Certainly could have been coined independently by these students, but was originally invented earlier. Wiktionary has a citation for "Xi-ism" dated 2017, and another for this unhyphenated form from 2019.
A related marine crustacean of the family Palinuridæ, Palinurus vulgaris, the sea-crawfish, is known as the spring lobster, rock-lobster, and spiny lobster.
kind of tired of seeing these jokey portmanteau comments. "Never" is not a portmanteau of not and ever. It's a compound of two old English words ne and <em>ǣfre</em> that happened over 1000 years ago. Even if you disregard that, and grant that that amounts to the same thing—i.e., compounding not and ever—it's very arguable that it's a portmanteau since it doesn't really merge the sounds of the component words, the most you can say about it is it's a compound.
pretty sure that shampoo is well-established as a verb. shampooed, etc. And verbing a physical object is definitely nothing new. One of my favorites is Velcroing.
I love that there are numerous internet citations of this word with people assuming it's the plural of ephemera, when in fact ephemera is the plural of ephemeron
I noticed this word on <a href="https://www.powerthesaurus.org/banemalentous/synonyms">powerthesaurus.com</a> and tried to find a source for it. (It is purportedly a synonym of cold, callous, black-hearted, cruel etc.) But it appears madeupical as my various web searches find it exclusively on other user-contributed thesaurus and synonym finder sites (likely, these are all scraping from each other). I'm gonna try to remember to check the OED and Webster's 3rd New International, next time I go to the library
in German, this word means something similar to hodgepodge or mishmash. In Swedish it can mean the same but also refer to gibberish or incoherent speech
Wiktionary says it comes from a joking Latinization of the Low German Sammelsur (a sour i.e., considered inedible, mix of foods), from sammeln (to gather, to collect). Also used in Swedish since 1718.
A book called English Words and Their Background (1923) mentions this as an obsolete synonym for rascal. I can't find it anywhere else on the internet; but haven't checked OED etc.
It's important for Wordnik users to remember that the Century definitions are sourced from a digitized edition of the Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia published in the 1890s (and never revised). It's very useful for rare words but application within modern usage should be carefully considered, and ideally, spared useless grousing
It seems this is indeed a word. Possibly coined by Bini Adamczak in an article in the New Inquiry. It refers to sexual penetration, but attempts to recontextualize the act by reversing agent and recipient. So, loosely synonymous with envelopment
hi snowsim1 is it possible you were logged in here in the past as snowsim? That account has a list or two going, and a few comments posted in the mid-oughts, so it fits that timeline
practik is identifying a case of "semantic generalization" or broadening here. Dictionaries usually update with new or revised definitions of words that evolve this way, but rarely immediately
chasg you can make a word list where other users can add words by clicking the "new list" link in the drop down menu under your username. (https://www.wordnik.com/lists/new) and leave the "editable by anyone" radio button selected.
used to describe something at the pinnacle of excellence, quality, efficacy etc.; of the highest possible classification. Comes from "tier list" rankings in popular culture. See comments and Twitter content at tier-list, s-tier
I don't think Pineapple Express is really deprecated in meteorology for PC reasons, just informal. Weather reporters in Northern California still use it on air from time to time. Also atmospheric river is hypernymous to Pineapple express, the latter being a particular example of the former
a Welsh word referring to a maze worked into the turf on a hilltop, usually following a design very similar to the sevenfold Cretan style labyrinth. Their exact purpose is not now known. In Welsh the word means "a labyrinth, a maze; maze cut by shepherds in the sward, serving as a puzzle." the original literal meaning is "Walls-of-Troy" (cf. caer). Note flickr image in visuals
金継ぎ, "golden joinery," a cool technique/art form of Japanese origin, repairing broken ceramics by filling and mending breaks with a lacquer incorporating powdered gold or other precious metals
The conceit is that the breakage and repair are incorporated with the object's haecceity rather than being disguised/erased
per Collins, an anthology or a "gleaning." (French spicilège, a scrapbook, a collection of selected pieces, various documents, observations, from Latin spicilegium, action of gleaning, from spica, ear + legere, to choose)
byrthynsak (bər-thən-sak), also burdinseck, burdingseck, burdensek, birthinsake, n. (Anglo-Saxon byrthen “burden” + sacu “lawsuit”) Historical; the theft of the most a man can carry on his back (as of a calf or ram).
