Thursday, July 29, 2010

Word 2339: Bark


noun (also barque)
a sailing ship, typically with three masts, in which the foremast and mainmast are square-rigged and the mizzenmast is rigged fore-and-aft
poetic/ literary a ship or boat

Word 2338: Prolegomenon

noun ( pl. -na)
a critical or discursive introduction to a book

Word 2337: Scilicet

adverb
that is to say; namely (introducing a word to be supplied or an explanation of an ambiguity)

Word 2336: Pons asinorum

noun
the point at which many learners fail, esp. a theory or formula that is difficult to grasp

Word 2335: Terrine


noun
a meat, fish, or vegetable mixture that has been cooked or otherwise prepared in advance and allowed to cool or set in its container, typically served in slices
• a container used for such a dish, typically of an oblong shape and made of earthenware

Word 2334: Contralto

noun ( pl. -tos)
the lowest female singing voice
• a singer with such a voice
• a part written for such a voice

Word 2333: Matin

noun
a service of morning prayer in various churches, esp. the Anglican Church
• a service forming part of the traditional Divine Office of the Western Christian Church, originally said (or chanted) at or after midnight, but historically often held with lauds on the previous evening
• (also matin) poetic/literary the morning song of birds

Word 2332: A priori

adjective
relating to or denoting reasoning or knowledge that proceeds from theoretical deduction rather than from observation or experience

Word 2331: Anaglyph


noun
1. Photography a stereoscopic photograph with the two images superimposed and printed in different colors, producing a stereo effect when the photograph is viewed through correspondingly colored filters
2. an object, such as a cameo, embossed or carved in low relief

Word 2330: Post-synch

verb [ trans.]
add a sound recording to (film or video footage) at a later time

Word 2329: Usufruct

noun Roman Law
the right to enjoy the use and advantages of another's property short of the destruction or waste of its substance

Word 2328: Tendril

noun
a slender threadlike appendage of a climbing plant, often growing in a spiral form, that stretches out and twines around any suitable support
• something resembling a plant tendril, esp. a slender curl or ringlet of hair

Word 2327: Mandoline


noun
a kitchen utensil consisting of a flat frame with adjustable cutting blades for slicing vegetables

Word 2326: De jure

adverb
according to rightful entitlement or claim; by right

Word 2325: Phylogeny

noun
the branch of biology that deals with phylogenesis

Word 2324: Alarums and excursions

phrase humorous
confused activity and uproar

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Word 2323: Bema


noun ( pl. -mas or -mata)
the altar part or sanctuary in ancient and Orthodox churches
• ( bima, bimah) Judaism the podium or platform in a synagogue from which the Torah and Prophets are read

Word 2322: Prexy

noun ( pl. prexies) informal
a president, esp. the president of a college or society

Word 2321: Laminal

adjective Phonetics
(of a consonant) formed with the blade of the tongue touching the alveolar ridge (e.g., n, s, t)

Word 2320: Muster roll

noun
an official list of officers and men in a military unit or ship's company

Word 2319: Parterre


noun
1. a level space in a garden or yard occupied by an ornamental arrangement of flower beds
2. the part of the ground floor of an auditorium in the rear and on the sides, esp. the part beneath the balcony

Word 2318: Russet

adjective
reddish brown in color

Word 2317: Biff

verb [ trans.] informal
strike (someone) roughly or sharply, usually with the fist

Word 2316: Anagenesis

noun Biology
species formation without branching of the evolutionary line of descent

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Word 2315: Tumpline


noun
a sling for carrying a load on the back, with a strap that passes around the forehead
• a strap of this kind

Word 2314: Vermilion

noun
a brilliant red pigment made from mercury sulfide (cinnabar)
• a brilliant red color

Word 2313: Palinode

noun
a poem in which the poet retracts a view or sentiment expressed in a former poem

Word 2312: Endue

verb [ trans.] poetic/ literary
endow or provide with a quality or ability

Word 2311: Sagittate


adjective Botany & Zoology
shaped like an arrowhead

Word 2310: Miles gloriosus

noun ( pl. milites gloriosi)
(in literature) a boastful soldier as a stock figure

Word 2309: Tosh

noun Brit., informal
rubbish; nonsense

Word 2308: Cenacle

noun
1. a group of people, such as a discussion group or literary clique
2. the room in which the Last Supper was held

