Wiktionary:Word of the day/Archive/2010/April

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1

 

Word of the day
for April 1
foolscap n
  1. (strictly) Writing paper sheets measuring 13.25 x 16.5 inches
  2. (more usually) Such a sheet folded or cut in half, thus approximately 8 x 13.25 inches
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2

 

Word of the day
for April 2
antsy adj
  1. Restless, apprehensive and fidgety
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3

 

Word of the day
for April 3
potentate n
  1. A powerful leader; a monarch, ruler
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4

 

Word of the day
for April 4
witness v
  1. To furnish proof of, to show.
  2. To take as evidence.
  3. To see, note, or gain knowledge of.
  4. (with to) To present personal religious testimony
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5

 

Word of the day
for April 5
Paschal Lamb n
  1. (historical) The lamb eaten at Passover.
  2. (figuratively) Jesus Christ, symbolized as a sacrifice.
  3. (heraldry) A lamb depicted with nimbus and bearing a flag
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6

 

Word of the day
for April 6
spallation n
  1. Fragmentation due to stress or impact.
  2. (physics) A nuclear reaction in which a nucleus fragments into many nucleons
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7

 

Word of the day
for April 7
infelicitous adj
  1. Unhappy or unfortunate.
  2. Inappropriate or awkward; not well said, expressed, or done
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8

 

Word of the day
for April 8
vindictive adj
  1. Having or showing a strong or unreasoning desire for revenge
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9

 

Word of the day
for April 9
eddy n
  1. A current of air or water running back, or in an opposite direction to, the main current
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10

 

Word of the day
for April 10
turtle v
  1. To flip over onto the back or top; to turn upside down.
  2. To turn and swim upside down.
  3. To hunt in the water
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11

 

Word of the day
for April 11
frivolous adj
  1. Silly, especially at an inappropriate time or in an inappropriate manner.
  2. Of little weight or importance; not worth notice
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12

 

Word of the day
for April 12
moratorium n
  1. An authorization to a debtor, permitting temporary suspension of payments.
  2. A suspension of an ongoing activity
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13

 

Word of the day
for April 13
titivate v
  1. To smarten up, to dress, to decorate
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14

 

Word of the day
for April 14
asterism n
  1. A small group of stars that forms a visible pattern but is not an official constellation.
  2. A rarely used typographical symbol (⁂, three asterisks arranged in a triangle), used to call attention to a passage or to separate sub-chapters in a book.
  3. (mineralogy) A star-shaped figure exhibited in some crystals by reflected light or by transmitted light
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15

 

Word of the day
for April 15
debunk v
  1. To discredit, or expose to ridicule the falsehood or the exaggerated claims of something
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16

 

Word of the day
for April 16
metonymic adj
  1. Of, or relating to, a word or phrase that names an object from a single characteristic of it or of a closely related object
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17

 

Word of the day
for April 17
quandary n
  1. A state of not knowing what to decide; a state of difficulty or perplexity; a state of uncertainty, hesitation or puzzlement; a pickle; a predicament.
  2. A dilemma, a difficult decision or choice
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18

 

Word of the day
for April 18
cicatrise v
  1. To heal a wound through scarring (by causing a scar or cicatrix to form).
  2. To form a scar
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19

 

Word of the day
for April 19
roriferous adj
  1. Producing or generating dew
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20

 

Word of the day
for April 20
jerkwater adj
  1. (US, colloquial, pejorative) Of an inhabited place, small, insignificant, backward
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21

 

Word of the day
for April 21
penalize v
  1. To subject to a penalty, especially for the infringement of a rule or regulation.
  2. To impose a handicap on
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22

 

Word of the day
for April 22
cortical adj
  1. (anatomy) Pertaining to the outer layer of an internal organ or body structure, such as the kidney or the brain.
  2. (botany) Pertaining to the cortex of a stem or root—the tissue that lies inward from the epidermis, but exterior to the vascular tissue
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23

 

Word of the day
for April 23
simony n
  1. The act of buying and selling ecclesiastical offices and pardons
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24

 

Word of the day
for April 24
gargoyle n
  1. A carved grotesque figure on a spout which conveys water away from the gutters.
  2. A decorative carved grotesque figure on a building.
  3. A fictional winged creature.
  4. (slang, pejorative) An ugly woman
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25

 

Word of the day
for April 25
beleaguer v
  1. To besiege; to surround with troops.
  2. To vex, harass, or beset
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26

 

Word of the day
for April 26
didactic adj
  1. Instructive or intended to teach or demonstrate, especially with regard to morality.
  2. Excessively moralizing
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27

 

Word of the day
for April 27
jinx v
  1. To cast a spell on.
  2. To bring bad luck to
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28

 

Word of the day
for April 28
crenellation n
  1. A pattern along the top of a parapet (fortified wall), most often in the form of multiple, regular, rectangular spaces in the top of the wall, through which arrows or other weaponry may be shot
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29

 

Word of the day
for April 29
napiform adj
  1. Shaped like a turnip; spherical at the top, but with a tapering bottom
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30

 

Word of the day
for April 30
lebensraum n
  1. Hitherto unoccupied “living space” claimed as one’s rightful domain
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