nandhakumarms/qualc-wiktionary-en huggingface dataset:
Word: exoteric Part of Speech: noun Etymology: The adjective is a learned borrowing from Late Latin exōtericus + English -ic (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘of or pertaining to’). Exōtericus is borrowed from Ancient Greek ἐξωτερῐκός (exōterĭkós, “exterior, external, outside”, adjective), from ἐξωτέρω (exōtérō, “more exterior”) (the comparative form of ἔξω (éxō, “external, outer”) (ultimately from ἐκ (ek, “beyond; outside”, preposition), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁eǵʰs (“out”)) + -τέρω (-térō) (an inflected form of -τερος (-teros, suffix forming comparative forms)) + -ῐκός (-ĭkós, suffix forming adjectives). The noun is derived from the adjective. Pronunciation: /ˌɛksə(ʊ)ˈtɛɹɪk/, /ˌɛksəˈtɛɹɪk/ 1. A person who is not part of an enlightened inner circle, and not privy to esoteric knowledge. Example: I am an exoteric—utterly unable to explain the mysteries of this new poetical faith. I only know that it is a faith, which except a man do keep pure and undefiled, without doubt he shall be called a blockhead.
Word: tundish Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From tun + dish. Pronunciation: /ˈtʌn.dɪʃ/ 1. A kind of funnel used in brewing fitting into the bung-hole of a tun or cask. Example: For filling a bottle with a Tunne-dish. Example: That? said Stephen. Is that called a funnel? Is it not a tundish? 2. A funnel used in smelting, foundry work etc. 3. A funnel used to create a siphonic break in a drainage system and/or provide visual indication of flow, usually in an overflow line.
Word: deep copy Part of Speech: noun 1. A copy of a data structure duplicating not only the structure itself, but all structures to which it is linked. Example: Don't try to make a deep copy of that: you'll pull in half the database.
Word: deep copy Part of Speech: verb 1. To make a deep copy of. Labels: transitive Example: I'd prefer to deep copy that in order to avoid complications with updates. 2. To make a deep copy. Labels: intransitive Example: This is a situation where you either have to deep copy or handle the complication of updates.
Word: shallow copy Part of Speech: noun 1. A copy of a data structure which shares any linked structures with the original. Example: If you modify that, you'll modify all the shallow copies of the header that points to it.
Word: underwater Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From under (preposition) + water. Pronunciation: /ʌndə(ɹ)ˈwɔːtə/, /ʌndɚˈwɔtəɹ/ 1. Beneath the surface of the water; of or pertaining to the region beneath the water surface. Labels: not-comparable Example: Watch out for underwater obstacles. Example: He was a pioneer in underwater exploration. 2. Beneath the water line of a vessel. Example: When the ship was brought into dry dock, it was found that she had underwater damage. 3. In difficulty, especially financially. Labels: figuratively 4. Having negative equity; owing more on an asset than its market value. Example: We've been underwater on our mortgage ever since the housing crash. Example: You're underwater. The best thing you can do is just walk away. Let the bank take it back. 5. Of an option, having a strike price higher (call options) or lower (put options) than the current market price of the underlying asset or financial product; for example, an option to buy shares at $20 when the current market price is $15.
Word: underwater Part of Speech: adv Etymology: From under (preposition) + water. Pronunciation: /ʌndə(ɹ)ˈwɔːtə/, /ʌndɚˈwɔtəɹ/ 1. So as to go beneath the surface of the water. Example: Can you swim underwater?
Word: underwater Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From under (preposition) + water. Pronunciation: /ʌndə(ɹ)ˈwɔːtə/, /ʌndɚˈwɔtəɹ/ 1. Underlying water or body of water, for example in an aquifer or the deep ocean. 2. A type of lure which lies beneath the water surface. Example: Practically all wobbling underwaters will take fish aplenty in the hands of a man who really knows how to put them through their stints.
Word: underwater Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Proto-Indo-European *h₁entér Proto-Indo-European *(H)n̥dʰí Proto-Indo-European *-ér Proto-Indo-European *(H)n̥dʰér Proto-Germanic *under Proto-West Germanic *undar Old English under- Middle English under- English under- Proto-Indo-European *wed- Proto-Indo-European *-r̥ Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥ Proto-Germanic *watōr Proto-West Germanic *watar Old English wæter Middle English water English water English underwater From under- + water. Pronunciation: /ʌndə(ɹ)ˈwɔːtə/, /ʌndɚˈwɔtəɹ/ 1. To water or irrigate insufficiently. Labels: transitive Example: Care must be taken not to underwater houseplants in the summer. Example: If your plant is wilting, this could be another sign of overwatering or underwatering.
Word: gig Part of Speech: noun Etymology: The etymology of the noun is unknown, but compare Old French gigue (“a fiddle”). The verb is derived from the noun. Pronunciation: /ɡɪɡ/ 1. Originally (music), a performing engagement by a musician or musical group; (by extension, film, television, theater) a job or role for a performer. Labels: informal Example: I caught one of the Rolling Stones’ first gigs in Richmond. Example: Hey, when are we gonna get that hotel gig again? 2. Any job, especially one that is freelance or temporary, or done on an on-demand basis. Labels: broadly, informal Example: I had this gig as a file clerk but it wasn’t my style so I left. Example: That guy’s got a great gig over at the bike shop. He hardly works all day. 3. A demerit received for some infraction of a military deportment or dress code. Labels: US, informal Example: I received gigs for having buttons of my uniform undone.
