yuanxin112/wiktionary-morph huggingface dataset:
halitosis
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: simple
Topics: medicine
pathology
sciences
Etymology: Coined by doctor Joseph William Howe in 1874 and described as being derived from the Latin hālitus (literally “whiff, breath”) and the Ancient Greek νόσος (nósos, literally “disease”). It can be also understood as combination of the Latin hālitus and the English suffix -osis.
Inflected forms:
form: halitoses
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: The condition of having stale or foul-smelling breath.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: Bad breath or halitosis is an indication of a disturbed digestive system. It is indicative of a bowel toxemia in either the small or large intestine with an overgrowth of bacteria or yeast.
For example, the word halitosis was almost completely unknown among the general public until the early 20th century when a business owner named Gerard Lambert started using it to sell a new product called Listerine. By giving a mundane fact of life (bad breath) a scientific sounding label, Lambert elevated the authority and desirability of his product many times over.
Translations:
heresy
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: derivation
Topics: lifestyle
religion
Etymology: From Middle English heresie (Middle English her(esie) + -esy), from Old French heresie (modern hérésie), from Latin haeresis, from Ancient Greek αἵρεσις (haíresis, “choice, system of principles”), from αἱρέομαι (hairéomai, “to take for oneself, to choose”), the middle voice of αἱρέω (hairéō, “to take”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *ser-; see also Welsh herw (“theft, raid”), Ancient Greek στερέω (steréō, “to deprive of”).
Affixes: -esy
Inflected forms:
form: heresies
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: hæresy
pos: noun
tags: alternative
Senses:
gloss: A doctrine held by a member of a religion at variance or conflict with established religious beliefs.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: Heresy meant deliberate departure from the accepted doctrines of the church. It was intellectual and spiritual dissent and concerned the beliefs of Christianity, not the morals of its adherents.
gloss: A controversial or unorthodox opinion held by a member of a group, as in politics, philosophy or science.
pos: noun
tags: broadly
countable
uncountable
examples: I'm going to declare a heresy for you. All science, if you go back into its roots, saying: 'Why do I believe this?' 'Well, I believe this because of these tests and this proof.' 'Well, why do I believe this?' 'Why did I set up this test?' 'Why did I believe that proof?' All science goes back to something that we believe because we believe it. We believe it because we believe it, and we have no proof for it. It's like a religion.
Related words: heresiarch
heretic
heretical
bid'a
schism
Arianism
monophysitism
Nestorianism
Pelagianism
Derived words: antiheresy
heresiographer
heresiography
heresyphobia
psychoheresy
Translations:
homily
Part of speech: noun
adv
Morphological type: simple
Topics: Christianity
Etymology: From Middle English omelī, omelīe, omelye, from Old French omelie and directly from Late Latin homīlia (“homily”), from Ancient Greek ὁμῑλίᾱ (homīlíā, “homily; instruction”), from ὅμῑλος (hómīlos, “crowd, throng”) + -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā, suffix forming abstract feminine nouns). ὅμῑλος is derived from ὁμός (homós, “common; same”) + ῑ̓́λη (ī́lē, “crowd”) (from εἴλω (eílō, “to aggregate”)).
Inflected forms:
form: homilies
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: hom.
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: more homily
pos: adv
tags: comparative
form: most homily
pos: adv
tags: superlative
form: hom.
pos: adv
tags: alternative
Senses:
gloss: A sermon, especially concerning a practical matter.
pos: noun
examples: O moſt gentle Iupiter! What tedious homilie of Loue haue you wearied your pariſhioners withall, and neuer cri'de, haue patience good people.
But to return to the Homily on St. Gregory. It is printed from a Tranſcript I had made of it from one made by Dr. Hopkins, I believe, out of the Cottonian Book, Vitellius D. 17. […] The Homily is one of thoſe which were prepared by Ælfrick, to be uſed in the Engliſh Saxon Church: […]
[W]e must pay attention not only to the rich tradition of the homily in the early Church and the retrieval of this preaching form by Vatican II but also to the evolving understandings of the homily from those who have tried to respond to the changing cultural patterns, pastoral needs, and theological trends of the day.
[W]hen one approaches Origen's homilies, this aspect of the work of the priest must be kept in mind. The purpose of his sermons was to instruct and to lead beginners in the faith to a higher level of understanding and maturity.
gloss: A moralizing lecture.
pos: noun
examples: How expreſſe and poſitive the doctrine of our Church is againſt them, our English Homily entitled Againſt the perill of idolatry, abundantly declareth; […]
But if it be as I have heard my father / Deal out in his long homilies, 'tis a thing— / Oh God! I dare no think on 't!
Will it be said, that Literature and Christianity, are two distinct things? Or, that it would be preposterous to expect that every writer should give us a homily, when we want to laugh, or a sermon, when we wish to think?
gloss: A platitude.
pos: noun
gloss: In a homey manner.
pos: adv
examples: Rocky handed it [the beer] to Bob, whose demurrals petered out as he held the can's cold actuality in his hand. It bore the smiling face of Lynn Swann. He opened it. Leo farted homily to close the transaction.
Related words: homilete
homiletic
homiletical
homiletics
homilist
Translations:
hydrochloric
Part of speech: adj
Morphological type: derivation
Topics: chemistry
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
Etymology: Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *wed-
Proto-Indo-European *-r̥
Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥
Proto-Hellenic *údōr
Ancient Greek ῡ̆̔́δωρ (hū̆́dōr)
Ancient Greek ῠ̔δρο- (hŭdro-)der.
English hydro-
English chloric
English hydrochloric
From hydro- + chloric.
Inflected forms:
Senses:
gloss: Of or relating to hydrochloric acid.
pos: adj
tags: not-comparable
examples: In the case of nitric acid, however, the employment of the aræometer introduces far greater errors than when it is used for sulphuric acid, hydrochloric acid, and in most other cases, as the concentrated nitric acids as a rule always contain nitrogen tetroxide in solution, the quantity being seldom less than 1 per cent., but more generally several per cent., which makes its strength when taken with the aræometer seem greater than it actually is.
