blae
bluish black, blue gray
blae
bluish black, blue gray
bight
the middle part of a rope
fissirostral
having a deep cleft in a bill or beak
fissirostral
having a deep cleft in a bill or beak
exeunt
they go off stage
ejecta
matter that is ejected as from a volcano
diurnal
of or pretaining to a day; daily
cribbing
an injurious habit by which a horse bites its
manger and as a result swallows air
cineradiography
the filming of motion pictures through an
x-ray machine
Eskimo aluet
a group of languages consisting of Eskimo and
aluet
drivage
a horizontal or inclined length of highway
under construction
doyenne
a woman who is a senior member or high
rank
dochandorac
drink of the inn
contactant
any substance that might induce an allergy
decalomania
the art of transferring pictures or designs
from specially prepared paper to wood, metal,
glass, etc...
coromandel
the hard brownish wood of a tropical
asian tree
pourpoint
a triangular ruffle popular on men
in the 14th to 17th century
petsai
chinese cabbage
corolla
the inner envelope of floral leaves
oxytacia
rapid childbirth
golden buck
a dish consisting of welsh rarebit
with a poached egg on top
whitesmith
tinsmith
wedein
a style of skiing involving rapid turns
on parallel skis
lupus
a southern constellation,
the wolf
mea culpa
through ny fault
organotropism
the atrraction of simple micro organismsms
or chemicaalstto certain cells of the body
markhor
a wild goat
Washo
a north american indian
hap
ones luck or lot
LIFO
last in; first out
judaist
an adherent to judaism
high treason
treason against a sovereign state
hawser
a heavy rope used for towing or
mooring
goniometer
an instrument for measuring angles
as on a crystal
jingo
a person who espouses his or her
patriotism loudly and excessively
homogamy
interbreeding of individuals with
like characteristics
hempen
of or pretaining to hemp
gobbet
a fragment or piece of raw flesh
giocoso
musc. merry, playful
geophious
zool. territorial as of certain snails
fondu
ballet. a slow bending of the supporting leg
Favonius
Roman personification of the west wind
extremum
math. a maximum or minimum value of a function
in a given neighborhood
gracile
gracefully slender
heathcock
the maleof the black grouse
icosacohedren
a solid figure having 20 faces
imaret
a hospice for pilgrims, travelers, etc...
Hanover
a member of englands royal family
1714-1901
a payment; tax
incurious
not curious
dement
to make mad or insane
cramoisy
crimson cloth
sociocracy
a theorhetical system of government
in which the interests of all are met
equally
reclinate
bending or curved downward
prismatic
like light flowing from a prism;
spectral in color
spile
a peg or a plug of wood, especially a spigot
penultimate
next to the last
penury
extreme poverty; destitution, dearth
tarantass
a large four wheeled Russian carriage
mounted without springs
tiddly
slightly drunk
shako
a military cap in the shape of a cylinder
vatic
of, pretaining to, or charachterized by a
prophet
sardonic/sarcastic
sardonic
characterized by bitter or scornful derision
sarcastic
a sharpley ironical taunt, sneering
or cutting remark
pathos
evoking a feeling of compassion or pity
pandurate
shaped like a fiddle as a leaf
noria
a device consisting of a series of buckets on a wheel
for raising water
medulla
the soft marrowlike center of an organ
oviporous
producing eggs the mature and hatch outside the body
lunitidal
pertaining to the part of the tidal movement
dependant upon the moon
plumbism
lead poisoning
plumcot
a hybred of a plum and an apricot tree
diamante'
a sequin or rhinestone
decalescence
absortion of heat without a corresponding increase
in temperature
comedist
one who writes comedies
chlamys
a short fine woolen mantle worn by men in ancient greece
cannikin
a small can or drinking cup
doyen
the senior member as in age, rank, seniority etc...
ethnarc
the ruler of a people, tribe, or nation
berme
the horizontal surface between the rampart and the moat
cosset
to treat as a pet; coddle
dalles
the whitewater between the walls of a caynon
or gorge
comedo
a thickened secretion plugging a duct of the
skin
cinerary
holding or intended for ashes
diamorphine
heroin
fume'
smoked
geez
a Semetic language of ancient Ethiopia
grex
a numerical system for measuring the size of
fibers, filiments, or yarns based on the weight in
grams
imago
an adult insect
putative
commonly regarded a so; reputed; supposed
Sabaton
a foot defense of mail or lames
sceleroma
a tumor like hardening of tissue
quintessence
the pure and concentrated essence of a substance;
the most perfect embodiment of something
settlor
a person who settles
subsume
to include as a part of a whole idea
telolecithal
having an accumulation of yolk near
the vegital pole
vegetal
of the nature of plants
Velovis
a god of the dead
perhydronate
to hydronate as completely as possible
papyracerous
papery
oppidan
of a town; urban
obsecrate
to entreat solomnely; beseech; supplicate
neuroleptanalgesia
a semiconconscious nonreactive state
induced by certain drug interactions
naiad
any of a class of nymphs presiding over
rivers or springs
mutatis mutandis
the necessary changes having been made
phylogenetic
pertaining to the development of leaves
exscind
to cut off or out
earreach
earshot
Eudoxus
a crater in the first quadrant of the moon
about 40 mi. in diameter
deflagrate
to burn down suddenly or violently
cinereous
in the state of or reduced to ashes
canaille
riffraff, rable, equivalent to a pack of dogs
fleurette
a small conventionalized flower
Jingoism
the spirit, policy, or practice of chauvanism
dudeen
a small clay tobacco pipe
duddy
ragged or tattered
dockominium
a dock or boatslip bought as real property
Actaeon
a hunter who having seen Diana
was turned into a stag and torn to
pieces by his own hounds
abrogate
to abolish by authority
pig boat
a submarine
paiute
a member of a group of N. Am. indians
polemology
the analysis of human warfare
pinafore
a child's apron
pavane
a stately dance dating back to
the 16th century
oppugn
to assail by criticism
opprobriam
shameful; reproachful
pronunciamento
an edict
tartanism
a mania characterized by the uncontrollable
desire to dance
stridor
a harsh grating or creaking sound
strigil
an instrument with a curved blade
used by the Greeks and Romans for
scraping skin at the baths in the
gymnasium.
iodous
containing iodine
iconostasis
a partition on which icons are placed
seperating the sanctuary from the main
part of the church
ductor
the roller that conveys ink in a press
leglen
a milk pail
lupercalia
a celebration on February 15 in ancient
Rome to promote fertility
molinism
the theological doctrine that the consent
of the human will is necessary for divine
grace to be effective
oneiromancy
divination through dreams
pavid
timid fearful
cosmism
the philosophy of cosmic evolution
decrescendo
to gradually reduce force or loudness
emolument
profit salary or fees from services rendered
faddy
fadish
flexuos
having bends or curves
gamic
sexual
brigand
a bandit
bacchae
the female attendants of Bacchus
bargestone
any of several stones forming the edge of
a gable
canatille
a silver or gold thread
chimb
chime
cooee
a prolonged shrill clear call used for
a signal among aborigines
derogate
to detract from
bruxism
teeth grinding
bursa
an animal's pouch
canid
any animal of the dog family
erasion
the act of erasing
fishpound
a submerged net used in fishing
gonycampsis
abnormal curvature of the knee
hernshaw
a heron
hydroa
any skin condition characterized by
red vascular areas
microphyte
a microscopic plant
milch
yielding milk
occulation
the passing of one celestial body in front
of another
osculate
to come in close contact or union with;
to kiss
pelting
paltry; petty mean
maenad
a frenzied or harried woman
locus in quo
the place in which
knaggy
knotty, rough with knots
massassuaga
a small rattlesnake
mesodont
having medium sized teeth
importune
to beset with solicitations
grisette
a young french working women
gonopore
the opening though which eggs and sperm
are passed
gladiate
swordshaped
gaffle
to take as one's own
friable
easily crumbled or reduced to powder
fletcherize
to chew thorourghly
griskin
a chop or a steak
sattvic
having a serene, balanced mind, or attitude
rudd
a european freshwater fish
laniary
of teeth, adapted for tearing
semiarch
a half arch
solecism
a nonstandard or ungrammatical usage such as
unflammable and they was
isometropia
equility of refraction in the two eyes
of an individual
maloclusion
irregular meeting of the teeth
saltarello
a lively Italian dance for one or a couple
rouleau
a strip of something, as a band on a hat
remuda
a group of horses from which ranch-hands
choose a horse for the day
propaeduetic
pertaing to preliminary instructions
potvaliant
brave only as a result of being drunk
perpend
to consider
semidiurnal
pertaining to a half of a day
sika
a small reddish deer native to eastern Asia
gelada
a large cliff dwelling monkey
flexion
the act of bending a limb
exsanguine
bloodless; anemic
entrelac
a decorative border of interlaced
garlands and leaves
condisciple
a fellow student or disciple
chondroid
cartaliginous or resembling cartilage
exunt omnies
they all go out
grue
to shudder
scarious
a thin dry membrane
scarcement
a footing or ledge fromed by a setoff in the wall
rota
a round or rotation of duties
rebec
a renaissance fiddle
pergola
an arbor formed of columns and posts
pang
a sudden feeling of mental or emotional distress
hippophagist
an eater of horse flesh
bellicose
inclined to fight
oriel
in medieval arch. a large bay window
of a hall or chamber
monocoque
a type of boat, aircraft, or rocket
in which the shell carries most of the
stresses
mickle
great; large; much
kolinsky
an asian mink having buff or tawney fur
index liborum prohibitorum
a list of books forbidden to be read
gasolier
a chandeliier furnished wittth gaslights
pakapoo ticket
something that is indecipherable or
confusing
mephitis
the smell of rotting flesh
pixilated
slightly eccentric
majuscule
written in capital letters
hydrodynamics
the branch of fluid dynamics that deals
with water
granadilla
the edible fruit of the passionflower
extrados
the exterior curve or surface of
an arch or vault
electrodermal
electrical properties of the skin
dolus
fraud, deceit
constrictor
constrianing
domicillar
an increased production of urine
derry
a meaningless refrain or chorus
cusp
a point or pointed end
exsect
to cut out
epilithic
growing on stones
domiciller
a cannon of a minor order
exiccatum
intentionally dried
conker
a horse chestnut
bundeswehr
the armed forces of West Germany
baron
a member of the lowest grade of nobility
dibatag
a small gazelle
breeze block
a cinder block
branchiate
having gills
biscuit fired
fired to harden the body
bedfast
confined to bed
psychometrics
the measurement of psychic traits
petroliferous
rock yielding petrolium
nosophobia
an abnormal fear of disease
neurogenic
originating in a nerve cell
oneirocriticism
the art of interpreting dreams
napier's bones
an abacus like stucture used for multiplication
mecism
abnormal prolongation of one or
more parts of the body
or the hair
pomade
a scented ointment for dressing the scalp
or the hair
poilu
a french common soldier
penecontemporaneous
formed during or slightly after the formation
of the containing rock stratum
padeye
a ring fixed to the structureof s ship
as a hold for small lines, tackle etc..
phoresy
a non parasitic reletionship in which one
species is carried about by another
obreption
fraud in obtaining or attempting
to obtain something from an official
niggard
excessively miserly
divulgate
to make known, to publish
come-outer
an activist or very outspoken person
cinemicrograph
a motion picture filmed through a microscope
catafalque
a raised structure on which to rest
a deceased body
cabane
a mastlike structure for support of an airplane's
wings
bacchant
inclined to revelry
fishpound
a net submerged and used to capture fish
ostracon
a ballot on which one to be ostracizeds
name is written
miche
to lurk out of sight
labarum
an ecclisiastical banner for carrying in a
procession
imam
the officiating priest of a mosque
higgle
to bargain in a petty way; haggle
cryogen
a substance for producing low tempertures
micrify
to make small or insignificant
savant
a person of profound or extensive learning
natatorium
a swimming pool that is indoors
monobloc
casting a complex item as a single piece
mazarine
a rich deep blue
cain
rent paid in percentage of a crop
bogle
a bogy; a spectre
baccate
berrylike; bearing berries
indurate
to make hard, harden
ranket
a double reed instument of the 16th and
17th centuries
polydipsia
excessive thirst
oleaginous
having the natural qualities of oil
isocohedron
a solid figure having twenty faces
snaffle
a two ringed jointed bit, part of a harness
kissing kin
any kin close enough to be kissed upon greeting
roundel
a small round pane or window
braw
fine looking; finely dressed
barlybree
liquor; malt liquor like whisky
au revoir
until we see each other again; good-bye for the present
anlaut
initial position of speaking parts for a word
appro (British)
to purchase
quadrennial
occuring every four years
quantum sufficit
as much as suffuces; enough
pendragon
the supreme leader
obi
a sash worn around the waist of a kimono
phlogistic
inflammatory
kith
aquaintances; friends; and neighbors
knaggy
knotty; rough with knots
procuress
a woman who procures prostitutes
passant
of a beast; represented as in the act of walking
with one forepaw raised
isolato
a person who is spiritually isolated from or out
of sympathy with his or her times or society
slubber
to perform hastily or carelessly
qui vive
(French) who goes there?
