Wiktionary:Word of the day/Archive/2019/April

1

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couth adj

(obsolete) Familiar, known; well-known, renowned. (Scotland) Variant of couthie. Agreeable, friendly, pleasant. Comfortable; cosy, snug. […] Marked by or possessing a high degree of sophistication; cultured, refined. To celebrate April Fools’ Day, we are featuring a series of less familiar cousins to common words – enjoy!

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2

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imburse v

(transitive, obsolete) To put into a purse; to save, to store up. (transitive, obsolete) To give money to, to pay; to stock or supply with money. (transitive, obsolete) To pay back money that is owed; to refund, to repay, to reimburse. To celebrate April Fools’ Day, we are featuring a series of less familiar cousins to common words – enjoy!

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3

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loggerhead n

(obsolete) A stupid person; a blockhead, a dolt. A metal tool consisting of a long rod with a bulbous end that is made hot in a fire, then plunged into some material (such as pitch or a liquid) to melt or heat it. (nautical) A post on a whaling boat used to secure the harpoon rope. (botany, Midlands, dialectal) Often in plural: a thistle-like flowering plant of the genus Centaurea, particularly the common knapweed (Centaurea nigra). (zoology) Used as the name of various animals with large heads. The loggerhead duck or Falkland steamer duck (Tachyeres brachypterus; formerly Tachyeres cinereus), a species of steamer duck endemic to the Falkland Islands. The loggerhead kingbird (Tyrannus caudifasciatus), a bird endemic to the Caribbean and West Indies. The rufous-tailed flycatcher (Myiarchus validus), a bird endemic to Jamaica. The loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus), a bird endemic to North America. The loggerhead musk turtle (Sternotherus minor), a large-headed turtle endemic to the United States. The loggerhead sea turtle or loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), an oceanic turtle found throughout the world. To celebrate April Fools’ Day, we are featuring a series of less familiar cousins to common words – enjoy!

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4

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sensical adj

That makes sense; showing internal logic; rational, sensible. To celebrate April Fools’ Day, we are featuring a series of less familiar cousins to common words – enjoy!

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5

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whelm v

(transitive) To bury, to cover; to engulf, to submerge. (transitive, obsolete) To throw (something) over a thing so as to cover it. (transitive, obsolete) To ruin or destroy. (intransitive) To overcome with emotion; to overwhelm. To celebrate April Fools’ Day, we are featuring a series of less familiar cousins to common words – enjoy!

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6

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wieldy adj

(obsolete except Britain, dialectal) Able to wield one's body well; active, dexterous. Capable of being easily wielded or managed; handy. To celebrate April Fools’ Day, we are featuring a series of less familiar cousins to common words – enjoy!

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7

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chivvy v

(transitive, Britain) To coerce or hurry along, as by persistent request. (transitive, Britain) To subject to harassment or verbal abuse. (transitive, Britain) To sneak up on or rapidly approach. (transitive, Britain) To pursue as in a hunt. To mark World Health Day today and the benefits of being active, we are featuring a series of action words or verbs.

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8

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comply v

To yield assent; to accord; to acquiesce, agree, consent; to adapt oneself, to conform. (archaic) To accomplish, to fulfil. [from late 16th c.] (archaic) To be ceremoniously courteous; to make one's compliments. (archaic) To enfold; to embrace. To mark World Health Day on 7 April and the benefits of being active, we are featuring a series of action words or verbs.

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9

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grandfather v

(transitive, chiefly US, law) To retain existing laws or rules for (a person or organization previously affected by them). (intransitive, chiefly US, law) To retain existing laws or rules only for people or organizations previously affected by them, and to apply new laws or rules to the unaffected people or organizations. To mark World Health Day on 7 April and the benefits of being active, we are featuring a series of action words or verbs. The tongue-in-cheek International Be Kind to Lawyers Day also falls on this day in 2019, the second Tuesday of April.

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10

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deem v

(transitive, obsolete) To judge, to pass judgment on; to doom, to sentence. (transitive, obsolete) To adjudge, to decree. (transitive, obsolete) To dispense (justice); to administer (law). (transitive) To hold in belief or estimation; to adjudge as a conclusion; to regard as being; to evaluate according to one's beliefs; to account. (transitive, intransitive) To think, judge, or have or hold as an opinion; to decide or believe on consideration; to suppose. To mark World Health Day on 7 April and the benefits of being active, we are featuring a series of action words or verbs.

