January 2017 – WOTDs

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January 2017

31 January 2017

accretion

[uh-kree-shuh n]

noun

1. an increase by natural growth or by gradual external addition; growth in size or extent.
2. the result of this process.
3. an added part; addition:
The last part of the legend is a later accretion.
4. the growing together of separate parts into a single whole.
5. Law. increase of property by gradual natural additions, as of land by alluvion.

Origin of accretion

Latin

1605-1615; < Latin accrētiōn- (stem of accrētiō), equivalent to accrēt (us), past participle of accrēscere to grow ( ac- ac- + crē- grow + -tus past participle suffix) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms

accretive, accretionary, adjective
nonaccretion, noun
nonaccretive, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for accretion

Contemporary

Accretion of incremental, imperceptible changes which can constitute progress and which render our era dramatically different from the past, a contrast obscured by the undramatic nature of gradual transformation punctuated by occasional tumult.
Rebecca Solnit
TED Talk: Danny Dorling: Maps that show us who we are (not just where we are)

The powerful forces of gravity and magnetism channel matter into huge flattened spinning platters known as accretion disks.
The Black Hole Tango
Matthew R. Francis
November 23, 2014

The direction of polarization for a quasar is determined by the accretion disk surrounding it.
The Black Hole Tango
Matthew R. Francis
November 23, 2014

Their gravitational pull can draw in huge amounts of gas, which swirls in a thick donut-shaped pattern known as an accretion disk.
The Supermassive Black Hole Smokescreen
Matthew R. Francis
June 21, 2014

The accretion of interest groups is not a uniquely American problem.
So What Would I Do About China?
David Frum
August 21, 2012

Historical Examples

The appearance greatly improved, and the accretion in seven years after thinning showed 160 per cent.
Garden and Forest Weekly, Volume 1 No. 1, February 29, 1888
Various

With any accretion allowed, the concentration of wealth is irresistible.
Usury
Calvin Elliott

Organisms are not added to by accretion, as in the case of minerals, but by growth.
Natural Law in the Spiritual World
Henry Drummond

The only difficulty in this accretion is to secure debtors that will not die.
Usury
Calvin Elliott

Nor must we despise them when we reflect upon their power of accretion.
Lippincott’s Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Vol. XII, No. 28. July, 1873.
Various

She was in a state of rare contentment, an accretion to the gaiety that was hers by nature.
The Intrusions of Peggy
Anthony Hope

Anagram

a necrotic
circa tone
react icon

30 January 2017

Occident

[ok-si-duh nt]

noun

1. the Occident.
the West; the countries of Europe and America.
Western Hemisphere.

2. (lowercase) the west; the western regions.

Origin of Occident

Middle English, Middle French, Latin, Middle English < Middle French < Latin occident- (stem of occidēns) present participle of occidere to fall, (of the sun) to set, equivalent to oc- oc- + cid- (combining form of cadere to fall) + -ent- -ent

Can be confused

accident, Occident.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for Occident

Historical Examples

Her affiliation with the Occident is so much the more complete; but her Eastern origin is never in doubt.
Studies of Contemporary Poets
Mary C. Sturgeon

In the Occident, giving to the poor is lending to the devil.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Volume 11 (of 14)
Elbert Hubbard

He established a periodical, “Orient and Occident,” in 1862.
Some Jewish Witnesses For Christ
Rev. A. Bernstein, B.D.

Anagram

edict con

29 January 2017

daguerreotype

[duh-gair-uh-tahyp, -ee-uh-tahyp]

noun

1. an obsolete photographic process, invented in 1839, in which a picture made on a silver surface sensitized with iodine was developed by exposure to mercury vapor.
2. a picture made by this process.
verb (used with object), daguerreotyped, daguerreotyping.
3. to photograph by this process.

Origin of daguerreotype

1830-1840; named after L. J. M. Daguerre; see -o-, -type

Related forms

daguerreotyper, daguerreotypist, noun
daguerreotypic [duh-gair-uh-tip-ik, -ee-uh-tip-] (Show IPA), adjective
daguerreotypy, noun

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for daguerreotype

Contemporary Examples

We can feel her sensuality and willfulness in the first daguerreotype we have of Mary, taken in 1846, when she was twenty-seven.
Lincoln in Love
Jerome Charyn
February 13, 2014

Historical Examples

The daguerreotype was followed in 1850 by the present “photograph.”
Invention
Bradley A. Fiske

It was a daguerreotype, faded and silvered; but the features were those of his wife!
The Crusade of the Excelsior
Bret Harte

Anagram

a deeper yogurt
a greedy troupe
a retyped rouge

28 January 2017

hackneyed

[hak-need]

adjective

1. made commonplace or trite; stale; banal:
the hackneyed images of his poetry.

Origin of hackneyed

1740-1750; hackney + -ed2

Related forms

nonhackneyed, adjective
unhackneyed, adjective

Synonyms

overdone, overused. See commonplace.

hackney

[hak-nee]

noun, plural hackneys.

