nandhakumarms/qualc-wiktionary-en huggingface dataset:
Word: polis Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Scots polis. Doublet of police, policy, and polity. Pronunciation: /ˈpɒ.lɪs/, /ˈpoʊ.lɪs/ 1. The police. Labels: Geordie, Ireland, Scotland, uncountable Example: 'Oh, don't bring in the polis on me, kind gentleman,' implored Mrs Laffey with redoubled fluency; 'the dirty, thievin' sergeant that set the lie against me a short while back over Mister Johnson's sthrayin' pullets, it's little justice I should ever see. Be the good kind gentleman—' Example: Even in his Ma's womb, you would have had to define Spud less as a foetus, more as a set of dormant drug and personality problems. He'd probably draw the polis onto them through knocking a saltcellar out of the Little Chef. 2. A police officer. Labels: Geordie, Ireland, Scotland, countable
Word: Metonic cycle Part of Speech: noun 1. A particular approximate common multiple of the tropical year and the synodic month; in other words, the 19-year period over which the lunar phases occur on the same dates. Example: According to the Metonic cycle, a lunar calendar begins on the same solar date every 19 years.
Word: ordo Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Latin ōrdō. Doublet of order. 1. A musical phrase constructed from one or more statements of one modal pattern and ending in a rest. 2. A calendar which prescribes the Mass and office which is to be celebrated each day. 3. A category in the classification of organisms, ranking below classis and above familia. 4. an established civil body or corporation with a hierarchy
Word: nauseous Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Latin nauseōsus (“causing nausea”), corresponding synchronically to nausea + -ous. Pronunciation: /ˈnɔːziːəs/, /ˈnɔːsiːəs/, /ˈnɔʃəs/, /ˈnɔʒəs/, /ˈnɑʃəs/ 1. Causing nausea; sickening or disgusting. Example: […] And flattery tipt with nauseous fleer, And guilty shame, and servile fear, Envy, and cruelty, and pride, Will in your tainted heart preside. Example: [T]he Italians grossness of Conversation is still very offensive & nauseous, tho' long accustomed to it. 2. Inclined to nausea; sickly, squeamish. Labels: obsolete 3. Afflicted with nausea; sick. Labels: proscribed Example: After he had scarcely eaten enough, he felt nauseous; but nausea ceased as soon as he stopped eating entirely, … Example: […] during stretching the patient felt nauseous …
Word: beatnik Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Coined by American columnist Herb Caen in 1958. From beat (generation) + -nik (“person who exemplifies or endorses something”). Compare jazznik. The suffix, a cutesy or ironic use of the Russian suffix -ник (-nik), experienced a surge of use in English coinages for nicknames and diminutives after the 1957 Soviet launch of the Sputnik satellite. Pronunciation: /ˈbiːtnɪk/ 1. A person who dresses in a manner that is not socially acceptable and is supposed to reject conventional norms of thought and behavior; nonconformist in dress and behavior. Example: The drive against the stilyagi has hampered but not destroyed the development of (Soviet-style) “beatniki” among the younger artistic and literary intelligentsia. […] The tendency of Soviet “beatniki” is to emulate what they consider the Left-Bank bohemianism of Paris. It is a faint whisper of a similar movement among young East European intellectuals, particularly in Poland, to make ultrasophistication their mark of separateness from “proletarian” society. 2. A person associated with the Beat Generation of the 1950s and 1960s or its style. Example: The Beatles first surfaced in the USSR in 1964, when the style of dress of the ‘Beatniki’ was enthusiastically copied. Example: Worrying news from the west upset Soviet authorities even further. Punk rock was already causing trouble in Poland and other east-European countries. Did someone in the administration fear a repetition of Beatlemania, with decent, twist-dancing beatniki being replaced by pogo-dancing, sneering and gobbing impersonators of Johnny Rotten?
Word: intrathecal Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From intra- + theca + -al. 1. Delivered into the spinal canal (intrathecal space surrounding the spinal cord), e.g. a spinal anesthesia. Labels: not-comparable
Word: intrathecal Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From intra- + theca + -al. 1. An intrathecal injection.
Word: à la Part of Speech: prep Etymology: Borrowed from French à la. 1. Alternative form of a la. Labels: alt-of, alternative
Word: nihilistic Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Etymology tree English nihilist Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icuslbor. Old French -iquebor. Middle English -ik English -ic English nihilistic From nihilist + -ic. 1. Of or relating to nihilism. Example: Some of his gloomy judgments have tempted critics to the conclusion that Kazantzakis was even more nihilistic than Nietzsche, and this book can support that view. Example: The bombing comes over a week after ISD released a report about how nihilistic worldviews are fueling violence in the US and Europe.
Word: naive Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Borrowed from French naïve, feminine form of naïf, from Latin nātīvus (“native, natural”). Doublet of native. Pronunciation: /naɪˈiːv/, /nɑːˈiːv/, /naɪˈiv/, /nɑˈiv/, /nɑˈjiʋ/ 1. Lacking worldly experience, wisdom, or judgement; unsophisticated. Example: Whether by design or driven by the force of circumstances, they have always directed their main effort toward gaining the support of this "elite," while the more conservative groups have acted, as regularly but unsuccessfully, on a more naive view of mass democracy and have usually vainly tried directly to reach and to persuade the individual voter. Example: I am sixteen going on seventeen, I know that I'm naive 2. Not having been exposed to something. Example: Animals entering shelters are either (a) immunologically naïve and susceptible to infection and development of disease if exposed to pathogens; (b) already immune […] 3. Produced in a simple, childlike style, deliberately rejecting sophisticated techniques. Example: By 1921 when Miró painted his key work, naive painting had been recognized by the avantgarde art world as a genre in its own right. 4. Intuitive; designed to follow the way ordinary people approach a problem. Example: We have experiments of running our matching algorithm and a naive matching algorithm for such a term tree and a tree, and have compared the performance of the two algorithms.
