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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
-
macarism
-
[Makarism.. is a transliteration of the Greek word meaning 'blessing'
(cf. Rom. 4:6, 9; Gal. 4:15) - Richard N. Soulen, ed., Handbook
of Biblical Criticism]
-
Theol. a beatitude; also gen. (rare) : joy in
another's happiness
-
macaronic
-
1) characterized by a mixture of vernacular words with Latin words
-
2) characterized by a mixture of two languages
-
macaronicism
-
macaronic in style
-
macerate
- [fr. L. macerare to soften, steep]
- 1) to cause to waste away, esp. by fasting
2) to soften by or as if by steeping in a liquid
-
machicotage
-
[F.] /ma shi KO tazh/
-
the embellishment of the solo part of plain song by the insertion of ornaments
between the authentic tones
-
macquereau
-
pimp, procurer
-
macrologist
-
a dull conversationalist, usually met at dinners and parties
-
macrology
-
long and tedious talk; prolonged discourse without ideas; superfluity of
words
-
macroscian
-
[fr. Gk makros, long + skia, shadow] /muh KRASH iun/
-
[adj.] having a long shadow [n] a person whose shadow is long, specif.
an inhabitant of the polar regions
-
macrotous
-
having great big ears
-
macroverbumsciolist
-
nonce word 1) a person who is ignorant
of large words
-
2) a person who pretends to know a word, then secretly refers to a dictionary
-
maculate
-
[fr. L. maculatus] archaic or literary 1) marked
with spots: blotched 2) besmirched, defiled, impure
-
maenad
-
a woman participant in orgiastic Dionysian rites
-
maffick
-
to celebrate with boisterous rejoicing
-
mafflard
-
[fr. maffle, to mumble or stammer + -ard] /MAFF lard/
obs. a stammering or blundering fool
-
maffle
-
Brit. dial. to speak indistinctly: mumble, stammer; to cause
to become confused or bewildered
-
magiric
-
[fr. Gk magiros(?), cook] obs. rare of or relating
to cookery; the art of cooking
-
magniloquence
-
[fr. L. magniloquus] /mag NI lo kwents/ the quality or
state of being magniloquent: speaking in or characterized by a high-flown
often bombastic style or manner
-
magnisonant
-
high-sounding
-
maieutic
-
relating to or resembling the Socratic method of eliciting new ideas from
another
-
majuscule
-
[fr. L. majusculus, rather large] /MA jus kyul/ compare
minuscule
-
[n] a large (capital) letter [adj] uppercase; so, majuscular
-
makeweight
- [make + weight]
- 1) something added on a scale to make a desired weight
- 2) an unimportant person or thing thrown in to fill a gap
- 3) a counterweight; a counterbalance
-
malacissation
-
obs. rare the act of making soft or supple
-
malapert
-
impudently bold: saucy
-
malapropos
-
in an inappropriate or inopportune way
-
malebolge
-
[It., from the eighth circle of Dante's Inferno, Malebolge f. L.
malus, evil + bogia, valley] /mal eh BOLGE/
-
literary a pool of filth; a hellish place or condition
-
malefic
- [fr. L. maleficus, wicked]
-
1) having an unfavorable or malignant influence: baleful
-
2) malicious
-
maleficate
- [fr. L. maleficare, to enchant] obs., rare to exert a baleful influence on; to bewitch
-
maleficiate
- [fr. L. maleficiare, to bewitch] obs. bewitched
-
malism
-
the belief that the world is evil
-
malison
-
[fr. LL. malediction-] curse, malediction
-
malkin
-
Brit. 1) an untidy woman: slattern; 2) cat; hare
-
mallemaroking
-
the carousing of seamen on board Greenland whaling ships
-
malnoia
-
[fr. mal- : ill, wrong + Gk nous, mind] /mal NOI ah/
-
a vague feeling of mental discomfort
-
malversation
-
corruption in an office, trust or commission; corrupt administration
-
mameluke
-
[fr. Arabic mamluk, slave] /MAM uh look/
-
1) usu. cap. a member of an Arabic military class, originally
composed of slaves
-
2) lowercase (in Muslim countries) a slave
-
mammothrept
-
rare a child brought up (and spoiled) by its grandmother
-
mancinism
-
the condition of being left-handed
-
Manichaean
-
characterized by a belief in religious or philosophical dualism
-
manqué
-
[F.] /ma{n}kay/ short of or frustrated in the fulfillment of
one's aspirations or talents (a poet manqué)
-
manso
-
[prob. fr. Vulgar Latin mansus, tame]
-
[n] a meek, tame, or cowardly person or animal, esp. a tame
or timid bull
-
[adj] of a bull: tame, timid, lacking in aggression
-
mansuetude
-
[fr. L. mansuetus, tame] the quality or state of being gentle:
meekness, tameness
-
mantic
-
prophetic
-
manticratic
-
[fr. Gk mantisi, prophet + -cratic] (found only in
Lawrence)
-
of the rule by the prophet's family or clan
-
manumission
-
the act of manumitting; freeing from slavery
-
manxome
-
a nonsense word invented by Lewis Carroll to describe the Jabberwock: (perhaps)
fearsome, monstrous; (or) related to the Manx cat
-
maquette
-
[F. fr. It. macchietta, little sketch] /ma KET/
-
a sculptor's small preliminary model or sketch; a model of a room or building
-
marabout
-
[F. fr. Port. marabuto < Arabic murabit posted, stationed]
/MAR uh boo(t)/
-
a Muslim hermit or saint, esp. in northern Africa; a dervish monk
believed to have supernatural power
-
marc
-
[F. fr. marchier, to trample] /mark/
-
1) the pulpy residue left after a fruit has been pressed
-
2) brandy made from the residue of wine grapes after pressing
-
maritodespotism
-
[fr. L. maritus, husband + despotism] /MAR i toh DES puh tiz'm/
-
ruthless, tyrannical domination by a husband (see also
uxorodespotism)
-
maritorious
-
[humorously fr. L. maritus, husband] nonce-word fond
of one's husband
-
dames maritorious ne'er were meritorious
-
marmalize
-
[origin uncertain; perhaps fr. marmalade, after pulverize]
-
Brit. slang (also marmalise) to thrash; to crush or destroy;
also fig.: to defeat decisively
-
marmoreal
-
[fr. L. marmoreus < marmor, marble] /mar MOR ee ul/
-
resembling marble, as in smoothness, whiteness, or hardness
-
marplot
-
one who frustrates or ruins a plan or undertaking by his meddling
-
masculinist
-
an advocate of men's rights, opp. feminist; cf.
hominist
-
mastigophorer
-
obs. a fellow worthy to be whipped
-
mataeology
-
needless or foolish conversation
-
mataeotechny
-
obs. an unprofitable art or science (from Greek roots meaning
vain art)
-
matelot
-
[F.] /MAT low/ British sailor
-
materteral
-
suggestive of an aunt; cf. avuncular
-
mathesis
-
[Gk., action of learning] archaic mental discipline; learning
or science, esp. mathematics
-
matinal
- [fr. L. matutinus, of the morning] pertaining to the matins (morning prayers); see also matutinal
-
matriotism
-
nonce-word love of one's mother country or of one's alma mater
-
mattoid
-
[fr. It. matto, mad + -oid, resembling] /MAD oid/
-
[adj] semi-insane [n] a semi-insane person; a borderline psychopath
-
matutinal
-
[fr. L. matutinus, early] /mat yoo TI nul/ relating to
or occurring in the morning
-
matutolagnia
-
antemeridian sexual desire
-
matutolypea
-
getting up on the wrong side of the bed
-
maudle
-
[back-formation fr. maudlin] obs. rare to make
maudlin; to talk in a maudlin manner
-
mauger
-
[adj] dial. thin, emaciated
-
[n] obs. ill will: spite
-
[prep] archaic in spite of; notwithstanding
-
maunder
-
grumble (Brit); to wander slowly and idly; to speak indistinctly or
disconnectedly
-
maundy
-
1) the celebration of washing the feet of the poor (on Maundy Thursday)
-
2) alms distributed in connection with this celebration
-
3) obs. feast
-
mazuma
-
[Yiddish] money, cash
-
medicaster
-
a medical quack
-
megalonisus
-
[fr. Gk megalo- great, exagerrated + L. nisus, striving]
/meg ah LON ih sus/?