1. Also called hackney coach. a carriage or coach for hire; cab.
2. a trotting horse used for drawing a light carriage or the like.
3. a horse used for ordinary riding or driving.
4. (initial capital letter) one of an English breed of horses having a high-stepping gait.
adjective
5. let out, employed, or done for hire.
verb (used with object)
6. to make trite, common, or stale by frequent use.
7. to use as a hackney.

Origin

1300-50; Middle English hakeney, special use of placename Hackney, Middlesex, England

Related forms

hackneyism, noun

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for hackneyed

Contemporary Examples

Sometimes Allen retools a hackneyed plot and the bones show through—not this time.
Woody Allen’s Best & Worst Movies: ‘Annie Hall’ ‘Match Point’ & More (Video)
Malcolm Jones
July 25, 2013

It was slit-your-wrists dull, but in a hackneyed avant-garde manner.
Whitney Museum’s Biennial: A Big Yawn
Blake Gopnik
February 29, 2012

Even the harmonized choral accents are hackneyed, ripped straight from her previous mega-hit “You Belong with Me.”
Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’: Country’s Prodigal Daughter Creates the Best Pop Album of the Year
Marlow Stern
October 24, 2014

hackneyed chestnuts like that are reserved for old toastmasters, and yet, there we were.
From Moscow to Queens, Down Sergei Dovlatov Way
Daniel Genis
September 14, 2014

Under normal circumstances, a politician being grilled by fifth-graders is hackneyed political theater.
Biden Grilled by Fifth-Graders
Alex Pasternack
May 10, 2009

Historical Examples

We can only refer the reader’s imagination to the one old, hackneyed but expressive, word—fairyland!
Blown to Bits
Robert Michael Ballantyne

Reason three, a hackneyed but very present trouble was the weather.
A harum-scarum schoolgirl
Angela Brazil

The hackneyed simile of the cat and the mouse seemed to me to be especially applicable in the present instance.
Princess Zara
Ross Beeckman

His anger thrilled out in a feeble stream of hackneyed profanities.
The Wonder
J. D. Beresford

Such was the creation of Scott’s Abbotsford, a real ‘romance in stone and lime,’ to use the Frenchman’s hackneyed phrase.
Abbotsford
Anonymous

Anagram

hacked yen
needy hack

27 January 2017

ecru

[ek-roo, ey-kroo]

adjective

1. very light brown in color, as raw silk, unbleached linen, etc.

noun

2. an ecru color.

Also, écru [French ey-kry]

Origin of ecru

1865-1870; French, equivalent to é- completely (< Latin ex- ex-1) + cru raw (< Latin crūdus; see crude )

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for ecru

Historical Examples

You can take my ecru lace scarf, if you wish, and that will cover most of the spots.
The Wit and Humor of America, Volume II. (of X.)
Various

In giving a brownish hue to such light colors as beige, ecru, etc., it is invaluable.
The Practical Ostrich Feather Dyer
Alexander Paul

ecru : Continue the foregoing operation for blue by passing the goods through a solution of prussiate of potash.
Burroughs’ Encyclopaedia of Astounding Facts and Useful Information, 1889
Barkham Burroughs

A nervous tug-of-war was taking place between her right and left hand, with a twisted-up pair of ecru gloves for the cable.
The Shadow
Arthur Stringer

In color it runs from ecru drab to hair-brown with streaks of the latter, and it is very viscid when moist.
Studies of American Fungi. Mushrooms, Edible, Poisonous, etc.
George Francis Atkinson

He was slightly smaller than a load of hay in his belted suit of ecru pongee; he wore a satisfied air and a pleased mustache.
The Sin of Monsieur Pettipon
Richard Connell

Madame had, cried madame’s maid, running to fetch one with little pink flowers and green leaves on an ecru ground.
A Modern Chronicle, Complete
Winston Churchill

If they are of an ecru shade, put a little coffee in the water and they will look like new.
Guide to Hotel Housekeeping
Mary E. Palmer

And the curtains are just simple cotton voiles, ecru in the living and dining rooms, and white in the bedrooms.
A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband
Louise Bennett Weaver

The chief end of man is to witness an ecru coyote and a few absolute human failures like you and me.
Heart’s Desire
Emerson Hough

Anagram

cure

26 January 2017

non-U

[non-yoo]

adjective

1. not characteristic of or appropriate to the upper class, common, especially of Great Britain:
For example: certain words and phrases are considered absolutely non-U.

Origin of non-U
non- + U(Upper) (adj.)
Dictionary.com

anagram

noun

25 January 2017

het up

[het]

adjective, Informal.

1. indignant; irate; upset:
She was really het up about the new city tax.
2. enthusiastic:
John is suddenly het up about racing cars.

