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Herein is a complete list of "wwftd"s dating from ca. 1987 to
present. This started as a "word for the day up on the blackboard"
sort of thing and has degenerated into its current form; irregular
distribution to a mail list via e-mail... and now this.
Copyright © 1995-2020 -- Michael A. Fischer
wwftd email
A B
C D E
F G H
I J K
L M N
O P Q
R S T
U V
W X
Y Z
-
gaberlunzie
-
[origin unknown] /gab er LUN zie/
-
Scot. a strolling beggar, peddler or tinker
-
gadarene
-
[from the demon-possessed Gadarene swine that rushed into the sea (Matthew
8:28)]
-
headlong, precipitate Gadarene poets - T. E. Lawrence
-
gadzookery
-
Brit. the use of archaisms (as in a historical novel)
-
gafty
-
Cheshire dialect sly; tricky; cunning; not to be trusted;
mischievous {Joseph Wright's Eng. Dialect Dict.}
-
galeanthropy
-
the delusion that one is a cat
-
galericulate
- [fr. L. galea, helmet] covered as with a hat
-
galgenhumor
-
[G., Galgenhumor] /GAL gen hyu mor/ gallows-humor
-
galimatias
-
nonsensical talk; gibberish; gobbledygook
-
galliard
-
archaic 1) gay, lively 2) stouthearted
-
galliardise
-
[fr. F. galliard] (or galliardize) /GAL yeh(r)
dize/
-
archaic exuberant merriment, (extreme) gaiety
-
gallimaufry
-
[F. galimafrée] medley, jumble
-
gallionic
-
[characteristic of Gallio, a Roman proconsul whose refusal to take action
is recorded in Acts xviii. 17]
-
usu. capitalized : marked by indifference or easygoing carelessness
of irresponsibility
-
galluptious
-
wonderful, delightful, delicious [also galoptious, and perhaps best,
goluptuous after voluptuous]
-
galumph
-
to move with a clumsy heavy tread -- coined by Lewis Carroll
-
gamboge
-
[fr. N.L. gambogium] /gam boje/
-
1) an orange to brown gum resin that becomes bright yellow when powdered,
used by artists as a yellow pigment and in medicine as a cathartic
-
2) a strong yellow that is redder and less strong than yolk yellow or light
chrome yellow
-
gambrinous
-
being full of beer
-
gamine
-
a homeless girl: urchin
-
gammer
-
a rustic title for an old woman, corresponding to gaffer
for a man (regarded as a corruption of grandmother)
-
gammerstang
-
Brit. a tall, awkward person, usually a woman
-
gamophobia
-
an extreme fear of marriage
-
ganch
-
to execute by impaling on stakes or hooks
-
gangue
-
[fr. F., < G. Gang, vein of metal] /gan/ (var.:
gang)
-
the worthless rock or earthy matter in a mineral deposit
-
gaposis
-
a gap between buttoned buttons or closed snaps on a garment
-
garboil
-
a confused disordered state: turmoil
-
She's dead, my queen: Look here, and at thy sovereign leisure read the
garboils she awaked; at the last, best: see when and where she died.
- Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra
-
garbology
-
the study of society or culture by examining or analyzing its refuse
-
garderobe
-
[fr. F. garderobe, < garde-r, to keep + robe]
/GA(r)D robe/
-
now only Hist. properly, a locked-up wardrobe (or its contents);
by extension, a private room, a bed-chamber; a privy, built into or extending
out from a wall
-
gardyloo
-
Scot. used as a warning cry when throwing slops from the window
into the street
-
garniture
-
embellishment, trimming; a set of decorative objects
-
gasbaggery
-
a nonce-word which refers to garrulous politicians
-
gasconade
-
boasting, bravado
-
gasogene
-
[F. gazogène, from gaz, gas + o-gene] a late Victorian
device for producing carbonated water
-
gastrolith
- [gastro-, stomach + -lith, related to stone]
- a stone or pebble ingested by an animal to aid in food processing or buoyancy
-
gastropub
-
[fr. gastro- in gastronomic, etc. + pub]
-
Brit. a public house which specializes in serving high-quality
food (as opposed to pub-grub)
-
gaudiloquent
-
[fr. L. gaudium, joy + -loquus, speaking] obs. rare
speaking with joy or happiness
-
gavage
-
[F.] /ga VAZH/ introduction of material into the stomach by a
tube: forced-feeding (as of poultry or infants)
-
gaydar
- [portmanteau of gay + radar] slang the supposed ability to discern whether a person is homosexual, at a glance
-
gazump
-
Brit./Austral. to unfairly acquire a property by bidding more
than an offer that has already been accepted
-
gazunder
-
UK colloq. to arbitrarily reduce the offered price for a property,
esp. near the date of exchange of contracts; cf. gazump (from gazump
+ under)
-
geck
-
an object of scorn; a dupe
-
gegenschein
-
[G., counter-glow] /GAY gen shine/
-
the 'opposition effect,' a diffuse, faint light sometimes visible almost
directly opposite the sun in the night sky, thought to be sunlight reflected
by dust particles in the atmosphere - best seen in September and October
-
geis
-
[Irish] /gesh?/ (also gaysh, geas; pl. geasa)
-
Irish folklore a solemn injunction, prohibition, or taboo; a
moral obligation
-
gelastic
-
[fr. Gk gelastos, laughable] /juh LAS tik/ serving the
function of laughter, risible
-
gelid
-
extremely cold: icy
-
gemebund
-
[L. gemebundus] /JEM eh bund/ inkhorn term, rare
groaning; sighing
-
gemeinschaft
-
a spontaneous social relationship characterized by strong reciprocal bonds
of sentiment and kinship within a common tradition
-
gemelliparous
-
/gem el LIP ah rous/ [from L. gemellus, twin + parere,
to produce]
-
rare producing twins
-
gemutlich
-
[G.] agreeably pleasant: comfortable
-
gemütlichkeit
-
[G., fr. gemütlich, congenial] /geh MOOT lik kite/ cordiality,
warm friendliness
-
genethlialogy
-
[Gk genethlialogía, casting of destinies] /jeh neth lee
OL uh jee/
-
the science of calculating positions of the heavenly bodies on nativities;
the act or art of casting nativities; astrology
-
hence, genethlialogic
-
genizah
-
[Heb., hiding place < ganaz, to hide] /geh NEE zah/ (also
geniza)
-
a repository for Hebrew documents and sacred books that are no longer in
use, e.g. because they are old and worn, but must not be destroyed
-
geocacher
- [see next] one who participate in geocaching
-
geocaching
- [blend of geo + cache]
a type of scavenger hunt in which participants are given the geographical coordinates of a cache of items, which they then locate using GPS navigation; hence, geocacher
-
geomancy
-
[ad. L. geomantia, a. late Gk geomanteia]
-
divination by means of signs derived from the earth; hence, usually, divination
by means of lines or figures formed by a series of random dots
-
geophagous
- [fr. geo-, of earth + -phagia, eating] earth-eating
-
gephyrophobia
-
[fr. Gk gephyra, bridge + phobos, fear] an abnormal and
persistent fear of crossing bridges
-
gephyrophobiac
-
someone who fears crossing bridges
-
gerascophobia
-
a morbid, irrational fear of, or aversion to, growing old
-
gerful
- [fr. gere (a wild or changeful mood) + -ful]
obs. changeful; wild, wayward
-
gerontic
-
[fr. Gk geront-, old man + -ic] of or relating to decadence
or old age gerontic nursing
-
gesellschaft
-
a rationally developed mechanistic type of social relationship characterized
by impersonally contracted associations between persons
-
gest
-
a tale of adventures, esp: a romance in verse; adventure, exploit
-
gezorgenplatz
- nonsense word a random thingname
(various spellings)
-
gharnao
-
a raft made of inverted ceramic pots
-
ghastful
-
1) full of fear, timid, scared
-
2) dreadful, frightful, terrible 3) ghastly
-
ghost word
-
an accidental word form never in established usage; especially: one arising
from an editorial or typographical error or a mistaken pronunciation (as
phantomnation or dord)
-
giaour
-
an infidel
-
gibbet
-
a gallows
-
gigantomachize
- [fr. Gk gigantomachia, war of the giants against the gods]
- obs. to rise in revolt against one's betters
-
gilderoy
-
Newf. dial. /GIL de roy/ a proud person
-
gilflurt
- [see also flirt-gills, Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet]
- obs a proud minks, a vain capricious woman
{Grose's 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue}
-
gillie
-
Scot. a professional fishing and hunting guide (also ghillie)
-
gilravage
-
[origin unknown]
-
chiefly Scot. to practice intemperate eating and drinking; to
be noisy and boisterous in merrymaking
-
girouette
-
[F] a rooster-shaped weather vane
-
glabella
-
the space between the eyebrows, just above the nose
-
glabrous
-
smooth, esp: having a surface without hairs or projections
-
glaikit
- [ME (Scot) glaikit] chiefly Scottish foolish, giddy, thoughtless
-
glandaceous
-
[from L. gland-, the fruit of the oak] yellowish-brown :
acorn-colored
-
glaver
-
[fr. M. Eng. glaveren] obs. to talk in a deceitfully
kind or pleasant manner: flatter
-
gleek
-
to joke or jest, to gibe
-
gleg
-
Scot. quick, sharp
-
glisk
-
[origin unknown] chiefly Scot.
