November 2018 WOTDs

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November 2018 WOTDs

27 November 2018

trammel

[tram-uh l]

noun

1. Usually, trammels. a hindrance or impediment to free action; restraint:
the trammels of custom.
2. an instrument for drawing ellipses.
3. Also called tram. a device used to align or adjust parts of a machine.
4. trammel net.
5. a fowling net.
6. a contrivance hung in a fireplace to support pots or kettles over the fire.
7. a fetter or shackle, especially one used in training a horse to amble.
verb (used with object), trammeled, trammeling or (especially British) trammelled, trammelling.
8. to involve or hold in trammels; restrain.
9. to catch or entangle in or as in a net.

Origin of trammel

Middle English, Middle French, Late Latin

1325-1375; Middle English tramayle < Middle French tramail, variant of tremail three-mesh net < Late Latin trēmaculum, equivalent to Latin trē(s) three + macula mesh

Related forms

trammeler; especially British, trammeller, noun
untrammeled, adjective
untrammelled, adjective

Synonyms

1. drag, hobble, curb, inhibition. 8. hinder, impede, obstruct, encumber.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for trammel

Historical Examples

What need have we of these brutal proofs which trammel our liberty?
English Conferences of Ernest Renan
Ernest Renan

Reason is confined within none of the partitions which trammel it in life.
The Book-lover
James Baldwin

I shall not trammel you with any restrictions or annoy you with any advice.
The Deep Lake Mystery
Carolyn Wells

The libraries have not killed sincerity; they have done no more than trammel it.
A Novelist on Novels
W. L. George

The most correct method of drawing an ellipse is by means of an instrument termed a trammel, which is shown in Figure 83.
Mechanical Drawing Self-Taught
Joshua Rose

A trammel was found in the solid substance of a tree in Onondaga.
Personal Memoirs Of A Residence Of Thirty Years With The Indian Tribes On The American Frontiers
Henry Rowe Schoolcraft

Free-Will and Providence do not trammel each other, but harmoniously co-operate to the same end.
Homer’s Odyssey
Denton J. Snider

The bar is set with the index at zero, and the trammel is set at the muzzle velocity used in the computation for the shot.
The Gunner’s Examiner
Harold E. Cloke

This veto power was a trammel, and an unnecessary restraint on the freedom of legislation.
History of the Constitutions of Iowa
Benjamin F. Shambaugh

The National Assembly, sovereign and philosophic, soars above their errors, their trammel ; and their example.
The Origins of Contemporary France, Volume 2 (of 6)
Hippolyte A. Taine

26 November 2018

stooge

[stooj]

noun

1. an entertainer who feeds lines to the main comedian and usually serves as the butt of his or her jokes.
2. any underling, assistant, or accomplice.
verb (used without object), stooged, stooging.
3. to act as a stooge.

Origin of stooge

1910-1915 An Americanism dating back to 1910-15; origin uncertain

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for stooge

Contemporary Examples

Other speakers suggested that Barack Obama himself had become a stooge of the Islamists, or possibly even a closet Muslim.
Bachmann, Gaffney, and the GOP’s Anti-Muslim Culture of Conspiracy
Jonathan Kay
July 23, 2012

There is a perceived danger in hiring foreign firms, a fear of being seen as a Western stooge.
Iraq’s New Hired Guns
Michael Hastings
January 19, 2010

Historical Examples

They tried to tell people what Venus was like, and what lies Carlson and his stooge Jaimison were using for bait.
The Merchants of Venus
A. H. Phelps

The papers said that the steel necktie worn by my stooge at the theatre had to be cut off by a water-cooled electric saw.
The Double Spy
Dan T. Moore

If I’m half as good a stooge as I think I am, we’ll be needing overcoats before we get back.
Queen of the Flaming Diamond
Leroy Yerxa

If the contest was a part of the day’s program, no spectator seemed willing to play ” stooge ” in this preliminary performance.
David Lannarck, Midget
George S. Harney

And see how he managed to slide in that bit about corruption, right before his stooge handed him that bulletin?
Null-ABC
Henry Beam Piper and John Joseph McGuire

His stooge, who had already risen with a prepared speech of seconding, simply gaped.
Null-ABC
Henry Beam Piper and John Joseph McGuire

Anagram

goes to
set goo
to egos

25 November 2018

vagary

[vuh-gair-ee, vey-guh-ree]

noun, plural vagaries.

