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Wiktionary:Word of the day/Archive/2023/February

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2023
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Word of the day
for February 1
caseness n
  1. (chiefly psychiatry) The state of accepted standardized diagnostic criteria for a given condition applying to a given patient, or the degree to which they are so applicable.
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2 edit

 

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Word of the day
for February 2
retrofit v (originally US)
  1. (transitive)
    1. To supply (a device, structure, etc.) with new components or parts that were not previously available or installed; to modernize.
    2. To add or substitute (new components or parts) that were not previously available for or installed in a device, structure, etc.
    3. (computing) Synonym of backport (“to retroactively supply to (a previous version of a software product) a fix, or a new feature, at the same time or after supplying it to the current version; to retroactively supply (a fix or a new feature) to a previous version of a software product at the same time or after supplying it to the current version”)
    4. (figuratively) To give new characteristics or make alterations (to someone or something) to suit them to changed circumstances.
  2. (intransitive) To supply a device, structure, etc., with new components or parts that were not previously available or installed.

retrofit n (originally US)

  1. An act of supplying a device, structure, etc., with new components or parts that were not previously available or installed; a retrofitting.
  2. A change made to a device, structure, etc., by introducing components or parts that were not previously available or installed.
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3 edit

 

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Word of the day
for February 3
inescutcheon n
  1. (heraldry) A small escutcheon (“coat of arms; shield”) (such as an escutcheon of pretence) which is charged (“represented”) on a larger escutcheon.
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Word of the day
for February 5
Lantern Festival n
  1. A festival marking the end of the Chinese New Year period, celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the Chinese calendar when the first full moon of the year is seen (in February or early March).
  2. ยี่เป็ง (Yi Peng), a festival celebrated chiefly in northern Thailand on the day of the full moon in the second month of the northern Thai lunar calendar (equivalent to the twelfth month of the lunar calendar used in the rest of Thailand, generally in November).

  The Chinese Lantern Festival (元宵節／元宵节 (Yuánxiāojié, literally “festival on the night of the first (month)”)) takes place today in 2023, marking the end of the fifteen-day Chinese New Year period.

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6 edit

 

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Word of the day
for February 6
rickroll v (transitive)
  1. (originally Internet slang) To mislead (someone) into following a seemingly innocuous hyperlink, or sometimes a QR code, that leads to a YouTube video of Rick Astley's song "Never Gonna Give You Up".
  2. (by extension)
    1. To surprise or trick (someone) into listening to this song in a live setting.
    2. To cause (someone) to unexpectedly engage with this song through an indirect method, such as through steganography, sheet music, or by inserting the lyrics into an unrelated context.

rickroll n

  1. (Internet slang) An act of or attempt at rickrolling.

  Happy birthday, Rick Astley! The British pop singer and songwriter, who lent his name to the word, was born on this day in 1966.

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Word of the day
for February 7
bicultural n
  1. A person belonging to two cultures.

bicultural adj

  1. Adapted to two separate cultures.
  2. Having working knowledge of two separate cultures.

  Yesterday was Waitangi Day, the national day of New Zealand. It marks the anniversary of the initial signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, which is regarded as the founding document of the nation, and the basis of its biculturalism.

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8 edit

 

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Word of the day
for February 8
tufty adj
  1. Having the form of or resembling a tuft (“a bunch of grass, hair, etc., held together at the base”).
  2. Covered in or having many tufts.
    1. (obsolete, rare) Covered with tufts (“small clumps of bushes or trees”).
  3. Growing in tufts.

[...]

  1. (obsolete) Of a cow: seeking a bull to mate with.

tufty n

  1. (British, informal) The tufted duck (Aythya fuligula).
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9 edit

 

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Word of the day
for February 9
kibosh n
  1. (slang) Chiefly in put on the kibosh or put the kibosh on: something which checks or restrains.

kibosh v

  1. (transitive) To decisively put a stop to or terminate (someone or something).
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10 edit

 

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Word of the day
for February 10
what say you phrase
  1. (formal) What do you say? What is your opinion?
    1. (law) When addressed to a defendant in court: how do you plead? Also, when addressed to a jury or its foreperson: what is your verdict?
  2. (informal)
    1. Sometimes followed by if: how about or what about (something)?
    2. Followed by to: do you fancy, or would you like (something, such as an activity or a drink or a food item)?
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Word of the day
for February 11
Isonade proper n
  1. (Japanese mythology) A mythological monster that resembles an enormous shark, said to live off the coast of western Japan.

  Today is National Foundation Day in Japan, which marks the mythological foundation of Japan and the accession of its first emperor, Emperor Jimmu, on this day in 660 B.C.E.

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12 edit

 

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Word of the day
for February 12
palingenesis n
  1. (uncountable, also figuratively) Rebirth; regeneration; (countable) an instance of this.
    1. The recurrence of historical events in the same order in an infinite series of cycles.
    2. (philosophy, theology, historical) Spiritual rebirth through the transmigration of the soul.
  2. (uncountable, biology, chiefly historical or obsolete) The apparent repetition, during the development of a single embryo, of changes that occurred previously in the evolution of its species.
  3. (uncountable, geology) The regeneration of magma by the melting of metamorphic rocks.

  The English biologist, geologist, and naturalist Charles Darwin, who is best known for his contributions towards the science of evolution, was born on this day in 1809.

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13 edit

 

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Word of the day
for February 13
podcast v
  1. (transitive) To deliver (information) in the form of a programme, especially an audio programme, over the Internet on a regular basis for playback on computers or portable devices such as mobile phones.
  2. (intransitive) To deliver a programme, especially an audio programme, over the Internet on a regular basis for playback on computers or portable devices such as mobile phones.

podcast n

  1. A programme, especially an audio programme, produced on a regular basis, delivered over the Internet in a compressed digital format and designed for playback on computers or portable devices such as mobile phones.
  2. (loosely) An individual episode of such a programme.