-
1) a glimpse 2) a gleam or glimmer 3) a brief moment: instant
-
gloppen
-
[fr. ON glupna, to be downcast] Brit. dialect surprise, shock, astonish
-
glossator
-
[fr. L. glossare, to gloss]
-
1) one that makes textual glosses; a commentator; spec. one of the
mediæval commentators on the texts of Civil and Canon Law
-
2) a compiler of a glossary
-
glossatorial
-
of the nature of glosses
-
glossolalia
-
speaking in tongues
-
glossomachicall
-
[as if f. Gk. glossomachos, f. glosso, tongue + -machos,
fighting]
-
obs. nonce-word given to wordy strife
-
glottogonic
-
[see next] /glot oh GON ik/ relating to the origin of language
-
glottogony
-
[fr. Gk glossa, tongue + gonikos, of the seed] /glo TOG uh nee/
-
the study of the (putative) origin of language
-
glurge
-
improbable stories with moralistic undertones, intended to tug at your
heartstrings; coating a kernel of an idea with a saccharine layer of deception
to make the inspiration that much easier to swallow
-
glutinous
-
[fr. L. glutinosus < gluten, glue] /GLOOT (e)n us/
-
of the nature of or resembling glue; sticky
-
glutless
-
[fr. glut, satiate + -less] nonce-word insatiable
-
glyptic
-
the art or process of carving or engraving esp on gems
-
gnatho
- [fr. L. Gnatho, a parasite in Terrence's play, The Eunuch]
- a person resembling the Gnatho of Terence; a parasite, sycophant
-
gnathonic
-
[see previous] obsequious, toadying, parasitical, flattering and deceitful
-
gnathonize
-
obs. rare to act the sycophant; to play the smell-feast, to
flatter {Blount, 1656}
-
gnome
-
[fr. Gk. gnome, thought, judgement, opinion]
-
a short pithy statement of a general truth; a proverb, maxim, aphorism, or
apophthegm
-
gnome
-
[fr. L. gnomus]
-
1) an ageless and often deformed dwarf who lives in the earth and usu. guards
treasure
-
2) an elemental being (in the theory of Paracelsus) that inhabits the earth
-
gnomon
-
an object that by the length of it shadow indicates the hour of the day
-
gobemouche
-
[F., flycatcher] a credulous person; esp. one who believes everything he
hears
-
gobsmacked
-
[prob. from Irish/Gaelic gob, mouth + smack; literally, smacked in the mouth]
-
UK slang flabbergasted, astounded; speechless or incoherent
with amazement
-
goditorium
-
[after auditorium] slang a church, perhaps a huge and
gaudy one
-
goety
-
[fr. Gk goeteia] /GO ed y/ archaic witchcraft
or magic performed by the invocation and employment of evil spirts; necromancy
-
golem
-
artificial man endowed with life
-
gombeen
-
Irish usury; chiefly used attrib. as
gombeen-man, a money-lender, usurer
-
gomeral
-
Brit. dialect a half-wit; dunce, fool
-
gonfalon
-
a flag that hangs from a crosspiece or frame
-
gongoozler
-
[perhaps from Lincolnshire dial. gawn + gooze] Brit. slang or
dial. originally, an idler who stares at length at activity on
a canal; hence, an idle spectator
-
goniometer
-
an instrument for measuring angles; direction finder
-
gonkulator
-
[gonk + calculator] /GON kyoo lay tur/
-
1) a pretentious piece of equipment that actually serves no useful purpose
-
2) a word used in place of an actual technical term for a mechanical device
-
google
-
[a play on the word googol, reflecting the immense amount of information
to be found on the web] to search the web with a standard search
engine such as Google® or Yahoo!
-
googol
-
the figure 1 followed by 100 zeroes (10 raised to the hundredth power)
-
googolplex
-
the figure 1 followed by a googol of zeroes (10 raised to the googol power)
-
goombah
-
[fr. It. dial. compare, gumbare : literally, godfather]
-
1) a close friend or associate - esp. among Italian- American men
-
2) mafioso; broadly: gangster 3) a macho Italian-American man
-
goop
- [arbitrary formation] slang (orig. U.S.) a stupid or fatuous person
-
gorbellied
-
corpulent
-
gorgeosity
-
[a blend of gorgeous + generosity (?)] an abundance (generosity) of
gorgeousness
-
gorgonize
-
stupefy, petrify
-
gork
-
medical slang a patient with unknown ailments (god
only really knows)
-
gormless
-
Brit. stupid, brainless
-
gormlessness
-
[gormless + -ness] the state of lacking intelligence; foolishness
-
gormster
-
[related to gormless < gorm, gaum, gome : understanding]
-
someone of little sense or discernment, a fool
-
goropism
-
[eponymous] Leibniz coined the term (after Goropius Becanus, who tried
to prove that Dutch was the Ur Sprache of all languages) to characterize
the practice of basing historical linguistic relationships on absurd etymologies
-
gowpen
-
/GAU pen/ Scot. a double handful
-
A hanfu' o' trade is worth a gowpen o' gold. - old Scottish proverb
-
gracile
-
[L. gracilis] /GRAS ul/ or /GRAS ile/
-
1) gracefully slender 2) graceful
-
gralloch
-
[fr. Sc. Gaelic grealach, entrails] UK to remove
the offal from (a deer) also transf.
-
gramarye
-
/GRAM er eye/ occult learning, magic, necromancy
-
grammaticaster
-
[med. L. f grammatic-us + -aster, expressing incomplete resemablance]
/gram MAT i CAS ter/
-
contemptuous a petty grammarian; a pretentious grammatical pedant
-
grammatolatry
-
[fr. Gk grammato- + Eng. -latry, worship of or fanatical devotion
to] /GRAM eh TAL eh tree/
-
the worship of letters or words; fig. concern for the letter with
disregard for the spirit cf.
epeolatry
-
grandiloquence
-
lofty or pompous eloquence: bombast
-
grandiloquent
-
characterized by lofty or pompous eloquence: bombastic
-
grandiloquism
-
[fr. L. grandiloqu-us + -ism] the practice of using bombastic
language
-
granfalloon
-
any large bureaucratic figment of people's imagination
-
(sing along with Bokonon:)
-
If you wish to study a granfalloon,
-
Just remove the skin of a toy balloon.