Word: naive Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from French naïve, feminine form of naïf, from Latin nātīvus (“native, natural”). Doublet of native. Pronunciation: /naɪˈiːv/, /nɑːˈiːv/, /naɪˈiv/, /nɑˈiv/, /nɑˈjiʋ/ 1. A naive person; a greenhorn. Example: As a seasoned woman—of nineteen—I felt it was my place to tell each of these naïves that such plans were easier made than followed. Example: In other words, they'd buy securities from these naives for 55 and sell them similar securities for 65. In plain English, they'd pay $550 per $1,000 bond and turn right around and sell them similar stuff for $650.
Word: macao Part of Speech: noun 1. Obsolete form of macaw (“parrot”). Labels: alt-of, obsolete
Word: bend over backwards Part of Speech: verb 1. To make a great effort; to take extraordinary care; to go to great lengths. Labels: idiomatic, informal Example: They bent over backwards to make sure everything was just right for the visit. Example: The police were plainly on his side. Lawyers helped, too, with a letter he used to justify his strategy. And of course the government of the day bent over backwards to ensure nothing would stand in the way of the media baron's ambitions. 2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see bend over, backwards.
Word: book worm Part of Speech: noun 1. Alternative form of bookworm. Labels: alt-of, alternative, rare
Word: asking price Part of Speech: noun 1. The list price or sticker price of an item; the price without any discounts or incentives.
Word: hear through the grapevine Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From the Grapevine, a telegraph line that ran from Placerville, California, to Virginia City, Nevada, beginning in 1859, and that was loosely strung from trees so that it curled like the vines of California grapes. In 1861 it was replaced by the Pacific Telegraph, which was strung from poles, and during the American Civil War "grapevine telegraph" became proverbialized to refer to poor and rumor-prone communications in areas cut off by the war. 1. To hear rumors; to learn through hearsay. Labels: idiomatic Example: I heard through the grapevine that she likes him. Example: I heard it through the grapevine / Not much longer would you be mine
Word: let on Part of Speech: verb 1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see let, on. Example: The bus is full now. I can't let any more people on. 2. to reveal or indicate, especially unintentionally or against one's wishes Labels: idiomatic Example: I tried not to let on that I had already guessed the answer. Example: He's more self-centered than he lets on.
Word: have the hots for Part of Speech: verb 1. To be attracted (sexually or romantically) to (someone); to fancy someone. Labels: idiomatic, slang, transitive Example: Whoa. Wait a minute, Doc. Are you trying to tell me that my mother has got the hots for me? Example: I met this chick and she just moved right up the block from me / And uh, she got the hots for me
Word: ahead of the curve Part of Speech: prep_phrase 1. Changing before competitors. Labels: idiomatic 2. Above average; generally performing well. Labels: idiomatic
Word: behest Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English biheste, from Old English behǣs (“vow, promise”), from Proto-West Germanic *bihaisi, from *bi- (“be-”) + *haisi (“command”), from Proto-Germanic *haisiz, from *haitaną (“to command”). Final -t by analogy with other similar words in -t. Related to Old English behātan (“to command, promise”), Middle Low German beheit, behēt (“a promise”). Compare also hest (“command”), hight. Pronunciation: /bɪˈhɛst/, /biˈhɛst/, /bɪˈhest/, /biˈhest/ 1. A command, bidding; sometimes also, an authoritative request; now usually in the phrase at the behest of and at one's behest. Example: Moſt great and puiſant Monarke of the earth, Your Baſſoe wil accompliſh your beheſt: […] Example: to do his master's high behest 2. A vow; a promise. Labels: obsolete Example: c. 1440, Markaryte Paston, letter to John Paston The time is come that I should send it her, if I keep the behest that I have made.
Word: behest Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English biheste, from Old English behǣs (“vow, promise”), from Proto-West Germanic *bihaisi, from *bi- (“be-”) + *haisi (“command”), from Proto-Germanic *haisiz, from *haitaną (“to command”). Final -t by analogy with other similar words in -t. Related to Old English behātan (“to command, promise”), Middle Low German beheit, behēt (“a promise”). Compare also hest (“command”), hight. Pronunciation: /bɪˈhɛst/, /biˈhɛst/, /bɪˈhest/, /biˈhest/ 1. To promise; vow. Labels: obsolete
Word: all one's eggs in one basket Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From put all one's eggs in one basket. 1. The state of having invested heavily in just one area. Labels: plural, plural-only Example: The stock market decline wouldn’t have hurt him so badly if he hadn’t had all his eggs in one basket. 2. The state of having devoted all of one’s resources to one thing. Labels: plural, plural-only Example: At his age, he won't get another shot; he really has all his eggs in this one basket. Example: We have 72% of our income from fares. That can work in good times. But COVID has exposed that we had all our eggs in one basket, dangerously over-reliant on one source of funding that is subject to the whims of the economy... or viruses.
