↨Word | ↨Class | ↨Definition | ↨Etymology | ↨Source | ↨Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Matutinal | adj. | Of, or occuring in the morning | matutinus (Latin) early | The Glass Bead Game, Herman Hesse | 2019.07.26 |
Chary | adj. | Cautiously or suspiciously reluctant | cearig (Old Englush) sorrowful, anxious | The Glass Bead Game, Herman Hesse | 2019.07.26 |
Rusk | n. | A light, dry biscuit or piece of twice-baked bread | rosca (Portuguese) twist, coil, roll of bread | The Glass Bead Game, Herman Hesse | 2019.07.25 |
Hyponym | n. | A word of more specific meaning than a general or superordinate term applicable to it | hypo- + -onym (Greek) under + name; word | Learning about jabłko | 2019.07.08 |
Axil | n. | The upper angle between a leaf stalk or branch and the stem or trunk from which it grows | axilla (Latin) armpit | Wordiest | 2019.06.28 |
Ballon | n. | The quality of a jump by which a ballet dancer appears to pause in midair | ballon (French) | Wordiest | 2019.06.24 |
Ria | n. | A long, narrow inlet formed by the partial submergence of a river valley | ria (Latin) estuary | Wordiest | 2019.06.08 |
Theodolite | n. | A surveying instrument, consisting of a small mounted telescope, used to measure horizontal and vertical angles | theodolitus (Latin) | Lookin' at the Android SDK logo | 2019.06.05 |
Demurrage | n. | A charge payable to the owner of a chartered ship in respect of failure to load or discharge the ship within the time agreed | demorari (Latin) to tarry | Out of the Crisis, W. Edwards Deming | 2019.06.03 |
Parvenu | n. | A person of obscure origin who has gained wealth, influence, or celebrity | parvenu (French) arrived | Gosford Park (2001) | 2019.05.28 |
Abjad | n. | A type of writing system where each symbol or glyph stands for a consonant, leaving the reader to supply the appropriate vowel. | abjad (Arabic) | Wordiest | 2019.05.12 |
Coasteering | n. | The sport of exploring a rocky coastline by climbing, jumping and swimming | coast + mountaineering (English) | You vs. Wild | 2019.05.07 |
Couloir | n. | A steep, narrow gully on a mountainside | couler (French) to move | You vs. Wild | 2019.05.06 |
Zill | n. | Finger cymbals | zil (Turkish) | Wordiest | 2019.04.26 |
Nostrum | n. | A medicine, especially one that is not considered effective, prepared by an unqualified person | noster (Latin) our | The New Economics, W. Edwards Deming | 2019.04.21 |
Tabac | n. | (in French-speaking regions) a tobacconist's shop | tobbacco (French) | Good Morning, Midnight, Jean Rhys | 2019.04.18 |
Teg | n. | A sheep in its second year | tacka (Swedish) ewe | Wordiest | 2019.04.16 |
Faradize | v. | To stimulate or treat (muscles or nerves) with induced alternating electric current | Michael Faraday (English) | Wordiest | 2019.04.04 |
Cox | v. | To act as coxswain (helmsman) of a boat | cock + swain (Middle English) boat + servant | Wordiest | 2019.03.25 |
Acicular | adj. | Needle-shaped | acus (Latin) needle | Learnin' about rutile | 2019.03.16 |
Vermeil | n. | Gilded silver or bronze | Vermillion (English) | Mejuri.com | 2019.03.07 |
Adit | n. | A horizontal passage leading into a mine for the purposes of access or drainage | Aditus (Latin) approach | Wordiest | 2019.02.27 |
Ossicone | n. | Horn- or antler-like protuberances on the heads of giraffes, male okapis, and their extinct relatives | Os (Latin) bone | Boneclones.com | 2019.02.21 |
Ague | n. | Malaria, or some other illness involving fever and shivering | acuta febris (medieval Latin) acute fever | The Dwarf, Pär Lagerkvist | 2019.02.14 |