prescience
knowledge of things before they exist or happen,
foresight;
bilon
a mixture of silver or gold with a base metal used
to mint coins
aboon
Scotish; above
penetralia
the innermost parts or recesses of a place or thing
peneplain
an area reduced to a plain by erosian
peneplain
an area reduced to a plain by erosian
paccha
a Incan wooden vessel for holding liquids
lancinate
to tear to pieces
noria
a device consisting of several buckets on a wheel;
a waterwheel
lupus
a consellation known also as the wolf
haplography
the accidental omission of a letter or
group of letters that should be repeated
as in writing missippi instead of mississippi
hap
a comforter or quilt
vexillary
one of a class of veteran soldiers who
served under a special banner
metroplex
a vast metropolitan area covering several
cities and their suburbs
markhor
a wild goat from Afghanistan to India
marron
a large european chestnut
lesya
any of six different colors given
to an idividuals karma
improvident
lacking foresight; incautious; wary
isomerous
having an equal number of parts, markings, etc...
sluit
a deep dry gulch or channel formed by heavy rains
sabbat (14-16th cen.)
a secret rendezvous of witches and sorcerers to
worship the Devil
festgium
the peak of a disease
chevalet
a bridge on a stringed musical instrument
chagul
a bag made of goatskin for carrying water
emolument
tips, wages, salaries, from a job performed.
steliferous
abounding with stars
yare
quick, agile, lively
froufrou
over embellishment as with ribbons, lace, etc...
marut
any of a group of storm gods
regle
a groove or channel for guiding a sliding door.
de profundis
out of the depths of sorrow
lupercalia
a festival held in ancient Rome on the
15 of February to promote fertility and
ward off disasters
imputrescible
not liable to decomposition or putrefaction
zamarra
a sheepskin coat as the kind worn by
shepherds in Spain
kinotosis
any condition caused by motion of the body
pitot tube
an instrument for mesuring fluid
velocity in a tube
valuta
the value of currency as expressed in terms
of its rate of exchange with another currency
threap
an argument; quarrel
karateka
an expert in karate
gymnasiarch
a magistrate who superintended the
gymnasium and certain games in aancient
greece.
consentience
agreement; unity of opinion
locum tenens
a temporary substitute
leading tone
the seventh degree of a diatonic scale
esculent
edible; usually a vegetable
rosicrucian
a person who belongs to a secret society
laying claim to certain occult knowledge
and esoteric religous beliefs
leglan
a milk pail
hutment
an encampment of huts
lurdan
a lazy stupid loutish fellow
apodictic
incontestably true; having been demonstrated
proved by logic.
condisciple
a fellow student or disciple
hiemal
pertaining to winter
liveyer
a resident of newfoundland
con amore
with love, tender enthusiasm, or zeal
haploid
single; simple
appetence
intense desire; strong natural craving
rattlepate
a rattlebrain
ejecta
matter ejected as from a volcano
tendentious
having a definite tendancy, bias, or purpose
revulsant
revulsive; see revulsion
stelliform
star shaped
gonfalon
a banner suspended from a crossbar
hawserlaid
in rope making, cable-laid, plain-laid
bestiary
a collection of moralized fables about
real or mythical animals
sponsion
an engagement or promise made on behalf of another
bottega
studio of a major artist where spprentice
artists lean by participating in the work
marl
to wind a rope with a marl, every turn
being secured with a hitch.
sabaoth
armies; hosts
remise
to give up a claim to title or deed
gnathonic
sycophantic; fawning
tractate
a treatise; essay
monolotry
the act or practice of having only one God.
sarmentum
(bio.) a slender running stem
farraginous
mixed
fosse
a moat or ditch
iblis
in islamic mythology a wicked or evil spirit,
the the chief of the wicked jinn
hieromonk
a monk who is also a priest
revivisence
the act of being revived
tenamin
the terms of a jewish marriage
scotopia
vision in dim light
plumule
a down feather
sika
a small reddish deer
kona
a SW winter wind in hawaii often bringing rain
bete noire
a hated person or thing
mort
the note blown on a hunters horn to indicate
the prey has been killed
langour
lack of energy or vitality
puissance
steeve
to stuff into a ships hold
merle
a blackbird
sciurine
of or pretaining to squirrels
Lug
ancient Irish God probably a solar diety
embar
to stop or hinder
langlauf
the sport of cross country skiing
latria
the supreme worship given to God alone.
surcoat
a garment worn over medieval armor.
paccha
an incan wooden container for
holding liquids
missish
prim, affected, prudish
mordacious
given to biting
whid
to move quickly and quietly
staumrel
stupid; half witted
kanone
an expert skier
kinchin
a child
eld
age; old age; antiquity
oscitant
yawning with drowsiness; gaping
drowsy or inattentive
dull lazy or negligent
eisegesis
an interpretation esp. of scipture that
expresses the interpreters own ideas, bias or
the like rather thsn the meaning of the text.
orchitis
inflammation of the testis
rien ne va plus
no further bets.
hippology
the study of horses
cacqueteuse
a narrow upright armchair having a
narrow back and wide arms
peltry
fur skins collectively
windle
a measure of corn wheat or other commodities
equal to three bushels.
rillet
a small stream
patois
a regional dialect
dartle
to dart or shoot forth repeatedly
coup de main
a suprise attack, lit. a blow from the hand
menticide
a systematic effort to undermine a
person's values or beliefs.
peccary
a hoofed pig like mammal
posole
a thick chicken stew
hecatomb
a public sacrifice of 100 oxen to the gods,
any great slaughter
mesne
intermediate, or intervening
quean
overly forward, impudent.
prelacy
the offices or dignity of a prelate.
endue
to enow with a gift or quality
vaporetto n. a motorboat used as a bus in the canals of Venice
shieling n. a pasture or grazing area
lido n. a fashionable beach resort
modiste a female maker of or dealer in women's fashionable attire
intra vires within the power
chagul n. a goatskin bag used in the orient to carry water
extirpate v. to remove or destroy totally
gangue n. rock or mineral matter of no value occuring within a vein of metal.
bashaw n. a person who is imperious, self important
dispraise v. disparage, censure
Clowder adj. a group or cluster of cats
tun n. a large cask
scaphoid adj. boat shaped, navicular
skerrick n. a small piece or quantity
princox n. a self-confident fellow
ranee n. the wife of a rajah
gaff n. harsh criticism or treatment
ocarina, n. a simple wind instrument shaped like and egg
epopee, n. an epic. epic poetry
unsphere v. to remove from its or ones shere of influence
naissanse n. a birth, origination, like that of a person, organization, idea, or movement
immiscible v. not able to mixed
xeric, adj. of or adapted to a dry environment.
Haplopia, n. normal vision as opposed to diplopia.
Vanitory. n. a combination dressing table and lavatory basin.
kench. n. a deep bin in which fish and animal skins are salted.
indigested. adj. 1 without arrangement or order. 2 unformed or shapeless. 3 not duly considered.
latten. n. thin metal sheets usually used in church building
bottine, noun. a woman's boot or shoe.
khamsin, noun. an oppressive, hot, southerly wind that blows from the Sahara toward Egypt
and Israel at intervals, usually in spring and early summer. Also, hamsin, kamsin, kamseen.
quicklime, noun. a white, alkaline substance obtained by burning limestone and used especially
for making mortar, glass, and insecticides; lime; calcium oxide.
deaccession, transitive verb. (U.S.) to sell or auction off (a museum piece, coin collection,
or other collection or part of one) in order to raise funds for new acquisitions.
quiesce, intransitive verb, -esced, -escing. to become quiet or calm.
specie, noun. money in the form of coins; metal money. Silver dollars are specie.
expr. in specie, a. in kind. Ex. The power of the advocate, though ... less in degree is in specie the same with the power of the judge (Jeremy Bentham). b. in actual coin. Ex. Our coin ... whether we send it in specie ... or ... melt it down here to send it in bullion (John Locke).
retrorse, adjective. turned backward; turned in a direction opposite to the usual one.
absorbefacient, adjective, noun. adj. causing or aiding absorption. noun any substance causing or aiding absorption.
exequial, adjective. of or having to do with a funeral.
perique, noun. a strongly flavored, dark tobacco grown in Louisiana. Ex. Perique, prized because of its rich flavor, is cured by putting the leaves under great pressure (Roy Flannagan).
captation, noun. the use of artful endeavors or appeals to secure something, especially approval or applause. Ex. ... to induce candidates to rely ... less on the arts of political captation (London Daily News).
ecclesiology, noun. 1. the study of the church as an organized society. 2. the science of church architecture and decoration.
interlard, transitive verb. 1. to give variety to; mix; intersperse. Ex. The speaker interlarded his long speech with amusing stories to keep his listeners interested. There also is a heavy interlarding of music, choral and solo (New York Times). (SYN) mingle. 2. (of things) to be intermixed in. 3. to insert; interpose. Ex. When a little trifle of new matter was interlarded [in the prayer], his ear detected it (Mark Twain). 4. (Obsolete.) to insert fat into lean meat for cooking purposes; lard.
nevus, noun, pl. -vi. 1. a discolored or pigmented spot on the skin from birth, such as a mole; birthmark. 2. a tumor of the skin, usually congenital. Also, naevus.
minuend, noun. a number or quantity from which another is to be subtracted. Ex. In 100 - 23 = 77, the minuend is 100.
bonspiel, noun. a curling match or tournament.
univocal, adjective. having one meaning only; not equivocal; capable of but one interpretation.
cinereous, adjective. 1. of the nature of ashes. 2a. of an ashy hue; ash-colored; ash-gray. b. (in names of birds) having ash-colored feathers. Ex. the cinereous crow, the cinereous eagle.
exceptive, adjective. 1. that excepts. 2. inclined to object; captious.
Bodleian, noun, adjective. noun the Oxford University Library. adj. of or having to do with this library.
geniculum, noun, pl. -la. 1. (Botany.) a node or joint of a stem. 2. (Anatomy.) a sharp bend in any small organ, as that in the facial nerve passing through the temporal bone.
ab extra,(Latin.) from without. Ex. ... a spectator ab extra who can see the whole of a society simultaneously (New Yorker).
hakham, noun. a wise man (an official designation among Sephardic Jews, synonymous with rabbi).
quadrumvirate, noun. 1. a group of four men. 2. any association of four in office or authority.
humidistat, noun. an instrument for regulating the degree of humidity.
circumambulation, noun. 1. a walking around or about. 2. (Figurative.) an indirect process; a beating about the bush.
landgrave, noun. 1. a German count in the Middle Ages having authority over a considerable territory or over other counts. 2. the title of certain German princes.
excrescence, noun. 1. an unnatural growth; disfiguring addition. A corn or wart is an excrescence. Ex. (Figurative.) Many new office buildings are unsightly excrescences upon the city's landscape. 2. a natural outgrowth. Hairs and fingernails are excrescences. 3. an abnormal increase; overflow (of anything).
abatis, noun, pl. -tis. 1. a barricade of trees cut down and placed with their sharpened branches directed toward the enemy. 2. a barricade of barbed wire.
stoup, noun. 1a. a cup, flagon, tankard, or other drinking vessel. Ex. a stoup of wine. b. the amount it holds. 2. a basin for holy water, usually set in or against the wall at a church entrance. Also, stoop.
convertiplane, noun.an aircraft that operates like a conventional airplane in level flight, but which takes off and lands like a helicopter.
halazone, noun. a white powder containing chlorine, used in tablet form to disinfect drinking water.
Abaddon, noun. 1. Apollyon, the destroying angel; angel of hell (in the Bible, Revelation 9:11). 2. the place of the lost; bottomless pit; hell.
capriccioso, adjective.(Music.) denoting a free, fantastic style (used as a direction).
balistraria, noun. a cross-shaped opening in the wall of a medieval fortress through which a crossbow could be fired.
shiralee, noun.(Australian Slang.) a bundle of personal belongings; swag.
Landsturm, noun. in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria: 1. a general levy in time of war. 2. the force that consists of all men liable to call for military service and not already in the army, navy, or Landwehr.
Uriel, noun. one of the archangels in Hebrew and Christian tradition.
touchhole, noun. (formerly) a small opening in a gun or cannon through which the gunpowder inside was set on fire.
tournedos, noun, pl. -dos. one of several small slices cut from the center of the fillet of beef.
Androcles, noun.(Roman Legend.) a slave spared in the arena by a lion from whose foot he had pulled a thorn years before.
clack valve, a check valve to limit flow in one direction, usually a strip of leather reinforced by metal and fastened on one side to form a hinge, used especially in water pumps.
perilune, noun. that point in the orbit of a spacecraft where it comes closest to the moon; pericynthion.
boltrope, noun. a rope sewed around the edges of canvas sails to give shape, prevent ripping, and permit easier attachment to yards.
satrap, noun. 1. a ruler, often a tyrant, who is subordinate to a higher ruler. 2. a governor of a province under the ancient Persian monarchy.