a word that seems to have been used exclusively in pulp action-adventure stories from "Gold Eagle Publishing" imprint under Harlequin, authored under the pseudonym James Axler. Not sure what it's supposed to mean
the smallest basic unit of meaning in the theory of glossematics, a structuralist linguistic theory incorporated in semiotics. A glosseme can be lexical, where it is basically identical to the phoneme, or grammatical, where it represents the smallest unit of meaning (the signified), and forms a relationship with taxemes and tagmemes
A meridarch or meridarches (Greek: μεριδάρχης, from meris, "division", and -arches, "ruler") was the civil governor of a province in the Hellenistic world (4th-1st centuries BCE)
interestingly, inscriptions in Northern India, the extreme eastern margin of the ancient Hellenistic sphere, have been found mentioning meridarches.
I was just trying to give advice, you can leave the comment or not! What you could do is copy and paste your comment to litterateur, or littérateur, where the definitions appear.
replying to an 8-year old comment to say that it should be Aegir, referring to the Trent Aegir, not "aiger." And it's not a tidal wave in the tsunamic sense, it's a tidal bore
love this usage. It might be more than being very smart. I picture the patient orchestration of a multiplex, intricate plan, with pawns and schemes maneuvered according to plans either unfathomable or counterintuitive to us rubes, but seen at last to be borne of flabbergasting shrewdness and foresight.
It's also become (through its use WRT Sidney Powell and similar) parodic/facetious, with the implication that simple idiocy is what gives rise to anything counterintuitive or unfathomable
"(meme name).(typical file extension)" is a super interesting snowclone format used in web and text contexts, when the user is technically constrained from or just perfunctorily eschews displaying the actual image. dealwithit.gif is another common one, and I've seen stonks.jpg used several times recently. Where the meme is widely-enough known, this shorthand immediately brings to mind the image and its usual connotation
etymonline has some info at their entry for gig which mentions "Middle English ghyg "spinning top" (in whyrlegyg, mid-15c.),"
This also makes me think of thingamajig and jiggumbob. Also fizgig. it seems to have taken on a role of intensifying whimsicality in constructions. Possibly related to the idea of spinning.
I think two nonstandard usages are conspiring to create confusion there. First the intransitive execute, and second against in a sense vaguely like "with reference to". Both characteristic of American corpspeak in the tens.
I think one of the standard meanings of against, "in comparison with," (as in "checking the cargo against the manifest") has undergone a semantic shift to give rise to this newfangled meaning.
this hawai'ian dictionary page mentions low lying rainbows, but also the phenomenon of clouds refracting in rainbow colors which i imagine this to be an example of
adj that can refer to something with a distinctive question-mark-shaped swan-neck curve to it, as a lamp, or to a neck considered long and elegant, as of a person
The house was one of those which belong to the class called cabajoutis. This significant name is given by the populace of Paris to houses which are built, as it were, piecemeal. They are nearly always composed of buildings originally separate but afterwards united according to the fancy of the various proprietors who successively enlarge them; or else they are houses begun, left unfinished, again built upon, and completed,--unfortunate structures which have passed, like certain peoples, under many dynasties of capricious masters. Neither the floors nor the windows have an ensemble,--to borrow one of the most picturesque terms of the art of painting; all is discord, even the external decoration. The cabajoutis is to Parisian architecture what the capharnaum is to the apartment,--a poke-hole, where the most heterogeneous articles are flung pell-mell.