Word: full of it Part of Speech: adj 1. Minced oath of full of shit. Labels: derogatory, euphemistic, idiomatic Example: Do you believe him? I think he's full of it. Example: “... You could use a little positive coverage, unless you’re seriously planning to dismantle that atomic time bomb across the water by waving placards and strumming protest songs. No disrespect.” A southerner growls: “Lady, you’re full''' of it.” “The interview’s over,” says the Native American. “Get off this land.”
Word: at a moment's notice Part of Speech: prep_phrase 1. Immediately; instantaneously; without need of warning. Labels: idiomatic Example: The soldiers were ready at a moment's notice.
Word: talk a mile a minute Part of Speech: verb 1. To speak quickly or excessively. Labels: idiomatic, informal Example: They spent the whole visit talking a mile a minute, and then went home and phoned each other! Example: He talks a mile a minute in wildly over-egged adjectives and mainly looks after the business side of BrewDog: money, marketing, strategy.
Word: all things being equal Part of Speech: adv 1. Without considering or being affected by external factors. Labels: not-comparable Example: So, all things being equal, who would you like to date?
Word: above and beyond Part of Speech: prep Etymology: Shortened from the phrase above and beyond the call of duty, referring to heroic behavior during a military operation (“conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty”), traditionally used in citations of awards of a U.S. Medal of Honor. 1. Further than; doing more than is expected or required. Labels: idiomatic Example: The hospital staff often go above and beyond what is required of them. Example: Putting in overtime with no pay is above and beyond the call of duty.
Word: above and beyond Part of Speech: adv Etymology: Shortened from the phrase above and beyond the call of duty, referring to heroic behavior during a military operation (“conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty”), traditionally used in citations of awards of a U.S. Medal of Honor. 1. Doing more than is expected or required. Labels: idiomatic, not-comparable Example: Boy, they sure went above and beyond when they were planning this party!
Word: another nail in someone's coffin Part of Speech: phrase 1. An event that increases the likelihood of or causes further failure. Labels: idiomatic Example: Following the divorce and the lawsuit, bankruptcy is just another nail in his coffin.
Word: back to square one Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Probably from a metaphorical use of the children’s games snakes and ladders. 1. Located back at the start, as after a dead end or failure. Labels: idiomatic, not-comparable Example: After spending six hours on the intake we realized that there was nothing wrong with it, so we are back to square one. Example: Withal he has the problem of maintaining the interest of the reader who is always being sent back to square one in a sort of intellectual game of snakes and ladders.
Word: back to square one Part of Speech: adv Etymology: Probably from a metaphorical use of the children’s games snakes and ladders. 1. Back to the start, as after a dead end or failure. Labels: idiomatic, not-comparable Example: After spending six hours on the intake we realized that there was nothing wrong with it, so we went back to square one.
Word: chum Part of Speech: noun Etymology: 1675–85; of uncertain origin, possibly from cham, shortening of chambermate, or from comrade. Less likely from Welsh cymrawd (“fellow”), compare brawd (“brother”). Pronunciation: /t͡ʃʌm/ 1. A friend; a pal. Labels: dated Example: He looked down upon the girl beside him—a daughter of the desert walking across the face of a dead world with a son of the jungle. He smiled at the thought. He wished that he had had a sister, and that she had been like this girl. What a bully chum she would have been! Example: That made Thad think of Mark Twain, and he wondered whether the illustrious Tom Sawyer and his chum, Huckleberry Finn, had ever arranged a more fetching reception committee than this one[…] 2. A roommate, especially in a college or university. Labels: dated Example: Field had a 'chum,' or room-mate, whose visage was suggestive to the 'Sophs;' it invited experiment; it held out opportunity for their peculiar deviltry.
Word: chum Part of Speech: verb Etymology: 1675–85; of uncertain origin, possibly from cham, shortening of chambermate, or from comrade. Less likely from Welsh cymrawd (“fellow”), compare brawd (“brother”). Pronunciation: /t͡ʃʌm/ 1. To share rooms with someone; to live together. Labels: intransitive Example: Henry Wotton and John Donne began to be friends when, as boys, they chummed together at Oxford, where Donne had gone at the age of twelve years. Example: A chap named Eleazir Kendrick and I had chummed in together the summer afore and built a fish-weir and shanty at Setuckit Point, down Orham way. For a spell we done pretty well. 2. To lodge (somebody) with another person or people. Labels: transitive 3. To make friends; to socialize. Labels: intransitive Example: I was not surprised to see somebody sitting aft, on the deck, with his legs dangling over the mud. You see I rather chummed with the few mechanics there were in that station, whom the other pilgrims naturally despised—on account of their imperfect manners, I suppose. Example: "You'll make yourself disliked on board!" "By von Heumann merely." "But is that wise when he's the man we've got to diddle?" "The wisest thing I ever did. To have chummed up with him would have been fatal -- the common dodge." 4. To accompany. Labels: Scotland, informal, transitive Example: I'll chum you down to the shops.
Word: chum Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Originally American English, from the 1850s. Perhaps from Powhatan. Pronunciation: /t͡ʃʌm/ 1. A mixture of (frequently rancid) fish parts and blood, dumped into the water as groundbait to attract predator fish, such as sharks. Labels: Canada, US, uncountable Example: Near-synonym: shark bait Example: The whale’s floating body also forms a chum slick on the surface—a trail of blood, oil, and chunks of fat and flesh that might stretch for miles across the water. […] This chum slick is what attracts sharks from afar. Seabirds are drawn to it too.