1. an unpredictable or erratic action, occurrence, course, or instance:
the vagaries of weather; the vagaries of the economic scene.
2. a whimsical, wild, or unusual idea, desire, or action.

Origin of vagary

Latin

1565-1575, in sense “wandering journey”; apparently < Latin vagārī to wander

Synonyms

2. caprice, whim, quirk, crotchet.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for vagary

Historical Examples

How near they would pass depended on the vagary of the waves and the tide.
Blow The Man Down
Holman Day

The storm still raged, and she thought it was a vagary of the lightning.
Southern Stories
Various

What vagary had sent a girl who looked like this upon such a task!
Before the Dawn
Joseph Alexander Altsheler

If we could civilize our schools, we should have no mention of legislation by vagary.
The Ethics of Medical Homicide and Mutilation
Austin O’Malley

So, Stephen, after a lifetime of vagary and wandering, this is the result.
The Pillar of Light
Louis Tracy

They longed for a vagary into the country, and now they are fitted.
The Works of John Marston
John Marston

Now all the weird fancies of the night had been just a vagary of mind.
Bulldog Carney
W. A. Fraser

He was ready for any illusion, susceptible to any vagary of the imagination.
The World For Sale, Complete
Gilbert Parker

In this particular case, however, Bertram’s vagary of fancy had some excuse.
Miss Billy
Eleanor H. Porter

But such is the vagary of the human mind, that safety was the least of his thoughts.
The Broncho Rider Boys with the Texas Rangers
Frank Fowler

24 November 2018

appetence

[ap-i-tuh ns]

noun

1. intense desire; strong natural craving; appetite.
2. instinctive inclination or natural tendency.
3. material or chemical attraction or affinity.

Also, appetency.

Origin of appetence

Latin

1600-1610; appete (obsolete) to seek for, long for (< Latin appetere, equivalent to ap- ap-1+ petere to seek) + -ence; or < French appétence

Related forms

appetent, adjective
Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for appetence

Historical Examples

For perception in any subject is vain, unless it can desire, and appetence is useless, unless it can move.
North American Medical and Surgical Journal, Vol. 2, No. 3, July, 1826
Various

Anagram

peace pent
a pet pence

22 November 2018

squib

[skwib]

noun

1. a short and witty or sarcastic saying or writing.
2. Journalism. a short news story, often used as a filler.
3. a small firework, consisting of a tube or ball filled with powder, that burns with a hissing noise terminated usually by a slight explosion.
4. a firecracker broken in the middle so that it burns with a hissing noise but does not explode.
5. Australian. a coward.
6. an electric, pyrotechnic device for firing the igniter of a rocket engine, especially a solid-propellant engine.
7. Obsolete. a mean or paltry fellow.
verb (used without object), squibbed, squibbing.
8. to write squibs.
9. to shoot a squib.
10. to explode with a small, sharp sound.
11. to move swiftly and irregularly.
12. Australian.
to be afraid.
to flee; escape.
verb (used with object), squibbed, squibbing.
13. to assail in squibs or lampoons.
14. to toss, shoot, or utilize as a squib.

