transitive
Word: tone Part of Speech: pron Etymology: From Middle English tone, ton, toon, from the incorrect division of thet one (“the/that one”). Compare Scots tane in the tane; see also tother. 1. the one (of two) Labels: dialectal
Word: muscle Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English muscle, muscule, muskylle, and in part from Middle French muscle, from Latin mūsculus (“a muscle”, literally “little mouse”) because of the mouselike appearance of some muscles, from mūs (“mouse”). Doublet of mussel. More at mouse. Pronunciation: /ˈmʌs.əl/, [ˈmʌs.l̩] 1. A contractile form of tissue which animals use to effect movement. Labels: uncountable Example: Muscle consists largely of actin and myosin filaments. Example: For as the Trunk of the Body, is kept from tilting forvvard by the Muſcules of the Back: So, from falling backvvard, by theſe of the Belly. 2. An organ composed of muscle tissue. Labels: countable Example: His brow and hair and the palms of his hands were wet, and there was a kind of nervous contraction of his muscles. They seemed to ripple and string tense. Example: You, Boxer, the very day that those great muscles of yours lose their power, Jones will sell you to the knacker […] 3. A well-developed physique, in which the muscles are enlarged from exercise. Labels: countable, plural-normally, uncountable Example: 2008, Lou Schuler, "Foreward", in Nate Green, Built for Show, page xii The fact that I was middle-aged, bald, married, and raising girls instead of chasing them didn't really bother me. Muscles are cool at any age. 4. Strength, force. Labels: figuratively, uncountable Example: The widely-backed campaign to recall Evan Mecham as governor of Arizona gained even more muscle when the state House of Representatives voted to impeach the ultraconservative on February 5. Example: The lesson to be drawn from the events of 1914, to Roosevelt's mind, was that civilization needed muscle to defend it, not just solemn words. 5. Hired strongmen or bodyguards. Labels: figuratively, uncountable Example: It was easy enough to dodge him, let him crash into the floorboards. Peltroc knew that his priority was the leader, not the hired muscle.
Word: muscle Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English muscle, muscule, muskylle, and in part from Middle French muscle, from Latin mūsculus (“a muscle”, literally “little mouse”) because of the mouselike appearance of some muscles, from mūs (“mouse”). Doublet of mussel. More at mouse. Pronunciation: /ˈmʌs.əl/, [ˈmʌs.l̩] 1. To use force to make progress, especially physical force. Labels: transitive Example: He muscled his way through the crowd. Example: Hensel and Wilson hit a series of leg shots simultaneously as Christian muscles between them with Quinn right on his heels. 2. To move forcefully or with great strength. Labels: intransitive Example: She muscled through the ruins.
Word: mussel Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English muscle (“mussel”), from Old English muscle, from Proto-West Germanic *muskulā, from Late Latin muscula, from Latin mūsculus (“mussel, muscle”, literally “little mouse”). Doublet of muscle. Pronunciation: /ˈmʌsəl/ 1. Any of several groups of bivalve shellfish with elongated, asymmetrical shells. 2. Any of several groups of bivalve shellfish with elongated, asymmetrical shells. 3. Any of several groups of bivalve shellfish with elongated, asymmetrical shells.
Word: niche Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Unadapted borrowing from French niche, from Middle French niche, from Old French niche, from nicher (“to make a nest”) (modern French nicher), from Vulgar Latin *nīdicāre, from Latin nīdus (“nest”). Doublet of nidus and nide via Latin and nest via Proto-Indo-European; also related to nyas. Pronunciation: /niːʃ/, /nɪt͡ʃ/, /niʃ/, /nɪʃ/ 1. A cavity, hollow, or recess, generally within the thickness of a wall, for a statue, bust, or other erect ornament. Example: On the margin of this long tract, are abundance of shrines and images, defended from the injuries of the weather by niches of stone wherein they are placed. 2. Any similar position, literal or figurative. 3. Specifically, a cremation niche; a columbarium. 4. A function within an ecological system to which an organism is especially suited. 5. Any position of opportunity for which one is well-suited, such as a particular market in business. Labels: broadly Example: I managed to carve out a niche for myself in the world of investigative journalism. Example: Whitney, mother of Xavier, is a real estate titan who, along with her British husband, has found her niche selling luxurious underground bunkers to wealthy clients looking for a safe space to hunker down in the event of a climate apocalypse. 6. An arrow woven into a prayer rug pointing in the direction of qibla.