Translations:
hydrodynamic
Part of speech: adj
Morphological type: derivation
Topics: natural-sciences
physical-sciences
physics
Etymology: Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *wed-
Proto-Indo-European *-r̥
Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥
Proto-Hellenic *údōr
Ancient Greek ῡ̆̔́δωρ (hū̆́dōr)
Ancient Greek ῠ̔δρο- (hŭdro-)der.
English hydro-
Proto-Indo-European *dewh₂-der.
Proto-Hellenic *dunamai
Ancient Greek δῠ́νᾰμαι (dŭ́nămai)
Ancient Greek δύναμις (dúnamis)
Proto-Indo-European *-kos
Ancient Greek -κός (-kós)
Ancient Greek -ικός (-ikós)
Ancient Greek δυναμικός (dunamikós)lbor.
French dynamiqueder.
English dynamic
English hydrodynamic
From hydro- + dynamic.
Inflected forms:
Senses:
gloss: Of, or relating to the science of hydrodynamics.
pos: adj
tags: not-comparable
examples: On the descent from Semmering to Payerbach-Reichenau, with a ruling gradient of 1 in 39 [...], the Voith hydrodynamic brake kept the train within the 19 and 23 m.p.h. limitations without recourse to air brakes, [...].
gloss: Operated by the force of water in motion.
pos: adj
tags: not-comparable
Related words: dynamic
hydrostatic
Derived words: aerohydrodynamic
ecohydrodynamic
elastohydrodynamic
electrohydrodynamic
hydrodynamically
hydrodynamicist
magnetohydrodynamic
microhydrodynamic
nematohydrodynamic
nonhydrodynamic
non-hydrodynamic
Translations:
hydrology
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: derivation
Etymology: From hydro- + -ology.
Base: hydro
Inflected forms:
form: hydrologies
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: The science of the properties, distribution, and effects of water on a planet's surface, in the soil and underlying rocks, and in the atmosphere.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
usually
gloss: The properties, distribution, and flows of water in a specific locale; the hydrological characteristics of a particular place or region.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
usually
examples: Excessively high floods may be caused by obstructions which were not noted by the observer subsequently removed. Information of this kind is necessary, but it is equally necessary that something of the local hydrology should be also known and applied.
Operations studies are required to define appropriate hydrologies and facility operations schedules on which to base the Delta modeling.
Derived words: archaeohydrology
dendrohydrology
ecohydrology
geohydrology
glaciohydrology
hydrologic
hydrological
hydrologist
palaeohydrology
paleohydrology
radiohydrology
Translations:
hyper
Part of speech: verb
Morphological type: simple
Topics: arts
hobbies
lifestyle
photography
Etymology: Shortenings, all ultimately from the prefix hyper-.
Inflected forms:
form: hypers
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: hypering
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: hypered
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: hypered
pos: verb
tags: past
Senses:
gloss: To subject (a film or plate) to photographic hypersensitization, chiefly as a technique in astrophotography.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: In the last fifteen years more and more amateurs, particularly in the USA, have been hypersensitising (‘hypering’) film to improve its performance. ¶ The hypering process removes moisture from the film and lightly pre-fogs the emulsion to form sites around which grains can form.
gloss: To expose (an animal) to a disease-causing organism, to promote hyperimmunity.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
Translations:
hypnotic
Part of speech: adj
noun
Morphological type: simple
Topics: biology
botany
medicine
natural-sciences
pharmacology
sciences
Etymology: From French hypnotique (“inclined to sleep, soporific”), from Late Latin hypnoticus, from Ancient Greek ὑπνωτικός (hupnōtikós, “inclined to sleep, putting to sleep, sleepy”), from ὑπνοῦν (hupnoûn, “to put to sleep”), from ὕπνος (húpnos, “sleep”).
Inflected forms:
form: more hypnotic
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: most hypnotic
pos: adj
tags: superlative
form: hypnotick
pos: adj
tags: alternative
obsolete
form: hypnotics
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: hypnotick
pos: noun
tags: alternative
obsolete
Senses:
gloss: Of or relating to hypnosis or hypnotism.
pos: adj
gloss: Capturing a person's attention to the exclusion of all else, as if placing them into a trance.
pos: adj
examples: Phyllis St. James' hypnotic "Mystic Stranger" always blows my mind and you'll find it included in this brilliant set by the sadly underrated Ms Haywood as well as the stunning ballad "Someone".
gloss: Inducing sleep; soporific.
pos: adj
gloss: Dormant.
pos: adj
tags: obsolete
examples: hypnotic seeds
gloss: A person who is, or can be, hypnotized.
pos: noun
gloss: A soporific substance.
pos: noun
examples: "He's had a strong hypnotic administered to him," said the doctor. "He'll wake perfectly all right in the morning.[…]"
Related words: hypnotize
hypnotism
hypnotist
hypnosis
Derived words: antihypnotic
autohypnotic
hypnodelic
hypnotically
hypnotic suggestion
narcohypnotic
nonhypnotic
parahypnotic
posthypnotic
prehypnotic
unhypnotic
Translations:
hypochondriac
Part of speech: adj
noun
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: From French hypocondriaque, from Ancient Greek ὑποχονδριακός (hupokhondriakós, “of the region between the ribs and navel”), from ὑποχόνδριος (hupokhóndrios, “the space between the ribs and the navel”), from ὑπό (hupó, “below”) + χόνδρος (khóndros, “cartilage”). See also hypochondrium, hypochondria, and Wikipedia at hypochondriasis § Etymology.