Word: gig Part of Speech: verb Etymology: The etymology of the noun is unknown, but compare Old French gigue (“a fiddle”). The verb is derived from the noun. Pronunciation: /ɡɪɡ/ 1. To play (a musical instrument) at a gig. Labels: informal, transitive 2. To impose a demerit (on someone) for an infraction of a military deportment or dress code. Labels: US, informal, transitive Example: His sergeant gigged him for an unmade bunk. 3. To engage in a musical performance, act in a theatre production, etc. Labels: informal, intransitive Example: The Rolling Stones were gigging around Richmond at the time. 4. To work at any job, especially one that is freelance or temporary, or done on an on-demand basis. Labels: broadly, informal, intransitive
Word: gig Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Sense 1 is a clipping of gigabyte, while sense 2 is a clipping of giga- (prefix multiplying the unit to which it is attached by one billion). Pronunciation: /ɡɪɡ/, /d͡ʒɪɡ/ 1. Clipping of gigabyte (“one billion (1,000,000,000) bytes”). Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, informal Example: This picture is almost a gig; don’t you want to resize it? Example: My new computer has over 500 gigs of hard drive space. 2. Any unit of measurement having the SI prefix giga-. Labels: informal, slang
Word: gig Part of Speech: noun Etymology: The noun is derived from Middle English gigg, gigge, gygge (“spinning object; a top”); further origin uncertain, possibly: * from Old Norse [Term?] (compare Danish gig (“a top”), dialectal Norwegian giga (“to shake about”)), from Proto-Germanic *gīganą (“to move, wish, desire”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeyǵʰ-, *gʰeygʰ- (“to yawn, gape, long for, desire”); or * ultimately onomatopoeic. Senses 2–4 are thought to derive from sense 1 (“whipping-top”), but their exact relationship is unclear. The verb is derived from the noun. Pronunciation: /ɡɪɡ/ 1. A top which is made to spin by tying a piece of string around it and then throwing it so that the string unwinds rapidly; a whipping-top. Labels: informal, obsolete Example: Peda[nt]. Thou diſputes like an Infant: goe vvhip thy Gigg. / Pag[e]. Lende me your Horne to make one, and I vvill vvhip about your Infamie vnũ cita a gigge of a Cuckolds horne. Example: Play-things vvhich are above their [children's] Skill to make; as Tops, Gigs, Battledors, and the like, vvhich are to be uſed vvith labour, ſhould indeed be procur'd them: Theſe 'tis convenient they ſhould have, not for Variety, but Exerciſe. 2. A person with an odd appearance; also, a foolish person. Labels: UK, archaic, dialectal, informal 3. Senses relating to enjoyment. Labels: UK, archaic, dialectal, informal, slang Example: Such was his toil, when one night coming home, / Such swell uncivil, who'd been out to roam / In search of lark, or some delicious gig / The mind delights in, when 'tis in prime twig,— 4. Senses relating to enjoyment. Labels: informal, obsolete Example: I muſt goe ſee him preſently, / For this is ſuch a gig: for certaine Gentlemen / The Fiend rides on a Fiddleſticke. 5. Senses relating to vehicles. Labels: informal Example: She [a frigate] also carried a Commodore's Barge, a Captain's Gig, and a "dingy," a small yawl, with a crew of apprentice boys. […] Above all, the officers see to it that the Commodore's Barge and the Captain's Gig are manned by gentlemanly youths, who do credit to their country, and form agreeable objects for the eyes of the Commodore or Captain to repose upon as he tranquilly sits in the stern, when pulled ashore by his barge-men or gig-men, as the case may be. Example: The captain's gig still lies before ye whole and sound, / It shall carry all o' we. 6. Senses relating to vehicles. Labels: Southern-England, broadly, informal 7. Senses relating to vehicles. Labels: historical, informal Example: While Sir William was with them, Mr. Collins devoted his mornings to driving him out in his gig, and shewing him the country; […] Example: Here a coach thundered over the pavement, and there an unwieldy omnibus, with spruce gigs rattling past, and horsemen prancing through all the bustle.
Word: gig Part of Speech: verb Etymology: The noun is derived from Middle English gigg, gigge, gygge (“spinning object; a top”); further origin uncertain, possibly: * from Old Norse [Term?] (compare Danish gig (“a top”), dialectal Norwegian giga (“to shake about”)), from Proto-Germanic *gīganą (“to move, wish, desire”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeyǵʰ-, *gʰeygʰ- (“to yawn, gape, long for, desire”); or * ultimately onomatopoeic. Senses 2–4 are thought to derive from sense 1 (“whipping-top”), but their exact relationship is unclear. The verb is derived from the noun. Pronunciation: /ɡɪɡ/ 1. To make a joke, often condescendingly, at the expense of (someone); to make fun of. Labels: informal, transitive Example: His older cousin was just gigging him about being in love with that girl from school. 2. Sometimes followed by it: to ride in a gig (“a two-wheeled carriage drawn by a single horse”). Labels: informal, intransitive
Word: gig Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English gig, gigge, gegge, possibly either: * from Old French gigue (“tall, skinny girl”) (modern French gigue), from Old Norse gikkr (“pert person”) (related to Danish gjæk (“fool, jester”), Swedish gäck (“fool, jester; a wag”); see also geck); or * from Middle English gigg, gigge, gygge (“spinning object; a top”) (see etymology 3). Pronunciation: /ɡɪɡ/ 1. A frivolous, playful, or wanton young woman; a giglet or giglot. Labels: informal, obsolete
Word: gig Part of Speech: noun Etymology: The noun is derived from a clipping of fishgig, fizgig, possibly from Spanish fisga (“harpoon”). The verb is derived from the noun. Pronunciation: /ɡɪɡ/ 1. Synonym of fishgig or fizgig (“a spear with a barb on the end of it, used for catching fish, frogs, or other small animals”). Labels: informal Example: On toward dusk some little gypsy boys whittled gigs from river-birch limbs and went to a backwater and gigged frogs until they had a basketful.