Word: niche Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Unadapted borrowing from French niche, from Middle French niche, from Old French niche, from nicher (“to make a nest”) (modern French nicher), from Vulgar Latin *nīdicāre, from Latin nīdus (“nest”). Doublet of nidus and nide via Latin and nest via Proto-Indo-European; also related to nyas. Pronunciation: /niːʃ/, /nɪt͡ʃ/, /niʃ/, /nɪʃ/ 1. To place in a niche. Labels: transitive Example: a niched vase 2. To specialize in a niche, or particular narrow section of the market. Labels: transitive Example: Product differentiation will be mostly limited to market niching and fashion.
Word: niche Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Unadapted borrowing from French niche, from Middle French niche, from Old French niche, from nicher (“to make a nest”) (modern French nicher), from Vulgar Latin *nīdicāre, from Latin nīdus (“nest”). Doublet of nidus and nide via Latin and nest via Proto-Indo-European; also related to nyas. Pronunciation: /niːʃ/, /nɪt͡ʃ/, /niʃ/, /nɪʃ/ 1. Pertaining to or intended for a market niche; having specific appeal; obscure. Example: niche products Example: niche audience
Word: agnostic Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Etymology tree Ancient Greek ᾰ̓- (ă-) Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- Proto-Indo-European *-sḱéti Proto-Indo-European *ǵn̥h₃sḱétider. Proto-Hellenic *gignṓskō Ancient Greek γῐγνώσκω (gĭgnṓskō) Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Hellenic *-tós Ancient Greek -τος (-tos) Ancient Greek ἄγνωστος (ágnōstos)der. Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Hellenic *ə- Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-)der. English a- Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃tisder. Ancient Greek γνῶσις (gnôsis) ▲ Ancient Greek -σῐς (-sĭs) Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Hellenic *-kos Ancient Greek -κός (-kós) ? ▲ Ancient Greek -τος (-tos) ▲ Ancient Greek -κός (-kós) ? Ancient Greek -τῐκός (-tĭkós) Ancient Greek γνωστῐκός (gnōstĭkós) English Gnostic English agnostic Coined by Thomas Henry Huxley in 1870. Either from Ancient Greek ἄγνωστος (ágnōstos, “ignorant, not knowing”), or from a- + Gnostic, deriving (either way) from Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-, “not”) + γιγνώσκω (gignṓskō, “I know”). Pronunciation: /aɡˈnɒstɪk/, /æɡˈnɑstɪk/, /æɡˈnɔstɪk/ 1. Doubtful or uncertain about the existence or demonstrability of God or other deity. Example: She left the church when she had become agnostic. 2. Having no firmly held opinions on something. Labels: informal, usually Example: I'm agnostic on whether ethanol is a green fuel. Example: He says he's agnostic concerning the Secretary's claims. 3. Of or relating to agnosticism or its adherents. Example: His agnostic viewpoint is summarized in his book. Example: In matters of the intellect do not pretend that conclusions are certain which are not demonstrated or demonstrable. That I take to be the agnostic faith, which if a man keep whole and undefiled, he shall not be ashamed to look the universe in the face, whatever the future may have in store for him. 4. Unaware or noncommittal regarding the specific nature of the components or input with which it interacts. Example: The socket communications layer is agnostic with regard to its underlying transport mechanism—it is “transport-agnostic”. Example: The software's registration key is platform agnostic and will work on both x86 and ARM processors.