-
- Kurt Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle
-
grangerism
-
[fr. James Granger who published a 'Biographical History of England', with
blank leaves for the reception of engraved portraits or other pictorial
illustrations of the text.]
-
the practice of illustrating a book with engravings, prints, etc. cut from
other books
-
grangerize
-
to illustrate a book with engravings, prints, etc. cut from other books
-
granitic
-
[fr. granite] having unyielding firmness or austere inflexibility
-
grannyism
-
[granny + -ism] (also old-grannyism) a characteristic or mannerism
of an old woman
-
graphospasm
-
writer's cramp
-
grassation
-
[fr. L. grassari to go about, attack, rage against]
-
obs. an act of attacking violently; a lying in wait to attack
-
gratulate
-
archaic congratulate
-
graunch
-
[imitative, compare crunch]
-
UK dial. to make a crunching or grinding sound (also graunchy)
-
graunching
- Brit. crunching, grinding
-
graupel
-
granular snow pellets
-
graustark
-
1) an imaginary place of high romance
-
2) a highly romantic piece of writing
-
gravamen
-
the material part of a complaint
-
gravaminous
-
obs. grievous, annoying, distressing
-
gravedinous
-
[ad. L. gravedinosus, fr. gravedo, heaviness]
-
obs. rare drowsy, heavy-headed {in Bailey}; hence, perhaps,
gravedinously
-
graveolent
-
rank smelling, fetid
-
gravitas
-
high seriousness
-
gregarian
-
[fr. L. gregarius < grex flock, herd] obs.,
rare belonging to the herd or common sort; common
(cf. gregarious)
-
gregarization
-
[fr. L. gregaria, the gregarious phase of locusts] the swarming
of locusts
-
gregger
-
Hebrew (also gragger, grogger) a rattle noisemaker {A
Popular Dict. of Jadaism}
-
gregicide
-
[fr. L. grex flock, crowd + -cide (after regicide)]
-
nonce-wd. involving the slaughter of the common people
-
gremial
-
of or relating to the lap or bosom
-
greyhoundy
-
[gray + hound + -y] resembling a greyhound dog in appearance
-
gribble
-
a small crustaceon which destroys submerged timber
-
gridironic
-
[fr. gridiron, after ironic] related to the game of (American) football
[suitable for ironic usage]
-
grimalkin
-
a cat; esp: an old female cat
-
grimgribber
-
a lawyer; also, technical jargon, as in legal matters
-
grimoire
-
a magician's manual for invoking demons and spirits of the dead
-
grimpen
-
[unknown origin] a marshy area (?)
-
grimthorpe
-
Brit. to remodel or restore an old building without proper grounding
or knowledge of its authentic character or without exercising care to remain
faithful to its original quality and uniqueness
-
grinagog
-
a perpetual grinner
-
grith
-
[fr. Old Norse gridh : domicile, asylum]
-
obs. exc. Hist. protection or sanctuary provided by Old English
law to persons in certain circumstances
-
grivoiserie
-
[F.] lewd and lascivious behavior
-
groak
-
one who stands around while others eat, in hopes he will be asked to join
-
grobian
-
a crude, slovenly person; a lout
-
grockle
-
[origin uncertain] Brit. dialect, mildly disparaging
-
holiday-maker or tourist (esp. in southwest England); a summer visitor
-
grosz
-
[Polish] 1/100 of a zloty
-
grotendous
- [portmanteau (coined by Neal Stephenson)]
neologism grotesque, horrendous
-
grotendously
- see previous
-
grotty
-
wretchedly shabby; of a poor quality
-
growlery
-
a retreat for times of ill humor
-
This, you must know, is the growlery. When I am out of humour, I come
and growl here. -- Dickens, Bleak House
-
grue
-
[Scot., akin to OHG ingruen, to shiver, shudder] /gru/
-
[v] to shiver or shudder especially with fear or cold [n] 1) a shiver
2) a gruesome quality or effect
-
grum
-
glum, morose
-
grumbletonian
- [fr. grumble, after Grindletonian (a British sect)] a discontented person; a grumbler
-
gruntle
-
[by back-formation fr. disgruntle] to put in good humor [originally,
to grumble, complain (or grunt)]
-
gruntled
-
[see previous] satisfied, pleased
-
gry
-
[fr. Gk gru grunt of a pig; dirt under the nail]
-
obs. anything of little value, as the paring of the nails {Johnson,
1805}
-
guano
-
[Sp., fr. Quechua huanu dung] seafowl (or bat) excrement used
as fertilizer
-
gubbins
-
Brit. a collection of unimportant objects
-
gubernate
-
[fr. L. guberno, to steer/govern] obs. rare to
govern; hence, gubernation (and gubernatorial)
-
gubernatiion
-
now rare the act of governing: governance
-
guddle
-
[prob. imitative] /GUD ul/ hence, guddling
-
1) to grope for fish in their lurking places
-
2) chiefly Scot. to feel one's way with or as if with the hands:
grope
-
gudget
-
[perhaps related to F. goujat, an army valet; a soldier's boy]
Scot., obs. a camp-follower; hence, a person of menial
or low type
-
guerdon
-
[Middle F.] /GER dun/
-
something that one has earned or gained: reward, recompense
-
guetapens
- [F. guet-apens, < MF, de guet apens, with premeditation]
- ambush, snare, trap a trick to lure him into some guetapens
-
guffin
- [of unknown origin] Brit. dial. and slang a stupid, clumsy person
-
guidwillie
-
Scot. cordial, cheering
-
gulosity
-
greediness
-
gulous
-
[fr. L. gula - gullet, gluttony] obs. rare gluttonous
-
gump
-
a complete nitwit
-
gumpheon
-
Scot. a funeral banner
-
gunge
-
[of uncertain origin; perh. associated with goo, grunge, gunk, etc.]
-
Brit. slang any messy or clogging substance, esp. one considered
otherwise unidentifiable; also, general rubbish, clutter, filth
-
gunkhole
-
a slimy bay or anchorage
-
gurning
-
making funny, ugly or scary faces
-
gurry
-
the parts left over after cleaning fish
-
gutterblood
-
Scot. 1) a low-bred person; one of the rabble
-
2) someone brought up one's immediate neighborhood, who is on equal footing
as to their station
-
guttle
-
to eat greedily
-
gyascutis
-
a large imaginary four-legged beast with legs on one side longer than on
the other for walking on hillsides
-
gymnosophist
-
one of a sect of naked ascetics of ancient India
-
gynecocracy
-
political supremacy of women
-
gynotikolobomassophilia
-
a proclivity for nibbling on women's earlobes
-
gyre
-
to move in a circle or spiral
-
gyrovague
-
a monk who was in the habit of wandering from monastery to monastery
-
haboob
-
[Arab. habub, blowing furiously] /ha BOOB/
-
a hot, violent wind which
causes duststorms
or sandstorms, esp. of the Sahara in Sudan
-
habromania
-
[fr. Gk Habros, graceful, + mania, insanity]
-
Psych. a morbid impulse toward gaity
-
habromanic
-
euphoric
-
hackbut
-
harquebus; a matchlock gun invented in the 15th century
-
hackette
-
[hack + -ette] a jocular or disparaging term for a female journalist
-
hadal
-
of, relating to or being parts of the ocean below 6000 meters
-
hadeharia
-
constant use of the word 'hell'
-
hadiwist
-
[had-I-wist; from (archaic) wit, to know; akin to Latin videre, to
see]
-
obs. the awareness that, if only one had known, one must have
acted otherwise; a vain regret, or the heedlessness or loss of opportunity
which leads to it
-
haecceity
-
[from L. haec, this] /hek-SEE-ih-ty/
-
Scholastic Philos. that which gives something its unique quality:
thisness (compare quiddity, whatness)
-
haggersnash
-
[Sc. term applied to tart language {Jamieson}]
-
Scot. dialect a spiteful person
-
hagiography
-
biography of saints; idealizing or idolizing biography
-
hagiophobia
-
the fear of saints or holy things
-
hagriding
- [hag + ride, cf. hagridden] archaic tormenting
-
hagseed
-
the offspring of a hag
-
ha-ha
-
[fr. F. haha, an expression of surprise] a ditch with a retaining
wall used to divide lands without defacing a landscape:
sunk
fence
-
haka
-
[Maori] /HA kuh/
-
a Maori ceremonial war dance involving chanting, a version of which is performed
by New Zealand rugby teams before a match
-
halal
-
[fr. Arab. halal, lawful] to kill an animal in the manner prescribed
by Muslim law; hence, lawful food; also attrib. and as adj.