Abernethy, noun, pl. -thies. a hard biscuit sometimes flavored with caraway seeds.
ebullition, noun. 1. an outburst (as of feeling). Ex. This ebullition of feeling ... came as a real shock to Lady and Lord Valleys (John Galsworthy). 2. a boiling or bubbling up.
cithara, noun. an ancient musical instrument resembling a lyre, with a soundbox of wood and seven to eleven strings. Also, kithara.
quaestor, noun. 1. an official of ancient Rome in charge of the public funds; treasurer. Ex. During the next 20 years, Caesar climbed nimbly up the ladder of state offices--quaestor, aedile, praetor, consul (Time). 2. a public prosecutor in certain criminal cases in ancient Rome. Also, questor.
gaur, noun. a large, wild ox of India, Burma, and Malaya, with a broad, protuberant forehead and long, curved, sharp horns, probably the wild stock of the gayal.
circumflex accent, a mark over a vowel to tell something about its pronunciation. The circumflex accent was used in ancient Greek to show a rising and falling pitch.
quand meme,(French.) even though; notwithstanding; come what may.
wastrel, noun. 1. a waster; spendthrift. 2. an idle, worthless person; good-for-nothing. 3. something useless, inferior, or imperfect.
abrogate, transitive verb, -gated, -gating. 1. to abolish (a law, treaty, or custom) by an authoritative act; repeal; cancel. Ex. When war broke out, our country abrogated its trade agreements with the enemy country. The 21st amendment to the Constitution, permitting the manufacture of intoxicating liquor, abrogated the 18th amendment, which prohibited it. (SYN) annul, nullify, invalidate, void. 2. to do away with.
res gestae,(Latin.) 1. deeds; achievements. 2. (Law.) facts; accompanying facts.
quaere verum,(Latin.) seek the truth.
respondentia, noun. a loan on the cargo of a vessel, to be repaid only if the goods arrive safely at their destination.
satiety, noun. the feeling of having had too much; disgust or weariness caused by excess; satiated condition. Ex. Of knowledge there is no satiety (Francis Bacon).
caponier, noun. a work or covered passage in or across a ditch in a military fortification.
caput mortuum,(Latin.) 1. (formerly) the residuum of chemicals after distillation or sublimation. 2. (Figurative.) any worthless residue.
dealate, adjective, noun. adj. deprived of wings (said of the queens of ants or other insects whose wings are shed after the nuptial flight). noun a dealate insect.
fluvial, adjective. of or found in a river. Ex. A delta is a fluvial deposit.
circumambient, adjective. 1. surrounding; encompassing; encircling. Ex. Her journal ... bears on every page of it the traces of the Baroness and her circumambient influence (Lytton Strachey). 2. round about; circuitous. Ex. circumambient criticism. adv. circumambiently.
androsphinx, noun. a sphinx having the head of a man, as distinguished from one with the head of a ram (criosphinx) or of a hawk (hieracosphinx), one of the three types of the ancient Egyptian sphinx.
neutretto, noun, pl. -tos. any one of several elementary particles with a mass of or approximating zero, emitted in radioactive decay.
ectothermic, adjective. receiving heat from the outside; cold-blooded; poikilothermal.
taiaha, noun. a kind of club or staff about six feet long, carved at one end and frequently ornamented with feathers, used by Maori chiefs as a badge of office, and sometimes for fighting.
persiflage, noun. light, joking talk or writing. Ex. She could see, behind the screen of persiflage, that John was worried (New Yorker). (SYN) banter, raillery.
buffing, noun.(of horses) the striking of the inside of one foot at the quarter with some part of the opposite foot.
androecium, noun, pl. -cia. a name given to the whole of the male organs of a flower; the stamens of a flower (correlative to gynoecium).
uranography, noun. the science of describing and mapping the heavens and the position of the heavenly bodies. Also, ouranography.
potamic, adjective. having to do with rivers.
hymeneals, noun pl. wedding songs.
milliner, noun. 1. a person who makes, trims, or sells women's hats. 2. (Obsolete.) a dealer in fancy wares and articles of apparel, especially those originally of Milan manufacture.
grebe, noun. any one of the ducklike diving birds comprising a family related to the loons, having a short, flattened body, feet not completely webbed, a pointed bill, and short wings and tail, such as the eared grebe and the piedbilled grebe of America, and the little grebe of Europe. Its breast feathers are used to trim millinery.
quercitron, noun. 1. = black oak (def. 1). 2. its inner bark, used in tanning, which yields a yellow dye. 3. the dye itself.
consummatory, adjective. that consummates; fulfilling; satisfying. Ex. A consummatory act, such as flight at an alarm call ... is elicited readily if the animal has not recently made the response (S. A. Barnett).
captious, adjective. 1. hard to please; faultfinding. Ex. The captious might have regarded our journey as a retreat from Sweden, but we veterans regarded it as a surprise attack on Paris (Atlantic). (SYN) caviling, carping. 2. apt or designed to entrap or entangle by subtlety. Ex. captious arguments. adv. captiously. noun captiousness.
residuum, noun, pl. -sidua. 1. what is left at the end of any process; residue; remainder. 2. (Law.) the residue of an estate.
accouter, transitive verb, -tered, -tering. to furnish with clothing or equipment; equip; outfit; array, especially in military attire. Ex. Knights were accoutered in armor.
gazogene, noun. an apparatus for producing carbonated water. Also, gasogene.
Landsat, noun. a United States artificial satellite using remote-sensing apparatus to gather data about the earth's natural resources.
abreaction, noun.(Psychoanalysis.) the releasing of repressed emotions by reliving the experiences associated with them, for example by talking about them; catharsis.
acetification, noun. the action of converting into vinegar or acetic acid.
cladding, noun. 1. the process of overlaying or coating one metal with another, to give it a corrosion-resisting surface or for other purposes. 2. the overlay or coating applied. Ex. Uranium for use in reactors is given a cladding of zirconium to prevent corrosion and the escape of fission products.
intersubjective, adjective. between different subjective states or points of view. Ex. There can be wide intersubjective agreement about the values of certain subjective probabilities (Science).
diquat, noun. a herbicide activated by photosynthesis upon contact with weeds.
excitomotor, adjective. 1. exciting muscular action. 2. having to do with reflex action.
shittim, noun, or shittim wood, 1. the tough, durable wood of the shittah tree, from which the Ark of the Covenant and various parts of the Jewish tabernacle were built (in the Bible, Exodus 25:10-27:6). 2. any one of various buckthorns of the United States, especially the cascara.
edacious, adjective. 1. eating much; greedy in eating; voracious. (SYN) ravenous. 2. (Figurative:) Ex. Concord Bridge has long since yielded to the edacious tooth of time (James Russell Lowell).
ecclesiolatry, noun. worship of the church; excessive reverence for churchly forms and traditions.
andrology, noun. the study of male fertility, especially of disorders of the male reproductive system.
gault, noun. 1. (Geology,) a series of beds of clay and marl of the Cretaceous system, occurring in southern England. 2. (British,) a thick, heavy clay.
perikaryon, noun. the part of a nerve cell containing the nucleus; cell body of a neuron.
humanitarian access, the right of noncombatants to receive humanitarian aid in a time of war. Ex. Humanitarian access ... has been subtly changed to focus on the privileges of the aid-giver, rather than the rights of the recipient (Alex de Waal).
carbecue, noun. a device for melting down and compacting scrap automobiles.
carapace, noun. 1. a shell or bony covering on the back or part of the back of turtles, armadillos, and crustaceans such as lobsters and crabs. 2a. any hard outer covering. Ex. ... the large, rusting carapace of a 1957 Chevrolet (New Yorker). b. (Figurative:) Ex. Behind Baudelaire's carapace is a sensibility always struggling for transcendence (Saturday Review).
Abderite, noun. a stupid person (because the inhabitants of Abdera, an ancient town in Thrace, were known for their stupidity).
barbican, noun. a tower for defense built over a gate to a castle or bridge to a city.
flense, transitive verb, flensed, flensing. to strip blubber or skin from (a whale or seal).
dirdum, noun.(Scottish.) 1. a scolding; outcry; blame. 2. uproar; noise; din.
Laomedon, noun.(Greek Legend.) a king of Troy, and father of Priam.
Dismas, noun. the legendary name of the penitent thief crucified with Christ. Also, Desmas.
disa, noun. any one of a large genus of distinctively formed and colorful South African orchids.
tamborito, noun, pl. -tos. a Panamanian folk dance in which a man and a woman dance together in the center of a circle.
transceiver, noun.(Electronics.) a combined transmitter and receiver.
poteen, noun.(in Ireland) illicitly distilled whiskey.
clerestory, noun, pl. -ries. 1. the upper part of the wall of a church, having windows in it above the roofs of the aisles. 2. any similar structure, such as a raised section of roof on a building or railroad car, having windows, for lighting or ventilation. Also, clearstory.
bolection, noun.(Architecture.) a type of molding or combination of moldings that projects beyond the surface or surfaces which it decorates, used especially to cover the joint between surfaces of different levels. Also, bilection.
pedantry, noun, pl. -ries. 1. an unnecessary or tiresome display of knowledge. Ex. At the risk of seeming to be pedantic about an art whose most despised enemy is pedantry, let's look briefly at some of the attributes of graphic humor (Harper's). 2. overemphasis on rules, details, and other fine points, especially in learning. Ex. Pedantry proceeds from much Reading and little Understanding (Sir Richard Steele). 3. a pedantic form or expression. Ex. Vanderbilt tends to be impatient with legal pedantries and artificialities (Harper's).
darkle, verb, -kled, -kling. v.i. 1. to appear dark or indistinct. 2. to grow or become dark. 3. to become dark with anger. v.t. to make dark or obscure.
bolivia, noun. a soft, woolen cloth somewhat like plush.
echt, adjective, adverb.(German.) genuine. Ex. To the echt Harvard man of yore, a gentleman should schedule no course before 11:00 A.M. or in a classroom above the second floor (Harper's).
abducent, adjective. pulling or drawing away a part of the body from a given point or center, as a muscle does; abducting.
hatchel, noun, verb, -eled, -eling or (especially British) -elled, -elling. noun a comb used in cleaning flax or hemp. v.t. 1. to comb (flax or hemp) with a hatchel. 2. (Figurative.) to annoy; torment.
abbreviationist, noun. a person who habitually forms, uses, or advocates using abbreviations. Ex. ... the continual confusing contribution of the abbreviationists (James Thurber).
internal environment,(Biology.) the fluid in which the cells of the organs and tissues of the body exist. Too much or too little water or salt in the internal environment can damage or kill cells.
Dalek or dalek, noun.(British.) a robot that talks with a rasping, monotonous voice. Ex. Like programmed daleks, the French military planners proceed to their "second generation" ... of 18 intermediate range ballistic missiles (London Times).
dipsas, noun, pl. -sades. a serpent whose bite was believed to produce a deadly thirst. Ex. It thirsted as one bit by a dipsas (Shelley).
angelology, noun. the branch of theology that deals with angels.
caratage, noun.quantity or weight in carats.
colloquy, noun, pl. -quies. 1. a talking together; conversation; conference.
Rexine, noun.(Trademark.) an artificial leather used in upholstery and bindings for books.
quetzal, noun, pl. -zals, -zales. 1. a Central American bird having brilliant golden-green and scarlet plumage. The adult male has long, flowing tail feathers. 2. the unit of money of Guatemala, equal to 100 centavos. Also, quezal.
ligure, noun. an unidentified precious stone in the breastplate of the high priest, thought to be the jacinth (in the Bible, Exodus 28:19).
basal, adjective. 1. fundamental; basic. Ex. Young children learn to read from basal readers. 2. of the base; at the base; forming the base. Ex. a skyscraper built on basal rock.
maquiladora, noun. an industrial plant located in Mexico and owned by a U.S. corporation. It assembles finished products from component parts shipped in to Mexico, duty-free, from other countries. Ex. Mexican peasants drawn to the maquiladoras are paid as little as fifty-five cents an hour (Rolling Stone).
chestnitsa, noun. a Serbian Christmas cake containing a silver coin which is supposed to bring good luck to the person who finds it in his piece of cake.
dipody, noun, pl. -dies.(Prosody.) 1. a group of two feet. 2. a verse having two feet; dimeter.
Ancient of Days, God, as the Eternal Being (in the Bible, Daniel 7).
baignoire, noun. a theater box on the ground floor.
anecdota, noun historical detail which is unpublished.