Inflected forms:
form: more hypochondriac
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: most hypochondriac
pos: adj
tags: superlative
form: hypochondriack
pos: adj
tags: alternative
obsolete
form: hypochondriacs
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: hypochondriack
pos: noun
tags: alternative
obsolete
Senses:
gloss: Related to, or affected by hypochondria.
pos: adj
gloss: Related to, or located in the hypochondrium.
pos: adj
gloss: A person affected with hypochondria.
pos: noun
Translations:
hypocrisy
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: derivation
Etymology: From hypo- + Ancient Greek κρί(σις) (krí(sis)) + -isy. From Middle English ipocrisie, from Old French ypocrisie, from Late Latin hypocrisis, from Ancient Greek ὑπόκρισις (hupókrisis, “answer, stage acting, pretense”), from ὑποκρίνομαι (hupokrínomai, “I answer (a fellow actor on stage), play a part, dissemble, feign”), from ὑπό (hupó, “under, equivalent of the modern "hypo-" prefix”) + the middle voice of κρίνω (krínō, “I separate, judge, decide”) + -isy.
Displaced native Old English līċettung.
Affixes: hypo-
-isy
Inflected forms:
form: hypocrisies
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: The contrivance of a false appearance of virtue or goodness, while concealing real character or inclinations, especially with respect to religious and moral beliefs; hence in general sense, dissimulation, pretence, sham.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: political hypocrisy
He condemned the hypocrisy of politicians who broke their own laws.
gloss: The claim or pretense of having beliefs, standards, qualities, behaviours, virtues, motivations, etc. which one does not really have.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: rank hypocrisy
charge of hypocrisy
gloss: The practice of engaging in the same behaviour or activity for which one criticises another; moral self-contradiction whereby the behavior of one or more people belies their own claimed or implied possession of certain beliefs, standards or virtues.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: An instance of hypocrisy.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
Synonyms: hypocriticality
hypocriticalness
Related words: hypocrite
hypocritic
hypocritical
hypocritically
Translations:
lang: Galician
word: dobre moral
lang: German
word: Doppelmoral
lang: Hungarian
word: képmutatás
lang: Russian
word: ха́нжество
roman: xánžestvo
lang: Swedish
word: dubbelmoral
hypodermic
Part of speech: adj
noun
Morphological type: derivation
Etymology: Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *upó
Ancient Greek ῠ̔πό (hŭpó)
Ancient Greek ὑπο- (hupo-)der.
English hypo-
English dermis
English hypoderm
Proto-Indo-European *-ikos
Proto-Italic *-ikos
Latin -icuslbor.
Old French -iquebor.
Middle English -ik
English -ic
English hypodermic
From hypoderm + -ic.
Inflected forms:
form: hypodermics
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: Of, or relating to the hypodermis, the layer beneath the dermis.
pos: adj
tags: not-comparable
examples: Which means that at the moment Raven entered her, a very small hypodermic needle slipped imperceptibly into the engorged frontal vein of his penis, automatically shooting a cocktail of powerful narcotics and depressants into his bloodstream.
gloss: A hypodermic syringe, needle or injection.
pos: noun
Translations:
hysterectomy
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: derivation
Topics: medicine
sciences
surgery
Etymology: From hyster- + -ectomy.
Base: hyster
Inflected forms:
form: hysterectomies
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: The surgical procedure to remove all of or part of the uterus.
pos: noun
examples: she even contemplated having her womb taken out to eliminate periods altogether, which would surely be her greatest possible career move, a tactical hysterectomy for ambitious women with menstruation problems
Translations:
hysterical
Part of speech: adj
Morphological type: derivation
Etymology: From hysteric + -al, from Latin hystericus, from Ancient Greek ὑστερικός (husterikós, “suffering in the womb, hysterical”), from ῠ̔στέρᾱ (hŭstérā, “womb”).
Base: hysteric
Affixes: -al
Inflected forms:
form: more hysterical
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: most hysterical
pos: adj
tags: superlative
Senses:
gloss: Of, or arising from hysteria.
pos: adj
examples: Henrietta gasped for breath; but she swallowed down the hysterical emotion, and signed with her hand for Walter to go on.
An event of this nature, a marriage, or a refusal, or a proposal, thrills through a whole household of women, and sets all their hysterical sympathies at work.
gloss: Having, or prone to having hysterics.
pos: adj
gloss: Provoking uncontrollable laughter.
pos: adj
examples: She was a fat, round little woman, richly apparelled in velvet and lace, […]; and the way she laughed, cackling like a hen, the way she talked to the waiters and the maid,[…]—all these unexpected phenomena impelled one to hysterical mirth, and made one class her with such immortally ludicrous types as Ally Sloper, the Widow Twankey, or Miss Moucher.
There is a certain irony in all of this because in their hysterical use of charge of “double standard” – that Israel is being “singled out for criticism”– it is Israel’s supporters who are themselves guilty of a “double standard”, since, if they were to have their way, it is Israel that would be singled out as the only country that cannot be criticised.
Related words: hysteric
hysterics
hysteria
Derived words: antihysterical
hysterical blindness
hysterical historical
hysterically
hystericalness
hysterical realism
nonhysterical
overhysterical
posthysterical
semihysterical
unhysterical
Translations:
calypso
Part of speech: noun
verb
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: Originally Trinidad English, an alteration of kaiso, perhaps ultimately of African origin; Allsopp 1996 suggests Ibibio ka iso (“come on”), used to urge dancers on. The spelling reflects a later folk-etymological assimilation with the mythological name Calypso.
Inflected forms:
form: calypsos
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: calypsoes
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: calypsos
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: calypsoing
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: calypsoed
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: calypsoed
pos: verb
tags: past
Senses:
gloss: A style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago during the early to the mid-19th century and spread to the rest of the Caribbean Antilles and Venezuela by the mid-20th century.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: 'How you does live, Mr. Wordsworth?' I asked him one day.
He said, 'You mean how I get money?'