  Today is World Radio Day, which is recognized by the United Nations to highlight the importance of radio for sharing information, promoting diversity of ideas, and reaching remote communities and vulnerable people, and its role in emergency communication during disasters. United Nations Radio was established on this day in 1946.

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14 edit

 

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Word of the day
for February 14
tenderoni n
  1. (originally African-American Vernacular, slang) A younger (often female) love interest.

  Happy Valentine’s Day from all of us at the English Wiktionary!

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Word of the day
for February 17
staunch adj
  1. Not permitting water or some other liquid to escape or penetrate; watertight.
    1. (by extension) Impermeable to air or other gases; airtight.
  2. Strongly built; also, in good or strong condition.
  3. (figuratively)
    1. Staying true to one's aims or principles; firm, resolute, unswerving.
    2. Dependable, loyal, reliable, trustworthy.
      1. (chiefly hunting) Of a hunting dog: that can be depended on to pick up the scent of, or to mark, game.
    3. (obsolete) Cautious, restrained. [...]
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18 edit

 

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Word of the day
for February 18
balloon goes up phrase
  1. (idiomatic) Chiefly preceded by the: something exciting, risky, or troublesome begins.

  Two weeks ago on 4 February 2023, the United States Air Force shot down a Chinese high-altitude balloon which had entered American airspace, alleging it had been used for surveillance. The action was condemned by the Chinese government, which claimed it was a meteorological airship that had blown off-course.

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19 edit

 

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Word of the day
for February 19
perpetuate adj
  1. (archaic except poetic) Perpetual, or made perpetual; continued for an indefinite time.

perpetuate v

  1. (transitive) To make (something) perpetual; to make (something) continue for an indefinite time; also, to preserve (something) from extinction or oblivion.
    1. (law) To record (the testimony of a witness) which may be lost before a matter comes to trial.
  2. (transitive) To prolong the existence of (something) by repetition; to reinforce.
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20 edit

 

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Word of the day
for February 20
bubbe n (chiefly in Jewish contexts)
  1. A grandmother.
  2. An elderly woman.

  Today, the third Monday of February in 2023, is celebrated as Family Day in some parts of Canada.

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Word of the day
for February 23
dawdle v
  1. (transitive) Chiefly followed by away: to spend (time) without haste or purpose.
  2. (intransitive)
    1. To spend time idly and unfruitfully; to waste time.
    2. To move or walk lackadaisically.

dawdle n

  1. An act of spending time idly and unfruitfully; a dawdling.
  2. An act of moving or walking lackadaisically, a dawdling; a leisurely or slow walk or other journey.
  3. Synonym of dawdler (“a person who dawdles or idles”) [...]
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24 edit

 

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Word of the day
for February 24
embattled adj
  1. (also figuratively)
    1. Armed or prepared for battle.
    2. Of a place: occupied or surrounded by armed troops.
  2. Of a place: strengthened so as to withstand attacks; fortified.
  3. (figuratively) Subject to or troubled by attacks, controversy, or pressure.

[...]

  1. (architecture) Of a fortress or other building, a wall, etc.: having battlements or crenellations; battlemented, crenellated.
  2. (by extension, heraldry) Having an edge or outline of alternating square indentations and extensions like battlements.

  Ukraine was invaded by Russia one year ago on this day in 2022; the war continues.

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25 edit

 

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Word of the day
for February 25
withal adv
  1. (chiefly archaic)
    1. Together with the rest; besides; in addition.
    2. All things considered; nevertheless.
  2. (archaic or obsolete) Synonym of therewith (“with this, that, or those”)

withal postposition

  1. (archaic) Used at the end of a clause or sentence, after the object: with.
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26 edit

 

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Word of the day
for February 26
beauty spot n
  1. (archaic) A thing (especially an aspect of something) which is beautiful.
    1. A natural mark on a person's skin, especially a freckle or mole on a woman's face.
    2. (cosmetics, historical) A patch or spot drawn or placed on the face in order to heighten beauty.
    3. (ornithology, archaic) Synonym of speculum (“a bright, lustrous patch of colour found on the wings of ducks and some other birds, usually situated on the distal portions of the secondary quills, and much more brilliant in the adult male than in the female”)
  2. (chiefly British) A place noted for its beauty, especially its natural scenery.
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27 edit

 

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Word of the day
for February 27
switchback n (often attributively or figuratively)
  1. (rail transport)
    1. A railway track on a steep slope in a zigzag formation, in which a train travels in a reverse direction at each switch.
    2. A railway track on which there are steep ascents and descents, a train moving partially or fully by the force of gravity using the momentum generated when descending to travel up an ascending part of the track; especially (British, dated), such a track built for fun rides at an amusement park; a type of rollercoaster.
  2. (by extension)
    1. (aviation) A flight path consisting of a series of steep ascents and descents, generally flown as a stunt.
    2. (chiefly British, road transport) A path or road having a series of steep ascents and descents.
    3. (chiefly Canada, US, road transport) A sharp bend in a path or road which causes a traveller to almost reverse their direction of travel, especially one of a series of such bends on an incline; a hairpin bend; also a path or road having such a series of bends.

switchback v

  1. (intransitive) To take a zigzag course or path.
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28 edit

 

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Word of the day
for February 28
short twentieth century proper n
  1. (history, specifically) The period between 1914 and 1991, from the beginning of World War I to the fall of the Soviet Union.

short twentieth century n

  1. (history, generally) Any period of years defined by significant historical events falling within the 20th century (1 January 1901 to 31 December 2000).
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