nandhakumarms/qualc-wiktionary-en huggingface dataset:
Word: scruple Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Old French scrupule, from Latin scrūpulus (“(literally) a small sharp or pointed stone; uneasiness of mind, anxiety, doubt, trouble; scruple”) and scrūpulum (“one twenty-fourth of an ounce”), diminutives of scrūpus (“a rough or sharp stone; anxiety, uneasiness”); perhaps akin to Ancient Greek σκύρος (skúros, “the chippings of stone”), from ξυρόν (xurón, “razor”), from ξύω (xúō, “to scrape”), from Proto-Indo-European *ksew-. Doublet of escropulo and escrupulo. Pronunciation: /ˈskɹuːpəl/, /ˈskɹupəl/ 1. Hesitation to act from the difficulty of determining what is right or expedient; doubt, hesitation or unwillingness due to motives of conscience; moral qualm. Example: Before her flew Affliction, girt in ſtorms, / Gaſht all with guſhing wounds; and all the formes / Of bane, and miſerie, frowning in her face; / Whom Tyrannie, and Iniuſtice, had in Chace; / Grimme Perſecution, Pouertie, and Shame; / Detraction, Enuie, foule Mishap and lame; / Scruple of Conſcience; Feare, Deceipt, Deſpaire; / Slaunder, and Clamor, that rent all the Ayre; […] Example: [U]ntil the Commonwealth [of England] torture was constantly used as an instrument of evidence in the investigation of offences, whether municipal or political, without scruple, and without question as to its legality. 2. A weight of ¹⁄₂₈₈ of a pound, that is, twenty grains or one third of a dram, about 1.3 grams (symbol: ℈). Example: The Oyle ſerueth in many operations, and ſpecially in all colde diſeaſes, if they be inwardly, give thereof euerye morning one ſcruple to drinke, and if they be outward annoynt. Example: Bezoar (Horſe) called Hypolites, excites Sweat, reſiſts Poiſon, kills the Worms, and ſtops a Looſeneſs; the Doſe is from half a Scruple to two Scruples. 3. A Hebrew unit of time equal to ¹⁄₁₀₈₀ hour. Example: If it be ask'd why the Jews divide the Hour into 1080 Scruples, the Author of the Neomeniæ ſet forth by Munſter gives this reaſon fo it, becauſe there is no number that is diviſible into ſo many ſorts as this of 1080 is; for it may be divided by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 20, &c. Example: The Mahometan year consists of 12 lunar months, each containing 29 days, 12 hours and 792 scruples; (1080 scruples = 1 hour) so that the year contains 354 days, 8 hours and 864 scruples. 4. A very small quantity; a particle. Labels: broadly, obsolete Example: Why euery thing adheres togither, that no dramme of a ſcruple, no ſcruple of a ſcruple, no obſtacle, no incredulous or unſafe circumſtance: What can be ſaide? Nothing that can be, can come betweene me, and the full proſpect of my hopes. 5. A doubt or uncertainty concerning a matter of fact; intellectual perplexity. Labels: obsolete Example: There aroſe a Scruple, nay, it amount to a Queſtion, whether to attempt an Eſcape from my Patron, one that ſo dearly Loved me, ſo fairly bought me, were juſtifiable before God and Men?
Word: scruple Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Old French scrupule, from Latin scrūpulus (“(literally) a small sharp or pointed stone; uneasiness of mind, anxiety, doubt, trouble; scruple”) and scrūpulum (“one twenty-fourth of an ounce”), diminutives of scrūpus (“a rough or sharp stone; anxiety, uneasiness”); perhaps akin to Ancient Greek σκύρος (skúros, “the chippings of stone”), from ξυρόν (xurón, “razor”), from ξύω (xúō, “to scrape”), from Proto-Indo-European *ksew-. Doublet of escropulo and escrupulo. Pronunciation: /ˈskɹuːpəl/, /ˈskɹupəl/ 1. To hesitate or be reluctant to act due to considerations of conscience or expedience. Labels: intransitive Example: They wouldn't scruple to cheat us if given the opportunity. Example: On that day vvherein vve receive the Sacrament, vve are often over-precize, ſcrupling to ſay, or do, thoſe things vvhich lavvfully vve may. But vve, vvho are more then Curious that day, are not ſo much as Carefull the next. And too often, (vvhat ſhall I ſay) go on in ſinne, up to the Anckles, yea, our ſins 'go over our Heads. 2. To excite scruples in; to cause to scruple. Labels: intransitive Example: It is granted indeed before that time, the Supream power was in Him [Charles I of England], and we were all his Subjects: and then perhaps ſome might Scruple to cut his throat, for there were lawes then in force against Regicides, but now ſince his Reſignation, (for ſo in our Tenents we hold this Act to be,) there is no ſcruple to be made, thoſe lawes against King-killers are ſuſpended, and he is now become as Samſon was without his ſtrength, […] 3. To regard with suspicion; to question. Labels: transitive Example: As for the writings of Heathen authors, unleſſe they were plaine invectives againſt Chriſtianity, as thoſe of Porphyrius and Proclus, they met with no interdict that can be cited, till about the year 400, in a Carthaginian Councel, wherein Biſhops themſelves were forbid to read the Books of Gentiles, but Hereſies they might read: while others long before them on the contrary ſcrupl'd more the Books of Hereticks, then of Gentiles. Example: And notwithſtanding all the clamours of their inſulting brethren, they were ſatisfied that thoſe who were moſt forward for this declaration [that it was unlawful to take arms against the king], and moſt fierce in condemning thoſe who ſcrupled it, would not keep to it, if at any time they found things were come to extremity, as the event verified. 4. To question the truth of (a fact, etc.); to doubt; to hesitate to believe, to question. Labels: intransitive, obsolete Example: I do not scruple to admit that all the Earth seeth but only half of the Moon.