Origin of het up

1920-1925; het, archaic or dial. past participle of heat + up

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for het up

Contemporary Examples

Elsewhere in the post, Silver explains, as he has many times, why no one should get too het up over one single poll.
Silver on Gallup’s Galloping Numbers
Michael Tomasky
October 18, 2012

Historical Examples

It was by standin’ out all het up where she had hitched me after she’d rid’ me to one of the witch conventions.
The Skipper and the Skipped
Holman Day

Why would your grandfather get all het up if he heard about it?
David Lannarck, Midget
George S. Harney

Anagram

he put

24 January 2017

braggadocious

[brag-uh-doh-shuhs]

adjective

1. (US, informal) boastful

Word Origin

from braggadocio

Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons& Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Contemporary definitions for braggadocious

adjective

overly proud, bragging in excess

Word Origin

derivative of the mock-Italian braggadocio meaning ‘idle boaster’

Dictionary.com’s 21st Century Lexicon
Copyright © 2003-2014 Dictionary.com, LLC

Anagram

Airbag Scud Goo

23 January 2017

Naugahyde

[naw-guh-hahyd]

Trademark.

1. a brand of strong vinyl-coated fabric made to look like leather and used for upholstery, luggage, etc.

Dictionary.com

Word Origin and History for Naugahyde

trademark name patented (U.S.) Dec. 7, 1937, by United States Rubber Products Inc., for an artificial leather made from fabric base treated with rubber, etc. From Naugatuk, rubber-making town in Connecticut, + hyde, an arbitrary variant of hide (n.). The town name is Southern New England Algonquian *neguttuck “one tree,” from *negut- “one” + *-tugk “tree.”

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Anagram

handy ague
Hey Uganda

22 January 2017

palooka

[puh-loo-kuh]

noun, Slang.

1. an athlete, especially a boxer, lacking in ability, experience, or competitive spirit.
2. a stupid, clumsy person.

Origin of palooka

1920-1925, Americanism; origin uncertain

Dictionary.com

Contemporary example

Butch: You lookin’ at something, friend?
Vincent: You ain’t my friend, Palooka.
Butch: What’s that?
Vincent: I think you heard me just fine, Punchy.

– Pulp Fiction screenplay

Anagram

oak opal

 

21 January 2017

lights(1)

[lahyts]

plural noun

1. a person’s ideas, knowledge, or understanding: he did it according to his lights

lights(2)

plural noun

1. the lungs, esp of sheep, bullocks, and pigs, used for feeding pets and occasionally in human food

Word Origin
C13: plural noun use of light ², referring to the light weight of the lungs

Anagram

slight

20 January 2017

nanobot

[nan-uh-bot]

noun

1. a machine or robot built on the nanoscale, still in the research-and-development stage, with potential applications in medicine and industry.
2. a machine or robot that can manipulate nanoscale objects with great precision.

Also called nanorobot [nan-uh-roh-buh t, -bot], nanite, nanomachine.

Origin of nanobot

1990-1995; nano- + (ro)bot

Dictionary.com

Contemporary definitions for nanobot

noun

a microscopic robot used in nanotechnology, a nano-robot; an extremely small autonomous self-propelled machine that may reproduce

Word Origin

1989

Dictionary.com

Anagram

ban onto
no baton
bat noon

19 January 2017

spar(1)

[spahr]

noun

1. Nautical. a stout pole such as those used for masts, etc.; a mast, yard, boom, gaff, or the like.
2. Aeronautics. a principal lateral member of the framework of a wing of an airplane.
verb (used with object), sparred, sparring.
3. to provide or make with spars.

Origin of spar(1)

Middle English
1250-1300; Middle English sparre (noun); cognate with German Sparren, Dutch spar, Old Norse sparri

Related forms

sparlike, adjective

spar(2)

[spahr]

verb (used without object), sparred, sparring.

1. (of boxers) to make the motions of attack and defense with the arms and fists, especially as a part of training.
2. to box, especially with light blows.
3. to strike or attack with the feet or spurs, as gamecocks do.
4. to bandy words; dispute.
noun
5. a motion of sparring.
6. a boxing match.
7. a dispute.

Origin

1350-1400; Middle English: orig., thrust (noun and v.); perhaps akin to spur1

spar(3)

[spahr]

noun

1. any of various more or less lustrous crystalline minerals:
fluorspar.

Origin

1575-85; back formation from sparstone spar, Old English spærstān gypsum; compare Middle Low German spar

Related forms

sparlike, adjective

SPAR or Spar

[spahr]

Spell Syllables

noun

1. (during World War II) a woman enlisted in the women’s reserve of the U.S. Coast Guard (disbanded in 1946).

Origin

1942; Latin S (emper) par (ātus) “Always ready” the Coast Guard motto

SpAr

1. Spanish Arabic.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for spar

Contemporary Examples

spar comes from the co-ed world, a seemingly plain credential but one that will give her an enormous advantage at Barnard.
Big Woman on Campus
Kate Taylor
October 21, 2008

spar has a new book titled The Baby Business: How Money, Science and Politics Drive the Commerce of Conception.
Want Blue Eyes With That Baby?: The Strange New World of Human Reproduction
Eleanor Clift
November 23, 2014

Asked if the ability to reproduce should be a human right, spar said she would leave that for the philosophers to think about.
Want Blue Eyes With That Baby?: The Strange New World of Human Reproduction
Eleanor Clift
November 23, 2014

Anagram

raps
pars

18 January 2017

choler

[kol-er]

noun

1. irascibility; anger; wrath; irritability.
2. Old Physiology. yellow bile.
3. Obsolete. biliousness.