Word: agnostic Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Ancient Greek ᾰ̓- (ă-) Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- Proto-Indo-European *-sḱéti Proto-Indo-European *ǵn̥h₃sḱétider. Proto-Hellenic *gignṓskō Ancient Greek γῐγνώσκω (gĭgnṓskō) Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Hellenic *-tós Ancient Greek -τος (-tos) Ancient Greek ἄγνωστος (ágnōstos)der. Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Hellenic *ə- Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-)der. English a- Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃tisder. Ancient Greek γνῶσις (gnôsis) ▲ Ancient Greek -σῐς (-sĭs) Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Hellenic *-kos Ancient Greek -κός (-kós) ? ▲ Ancient Greek -τος (-tos) ▲ Ancient Greek -κός (-kós) ? Ancient Greek -τῐκός (-tĭkós) Ancient Greek γνωστῐκός (gnōstĭkós) English Gnostic English agnostic Coined by Thomas Henry Huxley in 1870. Either from Ancient Greek ἄγνωστος (ágnōstos, “ignorant, not knowing”), or from a- + Gnostic, deriving (either way) from Ancient Greek ἀ- (a-, “not”) + γιγνώσκω (gignṓskō, “I know”). Pronunciation: /aɡˈnɒstɪk/, /æɡˈnɑstɪk/, /æɡˈnɔstɪk/ 1. A person who holds to a form of agnosticism, especially uncertainty of the existence of a deity. Example: The Agnostic is one who asserts—what no one denies—that there are limits to the sphere of human intelligence. Example: An agnostic thinks it impossible to know the truth in matters such as God and the future life with which Christianity and other religions are concerned.
Word: mellifluous Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English mellifluous, mellyfluous, from Latin mellifluus (“flowing like honey”) + -ous, from mel (“honey”) + fluō (“flow”). Compare superfluous and fluid, from same root, and with dulcet (“sweet speech”), alternative Latinate term with a similar meaning. Pronunciation: /məˈlɪflu.əs/, /mɛˈlɪflu.əs/ 1. Flowing like honey. Example: Though in heaven the trees / Of life ambrosial fruitage bear, and vines / Yield nectar; though from off the boughs each morn / VVe brush mellifluous devvs, and find the ground / Cover'd vvith pearly grain[…] 2. Sweet, smooth and musical; pleasant to hear (generally used of a person's voice, tone or writing style). Labels: figuratively Example: […] Socrates […] VVisest of men; from vvhose mouth issued forth / Mellifluous streams that vvater'd all the schools / Of Academicks old and nevv […] Example: Join'd to Theſe [birds], / Thouſands beſide, thick as the covering Leaves / VVhich ſpeck them o'er, their Modulations mix / Mellifluous.
Word: dulcet Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English doucet, from Old French doucet, from dulz, dulce (“sweet, pleasant”) + diminutive -et, from Latin dulcis (“sweet, pleasant”). Cognate with Spanish dulce, French doux, Italian dolce, Portuguese doce, and Romanian dulce. Doublet of dolcetto and doucet. Pronunciation: /ˈdʌl.sɪt/, /ˈdʌl.sət/ 1. Sweet, especially when describing voice or tones; melodious. Example: Her name was Michaela, but the men called her filthy things in dulcet, ingratiating voices, and she giggled with childish joy because she understood no English and thought they were flattering her and making harmless jokes. Example: Matthew "MattKC" Wong (actor) (2024), 6s from the start, in I ported THOUSANDS of apps to Windows 95: “Ah, yes, the dulcet tones of Windows 95.” 2. Generally pleasing; agreeable. 3. Sweet to the taste. Labels: archaic Example: […]for drink the Grape / She crushes, inoffensive must, and meads / From many a berry, and from sweet kernels prest / She tempers dulcet creams[…]
Word: dulcimer Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Old French doulcemelle, probably from Latin dulce melos (“sweet song”), from Ancient Greek μέλος (mélos, “melody, song”). Pronunciation: /ˈdʌl.sɪ.mɚ/, /ˈdʌl.sɪ.mə/ 1. A stringed instrument, with strings stretched across a sounding board, usually trapezoidal, played by plucking on the strings (traditionally with a quill) or by tapping on them (in the case of the hammer dulcimers). Example: A damsel with a dulcimer / In a vision once I saw: / It was an Abyssinian maid / And on her dulcimer she played, / Singing of Mount Abora. Example: Accompanying himself with his dulcimer, a plectrum instrument of his own handicraft, Niles harks back to the balladeers of old.
