nandhakumarms/qualc-wiktionary-en huggingface dataset:
Word: circumambient Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Latin circum (“around”) + ambiō, from amb- (“both side”) + eō (“go”), literally "go on both sides of". Synchronically circum- + ambient. 1. Including all aspects of; encompassing. 2. Surrounding. Example: Thus gaiety and cheerfulness prevail, / Spreading from young to old, from old to young, / And no one seems to want his share.—Immense / Is the recess, the circumambient world / Magnificent, by which they are embraced: […] Example: Philip seemed really to be born again. He breathed the circumambient air as though he had never breathed it before, and he took a child's pleasure in all the facts of the world.
Word: circumambient Part of Speech: adv Etymology: From Latin circum (“around”) + ambiō, from amb- (“both side”) + eō (“go”), literally "go on both sides of". Synchronically circum- + ambient. 1. In a circumambient manner.
Word: circumlocution Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Latin circumlocūtiō (“the act of speaking around; circumlocution, periphrasis”). By surface analysis, circum- (“around”) + locution (“talk”), thus "getting around (a problem) in speaking or writing". Probably a calque of Ancient Greek περίφρασις (períphrasis, “periphrasis”). Pronunciation: /ˌsɜːkəmləˈkjuːʃən/, /ˌsɝkəmləˈkjuʃən/ 1. A roundabout or indirect way of speaking; thus Labels: uncountable Example: Circumlocution is a large deſcription either to ſette forth a thyng more gorgiouſlie, or els to hyde it, if the eares cannot beare the open ſpeakyng: or when with fewe woordes we cannot open our meanyng, to ſpeake it more largely. Example: His Majeſty leaves the choice to your ſelf, and requires from you a direct Anſwer without circumlocution or bargaining with him […] 2. A roundabout or indirect way of speaking; thus: Labels: uncountable 3. A roundabout or indirect way of speaking; thus: Labels: uncountable Example: A technical word, such as hyperkalemia or hypoallergenic, can be glossed for general audiences with a circumlocution, such as "high potassium level" or "less likely to cause allergies" (respectively). Example: It may seem quite straightforward to render line 15 metrically regular by means of a grammatical trick: "the style as bright as soul". However, the stylistic feature of the adjectival compound does not occur in isolation but is employed again in the following line, "dem Staubfaden himmelswüst", where a grammatical circumlocution in translation would be metrically disadvantageous. Both compounds, "seelenhell" as well as "himmelswüst", should therefore be translated as compounds. When Michael Hamburger remarks that German "lends itself to the formation of compound words in a way that English does not" (in Celan 1988: 24), he probably refers to nouns such as "Türspalt" or "Algenteilchen". 4. An instance of such usage; a roundabout expression, whether an inadvisable one or a necessary one. Labels: countable
Word: apophthegm Part of Speech: noun Etymology: First attested 1553, from Ancient Greek ἀπόφθεγμα (apóphthegma), from ἀποφθέγγομαι (apophthéngomai, “I plainly speak my mind”), from ἀπό (apó, “from”) + φθέγγομαι (phthéngomai, “I speak loudly”). Pronunciation: /ˈæ.pə.θɛm/ 1. Alternative spelling of apothegm. Labels: UK, alt-of, alternative
Word: coeval Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Late Latin coaevus, from Latin con- (“equal”) + aevum (“age”). Pronunciation: /kəʊˈiːvəl/, /koʊˈi.vəl/ 1. Of the same age or era; contemporary. Labels: not-comparable Example: Anything coeval with that clock will fetch a hefty price! Example: The Baralaba Coal Measures are coeval with the Bandana Formation.
Word: coeval Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Late Latin coaevus, from Latin con- (“equal”) + aevum (“age”). Pronunciation: /kəʊˈiːvəl/, /koʊˈi.vəl/ 1. Something of the same era. Example: The telephone and television are coevals in that film. 2. Somebody of the same age. Example: […] the fey grace, the elusive, shifty, soul-shattering, insidious charm that separates the nymphet from such coevals of hers […] Example: “That's your coeval, Keluga. He's trying to write the entire Roget's as a series of nested, rule-based schematics. Containment, relation, exclusion . . .” “Coeval? I'm thirty-five, Lentz. That guy's a kid.”
Word: cogitate Part of Speech: verb Etymology: First attested in 1570; borrowed from Latin cōgitātus, perfect passive participle of cōgitō (“to think”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Pronunciation: /ˈkəʊdʒɪteɪt/, /ˈkɒdʒɪteɪt/, /ˈkoʊd͡ʒɪteɪt/, /ˈkɑd͡ʒɪteɪt/ 1. To meditate, to ponder, to think deeply. Labels: intransitive Example: He that calleth a thing into his mind, whether by impression or recordation, cogitateth and considereth, and he that employeth the faculty of his fancy also cogitateth. Example: Think, ladies! Cogitate! Sharpen up the edges of your wit. 2. To consider, to devise. Labels: transitive
Word: bleh Part of Speech: intj Etymology: Imitative. 1. Used to reflect general indifference to a situation or topic. Labels: slang 2. An expression of mild disgust, possible imitative of vomiting Labels: slang 3. An interjection to show affection for someone, related to blep Labels: slang Example: Bleh, I love you, Kat. ― Bleh!
Word: bleh Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Imitative. 1. Mildly uncomfortable; not good. Labels: slang Example: I'm feeling a bit bleh. Example: What did you think of my mother? ― She was just bleh.