Origin of choler

Middle English, Latin, Greek
1350-1400; Middle English colera; Medieval Latin, Latin cholera; Greek choléra cholera

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for choler

Historical Examples

The king felt the blow; Dumouriez saw through the perfidy, and could not repress his choler against Servan in the council-chamber.
History of the Girondists, Volume I
Alphonse de Lamartine

“What an unfounded assertion,” exclaimed that gentleman in choler.
The Shadow of Ashlydyat
Mrs. Henry Wood

choler cooled into surprise, and surprise exploded into a vapid, grinning “Huh!”
The Court of Boyville
William Allen White

They aunswer againe in choler : “Let him come feele my pulse.”
A Renaissance Courtesy-book
Giovanni Della Casa

The thought that another should challenge his right or traverse his desire galled him to a choler little short of madness.
The God of Love
Justin Huntly McCarthy

It was evident that his choler against Mackwith had risen again.
A Case in Camera
Oliver Onions

But this opinion I kept carefully to myself, as my uncle’s choler was not pleasant to bear.
A Journey to the Centre of the Earth
Jules Verne

Let melancholy rule supreme, choler preside, or blood, or phlegm.
The Battle of the Books
Jonathan Swift

The Baron’s choler having subsided, he was the first to break the ice of silence.
Jorrocks’ Jaunts and Jollities
Robert Smith Surtees

I damned the thickness of his hide, but swallowed my choler.
In Accordance with the Evidence
Oliver Onions

17 January 2017

gainsay

[geyn-sey, geyn-sey]

verb (used with object), gainsaid, gainsaying.

1. to deny, dispute, or contradict.
2. to speak or act against; oppose.

Origin of gainsay

Middle English

1250-1300; Middle English gainsaien. See again, say1

Related forms

gainsayer, noun
ungainsaid, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for gainsay

Contemporary Examples

But it will be a cost, and it will be large — nobody can gainsay that.
You Still Can’t Wish Away the Facts on Immigration Amnesty
David Frum
May 12, 2013

As long as the United States was the economic primus inter pares, those arguments were hard to gainsay.
Obama’s G-20 Misfire
Zachary Karabell
November 10, 2010

Historical Examples

Victor was vexed by the stranger’s intrusion, but could not gainsay Mrs. Joyce.
Victor Ollnee’s Discipline
Hamlin Garland

No one who knows half these facts can dispute or gainsay them.
The New Avatar and The Destiny of the Soul
Jirah D. Buck

By some such reasoning as this Lady Dorothea persuaded herself to this course; and who should gainsay her?
The Martins Of Cro’ Martin, Vol. I (of II)
Charles James Lever

The title of Watt the Inventor is world-wide, and is so just and striking that there is none to gainsay.
James Watt
Andrew Carnegie

After the invading army had retired, no one will gainsay the sound sense of his behaviour.
Agesilaus
Xenophon

But no one could gainsay his eagerness and devotion to the cause.
A Tame Surrender, A Story of The Chicago Strike
Charles King

Anagram

as in gay
a saying
a gas yin
is a yang

16 January 2017

avoirdupois

[av-er-duh-poiz]

noun

1. avoirdupois weight.
2. Informal. bodily weight:
He carries around a lot of excess avoirdupois.

Origin of avoirdupois

Middle English

1250-1300; Middle English avoir de pois literally, property of weight < Old French, equivalent to avoir (earlier aveir < Latin habēre to have) + de (< Latin dē) + pois (earlier peis < Latin pēnsum)

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for avoirdupois

Contemporary Examples

Its owner seems to take as much pride in her bones as the big girls of Rubens could take in their avoirdupois.
Skin, Bones and Beauty
Blake Gopnik
August 14, 2012

Historical Examples

She had so far successfully fought down an hereditary tendency to avoirdupois.
By the Light of the Soul
Mary E. Wilkins Freeman

A single pair has been known to weigh as much as 60 pounds avoirdupois !
The Hunters’ Feast
Mayne Reid

avoirdupois weight

Word Origin

noun
1. a system of weight measurement based on a pound of 16 ounces or 7,000 grains, in wide use in English-speaking countries; the system is used for goods other than gems, precious metals, and drugs: 27 11/32 grains = 1 dram; 16 drams = 1 ounce; 16 ounces = 1 pound; 112 pounds (Brit.) or 100 pounds (U.S.) = 1 hundredweight; 20 hundredweight = 1 ton. The pound contains 7000 grains.

Abbreviation: av.; avdp.; avoir.