Origin of squib

1515-1525 First recorded in 1515-25; origin uncertain

Related forms

squibbish, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for squib

Historical Examples

Here is a pistol, it is not loaded, but there is powder in the pan, and you can squib it.
The Buccaneer Chief
Gustave Aimard

He arrived at his climax like a squib that attains its ideal.
When Ghost Meets Ghost
William Frend De Morgan

But the squib is run to the end of the rope: room for the prodigy of valour.
Character Writings of the 17th Century
Various

Would Leonidas have fastened a squib to the robe of the Spartan mother?
Damon and Delia
William Godwin

With eleven illustrations, designed by squib, and engraved by Point.
Life of Charles Dickens
Frank Marzials

We entreat our readers not to receive the above as a squib of invention.
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction
Various

Equally acceptable for its rarity would be a squib on Mrs. Piozzi without a reference to the brewery.
Autobiography, Letters and Literary Remains of Mrs. Piozzi (Thrale) (2nd ed.) (2 vols.)
Mrs. Hester Lynch Piozzi

“I could turn him with a bit of a bush,” said squib, glancing at Gouws, who was drawing gradually nearer to the party.
Six Months at the Cape
R.M. Ballantyne

It is generally believed that squib has not gone guinea-fowl shooting among ostriches since that day!
Six Months at the Cape
R.M. Ballantyne

The squib had long burnt out by the time we got there; but the sight that met our astonished gaze was magnificent.
A Veldt Official
Bertram Mitford

21 November 2018

swain

[sweyn]

noun

1. a male admirer or lover.
2. a country lad.
3. a country gallant.

Origin of swain

Middle English, Old Norse

1150 before 1150; Middle English swein servant < Old Norse sveinn boy, servant; cognate with Old English swān

Related forms

swainish, adjective
swainishness, noun
underswain, noun

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for swain

Contemporary Examples

The more costly the musical ingredients, the greater the swain ‘s devotion!
Jane Journeys On
Ruth Comfort Mitchell

A swain touched then his lute, or whatever you may call it, to his Dulcinea.
The Lady and the Pirate
Emerson Hough

Her own swain was waiting for her, but not for that would she abjure the quest.
Country Neighbors
Alice Brown

20 November 2018

flimflam

[flim-flam] Informal.

noun

1. a trick or deception, especially a swindle or confidence game involving skillful persuasion or clever manipulation of the victim.
2. a piece of nonsense; twaddle; bosh.
verb (used with object), flimflammed, flimflamming.
3. to trick, deceive, swindle, or cheat:
A fortuneteller flimflammed her out of her savings.

Origin of flimflam

1530-1540 First recorded in 1530-40; gradational compound of expressive orig.

Related forms

flimflammer, noun
flimflammery, noun

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for flimflam

Historical Examples

As long as there is plenty of flimflam to distract the viewer.
Toy Shop
Henry Maxwell Dempsey

I tried my darndest to flimflam the information out of him, but it was no use.
The Gray Phantom’s Return
Herman Landon

A flimflam offer by a theologian of inchoate title to improved real estate in the Sky for real estate, rentals and cash on Earth.
The Roycroft Dictionary
Elbert Hubbard flimflam

19 November 2018

tant pis

[tahn pee]

French.

1. so much the worse.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for tant pis

Historical Examples

” tant pis, and tant mieux” said Clarence, and so they parted.
Tales And Novels, Volume 3 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth

If the father or mother should then exclaim “ tant pis pour eux!”
“Gombo Zhbes”
Lafcadio Hearn

Well, ” tant pis,” as Guépratte would say with a shrug of his shoulders.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I
Ian Hamilton

If you outrun them, well and good; if not, tant pis pour vous.
Mr. Fortescue
William Westall

” tant pis pour Sorrente,” said the homme de lettres, carelessly.
The Parisians, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton

If the facts showed them irreconcilable, tant pis pour les faits.
The Riddle of the Sands
Erskine Childers

“So much the worse both for you and your son;” tant pis pour vous et pour votre fils, said Rousseau.
Life and Correspondence of David Hume, Volume II (of 2)
John Hill Burton

That ancient wall destroying the value of a good building site—’ tant pis !’
The Cape Peninsula
Rn Juta

He knew equally that he should presently have to write a note of apology—and that it would not do an atom of good, tant pis.
Life at High Tide
Various

18 November 2018

polydactyl

[pol-ee-dak-til]

adjective, Also, polydactylous

1. having many or several digits.
2. having more than the normal number of fingers or toes.
noun
3. a polydactyl animal.