Word: audio Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Clipping of audio-. Cognates include Sanskrit आविस् (āvís, “manifestly, evidently”) and Ancient Greek αἰσθάνομαι (aisthánomai, “perceive, notice”) whence English aesthetic. Pronunciation: /ˈɔːdi.əʊ/, /ˈoːdɪjəw/, /ˈɔ.di.oʊ/, [ˈɔ.ɾi.oʊ], /ˈɑ.di.oʊ/ 1. Focused on audible sound, as opposed to sight. Example: If you're more audio than visual, tune in on the "A-V Soap Opera" (page 375). Example: I'm very audio, so I hear words.
Word: audio Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Clipping of audio-. Cognates include Sanskrit आविस् (āvís, “manifestly, evidently”) and Ancient Greek αἰσθάνομαι (aisthánomai, “perceive, notice”) whence English aesthetic. Pronunciation: /ˈɔːdi.əʊ/, /ˈoːdɪjəw/, /ˈɔ.di.oʊ/, [ˈɔ.ɾi.oʊ], /ˈɑ.di.oʊ/ 1. Sound, or a sound signal. Labels: uncountable, usually 2. A piece of sound that is recorded electronically. Labels: countable, usually Example: I DMed him an audio of myself singing the South Park intro. Example: Others wryly illustrate appropriated audios, like instructions for quacking like a duck or a letter from an angry airline passenger.
Word: scripophily Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree English scrip Ancient Greek -ο- (-o-)der. Latin -o-bor. English -o- English -phily English scripophily From scrip + -o- + -phily. 1. The hobby of collecting paper documents, particularly business stock certificates. Labels: uncountable
Word: catching Part of Speech: adj Pronunciation: /ˈkæt͡ʃɪŋ/, /ˈkɛt͡ʃɪŋ/ 1. Infectious, contagious. Labels: informal Example: Ah, who is this? You did not hear me, my young friend, did you? Why, you, too, look sad. My melancholy is not catching! 2. Captivating; alluring; catchy. Example: Bomb guy looked her up and down, not because he was an attractive man and she was possibly a catching woman.
Word: catching Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /ˈkæt͡ʃɪŋ/, /ˈkɛt͡ʃɪŋ/ 1. The action of the verb catch. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Though catchings of the breath and occasional syncope appear in the more early stages, yet they only become considerable and dangerous in the later[…]
Word: catching Part of Speech: verb Pronunciation: /ˈkæt͡ʃɪŋ/, /ˈkɛt͡ʃɪŋ/ 1. present participle and gerund of catch Labels: form-of, gerund, participle, present
Word: debag Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *de Proto-Indo-European *-h₁ Proto-Indo-European *déh₁ Proto-Italic *dē Latin dē Latin dē-der. English de- Old Norse baggibor.? Old French baguebor.? Middle English bagge English bag English debag From de- + bag. Pronunciation: /diːˈbæɡ/ 1. To remove (something) from a bag. Labels: transitive Example: […] when such bags are used for organic materials destined to be composted, the plastics create nothing but problems. Materials must be debagged before composting […] 2. To pull down the trousers of a person quickly by surprise, as a prank. Labels: slang, transitive Example: I don’t want to be debagged! Don’t you play the giddy ox with me! 3. To perform blepharoplasty; to remove eyebags.
Word: wind farm Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From wind + farm, from the idea that the wind turbines are “farming” the wind to produce electricity. Pronunciation: /ˈwɪndfɑːm/, /ˈwɪndˌfɑɹm/ 1. A collection of wind turbines, especially a large-scale array, used to generate electricity. Example: Then roughly 176 wind generators of 1.8 megawatts each would be located at each wind farm affecting an area of 15 × 176 or 2640 acres (4.1 sq mi) but directly using only about 176 acres (0.3 sq mi). Example: The windy weather last weekend set a new renewable power record and resulted in some households being paid to charge their electric cars to help balance the grid. Wind farms in Britain generated more than 16 gigawatts of power for the first time on Sunday evening.
Word: debagging Part of Speech: verb 1. present participle and gerund of debag Labels: form-of, gerund, participle, present
Word: debagging Part of Speech: noun 1. An act of pulling down the trousers of a person quickly and without consent. Labels: Southern-England, dated, slang Example: When we catch up with you, Jones, we're going to give you a debagging!
Word: large-scale Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Etymology tree English large Proto-Indo-European *skend-der. Proto-Indo-European *(s)kn̥d-sleh₂ Proto-Italic *skand-slā Latin scālabor. Middle English scale English scale English large-scale From large + scale. 1. Large in amount, scope or extent. Example: Moreover, in view of the lamentable present indecision of the Government in regard to electrification, the large-scale building of diesel power may prove to have been a farseeing move after all. Example: The production of railway timetables is a large-scale and expensive operation. 2. Of a map or image, drawn large so as to show detail.
Word: defrag Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Shortened from defragment. Pronunciation: /diːˈfɹæɡ/ 1. Clipping of defragment. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, transitive
Word: wine and dine Part of Speech: verb 1. To entertain or woo someone with a fine meal. Labels: transitive Example: You wined me and dined me when I was your girl / Promised if I'd be your wife, you'd show me the world Example: In the TV world, getting smaller all the time / You're the kind of girl I'd like to wine and dine 2. To eat lavishly. Labels: intransitive Example: As we wined and dined, as we walked together along the banks of the River Seine smoking our postprandial cigarettes, we talked of life and love—and women.
Word: wine cellar Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English wyn celer, wyne saler. Pronunciation: /ˈwaɪnˌsɛ.lə(ɹ)/ 1. An underground place for storing wine at a constant temperature. 2. A collection of wines. Labels: broadly
Word: wineglass Part of Speech: noun 1. Alternative spelling of wine glass. Labels: alt-of, alternative
Word: winegrower Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From wine + grower. 1. A person or company that owns a vineyard and produces wine, a vinedresser.
