or pluralgladiolusalsoglad·i·o·lus·es: any of a genus (Gladiolus) of chiefly African perennial plants of the iris family with erect sword-shaped leaves and spikes of brilliantly colored irregular flowers arising from corms
2
: the large middle portion of the sternum
Term
Definition
ABROGATE
transitive verb
1
: to abolish by authoritative action : annul
2
: to treat as nonexistent <abrogating their responsibilities>
French, din, row, from Italian fracasso, from fracassare to shatter
Term
Definition
FOULARD
1
a: a lightweight plain-woven or twilled silk usually decorated with a printed patternb: an imitation of this fabric
Origin of FOULARD
French
Term
Definition
KNACK
1
a: a clever trick or stratagemb: a clever way of doing something
2
: a special ready capacity that is hard to analyze or teach
3
archaic: an ingenious device; broadly: toy, knickknack
[image] See knack defined for English-language learners »
Examples of KNACK
<she's tried every knack in Cupid's book to get her guy to marry her>
<a jazz musician with an incredible knack for improvisation>
Origin of KNACK
Middle English knak
Term
Definition
PROPITIATORY
1
: intended to propitiate : expiatory
2
: of or relating to propitiation
Related to PROPITIATORY
Synonyms: appeasing, conciliating, conciliatory,
disarming, mollifying, pacifying, peacemaking,
placating,placatory, pacific
Antonyms: antagonizing
Term
Definition
DETERIORATE
transitive verb
1
: to make inferior in quality or value : impair
2
: disintegrate
intransitive verb
: to become impaired in quality, functioning, or condition :degenerate <allowed a tradition of academic excellence todeteriorate><his health deteriorated>
— de·te·ri·o·ra·tiveadjective
Term
Definition
INTELLIGIBLE
1
: apprehensible by the intellect only
2
: capable of being understood or comprehended <jargonintelligible only to the initiated>
— in·tel·li·gi·bil·i·tynoun
— in·tel·li·gi·ble·nessnoun
— in·tel·li·gi·blyadverb
Term
Definition
INTERN
transitive verb
: to confine or impound especially during a war <internenemy aliens>
— in·tern·eenoun
— in·tern·mentnoun
Term
Definition
PROMISCUOUS
1
: composed of all sorts of persons or things
2
: not restricted to one class, sort, or person : indiscriminate<education … cheapened through the promiscuousdistribution of diplomas — Norman Cousins>
Term
Definition
SANITARIUM
: sanatorium
[image] See sanitarium defined for English-language learners »
Origin of SANITARIUM
New Latin, from Latin sanitat-, sanitas health
Term
Definition
CANONICAL
1
: of, relating to, or forming a canon
2
: conforming to a general rule or acceptable procedure :orthodox
3
: of or relating to a clergyman who is a canon
Term
Definition
THERAPY
: therapeutic treatment especially of bodily, mental, or behavioral disorder
Term
Definition
INITIAL
1
a: the first letter of a namebplural: the first letter of each word in a full name <found that their initials were identical>
2
: a large letter beginning a text or a division or paragrap
Term
Definition
SACRILEGE
1
: a technical and not necessarily intrinsically outrageous violation (as improper reception of a sacrament) of what is sacred because consecrated to God
2
: gross irreverence toward a hallowed person, place, or thing
— sac·ri·le·giousadjective
— sac·ri·le·gious·lyadverb
— sac·ri·le·gious·nessnoun
Term
Definition
SEMAPHORE
1
: an apparatus for visual signaling (as by the position of one or more movable arms)
2
: a system of visual signaling by two flags held one in each hand
Term
Definition
CHLOROPHYLL
1