Origin of polydactyl

Greek

1860-1865 From the Greek word polydáktylos, dating back to 1860-65. See poly-, -dactyl

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for polydactyl

Historical Examples

Let us consider next what happens when a polydactyl individual is crossed with a normal individual.
Inheritance of Characteristics in Domestic Fowl
Charles Benedict Davenport

It is also clear that the offspring of Silkie crosses are more apt to be polydactyl than those of Houdan crosses.
Inheritance of Characteristics in Domestic Fowl
Charles Benedict Davenport

This inquiry is suggested by Castle’s study (1906, p. 20) of polydactyl guinea-pigs.
Inheritance of Characteristics in Domestic Fowl
Charles Benedict Davenport

14 November 2018

andiron

[and-ahy-ern]

noun

1. one of a pair of metal stands, usually of iron or brass, for holding logs in a fireplace.

Origin of andiron

Middle English, Anglo-French, Old French, Gaulish

1250-1300; Middle English aundyr(n)e, Anglo-French aundyre, with the 2nd syllable taken as Middle English ire, iren iron < Old French andier, allegedly < Gaulish *anderos young animal (through known use of animals’ heads as decorations on andirons), though supposed relation between this word and Middle Welsh anneir, Breton annoer heifer, Old Irish ainder young woman, poses serious phonetic problems

Regional variation note

See dog iron, firedog.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for andiron

Historical Examples

He hit it against the andiron to knock the ashes off, and plunged it into the mixture.
Ben Comee
M. J. (Michael Joseph) Canavan

He was looking at the elevated portions of the andiron which were invisible to me.
The Sleuth of St. James’s Square
Melville Davisson Post

An andiron, a wash-tub, is the result of an idea that did not exist before.
Mark Twain’s Speeches
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

13 November 2018

morphology

[mawr-fol-uh-jee]

noun

1. the branch of biology dealing with the form and structure of organisms.
2. the form and structure of an organism considered as a whole.
3. Linguistics.
the patterns of word formation in a particular language, including inflection, derivation, and composition.
the study and description of such patterns.
the study of the behavior and combination of morphemes.

Bring Back
4. Physical Geography. geomorphology.
5. the form or structure of anything:
to gain an insight into the morphology of our political system.
6. the study of the form or structure of anything.

Origin of morphology

German

1820-1830; morpho- + -logy; first formed in German

Related forms

morphologic [mawr-fuh-loj-ik] (Show IPA), morphological, adjective
morphologically, adverb
morphologist, noun
unmorphological, adjective
unmorphologically, adverb

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for morphology

Historical Examples

What proportion of time should be given to morphology in relation to other interests?
College Teaching
Paul Klapper

Furthermore, morphology is in reality a basal consideration.
College Teaching
Paul Klapper

The morphology and Distribution of the wandering cells of Mammalia.
Histology of the Blood
Paul Ehrlich

12 November 2018

quacksalver

[kwak-sal-ver]

noun

1. a quack doctor.
2. a charlatan.

Origin of quacksalver

early Dutch

1570-1580; < early Dutch (now kwakzalver); see quack1, salve1, -er1

Dictionary.com

11 November 2018

alienist

[eyl-yuh-nist, ey-lee-uh-]

noun

1. (formerly) a doctor specializing in the treatment of mental illness.
2. an expert witness in a sanity trial.

