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

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Word of the day
for August 1
olympicene n
  1. (organic chemistry) A pentacyclic aromatic hydrocarbon whose structure is in the form of the Olympic rings
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Word of the day
for August 2
dolorous v
  1. Solemnly or ponderously sad
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Word of the day
for August 3
bowdlerize v
  1. To remove those parts of a text considered offensive, vulgar, or otherwise unseemly
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Word of the day
for August 4
yarl n
  1. A deep, guttural vocal style with affected pronunciation, characteristic of male grunge and postgrunge singers of the 1990s and early 2000s
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Word of the day
for August 5
dog days n plural
  1. The days between early July and early September when Sirius (the Dog Star) rises and sets with the Sun.
  2. Hot, lazy days
  3. A period of inactivity, laziness, or stagnation
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Word of the day
for August 6
Olympiad n
  1. (historical) A period of four years, by which the ancient Greeks reckoned time, being the interval from one celebration of the Olympic games to another, beginning with the victory of Corbus in the foot race, which took place in the year 776 b.c.; as, the era of the olympiads.
  2. An occurrence of the Olympic games
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Word of the day
for August 7
dressage n
  1. An equestrian sport in which the horse and rider perform a test of specific movements in an arena, and are judged on the horse's obedience, acceptance of the bridle and of the rider's aids, gaits, impulsion, and the harmony between horse and rider
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Word of the day
for August 8
shuttlecock n
  1. (badminton) A lightweight object that is conical in shape with a cork or rubber-covered nose, used in badminton as a ball is used in other racquet games; a birdie
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Word of the day
for August 9
pankration n
  1. An Ancient Greek martial art combining aspects of boxing and wrestling, introduced in the Greek Olympic games in 648 BC
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Word of the day
for August 10
leeward adj
  1. Away from the direction from which the wind is blowing. Downwind
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Word of the day
for August 11
bevy n
  1. A group of animals, in particular quail.
  2. A large group or collection
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Word of the day
for August 12
repechage n
  1. (sports) A heat (as in rowing or fencing) in which the best competitors who have lost in a previous round compete for a place or places yet left in the next round
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Word of the day
for August 13
erratic n
  1. (geology) A rock moved from one location to another, usually by a glacier
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Word of the day
for August 14
teenybopper n
  1. A person, especially a female, in her early teens who follows popular clothing fashions, music trends, and the like
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Word of the day
for August 15
avail v
  1. (transitive, often reflexive) To turn to the advantage of.
  2. (transitive) To be of service to
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Word of the day
for August 16
nowise adv
  1. (In) no way, (in) no manner, definitely not
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Word of the day
for August 17
remuneration n
  1. Something given in exchange for goods or services rendered.
  2. A payment for work done; wages, salary, emolument.
  3. A recompense for a loss; compensation
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Word of the day
for August 18
social contract n
  1. (philosophy, politics) An implicit agreement or contract among members of a society that dictates things such as submission of individuals to rule of law and acceptable conduct
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Word of the day
for August 19
clemency n
  1. The gentle or kind exercise of power; leniency, mercy; compassion in judging or punishing.
  2. (now rare) Mildness of weather
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Word of the day
for August 20
disembogue v
  1. To come out into the open sea from a river etc.
  2. (of a river or waters) To pour out, to debouch; to flow out through a narrow opening into a larger space
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Word of the day
for August 21
eunoia n
  1. (rhetoric) Goodwill towards an audience, either perceived or real; the perception that the speaker has the audience's interest at heart.
  2. (medicine, psychology) A state of normal adult mental health
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Word of the day
for August 22
eat one's Wheaties v
  1. (US and Canada, idiomatic) To prepare or fortify oneself for an activity requiring exertion
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Word of the day
for August 23
malleate v
  1. To beat into shape with a hammer
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Word of the day
for August 24
provident adj
  1. With care and consideration for the future; foresightly
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Word of the day
for August 25
draculin n
  1. (organic chemistry) A glycoprotein with anticoagulant properties, found in the saliva of vampire bats
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Word of the day
for August 26
paradigm shift n
  1. A radical change in thinking from an accepted point of view to a new one, necessitated when new scientific discoveries produce anomalies in the current paradigm
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Word of the day
for August 27
anglicism n
  1. A word or other feature originating in the English language that has been borrowed by another language
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Word of the day
for August 28
battle of the sexes n
  1. (game theory) A situation in which two people want to do different things, but do them together
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Word of the day
for August 29
skyclad adj
  1. (Wicca) Naked outdoors
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Word of the day
for August 30
leech v
  1. (transitive) To apply a leech medicinally, so that it sucks blood from the patient.
  2. (transitive) To drain (resources) without giving back
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Word of the day
for August 31
kore n
  1. An Ancient Greek statue of a woman, portrayed standing, usually clothed, painted in bright colours and having an elaborate hairstyle
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