nandhakumarms/qualc-wiktionary-en huggingface dataset:
Word: importune Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English importune, inportune, from Anglo-Norman and Middle French importun and its etymon Classical Latin importūnus. Pronunciation: /ɪmpɔːˈtjuːn/, /ɪmˈpɔːtjuːn/, /ɪmpɔɹˈtuːn/ 1. Grievous, severe, exacting. Labels: obsolete Example: And therewithall he fiercely at him flew, / And with importune outrage him assayld [...]. 2. Inopportune; unseasonable. Labels: obsolete 3. Troublesome; vexatious; persistent. Labels: obsolete Example: And their importune fates all satisfide. Example: Of all other affections it [envy] is the most importune and continual.
Word: importune Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English importune, inportune, from Anglo-Norman and Middle French importun and its etymon Classical Latin importūnus. Pronunciation: /ɪmpɔːˈtjuːn/, /ɪmˈpɔːtjuːn/, /ɪmpɔɹˈtuːn/ 1. Synonym of importuner. Labels: obsolete Example: And yet in ſome Courts it is otherwiſe vſed, for in Spaine it is thought very vndecent for a Courtier to craue, ſuppoſing that it is the part of an importune: […] Example: Which ſhew that importunate People will affirm any Thing, to ſerve Turns, though never fo ſenſeleſs; hoping ſome, that underſtand little, or are very willing, will give credit upon their Authority: And, if Juſtice muſt ſtay till ſuch Importunes are ſatisfied, there’s a ne plus ultra of all Law.
Word: importunate Part of Speech: adj Etymology: First attested in 1477, in Middle english; from Latin importūnus + -ate (adjective-forming suffix), modelled on Middle French importuné. By surface analysis, importune + -ate. The noun was substantivized from the adjective, see -ate (noun-forming suffix). Pronunciation: /ɪmˈpɔːtjʊnət/, /ɪmˈpɔɹt͡ʃənət/ 1. Persistent or pressing, often annoyingly so. Example: Nick was on the point of declaring again that he was a humbug, so vivid was his inner sense of what he thought of his factitious public utterances, which had the cursed property of creating dreadful responsibilities and importunate credulities for him. Example: Trembling in every limb I raise my loud im­portunate cry, And in a sacred terror wait the Delian god’s reply. 2. Given to importunate demands, greedily or thoughtlessly demanding. Example: [...] if you reprimand or punish them, be assured every one will consider you importunate as well as ridiculous.
Word: importunate Part of Speech: noun Etymology: First attested in 1477, in Middle english; from Latin importūnus + -ate (adjective-forming suffix), modelled on Middle French importuné. By surface analysis, importune + -ate. The noun was substantivized from the adjective, see -ate (noun-forming suffix). Pronunciation: /ɪmˈpɔːtjʊnət/, /ɪmˈpɔɹt͡ʃənət/ 1. An importuner. Example: This will put an Answer into the Kings mouth, against all importunates.
Word: importunate Part of Speech: verb Etymology: First attested in 1574; adapted borrowing of French importuner (“to bother, disturb”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Pronunciation: /ɪmˈpɔːtjuːneɪt/, /ɪmˈpɔɹtjuːneɪt/ 1. To importune, or to obtain by importunity. Labels: rare Example: All which notwithstanding, I obtained licence at length to make my supplication to the noble Parliament house; but I could find no messengers till Sir John Seton went, whom I importunated daily to obtain me favor for my return home again. Example: Is my work ended? The fear of importunating my friends answers, “Yes.”
Word: pycnocline Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From pycno- + -cline. 1. A boundary layer in a body of water between areas of different temperature or salinity. Example: The bay has fresher water at the surface and saltier water at the bottom, in between is the pycnocline. 2. A layer of water where the density changes rapidly with depth
Word: unbiased Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- English bias English -ed English biased English unbiased From un- + biased. 1. Not biased. 2. Impartial or without bias or prejudice. Example: A self-proclaimed source of mediation and unbiased ratings of millions of businesses across the country, the BBB receives the majority of its revenue from membership fees paid by hundreds of thousands of companies. Example: The methodology, which we have named the Aural-Oral Transect (AOT), is a systematic, easy-to-implement, unbiased way of collecting quantitative data on spoken language use in multilingual settings.
Word: unbidden Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From un- + bidden. Pronunciation: /ʌnˈbɪd.ən/ 1. not invited, requested or asked for Labels: not-comparable Example: The words of the spell rose unbidden in his throat. He opened his mouth as in a dream, shaping it around the first barbaric syllable.
Word: unblemished Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- English blemished English unblemished From un- + blemished. 1. Lacking blemishes; faultless. 2. Free from corruption or evil. Labels: figuratively Example: His own estate it most decidedly was, for he had paid for it with his own money; but it had not descended to him from a long line of unblemished ancestry. Example: The lake country is a holiday paradise. All the water sports are practiced. Life is lively without being raucous, the landscape is unblemished by gas stations, souvenir stands, or hot-doggeries.
Word: unbreakable Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- English break Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlis Proto-Italic *-ðlis Latin -bilis Latin -ābilis Old French -ablebor. Middle English -able English -able English unbreakable From un- + break + -able. 1. Difficult or impossible to break and therefore able to withstand rough usage. Example: unbreakable comb Example: His 14 singles titles still look like a typo even for those like me who have watched him build that probably unbreakable record, red brick by red brick. 2. Resilient. Labels: figuratively Example: the unbreakable spirit of the rebels 3. Not able to be broken in.
Word: unbreakable Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- English break Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlom Proto-Indo-European *-dʰlis Proto-Italic *-ðlis Latin -bilis Latin -ābilis Old French -ablebor. Middle English -able English -able English unbreakable From un- + break + -able. 1. Something that cannot be broken.
