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Word of the Day @lemmy.world π΄πππ @lemmy.world recherchΓ©
Adjective
recherchΓ© (comparative more recherchΓ©, superlative most recherchΓ©)- Sought out and chosen with care; choice; exquisite.
- Exotic; of rare quality, elegance, attractiveness, etc.
- (by extension) Precious, pretentious, affected.
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Word of the Day @lemmy.world π΄πππ @lemmy.world sycophant
Noun
sycophant (plural sycophants)- One who uses obsequious compliments to gain self-serving favour or advantage from another; a servile flatterer.
Synonyms: ass-kisser, brown noser, suck-up, yes man - One who seeks to gain through the powerful and influential.
Synonyms: parasite, flunky, lackey - (obsolete) An informer; a talebearer.
Derived terms:
sycophancy
sycophantic
sycophantish
sycophantismVerb
sycophant (third-person singular simple present sycophants, present participle sycophanting, simple past and past participle sycophanted)- (transitive, obsolete) To inform against; hence, to calumniate.
- (transitive, rare) To play the sycophant toward; to flatter obsequiously.
- One who uses obsequious compliments to gain self-serving favour or advantage from another; a servile flatterer.
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Word of the Day @lemmy.world π΄πππ @lemmy.world opprobrium
Noun
opprobrium (countable and uncountable, plural opprobriums or opprobria)- (archaic) A cause, object, or situation of disgrace or shame. [from mid 17th c.] Synonym: (obsolete) opprobry
- Disgrace or bad reputation arising from exceedingly shameful behaviour; ignominy. [from late 17th c.]
Synonyms: obloquy, (obsolete) opprobry - Scornful contempt or reproach; an instance of this.
Synonyms: blame, castigation, censure, derision, invective, (obsolete) opprobry - (archaic) Behaviour which is disgraceful or shameful.
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Word of the Day @lemmy.world π΄πππ @lemmy.world cogent
Adjective
cogent (comparative more cogent, superlative most cogent)- Reasonable and convincing; based on evidence.
- Appealing to the intellect or powers of reasoning.
- Forcefully persuasive; relevant, pertinent.
The prosecution presented a cogent argument, convincing the jury of the defendant's guilt.
Synonyms:
compelling, conclusive, convincing, indisputableAntonyms:
debatable, irrelevant, uncogentDerived terms:
cogency
cogently
incogent
uncogentRelated terms:
cache
coagulate
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Word of the Day @lemmy.world π΄πππ @lemmy.world Thucydides trap
Etymology
An allusion to the ancient Athenian historian and military general Thucydides, who posited that the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta had been inevitable because of Spartan fears of the growth of Athenian power.Noun
Thucydides trap (plural Thucydides traps)- An apparent tendency towards war when an emerging power threatens to displace an existing great power as a regional or international hegemon.
Usage notes:
Coined and primarily used to describe a potential conflict between the United States and the People's Republic of China.
Alternative forms
- Thucydides' trap
- Thucydian Realpolitik
- An apparent tendency towards war when an emerging power threatens to displace an existing great power as a regional or international hegemon.
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Word of the Day @lemmy.world π΄πππ @lemmy.world dearth
Noun
dearth (countable and uncountable, plural dearths)- A period or condition when food is rare and hence expensive; famine.
- (by extension) Scarcity; a lack or short supply.
- (obsolete) Dearness; the quality of being rare or costly.
Verb
dearth (third-person singular simple present dearths, present participle dearthing, simple past and past participle dearthed)- (transitive, dated, obsolete) To cause or produce a scarcity in something.
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Word of the Day @lemmy.world π΄πππ @lemmy.world anathema
anathema (plural anathemas or anathemata)
- (ecclesiastical, historical) A ban or curse pronounced with religious solemnity by ecclesiastical authority, often accompanied by excommunication; something denounced as accursed. [from early 17th c.]
Synonyms: ban, curse - (by extension) Something which is vehemently disliked by somebody.
Synonyms: antipathy, bΓͺte noire, bugbear - (literary) An imprecation; a curse; a malediction.
- (ecclesiastical) Any person or thing anathematized, or cursed by ecclesiastical authority to unending punishment.
- (ecclesiastical, historical) A ban or curse pronounced with religious solemnity by ecclesiastical authority, often accompanied by excommunication; something denounced as accursed. [from early 17th c.]
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Word of the Day @lemmy.world π΄πππ @lemmy.world accouterment
accouterment (plural accouterments)
- (military, chiefly in the plural) A soldier's equipment, other than weapons and uniform.
- (chiefly in the plural) An article of clothing or equipment, in particular when used as an accessory.
Synonyms: equipment, gear, trappings, accessory - (by extension) An identifying yet superficial characteristic.
- (archaic) The act of accoutering; furnishing.
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Word of the Day @lemmy.world π΄πππ @lemmy.world purloin
purloin
Verb
- (transitive, usually formal or humorous) To take the property of another, often in breach of trust; to appropriate wrongfully; to steal.
- (intransitive) To commit theft; to thieve.
purloin (third-person singular simple present purloins, present participle purloining, simple past and past participle purloined)
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/purloin
Example: One of three men on trial in the case of the purloined potty was involved in stealing it and the other two helped to sell the spoils.
https://lemmy.world/post/26091679
https://globalnews.ca/news/11050389/golden-toilet-stolen-cctv-video-released/ -
Word of the Day @lemmy.world π΄πππ @lemmy.world garrulous
garrulous
- Excessively or tiresomely talkative; (Synonyms: chatty, talkative, longiloquence, long-winded, loquacious, tonguey, voluble)
- wordy and rambling; (Synonyms: bombastic, rambling, wordy)
Adjective
garrulous (comparative more garrulous, superlative most garrulous) -
Word of the Day @lemmy.world π΄πππ @lemmy.world verismo, naturalism, naturism
- verismo - An artistic movement, from 19th-century Italian literature and opera, in which rural and everyday people and themes were treated in an often melodramatic manner
- naturism - (1.) The belief in or practice of going nude in social settings, often in mixed-gender groups, specifically either in cultures where this is not the norm or for health reasons. (2.) The worship of the powers of nature.