When I nodded, he laughed in a crooked way.
He said, 'I sing calypsoes in the calypso season.'
'And that last you the rest of the year?'
'It is enough.'
gloss: A song in this style of music.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: To perform calypso.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
Related words: kaiso
Derived words: buffalypso
cadence-lypso
calypso coffee
calypsolike
calypso-like
calypsonian
gospelypso
rapso
soca
Translations:
calyx
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: simple
Topics: anatomy
biology
botany
medicine
natural-sciences
sciences
zoology
Etymology: From Latin calyx, from Ancient Greek κάλυξ (kálux, “case of a bud, husk”). Doublet of chalice and kelch.
Inflected forms:
form: calyces
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: calyxes
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: calix
pos: noun
tags: alternative
dated
Senses:
gloss: The outermost whorl of flower parts, comprising the sepals, which covers and protects the petals as they develop.
pos: noun
examples: Black crowberry. Empetrum nigrum. Crowberry Family. Fruit. — The black drupe is berrylike, globular, and incloses six to nine seedlike nutlets with a seed in each. The calyx is at the base and the stigma is at the apex. The drupes are solitary in the leaf axils. They are juicy, acid, edible, and serve as food for the Arctic birds.
gloss: Any of various cup-like structures.
pos: noun
gloss: Any of various cup-like structures.
pos: noun
gloss: Any of various cup-like structures.
pos: noun
gloss: Any of various cup-like structures.
pos: noun
Derived words: brachycalyx
calyciferous
calycoid
calyxed
calyx eye
epicalyx
glycocalyx
nematocalyx
porocalyx
Translations:
carcinoma
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: derivation
Topics: medicine
oncology
sciences
Etymology: Learned borrowing from Latin carcinōma (“tumour; ulcer; carcinoma”), from Ancient Greek κᾰρκῐ́νωμᾰ (kărkĭ́nōmă, “sore, ulcer; cancer”), from καρκινόω (karkinóō, “to make (something) resemble a crab”, in the mediopassive "to become cancerous; to suffer from cancer") + -μᾰ (-mă, action noun suffix). Καρκινόω is derived from καρκῐ́νος (karkĭ́nos, “crab; the zodiac sign Cancer; sore, ulcer; cancer”) (according to Paul of Aegina (c. 625 – c. 690) in his Medical Compendium in Seven Books, because the veins surrounding a cancerous tumour resemble a crab’s legs). The English word is a doublet of cancer, and may be analysed as carcino- + -oma.
The plural form carcinomata is a learned borrowing from Latin carcinōmata, from Ancient Greek κᾰρκῐνώμᾰτᾰ (kărkĭnṓmătă).
Base: carcino
Inflected forms:
form: carcinomas
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: carcinomata
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: An invasive malignant tumour derived from epithelial tissue that tends to metastasize to other areas of the body.
pos: noun
tags: countable
gloss: A form of cancer; (uncountable) cancer in general as a disease.
pos: noun
tags: countable
obsolete
examples: Take the fatteſt and fulleſt Figs you can get, lay them upon the ugly and ill favored tumor called Carcinoma, i. the Canker, ſo it be not yet exulcerat, I aſſure you it is a ſoveraine remedie, and hardly can be matched againe: […]
Related words: carcinoembryonic
carcinogen
carcinogenesis
carcinogenic
carcinoid
carcinosis
basalioma
encephaloma
fibroepithelioma
melanoma
Derived words: adenocarcinoma
adenoid cystic carcinoma
adenoidcystic carcinoma
adenosquamocarcinoma
adrenocarcinoma
anticarcinoma
basal cell carcinoma
carcinomagenesis
carcinomal
carcinomatoid
carcinomatophobia
carcinomatosis
carcinomatous
carcinomic
chimney sweep's carcinoma
cholangiocarcinoma
cholangocarcinoma
cholioangiocarcinoma
choriocarcinoma
comedocarcinoma
cystadenocarcinoma
cystoadenocarcinoma
cystocarcinoma
dysgerminoma
embryocarcinoma
fibrocarcinoma
gastroadenocarcinoma
gastrocarcinoma
hepatocarcinoma
hepatocellular carcinoma
hepatocholangiocarcinoma
hidradenocarcinoma
laryngocarcinoma
lymphadenocarcinoma
macrocarcinoma
mastocarcinoma
melanocarcinoma
metaplastic carcinoma
microcarcinoma
nasopharyngeal carcinoma
nephrocarcinoma
nevoid basal-cell carcinoma syndrome
nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome
osteocarcinoma
paracarcinoma
porocarcinoma
prostatic adenocarcinoma
renal cell carcinoma
small-cell carcinoma
squamoadenocarcinoma
teratocarcinoma
tetracarcinoma
Translations:
cardiology
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: derivation
Topics: medicine
sciences
Etymology: From cardio- + -logy.
Base: cardio
Inflected forms:
form: cardiologies
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: The study of the structure, function, and disorders of the heart.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
usually
Translations:
catharsis
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: simple
Topics: broadcasting
drama
dramaturgy
entertainment
film
human-sciences
lifestyle
media
medicine
psychology
sciences
television
theater
Etymology: From Ancient Greek κάθαρσις (kátharsis, “cleansing, purging”), from καθαίρω (kathaírō, “I cleanse”). Coined in the dramatic-emotional sense by Aristotle.
Inflected forms:
form: catharses
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: katharsis
pos: noun
tags: alternative
archaic
Senses:
gloss: A release of emotional tension after an overwhelming vicarious experience, resulting in the purging or purification of the emotions, as through watching a dramatic production (especially a tragedy).
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: True, as the show has entered its later years, there have been more inspired moments of catharsis, but fewer unpredictable arcs and story beats, as a narrative nearing its conclusion is no longer attempting to shock.
gloss: Any release of emotional tension to the same effect, more widely.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: A purification or cleansing, especially emotional.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: A therapeutic technique to relieve tension by reestablishing the association of an emotion with the memory or idea of the event that first caused it, and then eliminating it by complete expression (called the abreaction).