Word: unburden Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From un- + burden. Pronunciation: /ʌnˈbɜːdn̩/, /ʌnˈbɝdn̩/, /ʌnˈbʌɾdn̩/, /ɐnˈbɜːdn̩/, /ɐnˈbøːdn̩/ 1. To free from burden, or relieve from trouble. Labels: transitive
Word: disturbance Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English disturbaunce, from Old French destorbance, destourbance, from destourber (“disturb”), from Latin disturbō. By surface analysis, disturb + -ance. Pronunciation: /dɪˈstɜː.bəns/, [dɪˈstɜːbn̩s], /dɪˈstɜɹ.bəns/, [dɪˈstɝbn̩s] 1. The act of disturbing, being disturbed. Labels: countable, uncountable 2. Something that disturbs. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: That guy causes a lot of trouble, you know, he’s such a disturbance. 3. A noisy commotion that causes a hubbub or interruption. Labels: countable, uncountable 4. An interruption of that which is normal or regular. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Phoenix and Lubbock are both caught in severe drought, and it is going to get much worse. We may see many such [dust] storms in the decades ahead, along with species extinctions, radical disturbance of ecosystems, and intensified social conflict over land and water. Welcome to the Anthropocene, the epoch when humans have become a major geological and climatic force. Example: Blue No. 1 and yellow No. 6 may also be toxic to some human cells. And as little as 1 milligram of yellow dye No. 5 may cause irritability, restlessness and sleep disturbances for sensitive children. 5. A serious mental imbalance or illness. Labels: countable, uncountable
Word: umpteenth Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From umpteen + -th. Pronunciation: /ˈʌmp.tiːnθ/ 1. Occurring in a relatively large but unspecified position in a sequence. Labels: informal, not-comparable Example: That's the umpteenth time I've had to tell him not to swear in front of the children. Example: For the umpteenth time, I chickened.
Word: nth Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From n + -th (ordinal suffix). Pronunciation: /ɛnθ/ 1. Occurring at position n in a sequence. Labels: not-comparable 2. Occurring at a relatively large but unspecified position in a series. Labels: informal, not-comparable Example: Shea had just beaten me at chess, as usual, and, also as usual, I had gleaned what questionable satisfaction I might by twitting him with this indication of failing mentality by calling his attention to the nth time to that theory, propounded by certain scientists, which is based upon the assertion that phenomenal chess players are always found to be from the ranks of children under twelve, adults over seventy-two or the mentally defective.
Word: nth Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From n + -th (ordinal suffix). Pronunciation: /ɛnθ/ 1. The item at position n in a sequence. 2. The item in a relatively large but unspecified position in a series. Labels: informal Example: This is, after all, not strange, for none of them had either knowledge or experience in Occult matters, whereas for over thirty years I have made a special study of this subject, and have gone to and fro over the earth investigating to the nth all records of Spiritual Phenomena.
Word: Caucasian Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Caucasus (“mountain range in Eastern Europe between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea”) + -ian (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘from, related to, or like’, or forming nouns with the sense ‘one from, belonging to, relating to, or like’). The anthropological sense (no longer regarded as scientific) was popularized by the German anthropologist and physician Johann Friedrich Blumenbach (1752–1840), based on the belief that the first humans originated from there. Noun sense 2 (“cocktail”) was popularized by the film The Big Lebowski (1998): see the quotation. Pronunciation: /kɔːˈkeɪ.ʒən/, /-ʃən/, /kɔːˈkeɪ.zɪ.ən/, /kɔˈkeɪ.ʒən/, /kɑˈkeɪ.ʒən/ 1. Of or relating to the Caucasus region or its culture, languages, and people. 2. Of a racial classification pertaining to people having certain phenotypical features such as straight, curly, or wavy hair and very light to brown pigmented skin, and originating from Europe, parts of Northern Africa and Central, South, and Western Asia. Labels: dated 3. Of a person: having a white complexion and European ancestry; white. Labels: Australia, Canada, Singapore, UK, US
Word: Caucasian Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Caucasus (“mountain range in Eastern Europe between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea”) + -ian (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘from, related to, or like’, or forming nouns with the sense ‘one from, belonging to, relating to, or like’). The anthropological sense (no longer regarded as scientific) was popularized by the German anthropologist and physician Johann Friedrich Blumenbach (1752–1840), based on the belief that the first humans originated from there. Noun sense 2 (“cocktail”) was popularized by the film The Big Lebowski (1998): see the quotation. Pronunciation: /kɔːˈkeɪ.ʒən/, /-ʃən/, /kɔːˈkeɪ.zɪ.ən/, /kɔˈkeɪ.ʒən/, /kɑˈkeɪ.ʒən/ 1. A native or inhabitant of the Caucasus. 2. Synonym of White Russian (“a cocktail consisting of coffee liqueur, milk, and vodka”). Labels: humorous Example: I'll go out and mingle. Jesus, you mix a hell of a Caucasian, Jackie. 3. A member of the Caucasian racial classification (adjective sense 2). Labels: dated 4. A group of languages spoken in the Caucasus region. 5. A white person. Labels: Canada, US Example: The male Caucasian, twenty-four, a skier, was said to have been missing for over three hours.