Word: chum Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Originally American English, from the 1850s. Perhaps from Powhatan. Pronunciation: /t͡ʃʌm/ 1. To cast chum into the water to attract fish. Labels: ambitransitive Example: He began to chum for sharks, using whale oil and chopped whale meat. Example: Small live baitfish are effective, and they will take bits of fresh cut fish when chummed strongly.
Word: chum Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /t͡ʃʌm/ 1. A coarse mould for holding the clay while being worked on a whirler, lathe or manually. Example: ...self-supporting chum within the mould normally of corresponding and almost the same but lesser contour, whereby a space is provided between the chum and mould for the introduction of the powdered material and means for expanding the chum'. Example: He uses a round slab of clay, which he places on top of the chum and commences to thump down around the sides.
Word: chum Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Chinook Jargon tzum (“spotted, marked”), from Chinook. Pronunciation: /t͡ʃʌm/ 1. Synonym of chum salmon.
Word: chum Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Russian чум (čum), from Komi-Zyrian чум (ćum) and/or Udmurt чум (ćum, “tent, shelter”). Pronunciation: /t͡ʃuːm/ 1. A temporary dwelling used by the nomadic Uralic reindeer herders of northwestern Siberia.
Word: heft Part of Speech: verb Etymology: The noun is derived from Late Middle English heft (“heaviness; something heavy, a weight”), from heven (“to lift, raise”) + -th (suffix denoting a condition, quality, state of being, etc., forming nouns), by analogy with the development of weft from weven (modern English weave), etc. (also compare words like cleft from cleave, and theft from thieve, where the development occurred in Old English or earlier languages). The English word is analysable as heave + -t (suffix forming nouns from verbs). The verb is probably derived from the noun. Pronunciation: /hɛft/, /heft/ 1. To lift or lift up (something, especially a heavy object). Labels: UK, US, dialectal, informal, transitive Example: He hefted the sack of concrete into the truck. Example: […] Bevis was to "heft" his gun to the shoulder, and only to press it there sufficiently to feel that the butt touched him. 2. To test the weight of (something) by lifting. Labels: UK, US, dialectal, informal, transitive Example: [H]e took up a root or two [potatoes] here and there, and "hefted it," (that is to say, poised it carefully to judge the weight, as one does a letter for the post) and then stroked the sleek skin lovingly, and put it down gingerly for fear of any bruise. 3. To test the weight of (something) by lifting. Labels: UK, US, dialectal, figuratively, informal, transitive Example: Sim's ben to college, and he's putty smart and chipper. Come to heft him, tho', he don't weigh much 'longside o' Parson Cushing. 4. To have (substantial) weight; to weigh. Labels: UK, US, dialectal, informal, intransitive Example: "[I]t's yellow! is it gold?" / "My!" exclaimed his mother, weighing it in her hand, "I do believe it is. Brass never would heft so much, and would be green. Bless me, Wat, this is a find! Where ever did you come by it? In the gutters, do you say?"
Word: heft Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From heave + -t (suffix forming the past and/or past participle forms of verbs). Pronunciation: /hɛft/, /heft/ 1. simple past and past participle of heave Labels: UK, US, dialectal, form-of, informal, obsolete, participle, past
Word: heft Part of Speech: noun Etymology: The noun is borrowed from Scots heft, haft (“pasture which sheep are familiar with; attachment of sheep to a pasture; number of sheep grazing on such a pasture; (obsolete) place of residence; situation”), probably from Old Norse hefð (“occupation; possession; prescriptive right”), from hafa (“to have; to keep, retain”), from Proto-Germanic *habjaną (“to have; to hold”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap-, *keh₂p- (“to hold; to seize”). The verb is borrowed from Scots heft (“to cause (cattle or sheep) to become familiar with a pasture; of animals: to become familiar with a pasture; (figurative) of a person: to become settled in an occupation or place”), probably from Old Norse hefða (“to acquire prescriptive rights”), from hefð (noun): see above. Both the noun and verb may have been influenced by Scots heft (“(noun) handle of an implement, haft; (verb) to fit (an implement) with a handle”). Pronunciation: /hɛft/, /heft/ 1. A piece of pastureland which farm animals (chiefly cattle or sheep) have become accustomed to. Labels: Northern-England, Scotland, UK, US, dialectal, informal Example: [S]he came to fetch her [bairn] out of ill haft and waur guiding. 2. A flock or group of farm animals (chiefly cattle or sheep) which have become accustomed to a particular piece of pastureland. Labels: Northern-England, Scotland, UK, US, dialectal, informal
Word: heft Part of Speech: verb Etymology: The noun is borrowed from Scots heft, haft (“pasture which sheep are familiar with; attachment of sheep to a pasture; number of sheep grazing on such a pasture; (obsolete) place of residence; situation”), probably from Old Norse hefð (“occupation; possession; prescriptive right”), from hafa (“to have; to keep, retain”), from Proto-Germanic *habjaną (“to have; to hold”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap-, *keh₂p- (“to hold; to seize”). The verb is borrowed from Scots heft (“to cause (cattle or sheep) to become familiar with a pasture; of animals: to become familiar with a pasture; (figurative) of a person: to become settled in an occupation or place”), probably from Old Norse hefða (“to acquire prescriptive rights”), from hefð (noun): see above. Both the noun and verb may have been influenced by Scots heft (“(noun) handle of an implement, haft; (verb) to fit (an implement) with a handle”). Pronunciation: /hɛft/, /heft/ 1. To accustom (a flock or group of farm animals, chiefly cattle or sheep) to a piece of pastureland. Labels: Northern-England, Scotland, UK, US, dialectal, informal, transitive Example: For I had been "hefting" (as the business is called in our Galloway land) a double score of lambs which had just been brought from a neighbouring lowland farm to summer upon our scanty upland pastures. Now it is the nature of sheep to return if they can to their mother-hill, or, at least, to stray farther and farther off, seeking some well-known landmark. So, till such new-comers grow satisfied and "heft" (or attach) themselves to the soil, they must be watched carefully both night and day. 2. To establish or settle (someone) in an occupation or place of residence. Labels: Northern-England, Scotland, UK, US, dialectal, figuratively, informal, transitive Example: [I]t may be as well that Alan and you do not meet till he is hefted as it were to his new calling. 