-
very rare a tendency to exaggerate(?) {Mrs. Byrne}
-
megalophonous
-
[fr. Gk megalophonos, loud-voiced]
-
rare of imposing sound; clamourous
-
megatherial
-
resembling the megatherium; fig., ponderous unwieldy (the megatherium
is an extinct, giant slothlike creature)
-
megrim
-
migraine, vertigo; whim, pl.: low spirits
-
meiotic
-
deliberately understated
-
meleagrine
-
[fr. L. (ad Gk. meleagris,a guinea fowl] /mel e A grine/
-
belonging to a genus of American gallinaceous birds; pertaining to or like
a turkey
-
meliorism
-
the belief that the world tends to become better and that humans can aid
its betterment
-
melisma
-
see next
-
melismatic
-
[fr. Gk melisma, a song or tune]
-
Music relating to, or being a melisma, the style of singing
several notes to one syllable of text (cf. Gregorian chant)
-
melomaniac
-
an abnormally dedicated musical fan
-
meme
-
[fr. Gk mimema; shortening of mimeme]
-
an idea which spreads (coined by Richard Dawkins, in The Selfish Gene)
-
memorous
-
[fr. L. memorosus memorable, mindful] obs. rare
memorable
-
menckenian
-
characterized by vitriolic social criticism (in the style of H.L. Mencken)
-
mendaciloquence
-
[fr. L. mendacium, falsehood + -iloquent, speaking] lying as
a fine art; adroit prevarication
-
mendaciloquent
-
obs. rare skillful or artful at telling lies
-
mendacious
-
given to or characterized by deception or falsehood or divergence from absolute
truth
-
mendacious tales of his adventures
-
menhir
-
a single upright rude monolith of usually prehistoric origin
-
menology
-
a calendar of the feastdays of saints and martyrs (see also
feria)
-
mensch
-
[Yiddish, a human being] a person of integrity and honor
-
menstruum
-
[Med. L., literally., menses] a substance that dissolves
a solid or holds it in suspension: solvent
-
menticide
-
[fr. L. ment-, mens; mind + cidium, killing]
-
the undermining or destruction of a person's mind or will, esp. by systematic
means such as mental and physical torture, extensive interrogation, suggestion,
training, and narcotics: brainwashing
-
mentimutation
-
[fr. L. mens, mind + mutation] /men ti myoo TAY tion/
obs. rare a change of mind
-
the exceedingly rare mentimutations of a major league umpire - David
Grambs
-
mephitic
-
foul-smelling
-
meracious
-
[L. meracus, fr. merus pure, unmixed] /meh RAY shus/
-
obs. rare pure, unadulturated; hence, strong, racy
-
merdivorous
-
[fr. L. merda, dung + -ivorous] dung-eating
-
meretricious
-
[fr. L. meretrix - a prostitute]
-
1) of or relating to a prostitute : having the nature of prostitution
meretricious relationship
-
2) tawdrily and falsely attractive meretricious trash; pretentious
-
merry-andrew
-
one who entertains people by means of antics and buffoonery; a clown; properly
(in early use), a mountebank's assistant
-
meshugaas
-
[Yiddish] /mish eh GOSS/ lit. insanity, madness; usu.
used in a lighter vein
-
mesonoxian
-
[fr. Gk meso-, middle + L. nox, night] /mezz uh NOCK
see un/?
-
obs. rare of or belonging to midnight {Cockeram}
-
mesopygion
-
[fr. Gk meso-, middle + pyge, the rump] rare the
cleavage of the buttocks
-
metagrobolize
-
to puzzle or mystify
-
metagrobologist
-
one who does or makes puzzles
-
metamorphosable
-
rare (after F.) that is able or liable to change form
-
metanalysis
-
[fr. meta- + analysis] /me teh NA leh ses/
-
a reanalysis of the division between sounds or words resulting in different
constituents (as in the development of an apron from a napron)
-
metastasize
-
[fr. NL metastasis] //
-
Pathol. to spread to other parts of the body by metastasis;
in extended use, to change form or matter; to transform
-
metempsychosis
-
passing of the soul into another body
-
metemptosis
-
[fr. Gk meta- + emptosis, falling] /met emp TOE sis/
-
Astron. obs. the suppression of a (leap) day in the calendar
to prevent the date of the new moon being set a day too late, or the suppression
of the bissextile day once in 134 years (the opposite to this is the proemptosis,
or the addition of a day every 330 years, and another every 2,400 years)
-
metensomatosis
-
[fr. Gk meta- + en- + somat-, soma, body + -osis]
-
the migration of a soul from body to body (to be confused with
metempsychosis)
-
metic
-
[from Gk metoikos, fr. meta, change and oikos, house]
-
an alien resident of an ancient Greek city who had some civil privileges
-
meticulosity
-
[fr. meticulous (after curious:curiosity)] /muh tik yuh LAS ud ee/
-
the quality or state of being meticulous: meticulousness
-
metonymy
-
/met ON ah me/ a figure of speech in which one word or phrase is
substituted for another with which it is closely associated, as in the use
of Washington for the United States government or of the sword
for military power
-
metromania
-
[fr. Gk metron measure, meter + -mania] (also metromanie)
excessively fond of writing verses
-
metrosexual
-
an urban male with a strong aesthetic sense who spends a great deal of time
and money on his appearance and lifestyle (aesthete, bon vivant, epicure,
sensualist)
-
mezzobrow
-
a middlebrow, in a fashionable and superior way (coined in the U.S. in the
1920s)
-
micawberish
-
characteristic of an improvident person who lives in expectation of an upturn
in his fortunes
-
mickle
-
Scot. great, much
-
microlipet
-
a very small portion(?); someone who gets worked up about trivial things:
a nitpicker
-
micrologist
-
a specialist in micrology, see following
-
micrology
-
[fr. Gk mikrologia minute discussion, frivolity] /mahy KROL
uh jee/
-
attention to petty details or distinctions; nitpicking
-
micrology
-
[fr. micro- + -logy] a science dealing with the handling and preparation
of microscopic objects for study
-
micronymy
-
[micro-, small + -onymy, method of denotation]
-
obs. nonce word the use of short terms or names in scientific
nomenclature
-
midden
-
a dust-bin; a dungheap
-
millenarian
-
1) apocalyptic
-
2) of or relating to 1000 years
-
millihelen
-
[fr. milli-, thousandth + Helen (of Troy, whose beauty supposedly
launched a thousand ships)]
-
jocular the quantity of beauty required to launch precisely
one ship
-
mim
-
Scot. and dial. affectedly shy or modest, demure; also, affecting
great moderation in eating and drinking (Jamieson)
-
miminy-piminy
-
(also niminy-piminy)
-
[adj] ridiculously delicate or over-refined; finicky
-
[n] finicky or affected compostion
-
minacious
-
[fr. L. minax, threatening] /meh NAY shus/
-
now rare meanacing, threatening: minatory
-
minatory
-
[fr. L. minari, to threaten] having a menacing quality: threatening
-
minger
-
[prob. fr. minging : stinking; foul, unpleasant]
-
Brit. slang (derogatory) an ugly or unattractive person, esp.