: the green photosynthetic pigment found chiefly in the chloroplasts of plants and occurring especially as a blue-black ester C55H72MgN4O5 or a dark green ester C55H70MgN4O6 —called also chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b
Term
Definition
PSYCHIATRY
: a branch of medicine that deals with mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders
— psy·chi·at·ricadjective
— psy·chi·at·ri·cal·lyadverb
— psy·chi·a·tristnoun
Term
Definition
DULCIMER
1
: a stringed instrument of trapezoidal shape played with light hammers held in the hands
2
or dul·ci·more: an American folk instrument with three or four strings stretched over an elongate fretted sound box that is held on the lap and played by plucking or strumming
Term
Definition
HARUSPEX
: a diviner in ancient Rome basing his predictions on inspection of the entrails of sacrificial animals
Term
Definition
INSOUCIANCE
: lighthearted unconcern : nonchalance
— in·sou·ci·antadjective
— in·sou·ci·ant·lyadverb
Term
Definition
VIGNETTE
1
: a running ornament (as of vine leaves, tendrils, and grapes) put on or just before a title page or at the beginning or end of a chapter; also: a small decorative design or picture so placed
2
a: a picture (as an engraving or photograph) that shades off gradually into the surrounding paperb: the pictorial part of a postage stamp design as distinguished from the frame and lettering
3
a: a short descriptive literary sketch
French
Term
Definition
SOUBRETTE
1
a: a coquettish maid or frivolous young woman in comediesb: an actress who plays such a part
2
: a soprano who sings supporting roles in comic opera
Origin of SOUBRETTE
French, from Occitan soubreto, feminine of soubret coy, from soubra to surmount, exceed, from Latin superare — more at insuperable
Term
Definition
TRANSEPT
: the part of a cruciform church that crosses at right angles to the greatest length between the nave and the apse or choir; also: either of the projecting ends of a transept
— tran·sep·taladjective
Origin of TRANSEPT
New Latin transeptum, from Latin trans- + septum, saeptum enclosure, wall
a: joint dominion; especially: joint sovereignty by two or more nationsb: a government operating under joint rule
2
: a politically dependent territory under condominium
3
a: individual ownership of a unit in a multiunit structure (as an apartment building) or on land owned in common (as a town house complex); also: a unit so ownedb: a building containing condominiums
Origin of CONDOMINIUM
New Latin, from Latin com- + dominium domain
Term
[shah-puh]
Definition
SCHAPPE
-3dictionaryresults
schap·pe
–verb(usedwithobject)
1.
toremovesericinfrom(silkwaste)byfermentation.
Term
Definition
SYLLEPSIS
1
: the use of a word to modify or govern syntactically two or more words with only one of which it formally agrees in gender, number, or case
2
: the use of a word in the same grammatical relation to two adjacent words in the context with one literal and the other metaphorical in sense
alteration of earlier trochisk, from Late Latin trochiscus,from Greek trochiskos, from diminutive of trochos wheel
Term
Definition
SMARAGD
: emerald
— sma·rag·dineadjective
Origin of SMARAGD
Middle English smaragde, from Latin smaragdus, from Greek smaragdos, of Semitic origin; akin to Akkadianbarraqtu gemstone
Term
Definition
ESQUAMULOSE
: not squamulose
Origin of ESQUAMULOSE
e- + squamulose
Term
Definition
eq·ui·page
[ek-wuh-pij] [image] Show IPA
–noun
1.
acarriage.
2.
acarriagedrawnbyhorsesandattendedbyservants.
3.
outfit,asofaship,anarmy,orasoldier;equipment.
4.
Archaic.
a.
asetofsmallhouseholdarticles,asofchina.
b.
acollectionofarticlesforpersonalornamentoruse.