A crease between the torso and the thigh, demarcated by the inguinal ligament that connects the pubic tubercle to the ilium. Considered as defining a 'V' shape in the direction of the groin, sometimes appears in discussions of male secondary sexual characteristics (ie sexy body parts)
a precursor garment to, and etymological root of, the bodice. Per Wikipedia, "The name bodice comes from an older garment called a pair of bodies (because the garment was originally made in two separate pieces that fastened together, frequently by lacing)."
see comments at oulipo. This is another word where the root form on this page is undefined (where Wiktionary.org has a definition), while its Reverse Dictionary tags xref to an inflection (Oulipian) that *does* source the Wiktionary def.
some people out there on the internet are claiming this word refers to the smell of old books, instead of the act of smelling them. I disagree mostly because the -osmia particle is more used in word construction for pathologies like anosmia and hyperosmia and prefer the interpretation posted here by Logophile77
in spectroscopy, this means one of the emission lines of the spectrum of an element which is last or nearly last to disappear as the concentration of the element decreases. Also called ultimate line
It's weird that there are definitions on Wordnik, from Wiktionary, for Raies Ultimes, Raie Ultime, and raies ultimes that reference this form of the word, and that those words appear on this page's Reverse Dictionary taglist, yet no definition appears on this page (despite it being defined on Wiktionary). erinmckean is this type of thing on your radar?
I think when I posted that comment in 2013, it was still active ;)
This list has something to do with preserving such ephemera even divorced from its sources, though. Perhaps it'd have been better if I didn't mention Horse_ebooks at all
also "alita" is not Latin, or at least does not mean "elite" or "special" in Latin. Alit is a possible inflection of alō/alere, to feed, nourish or foster, as in Alit lectio ingenium "Reading nourishes the mind."
the suggestion of "elite" or "noble" may come from the feminite given name "Alita", but the meaning is in Old German. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alita
It's nice that, in in a few decades, someone can mimic or copy this style of graphics, and an audience will immediately date the associated content in the late 2010s (20teens?)/early 2020s.
hi alikoo, these words aren't undefined—you can find definitions for them by searching without the initial capitalization e.g. impromptu. Wordnik is case-sensitive. Because Pole and pole are different words.
term used during the COVID-19 pandemic in reference to sport facilities in which players or competitors are isolated from contact with the outside world to prevent transmission of disease. Used in Wikipedia article on Bio-secure bubbles. UAE has an entire island that purportedly makes the cut.
Saturday’s fight was held inside the new Etihad Arena on the “Fight Island” bio-secure sporting hub of Yas Island, which Abu Dhabi’s government established last July.
sting can also refer to a short sequence played by a drummer in entertainment productions such as circus, vaudeville, or cabaret shows, to punctuate a joke, often a bad or obvious one.
an acronym used as shorthand for the volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity of large-scale conditions or situations. First used in post-Cold Wargeopolitics discourse, and later in general studies of strategic leadership.
a borb is a round or round-presenting (as with ruffed feathers) birb. Often applied to small passerine birbs such as the (exemplary) bearded tit, any of various kinglets or bullfinches.
For some reason New Zealand boasts a plethora of medium-sized borbs, including the kiwi, the weka and takahe.
There seem to be alternative interpretations. I think the Wiktionary one cited on this page is not in fact commonly accepted. Wikipedia agrees with Etymonline.
Important note: Etymonline is entirely the project of a single very prolific old guy.
Hepatizon (Greek etymology: ἧπαρ, English translation: "liver"), also known as black Corinthian bronze, was a highly valuable metal alloy in classical antiquity. It is thought to be an alloy of copper with the addition of a small proportion of gold and silver (perhaps as little as 8% of each), mixed and treated to produce a material with a dark purplish patina, similar to the colour of liver. It is referred to in various ancient texts, but few known examples of hepatizon exist today.
a supposed condition similar to photic sneezing, where exposure to loud noises invokes a sneeze response. Can't find any references at all to this in medical literature online, so it may be completely made-up. Not sure where I heard it.
Difrasismo is a term derived from Spanish that is used in the study of certain Mesoamerican languages, to describe a particular grammatical construction in which two separate words are paired together to form a single metaphoric unit. This semantic and stylistic device was commonly employed throughout Mesoamerica, and features notably in historical works of Mesoamerican literature, in languages such as Classical Nahuatl and Classic Maya....
For example, in Nahuatl the expression "cuitlapilli ahtlapalli" or "in cuitlapilli in ahtlapalli", literally "the tail, the wing", is used in a metaphoric sense to mean "the people" or "the common folk".
Comments by ry
ry commented on the word agonic
I can't find it but someone had a list of words that sound negative but aren't?