Origin of alienist

French

1860-1865; alien(ation) + -ist; compare French aliéniste in same sense

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for alienist

Historical Examples

Why might not Allonby have deceived him as to the alienist ‘s diagnosis?
The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton, Part 1 (of 10)
Edith Wharton

The English poet’s plays are a perfect storehouse of examples for the alienist.
Iconoclasts
James Huneker

To the alienist and the criminal anthropologist it is a social pathology.
Appletons’ Popular Science Monthly, October 1899
Various

No doctor, no alienist, would have pronounced him mad, of course.
The Brightener
C. N. Williamson

I feel that she is likely to get an alienist in at any time.
Outside Inn
Ethel M. Kelley

But there was my friend Dr. Alten, alienist, who lived within a mile of here.
Astounding Stories, April, 1931
Various

And yet this is just what the jurist constantly demands of the alienist.
Studies in Forensic Psychiatry
Bernard Glueck

They are the people of what the alienist calls the “idée fixe.”
Modern Religious Cults and Movements
Gaius Glenn Atkins

Ezra Melville and Forest, the alienist from Seattle, were already in session.
The Sky Line of Spruce
Edison Marshall

McNamara focused an intent gaze first on Ben, then on the alienist.
The Sky Line of Spruce
Edison Marshall

10 November 2018

biophilia

[bahy-oh-fil-ee-uh, ‐feel-yuh]

noun

1. a love of life and the living world; the affinity of human beings for other life forms.

Origin of biophilia

1960-1965; < New Latin “love of life” from bio- + -philia; coined by Erich Fromm in The Heart of Man: Its Genius for Good and Evil (1964) to mean “love for humanity and nature, and independence and freedom”; extended by Edward O. Wilson in Biophilia (1984) to mean “the rich, natural pleasure that comes from being surrounded by living organisms.”

Dictionary.com

8 November 2018

Apeirogon

noun

– a polygon with infinite sides.

Origin

(from the Greek word ἄπειρος apeiros, “infinite, boundless” and γωνία gonia, “angle”)

Example

A regular apeirogon has equal edge lengths, just like any regular polygon, {p}. Its Schläfli symbol is {∞}, and its Coxeter–Dynkin diagram is CDel node 1.pngCDel infin.pngCDel node.png. It is the first in the dimensional family of regular hypercubic honeycombs. An isogonal apeirogon has a single type of vertex and alternates two types of edges. A quasiregular apeirogon is an isogonal apeirogon with equal edge lengths. An isotoxal apeirogon, being the dual of an isogonal one, has one type of edge, and two types of vertices, and is therefore geometrically identical to the regular apeirogon. It can be shown seen by drawing vertices in alternate colors. All of these will have half the symmetry (double the fundamental domain sizes) of the regular apeirogon. Apeirogons in the hyperbolic plane, most notably the regular apeirogon, {∞}, can have a curvature just like finite polygons of the Euclidean plane, with the vertices circumscribed by horocycles or hypercycles rather than circles. Regular apeirogons that are scaled to converge at infinity have the symbol {∞} and exist on horocycles, while more generally they can exist on hypercycles.

www.wikipedia.org

 

7 November 2018

verdant

[vur-dnt]

adjective

1. green with vegetation; covered with growing plants or grass:
a verdant oasis.
2. of the color green:
a verdant lawn.
3. inexperienced; unsophisticated:
verdant college freshmen.

Origin of verdant

1575-1585 First recorded in 1575-85; verd(ure) + -ant

Related forms

verdancy, noun
verdantly, adverb
unverdant, adjective
unverdantly, adverb

Synonyms

1. lush, grassy.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for verdant

Contemporary Examples

A jacket resembled a verdant forest with its beautiful chaos of green feathers.
Chanel, Armani, and Givenchy Present Their Haute-Couture Collections in Paris
Robin Givhan
July 4, 2012

It was a typical suburban dwelling with a verdant lawn and lots of flowering shrubs.
My Time With Betty Ford
Sandra McElwaine
July 10, 2011

What better way to celebrate spring than with a verdant bowl of budding goodness?
What to Eat: Easter
Cookstr.com
March 30, 2010

Historical Examples

At length they rose from the verdant green, and chased each other in mock pursuit.
Imogen
William Godwin

Suddenly the whole face of it was adorned with a verdant, undulating robe.
Imogen
William Godwin

6 November 2018

ingratiating

[in-grey-shee-ey-ting]

adjective

1. charming; agreeable; pleasing.
2. deliberately meant to gain favor:
an ingratiating manner.

