Wiktionary:Word of the day/Archive/2012/December

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Word of the day
for December 2
bowk v
  1. (Geordie) To belch, to burp.
    He drained the rest of his eggnog and then bowked.
  2. (UK) To vomit
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Word of the day
for December 3
fleeting adj
  1. Passing quickly.
    The fleeting joy of the holiday season
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Word of the day
for December 4
intersperse v
  1. To mix two things irregularly, placing things of one kind among things of other; specifically:
    1. To scatter or insert (something) into or among (other things), as Nature interspersed dandelions among the petunias, or
    2. To diversify (something) by placing or inserting other things among (it), as Nature interspersed the petunias with dandelions
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Word of the day
for December 5
archeress n
  1. A female archer, a woman who shoots an arrow from a bow: Elizabeth deigned to show her skill as an archeress, to the detriment of the dappled deer in the wide park beyond (John Berwick Harwood)
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Word of the day
for December 6
Nicholine adj
  1. Created by, in the style of, or pertaining to (any of several people named) Nicholas
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Word of the day
for December 7
blunderbuss n
  1. An old style of muzzleloading firearm and early form of shotgun with a distinctive short, large caliber barrel that is flared at the muzzle, therefore able to fire scattered quantities of nails, stones, shot, etc. at short range: Timothy was excited to find a toy blunderbuss waiting under the Christmas tree
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Word of the day
for December 8
menorah n
  1. (Judaism) A candelabrum with nine branches used in Jewish worship on Hanukkah
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Word of the day
for December 9
pass muster v
  1. (idiomatic) To meet or exceed a particular standard.
  2. (idiomatic) To adequately pass a formal or informal inspection.
    Every year children hope they pass muster with Santa Claus and make it onto his "nice" list
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Word of the day
for December 10
canary in a coal mine n
  1. (idiomatic) Something whose sensitivity to adverse conditions makes it a useful early indicator of such conditions; something which warns of the coming of greater danger or trouble by a deterioration in its health or welfare
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Word of the day
for December 11
stigmatize v
  1. (transitive) To characterize as disgraceful or ignominious; to mark with a stigma or stigmata
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Word of the day
for December 12
tin anniversary n
  1. The tenth anniversary (yearly recurrence) of an event, especially a wedding.
    Today, 12.12.12, is the tin anniversary of Wiktionary's founding. Happy Wiktionary Day!
    In the past, it was customary to give a couple gifts made of tin for their tin anniversary
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Word of the day
for December 13
calendrical adj
  1. Of, pertaining to, or used by a calendar system
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Word of the day
for December 14
instar n
  1. Any one of the several stages of postembryonic development which an arthropod undergoes, between molts, before it reaches sexual maturity: the hopper was placed in a box in its first instar.
  2. An arthropod at a specified one of these stages: first and second instars of this species are more susceptible to H. bacteriophora than later instars.
  3. A stage in development: "photographs of the landlady’s children in all their instars" (Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita)
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Word of the day
for December 15
mango verb
  1. To remove the innards of, stuff (especially with spicy foods), seal and pickle or pour boiling vinegar over (a fruit)
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Word of the day
for December 16
tergiversation n
  1. The act of abandoning something or someone, of changing sides; desertion; betrayal.
  2. The act of evading any clear course of action or speech, of being deliberately ambiguous; equivocation
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Word of the day
for December 17
neotenous adj
  1. Exhibiting retention of juvenile characteristics in the adult.
  2. (informal) Babyfaced
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Word of the day
for December 18
pergola n
  1. A framework in the form of a passageway of columns that supports a trelliswork roof; used to support and train climbing plants
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Word of the day
for December 19
doomsayer n
  1. One who makes dire predictions about the future; one fond of predicting disaster
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Word of the day
for December 20
b'ak'tun n
  1. A period, in Maya calendrical reckoning, of 144 000 days, which is 394.25 solar years
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Word of the day
for December 21
solstitial adj
  1. Pertaining to a solstice: a solstitial point, the solstitial meridian plane, avenues with a solstitial orientation.
  2. Occurring on a solstice: the solstitial half-moon, a solstitial event
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Word of the day
for December 22
rebirth n
  1. Reincarnation, new birth subsequent to one's first: rebirth of the soul in a new body.
  2. Revival, reinvigoration: the rebirth of feminism, the rebirth of the Handelian oratorio.
  3. Spiritual renewal: rebirth in Christ, the doctrine of rebirth through baptism
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Word of the day
for December 23
relict n
  1. Something which, or someone who, survives or remains after the loss of others (compare relic).
    1. (archaic) The surviving member of a married couple; a widow or widower.
    2. (biology, ecology) A species, organism or ecosystem which was once widespread but which is now found only in a few areas: some think the Loch Ness monster is a relict from the age of dinosaurs.
    3. (geology) A structure or other feature which has survived from a previous age: dark rims are a relict of a primary interaction between basalt and seawater.
    4. (linguistics) A word or language which survives as an archaicism
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Word of the day
for December 24
bullshot n
  1. A cocktail made from vodka and beef bouillon.
  2. (neologism, video games) A phony screenshot created for promotional purposes
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Word of the day
for December 25
wassail v
  1. To go from house to house at Christmastime, singing carols
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Word of the day
for December 27
hooey n
  1. (slang) Silly talk or writing; nonsense
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Word of the day
for December 29
nobble v
  1. (UK, Australia, slang) To injure or obstruct intently; batter.
  2. (UK, slang) To gain influence by corrupt means or intimidation
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Word of the day
for December 30
peckled adj
  1. (now UK dialectal) Speckled, spotted
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Word of the day
for December 31
reverie n
  1. A state of dreaming while awake; a loose or irregular train of thought; musing or meditation; daydream
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