Word: wineskin Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From wine + skin. Pronunciation: /ˈwaɪnˌskɪn/ 1. A bag, traditionally made from the skin of a goat (a goatskin), used for holding and dispensing wine.
Word: social stigma Part of Speech: noun 1. Severe social disapproval of a person or a certain behavior.
Word: Wing Commander Part of Speech: noun 1. Alternative letter-case form of wing commander (found when the term is used as a title). Labels: alt-of
Word: wing nut Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From wing + nut. 1. A nut with wing-like projections to provide leverage in turning with thumb and forefinger. 2. Alternative form of wingnut (“person with radical political views, especially right-wing or conservative ones”). Labels: alt-of, alternative 3. Alternative form of wingnut (“person with large ears”). Labels: alt-of, alternative
Word: wingnut Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From wing + nut. The political sense is a shortening of "right-wing nut". Pronunciation: /ˈwɪŋˌnʌt/ 1. A deciduous tree of the genus Pterocarya native to Asia. 2. A person who is or seems odd, eccentric, or crazy; especially, someone with bizarre or extreme political views. Labels: derogatory, informal Example: Near-synonyms: nut, nut job, nut case, crank, weirdo; see also Thesaurus:strange person, Thesaurus:mad person Example: We are witnessing a wingnut war break out in American politics, organized on the Internet and fought out in airwaves and in town halls, wingnuts firing their shots from the outer reaches and strafing the common sense center. 3. A member of the air force (in a town that hosts a USAF installation). Labels: slang 4. A person with large ears. Labels: informal, slang 5. Alternative form of wing nut (“(mechanical) nut with wing-like projections”). Labels: alt-of, alternative
Word: winkle-picker Part of Speech: noun 1. A person who harvests periwinkles (a kind of sea snail) to be eaten. Labels: Ireland, UK Example: [The girl] informed me that […] I had no right to wander at will upon the winkle-beds! Her brother, said she, was the watcher over this particular part of the Whitstable fishing-ground, beyond which he was the champion winkle-picker of the neighbourhood! Example: The most inveterate beachcomber and by far the speediest winkle picker in the village was ‘Euan, the son of Euan, the son of Euan’, the Gaelic pronunciation of whose name approximated to a long drawn-out yawn. 2. An implement used to extract the flesh of a periwinkle from its shell. Example: “Anyway, she can’t have got much pleasure out of him. If it’s owt like the rest of him she’d need a winkle-picker to find it.” Example: A few years ago she made the mistake of ordering fruit de mer at a restaurant there. The plate was covered five deep in shellfish. The dastardly waiter had maliciously omitted to supply a winkle-picker. 3. A style of boot or shoe with a severely pointed toe, fashionable in the 1950s and 1960s. Labels: also, attributive Example: winkle-picker toes; winkle-picker stilettos Example: Four children on the roundabout […] and two youths with heavy side-burns and stiff crew cuts, in black sweaters, drain-pipe jeans and winkle-pickers, made up the entire custom of the afternoon.
Word: wingspan Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From wing + span. Pronunciation: /ˈwɪŋ.spæn/ 1. The distance from the left wingtip to the right wingtip (of a bird, airplane etc.). Example: The wandering albatross has the largest wingspan of any living bird. Example: The Airbus A380 has one of the largest wingspans among aircraft; only a few surpass it. 2. Synonym of arm span.
Word: wingtip Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From wing + tip. 1. The extreme tip of the wing of an aircraft, bird, flying insect, etc. Example: They're wonderful hoverers, though, and they'll remain stationary in the air, wing-tips vibrating, till they've marked their prey[.] Example: The poor but lovely bird sat there, posing among the celandines and wood anemones, wondering why its wing-tips were frozen together. 2. A part of a shoe, often with brogueing that extends backwards on both sides from the toe. 3. A part of a shoe, often with brogueing that extends backwards on both sides from the toe. Labels: US Example: Then, immaculately dressed in three-piece suit, starched collar, and wingtips, Wilbur was obliged to drive a spike of Nevada silver into a railroad tie, a tricky and potentially embarrassing ceremonoial duty, especially with a phalanx of eager photographers poised to record every misswing.
Word: winning post Part of Speech: noun 1. The post that marks the end of a racecourse, sometimes equipped with a camera for recording photo finishes
Word: cantina Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Spanish cantina, from Italian cantina. Doublet of canteen. Pronunciation: /kænˈtiː.nə/, /kænˈti.nə/, [kʰɛənˈti.nə], [kʰeənˈti.nə] 1. A drinking establishment, often specifically of the type found in Latin America. Example: Meanwhile, around the corner, Larry Meyers and Gerard Novello[…] ducked into a Mexican cantina for a drink. 2. A cantina truck, cantina wagon or cantina trailer.
Word: win over Part of Speech: verb 1. To persuade someone, gain someone's support, or make someone understand the truth or validity of something. Labels: idiomatic, transitive Example: If the truth doesn't win him over, perhaps charm will. Example: Despite his ill-fated spell at Anfield, he received a warm reception from the same Liverpool fans he struggled to win over before being sacked midway through last season.
Word: wire brush Part of Speech: noun 1. A brush that has bristles made of wire; used as an abrasive and on masonry etc; especially (when without a qualifier) the hand tool type of such a brush.
Word: wire brush Part of Speech: verb 1. To scrub with a wire brush, especially the hand tool type.