Word 2307: Tarn


noun
a small mountain lake

Word 2306: Makeweight

noun
something put on a scale to make up the required weight
• an extra person or thing needed to complete something; a filler
• an unimportant point added to make an argument seem stronger

Word 2305: Sacrament of reconciliation

noun
(chiefly in the Roman Catholic Church) the practice of private confession of sins to a priest and the receiving of absolution

Word 2304: Tenderfoot

noun ( pl. -foots or -feet)
1. a newcomer or novice, esp. a person unaccustomed to the hardships of pioneer life
2. a Boy Scout of the lowest rank

Word 2303: Carafe


noun
an open-topped glass flask typically used for serving wine or water

Word 2302: Hyperalgesia

noun Medicine
abnormally heightened sensitivity to pain

Word 2301: Tant mieux

exclamation
so much the better

Word 2300: Draggle

verb [ trans.]
make (something) dirty or wet, typically by trailing it through mud or water
• [ intrans.] hang untidily
• [ intrans.] archaic trail behind others; lag behind

Word 2299: Modus vivendi

noun ( pl. modi vivendi) [usu. in sing. ]
an arrangement or agreement allowing conflicting parties to coexist peacefully, either indefinitely or until a final settlement is reached
• a way of living

Word 2298: Sippet

noun
a small piece of bread or toast, used to dip into soup or sauce or as a garnish

Word 2297: Padsaw


noun
a small saw with a narrow blade, for cutting curves

Word 2296: Plongeur

noun
a person employed to wash dishes and carry out other menial tasks in a restaurant or hotel

Word 2295: Épater

verb (in phrase épater les bourgeois)
shock people who are conventional or complacent

Word 2294: Tsuris

noun informal
trouble or woe; aggravation

Word 2293: Piolet


noun Climbing
an ice ax

Word 2292: Swabbie

noun ( pl. -bies) Nautical slang
a member of the navy, typically one who is of low rank

Word 2291: Fauces

plural noun Anatomy
the arched opening at the back of the mouth leading to the pharynx

Word 2290: Groundling

noun
1. a spectator or reader of inferior taste, such as a member of a theater audience who traditionally stood in the pit beneath the stage
2. a person on the ground as opposed to one in a spacecraft or aircraft
3. a fish that lives at the bottom of lakes and streams, esp. a gudgeon or loach
4. a creeping or dwarf plant

Word 2289: Berm


noun
a flat strip of land, raised bank, or terrace bordering a river or canal
• a path or grass strip beside a road
• an artificial ridge or embankment, e.g., as a defense against tanks
• a narrow space, esp. one between a ditch and the base of a parapet

Word 2288: Tubal ligation

noun
a surgical procedure for female sterilization that involves severing and tying the fallopian tubes

Word 2287: Xylophagous

adjective Zoology
(esp. of an insect larva or mollusk) feeding on or boring into wood

Word 2286: Humectant

noun
a substance, esp. a skin lotion or a food additive, used to reduce the loss of moisture

Word 2285: Starburst


noun
a pattern of lines or rays radiating from a central object or source of light
• an explosion producing such an effect
• a camera lens attachment that produces a pattern of rays around the image of a source of light
• a period of intense activity in a galaxy involving the formation of stars

Word 2284: Pizzle

noun
the penis of an animal, esp. a bull

Word 2283: Fusiform

adjective Botany & Zoology
tapering at both ends; spindle-shaped

Word 2282: Patulous

adjective rare
(esp. of the branches of a tree) spreading

Word 2281: Hank


noun
1. a coil or skein of yarn, hair, rope, or other material
2. a measurement of the length per unit mass of cloth or yarn, which varies according to the type being measured. For example, a hank is equal to 840 yards for cotton yarn and 560 yards for worsted
3. Sailing a ring for securing a staysail to the stay

Word 2280: Slush fund

noun
a reserve of money used for illicit purposes, esp. political bribery

Word 2279: Oracy

noun
the ability to express oneself fluently and grammatically in speech

Word 2278: Geniculate

adjective Anatomy
bent at a sharp angle

Word 2277: Tureen


noun
a deep covered dish from which soup is served

Word 2276: Sapphic

adjective
1. formal or humorous of or relating to lesbians or lesbianism
2. ( Sapphic) of or relating to Sappho or her poetry