Word: matutinal Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Borrowed from Middle French matutinal (modern French matutinal), and from its etymon Late Latin mātūtīnālis (“(adjective) belonging to the morning; of or pertaining to matins; (noun) morning hymn or psalm; book of lauds”), from Latin mātūtīnus (“of, occurring in, or pertaining to the early morning, matutine”) (from Mātūta (“Roman goddess of the dawn or morning”) (from Proto-Indo-European *meh₂- (“to mature, ripen; opportune, timely; good, great”)) + -īnus (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives of relationship). The second sense (“active in the morning; waking up early”) is possibly modelled after French matinal (“relating to the morning, matinal”). Pronunciation: /məˈtjuː.tɪ.nl̩, -ˈt͡ʃuː-/, /ˌmæt.jʊˈtaɪ.nl̩, -ˈt͡ʃʊ-/, /məˈt(j)utɪnl̩/ [-ɾə-] 1. Of, occurring in, or relating to the morning, especially the early morning upon waking up. Labels: formal, literary, not-comparable Example: 1874, Henry James, "Professor Fargo" in The Galaxy 18(2) (August 1874): 233–253. [A] young lady was introduced who had come to request him to raise a ghost—a resolute young lady, with several ringlets and a huge ancestral umbrella, whose matutinal appetite for the supernatural had not been quenched by the raw autumnal storm. Example: 'Top 'o the mornin' to ye!' he called to Flory in a hearty matutinal voice, putting on an Irish accent. 2. Active in the morning; waking up early. Labels: formal, literary, not-comparable Example: Pen, putting on his hat, strode forth into the air, and almost over the body of the matutinal housemaid, who was rubbing the steps at the door. Example: Certain other plants agree with certain other kinds of birds in being peculiarly matutinal. Go out as early as we will, we find the delicate white bells of the wild convolvulus in the dewy hedge, […] just as we are never too soon for the chaffinch, the blackbird, and the lark.
Word: gaiety Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Middle French gaieté, from gai. By surface analysis, gay + -ety. Pronunciation: /ˈɡeɪ.ə.ti/, /ˈɡeɪ.ɪ.ti/ 1. The state of being happy or merry. Labels: dated, uncountable Example: There was much gaiety at the ball. Example: The decorations added greatly to the gaiety of the room. 2. Merrymaking or festivity. Labels: countable, dated Example: And he would tell her all sorts of wonders, old-world gaieties, long before she was born; and how finely the great Mr. [George Frideric] Handel played upon the harpischord^([sic]) in the Music Hall, and how his talk was in German, Latin, French, English, Italian, and half-a-dozen languages beside, […]
Word: gayness Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English gaynesse, equivalent to gay + -ness. Pronunciation: /ˈɡeɪ.nəs/ 1. The state of being gay (colorful or festive); display or dressiness. Labels: dated, rare, uncountable, usually Example: And truly, at a short butt, which some men doth use, the peacock feather doth seldom keep up the shaft either right or level, it is so rough and heavy ; so that many men, which have taken them up for gayness, hath laid them down again for profit: Example: Let me ſpeak prowdly: Tell the Conſtable, ⁠/ We are but Warriors for the working-day: / Our Gayneſſe and our Gilt are all beſmyrcht / With raynie Marching in the painefull field. 2. The state of being gay (cheerful); gaiety. Labels: countable, dated, rare, usually 3. The state of being gay (homosexual); homosexuality; demeanor stereotypically representative of it. Labels: uncountable, usually Example: You cannot blame their gayness, their queerness, their homosexuality on sudden wealth. Example: Tell Al Sublette I met a great new pianist called Cecil Taylor, [he] plays like [Oscar] Peterson gone Classical, fast runs but Brubeck-Stravinsky-Prokofieff chords, a Juilliard classicist—He, like [James] Baldwin, [is] colored, [and] I think gay,—Baldwin is gay. I don’t dig all this gayness.
Word: gonorrhea Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From New Latin, from Late Latin gonorrhoea, from Ancient Greek γονόρροια (gonórrhoia), from γόνος (gónos, “sperm, seed, offspring”) + ῥοία (rhoía, “flow”) (ca. 1526). By surface analysis, gono- + -rrhea. Pronunciation: /ˌɡɒn.əˈɹiː.ə/, /ˌɡɑn.əˈɹi.ə/ 1. A sexually transmitted infection caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a species of bacteria (the gonococcus) that affects the mucous membrane of the genital and urinary tracts. Labels: US, countable, uncountable
Word: trichomoniasis Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From translingual Trichomonas + -iasis. 1. A common sexually transmitted disease caused by the parasite Trichomonas vaginalis and infecting the urinary tract or vagina. Labels: uncountable, usually Example: Similar changes occur later after the menopause that, if not ideal for colonization by T. vaginalis they are clearly not impossible, since both prepubertal and post-menopausal trichomoniases in females are well described. Example: Trichomoniasis is the most prevalent nonviral sexually transmitted infection in humans worldwide.
Word: human papillomavirus Part of Speech: noun 1. Any of a large number of virus species or subspecies in the family Papillomaviridae that affect humans, sometimes causing cervical or other cancer; infection with such a virus is sometimes classified as a sexually transmitted disease.