Word: rabbit ears Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From the shape of the ears of a rabbit. 1. An indoor dipole antenna consisting of two usually extensible rods connected to a base to form a V shape. Labels: plural, plural-only Example: He wrangled the rabbit ears to the best place for channel 4. Example: You know, get one of those, uh, some rabbit ears or something. 2. High sensitivity to heckling or insults. Labels: plural, plural-only Example: With many of the team members having roots on the Internet[…], the company had rabbit ears when it came to online commentary. "For the people actually working on the game, it's tough to get motivated to work on something everyone is telling you will suck," bluntly states Loconto. Example: Colin Montgomerie has been a heckling target of U.S. crowds for years, infamous as he was for having the proverbial rabbit ears.
Word: rabbit ears Part of Speech: noun 1. plural of rabbit ear Labels: form-of, plural
Word: nut butter Part of Speech: noun 1. A spread made from some type of seed or nut, similar to peanut butter. Labels: uncountable, usually
Word: peanut butter Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /ˌpiːnʌtˈbʌ.tə/, /ˈpiːnʌtˌbʌ.tə/, /ˈpi.nʌtˌbʌ.tɚ/ 1. A spread made from ground peanuts. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: She likes eating peanut butter on toast. Example: So far as we can determine, peanut butter has no effect on the rotation of the earth.
Word: peanut butter Part of Speech: verb Pronunciation: /ˌpiːnʌtˈbʌ.tə/, /ˈpiːnʌtˌbʌ.tə/, /ˈpi.nʌtˌbʌ.tɚ/ 1. To spread resources too thin. Labels: idiomatic, informal, transitive
Word: subsidize Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Etymology tree English subsidy 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 -ize English subsidize From subsidy + -ize. Pronunciation: /ˈsʌbsɪdaɪz/ 1. To assist (someone or something) by granting a subsidy. Labels: transitive Example: By the start of the 19th century, Europe was neckdeep in the Napoleonic Wars, which, at various times, amounted to the British Empire against Europe, and, at others, involved Britain subsidising various nations, such as Austria and Prussia, against Napoleon.
Word: vernal equinox Part of Speech: noun 1. The moment when the sun appears to cross the celestial equator while tilting towards the observer, taking place in March in the northern hemisphere (March equinox) and September in the southern hemisphere (September equinox).
Word: erudition Part of Speech: noun Etymology: First attested in the 15th Century. From Middle French érudition, from Latin eruditio (“an instructing, learning, erudition”), from erudire (“to instruct, educate, cultivate”, literally “free from rudeness”), from e (“out”) + rudis (“rude”). By surface analysis, erudite + -ion. Pronunciation: /ˌɛɹʊˈdɪʃən/ 1. Profound knowledge acquired from learning and scholarship. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Professor Archimedes Q. Porter was their only immediate anxiety. Fully assured in his own mind that his daughter had been picked up by a passing steamer, he gave over the last vestige of apprehension concerning her welfare, and devoted his giant intellect solely to the consideration of those momentous and abstruse scientific problems which he considered the only proper food for thought in one of his erudition. 2. The refinement, polish and knowledge that education confers. Labels: countable, uncountable
Word: naughty Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From late Middle English noughti, naughty (“evil, immoral, wicked”), from nought (“evil, immoral”) + -ī̆ (suffix forming adjectives). Analysable as naught + -y. Pronunciation: /ˈnɔːti/, /ˈnɔti/, [ˈnɔɾi], /ˈnɑti/, [ˈnɑɾi] 1. Mischievous; tending to misbehave or act badly (especially of a child). Example: Some naughty boys at school hid the teacher's lesson notes. 2. Sexually provocative; now in weakened sense, risqué, cheeky. Example: I bought some naughty lingerie for my honeymoon. Example: If I see you send another naughty email to your friends, you will be forbidden from using the computer! 3. Decadent, had as indulgence, especially an unhealthy one. Labels: informal Example: You knew I had to include at least one naughty chocolate smoothie, didn't you?! 4. Evil, wicked, morally reprehensible. Labels: archaic Example: my proneſſe to ſinne, and naughty appetites and desires, woulde drawe me headlong to the pitte of hell Example: […]How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world. 5. Bad, worthless, substandard. Labels: obsolete Example: In Cornwall is two speches, the one is naughty Englysshe, and the other is Cornysshe speche. Example: One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe: and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad.
Word: naughty Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From late Middle English noughti, naughty (“evil, immoral, wicked”), from nought (“evil, immoral”) + -ī̆ (suffix forming adjectives). Analysable as naught + -y. Pronunciation: /ˈnɔːti/, /ˈnɔti/, [ˈnɔɾi], /ˈnɑti/, [ˈnɑɾi] 1. To perform sexual acts.
Word: troublemaker Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From trouble + make + -er. Pronunciation: /ˈtɹʌbəlˌmeɪkə(ɹ)/ 1. One who causes trouble, especially one who does so deliberately. Example: The teacher separated the known troublemakers from the rest of the class. Example: He gained a reputation as a political troublemaker. 2. A complainer.