Term
Definition
SYCOPHANT
: a servile self-seeking flatterer
— sycophantadjective
Term
Definition
ECZEMA
: an inflammatory condition of the skin characterized by redness, itching, and oozing vesicular lesions which become scaly, crusted, or hardened
— ec·zem·a·tousadjective
[image] See eczema defined for English-language learners »
Origin of ECZEMA
New Latin, from Greek ekzema, from ekzein to erupt, fromex- out + zein to boil — more at ex-, yeast
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Term
Definition
RATOON
1
: a shoot of a perennial plant (as sugarcane)
2
: a crop (as of bananas) produced on ratoons
Origin of RATOON
Spanish retoño, from retoñar to sprout, from re- (from Latin) + otoñar to grow in autumn, from otoño autumn, from Latin autumnus
Term
Definition
CHIHUAHUA
: any of a breed of very small roundheaded dogs that occur in short-coated and long-coated varieties
Term
Definition
ABALONE
: any of a genus (Haliotis) of edible rock-clinging gastropod mollusks that have a flattened shell slightly spiral in form, lined with mother-of-pearl, and with a row of apertures along its outer edge
[image] See abalone defined for English-language learners »
Origin of ABALONE
American Spanish abulón, from Rumsen (American Indian language of Monterey Bay, California) aulon
Term
Definition
INTERLOCUTORY
: made during the progress of a legal action and not final or definitive <an interlocutory appeal><an interlocutorydecree>
Term
Definition
CROISSANT
: a flaky rich crescent-shaped roll
Origin of CROISSANT
French, literally, crescent, from Middle French, from present participle of croistre to grow, from Latin crescere— more at crescent
Term
Definition
SHALLOON
: a lightweight twilled fabric of wool or worsted
Origin of SHALLOON
Châlons-sur-Marne, France
Term
Definition
MACERATE
transitive verb
1
: to cause to waste away by or as if by excessive fasting
2
: to cause to become soft or separated into constituent elements by or as if by steeping in fluid; broadly: steep,soak
intransitive verb
: to soften and wear away especially as a result of being wetted or steeped
— mac·er·a·tionnoun
— mac·er·a·tornoun
Examples of MACERATE
<garnished with cherries that had been macerated in liqueur>
Origin of MACERATE
Latin maceratus, past participle of macerare to soften, steep
Term
Definition
VOUCHSAFE
transitive verb
1
a: to grant or furnish often in a gracious or condescending mannerb: to give by way of reply <refused to vouchsafe an explanation>
2
: to grant as a privilege or special favor
— vouch·safe·mentnoun
Examples of VOUCHSAFE
He vouchsafed the secret to only a few chosen disciples.
Origin of VOUCHSAFE
Middle English vouchen sauf to grant, consent, deign, from Anglo-French voucher salf
Term
Definition
INCISOR
: a front tooth typically adapted for cutting; especially: one of the cutting teeth in mammals located between the canines when canines are presen
Term
Definition
NARCOLEPSY
: a condition characterized by brief attacks of deep sleep often occurring with cataplexy and hypnagogic hallucinations
— nar·co·lep·ticadjective
[image] See narcolepsy defined for English-language learners »
Origin of NARCOLEPSY
International Scientific Vocabulary
Term
Definition
Term
Definition
Trichotillomania
Definition:
an abnormal desire to pull out one's hair
About the word:
Mania means "excessive or unreasonable enthusiasm";trich means "hair"; tillo(from tillein) means "to pluck or pull."
Trichotillomania, classified as an impulse-control disorder, is estimated to afflict 2-4% of the population.
Term
Definition
Myrmecophilous
Definition:
fond of, associated with, or benefited by ants
About the word:
Myrmeco- means "ant";philous means "loving" or "having an affinity for."
Scientists usemyrmecophilous to describe the positive relationships between ants and such species as butterflies, crickets, beetles, and mites that help ants flourish.
In 2010, Pulitzer Prize-winning entomologist E.O. Wilson published Anthill: A Novel, which includes an absorbing narrative presented from the ants' perspective ... and which reveals that the author himself is myrmecophilous.
Term
Definition
Pulchritudinous
Definition:
physically beautiful
About the word:
If the meaning of this word seems counterintuitive, it's probably because the word's Latin ancestorpulcher ("beautiful") is unfamiliar, andpulchritudinous sounds more disgusting than enchanting.