Word: gig Part of Speech: verb Etymology: The noun is derived from a clipping of fishgig, fizgig, possibly from Spanish fisga (“harpoon”). The verb is derived from the noun. Pronunciation: /ɡɪɡ/ 1. To spear (fish, etc.) with a gig or fizgig. Labels: informal, transitive 2. To catch or fish with a gig or fizgig. Labels: informal, intransitive
Word: fertility Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle French fertilité, from Latin fertilitās, equivalent to fertile + -ity. Pronunciation: /fə(ɹ)ˈtɪlɪti/, /fɝˈtɪləti/ 1. The condition, or the degree, of being fertile. Labels: uncountable Example: Muckspreading increases the fertility of the soil. Example: Men may also have fertility challenges, especially if their hypogonadism was caused by anabolic steroid use. Anabolic steroids can affect testicular health, including reducing the production of sperm. 2. The birthrate of a population; the number of live births per 1000 people per year. Labels: countable 3. The average number of births per woman within a population. Labels: countable, uncountable
Word: infertility Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle French infertilité, from Late Latin infertilitas. 1. The condition of being infertile; of having poor fertility. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Soil infertility is a major problem for farmers. 2. The inability to conceive children. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Infertility is a considerable obstacle for women wishing to make a family.
Word: infertile Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle French infertile, from Late Latin infertilis. Pronunciation: /ɪnˈfɜː(ɹ)taɪl/, /ɪnˈfɝtɪl/ 1. Not fertile. Example: The soil was too infertile to grow crops. Example: The couple sought medical advice for infertile conditions.
Word: fertile Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English, from Middle French fertile, from Old French fertile, from Latin fertilis (“fruitful, fertile”), from ferō (“to bear, carry”). Pronunciation: /ˈfɜːtaɪl/, /ˈfɜːtəl/, /ˈfɝːtəl/, /ˈfɝːtaɪl/ 1. Of land, etc.: capable of growing abundant crops; productive. 2. Of one's imagination, etc.: active, productive, prolific. Labels: figuratively 3. Capable of reproducing; fecund, fruitful. Example: Most women at the age of fifty are not fertile. 4. Capable of developing past the egg stage. 5. Not itself fissile, but able to be converted into a fissile material by irradiation in a reactor. Example: There are two basic fertile materials: uranium-238 and thorium-232.
Word: fertiliser Part of Speech: noun 1. Alternative spelling of fertilizer. Labels: UK, alt-of, alternative, countable, uncountable
Word: trio Part of Speech: noun Etymology: PIE word *tréyes 1715-25; borrowing from Italian trio. Pronunciation: /ˈtɹi.əʊ/, /ˈtɹioʊ/ 1. A group of three people or things. Example: I gave a yell for assistance, landed the leader one in the eye and backed into my tent for a weapon. By the time I was out again our fellows were running up, but the precious trio had disappeared. Example: I'm cooking crab cakes with arugula and mayonnaise, griddled lamb with rosemary potatoes and buttered spinach, then a trio of desserts. 2. A group of three musicians. Example: Mr. Cleaver latched on to the idea, and within moments, the trio was swinging hard over a walking bass line — the equivalent of a blurred picture coming into unequivocal focus. 3. A piece of music written for three musicians. Example: I love his music, but it is a bit disconcerting to realize that you could die in extreme old age and still only be familiar with a mere handful of the baryton trios. Example: Despite their opus number, the Fantasiestücke were composed in 1842, the same year as the Piano Quartet and Quintet, and five years before the first two of the piano trios (the third followed in 1852). 4. A passage in the middle of a minuet, frequently in a different key. 5. Any cocktail made with a spirit, a liqueur, and a creamy ingredient. 6. Synonym of three-in-one (“type of fast food”). 7. Synonym of tierce. Example: Carrados ought to have won the point and divided tricks, leaving his opponent a minor quart and a solitary trio—about 15 on the hand. By a careless discard he threw away both chances and the final score stood at 205-112.
Word: coprolite Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From copro- + -lite. Pronunciation: /ˈkɒprəˌlaɪt/, /ˈkɑprəˌlaɪt/ 1. A fossil consisting of petrified dung. Example: This coprolite (the technical term for palaeo-poo) has yielded much to modern scrutiny. First, it is completely devoid of plant matter, including the corn and other plants that the Anasazi Pueblo people of the region lived on. Example: Almost inevitably, he became the leading authority on coprolites – fossilized faeces – and had a table made entirely out of his collection of specimens.
Word: coprophile Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From copro- (“dung”) + -phile (“loving”). 1. Alternative spelling of coprophil. Labels: alt-of, alternative 2. A feces-loving organism. 3. An organism (typically microorganisms and fungi) living off or growing in dung or other fecal matter.
Word: coprophagia Part of Speech: noun 1. Alternative form of coprophagy. Labels: alt-of, alternative, uncountable
Word: retrosexual Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Blend of retro + metrosexual. Apparently coined in the early 2000s by blogger Grau Magus. 1. A man who embraces traditional masculinity in his dress and behavior. Example: Think of him as the anti-metrosexual, the opposite of that guy who emerged in the 1990s in all his pedicured, moussed-up, skinny-jeans glory. That man-boy was searching for his inner girl, it was argued. The retrosexual, however, wants to put the man back into manhood. 2. One who has not had sex in a very long time. Labels: humorous Example: It's been so long I've become a retrosexual.
Word: coprophagic Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From copro- + -phagic. 1. Engaging in coprophagia. Example: In his painting, Le Jeu Lugubre, he says, ‘the drawers bespattered with excrement were painted with such minute and realistic complacency that the whole little Surrealist group was anguished by the question: Is he coprophagic or not?’