October 28, 2024
ry commented on the word Xiism
Certainly could have been coined independently by these students, but was originally invented earlier. Wiktionary has a citation for "Xi-ism" dated 2017, and another for this unhyphenated form from 2019.
October 28, 2024
ry commented on the word automatic butt puller
celebrating a belated five-year anniversary of finding out this was a thing
October 28, 2024
ry commented on the word Vegemitini
ew
September 26, 2024
ry commented on the word guilty ball
obsolete(?) term for the opponent's next ball, in croquet. Also danger ball
https://archive.org/stream/imperialencyclop10unse/imperialencyclop10unse_djvu.txt
July 29, 2024
ry commented on the word nothing burger
see comments and examples at nothingburger
July 1, 2024
ry commented on the word spring lobster
The Century has:
July 1, 2024
ry commented on the word from goo to you by way of the zoo
apparently this is the title of a lesser-known but influential creationist tract written in the 1970s
June 17, 2024
ry commented on the word never
kind of tired of seeing these jokey portmanteau comments. "Never" is not a portmanteau of not and ever. It's a compound of two old English words ne and <em>ǣfre</em> that happened over 1000 years ago. Even if you disregard that, and grant that that amounts to the same thing—i.e., compounding not and ever—it's very arguable that it's a portmanteau since it doesn't really merge the sounds of the component words, the most you can say about it is it's a compound.
June 17, 2024
ry commented on the word trismegistic
Wow this is a fun one. Cf. Hermes Trismegistus
June 1, 2024
ry commented on the word verb
pretty sure that shampoo is well-established as a verb. shampooed, etc. And verbing a physical object is definitely nothing new. One of my favorites is Velcroing.
February 28, 2024
ry commented on the list never-on-craigslist
polykite
February 2, 2024
ry commented on the word ephemerae
I love that there are numerous internet citations of this word with people assuming it's the plural of ephemera, when in fact ephemera is the plural of ephemeron
also cf. ephemeræ
February 2, 2024
ry commented on the word sfnal
this is a contraction of science-fictional (as in science fiction), used mainly by devotees and critics of the form
February 1, 2024
ry commented on the word banemalentous
I noticed this word on <a href="https://www.powerthesaurus.org/banemalentous/synonyms">powerthesaurus.com</a> and tried to find a source for it. (It is purportedly a synonym of cold, callous, black-hearted, cruel etc.) But it appears madeupical as my various web searches find it exclusively on other user-contributed thesaurus and synonym finder sites (likely, these are all scraping from each other). I'm gonna try to remember to check the OED and Webster's 3rd New International, next time I go to the library
February 1, 2024
ry commented on the word sammelsurium
in German, this word means something similar to hodgepodge or mishmash. In Swedish it can mean the same but also refer to gibberish or incoherent speech
Wiktionary says it comes from a joking Latinization of the Low German Sammelsur (a sour i.e., considered inedible, mix of foods), from sammeln (to gather, to collect). Also used in Swedish since 1718.
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sammelsurium
February 1, 2024
ry commented on the list morgasts-sammelsurium-6cOPG6l0COt0hpiNLiq_p
sammelsurium, what a marvelous word
February 1, 2024
ry commented on the word beetleskin
Partidge's slang dictionaries are really amazingly good about that
January 11, 2024
ry commented on the word wine-carriage
👀
December 1, 2023
ry commented on the word rautener
ah a possible eponym then
March 29, 2023
ry commented on the word rautener
A book called English Words and Their Background (1923) mentions this as an obsolete synonym for rascal. I can't find it anywhere else on the internet; but haven't checked OED etc.
March 28, 2023
ry commented on the word assy
this sounds like a nonce word to me.