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: Purging of the digestive system.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
Related words: cathartic
Derived words: hemocatharsis
hypercatharsis
Translations:
lang: Arabic
word: تَنْفِيس
roman: tanfīs
lang: Bulgarian
word: катарзис
roman: katarzis
lang: Catalan
word: catarsi
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 導瀉 /导泻
roman: dǎoxiè
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 宣洩 /宣泄
roman: xuānxiè
lang: Danish
word: katarsis
lang: Faroese
word: reinleikan
lang: Finnish
word: katarsis
lang: French
word: catharsis
lang: German
word: Katharsis
lang: Greek
word: κάθαρση
roman: kátharsi
lang: Ancient Greek
word: κάθαρσις
roman: kátharsis
lang: Hebrew
word: קתרזיס
roman: qatarzis
lang: Hindi
word: तनफ़ीस
roman: tanfīs
lang: Hungarian
word: katarzis
lang: Icelandic
word: geðhreinsun
lang: Ido
word: katarso
lang: Italian
word: catarsi
lang: Japanese
word: カタルシス
roman: katarushisu
lang: Japanese
word: 浄化
roman: jouka
lang: Polish
word: katharsis
lang: Portuguese
word: catarse
lang: Russian
word: ката́рсис
roman: katársis
lang: Russian
word: ка́тарсис
roman: kátarsis
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: катарза
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: katarza
lang: Slovak
word: katarzia
lang: Spanish
word: catarsis
lang: Swedish
word: katarsis
lang: Turkish
word: katarsis
cauterize
Part of speech: verb
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: From Middle French cauteriser, from Late Latin cauterizō (“to burn with a hot iron”), from Ancient Greek καυτηριάζω (kautēriázō, “to brand”), from καυτήρ (kautḗr, “branding iron”), from καίω (kaíō, “to burn”).
Inflected forms:
form: cauterizes
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: cauterizing
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: cauterized
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: cauterized
pos: verb
tags: past
form: cauterise
pos: verb
tags: alternative
Senses:
gloss: To burn and hence seal open tissue using a heated article or caustic agent so as to stop bleeding or minimise the risk of infection.
pos: verb
examples: […] Lanfrank takes Notice of Tract. 3. Doct. 3. cap. 18. ſaying, "I have ſeen many who being full of Humours, have made an Iſſue under the Knee, before due Purgation had been premis'd; whence, by reaſon of the too great Defluxion of Humours, the Legs tumified, ſo that the cauterized Place corrupted, and a Cancer (or rather cacoethic Ulcer) was thereby made, with which great Difficulty was cur'd."
Translations:
charisma
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: simple
Topics: Christianity
lifestyle
religion
theology
Etymology: From Ancient Greek χᾰ́ρῐσμᾰ (khắrĭsmă, “grace, favour, gift”), from χᾰρῐ́ζομαι (khărĭ́zomai, “to show favor”), from χᾰ́ρῐς (khắrĭs, “grace”), from the same root χαρ- (khar-) as χαίρω (khaírō, “to be happy”). Doublet of charism. First attested in 1875.
Outside of theology, as early as 1930, charisma was found in a translation of a book written by German sociologist Max Weber, which OED and Etymonline regards as a semantic loan from German Charisma, denoting the special ability of certain leaders to inspire devotion (sense 1). By the 1940s and more clearly in the 1950s, the term was used more loosely to refer to personal charm in general (sense 1.1).
Inflected forms:
form: charismas
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: charismata
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: A gift or power of leadership or authority.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
usually
examples: The leader has his charisma.
gloss: A gift or power of leadership or authority.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
usually
examples: the charisma of a popular actor
gloss: A gift or power bestowed upon a person by the Holy Spirit; a grace.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
usually
Synonyms: charm
spell
Derived words: charismaless
charismania
charismatic
charizzler
Translations:
chlorophyll
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: simple
Topics: biochemistry
biology
chemistry
microbiology
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
Etymology: Borrowed from French chlorophylle, from Ancient Greek χλωρός (khlōrós, “pale green”) and φύλλον (phúllon, “leaf”).
Inflected forms:
form: chlorophylls
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: chlorophyl
pos: noun
tags: alternative
US
Senses:
gloss: Any of a group of green pigments that are found in the chloroplasts of plants and in other photosynthetic organisms such as cyanobacteria.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
usually
Translations:
chyme
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: From Late Latin chymus, from Ancient Greek χυμός (khumós, “juice”).
Inflected forms:
form: chymes
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: chymus
pos: noun
tags: alternative
Senses:
gloss: The thick semifluid mass of partly digested food that is passed from the stomach to the duodenum.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
usually
Translations:
chlamydia
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: From New Latin chlamydia, from Ancient Greek χλαμύδιον (khlamúdion, “small cloak”), from χλαμύς (khlamús, “cloak”).
Inflected forms:
form: chlamydias
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: chlamydiae
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: Any of several common, often asymptomatic, sexually transmitted diseases caused by the microorganism Chlamydia trachomatis.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
examples: That makes sense, because we’re all looking for flowery language from our physicians. “Like the sunlight shines upon the hidden grassy meadow, so does chlamydia cast a warm glow upon your private parts.”
gloss: Any of various coccoid microorganisms of the genus Chlamydia that are pathogenic to humans and other animals.
pos: noun
tags: countable
Derived words: chlamydaemia
chlamydiacidal
chlamydial
chlamydiosis
Translations:
cinema
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: simple
Topics: broadcasting
film
media
television
Etymology: Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *keyh₂-der.
Ancient Greek κινέω (kinéō)
Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥
Ancient Greek -μα (-ma)
Ancient Greek κίνημα (kínēma)
Proto-Indo-European *gerbʰ-
Proto-Hellenic *grə́pʰō
Ancient Greek γράφω (gráphō)
Ancient Greek -γράφος (-gráphos)bor.