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11

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flabbergast v

(transitive) To overwhelm with bewilderment; to amaze, confound, or stun, especially in a ludicrous manner. To mark World Health Day on 7 April and the benefits of being active, we are featuring a series of action words or verbs.

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12

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spraddle v

(transitive, Canada, Caribbean (West Indies), US) To spread apart (the legs). (transitive, Canada, Caribbean (West Indies), US) To spread apart the legs of (someone or something). (intransitive, Canada, Caribbean (West Indies), US) To lie, move, or stand with legs spread. To mark World Health Day on 7 April and the benefits of being active, we are featuring a series of action words or verbs.

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13

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Department of Redundancy Department proper n

(humorous) A fictitious department that is cited to draw attention to needless repetition or excessiveness.

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14

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pang v

(transitive) To cause to have great pain or suffering; to torment, to torture.

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15

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mummy brown n

(painting, historical) A brown pigment originally prepared from the ground-up remains of Egyptian animal or human mummies mixed with bitumen, etc. The colour of this pigment, a variable brown intermediate between raw umber and burnt umber. mummy brown colour:   Today, the anniversary of the day Italian Renaissance polymath Leonardo da Vinci was born in 1452, is declared by the International Association of Art to be World Art Day to celebrate the fine arts.

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16

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boiling frog n

(idiomatic, often attributively) A person who, or thing which, is in a gradually worsening situation without any realization of the peril until it is too late.

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17

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implacable adj

Not able to be placated or appeased. Impossible to prevent or stop; inexorable, unrelenting, unstoppable. Adamant; immovable.

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18

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footbath n

The act of soaking or washing the feet. A small basin or bath designed for soaking or washing the feet. A liquid mixture, often medicinal, for soaking or washing the feet with. Today is Maundy Thursday in Western Christianity in 2019. It commemorates the maundy (foot-washing) which Jesus Christ performed on his disciples, and the Last Supper which they shared, the night before his crucifixion and death.

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19

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Bronx cheer n

(US, idiomatic) Synonym of raspberry (“a sound intended to resemble flatulence made by blowing air out of the mouth while the tongue is protruding from and pressed against the lips, used humorously or to express disdain or scorn”). On this day in 1912, Bronx County in New York City, New York, USA, was constituted, the change taking effect in 1914.

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20

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nauplius n

(zoology) A crustacean larva that has three pairs of locomotive organs (corresponding to antennules, antennae, and mandibles), a median eye, and little or no segmentation of the body.

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21

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hector v

(transitive) To dominate or intimidate in a blustering way; to bully, to domineer. (intransitive) To behave like a hector or bully; to bluster, to swagger; to bully.

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22

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agrology n

(rare) A subdiscipline of agronomy (the science of utilizing animals, plants, and soils) and of soil science which addresses the influence of edaphic (soil-related) conditions on crop production for optimizing it. (chiefly Canada) The science and art of agriculture. Today is Earth Day, a day for observing the need to protect the Earth.

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23

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Gramarye proper n

(literary, Arthurian, rare) The island of Britain. Today is Saint George’s Day, the feast day of the patron saint of England.

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24

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loath adj

Averse, disinclined; reluctant, unwilling. (obsolete) Angry, hostile. (obsolete) Loathsome, unpleasant.

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25

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chur interj

(New Zealand, informal) A strong voicing of agreement, approval, or thanks: awesome!, cheers!, ta!, thanks!. (New Zealand, informal) A parting salutation: bye, see you later. Today is ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand, which commemorates the contributions and sacrifices of those who have served in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations.

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26

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prozymite n

(Roman Catholicism, historical, derogatory) One who administers the Eucharist with leavened bread, in particular a member of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Today is marked by the Eastern Orthodox Church in 2019 as Good Friday.

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27

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recrudescence n

The condition or state being recrudescent; the condition of something (often undesirable) breaking out again, or re-emerging after temporary abatement or suppression. (medicine, by extension) The acute recurrence of a disease, or its symptoms, after a period of improvement. (botany) The production of a fresh shoot from a ripened spike.

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28

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philopolemic adj

(rare) Exalting or supporting conflict or war. (rare) Fond of polemics or controversy.

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29

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curate's egg n

(idiomatic) A thing which has good and bad parts, but is overall spoilt by the bad.

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30

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desiccate v

(transitive) To remove moisture from; to dry. (transitive) To preserve by drying. (intransitive, rare) To become dry; to dry up.

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