March 28, 2023
ry commented on the word smackaroons
see also smackeroo, smackeroonies
March 28, 2023
ry commented on the list name-name
I had no idea there were so many of these
March 24, 2023
ry commented on the word factual
this word is in no way a portmanteau
March 24, 2023
ry commented on the word behove
It's important for Wordnik users to remember that the Century definitions are sourced from a digitized edition of the Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia published in the 1890s (and never revised). It's very useful for rare words but application within modern usage should be carefully considered, and ideally, spared useless grousing
February 13, 2023
ry commented on the word circlusion
It seems this is indeed a word. Possibly coined by Bini Adamczak in an article in the New Inquiry. It refers to sexual penetration, but attempts to recontextualize the act by reversing agent and recipient. So, loosely synonymous with envelopment
January 14, 2023
ry commented on the word boomer shooter
cf. looter shooter
January 14, 2023
ry commented on the word incobegence
There's no 'b' in either of those words.
September 18, 2022
ry commented on the list agentive-exocentric--v-n-n-compounds
a thread on Twitter about these compounds went quite viral today. I'd have jumped into the replies to link here, but happily erinmckean had already done it
September 13, 2022
ry commented on the word braaam
see braam
August 13, 2022
ry commented on the user snowsim1
hi snowsim1 is it possible you were logged in here in the past as snowsim? That account has a list or two going, and a few comments posted in the mid-oughts, so it fits that timeline
July 19, 2022
ry commented on the word portrayment
this is art.
July 15, 2022
ry commented on the word apple-islander
my fave word for Tasmanian people is vandemonian
July 15, 2022
ry commented on the word callback
practik is identifying a case of "semantic generalization" or broadening here. Dictionaries usually update with new or revised definitions of words that evolve this way, but rarely immediately
July 1, 2022
ry commented on the word copaline
Oh copium is in use out there on the Twitters, in the exact sense you're suggesting with that, bilby
July 1, 2022
ry commented on the word mid
noting a rise in colloquial use of "mid" as an adjective (and maybe a noun?) denoting risible mediocrity. Some examples in the Twitter feed
June 30, 2022
ry commented on the word it is like listening for falling dew
I should note attribution to fbharjo for this phrase
March 24, 2022
ry commented on the word weathergaw
see also comments at fogdog
March 19, 2022
ry commented on the word in terrorem
how is this a noun?
January 19, 2022
ry commented on the word nummulation
the persistent reference to coins is probably due to the word, I assume, being derived from LL numisma, similar to numismatics
January 19, 2022
ry commented on the word starting a word list
chasg you can make a word list where other users can add words by clicking the "new list" link in the drop down menu under your username. (https://www.wordnik.com/lists/new) and leave the "editable by anyone" radio button selected.
January 11, 2022
ry commented on the word nostratic
defined at Nostratic
December 30, 2021
ry commented on the user rannu
oh hai
December 30, 2021
ry commented on the word handlebody
Unexpected. I thought this might be a cutthroat compound referring to a diener or corpse collector
November 26, 2021
ry commented on the word number 2
see also number two
November 26, 2021
ry commented on the word god tier
used to describe something at the pinnacle of excellence, quality, efficacy etc.; of the highest possible classification. Comes from "tier list" rankings in popular culture. See comments and Twitter content at tier-list, s-tier
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=God%20tier
November 26, 2021
ry commented on the word s-tier
cf god tier
November 26, 2021
ry commented on the user vincente01
i lerned alot of Eglish from he.