a woman
-
mingy
-
mean, stingy
-
mirabile dictu
-
[L., wonderful to relate] incredible
-
mirabiliary
-
[fr. L. mirabilis, marvel]
-
obs. a person who deals in marvels, a miracle-worker; a collector
of marvelous things
-
mirabilist
-
[fr. L. mirabilis, wonderful] one who works wonders; a conjuror
-
miridically
-
[fr. L. miridicus, < mirus, wonderful] obs. rare
amazingly, remarkably
-
mirific
-
[fr. L. mirare, to wonder] (also mirifical)
-
causing or working wonders: marvelous
-
mirifical
-
see previous
-
misandry
-
a hatred of men
-
misanthrope
-
one who hates or distrusts mankind
-
miscible
-
[fr. L. miscere, to mix] /MIS uh bul/
-
capable of being mixed: mixable
-
mise-en-scene
-
[F. mise en scène, putting into the scene] /meez ahn
sen/
-
narrowly, a stage setting; broadly, visual style
-
miserabilism
-
[fr. L miserabilis, miserable] /MIZ er(a) ba LIZ em/
-
a philosophy of pessimism; self-indulgent pessimism; gloomy negativity
-
mishanter
-
misadventure; misfortune; mishap
-
misocainea
-
[fr. Gk misos, hatred + kainos, new] /miso KINE eah/
-
an abnormal aversion to new things or ideas (cf.
misoneism)
-
misocapnist
-
one who hates tobacco/smoking
-
misodoctakleidist
-
someone who hates to practice the piano (of unknown origin)
-
misogamist
-
one who hates marriage
-
misogynist
-
one who hates or distrusts women
-
misology
-
a hatred of argument, reasoning or enlightenment
-
misoneism
-
a hatred, fear or intolerance of innovation or change
-
misopedia
-
a severe dislike of children, esp one's own
-
misoscopist
-
1) a hater of beauty 2) a recluse
-
misosophy
-
[fr. Gk misosophos, hating wisdom] the hatred of wisdom
-
misprision
-
[borrowed fr. F. as a legal term] /mis PRI zhun/
-
1a) neglect of an official duty b) concealing of treason or felony
by one who did not participate in the act c) seditious conduct against
the governement or courts
-
2) a mistake, or the mistaking of one thing for another
-
misprision
-
[fr. misprize] contempt, scorn; failure to appreciate or recognize
the value of something
-
misprize
-
[MF mesprisier, fr. mes- mis- + prisier, to appraise]
/mis PRIZE/
-
1) to hold in contempt: despise 2) undervalue
-
mistemious
-
[fr. mis-, bad + L. temetum, intoxicating beverage]
-
nonce-word? marked by the misuse of alcohol: drunken
-
mitch
-
see next
-
mitching
-
[fr. mitch, to pilfer; to lurk or skulk; to play truant]
-
Brit. regional skulking, lurking; playing truant
-
mithridate
- [after Mithridates VI, who is said to have acquired tolerance for poison]
- an antidote against poison
-
mithridatism
- [see previous] tolerance or immunity to a poison acquired by taking gradually larger doses of it
-
mitigate
-
[fr. L. mitigare, to soften] to make less intense or serious
or severe; appease
-
mizzle
-
1) to rain in very fine drops: drizzle
-
2) Brit. to depart suddenly:
absquatulate
-
moai
- [fr. Rapanui (the Polynesian language of Easter Island), literally: statue, figurine]
- any of the gigantic carved stone figures found on Easter Island
-
moanworthy
-
rare worthy of moans; lamentable
-
modoc
-
[origin unknown] U.S. slang, now rare (also modock)
-
a person who takes up aviation for reasons of self-promotion or social prestige;
also, a pilot who talks boastfully about flying, but rarely flies
-
moeurs
-
[F.] the behaviour, customs, or habits of a people or a group of people
-
autres temps, autres moeurs (other times, other customs)
-
mog
-
to move away; jog
-
mogigraphia
-
writing only with difficulty; writer's cramp
-
mogue
-
Brit. slang, orig. regional to deceive, fool, trick; to play
a joke on, make fun of
-
moider
-
[origin uncertain] /MOI dur/ Irish & Brit. dial.
(also moither, etc.)
-
[tv] 1) to perplex, bewilder 2) to distract, bother
-
[iv] 1) to talk incoherently: be delirious 2) to wander about
aimlessly or confusedly
-
(not to be confused with U.S. vernacular for murder)
-
moiety
-
1) one of two equal parts: half; one of two approximately equal portions
2) component, part; obs. a small portion: fraction
-
moil
-
hard work: drudgery; confusion, turmoil
-
moira
-
[Gk] individual destiny, will of the gods: fate
-
moirologist
-
[fr. Gk moira, fate] obs. rare a hired mourner
(cf. Sc. saulie)
-
(not to be confused with morologist)
-
mokita
-
[Papuan] the truth that everyone knows but no one talks about
-
mole
-
Chem. the molecular weight of a substance expressed in grams;
gram molecule
-
moliminous
-
[fr. L. molimin- + -ous] /mo LIM in us/?
-
obs. massive, cumbrous; weighty, momentous
-
molligrant
-
Scot. a wailing lamentation: complaint
-
mollitude
-
rare softness; effeminacy; weakness
-
mollock
-
[an alteration of morlock, to frolic, dance; play about, perhaps after rollick]
-
Brit. coloq. to cavort; spec. to engage in sexual play;
also fig.
-
mome
-
[n] a stupid, boring person
-
mome
-
[a factitious word introduced by Lewis Carroll]
-
nonce-word [adj] (explained by Carroll as) grave, solemn
-
momist
-
[obs. fr. Momus, the Greek god of ridicule, who for his judgments
of the gods was banished from heaven; hence a fault-finder, a captious critic
(a daughter, disciple or son of Momus is a facetious or humorously disagreeable
person; a wag, a buffoon] /MOM ist/ a fault-finder
-
mommixity
-
[(?) fr. mommuck, to bother] nonce-word? fuss, bother
-
"All this mommixity and foofaraw was compressed into a street no more than
three paces wide.." - Louis de Bernières, Birds Without Wings
-
momser
- [fr. Hebrew mamzer]
- 1) a child who is born out of wedlock; a bastard 2) slang a contemptible person, a jerk
-
mondegreen
-
the mishearing of a song lyric
-
mongo
-
[origin unknown] /MAWNG goh/ New York City dial. an
object retrieved from rubbish; a scavenger
-
monish
-
now rare, chiefly literary and archaic to admonish; to give
counsel, warning, or criticism
-
monomyth
-
[mono- single, one + myth; coined by James Joyce and borrowed by John Campbell]
-
an archetypal myth; a theme that underlies a number of superficially different
myths: the hero's journey
-
monopsony
-
[fr. mon(o)- + Gk opsonia, purchase of food] /muh NOP suh nee/
-
a market situation in which there is only one buyer
-
mook
-
an incompetant or stupid person, a gullible person; a contemptible person
(esp. with reference to low social status) cf. moke
-
mooncalf
-
simpleton, blockhead
-
moonglade
-
the track made by moonlight on water
-
mooreeffoc
-
Mooreeffoc is a fantastic word, but it could be seen written up in every
town in this land. It is Coffee-room, viewed from the inside through a glass
door, as it was seen by Dickens on a dark London day; and it was used by
Chesterton to denote the queerness of things that have become trite, when
they are seen suddenly from a new angle. - J. R. R. Tolkien, On
Fairy-stories
-
mordacious
-
[ad. L. mordax fr. mordere, to bite + Eng. -ious]
/mo(r) DAY shus/
-
1) biting or given to biting 2) biting or sharp in manner: caustic
-
mordant
-
[see previous] biting and sarcastic in manner, thought or style
-
moreish
- [more + -ish] Brit. colloq. of food or drink: that makes one want to have more
-
morganatic
-
[fr. NL matrimonium ad morganaticam; literally, marriage with morning
gift (or, that's all she got)]
-
of, relating to, or being a marriage between a member of a royal or noble
family and a person of inferior rank in which the rank of the inferior partner
remains unchanged and their children have no claim to royal possessions or
title
-
morigeration
-
obedience, compliance, obsequiousness
-
morigerous
-
[fr. L. morem gerere, to humor or comply with the wishes of a person]
also, morigerant
-
obedient, compliant, submissive
-
morologist
-
[morology + -ist < Gk moros, foolish] /moh ROHL uh jist/
-
obs. rare 1) a boring fool who speaks utter nonsense; 'a foolish talker'
{Bailey, 1727}
-
2) a student of fools or folly
-
morology
-
1) the study of foolish and nonsensical talking
-
2) deliberate nonsense or foolishness for effect
-
morosis
- [NL] idiocy; fatuity; stupidity
-
morosoph
-
[fr. Gk morosophos foolishly wise, wise fool]
-
now rare a) a wise fool, a jester b) a foolish pedant
or would-be philosopher
-
mosker
-