Word: non sequitur Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Learned borrowing from Latin nōn sequitur (literally “it does not follow”). Pronunciation: /ˌnɒn ˈsɛk.wɪ.tə/, /ˌnɑn ˈsɛk.wɪ.tɚ/, /ˌnɒn ˈsɛk.wɪ.tɚ/, /ˌnɔn ˈsek.wɪ.tə/ 1. Any abrupt and inexplicable transition or occurrence. Example: Having a costumed superhero abduct the vicar was an utter non sequitur in the novel. Example: Non sequiturs, gratuitous acts, frustrating ellipses, ambiguities, a dearth of emotion: Miss [Lillian] Hellman avails herself of all these current techniques in telling a story that she keeps telling us may not be a story at all. 2. Any invalid argument in which the conclusion cannot be logically deduced from the premises. 3. A statement that does not logically follow a statement that preceded it. Example: Ralph Wiggum is generally employed as a bottomless fount of glorious non sequiturs, but in “I Love Lisa” he stands in for every oblivious chump who ever deluded himself into thinking that with persistence, determination, and a pure heart he can win the girl of his dreams. 4. A kind of pun that uses a change of word, subject, or meaning to make a joke of the listener’s expectation.
Word: destruction Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Inherited from Middle English destruccioun, from Old French destrucion, from Latin dēstructiō, dēstructiōnem. Pronunciation: /dɪsˈtɹʌkʃən/, [dɪsˈtɹ̝̊ʷʌkʃən] ~ [dɪsˈtɹ̝̊ʷʌkʃn̩], [dɪsˈt̠ɹ̠̊˔ʷʌkʃən] ~ [dɪsˈt̠ɹ̠̊˔ʷʌkʃn̩], /dəsˈtɹʌkʃən/, [dəsˈtɹ̝̊ʷʌkʃən] ~ [dəsˈtɹ̝̊ʷʌkʃn̩] 1. The act of destroying. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: The destruction of the condemned building will take place at noon. Example: It may be that a free society as we have known it carries in itself the forces of its own destruction, that once freedom has been achieved it is taken for granted and ceases to be valued, and that the free growth of ideas which is the essence of a free society will bring about the destruction of the foundations on which it depends. 2. The results of a destructive event. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Amid the seemingly endless destruction, a single flower bloomed. Example: If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide. 3. A group of feral cats. Labels: collective, countable, uncountable Example: A group of wild cats is called a destruction.
Word: destroy Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English destroyen, from Old French destruire, Vulgar Latin *destrugō, from Classical Latin dēstruō, from dē- (“un-, de-”) + struō (“to build”). Pronunciation: /dɪˈstɹɔɪ/ 1. To damage beyond use or repair; to damage (something) to the point that it effectively ceases to exist. Labels: ambitransitive Example: The earthquake destroyed several apartment complexes. Example: Hooligans destroy unprovoked. 2. To neutralize, undo a property or condition. Labels: transitive Example: Smoking destroys the natural subtlety of the palate. 3. To put down or euthanize. Labels: transitive Example: Destroying a rabid dog is required by law. 4. To severely disrupt the well-being of (a person); ruin. Labels: transitive Example: Her divorce destroyed her; she had a nervous breakdown and was severely depressed for more than a year. Example: Other girls in the foster home are eager to destroy her and get her kicked out of the place. It's a tough situation. 5. To utterly defeat; to crush. Labels: informal, transitive Example: Remember when Germany destroyed Brazil 7–1 in the World Cup? Example: Growing up, [Kevin] Durant told me, he was a sore loser. That all changed one day when he was 11, after he got destroyed by his father in a game of one on one in the driveway. 6. To remove data. Labels: transitive Example: The memory leak happened because we forgot to destroy the temporary lists. 7. To exhaust completely and thus recreate or build up. Labels: slang, transitive Example: This exercise is going to destroy all parts of your shoulders. 8. To penetrate sexually in an aggressive way. Labels: slang, transitive, vulgar Example: She got destroyed by her lover on the carpet. 9. To sing a song extremely poorly. Labels: US, slang, transitive Example: JAMES CARTER: The man's destroying a classic! 10. To eat food quickly, hungrily or completely. Labels: slang, transitive Example: I could destroy some wings right now.
Word: detail Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Middle French détail, from Old French detail, from detaillier, from de- + taillier (“to cut”). Compare typologically Bulgarian подробност (podrobnost), Czech podrobnost, Russian подро́бность (podróbnostʹ) (akin to дроби́ть (drobítʹ)). Pronunciation: /ˈdiː.teɪl/, /ˈdi.teɪl/, /dɪˈteɪl/ 1. A part small enough to escape casual notice. Labels: countable Example: Note this fine detail in the lower left corner. Example: We missed several important details in the contract. 2. A profusion of details. Labels: uncountable Example: This etching is full of fine detail. Example: Hidden behind thickets of acronyms and gorse bushes of detail, a new great game is under way across the globe. Some call it geoeconomics, but it's geopolitics too. The current power play consists of an extraordinary range of countries simultaneously sitting down to negotiate big free trade and investment agreements. 3. The small parts that can escape casual notice. Labels: uncountable Example: Attention to detail was said to be one of the secrets of Gerrard's success as a player. 4. A part considered trivial enough to ignore. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: I don't concern myself with the details of accounting. Example: Safety at work is not a mere detail. 