Anchises, noun.(Greek and Roman Legend.) a prince of Troy and the father of Aeneas, on whose shoulders Anchises was carried from the flaming city.
ecchymoma, noun, pl. -mas, -mata. a swelling caused by blood forced out of the blood vessels into the tissues under the skin, as by a bruise.
interlingua, noun. an international language, devised by the International Auxiliary Language Association of New York City and published in 1951, based on English and Romance and having a simplified grammatical structure.
cire, adjective, noun. adj. 1. treated with paraffin or wax to give a smooth, lustrous effect. Ex. a cire fabric. 2. highly glossy, as if waxed. Ex. A chapeau of cire silk or straw (Glasgow Herald).
landfast, adjective. attached to land. Ex. A million years ago the island was either landfast or near the shore.
dalles, noun pl. 1. rapids flowing over a flat rock bottom in a narrowed portion of a river. 2. the steep, almost vertical cliffs on the sides of a canyon or ravine.
conte (2), noun, pl. contes. a short story or tale, especially of extraordinary and highly imaginative events. Ex. a complete, even a poetic, understanding of the ironic conte (London Times).
scaglia, noun. an Italian limestone, similar to the chalk of England.
ecraseur, noun.(French.) 1. a surgical instrument for removing tumors or other tissue by the gradual tightening of a chain or wire loop. 2. (literally) crusher.
cyrtometer, noun. an instrument for measuring and recording the curved surface of the chest and other parts of the body.
dishallow, transitive verb. to destroy the sacredness of; profane. Ex. Ye that so dishallow the holy sleep, Your sleep is death (Tennyson).
dipnoan, adjective, noun. adj. of or belonging to a group of fishes having both gills and lungs. noun a dipnoan fish; lungfish.
intermedin, noun. a hormone formed by the pituitary gland, that controls pigmentation, causing changes in body color.
Flemish coil,(Nautical.) a coil of rope in which each turn is laid down flat on the deck, forming a sort of mat.
trabea, noun. a toga with horizontal purple stripes, worn as a robe of state by consuls, augurs, and some other officials in ancient Rome.
circle of confusion,(Optics.) a point of light which is imaged as a small circle because of aberration of the photographic lens. The size of the circular image is used to calculate focal sharpness in photography.
halobiotic, adjective. living in a salty habitat, as the sea or seashore.
cardia, noun. the orifice which connects the esophagus and the upper part of the stomach.
talaria, noun pl.(Roman Mythology.) the winged sandals or small wings on the ankles of some gods, especially Mercury (Hermes).
machan, noun.(Anglo-Indian.) a platform built into a tree, used by hunters to await a tiger driven toward them by beaters.
excursive, adjective. 1. off the subject; wandering; rambling. (SYN) erratic, digressive. 2. of the nature of an excursion. 3. (Figurative.) desultory. Ex. excursive reading.
cittern, noun. an old instrument somewhat like the guitar, with a flat soundbox, strung with wire strings, and played with a plectrum or quill, much used in the 1500's and 1600's.
post hoc, ergo propter hoc,(Latin.) after this, therefore as a result of this (a phrase used to denote a common logical fallacy that what comes before an event must also be its cause).
intersubjective, adjective. between different subjective states or points of view. Ex. There can be wide intersubjective agreement about the values of certain subjective probabilities (Science).
hallux, noun, pl. -luces. 1. the big toe of man. 2. the hind toe of birds.
boniface, noun. 1. the keeper of an inn. 2. the owner of a hotel, restaurant, or other public house.
invidious, adjective. 1. likely to cause ill will or resentment; giving offense because unfair or unjust. Ex. invidious comparisons or distinctions. Wise teachers avoid invidious rules. The highest court stated that districts cannot be apportioned arbitrarily, irrationally, or with "invidious discrimination" (Look). (SYN) hateful. 2. (Obsolete.) envious; grudging; jealous.
straiten, transitive verb. 1. to limit by the lack of something; restrict. (SYN) hamper, impede. 2. to make narrow; contract. 3. (Archaic.) to confine within narrow limits; confine.
langlauf, noun. the act or sport of cross-country skiing.
replevin, noun, verb. noun 1. the recovery of goods taken from a person upon his giving security that the case shall be tried in court and the goods returned if he is defeated. 2. the writ by which the goods are thus recovered. v.t. to recover (goods) by replevin.
claque, noun. 1. a group of persons hired to applaud in a theater. 2. a group that applauds or follows another person for selfish reasons.
bonbonniere, noun.(French.) 1. a candy box. 2. a person or establishment that makes or sells candy.
Abbevillian or Abbevillean, adjective. of or having to do with a paleolithic culture of the glacial period in Europe, in which early recognizable stone tools, crude hand axes, were made. Formerly called Chellean.
dirdum, noun.(Scottish.) 1. a scolding; outcry; blame. 2. uproar; noise; din.
dactyloscopy, noun. the identification of criminals or other persons by means of fingerprints.
gemutlich, adjective.(German.) comfortable and contented; congenial; cozy.
carolus, noun, pl. -luses, -li. 1. an English gold coin struck in the reign of Charles I, originally worth 20 shillings. 2. any one of various coins issued under kings named Charles.
angiocarpous, adjective. having a fruit enclosed in a distinct covering.
homologous, adjective. corresponding in position, proportion, value, structure, or other property.
capsuliferous, adjective. (Biology.) bearing capsules.
balmacaan, noun. a short, loose overcoat made originally of rough wool and having raglan sleeves.
waulk, transitive verb. to shrink and thicken (woolen cloth) by soaking, heating, pounding, and rubbing.
intermigration, noun. reciprocal migration.
bonzer, adjective.(Australian Slang.) excellent; extremely good.
disculpate, transitive verb, -pated, -pating. to free from blame or fault; exculpate.
ozostomia, noun. an offensive breath.
ballonet, noun. a small bag inside a balloon or airship that holds air or gas to regulate ascent or descent.
cardel, noun. a barrel or cask formerly used by whalers.
wedeln, noun, verb. noun the act or technique of skiing downhill with fast, swiveling turns to the right and left while skis are kept parallel and close together. v.i. to ski in this manner; wedel. Ex. The tests cover ... the first snowplow turn to how to hold a pole to wedeln in deep powder (Newsweek).
bonce, noun.(British Slang.) the head. Ex. to get a bash on the bonce.
shogi, noun. the game of chess as played in Japan. Ex. Shogi ... where the captured piece becomes the property of the capturing side to be used for that side's offensive (Science News Letter).
clew iron, a metal ring in the clew of a sail.
hypoxia, noun. lack of oxygen, especially resulting from an inability of body tissue to absorb oxygen under decreasing pressure at high altitudes.
bombilla, noun. a small tube with a perforated bulb at one end, used in South America for drinking mate.
clinquant, adjective, noun. adj. glittering with gold or silver, or with metallic decorations, etc.; tinseled; spangled. noun imitation gold leaf; tinsel.
gee (2), intransitive verb, geed, geeing.(Informal.) 1. to go properly; fit; suit. 2. to get on or go well together.
cistvaen, noun. a prehistoric stone coffin or burial chamber; a tomb made of slabs of stone; cist. Also, kistvaen.
traduce, transitive verb, -duced, -ducing. to speak evil of (a person) falsely; slander. (SYN) defame, malign, vilify, asperse, calumniate.
a bon marche,(French.) at a good price; cheap.
periapt, noun. a charm; amulet.
echauguette, noun.(French.) a small, overhanging turret on a wall; bartizan.
damnably, adverb. 1. odiously; detestably; abominably. 2. in a manner to incur severe censure, condemnation, or damnation.
exiguity, noun. scantiness; smallness.
hydrolysis, noun, pl. -ses. a chemical process in which a compound is broken down and changed into other compounds by taking up the elements of water.
disport, verb, noun. v.t. to amuse (oneself); sport. Ex. People laughed at the clumsy bears disporting themselves in the water. v.i. to entertain oneself; play. Ex. The baby disported with the new toy in great glee. (SYN) frolic, gambol. noun (Archaic.) a pastime; amusement. (SYN) recreation, entertainment, sport.
savoir-vivre, noun. knowledge of the world and of the usages of polite society; good breeding. Ex. Our society is to have the utmost polish, ease, and grace of manner, and the completest savoir-vivre (William H. Mallock). (SYN) urbanity.
excitomotor, adjective. 1. exciting muscular action. 2. having to do with reflex action.
flexion, noun. 1. (Physiology.) a. the bending of a joint in the body by the action of the flexors. b. a being bent in this way. 2. (Especially British.) = flection (defs. 1,2).
corban, noun. a sacrificial gift made to God among the ancient Jews, especially in fulfillment of a vow.
silex, noun. 1. flint; silica. 2. a strong glass that is mostly quartz and resists heat.
malgre, preposition.(French.) in spite of.
abaca, noun. 1. a strong fiber made from the leaves of a Philippine plant, used for making rope, fabrics, and matting; Manila hemp. Ex. Many of the natives wear abaca slippers (Colby and Foster). 2. the plant itself, related to the banana and now also grown in Central America.
Hapi, noun.(Egyptian Mythology.) the Nile as a deity; the god Nilus.
concomitant, adjective, noun. adj. being together; accompanying; attending. Ex. a concomitant result. (SYN) concurrent. noun an accompanying thing, quality, or circumstance; accompaniment. Ex. Disease is a concomitant with poor sanitation.
banausic, adjective. 1. mechanical. Ex. ... alleged that the teaching of music as a manual art was banausic and degrading (George Grote). 2. practical. Ex. Chief among its many qualities is the author's concern to ask ... certain banausic but highly basic questions about the Greeks (Sunday Times). 3. materialistic. Ex. Banausic, he called them, banausic, A villainous banausic couple (Stevie Smith).
dyne, noun.the amount of force required to give a mass of one gram an acceleration of one centimeter per second for each second the force is applied. (Abbr:) d.
decury, noun, pl. -ries.in Roman history: 1. a group of ten, as of judges or scribes. 2. a group, division, or class of any size.
tout de suite,(French.) 1. at once. 2. consecutively.
fleur du mal, pl. fleurs du mal. a shocking or decadent work of art, literature, or the like.
disfranchise, transitive verb, -chised, -chising. 1. to take the rights of citizenship away from. Ex. A disfranchised person cannot vote or hold office. 2. = disenfranchise (def. 1). Also,
abactinal, adjective.(Zoology.) 1. located at a distance from the mouth or oral area: aboral. 2. lacking tentacles or rays. Ex. the abactinal end of a sea anemone.
flitch, noun, verb.noun 1. the side of a hog, salted and cured; side of bacon. 2. a steak cut from a halibut. 3. one of the planks of a beam constructed by fastening two or more planks together. 4. a slab cut lengthwise from a log. v.t. to cut into flitches or as a flitch is cut.
interpellation, noun. a formal request made in a legislature for an explanation of official action or government policy.
dernier, adjective. last; ultimate; final.
invenit,(Latin.) (he or she) invented, devised, or designed it.
hydrogasification, noun. the conversion of coal into gas by interacting it with hydrogen at high pressures to yield methane.
ex facie,(Latin.) from or on the face (of a document, coin, or the like).
conquian, noun. a card game for two, resembling rummy; cooncan.
debarrass, transitive verb. 1. = disembarrass. 2. to relieve (oneself) of; disencumber. Ex. ... debarrassing himself of his cup and saucer (New Yorker).
fowling piece, a light shotgun for shooting wild birds.
exlex, adjective.(Latin.) beyond the law; outside the law.
tanka (1), noun, pl. -ka or -kas. a Japanese poem or verse form of 31 syllables arranged in five lines of 5, 7, 5, 7, and 7 syllables.
begad, interjection. a mild oath or emphatic expletive (now chiefly in humorous use).
a bas,(French.) down with (the person or thing named). Ex. "A bas le roi!" means "Down with the king!"
cissus, noun, pl. -sus. a plant related to the grape, found mostly in the tropics.
conventicle, noun. 1. a secret or unauthorized meeting, especially for religious worship. 2. a secret religious meeting or assembly of certain Protestants who dissented from the doctrines and forms of the Church of England during the 1500's and 1600's. 3. the place of such a meeting. 4. (Obsolete.) an assembly or meeting.
discalceate, adjective. barefooted; unshod.
barm, noun. a foamy yeast that forms on malt liquors while they are fermenting.
stockjobber, noun. 1. (U.S.) a stockbroker. 2. (British.) a member of the stock exchange who deals with other members, as in wholesale amounts, but does not deal with the public.
dodecaphonist, noun. a musician who specializes in music written in a twelve-tone scale. Ex. Like the majority of dodecaphonists, he presents music governed by strict logic and organization (New York Times).
elan, noun. enthusiasm or liveliness; spirit. Ex. It was his revolutionary elan, his ruthless use of organized force, that made history (New Yorker). (SYN) verve.
catenaccio, noun. a formation in soccer using four defenders in the defensive line, three players in midfield, and three on the attack. Ex. Juventus ... represents the conservative, traditional style known as catenaccio (Time).
sostenuto, adjective, adverb, noun, pl. -tos, -ti.(Music.) adj., adv. 1. sustained, as a note held for or over its full time value or a passage whose notes are thus held. 2. prolonged, as a passage played at a uniformly decreasing rate of speed. noun a movement or passage performed in this manner.