Word 2275: Pyoderma

noun Medicine
a skin infection with formation of pus

Word 2274: Maharaja

noun historical
an Indian prince

Word 2273: Socle


noun Architecture
a plain low block or plinth serving as a support for a column, urn, statue, etc., or as the foundation of a wall

Word 2272: Rick

noun
a stack of hay, corn, straw, or similar material, esp. one built into a regular shape and thatched
• a pile of firewood somewhat smaller than a cord
• a set of shelving for storing barrels

Word 2271: Saprophagous

adjective Biology
(of an organism) feeding on or obtaining nourishment from decaying organic matter

Word 2270: Fermata

noun Music
a pause of unspecified length on a note or rest
• a mark (𝄐) over a note or rest that is to be lengthened by an unspecified amount

Word 2269: Taenia


noun ( pl. -niae or -nias)
1. Anatomy a flat ribbonlike structure in the body
• ( taeniae coli) the smooth longitudinal muscles of the colon
2. Architecture a fillet between a Doric architrave and frieze
3. (in ancient Greece) a band or ribbon worn around a person's head

Word 2268: Moujik

noun historical
a Russian peasant

Word 2267: Gorgon

noun Greek Mythology
each of three sisters, Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa, with snakes for hair, who had the power to turn anyone who looked at them to stone
• a fierce, frightening, or repulsive woman

Word 2266: Dandiprat

noun informal
a small boy
• an insignificant person

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Word 2265: Pinking shears


plural noun
shears with a serrated blade, used to cut a zigzag edge in fabric to prevent it from fraying

Word 2264: Soubrette

noun
a minor female role in a comedy, typically that of a pert maidservant

Word 2263: A fortiori

adverb & adjective
used to express a conclusion for which there is stronger evidence than for a previously accepted one

Word 2262: Dipsy-doodle

verb [ intrans.]
follow a zigzag course

Word 2261: Altocumulus

noun ( pl. -li)
cloud forming a layer of rounded masses with a level base, occurring at medium altitude, usually 6,500–23,000 feet (2–7 km)

Word 2260: Madarosis

noun Medicine
absence or loss of the eyelashes (and sometimes the eyebrows), either as a congenital condition or as a result of an infection

Word 2259: Nullah


noun Indian
a dry riverbed or ravine

Word 2258: Tosspot

noun informal
a habitual drinker (also used as a general term of abuse)

Word 2257: Coltish

adjective
energetic but awkward in one's movements or behavior

Word 2256: Velar

adjective
1. of or relating to a veil or velum
2. Phonetics (of a speech sound) pronounced with the back of the tongue near the soft palate, as in k and g in English

Monday, July 12, 2010

Word 2255: Schnitzel


noun
a thin slice of veal or other light meat, coated in breadcrumbs and fried

Word 2254: Editio princeps

noun ( pl. editiones principes)
the first printed edition of a book

Word 2253: Nidus

noun ( pl. -di or -duses)
a place in which something is formed or deposited; a site of origin
Medicine a place in which bacteria have multiplied or may multiply; a focus of infection

Word 2252: Birdlime

verb
entrap by clever deception; inveigle

Word 2251: Palingenesis

noun
1. Biology the exact reproduction of ancestral characteristics in ontogenesis
2. rebirth or regeneration

Word 2250: Chelicera


noun ( pl. -licerae) Zoology
either of a pair of appendages in front of the mouth in arachnids and some other arthropods, usually modified as pincerlike claws

Word 2249: Tantivy

noun ( pl. -tivies)
a rapid gallop or ride

Word 2248: Melena

noun Medicine
dark sticky feces containing partly digested blood
• the production of such feces, following internal bleeding or the swallowing of blood

Word 2247: Synesthesia

noun Physiology & Psychology
the production of a sense impression relating to one sense or part of the body by stimulation of another sense or part of the body
• the poetic description of a sense impression in terms of another sense, as in “a loud perfume” or “an icy voice”

Word 2246: Martlet


noun Heraldry
a bird like a swallow without feet, borne (typically with the wings closed) as a charge or a mark of cadency for a fourth son

Word 2245: Roman-fleuve

noun ( pl. romans-fleuves pronunc. same)
a novel featuring the leisurely description of the lives of closely related people
• a sequence of related, self-contained novels

