Wiktionary:Word of the day/Archive/2016/July

 

Word of the day
for July 1
jorum n
  1. (countable) A large vessel for drinking (usually alcoholic beverages).
  2. (countable, figurative) A large quantity.
  3. (countable, uncountable) The contents, or quantity of the contents, of such a vessel.
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Word of the day
for July 2
devoir n
  1. (archaic, often in plural) Duty, business; something that one must do.
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Word of the day
for July 3
push factor n
  1. A factor that encourages one to leave one's current home, region, country, organization, or religion.
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Word of the day
for July 4
sparerib n
  1. A cut of meat including the rib bones.

  Today, which is Independence Day in the United States, is also celebrated as National Barbecued Spareribs Day by some.

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Word of the day
for July 5
trousseau n
  1. The clothes and linen, etc., that a bride collects for her wedding and married life.
  2. (obsolete) A bundle.
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Word of the day
for July 6
Eid al-Fitr proper n
  1. (Islam) The religious celebration at the end of Ramadan, on the first day of the tenth month of the Muslim lunar calendar.

  For many Muslims, Eid al-Fitr falls on this day in 2016. Eid mubarak from all of us at the English Wiktionary!

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Word of the day
for July 7
adhocracy n
  1. (business) An organizational system designed to be flexible and responsive to the needs of the moment rather than excessively bureaucratic.

  American futurist Alvin Toffler, who popularized the word in his book Future Shock (1970), died last week on 27 June.

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Word of the day
for July 8
decommission v
  1. To take out of service or to render unusable.
  2. To remove or revoke a commission.
  3. To remove or revoke a formal designation.
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Word of the day
for July 9
obeah n
  1. A form of folk magic, medicine or witchcraft originating in Africa and practised in parts of the Caribbean.
  2. A magician or witch doctor of the magic craft.
  3. A spell performed in the practice of the magic craft; an item associated with such a spell.
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Word of the day
for July 10
flamboyant adj
  1. Showy, bold or audacious in behaviour, appearance, etc.
  2. (architecture) Referring to the final stage of French Gothic architecture from the 14th to the 16th centuries.
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Word of the day
for July 11
longhauling n
  1. The act of travelling long distances.
  2. The act of a taxicab driver taking a passenger on a long detour to the destination without consent in order to drive up the fare.
  3. The act of transporting goods over long distances.
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Word of the day
for July 12
until the cows come home prepositional phrase
  1. (idiomatic) For a very long period of time.

  American fast food restaurant chain Chick-fil-A has designated today “Cow Appreciation Day” in 2016.

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Word of the day
for July 13
pentaquark n
  1. (physics) Any of a class of subatomic particles (previously hypothetical, since detected, subject to confirmation) consisting of a group of five quarks (compared to three quarks in normal baryons and two in mesons), or more specifically four quarks and one antiquark (symbol Θ).

  The LHCb collaboration at CERN reported results consistent with pentaquark states in the decay of bottom Lambda baryons on this day in 2015.

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Word of the day
for July 14
wouldn't shout if a shark bit him v
  1. (Australia, idiomatic) To be frugal or miserly.

  Today is National Shark Awareness Day in the USA.

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Word of the day
for July 15
outdoorsy adj
  1. (informal) Associated with the outdoors, or suited to outdoor life.
  2. (informal) Fond of the outdoors.
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Word of the day
for July 16
gentile n
  1. A non-Jewish person.
  2. (grammar) A noun derived from a proper noun which denotes something belonging to or coming from a particular city, nation, or country.

  In the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church in the United States, today is the feast day of the Righteous Among the Nations, gentiles who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust.

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Word of the day
for July 18
chinwag n
  1. (British, informal) An informal conversation, usually about everyday matters; a chat, a gossip.
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Word of the day
for July 19
awkward adj
  1. Lacking dexterity in the use of the hands, or of instruments.
  2. Not easily managed or effected; embarrassing.
  3. Lacking social skills, or uncomfortable with social interaction.
  4. Perverse; adverse; difficult to handle.

  The MTV teen comedy series Awkward premiered on this day in 2011.

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Word of the day
for July 20
Earth-grazing adj
  1. (astronomy) (About a meteoroid) Entering the Earth's atmosphere and leaving into space again.
  2. (astronomy) Approaching the Earth closely.

  A spectacular meteor procession was visible in the USA on this day in 1860.

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Word of the day
for July 21
praemunire n
  1. (law, historical) The offence in English law of bringing suit in or obeying a foreign (especially papal) court or authority, thus challenging the supremacy of the Crown.

  On this day in 1967, the parts of the Criminal Law Act 1967 (chapter 58) which repealed the Great Statute of Praemunire 1393 (16 Richard II, chapter 5), came into force.

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Word of the day
for July 22
cupboard n
  1. (obsolete) A board or table used to openly hold and display silver plate and other dishware; a sideboard; a buffet.
  2. (obsolete) Things displayed on a sideboard; dishware, particularly valuable plate.
  3. A cabinet, closet, or other piece of furniture with shelves intended for storing cookware, dishware, or food; similar cabinets or closets used for storing other items.
  4. (obsolete) Things stored in a cupboard; particularly food.
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Word of the day
for July 23
mare's nest n
  1. A great discovery which turns out to be illusory; a hoax.
  2. A confused or complicated situation; a muddle.

  A memorial to the discovery of the Piltdown Man, later revealed as a hoax, was unveiled in Piltdown, East Sussex, UK, on this day in 1938.

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Word of the day
for July 24
schlep v
  1. (transitive, informal) To carry, drag, or lug.
  2. (intransitive, informal) To go, as on an errand or task.
  3. (intransitive, informal) To act in a slovenly, lazy, or sloppy manner.

  Isaac Bashevis Singer, the Polish-born Jewish author in Yiddish who was awarded the 1978 Nobel Prize in Literature, died on this day in 1991.

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Word of the day
for July 26
thimblerig n
  1. A game of skill which requires the bettor to guess under which of three small cups (or thimbles) a pea-sized object has been placed after the party operating the game rapidly rearranges them, providing opportunity for sleight-of-hand trickery; a shell game.
  2. One operating such a game.
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Word of the day
for July 27
baby carrot n
  1. A carrot harvested and sold when immature and of a small size.
  2. A small piece cut from a larger carrot.

  • The term baby-cut carrot is sometimes used for the second sense, especially to distinguish it from the first sense.

  The cartoon character Bugs Bunny made his first official appearance in A Wild Hunt on this day in 1940.

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Word of the day
for July 28
brazen adj
  1. (archaic) Pertaining to, made of, or resembling brass (in color or strength).
  2. Sounding harsh and loud, like brass cymbals or brass instruments.
  3. (archaic) Extremely strong; impenetrable.
  4. Shamelessly shocking and offensive; impudent; barefaced; immodest; or unblushing.
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Word of the day
for July 29
platypusary n
  1. A place where platypuses are nurtured.

  Australian naturalist Henry Burrell, who coined the term and was the first person to successfully rear platypuses in captivity, died on this day in 1945.

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Word of the day
for July 30
sett n
  1. The system of tunnels that is the home of a badger.
  2. The pattern of distinctive threads and yarns that make up the plaid of a Scottish tartan.
  3. A small, square-cut piece of quarried stone used for paving and edging.
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