Word: sister-wife Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Compound of sister + wife. 1. A woman who is simultaneously sister and wife to her spouse. Example: My Grecians shall victorious prove, By me led on to War, the Sister-Wife of Jove. Example: Ptolemy VII […] married Cleopatra, the sister-wife of his predecessor. 2. In a polygamous marriage, a woman who is simultaneously the sister and co-wife of another. Example: Enmities between sister-wives will [be,] from their having known each other too intimately all their lives, more unmannerly than where they are strangers to each other 3. A co-wife in general. Example: Yüeh-niang and her sister-wives, all dressed in formal gowns, came out from inside to greet them and ushered them into the rear reception hall Example: The concept of 'sisterhood' was popularly applied to the official organizations for Mormon women, and Mormon co-wives were and are still known as 'sister-wives'
Word: HPV Part of Speech: noun 1. Initialism of human papillomavirus. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable Example: Vaccination against some HPV strains can drastically decrease cervical cancer risk. Example: Men who lost out on the HPV vaccine while in school will now be able to avail of it free up to the age of 22 years under an expanded roll out from next Tuesday. 2. Initialism of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable 3. Initialism of human-powered vehicle. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable 4. Abbreviation of hydrogen peroxide vapor. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, uncountable
Word: box the compass Part of Speech: verb Pronunciation: /bɒks ðə ˈkʌmpəs/ 1. To know, and demonstrate by reciting, the 32 points and quarter points of the magnetic compass from North or East, both clockwise and anticlockwise. Example: While in the school-ships the boys would be instructed in the elements of an ordinary education, in addition to being taught to row, heave the lead, box the compass, go aloft, reef, steer, and work the guns. Example: I say it is south, for the country is more deserted there." "And I say east," said my patient. "I am for west," remarked the plain-clothes man. […] "And I am for north," said I […] "Come," cried the Inspector, laughing, "it's a very pretty diversity of opinion. We have boxed the compass among us." 2. To make a complete reversal in stance or opinion. Labels: idiomatic
Word: hong Part of Speech: verb 1. past of hang Labels: form-of, obsolete, past Example: Lyke an huge cave hewne out of rocky clifte, From whose rough vaut the ragged breaches hong
Word: hong Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Cantonese 行 (hong, “trade, business”). Pronunciation: /hɒŋ/, /hɔŋ/, /hɑŋ/ 1. A foreign trading company in China. Example: "You and your son are about to visit China," said a Chinese agent of an old and established hong in Canton. […] The speaker was Ah Hue, or Ah Hue-Ling. He had made a reputation for honorable dealing as an agent of the tea trade. Example: In this partly manufactured state they are sold to collectors, who re-sell them to tea hongs, or factories, and these hongs in turn resell to middlemen, who supply the foreign exporter.
Word: brace aback Part of Speech: verb 1. to bring the wind onto the forward side of the sails to slow the ship
Word: brace about Part of Speech: verb 1. to brace the ship's yards on the opposite tack when going about
Word: brace abox Part of Speech: verb 1. To bring the foreyards flat aback to stop the ship. Labels: dated
Word: brace by Part of Speech: verb 1. to bring the yards in opposite directions on different masts when doing certain maneuvers
Word: salve Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English salve, from Old English sealf, from Proto-West Germanic *salbu, from Proto-Germanic *salbō, from Proto-Indo-European *solp-éh₂, from *selp- (“salve, ointment”). Cognates Cognate with Middle Low German salve (Danish salve, Dutch zalf), Old High German salba (German Salbe), Gothic 𐍃𐌰𐌻𐌱𐍉𐌽𐍃 (salbōns), Albanian gjalpë (“butter”), Sanskrit सर्पिस् (sarpís), Ancient Greek ἔλπος (élpos). Pronunciation: /sɑːv/, /sælv/, /sæ(l)v/ 1. An ointment, cream, or balm with soothing, healing, or calming effects. Labels: countable, uncountable 2. Any remedy or action that soothes or heals. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Your forgiveness was a salve to my conscience and a balm to my wounded ego. Example: [Title:] Tame March PCE inflation no salve after downbeat Q1 US GDP report
Word: salve Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *selp-der. Proto-Indo-European *solp-éh₂ Proto-Germanic *salbō Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ti Proto-Germanic *-ōną Proto-Germanic *salbōną Proto-West Germanic *salbōn Old English sealfian Middle English salven English salve From Old English sealfian, from Proto-West Germanic *salbōn, from Proto-Germanic *salbōną, from *salbō (whence salve (noun)). Pronunciation: /sɑːv/, /sælv/, /sæ(l)v/ 1. To calm or assuage. Labels: transitive Example: She feels guilty for pampering him, and salves her conscience by bossily ordering him to go and fetch the clothes from the line[.] 2. To heal by applications or medicaments; to apply salve to; to anoint. Example: I do beseech your majesty […] salve the long-grown wounds of my intemperance." 3. To heal; to remedy; to cure; to make good. Example: But Ebranck salved both their infamies / With noble deedes. Example: What may we do, then, to salve this seeming inconsistence? 4. To salvage. Labels: dated Example: The interior woodwork was largely salved from the two cars, as well as the majority of the fittings and seats.
Word: salve Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Latin salvō (“to save”). Pronunciation: /sɑːv/, /sælv/, /sæ(l)v/ 1. To save (the appearances or the phenomena); to explain (a celestial phenomenon); to account for (the apparent motions of the celestial bodies). Labels: obsolete 2. To resolve (a difficulty); to refute (an objection); to harmonize (an apparent contradiction). Labels: obsolete Example: He which should hold it more rational to make the whole Universe move, and thereby to salve the Earths mobility, is more unreasonable.... 3. To explain away; to mitigate; to excuse. Labels: obsolete
Word: salve Part of Speech: intj Etymology: From Latin salvē. The verb is from the interjection. Pronunciation: /sɑːv/, /sælv/, /sæ(l)v/ 1. Hail; a greeting.