3. To establish or plant (something) firmly in a place; to fix, to root, to settle. Labels: Northern-England, Scotland, UK, US, dialectal, figuratively, informal, transitive Example: […] I hae heard him say, that the root of the matter was mair deeply hafted in that wild muirland parish than in the Canogate of Edinburgh. 4. Of a thing: to establish or settle itself in a place. Labels: Northern-England, Scotland, UK, US, dialectal, informal, intransitive, reflexive
Word: heft Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Borrowed from Scots heft, from Old Norse hepta (“to bind; to hinder, impede; to hold back, restrain”), from Proto-Germanic *haftijaną (“to bind; to secure”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“to hold, seize”). Pronunciation: /hɛft/, /heft/ 1. To cause (milk) to be held in a cow's udder until the latter becomes hard and swollen, either by not milking the cow or by stopping up the teats, to make the cow look healthy; also, to cause (a cow) to have an udder in this condition. Labels: Northern-England, Scotland, UK, US, dialectal, informal Example: You also see the impropriety of hefting or holding the milk in cows until the udder is distended much beyond its ordinary size, for the sake of shewing its utmost capacity for holding milk, a device which all cow-dealers, and indeed every one who has a cow for sale in a market, scrupulously uses. […] [E]very farmer is surely aware, or ought to be aware, that the person who purchases a hefted cow on account of the magnitude of its udder exhibited in the market, gains nothing by the device; because, when the cow comes into his possession, she will never be hefted, and, of course, never shew the greatest magnitude of udder, and never, of course, confer the benefit for which she was bought in preference to others with udders in a more natural state. If, then, purchasers derive no benefit from hefting, because they do not allow hefting, why do they encourage so cruel and afterwards injurious practice in dealers? Example: The heavy udders of hefted cows trailed on the ground, dripping milk on the greensward. Stray cattle ate the rich grass. 2. To cause (urine) to be held in a person's bladder. Labels: Northern-England, Scotland, UK, US, broadly, dialectal, informal
Word: heft Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from German Heft (“issue of a serial publication, number; magazine; notebook; notepad”), a back-formation from heften (“to fasten”), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *haftijaną (“to bind; to secure”): see further at etymology 4. Pronunciation: /hɛft/, /heft/ 1. A number of sheets of paper fastened together, as to form a book or a notebook. Labels: Northern-England, Scotland, UK, US, dialectal, informal 2. A part of a serial publication; a fascicle, an issue, a number. Labels: Northern-England, Scotland, UK, US, dialectal, informal Example: Such an organ is now to be published by the house of J[oseph] Ricker, in Giessen, Ephemeris für Semitische Epigraphik, edited by Dr. Mark Lidzbarki.^([sic]) […] The size of the "hefts" will depend on the material requiring attention, and the annual volume is to cost about 15 marks.
Word: hefty Part of Speech: adj Etymology: 19th century. From heft (“weight”) + -y. The similarity with German heftig (“vigorous, violent, intense”) is apparently coincidental. From the German are Dutch, Danish, Norwegian heftig, Swedish häftig. Pronunciation: /ˈhɛfti/ 1. With heft; heavy, strong, vigorous, mighty, impressive Example: He can throw a hefty punch. Example: The Remove dormitory echoed to the old, familiar sound of Bunter's hefty snore. 2. Strong; bulky. Example: They use some hefty bolts to hold up road signs. 3. Possessing physical strength and weight; rugged and powerful; powerfully or heavily built. Example: He was a tall, hefty man. 4. Heavy, weighing a lot. Example: She carries a hefty backpack full of books. 5. Large, healthy. Example: That's going to cost you a hefty sum. Example: a hefty fine
Word: popularise Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Italic *poplos Old Latin populus Latin populus Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Latin -āris Latin populārislbor. Old French populairebor. ▲ Latin populārisbor. Middle English populer English popular Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō)bor. Late Latin -izōder. Middle French -iserbor. Middle English -isen English -ise English popularise From popular + -ise. Pronunciation: /ˈpɒpjʊləɹaɪz/ 1. To make something popular. Labels: transitive Example: Homer Simpson popularised the term "d'oh". Example: Towards the end of August, the Southern Railway decided to adopt a novel form of publicity to popularise the services. Sandwich board men were employed at Charing Cross and Cannon Street to display placards, and distribute leaflet timetables, calling attention to the vacant seats on the services via Nunhead. 2. To present information in a form less difficult for the general public to understand or enjoy, especially by excluding details and jargon found in technical or academic publications. Labels: transitive
Word: monocle Part of Speech: noun Etymology: 1886, borrowed from French monocle, from Late Latin monoculus (“one-eyed”), from mono- (“single”) + oculus (“eye”). Pronunciation: /ˈmɑnəkəl/ 1. A single lens, usually in a wire frame, and used to correct vision for only one eye. 2. A one-eyed animal. Labels: obsolete
Word: catch some z's Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From the typical use of Zs in speech bubbles to represent the sounds a person makes when sleeping (especially snoring). 1. To sleep. Labels: idiomatic Example: His boss found him catching some z's at his desk yesterday.