Word: wire gauze Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Compound of wire + gauze (“finely woven cloth”), from the similar appearance. 1. Finely interwoven wire, used in fences. Labels: countable, uncountable
Word: wire netting Part of Speech: noun 1. A hexagonal network of interwoven wire used in fencing; chicken wire. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Wire netting has been erected in many places to stop straying animals, and most of the level crossing gates are locked and broken.
Word: wireless telegraphy Part of Speech: noun 1. Telegraphy by radio rather than by transmission cables. Labels: historical, uncountable, usually Example: This most conspicuous triumph of Mr. Marconi's invention is peculiarly gratifying to The Times, which has long made liberal use of wireless telegraphy in its European news service.
Word: radio telephony Part of Speech: noun 1. The transmission of speech using modulated radio waves Labels: uncountable
Word: wise man Part of Speech: noun Etymology: wise + man Pronunciation: /ˈwʌɪzman/ 1. A man who is wise. Example: That is the reason, why some say, that the wiseman liveth as long as he ought, and not so long as he can. Example: But where's that wiseman, that would not be I, / If she would not deny? 2. A man who is a sage or seer. Example: Steady old Väinämöinen / the everlasting wise man [translating tietäjä] / was driving along his roads / pacing out his ways / in those glades of Väinö-land / on the Kalevala heaths. 3. A magus or wizard, now especially one of the three biblical magi. Example: Some of the other charms employed by the wise men had a more tangled pedigree.
Word: wishful Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From wish + -ful. Pronunciation: /ˈwɪʃfəl/ 1. Wished-for; desired, wanted. Labels: obsolete Example: The cry whereof entring the hollow cave / Eftsoones brought forth the villaine, as they ment, / With hope of her some wishfull boot to have. 2. Expressing a wish or longing for something. Example: When she weighed anchor I went to the waterside and looked at her with a very wishful and aching heart, and followed her with my eyes and tears until she was totally out of sight. 3. Aspiring, or seeking advancement.
Word: wishful thinking Part of Speech: noun 1. The formation of beliefs based on an outcome that aligns with one's desires or hopes, while disregarding evidence, rationality, or reality. Labels: idiomatic, uncountable, usually Example: When you first come out, you might have an overactive gaydar. When I realized I was gay, I wanted everyone to be gay too, which led to a lot of wishful thinking. "Helen Hunt is gay!" Dream on, girl! Example: Although no word has ever really emerged of what the Queen has really thought of her prime ministers, there has always been a sense that she did not get on terribly well with Thatcher. Some of this is doubtless wishful thinking, but there were sufficient straws in the wind to give it some credence, such as the story that the prime minister asked what the sovereign intended to wear to an event so as to avoid a clash, only to be told frostily that Her Majesty did not pay any attention to what other people wore. 2. Decision making based on self-delusion. Labels: idiomatic, uncountable, usually
Word: I3 Part of Speech: name 1. Abbreviation of InterMUD-3, a protocol for instant communication between MUDs via the Internet. Labels: Internet, abbreviation, alt-of
Word: I2 Part of Speech: name Etymology: Initialisms. 1. Internet2, the state-of-the-art network connecting multiple research universities. Labels: Internet 2. InterMUD 2, a protocol for instant communication between MUDs via the Internet. Labels: Internet
Word: unbeaten Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English on bete, unbeten, unibeten; equivalent to un- + beaten; compare Old English ungebeitne (“unhewn”). 1. not having been thrashed or beaten Labels: not-comparable 2. not defeated Labels: not-comparable Example: Arsenal went 25 games unbeaten. Example: That startling admission capped a miserable night for City as they arrived in Germany following an unbeaten start to the season. 3. untrodden Labels: not-comparable Example: We walked across unbeaten grassland. 4. Not beaten or whisked Labels: not-comparable Example: Fold in the unbeaten eggs. 5. not out Labels: not-comparable Example: He scored an unbeaten century.
Word: unbeaten Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English on bete, unbeten, unibeten; equivalent to un- + beaten; compare Old English ungebeitne (“unhewn”). 1. A team or competitor that has not been defeated. Example: This left the Buckeyes and the defending national champion Miami Hurricanes as the nation's only unbeatens. Example: We had done the impossible. We had beaten the unbeatens.
Word: wishing well Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /ˈwɪʃɪŋ wɛl/ 1. A well where, traditionally, wishes were thought to be granted, especially if coins were dropped into the water. Example: In the burial ground is a wishing-well named after St Augustine - the first Archbishop of Canterbury - who, in the 6th century, is said to have blessed it. Example: Spitting in a wishing well / Blown to hell, crash / I'm the last splash / I know you, little libertine / I know you're a real cuckoo
Word: wishing well Part of Speech: verb Pronunciation: /ˈwɪʃɪŋ wɛl/ 1. present participle and gerund of wish well Labels: form-of, gerund, participle, present
Word: wistful Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Presumably from *whistful, from whist (“silent”) + -ful, based on older wistly. It is implausible that it derives from wishful, the required sound change being wishful → *wisful → wistful, which could not occur in Modern English, particularly not with wishful continuing in use. However, the sense of “longing” appears to be influenced by wishful, making wistful an ambiguous poetic word. Pronunciation: /ˈwɪstfəl/ 1. Full of longing or yearning. Example: His eyes grew wistful as he recalled his university days. Example: Her grey eyes, looking out on the violet of the night sky, the trees, and the crowd of hilarious onlookers who had not been invited to Buckingham Palace, had a patient and wistful expression. 2. Sad and thoughtful.