Word: salve Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Latin salvē. The verb is from the interjection. Pronunciation: /sɑːv/, /sælv/, /sæ(l)v/ 1. To say “salve” to; to greet; to salute. Labels: transitive Example: By this that ſtraunger knight in preſence came, / And goodly ſalued them; who nought againe / Him anſwered, as courteſie became, / But with ſterne lookes, and ſtomachous diſdaine, / Gaue ſignes of grudge and diſcontentment vaine: […]
Word: brace in Part of Speech: verb 1. to bring the yards more square to the fore and aft line
Word: brace sharp Part of Speech: verb 1. to bring the yards around to make the smallest possible angle with the fore and aft line when sailing close-hauled
Word: close-hauled Part of Speech: adj 1. with the sails trimmed as close to the wind as possible with all sails full and not shivering Labels: not-comparable
Word: close-hauled Part of Speech: adv 1. with the sails close-hauled Labels: not-comparable
Word: brace of shakes Part of Speech: noun 1. The time taken for a sail to shake or shiver twice as a ship comes into the wind. 2. A very short time. Labels: idiomatic
Word: bedding Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English bedding, beddyng, from Old English bedding (“bedding”), equivalent to bed + -ing. Pronunciation: /ˈbɛdɪŋ/, [ˈbɛɾɪŋ] 1. The textiles associated with a bed, e.g., sheets, pillowcases, bedspreads, blankets, etc. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Hire of bedding, and food in the restaurant cars is cheap, and passengers are officially encouraged not to tip company's servants—but they do. Example: Similarly, the biotech giant Cargill has begun manufacturing a polymer from vegetable oils that is used in polyurethane foams, which is found in beddings, furniture and car-seat headrests. 2. The textiles associated with the bed, as well as the mattress, bedframe, or bed base (such as box spring). Labels: UK, countable, uncountable 3. Any material used by or provided to animals to lie on. Labels: countable, uncountable 4. A structure occurring in granite and similar massive rocks that allows them to split in well-defined planes horizontally or parallel to the land surface. Labels: countable, uncountable 5. The temporary planting of fast-growing plants into flower beds to create colourful, temporary, seasonal displays, during spring, summer or winter. Labels: countable, uncountable
Word: bedding Part of Speech: verb Etymology: See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form. Pronunciation: /ˈbɛdɪŋ/, [ˈbɛɾɪŋ] 1. present participle and gerund of bed Labels: form-of, gerund, participle, present
Word: bedclothes Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English bedclothys, plural of Middle English bedcloth, bedclothe, bedde clothe (“bed-cloth, bedding”), from Old English bedclāþ, beddclāþ (“coverlet, blanket, bedding, bedclothes”), equivalent to bed + clothes. Pronunciation: /ˈbɛd.kləʊðz/ 1. Sheets, blankets, quilts or other coverings used on a bed. Labels: plural, plural-only Example: She pulled the bedclothes over her neck to stay warm. Example: When she was little and I went to see her in bed, I often thought she wasn't there. She lay so neatly and so straight, without a ruckle and with her head just under the top of the bedclothes. 2. Clothing worn to bed. Labels: plural, plural-only Example: Tom put his bedclothes on and went to sleep.
Word: effing Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From eff (“fuck”) + -ing. Pronunciation: /ˈɛfɪŋ/ 1. Minced oath of fucking. Labels: euphemistic, not-comparable, slang Example: The effing car's broken down again!
Word: effing Part of Speech: adv Etymology: From eff (“fuck”) + -ing. Pronunciation: /ˈɛfɪŋ/ 1. Minced oath of fucking. Labels: euphemistic, not-comparable, slang Example: She is effing hot! Example: I effing hate snow!
Word: effing Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From eff (“fuck”) + -ing. Pronunciation: /ˈɛfɪŋ/ 1. present participle and gerund of eff Labels: form-of, gerund, participle, present Example: I wish he'd stop effing and blinding.
Word: eff and blind Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From eff and blind "curse" 1. To swear; to use swear words. Labels: Ireland, UK, slang Example: I can't stand the way he's always effing and blinding.
Word: effing and blinding Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Effing is for "f'ing", a euphemism for fucking; blinding is related to blimey, i.e. "God blind me!". 1. swearing, cursing. Labels: Ireland, UK, informal, uncountable Example: Much effing and blinding could be heard from the fans when they discovered that their team had lost.
Word: effing and blinding Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Effing is for "f'ing", a euphemism for fucking; blinding is related to blimey, i.e. "God blind me!". 1. present participle and gerund of eff and blind Labels: form-of, gerund, participle, present
Word: spud gun Part of Speech: noun 1. A toy gun that fires a plug of potato by compressing the air in the barrel, forcing the potato projectile out at speed. 2. A larger version of the same, powered by compressed air, butane or other propellant, which fires a complete potato.
Word: pop gun Part of Speech: noun 1. A toy gun that emits a loud pop by firing a cork from a barrel in which a piston slides, compressing the air and forcing the cork out. The cork is traditionally attached to the toy by a piece of string. 2. A firearm of unimpressive appearance.
Word: pettifogger Part of Speech: noun Etymology: petty + fogger Pronunciation: /ˈpɛtɪˌfɒɡə/, /ˈpɛtɪˌfɑɡɚ/, /ˈpɛtɪˌfɔɡɚ/ 1. Someone who quibbles over trivia, and raises petty, annoying objections and sophistry. Example: Hence the cunning measure of appointing as ambassador some political pettifogger skilled in delays, sophisms, and misapprehensions, and dexterous in the art of baffling argument. 2. An unscrupulous or unethical lawyer, especially one of lesser skill. Example: "An inn, or a tavern . . . these are places where greasy citizens take pipe and pot, where the knavish pettifoggers of the law spunge on their most unhappy victims. Example: This gentleman (for such he was, however strange ladies who class country attorneys with vulgar pettifoggers in fashionable novels may deem the assertion) was the son of a brave officer,...
Word: mutiny Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle French mutiner. Pronunciation: /ˈmju.tə.ni/, /ˈmjut.ni/ 1. An organized rebellion against a legally constituted authority, especially by seamen against their officers. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: In every mutiny against the discipline of the college, he was the ringleader. 2. Violent commotion; tumult; strife. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Raise a mutiny betwixt yourselves.