Word: goalkeeper Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From goal + keeper. Pronunciation: /ˈɡɔːl.kiːpɚ/ 1. A designated player that attempts to prevent the opposing team from scoring by protecting a goal. Example: Krohn-Dehli took advantage of a lucky bounce of the ball after a battling run on the left flank by Simon Poulsen, dummied two defenders and shot low through goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg's legs after 24 minutes. Example: Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the goal of the other team.
Word: -ie Part of Speech: suffix Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *-j-, *-ij- Proto-West Germanic *-i, *-ī Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English -ie Variant spelling of -y, with the spelling possibly influenced by the cognate Scots -ie. Pronunciation: /-iː/, /-i/ 1. Forming diminutive or affectionate forms of nouns or names. Labels: morpheme Example: “Polly, I wish you ’d let me call you Marie,” said Fanny one day, as they were shopping together. ¶ “You may call me Mary, if you like; but I won’t have any ie put on to my name. I’m Polly at home and I’m fond of being called so; but Marie is Frenchified and silly.” ¶ “I spell my own name with an ie, and so do all the girls.” ¶ “And what a jumble of Netties, Nellies, Hatties, and Sallies there is. How ‘Pollie’ would look spelt so!” Example: dear → dearie 2. Forming feminine or gender‐neutral forms of given names. Labels: morpheme Example: Jesse → Jessie Example: Bill → Billie 3. Forms colloquial clippings (often functioning as familiarizers), truncating the root to a single stressed syllable. Labels: Australia, New-Zealand, UK, morpheme Example: Australia/Australian → Aussie Example: mosquito → mozzie 4. Forming colloquial nouns signifying the person or thing associated with the suffixed noun or verb. Labels: morpheme Example: bike → bikie Example: fridge → fridgie (“fridge magnet”) 5. Forming nouns relative to an adjective. Labels: morpheme Example: slow → slowie Example: small → smallie 6. Forming colloquial interjections or phrases. Labels: morpheme Example: alright → alrightie Example: eww → ewwie
Word: -ie Part of Speech: suffix Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English -ie Variant spelling of -y (adjectival suffix). Pronunciation: /-iː/, /-i/ 1. Alternative spelling of -y (adjectival suffix). Labels: alt-of, alternative, archaic, morpheme Example: hug → huggie
Word: -ie Part of Speech: suffix Etymology: Back-formation from selfie. Pronunciation: /-iː/, /-i/ 1. A photograph, especially a selfie. Labels: morpheme
Word: -y Part of Speech: suffix Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y From Middle English -y, -i, from Old English -iġ (“-y, -ic”, suffix), from Proto-West Germanic *-g, from Proto-Germanic *-īgaz (“-y, -ic”), from Proto-Indo-European *-kos, *-ikos, *-iḱos (“-y, -ic”). Cognate with Scots -ie (“-y”), West Frisian -ich (“-y”), Dutch -ig (“-y”), Low German -ig (“-y”), German -ig (“-y”), Swedish -ig (“-y”), Gothic -𐌹𐌲𐍃 (-igs, “-y”), Latin -icus (“-y, -ic”), Ancient Greek -ικός (-ikós), Sanskrit -इक (-ika). Doublet of -ac and -ic. Pronunciation: /-i/ 1. Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives meaning “having the quality of”, either “involving the referent” or “analogous to it”. Labels: morpheme Example: mess + -y → messy Example: mouse + -y → mousy 2. Added to verbs to form adjectives meaning "inclined to". Labels: morpheme Example: run + -y → runny Example: panic + -y → panicky
Word: -y Part of Speech: suffix Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *-j-, *-ij- Proto-West Germanic *-i, *-ī Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y Cognate with Scots -ie, being inherited directly from the same source Middle English -ie, -i, from Old English -iġ (“-ie, -y”, diminutive suffix), possibly from Proto-West Germanic *-ij-, *-j- (diminutive suffix). Not related with Dutch -je, -ie, regional Low German -je, which are from Proto-West Germanic *-ikīn (English -kin as in lambkin), nor with German -i, which is from Proto-West Germanic *-īn (English -en as in maiden). The vowel /i/ has an onomatopoeic quality to it, which may reinforce its occurrence in diminutives. Pronunciation: /-i/ 1. Forming diminutive nouns. Labels: morpheme Example: gran(nam) + -y → granny Example: pin(afore) + -y → pinny 2. Forming familiar names, pet names, nicknames and terms of endearment. Labels: morpheme Example: And(rew) + -y → Andy Example: Bill + -y → Billy 3. Added for metrical reasons to songs, often in children's music where it may carry diminutive associations. Labels: morpheme 4. Forming colloquial nouns signifying the person or thing associated with suffixed noun or verb. Labels: morpheme Example: fridge + -y → fridgy (“fridge magnet”) Example: junk + -y → junky 5. Forming nouns relative to an adjective. Labels: morpheme Example: bald + -y → baldy Example: dum(b) + -y → dummy 6. Forming colloquial interjections or phrases. Labels: morpheme Example: alright + -y → alrighty Example: oops + -y → oopsy
Word: -y Part of Speech: suffix Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Old French -ieder. Middle English -ie Middle English -y English -y From Middle English -y, -ie, -ee, -e, from Anglo-Norman and Middle French -ie and -é, from Latin -ia, -ium, -tās, Ancient Greek -ίᾱ (-íā), -ειᾰ (-eiă), -ιον (-ion). Cognate (as far as Latin -ia is involved) with German -ei and Dutch -ij. Pronunciation: /-i/ 1. Forming abstract nouns denoting a condition, quality, or state. Labels: countable, morpheme, uncountable Example: modest + -y → modesty Example: honest + -y → honesty 2. Used in the name of some locations which end in -ia in Latin. Labels: countable, morpheme, uncountable Example: Italy, Germany, Saxony, Hungary, Sicily, Lombardy, Tuscany, Albany, Brittany, Gascony, Burgundy, Picardy, Normandy, Romandy, Savoy, Muscovy, Tartary, Arcady, Thessaly, Troy, Turkey.
Word: -y Part of Speech: suffix Etymology: Inherited from Middle English -y, -ie, for earlier -ien, from the Old English weak class 2 infinitival suffix -ian, -iġan, by syncope from earlier *-ōjan, North Sea Germanic form of Proto-West Germanic *-ōn, from Proto-Germanic *-ōną; reinforced by the suffix -ian, -ġan in Old English verbs of weak class 1 with roots ending in -r (and the exceptional strong class 6 verb swerian). Compare -en (infinitive ending). Pronunciation: /-i/ 1. Denotes the infinitive of verbs when used intransitively. Labels: West-Country, morpheme, obsolete Example: But thee, thee wut ruckee, and ſquattee, and doattee in the Chimly Coander lick an Axwaddle ; and wi' the zame tha wut rakee up, and gookee, and tell doil, tell Dildrams and Buckingham Jenkins. Example: Where's your Tom now? Au! he do worky down to factory— he've a-workèd to the gig's two year
Word: antiquated Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From antiquate + -ed. Pronunciation: /ˈæntɪˌkweɪtɪd/ 1. old-fashioned, out of date Example: Coming to the third proposition, von Hertling says, with justice, that the doctrine of the balance of power is a more or less antiquated doctrine. Example: A root-and-branch reform of our antiquated passenger fares system is urgently needed if the rail industry is to fill the £2 billion annual black hole in its finances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Word: antiquated Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From antiquate + -ed. Pronunciation: /ˈæntɪˌkweɪtɪd/ 1. simple past and past participle of antiquate Labels: form-of, participle, past
Word: zither Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from German Zither, from Old High German zithara, from Latin cithara, from Ancient Greek κιθάρα (kithára, “a kind of harp”). Doublet of cithara, cither, and guitar. Pronunciation: /ˈzɪ.ðə/, /ˈzɪ.ðɚ/ 1. A musical instrument consisting of a flat sounding box with numerous strings placed on a horizontal surface, played with a plectrum or fingertips. Example: “And where you ever got the idea that you'd hit it off with a vampire is beyond me.” “And for your information, she's not a vampire. She just likes to dress that way.” “Oh, I'm sorry. All palid pouty people look alike to me.” “Plus, she's a very talented zither player.” “Which you know all about and love so much. [chuckles] You realize you're really gonna humiliate yourself.” “Hey thanks, man. I really needed that positive reinforcement.” “No problem. Glad to be of service. Stop by any time! Good luck on your date!” 2. Related or similar instruments in other cultures, such as the Chinese guqin or Norwegian harpeleik; especially any chordophone without a neck, and with strings that pass over the body.