Origin of avoirdupois weight

1610-1620

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for avoirdupois weight

Contemporary example

In the avoirdupois measuring system, a dram is defined as 1/16 of an ounce which is exactly 1.7718451953125 grams.
Dramming.com

Historical Examples

A gallon contains 8.33 pounds avoirdupois weight of distilled water. Now we don’t want to sell our whisky by the pound by weight, but luckily there is also a liquid version of the dram, called the fluid dram. For some strange reason this is defined as 1/8 of a fluid ounce.
Practical Mechanics for Boys
J. S. Zerbe

One felt that each had measured the other by avoirdupois weight, and had found the balance even.
The Lowest Rung
Mary Cholmondeley

Most people give gratitude in grains for whole ounces of avoirdupois weight ; what a grateful soul yours is, Miss Lambert.’
Heriot’s Choice
Rosa Nouchette Carey

Throughout this book, the pound is avoirdupois weight —sixteen ounces.
Miss Leslie’s Lady’s New Receipt-Book
Eliza Leslie

One must weigh men by avoirdupois weight, and not by the jeweller’s scales.
Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources
James Wood

Anagram

I pour avoids
saviour i pod

15 January 2017

yawp or yaup

[yawp, yahp]

verb (used without object)

1. to utter a loud, harsh cry; to yelp, squawk, or bawl.
2. Slang. to talk noisily and foolishly or complainingly.
noun
3. a harsh cry.
4. Slang.
raucous or querulous speech.
a noisy, foolish utterance.

Origin of yawp

Middle English

1300-1350; Middle English yolpen; akin to yelp

Related forms

yawper, noun

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for yawp

Contemporary Examples

Students moan and growl and shriek and yawp, as if exorcising demons in a ritualistic ceremony.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze
Lizzie Crocker
January 8, 2015

Historical Examples

Hear him for his cause, and ‘hold your yawp,’ till he has said what he has got to say.
The Knickerbocker, Vol. 57, No. 1, January 1861
Various

Dont let me hear of you opening your yawp the way you did just now.
The Heart of Canyon Pass
Thomas K. Holmes

14 January 2017

blackleg

[blak-leg]

noun

1. Also called black quarter, symptomatic anthrax. Veterinary Pathology. an infectious, often fatal disease of cattle and sheep, caused by the soil bacterium Clostridium chauvoei and characterized by painful, gaseous swellings in the muscles, usually of the upper parts of the legs.
2. Plant Pathology.
a disease of cabbage and other cruciferous plants, characterized by dry, black lesions on the base of the stem, caused by a fungus, Phoma lingam.
a disease of potatoes, characterized by wet, black lesions on the base of the stem, caused by a bacterium, Erwinia atroseptica.
3. a swindler, especially in racing or gambling.
4. British Informal. a strikebreaker; scab.
verb (used with object), blacklegged, blacklegging. British Informal.
5. to replace (a worker) who is on strike.
6. to refuse to support (a union, union workers, or a strike).
7. to betray or deceive (a person or cause).
verb (used without object), blacklegged, blacklegging.
8. British Informal. to return to work before a strike is settled.

Origin of blackleg

1715-1725; black + leg; orig. of nonliteral senses unclear; cf. jackleg

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for blackleg

Historical Examples

That is to say, the assassin merely desires to remove one blackleg in order to make a place for some other blackleg.
The American Credo
George Jean Nathan

Knave he was,—cheat at cards, blackleg on the turf,—but forgery!
What Will He Do With It, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton

Her first husband—my poor boy, I am sorry for you—was a scoundrel, a thief, a blackleg.
The Honorable Miss
L. T. Meade

I released the blackleg, and he sat helpless in his chair, and glared at us.
Great Porter Square, v. 2
Benjamin Leopold Farjeon

In returning to my boarding-house I was met by the blackleg pettifogger, who treated me with great coldness.
Secret Band of Brothers
Jonathan Harrington Green

Could I think of treading in the boots of a blackleg, albeit they never were his own?
George Cruikshank’s Omnibus
George Cruikshank

So this gambler and blackleg was the gentlemanly Mr. Hawley, was he; well, what could be his little game?
Keith of the Border
Randall Parrish

Do you suppose any boy would be so mean as to be a blackleg ?
Pelle the Conqueror, Complete
Martin Anderson Nexo

It wad be awfu’ to hear folk cryin’ ‘ blackleg ‘ after yir faither, wadna’ it, Mysie?
The Underworld
James C. Welsh

You and your master are cheats, he says, and your master is a blackleg besides, he says.
The Inspector-General
Nicolay Gogol

Anagram

black gel
ball beck

13 January 2017

oriel

[awr-ee-uh l, ohr‐]

noun

1. a bay window, especially one cantilevered or corbeled out from a wall.
2. (in medieval architecture) a large bay window of a hall or chamber.