Word: mutiny Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle French mutiner. Pronunciation: /ˈmju.tə.ni/, /ˈmjut.ni/ 1. To commit a mutiny. Labels: intransitive Example: The crew of the Bounty mutinied because of the harsh discipline of Captain Bligh. Example: In the long run, the High Seas Fleet would rarely emerge looking for a fleet action, and, indeed, would be withdrawn if it seemed that the Grand Fleet was out. In 1918, when faced with an order to sail against the British, who had now been augmented by the Sixth Battle Squadron, made up of American warships, the sailors of the High Seas Fleet mutinied instead.
Word: post office Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /ˈpəʊst ˌɒfɪs/, /ˈpoʊst ˌɔfɪs/, /ˈpoʊst ˌɑfɪs/ 1. A place (building, office, shop, or counter) concerned with the business of delivering letters, post or mail and selling stamps, etc. Labels: countable Example: We were over the border here, into Northern Ireland, and the post office had a very English atmosphere. It was pleasant, too, much as we enjoyed the hospitality of the Republic, to be buying stamps with the Queen's head on them, and to be posting our cards in a red pillar-box, instead of a green one. 2. An organization that delivers letters. Labels: countable Example: “The post-office is a wonderful establishment!” said she.—“The regularity and despatch of it! If one thinks of all that it has to do, and all that it does so well, it is really astonishing!” 3. A party game involving the exchange of kisses. Labels: Canada, US, uncountable
Word: break ground Part of Speech: verb 1. To begin digging in the earth at the start of a new construction, or, originally, for cultivation. Labels: literally Example: They broke ground on the new library last month. Example: Try to break a little more land every year; sod corn is good for fodder. Keep turning the land, and always put up more hay than you need. 2. To initiate a new venture, or to advance beyond previous achievements. Labels: figuratively Example: The invention breaks ground in its programming and its structure. Example: Remedy Place, which calls itself “the world’s first social wellness club,” broke ground in the West Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles before opening its first location in New York last year. 3. To lift off the sea bottom when being weighed. 4. To separate from the ground on takeoff; to become airborne.
Word: prefect Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English prefect and prefecte, from Old French prefect (Mod. French préfet), from Latin praefectus (“one placed in charge, overseer, director, prefect”), from praeficere (“to place in charge”). Pronunciation: /ˈpɹiːfɛkt/ 1. An official of Ancient Rome who controlled or superintended a particular command, charge, department, etc. Labels: historical Example: the prefect of the aqueducts; the prefect of a camp, of a fleet, of the city guard, or of provisions; the pretorian prefect, who was commander of the troops guarding the emperor's person Example: Or think of a decent young citizen in a toga - perhaps too much dice, you know - coming out here in the train of some prefect, or tax-gatherer, or trader even, to mend his fortunes. 2. The head of a department in France. 3. The head of a county in Albania or Romania. 4. The head of a prefecture in Japan. 5. A school pupil in a position of power over other pupils. Labels: UK 6. A commander.
Word: paramour Part of Speech: verb Etymology: The adverb is derived from Middle English par amour, paramore, paramours (“with sexual desire or love, passionately; in a courteous or friendly manner”), from Anglo-Norman par amur (“in a friendly or willing manner”) and Old French par amur, par amour, paramours (“by or through love”) (modern French par amour), from par (“by; through; etc.”) (from Latin per (“by means of, through”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“to go through; etc.”)) + amor, amur (“love”, noun) (from Latin amōrem, the accusative singular of amor (“desire, lust; affection, love”), from amō (“to love”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃emh₃- (“to grasp, seize; to take hold; to touch; etc.”)) + -or (suffix forming abstract nouns)). The noun is from Middle English paramour, paramoure, paramur, peramour (“wife; concubine; mistress; husband; male lover; darling, sweetheart; romantic love; sexual passion; (Christianity) Jesus Christ; the Virgin Mary; divine or spiritual love”), from par amour, paramore (adverb) (see above), possibly from a misinterpretation of to love paramour(s) (“to love passionately”) to mean “to love a beloved person”. The verb is partly from both of the following: * From Middle English paramouren (“to love (someone)”), probably derived from the adverb (see above). The Middle English word is only attested in one (possibly 15th-century) source and does not appear to have been used again until the 17th century; compare William Shakespeare's use of out-paramour in King Lear (written c. 1603–1606): see the 1608 quotation. * Uses from the 17th century onwards are probably derived from the noun. Pronunciation: /ˈpæɹəmʊə/, /-mɔː/, /ˈpɛɹəˌmʊ(ə)ɹ/, /-ˌmɔɹ/ 1. To have an illicit or secret affair with a person, especially someone who is not one's spouse. Labels: dated, intransitive Example: [W]ine loued I deeply, dice deerely, and in vvoman out paromord the Turke, […] Example: [I]ndeed a daughter is better ill married, then vvell Paramour'd.