5. A person's name, address and other personal information. Labels: countable Example: The arresting officer asked the suspect for his details. 6. A temporary unit or assignment. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Frequently members of the small police detail dispatched to the scene joined in. 7. An individual feature, fact, or other item, considered separately from the whole of which it is a part. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: WikiLeaks did not cause these uprisings but it certainly informed them. The dispatches revealed details of corruption and kleptocracy that many Tunisians suspected, but could not prove, and would cite as they took to the streets. They also exposed the blatant discrepancy between the west's professed values and actual foreign policies. 8. A narrative which relates minute points; an account which dwells on particulars. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: "I could never persuade myself to confide in him that event which was so often present to my recollection, but which I feared the detail to another would only impress more deeply." 9. A selected portion of a painting. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: On the cover of Julia Kristeva's Black Sun: Depression and Melancholia is a detail from a painting by Hans Holbein the Younger, “Portrait of the Artist's Wife, Elizabeth Binzenstock, and Her Two Children, Philip and Catherine.” Example: Shrubbery and the hand of Christ (detail of plate 12)
Word: detail Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Borrowed from Middle French détail, from Old French detail, from detaillier, from de- + taillier (“to cut”). Compare typologically Bulgarian подробност (podrobnost), Czech podrobnost, Russian подро́бность (podróbnostʹ) (akin to дроби́ть (drobítʹ)). Pronunciation: /dɪˈteɪl/, /ˈdiː.teɪl/, /ˈdi.teɪl/ 1. To explain in detail. Labels: transitive Example: I'll detail the exact procedure to you later. Example: It is a sunny morning in Amman and the three uniformed judges in Jordan’s state security court are briskly working their way through a pile of slim grey folders on the bench before them. Each details the charges against 25 or so defendants accused of supporting the fighters of the Islamic State (Isis), now rampaging across Syria and Iraq under their sinister black banners and sending nervous jitters across the Arab world. 2. To clean carefully (particularly of road vehicles, always pronounced /ˈdiːteɪl/) Labels: transitive Example: We need to have the minivan detailed. 3. To assign to a particular task. Labels: transitive Example: Two years after England’s World Cup victory, Stiles was at Wembley again to help Manchester United become the first English team to win the European Cup final. Again Eusébio was one of his opponents, playing for Benfica, and again Stiles was detailed to keep him quiet. […]
Word: leer Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Exact development uncertain, but apparently from a verb *leer (“to make a face, look sideways”), from leer (“cheek, face, profile”). Pronunciation: /ˈlɪə̯/, [ˈlɪə̯], /ˈlɪː/, [ˈlɪː], /ˈlɪ̝ə̯/ 1. To look sideways or obliquely; now especially with sexual desire or malicious intent. Labels: intransitive Example: And she looked to Mr. –––– / And leered like a love-sick pigeon. Example: I thought I saw him leer in an ugly way at me while the decanters were going round, but as there was no love lost between us, that might easily be. 2. To entice with a leer or leers. Labels: transitive Example: But Bertran has been taught the Arts of Court, / To guild a Face with Smiles; and leer a man to ruin.
Word: leer Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Exact development uncertain, but apparently from a verb *leer (“to make a face, look sideways”), from leer (“cheek, face, profile”). Pronunciation: /ˈlɪə̯/, [ˈlɪə̯], /ˈlɪː/, [ˈlɪː], /ˈlɪ̝ə̯/ 1. A significant side glance; a glance expressive of some passion, as malignity, amorousness, etc.; a sly or lecherous look. Example: Nevertheless humanity stood before him no longer in the pensive sweetness of Italian art, but in the staring and ghastly attitudes of a Wiertz Museum, and with the leer of a study by Van Beers. Example: “[…]They say he has sold himself to the devil for a pretty face. It’s nigh on eighteen years since I met him. He hasn’t changed much since then. I have, though,” she added, with a sickly leer. 2. An arch or affected glance or cast of countenance.
Word: leer Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English ler, leor (“face, cheek”), from Old English hlēor (“face, cheek, profile”), from Proto-West Germanic *hleuʀ, from Proto-Germanic *hleuzą (“ear, cheek”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱlews- (“temple of the forehead, cheek”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱlew- (“to hear”). Cognate with Scots lire, lere (“face, appearance, complexion”), Dutch lier (“cheek”), Swedish lyra (“pout”), Norwegian lia (“hillside”), Icelandic hlýr (“the face, cheek, countenance”). Related to Old English hlyst (“sense of hearing, listening”) and hlysnan (“to listen”). More at list, listen. Pronunciation: /ˈlɪə̯/, [ˈlɪə̯], /ˈlɪː/, [ˈlɪː], /ˈlɪ̝ə̯/ 1. The cheek. Labels: obsolete Example: No ladie (quoth the earle with a lowd voice, and the tears trilling downe his leeres) 2. The face. Labels: obsolete 3. One's appearance; countenance. Labels: obsolete Example: a Rosalind of a better leer than you 4. Complexion; hue; colour. Labels: obsolete Example: Here's a young lad fram'd of another leer. Look, how the black slave smiles upon the father; 5. Flesh; skin. Labels: obsolete 6. The flank or loin. Labels: UK, dialectal
