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Saturday, July 06, 2019

More word definitions

  • aigre-doux, adjective. That combines elements of sourness and sweetness; simultaneously sour and sweet; bittersweet. Frequently of a sauce (cf. agrodolce adj.) and also in figurative contexts.
  • aperitivo, noun. A (usually alcoholic) drink served before a meal to stimulate the appetite.
  • bumbledom, noun. Petty local bureaucracy; officious and pompous behaviour by minor officials; officials of this type collectively.
  • capitalism, noun. An economic and political system in which a country’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.
  • downcycle, verb, transitive. To reuse (waste material) to create a product of lower quality or value than the original. Cf. upcycle.
  • entredeux, noun. An insertion of decorative lace, linen, or other material; spec. a narrow band of embroidered trim consisting of a line of holes.
  • gilravage, noun. Noisy or drunken merrymaking; boisterous play; commotion, confusion. Also: an instance of this.
  • gloopy, adjective. Glutinous, viscous; gluey or sticky; sloppy or gooey.
  • imperium, noun. Absolute or supreme power or dominion.
  • nebby, adjective. Interfering, inquisitive, nosy.
  • pax tecum, phrase. peace be with you, Latin.
  • riot, noun. Waywardness; contrariness. Obsolete.
  • sitient, adjective. Thirsty; dry, parched; (figurative) greedy, covetous.
  • socialism, noun. A political and economic theory of social organization which advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.
  • stickybeak, noun. The nose of an overly inquisitive person, which ‘sticks’ or pries into the affairs of others.
  • subact, verb, transitive. To work up, knead, mix, break down, or assimilate (a substance), as in the process of digestion. Also (and in earliest use) figurative.
  • upcycle, verb, transitive. To reuse (discarded objects or material) in such a way as to create a product of higher quality or value than the original. Cf. downcycle.
  • verbalist, noun and adjective. A person whose speech or writing lacks meaning, substance, value, a basis in reality, etc., or who is given to long-winded or verbose self-expression.
  • vox nihili, noun. A word, or word form, which does not really exist, often being the result of an editorial misreading, scribal mistake, printing error, etc.
  • zeep, verb, intransitive. To produce a high-pitched noise like that produced by friction or something travelling at speed; esp. (of an animal or bird) to give a call or emit a sound of this sort.

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