a person who pawns articles for more than their real value
-
motch
-
to eat little, slowly, quietly and secretly; to consume or waste imperceptibly
-
hence, motching, fond of dainties, with the idea of eating in secret;
(also) slow, quiet eating, with the idea of fondness for good living;
imperceptible use, with the notion of thriftlessness
-
mother
-
[fr. Fris. moder(?)] /muhth er/
-
dregs, sediment; scum; mold; esp. the lees or sediment of wine; the scum
rising to the surface of wine or beer (not to be confused with your mother)
-
mothery
-
[see previous] thick, moldy
-
moulage
-
an impression made for use as evidence in a criminal investigation
-
mountebank
-
1) a person who sells quack medicines from a platform
-
2) a boastful unscrupulous pretender: charlatan
-
mountweazel
-
[after Lillian Virginia Mountweazel, a fountain designer turned photographer
who never existed]
-
a bogus entry purposely inserted into a reference work: a copyright trap
-
muckle
-
Irish or N. Eng. dial. var. of mickle, great, much
-
muculent
-
[L. muculentus, sniveling < mucus]
-
slimy; moist, and moderately viscous; resembling mucus
-
mudlark
-
[fr. mud + lark]
-
1) archaic an urchin who grubs for a living along the tide flats
of the English Thames
-
2) someone who scavenges in river mud for items of value (riverside equivalent
of a beachcomber)
-
mudsill
-
1) the lowest sill of a structure, usually suspended in soil or mud
-
2) a person of the lowest stratum of society
-
muff
-
A dull, stupid person. Sir Henry Muff, one of the candidates in Dudley's
interlude, called The Rival Candidates (1774), is a stupid, blundering
dolt. - Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
-
muffish
-
[fr. colloq. muff, itself of uncertain origin, but see Brewer for
muff]
-
Brit. colloq. foolish; incompetent; clumsy
-
muffishness
-
foolishness; awkwardness
-
muffism
-
[fr. muff, an oaf + -ism] /MUF izm/
-
UK colloq. obs. the action characteristic of a muff or incompetent
person; foolishness
-
mugwump
-
a bolter from the Rep. party in 1884; a political independent
-
muliebrity
-
[fr. L. mulier, woman] the state of being a woman: womanhood;
femininity
-
mulierosity
-
[fr. L. mulierositas, excessive fondness for women]
-
obs. rare a (excessive) fondness for women; also,
mulierose : (excessively) fond of women
-
mulligrubs
-
a state of depression of spirits; a fit of megrims or spleen; in early use
in the phrase: sick of the ~; hence, jocularly stomach-ache
or colic
-
multivious
-
[L. multivius, having many ways] /mul TI vi us/
-
now rare having many ways or roads; going in many directions
-
mumchance
-
[fr. G. mummenschanze, a dice game that mummers played] /mum
chans/
-
archaic silent; unable to speak
-
mummery
-
a performance by mummers (pantomimes); a ridiculous, hypocritical or pretentious
ceremony
-
mumping
-
Brit. slang to obtain by begging or scrounging; the acceptance
of small bribes
-
mumpsimus
-
someone who obstinately clings to old ways, in spite of the clearest evidence
that s/he is wrong
-
mundicidious
-
[fr. L. mundus, world + -cidious (-cida, killer)] /mun
di SID ee us/ (cf. homicidious, also rare)
-
obs. rare likely or able to destroy the world
-
mundivagant
-
[fr. L. mundus, world + vago, to wander] /mun DIV uh
gant/
-
rare wandering through the world {Johnson, 1755}; world-wandering
-
mundungus
-
foul-smelling tobacco
-
murcid
-
[fr. L. murcidus, lazy] /MUR sid(?)/ obs. rare
slothful
-
murdermonger
-
1) rare a writer or purveyor of murder stories
-
2) a person who commits or incites murder; a professional murderer
-
murdermongeress
-
[fr. mudermonger] nonce-word a female writer of murder
mysteries
-
I repeat that one book by this murdermongeress
-
Will last you as long as the Library of Congress.
-
- Ogden Nash (writing of Agatha Christie)
-
murdrum
-
[ML] /MUR drum/ early English law, now hist.
-
1) the killing of someone in a secret manner
-
2) a fine imposed by the Crown on a manor or hundred (district) in which
such a killing had been committed (also called the
murder fine)
-
murmuration
-
[fr. L. murmuratio, muttering, grumbling]
-
1a) now chiefly literary: the act of murmuring; the uttering of low continuous
sounds or complaining noises b) Scot. obs. rumoring; the
action of spreading rumors
-
2) of starlings: a flock
-
murth
-
[origin uncertain] /murth/ also: morth, mort
-
(obs?) N. Eng. dial. a great quantity, an abundance
a murth of cold
-
musaceous
-
of, pertaining to, or resembling bananas or plantains
-
musard
-
[F., fr. muser to loiter, trifle] /MU sard/
-
obs. a dreamer; an absent-minded person
-
mussitate
-
[fr. L. mussitare, to mutter] obs. to mutter
-
mussitation
-
muttering to oneself soundlessly; murmuring
-
musteline
-
[fr. L. mustelinus, of a weasel] relating to or characteristic
of a weasel or similar fur-bearing mammals such as badger and otter
-
mutatis mutandis
-
[L.] 1) with the necessary changes having been made
-
2) with the respective differences having been considered
-
mutuatitial
-
[fr. L. mutuatio, a borrowing] /myoo choo uh TISH ul/
-
obs. rare [adj] borrowed [n] something which is borrowed
-
muzzy
-
muddled or confused in mind; lacking in clarity, dull, gloomy
-
mycterism
-
[fr. a Gk word meaning to sneer at] /MIK ter izm/ rare
a disdainful gibe or scoff
-
myrmidon
-
[fr. Gk Myrmidon, one of a legendary Thessalian people accompanying
Achilles to the Trojan War]
-
a loyal follower, esp: a subordinate who follows orders unquestioningly or
pitilessly
-
myrmidonize
-
[myrmidon + -ize] obs. rare to make hard, to harden
-
mysophobia
-
an abnormal fear of filth
-
mysterium
-
a hypothetical substance to which a galactic radio emission at 1665 megahertz
was attributed until it was identified as an exceptionally strong component
of a set of four lines emitted by the hydroxyl radical, OH
-
mythomane
-
[back-formation fr. mythomania] one who has an excessive propensity
for lying or exaggerating
-
mythomania
-
an excessive or abnormal propensity for lying and exaggerating
-
mythopoeia
-
[fr. Gk mythopoiia, the making of myths]
-
the creation of myths (cf. mythopoeic)
-
mythopoeic
-
relating to the making of myths
-
mythopoesis
-
mythopoeia
-
naff
-
Brit. slang worthless, useless; tacky, tasteless, unfashionable;
hence, naffly : in a naff manner
-
naffin
-
[origin uncertain, but see It. gnaffa, a dreary man]
-
Brit. colloq. one who is almost an idiot
-
nanometric
- [fr. nanometer, after metric]
- pertaining to a nanometer, which is a billionth
part of a meter (pretty small)
-
napiform
-
turnip shaped
-
nates
-
the buttocks
-
natiform
-
resembling the buttocks
-
naufragous
-
causing shipwrecks
-
naumachia
-
an ancient Roman spectacle representing a naval battle
-
nauscopy
-
the alleged ability to spot land or ships at sea from far away
-
nautch
-
an entertainment in India consisting chiefly of dancing by professional dancing
girls
-
neanimorphic
-
[fr. Gk neanikos, youthful] looking younger than one's years
-
neatherd
-
a herdsman
-
nebbish
-
Yiddish a timid, meek or ineffectual person
-
nebulochaotic
-
[fr. L. nebula, mist, fog + chaotic]
-
nonce-word, obs. hazily confused
-
necessarium
-
[post-classical L., privy] /NES eh SAR ium/
-
Hist. a privy, esp. in a monastery; humorous a
toilet, lavatory
-
necessitous
- [fr. necessity + -ous, after F. nécessiteux]
- 1) needy, destitute 2) urgent, pressing 3) necessary
-
necrological
-
/nek ruh LOJ uh kul/ of, relating to, or having the nature of a necrology
-
necrology
-
an obituary
-
necromancy
-
the practice of communicating with the spirits of the dead in order to predict
the future
-
necromimesis
-
feigning death; the delusion of being dead
-
nefandous
-
[fr. classical L. nefandus : wicked, impious, abominable]
-
/neh FAN dous/ archaic unspeakable, unmentionable
-
nelipot
-
[fr. Gk nelipous (nelipodos), unshod, barefooted] /NEL
i pot/
-
someone who walks about barefooted
-
nemophilist
-
rare one who is fond of forest or forest scenery; a haunter
of the woods
-
neologization
-
[fr. neologize [v] < neology [n]]
-
rare the coining of new words or phrases (coined by Th.