- naturalism - A movement in theatre, film, and literature that seeks to replicate a believable everyday reality, as opposed to such movements as romanticism, surrealism, or abstract art, in which subjects may receive highly symbolic or idealistic treatment.
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Word of the Day @lemmy.world π΄πππ @lemmy.world verisimilitude
- verisimilitude - the property of seeming true, of resembling reality; resemblance to reality.
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Word of the Day @lemmy.world m_f @midwest.social Snifter
Noun
- (chiefly Northern England, Scotland) A sniff.
- (figurative)
- (chiefly Northern England, Scotland) A strong or severe wind.
- (originally and chiefly US) A small, wide, pear-shaped glass used for drinking aromatic liquors such as bourbon and brandy.
- (originally US, informal) Synonym of "nip" (a small amount of an alcoholic beverage, especially one equivalent to what a snifter might hold).
- (US, slang) Synonym of "cocaine addict"; a sniffer.
- (US, slang) A small amount of cocaine taken by inhaling through the nose.
- (US, slang) A handheld device used to detect signals from radio transmitters; a sniffer.
Verb
- (intransitive) To sniff; also, to snivel or snuffle.
- (transitive, archaic, rare) Followed by "out": to speak (words) in a nasal, snuffling manner.
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktionary:Word_of_the_day/2024/November_27
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Word of the Day @lemmy.world π΄πππ @lemmy.world lecherous
Adjective
lecherous (comparative more lecherous, superlative most lecherous)
- Given to excessive sexual activity and debauchery.
- https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lecherous
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Word of the Day @lemmy.world π΄πππ @lemmy.world convivial
Adjective
convivial (comparative more convivial, superlative most convivial)
- Having elements of a feast or of entertainment, especially when it comes to eating and drinking, with accompanying festivity
- Synonyms: festive, social, gay, jovial, merry
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Word of the Day @lemmy.world m_f @midwest.social The Origin of Vermillion
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/21792459
I was recently 'complaining' about how I find the name for Vermillion was difficult for me because it seems like it should be a green color. Since "ver" usually means green, like "verde".
So, I looked up why it's called Vermillion and found that the reason is because of this bug called Kermes vermilio:
Photo credit Paul Starosta -
Word of the Day @lemmy.world π΄πππ @lemmy.world mortal coil
Etymology
Alluding to Hamlet. The two senses result from two interpretations of the word coil, one taking it to mean βtumult, confusion, fussβ, the other βcase, wrappingβ. In either case, the phrase βshuffle off this mortal coilβ must mean βdieβ. Since "shuffle off" is generally taken to mean "get rid of" or "evade" it is likely that in the sense that Shakespeare used it, it was specifically referring to the act of suicide.
Noun
mortal coil (plural mortal coils)
- The chaos and confusion of life.
- The physical body of a man (containing the spirit inside).
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Word of the Day @lemmy.world π΄πππ @lemmy.world pareidolia
Noun
pareidolia (plural pareidolias)
- (psychology) The tendency to interpret a vague stimulus as something known to the observer, such as interpreting marks on Mars as canals, seeing shapes in clouds, or hearing hidden messages in music.
Etymology
Borrowed from German Pareidolie, constructed from Ancient Greek ΟΞ±ΟΞ±- (para-, βalongsideβ) + Ξ΅αΌ΄Ξ΄Ολον (eΓdΕlon, βimageβ) + -Ξ―Ξ± (-Γa).
Links
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Word of the Day @lemmy.world π΄πππ @lemmy.world Chippy
chippy (plural chippies)
Noun
- (UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, slang) A carpenter. [from 19th c.]
- (slang, Western US) A prostitute or promiscuous woman. [from 19th c.]
- (UK, Ireland, informal) A fish-and-chip shop. [from 20th c.] Synonym: chipper
- (Australia, slang) The youngest member of a team or group, normally someone whose voice has not yet deepened, talking like a chipmunk.
- (New Zealand) A potato chip.
- (demoscene, informal) A chiptune.
- (US) A chipping sparrow.
- (slang) An occasional drug habit, less than addiction.
chippy (comparative chippier, superlative chippiest)
Adjective
- (Canada, UK) Ill-tempered, disagreeable.
- (Canada, sports) Involving violence or unfair play.
- (of wood) Tending to form chips when cut, rather than larger, more usable pieces of wood.
- (dated) As dry as a chip of wood.
- (archaic) Feeling sick from drinking alcohol; hung over.
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Word of the Day @lemmy.world m_f @midwest.social Jizz
Etymology 1
The earliest known appearance in print dates from 1922, in Thomas Coward's "Country Diary" column for the Manchester Guardian of 6 December 1921; the piece was subsequently included in his 1922 book Bird Haunts and Nature Memories. He attributed it to "a west-coast Irishman", and explained:
if we are walking on the road and see, far ahead, someone whom we recognise although we can neither distinguish features nor particular clothes, we may be certain that we are not mistaken; there is something in the carriage, the walk, the general appearance which is familiar; it is, in fact, the individual's jizz.
There are several theories as to the etymology of βjizzβ:
- From the military term GIS (βgeneral impression and shapeβ).
- Possible contraction of just is (in the sense that a particular bird species βjust isβ that species).
An essay by Greenwood and Greenwood in 2018 debunks these theories. Other suggestions include variants of guise, gist and gestalt (mispronounced