Jeremiad | n. | A long, mournful complaint or lamentation; a list of woes | jérémiade (French) with reference to the Lamentations of Jeremiah in the Old Testament | The Dwarf, Pär Lagerkvist | 2019.02.14 |
Baldric | n. | A belt for a sword worn over one shoulder and reaching down to the opposite hip | balteus (Latin) belt | The Dwarf, Pär Lagerkvist | 2019.02.09 |
Foeder | n. | An oversized barrel set on end used for long-term fermentation | (Dutch) | Bob's (the culutural hub of the Midwest) | 2019.02.09 |
Balayage | n. | A technique for highlighting hair in which the dye is painted on to create a graduated, natural-looking effect | balayer (French) to sweep | PENZONE Salon + Spa | 2019.01.26 |
Swamper | n. | An assistant who helps with day to day tasks but is not the main operator of the equipment; a person who clears a road for lumberers in a forest or swamp | swamp + er (English) | 2019.01.24 | |
Ctene | n. | A locomotor organ consisting of a row of strong cilia whose bases are fused | kteís (Greek) comb | Rhymezone.com | 2019.01.19 |
Saturnine | adj. | Gloomy, dark in coloring, moody or mysterious | Saturninus (Latin) Of Saturn | ??? | 2019.01.19 |
Menhir | n. | An upright monumental stone standing either alone or with others | men + hir (Breton) stone + long | Learnin' about big rocks | 2019.01.15 |
Avulsion | n. | A forcible separation or detachment, such as a tearing away of a body part accidentally or surgically | vallere (Latin) pluck | Ensorings.com | 2019.01.14 |
Ogee | adj. | Having a double continuous S-shaped curve | ogive (late Middle English, from French, of unknown origin) a pointed or Gothic arch | Wordiest | 2019.01.12 |
Grosgrain | n. | A heavy, ribben fabric, usually silk or rayon | gros grain (French) coarse grain | Boucheron.com | 2019.01.10 |
Daven | v. | To recite the prescribed prayers in a Jewish liturgy | (Yiddish) | Wordiest | 2019.01.08 |
Gadroon | n. | A decorative edging on metal or wood formed by parallel rounded strips, like inverted fluting | goder (French) to pucker | Boucheron.com | 2019.01.05 |
Isodomon | n. | Masonry having blocks of equal length and thickness laid in courses so that each vertical joint of a course comes over the middle of a block just below | is- + domos (Greek) course of masonry | Internet Fun Fact | 2019.01.02 |
Swager | n. | A tool for bending cold metal to a required shape | souage (French) decorative groove | Learnin' about fishing | 2018.12.31 |
Mungo | n. | Cloth made from recycled woven or felted material | (British English) | Wordiest | 2018.12.21 |
Quango | n. | Quasi-Autonomous Non-Governmental Organisation - an organisation to which a government has devolved power, but which is still partly controlled and/or financed by government bodies | (British English) | Wordiest | 2018.12.13 |
Pawl | n. | A pivoted bar adapted to engage with the teeth of a ratchet wheel so as to prevent movement | pal (Dutch) fixed | Repairin' blinds | 2018.12.05 |
Smallholding | n. | An agricultural holding smaller than a farm | small + holding (British English) | Big Dreams, Small Spaces, Monty Don | 2018.11.29 |
Phyletic | adj. | Relating to, or denoting the evolutionary development of a species or other group | phuletikos (Greek) of one's tribe | The Elements of Graphing Data, William S. Cleveland | 2018.11.23 |
Aquafaba | n. | The water in which legume seeds, such as chickpeas, have been cooked | aqua + faba (Latin) water + bean | The Great British Bake Off, Andy Devonshire | 2018.11.20 |
Aliquot | n. | A portion of a larger whole, especially a sample taken for chemical analysis or other treatment | alius + quot (Latin) one of two + how many | The Elements of Graphing Data, William S. Cleveland | 2018.11.14 |