Latin -graphuslbor.
French -graphe
French cinématographeclip.
French cinémabor.
English cinema
Borrowed from French cinéma, clipping of cinématographe (term coined by the Lumière brothers in the 1890s), from Ancient Greek κίνημα (kínēma, “movement”) + γράφω (gráphō, “write, record”). Compare German Kino (“cinema”), ultimately from the same Greek source.
Inflected forms:
form: cinemas
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: A movie theatre, a movie house.
pos: noun
tags: countable
examples: The cinema is right across the street from the restaurant.
gloss: Films collectively.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
examples: Despite the critics, he produced excellent cinema.
gloss: The film and movie industry.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
examples: In the long history of Spanish cinema[…].
Even without hovering drones, a lurking assassin, a thumping score and a denouement, the real-life story of Edward Snowden, a rogue spy on the run, could be straight out of the cinema. But, as with Hollywood, the subplots and exotic locations may distract from the real message: America’s discomfort and its foes’ glee.
gloss: The art of making films and movies; cinematography.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: Throughout the history of cinema, filmmakers[…].
The French and Italian cinemas can seem to persist autonomously—in the sense of being spaces of separate development and marked difference from Hollywood and other national cinemas.
gloss: A sophisticated or exemplary film, representative of the art of cinema.
pos: noun
tags: Internet
uncountable
gloss: A sophisticated or exemplary film, representative of the art of cinema.
pos: noun
tags: Internet
broadly
countable
humorous
uncountable
examples: That game was absolute cinema.
Related words: cine
cinematic
cinematographic
cinematography
kinema
Derived words: absolute cinema
anticinema
cinemaddict
cinema-goer
cinemagoer
cinemagoing
cinema hall
cinemaholic
cinemaic
cinemalike
cinemansion
cinemaphile
cinemaphobe
cinemaphotography
cinematherapy
cinematology
cinema verite
cinemology
cinemuck
cineplex
Cinerama
direct cinema
ecocinema
home cinema
hyperlink cinema
machinima
metacinema
microcinema
neurocinema
noncinema
precinema
prisoner's cinema
silent cinema
skinema
supercinema
Translations:
Cleopatra
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: From Middle English Cleopatra, from Latin Cleopatra, from Ancient Greek Κλεοπάτρα (Kleopátra), meaning "glory of her father", from κλέος (kléos, “glory”) + πατήρ (patḗr, “father”).
Inflected forms:
form: Cleopatras
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: Kleopatra
pos: noun
tags: alternative
Senses:
gloss: A woman of great seductive beauty.
pos: noun
examples: Inanna becomes the archetype for all the Cleopatras to come; she is "the bitch goddess" who from her first appearance in Sumerian civilization will live on in all other civilizations - in myth and legend, novel and poem, Shakespearean play and Hollywood film.
gloss: A variety of apple.
pos: noun
gloss: The Cleopatra butterfly (Gonepteryx cleopatra).
pos: noun
Translations:
comedy
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: simple
Topics: broadcasting
drama
dramaturgy
entertainment
film
lifestyle
media
television
theater
Etymology: Etymology tree
Ancient Greek κῶμος (kômos)
Proto-Hellenic *awéidō
Proto-Hellenic *-ā́
Proto-Hellenic *awoidā́
Ancient Greek ᾰ̓οιδή (ăoidḗ)
Ancient Greek ᾠδή (ōidḗ)
Ancient Greek κῶμος (kômos)
Proto-Hellenic *awoidós
Ancient Greek ἀοιδός (aoidós)
Ancient Greek κωμῳδῐ́ᾱ (kōmōidĭ́ā)bor.
Latin cōmoediader.
Middle French comediebor.
Middle English comedie
English comedy
Inherited from Middle English comedie, borrowed from Middle French comedie, from Latin cōmoedia, borrowed from Ancient Greek κωμῳδῐ́ᾱ (kōmōidĭ́ā), from κῶμος (kômos, “revel, carousing”) + ᾠδή (ōidḗ, “song”), or from κῶμος (kômos, “revel, carousing”) + ἀοιδός (aoidós, “singer, bard”). Doublet of commedia.
Inflected forms:
form: comedies
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: comedie
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: comœdie
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: comœdy
pos: noun
tags: alternative
Senses:
gloss: a choric song of celebration or revel, especially in Ancient Greece
pos: noun
tags: countable
historical
gloss: a light, amusing play with a happy ending
pos: noun
tags: countable
examples: A Midsummer Night's Dream is among Shakespeare's most famous comedies.
gloss: a narrative poem with an agreeable ending (e.g., The Divine Comedy)
pos: noun
tags: Europe
Medieval
countable
gloss: a dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone
pos: noun
tags: countable
gloss: the genre of such works
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: entertainment composed of jokes, satire, or humorous performance
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
examples: Why would you be watching comedy when there are kids starving right now?
gloss: the art of composing comedy
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: a humorous event
pos: noun
tags: countable
Antonyms: drama
tragedy
Related words: comic
ode
Derived words: anticomedy
comedian
comedic
comedically
comedy breasts
comedy drama
docucomedy
dramedy
high comedy
metacomedy
musical comedy
noncomedy
romedy
sentimental comedy
telecomedy
warmedy
zomedy
comedy and tragedy
comedy duo
comedy equals tragedy plus time
comedy gold
comedy mask
comedy of errors
comedy of manners
black comedy
cringe comedy
Ealing comedy
improvisational comedy
observational comedy
physical comedy
prop comedy
romantic comedy
screwball comedy
sex comedy
situation comedy
sitcom
stand-up comedy
Translations:
cranium
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: derivation
Topics: anatomy
anthropology
human-sciences
medicine
sciences
Etymology: From Medieval Latin crānium (“skull”), from Ancient Greek κρᾱνίον (krāníon, “skull”). By surface analysis, crani- + -um.