Word: knotty Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English knotti, knotty (“having a knot in it; full of knots; tied together (?); resembling a knot, knotlike; having knobs or protuberances; bulging, convex; of a tree, branch, etc.: full of knots, gnarled; of a plant cutting to be grafted or planted: full of buds or eyes; having joints (?); having swollen joints; of flesh: glandular; of flesh: granular, lumpy, especially, having many swellings; mangy, scurfy (?); having pimples (?); of cauterization: carried out on glandular tissue; (figuratively) of a question or problem: difficult, intricate”) [and other forms], from knotte (“knot; pattern of intersecting lines; coil of a snake”) (from Old English cnotta (“knot”), from Proto-Germanic *knuttô (“knot”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *gned- (“to bind”)) + -i (suffix forming adjectives from nouns). The English word may be analysed as knot + -y (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘having the quality of’). Cognates * Dutch knoestig (“knotty”) * German knotig (“knotty”) * Swedish knotig, knutig (“knotty”) Pronunciation: /ˈnɒti/, /ˈnɑti/, [-ɾi] 1. Of string or something stringlike: full of, or tied up, in knots. Example: I could a Tale vnfold, vvhoſe lighteſt vvord / VVould harrovv vp thy ſoule, freeze thy young blood, / Make thy tvvo eyes like Starres, ſtart from their Spheres, / Thy knotty and combined locks to part, / And each particular haire to ſtand an end, / Like Quilles vpon the fretfull Porpentine: […] Example: Their heads are long, their haire curld, and ſeeming rather wooll, then haire; tis blacke and knotty: […] 2. Of a part of the body, a tree, etc.: full of knots (knobs or swellings); gnarled, knobbly. Example: a knotty pine Example: If thou murmur'ſt, I vvwill rend an Oake / And peg thee in his knotty entrailes, till / Thou haſt hovvl'd avvay tvvelve vvinters. 3. Complicated or tricky; complex, difficult. Labels: figuratively Example: a knotty problem Example: crop-headed, short-haired 4. Of an austere or hard nature; rugged. Labels: figuratively Example: [A] witte in youth, that is not ouer dulle, heauie, knottie and lumpiſhe, but hard, rough, and though ſomwhat ſtaffiſhe, […] ſuch a witte I ſay, if it be, at the firſt well handled by the mother, and rightlie ſmothed and wrought as it ſhould, not ouerwhartlie, and against the wood, by the ſcholemaſter, both for learning, and hole courſe of liuing, proueth alwaies the beſt. Example: […] I may erre perhaps in ſoothing my ſelfe that this preſent truth reviv'd, vvill deſerve on all hands to be not ſiniſterly receiv'd, […] but vvith a ſmooth and pleaſing leſſon, vvhich receiv'd hath the vertue to ſoften and diſpell rooted and knotty ſorrovves: […]
Word: realia Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Late Latin realia, neuter plural of realis (“real”). Pronunciation: /ɹeɪˈɑːlɪə/, /ɹiːˈeɪlɪə/ 1. Objects from real life or from the real world, as opposed to theoretical constructs or fabricated examples. Labels: plural, plural-only Example: It might be possible, for example, to work backwards from the known realia of Visigothic Spain. 2. Words and expressions for culture-specific material elements. Labels: plural, plural-only 3. Physical objects in a library collection that do not fit into traditional categories of media, whose media are the objects themselves, as opposed to their informational content, such as artifacts, tools, memorabilia, and naturally-occurring specimens. Labels: plural, plural-only Example: "We acquire entire collections of materials for research purposes," explains Saundra Taylor, curator of manuscripts at the Lilly Library at Indiana University in Bloomington. "That inevitably includes something that's not books or manuscripts."
Word: like shooting fish in a barrel Part of Speech: prep_phrase 1. Extremely easy; sometimes with a connotation of triumph but at other times with a connotation of being meaningless and unsatisfying. Example: Opponents contend that the lumbering creatures are so easy to shoot that a moose hunt is a slaughter, not a sport. "It's like shooting fish in a barrel," they say. Example: For a photographer, shooting twins at the annual Twins Days Festival in Twinsburg, Ohio, must be like shooting fish in a barrel.
Word: barrel of monkeys Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Possibly influenced by barrel of fun or barrel of laughs. Pronunciation: /ˌbæɹ(ə)l‿əv ˈmʌŋkiz/, /ˌbæɹəl‿əv ˈmʌŋkiz/, /bɛ-/ 1. Someone or something very amusing or funny, fun, mischievous, etc. Labels: idiomatic, informal Example: He thinks he’s a barrel of monkeys, but he’s not particularly entertaining.
Word: inasmuch Part of Speech: adv Etymology: Univerbation of in + as + much ("to such a degree"), from Middle English in als mikel, a Northern form. Pronunciation: /ˌɪnəzˈmʌt͡ʃ/ 1. In like degree; in like manner; to the same or similar degree; likewise. Labels: dated, not-comparable Example: Not only so, but where they see the place of their fathers and of the just, they are hereby punished; for a chaos deep and large is fixed between them, inasmuch that a just man that hath compassion on them, cannot be admitted, nor can an unjust man if he were bold enough to attempt it, pass over it. Example: As to what in general respects the life of souls, or spirits lately decease, it was made manifest to me by much experience, that a man, when he comes into another life, does not know that he is in another life, imagining that he is still in the world, yea, in his own body; inasmuch, that when he is informed that he is a spirit, he is filled with wonder and astonishment, as well because he is altogether as a man, as to his senses, desires and thoughts, as from this, that he did not believe, when he lived in the world, that he was a spirit, or (as is the case with some) that a spirit could be such.
Word: unabashedly Part of Speech: adv Etymology: From unabashed + -ly or un- + abashedly. Pronunciation: /ˌʌnəˈbæʃɪdli/ 1. In an unabashed manner; without embarrassment or hesitation. Example: She and her two best friends are choreographing a number for the talent show; she’s applied to California Institute of the Arts; and she flirts unabashedly with a cute pizza server. (The better to land a couple of extra pepperonis on her slice without an upcharge.)
Word: just the same Part of Speech: adv 1. Anyway; nevertheless. Labels: idiomatic Example: He didn't like it one bit, but he smiled just the same.
Word: chords Part of Speech: noun 1. plural of chord Labels: form-of, plural
Word: no-name Part of Speech: adj 1. Lacking a recognizable name, identity, or reputation; not noteworthy. Labels: not-comparable Example: They went with a no-name shop on the edge of town. Example: A week after we met we were married in a no-name town in the middle of the night by a justice of the peace whose shingle was hanging in front of his house.
Word: no-name Part of Speech: noun 1. Someone or something lacking a recognizable name, identity, or reputation. Example: If you hire some no-name for the job, be sure to check references.
