Looks like no one added any tags here yet for you.
a fortiori
For a still stronger reason; all the more.
Latin
ab initio
From the beginning.
Latin
abscission
The act of cutting off.
Botany The shedding of leaves, flowers, or fruits following the formation of the — zone. Latin
acquittal
Judgment, as by a jury or judge, that a defendant is not guilty of a crime as charged.
The state of being found or proved not guilty.
acrodont
Having teeth attached to the edge of the jawbone without sockets.
ad valorem
In proportion to the value
Latin
adipocere
A brown, fatty, wax like substance that forms on dead animal tissues in response to moisture.
Latin
aiguille
A sharply pointed mountain peak, especially one of several on a larger massif.
A needle-shaped drill for boring holes in rock or masonry.
French
akimbo
In or into a position in which the hands are on the hips and the elbows are bowed outward
Middle English
alcazar
A Spanish palace or fortress, originally one built by the Moors.
Spanish
alpha privative
The prefix a- or an- before vowels, used in Greek and in English words borrowed from Greek to express absence or negation.
amalgamation
A consolidation or merger, as of several corporations.
The production of a metal alloy of mercury.
ametropia
An eye abnormality, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism, resulting from faulty refractive ability of the eye.
Greek
anaglyph
An ornament carved in low relief.
A moving or still picture consisting of two slightly different perspectives of the same subject in contrasting colors that are superimposed on each other, producing a three-dimensional effect when viewed through two correspondingly colored filters. Latin
anaphylactic shock
in which systemic vasodilation results in shock.
anecdotal
Of, characterized by, or full of anecdotes.
Based on casual observations or indications rather than rigorous or scientific analysis
anemochory
Dispersal of seeds, fruits, or other plant parts by wind.
animadvert
To remark or comment critically, usually with strong disapproval or censure.
Middle English
anosmic
Loss of the sense of smell.
Latin
anthrax
A serious infectious disease of mammals caused by bacteria, most commonly affecting grazing animals. The disease can be transmitted to humans by handling infected animals or contaminated animal products (resulting in cutaneous lesions), by ingesting contaminated meat, or by inhaling bacterial spores.
Middle English
ao dai
A long-sleeved, usually full-length garment with sides slit up to the hips, traditionally worn by Vietnamese women over loose trousers. Vietnamese
aphonia
Loss of the voice resulting from disease, injury to the vocal cords, or various psychological causes, such as hysteria.
Latin
apparatchik
A member of a Communist apparat.
An unquestioningly loyal subordinate, especially of a political leader or organization.
Russian
appreciable
Possible to estimate, measure, or perceive
Arikara
A member of a Native American people formerly inhabiting the Missouri River valley from Kansas into the Dakotas and now located in western North Dakota. Traditional Arikara life was based on agriculture and trade with the Plains Indians to the west.
The Caddoan language of the —.
assigned
To select for a duty or office; appoint
To give out as a task
bagasse
The dry, fibrous residue remaining after the extraction of juice from the crushed stalks of sugarcane, used as a source of cellulose for some paper products.
French
balmacaan
A loose, full overcoat with raglan sleeves, originally made of rough woolen cloth.
baronial
Of or relating to a baron or barony.
Suited for or befitting a baron; stately and grand
barratry
The act or practice of bringing a groundless lawsuit or lawsuits.
An unlawful breach of duty on the part of a ship's master or crew resulting in injury to the ship's owner.
Sale or purchase of positions in church or state.
Middle English
bazooka
A shoulder-held weapon consisting of a long metal smoothbore tube for firing armor-piercing rockets at short range.
bdellium
An aromatic gum resin similar to myrrh, produced by certain Asian and African shrubs or trees of the genus Commiphora Middle English
beccafico
Any of various small songbirds that are eaten as a delicacy in Italy and France.
Italian
bicephalous
Having two heads.
Bloemfontein
A city of central South Africa east-southeast of Kimberley. It is unofficially called the judicial capital of the country because the appellate division of the national supreme court sits here.
bodhisattva
Buddhism. An enlightened being who, out of compassion, forgoes nirvana in order to save others.