Origin of oriel

Latin, Middle English, Anglo-French

1350-1400; Middle English < Anglo-French oriol porch, passage, gallery, perhaps ≪ Latin aureolus “gilded”

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for oriel

Historical Examples

“That young gentleman is my most esteemed and intimate friend;” replied oriel.
Lady Eureka, v. 1 (of 3)
Robert Folkestone Williams

And she hurried forth to the oriel window, where Jack was already perched.
In Convent Walls
Emily Sarah Holt

“But Macbeth merely imagined that he beheld such a weapon,” observed oriel, amused at the credulity of his host.
Lady Eureka, v. 2 (of 3)
Robert Folkestone Williams

Again was Baker at sea, and again did his glance seek the chandelier and the oriel.
The Ape, the Idiot & Other People
W. C. Morrow

Anagram

I lore
re oil
or lie

12 January 2017

seraglio

[si-ral-yoh, -rahl-]

noun, plural seraglios.

1. the part of a Muslim house or palace in which the wives and concubines are secluded; harem.
2. a Turkish palace, especially of the sultan.

Also called serail [suh-rahy, -rahyl, -reyl] (Show IPA).

Origin of seraglio

Italian, Persian
1575-1585; < Italian serraglio < Persian sarāy palace; sense development in Italian perhaps influenced by serrare to lock up

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for seraglio

Historical Examples

Their joy is such as that of the pasha of a seraglio ; they revel with ideas, they get drunk at the founts of intellect.
Cousin Betty
Honore de Balzac

Woman was no longer the captive of the seraglio, nor the chronicler of small beer.
Hopes and Fears
Charlotte M. Yonge

If you wish to understand something of the curious indifference that hangs, like moss, about the Turk, visit seraglio Point.
The Near East
Robert Hichens

So Quasimodo had fifteen bells in his seraglio ; but big Marie was his favorite.
Notre-Dame de Paris
Victor Hugo

The ministry of the Ottoman Porte was distracted by factions, and the seraglio threatened with tumults.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.II.
Tobias Smollett

He led the way until they came to a gallery that overlooked the seraglio.
Jack Harkaway’s Boy Tinker Among The Turks
Bracebridge Hemyng

The angel of sleep had spread her wings over the seraglio of Moley Pasha.
Jack Harkaway’s Boy Tinker Among The Turks
Bracebridge Hemyng

What cry was that which startles the seraglio from its siesta?
Jack Harkaway’s Boy Tinker Among The Turks
Bracebridge Hemyng

Just at this time the artillery arrived under the walls of the seraglio.
The Contemporary Review, Volume 36, December 1879
Various

But the ladies of the king’s seraglio were his principal customers.
The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan
James Morier

Anagram

goal rise
la orgies
oil rages
sage roil
gas oriel

11 January 2017

plinth

[plinth]

noun, Architecture.

1. a slablike member beneath the base of a column or pier.
2. a square base or a lower block, as of a pedestal.
3. Also called plinth course. a projecting course of stones at the base of a wall; earth table.
4. (in joinery) a flat member at the bottom of an architrave, dado, baseboard, or the like.

Origin of plinth

Latin, Greek
1555-1565; earlier plinthus < Latin < Greek plínthos plinth, squared stone, brick, tile

Related forms

plinthless, adjective
plinthlike, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for plinth

Contemporary Examples

A giant toy duck was waddling on top of the fourth plinth when I arrived in Trafalgar Square mid-morning.
London’s Living Sculptures
Anthony Haden-Guest
August 5, 2009

Historical Examples

The walls are divided by many vertical lines of pilasters which rise from the plinth to the eaves-cornice.
Brick and Marble in the Middle Ages
George Edmund Street

Mrs. plinth enquired, still distrustful of Mrs. Roby’s thoroughness.
Xingu
Edith Wharton

Moreover, the contrast between the plinth and the white wall above it must have had a certain decorative effect.
A History of Art in Chalda & Assyria, v. 1
Georges Perrot

10 January 2017

blag

/blæɡ/

noun

1. a robbery, esp with violence
verb (transitive) blags, blagging, blagged
2. to obtain by wheedling or cadging: she blagged free tickets from her mate
3. to snatch (wages, someone’s handbag, etc); steal
4. to rob (esp a bank or post office)

Derived Forms

blagger, noun

Word Origin

C19: of unknown origin

Collins English Dictionary

Examples from the Web for blag

Contemporary Examples

He tried to blag flights from British Airways but they said they would have needed six months notice.
How to Hustle Your Way to the Oscars
Nico Hines
February 14, 2014

Contemporary definitions for blag

noun

robbery or theft, often a con or scam
Usage Note

British slang

Dictionary.com

9 January 2017

saltire

[sal-teer, -tahyuh r, sawl-]

noun, Heraldry.

1. an ordinary in the form of a cross with arms running diagonally from the dexter chief to the sinister base and from the sinister chief to the dexter base; St. Andrew’s cross.
Idioms
2. in saltire, (of charges) arranged in the form of a saltire.
3. per saltire, diagonally in both directions:
party per saltire.

Also, saltier.