Word: go the way of the dodo Part of Speech: verb Etymology: The dodo (Raphus cucullatus) was a flightless bird endemic to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, which is believed to have become extinct in the 17th century due to human activity. Pronunciation: /ˈɡəʊ ðə ˌweɪ ə(v)ðə ˈdəʊdəʊ/, /ˈɡoʊ ðə ˌweɪ ə(v)ðə ˈdoʊˌdoʊ/ 1. To go extinct or become obsolete or defunct; to fall out of common practice or use; to become a thing of the past. Labels: idiomatic Example: Now that word-processing has caught on, typewriters have gone the way of the dodo. Example: The Polynesian population, for instance, is on the wane—wearing out—as the Red Man is—as the whale is,—going the way of the dodo, and so many other things.
Word: PDA Part of Speech: noun 1. Initialism of personal digital assistant. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, dated, initialism, uncountable Example: Despite the fast pace of innovation in PDAs, particularly this year, a number of standards have emerged allowing software makers the security needed to invest in developing extensive software for three platforms: the PalmPilot made by 3Com, the Psion Series 5 by Psion and Windows CE devices made by a group of companies including Philips, Sharp Electronics, Casio Corp. and Hewlett Packard Corp. 2. Initialism of public display of affection. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, colloquial, countable, initialism, uncountable Example: I was still pretty firmly anti-PDA, but when David kissed me—quickly, but firmly—I decided that every once in a while, it wasn’t so bad. Example: Argh! Jail! I agree, but in-flight PDA while clothed isn’t illegal, although a man was convicted of a criminal offence in 2007, after arguing with cabin crew who tried to stop him and his girlfriend “embracing, kissing and acting in a manner that made other passengers uncomfortable”, according to the indictment. 3. Initialism of pushdown automaton. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable 4. Initialism of property damage accident. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable 5. Initialism of pathological demand avoidance. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable 6. Initialism of patent ductus arteriosus. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable 7. Initialism of production data acquisition. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable 8. Initialism of peridural anesthesia. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable 9. Initialism of program derived address. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
Word: FWIW Part of Speech: prep_phrase 1. Initialism of for what it's worth. Labels: Internet, abbreviation, alt-of, initialism Example: Supposidly,^([sic]) SVR3 was developed on the 400 line, and ports to the 3B5/15 line are not due out until early next year. FWIW. Example: Anyway, the PD libraries for "strings" and "ndir" were the saving grace, once "job control" was conditionally compiled out. FWIW.
Word: set in stone Part of Speech: adj 1. Permanent; certain; firm. Labels: idiomatic Example: The decision won't be set in stone until we release the documents. Example: So what is it that makes SBB (Swiss national railways) tick? In my humble opinion, two things. Firstly, a comprehensive and set-in-stone integrated timetable (incorporating trains, ferries, cable cars and buses, including the world-famous yellow 'post-autos'), compiled four years in advance and which gets tested twice before it becomes operational.
Word: set in stone Part of Speech: verb 1. To render something permanent, certain, or firm. Labels: idiomatic, transitive Example: The plan looks good, but don't set it in stone until we have discussed it a bit more.
Word: juicy Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English jousy, jowsy (“drunken”, literally “full of juice (liquor)”). By surface analysis, juic(e) + -y. Pronunciation: /ˈd͡ʒuːsi/ 1. Having lots of juice. Example: a juicy peach Example: a juicy pot roast 2. Exciting; titillating. Labels: figuratively, usually Example: Near-synonyms: saucy, spicy Example: I do not keep up with all the latest juicy rumors. 3. Voluptuous, curvy, thick; sexy in those ways. Labels: slang 4. Strong; thus, also painful. Labels: uncommon, usually Example: “Your head feels funny, doesn't it?” “It does rather,” I said, the bump I had given it had been a juicy one, and the temples were throbbing. Example: Years ago, when striplings, he and I had done a stretch together at Malvern House, Bramley-on-Sea, the preparatory school conducted by that prince of stinkers, Aubrey Upjohn MA, and had frequently stood side by side in the Upjohn study awaiting the receipt of six of the juiciest from a cane of the type that biteth like a serpent and stingeth like an adder, as the fellow said.
Word: nauseating Part of Speech: adj 1. Causing a feeling of nausea; disgusting and revolting. Example: But in the mean time […] it looks all ſo like ſubterfuge and inveagling; it is ſo nauſeating and teadious a task, that no man thinks he ovvs the Author ſo much ſervice as to find out the reaſon of his ovvn Categoricalneſs for him. Example: They gathered soberly in the farthest recess of the ward and gossiped about him in malicious, offended undertones, rebelling against his presence as a ghastly imposition and resenting him malevolently for the nauseating truth of which he was bright reminder.