Word: ferior Part of Speech: adj Etymology: Back-formation from inferior by reanalysis as in- + ferior. 1. Not inferior, superior. Labels: nonstandard, rare Example: - just that I was >somehow rather inferior. It's sad that we have had to endure false lessons such as these, Terry. :( You are VERY ferior in MY book! Superior, too. :) As in a class act, a decent person, a warmly caring person. Example: The arbitrary leaders pick their teams from the ranks of the ferior and inferior, usually in descending order.
Word: witchcraft Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English wicchecraft, wicchecreft, from Old English wiċċecræft, equivalent to witch + -craft. Pronunciation: /ˈwɪt͡ʃkɹæft/, /ˈwɪt͡ʃkɹɑːft/ 1. The practice of witches; magic, sorcery, or the use of supernatural powers to influence or predict events. Labels: uncountable, usually Example: Wiccans believe in a modernised form of witchcraft. Example: We may smile now to hear witchcraft spoken seriously of; but we forget perhaps that a belief in it is like a belief in the after appearance of the dead among the blue waters, the green graves, the still starry atmosphere and the great shadowy woods of our earth; […] 2. Black magic; the use of witchcraft for evil means. Labels: uncountable, usually Example: The Bible warns against the use of witchcraft and sorcery. 3. Something, such as an advanced technology, that seems almost magical. Labels: uncountable, usually Example: There can be no denying that the more than 100 exhibiting companies and divisions also gave full play to examples of their latest technological witchcraft, as befits the foremost US aerospace event. 4. An irresistible or seemingly magical influence. Labels: uncountable, usually
Word: witch doctor Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /ˈwɪtʃ ˌdɒktə/, /ˈwɪtʃ ˌdɑktɚ/ 1. A person (often male) who is believed to ward off witchcraft and heal through magical powers; a shaman. Example: [T]he ſaid Dorothy Durent, having been with a Witch-Doctor, acknowledges upon Oath, that by his Advice, ſhe hang'd up her Child's Blanket in the Chimney, found a Toad in it at Night, had put it into the Fire, and held it there tho' it made a great and horrible Noiſe, and flaſht like Gunpowder, and went off like a Piſtol, and then became inviſible, and that by this the Priſoner was ſcorch'd and burn'd lamentably. Example: Some people are so foolish as to go to a witch-doctor when they have Cows in this complaint [prematurely parting with their unborn calves]:—they give him some money, and he tells them some frivolous tale, such as that some person that wishes them bad luck, or looks upon them with an evil eye, [...] 2. A dragonfly. Labels: Southern-US
Word: wither Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English widren, wydderen (“to dry up, shrivel”), related to or perhaps an alteration of Middle English wederen (“to expose to weather”), from Old English wederian (“to expose to weather, exhibit a change of weather”). Cognates From Proto-Germanic: Dutch verwederen, Dutch verweren (“to erode by weather”), German verwittern, wittern (“to be ruined by weather; to erode”), Swedish vittra (“wither”). More at weather. Pronunciation: /ˈwɪðə/, [ˈwɪðə], /ˈwɪðɚ/, [ˈwɪðɚ] ~ [ˈwɪðɹ̩] 1. To shrivel, droop or dry up, especially from lack of water. Labels: intransitive Example: The flowers began to wither in the hot sun without enough water. Example: She watched as the old tree slowly withered with time. 2. To cause to shrivel or dry up. Labels: transitive Example: There was a man which had his hand withered. Example: This is man, old, wrinkled, faded, withered. 3. To lose vigour or power; to languish; to waste away; to pass away. Labels: figuratively, intransitive Example: names that must not wither Example: States thrive or wither as moons wax and wane. 4. To become helpless due to emotion. Labels: intransitive 5. To make helpless due to emotion. Labels: transitive
Word: wither Part of Speech: noun Etymology: See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form. Pronunciation: /ˈwɪðə/, [ˈwɪðə], /ˈwɪðɚ/, [ˈwɪðɚ] ~ [ˈwɪðɹ̩] 1. singular of withers (“part of the back of a four-legged animal that is between the shoulder blades”) Labels: form-of, singular Example: Timozel had slid his feet quickly from the stirrups and swung his leg over the horse's wither as it slumped to the ground, standing himself in one graceful movement. Example: If a saddle tips too far forward it may rest on the horse's wither and cause pain. There should always be a gap of roughly 5 cm between the horse's wither and the pommel when you are sitting on the saddle.
Word: wither Part of Speech: adv Etymology: From Middle English wither, from Old English wiþer (“again, against”, adverb in compounds), from Proto-West Germanic *wiþr (“against, toward”). Cognates From Proto-Germanic: Low German wedder (“against”), Dutch weer (“again, back”), German wider (“against, contrary to”), German wieder (“again”), Gothic 𐍅𐌹𐌸𐍂𐌰 (wiþra), Old Norse viðr. More at with. Pronunciation: /ˈwɪðə/, [ˈwɪðə], /ˈwɪðɚ/, [ˈwɪðɚ] ~ [ˈwɪðɹ̩] 1. Against, in opposition to. Labels: in-compounds, obsolete
Word: wither Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English witheren, from Old English wiþerian (“to resist, oppose, struggle against”). Cognates From Proto-Germanic: Middle Dutch wideren, Old High German widarōn. Pronunciation: /ˈwɪðə/, [ˈwɪðə], /ˈwɪðɚ/, [ˈwɪðɚ] ~ [ˈwɪðɹ̩] 1. To go against, resist; oppose.