Origin of saltire

Middle English, Middle French, Medieval Latin
1350-1400; Middle English sawtire < Middle French sautoir crossed jumping bar < Medieval Latin saltātōrium something pertaining to jumping; see saltant, -tory2

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for saltire

Contemporary Examples

Someone has added a small saltire to one of the wreaths, paying tribute to a shared history that was forged in battle.
Voter Intimidation Grips Scotland as It Votes on Independence
Nico Hines
September 17, 2014

“One extra saltire among a sea of flags seems like a fair way to celebrate,” he said.
Andy Murray Survived Dunblane School Massacre Before Winning Wimbledon
Nico Hines
July 8, 2013

Historical Examples

The Chancellor: Gules, a saltire argent between four crosslets or.
A Complete Guide to Heraldry
Arthur Charles Fox-Davies

The Chancellor of France bore two maces in saltire behind his shield.
French Book-plates
Walter Hamilton

The end of this desk displays a shield charged with two keys in saltire, for the see of York.
Bell’s Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Ripon
Cecil Walter Charles Hallett

The General of the Galleys: Two anchors in saltire behind the arms.
A Complete Guide to Heraldry
Arthur Charles Fox-Davies

The first night at Cottingdean Lord saltire had his writing-desk unpacked, and took therefrom a rusty key.
Ravenshoe
Henry Kingsley

The Precentor: Argent, on a saltire azure a fleur-de-lis or.
A Complete Guide to Heraldry
Arthur Charles Fox-Davies

Very shortly after this, good Lord saltire had to retire for a time into the upper chambers; he had a severe attack of gout.
Ravenshoe
Henry Kingsley

The arms attributed to him, and emblazoned on the banner bearing his name, are azure, a saltire argent.
History of the National Flag of the United States of America
Schuyler Hamilton

Anagram

realist
stir ale
laser it

8 January 2017

palaver

[puh-lav-er, ‐lah-ver]

noun

1. a conference or discussion.
2. a long parley, especially one between primitive natives and European traders, explorers, colonial officials, etc.
3. profuse and idle talk; chatter.
4. persuasive talk; flattery; cajolery.
verb (used without object), palavered, palavering.
5. to talk profusely and idly.
6. to parley or confer.
verb (used with object), palavered, palavering.
7. to cajole or persuade.

Origin of palaver

Portuguese, Late Latin

1720-1730; Portuguese palavra word, speech, talk; Late Latin parabola parable

Related forms

palaverer, palaverist, noun
palaverment, noun
palaverous, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for palaver

Contemporary Examples

He seemed at first much pleased of the situation, but after examining the captives closely he called a palaver.
The Story Behind The World’s Greatest Headline
Brandy Zadrozny
January 20, 2014

With North Korea, the palaver is mostly about hoping and waiting.
What the U.S. Government Knows About North Korea’s New Ruler
Leslie H. Gelb
December 19, 2011

Historical Examples

Therefore the house was cleared of all except the two Queens, who may never sequester themselves, and Mr. Hamor began his palaver.
The Story of Pocahantas
Charles Dudley Warner

Anagram

per lava
rave pal

7 January 2017

duenna

[doo-en-uh, dyoo-]

noun

1. (in Spain and Portugal) an older woman serving as escort or chaperon of a young lady.
2. a governess.

Origin of duenna

Spanish, Latin
1660-1670; < Spanish duenna (now dueña) < Latin domina, feminine of dominus master

Related forms

duennaship, noun

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for duenna Expand

Historical Examples
Azrael began merrily putting on her garments, and helped Mariska also to dress; then she sent the duenna with a message to Hassan.

The Slaves of the Padishah
Mr Jkai
The duenna entered, and remained standing before her master.

The Pearl of Lima
Jules Verne
Mary’s duenna ;—the artist who is supposed to be moulding the wife.

Orley Farm
Anthony Trollope
She kept me in sight like a duenna, and strangely ill-treated me.

Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Vol. 13
Elbert Hubbard
All the while the Duke and the Duchess were in paroxysms of laughter, so well did the duenna act her part.

The Story of Don Quixote
Arvid Paulson, Clayton Edwards, and Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
She felt that she had been rather remiss in her duties as duenna, and was angry with herself.

Henry Dunbar
M. E. Braddon
I think it was her duenna who toppled off the edge of the gangway with one of the Chittagong crew in the push to come aboard.

From Edinburgh to India & Burmah
William G. Burn Murdoch
Then the duenna resumed, and now came the worst of her story.

The Story of Don Quixote
Arvid Paulson, Clayton Edwards, and Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
If I do not hate that woman it will be well, for she is as much a duenna for me as governess for the children!

Love and Life
Charlotte M. Yonge
The Sisters are the only duenna for you; and back to the convent you shall go to-morrow.

Remember the Alamo
Amelia E. Barr

Anagram

an dune

6 January 2017

Droste Effect

noun

– also known as mise en abyme, is the effect of a picture appearing within itself, in a place where a picture would normally appear. The effect is recursive with each smaller version containing an even smaller version of itself.

wikipedia.org

Example

The cover of Pink Floyd’s 1969 album Ummagumma uses the Droste effect.