Term
Definition
Psychotomimetic
Definition:
of, relating to, involving, or inducing psychotic alteration of behavior and personality
About the word:
This word – from psychotic+ mimetic (meaning "imitative") – first appeared in 1956, as mind-altering drugs began catching on with the public.
Term
Definition
Xenotransplantation
Definition:
transplantation of an organ, tissue, or cells between two different species
About the word:
The Latin xeno- comes from the Greek wordxenos, meaning "stranger" or "guest."
Cross-species transplants were (unsuccessfully) attempted in the 17th century.
Term
Definition
Polyphiloprogenitive
Definition:
extremely prolific; tending to produce offspring, or characterized by love of offspring
About the word:
The Duggars, Octomom, and Mother Goose's old woman who lived in a shoe: all werepolyphiloprogenitive. Polymeans "many"; philo means "loving"; genitive comes from a word that translates literally as "of generation."
Term
Definition
Embourgeoisement
Definition:
a shift to bourgeois values and practices
About the word:
Embourgeoisement almost always refers to a shift by the working class, not the upper class.
Term
Definition
Tergiversation
Definition:
evasion of straightforward action or clear-cut statement : equivocation
About the word:
The Latin ancestors of tergiversation (tergum, meaning "back"; vertere, meaning "to turn") together translate roughly as "to turn one's back." Since the 16th century, tergiversation has described the reversal or desertion of a position or cause.
Term
Definition
Consanguineous
Definition:
of the same blood or origin; specifically : descended from the same ancestor
About the word:
The Latin sanguin- means "blood"; con- means "together."
Term
Definition
Machiavellianism
Definition:
About the word:
In 1513, Niccolò Machiavelli wrote Il Principe ("The Prince") to advise and impress the new Florentine ruler, Prince Lorenzo de' Medici. The book's instructions on obtaining and wielding power – e.g., "It is better to be feared than loved" – suggest the cynicism that gave its author a place in the language.
Term
Definition
Hypervitaminosis
Definition:
About the word:
The word vitamin (in part from Latin vita, meaning "life") dates back only to 1912. The study of vitamins was still in its infancy when the word hypervitaminosisemerged in 1928. (Hypermeans "excessive.").
Two vitamins commonly implicated in hypervitaminosis are A and D, both of which are stored in the body, rather than excreted.
Term
Definition
Gedankenexperiment
Definition:
About the word:
Gedanken means "thoughts" in German. The term was popularized by Albert Einstein, who appliedgedankenexperiment to his work conceptualizing the theory of relativity.
Term
Definition
Triskaidekaphobia
Definition:
About the word:
Every Friday the 13th, lookups ontriskaidekaphobia spike on Merriam-Webster.com.
The word comes from the Greek word for thirteen and the New Latin word "phobia."
The origin of this fear is murky. Some trace it to ancient Hindu beliefs, others to Norse mythology, and still others to the Last Supper, after which Jesus was betrayed by one of the thirteen people present. Interestingly enough, known mention of the fear of thirteen in print dates back only to the late 1800s.
Term
Definition
Hemidemisemiquaver
Definition:
About the word:
In this appropriately musical-sounding word,hemi-, demi- and semi- all mean half. So how does halving something three times get you to a sixty-fourth note? Because you're halving the quaver, which is an eighth note. Divide that in half, in half again, and in half a third time and you get a sixty-fourth note.
Term
Definition
Prestidigitation
Definition:
About the word:
This word conjures something grand from a simple phrase.Prestidigitation ultimately comes from the Italian word presto, meaning "quick" or "quickly," and digitus, the Latin word for finger.
So at its root, prestidigitation basically means "quick fingers."
Term
Definition
Plenipotentiary
Definition:
About the word:
Since the mid-17th century a plenipotentiary has been "a person and especially a diplomatic agent invested with full power to transact business". (In Latin, plenusmeans full; potent means powerful). The term is rarely used these days in regular communication, but it endures in the diplomatic corps, where the minister plenipotentiary ranks below ambassador.