Word: imprudent Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle French imprudent, from Latin imprūdens (“not foreseeing, ignorant”), prefix im- (“not”) + prūdens (“foreseeing, skilled, judicious”). Pronunciation: /ɪmˈpɹudənt/ 1. Not prudent; lacking prudence or discretion; indiscreet; injudicious; not paying attention to the consequences of one's actions. Example: Here Her Majesty took a great dislike at the imprudent behavior of many of the Ministers and Readers. Example: ‘It was a most 'imprudent thing to go up Helvellyn in such weather,’ said Fräulein Müller, shaking her head gloomily as she ate her fish.
Word: day in, day out Part of Speech: adv 1. Every day; daily; constantly or continuously (especially, of something that has become routine or monotonous). Labels: idiomatic Example: Even if you like peanut butter sandwiches, eating the same sandwiches day in, day out will get old. Example: There were derailments happening day in and day out, due in part to 'shunting mishaps' but more frequently involving wagons in freight trains due to a combination of poor track and speed.
Word: retool Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Italic *wre- Latin re-der. Old French re-bor. Middle English re- English re- English tool English retool From re- + tool. Pronunciation: /riːˈtuːl/, /riˈtʉl/ 1. To adjust; to optimize; to rebuild. Labels: transitive Example: He decided it was time to retool last year's marketing brochure. Example: The coronation of a British ruler is, of course, a political ritual and a religious ceremony. But it is also, as the crowning of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 established, a TV show. It’s an anachronistic assertion of divine right retooled to recognize that, in the electronic era, even hereditary rulers have to argue their relevance.
Word: gewgaw Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From earlier gugaw, gygaw, from Middle English givegove (“gewgaw, trifle”), a reduplication of Middle English give, geove (“gift”), from Old English giefu, geofu, geafu (“gift”), from Proto-Germanic *gebō (“gift”). Compare Icelandic gyligjöf (“showy gifts, gewgaw”). More at give. Pronunciation: /ˈɡjuːɡɔː/, /ˈɡ(j)uɡɔ/, /ˈɡ(j)uɡɑ/ 1. A showy trifle, a toy; a showy trinket, ornament or decoration. Example: A heavy gewgaw called a crown. Example: It was a Saxon ornament. […] Some Puritan, before his departure, may have thought himself doing God service by filching the old golden gewgaw.
Word: gewgaw Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From earlier gugaw, gygaw, from Middle English givegove (“gewgaw, trifle”), a reduplication of Middle English give, geove (“gift”), from Old English giefu, geofu, geafu (“gift”), from Proto-Germanic *gebō (“gift”). Compare Icelandic gyligjöf (“showy gifts, gewgaw”). More at give. Pronunciation: /ˈɡjuːɡɔː/, /ˈɡ(j)uɡɔ/, /ˈɡ(j)uɡɑ/ 1. Showy; unreal; pretentious. Labels: not-comparable Example: The rattle of a globe to play withal, This gewgaw world, and put him cheaply off; Example: Seeing his gewgaw castle shine, New as his title, built last year.
Word: unearthly Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From un- + earthly. Pronunciation: /ʌnˈɜːθ.li/, /ʌnˈɝθ.li/ 1. Not of the earth; nonterrestrial. Example: They were, I now saw, the most unearthly creatures it is possible to conceive. Example: In the hard glare of the Searchlight, which had been manned by Seaman 2nd class Evans W. Watkins, the rock had the unearthly look of a miniature satellite in space. 2. Preternatural or supernatural. Labels: figuratively Example: I believe that we are the last human beings who will ever see that unearthly sight. Example: As a fourth finger snapped, Cacus gave an unearthly scream and relented. 3. Strange, enigmatic, or mysterious. Labels: figuratively Example: I then set out to survey the town in the self-same palankeen. The houses had all of them an unearthly appearance, by no means consonant to our ideas of Oriental splendor. 4. Ideal beyond the mundane. Labels: figuratively Example: By the late sixteenth century Elizabeth had become the icon-like Virgin Queen of legend, an image created, to a large extent, by her extraordinary, unearthly costume and appearance. 5. Ridiculous, ludicrous, or outrageous. Labels: derogatory, figuratively Example: I see my boys all wearing the same unearthly trousers, the same hair cuts, garish ties and sweaters, all rolling their socks and entertaining the same crazy notions about everything. Example: Two daily freight trips are run between Bristol West Depot and Wells. The first leaves Bristol at the unearthly hour of 3.50 a.m. and enters the branch at Yatton an hour later, over two hours before the first passenger train.
Word: itsy-bitsy Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From itty (baby-talk form of little) and/or bitsy. Pronunciation: /ˈɪtsi ˈbɪtsi/ 1. Very small; minuscule. Labels: childish, colloquial, humorous, often Example: The itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the water spout. Example: She wore an itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny yellow polka-dot bikini.
Word: itsy-bitsy Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From itty (baby-talk form of little) and/or bitsy. Pronunciation: /ˈɪtsi ˈbɪtsi/ 1. A very small thing; something tiny or insignificant. Labels: in-plural
Word: telluric Part of Speech: adj Etymology: A borrowing of French tellurique, from Latin tellus (“earth; earthy”) and Tellus (“Earth, Gaia”) and -ique (forming adjectives). Subsequently also from tellurium, originally in telluric oxide from German Telluroxyd. 1. Pertaining to the Earth, earthly. Example: My sister always says she loves novels where you feel an elemental strength, primordial, telluric. 2. Containing tellurium in a lower valency than in tellurous compounds.
Word: telluric Part of Speech: noun Etymology: A borrowing of French tellurique, from Latin tellus (“earth; earthy”) and Tellus (“Earth, Gaia”) and -ique (forming adjectives). Subsequently also from tellurium, originally in telluric oxide from German Telluroxyd. 1. Synonym of telluric current. Example: Other projects in progress at CRPL involve the study of audiofrequency tellurics (current induced in the earth) and earth conductivity measurements using atmospherics.