Word: zither Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Borrowed from German Zither, from Old High German zithara, from Latin cithara, from Ancient Greek κιθάρα (kithára, “a kind of harp”). Doublet of cithara, cither, and guitar. Pronunciation: /ˈzɪ.ðə/, /ˈzɪ.ðɚ/ 1. To play a zither. Example: […] the fluting began again. Not alone this time, but, to Rosalie’s infinite surprise, accompanied on a zither. […] At this moment the fluting and zithering began again. Example: We wandered and fiddled and zithered and tambourined through France till the chills and rains of autumn rendered our vagabondage less merry. 2. To make a sound similar to that made by a zither; to move while making such a sound. Example: c. 1890, May Ostlere, Dead! London: Trischler, Chapter 3, p. 76, Now [the wind] swithered through the badly-fixed windows, making zithering sounds as of an army of cold and frozen-out mosquitoes […] Example: The olives seemed weighed down under the weight of their fruit, smooth drops of green jade among which the choirs of cicadas zithered.
Word: Amerindian Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Blend of American + Indian, attested since about 1900. Pronunciation: /ˌæməˈɹɪndɪən/, /ˌæməɹˈɪndiən/ 1. American Indian.
Word: Amerindian Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Blend of American + Indian, attested since about 1900. Pronunciation: /ˌæməˈɹɪndɪən/, /ˌæməɹˈɪndiən/ 1. An American Indian.
Word: luxuriant Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Borrowed from Latin lūxuriāns, present participle of lūxuriō, itself from lūxuria (“luxury, excess”). Equivalent to luxury + -ant. Pronunciation: /lʌɡˈzjʊəɹi.ənt/, /lʌɡˈʒʊəɹi.ənt/, /ləɡ-/, /-ɔːɹi.ənt/, /ləɡˈʒʊɹi.ənt/ 1. Abundant in growth or detail. Example: She wore a dress of azure blue velvet, with a deep border of gold; her luxuriant hair was put back from her brow in a style which no face but the most perfect could have borne, and was then gathered in a form like that of an ancient helmet, every plait glittering with diamonds: it was peculiar, but it suited her. Example: Thus, to find luxuriant growths of seaweeds unaffected by man, one must go to the Channel Islands where pollution has not taken its toll.
Word: ornamental Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From ornament + -al. Pronunciation: /ˌɔː.nəˈmɛn.təl/, /ˌɔɹ.nəˈmɛn.təl/ 1. Serving as an ornament; having no purpose other than to make more beautiful. Example: Some think it most ornamental to wear their bracelets on their wrists; others, about their ankles. Example: We shall leave to the reader to determine with what judgment we have chosen the several occasions for inserting those ornamental parts of our work. 2. Bred for aesthetic or decorative purposes. Labels: usually Example: Those cranberry bushes are ornamental, so they're not edible.