Inflected forms:
form: craniums
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: crania
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: That part of the skull consisting of the bones enclosing the brain, but not including the bones of the face or jaw.
pos: noun
examples: The Skull is divided into two parts, the Cranium and the Face. The Cranium is composed of eight bones; […]
‘I always ask leave, in the interests of science, to measure the crania of those going out there,’ he said.
The cranium of the fowl is composed of the same elements as are present in the mammalian cranium, save that there is no interparietal.
The cranial bones, or cranium (kra′ne-um), enclose and protect the fragile brain and furnish attachment sites for head and neck muscles.
"The cranium is clearly plesiomorphic in overall form, presenting primitive traits shared by earlier hominins," the authors wrote.
gloss: The upper portion of the skull, including the neurocranium and facial bones, but not including the jawbone (mandible).
pos: noun
tags: informal
examples: In this study, the cranium recovered from the River Witham in Lincoln exhibited a black metallic staining on the surfaces of the teeth.
gloss: Synonym of skull.
pos: noun
tags: informal
Derived words: basicranium
chondrocranium
cranial
craniate
cranio-
dermatocranium
desmocranium
ectocranium
endocranium
epicranium
hemicrania
intracranium
neurocranium
osteocranium
paracranium
postcranium
splanchnocranium
viscerocranium
Translations:
crypt
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: simple
Topics: anatomy
biology
botany
medicine
natural-sciences
sciences
Etymology: Learned borrowing from Latin crypta (“vault”), from Ancient Greek κρυπτός (kruptós, “hidden”). Doublet of grotto.
Inflected forms:
form: crypts
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: A cave or cavern.
pos: noun
tags: archaic
gloss: An underground vault.
pos: noun
gloss: An underground vault.
pos: noun
examples: Near-synonyms: vault, tomb, sepulchre, sepulcher
She turned and waved a hand to him, she cried a word, but he didn't hear it, it was a lost word. A sable wraith she was in the parkland, fading away into the dolorous crypt of winter.
On its arrival at Bank, incidentally, the City & South London's directors had threatened to demolish the church of St Mary Woolnoth, but after a public outcry the company built its station in the crypt of the church, the bodies being transferred [...]. Therefore St Mary Woolnoth doesn't have a crypt. Or you could say that its crypt is Bank station.
gloss: A small pit or cavity in the surface of an organ or other structure.
pos: noun
examples: Near-synonyms: fovea, fossa
Sometimes, too much foreign material can get caught in the crypts, leading to frequent infections.
gloss: Any of the genus Cryptocoryne of aquatic plants of southern and southeastern Asia.
pos: noun
gloss: Any of the genus Cryptopus of orchids of Madagascar and Mauritius.
pos: noun
Related words: encrypt
Derived words: cryptal
cryptid
cryptitis
cryptlike
crypt of Lieberkühn
hemicrypt
intestinal crypt
Translations:
lang: Bulgarian
word: крипта
roman: kripta
lang: Bulgarian
word: подземие
roman: podzemie
lang: Catalan
word: cripta
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 隱窩 /隐窝
roman: yǐnwō
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 土窖
roman: tǔjiào
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 地穴
roman: dìxué
lang: Czech
word: krypta
lang: Danish
word: krypt
lang: Dutch
word: krocht
lang: Esperanto
word: kripto
lang: Finnish
word: krypta
lang: Finnish
word: hautakammio
lang: French
word: crypte
lang: Galician
word: cripta
lang: German
word: Krypta
lang: Greek
word: κρύπτη
roman: krýpti
lang: Hungarian
word: kripta
lang: Italian
word: cripta
lang: Japanese
word: 納骨堂
roman: nōkotsudō
lang: Macedonian
word: кри́пта
roman: krípta
lang: Macedonian
word: гро́бница
roman: gróbnica
lang: Macedonian
word: косту́рница
roman: kostúrnica
lang: Malay
word: kripta
lang: Persian
word: دخمه
roman: daxme
lang: Plautdietsch
word: Gruft
lang: Polish
word: krypta
lang: Portuguese
word: cripta
lang: Romanian
word: criptă
lang: Russian
word: кри́пта
roman: krípta
lang: Russian
word: усыпа́льница
roman: usypálʹnica
lang: Russian
word: склеп
roman: sklep
lang: Slovak
word: krypta
lang: Spanish
word: cripta
lang: Swedish
word: krypta
lang: Turkish
word: kripta
lang: Welsh
word: crypt
lang: Welsh
word: claddgell
cynic
Part of speech: noun
adj
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: From Middle English cynike, cynicke, from Middle French cynique, from Latin cynicus, from Ancient Greek κυνικός (kunikós), originally derived from the portico in Athens called Κυνόσαργες (Kunósarges), the earliest home of the Cynic school, later reinterpreted as being derived from κύων (kúōn, “dog”), in a contemptuous allusion to the uncouth and aggressive manners adopted by the members of the school.
Inflected forms:
form: cynics
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: cynick
pos: noun
tags: alternative
obsolete
form: more cynic
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: most cynic
pos: adj
tags: superlative
form: cynick
pos: adj
tags: alternative
obsolete
Senses:
gloss: A person whose outlook is scornfully negative.
pos: noun
examples: Well, that's one in the eye for the nay-sayers, the doubters, the cynics and assorted tosspots what make up the media and that.
"Accept your limitations," I'd warn her. "A lot of these kids are damaged beyond repair." And you know what her response was? That I was cynical. Which hit a nerve, I had to admit. I wasn't a cynic; I was a banged-up realist. You live to middle age, you begin to reckon with life's limits, you know? You lace up your sneakers and run it out.