-
halation
-
a spreading of light beyond its proper boundaries
-
halcyon
-
golden, peaceful, happy, prosperous
-
halieutics
-
the art or practice of fishing
-
halitotic
-
[fr. L. halitus, breath] /HAL uh TOT ic/? (characterized
by) having bad breath
-
hallux
-
the big toe
-
hamartia
-
tragic flaw
-
hamartiologist
-
jocular? an expert on the subject of sin
-
hamartiology
-
a part of theology treating the doctrine of sin
-
hand-ahin
-
the back, left-hand horse of a plow team [cf.
furrahin]
-
handsel
-
1) a gift made as a token of good wishes or luck especially at the beginning
of a new year
-
2) something received first (as in a day of trading) and taken to be a token
of good luck
-
3 a) a first installment: earnest money b) earnest, foretaste
-
hangashore
- [hang + ashore] Newf. dial a lazy person (a fisherman who doesn't fish)
-
hantu
-
[Malay.] an evil spirit, a ghost
-
hapax legomenon
-
[Gk, something said only once] a word evidenced by a single citation
-
haplography
-
[fr. Gk haplo- single + -graphy writing] /hap LOG ruh fee/
-
the inadvertent omission of a repeated letter(s) in writing (e.g. writing
philogy for philology) compare haplology, for pronunciation
-
haplology
-
the contraction of a word by the omission of one or more similar sounds or
syllables (as in mineralogy for mineralology or prob-ly for probably)
-
haptic
-
relating to the sense of touch
-
harbouration
-
Cheshire dial. a collection (of unpleasant things?)
-
hardscrabble
-
1) being or relating to a piece of barren or barely arable soil
-
2) marked by poverty
-
harridan
-
an ill-tempered scolding woman: shrew
-
hart
-
the male of the red deer esp when over five years old; stag
-
haruspex
-
an inspector of entrails
-
haruspicy
-
[fr. L. Haruspex, the title of a lower order of priests who performed
the act] /huh RUS puh see/
-
divination from the entrails of sacrificial animals (see
extispicy])
-
haver
-
[origin unknown]
-
chiefly Brit. to hem and haw: stall for time (as by useless
talk)
-
Scot. to talk foolishly; babble Tom havered on
-
havering
-
stalling for time she was exasperated by all this havering
-
hebdomad
-
a group of seven; a week
-
hebetate
-
to make dull or obtuse
-
hebetation
-
[ad. L. hebetare, fr. hebes: dull] /heh buh TAY shun/
(see also: hebetude)
-
the state of being dull; lethargy; stupidity
-
Aphrodite--sitting graveolent in her royal hebetation, surrounded by all
her holouries... - John Gardner
-
hebetude
-
lethargy, dullness
-
hecatomb
-
[fr. L. hecatombe < Gk hekatombe] /HEK uh tome/ (or
-tum)
-
1) an ancient Greek and Roman sacrifice consisting typically of 100 oxen
or cattle transf. and fig.: 2) the sacrifice or slaughter of
many victims 3) a large number or quantity
-
hector
-
to intimidate or harass by bluster or personal pressure
-
hederated
-
[fr. L. hederatus] /HED ur ated/
-
adorned or crowned with ivy
-
hedgehoggy
-
[hedgehog + -y] archaic having a prickly nature, of a
forbidding appearance or manner; tending to arouse aversion
-
hedgehogginess
-
see previous
-
hedonics
-
the doctrine of pleasure; that part of ethics which treats of pleasure
-
hedonometer
-
an apparatus for measuring pleasure
-
hegemon
-
[fr. Gk. hegemon, leader] /HEJ uh mon/
-
one that exercises hegemony; a leading or dominant power
-
hegemony
-
[Gk hegemonia, fr. hegemon leader, fr. hegeisthai to
lead] /hi JE muh ne/
-
preponderant influence or authority over others: domination
-
hegira
-
a journey esp when undertaken to escape from a dangerous or undesirable
situation; exodus
-
heidyin
-
usu. in the phrase 'high heidyins' /hi heed yins/
-
Scot. (high) head one(s)
-
heisenbug
-
[after Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle]
-
Programming jargon a software bug that alters its behavior or
disappears when you try to isolate it or examine it (compare
schroedinbug)
-
helliferocious
-
[blend of hellacious + ferocious] Hist: hellaciously ferocious
-
helluation
-
[fr. L. helluari, to gormandize] obs. rare 'A devouring
gluttony' {Blount}
-
hemidemisemiquaver
-
a 1/64 note in music [see also
demisemiquaver]
-
hemipygic
-
[fr. Gk hemi- half + pyg, buttocks + -ic] jocular
nonce-word having only one buttock (or, half-assed)
-
hendecasyllabic
-
[(n), a] (a verse or poem) consisting of eleven syllables
-
hendiadys
-
[L., one through two] /hen DIE uh dis/
-
the expression of an idea by the use of two words connected by conjunction
which normally would be expressed by an adjective and a substantive; e.g.,
grace and favor instead of gracious favor
-
henotheism
-
worship of one god, without denying the existence of others
-
henotic
-
[fr. the G. word for unification] promoting harmony or peace, unifying;
irenic cf. henotheism
-
heresiarch
-
[L.L. haeresiarcha, from L.Gk hairesiarches] /huh REE
zee ark/
-
the founder of a heresy or the leader of a heretical sect
-
hermeneutical
-
of or relating to hermeneutics: interpretive (also hermeneutic)
-
hermeneutics
-
the study of the methodological principles of interpretation (as of the Bible)
-
hermetic
-
[fr. Hermes Trismegistus] 1) mysterious, occult; recondite 2) sealed airtight
-
herpetical
-
[fr. Gk herpein, to creep] /her PED ik al/
-
1) of the nature of herpes 2) rare related to serpents
-
herpetological
- [fr. Gk herpeto, a creeping thing] relating to the study of reptiles and amphibians
-
hesitude
-
[fr. L. haes- (< haerere, to hold fast) + -tude]
obs. rare doubtfulness
-
hesternal
-
[fr. hesternus, of yesterday] pertaining to yesterday
-
hesternopothia
-
[fr. L. hesternus + pother(?), mental tumult] jocular
a pathological yearning for the good old days
-
hesychastic
-
soothing, calming, as some ancient Greek music
-
[fr. the Hesychasts, fourteenth century Eastern mystics who contemplated
their navels, seeing therein the Divine Light]
-
heteroclite
-
[F. < Gk. heteroklitos, different form] /HE-tuh-ruh-klite/
-
[adj] 1) irregular or abnormal; anomalous 2) Gram. irregular
in inflection
-
[n] 1) a person or thing that deviates from the ordinary rule or form;
fig., a maverick 2) Gram. a word irregularly inflected
-
heteroclitical
- [F. hétéroclite] deviating from the ordinary rule; irregular, abnormal
-
heterological
-
non-self-descriptive (used by Hofstadter to describe words such as monosyllabic
and long)
-
heterozetesis
-
ignoratio elenchi
-
heuristic
-
of or relating to exploratory problem-solving methods that utilize self-educating