Dismas, noun. the legendary name of the penitent thief crucified with Christ. Also, Desmas. dismask, transitive verb.
resinosis, noun. an abnormal outflow of resin from a coniferous tree.
fluey, adjective. covered with flue; fluffy; downy.
abiogenic, adjective. not produced by living organisms; not biogenic. Ex. abiogenic proteins.
Oxonian, adjective, noun. adj. of or having to do with Oxford University or Oxford, a city in southern England. noun 1. a member or graduate of Oxford University. 2. a native or inhabitant of Oxford.
decalescence, noun. the sudden absorption of heat as a metal passes a certain temperature.
malpais, noun. a volcanic rock characterized by a rough and jagged surface.
coparcener, noun.a coheir or coheiress.
Nunc Dimittis, a canticle of Simeon, beginning "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace," from the words of Simeon on recognizing the infant Jesus as the Christ (in the Bible, Luke 2:25-32).
nunc dimittis,(Latin.) permission to depart; departure; dismissal.
convictive, adjective. capable of convicting or convincing.
cassolette, noun. 1. a container in which perfumes are burned; censer. 2. a box or vessel for holding perfumes, provided with a perforated cover to permit their diffusion. 3. a small casserole.
uttering, noun.(Law.) the act of intentionally putting counterfeit money, forged checks, or bogus securities, into circulation.
schiller, noun. a peculiar, almost metallic luster, sometimes with iridescence, occurring on certain minerals, such as hypersthene.
scaturient, adjective. streaming or flowing out; gushing forth.
Pentelic, adjective. of or from Mount Pentelicus, north of Athens, Greece, especially with reference to the famous marble quarried there.
preconize, transitive verb, -nized, -nizing. 1a. to proclaim; announce publicly. b. to commend publicly. 2. (of the pope) to confirm publicly and officially the appointment of (a bishop, cardinal, or other high ecclesiastic).
phytoid, adjective. of or like a plant.
bowyang, noun.(in Australia) a string or cord tied around the bottom of trouser legs to keep the cuffs from dangling.
laconic, adjective. using few words; brief in speech or expression; concise. Ex. Boccalini ... indicts a laconic writer for speaking that in three words which he might have said in two (Sir Richard Steele). (SYN) short, condensed, terse, succinct, pithy, sententious.
beadledom, noun. stupid officiousness (from the frequent portrayal in literature of beadles, especially church beadles, as pompous and meddlesome).
isodiametric, adjective. 1. having equal diameters or axes. 2. (Botany.) having the diameter similar throughout. Ex. an isodiametric cell. 3. (of crystals) having equal lateral axes.
disedify, transitive verb, -fied, -fying. to scandalize.
invigilate, verb, -lated, -lating.v.i. 1. keep watch. 2. (British.) to watch students at an examination. v.t. 1. to make watchful or aware. 2. (British.) to serve as proctor at (an examination).
sophistry, noun, pl. -ries. 1. unsound reasoning. 2. a clever but misleading argument. Ex. The parson's cant, the lawyer's sophistry (Alexander Pope). 3. the art, practice, or learning of the ancient Greek sophists, especially of their type of argument.
Bourdon gauge, a device for measuring pressures, consisting of a curved or spiral elastic tube (Bourdon tube) with an oval cross section. The tube tends to straighten under pressure moving a needle on an attached indicator showing the pressure of the fluid, gas, or steam measured in the tube.
stretta, noun, pl. -te, -tas.(Music.) 1. a passage, especially a final passage, performed in quicker or accelerated time for climactic effect, a device often used in oratorio and opera. 2. stretto in a fugue or canon.
floatel, noun. an excursion boat with sleeping and eating accommodations.
disanimation, noun. 1. the act of depriving of life. 2. discouragement; a disheartening.
hydropathy, noun.the treatment of disease by using quantities of water externally and internally; water cure.
bordereau, noun, pl. -reaux.(French.) a memorandum or note, especially a detailed list, as of documents.
Carnivora, noun pl. the large order of flesh-eating mammals. Ex. The Carnivora include mainly terrestrial and climbing animals, but there are several genera of aquatic and semiaquatic mammals in this order (Ernest P. Walker).
discalced, adjective. barefooted; unshod. Ex. The members of certain orders of friars and nuns are discalced.
petate, noun. a mat made of dried palm leaves or straw, used as a bed in parts of South America and the Philippines.
educe, transitive verb, educed, educing. to bring out; draw forth; elicit; develop. Ex. The science teacher's questions educed many facts about gardens and flowers. (SYN) extract.
acanaceous, adjective.(Botany.) prickly.
gateau, noun, pl. -teaux.(French.) a cake.
captation, noun. the use of artful endeavors or appeals to secure something, especially approval or applause. Ex. ... to induce candidates to rely ... less on the arts of political captation (London Daily News).
constringent, adjective. causing constriction; constringing.
dacoit, noun, verb. noun a member of a gang of robbers in India or Burma, who plunder in armed bands. v.i. to plunder or rob in an armed band.
tractile, adjective.that can be drawn out in length; ductile.
requiescat in pace,(Latin.) "May he (or she) rest in peace," a wish or prayer for the repose of the dead. (Abbr:) R.I.P.
Capitoline Hill, one of the seven hills on which the city of ancient Rome was built.
clarino, noun, pl. -ni, -nos. any one of various early trumpets, especially that playing the highest register.
Aberglaube, noun.(German.) superstition.
abasia, noun. total or partial loss of the ability to coordinate the muscles used in walking.
warsle, verb, -sled, -sling, noun.(Scottish.) v.i. 1. to wrestle; struggle. 2. to move with effort; flounder. v.t. to wrestle with. noun 1. a wrestling bout. 2. (Figurative.) any struggle; tussle.
tournure, noun. 1. turn, contour, or form. 2. figure; appearance; bearing.
Peripatetic, adjective, noun. adj. having to do with the philosophy of Aristotle, Greek philosopher, who taught while walking; Aristotelian. noun one of Aristotle's disciples.
excaudate, adjective. tailless; acaudal.
speleology or spelaeology, noun.the scientific study of caves.
unlay, verb, -laid, -laying. v.t. to untwist (a rope) into separate strands. v.i. to untwist; unravel. Ex. an unlaid rope.
outfoot, transitive verb. 1. (of a boat, especially a sailboat) to go faster than (another). 2. to surpass as in walking or running.
posslq, noun.(U.S.) a person of the opposite sex sharing living quarters. Ex. The Census Bureau invented the word "posslq" (St. Louis Post-Dispatch). What's more, "Posslq" is so simple to pronounce, so non-judgmental and pleasing to the ear (Ann Landers). Love will stay forever new, If you will be my posslq (Charles Osgood).
rerebrace, noun. a piece of armor for the upper arm, from the shoulder to the elbow.
flammulated, adjective. (of birds) reddish; ruddy.
quant, noun, verb.(British.) noun Also, quant pole. a pole with a flat board or cap at one end to prevent it from sinking into the mud, used to propel a boat. v.t., v.i. to propel (a boat) with a quant.
warp beam, the roller or other apparatus in a loom around which the warp is wound.
apprehension, noun. 1. expectation of misfortune; fear; dread. Ex. The roar of the hurricane filled us with apprehension. Her apprehensions about the dangers of traveling were increased by the accident. 2. the act of seizing or the state of being seized; arrest. Ex. The appearance of the thief's picture in all the papers led to his apprehension. 3. grasp by the mind; understanding. Ex. I do not have a clear apprehension of fractions.
Ancient of Days, God, as the Eternal Being (in the Bible, Daniel 7).
captious, adjective. 1. hard to please; faultfinding. Ex. The captious might have regarded our journey as a retreat from Sweden, but we veterans regarded it as a surprise attack on Paris (Atlantic). (SYN) caviling, carping. 2. apt or designed to entrap or entangle by subtlety. Ex. captious arguments.
Abernethy, noun, pl. -thies. a hard biscuit sometimes flavored with caraway seeds.
quantal, adjective. having to do with quanta or the quantum theory.
hully gully, a dance consisting of the twist performed as a square dance.
cariole, noun. 1a. a small carriage drawn by one horse, used especially in the 1800's. b. a covered cart. 2. a light, open sleigh drawn by one or two horses or sometimes by dogs. Also, carriole.
cypseline, adjective. 1. having to do with or resembling a swift. 2. belonging to the same family of birds as the swift.
talbot, noun. a former variety of English hunting hound, with hanging ears and heavy jaws, from which the bloodhound and other hounds were developed.
stramineous, adjective. 1a. of or like straw. b. (Figurative.) valueless. 2. (Botany.) strawcolored.
circumfluent, adjective. flowing around; surrounding.
flank speed, 1. a ship's maximum prescribed speed. Ex. They turned out to be three Indonesian torpedo boats racing at flank speed (40 knots) toward the Dutch New Guinea coast (Time). 2. a very great speed; top speed. Ex. Seventh Avenue was filled with cabs, all rushing past at flank speed (Russell Baker).
cipolin, noun. a kind of marble that shows alternations of various coloring, especially white and green.
circulus in definiendo,(Latin.) 1. a circle in defining. 2. a faulty form of definition in which the word or concept to be defined is used to explain the meaning.
sonorific, adjective. producing sound or noise, as the organs that a cricket rubs together to make its chirping sound.
Abderite, noun. a stupid person (because the inhabitants of Abdera, an ancient town in Thrace, were known for their stupidity).
baguette or baguet, noun. 1a. a gem cut in a narrow, oblong shape. b. the shape itself. 2. a small, semicircular molding. 3. Usually, baguette. a long, thin, crusty loaf of French bread.
humectant, noun. a moistening agent used especially in tobacco, cosmetics, and textiles. Ex. Humectants help replace the natural youthful moisture that's lost with the years (New Yorker).
Sopher, noun, pl. -pherim. a scribe; one of the ancient teachers or expounders of the Jewish oral law.
poste restante, 1. a direction written on mail which is to remain at the post office till called for. 2. a post-office department in charge of such mail.
halazone, noun. a white powder containing chlorine, used in tablet form to disinfect drinking water.
minimus, noun, pl. -mi. a very small or insignificant creature. Ex. Get you gone, you dwarf, You minimus (Shakespeare).
dilettante, noun, pl. -tes, -ti, adjective, verb, -ted, -teing.noun 1. a person who follows some art or science without learning much about it; dabbler. Ex. He was a dilettante in a dozen fields, an expert in none. (SYN) amateur. 2. a lover of the fine arts. 3. a trifler.
derivative, adjective, 1. not original; derived. Ex. derivative poetry. 2. of derivation; derivational.
flashboard, noun. a board set up on edge upon a milldam, when the water is low, to throw a larger quantity of water into the millrace.
bog trotter, an Irish peasant.
caporegime, noun.(U.S.) a member of the Mafia below a capo in rank and serving as one of his lieutenants.
excogitation, noun. 1. the act of excogitating. 2. a plan; contrivance; invention.
abiogenetic, adjective. of or relating to spontaneous generation.
urbi et orbi,(Latin.) to the city (Rome) and to the world; to mankind (used especially in the publication of papal bulls).
bagnio, noun, pl. -ios. 1. a house of prostitution; brothel. 2. (formerly) a prison for slaves in North Africa and the Near East.