November 26, 2021
ry commented on the word atmospheric river
I don't think Pineapple Express is really deprecated in meteorology for PC reasons, just informal. Weather reporters in Northern California still use it on air from time to time. Also atmospheric river is hypernymous to Pineapple express, the latter being a particular example of the former
November 26, 2021
ry commented on the word shippy
if you look at the Tweets content, it looks like it's used in a fanfic-adjacent sense of shipping
November 1, 2021
ry commented on the word domdaniel
"A place of wickedness." as in Wordsmith.org WOTD of today. Frequently capitalized Domdaniel
October 27, 2021
ry commented on the word Domdaniel
see comments at domdaniel
October 27, 2021
ry commented on the word cormoraut
this has got to be a typo or transcription error of some kind, cormorant has a definition exactly like the one here
October 26, 2021
ry commented on the user klystronop
waddup
October 21, 2021
ry commented on the word caerdroia
a Welsh word referring to a maze worked into the turf on a hilltop, usually following a design very similar to the sevenfold Cretan style labyrinth. Their exact purpose is not now known. In Welsh the word means "a labyrinth, a maze; maze cut by shepherds in the sward, serving as a puzzle." the original literal meaning is "Walls-of-Troy" (cf. caer). Note flickr image in visuals
October 20, 2021
ry commented on the word nonwizard
spend an enjoyable minute contemplating potential occasions to use this word
October 18, 2021
ry commented on the user ronate
no problem
October 18, 2021
ry commented on the user vrajeev722
absolutely
October 18, 2021
ry commented on the user indominous2
anytime
October 18, 2021
ry commented on the list is-this-a-dagger-i-see-before-me
acinaces
October 18, 2021
ry commented on the word eau-de-nil
"water of the Nile," a pale or pastel-ish greenish color. See eau de nil
October 5, 2021
ry commented on the user raybevilacqua
Writing in All Caps is Like Shouting
October 4, 2021
ry commented on the user raybevilacqua
phototeller makes me think of wordplay with bank teller. It sounds like an alternate universe Fotomat
October 4, 2021
ry commented on the word dieudonne
incredibly, this last comment should have been placed at Dieudonne
October 4, 2021
ry commented on the user abdulaziz
HEY DUDE
October 4, 2021
ry commented on the word o11y
other examples of this: L10n, g11n, i18n
there seems to be a list numeronyms
October 4, 2021
ry commented on the word megabit
words can have multiple senses. mebebit is interesting though
September 28, 2021
ry commented on the word mirific
it's in the Century, so almost certainly dates to 1800s at least
September 23, 2021
ry commented on the word defoedate
see defœdate
September 17, 2021
ry commented on the word aplomado
refers to the aplomado falcon of South America.
aplomado is Spanish word cognate with plumbeous
September 15, 2021
ry commented on the word femoral falcon
refers to the aplomado falcon, <em>Falco femoralis</em>
September 15, 2021
ry commented on the word philocubist
philomath is another one that follows this pattern
September 1, 2021
ry commented on the word spod
They were a form of chat or instant messaging used in the early internet. see Wiktionary entry at talker, last definition
August 27, 2021
ry commented on the word subswirly
did you create an alt account to further promote this word? I like the enthusiasm...
August 27, 2021
ry commented on the word passing-bell
wow yeah reverse dictionary is a phantasmagoria. I think it's pulling in every word that has "pass" in its definition
August 26, 2021
ry commented on the word passing-bell
defined at passing bell
August 25, 2021
ry commented on the word fck
fuck probably has plenty of faves/lists
August 23, 2021
ry commented on the word Chrimble
Chrimble pud is a gem
August 20, 2021
ry commented on the list strong-closed-syllables-1l_h9mb3Vod2
you might like my list kickassery and many of the lists linked in the comments there.
August 18, 2021
ry commented on the word crevasse cycle
there's a funny list waiting to happen here
August 18, 2021
ry commented on the list words-to-try-to-use-in-colloquial-speech-without-sounding-like-a-pretentious-ass
yeah not sure why all these old users thought this was a good list name. It's oxymoronic in like 3 different ways. Good list if overlooking that issue
August 18, 2021
ry commented on the word and so
on and so forth
August 18, 2021
ry commented on the word splicing-fid
interesting that decemfid also shows up in the reverse dictionary though
August 16, 2021
ry commented on the word splicing-fid
think it's just a fid as in a bar or pin that supports or braces something. compare setting-fid, fid-hole
August 16, 2021
ry commented on the word mucopurulent
ugh gross
August 5, 2021
ry commented on the word miniking
cf. kinglet, underking
August 5, 2021
ry commented on the word sandal-paste
a paste made of sandalwood, used in rendering the tilak. Appears in English translations of the Mahabharata
August 5, 2021
ry commented on the word kintsukuroi
see comments at kintsugi
August 5, 2021
ry commented on the word kintsugi
金継ぎ, "golden joinery," a cool technique/art form of Japanese origin, repairing broken ceramics by filling and mending breaks with a lacquer incorporating powdered gold or other precious metals
The conceit is that the breakage and repair are incorporated with the object's haecceity rather than being disguised/erased
also kintsukuroi
August 5, 2021
ry commented on the word thanatognomonic
Of fatal prognosis; signaling the approach of death (medical)
August 5, 2021
ry commented on the word thanatognomic
Indicating the approach of death. Rare variant of thanatognomonic
August 5, 2021
ry commented on the word origen
wow. Is it cognate somehow with Origen?