Splenetic | adj. | Bad-tempered, spiteful; relating to the spleen | splēn (Greek) spleen | Thesaurus.com | 2018.11.02 |
Telson | n. | The last segment in the abdomen, or a terminal appendage to it, in crustaceans, chelicerates, and embryonic insects | (Greek) limit | Gettin spicy at Red Lobster | 2018.10.27 |
Handsel | n. | A gift given at the start of some enterprise or new situation, meant to ensure good luck | handselen (Old English) giving into a person's hands | Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Susanna Clarke | 2018.10.22 |
Engastration | n. | a cooking technique in which the cook stuffs one animal into another animal | gastḗr (Greek) stomach | Lords and Ladles, Maurice Linnane | 2018.10.15 |
Kickshaw | n. | A fancy but insubstantial cooked dish, especially one of foreign origin; a trinket | quelque chose (French) something | Lords and Ladles, Maurice Linnane | 2018.10.12 |
Gavage | v. | To feed by means of a tube passed into the stomach | gaver (French) to stuff or cram | The Elements of Graphing Data, William S. Cleveland | 2018.10.07 |
Funicular | adj. | Relating to a rope or its tension | funis (Latin) rope | Ken Jennings | 2018.10.01 |
Graticule | n. | A grid of horizontal and vertical lines | crāticula (Latin) grill, grating, griddle | EEVblog | 2018.09.17 |
Optocoupler | n. | A device containing light-emitting and light-sensitive components, used to couple isolated circuits | optikós (Greek) of seeing + coupler | Arduino Projects Book | 2018.09.13 |
Palapa | n. | An open-sided dwelling with a thatched roof made of dried palm leaves | (Mexican Spanish) | Bachelor In Paradise | 2018.09.05 |
Uraeus (plural: uraei) |
n. | A representation of a sacred serpent as an emblem of supreme power | ouraios (Greek) cobra | Columbus Scrabble Meetup | 2018.08.28 |
Bawd | n. | A woman in charge of a brothel | baud (Old French) bold, lively, jolly | Harlots, Alison Newman and Moira Buffini | 2018.08.10 |
Phreatic | adj. | Of or pertaining to ground water | phréar (Greek) well, spring | Star Trek Discovery | 2018.07.22 |
Polder | n. | A piece of low-lying land reclaimed from the sea or a river | polre (Middle Dutch) | The Truthful Art, Alberto Cairo | 2018.07.18 |
Exotropia | n. | A form of strabismus in which the eyes are deviated outward | trópos (Greek) a turn | A fancy doctor | 2018.07.04 |
Dendrogram | n. | A tree diagram, especially one showing taxonomic relationships | dendro + gramma (Greek) tree + drawing | Semiology of Graphics: Diagrams, Networks, Maps Jacques Bertin | 2018.06.24 |
Geodesy | n. | The branch of mathematics concerned with the shape and area of the earth | gē + daiein (Greek) earth + to divide | Semiology of Graphics: Diagrams, Networks, Maps Jacques Bertin | 2018.06.19 |
Ocellus | n. | A small eye of an insect or other arthropod that has only one lens, typically present in one or more pairs | Oculus (Latin) little eye | Learnin' about bees | 2018.06.15 |
Isarithm | n. | A line on a map, chart or graph that links points having the same value | arithmos (Greek) number | Semiology of Graphics: Diagrams, Networks, Maps Jacques Bertin | 2018.06.11 |
Diesis | n. | The ‡ (double dagger) symbol | dia + ienai (Greek) through + send | 2018.06.04 | |
Choropleth | n. | A thematic map in which the distribution of a property is shown using different colors | khṓra + plêthos (Ancient Greek) location + a great number | d3.js | 2018.06.03 |
Abcissa | n. | The x-coordinate of a point | (Latin) cutoff | The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, Edward Tufte | 2018.05.19 |
Overleaf | adv. | On the other side of the page | over + leaf | The Elements of Typographic Style, Robert Bringhurst | 2018.05.12 |