Aberdonian, adjective, noun. adj. of or having to do with Aberdeen (a city in Scotland), its people, or their customs. noun a native or inhabitant of Aberdeen.
abeyant, adjective. dormant; latent.
abasia, noun. total or partial loss of the ability to coordinate the muscles used in walking.
cirriform, adjective. formed like a curl or tendril; cirrose. Ex. cirriform clouds.
bois, noun.(French.) 1. a wood; a tract of woodland. 2. wood or timber.
unmetalled, adjective.(Especially British.) not covered with a surface, as of crushed stone, cinders, or asphalt. Ex. an unmetalled road.
bahuvrihi, noun, pl. -his. a noun or adjective compound whose first element describes a quality possessed by the second, as hunchback or hunchbacked, redhead or redheaded.
satiety, noun. the feeling of having had too much; disgust or weariness caused by excess; satiated condition. Ex. Of knowledge there is no satiety (Francis Bacon).
asperge, transitive verb, -perged, -perging. to sprinkle. Ex. Their suits, like pieces of planetarium sky, were dead black and thickly asperged with silver (Punch).
intendment, noun. 1. (Law.) the manner of understanding or viewing something. Ex. intendment of the law. 2. (Obsolete.) intention; design.
cippus, noun, pl. cippi. a low, square or cylindrical pillar of stone, usually bearing an ornamented inscription, used by the ancient Greeks and Romans as a monument marking a grave or sacred place.
ballistocardiograph, noun. an instrument for determining the strength of the heart's contraction, and the amount of blood it pumps, by measuring the body's recoil as blood from the heart is forced into it.
daedal, adjective.(Poetic.) 1. ingenious; skillful. Ex. the sculptor's daedal hand. 2. variously adorned; diversified. 3. intricate; mazelike.
langlaufer, noun, pl. -laufer or -laufers. a cross-country skier; gelandelaufer.
ecbatic, adjective. expressing result or consequence and not purpose or intention. Ex. an ecbatic clause.
capon, noun, verb. noun a rooster specially raised to be eaten. It is castrated and fattened. v.t. to make a capon of; caponize.
waxjack, noun. a device for melting sealing wax, used in the 1700's, consisting of a length of wick wound around a spindle, with the part for burning fed through a small hole.
abetment, noun. instigation; encouragement. Ex. My wife, ... with my approval and abetment, is a working mother (Harper's).
bahadur, noun. a great man; distinguished personage (often affixed in Anglo-Indian use as a title to an officer's name).
strepitous, adjective. noisy. Ex. a strepitous movement in a symphony.
sontag, noun. a woman's knitted cape with long ends crossed over the breast and fastened together at the back.
excitant, noun. an agent or drug that excites; stimulant.
halocline, noun. a sharp discontinuity in the salinity of seawater, usually at a depth of about 180 feet.
quantum mutatus ab illo,(Latin.) how greatly changed from what he was!
quantum meruit,(Latin.) as much as one has merited or deserved.
flacon, noun. a small bottle with a stopper, used for perfume, smelling salts, etc.. Ex. A flacon of Russia's finest perfume ... was waiting in her hotel room (Time).
conterminous, adjective. having a common boundary; bordering; meeting at their ends.
taggant, noun. a chemical substance added to a substance to aid in detection and identification. Ex. Proposed legislation would require taggants in all explosives (even gunpowder) (Science News).
strabismic, adjective. 1. = cross-eyed. 2. of or having to do with strabismus. 3. (Figurative.) distorted.
posology, noun. the branch of medical science that is concerned with the doses in which medicines should be administered.
coxa, noun, pl. coxae. 1. (Anatomy.) a. the hipbone. b. the hip joint. 2. (Zoology.) the joint by which the leg is articulated to the body in arthropods.
Daltonism or daltonism, noun. color blindness, especially the inability to distinguish red from green.
constative, adjective. (Grammar, Philosophy.) stating or asserting a wish, command, or plan, not its actual performance. "I hope to go" is a constative utterance; "I am going" is a performative utterance.
abetment, noun. instigation; encouragement. Ex. My wife, ... with my approval and abetment, is a working mother (Harper's).
balistraria, noun. a cross-shaped opening in the wall of a medieval fortress through which a crossbow could be fired.
hallux, noun, pl. -luces. 1. the big toe of man. 2. the hind toe of birds.
abactinal, adjective.(Zoology.) 1. located at a distance from the mouth or oral area: aboral. 2. lacking tentacles or rays. Ex. the abactinal end of a sea anemone.
gavial, noun. any one of a family of large, harmless crocodilians of southern Asia that have long, extremely slender snouts. Also, garial.
circumocular, adjective. situated or extending around the eye or eyes.
obconic, adjective.(Botany.) conical, with the base upward or outward; inversely conical. adv. obconically.
salubrious, adjective. favorable or conducive to good health; healthful. Ex. a salubrious diet. Their salubrious effects, which include the relief of pain ... are seldom more than palliative and almost never permanent (New Yorker). (SYN) wholesome, salutary.
sheth, noun. 1. one of the ribs of the framework for the bottom or sides of a wagon. 2. the part of a plow to which the moldboard and share are attached.
lansquenet, noun. 1. a mercenary foot soldier, commonly armed with a pike or lance. Lansquenets were formerly employed in the German and other Continental armies in the 1600's and 1700's. 2. a card game in which the players bet against the banker.
consuetude, noun. 1. custom recognized as having legal force. 2. custom; usage; habit.
mendicant, adjective, noun. adj. begging. Ex. Mendicant friars ask alms for charity. And with that dejected air and mendicant voice (Samuel Richardson). noun 1. a beggar. Ex. We were surrounded by mendicants asking for money. 2. a member of a mendicant religious order.
toxemia, noun. blood poisoning, caused by toxins, especially a form in which the toxins produced by pathogenic bacteria enter the bloodstream from a local lesion and are distributed throughout the body. Also, toxaemia.
dactylate, adjective. having fingerlike processes; fingered.
huaraches, noun pl. heavy leather sandals with flat soles, common in Mexico.
obstreperous, adjective. 1. loud or noisy; boisterous. Ex. Most children are naturally obstreperous. (SYN) clamorous, vociferous. 2. unruly; disorderly. Ex. It means reaching directly a pretty obstreperous sector of youth, some of them before they get into serious trouble (New York Times).
fugacious, adjective. 1. passing quickly; tending to flee; fleeting; transitory. Ex. the fugacious nature of life and time (Harriet Martineau). (SYN) transient, fugitive, evanescent. 2. (Botany.) falling or fading early. Ex. If the calyx falls very early, it is called fugacious (Heber W. Youngken).
vug, vugg, or vugh, noun.(Mining.) a cavity; a hollow in a rock or lode, often completely lined with quartz.
mummer, noun. 1. a person who wears a mask, fancy costume, or disguise for fun. Ex. Six mummers acted in the play at Christmas. 2. an actor. 3. an actor in one of the rural plays traditionally performed in England and elsewhere at Christmas. Ex. The play was hastily rehearsed, whereupon the other mummers were delighted with the new knight (Thomas Hardy).
acarid, noun. any one of an order of small arachnids that includes the mites and ticks.
torus, noun, pl. tori. 1. (Architecture.) a large, convex molding, commonly forming the lowest member of the base of a column; tore. It resembles the astragal, but is much larger. 2. (Botany.) the receptacle of a flower. 3. (Anatomy.) a smooth, rounded swelling; protuberant part; ridge. 4. (Geometry.) a. a doughnut-shaped surface described by the revolution of a conic section, especially a circle, about a line in the same plane as, but not intersecting, the circle; tore. b. the solid enclosed by such a surface; tore.
waterage, noun. 1. conveyance as by ship or boat; transport by water. 2. the charge or payment for this.
diplophonic, adjective. (of hearing) in which a single sound seems to come from two directions.
bogey (2), noun, pl. -geys. bogie; a pivoted frame.
capnomancy, noun. divination by means of smoke.
periotic, adjective. 1. surrounding the ear. 2. of or having to do with certain bones or bony elements of the skull that form a protective capsule for the internal ear.
froe, noun. (Especially U.S.) a wedge-shaped tool having a handle in the plane of the blade, set at right angles to the back, used especially for cleaving and riving staves and shingles. Also, frow.
huff-duff, noun. a device for indicating the direction from which high-frequency radio signals come.
guerdon, noun, verb.(Poetic.) noun a reward. Ex. Verse, like the laurel, its immortal meed, Should be the guerdon of a noble deed (William Cowper). v.t. to reward; recompense.
omnia vincit amor,(Latin.) love conquers all.
bagasse, noun. the pulp of sugar cane after the juice has been extracted, used especially in the manufacture of wallboard and paper and as fuel.
logodaedaly, noun. verbal legerdemain; a playing with words, as by passing from one meaning of them to another.
androcentric, adjective. having man or the male as its center.
bollix, verb, noun. v.t. (U.S. Informal.) to snarl or muddle (up); confuse. noun a confused state of affairs; muddle. Ex. [He] commented on the bollixes that may result from interservice conflicts (Harper's). Also, bolix.
excitancy, noun. the property of exciting or calling into activity.
jemadar, noun. in India: 1. any one of certain officials of the police or other government departments. 2. an officer in a sepoy regiment, corresponding in rank to a lieutenant. 3. the chief of a body of servants.
visagiste, noun. an expert in applying facial cosmetics; cosmetologist.
asana, noun, pl. -nas. any of the prescribed postures or positions in yoga.
vade mecum, 1. anything a person carries about with him because of its usefulness. 2. a book for ready reference; manual; handbook. Ex. [His] tax guide alone has sold more than thirteen million copies in its eighteen years as the taxpayer's vade mecum (Harper's).
metis, noun, pl. -tis. 1. a person of mixed descent. Ex. There was distinct advantage in being a metis--the offspring of a foreigner and a Vietnamese (Time). 2. (U.S.) an octoroon. 3. (in Canada) a person of white (especially French) and American Indian descent.
cisatlantic, adjective. on this (the speaker's or writer's) side of the Atlantic.
wayang, noun. a stylized Indonesian puppet play based on legend and performed to music, and sometimes with live actors.
anchorite, noun. 1. a person who lives alone in a solitary place for religious meditation. 2. a hermit. (SYN) recluse.
veratrize, transitive verb, -trized, -trizing. to drug, poison, or treat with veratrine.
rectitude, noun. 1. upright conduct or character; honesty; righteousness. Ex. The name of Brutus would be a guaranty to the people of rectitude of intention (James A. Froude). (SYN) integrity, virtue. 2. correctness. Ex. rectitude of judgment. 3. direction in a straight line; straightness.
diplomate, noun. a physician who has been certified in a field of specialization by any of various medical boards. Ex. He received his medical degree from Emory University, ... and is a diplomate of the American Board of Pediatrics (New York Times).
gomdura, noun. a long dress worn over loose-fitting trousers by women in Saudia Arabia.
moldboard, noun. 1. a curved metal plate in a plow, that turns over the earth from the furrow. 2. one of the boards forming the sides of a concrete mold.
propitious, adjective. 1. favorable. Ex. propitious weather for our trip, a propitious reception. The seed of pessimism, once lodged within him, flourished in a propitious soil (Lytton Strachey). (SYN) auspicious, promising. 2. favorably inclined; gracious.
opisometer, noun. an instrument for measuring curved lines, as on a map.
reticule, noun. 1. a woman's small handbag, especially one with a drawstring. Ex. women in cloaks, bearing reticules and bundles (Henry James).
fraise, noun. 1. a fortified position consisting of pointed, horizontal, or inclined stakes near the top of a rampart. 2. a ruff worn around the neck.
saucier, noun. (French.) a cook who specializes in preparing sauces.
grue, noun, verb, grued, gruing. noun a shiver; shudder. v.i. to feel horror; shudder; shiver.
nubia, noun. a soft wrap for the head and neck worn by women.
bausond, adjective. (Dialect.) (of animals) having a white patch on the forehead, or a white stripe down the face.
detritus, noun. 1. (Geology.) an accumulation of small fragments, such as sand or silt worn away from rock. 2. any disintegrated material; debris. Ex. The detritus left by the flood covered the highway. Its corners and closets were cluttered with the detritus of ages (Time).
haught, adjective.(Archaic.) 1. high. 2. exalted; lofty; noble. 3. haughty.
faugh, interjection. an exclamation of disgust. Ex. A monkey! faugh! ... I hate the nauseous animal (Washington Irving).
clairaudient, adjective, noun. adj. having the power of hearing or knowing about sounds beyond the range of hearing. noun a clairaudient person.
excipient, noun. 1. any inert drug substance used as a medium or carrier for an active drug. 2. one that takes up or receives.
dauphin, noun. the title of the oldest son of the king of France, used as a title from 1349 to 1830.
fatuous, adjective. 1. stupid but self-satisfied; foolish; silly. Ex. a fatuous smile, a fatuous empty-headed conversation. These poor Might-Have-Beens, These fatuous, ineffectual Yesterdays! (William Ernest Henley). 2. not real; illusory. Ex. A fatuous light that shall lead him astray (Edmund Hamilton Sears). 3. (Archaic.) idiotic; imbecile.
unkenned, adjective.(Scottish.) unknown; strange.
quadratrix, noun. a curve used for finding a square equivalent in area to the figure bounded by a given curve, or for finding a straight line equal to a circle, arc, or the like.
weakon, noun.(Physics.) a carrier of the weak interaction; W particle or Z particle. Ex. For the weak force the mediating particle is the intermediate vector boson, now also known as the weakon (Scientific American).
trapezium, noun, pl. -ziums, -zia. 1a. a four-sided plane figure having no two sides parallel. b. (British.) a trapezoid. 2. (Anatomy.) the greater multangular (bone).
consubstantial, adjective. of one and the same substance, essence, or nature.
sonneteer, noun, verb. noun 1. a writer of sonnets. 2. an inferior poet. Ex. Our little sonnetters ... have too narrow souls to judge of Poetry (John Dryden). v.i. to write sonnets.
mirabilia, noun pl.(Latin.) miracles; wonderful things; wonders.
acrophony, noun. the use of a picture of some object to represent the initial sound, letter, or syllable in the name of that object. Using the picture of an ox, called aleph in Phoenician, to represent the sound a, is an example of acrophony.
excurse, intransitive verb, -cursed, -cursing. 1. to run out or off. 2. (Figurative.) to digress. 3. to make an excursion.
capsaicin, noun. a colorless, crystalline substance, the bitter principle of the cayenne pepper, used as an irritant.
eclipsareon, noun. a globe formerly used to illustrate the phenomena of solar and lunar eclipses.
circumforaneous, adjective. 1. wandering from market place to market place; vagrant; vagabond. 2. = quack.
strappado, noun, pl. -does. 1. a form of human torture in which the victim was raised by a rope and suddenly let fall the length of the rope. 2. the mechanism for doing this.
humanics, noun. the scientific study of human nature. Ex. the impact of genetic engineering on humanics, which includes the possible modification of human nature toward previously unattainable ideals (Joshua Lederberg).
abscind, transitive verb. to cut off; exscind.
gaussmeter, noun. an instrument for measuring the intensity of a magnetic field.
cistvaen, noun. a prehistoric stone coffin or burial chamber; a tomb made of slabs of stone; cist. Also, kistvaen.
capotasto, noun. a device attached to a fretted musical instrument, such as the guitar, for the purpose of raising the pitch of all the strings at once.
sortition, noun. 1. the casting or drawing of lots; determination or selection by lot. 2. an instance of determining by lot.
abstruse, adjective. hard to understand; difficult. Ex. If you do not master arithmetic, you will find algebra complicated and abstruse. The fields of inquiry run from simple mechanics to abstruse atomic energy (Wall Street Journal). (SYN) esoteric, recondite, obscure, arcane.
sybaritic, adjective. characterized by or caring very much for luxury; luxurious; voluptuous. Ex. Meanwhile, the Egyptians mercilessly attack Saudi Arabia's rulers as corrupt and sybaritic (Time).
neuston, noun. minute organisms living on the surface film of a body of water. Ex. Neuston ... inhabit the upper few centimetres of the water at night and live as deep as two thousand feet by day (New Yorker).
sacaton, noun.any one of several coarse grasses of the dry regions of the southwestern United States, grown for pasture or hay; zacaton.
abreact, transitive verb.(Psychoanalysis.) to express or release (repressed emotions) by reliving the experiences associated with them, as by talking about them.
sabulous, adjective. consisting of sand; full of sand; sandy; gritty.
sarsar, noun. a killingly cold wind.
boiserie, noun.a wood panel or panels decoratively carved.
abaxial, adjective.not in the axis.
constative, adjective.(Grammar, Philosophy.) stating or asserting a wish, command, or plan, not its actual performance. "I hope to go" is a constative utterance; "I am going" is a performative utterance.
quasquicentennial, adjective, noun. adj. of or having to do with 125 years or a 125th anniversary. noun 1. a 125th anniversary. 2. a celebration of a 125th anniversary.
Quadragesimal, adjective. 1. of or during Lent; suitable for Lent; Lenten. 2. Also, quadragesimal. lasting forty days, as the fast of Lent.
interrex, noun, pl. interreges. a person who holds supreme authority in a state during an interregnum.
tout le monde,(French.) the whole world; everyone.
shieling, noun.(Scottish.) 1. a shiel. 2. a piece of pasture. Ex. ... sone ... she and her colleagues may have chanted on the lone shieling (Punch). Also, shealing, sheiling.
lateritious, adjective. 1. having to do with or resembling bricks. 2. of the red color characteristic of bricks.
carene, noun. a forty days' fast on bread and water, formerly imposed by a bishop, upon clergy or laity, or by an abbot upon monks.
toluene, noun. a colorless, flammable liquid obtained from coal tar and petroleum. It is used as a solvent and for making explosives, dyes, and saccharin. Toluene is an aromatic hydrocarbon, with a smell like that of benzene.
abiogenic, adjective. not produced by living organisms; not biogenic. Ex. abiogenic proteins.
en cuerpo,(Spanish.) 1. in the body. 2. without cloak, outer garment, or covering.
sonication, noun.the use of high-frequency sound waves to break up matter. Ex. Amoebae were washed once with cold ... buffer (pH 7.5) suspended in the same buffer, and broken by sonication (Science).
shibuichi, noun. an alloy widely used in Japanese decorative art. It is made of three parts copper to one part silver.
gauchesco, adjective. of or having to do with a type of Spanish poetry whose character, language, and setting derive from the life of the gauchos of South America.
eponymous, adjective. giving one's name to a nation, tribe, or place. Ex. George Washington is the eponymous leader after whom our capital city is named.
intermodal, adjective. 1. combining or integrating different modes of transportation. Ex. Both vessels are part of an intermodal system in which United States Freight uses railroads to "piggyback" trailers and container vans to ports for delivery (New York Times). 2. used in an integrated system of transportation. Ex. intermodal containers.
retardataire, adjective.(in the arts) behind the times; lagging behind. Ex. English art had always been retardataire ... the Pre-Raphaelites were repeating things which had already been done a generation before by the German Nazarenes (Edward Lucie-Smith).
consummateness, noun. perfection. Ex. consummateness of skill.
gedunk, noun.(U.S. Slang.) ice cream, pudding, or the like, sold at a soda fountain.
acrocarpous, adjective. producing fruit at the end or top of the main stem, as certain mosses do.
ablaut, noun.(in Indo-European languages) the systematic substitution of one root vowel sound for another in different inflectional forms or derivatives of a word, as in ring, rang, rung; gradation.
cytotaxis, noun. the movement of cells, or of cell masses, in relation to one another.
contradictious, adjective. inclined to be contradictory; disputatious.
ecdysis, noun, pl. -ses. the shedding of the skin or shell by snakes, crustaceans, or insects or of feathers by a bird.
laniate, transitive verb, -ated, -ating. to tear apart; rend.
foco, noun, pl. -cos. a small guerrilla center radiating revolutionary activity throughout a country.
gravitas, noun.(Latin.) gravity; solemnity. Ex. Like most of the statesmen of yore, he has about him a certain gravitas, expressed in ... a taste for old-fashioned circumlocutions (Harper's).
caponier, noun. a work or covered passage in or across a ditch in a military fortification.
shiplap, noun, adjective.noun 1. a flush, overlapping joint between boards, formed by cutting corresponding rabbets in the adjoining edges and lapping the boards to the depth of the rabbets. 2. boards so rabbeted. adj. 1. having such rabbets. Ex. shiplap siding. 2. utilizing lumber so milled. Ex. shiplap construction.
abirritant, noun, adjective.(Medicine.) noun a drug or medicine that relieves irritation. adj. relieving irritation; soothing.
anchorite, noun. 1. a person who lives alone in a solitary place for religious meditation. 2. a hermit. (SYN) recluse.
bafflegab, noun.(Informal.) very involved or confusing language; gobbledygook. Ex. financial bafflegab.
possessory, adjective. 1. having to do with a possessor or possession. 2. arising from possession. Ex. a possessory interest. 3. having possession.
baudrons, noun. (Scottish.) a cat's name, like bruin for the bear.
flugelhorn, noun. a brass wind instrument whose valves and shape resemble a cornet.
effector, noun. a muscle or gland capable of responding to a nerve impulse. Ex. Since the muscles and glands give the response they are termed effectors (Harbaugh and Goodrich).
boiserie, noun. a wood panel or panels decoratively carved.
abasia, noun. total or partial loss of the ability to coordinate the muscles used in walking.
waxjack, noun. a device for melting sealing wax, used in the 1700's, consisting of a length of wick wound around a spindle, with the part for burning fed through a small hole.
dipping needle, a magnetic needle mounted so as to be capable of moving freely in a vertical plane about its center of gravity, and indicating by its dip the direction of the earth's magnetism; dip needle. See also inclinometer.
acescence, noun. process of souring.
quadrille (1), noun. 1. a square dance for four couples that usually has five parts or movements. 2. the music for such a dance. quadrille (2), noun.a card game for four persons, popular in the 1700's. quadrille (3), adjective.marked with squares; having a pattern composed of small squares. Ex. a quadrille fabric.
carceplex, noun. a molecular complex consisting of a large molecule in which a smaller molecule has been chemically trapped. Ex. A carceplex consists of ... a hollow "prison" molecule and a "guest" molecule trapped inside. These guest molecules ... exist in a state of matter different from the familiar states represented by solids, liquids, gases and electrically charged plasmas (New York Times). .
pericardium, noun, pl. -dia. the membranous sac enclosing the heart.
tournure, noun. 1. turn, contour, or form. 2. figure; appearance; bearing.
diplopia, noun. a disorder of the eyes in which objects are seen double.
repousse, adjective, noun. adj. 1. raised in relief by hammering on the reverse side. A repousse design can be made on thin metal. 2. ornamented or made in this manner. noun repousse work.
peripatetic, adjective, noun. adj. walking about; traveling from place to place; itinerant. Ex. a peripatetic scissors grinder. (SYN) ambulatory. noun a person who wanders or travels about from place to place. Ex. The peripatetic who walked before her was a watchman in that neighbourhood (Sir Richard Steele). adv. peripatetically.
larine, adjective. 1. of the family of birds that comprises the gulls. 2. of or like a gull.
excorticate, transitive verb, -cated, -cating. to strip off the bark, rind, or coating, from.
caprine, adjective. of or like a goat. Ex. ... her bleating, caprine voice (New Yorker).
vanguard, noun. 1. the front part of an army; soldiers marching ahead of the main part of an army to clear the way and guard against surprise. 2. (Figurative.) a. the foremost or leading position, usually in intellectual and political movements or social reforms. b. the leaders of a movement, especially persons who experiment or work with new ideas.
accordatura, noun. the series of tones to which a stringed instrument is usually tuned.
umiak or umiack, noun. an open Eskimo boat made of skins covering a wooden or bone frame and worked by paddles. The umiak is very much broader and usually longer than a kayak. It is used especially by the women of a family or group of families to bring back the meat killed by the men and to transport a family and its possessions from place to place. Also, oomiac, oomiak.
cingulum, noun, pl. -la.1a. a girdle, now especially one used in connection with surgery. b. = waist. 2. a girdlelike part: a. a band or ridge on an animal. b. a ridge at the base of the crown of a tooth.
abducent, adjective. pulling or drawing away a part of the body from a given point or center, as a muscle does; abducting.
outrecuidance, noun. excessive self-confidence; overweening conceit.
resipiscence, noun. a change to a better frame of mind.
repose (1), noun, verb, -posed, -posing.noun 1. rest or sleep. Ex. Do not disturb her repose. They muttered prayers to themselves for the repose of the soul of their dead pal (James T. Farrell). 2. quietness; ease. Ex. She has repose of manner. (SYN) composure. 3. peace; calmness. Ex. the repose of the country. (SYN) tranquillity. 4. a restful quality. v.i. 1. to lie at rest. Ex. The cat reposed upon the cushion. 2. to lie in a grave. Ex. In quiet she reposes (Matthew Arnold). 3. to rest from work or toil; take a rest. Ex. Many people from the North repose in Florida during the winter season. 4. to be supported. 5. to depend; rely (on). Ex. The explorers reposed on the judgment of their Indian scout. v.t. 1. to lay to rest. Ex. Repose yourself in the hammock. 2. to refresh by rest. Ex. We stopped at a little public-house where we reposed ourselves (Richard Graves).
gavelock, noun.(Archaic. or Dialect.) an iron crowbar or lever.
aberrance, noun. a wandering or deviating from what is regular, normal, or right.
nevus, noun, pl. -vi. 1. a discolored or pigmented spot on the skin from birth, such as a mole; birthmark. 2. a tumor of the skin, usually congenital. Also, naevus.
quoin, noun, verb. noun 1. an outside angle or corner of a wall or building. 2. a stone forming an outside angle of a wall; cornerstone. 3. a wedge-shaped block of wood, metal, or stone, used in building, especially one of the stones in the curve of an arch. 4. (Printing.) a short wedge used to lock up a form. v.t. 1. to provide or construct with quoins. 2. to secure or raise with quoins.
lyssophobia, noun. an abnormal fear of rabies, which sometimes simulates its symptoms; pseudorabies.
barcarole or barcarolle, noun. 1. a Venetian boat song sung by gondoliers. 2. music imitating such a song, typically with a lilting rhythm.
bodhi, noun.(Buddhism.) knowledge; enlightenment.
ecbatic, adjective. expressing result or consequence and not purpose or intention. Ex. an ecbatic clause.
flavon, noun.(Nuclear Physics.) a hypothetical constituent of quarks that determines electric charge. Ex. If there are only two flavons and if they are the sole carriers of electric charge, not all of the charge values observed in nature can be reproduced (Scientific American).
urceolate, adjective. shaped like a pitcher; swelling out like a pitcher and contracted at the orifice, as a calyx.
abnegate, transitive verb, -gated, -gating. to deny (anything) to oneself; renounce or give up (a privilege or luxury).
laity, noun, pl. -ties. people who are not members of the clergy or of a professional class; laymen collectively. Ex. Doctors use many words that the laity do not understand.
excision, noun. 1. the act or process of cutting out; removal. Ex. Through the processes of excision and sloughing of certain structures ... plants get rid of wastes (Harbaugh and Goodrich). 2. the state of being excised. 3. exclusion, as from a religious society; excommunication. 4. extirpation or destruction.
sordamente, adverb.(Music.) in a muted or muffled manner; softly.
