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Wiktionary:Word of the day/Archive/2018/January

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2018
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Word of the day for January 1
Brooklynite n
  1. A native or inhabitant of Brooklyn, New York.

  On New Year’s Day in 1898, 120 years ago, Brooklyn was consolidated with other cities, boroughs, and counties to form what is now New York City.

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Word of the day for January 2
cloud nine n
  1. (idiomatic) Often in the phrase on cloud nine: a state of bliss, elation or happiness.
  2. (idiomatic, possibly nonstandard) A state of fantastic or impractical dreaming or thinking.

  Today is Nyinlong (Dzongkha ཉིན་ལོང་ (nyin long, “return of the sun”)), the winter solstice celebration in Bhutan which is considered the most auspicious day of the year. The concept of gross national happiness was developed in Bhutan in the 1970s.

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Word of the day for January 4
blossom n
  1. A flower, especially one indicating that a fruit tree is fruiting; (collectively) a mass of such flowers.
  2. The state or season of producing such flowers.
  3. (figuratively) A blooming period or stage of development; something lovely that gives rich promise.
  4. The colour of a horse that has white hairs intermixed with sorrel and bay hairs.

blossom v

  1. (intransitive) To have, or open into, blossoms; to bloom.
  2. (intransitive) To begin to thrive or flourish.

  Junichi Kakizaki, a Japanese floral artist, land and environmental artist, and sculptor, was born on this day in 1971.

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Word of the day for January 5
volition n
  1. A conscious choice or decision.
  2. The mental power or ability of choosing; the will.
  3. (linguistics) A concept that distinguishes whether or not the subject or agent intended something.
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Word of the day for January 8
mendacity n
  1. (uncountable) The fact or condition of being untruthful; dishonesty.
  2. (countable) A deceit, falsehood, or lie.
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Word of the day for January 9
man down v
  1. (transitive, idiomatic) To lose courage or cause to lose courage.
  2. (transitive) To reduce in manpower.
  3. (transitive, chiefly falconry) To train (a raptor or other type of bird) to become accustomed to the presence of people; to man.
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Word of the day for January 11
Everester n
  1. Someone who climbs Mount Everest.

  New Zealand mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary died on this day ten years ago in 2008. On 29 May 1953, Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers known to have reached the summit of Mount Everest, the highest mountain on Earth above sea level.

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Word of the day for January 12
upcycle v
  1. (transitive) To convert (waste materials, etc.) into new materials or products of higher quality and greater functionality.
  2. (transitive) To promote into a more productive or useful role.
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Word of the day for January 14
windsucker n
  1. A horse with the habit of windsucking.
  2. (archaic) […]
    1. The common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus).
    2. (derogatory) A term of abuse.
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Word of the day for January 15
obtuse adj
  1. Intellectually dull or dim-witted.
  2. Indirect or circuitous.
  3. Of sound, etc.: deadened, muffled, muted.
  4. (geometry) Of an angle: greater than 90 degrees but less than 180 degrees.
  5. (geometry) Of a triangle: having one obtuse angle.
  6. (now chiefly botany, zoology) Not sharp; blunt.
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Word of the day for January 16
serac n
  1. Often sérac: a hard, cone-shaped, pale green, strongly flavoured cheese from Switzerland made from skimmed cowmilk and blue fenugreek (Trigonella caerulea); Schabziger, Sapsago. It is usually eaten grated, mixed with butter, or in a fondue.
  2. (geography (glaciology)) A sharp tower of ice formed by intersecting crevasses of a glacier.
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Word of the day for January 21
breadbasket n
  1. A basket used for storing or carrying bread.
  2. A region which has favourable conditions to produce a large quantity of grain or, by extension, other food products; a food bowl.
  3. (humorous) The abdomen or stomach, especially as a vulnerable part of the body in an attack.
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Word of the day for January 23
glossolalia n
  1. Speaking a language one does not know, or speaking elaborate but apparently meaningless speech, while in a trance-like state (or, supposedly, under the influence of a deity or spirits); speaking in tongues.
  2. Xenoglossy (“knowledge of a language one has never learned”).
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Word of the day for January 24
swarf n
  1. (uncountable) The waste chips or shavings from an abrasive activity, such as metalworking, a saw cutting wood, or the use of a grindstone or whetstone.
  2. (countable) A particular waste chip or shaving.

swarf v

  1. (transitive) To grind down. […]
  2. (intransitive, Scotland, obsolete) To grow languid; to faint.
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Word of the day for January 25
haggis n
  1. A traditional Scottish dish made from minced sheep offal with oatmeal and spices, etc., originally boiled in the stomach of a sheep but now often in an artificial casing, and usually served with neeps and tatties (mashed swede and potatoes) and accompanied with whisky.

  Burns night is held on this date in celebration of the Scottish poet and lyricist Robert Burns (born on 25 January 1759), and usually involves Scottish foods and recitals of his poetry.

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Word of the day for January 26
drop bear n
  1. (cryptozoology) A fictional Australian marsupial in the form of a large, carnivorous koala said to fall upon its prey from treetops.

  Happy Australia Day from all of us at the Wiktionary!

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Word of the day for January 27
community n
  1. (countable) A group sharing a common understanding, and often the same language, law, manners, and/or tradition.
  2. (countable) A residential or religious collective; a commune.
  3. (countable, ecology) A group of interdependent organisms inhabiting the same region and interacting with each other.
  4. (countable, Internet) A group of people interacting by electronic means for educational, professional, social, or other purposes; a virtual community.
  5. (uncountable) The condition of having certain attitudes and interests in common.
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Word of the day for January 28
if anything adv
  1. (idiomatic) Used after a negative statement to suggest the opposite is true.
  2. (idiomatic) Used to suggest or state tentatively that something may be the case (often the opposite of something previously implied).
  3. (idiomatic) Used in questions when the speaker does not know for sure if the listener will have an answer.
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Word of the day for January 31
deep state n
  1. (politics, conspiracy theories) A large group of people, typically members of government agencies and the military, believed to have long-lasting political influence that is difficult for an administration voted into power to counter.
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