Æsc | n. | The Æ or æ grapheme | (Old English) ash tree | The Elements of Typographic Style, Robert Bringhurst | 2018.04.28 |
Unicameral | n. | Of a script or typeface: making no distinction between upper and lower case, but rather having only one case | camera (Latin) chamber | The Elements of Typographic Style, Robert Bringhurst | 2018.04.27 |
Aril | n. | An extra seed-covering, typically colored, and hairy or fleshy | arilli (Latin) dried grape stones | Eatin' pomegranates | 2018.04.21 |
Greek | v. | To display nonsense text or graphics in a document as a placeholder to create a dummy layout, or to demonstrate a type font | Greek (English) unintelligible speech or text | Adobe InDesign | 2018.04.21 |
Verso | n. | The left-hand page of an open book | versus (Latin) turned, changed | The Elements of Typographic Style, Robert Bringhurst | 2018.04.19 |
Recto | n. | The right-hand page of an open book | rectus (Latin) correct, right | The Elements of Typographic Style, Robert Bringhurst | 2018.04.19 |
Lachrymal | adj. | Of or relating to tears | lacrima (Latin) tear | The Elements of Typographic Style, Robert Bringhurst | 2018.04.18 |
Adnate | adj. | Growing with one side adherent to a stem | adnatus (Latin) born or growing at or upon | The Elements of Typographic Style, Robert Bringhurst | 2018.04.17 |
Versal | n. | A large embellished letter at the beginning of a verse, manuscript , etc. | universalis (Latin) universal | Thinking with Type, Ellen Lupton | 2018.04.15 |
Bord | n. | A coalface parallel to natural fissures | bord (Old English) plank, table | Looking at anagrams | 2018.04.14 |
Frank | v. | To facilitate or pay the passage of something or someone | francus (Medieval Latin) free | Die Neue Typographie, Jan Tschichold | 2018.04.08 |
Adumbration | n. | A faint sketch, an outline, a brief representation | umbra (Latin) shadow | The Waves, Virginia Woolfe | 2018.04.06 |
Marmoreal | adj. | Of, or like marble | marmor (Latin) marble | The Waves, Virginia Woolfe | 2018.03.29 |
Sere | adj. | Dry and withered | sōrēn (German) to wither | The Waves, Virginia Woolfe | 2018.03.27 |
Cresset | n. | A metal container of oil, grease, wood, or coal burned as a torch and typically mounted on a pole | craisse (Old French) variant of graisse, oil, grease | The Waves, Virginia Woolfe | 2018.03.26 |
Hod | n. | A trough with a pole handle that is borne on the shoulder, for carrying building materials | hot (Old English) a basket for carrying earth | The Waves, Virginia Woolfe | 2018.03.25 |
Nekton | n. | The collection of aquatic organisms that can swim freely and are independent of currents | nektos (Greek) swimming | phrontistery.info | 2018.03.23 |
Chandler | n. | A dealer in supplies and equipment for ships and boats | chandelier (Old French) from chandelle, ‘candle’ | The Waves, Virginia Woolfe | 2018.03.16 |
Kex | n. | A dry, hollow plant stem | (British English) | phrontistery.info | 2018.03.09 |
Vega | n. | A tract of fertile meadowland | (Spanish) | phrontistery.info | 2018.03.08 |
Furbelow | v. | To adorn with pleated or gathered material | Falbala (French) trimming, flounce | The Waves, Virginia Woolfe | 2018.03.07 |
Xenomancy | n. | Divination using strangers | xeno- (Greek) strange, foreign, stranger | phrontistery.info | 2018.03.06 |
Mahout | n. | An elephant rider, trainer, or keeper | mahāvat (Hindi) | phrontistery.info | 2018.03.04 |
Zizz | n. | A short sleep | (British English) | phrontistery.info | 2018.03.03 |
Yarak | adj. | (of a trained hawk) Fit and in proper condition for hunting | yārakī (Persian) strength, ability | Looking for Y words, phrontistery.info | 2018.03.02 |