Word: paramour Part of Speech: adv Etymology: The adverb is derived from Middle English par amour, paramore, paramours (“with sexual desire or love, passionately; in a courteous or friendly manner”), from Anglo-Norman par amur (“in a friendly or willing manner”) and Old French par amur, par amour, paramours (“by or through love”) (modern French par amour), from par (“by; through; etc.”) (from Latin per (“by means of, through”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“to go through; etc.”)) + amor, amur (“love”, noun) (from Latin amōrem, the accusative singular of amor (“desire, lust; affection, love”), from amō (“to love”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃emh₃- (“to grasp, seize; to take hold; to touch; etc.”)) + -or (suffix forming abstract nouns)). The noun is from Middle English paramour, paramoure, paramur, peramour (“wife; concubine; mistress; husband; male lover; darling, sweetheart; romantic love; sexual passion; (Christianity) Jesus Christ; the Virgin Mary; divine or spiritual love”), from par amour, paramore (adverb) (see above), possibly from a misinterpretation of to love paramour(s) (“to love passionately”) to mean “to love a beloved person”. The verb is partly from both of the following: * From Middle English paramouren (“to love (someone)”), probably derived from the adverb (see above). The Middle English word is only attested in one (possibly 15th-century) source and does not appear to have been used again until the 17th century; compare William Shakespeare's use of out-paramour in King Lear (written c. 1603–1606): see the 1608 quotation. * Uses from the 17th century onwards are probably derived from the noun. Pronunciation: /ˈpæɹəmʊə/, /-mɔː/, /ˈpɛɹəˌmʊ(ə)ɹ/, /-ˌmɔɹ/ 1. Of loving, etc.: out of or through romantic feeling or sexual desire; passionately. Labels: not-comparable, obsolete Example: […] Cleopatra, doughter of Ptolomee late kinge of Egypt (whome Ceſar [Julius Caesar] in his lyfe helde for his Concubine) the ſame lady Antoni [Mark Antony] (with whome Octauiane [later Augustus] deuided the empire) loued alſo peramours, abandonynge his wyfe, whiche was ſuſter to Octauian. Example: Because you love par amours, is it reasonable you should throw away your life and ours? 2. Used chiefly when addressing someone: out of or through devotion or kindness; as a favour or kindness. Labels: not-comparable, obsolete Example: [T]he Lord Chiefe Iuſtice ſtood vp, and forbad the proceedings, alotting Paramour the Lands vvith the ſatiſfying of the plaintifes, and thereupon commanded Nailor to giue Thorn againe his Gauntlet, vvhich he vnvvillingly did; and ſo the Combate being ended, vve may haue leaue to proceed.
Word: breakwater Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From break + water. Compare Dutch breekwater (“breakwater”). Compare firebreak. Pronunciation: /ˈbɹeɪkˌwɔːtə/ 1. A construction in or around a harbour designed to break the force of the sea and to provide shelter for vessels lying inside. Example: […]there is a channel, some three miles wide between the city and the mainland, and some mile and a half wide between it and the sandy breakwater called the Lido, which divides the lagoon from the Adriatic, Example: But there's a pier or breakwater runs out into the sea just here, which we could defend longer than anything else, like Horatius and his bridge. 2. A low bulkhead across the forecastle deck of a ship which diverts water breaking over the bows into the scuppers. 3. A wooden or concrete barrier, usually perpendicular to the shore, intended to prevent the movement of sand along a coast.
Word: breeches buoy Part of Speech: noun 1. A ring lifebuoy, fitted with canvas breeches, rigged between ship and shore, for rescuing seamen when a ship is in danger of breaking up; also used for transferring people from ship to ship at sea.
Word: methodology Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From French méthodologie. By surface analysis, method + -ology. Pronunciation: /ˌmɛθ.əˈdɒl.ə.d͡ʒi/, /ˌmɛθ.əˈdɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/, /ˌmɛθ.ɪˈdɑ.lɪ.d͡ʒi/ 1. The study of methods used in a field. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: research methodology Example: In doing so it will describe two metatheories of scientific thought regarding the nature of methodology and epistemology in social science. 2. A collection of methods, practices, procedures and rules used by those who work in some field. Labels: broadly, countable, uncountable Example: agile methodology Example: For example, an agile methodology should promote the frequent delivery of working systems rather than a single big bang delivery. 3. The implementation of such methods etc. Labels: countable, uncountable
Word: basileus Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Hellenic *gʷatiléus Ancient Greek βασιλεύς (basileús)bor. English basileus Borrowed from Ancient Greek βασιλεύς (basileús, “chief, king”). Pronunciation: /ˌbæsɪˈleɪəs/ 1. A title of the Byzantine emperor. Example: For two centuries its towers and domes were to rise in the heavens, drawing the attention of Emperors and Basilei, of Popes and Patriarchs. Example: Although portrayals of basileis of the eleventh century wearing the loros in the traditional manner are not lacking, I cannot cite a Byzantine example of metropolitan origin later than 1100.
Word: sir-reverence Part of Speech: noun Etymology: An alteration of save-reverence or "save your reverence" (seen e.g. in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, act 1 scene 4), an apology for alluding to anything likely to shock one's sense of decency. 1. excrement Labels: countable, obsolete, uncountable
Word: sir-reverence Part of Speech: intj Etymology: An alteration of save-reverence or "save your reverence" (seen e.g. in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, act 1 scene 4), an apology for alluding to anything likely to shock one's sense of decency. 1. Used apologetically when something offensive is mentioned. Labels: obsolete
Word: retain Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Partly: * from Middle English retein, retain (“possession of a sum of money”) […]; and * from the verb (see etymology 1). Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈteɪn/, /ɹəˈteɪn/, /ɹi-/ 1. An act of holding or keeping something; a possession, a retention. Labels: obsolete 2. Synonym of retinue (“a group of attendants or servants, especially of someone considered important”). Labels: obsolete
Word: rete Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Latin rete. Pronunciation: /ˈɹiːti/, /ˈɹiːɾi/ 1. A network of blood vessels or nerves. 2. An anatomical part resembling or including a network. 3. A rotating cutaway plate or overlay on an astrolabe or starmap which represents the horizon; used to locate stars and other astronomical features.