Word: direct inward dialing Part of Speech: noun 1. The ability to make an external telephone call to an internal extension within an organization. Labels: uncountable
Word: cockle Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English cokel, cokkel, kokkel, cocle, of uncertain origin. Perhaps a diminutive of Middle English cokke, cok (“cockle”), from Old English cocc (found in sǣcocc (“cockle”)) + -le; or perhaps from Old French coquille, from Vulgar Latin *cocchilia, from conchylia, from Ancient Greek κογχύλιον (konkhúlion), diminutive of κογχύλη (konkhúlē, “mussel”), of Pre-Greek substrate origin. Pronunciation: /ˈkɒkl̩/, /ˈkɑk(ə)l/ 1. Any of various edible European bivalve mollusks, of the family Cardiidae, having heart-shaped shells. Example: His wife, a small woman who walked always on high heels, borrowed Gerhardie's primus stove several times a day to cook her husband gargantuan meals of cockles, mussels, snails, and other such unpalatables. 2. The shell of such a mollusk. 3. A wrinkle, pucker 4. A defect in sheepskin; firm dark nodules caused by the bites of keds on live sheep Labels: broadly 5. Chiefly in cockles of someone's heart: a person's innermost feelings. Labels: figuratively, in-plural 6. The dome of a heating furnace. Labels: UK 7. The fire chamber of a furnace. Labels: UK 8. A kiln for drying hops; an oast. Labels: UK 9. The mineral black tourmaline or schorl. Labels: Cornwall, UK
Word: cockle Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English cokel, cokkel, kokkel, cocle, of uncertain origin. Perhaps a diminutive of Middle English cokke, cok (“cockle”), from Old English cocc (found in sǣcocc (“cockle”)) + -le; or perhaps from Old French coquille, from Vulgar Latin *cocchilia, from conchylia, from Ancient Greek κογχύλιον (konkhúlion), diminutive of κογχύλη (konkhúlē, “mussel”), of Pre-Greek substrate origin. Pronunciation: /ˈkɒkl̩/, /ˈkɑk(ə)l/ 1. To cause to contract into wrinkles or ridges, as some kinds of cloth after a wetting; to pucker. Labels: transitive
Word: cockle Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English cockil, cokil, cokylle, from Old English coccel (“darnel”), of unknown origin, perhaps from a diminutive of Latin coccus (“berry”). Pronunciation: /ˈkɒkl̩/, /ˈkɑk(ə)l/ 1. Any of several field weeds, such as the common corncockle (Agrostemma githago) and darnel ryegrass (Lolium temulentum). Example: But cockle, spurge, according to their law / Might propagate their kind, with none to awe, / You'd think; a burr had been a treasure trove.
Word: cockle Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Origin uncertain. Pronunciation: /ˈkɒkl̩/, /ˈkɑk(ə)l/ 1. To wobble, shake; to be unsteady. Labels: Midlands, Northern-England, Scotland Example: Israel Wilde arrived last, his ankle swollen and already berry-blue after cockling at the top of Hatherself Scout.
Word: cockle Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Rhyming slang, from cock and hen for ten. Pronunciation: /ˈkɒkl̩/, /ˈkɑk(ə)l/ 1. A £10 note; a tenner. Labels: Cockney, slang
Word: trompe l'oeil Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from French trompe-l’œil (literally “deceives the eye”), from trompe (“deceives”, third-person singular present indicative of tromper) + l’ (“the”, prevocalic form of le) + œil (“eye”). Pronunciation: /ˈtɹɔ̃p ˈlœj/, /ˈtɹɔmp ˈlɔɪ/, /-ˈleɪ/ 1. A genre of painting that exploits human vision to create the illusion that the subject of the painting is real. Labels: uncountable, usually Example: It looked like a private apartment, and yet it seemed also to be a place of business. It was furnished in decorative style with plastic, trick art objects hanging on the walls, geometrical forms of the trompe l'oeil type that intrigue business people. They are peculiarly vulnerable to art racketeers. Example: In 2008 they moved to New York, where they made waves at the 2010 Whitney Biennial with their “Fold” paintings, spray-painted canvases that were flat but seemed crumpled, a trompe l’oeil trick that reflected the artist’s enduring preoccupation with interdimensionality. 2. A painting of this kind. Labels: countable, usually
Word: docent Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Latin docēns, present participle of doceō (“to teach”). In the meaning of a university grade, as used in some Central European countries, it is clipped version of private docent, privat-docent, from German Privatdozent, from German Dozent. Pronunciation: /ˈdəʊ.sənt/, /ˈdoʊ.sənt/ 1. Instructive; that teaches.
Word: docent Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Latin docēns, present participle of doceō (“to teach”). In the meaning of a university grade, as used in some Central European countries, it is clipped version of private docent, privat-docent, from German Privatdozent, from German Dozent. Pronunciation: /ˈdəʊ.sənt/, /ˈdoʊ.sənt/ 1. A teacher or lecturer at some universities (in central Europe, etc.) Example: Zermelo had been a docent at Göttingen when Kit was there and, like Russell, had been preoccupied with the set of all sets that are not members of themselves. 2. A tour guide at a museum, art gallery, historical site, etc. Labels: US Example: The docent greeted the visitors and welcomed them to the Smithsonian. Example: She was listening distractedly as an elderly docent intoned to a circle of listless children.