Word: nauseating Part of Speech: verb 1. present participle and gerund of nauseate Labels: form-of, gerund, participle, present
Word: strictly Part of Speech: adv Etymology: Etymology tree English strict Proto-Indo-European *leyg-der. Proto-Germanic *līkąder. Proto-Germanic *-līkaz Proto-Germanic *-ê Proto-Germanic *-līkê Proto-West Germanic *-līkē Old English -līċe Middle English -ly English -ly English strictly From strict + -ly. Pronunciation: /ˈstɹɪktli/ 1. In a strict manner. Example: He adhered strictly to the diet his doctor prescribed. Example: “If any pupil considers it acceptable to bring a pet into this school, let me tell you it is forbidden. Strictly forbidden!” pronounced the headmaster from the front of the class. 2. In a limited manner; only Example: This work was strictly voluntary, but any animal who absented himself from it would have his rations reduced by half. 3. In a narrow or limited sense. Example: That term refers strictly to smaller birds. Example: Scientific naming conventions are such that technically, ammonites are ammonoidean, ammonitidan, and sometimes strictly ammonitinan cephalopods. 4. In a manner that applies to every member of a set or every interval of a function
Word: environmental Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Etymology tree Middle French environnementbor. English environment English -al English environmental From environment + -al. Pronunciation: /ɪnˌvaɪ.ɹə(n)ˈmɛn.təl/, /ənˌvaɪ.ɚnˈmɛn.təl/ 1. Pertaining to the environment. Labels: not-comparable Example: That worries the government, which fears that environmental activism could become the foundation for more general political opposition. 2. Environmentally friendly. Labels: not-comparable Example: Because consumers who are buying such productss cannot fully internalize the external utility of their purchase, prices for environmental products and other environmental innovations may be insufficiently high to cover their costs ( Kaas, 1993; Cleff and Rennings, 1999).
Word: environmental Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Middle French environnementbor. English environment English -al English environmental From environment + -al. Pronunciation: /ɪnˌvaɪ.ɹə(n)ˈmɛn.təl/, /ənˌvaɪ.ɚnˈmɛn.təl/ 1. Any factor relating to the physical environment in which hardware is operated, such as the room temperature or the number of racks used to hold equipment. Example: The process to enable migration from the vendor-supplied configuration to a new architecture depends on many system environmentals.
Word: maxim Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Anglo-Norman maxime and Middle French maxime, from Late Latin maxima (“axiom”), noun use of the feminine singular form of Latin maximus (apparently as used in the phrase prōpositiō maxima (“greatest premise”)). Doublet of maxima. Pronunciation: /ˈmæk.sɪm/, /ˈmæk.səm/ 1. A self-evident axiom or premise; a pithy expression of a general principle or rule. Labels: archaic 2. A precept; a succinct statement or observation of a rule of conduct or moral teaching. Example: In every age and country of the world men must have attended to the characters, designs, and actions of one another, and many reputable rules and maxims for the conduct of human life, must have been laid down and approved of by common consent. Example: It was impossible to imagine anything more cold or comfortless, while it was a task of no small dexterity to thread your way through the labyrinth of trunks, bandboxes, &c.; for it had of late years become a maxim with Lady Anne that nothing ought to be thrown or given away:...
Word: maxim Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Sir Hiram Maxim. Pronunciation: /ˈmæk.sɪm/, /ˈmæk.səm/ 1. Alternative letter-case form of Maxim. Labels: alt-of
Word: environmentally Part of Speech: adv Etymology: Etymology tree English environmental Middle English -ly English -ly English environmentally From environmental + -ly. 1. In a manner affecting the environment. Example: "HS2's London tunnels will help ensure many homes and habitats in the capital remain undisturbed. This is a key part of our commitment to deliver Britain's new high-speed railway in the most environmentally friendly way and minimising disruption to our neighbours," said HS2 Ltd Client Director Malcolm Codling.
Word: encouraging Part of Speech: adj Pronunciation: /ɪnˈkʌɹɪd͡ʒɪŋ/, /ɪnˈkɝɹɪd͡ʒɪŋ/ 1. Giving courage, confidence or hope; auspicious. Example: Although there is no cure for the disease yet, the research results are encouraging. Example: There are some encouraging signs of economic recovery. 2. Supporting by giving encouragement: positively. Example: Your encouraging words inspired me to persevere.
Word: encouraging Part of Speech: verb Pronunciation: /ɪnˈkʌɹɪd͡ʒɪŋ/, /ɪnˈkɝɹɪd͡ʒɪŋ/ 1. present participle and gerund of encourage Labels: form-of, gerund, participle, present
Word: encouraging Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /ɪnˈkʌɹɪd͡ʒɪŋ/, /ɪnˈkɝɹɪd͡ʒɪŋ/ 1. encouragement Example: […] the thousand little ties of sympathy and mutual hopes and fears, comfortings and encouragings.
Word: strictly proper Part of Speech: adj 1. of a transfer function, where the degree of the numerator is less than that of the denominator Labels: not-comparable
Word: numerator Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Learned borrowing from Late Latin numerātor. Pronunciation: /ˈnuː.məɹˌeɪ̯.təɹ/ 1. The number or expression written above the line in a fraction (such as 1 in ½). 2. An enumerator; someone who counts.
Word: denominator Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *de Proto-Indo-European *-h₁ Proto-Indo-European *déh₁ Proto-Italic *dē Latin dē Latin dē- Proto-Indo-European *h₁nómn̥ Proto-Italic *nōmn̥ Latin nōmen 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 nōminō Latin dēnōminō Proto-Indo-European *-tōr Proto-Italic *-tōr Latin -tor Late Latin dēnōminātorlbor. English denominator Learned borrowing from Late Latin dēnōminātor (“that which names”). Pronunciation: /dɪˈnɒmɪneɪtə(ɹ)/ 1. The number or expression written below the line in a fraction (such as 2 in ½). Example: common denominator Example: lowest common denominator 2. One who gives a name to something.