Jefferson)
-
neoteric
-
recent in origin: modern
-
nepenthe
-
a drug used by the ancients to give relief from pain and sorrow; hence anything
soothing and comforting
-
nephalism
-
refers to total abstinence from alcoholic drinks
-
nephelococcygia
-
[first used in the play The Birds, written in 414 B.C. by the Greek
comic poet Aristophanes, this was to be a city in the clouds; fr.
nephele, cloud + kokkyx, cuckoo] /ne fê lê
kak SI jee yê/
-
1) capitalized cloud cuckooland 2) the act of finding
shapes in clouds
-
nephologist
-
[see next] one who studies clouds
-
nephology
-
[fr. Gk nephos, cloud + -ology] /neh FOL eh jee/
-
the scientific study of clouds; the branch of meteorology that deals with
clouds
-
nescience
-
lack of knowledge or awareness: ignorance; the doctrine that nothing is truly
knowable
-
nescio
-
[classical L., cf. nescience]
-
obs., rare taken into thieve's jargon; a claim not to know:
I do not know
-
nibby
- [cf. Sc. nebby, nebbie] U.S. regional nosy, inquisitive, interfering
-
nictitate
-
to wink
-
niddering
-
[fr. a misreading of nithing in an early text] archaic
a cowardly person; a wretch [adj.] cowardly
-
nidification
-
the act, process or technique of building a nest
-
nidor
-
the savory aroma of cooked food, especially meat
-
nidus
-
1) a nest in which small animals deposit their eggs
-
2) a breeding place for germs
-
3) fig. a source or origin; a place where some quality or principle
is fostered
-
niffy
-
[fr. niff, an unpleasant smell (perhaps fr. sniff)]
-
Brit. informal having an unpleasant smell: malodorous
-
niggardly
-
stingy; scanty
-
night-foundered
-
distressed for want of knowing the way in the night
-
nihilarian
-
[fr. L. nihil, nothing + -arian, producer] /NI eh lar ian/?
-
obs. rare a person who deals with things of no importance; someone
with a meaningless job
-
nihilartikel
-
[fr. L. nihil, nothing + G. artikel] /NI hil AR ti kul/
-
a deliberately erroneous entry in a dictionary or other reference book
(cf. esquivalience, for instance)
-
nihilification
-
rare the action of setting aside or slighting
-
nihilism
-
1) the belief that existence is senseless
-
2) the belief that conditions are so bad as to make destruction desirable;
terrorism
-
nihil obstat
-
[L., nothing hinders]
-
1) certification of a book by an official censor
-
2) official approval
-
nikhedonia
-
[fr. Nike, the Greek goddess of victory + hedoné, pleasure]
the pleasure derived from anticipating success
-
nilometer
-
an instrument for measuring the height of water in the Nile during flood
-
nimiety
-
excess, redundancy
-
nimious
-
now chiefly as a Scot. legal term overmuch, excessive; inordinate
-
nimrod
-
[fr. Nimrod, a mighty hunter]
-
1) not capitalized a hunter 2) N. Amer. slang a
stupid or contemptible person; an idiot
-
nincompoopery
-
the action(s) of a fool or simpleton
-
ninnyhammer
-
[app. fr. ninny + hammer (fr. hammer-headed?)] a fool, simpleton; a
blockhead
-
nipperkin
-
[of obscure origin] rare 1) a measure or vessel of small
capacity used for liquors
-
2) Scot. the quantity of liquor that can be contained in such;
a small quantity of wine, ale or spirits
-
Nissen hut
-
[after Peter Nissen, Brit. mining engineer] a prefabricated shelter
with a semicircular arching roof of corrugated iron sheeting and a concrete
floor (cf. Quonset hut)
-
nisus
-
/NIE sus/ a mental or physical effort to attain an end: striving
-
nival
-
of or relating to a region of perennial snow
-
niveous
-
of or relating to snow, relating to snow (as in whiteness): snowy
-
nocent
-
causing injury; harmful
-
noctilucent
-
[fr. L. nox, night + lucere, to shine]
-
1) rare luminescent at night or in the dark (see next)
-
2) Meteorol. designating a cloud that appears luminescent at
night; specif. a
silvery
or bluish-white cloud occasionally seen in summer at high latitudes
-
noctilucous
-
shining at night, phosphorescent
-
noctivagant
-
wandering by night
-
noctuary
-
[fr. L. noctu, by night + Eng. -ary; after diary]
-
archaic a journal of nocturnal incidents
-
noctuolent
-
[fr. L. noctu, by night + olent, redolent of]
-
obs. rare of a flowering plant: more strongly scented at night
than during the day
-
nocuous
-
[fr. L. nucere, to harm] /NAH kyu wus/
-
harmful; noxious hence: nocuously, nocuousness
(both rare)
-
nodus
-
complication, difficulty
-
noetic
-
based on purely intellectual apprehension
-
noisome
-
noxious, unwholesome; offensive to the senses, esp: smell
-
noli me tangere
-
[L.] do not touch me
-
nolleity
-
[fr. L. nolle, be unwilling] /nol LEE ity/
-
rare unwillingness (also nolition) cf.