Word: class action Part of Speech: noun 1. A lawsuit brought by a single plaintiff or small group of plaintiffs as a representative of a large group of others having a common interest, with everyone in the large group eligible to receive damages if the plaintiff is successful. Labels: Canada, US
Word: musaceous Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From the family name Musaceae + -ous. Pronunciation: /mjuːˈseɪʃəs/ 1. Pertaining to a banana or plantain. Example: Now there grows among all the rooms, replacing the night’s old smoke, alcohol and sweat, the fragile, musaceous odor of Breakfast: flowery, permeating, surprising
Word: reprieve Part of Speech: verb Etymology: First use appears c. 1513 in the writings of Robert Fabyan. In the sense of “to take back to prison”, from Middle English repryen (“to remand, detain”) (1494), possibly from Middle French repris, in the form of reprendre (“take back”); a cognate to reprise. The sense has become generalized, but does retain connotations of punishment and execution. The noun's first use appears c. 1592. Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈpɹiːv/ 1. To cancel or postpone the punishment of someone, especially an execution. Labels: transitive 2. To bring relief to someone. Labels: transitive Example: Company […] may reprieve a man from his melancholy, yet it cannot secure him from his conscience. 3. To take back to prison (in lieu of execution). Labels: obsolete, transitive 4. To abandon or postpone plans to close, withdraw or abolish (something). Labels: transitive Example: At the time of writing the halts have been reprieved due to doubts as to the legality of the withdrawal of services. It is feared that this reprieve may not outlast the summer timetable which, on the section in question, provides only a skeleton of the former service.
Word: reprieve Part of Speech: noun Etymology: First use appears c. 1513 in the writings of Robert Fabyan. In the sense of “to take back to prison”, from Middle English repryen (“to remand, detain”) (1494), possibly from Middle French repris, in the form of reprendre (“take back”); a cognate to reprise. The sense has become generalized, but does retain connotations of punishment and execution. The noun's first use appears c. 1592. Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈpɹiːv/ 1. The cancellation or postponement of a punishment. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: The prisoner was saved from execution; the governor had requested a reprieve. 2. A document authorizing such an action. Labels: countable, uncountable 3. Relief from pain etc., especially temporary. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: I have photographed destroyed homes, hospitals, funerals, humanitarian aid, empty markets and the daily lives of people returning to their neighborhoods during moment of reprieve. Example: Yet it was not easy, on the balance of play, to be convinced by Pellegrini and his defeated players that the reprieve might somehow be a defining moment over the two legs. 4. A cancellation or postponement of a proposed event undesired by many. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: At the time of writing the halts have been reprieved due to doubts as to the legality of the withdrawal of services. It is feared that this reprieve may not outlast the summer timetable which, on the section in question, provides only a skeleton of the former service. Example: And it said there was no reprieve for 435 stations already approved for closure before the report appeared.
Word: inked Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English inked, ynkid (“written in ink”), equivalent to ink + -ed. 1. Having a tattoo or tattoos. Labels: not-comparable, slang
Word: inked Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁én Ancient Greek ἐν (en) Ancient Greek ἐν- (en-) Proto-Indo-European *keh₂w-? Proto-Hellenic *káyyō Ancient Greek καίω (kaíō) Ancient Greek καυστός (kaustós) Ancient Greek ἔγκαυστον (énkauston)bor. Late Latin encaustumder. Old French enquebor. Middle English ynke English ink English -ed English inked From ink + -ed. 1. simple past and past participle of ink Labels: form-of, participle, past
Word: goat antelope Part of Speech: noun 1. Any of a group of herbivore mammals, the subfamily Caprinae, that includes domestic sheep and goats.
Word: cognac Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from French cognac, from Cognac, a city in France, from Medieval Latin Comniacum, from the name Cominius + Gallo-Roman suffix -acum, from Proto-Celtic *-ākom. Pronunciation: /ˈkɒn.jæk/, /ˈkəʊn.jæk/ 1. A brandy distilled from white wine in the region around Cognac in France. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Major manufacturers add a small proportion of caramel to color their cognacs. Example: Cognac, with the addition of a little paprika and the yolk of an egg, is considered an effective aphrodisiac aid.
Word: Cognac Part of Speech: name Etymology: From French Cognac, from Occitan Conhac, from Medieval Latin Comniacum, from the name Cominius, Cominia + Gallo-Roman suffix -acum (from Latin -ācea). 1. A city and commune of Charente department, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France; famous for cognac brandy. 2. Alternative letter-case form of cognac (brandy from Cognac). Labels: alt-of Example: I confess that since Madame X left me[…]Housekeeping Anarchy had reigned o’er my Putney domicile[…], so my porcelain throne has long been my de facto office seat. A decent Cognac sits under the ball-gowned lavatory-roll cover, and I leave the door open so I can hear the kitchen radio.
Word: département Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From French département. Doublet of department. 1. An administrative unit in various French-speaking countries, smaller than a région, similar to an English county. Example: On the other hand, the political–territorial pattern has been maintained but also redirected at the départemental level by the transformation of former ministerial départemental directorates into inter-ministerial units, under the supervision of the prefects of the département.
Word: Rabbie Part of Speech: name Pronunciation: /ˈɹæb.i/ 1. A Scottish form of Robbie, a short form of the male given name Robert.
Word: Robbie Part of Speech: name 1. A diminutive of the male given name Robert, particularly popular in Scotland. 2. A diminutive of the female given name Roberta. 3. A surname originating as a patronymic.
Word: rarified Part of Speech: adj 1. Alternative spelling of rarefied. Labels: alt-of, alternative
Word: rarified Part of Speech: verb 1. simple past and past participle of rarify Labels: form-of, participle, past
Word: desktop Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From desk + top. Pronunciation: /ˈdɛsktɒp/, [ˈdɛskˌtɔp], [ˈdɛskˌtɒp], [ˈdɛskˌtɑp] 1. The top surface of a desk. 2. A desktop computer. Example: Laptops are often more expensive than desktops. 3. A personal computer, as opposed to computers for business or server purposes. 4. The main graphical user interface of an operating system, usually displaying icons, windows and background wallpaper. Example: I installed a new application and it added its icon to my desktop. Example: Important menus, such as the root menu or Workspace menu, are "pinnable," which means that you can pin them up and keep them on your desktop […] 5. The wallpaper of this interface. Example: For quotations using this term, see Citations:desktop.