techniques to improve performance
-
hexaemeron
-
the (biblical) six days of creation
-
hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia
-
[fr. Gk hexa^kosioi-, six hundred + hexekonta-, sixty +
hex, six + -phobia]
-
fear of the number six-hundred and sixty-six hence,
hexakosioihexekontahexaphobiac
-
hexerei
-
[Pennsylvania German, fr. G. Hexe, witch] /hek seh RYE/
witchcraft
-
hibernaculum
-
[L. hibernaculum, winter residence < hibernare]
-
1) obs. a greenhouse for wintering plants
-
2) a shelter occupied in winter by a dormant animal
-
hiccius doctius
-
/HICK shius DOCK shius/ a slang word for a juggler; one that plays
fast and loose
-
hiemal
-
[fr. L. hiems, winter] /HYE uh mul/
-
now rare characteristic of or relating to winter; wintry (see
also hibernal, brumal)
-
hilasmic
-
[fr. the Gk word for propitiation] rare propitiatory
-
himation
-
rectangular garment draped over left shoulder and wrapped around the body
(ancient Greece)
-
hinky
-
[of uncertain origin] US informal
-
1) dishonest or suspect he knew the guy was hinky
-
2) unreliable my brakes are a little hinky
-
hipped
-
[fr. hypochondria, by shortening and alt.] /hipt/
-
1) marked by worry, depression, or hypochondria
-
2) absorbed to an extreme or unreasonable degree: obsessed (usu. used with
on)
-
hircine
-
characteristic of a goat, esp its odor
-
hircismus
-
having smelly armpits
-
hircosity
-
[fr. L. hircus, billy goat, thus by extension from that legendary
aspect of a goat's character] goatishness, lewdness
-
hirdum dirdum
-
Brit. dial. an uproar (cf. dirdum)
-
hirple
-
Scot. to walk lamely (rhymes with purple)
-
hirsute
-
roughly hairy, esp. coarse pubic hair
-
hirsutulous
-
see next
-
hirtellous
-
[fr. L. hirtus : rough, hairy + -ellus (diminutive suffix)] /hur
TEL us/ (also hirsutulous)
-
finely hirsute thickened hirtellous leaves
-
hirudinal
-
[fr. L. hirudinem, leech] obs. of or pertaining
to a leech
-
historicity
-
[prob. fr. F. historicité, < L. historicus]
-
1) the quality or state of being historic esp. as opposed to ficticious
or legendary
-
2) a condition of being placed in the stream of history; also: a result of
such placement
-
hobson-jobson
-
/HOB sun JOB sun/ 1) a glossary of colloquial Anglo-Indian words and
phrases
-
2) the alteration of a word or phrase borrowed from a foreign language to
accord more closely with the orthoepy and orthography of the borrowing language;
as in English hoosegow from Spanish juzgado, or British
plonk from French vin blanc
-
Hobson's choice
-
the option of taking the one thing offered or nothing [after Thomas Hobson
(1544-1630), English keeper of a livery stable, from his requirement that
customers take either the horse nearest the stable door or none]
-
(also, rhyming slang for voice)
-
hoddypeak
-
[fr. hoddy-dod, a shell-snail + peak] obs. a fool, simpleton,
blockhead
-
hodiernal
-
[fr. L. hodiernus] /ho di UR nal/ of or belonging to the
present day cf. diurnal
-
hoggerel
-
Brit. a young sheep
-
hogg-night
-
Scot. Hogmanay
-
It is still the custom in parts of Scotland for persons to go from door to
door on New Year's Eve asking in rude rhymes for snacks or money (hog meaning
a piece of money, is any silver coin - sixpence, shilling, or five-shilling).
-
Hogmanay
-
Scot. New Year's Eve
-
hogshead
-
a large cask measuring 54 gallons
-
hoick
-
[prob. alt. of hike] to move or pull abruptly: yank
-
holophrasis
-
expression of a complex of ideas in a single word
-
holour
-
obs. - Chaucer a
whoremonger
-
holouries
-
fornicators and debauchees, usually female
-
Aphrodite -- sitting graveolent in her royal
hebetation, surrounded by all her holouries
-
- John Gardner, Jason and Medeia
-
holus-bolus
-
[prob. reduplication of bolus, a large pill] /HO lus BO lus/
-
all at once: altogether
-
homeopape
-
[coined by P. K. Dick, prob. fr. homeo-, similar + pape, paper]
-
a futuristic (hardcopy) newspaper that has been filtered such that you see
only the news which interests you
-
homiletics
- [fr. Gk homiletos, conversation]
- plural but singular in construction the art of preaching
-
hominist
-
someone who advocates equal rights for men
-
honeyfuggle
-
[fr. honey + fugle] (also -fugle, -fackle, -fogle)
-
U.S. colloq. a) to dupe, deceive, swindle b) to obtain by cheating
or deception
-
honorificabilitudinitatibus
-
[fr. med. L. honorificabilitudinitas, honorableness (roughly)]
-
with honorableness; also honorificabilitudinity
-
hoodoo
-
U.S., of African origin
-
1) a body of practices of sympathetic magic traditional esp. among blacks
in the southern U.S.: voodoo
-
2) a natural column of rock in western No. America, formed usu. by differential
weathering; an earth-pillar, often in fantastic form
-
3) something that brings bad luck
-
hookem-snivey
-
[fr. earlier hook and snivey, prob. fr. hook (to steal)]
-
NE U.S. (orig. Brit.) petty; deceitful, sneaky (Brit. sp. is
often hookum-snivey)
-
hoon
-
[origin unknown, but perhaps a blend of hooligan and goon]
-
Austral./NZ slang 1) a lout or hooligan
-
2) someone, esp. a young man, who drives fast and recklessly
-
3) an act of driving fast and recklessly
-
also, [v.] to drive fast and recklessly; so, hooning
-
hooplehead
-
[origin uncertain, but see
Quinion]
a foolish, ridiculous or worthless person
-
hoopty
-
(or hoopty ride) slang any undesirable or less-than-ideal
mode of transportation; a beat up old car, of the sort you see in
Shaft movies
-
moving quickly rolling swiftly in da hoopty ride
-
hornswoggle
-
colloq. to get the better of; to cheat or swindle; to hoodwink,
humbug, bamboozle
-
horologist
-
[fr. horology, concerned with measuring time + -ist] /huh RAL uh just/
-
a person skilled in the practice or theory of horology; a maker of clocks
or watches
-
horology
-
[fr. Gk hora, hour + Eng. -logy] the science of measuring time
-
horrent
-
[fr. L. horrere to stand on end, bristle] /HOR unt/
-
archaic 1) bristled 2) bristling
-
horripilation
-
the erection of the hair of the head or body from fear or cold
-
horrisonant
-
[fr. L. horrere + sonant] sounding horribly; of terrible
sound; also horrisonous
-
hors de combat
-
[F.] out of combat; disabled
-
hortatory
-
giving exhortation; advisory
-
hosel
-
a socket in the head of a golf club into which the shaft is inserted
-
houghmagandy
-
fornication
-
Houstonize
-
[after Texan Sam Houston] eponym to beat someone up, esp.