Origin of ingratiating

1635-1645 First recorded in 1635-45; ingratiate + -ing2

Related forms

ingratiatingly, adverb
uningratiating, adjective
ingratiate
[in-grey-shee-eyt]

verb (used with object), ingratiated, ingratiating.

1. to establish (oneself or someone else) in the favor or good graces of someone, especially by deliberate effort (usually followed by with): He ingratiated himself with all the guests.
She ingratiated her colleagues with her well-researched project proposal.

Origin

1615-25; perhaps; Latin in grātiam into favor, after Italian ingraziare. See in, grace, -ate1
Related forms

ingratiation, noun
ingratiatory [in-grey-shee-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] (Show IPA), adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for ingratiating

Contemporary Examples

They might have been the most ingratiating band in the world.
Gwyneth Paltrow Haunts Coldplay’s Self-Conscious Breakup Album ‘Ghost Stories’
Andrew Romano
May 20, 2014

Though David was criticized for tossing softball or ingratiating questions, he, in fact, knew what he was doing.
The Private David Frost
John M. Florescu
September 3, 2013

He could be petty and mean-spirited to subordinates, ingratiating and sycophantic to bosses and celebrities.
The Only Sportscaster That Mattered: New Biography of Howard Cosell
Robert Lipsyte
November 20, 2011

Man gets divorced late in life and copes by ingratiating himself with unsuspecting Brooklynites.
Bill Murray Crashes Karaoke and More Crazy Moments
The Daily Beast
January 7, 2011

It does not, of course, follow that an ingratiating interview request will be mean an ingratiating interview.
July 19: 7 Best Moments From Sunday Talk
The Daily Beast Video
July 19, 2009

Historical Examples

“We do not understand you,” he said with an ingratiating smile.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, November, 1930
Various

The young man smiled and it was much too cold to be ingratiating if that was its intent.
Reel Life Films
Samuel Kimball Merwin

He had a double chin and a smile which was apologetic but ingratiating.
Thankful’s Inheritance
Joseph C. Lincoln

Besides, he had nothing of the ingratiating ways of the other men about him.
The Twins of Suffering Creek
Ridgwell Cullum

Therefore he drew him aside in a manner as portentous and ingratiating as he could make it.
The Golden Woman
Ridgwell Cullum

Anagram

tinging tiara

5 November 2018

exegesis

[ek-si-jee-sis]

noun, plural exegeses [ek-si-jee-seez]

1. critical explanation or interpretation of a text or portion of a text, especially of the Bible.

Origin of exegesis

Greek

1610-1620; Greek exḗgēsis an interpretation, explanation, equivalent to ex- ex-3+ ( h)ēgē- (verbid stem of hēgeîsthai to guide) + -sis -sis

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for exegesis

Contemporary Examples

Almost all Christians, even most textualists, accept the need for exegesis, synthesis, and theological application.
The Illusory Promise of Apolitical Theology
David Sessions
June 2, 2012

Historical Examples

There are considerable difficulties in the exegesis of this passage.
The Expositor’s Bible: The Epistle to the Galatians
G. G. Findlay

At that time the study of the Halachas had not yet superseded that of Biblical exegesis.
History of the Jews, Vol. II (of 6)
Heinrich Graetz

Anagram

six geese

4 November 2018

hornpipe

[hawrn-pahyp]

noun

1. an English folk clarinet having one ox horn concealing the reed and another forming the bell.
2. a lively jiglike dance, originally to music played on a hornpipe, performed usually by one person, and traditionally a favorite of sailors.
3. a piece of music for or in the style of such a dance.