Anagram

effected rots
cord fete fest
of secret deft

5 January 2017

Omnist

noun

[om-nyst]

– a person who claims no one particular religion, practice or belief, but finds truth in them all
– a follower of omnism, in which adherents do not ascribe to any particular religion, but believe that all religions hold truth

Example

In partisan religious discussions, he would appear to be compromising between all viewpoints, but would explain that he was an Omnist and believed all ideologies held truth.

Anagram

inmost
so mint

4 January 2017

napery

[ney-puh-ree]

noun

1. table linen, as tablecloths or napkins.
2. any linen for household use.

Origin of napery

Middle English

1350-1400; Middle English naprye < Middle French, equivalent to nape, variant of nappe tablecloth (see napkin ) + -erie -ery

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for napery

Historical Examples

The display of napery and table linen was most ample; and why not?
Those Times And These
Irvin S. Cobb

Its crockery and atmosphere were thick; its soup and napery thin.
The Four Million
O. Henry

They would have all the winter to prepare the napery and crockery and consult about carpets and furniture.
A Singer from the Sea
Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr

Anagram

nap rye
pen ray

3 January 2017

piste

[peest]

noun

1. a track or trail, as a downhill ski run or a spoor made by a wild animal.
2. (in fencing) a regulation-size strip, usually 2 meters wide and 14 meters long, on which fencers compete.

Origin of piste

Italian, Latin

1720-1730; French: animal track < Italian pista, pesta, noun derivative of pestare to pound, crush < Vulgar Latin, frequentative of Latin pī (n) sere; cf. pestle

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for piste

Historical Examples

On our return to the piste, or flying field, we usually keep steadily at it until nearly dark.
Don Hale with the Flying Squadron
W. Crispin Sheppard

One just has to drive them in a straight line across the piste.
Don Hale with the Flying Squadron
W. Crispin Sheppard

He looked in the direction of that voice, proceeding from the group of spadassins amid the Blacks across the piste, and he smiled.
Scaramouche
Rafael Sabatini

Anagram

I step
spite

2 January 2017

eponymous

[uh-pon-uh-muh s]

adjective

1. giving one’s name to a tribe, place, etc.:
Romulus, the eponymous founder of Rome.

Origin of eponymous

Greek

1840-1850; < Greek epṓnymos giving name. See ep-, -onym, -ous

Related forms

eponymously, adverb

Examples from the Web for eponymous

Contemporary Examples

Martha Stewart, the iconic head of her eponymous lifestyle empire, is 72.
Business Longreads for the Week of August 17, 2013
William O’Connor
August 17, 2013

He later went on to work for Calvin Klein before starting his own eponymous menswear brand in 1978 at the age of 25.
The CFDA Celebrates Black History Month
The Fashion Beast Team
February 17, 2014

Some of you may be departing the corporate world, going freelance, or hanging out an eponymous shingle.
Horoscopes: May 8-14
Starsky + Cox
May 6, 2011

Anagram

money opus
snoopy emu
peony sumo

1 January 2017

predilection

[pred-l-ek-shuh n, preed-]

noun

1. a tendency to think favorably of something in particular; partiality; preference:
a predilection for Bach.

Origin of predilection

Medieval Latin

1735-1745; < Medieval Latin praedīlect (us) beloved, past participle of praedīligere to prefer (see pre-, diligent ) + -ion

Synonyms

bias, inclination, leaning, liking, weakness, predisposition, prepossession.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for predilection

Contemporary Examples

She calls her new post “a red-eye job, given our time difference and the predilection for crisis.”
New Pakistan Ambassador Brings Frank Talk to Washington Relations
Eleanor Clift
February 20, 2012

But if you can get past the predilection for alliteration and the teehee!
Why We Worship Derek Jeter (Even If He Kinda Sucks at Shortstop)
Robert Silverman
February 12, 2014

He has a predilection for qualifiers (“very,” “totally,” “really”), and tends to skew positive on anything.
The Art World’s New Kingpin
Claire Howorth
November 8, 2010

In this, he revealed—and not for the first time—his predilection for political control of the economy.
Obama’s Phony Bank Debate
Tunku Varadarajan
April 21, 2010

Readers who might feel shame about their predilection for tawdry paperbacks can now enjoy them discreetly.
How ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Is Shaking Up the Business of the Romance Genre
Chris Berube
June 5, 2012
Historical Examples

You have a predilection for heroics; it will not be without interest to bring things to the point.
Fantmas
Pierre Souvestre

Nobody ever got any clue to the reason, if there was one, for this predilection of hers.
Camps, Quarters and Casual Places
Archibald Forbes

Still more probably, one architect may have had a predilection for timber, while another may have preferred clay vaults.
A History of Art in Chalda & Assyria, v. 1
Georges Perrot

I made some success, and the students had a predilection for me.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt

I was, perhaps, too scrupulous about seeming officious or jealous of the predilection shown to the Duchess.
The Secret Memoirs of Louis XV./XVI, Complete
Madame du Hausset, an “Unknown English Girl” and the Princess Lamballe

Anagram

penciled riot
elicit ponder

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