a Congressman
-
howdah
-
a seat or covered pavilion on the back of an elephant or camel
-
howff
-
Scot. haunt, resort
-
hoyden
-
woman of saucy, boisterous or carefree behavior
-
huckery
-
[fr. huckster, or origin unknown]
-
1) obs. ME the business of a huckster {OED2}
-
2) NZ slang ugly {Collins Eng. Dict. 5th Ed.}; often used to
describe a woman or moll {Partridge}
-
huderon
-
Scot.(?) obs. lazy {or slovenly, according to Jamieson}
-
huffduff
-
[fr. HFDF, initials for high frequency direction finder]
-
a device for determining the direction of shortwave radio signals, enabling
their source to be located when bearings are obtained by two or more such
devices
-
hugger-mugger
-
1) disorderly confusion; muddle 2) secrecy; concealment
-
humbucker
-
music an electric guitar pickup that has a pair of coils of
reverse polarity connected in series, so as to "buck the hum" (also known
as 'humbucking pickups')
-
humbuggery
-
deception
-
humdudgeon
-
Scot. 1) a loud complaint or noise 2) an imaginary pain
or illness
-
humectant
-
[see next] [(n) adj] (a substance) promoting the retention
of moisture (ad. L.)
-
humectation
-
[fr. L. (h)umecto, to moisten] /hyu mek TAY shun/
-
archaic the act or process of moistening or wetting; irrigation;
the condition of being moistened or wet
-
humicubation
-
[fr. L. humi, on the ground + cubare, to lie down] /hyu
mik yoo BAY shun/
-
obs., rare lying on the ground, especially in penitence or
humiliation
-
humuhumunukunukuapuaa
-
a small Hawaiian fish
-
hwyl
-
/HU il/ Welsh an emotional quality which inspires and
sustains impassioned eloquence; also, the fervor of emotion characteristic
of Welsh gatherings
-
hylotheism
-
the doctrine equating god to matter, or the universe
-
hymeneal
-
[fr. L. hymenaeus wedding song, wedding] archaic
nuptial
-
hyperbole
-
/hi PER buh lee/ extravagant exaggeration
-
hyperbolic
-
/hi per BAH lik/ of, relating to, or marked by hyperbole
-
hyperborean
-
related to the extreme northern regions, frozen
-
hypercorrect
-
of, relating to, or marked by hypercorrection
-
hypercorrection
-
a linguistic construction or pronunciation produced by mistaken analogy with
standard usage out of a desire to be correct, such as "open widely" or "on
behalf of my wife and I"
-
hypercritical
- [fr. hyper- + critical < L. critic-us]
- extremely or unduly critical; addicted to excessive
adverse criticism, esp. upon minute or trivial points
-
hypergol
-
any hypergolic agent
-
hypergolic
-
[fr. hyper-, extreme + Gk ergon, work] /hi per GAH lik/
-
applied to two substances which spontaneously ignite or explode on contact
-
hyperhedonia
-
[fr. hyper-, above + Gk hedone, pleasure] feeling abnormally
great pleasure from a humdrum act
-
hypermiling
-
[coined in 2004 by Wayne Gerdes]
-
attempting to maximize gas mileage by making fuel-conserving adjustments
to one's car and one's driving techniques
-
hypersnickety
-
[hyper- + snickety : fussy, pernickety] /HY per SNIK iti/?
-
nonce-word excessively over-particular
-
hyperthymia
-
[hyper- + Gk thymos soul, spirit]
-
Psych. euphoria; excessive emotionalism (medically, considered
a mild form of hypomania)
-
hyperurbanism
-
use of hypercorrect forms in language; also: such a form
-
hypnagogic
-
[F. hypnagogique, fr. Gk hupnos, sleep + agogos, leading]
/hip neh GAH jik/ (also hypnogogic)
-
1) sleep-inducing 2) of, relating to, or associated with the drowsiness
preceding sleep (opposed to hypnopompic)
-
hypnopompic
-
[hypno- + Gk pompe, a sending away] /hip neh POM pik/
-
associated with the semiconsciousness preceding waking
-
hypobulia
-
deficiency of will power
-
hypocorism
-
(use of) a pet name or nickname
-
hypophobia
-
lack of fear
-
hypostasis
-
/hi PAHS ta sis/
-
the substance or essential nature (of a person); an underlying principle
-
anger is just the hypostasis of drama, the digest of drama
-
hypotyposis
-
[Gk hypotyposis sketch, outline] /hy po ty PO sus/ a vivid
picturesque description
-
hysteron proteron
-
figure of speech consisting of the reversal of a natural/rational order;
-
e.g., then came the thunder and the lightning
-
icarian
-
1) flying beyond a safe height
-
2) unable to execute an ambitious project
-
ichnology
-
[from Gk ichnos, footprint + -ology]
-
that part of palæontology which treats of fossil footprints, or other
traces
-
ichor
-
an ethereal fluid taking the place of blood in the veins of the Greek gods
-
ichthus
-
(also ichthys) a representation of a fish used in ancient times as a pagan
fertility talisman or amulet, or as a Christian symbol for the Greek word
ichthys interpreted as an acrostic; in
modern usage
you often see the symbol on the back of cars
-
ichthyolatry
-
the worship of fish
-
ichthyologist
-
[fr. Gk ichthys, fish + -ologist] a zoologist who studies fishes
-
ichthyology
-
the study of fishes
-
ichthyomancy
-
fortunetelling with fish offal
-
ichthyophagous
-
[fr. Gk ikhthus, a fish, plus phagein, to eat + -ous] /ik
thE OFF uh gus/ feeding on fish
-
iconodule
-
Eccl. Hist. one who worships or serves images (opposed to
iconoclast) also, iconodulist
-
iconoduly
-
the worship of images
-
icosahedron
-
[Gk eikosaedron] /eye kO suh HEE drun/ a polyhedron having
20 plane faces:
link
-
ictus
-
recurring stress/accent in a rhythmic/metrical series of sounds; a mark
indicating the syllable on which stress/accent occurs
-
ides
-
in the ancient Roman calendar, the eighth day after the nones, i.e. the 15th
of March, May, July, October, and the 13th of the other months
-
idioglossia
-
see next
-
idiolalia
-
[NL fr. idio-, private + -lalia, speech]
-
an idiosyncratic language, one invented and spoken by only one or a very
few people; often the private language of twins: idioglossia
-
idiopathic
-
from an unknown cause
-
idioticon
-
[fr. Gk idiotikos] /id e OT ikon/ a dictionary of a dialect
-
idiotism
-
[(1) fr. L. idiotismus, common or vulgar manner of speaking (2)
idiot + -ism]
-
1) obs. a peculiarity of phrase: idiom
-
2) archaic a lack of knowledge: ignorance; idiocy
-
iggry
-
[Representing Egyptian colloq. Arab. pronunc. of ijri, imper. of
jara, to run.] also iggri
-
int. Hurry up! also as n. in phrase to get an iggri on
-
ignis fatuus
-
[L., foolish fire] deceptive goal or hope; light from marsh gas
-
ignominy
-
1) deep personal humiliation and disgrace
-
2) disgraceful or dishonorable conduct, quality or action
-
ignoratio elenchi
-
[L., ignorance of proof] the fallacy of ignoring the point in question
and arguing the wrong point
-
ignotarian
-
a person who avoids or limits the acquisition of (new) information
(compare infovore)
-
ignotism
-
[fr. L. ignot-us, unknown + -ism] obs. a mistake
due to ignorance
-
ignotum per ignotius
-
[L.] the unknown (explained) by means of the more unknown: an annoyingly
obscure explanation
-
ikebana
-
the Japanese art of formal flower arrangement
-
illaqueable
-