Origin of hornpipe

1350-1400; Middle English. See horn, pipe1

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for hornpipe

Historical Examples

It’s like saying your prayers to a hornpipe, thinking of her and carrying on with them wastrels.
Capt’n Davy’s Honeymoon
Hall Caine

In Britain, you have the hornpipe, a dance which is held an original of this country.
A Treatise on the Art of Dancing
Giovanni-Andrea Gallini

And if it will make your dinner agree with you, I will dance you a hornpipe into the bargain.
My Ten Years’ Imprisonment
Silvio Pellico

Tom was talked about: biceps like thighs, now: a hornpipe danced on the hands.
The Bill-Toppers
Andre Castaigne

He intimated also to Jack that he must get up and go through his hornpipe again.
Salt Water
W. H. G. Kingston

That comes off, and he is an American sailor, with his hands on his hips dancing a hornpipe.
A Boy’s Town
W. D. Howells

Give them the hornpipe, Jack, when the sliding and sprawling is finished.
The Lady of Lynn
Walter Besant

He had to do a little jubilating himself, so he got up and began a hornpipe.
Motor Matt’s Hard Luck
Stanley R. Matthews

Theyll be sayin the Old Hundredth is a Dutch hornpipe next, he growled.
The Message
Louis Tracy

I could dance a hornpipe with anybody, and forward I came to listen.
The Maid of Sker
Richard Doddridge Blackmore

Anagram

pep rhino
no hipper

3 November 2018

stochastic

[stuh-kas-tik]

adjective, Statistics.

1. of or relating to a process involving a randomly determined sequence of observations each of which is considered as a sample of one element from a probability distribution.

Origin of stochastic

Greek

1655-1665; Greek stochastikós, equivalent to stochas- (variant stem of stocházesthai to aim at) + -tikos -tic

Related forms

stochastically, adverb

Dictionary.com

Example

In the literature, both deterministic and stochastic customers’ demands have been considered, but more attention is paid to the deterministic cases, and fewer cases take into account the stochastic demands.
A genetic algorithm to optimize the total cost and service level for just-in-time distribution in a supply chain
Reza Zanjirani Farahani, Mahsa Elahipanah

Anagram

cacti shots

2 November 2018

determinism

[dih-tur-muh-niz-uh m]

noun

1. the doctrine that all facts and events exemplify natural laws.
2. the doctrine that all events, including human choices and decisions, have sufficient causes.

Origin of determinism

1840-1850 First recorded in 1840-50; determine + -ism

Related forms

determinist, noun, adjective
deterministic, adjective
deterministically, adverb
nondeterminist, noun, adjective
nondeterministic, adjective

Can be confused

determinism, fatalism, necessitarianism.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for determinism

Contemporary Examples

The deterministic narrative just doesn’t work; each state is different, and the picture is muddled.
Why the Republican Party’s Narrative on Income and Voting Failed
Alex Klein
December 10, 2012

Historical Examples

They ascertain politics as sequential, linear, and deterministic.
The Civilization of Illiteracy
Mihai Nadin

Some changes are unpredictable, even in deterministic principle.
After the Rain
Sam Vaknin

It, too, has borrowed from the desert something that is deterministic and ineffaceable.
The Secrets of a Kuttite
Edward O. Mousley

(d) By its comprehensive and deterministic Conception of History.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 2
Various

In other words, the deterministic influence of circumstances is contingent, not necessary.
Determinism or Free-Will?
Chapman Cohen

We continue using words that on deterministic lines have lost all meaning.
Determinism or Free-Will?
Chapman Cohen

Literacy stood as the rulebook for all these direct, integrated, sequentialized, deterministic occurrences.
The Civilization of Illiteracy
Mihai Nadin

The deterministic component carried over from literacy- based practical experiences reflects awareness of action and reaction.
The Civilization of Illiteracy
Mihai Nadin

He had absorbed from Taine his deterministic leaning, luckily tempered by a sensible toleration.
Painted Veils
James Huneker


1 November 2018

tub-thump

[tuhb-thuhmp]

verb (used without object), Informal.

1. to promote something or express opinions vociferously.

Related forms

tub-thumper, noun

Dictionary.com

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