Word: desktop Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From desk + top. Pronunciation: /ˈdɛsktɒp/, [ˈdɛskˌtɔp], [ˈdɛskˌtɒp], [ˈdɛskˌtɑp] 1. Designed for use on a desk or similar piece of furniture. Labels: not-comparable 2. Of an application or website, designed to be run or viewed on a personal computer. Labels: not-comparable Example: desktop browser
Word: rule in Part of Speech: verb Etymology: By analogy with rule out. 1. To consider (something) as a possible option among others. Labels: idiomatic, transitive Example: It was coming from a credible source, someone with a track record, someone who was a credible and respected member of an allied intelligence service during his career, and so it was important that we try to understand it, and see what could we verify, what could we rule in or rule out.
Word: rule out Part of Speech: verb 1. To cross an item out by drawing a straight line through it, as with a ruler. Labels: transitive 2. To reject an option from a list of possibilities. Labels: idiomatic, transitive Example: As Jane Doe had an alibi, the police were able to rule her out as a suspect. Example: In general, steel springs were stipulated for primary suspension, although rubber was accepted for auxiliary springing; hydraulic dampers were specified and the use of laminated springs ruled out. 3. To make something impossible. Labels: idiomatic, transitive Example: The constant rain ruled out any chance of a game of tennis. 4. To disallow. Labels: transitive Example: And Martin Skrtel's late headed goal was rightly ruled out for offside. 5. To make unavailable. Labels: transitive Example: Flair and invention were very much at a premium, suffocated by the relentless pace and often fractious nature of proceedings. The absence of James Morrison from the centre of Scotland’s midfield, the West Brom man ruled out on the morning of the game by illness, had already diminished the creative capacity of the home side in that department.
Word: instigating Part of Speech: verb 1. present participle and gerund of instigate Labels: form-of, gerund, participle, present
Word: membrum virile Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Latin membrum virile. 1. The penis. Example: And at all times, now as in proto-history, the membrum virile is the symbol of creation, the ultimate basis and source of life.
Word: tela Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Learned borrowing from Latin tēla (“web”). Doublet of toile. Pronunciation: /ˈtiːlə/ 1. A thin, web-like structure or membrane.
Word: dragon tree Part of Speech: noun 1. Any of several trees, of the genus Dracaena, having a thick trunk, sword-shaped leaves and orange fruit, especially Dracaena draco, of the Canary Islands – a source of dragon's blood. Example: Another ancient vegetable relic surviving in Macaronesia is the legendary dragon tree, whose sap, marketed as dragon’s blood, was in past times much prized as a medicine, as incense and as a dye.
Word: dragon's blood Part of Speech: noun 1. A bright red resin, obtained from different species of a number of distinct plants Calamus rotang and genera Croton, Dracaena, Daemonorops, and Pterocarpus, used in the manufacture of varnishes, lacquers, medicines, and incenses. Labels: uncountable Example: For black magic, assafœtida, garlic, dragon's blood, sulphur, and such-like vile-smelling concoctions were used. Example: Another ancient vegetable relic surviving in Macaronesia is the legendary dragon tree, whose sap, marketed as dragon’s blood, was in past times much prized as a medicine, as incense and as a dye.
Word: biff Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Onomatopoeic. Pronunciation: /bɪf/ 1. A sudden, sharp blow or punch. Labels: informal Example: "Hit him a biff," said the Big Man. 2. A wipeout. Labels: informal
Word: biff Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Onomatopoeic. Pronunciation: /bɪf/ 1. To punch or hit. Labels: informal, transitive 2. To discard; to throw out; to throw away. Labels: Atlantic-Canada, New-Zealand, slang, transitive 3. To wipe out; to faceplant; to fall. Labels: informal 4. To mess up. Labels: informal 5. To move quickly. Labels: intransitive
Word: biff Part of Speech: intj Etymology: Onomatopoeic. Pronunciation: /bɪf/ 1. The sound of a person being punched or hit. Example: Whap, Biff, Ooooof, Sock, Pow, Zok! Batman is back. Gotham City is again leaving its law and order in the hands of a man who wears plastic underpants over his tights.
Word: morbilliform Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Medieval Latin morbillus (“measles”) + -form. See morbilli for more. 1. Resembling the erythematous, maculopapular rash of measles. Labels: not-comparable
Word: morbilli Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Medieval Latin morbillus, from Latin morbus (“disease”) + -illus (“diminutive suffix”). 1. measles, rubeola Labels: plural, plural-only
Word: cash on delivery Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /ˈkæʃ ɒn dɪˈlɪv(ə)ɹi/, /ˈkæʃ ɑn dəˈlɪv(ə)ɹi/ 1. A kind of transaction in which goods are paid for in full in cash or by certified check only once they are received by the buyer. Labels: uncountable
Word: britches Part of Speech: noun Etymology: An alteration of breeches (“trousers, pantaloons”) in use since at least the 18th century in Britain and British colonies. Pronunciation: /ˈbɹɪt͡ʃɪz/ 1. Alternative form of breeches (pants, trousers). Labels: Appalachia, Southern-US, alt-of, alternative, plural, plural-only Example: And Tom Bowles told him, says, "Go up to the store and get you a free pair of britches [on me]." Says, "Them damned old britches you wearing ain't fittin' to wear to town." 2. The roe of cod. Labels: plural, plural-only
Word: Venda Part of Speech: name Pronunciation: /ˈvɛndə/ 1. A former self-governing Black African homeland in South Africa. 2. The language of the people of this area.