toxophily, noun. the practice of, or liking for, archery.
contexture, noun. 1. a weaving together or a being woven together; texture. 2. something woven together; fabric. 3. (Figurative.) the make-up and arrangement of the parts of a thing; structure. Ex. View his whole life; 'tis nothing but a cunning contexture of dark arts and unequitable subterfuges (Laurence Sterne).
codicil, noun.1. (Law.) something added to a will to change it, add to it, or explain it. Ex. He had, in a fit of very natural exasperation, revoked the bequest in a codicil (Dickens). 2. (Figurative.) something added. Ex. We have at present so bitter a codicil to a most severe winter, that Berkeley Square was as much covered with snow this morning as it was two months ago (Horace Walpole). (SYN) supplement, appendix.
sonorous figures, figures which are formed by vibration of a sounding body, as in a layer of fine sand strewn on a disk of glass or metal, which is caused to vibrate by the bow of a violin drawn across its edge.
fleishig, adjective.(in Jewish dietary law) restricted to meat or meat products. Ex. a fleishig meal, fleishig dishes.
sophic, adjective. of, having to do with, or teaching wisdom.
excitancy, noun. the property of exciting or calling into activity.
laniferous, adjective. wool-bearing; woolly.
uranography, noun. the science of describing and mapping the heavens and the position of the heavenly bodies. Also, ouranography.
hastate, adjective. 1. spearlike, as weapons. 2. shaped like the head of a spear. 3. (of a leaf) triangular, with two spreading lobes at the base. adv. hastately.
bodkin, noun. 1. a large, blunt needle, used for drawing tape or cord through a hem, loops, etc. 2. a long hairpin. 3. a pointed tool for making holes in cloth, etc. 4. (Printing.) a tool for picking out letters in correcting type which has been set. 5. a small dagger or other short, pointed weapon; stiletto.
abecedarium, noun, pl. -daria. a first book in reading; primer.
clangor, noun, verb. noun 1. a continued clanging. 2. a clang. v.i. to make a clangor; clang.
fleche, noun. 1. (Architecture.) a. a spire, especially a slender spire surmounting a roof. b. a slender spire placed over the junction of the nave and transept of a church or cathedral. Ex. Ideally, the narthex should be surmounted by a fleche (London Times). 2. (in a fortification) an arrow; a defensive work shaped somewhat like an arrowhead.
halyard, noun. a rope or tackle used on a ship to raise or lower something, such as a sail, yard, or flag. Also, halliard.
endocannibalism, noun. the practice of eating the flesh of persons belonging to the same tribe.
sublittoral, adjective, noun. adj. 1. near the seacoast. Ex. a sublittoral plant. 2. of or having to do with the area of an ocean from low tide to the edge of the continental shelf. noun a sublittoral area or region.
smock frock, a smock reaching to the middle of the leg, worn especially by laborers in Europe.
mala fide,(Latin.) in bad faith; with or by fraud.
toluene, noun. a colorless, flammable liquid obtained from coal tar and petroleum. It is used as a solvent and for making explosives, dyes, and saccharin. Toluene is an aromatic hydrocarbon, with a smell like that of benzene.
nide, noun. a brood, clutch, or nest of peasants.
strapontin, noun. 1. a folding seat as used in automobiles. 2. a similar type of seat used in theaters. Ex. I spotted her once on a backless strapontin, l ost to the world, her shining face uplifted to the stage (New Yorker).
geomagnetic axis, the magnetic axis of the earth at an angle of 12 degrees with respect to the geographic axis.
landfast, adjective. attached to land. Ex. A million years ago the island was either landfast or near the shore.
banausic, adjective. 1. mechanical. Ex. ... alleged that the teaching of music as a manual art was banausic and degrading (George Grote). 2. practical. Ex. Chief among its many qualities is the author's concern to ask ... certain banausic but highly basic questions about the Greeks (Sunday Times). 3. materialistic. Ex. Banausic, he called them, banausic, A villainous banausic couple (Stevie Smith).
ebullient, adjective. 1. overflowing with excitement or liveliness; very enthusiastic. Ex. A small, dapper man with a waxed mustache and an ebullient air came upstairs and greeted the Count warmly (New Yorker). 2. boiling up; bubbling. adv. ebulliently.
daglock, noun. a dirty lock of wool near a sheep's tail.
accrochage, noun.(French.) 1. (Art.) a method or style of hanging up paintings. 2. (Military.) a skirmish. 3. (literally) a hooking.
potter's field, 1. a piece of ground set aside for the burial of people who die without friends or money. 2. a field bought for the 30 pieces of silver which Judas received for betraying Jesus, used as a burial place for strangers (in the Bible, Matthew 27:7-8).
contango, noun, pl. -gos.(British.) the premium paid to postpone payment for a stock to a later date.
bandoline, noun. a gummy hair dressing to make the hair stay in place.
shot tower, a high tower for making small shot by dropping molten lead from the top into water at the bottom.
inveigh, intransitive verb. to make a violent attack in words; rail. Ex. The agitator inveighed against the government. The leadership passed to the popular orators, who rose to power by inveighing against property (James A. Froude).
zoetrope, noun. an optical instrument consisting of a cylinder open at the top, with a series of slits in the circumference, and a series of figures representing successive positions of a moving object arranged along the inner surface, which when viewed through the slits while the cylinder is in rapid rotation produce the impression of actual movement of the object.
diplopic, adjective.seeing double.
abozzo, noun, pl. -zi.(Italian.) 1. a rough drawing or sketch. 2. a written outline or draft.
cisco, noun, pl. -coes or -cos.(U.S.) any one of certain whitefish of the northern United States, especially of the Great Lakes area; lake herring.
quadrominium, noun. a building with four separately owned apartments.
res integra, noun.(Latin.) a matter not yet acted on, or a point of law not yet adjudicated.
excrescence, noun. 1. an unnatural growth; disfiguring addition. A corn or wart is an excrescence. Ex. (Figurative.) Many new office buildings are unsightly excrescences upon the city's landscape. 2. a natural outgrowth. Hairs and fingernails are excrescences. 3. an abnormal increase; overflow (of anything).
hummock, noun. 1. a very small, rounded hill; knoll; hillock. Ex. The highway mounts into a group of hummocks covered with scrub and surrounded by a tangle of barbed wire (Atlantic). 2. a bump or ridge in a field of ice. Ex. This, too, had to be abandoned when a snowmobile, sent out for a trial run, hit hummocks "as high as houses and ten times as solid" (Harper's). 3. a tract of thickly wooded land within a marshy area; hammock.
taggant, noun. a chemical substance added to a substance to aid in detection and identification. Ex. Proposed legislation would require taggants in all explosives (even gunpowder) (Science News).
circumspective, adjective. given to or marked by circumspection; watchful; cautious.
ecbatic, adjective. expressing result or consequence and not purpose or intention. Ex. an ecbatic clause.
postiche, adjective, noun. adj. 1. added inappropriately, as ornament. 2. false; counterfeit. noun 1. an imitation or substitute. Ex. Fastidiousness, at any rate, is very good postiche for modesty (Ouida). 2. = pretense. 3. a false hairpiece.
boiserie, noun. a wood panel or panels decoratively carved.
flatcap, noun. 1. a round cap with a low, flat crown, worn in the 1500's and 1600's by Londoners. 2. a person wearing such a cap; a London citizen.
neuston, noun. minute organisms living on the surface film of a body of water.
aboiteau, noun, pl. -teaus ; (French) -teaux.(Canadian.) 1. a sluice gate in the dikes along the Bay of Fundy. Ex. The English apparently learned from the Acadians the special arts of building dikes and aboiteaux (Canadian Geographic Journal). 2. the dike itself. Also, aboideau.
diplacusis, noun. an abnormal condition of hearing in which one tone is heard as if it were two tones of different pitch.
abrogate, transitive verb, -gated, -gating. 1. to abolish (a law, treaty, or custom) by an authoritative act; repeal; cancel. Ex. When war broke out, our country abrogated its trade agreements with the enemy country. The 21st amendment to the Constitution, permitting the manufacture of intoxicating liquor, abrogated the 18th amendment, which prohibited it. (SYN) annul, nullify, invalidate, void. 2. to do away with.
bocage, noun. 1. woodland; boscage. 2. a background of foliage, trees, or other vegetation, supporting earthenware or ceramic figures.
consuetude, noun. 1. custom recognized as having legal force. 2. custom; usage; habit.
humidistat, noun. an instrument for regulating the degree of humidity.
Ancient of Days, God, as the Eternal Being (in the Bible, Daniel 7).
interlunation, noun. 1. the period between the old and the new moon. 2. (Figurative.) any blank or dark interval.
post hoc, ergo propter hoc,(Latin.) after this, therefore as a result of this (a phrase used to denote a common logical fallacy that what comes before an event must also be its cause).
gault, noun. 1. (Geology,) a series of beds of clay and marl of the Cretaceous system, occurring in southern England. 2. (British,) a thick, heavy clay.
dacoit, noun, verb.noun a member of a gang of robbers in India or Burma, who plunder in armed bands. v.i. to plunder or rob in an armed band.
diquat, noun. a herbicide activated by photosynthesis upon contact with weeds. Ex. Diquat ... is now widely used throughout the world to control weeds in such diverse crops as cotton, rubber, potatoes, sugar beet and tea (New Scientist).
contango, noun, pl. -gos.(British.) the premium paid to postpone payment for a stock to a later date.
circumbendibus, noun. a roundabout process or method; twist; turn; circumlocution.
toujours gai,(French.) always gay; forever happy.
shift joint,in masonry: 1. the placing of a stone or brick so that the vertical joints will come over the solid members of the course below. 2. the stone or brick so placed.
ancon, noun, pl. ancones. 1. a projection like a bracket, used to support a cornice, aconsole, or a corbel. 2. (Rare.) the elbow.
tantra or Tantra, noun. 1. one of a class of Hindu religious works in Sanskrit, of comparatively late date, related to the puranas, in which mysticism and magic play a great part. 2. one of a class of Buddhist works of a somewhat similar character. tantric or Tantric, adjective. of or having to do with the tantras.
unitage, noun. detailed statement of the quantity making up a unit of measure.
caput mortuum,(Latin.) 1. (formerly) the residuum of chemicals after distillation or sublimation. 2. (Figurative.) any worthless residue.
urceolate, adjective. shaped like a pitcher; swelling out like a pitcher and contracted at the orifice, as a calyx.
lavation, noun. 1. the process of washing. 2. water for washing.
quaich or quaigh, noun.(Scottish.) a shallow drinking cup with two handles.
Daltonist, noun. a color-blind person.
dipnoan, adjective, noun. adj. of or belonging to a group of fishes having both gills and lungs. noun a dipnoan fish; lungfish.
bagataway, noun.(Canadian.) an Indian game from which lacrosse developed. Also, baggataway.
halitosis, noun.bad or offensive breath.
ex curia,(Latin.) out of court.
...To live outside the law you must be honest... Bob Dylan
cladophyll, noun.(Botany.) a stem assuming the form and function of a leaf, as in asparagus.
flash distillation, a method of distilling salt water by heating and then releasing it into a low-pressure chamber, causing part of the water to turn quickly into stream, which is then condensed into fresh water.
disafforest, transitive verb. 1. (in English law) to return to the legal status of ordinary land from that of a forest. 2. to strip or clear of forests or trees.
diplophonic, adjective.(of hearing) in which a single sound seems to come from two directions.
cleading, noun. 1. (Scottish.) clothing. 2. (Engineering) and (Architecture.) a covering, casing, or lining, such as the felting put around steam pipes to prevent radiation.
quaere, verb. imperative, noun. verb query; ask (used to introduce or suggest a question). Ex. Quaere, is this point fully proved? Quaere, whether the contrary is not more probable? noun a query or question. Ex. I wondered a little at your quaere who Cheselden was? (Jonathan Swift).
acatalepsy, noun.(Philosophy.) incomprehensibility. acataleptic, adjective, noun.
langue d'oc,(French.) the Romance dialect spoken in southern France (Provence) in the Middle Ages. It became modern Provencal.
langue d'oc,(French.) the Romance dialect spoken in southern France (Provence) in the Middle Ages. It became modern Provencal.
gaudery, noun, pl. -eries. 1. ostentatious show; finery. 2. a piece of finery.
geewhillikins, interjection. (U.S. Informal.) an exclamation expressing astonishment.
excise, transitive verb, -cised, -cising. to cut out; remove. Ex. The editor excised passages from the book. (SYN) expunge.
wafture, noun. 1. the act of waving. 2a. the act of wafting. b. a thing wafted.
lapidary, noun, pl. -daries, adjective. noun 1a. a person who cuts, polishes, or engraves precious stones. b. an engraver of stone monuments. 2. the art of cutting precious stones. 3. an expert in precious stones or in the art of cutting them. 4. a piece of jewelry, especially one that shows great workmanship. Ex. The crown . .. is revealed as a gorgeous jewe