Word: withered Part of Speech: adj Pronunciation: /ˈwɪðɚd/, /ˈwɪðəd/ 1. Shrivelled, shrunken or faded, especially due to lack of water. Example: Lying on the floor was a dead man, in evening dress, with a knife in his heart. He was withered, wrinkled, and loathsome of visage. It was not till they had examined the rings that they recognized who it was. Example: Three chairs of the steamer type, all maimed, comprised the furniture of this roof-garden, with […] on one of the copings a row of four red clay flower-pots filled with sun-baked dust from which gnarled and rusty stalks thrust themselves up like withered elfin limbs.
Word: withered Part of Speech: verb Pronunciation: /ˈwɪðɚd/, /ˈwɪðəd/ 1. simple past and past participle of wither Labels: form-of, participle, past
Word: withering Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From wither + -ing. 1. Tending to destroy, devastate, overwhelm, or cause complete destruction. Example: The D-Day troops came under withering fire. Example: Before the clearing had been half crossed the Arabs opened up a withering fire from behind the palisade. 2. Diminishing rapidly. Example: The playboy seemed oblivious to his withering fortune as he continued in his decadent lifestyle. Example: Go—ask of nature in thy walk. The rose-bud, dying on its stalk, The fading grass—the withering tree, Are emblems of thy fate and thee. 3. Tending to make someone feel small; scornful in a mortifying way. Example: Jane's mother in law gave her a withering look. Example: He made withering remarks about his adversary.
Word: withering Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From wither + -ing. 1. present participle and gerund of wither Labels: form-of, gerund, participle, present
Word: withering Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From wither + -ing. 1. The process by which something withers. Example: Spiritual witherings and decayings are opposite to the word of God.
Word: without fail Part of Speech: prep_phrase 1. Certainly; by all means; as a matter of importance. Labels: idiomatic Example: You will report to the police every week without fail. Example: And David enquired at the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all. 2. Inevitably.
Word: withstand Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English withstanden, from Old English wiþstandan, from Proto-West Germanic *wiþistandan (“to withstand, resist”), equivalent to with- (“against”) + stand. Cognate with Old Frisian withstanda (“to resist”). Compare also Dutch weerstaan (“to withstand, repel”), German widerstehen (“to withstand, resist, defy”), Russian противостоять (protivostojatʹ, “to withstand”). Pronunciation: /wɪðˈstænd/, /wɪθˈstænd/ 1. To resist or endure (something) successfully. Labels: transitive Example: Tests showed that a tin ceiling could withstand a temperature of 1,369° for an hour and 10 minutes, whereas plaster collapsed in 12 minutes. Example: Some old, underfired clay pantiles might be damaged by button mosses rooting in cracks and fissures. But most post-war tiles are hard enough to withstand a bit of moss growth. 2. To oppose (something) forcefully.
Word: inform Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English informen, enformen, borrowed from Old French enformer, informer (“to train, instruct, inform”), from Latin īnfōrmō (“to shape, form, train, instruct, educate”), from in- (“into”) + fōrma (“form, shape”), equivalent to in- + form. Pronunciation: /ɪnˈfɔɹm/, /ɪnˈfɔːm/ 1. To instruct, train (usually in matters of knowledge). Labels: archaic, transitive 2. To communicate knowledge to. Labels: transitive Example: For he would learn their business secretly, / And then inform his master hastily. Example: I am informed thoroughly of the cause. 3. To impart information or knowledge. Labels: intransitive 4. To act as an informer; denounce. 5. To give form or character to; to inspire (with a given quality); to affect, influence (with a pervading principle, idea etc.). Labels: transitive Example: His sense of religion informs everything he writes. Example: But others declare that no Creature can be made or tranſmuted into a better or vvorſe, or transformed into another ſpecies or ſimilitude, by man, or devill. […] Martinus [i.e., Martin] Delrio the Jeſuit accounts this degeneration of Man into a Beaſt to be an illuſion, deceptive and repugnant to Nature; for, the ſoule of man cannot informe a beaſts body, […] 6. To make known, wisely and/or knowledgeably. Labels: intransitive, obsolete 7. To direct, guide. Labels: formal, transitive Example: Don’t forget the code of ethics that informs this profession. 8. To take form; to become visible or manifest; to appear. Labels: archaic, intransitive Example: It is the bloody business which informs / Thus to mine eyes.
Word: inform Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Latin īnfōrmis. Pronunciation: /ɪnˈfɔɹm/, /ɪnˈfɔːm/ 1. Without regular form; shapeless; ugly; deformed. Labels: not-comparable Example: Bleak Crags, and naked Hills, And the whole Prospect so inform and rude
Word: irritate Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Borrowed from Latin irrītātus, perfect passive participle of irrītō (“excite, irritate, incite, stimulate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Pronunciation: /ˈɪɹ.ɪˌteɪt/ 1. To provoke impatience, anger, or displeasure in. Labels: transitive Example: If thou irritatest my lord, there will come to war against thee all the Getulians, Numidians, and Garamantes, Afric contains. Example: Thou scandalizest me and irritatest my nature as much as it possibly can be irritated. 2. To cause or induce displeasure or irritation. Labels: intransitive 3. To induce pain in (all or part of a body or organism). Labels: transitive
Word: irritate Part of Speech: verb Etymology: Borrowed from Latin irritātus, perfect passive participle of irritō (“to invalidate, render void, annul”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from irritus (“invalid”), the equivalent of in- + ratus (“valid, established, fixed”). Pronunciation: /ˈɪɹ.ɪˌteɪt/ 1. To render null and void. Labels: obsolete, transitive Example: c. 1634-1661 John Bramhall, Protestants' Ordination Defended Are human laws presently superfluous, so often as they do not irritate or abrogate Divine laws ?