Word 2244: Pastille

noun
a small candy or lozenge
• a small pellet of aromatic paste burned as a perfume or deodorizer

Word 2243: Chyle

noun Physiology
a milky fluid consisting of fat droplets and lymph. It drains from the lacteals of the small intestine into the lymphatic system during digestion

Word 2242: Proleg


noun Entomology
a fleshy abdominal limb of a caterpillar or similar insect larva

Word 2241: Trope

noun
a figurative or metaphorical use of a word or expression
• a conventional idea or phrase

Word 2240: Hoodoo

noun
1. voodoo; witchcraft
• a run of bad luck associated with a person or activity
• a person or thing that brings or causes bad luck
2. a column or pinnacle of weathered rock

Word 2239: Lox

noun
liquid oxygen

Word 2238: Sett


noun
1. the lair or burrow of a badger
2. the particular pattern of stripes in a tartan

Word 2237: Hawse

noun
the part of a ship's bows through which the anchor cables pass
• the space between the head of an anchored vessel and the anchors

Word 2236: Peri

noun ( pl. peris)
(in Persian mythology) a mythical superhuman being, originally represented as evil but subsequently as a good or graceful genie or fairy

Word 2235: Eth

noun
an Old English letter, ð or Ð, representing the dental fricatives |ð|and |θ|. It was superseded by the digraph th, but is now used as a phonetic symbol for the voiced dental fricative |ð|in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) system

Word 2234: Muliebrity

noun poetic/literary
womanly qualities; womanhood

Word 2233: Völkisch

adjective
(of a person or ideology) populist or nationalist, and typically racist

Word 2232: Caryatid


noun ( pl. caryatids or caryatides) Architecture
a stone carving of a draped female figure, used as a pillar to support the entablature of a Greek or Greek-style building

Word 2231: Mantic

adjective formal
of or relating to divination or prophecy

Word 2230: Stockjobber

noun derogatory
a stockbroker

Word 2229: Brougham


noun historical
a horse-drawn carriage with a roof, four wheels, and an open driver's seat in front
• an automobile with an open driver's seat

Word 2228: Belladonna

noun
deadly nightshade
• a drug prepared from the leaves and root of this, containing atropine

Word 2227: Eparch

noun
the chief bishop of an eparchy

Word 2226: Paralanguage

noun
the nonlexical component of communication by speech, for example intonation, pitch and speed of speaking, hesitation noises, gesture, and facial expression

Word 2225: Adit


noun
a horizontal passage leading into a mine for the purposes of access or drainage

Word 2224: Egad

exclamation archaic
expressing surprise, anger, or affirmation

Word 2223: Organotherapy

noun
the treatment of disease with extracts from animal organs, esp. glands

Word 2222: Mala fide

adjective & adverb Law
in bad faith; with intent to deceive

Word 2221: Phillumenist

noun
a collector of matchboxes or matchbooks

Word 2220: Capias

noun ( pl. -ases) Law
a writ ordering the arrest of a named person

Word 2219: Metathorax


noun ( pl. -thoraxes or -thoraces) Entomology
the posterior segment of the thorax of an insect, bearing the hind wings

Word 2218: Shaitan

noun
(in Muslim countries) the Devil, Satan, or an evil spirit
• ( shaitan) an evilly disposed, vicious, or cunning person or animal

Word 2217: Tut-tut

exclamation
expressing disapproval or annoyance

Word 2216: Gnosis

noun
knowledge of spiritual mysteries

Word 2215: Nidifugous

adjective
(of a young bird or other animal) hatched or born in an advanced state and able to feed itself almost immediately

Word 2214: Lap joint


noun
a joint made with two pieces of metal, timber, etc., by halving the thickness of each member at the joint and fitting them together

Word 2213: Mornay

adjective
denoting or served in a cheese-flavored white sauce

Word 2212: Sirrah

noun archaic
used as a term of address for a man or boy, esp. one younger or of lower status than the speaker

Word 2211: Helot

noun
a member of a class of serfs in ancient Sparta, intermediate in status between slaves and citizens
• a serf or slave

Word 2210: Trunnel


noun
a hard wooden pin used for fastening timbers together

Word 2209: Calaboose

noun informal
a prison

Word 2208: Lycée

noun ( pl. pronounced same)
a secondary school in France that is funded by the government