Sri | n. | A title of respect used before the name of a man, god, or sacred book | śrī (Sanskrit) beauty, fortune. | Alphabear | 2018.03.01 |
Wheeple | v. | To give forth a prolonged whistle or cry | (British English) | Alphabear | 2018.02.27 |
Idempotent | adj. | Describing an action which, when performed multiple times on the same subject, has no further effect on its subject after the first time it is performed | idem (Latin) same + potent, having power | Kalzumeus | 2018.02.24 |
Graupel | n. | Precipitation that forms when supercooled water droplets are collected and freeze on falling snowflakes, forming 2–5 mm balls of rime | graupel (German) | National Weather Service Portland Twitter | 2018.02.23 |
Ulu | n. | An Eskimo woman's knife, resembling a food chopper, with a crescent-shaped blade | ulu (Inuit) | Alphabear | 2018.02.23 |
Foy | n. | A farewell feast, drink or gift | fooi (Dutch) feast at the end of the harvest | Alphabear | 2018.02.20 |
Eclogue | n. | A pastoral poem, often in the form of a shepherd's monologue or a dialogue between shepherds | eklogḗ (Ancient Greek) selection | Seattle Art Museum | 2018.02.19 |
Garniture | n. | A set of decorative objects, esp. vases | garnir (French) to garnish | Seattle Art Museum | 2018.02.18 |
Asyndeton | n. | The omission or absence of a conjunction between parts of a sentence | asundetos (Greek) unconnected | Wikipedia | 2018.02.16 |
Rax | v. | To stretch, stretch out, to reach out, reach or attain to, to extend the hand to, hand or pass something | raxen, rasken (Middle English) to stretch oneself | Alphabear | 2018.02.14 |
Carminative | n. | A substance that relieves gastrointestinal gas | carminare (Latin) to card, hence to cleanse, from carmen, a card for freeing wool or flax, or carminat-, healed by incantation | Learnin' about lentils | 2018.02.13 |
Anta | n. | A pier produced by thickening a wall at its termination | anta (Latin) square pilaster | Alphabear | 2018.02.12 |
Rime | v. | To cover (an object) with hoarfrost | hrīmaz, hrīmą (Proto-Germanic) hoarfrost | The Waves, Virginia Woolfe | 2018.02.10 |
Corm | n. | A short, vertical, swollen underground stem of a plant that serves as a storage organ | κορμός (Greek) tree trunk | Alphabear | 2018.02.08 |
Whid | v. | To move nimbly and with little noise, usually of small game | hviða (Old Norse) gust of wind | Alphabear | 2018.02.05 |
Oda | n. | A room within a harem | oda (Turkish) | Alphabear | 2018.02.03 |
Thane | n. | A rank of nobility in pre-Norman England, roughly equivalent to baron | thegen (Old English) servant, soldier | Alphabear | 2018.02.01 |
Tyg | n. | A large English pottery mug with three or more handles dividing the rim into sections for several drinkers | tygh (Swedish) things, gear, equipment [unconfirmed by primary source] | Alphabear | 2018.01.31 |
Entheogen | n. | A psychoactive substance that induces a spiritual experience | entheos (Greek) full of god, inspired, possessed | Portland PEERS Group | 2018.01.27 |
Haline | adj. | Salty; of or relating to the degree of saltiness | halas (Greek) salt | Search for words that start with halo- | 2018.01.27 |
Emulous | adj. | Motivated by a spirit of rivalry | aemulus (Latin) rival | The Waves, Virginia Woolfe | 2018.01.26 |
Stretorous | adj. | (of breathing) Noisy and labored | stertere (Latin) to snore | The Waves, Virginia Woolfe | 2018.01.25 |
Quinsy | n. | A suppurative inflammation of the tonsils | kynanchē (Greek) from kyn-, kyōn dog + anchein, to strangle | Branch from 'Selfheal' | 2018.01.24 |