Word: likeness Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English liknesse, from Old English līcness, ġelīcnes (“the quality of being like or equal; likeness; image; copy; pattern; example; parable”), from Proto-West Germanic *galīkanassī (“likeness”), equivalent to like + -ness. Cognate with West Frisian likenis (“likeness”), Dutch gelijkenis (“similarity; likeness; parable”), German Low German Glieknis (“form; semblance; likeness; parable”), German Gleichnis (“form; semblance; image; likeness; parable; simile”). The verb is derived from the noun. Compare also Old Norse líkneskja (“figure, image, appearance, likeness”). Pronunciation: /ˈlaɪknəs/ 1. The state or quality of being like or alike. Example: I bear no likeness to my parents whatsoever. Example: Erich thought he observed a likeness between the stranger and a relative of Walther; this led them into the chapter of likenesses, and the strange way in which certain forms repeat themselves in families, often most distinctly in the most remote ramifications. 2. Appearance or form; guise. Example: A foe in the likeness of a friend Example: And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 3. That which closely resembles; a portrait. Example: How he looked, the likenesses of him which still remain enable us to imagine. Example: At this moment Mr. Glentworth's eye fell on a little pencilled sketch of himself. In her joy at seeing the original, Isabella had forgotten the copy. Again a bright scarlet passed over her face; and her companion, from that necessity of saying something which originates more subjects of conversation than any thing else, observed, "I did not know you had a talent for taking likenesses."
Word: likeness Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English liknesse, from Old English līcness, ġelīcnes (“the quality of being like or equal; likeness; image; copy; pattern; example; parable”), from Proto-West Germanic *galīkanassī (“likeness”), equivalent to like + -ness. Cognate with West Frisian likenis (“likeness”), Dutch gelijkenis (“similarity; likeness; parable”), German Low German Glieknis (“form; semblance; likeness; parable”), German Gleichnis (“form; semblance; image; likeness; parable; simile”). The verb is derived from the noun. Compare also Old Norse líkneskja (“figure, image, appearance, likeness”). Pronunciation: /ˈlaɪknəs/ 1. To depict. Labels: archaic, transitive Example: I have this morning received the photographs of my two boys. The eldest is very well likenessed: the other, perhaps, not so well. Example: Every member of the family [of General Grant] is as faithfully likenessed as the photographs, which were given to the artist from the hands of the General himself, have power to express.
Word: witches' brew Part of Speech: noun Pronunciation: /ˈwɪtʃɪzˌbɹuː/, /ˌwɪtʃɪzˈbɹuː/ 1. A strange, powerful, terrifying or dangerous concoction of ingredients. Example: In turn, the nitro-glycerin ignited cardboard boxes containing a witches' brew of urea pellets and sulphuric acid.22 According to investigators and other officials, Yousef's objective was to topple Tower One onto Tower Two[…] Example: The non-Greek festivals are characterized by a sexual license that engulfs the family and […] so leads to incest and a “witches' brew” of salaciousness and cruelty.
Word: cognoscente Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From obsolete Italian cognoscente (modern Italian conoscente) from Latin cognōscere (“to know”). Pronunciation: /kɒnjəˈʃɛnti/, /ˌkɒnjəˈʃɛnti/, /ˌkɑɡnəˈʃɛnti/, /ˌkɑnjəˈʃɛnti/ 1. Someone possessing superior or specialized knowledge in a particular field. Labels: in-plural, often Example: He is the painter who has been held to combine the most complete grace of form with sublimity of expression. Such at least I have gathered to be the opinion of cognoscenti. Example: He was a brilliant cosmopolite and a cognoscente of high rank; but, after all, he was of the same race and blood and instinct as this people.
Word: yobbo Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From yob + -o. Pronunciation: /ˈjɒbəʊ/ 1. A yob. Labels: Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, derogatory, slang Example: Yeah, but you heard what Blake said. We wouldn't stand a chance against Pike's mob. They're a right bunch of yobbos. Example: He stared at them with eyes dull with fatigue, and let out a long sigh. “Trouble, trouble” he replied wearily. “Skinheads and yobboes fighting the coloureds".
Word: collude Part of Speech: verb Etymology: * From Latin collūdere, from con- and lūdere (“to play”). Pronunciation: /kəˈluːd/ 1. to act in concert with; to conspire. Labels: intransitive Example: William understood Diana more but idealized her less. He was privy to her volatile love life. He knew the tabloids made her life hell, but he also knew she colluded with them.
Word: witness box Part of Speech: noun 1. A witness stand in a courtroom. Labels: UK Example: The same dingy court room, […]; the royal arms above it [the bench] and the little witness box to one side, where so many honest poor people are bullied Example: There's no lie Jenny Prask wouldn't tell to force Joan into the witness box.
Word: witness stand Part of Speech: noun 1. An enclosed area in a courtroom where witnesses give their evidence. Labels: US Example: The witness stand was to the right of Judge Taylor, and when we got to our seats Mr. Heck Tate was already on it.
Word: witticism Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From witty + -icism; coined in the 1670s by John Dryden, by analogy to criticism. Pronunciation: /ˈwɪ.tɪ.sɪz.əm/ 1. a witty remark; a bon mot; an epigram; a zinger. Example: "Take any shape but that!" is what I always feel tempted to exclaim when dulness attempts a joke; striving to pervert some poor innocent and ill-used word from its lawful meaning till it ceases to have any at all—worrying some unfortunate idea till, like the hunted hare, it is worried to death—dealing in witticisms whose edge has long since been worn off by constant use; and truly to the many, witticisms not only require to be explained, like riddles, but are also like new shoes, which people require to wear many times before they get accustomed to them. Example: Shock of the witticism is a powerful one; while mere fun will have no power over them if it jar on their moral taste.