Sanskrit
brevet
A commission promoting a military officer in rank without an increase in pay.
Middle English
breviary
A book containing the hymns, offices, and prayers for the canonical hours.
Middle English
cachexia
Weight loss, wasting of muscle, loss of appetite, and general debility that can occur during a chronic disease.
Latin, Greek
calenture
A tropical fever once believed to be caused by the heat.
Spanish
calvados
A French brandy made from apples.
French
capacitance
Symbol C a. The ratio of charge to potential on an electrically charged, isolated conductor. b. The ratio of the electric charge transferred from one to the other of a pair of conductors to the resulting potential difference between them.
a. The property of a circuit element that permits it to store charge. b. The part of the circuit exhibiting —.
castanet
A percussion instrument consisting of a pair of slightly concave shells of ivory or hardwood, held in the palm of the hand by a connecting cord over the thumb and clapped together with the fingers. Spanish
casuistic
Of or relating to ( a resolving of specific cases of conscience, duty, or conduct through interpretation of ethical principles or religious doctrine)
catastasis
The intensified part of the action directly preceding the catastrophe in classical tragedy.
The climax of a drama.
Greek
catchword
A well-known word or phrase, especially one that exemplifies a notion, class, or quality:
Printinga. A guideword.b. The first word of a page printed in the bottom right-hand corner of the preceding page.
causerie
An informal discussion or chat, especially of an intellectual nature.
A short conversational piece of writing or criticism.
French
ceilidh
A social gathering with traditional Irish or Scottish music, dancing, and storytelling.
Irish Gaelic
centesimal
Relating to or divided into hundredths.
Latin
cerotype
The process of preparing a printing surface for electrotyping by first engraving on a wax-coated metal plate.
Greek
chasmogamous
Of or relating to a flower that is pollinated after it opens.
Greek
chatoyant
adj. Having a changeable luster. n. A — stone or gemstone, such as the cat's-eye.
French
chiffonier
A narrow high chest of drawers or bureau, often with a mirror attached.
French
Chiricahua
A member of a formerly nomadic Apache tribe inhabiting southern New Mexico, southeast Arizona, and northern Mexico, with present-day populations in Oklahoma and New Mexico.
chthonic
Of or relating to the underworld.
Greek
circadian
Relating to or exhibiting approximately 24-hour periodicity.
Latin
clerisy
Educated people considered as a group; the literati. German
collocation
The act of collocating or the state of being collocated.
An arrangement or juxtaposition of words or other elements, especially those that commonly co-occur, as rancid butter, bosom buddy, or dead serious
compleat
Of or characterized by a highly developed or wide-ranging skill or proficiency
Being an outstanding example of a kind; quintessential
concavity
The state of being curved like the inner surface of a sphere.
A surface or structure configured in such a curve.
concretize
To make real or specific
consortium
a. An association or a combination, as of businesses, financial institutions, or investors, for the purpose of engaging in a joint venture. b. A cooperative arrangement among groups or institutions: 2. An association or society. 3. The typical collection of benefits arising from marriage, including companionship, love, assistance, and sexual relations, which may have value recognized under law.
Latin
continuum
A continuous extent, succession, or whole, no part of which can be distinguished from neighboring parts except by arbitrary division.
Mathematics a. A set having the same number of points as all the real numbers in an interval. b. The set of all real numbers. Latin
contraption
A mechanical device; a gadget.
Latin
Coventry
A city of central England east-southeast of Birmingham. Famous as the home of Lady Godiva in the 11th century
A state of ostracism or exile
cravenly
adv. Act of being cowardly or in a way of showing a lack of courage. n. A coward
Middle English
cretinism
A congenital condition caused by a deficiency of thyroid hormone during prenatal development and characterized by small stature, intellectual disability, dystrophy of the bones, and a low basal metabolism.
cuesta
A ridge with a gentle slope on one side and a cliff on the other.
