Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Word 3082: Decussate


adjective
shaped like an X
Botany (of leaves) arranged in opposite pairs, each pair being at right angles to the pair below

Word 3081: Mimesis

noun formal or technical
imitation, in particular
• representation or imitation of the real world in art and literature
• the deliberate imitation of the behavior of one group of people by another as a factor in social change
• Zoology another term for mimicry

Word 3080: Fanfaronade

noun
arrogant or boastful talk

Word 3079: Telegraphese

noun informal
the terse, abbreviated style of language used in telegrams

Word 3078: Smolt


noun
a young salmon (or trout) after the parr stage, when it becomes silvery and migrates to the sea for the first time

Word 3077: Epigone

noun ( pl. epigones or epigoni)
a less distinguished follower or imitator of someone, esp. an artist or philosopher

Word 3076: Officinal

adjective chiefly historical
(of an herb or drug) standardly used in medicine

Word 3075: Metanoia

noun
change in one's way of life resulting from penitence or spiritual conversion

Word 3074: Plaint

noun Brit. Law
an accusation; a charge
chiefly poetic/literary a complaint; a lamentation

Word 3073: Cleat


noun
a T-shaped piece of metal or wood, esp. on a boat or ship, to which ropes are attached
• one of a number of projecting pieces of metal, rubber, or other material on the sole of a shoe, designed to prevent the wearer from losing their footing
• ( cleats) athletic shoes with a cleated sole, typically used when playing football
• a projection on a spar or other part of a ship, to prevent slipping
• a small wedge, esp. one on a plow or scythe

Word 3072: Hyperborean

noun poetic/literary
an inhabitant of the extreme north
• ( Hyperborean) Greek Mythology a member of a race worshiping Apollo and living in a land of sunshine and plenty beyond the north wind

Word 3071: Dithyramb

noun
a wild choral hymn of ancient Greece, esp. one dedicated to Dionysus
• a passionate or inflated speech, poem, or other writing

Word 3070: Lèse-majesté

noun
the insulting of a monarch or other ruler; treason

Word 3069: Naiant


adjective [ postpositive] Heraldry
(of a fish or marine creature) swimming horizontally

Word 3068: Palingenesis

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

Word 3067: Mugwump

noun
a person who remains aloof or independent, esp. from party politics

Word 3066: Cockalorum

noun ( pl. -rums) informal dated
a self-important little man

Word 3065: Gi


noun ( pl. gis)
a lightweight two-piece white garment worn in judo and other martial arts. A gi typically consists of loose-fitting pants and a jacket that is closed with a cloth belt

Word 3064: 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 3063: Alameda

noun
(in Spain and Spanish-speaking regions) a public walkway or promenade shaded with trees

Word 3062: Pluvial

adjective chiefly Geology
relating to or characterized by rainfall.

Word 3060: Homologate

verb [ trans.] formal
express agreement with or approval of
• approve (a car, boat, or engine) for sale in a particular market or use in a particular class of racing

Word 3059: Maquette

noun
a sculptor's small preliminary model or sketch

Word 3058: Tog

verb ( be/get togged up/out)
be or get dressed for a particular occasion or activity

Word 3057: Cofferdam


noun
a watertight enclosure pumped dry to permit construction work below the waterline, as when building bridges or repairing a ship

Word 3056: Duende

noun
a quality of passion and inspiration
• a spirit

Word 3055: Anthophilous

adjective Zoology
(of insects or other animals) frequenting flowers

Word 3054: Divers

adjective [ attrib.] archaic or poetic/literary
of varying types; several

Word 3053: Viol


noun
a musical instrument of the Renaissance and baroque periods, typically six-stringed, held vertically and played with a bow

Word 3052: Causerie

noun ( pl. -ries pronunc. same)
an informal article or talk, typically one on a literary subject

Word 3051: Grub Street

noun
used in reference to a world or class of impoverished journalists and writers

Word 3050: Jitney

noun ( pl. -neys) informal
a bus or other vehicle carrying passengers for a low fare