Word: leer Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English lere, from Old English ġelǣr, *lǣre (“empty, void, empty-handed”), from Proto-Germanic *lēziz, *lēzijaz (“empty”), from Proto-Indo-European *les- (“to collect, pick”). Cognate with Dutch laar (“a clearing in the woods”), German leer (“empty”). Related to Old English lesan (“to gather, collect”). More at lease. Pronunciation: /ˈlɪə̯/, [ˈlɪə̯], /ˈlɪː/, [ˈlɪː], /ˈlɪ̝ə̯/ 1. Empty; unoccupied; clear. Labels: obsolete Example: The horse runs leere away without the man. 2. Destitute; lacking; wanting. Labels: obsolete 3. Faint from lack of food; hungry. Labels: obsolete 4. Thin; faint. Labels: UK, dialectal, obsolete 5. Having no load or burden; free; without a rider. Labels: obsolete Example: a leer horse 6. Lacking sense or seriousness; trifling; frivolous. Labels: obsolete Example: leer words
Word: leer Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English leren, from Old English lǣran (“to teach, instruct, guide, enjoin, advise, persuade, urge, preach, hand down”), from Proto-West Germanic *laiʀijan, from Proto-Germanic *laizijaną (“to teach”), from Proto-Indo-European *leys- (“track, footprint, furrow, trace”). Cognate with Dutch leren (“to teach, to learn”), German lehren (“to teach”), Swedish lära (“to teach”). Related to Old English lār (“lore, learning, science, art of teaching, preaching, doctrine, study, precept, exhortation, advice, instigation, history, story, cunning”). See lore. Pronunciation: /ˈlɪə̯/, [ˈlɪə̯], /ˈlɪː/, [ˈlɪː], /ˈlɪ̝ə̯/ 1. To teach. Labels: obsolete, transitive 2. To learn. Labels: obsolete, transitive
Word: leer Part of Speech: noun Etymology: See lehr. Pronunciation: /ˈlɪə̯/, [ˈlɪə̯], /ˈlɪː/, [ˈlɪː], /ˈlɪ̝ə̯/ 1. Alternative form of lehr. Labels: alt-of, alternative
Word: leger Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Borrowed from Middle French legier, from Old French legier, apparently from Late Latin *leviārium, from levis (“light in weight”). See levity. Pronunciation: /ˈlɛd͡ʒə/, /ˈlɛd͡ʒəɹ/ 1. Light; slender, slim; trivial. Labels: obsolete
Word: leger Part of Speech: adj Etymology: A variant of ledger. Pronunciation: /ˈlɛd͡ʒə/, /ˈlɛd͡ʒəɹ/ 1. Lying or remaining in a place; hence, resident. Example: a leger ambassador
Word: leger Part of Speech: noun Etymology: A variant of ledger. Pronunciation: /ˈlɛd͡ʒə/, /ˈlɛd͡ʒəɹ/ 1. An ambassador or minister resident at a court or seat of government. Example: Sir Edward Carne, the queen's leger at Rome 2. Anything that lies in a place; that which, or one who, remains in a place. Labels: obsolete 3. Alternative form of ledger (“book for keeping notes, especially one for keeping accounting records”). Labels: alt-of, alternative, obsolete Example: The Leger exhibits at one view the accounts with an individual, as it contains on the Dr. [debt] side whatever he has received, and on the Cr. [credit] side whatever he has paid. […] Let each account be posted from the Day Book in its proper place in the Leger. If a mistake be made, let it be corrected by an account in the Day Book, clearly stating the correction, and then let this account be posted in its proper place in the Leger, that no blot or erasure may disfigure its pages. Example: [T]his city of "merchants, whose counting-houses are their churches, whose money is their God, and whose legers, (defaced legers, of course, the delegate from Indiana will understand me,) whose legers are their bibles."
Word: leger Part of Speech: verb Etymology: A variant of ledger. Pronunciation: /ˈlɛd͡ʒə/, /ˈlɛd͡ʒəɹ/ 1. Alternative form of ledger (“to use (a certain type of bait) in bottom fishing; to engage in bottom fishing”). Labels: UK, alt-of, alternative, ambitransitive Example: Night-lines are made of water-cord, with the hooks about half-a-yard apart, baited with worms, loach, gudgeons, &c.; a brick is fastened to each end of the line to sink it, or a peg at one end and a brick at the other, and laid obliquely across the stream. They are also often taken when Legering for Barbel, […] Example: Messrs. E. Frost and Tomkins, at Monkey Island, in two days, caught 80 lbs. weight of chub, dace, and roach with the fly and cheese paste, and in legering a trout of 2¼ lbs.
Word: scum Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English scum, scome, skum, skome, scumme, from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch schūme (“foam”), from Old Dutch *scūm, from Frankish *skūm, from Proto-Germanic *skūmaz (“froth, foam”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewH- (“to cover, conceal”). Cognate with Dutch schuim (“foam”), West Frisian skuum, German Schaum (“foam”), Danish and Swedish skum (“foam”). Compare also French écume (“scum”), Italian schiuma (“foam”), Saterland Frisian Skuum, Sicilian scuma (“foam”), Walloon schome (“scum, foam”), Lithuanian šamas (“catfish”) and skanus (“tasty”) from the same Germanic source. Related to skim. Pronunciation: /skʌm/ 1. A layer of impurities that accumulates at the surface of a liquid (especially molten metal or water). Labels: uncountable Example: During smelting, scum rises to the surface and is then removed by the smelter. 2. A greenish water vegetation (such as algae), usually found floating on the surface of ponds Labels: uncountable Example: These organisms form scum in large quantities. 3. The topmost liquid layer of a cesspool or septic tank. Labels: countable, uncountable 4. Semen. Labels: US, slang, uncountable Example: Horse, who was always talking about facts, said, “Man, that can't be scum, ’cause scum is white.” 5. A reprehensible person or persons. Labels: countable, derogatory, slang, uncountable Example: People who sell used-up pens are scum, just total low-lives.