[fr. L. laqueare, to snare] capable of being ensnared
-
illaqueate
-
[fr. L. illaqueare, to trick] /eh LAK wee ayt/
archaic to entangle, entrap, ensnare
-
illaqueation
-
[see previous] /i lak wi A shon/
-
obs. the act of entangling in a snare; esp. an entangling argument
-
illation
-
[L.] 1) the act of inferring or drawing conclusions
-
2) a conclusion drawn; a deduction (also called illative)
-
illecebrous
-
[fr. L. f. illicere, to entice] inkhorn term alluring,
enticing, attractive
-
illeism
-
[fr. L. ille : he, that one, that + Eng. -ism] /IL e ism/
-
orig. a nonce word of Coleridge, until jerked into current usage in referring
to pop icons, such as certain sports figures, who became illeists
-
excessive use of third person pronoun, esp. in reference to oneself; by
extension, referring to oneself by name; hence illeist, one who does
this
-
illth
-
being poor or miserable (the opposite of wealth)
-
illuminati
-
people claiming to be unusually enlightened with regard to a subject
-
imbonity
-
[fr. L. imbonitas < im- + bonitas, goodness] /im BON
i tee/
-
obs. rare the absence of good qualities, want of goodness
-
imborsation
-
[ad. It. imborsazione] /im bur SAY shun/
-
an Italian mode of election in which the names of the candidates were put
into a bag to be drawn by lot
-
imbrication
-
an overlapping of edges (as of tiles)
-
immane
-
[fr. L immanis brutal, frightful, enormous] huge; monstrous
in character
-
immanent
-
[fr. L. immanere, to remain] inherent; subjective
(not to be confused with imminent)
-
immanentize
- [fr. L. immanere + -ize] to make immanent, to bring about
-
immanitous
-
nonce-word (Louis de Bernieres) monstrous in size or strength;
immane
-
immelmann
-
a turn in which an airplane in flight is first made to complete half of a
loop and is then rolled half of a complete turn
-
immorigerous
-
[fr. im-, not + L. morigerus, compliant] obs. obstinate,
disobedient; rude, uncivil
-
imparlibidinous
-
[impar, unequal + libidinous] /im PAHR li BID i nus/
(nonce/inkhorn term?)
-
very rare relating to an unequal state of desire between two
people
-
impavid
-
fearless; undaunted
-
impeccant
-
[fr. in- + L. peccare, to sin] without sin; faultless
-
impercipience
-
lack of perception
-
imperdible
-
incapable of being destroyed or lost: indestructible, impregnable
-
imperscrutable
-
obs. not capable of being searched out; inscrutable
-
impignorate
-
[fr. L. pignerare, to pledge] obs.
-
[v] to place in pawn; to pledge or mortgage [pple] pledged, pawned,
mortgaged
-
impigrity
-
[fr. im- + L. piger slow, dull, sluggish] obs. rare
quickness; diligence
-
impinguate
-
/im PING gwate/ obs. to make fat; to fatten
-
imprecation
-
the act of cursing; to invoke evil upon
-
imprescriptible
-
[F.] not subject to prescription: inalienable; also, absolute
-
imprimatur
-
official license to print; sanction, approval
-
impudicity
-
immodesty, shamelessness
-
impuissant
-
powerless
-
impulregafize
-
[Urquhart's word, evidently coined to one-up Rebelais, who coined
emburelucocquer for the nonce]
-
nonce-word to strain(?)
-
inadequation
-
[in- + L. adaequare] archaic want of equivalence
or exact correspondence
-
inamorata
-
a woman with whom one is in love or has intimate relations
-
inamorato
-
a male lover
-
inanition
-
lethargy
-
incalescence
-
a growing warm or ardent
-
incarnadine
-
flesh-colored; red, esp: blood red
-
inchoate
-
being only partly in existence, esp: imperfectly formed or formulated
-
incicurable
-
[fr. L. cicurare, to tame + in-] that cannot be tamed
-
incogitable
-
[fr. L. incogitabilis, unthinking, unthinkable]
-
impossible to accept or believe: unthinkable, inconceivable
-
incogitancy
-
[fr. L. incogitantia] /in COG i tan cy/
-
obs. lack of thought or of the power of thinking: thoughtlessness
-
incompossible
-
[ad. L. incompossibilis] /in kom POS sih bel/
-
now rare not possible together; wholly incompatible or inconsistent;
hence, incompossibility
-
inconcinnity
-
lack of suitability or congruity: inelegance
-
incondite
-
[fr. L. in- + condere, put together]
-
badly put together: crude incondite prose
-
inconsonance
-
[fr. inconsonant, after consonance] lack of harmony: disagreement
-
incrassate(d)
-
[fr. L. incrassare to fatten, make thick] /in CRAS sate/
-
Botany, Zool. thickened or swollen (inspissated)
-
incubus
-
an evil spirit that lies on [women] in their sleep; a nightmare
-
incunabulum
-
1) a book printed from movable type before 1501
-
2) artifact of an earlier age
-
indagate
-
to search into; investigate
-
indehiscent
-
[in- + L. dehiscent, opening wide] /in di HIS uhnt/
-
Botany not splitting open at maturity: indehiscent fruit;
hence, indehiscence
-
indevirginate
-
unsullied (not devirginate)
-
indigeneity
-
[indigenous + -eity, quality or condition] /IN di jeh NAE ity (?)/
-
the quality of being indigenous or native: indigenousness
-
indign
-
[fr. L. indignus, not worthy] /in DINE/
-
1) archaic unworthy, undeserving 2) obs.
shameful, disgraceful
-
indite
-
[fr. ME enditen] (also endite)
-
a) make up, compose (indite a poem)
-
b) to give literary or formal expression to
-
c) to put down in writing (indite a message)
-
(a and b give more thought to the wording than the actual writing)
-
indocible
-
[ad. late L. indocibilis] /in DOS i ble/
-
archaic incapable of being taught: unteachable; hence:
indocibility, indocibleness
-
indocile
-
[fr. L. indocilis] /in DOS ile/ unwilling to be taught
or disciplined: intractable
-
mustang, n. An indocile horse of the western plains. - Ambrose Bierce
-
indurate
-
[fr. L. indurare] /IN duh rate/
-
[v] 1) to harden 2) to inure 3) to make callous
-
[a] hardened; obstinate cf. obdurate
-
ineffable
-
unspeakable, indescribable (see also
inenarrable, below)
-
ineluctable
-
inevitable
-
inenarrable
-
incapable of being narrated; indescribable
-
inerrancy
-
exemption from error: infallibility
-
inexpugnable
-
[fr. L. in- + expugnabilis, capable of being overthrown]
/in-ik-SPUG-nuh-bul/
-
impregnable, unassailable, invincible
-
inexpungible
-
[fr. L. in- + expungere, to cancel, obliterate]
/in-ik-SPUN-juh-bul/
-
ineffaceable, indestructible
-
infandous
-
too horrible to mention, unspeakably awful
-
infarction
-
medical necrosis
-
infibulation
-
the act of fastening with ring, clasp or stitches to prevent sexual intercourse
-
inficete
-
[fr. L. inficetus] rare unfacetious; not
witty; dull, unfunny, deadly serious, humorless
-
infixation
-
the act of inserting (as a sound or a letter) as an infix
-
influencive
-
[fr. L. influens + -ive, due to Coleridge] rare
influential
-
infonesia
-
[blend of information and amnesia] cf.
internesia
-
informal the inability to remember where one saw a piece of
information
-
infovore
-
[info- + L. vorus, devouring] /IN fo vore/
-
(introduced as a scientific term by neuroscientists Irving Biederman and
Edward Vessel, after carnivore, omnivore, etc.)