velleity/volition
-
nomocentrism
-
[fr. Gk nomos, law] centered in the law
-
nomothetic
-
[fr. Gk nomothetikos, of legislation] /nom uh THET ik/
relating to law; based in general laws
-
nonce-word
-
a word occurring, used, or made only once or for a special occasion
-
nonesuch
-
a person or thing without an equal
-
nooning
-
[after morning, evening]
-
1) rare midday 2) a rest taken an noon; a lunch break
3) a midday meal
-
nosism
-
[fr. L. nos, we + -ism] conceit on part of a group; use of 'we'
in speaking of oneself
-
nosocomology
-
the study of hospital management
-
nostrum
-
a panacea
-
notaphilist
-
[fr. L. nota, note + -phile] /no TAF il ist/
-
a person who studies notaphily; a collector of banknotes
-
noumenon
-
in the philosophy of Kant: an object of purely intellectual intuition: the
thing-in-itself; contrast with phenomenon
-
nouniness
-
[fr. nouny + -ness] the (excessive) use of nouns or nominal constructions;
also, (Linguistics) the state or condition of being noun-like
-
nouny
-
having or using many nouns; noun-like
-
novercal
-
[fr. L. novercalis, of or like a stepmother, hostile] /no VUR
kul/
-
now rare stepmotherly; freq. in extended use: cruel,
malicious, hostile
-
novercant
-
[see previous] obs. rare having characteristics attributed
to a stepmother; hostile
-
novio
-
[Sp.] sweetheart; lover
-
nowanights
-
[now + anight(s), at night; after nowadays] on present nights (in contrast
with the past)
-
noyade
-
[F.] /nwa YAD/
-
[n] a mass execution carried out by drowning, as practiced at Nantes in France
during the Reign of Terror; also fig
-
[v] to execute by drowning
-
nubivagant
-
[fr. classical L. nubivagus, wandering among the clouds]
-
obs. rare passing through the clouds
-
nudiustertian
-
[fr. L. nudius tertius] obs. rare of the day before
yesterday
-
nudzh
-
[Yinglish, from nudge] /nooj/ or perhaps /nooj-eh/ also nudge,
nooge
-
[n] one who persistently pesters, annoys, or complains
-
[vt] to annoy persistently; pester [vi] to complain or carp persistently
-
nugacity
-
[fr. L. nugacitas] /noo GAS i ty/
-
1) trifling, triviality, futility
-
2) a trifling or frivolous idea
-
nugatory
-
of little or no consequence; trifling , inconsequential; inoperative
-
nugiperous
-
[fr. L. nugae, nonsense or trifles] /nju DZI pur us/?
-
obs. rare given to inventing trifles
-
nullibicity
-
[fr. L. nullibi, nowhere] (or nullibiety, or
nullibility)
-
the condition or attribute of being nowhere; non-existence
-
nullibiety
-
see previous
-
nullibiquitous
-
[fr. L. nullibi, nowhere + -biquitous, cf. ubiquitous]
-
rare existing nowhere
-
nullifidian
-
[n] 1) one of no faith or religion; a skeptic in matters of religion
-
2) transf. one who lacks faith; a disbeliever
-
[adj] having no faith or belief
-
nulliverse
-
a world devoid of any unifying principle or plan
-
nulutative
-
[coined by David Brin in "The Uplift War"] neologism a
nonsense word suggesting a future mental process associative,
extrapolative, intuitive, holographic, or nulutative
-
numinous
-
1) supernatural, mysterious
-
2) filled with a sense of the presence of divinity
-
3) appealing to the higher emotions or to the aesthetic sense: spiritual
-
nuncupate
-
to declare publicly or solemnly; to proclaim formally
-
nuncupative
-
not written: oral as in nuncupative will
-
nundination
-
[L.] archaic an act or instance of bartering: sale
-
nupson
-
fool, simpleton
-
nutant
-
[fr. L. nutare, to nod] chiefly Bot. nodding; drooping
-
nutarian
-
a vegetarian whose diet is based on nut products
-
nyaff
-
Scot. and Irish a diminutive, insignificant, or contemptible
person; often as wee nyaff
-
nychthemeral
-
[fr. nychtermeron + -al] of or relating to a nychthemeron or 24-hr period
-
nychthemeron
-
[fr. Gk nyx, night + hemera, day] /nik THEM er on/
-
the full period of a night and a day
-
nycterent
-
[fr. G. nycto- < nyx, night] (relating to) one who
hunts by night
-
nyctinastic
-
relating to or caused by nyctinasty
-
nyctinasty
-
[G. nyktinastie] /NIK teh NAS ti/
-
Botany plant movement associated with diurnal changes of temperature
or light; e.g. the shutting of the petals of a flower at night
-
nympholepsy
-
[fr. Gk numpholeptos] /NIM feh LEP sy/
-
1) a frenzy supposed by ancient peoples to have been induced by nymphs
-
2) an emotional frenzy, as for something unattainable
-
obacerate
-
[fr. L. obacerare, to contradict, interrupt] to shut someone's
mouth; contradict
-
obaceration
-
[see previous] /oh BASS uh RAY shun/? obs. rare the
act of shutting someone's mouth
-
obambulate
-
[fr. L. obambulare, to walk to] /oh BAM byuh late/
-
archaic to walk about; wander aimlessly
-
obdormition
-
numbness caused by pressure on a nerve, as when your foot is asleep
-
obelus
-
[L. < Gk obelos spit, pointed pillar]
-
1) a mark (- or ÷) used in ancient manuscripts to indicate spurious
or doubtful passages; also, the division sign
-
2) the dagger sign () used as a reference mark or to indicate that
a person listed is deceased
-
obflisticate
-
U.S. colloq., obs. rare humorous alteration of obfuscate,
perh. after flustrate
-
obfuscate
-
1) to cast into darkenss, obscure
-
2) to confuse, bewilder
-
objurgate
-
to castigate
-
objurgation
-
a harsh rebuke
-
objurgatory
-
[L. objurgatorius] /ob JURG uh tor ee/ expressing (a harsh
or violent) rebuke
-
objurgatrix
-
a scolding, sharp-tongued, shrewish woman, a Xanthippe; a common scold :)
-
oblast
-
a political subdivision of a republic in the [former] USSR
-
oblectation
-
pleasure; satisfaction; recreation; delight
-
obligurate
-
[fr. L. obligurire, perh. a misreading of abligurire]
-
obs. rare to feast, to spend (time) feasting(?)
cf. abligurition
-
oblivionize
-
[fr. L. oblivion-, forgetfulness + -ize]
-
now rare to consign to oblivion
-
Oblomovian
-
[fr. Ivan Goncharov's novel, Oblomov] characterized by sloth
or lassitude
-
Oblomovism
-
[see previous] sluggish inertia
-
obloquy
-
1) abusive language 2) ill repute
-
obluctation
-
[fr. L. obluctari, to offer resistance] (not to be confused
with oblectation!)
-
obs. rare the action of striving or struggling against something
-
'a struggling or striving against; resistance' {Webster, 1828}
-
obmutescence
-
the act of becoming or keeping silent or mute
-
obnixely
-
[fr. L. obnixus strenuous, resolute] obs. rare
earnestly, strenuously (cf. obnixiously)
-
obnubilate
-
to becloud
-
obnunciate
-
[fr. L. obnuntiare] obs. rare to announce an
unfavorable omen
-
(and thus prevent, stop, or render void, some public transaction)
-
obnunciation
-
the act of obnunciating
-
obreptitious
-
done or obtained by trickery, or by concealing the truth
-
obscurantism
-
[fr. L. obscurare, to obscure] opposition to the spread of
knowledge; deliberate vagueness or abstruseness
-
obscurantist
-
a person who opposes reform and enlightenment
-
obsecrate
-
to beseech, supplicate or beg
-
obstipation
-
a severe and obstinate constipation
-
obstringe
-
obs. rare to constrain, to put under obligation (from L.