Term
Definition
Buckminsterfullerene
Definition:
About the word:
Buckminsterfullerene, discovered in 1985, was named in honor of the engineer R. Buckminster Fuller. He developed the geodesic dome – which, like a molecule of buckminsterfullerene, resembles a soccer ball. A molecule of buckminsterfullerene is also called a buckyball.
Term
Definition
Quattuordecillion
Definition:
About the word:
The -illion part is modeled on million; the quattuordeccomes from the Latin word for fourteen. Why 14? Because there are 14 groups of three zeros after the number 1,000 in quattuordecillion.
Many denominations above one million have names that indicate the number of groups of three zeros after the number 1,000. Centillion, for instance, represents 100 groups of three zeros after 1,000 (303 zeros).
Term
Definition
Tintinnabulation
Definition:
About the word:
This word's Latin source,tintinnabulum, means "bell" and evokes the sound of one.
The word was popularized in the mid 1800s by Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Bells": "Keeping time, time, time, / In a sort of Runic rhyme, / To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells / from the bells, bells, bells, bells, / Bells, bells, bells...."
Term
Definition
Omphaloskepsis
Definition:
contemplation of one's navel as an aid to meditation; also: lack of will to move, exert, or change: inertia
About the word:
In Greek, omphalos means "navel"; skepsis means "examination."
[image] See sarcophagus defined for English-language learners »
Examples of SARCOPHAGUS
<the crypt under the abbey church contains thesarcophagus of the monastery's founding abbot>
Origin of SARCOPHAGUS
Latin sarcophagus (lapis) limestone used for coffins, from Greek (lithos) sarkophagos, literally, flesh-eating stone, from sark- sarc- + phagein to eat — more at baksheesh
Term
Definition
PSORIASIS
: a chronic skin disease characterized by circumscribed red patches covered with white scales
— pso·ri·at·icadjective or noun
Origin of PSORIASIS
New Latin, from Greek psōriasis, from psōrian to have the itch, from psōra itch; akin to Greek psēn to rub
Term
Definition
PURIM
: a Jewish holiday celebrated on the 14th of Adar in commemoration of the deliverance of the Jews from the massacre plotted by Haman
Origin of PURIM
Hebrew pūrīm, literally, lots; from the casting of lots by Haman (Esth 9:24–26)
Term
Definition
LUGE
: a small sled that is ridden in a supine position and used especially in competition; also: the competition itself
— lugeintransitive verb
— lug·ernoun
[image] See luge defined for English-language learners »
Origin of LUGE
French
Term
Definition
MILIEU
: the physical or social setting in which something occurs ordevelops : environment
Examples of MILIEU
<young, innovative artists thrive in the freewheelingmilieu that a big city offers>
Theirs was a bohemian milieu in which people often played romantic musical chairs. —Edmund White, New York Review of Books, 12 Feb. 2009
[+]more
Origin of MILIEU
French, from Old French, midst, from mi middle (from Latin medius) + lieu place, from Latin locus — more at mid,stall
Term
Definition
ODONTALGIA
: toothache
—odon·tal·gicadjective
Term
Definition
STAPHYLOCOCCUS
1
capitalized: a genus of nonmotile gram-positive spherical bacteria that is placed in either of two families (Staphylococcaceae or Micrococcaceae), contains forms occurring singly, in pairs or tetrads, or in irregular clusters, and includes causative agents of various diseases and disorders (as food poisoning, skin infections, and endocarditis)
2
pluralstaph·y·lo·coc·ci: any bacterium of the genus Staphylococcus; broadly: micrococcus 2
Term
[el-i-jahy-uh[image]k-UHL,-ak,ih-lee-jee-ak-UHL]
Definition
el·e·gi·ac
[el-i-jahy-uh[image]k,-ak,ih-lee-jee-ak] [image] Show IPA