Word: parte Part of Speech: noun 1. Obsolete spelling of part. Labels: alt-of, obsolete
Word: pensione Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Italian pensione. Doublet of pension. 1. An Italian boarding house. Example: Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley (2024), Ripley, season 1, episode 7: “I'm staying at a little pensione on Via dei Coronari.”
Word: neuk Part of Speech: noun Etymology: See nook. Pronunciation: /njuːk/ 1. A corner; a nook. A fairy fiddler frae the neuk, [nook] - "Robert Burns", by William Allan Neilson (1917) Labels: Northumbria, Scotland 2. A bend (e.g. in a coast) …the fleet, after exploring the harbours, had doubled the East Neuk, passed safely through St Andrews Bay, and entered the Firth of Tay. --Chronicles of Strathearn (1896) - Rev. John Hunter. Labels: Northumbria, Scotland
Word: sunshine Part of Speech: noun Etymology: In the Coverdale Bible in 1535, in Genesis and Exodus about 1250 as Middle English sunnesine; synchronically sun + shine. Compare isolated Old English sunsċīn (“mirror”). Pronunciation: /ˈsʌnʃaɪn/ 1. The direct rays, light or warmth of the sun. Labels: uncountable, usually Example: We were warmed by the bright sunshine. Example: Oft tymes a thinge doth floꝛiſh, and men thynke that it maye abyde the Sonneſhyne: it ſhuteth foꝛth the bꝛaunches in his garden, it taketh many rotes, in ſo moch that it is like an houſe off ſtones. 2. A location on which the sun's rays fall. Labels: uncountable, usually Example: We moved out of the shade and into the sunshine. Example: Out again into the sunshine by the wide mouth of the Green River, as the chart named the brook whose level stream scarce moved into the lake. A streak of blue shot up it between the banks, and a shrill pipe came back as the kingfisher hastened away. 3. Geniality or cheerfulness. Labels: figuratively, uncountable, usually Example: I enjoyed the sunshine of her smile. Example: Ain't no sunshine when she's gone / Only darkness every day 4. A source of cheerfulness or joy. Labels: figuratively, uncountable, usually Example: You are the sunshine of my life / That's why I'll always be around / You are the apple of my eye / Forever you'll stay in my heart 5. The effect which the sun has when it lights and warms some place. Labels: uncountable, usually 6. A friendly form of address often reserved for juniors. Labels: Ireland, UK, uncountable, usually Example: Alright, sunshine, safe to cross now. 7. An ironic form of address directed toward someone perceived as inferior or troublesome. Labels: Ireland, UK, uncountable, usually Example: OK, sunshine, listen up and listen good. There's five vandalised telephone boxes out there and I know you're responsible. 8. Used to address someone who has just woken up or is very sleepy. Labels: humorous, uncountable, usually Example: Good morning, sunshine! 9. Ellipsis of orange sunshine. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, slang, uncommon, uncountable, usually
Word: sunshine Part of Speech: adj Etymology: In the Coverdale Bible in 1535, in Genesis and Exodus about 1250 as Middle English sunnesine; synchronically sun + shine. Compare isolated Old English sunsċīn (“mirror”). Pronunciation: /ˈsʌnʃaɪn/ 1. Open to and permitting public access, especially with regard to activities that were previously closed-door or back-room meetings. Labels: US, not-comparable Example: Because of the sunshine law, we could go to the planning meeting.
Word: Luas Part of Speech: name Etymology: From Irish luas (“speed”). 1. a light railway in Dublin, Ireland
Word: accouterment Part of Speech: noun 1. American spelling of accoutrement. Example: While one of these loiterers showed the red skin and wild accouterments of a native of the woods, the other exhibited, […] Example: And then from beyond the blank wall beside which I lay I heard the shuffling of feet, the snarling of grim beasts, the clank of metal accouterments, and the heavy breathing of a man.
Word: sizeable Part of Speech: adj 1. Standard spelling of sizable. Labels: Canada, UK Example: City look stronger, fitter and more motivated than last season and even at this early stage the gap feels like a sizeable advantage.
Word: hydroponics Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From hydro- (“water”) + -ponics, which is from geoponics. Pronunciation: /ˌhaɪdɹə(ʊ)ˈpɒnɪks/, /ˌhaɪdɹəˈpɑnɪks/ 1. The cultivation of plants in a nutrient solution rather than in the soil. Labels: uncountable Example: Despite relying on water alone to grow plants, hydroponics systems require 90 percent less water than crops grown in soil, due to water recycling and the self-contained nature of the system. Because of the closed nature of the system, it is […]
Word: redolent Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English redolent (first attested in 1400), from Old French redolent, from Latin redolentem, present participle of redoleō (“to emit a scent”), from red- + oleō (“to smell”). Pronunciation: /ˈɹɛd.ə.lənt/, /ˈɹed.ə.lənt/ 1. Fragrant or aromatic; having a sweet scent. 2. Having the smell of the article in question. Example: Most of the articles were home-made; the bread, the yellow butter, as golden as the cups to which it has given name; the thickest cream, and a honeycomb redolent of the thyme which even then echoed with the hum of the bees. Example: His breath is already redolent of whiskey. 3. Suggestive or reminiscent. Labels: figuratively Example: But, in the country, the green fields are so joyous, the pure air so fresh, the blue sky so clear; the fine old trees, redolent of earth's loveliest mythology, when the dryades peopled their green shadows;... Example: But forth from sweat-shops, tenement and prison Wailed minor protests, redolent with pain.