Spanish
cyclotron
An early particle accelerator in which charged subatomic particles generated at a central source are accelerated spirally outward in a plane perpendicular to a fixed magnetic field by an alternating electric field. A —— is capable of generating particle energies between a few million and several tens of millions of electron volts.
cytolysis
The dissolution or destruction of a cell.
Dakar
The capital and largest city of Senegal, in the western part of the country on the Atlantic Ocean. It grew around a French fort built in 1857 and was the capital of French West Africa from 1902 to 1959.
dariole
A small cooking mold.
A dish, as of vegetables, fish, custard, or pastry, that is cooked and served in a small mold.
decorticate
To remove the bark, husk, or outer layer from; peel.
To remove the surface layer, membrane, or fibrous cover of (an organ or structure).
Latin
decumbent
Lying down; reclining.
Botany Lying or growing on the ground but with erect or rising tips: decumbent stems. Latin
defeasance
A rendering void; an annulment.
a. The voiding of a contract or deed. b. A clause within a contract or deed providing for annulment. Middle English
definiens
n. pl. The word or words serving to define another word or expression, as in a dictionary entry.
Latin
dentifrice
A substance, such as a paste or powder, for cleaning the teeth.
French
derailleur
A device for shifting gears on a bicycle by moving the chain between sprocket wheels of different sizes.
French
despot
A ruler with absolute power.
A person who wields power oppressively; a tyrant.
a. A Byzantine emperor or prince. b. An Eastern Orthodox bishop or patriarch.
French
diagnostician
A person who diagnoses, especially a physician specializing in medical diagnostics.
dinghy
A small open boat carried or towed as a tender, lifeboat, or pleasure craft by a larger boat.
A small rowboat or motorboat.
An inflatable rubber life raft.
A small recreational sailboat, especially one designed for racing.
discombobulate
To throw into a state of confusion.
disinclination
A lack of inclination; a mild aversion or reluctance.
disseminate
v.tr. 1. To scatter widely, as in sowing seed. 2. To spread abroad; promulgate 2. To become diffused; spread.
Latin
doggerel
Crudely or irregularly fashioned verse, often of a humorous or burlesque nature.
Middle English
draconian
Exceedingly harsh; very severe
dulcet
a. Pleasing to the ear; melodious. b. Having a soothing, agreeable quality. 2. Archaic Sweet to the taste.
Middle English
duplicitous
Given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech.
dyspepsia
Disturbed digestion; indigestion.
Latin
eccentricity
n. pl. 1. a. The quality of being eccentric. b. Deviation from the normal, expected, or established. 2. An example or instance of eccentric behavior. 3. Physics The distance between the center of an eccentric and its axis. 4. Mathematics a. The ratio of the distance of any point on a conic section from a focus to its distance from the corresponding directrix. This ratio is constant for any particular conic section. b. Such a ratio used to define the shape of the orbit or path of a celestial body or satellite.
ecumenism
A movement promoting unity among Christian churches or denominations.
A movement promoting worldwide unity among religions through greater cooperation and improved understanding.
effusion
1.a. The act or an instance of effusing.b. Liquid or other matter poured forth. 2. An unrestrained outpouring of feeling, as in speech or writing 3. Medicine a. The seeping of serous, purulent, or bloody fluid into a body cavity or tissue. b. The effused fluid.
ekistics
The science of human settlements, including city or community planning and design. Modern Greek
eldritch
Strange or unearthly; eerie.
Middle English
elutriate
To purify, separate, or remove by washing, decanting, and settling.
To wash away the lighter or finer particles of soil
Latin
encomiast
A person who delivers or writes a eulogist.
Greek
ensconce
To settle (oneself) securely or comfortably
To place or conceal in a secure place.
epicurism
The beliefs, tastes, or lifestyle of an Epicure.(one who takes pleasure in eating or drinking?)
equitation
The art and practice of riding a horse.
Latin
erudition
n. Deep, extensive learning