Word: comport Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From late Middle English comporten, from Old French comporter, from Latin comportare (“to bring together”), from com- (“together”) + portare (“to carry”). Pronunciation: /kəmˈpɔː(ɹ)t/ 1. To tolerate, bear, put up (with). Labels: ambitransitive, obsolete Example: to comport with an injury Example: The malecontented sort / That never can the present state comport. 2. To be in agreement (with); to be of an accord. Labels: intransitive Example: The new rules did not seem to comport with the spirit of the club. Example: How ill this dullness doth comport with greatness. 3. To behave (in a given manner). Labels: reflexive Example: She comported herself with grace. Example: Observe how Lord Somers […] comported himself.
Word: comport Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From late Middle English comporten, from Old French comporter, from Latin comportare (“to bring together”), from com- (“together”) + portare (“to carry”). Pronunciation: /kəmˈpɔː(ɹ)t/ 1. Manner of acting; conduct; comportment; deportment. Labels: obsolete Example: I know them well, and mark'd their rude comport. Example: Personal virtues can be symbolic of capital—e.g., comport and charm as marks of “good” breeding—but to be a “celebrity” or “surgeon” or “professor” requires specific forms of capital.
Word: wobbly Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From wobble + -y. Pronunciation: /ˈwɒb(ə)li/, /ˈwɑb(ə)li/ 1. Unsteady and tending to wobble. Example: wobbly bridge Example: wobbly chair
Word: wobbly Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From wobble + -y. Pronunciation: /ˈwɒb(ə)li/, /ˈwɑb(ə)li/ 1. Alternative spelling of Wobbly. Labels: alt-of, alternative 2. A wobbler; a fit of rage; a tantrum. Labels: Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, colloquial
Word: Wolf Cub Part of Speech: noun 1. A Cub Scout. Labels: UK, dated
Word: Cub Scout Part of Speech: noun 1. A member of the junior division of the Boy Scout movement.
Word: Wolffian Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Wolff + -ian. Pronunciation: /ˈwʊlfiən/ 1. Relating to Caspar Friedrich Wolff (1733–1794), German physiologist and one of the founders of embryology. 2. Relating to Christian Wolff (1679–1754), German philosopher.
Word: Strait of Messina Part of Speech: name 1. The narrow section of water between the eastern tip of Sicily and the southern tip of mainland Italy.
Word: photographic memory Part of Speech: noun 1. The ability to recall images, sounds, smells, or objects in memory with great accuracy and in seemingly unlimited volume. 2. A photograph of a location, place or event that one may desire to remember or recall. Labels: uncommon
Word: white smoke Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From the ancient practice of announcing the result of a papal election. If the election was successful, i.e. a candidate received two-thirds majority in the College of Cardinals, the inspected ballots were burned in the stove of the Sistine Chapel of Vatican, resulting in white smoke spewing out from the chimney. If the required majority was not reached, damp straw was added to the stove, resulting in black smoke. A similar effect is achieved in modern times with chemicals. Compare Italian fumata bianca (“white smoke”). 1. White-colored smoke serving as an announcement to the outside world that a conclave has chosen a new Pope. Labels: countable, uncountable 2. An event of reaching an agreement. Labels: countable, figuratively, uncountable Example: Sit yourselves down together until the white smoke comes out. 3. A shade of white. Labels: countable, uncountable 4. The drug methamphetamine. Labels: countable, slang, uncountable
Word: BSOD Part of Speech: noun 1. Initialism of blue screen of death. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, initialism 2. Initialism of black screen of death. Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Word: BSOD Part of Speech: verb 1. To fail critically and display a blue screen of death. 2. To emotionally shut down, such as in response to a traumatic personal crisis. Labels: informal
Word: administrivia Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Blend of administrative + trivia. First use appears c. 1937 in International Journal of Ethics. 1. Administrative details that which take a significant amount of time to complete. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Administrivia take up two hours of every day. Example: Administrivia takes up two hours of every day.
Word: tube top Part of Speech: noun 1. A one-piece strapless tube-shaped top worn by women, leaving shoulders and belly-button exposed.
Word: backslang Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From back + slang. Pronunciation: /ˈbækslæŋ/ 1. A form of slang composed of words whose spelling or sound is reversed. Labels: countable, uncountable 2. A form of slang composed of words whose spelling or sound is reversed. Labels: UK, countable, uncountable
Word: concupiscence Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Latin concupīscentia, from concupīscō (“to desire strongly, to desire eagerly; to covet”). Pronunciation: /kənˈkjuːpɪsəns/ 1. An ardent desire, especially sexual desire; lust. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: [Y]it haue vvee one thing in our ſelues and of our ſelues, (euen originall ſinne, concupiſcence or luſt) vvhich neuer ceaſeth too egge vs and allure vs from God, and too ſtaine vs vvith all kinde of vnclennes: […] Example: for as St. Jerome observes, it is to shew that the true Christian not setting his heart upon the goods of the Earth, ought to trample under foot, all Avarice and immoderate concupiscence of corruptible riches: […] 2. the desire of a person's lower appetite, contrary to reason, which subjugates and inclines them to experience temptation and to give in to sin, due to the Fall and original sin. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: [“]Since concupiscence is the most common form of temptation, it is better for him to know something about it. The soul cannot be humbled by fasts and prayer; it must be broken by mortal sin to experience forgiveness of sin and rise to a state of grace. Otherwise, religion is nothing but dead logic.”