stringere - to tie, bind)
-
obstruent
-
causing obstruction; esp of a body passage
-
obstupefactive
-
[L. obstupefacere, to stupefy] obs. rare obstructing
the mental powers; stupifying {Johnson, 1828}
-
obtest
-
to beseech, supplicate
-
obtortion
-
rare a twisting, distortion, wresting, perversion
-
obtractuous
-
obs. rare slanderous, calumnious (erroneously from obtrect)
-
obtrect
-
obs. to disparage: slander
-
obtrectation
-
slander; detraction; calumny [marked little used in 1828]
-
obtund
-
to lessen the violence of; to dull
-
obturation
-
an obstruction
-
obvallate
-
[fr. L., surround with a wall] obs. rare
-
[v] to surround with, or as with, a wall [adj] walled-up
-
obvaricate
-
[fr. L. obvaricator, a person who obstructs another]
-
obs. rare to obstruct (a person or a person's progress)
-
obvelation
-
[fr. L. obvelare, to cover over] rare a veiling
over, a hiding or concealing
-
obvolute
-
overlapping, convolute (coiled)
-
occultation
-
the state of being hidden from view
-
oche
-
darts /(h)a' key/ (formerly /hockey/)
-
the line behind which a darts player must stand; the throwing-line
-
ochlocracy
-
government by the mob
-
ochlophobia
-
the fear of crowds (mobs)
-
ochone
-
Irish/Scot. used as an expression of regret or grief
-
ocker
-
[fr. the name Oscar] Austral. slang a rough, uncultivated,
or aggressively boorish Australian man (esp. as a stereotype); thus ockerdom,
ockerish, ockerism
-
octarine
-
the color of magic (as used by Terry Pratchett)
-
octothorp(e)
-
the symbol # on a telephone or keyboard
-
(hash mark, pound sign, number sign)
-
odalisque
-
a female slave; a concubine in a harem
-
odobene
-
walrus-like
-
odontalgia
-
a toothache
-
oeillade
-
[F.] /uh(r) yahd/ a glance of the eye; esp: ogle
-
off-piste
-
[see piste] away from prepared ski runs off-piste slopes
-
also transf.
-
offscum
-
archaic that which is skimmed off; scum, dross, refuse;
fig., that which is rejected as vile or worthless
-
ogerhunch
-
[origin unknown] /OH ger huns/
-
Any frightful or loathsome creature, especially a bat. - Thomas
Edmondston, A Glossary of the Shetland and Orkney Dialect, 1866
-
ogrous
-
[apparently adj. form of ogre] /OH grus/?
-
having the appearance or characteristics of an ogre: ogreish
-
ogry
-
[from ogre, presumably] resembling, or pertaining to, an ogre(?)
-
ogygian
-
[of or pertaining to Ogyges, a mythical king of ancient Attica, or to a great
deluge in Attica in his days]
-
ancient, primeval; of obscure antiquity
-
oicotype
-
[fr. Gk oikos house, dwelling + type] /OY ko type/?
-
a term proposed by Carl Wilhelm von Sydow to designate a local or regional
form of a migratory folktale
-
oikology
-
[fr. Gk oikos, house + -logy] rare the science
of the home; home economics; (the science of?) housekeeping
-
okhrana
-
[fr. Russ. oxrana, lit. guarding, protection, security] /ah
KRAH nuh/ (also okhranka)
-
Hist., in Imperial Russia a secret police department
set up in 1881 (after the assassination of Tsar Alexander II) to maintain
state security and suppress revolutionary activities, and abolished after
the February Revolution in 1917; transf. the security services of
the Soviet Union or its successors
-
olamic
-
[fr. Hebrew olam; an age, eternity] now rare
everlasting, eternal
-
oleaginous
-
resembling or having the properties of oil;
unctuous
-
oligophagous
-
eating only a few specific kinds of food
-
oligophrenia
-
feeblemindedness
-
oligopolist
-
[see next] one who supports limited competition
-
oligopoly
-
[fr Gk oligos, few + polein, to sell] /ol uh GOP uh lee/
-
few sellers, many buyers: a sellers' market (compare oligospsony)
-
oligopsony
-
few buyers, many sellers
-
Ollendorffian
-
in the stilted language of foreign phrase-books
-
ology
-
[abstracted from words with this ending] /ALL eh jee/
-
an informal term for some unidentified branch of learning
-
omadhaun
-
(also amadan) Irish fool, idiot, simpleton
-
omasum
-
the third of the four stomachs of a ruminant (see
reticulem)
-
ombibulous
-
[coined by H. L. Mencken; ultimately fr. L. imbibere, to drink in
+ omni, all]
-
referring to someone who drinks anything
-
omerta
-
It. dial. /o MER ta/ refusal to give evidence by those
concerned with Mafia activities : code of silence
-
ominate
-
[fr. L. ominari, to prognosticate; cf. omen]
-
[vt] archaic 1) to prophesy from signs and omens: augur 2) to be a
portent or omen of
-
[vi] obs. 1) to utter prophecies or forebodings 2) to serve as a prophecy
-
omneity
-
that which is essentially all; that which comprehends all: allness
-
omnigenous
-
[L. omnigenus, fr. omnis, all + genus, kind] /om
NIH jen ous/
-
composed of or containing all kinds
-
omnilegent
-
[fr. omni- + L. legere, to read] /om nilujunt/
-
reading or having read everything; having encyclopedic curiosity and knowledge
-
no historians have been more omnilegent, more careful of the document
- George Saintsbury
-
omninescience
-
ignorance of everything, universal ignorance
-
omniscian
-
[fr. L. omniscius + -an] obs. rare a person who
knows, or professes to know, everything
-
omnishambles
- [omni-, all + shambles]
- Brit. a situation that has been comprehensively
mismanaged, characterized by a string of blunders and
miscalculations; a complete screw-up in all areas
-
omnist
-
[fr. classical L. omnis, all + -ist]
-
rare one that believes in all faiths or creeds
-
omnisufficiency
-
obs., rare the quality of being 'all-sufficient'
-
omphalopsychite
-
/om pha LAHP si kite/ one who contemplates his own navel; a name given
the Hesychasts
-
omphaloskepsis
-
the contemplation of one's own navel to induce a mental trance
-
oneiric
-
of or relating to dreams; dreamy
-
oneirocrite
-
[fr. MF onirocrite, as trans. fr. Rabelais; < Hell. Gk, judge or
interpreter of dreams]
-
obs. rare a person who interprets dreams
-
oneirocritical
-
of, relating to or specializing in the interpretation of dreams
-
oniomania
-
an uncontrollable urge to buy things
-
onolatry
-
[fr. Gk onos, ass] /oh NOL atry/ rare {until discovered
by the net}
-
worship of the donkey or ass; also by extension, excessive admiration
for or devotion to foolishness
-
onomasiologic
-
[fr. Gk onomasia, name + -ology] /on uh may see uh LOJ ik/
-
Linguistics relating to the gathering or comparison of lists
of words that designate similar or associated concepts
-
onomastic
-
[Gk onomastikos, fr. onomazein to name] /ah nuh MAS tik/
-
of, relating to, or consisting of a name or names; relating to
onomastics
-
onomasticon
-
[blend of onomastic + lexicon] /ON uh MAE stik on/
-
a vocabulary or lexicon of proper names or place names
-
onomastics
-
the science or study of the origins and forms of proper names of persons
or places
-
onomatomania
-
[NL] /AHN uh MAD uh MANE ea/
-
uncontrollable obsession with words or names or their meanings or sounds;
esp. a mania for repeating certain words or sounds
-
onomatope
-
[back-formation fr. onomatopoeia] an onomatopoeic word
-
onomatopeed
-
[fr. previous] /AN eh ma TOPT/ or /-to PEED/ (?)