Word: Venda Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /ˈvɛndə/ 1. A member of the Black people of this area. Example: The Venda live mostly in Limpopo Province in the northern part of South Africa. There are about one million Vendas and their language is also known as Luvenda, Tshivenda or simply Venda. Their native land was once a Bantustan during [Apartheid]. Example: They don't really react badly, because they say I look mostly like a South African, like a Venda. I don't look like a foreigner. I mean I look like a Venda. So, when I tell them I am from another country, they actually get surprised.
Word: thereat Part of Speech: adv Etymology: From Middle English thereat, ther-at, þeratte, þerat, from Old English þǣræt, from Proto-West Germanic *þārat, from Proto-Germanic *þarat, equivalent to there + at. Pronunciation: /ðɛːɹˈæt/ 1. There; at that place. Labels: not-comparable Example: So she goeth around the hill compassing Time with me goes slow. - So there openeth a door, and thereat goes she in. Example: “Surely,” said I, “surely that is something at my window lattice; / Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore— 2. At that event. Labels: not-comparable Example: Old Deacon Smith was quick to see the impression made by Abby Howard upon the mind of his son, and he was wonderfully pleased thereat, for Abby was the oldest daughter of the good Deacon Howard, and was herself a church member, and pious. He had more hope for his son now, than he had felt for years. Example: Then said the gods, “Earth is no place for laughter.” Thereat They strode to Pegāna’s outer gate, to where the Pestilence lay curled asleep, and waking him up They pointed toward Harza, and the Pestilence leapt forward howling across the sky.
Word: redneck Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Bahuvrīhi compound of red + neck. Compare rooinek. The term originally characterized farmers that had a red neck, caused by sunburn from long hours working in the fields. Pronunciation: /ˈɹɛdnɛk/ 1. A poor, rural, usually white, person from the Southern United States or parts of the Midwest and Northeast, especially one whose beliefs are seen as unsophisticated and backward; sometimes with additional connotations of being bigoted. Labels: US, derogatory, ethnic, offensive, slang, slur, usually 2. yokel, hick, country bumpkin Labels: broadly, derogatory Example: Sample a look back you look and find / Nothing but rednecks for 400 years if you check 3. Any of the miners who wore red bandanas for identification during the West Virginia mine war of 1921. Labels: US, historical, slang 4. A member of a certain Baltimore street gang, active in 1859. Labels: US, historical, slang 5. A Roman Catholic. Labels: UK, archaic, slur
Word: therebefore Part of Speech: adv Etymology: From there + before. 1. Before that time. Labels: not-comparable 2. Before that (the thing aforementioned). Labels: not-comparable Example: "Will you take anything, sir?" "He would not dine till his friend Captain Jones arrived;" and turning his heels he finished the room. The old gentleman poked the fire as if he entertained a particular spite against a particular coal at the top, and threw aside the poker so snappishly, that it knocked down the shovel, which, resenting the blow, prostrated the tongs with a terrible clatter, and the whole tumbling together, capsized the fender, which coming with its sharp edge on the tail of a French poodle lying therebefore, sent him howling "harsh discords" out of the room. At this moment up went my peripatetic gentleman once more, and his spur catching in the skirts of the old boy's Bath beaver surtout, his small grey eyes kindled like the coal he had just broken — " D⸺n, sir!" — (very emphatic and furious) — " Why don't you sit down like a gentleman?" had almost escaped his quivering lips — (you read the sentence in his eyes) — when, fortunately for the lovers of peace and the dislikers of duelling, in came Captain Jones's man with his master's compliments, and he could not meet him that day. Example: Now with the train of her handmaids paced to the minster the Queen— But lo, cometh Kriemhild the lovely, a very glory-sheen, With maidens three-and-forty, which had fared with her unto Rhine: In loveliest loomwork, woven in Araby, did they shine. So royally swept the maidens up to the minster-door; And for her the vassals of Siegfried were waiting therebefore.
Word: theretofore Part of Speech: adv Etymology: From Middle English ther-to-fore, þeretofore, þer to-fore, þer toforn, þær toforen, from Old English þǣr tōforan, equivalent to there + tofore. 1. Until that time. Labels: formal Example: Þæt wolde ðyncan wundorlic ælcum men þe on Englalande wæs, gif ænig man ær þam sæde þæt hit swa gewurþan sceolde, for ðam þe he wæs ær to þam swyðe up ahafen swylce he weolde þæs cynges ⁊ ealles Englalandes, ⁊ his sunan wæron eorlas, ⁊ þæs cynges dyrlingas, ⁊ his dohtor þæm cynge beweddod ⁊ beæwnod. 2. Before that. Labels: formal
Word: saccharine Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱorkeh₂ Proto-Indo-Iranian *ćárkaraH Proto-Indo-Aryan *śárkaraH Sanskrit शर्क॑रा (śárkarā) Pali sakkharābor. Ancient Greek σάκχᾰρον (sákkhăron)bor. Latin saccharon New Latin saccharum Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Indo-European *-iHnos Proto-Italic *-īnos Latin -īnusder. Old French -inbor. Middle English -in English -ine English saccharine From New Latin saccharum (“sugar”) + English -ine (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives). Saccharum is derived from saccharon (“syrupy liquid from bamboo or reeds”), from Ancient Greek σάκχαρον (sákkharon), from Pali sakkharā (“sugar; gravel; granule, grain; crystal; potsherd”), from Sanskrit शर्करा (śárkarā, “ground or candied sugar; cotton sugar, sugarmaple; gravel, grit, pebbles; potsherd”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱorkeh₂ (“boulder; gravel”). Pronunciation: /ˈsækəɹaɪn/, /-ɹɪn/, /-ɹiːn/, /ˈsækɹɪn/, /ˈsækəɹɪn/ 1. Of or relating to sugar; sugary. Labels: dated 2. Containing a large or excessive amount of sugar. Labels: dated 3. Excessively sweet in action or disposition, especially if romantic or sentimental to the point of ridiculousness; sickly sweet, syrupy. Labels: derogatory, figuratively 4. Resembling granulated sugar; saccharoid.