Word: scum Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English scum, scome, skum, skome, scumme, from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch schūme (“foam”), from Old Dutch *scūm, from Frankish *skūm, from Proto-Germanic *skūmaz (“froth, foam”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewH- (“to cover, conceal”). Cognate with Dutch schuim (“foam”), West Frisian skuum, German Schaum (“foam”), Danish and Swedish skum (“foam”). Compare also French écume (“scum”), Italian schiuma (“foam”), Saterland Frisian Skuum, Sicilian scuma (“foam”), Walloon schome (“scum, foam”), Lithuanian šamas (“catfish”) and skanus (“tasty”) from the same Germanic source. Related to skim. Pronunciation: /skʌm/ 1. To remove the layer of scum from (a liquid etc.). 2. To remove (something) as scum. Example: Some scumd the drosse, that from the metall came; / Some stird the molten owre with ladles great[…]. 3. To become covered with scum. Example: Take the smallest Cucumbers you can get, and as free from Spots as possible, put them into a strong Salt and Water for nine or ten Days, or 'till they are quite Yellow, and stir them twice a Day at least, or they will scum over, and grow soft 4. To scour (the land, sea, etc.). Labels: obsolete Example: SOo by Merlyns aduys ther were sente fore rydars to skumme the Countreye / & they mette with the fore rydars of the north / and made hem to telle whiche wey the hooste cam / and thenne they told it to Arthur / and by kyng Ban and Bors counceill they lete brenne and destroye alle the contrey afore them there they shold ryde Example: Wandering up and down without certain seat, they lived by scumming those seas and shores as pirates. 5. To gather together, as scum. Labels: obsolete Example: A great majority of the members are scummed together from the Jacobinical dregs of former periods of the revolution. 6. To startscum or savescum. Labels: informal
Word: membrane Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Late Middle English, borrowed from Latin membrāna (“skin or membrane that covers parts of the body”), from membrum (“a limb or member of the body”) + -āna. Doublet of membrana. Pronunciation: /ˈmɛm.bɹeɪn/ 1. A flexible enclosing or separating tissue forming a plane or film and separating two environments. Labels: countable, uncountable 2. A flexible enclosing or separating tissue forming a plane or film and separating two environments. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: The animal was breathing oxygen that permeated from the water through panels of membrane while carbon dioxide and other unwanted gases moved in the opposite direction—from the animal's enclosed atmosphere into the water. Example: Then they backed the membrane with a gel matrix containing a perfluorocarbon (PFC) propellant and fluorescent "nanobullets" about a micron wide, and hit it with ultrasound. 3. A flexible enclosing or separating tissue forming a plane or film and separating two environments. Labels: countable, uncountable 4. A piece of parchment forming part of a roll. Labels: countable, uncountable
Word: gel Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Coined by Thomas Graham in the mid 19th century as a clipping of gelatin, from French gélatine, from Italian gelatina, diminutive form of gelata (“iced”), from Latin gelata, past participle of gelo (“to freeze”), from gelu (“frost”), from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“cold”). For the meaning development compare with Russian сту́день (stúdenʹ, “aspic, jelly, gel”) related to студёный (studjónyj, “cold”). Pronunciation: /d͡ʒɛl/, [d͡ʒɛɫ] 1. A semi-solid to almost solid colloid of a solid and a liquid, such as jelly, cheese or opal. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Similar studies of rats have employed four different intracranial resorbable, slow sustained release systems—surgical foam, a thermal gel depot, a microcapsule or biodegradable polymer beads. Example: Researchers have developed a new gel they say is as durable as metal, has the flexibility of jello, and could revolutionize how our bodies heal and age. 2. Any gel intended for a particular cosmetic use, such as for styling the hair. Labels: countable, uncountable 3. A film of flexible transparent plastic (such as acetate, celluloid, or cellophane) suitable for making superimpositions or diapositives (image to overlay on other images, especially for overhead projectors); a digital virtual equivalent of this. Labels: countable, uncountable
Word: gel Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Coined by Thomas Graham in the mid 19th century as a clipping of gelatin, from French gélatine, from Italian gelatina, diminutive form of gelata (“iced”), from Latin gelata, past participle of gelo (“to freeze”), from gelu (“frost”), from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“cold”). For the meaning development compare with Russian сту́день (stúdenʹ, “aspic, jelly, gel”) related to студёный (studjónyj, “cold”). Pronunciation: /d͡ʒɛl/, [d͡ʒɛɫ] 1. To apply (cosmetic) gel to (the hair, etc). Labels: transitive Example: It ended, as it so often does, with that familiar smile. Cristiano Ronaldo – gelled hair, dazzling teeth, magic in his boots – will never forget the night he scored the 600th goal of an almost implausible career. 2. To become a gel: to set up. Labels: intransitive 3. To develop a rapport. Labels: intransitive Example: He was a nice guy, and I got on OK with his friends, but the two of us never really gelled. 4. To come together to form something; to cohere. Labels: figuratively, intransitive Example: We put our ideas together and they eventually gelled into a saleable product.
Word: gel Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Imitative of upper-class British pronunciation of girl. Pronunciation: /ɡɛl/ 1. A girl. Labels: UK, slang Example: "Now pray don't be troublesome, my dear gel," said Uncle Andrew.
Word: jam Part of Speech: verb Etymology: First attested in the early 18th c. as a verb meaning “to press, be pressed, be wedged in”. Compare dialectal jammock (“to press, squeeze, crush into a soft mass, chew food"; also "a soft, pulpy substance”). Perhaps from Middle English chammen, champen ("to bite upon something, gnash the teeth"; whence modern champ, chomp), of uncertain origin; probably originally onomatopoeic. The "performance" sense is first attested with regards to jazz in 1929, and its origin, though uncertain, is likely metaphorical, "something sweet made by the combination of many things", with influence from jamboree. Pronunciation: /ˈd͡ʒæm/, [ˈd͡ʒeəm] ~ [ˈd͡ʒɛəm], /ˈd͡ʒam/, /ˈd͡ʒaːm/, /ˈdʒæːm/ 1. To get something stuck, often (though not necessarily) in a confined space. Example: My foot got jammed in a gap between the rocks. Example: Her poor little baby toe got jammed in the door. 2. To brusquely force something into a space; to cram, to squeeze. Example: They temporarily stopped the gas tank leak by jamming a piece of taffy into the hole. Example: The rush-hour train was jammed with commuters. 3. To render something unable to move. Example: Considering the results of the CFD wind simulation, the NTSB designed several series of static and dynamic elevator load tests to determine what conditions, consistent with the known circumstances of the accident, could enable the inboard actuating crank and links of the right elevator's geared tab to move beyond their normal range of travel and become locked in an overcenter position (and, as a result, jam the right elevator). 4. To cause congestion or blockage. Often used with "up". Example: A single accident can jam the roads for hours. 5. To block or confuse a radio or radar signal by transmitting a more-powerful signal on the same frequency. Example: The government jams foreign propaganda broadcasts. Example: The airstrike suffered minimal casualties because electronic-warfare aircraft were jamming the enemy air-defense radars. 6. To throw a pitch at or near the batter's hands. Example: Jones was jammed by the pitch. 7. To dunk. 8. To play music (especially improvisation as a group, or an informal unrehearsed session). 9. To injure a finger or toe by sudden compression of the digit's tip. Example: When he tripped on the step he jammed his toe. 10. To attempt to score points. Example: Toughie jammed four times in the second period. 11. To bring (a vessel) so close to the wind that half her upper sails are laid aback. Labels: transitive Example: It won't do to jam her,” answered Stone ;" but it might be worth findin' out if th' Hope won't lie closer than t' other can." Half a point ----" 12. To give up on a date or some other joint endeavour; to stand up, chicken out, jam out. Labels: Canada, informal 13. To be of high quality (especially for music). Labels: colloquial Example: I love this song! This song jams!