Word: brig Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Abbreviated from brigantine, from Italian brigantino; in sense “jail”, from the use of such ships as prisons. Pronunciation: /bɹɪɡ/ 1. A two-masted vessel, square-rigged on both foremast and mainmast. Example: Dorey harbour is in a fine bay, at one extremity of which an elevated point juts out, and, with two or three small islands, forms a sheltered anchorage. The only vessel it contained when we arrived was a Dutch brig, laden with coals for the use of a war-steamer, which was expected daily, on an exploring expedition along the coasts of New Guinea, for the purpose of fixing on a locality for a colony. 2. A jail or guardhouse, especially in a naval military prison or jail on a ship, navy base, or (in fiction) spacecraft. Labels: US
Word: brig Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Abbreviated from brigantine, from Italian brigantino; in sense “jail”, from the use of such ships as prisons. Pronunciation: /bɹɪɡ/ 1. To merely pretend to be occupied, to lollygag. Labels: US, dated 2. To jail, to confine into the guardhouse. Labels: US, dated
Word: brig Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Scots brig, from Old Norse bryggja, from Proto-Germanic *brugjǭ. Doublet of bridge. Pronunciation: /bɹɪɡ/ 1. Bridge. Labels: Northern-England, Northern-Ireland, Scotland Example: Now do thy speedy utmost, Meg, / And win the key-stane of the brig;
Word: brig Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Clipping of brigadier. Pronunciation: /bɹɪɡ/ 1. Brigadier.
Word: brigantine Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Attested 1525, for a small rowing vessel, from earlier brigandyns, from Middle French brigandin, probably from Italian brigante (“skirmisher, pirate, brigand”), from Latin brigō (“to fight”). Pronunciation: /ˈbɹɪɡ.ənˌtin/, /ˈbɹɪɡ.ənˌtaɪn/ 1. a two-masted vessel, square-rigged on the foremast, but fore-and-aft-rigged mainsail with a square-rig above it on the mainmast. Example: The Galles and thoſe pilling Briggandines, That yeerely ſaile to the Uenetian goulfe, And houer in the ſtraightes for Chriſtians wracke, Shall lie at anchor in the Iſle Aſant.
Word: brigantine Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Variant form. Pronunciation: /ˈbɹɪɡ.ənˌtin/, /ˈbɹɪɡ.ənˌtaɪn/ 1. Alternative form of brigandine. Labels: alt-of, alternative
Word: larboard Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English ladde-bord, latebord, most likely referring to the side of the ship on which cargo was loaded. Changed to larboard in the 1500s by association with starboard. (Texts from the 1500s have spellings like lerbord, leereboord, larboord, corresponding to how they spell sterbord, steereboord, starboord.) Pronunciation: /ˈlɑːbɔːd/, /ˈlabəd/, /ˈlɑɹbɔɹd/, /ˈlæbɚd/ 1. The left side of a ship, looking from the stern forward to the bow; port side. Labels: archaic, uncountable, usually Example: […] harder beset And more endangered than when Argo passed Through Bosporus betwixt the justling rocks, Or when Ulysses on the larboard shunned Charybdis, and by th’ other whirlpool steered. Example: The boat made a sharp half-turn to larboard, and then shot off in its new direction like a thunderbolt.
Word: zoysia Part of Speech: noun Etymology: After Karl von Zois zu Laubach, Austrian botanist. 1. Any of a genus (Zoysia) of creeping perennial grasses of southern Asia and New Zealand having fine wiry leaves and including some suitable for lawn grasses, especially in warm regions. Example: In areas farther north, zoysias will live but will not spread. Zoysias need bright, hot sunlight.
Word: zwieback Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From German Zwieback, from zwie- (“twi-, two-”) + backen (“to bake”) (i.e. “twice-baked”), a calque of Italian biscotto (but not to be confused with it). 1. A form of rusk, usually sweetened bread enriched with eggs that is baked and then sliced and toasted until dry and crisp; considered easy to digest and therefore given to the ill and used as a teething food for toddlers. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Ogden Nash, Adventures Of Isabel She nibbled the zwieback that she always fed off, And when it was gone, she cut the giant's head off.
Word: angina Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Latin angina (“quinsy; strangling, choking”), from angō (“to press together, to choke, to hurt (cause pain)”). Pronunciation: /ˈæn.d͡ʒɪ.nə/, /ænˈd͡ʒaɪ.nə/ 1. Any of various kinds of pain, especially pain that is suffocative, spasmodic, and/or acute and severe (fulminant). Labels: broadly, countable, uncountable 2. Any of various kinds of pain, especially pain that is suffocative, spasmodic, and/or acute and severe (fulminant). Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, broadly, countable, ellipsis, uncountable 3. An inflammatory infection of the throat, especially quinsy; any sore throat, with or without tooth and gum involvement. Labels: countable, dated, uncountable
Word: angina pectoris Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Learned borrowing from New Latin angina pectoris (1700s). Pronunciation: /ˈændʒɪnə ˈpɛktəˌɹɪs/, /ænˈdʒaɪnə ˈpɛktəˌɹɪs/ 1. Intermittent crushing chest pain caused by reversible myocardial ischemia. Labels: uncountable
Word: Phillips head Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Phillips head screwdriver and Phillips head screw, by shortening; eponymous of Henry F. Phillips of Portland, OR, the inventor of the '+' shaped socket for screws. 1. A screwdriver with a '+' shaped head for turning screws so socketed. 2. A screw turned by such a screwdriver.
Word: septicemia Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from New Latin sēpticaemia, from Latin sēpticus + -aemia. 1. A disease caused by the presence of pathogenic organisms, especially bacteria, or their toxins, in the bloodstream, characterized by chills and fever. Labels: countable, uncountable