-
a person who indulges in and desires information gathering and interpretation
-
infracaninophile
-
a person who champions or favors the underdog
-
infralapsarian
-
pertaining to the doctrine of infralapsarianism (opposed to supralapsarian)
-
infralapsarianism
-
[fr. L. infra, later than + lapsus, fall]
-
a doctrine holding the view that God's election of some to everlasting life
came after his prescience of the Fall of man, or that it contemplated
man as already fallen, and was thus a remedial measure (opposed to
supralapsarianism)
-
infrendiate
-
[fr. L. infrendere] obs. rare to gnash the teeth
-
infucation
-
the act of painting the face
-
infundibular
-
having the form of a funnel or cone
-
ingeminate
-
[fr. L. ingeminare; to redouble, repeat] to repeat, reiterate
(a word, statement, etc.), usually for the purpose of being emphatic or
impressive
-
ingenuous
-
showing innocent or childlike simplicity and candidness; lacking craft or
subtlety
-
ingravescence
-
[see next] a worsening or increase in severity
-
ingravescent
-
[L., to become worse] /in gra VES ent/ Medical
growing worse or more severe; also transf.
-
ingressant
-
[prob. borrowed from Sp. by Auden] nonce-word entering,
ingoing
-
inimical
-
hostile; unfriendly; harmful, adverse
-
inimicitious
-
[fr. L. inimicitia, unfriendliness, enmity] /in im ih SIH
shuss/ obs. inimical
-
iniquitous
-
characterized by gross injustice or wickedness; vicious
-
inkhorn
-
ostentatiously learned: pedantic
-
innubilious
-
cloudless
-
innumeracy
- [after such pairs as illiterate : illiteracy]
- marked by ignorance of mathematics and the scientific approach: mathematical illiteracy
-
innumerate
- [see previous] mathematically illiterate
-
inquorate
-
[quorate + in-] not attended by a quorum
-
insalubrious
-
not conducive to health; unwholesome
-
insanable
- [fr. L. insanabilis < sano, to heal]
obs. that cannot be healed or remedied; incurable
-
insapory
- [fr. L. sapor, taste]
obs. rare tasteless, unsavory
-
inscient
- [in- + L. scire, to know]
- 1) now rare lacking knowledge; nescient, ignorant 2) rare having inward knowledge or insight
-
insipience
-
a lack of intelligence
-
inspissate
-
to condense, thicken
-
instauration
-
[fr. L. instaurare to renew, restore]
-
1) renovation, restoration 2) obs. an act of starting
or establishing something
-
insuavity
- [fr. L. insuavitas < in- + suavis, sweet] rare unpleasantness; surliness
-
insufflate
-
to blow on or into; to disseminate by blowing
-
intemerate
-
[fr. in- + L. temerare, to violate] pure, unspoiled
-
intenerate
-
[ad. L. tener, tender] now rare to make tender,
soften (lit. and fig.)
-
interaulic
-
[fr. inter- + L. aula : hall, court] /in TER au lik/
-
nonce-word 'Existing between royal courts' {Webster, 1864}
-
intercalate
-
to insert (as a day) in a calendar
-
interlacustrine
-
situated between lakes
-
internecion
-
[fr. L. internecare + -ion] /in ter NESH un/
-
rare (mutual) destruction, slaughter, massacre
-
internesia
-
[blend of internet + amnesia] cf.
infonesia
-
informal the inability to remember either the location of or
information contained on a web site
-
interpellate
-
to question formally concerning an official action or policy or personal
conduct
-
interregnum
-
the time during which a throne is vacant between two reigns; a lapse in a
continuous series
-
interrobang
-
a punctuation mark {?!} designed for use esp. at the end of an exclamatory
rhetorical question
-
interstice
-
a gap or break in something generally continuous
-
intertwingularity
-
a term coined by Ted Nelson to express the complexity of interrelations in
human knowledge
-
intervenient
-
[fr. L. intervenire, to intervene]
-
1) coming in incidentally or extraneously 2) intervening 3)
intermediary
-
intrigante
-
[F. < intriguer, to intrigue] /in trE gahnt/
-
a woman who intrigues; a busybody (also intriguante)
-
intrinsicate
-
[app. fr. It. intrinsecato, familiar, confused in sense with
intricato, intricate]
-
obs. intricate, involved, entangled
-
introuvable
-
[F., incapable of being found] /a[n] tru va bl[eh]/
-
[adj] immpossible to find; specif. of books (also as noun)
-
pamphlets, all now almost introuvable -- Times Lit. Suppl.
-
introvenient
-
[fr. L. introvenire, to come in] obs. rare coming
in
-
inusitate
-
/in YEW si tate/ obs. rare unwonted, unusual, out of use,
unfamiliar
-
invigilate
-
1) to keep watch; esp. Brit to supervise students at an examination
-
2) supervise, monitor
-
invigilator
-
chiefly Brit. someone who watches examination candidates to
prevent cheating; proctor (U.S.)
-
inwit
-
[ME., in + wit] obs. (used as conscious archaism by modern
writers)
-
1) conscience 2) reason, intellect, understanding; wisdom
(cf. agenbite of inwit)
-
ipsedixitism
-
an arbitrary or dogmatic argument; hence ipsedixitist, a dogmatic
person
-
ipseity
-
[from L. ipse, self, himself] individual identity: selfhood
-
iracund
-
easily angered
-
iracundulous
- [fr. L. iracundus, inclined to anger] nonce-wd irascible; passionate
-
irenic
-
[fr. Gk irene, peace] (also eirenic Brit)
-
conducive to or working toward peace, moderation or conciliation
-
irenology
-
the study or science of peace; compare
polemology
-
iridology
-
[a. Gk. irido, comb. form of iris, + -logy]
-
in alternative medicine, the study of the iris as a basis for diagnosis
-
irony
-
primary use the use of words to express something other than
and esp. the opposite of the literal meaning
-
irpe
-
[origin unknown] a fantastic grimace, or contortion of the body(?)
-
irredentism
-
advocating return of what is now foreign land to the former occupants
-
irrefragable
-
1) impossible to refute: irrefutable
-
2) impossible to break
-
irrefrangible
-
inviolable
-
irregardless
-
non-standard regardless
-
irreption
-
[fr. L. irreptus] /eh REP shun/ creeping or stealing in,
stealthy entrance
-
the irreption of pseudoclassical plurals in technical language
-
irreptitious
-
characterized by creeping in, esp. into a text
-
irresolution
-
vacillation
-
irrisible
-
[fr. L. irredere, to laugh at] obs. rare worthy
of derision; ridiculous
-
(but one 'modern' dictionary defines irrisible as 'not risible'; go figure.)
-
irrisory
-
[L. irrisorius < irridere, to laugh at] /ih RIZ eh
ree/ rare mocking, derisive
-
irruption
-
1) a forcible or violent rush; a breaking in
-
2) of a natural population: a sudden upsurge in numbers
-
3) eruption
-
iscariotic
-
traitorous, treacherous
-
isepiptesis
-
[(NL, from is- + epi- + Gk. ptesis, flight] /eye sep e(p) TEE
sis/
-
rare a line on a map or chart connecting localitites reached
at one date by different individuals of a species of migratory bird (an
isochronal line)
-
ithyphallic
-
obscene; lewd; indecent; salacious; lustful
-
izzard
-
zed
journey on
Copyright © 1995-2020 -- Michael A. Fischer
"You try spell-checking this stuff!"
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