Word: ornamental Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From ornament + -al. Pronunciation: /ˌɔː.nəˈmɛn.təl/, /ˌɔɹ.nəˈmɛn.təl/ 1. An ornamental plant. Example: The tumbleweed is a gracious gift from the Russians, having been imported as a favored ornamental from the steppes of central Asia.
Word: ornament Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English ornament, from Old French ornement, from Latin ornamentum (“equipment, apparatus, furniture, trappings, adornment, embellishment”), from ornāre (“to equip, adorn”). The verb is derived from the noun. Pronunciation: /ˈɔː(ɹ)nəmənt/, /ˈɔɹnəmənt/, /ˈɔɹdəmənt/ 1. An element of decoration; that which embellishes or adorns. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Dust are our frames; and, gilded dust, our pride / Looks only for a moment whole and sound; / Like that long-buried body of the king / Found lying with his urns and ornaments, / Which at a touch of light, an air of heaven, / Slipt into ashes and was found no more. Example: I'm a bit short on brain myself; the old bean would appear to have been constructed more for ornament than for use. 2. An element of decoration; that which embellishes or adorns. Labels: broadly, countable, uncountable 3. A musical flourish that is unnecessary to the overall melodic or harmonic line, but serves to decorate that line. Labels: countable, uncountable 4. The articles used in church services. Labels: countable, in-plural, uncountable 5. A characteristic that has a decorative function (typically in order to attract a mate) Labels: countable, uncountable
Word: ornament Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English ornament, from Old French ornement, from Latin ornamentum (“equipment, apparatus, furniture, trappings, adornment, embellishment”), from ornāre (“to equip, adorn”). The verb is derived from the noun. Pronunciation: /ˈɔː(ɹ)nəmənt/, /ˈɔː(ɹ)nəˌmɛnt/, /ˈɔɹnəmənt/, /ˈɔɹnəˌmɛnt/ 1. To decorate. Example: We will ornament the windows with trim to make the room seem brighter. Example: After this, perhaps, the next most imposing structure in Liverpool is the railway station; it is built of stone, richly ornamented with thirty-six columns of the Corinthian order. 2. To add to. Example: The editor ornamented his plain writing, making it fancier but less clear. Example: Not a scene goes by that hasn't been ornamented with a split screen, a freeze frame, a caption, a voice-over, a switch between monochrome and colour, or a change of the aspect radio^([sic – meaning ratio]).
Word: preemptive Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Etymology tree English preempt Proto-Indo-European *-wós Proto-Indo-European *-iHwósder. Latin -īvus Old French -ifbor. Middle English -yf English -ive English preemptive From preempt + -ive. Pronunciation: /pɹiːˈɛmp.tɪv/ 1. Of or relating to preemption. 2. Made so as to deter an anticipated unpleasant situation. Example: a preemptive attack on the enemy Example: Extreme risk protection order (ERPO) laws, sometimes known as gun violence restraining order or "red-flag" laws, are risk-based, temporary, and preemptive protective orders that authorize the removal of firearms from individuals determined to be at risk for committing gun violence against others or themselves. With ERPO laws in place, law enforcement, family members, or medical professionals can petition a court to temporarily restrict a person's access to firearms if they believe that person is at risk of hurting him or herself or others. 3. Intended to interfere with an opponent's bidding.
Word: cymbal Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English cymbal, from Old English cimbal, cimbala and Old French cimbale, both from Latin cymbalum (“cymbal”), from Ancient Greek κύμβαλον (kúmbalon), from κύμβη (kúmbē, “bowl”). See also chime. Pronunciation: /ˈsɪmbəl/, [ˈsɪmbɫ̩] 1. A concave plate of metal, usually brass or bronze, that produces a sharp, ringing sound when struck: played either in pairs, by striking them together, or singly by striking with a drumstick or the like. Example: The trumpets, sackbuts, psalteries and fifes, Tabours and cymbals and the shouting Romans, Make the sun dance. Example: Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.