-
used onomatopoeia
-
onomatopoeia
-
the naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated
with it
-
ontogeny
-
the development or course of development of an individual organism (compare
phylogeny)
-
ontology
-
a branch of metaphysics concerned with the nature and relations of being
-
onychophagia
-
[fr. Gk. onycho, nail + -phagia, eating] /on i kO PHA
juh, -jee uh/
-
Psychiatry habitual biting of the nails, esp. as a symptom of
emotional disturbance
-
onychophagy
-
nail-biting
-
onymous
-
bearing a name (not anonymous) an onymous article in a magazine
-
oofy
-
wealthy, rich; hence oofiness, wealthiness
-
ooglification
-
[fr. uglification ooglified] /oog li fi KAY shun/
-
the substitution of an "oo" sound for another vowel sound in a word to form
a slang (or slangier) word
-
(e.g., snoot for snout)
-
oojah
-
Brit. slang a "what's its name?", a thing whose name has been
forgotten
-
oojah-cum-spiff
-
[origin uncertain] (see previous) fine, all right
-
oolly
-
[India] /OOL ly/ a lump or loop of iron, as
wootz, when taken as a pasty mass from the
crucible
-
operose
-
[fr. L. operosus laborious, industrious] 1) tedious, wearisome
2) industrious, diligent
-
ophelimity
-
economic gratification
-
ophicleide
-
[F. fr. Gk ophis, snake + kleid-, key]
-
a keyed brass instrument of the bugle family with a baritone range that was
the structural precursor of the bass saxophone and was replaced by the tuba
and euphonium in brass sections
-
ophiophagous
-
rare a snake-eater
-
ophiophilist
-
[fr. Gk ophio-, serpent + philos, loving] rare a
person who loves snakes
-
opificer
-
[fr. L. opifex: craftsman, artisan + -er] /uh PIF uh ser/
-
obs. an artificer; a workman; one who creates something
-
opiniatry
-
[fr. F. opiniâtreté] /eh PIN ieh tri/
-
now rare the quality or state of being opinionated: mental obstinacy
or inflexibility; also opiniatrety (obs.)
-
opioic
-
[opi(um) + -oid] /OH pee oid/
-
[n] an opium-like substance produced naturally in the brain
-
[adj] possessing some properties characteristic of opiate narcotics
but not derived from opium
-
opisometer
-
[fr. Gk opiso, backwards + -meter] /AH peh SAH med er/
-
an instrument with a revolving wheel for measuring curved lines, as on a
map
-
opisthenar
-
[fr. Gk opisth- + thenar] the back of the hand
-
opprobrious
-
1) expressing contemptuous reproach: scurrilous opprobrious
epithets
-
2) bringing disgrace; shameful or infamous opprobrious conduct
-
opprobrium
-
something that brings disgrace; infamy, contempt
-
oppugn
-
to fight against; to call in question
-
opsigamy
-
[fr. Gk opse, late + gamos, marriage] /op SIG uh mee/
-
marriage late in life (cf. opsimathy)
-
opsimath
-
[fr. Gk opsimathes, late in learning]
-
one who acquires knowledge or learning late in life
-
opsimathy
-
education late in life
-
opusculum
-
a minor work
-
orchidectomy
-
surgical removal of one or both testes: castration
-
orectic
-
pertaining to the desires and their satisfaction; hence, impelling to
gratification
-
In psychoanalytic writings, the orectic is often contrasted with the
cognitive. - The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology
-
orexis
-
[Gk orexis, desire] /aw REK sis/
-
Psych. the aspect of mental activity concerned with emotion
and desire rather than cognition; appetite, desire
-
organoleptic
- [F. organoleptique, fr. Gk roots]
- 1) being, affecting, or relating to qualities of a
substance that stimulate the sense organs
- 2) involving use of the sense organs
-
organon
-
an instrument for acquiring knowledge; specif. a body of principles of scientific
or philosophic investigation
-
organonymy
-
[organ + -onymy] /OR guh NAH nuh me/
-
1) Anat., obs. rare the nomenclature of the body organs
-
2) rare the study of the names of musical instruments
-
orgulous
-
proud
-
oriflamme
-
a banner, symbol or ideal inspiring devotion or courage
-
orignal
-
[fr. Canadian French orignac)] Canad., now rare the
original aboriginal name of the N.A. moose
-
orismologic
-
pertaining to orismology
-
orismology
-
[fr. Gk orismos, definition + -ology] the science of defining
technical terms
-
orlop (deck)
-
the lowest deck of a ship having 4 or more decks
-
ornature
-
rare ornamentation, adornment, decoration: embellishment; ornament
-
ornithocopros
-
the dung of birds: guano
-
ornithorhynchus
-
[shortened from Ornithorhynchus anatinus] the duckbilled platypus
-
orogeny
-
the process of mountain making, esp by folding of the earth's crust
-
orrery
-
an apparatus showing the relative positions and motions of bodies in the
solar system by balls moved by wheelwork
-
ort
-
a morsel left at a meal: scrap
-
orthoepy
-
the customary pronunciation of a language; the study thereof
-
orthographic
-
orthogonal; correct in spelling
-
oscar
-
[Rhyming slang on Oscar Asche (an Australian actor)] cash, money
-
oscine
-
[fr. L. oscen] /OS Ine/ of or relating to a large suborder
of passerine birds that includes most songbirds
-
oscitancy
-
/OS i tan see/ 1) the act of yawning 2) the state of being drowsy
or inattentive; dullness
-
oscitant
-
yawning
-
oscitation
-
1) the act of being inattentive 2) the state of being drowsy
-
osculate
-
to kiss
-
osirify
-
to identify with Osiris; (broadly) to deify; (perhaps) to give a new life
in another world
-
Oslerian
-
[fr. the name of Sir William Osler (1849-1919), Canadian physician]
-
of or relating to Osler or to his theories and methods of practicing internal
medicine
-
osmidrosis
-
see bromidrosis
-
ossuary
-
a depository for bones of the dead
-
ostend
-
to show, reveal; to manifest, exhibit
-
ostent
-
[fr. L. ostentum, something shown, a prodigy]
-
now rare a sign, portent, wonder, prodigy
-
ostentiferous
-
[fr. L. ostentifer, portentous] obs. rare bringing
omens or unnatural or supernatural manifestations
-
ostrobogulous
-
[attributed to Victor B. Neuburg, British writer] /OS tro BOG ju lus/
-
chiefly humorous slightly risqué or indecent; bizarre,
interesting, or unusual
-
hence, ostrobogulation and ostrobogulatory
-
otiant
-
[fr. L. otiari, to be at leisure] /OH she unt/
-
now rare idle; resting; unemployed (cf. otium)
-
otiose
-
/OH she ows/ 1) lacking use or effect, functionless 2) being
at leisure, idle 3) sterile, futile
-
otium
-
[classical L., leisure, ease, peace] now rare leisure;
free time; ease
-
otium cum dignitate
-
[fr. classical L. cum dignitate otium] leisure with dignity;
specif. retirement from public life
-
otosis
-
mishearing; alteration of words caused by misapprehension of the sound
-
oubliette
-
a dungeon with an opening only at the top
-
outcumlins
-
[G. Ankömmling, a stranger]
-
Strangers [Coming from without; not dwelling in the
neighborhood.] - Wm Holloway, A general Dictionary of Provincialisms,
1838
-
outmantle
-
[out- + mantle, to cover] /out MAN tel/ obs. rare to
excel in dress or ornament
-
outpassion
-
to exceed in passion
-
outrecuidance
-
[F.] rare extreme self-conceit: presumption
-
overegg
-
[Yorkshire, 'we mustn't over-egg the pudding']
-
fig., orig. Brit. regional to embellish or supply to excess,
to overexaggerate
-
owling
-
the practice of smuggling wool (or sheep) out of England, formerly illegal,
and done chiefly by night; by extension, to carry on any contraband trade
-
Oxbridge
-
[conflation of Oxford + Cambridge]
-
[n] 1) a fictional university, esp. regarded as a composite of Oxford and
Cambridge 2) the universities of Oxford and Cambridge regarded together,
esp. in contrast to other British universities
-
[adj] regarding Oxbridge, often with implication of superior social
or intellectual status
-
oxter
-
Scot. the armpit
-
oytser
-
[Yiddish, fr. Hebrew o-tsar, treasure] /OY tser/
-
1) a treasure 2) ironically by no means a treasure
-
ozostomia
-
foulness of breath
proceed
Copyright © 1995-2020 -- Michael A. Fischer
"You try spell-checking this stuff!"
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