Word: jam Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Persian جامه (“garment”) and/or Hindustani (Hindi जामा (jāmā) / Urdu جامہ (jāma)), meaning "garment, robe". Related to pajamas and pyjamas. Pronunciation: /ˈd͡ʒæm/, [ˈd͡ʒeəm] ~ [ˈd͡ʒɛəm], /ˈd͡ʒam/, /ˈd͡ʒaːm/, /ˈdʒæːm/ 1. A kind of frock for children. Labels: dated
Word: jam Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /ˈd͡ʒæm/, [ˈd͡ʒeəm] ~ [ˈd͡ʒɛəm], /ˈd͡ʒam/, /ˈd͡ʒaːm/, /ˈdʒæːm/ 1. Alternative form of jamb. Labels: alt-of, alternative
Word: swig Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Unknown, mid 16th c. Perhaps connected with Old English swelgan (“to swallow”). Pronunciation: /swɪɡ/ 1. To drink (usually by gulping or in a greedy or unrefined manner); to quaff. Example: That sailor can swig whisky with the best of 'em. 2. To suck. Labels: obsolete Example: As sucking Colts leap when they swig the Teat 3. To take up the last bit of slack in rigging by taking a single turn around a cleat, then hauling on the line above and below the cleat while keeping tension on the line.
Word: swig Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Unknown, mid 16th c. Perhaps connected with Old English swelgan (“to swallow”). Pronunciation: /swɪɡ/ 1. Drink, liquor. Labels: obsolete 2. A long draught from a drink. Labels: broadly Example: take a swig of whisky Example: Jerry put his brandy bottle at the side of his pillow,—kindly informing him that he would have an opportunity of taking a few more swigs before he went down, for the water was only up to her bends at present. 3. A person who drinks deeply. Labels: obsolete 4. A tackle with ropes which are not parallel. 5. Warm beer flavoured with spices, lemon, etc.
Word: dandy Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Scots dandy (“a fop; one who is well-dressed”). Of uncertain origin. Possibly from Dandy, a diminutive of Andrew, yet the Scots word is used also in reference to women. Alternatively, possibly a back-formation of Scots dandilly, dandillie (“one who is spoiled or pampered; a "pet"”). Compare English dandle and dander. Pronunciation: /ˈdæn.di/ 1. A man very concerned about his physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies, pursued with the appearance of nonchalance in a cult of self. Example: The gallant young Indian dandy at home on furlough — immense dandies these — chained and moustached — driving in tearing cabs, the pillars of the theatres, living at West End Hotels, — […] Example: No town-bred dandy will compare with a country-bred one—I mean a downright bumpkin dandy–a fellow that, in the dog-days, will mow his two acres in buckskin gloves for fear of tanning his hands. 2. Something excellent in its class. 3. A yawl, or a small after-sail on a yawl. Labels: UK 4. A dandy roller. 5. A small glass of whisky. Labels: Ireland, UK, archaic, slang Example: Somebody quite as notorious as Brummell, but whose follies have been far more mischievous; whose eloquence is great, but certainly not always refined; and to whose health many a dandy of whisky has been tossed off. 6. A horse-drawn railway carriage used on some branch lines. Labels: historical Example: Other notable instances of horse-drawn vehicles for passenger services were the dandies used on the two-mile branch to Inchture of the Perth-Dundee line of the Caledonian Railway […], and the 2½-mile branch of the North British Railway from Drumburgh to Port Carlisle. […] One of the Port Carlisle dandies was preserved at Waverley Station, Edinburgh, for several years, but is now in the Railway Museum at York.
Word: dandy Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Borrowed from Scots dandy (“a fop; one who is well-dressed”). Of uncertain origin. Possibly from Dandy, a diminutive of Andrew, yet the Scots word is used also in reference to women. Alternatively, possibly a back-formation of Scots dandilly, dandillie (“one who is spoiled or pampered; a "pet"”). Compare English dandle and dander. Pronunciation: /ˈdæn.di/ 1. Like a dandy, foppish. 2. Very good; better than expected but not as good as could be. Example: That's all fine and dandy, but how much does it cost? 3. Excellent; first-rate. Example: What a dandy little laptop you have. Example: Grip Sures are dandy shoes for anything that comes along. Hiking, climbing, canoeing, around camp or in the gym — you can't have anything better.
Word: dandy Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Hindi डंडी (ḍaṇḍī, “rod, pole”), from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀟𑀁𑀟𑀺𑀕𑀸 (ḍaṃḍigā), from Sanskrit दण्डिका (daṇḍikā), from दण्ड (daṇḍa) + -इका (-ikā). Pronunciation: /ˈdæn.di/ 1. A boatman, a rower. Labels: India Example: Our Dandees (or boatmen) boyled their rice. 2. A Shaiva mendicant who carries a small rod. Labels: India Example: ...the Dandis, distinguished by carrying a small dand or wand... 3. An open sedan chair formed by suspending a rudimentary frame or strong cloth from a pole or set of poles. Labels: India Example: 1870, Constance Frederica Gordon-Cumming, Good Words, p. 135: Example: As the darkness closed in... I had to give up the attempt to use the dandy, and struggle on on foot.
Word: fop Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English foppe, fobbe (“fop, fool”). Akin to German foppen (“to jeer”). Pronunciation: /fɒp/, /fɑp/ 1. A vain man; a dandy. Labels: dated Example: And she nearly started a fight between two young fops in plumed hats and flouncy collars: "Clay-brained coxcomb!" "Mewling milk-livered maggot!"