Word 2207: Diachronic

adjective
concerned with the way in which something, esp. language, has developed and evolved through time

Word 2206: Stent


noun Medicine
a tubular support placed temporarily inside a blood vessel, canal, or duct to aid healing or relieve an obstruction
• an impression or cast of a part or body cavity, used to maintain pressure so as to promote healing, esp. of a skin graft

Word 2205: Muni

noun ( pl. munis)
(in India) an inspired holy person; an ascetic, hermit, or sage

Word 2204: Succès de scandale

noun
a success due to notoriety or a thing's scandalous nature

Word 2203: Clozapine

noun Medicine
a sedative drug of the benzodiazepine group, used to treat schizophrenia

Word 2202: Torsade

noun
a decorative twisted braid, ribbon, or other strand used as trimming
• an artificial plait of hair

Word 2201: Yoni

noun ( pl. -nis) Hinduism
the vulva, esp. as a symbol of divine procreative energy conventionally represented by a circular stone

Word 2200: Idem

adverb
used in citations to indicate an author or work that has just been mentioned

Word 2199: Pro forma

adverb
as a matter of form or politeness

Word 2198: Myringotomy

noun
surgical incision into the eardrum, to relieve pressure or drain fluid

Word 2197: Trousseau


noun ( pl. -seaux pronunc. same, or -seaus)
the clothes, household linen, and other belongings collected by a bride for her marriage

Word 2196: Sprig

noun
a small stem bearing leaves or flowers, taken from a bush or plant
• a descendant or younger member of a family or social class
• a small molded decoration applied to a piece of pottery before firing

Word 2195: In absentia

adverb
while not present at the event being referred to

Word 2194: Progeria

noun Medicine
a rare syndrome in children characterized by physical signs and symptoms suggestive of premature old age

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Word 2193: Glockenspiel


noun
a musical percussion instrument having a set of tuned metal pieces mounted in a frame and struck with small hammers

Word 2192: Entelechy

noun ( pl. -chies) Philosophy
the realization of potential
• the supposed vital principle that guides the development and functioning of an organism or other system or organization
Philosophy the soul

Word 2191: Fallacy of composition

noun
the error of assuming that what is true of a member of a group is true for the group as a whole

Word 2190: Spang

adverb informal
directly; completely

Word 2189: Armature


noun
1. the rotating coil or coils of a dynamo or electric motor
• any moving part of an electrical machine in which a voltage is induced by a magnetic field
• a piece of iron or other object acting as a keeper for a magnet
2. a metal framework on which a sculpture is molded with clay or similar material
3. Biology the protective covering of an animal or plant

Word 2188: Rai

noun
a style of music fusing Arabic and Algerian folk elements with Western rock

Word 2187: Pillock

noun Brit., informal
a stupid person

Word 2186: Modus tollens

noun
the rule of logic stating that if a conditional statement (“if p then q”) is accepted, and the consequent does not hold ( not-q), then the negation of the antecedent ( not-p) can be inferred
• an argument using this rule

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Word 2185: Shoat


noun
a young pig, esp. one that is newly weaned

Word 2184: Pip pip

exclamation Brit., dated
goodbye

Word 2183: Meiofauna

noun Ecology
minute interstitial animals living in soil and aquatic sediments

Word 2182: Thwack

verb [ trans.]
strike forcefully with a sharp blow

Word 2181: Vuln


verb [ trans.] Heraldry
wound

Word 2180: Mambo

noun ( pl. -bos)
1. a Latin American dance similar in rhythm to the rumba
2. a voodoo priestess

Word 2179: Snarf

verb [ trans.] informal
eat or drink quickly or greedily

Word 2178: Hosanna

exclamation
(esp. in biblical, Judaic, and Christian use) used to express adoration, praise, or joy

Word 2177: Panpipes


plural noun
a musical instrument made from a row of short pipes of varying length fixed together and played by blowing across the top

Word 2176: Barracoon

noun historical
an enclosure in which black slaves were confined for a limited period

Word 2175: Klezmer

noun ( pl. klezmorim)
traditional eastern European Jewish music
• a musician who plays this kind of music

Word 2174: Schuss

noun
a straight downhill run on skis