Selfheal | n. | A purple-flowered plant of the mint family that was formerly widely used for healing wounds | self + heal (English) | Wordiest | 2018.01.23 |
Stile | n. | An arrangement of steps that allows people, but not animals, to climb over a fence or wall | stigilō (Germanic root) Device for climbing | The Waves, Virginia Woolfe | 2018.01.22 |
Oleaginous | adj. | Rich, oily; obsequious | oleum (Latin) oil | The Waves, Wirginia Woolfe | 2018.01.21 |
Jabot | n. | An ornamental frill or ruffle on the front of a shirt or blouse | jabot (French) a bird's crop | Internet Anagram Server | 2018.01.20 |
Dingbat | n. | A printer's ornament other than a letter or number | ding (English) to beat; deal a heavy blow | Webding research | 2018.01.17 |
Col | n. | The lowest point between two mountain peaks | col (French) neck | Wordiest | 2018.01.16 |
Ansa | n. | The most protruding part of planetary rings as seen from distance | ansa (Latin) handle | Wordiest | 2018.01.11 |
Quincunx | n. | An arrangement of five objects in the shape of a cross | quīnque (Latin) five | Brain | 2018.01.11 |
Snath | n. | The shaft of a scythe | snede (Middle English) the shaft of handle of a scythe | Learnin' about swords n' stuff | 2018.01.07 |
Attar | n. | An essential oil derived from botanical sources | atir (Arabic) perfume | JR, William Gaddis | 2018.01.07 |
Jacquerie | n. | A peasant uprising or revolt | jacques (French) peasant | Wordiest | 2017.12.16 |
Ceil | v. | To finish a surface or ceiling with plaster or wood | ciel (French) sky, heaven | Wordiest | 2017.12.08 |
Lotic | adj. | Situated in rapidly moving fresh water | lotus (Latin) washing | Follows from lentic | 2017.11.23 |
Lentic | adj. | Situated in still, fresh water | lentus (Latin) calm, slow | Follows from lenticular | 2017.11.23 |
Lenticular | adj. | Lentil-shaped, biconvex | lenticularis (Latin) lentil-shaped | Brain | 2017.11.22 |
Sessile | adj. | (of an organism) Fixed in one place; immobile | sessilis (Latin) of or fit for sitting | Zak Smith | 2017.11.21 |
Polysemous | adj. | Having multiple meanings or interpretations | polúsēmos (Ancient Greek) from polús, many + sēmaínō, I signify, mean | Wikipedia | 2017.11.11 |
Copula | n. | A word used to link the subject of a sentence with a predicate | copula (Latin) connection, linking of words | Wordiest | 2017.11.10 |
Purfle | v. | To ornament the border or edges of | porfiler (Old French) from (Latin) pro- + filum (thread) | Guitar forums | 2017.11.05 |
Fettle | v. | To trim or clean the rough edges of before firing | fetlen (Middle English), to shape, prepare | Friend of the Show, KM | 2017.11.03 |
Anthropocene | n. | The present age, the period during which human activity has been the dominant influence on the climate and environment | anthrōpos (Greek) human being | Internet Bio | 2017.10.29 |
Decussate | v. | To cross or intersect in the form of an "x" | dēcussō (Latin) arrange crosswise or mark with a cross | Wikipedia.org | 2017.10.27 |
Colophon | n. | A publisher's emblm or imprint | kolophōn (Greek) summit | Thesaurus.com | 2017.10.26 |
Unlimber | v. | To unpack or unfasten and so make ready | (English) to free (a gun) from its limber | JR, William Gaddis | 2017.10.25 |
Taka (৳ or Tk) |
n. | The basic monetary unit of Bangladesh, equal to 100 poisha | ṭākā (Bengali) | Bengali interpreter, ZD | 2017.10.22 |
Pteric | adj. | Of, relating to, or resembling a wing | pteron (Greek) wing, feather | Wordiest | 2017.10.20 |
Lemel | n. | Metal filings | limer (French) to file | Andrew Berry, goldsmith | 2017.10.17 |
Bort | n. | A low-quality diamond used for industrial and manufacturing purposes | brot (Old English) fragment | Wordiest | 2017.10.17 |