The cynic surfaced, reminding him that she'd been accused of trying to spring the baby trap on Brad Comfort.
gloss: A person who believes that all people are motivated by selfishness.
pos: noun
gloss: cynical (in all senses)
pos: adj
gloss: Relating to the Dog Star.
pos: adj
tags: not-comparable
examples: the cynic, or Sothic, year; cynic cycle
Related words: cynical
cynicism
Translations:
macron
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: simple
Topics: communications
journalism
literature
media
orthography
publishing
writing
Etymology: From Ancient Greek μακρόν (makrón), neuter form of μακρός (makrós, “long”) (English macro-).
Inflected forms:
form: macrons
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: macra
pos: noun
tags: plural
rare
Senses:
gloss: A short, straight, horizontal diacritical mark (◌̄) placed over a letter, usually to indicate that the pronunciation of a vowel is long.
pos: noun
examples: We say such words belong to a Long family, because of the long macron hat the vowels wear. Like the other twin o's, one hat is enough for both, for these twins are always found together.
A macron is a mark placed above a long vowel to mark its quantity.
All vowels are pronounced short unless marked with a ¯ (macron) over them. So observe different vowel length of ‘i ’ in, e.g., fīlia, etc. It may be helpful, but is not essential, to mark macra in your exercises.
Translations:
margarita
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-Iranian *mr̥gás
Proto-Iranian *mr̥gáhder.
Proto-Iranian *mŕ̥ga-ahri-ita-der.?
Ancient Greek μαργᾰρῑ́της (margărī́tēs)der.
Latin margarītader.
Spanish margaritabor.
English margarita
Borrowed from Spanish margarita. Doublet of Margaret (and various forms, q.v.), margarite, Margherita, and marguerite.
Inflected forms:
form: margaritas
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: Margarita
pos: noun
tags: alternative
Senses:
gloss: A cocktail made with tequila, an orange-flavoured liqueur, and lemon or lime juice, often served with salt encrusted on the rim of the glass.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
examples: In the summer, he’s posted on the corner with his BMX sipping margarita from a styrofoam cup and in the winter he’s indoors with his PlayStation and blunt.
Translations:
masticate
Part of speech: verb
Morphological type: derivation
Etymology: From Latin masticātus, perfect passive participle of masticō (“to chew”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Alternatively, back-formation from mastication, either ultimately from Ancient Greek μαστιχάω (mastikháō, “to grind the teeth”). Compare French mastiquer.
Affixes: -ate
Inflected forms:
form: masticates
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: masticating
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: masticated
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: masticated
pos: verb
tags: past
Senses:
gloss: To chew (usually food).
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: The cow stood, quietly masticating its cud.
The fat boy rose, opened his eyes, swallowed the huge piece of pie he had been in the act of masticating when he last fell asleep, and slowly obeyed his master’s orders.
"By tasting it, to be sure," said I, masticating a morsel that Kory-Kory had just put in my mouth.
He resumed his meal. "I had no idea of it," he said, and masticated.
The vegetables were not to be cooked but merely grated fine, if I could not masticate them.
The friends watch the two make their way between other habitués masticating, drinking, crouched in a scrum of conversation[…]
Several tasters noted the “overly sweet” coconut aroma, carrying through to a “too sweet” flavour and “too chewy” mouthfeel. One taster said that masticating the biscuit felt like “an intense workout”.
At the moment Carter snapped, a lunch break in J&M turned into a blood riot when half a dozen technicians dropped their snacks and began cannibalizing each other instead. In I&T, their opposite numbers began beating each other to death with keyboards, chairs, and even computer monitors while their Chief masticated her husband's digits.
gloss: To grind or knead something into a pulp.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
Related words: mastic
mastication
masticatory
Derived words: masticable
masticator
nonmasticating
premasticate
remasticate
unmasticated
Translations:
megalith
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: derivation
Topics: archaeology
history
human-sciences
sciences
Etymology: PIE word
 *méǵh₂s
From mega- (prefix meaning ‘very large, great’) + -lith (suffix meaning ‘stone’), a back-formation from megalithic probably modelled after monolith. from Ancient Greek λίθος (líthos, “stone”)
Base: mega
Inflected forms:
form: megaliths
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: A large stone slab making up a prehistoric monument, or part of such a monument.
pos: noun
gloss: A prehistoric monument made up of one or more large stones.
pos: noun
gloss: A large stone or block of stone used in the construction of a modern structure.
pos: noun
tags: broadly
Related words: megalithic
menhir
microlith
monolith
polylith
Stonehenge
Derived words: megalithical
megalithically
megalithism
Translations:
melanoma
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: derivation
Topics: medicine
oncology
pathology
sciences
Etymology: From melano- + -oma.
Base: melano
Inflected forms:
form: melanomas
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: melanomata
pos: noun
tags: plural
Senses:
gloss: A dark-pigmented, usually malignant tumor arising from a melanocyte and occurring most commonly in the skin.
pos: noun
Translations:
melisma
Part of speech: noun
Morphological type: simple
Topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
Etymology: From Ancient Greek μέλισμα (mélisma, “song”), from μελίζω (melízō, “(I) sing, modulate; (I) celebrate in song”), from μέλος (mélos, “song, tune, melody; limb, part; member”).
Inflected forms:
form: melismas
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: melismata
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: melism
pos: noun
tags: alternative
Senses:
gloss: A passage of several notes sung to one syllable of text.
pos: noun
tags: countable
examples: A choir sang one of the Lamentations of Jeremiah. The mournful melisma accompanied the slow procession to the palace built by Herod the Great, at present untenanted.
At the top of the hill in the archway of the main house, an eyeless old man sat on a bucket, scratching at a two-stringed gourd, warbling weird melismas on a madman's text.
gloss: The use of such passages.
pos: noun
tags: uncountable
examples: A subsequent generation of singers, including Ms. Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson and Beyoncé, built their careers around melisma.
Derived words: melismatic
Translations: