nandhakumarms/qualc-wiktionary-en huggingface dataset:
Word: circumflex Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Learned borrowing from Latin circumflexus (“bent about”), calqued from Ancient Greek περισπώμενος (perispṓmenos, “drawn around”). Pronunciation: /ˈsɜː.kəmˌflɛks/, /ˈsɝ.kəmˌflɛks/ 1. To mark or pronounce with a circumflex. Example: to circumflex a syllable Example: those words […]circumflexed on the last syllabe 2. To arch. Labels: obsolete Example: A venerable old man sitting in a chaire, with a severe aspect, wrinkled forehead, circumflex't eie-browes, great white curled beard.
Word: argonaut Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Generalised use of Argonaut. Pronunciation: /ˈɑː(ɹ).ɡəˌnɔːt/, /ˈɑɹ.ɡəˌnɔt/, /ˈɑɹ.ɡəˌnɑt/ 1. Any of several species of shelled octopods of the family Argonautidae (of which only the genus Argonauta is not extinct). Example: Amazingly, it wasn’t until 2010 that scientists experimentally understood how argonauts use their shell constructions to float in the water column and control buoyancy. 2. An adventurer on a dangerous but rewarding quest. 3. A 49er, a person who took part in the California Gold Rush of 1849. Labels: historical, specifically
Word: pelagic Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Latin pelagicus (and possibly pelagus); from Ancient Greek πελαγικός (pelagikós), from πέλαγος (pélagos, “sea”). By surface analysis, -pelag + -ic. Pronunciation: /pəˈlæd͡ʒɪk/, /pɛˈlæd͡ʒɪk/ 1. Living in the open sea rather than in coastal or inland waters. Example: Besides, seeing a shark in an aquarium tank is not the same as seeing a shark in the wild, in its natural, pelagic habitat. Example: The main fish species in freshwater ponds in China are silver carp, bighead carp, grass carp, common carp, crucian carp, black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus), mud carp (Cirrhinus molitorella), etc. According to their live habitat, they can be divided relatively into pelagic and benthic fish. 2. Of or pertaining to oceans. Example: Drifting idly around a broad oceanic arc, the bottle collides softly with tens of thousands of pelagic plastics all colonized by hard-shelled organisms, including barnacles, coralline algae, foraminifera and bivalve molluscs.
Word: pelagic Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Latin pelagicus (and possibly pelagus); from Ancient Greek πελαγικός (pelagikós), from πέλαγος (pélagos, “sea”). By surface analysis, -pelag + -ic. Pronunciation: /pəˈlæd͡ʒɪk/, /pɛˈlæd͡ʒɪk/ 1. Any organism that lives in the open sea rather than in coastal or inland waters.
Word: close of play Part of Speech: noun 1. The end of a day's play. Labels: uncountable 2. The end of the final game (not to be confused with set or match) during a day at the Wimbledon Championships. Labels: uncountable 3. The end of the working day. Labels: broadly, uncountable Example: In fact, in our global financial institution, close of play was taken to be 1615 EST with all subsequent trades going on to the next day Example: Ask yourself this question: If you delegate, will the task be done: [...] Sooner (completing the task earlier, e.g. this project will finish close of play Thursday if I delegate; if I do not, close of play Friday)
Word: close the face Part of Speech: verb 1. To turn the face of the bat inwards, in order to hit the ball to the leg side. Labels: idiomatic
Word: arena Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Latin arēna (“sand; arena”), from earlier harēna, from Old Latin hasēna, possibly from Etruscan; compare Sabine fasēna. Pronunciation: /əˈɹiːnə/, [əˈɹʷɪi̯nə] 1. An enclosed area, often outdoor, for the presentation of sporting events (sports arena) or other spectacular events; earthen area, often oval, specifically for rodeos (North America) or circular area for bullfights (especially Hispanic America). Example: A large crowd filled the seats of the arena. 2. The building housing such an area; specifically, a very large, often round building, often topped with a dome, designated for indoor sporting or other major events, such as concerts. Example: The arena is grey with white beams. 3. The sand-covered centre of an amphitheatre where contests were held in Ancient Rome. Labels: historical Example: The gladiators entered the arena. 4. A realm in which events take place; an area of interest, study, behaviour, etc. Example: The company was a player in the maritime insurance arena. Example: But transects have also been utilised in a large variety of arenas, including surveying the contents of Amerindian earthen mounds, determining levels of anti-rabies vaccinations in village dogs, and examining ecological factors under the canopy of trees growing in agricultural areas.
Word: amphitheatre Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Latin amphitheatrum, from Ancient Greek ἀμφιθέατρον (amphithéatron) from ἀμφί (amphí, “on both sides”) + θέᾱτρον (théātron, “theatre”). Pronunciation: /ˈæmfɪˌθiːətə/, /ˈæmfɪˌθɪətə/, /ˈæmfiˌθiːətə/, /ˈæm.pəˌθi.(j)ə.tɚ/, /ˈæm.fəˌθi.(j)ə.tɚ/ 1. An open, outdoor theatre (which may be a theatre in the round, or have a stage with seating on only one side), especially one from the classical period of ancient Greece or Rome, or a modern venue of similar design. Example: Ancient Roman amphitheatres were mostly oval or circular in plan, with seating tiers that surrounded the central performance area, like a modern open-air stadium. Example: We had previously visited the building prepared for the assemblage, which was a vast pentagonal semicircular amphitheatre of painted wood and canvas work, ... 2. A natural formation of a similar shape, where a steep mountain or slope or particular rock formation forms a partial or complete bowl, especially one used as a performance space (and possibly modified by carving out seats, etc) because the slopes naturally amplify or echo sound. Example: The difference between the approach to Baylen from the west and from the east, is that on the former side the traveller reaches the town through a semicircular amphitheatre of upland, while by the latter he comes up a V-shaped valley ... Example: Brecon or Aberhonddu, a typical Welsh town of 5,350 inhabitants, stands in a grand amphitheatre of hills and mountains at the confluence of the rivers Usk, Honddu, and Tarell.
Word: oval Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Late Latin ovalis, from ovum; cognate with French and Italian ovale, Dutch ovaal. From 1570. Pronunciation: /ˈəʊvəl/, /ˈoʊvəl/ 1. An elongated round shape resembling an ellipse or an egg. Example: Near-synonym: ellipse 2. An elongated round shape resembling an ellipse or an egg. 3. A thing having such a shape, such as an arena. Example: At the far end of the wide corridor were the doors of a ward. The panels were frosted save for ovals of clear glass at face level. 4. A sports field, typically but not exclusively oval in shape. Labels: Australia 5. In a projective plane, a set of points such that no three are collinear and there is a unique tangent line at each point.
Word: oval Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Late Latin ovalis, from ovum; cognate with French and Italian ovale, Dutch ovaal. From 1570. Pronunciation: /ˈəʊvəl/, /ˈoʊvəl/ 1. Having the shape of an oval. 2. Of or pertaining to an ovum. Example: oval conceptions Example: Every congenital abnormality is doubtless due to a peculiarity in the sperm or oval elements or in their mingling, or to some disturbance in their early development.
Word: anemone Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Latin anemōnē, from Ancient Greek ἀνεμώνη (anemṓnē), from ἄνεμος (ánemos, “wind”) + matronymic suffix -ώνη (-ṓnē, “daughter of”). Or from Phoenician *𐤍𐤏𐤌𐤍 (*nʿmn), akin to Arabic شَقَائِق اَلنُّعْمَان (šaqāʔiq an-nuʕmān, “anemones”) and Hebrew (Isaiah Scroll) נִטְעֵי נַעֲמָנִים (nit'ei na'amanim, “plants of pleasantness”). Pronunciation: /əˈnɛməni/, /əˈneməni/, /əˈnɛməne/, /-nɪ/, /-ni/ 1. Any plant of the genus Anemone, of the Ranunculaceae (or buttercup) family, such as the windflower. Example: Here (it was said) every year the youth Adonis was again wounded to death, and the river ran red with his blood, while the scarlet anemone bloomed among the cedars and walnuts. Example: Then walking slowly forward he read the letter again, murmuring here and there a word. Angry tulips with you darling manflower punish your cactus if you don’t please poor forgetmenot how I long violets to dear roses when we soon anemone meet all naughty nightstalk wife Martha’s perfume. Having read it all […] 2. A sea anemone.
Word: begonia Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from translingual Begonia (genus of plants), named after Michel Bégon (1638–1710), French governor of Saint-Domingue. Pronunciation: /bəˈɡəʊniː.ə/, /bəˈɡoʊni.ə/, [bəˈɡoʊn.jə] 1. Any plant of the large genus of Begonia.
Word: black-eyed Susan Part of Speech: noun 1. The flowering annual plant Rudbeckia hirta. 2. Various other flowering plants: 3. Various other flowering plants: 4. Various other flowering plants: 5. Various other flowering plants: 6. A kind of boiled pudding with currants. Labels: UK
Word: Busy Lizzie Part of Speech: name 1. A common flowering plant, Impatiens walleriana.
Word: California poppy Part of Speech: noun 1. A popular flowering garden plant, Eschscholzia californica, native to the south-western United States, and other similar plants in genus Eschscholzia.
Word: polity Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle French politie, from Latin polītīa, from Ancient Greek πολιτεία (politeía, “polity, policy, the state”). Doublet of police, policy, and polis (“police”). Pronunciation: /ˈpɒl.ɪ.ti/, /ˈpɑ.lə.ti/, [ˈpɑ.lə.ɾi], /ˈpɔl.ə.ti/, [ˈpɔl.ə.ɾi] 1. Organizational structure and governance, especially of a state or a religion. Labels: uncountable, usually Example: Church polity was a topic of fierce dispute in 17th-century Britain. Example: Once exposed, Confucianism was to become a political issue, an alternative among other contending ideologies which threatened to change the polity of the empire. 2. A politically organized unit, especially a nation of people, a class or ingroup that governs it, or the state ruled thereby. Labels: countable Example: New polities emerged in Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire.
Word: camellia Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from translingual Camellia, named after Moravian botanist Joseph Kamel (‘Camellus’) (1661–1706). The Czech surname Kamel is a variant of Kamil. Pronunciation: /kəˈmiːli.ə/, /kəˈmɛli.ə/ 1. Any plant of the genus Camellia, shrubs and small trees native to Asia; Camellia japonica is the most popular as a garden plant; Camellia sinensis is the tea plant. Example: Palms towered majestically over the heads of the lower shrubs, and camellias, stephanotis, and many other semi-tropical flowers were growing luxuriantly in the open air. Example: Plucking an occasional camellia, getting a squirt of hot milk from Miss Maudie Atkinson’s cow on a summer day, helping ourselves to someone’s scuppernongs was part of our ethical culture, but money was different.
Word: chrysanthemum Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Latin chrȳsanthemum from Ancient Greek χρῡσάνθεμον (khrūsánthemon, “Persian buttercup”). Pronunciation: /kɹɪˈsænθəməm/, /kɹəˈsænθəmʌm/ 1. Any of many flowering perennial plants, of the genus Chrysanthemum, native to China, that have showy radiate heads.
Word: clematis Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from translingual Clematis, from Latin clēmatis, from Ancient Greek κληματίς (klēmatís), from κλῆμα (klêma, “vine, branch with vines”). Pronunciation: /ˈklɛmətɪs/, /kləˈma.tɪs/, /kləˈmæ.tɪs/ 1. Any plant of the genus Clematis, vigorous climbing lianas found throughout the temperate zones. Example: He came slowly up to the open door, which was all hung round with clematis and roses; and then peeped in, half afraid. Example: Noiselessly she laid the clematis and wattle on her bed, then stood near the covered face, and, looking down at her untied bootlaces, sighed an impatient sigh always well known and understood by this now unresponsive father.
Word: columbine Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From the Latin colombina herba (“dove-like plant”), the flower being likened to five clustered pigeons. Pronunciation: /ˈkɒləmˌbaɪn/, /ˈkɑləmˌbaɪn/ 1. Any plant of the genus Aquilegia, having distinctive bell-shaped flowers with spurs on each petal.
Word: columbine Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English columbyne, from Old French columbin (French colombin), from Latin columbinus, from columba (“dove, pigeon”). Pronunciation: /kəˈlʌm.baɪn/, /ˈkɒləmˌbaɪn/, /ˈkɑləmˌbaɪn/ 1. Pertaining to a dove or pigeon. Labels: archaic Example: Near-synonyms: columboid, peristeronic Example: It is not possible to join serpentine wisdom with the columbine innocency, except men know exactly all the conditions of the serpent.
Word: cowslip Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English cowslyppe, from Old English cūslyppe (“cowslip”), from cū (“cow”) + slyppe (“paste, viscid substance”), related to Old English slūpan (“to slip, glide, move softly”). Compare oxlip. Pronunciation: /ˈkaʊ.slɪp/ 1. A low-growing plant, Primula veris, with yellow flowers. Example: Where the bee sucks, there suck I: / In a cowslip's bell I lie; Example: Here is spring were celandine, marsh marigold, wind-flower, primrose, cowslip and dog's violet. 2. Any of several other plants related or similar in appearance 3. Any of several other plants related or similar in appearance 4. Any of several other plants related or similar in appearance 5. Any of several other plants related or similar in appearance Labels: Canada, US, regional 6. Any of several other plants related or similar in appearance 7. Ellipsis of cowslip tea: a kind of green tea; an herbal tea made with cowslip flowers. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
Word: cranesbill Part of Speech: noun Etymology: First attested in the 1500s. Calque of Dutch craenhals; cognate with German Kranichhals and Middle Low German kraneshals, all likely derived from Latin geranium, from Ancient Greek γέρᾰνος (gérănos, “crane”). By surface analysis, crane + -s- + bill. The flowering plant is so called because of the lengthened appendage of the seed vessel. Pronunciation: /ˈkɹeɪnz.bɪl/ 1. Any flowering plant of the genus Geranium found throughout the temperate zone. Example: Sometimes called cranesbills, geraniums make up a large and widely used genus, greatly loved by gardeners from England to the United States to Australia. 2. A pair of long-beaked forceps.
Word: crocus Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Learned borrowing from Latin crocus, from Ancient Greek κρόκος (krókos, “crocus”), from an ancient Semitic language. Pronunciation: /ˈkɹəʊ.kəs/, /ˈkɹoʊ.kəs/ 1. A perennial flowering plant (of the genus Crocus in the Iridaceae family). Saffron is obtained from the stamens of Crocus sativus. Example: Other foreign terms have become so thoroughly Anglicised as to adopt English plurals, and it is sometimes difficult to decide whether the English or the original foreign form is the more correct. None but a pedant would speak of ‘the chori of an opera,’ ‘the croci in a garden,’ or ‘the dogmata of the church;’ […] Example: Nothing is more short-lived than the erection; like the crocus of spring, it is there for a moment, and then it is gone; one moment the penis is small, soft, and insignificant, and then in the next it is hard, rigid, and three and four times its previous size. 2. Any of various similar flowering plants, such as autumn crocus and prairie crocus. 3. A deep yellow powder, the oxide of some metal (especially iron), calcined to a red or deep yellow colour. Labels: obsolete
Word: crocus Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Perhaps related to croak. Pronunciation: /ˈkɹəʊ.kəs/, /ˈkɹoʊ.kəs/ 1. A fraudulent doctor; a quack. Labels: obsolete, slang Example: The characteristics of the crocus or vagabond quack doctor appear to find a sardonically appropriate origin in the Erse cruach-bhas, a bloody death. Example: The crocus of this novel is gusty Professor Louis Delfontaine, quack doctor, showman, charlatan and man of parts.
Word: crocus Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /ˈkɹəʊ.kəs/, /ˈkɹoʊ.kəs/ 1. Burlap. Labels: Jamaica, Trinidad-and-Tobago, uncountable Example: a crocus bag
Word: dahlia Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Named 1791 after Anders Dahl, by Spanish botanist Antonio José Cavanilles. Pronunciation: /ˈdeɪ.li.ə/, /ˈdɑː.li.ə/, /ˈdæl.jə/, /ˈdɑl.jə/, /ˈdeɪl.jə/ 1. Any plant of the genus Dahlia, tuberous perennial flowering plants native to Mexico.
Word: daisy Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English dayesye, from Old English dæġes ēage (“daisy”, literally “day's eye”) due to the flowers closing their blossoms during night. The rhyming slang comes from daisy roots for boots. Pronunciation: /ˈdeɪ.zi/ 1. A wild flowering plant of species Bellis perennis of the family Asteraceae, with a yellow head and white petals 2. Any of numerous other flowering plants of various species, mostly among the asterids. 3. A boot or other footwear. Labels: Cockney, slang 4. Something splendid; a doozy. Labels: colloquial Example: Then Dan drew the sheath-knife and tested the edge of it on the gunwale. "That's a daisy," said Harvey. "How did you get it so cheap?"
Word: digitalis Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Modern Latin, from Latin digitālis (“of the fingers”) (named in reference to the German common name for the plant, Fingerhut (“thimble”)). Doublet of digital. Pronunciation: /dɪdʒɪˈtɑːlɪs/, /dɪd͡ʒɪˈtælɪs/, /dɪd͡ʒɪˈteɪlɪs/ 1. Any plant of the genus Digitalis (herbaceous plants of the Plantaginaceae family, including the foxglove, Digitalis purpurea). Labels: countable, uncountable Example: 11. Delphiniums and digitalises. Example: At the Medico-Botanical Society on Tuesday, Dr. Morries, made some some observations on opium, digitales, conium, and hyoscyamus, and exhibited specimens of oils obtained from the latter plants. 2. A medical extract of Digitalis purpurea prescribed for heart failure etc. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: ‘You very nearly died. I had to give you digitalis three times.’ Example: The ancient remedy digitalis, extracted from the foxglove plant, for example, acts by blocking sodium channels in heart muscle, preventing potentially dangerous overactivity.
Word: bluebell Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From blue + bell. Pronunciation: /ˈbluˌbɛl/ 1. Various flowering plants with blue, usually pendulous, flowers. 2. Various flowering plants with blue, usually pendulous, flowers. 3. Various flowering plants with blue, usually pendulous, flowers. 4. Various flowering plants with blue, usually pendulous, flowers. 5. Various flowering plants with blue, usually pendulous, flowers. Labels: plural-normally 6. Various flowering plants with blue, usually pendulous, flowers. Example: The cutting sides were gay with heather in bloom, and masses of dainty Scots bluebells, while patches of clear sky overhead were bringing life and colour to the sea. 7. Various flowering plants with blue, usually pendulous, flowers. 8. Various flowering plants with blue, usually pendulous, flowers. 9. Various flowering plants with blue, usually pendulous, flowers.
Word: opulence Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From French opulence, from Latin opulentia. Pronunciation: /ˈɒp.jʊl.əns/ 1. Wealth. Labels: countable, uncountable 2. Abundance, bounty, profusion. Labels: countable, uncountable 3. Ostentatious display of wealth and luxury; plushness. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: There in full Opulence a Banker dwelt, Who all the Joys and Pangs of Riches felt; His Side-board glitter’d with imagin’d Plate; And his proud Fancy held a vaſt Eſtate. Example: The most meritorious persons have always … been removed from opulence.
Word: boogeyman Part of Speech: noun Etymology: By alteration from bogeyman. Pronunciation: /ˈbʊɡiˌmæn/, /ˈbuɡiˌmæn/ 1. Alternative form of bogeyman. Labels: alt-of, alternative Example: [Screams .] Bogeyman! You nail the windows shut. I'll get the gun. [ Grunts .] Bart, I don't want to alarm you but there may be a bogeyman or bogeymen in the house. Example: Mears was cast as the iconic boogeyman Jason Voorhees in the new "Friday the 13th" movie.
Word: bogeyman Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree English bogey Proto-Indo-European *mon- Proto-Germanic *mann- Proto-West Germanic *mann Old English mann Middle English man Middle English -man English -man English bogeyman From bogey + -man. Pronunciation: /ˈbəʊ.ɡɪˌmæn/, /ˈbəʊ.ɡiˌmæn/, /ˈboʊ.ɡiˌmæn/, /ˈbʊɡ.iˌmæn/, /ˈbu.ɡiˌmæn/ 1. A menacing, ghost-like monster in children's stories. Example: Near-synonyms: bogeyperson, bogeywoman Example: Lay your head down child I won't let the boogeyman come Counting bodies like sheep To the rhythm of the war drums Pay no mind to the rabble Pay no mind to the rabble Head down, go to sleep To the rhythm of the war drums 2. Any make-believe threat, especially one used to intimidate or distract, or a real threat greatly exaggerated for those purposes; often taking the form of a notorious historical personage suggested to return as a revenant to punish for wrongdoing. Labels: broadly, figuratively Example: Near-synonyms: bug-a-boo, bugaboo, chimera Example: The bogeyman of a Halloween-candy poisoner behind every door has animated occasional moral panics against trick-or-treating.
Word: bogyman Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From bogy + -man. 1. Alternative spelling of bogeyman. Labels: alt-of, alternative
Word: misspeak Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English misspeken, mispeken, mysspeken, from Old English *misspecan, missprecan (“to murmur”), equivalent to mis- + speak. Pronunciation: /mɪsˈspiːk/ 1. To fail to pronounce, utter, or speak correctly. Labels: US, ambitransitive Example: Either I misspoke or you misheard. Example: The president’s comments on Wednesday came after Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, the chamber’s only Black Republican, said that “white supremacy should be denounced at every turn. I think he misspoke, I think he should correct it. If he doesn’t correct it I guess he didn’t misspeak.” 2. To speak insultingly or disrespectfully. Labels: intransitive, obsolete
Word: niglet Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From nig(ger) + -let. Modelled after piglet. Pronunciation: /ˈnɪɡ.lət/, /ˈnɪɡ.lɪt/ 1. A black child. Labels: US, derogatory, ethnic, offensive, slang, slur
Word: misrule Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English mysrule; equivalent to mis- + rule. Pronunciation: /mɪsˈɹuːl/, /mɪsˈɹʉl/ 1. The state of being ruled badly; disorder, lawlessness, anarchy. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: They followed their leader in regular procession, and the motley characters, which had waited his arrival, now crowded into the church in his train, shouting as they came,—“A hall, a hall! for the venerable Father Howleglas, the learned Monk of Misrule, and the Right Reverend Abbot of Unreason!” Example: Before and after the revolution, in the several states and in the country at large, pressing emergencies have occurred, periods of danger, trouble and dismay have arisen, when the community was full of misrule, and a particular state or the nation, seemed to be upon the brink of some fearful and disastrous change—yet the danger passed quickly away. 2. Misgovernment; bad or unjust government. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: But in the recent past, there had been plenty of accusations and instances of Henry's oppressive misrule, of which the execution of the earl of Warwick, Suffolk's cousin, was the most recent and emphatic example.
Word: misrule Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English mysrule; equivalent to mis- + rule. Pronunciation: /mɪsˈɹuːl/, /mɪsˈɹʉl/ 1. Of a trial judge, to make a bad decision in court. 2. To rule badly; to misgovern.
Word: modulus Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Learned borrowing from French module as Latin modulus. Doublet of module and mold. Pronunciation: /ˈmɒdjʊləs/, /-dʒʊ-/, /ˈmɑdʒələs/ 1. The base with respect to which a congruence is computed. 2. The absolute value of a complex number. 3. A coefficient that expresses how much of a certain property is possessed by a certain substance. 4. A scalar field controlling the shape and size of extra dimensions in a compactification. 5. An operator placed between two numbers, to get the remainder of the division of those numbers.
Word: obloquy Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Late Latin obloquium (“contradiction”), from Latin obloquor (“speak against, contradict”). Pronunciation: /ˈɒbləˌkwi/, /ˈɔːbləˌkwi/ 1. Abusive language. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: It is surprising, therefore, that this philosophy, which, in almost every instance, must be harmless and innocent, should be the subject of so much groundless reproach and obloquy. Example: Slowly her thoughts reverted to herself; the blood rushed to her brow. What would she be to-morrow? the mark for obloquy and ridicule! disgraced, and for what? to minister to the wretched vanity of one whom she loathed even more than she scorned. 2. Disgrace. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Her death I could have born, but the death of her honour has added obloquy and shame to that sorrow which bends my grey hairs to the dust! Example: His name undoubtedly stands very high in the present age, and will in all probability go down to posterity with more or less of renown or obloquy. 3. A false accusation; malevolent rumors. Labels: archaic, countable, uncountable Example: It is as cruel as the grave to any man, when he knows his own rectitude of conduct, to have his hard services not only debased and underrated. But the Revolutionary soldiers are not the only people that endure obloquy. Example: "But, sir," said Mr. Brande—who, being a traveller himself, considered that their injuries were personal ones—"look at the long years of obloquy and wrong, of taunts and doubts, which embittered Bruce's return home."
Word: prevarication Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Latin praevāricātiō (“collusion with an opponent; duplicity, deceit; violation of duty, transgression”, literally “stepping out of line”), from praevāricor (“to walk crookedly; go astray; transgress”) + -tās. The virtually obsolete sense of deviation or transgression may have been influenced by an earlier stage of borrowing via Middle English prevaricacioun, prevaricacion (“deviation from the law; transgression”) from Anglo-Norman prevaricaciun (“transgression, violation of correct conduct”). Pronunciation: /pɹɪˌvæɹ.ɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/, /pɹɪˌvæɹ.əˈkeɪ.ʃən/ 1. Evasion of the truth. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Prevarication became the order of the day in his government while truth was a stranger in those halls. Example: The trumpet—vvill it ſound? the curtain riſe? And ſhow th' auguſt tribunal of the ſkies, / VVhere no prevarication ſhall avail, / VVhere eloquence and artifice ſhall fail, […] 2. Deviation from what is right or correct. Labels: archaic, countable, uncountable 3. A secret abuse in the exercise of a public office. Labels: countable, uncountable 4. The collusion of an informer with the defendant, for the purpose of making a sham prosecution. Labels: Ancient-Rome, countable, historical, uncountable 5. A false or deceitful seeming to undertake a thing for the purpose of defeating or destroying it. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: If it shall appeare, that they haue forfeited their Faith, or wronged their Client by preuarication.
Word: Arkansas Part of Speech: name Etymology: From the name of the Arkansas River, from French Arcansas, a (plural) designation of either a Siouan tribe or the Quapaw. This designation is sometimes claimed to derive from a Quapaw word *akakaze (“land of downriver people”) or a Lakota/Dakota word *akakaze (“people of the south wind”); more likely, it derives from a Siouan ethnonym cognate to Kansa (whence also the name of the state of Kansas). Pronunciation: /ˈɑɹkənˌsɔ/, /-ɑ/, /ɑɹˈkænzəs/, /ˈɑːkənˌsɔː/, /ˈɑːkənˌsoː/ 1. A state in the South Central region of the United States. Capital and largest city: Little Rock. 2. A river in the United States, rising in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, and flowing generally southeast over 1,400 miles through Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, where it joins the Mississippi in Desha County. 3. A surname.
Word: Colorado Part of Speech: name Etymology: From Spanish colorado (“red, ruddy, colored”), usually from the reddish appearance of some silt-laden rivers, or from Portuguese colorado in the case of Brazilian locations. Pronunciation: /kɑləˈɹɑdoʊ/, /kɑləˈɹædoʊ/, /kɒləˈɹɑːdəʊ/, /kɒləˈɹeɪdoʊ/ 1. Places in North America: Example: A million cascade brooks unite to form a thousand torrent creeks ; a thousand torrent creeks unite to form half a hundred rivers beset with cataracts ; half a hundred roaring rivers unite to form the Colorado, which rolls, a mad, turbid stream, into the Gulf of California. 2. Places in North America: Example: The mountains of Colorado were, till a comparatively recent date, richly clothed with forest; but owing partly to natural causes, and still more to the lavish consumption and reckless destruction of the early settlers, the quantity of growing timber in the State is exceedingly small, and before long, if restorative measures are not adopted, the Colorado demand for wood will require to be supplied from without. Whole mountain sides often present the appearance of monstrous cheavaux-de-frise, the dead trunks of the wind-thrown pines being tossed about in all directions. Example: The vote was 213-209 along party lines. Republican members of the House Ethics Committee – Michael Guest of Mississippi, Dave Joyce of Ohio, Andrew Garbarino of New York, John Rutherford of Florida and Michelle Fischbach of Minnesota – voted present. GOP Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado also voted present but he is not on the Ethics Committee. 3. Places in North America: 4. Places in North America: 5. Places in North America: Labels: historical 6. Places in North America: Labels: historical 7. Places in South America: 8. Places in South America: 9. Places in South America: 10. Places in South America: 11. Places in the Philippines: 12. Places in the Philippines: 13. Places in the Philippines: 14. Places in the Philippines: 15. A surname.
Word: Connecticut Part of Speech: name Etymology: Said to be from Mohegan-Pequot quinnitukqut (“at the long tidal river”), from *kwen- (“long”) + *-ehtekw (“tidal river”) + *-enk (locative). The spelling perhaps arose from association with connect. Pronunciation: /kəˈnɛt.ɪ.kət/, [kəˈnɛɾ.ɪ.kət], /kəˈnet.ɪ.kət/, [kəˈneɾ.ɪ.kət] 1. A state in the northeastern United States. Example: Authorities in Connecticut are investigating after swastikas were found drawn on a high school campus in Stamford for the second time since Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel earlier this month, the school district said. Example: When they something so WASPphobic you have to hit them with the Connecticut stare 2. A river in New England, United States.
Word: District of Columbia Part of Speech: name 1. The federal capital region of the United States. Example: Entire states such as California, Illinois and New York are now sanctuaries, as well as major cities and counties such as Fairfax, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties and the District of Columbia in the capital region, according to the list.
Word: Delaware Part of Speech: name Etymology: The river in the northeastern United States was named for Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr (1577–1618). The people and the state were named for the river. Pronunciation: /ˈdɛləweə(ɹ)/, /ˈdɛləwɛɹ/ 1. A river flowing from the Catskills through New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware in the northeastern United States and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean at Delaware Bay. 2. The Lenape people, the indigenous people of Lenapehoking, in what is now the Mid-Atlantic United States. 3. Two closely related Algonquian languages of these people, Munsee and Unami. 4. The first state of the United States. Capital: Dover. Largest city: Wilmington. 5. A river in the United States that flows from northeast Kansas into the Kansas River. 6. Several places in the United States, named for the people or the state. 7. Several places in the United States, named for the people or the state. 8. Several places in the United States, named for the people or the state. 9. Several places in the United States, named for the people or the state. 10. Several places in the United States, named for the people or the state. 11. Several places in the United States, named for the people or the state. 12. Several places in the United States, named for the people or the state. 13. Several places in the United States, named for the people or the state. 14. A community in Ontario, Canada. 15. A surname.
Word: Delaware Part of Speech: noun Etymology: The river in the northeastern United States was named for Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr (1577–1618). The people and the state were named for the river. Pronunciation: /ˈdɛləweə(ɹ)/, /ˈdɛləwɛɹ/ 1. A member of the Lenape / Delaware people. 2. An American variety of grape, with compact bunches of small, sweet, amber-colored berries.
Word: sombre Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Borrowed from French sombre (“dark”), from Old French sombre, from a verb *sombrer or Latin sub- + umbra. Compare Spanish sombra (“shade; dark part of a picture; ghost”). Pronunciation: /ˈsɒmbə/, /ˈsɑmbɚ/, /ˈsɒmbəɹ/, [sɔ̃ː.bɹ(ə)] 1. Dark; gloomy; shadowy, dimly lit. Labels: Canada, UK Example: The lady led him into a sombre hallway and disappeared. A moment later the windowless chamber was illuminated by the entry of a heavenly creature emitting a radiance prone to pierce the heart of any youth exposed to it. Example: All three parallel valleys of the Llynvi, Garw and Ogmore are much the same in physical character: the lower reaches are wooded and not unattractive, but as the railway climbs on ever-steepening grades, the hills on either hand grow barer and closer together, while in all respects the scene becomes more sombre, with the terraced, slate-roofed colliery towns and the road, railway and river all struggling for space in the narrowing defiles. 2. Dull or dark in colour or brightness. Labels: Canada, UK Example: His tall and slender figure, dressed in sombre black, his hair of that peculiar reddish auburn so rarely seen, his flashing black eyes, in which a fitful fire seemed for ever burning; all combined to give something almost of a demoniac air ... 3. Melancholic, gloomy, dreary, dismal; grim. Labels: Canada, UK Example: The dinner was silent and sombre; happily it was also short. Example: It was a wonder that he had not been a victim of the ferocious and summary executions which marked the course of that tyranny; for Guzman had ruled the country with the sombre imbecility of political fanaticism. 4. Grave; extremely serious. Labels: Canada, UK Example: a sombre situation
Word: sombre Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from French sombre (“dark”), from Old French sombre, from a verb *sombrer or Latin sub- + umbra. Compare Spanish sombra (“shade; dark part of a picture; ghost”). Pronunciation: /ˈsɒmbə/, /ˈsɑmbɚ/, /ˈsɒmbəɹ/, [sɔ̃ː.bɹ(ə)] 1. Gloom; obscurity; duskiness. Labels: Canada, UK, obsolete, uncountable
Word: sombre Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Borrowed from French sombre (“dark”), from Old French sombre, from a verb *sombrer or Latin sub- + umbra. Compare Spanish sombra (“shade; dark part of a picture; ghost”). Pronunciation: /ˈsɒmbə/, /ˈsɑmbɚ/, /ˈsɒmbəɹ/, [sɔ̃ː.bɹ(ə)] 1. To make sombre or dark; to make shady. Labels: Canada, UK
Word: amphitheater Part of Speech: noun 1. American form of amphitheatre. Example: The symphony warmed up inside the amphitheater while the audience crowded around outside.
Word: Iowa Part of Speech: name Etymology: From French Aiouez/Ayoés, an early transliteration of the name for the Iowa tribe, from Dakota ayúxba (“the sleepy ones”). Pronunciation: /ˈaɪəwə/, /ˈaɪəweɪ/ 1. A state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Capital and largest city: Des Moines. Example: I prefer to think of Iowa as I saw it through the eyes of a ten-year-old boy. Those were eyes filled with the wonders of Iowa’s streams and woods, of the mystery of growing crops. Example: I had lived in Sioux City without the proper Iowa documentation for more than a year, and I'd always figured the license from my home state was as good as gold -- and why not? 2. A tributary of the Mississippi River which flows through Iowa in a southeast direction. 3. A town in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana. 4. Ellipsis of University of Iowa. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
Word: Iowa Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From French Aiouez/Ayoés, an early transliteration of the name for the Iowa tribe, from Dakota ayúxba (“the sleepy ones”). Pronunciation: /ˈaɪəwə/, /ˈaɪəweɪ/ 1. One of the Native Americans formerly occupying the region now included in the state of Iowa.
Word: Idaho Part of Speech: name Etymology: Uncertain; possibly from Plains Apache ídaahȩ́ (“Comanche”), though the Oxford English Dictionary states that the development of the state’s name from that word remains undocumented. The name Idaho was said to have been considered around 1860 for what was eventually called the Colorado Territory (now the state of Colorado) in 1861, and in 1863 was given to Idaho County (now part of Idaho); the county was named after a steamship launched on the Columbia River in 1860. The eccentric political lobbyist George Maurice Willing, Jr. (c. 1829 – 1874) claimed to have coined the name after a girl named Ida, though saying it was a Shoshoni term meaning “gem of the mountains” (no such term exists), but evidence suggests that there was use of the name in Colorado pre-dating Willing’s arrival in the West in 1859. The common noun (“type of potato”) is derived from the name of the state. Pronunciation: /ˈaɪdəhəʊ/, /ˈaɪdəˌhoʊ/ 1. A state in the western United States. Capital and largest city: Boise. Example: Oregon’s uptick in marijuana sales along the Idaho border doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s all Idahoans who are lighting up, Lehner said. 2. An unincorporated community in Pike County, Ohio, United States, named for Idaho Territory. 3. University of Idaho
Word: Idaho Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Uncertain; possibly from Plains Apache ídaahȩ́ (“Comanche”), though the Oxford English Dictionary states that the development of the state’s name from that word remains undocumented. The name Idaho was said to have been considered around 1860 for what was eventually called the Colorado Territory (now the state of Colorado) in 1861, and in 1863 was given to Idaho County (now part of Idaho); the county was named after a steamship launched on the Columbia River in 1860. The eccentric political lobbyist George Maurice Willing, Jr. (c. 1829 – 1874) claimed to have coined the name after a girl named Ida, though saying it was a Shoshoni term meaning “gem of the mountains” (no such term exists), but evidence suggests that there was use of the name in Colorado pre-dating Willing’s arrival in the West in 1859. The common noun (“type of potato”) is derived from the name of the state. Pronunciation: /ˈaɪdəhəʊ/, /ˈaɪdəˌhoʊ/ 1. In full Idaho potato: a variety of potato grown in Idaho, especially the Russet Burbank.
Word: Illinois Part of Speech: name Etymology: From French Illinois, an adaptation of an Algonquian (perhaps Ojibwe) name derived from Miami ilenweewa (“he speaks the regular way”). Pronunciation: /ˌɪləˈnɔɪ/, /ˌɪlɪˈnɔɪ/, /ˌɪləˈnɔɪz/ 1. A state of the United States, named for the people. Example: Entire states such as California, Illinois and New York are now sanctuaries, as well as major cities and counties such as Fairfax, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties and the District of Columbia in the capital region, according to the list. Example: On the invitation list: Govs. Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Tim Walz of Minnesota, J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Tony Evers of Wisconsin, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Roy Cooper of North Carolina, Wes Moore of Maryland and Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico. 2. A confederation of Algonquian tribes who lived in the Mississippi River Valley. 3. The Algonquian language spoken by these tribes; the Miami-Illinois language. Example: Another interesting Illinois word is the name of the celebrated chief, which the French made Chachagouache. Example: PISTAKEE LAKE (Lake) Part of the Chain of Lakes, Pistakee is an Illinois word taken from pestekouy, meaning "buffalo"[.] 4. A number of rivers in the United States: 5. A number of rivers in the United States: 6. A number of rivers in the United States: 7. A number of rivers in the United States: 8. A number of townships in the United States: 9. A number of townships in the United States: 10. A number of townships in the United States: 11. Ellipsis of University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
Word: Illinois Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From French Illinois, an adaptation of an Algonquian (perhaps Ojibwe) name derived from Miami ilenweewa (“he speaks the regular way”). Pronunciation: /ˌɪləˈnɔɪ/, /ˌɪlɪˈnɔɪ/, /ˌɪləˈnɔɪz/ 1. A member of the above-mentioned tribe.
Word: Illinois Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From French Illinois, an adaptation of an Algonquian (perhaps Ojibwe) name derived from Miami ilenweewa (“he speaks the regular way”). Pronunciation: /ˌɪləˈnɔɪ/, /ˌɪlɪˈnɔɪ/, /ˌɪləˈnɔɪz/ 1. Of or relating to the Illinois Confederacy, its people or its culture.
Word: Lord of Misrule Part of Speech: noun 1. A mock officer, appointed by lot, to preside over the Feast of Fools in a great household at Christmas.
Word: Indiana Part of Speech: name Etymology: From Indian + -a. From Indiana Territory, dating from 1800, noting the territory's large Native American Indian population. From Indian Territory. Pronunciation: /ˌɪndiˈænə/, [ˌɪndiˈeə̯nə] ~ [ˌɪndiˈɛə̯nə], /ˌɪndɪjˈanə/, /ˌɪndiˈæːnə/, [ˌɪndiˈæːnə] ~ [ˌɪndiˈɛːnə] ~ [ˌɪndiˈeːnə] 1. A placename. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: After some political wrangling, the state legislature acquiesced to the will of the majority of the Marion County delegation and approved the Unigov bill in the winter of 1969. The legislation applied to ANY city in Indiana that had a population of 250,000 or more. The population threshold has been subsequently raised to 600,000 to prevent other cities from consolidating. 2. A placename. Labels: countable, uncountable 3. A placename. Labels: countable, uncountable 4. A placename. Labels: countable, uncountable 5. A placename. Labels: countable, uncountable 6. A placename. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable 7. Ellipsis of Indiana University. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable 8. A unisex given name. Labels: countable, rare, uncountable 9. A unisex given name. Labels: countable, rare, uncountable
Word: Feast of Fools Part of Speech: noun 1. A festival, based on the Roman Saturnalia, celebrated near Christmas. Labels: historical
Word: Saturnalia Part of Speech: name Etymology: Learned borrowing from Latin Sāturnālia. Pronunciation: /ˌsætəˈneɪli.ə/, /ˌsætɚˈneɪli.ə/, /ˌsætɚˈneɪljə/ 1. An Ancient Roman holiday honoring the deity Saturn. Labels: historical Example: Saturn was an ancient Italian deity. It was attempted to identify him with the Grecian god Cronos, and fabled that after his dethronement by Jupiter he fled to Italy, where he reigned during what was called the Golden Age. In memory of his beneficent dominion, the feast of Saturnalia was held every year in the winter season. Example: CATULLUS described the Saturnalia as “the merriest festival of the year,” and Seneca [the Younger] reported that “all Rome seemed to go mad on this holiday.” The Saturnalia, named for Saturnus, an ancient agricultural deity, began on Dec. 17.
Word: Saturnalia Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Learned borrowing from Latin Sāturnālia. Pronunciation: /ˌsætəˈneɪli.ə/, /ˌsætɚˈneɪli.ə/, /ˌsætɚˈneɪljə/ 1. Alternative letter-case form of saturnalia. Labels: alt-of Example: It was odd that the literary festival should be turned into a Donnybrook fair, but so it was when I was a boy, and the tents and the shows and the crowds on the Common were to the promiscuous many the essential parts of the great occasion. They had been so for generations, and it was only gradually that the Cambridge Saturnalia were replaced by the decencies and solemnities of the present sober anniversary. Example: For New York Times photographers, it has been a night to leave their families in order to document the Saturnalia of Times Square.
Word: winter solstice Part of Speech: noun 1. The moment when the Earth is in that point of its orbit where the northern or southern hemisphere is most inclined away from the sun. Labels: uncountable, usually
Word: transaction Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Borrowed from Middle French transaction, from Old French transaccion, from Late Latin transactio. By surface analysis, trans- + action. Pronunciation: /tɹænˈzækʃən/, /t͡ʃɹænˈzækʃən/ 1. The act of conducting or carrying out (business, negotiations, plans). Example: The transaction was made on Friday with the supplier. 2. A deal or business agreement. 3. An exchange or trade, as of ideas, money, goods, etc.; personal interaction. Example: I made the transaction with the vendor as soon as she showed me the pearls. 4. The transfer of funds into, out of, or from an account. Example: But also: all of the banking transactions you carry out, each phrase you dictate to Alexa, each scan of a UPS package en route to your door, every record of a COVID-19 PCR test in your Labcorp account, every bucket of wings you DoorDashed. 5. An atomic operation; a message, data modification, or other procedure that is guaranteed to perform completely or not at all (e.g. a database transaction). 6. A record of the proceedings of a learned society. Labels: especially, plural 7. A social interaction.
Word: essence Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English essence, from Middle French essence, from Latin essentia (“the being or essence of a thing”), from an artificial formation of esse (“to be”), to translate Ancient Greek οὐσία (ousía, “being”), from ὤν (ṓn), present participle of εἰμί (eimí, “to be, exist”). Pronunciation: /ˈɛsəns/ 1. The inherent nature of a thing or idea. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: CHARITY is a virtue of the heart, and not of the hands, ſays an old writer. Gifts and alms are the expreſſions, not the eſſence of this virtue. Example: They [the laws] are at present, both in form and essence, the greatest curse that society labours under ; the scorn of the wicked, the consternation of the good, the refuge of those who violate, and the ruin of those who appeal to them. 2. The true nature of anything, not accidental or illusory. Labels: countable, uncountable 3. Constituent substance. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: For Spirits when they pleaſe / Can either Sex aſſume, or both ; ſo ſoft / And uncompounded is their Eſſence pure, / Not ti’d or manacl’d with joynt or limb, / Nor founded on the brittle ſtrength of bones, / Like cumbrous fleſh[…] 4. A being; especially, a purely spiritual being. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: And put to proof his high Supremacy, / Whether upheld by ſtrength, or Chance, or Fate, / Too well I ſee and rue the dire event, / That with ſad overthrow and foul defeat / Hath loſt us Heav’n, and all this mighty Hoſt / In horrible deſtruction laid thus low, / As far as Gods and Heav’nly Eſſences / Can Periſh. Example: He [Gottfried Wolfgang] had been indulging in fanciful speculations on spiritual essences, until, like Swedenborg, he had an ideal world of his own around him. 5. A significant feature of something. Labels: countable, uncountable 6. The concentrated form of a plant or drug obtained through an extraction or distillation process. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: essence of Jojoba 7. An extract or concentrate obtained from a plant or other matter used for flavouring, or as a restorative. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: vanilla essence Example: She bathed the face of the sleeper with some essence, raised her in her arms, and called upon her name. 8. Fragrance, a perfume. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Our humbler province is to tend the Fair, / Not a leſs pleaſing, tho’ leſs glorious care ; / To ſave the powder from too rude a gale, / Nor let th’ impriſon’d eſſences exhale[…]