August 5, 2021
ry commented on the word Recherché
gah
August 2, 2021
ry commented on the word spicilege
per Collins, an anthology or a "gleaning." (French spicilège, a scrapbook, a collection of selected pieces, various documents, observations, from Latin spicilegium, action of gleaning, from spica, ear + legere, to choose)
July 30, 2021
ry commented on the word slaugh
archaic spelling of slaw.
July 30, 2021
ry commented on the word lodging society
seems to be a phrase used to denote condo developments in English-targeted media from South Asia and the Mideast.
July 30, 2021
ry commented on the word tween-brain
the diencephalon. Also 'tween-brain, between-brain
July 30, 2021
ry commented on the word saltspoon
see salt-spoon
July 30, 2021
ry commented on the word querail
coinage by Mervyn Peake:
July 30, 2021
ry commented on the word hang it
a minced oath for damn it
July 30, 2021
ry commented on the word hangit
hanged in Scots dialect (dated). Also eye-dialect for the interjection hang it
July 30, 2021
ry commented on the word byrthynsak
byrthynsak (bər-thən-sak), also burdinseck, burdingseck, burdensek, birthinsake, n. (Anglo-Saxon byrthen “burden” + sacu “lawsuit”) Historical; the theft of the most a man can carry on his back (as of a calf or ram).
July 30, 2021
ry commented on the word shockscape
a word that seems to have been used exclusively in pulp action-adventure stories from "Gold Eagle Publishing" imprint under Harlequin, authored under the pseudonym James Axler. Not sure what it's supposed to mean
July 30, 2021
ry commented on the word miraculosity
miraculousness
July 30, 2021
ry commented on the word Aleatory
see aleatory. stuartmathergibson, the search results on this site are case-sensitive. Try searching for words without using initial caps.
July 30, 2021
ry commented on the word faunivory
the trait of being a faunivore; carnivory but without, necessarily, predation.
July 30, 2021
ry commented on the word vaginoid
nonstandard for yonic or vaginate; also, disparaging slang noun for a person with female genitalia.
July 30, 2021
ry commented on the word anthroparian
from Wiktionary:
July 30, 2021
ry commented on the word glosseme
the smallest basic unit of meaning in the theory of glossematics, a structuralist linguistic theory incorporated in semiotics. A glosseme can be lexical, where it is basically identical to the phoneme, or grammatical, where it represents the smallest unit of meaning (the signified), and forms a relationship with taxemes and tagmemes
Seems analogous to pheneme too.
(Not that i understand much of this)
final note: this word appears in Wiktionary, but not here.
July 30, 2021
ry commented on the word homothere
any of the member species of genus homotherium, the sabre-toothed tigers.
July 30, 2021
ry commented on the word scimitar-toothed
an alternate term used to describe the sabre-toothed cats.
July 30, 2021
ry commented on the word meridarch
from Wikipedia:
interestingly, inscriptions in Northern India, the extreme eastern margin of the ancient Hellenistic sphere, have been found mentioning meridarches.
July 30, 2021
ry commented on the word moon dog
cf. sundog, fogdog
July 30, 2021
ry commented on the word Encomium
see encomium
July 29, 2021
ry commented on the word fogdog
the fact, huh?
July 29, 2021
ry commented on the word braam
a term used in sound design to describe a loud, brassy, low-end sound effect or sting used in film and film trailers.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/braaams-beginners-how-a-horn-793220/
https://harmony-music.sourceaudio.com/#!explorer?b=7435209
sometimes also braaam
July 29, 2021
ry commented on the word af
see also comments at AF
July 13, 2021
ry commented on the list the-universal-calculator
Wait are those the TVA elevator buttons
July 2, 2021
ry commented on the user 5hadow-girl
I was just trying to give advice, you can leave the comment or not! What you could do is copy and paste your comment to litterateur, or littérateur, where the definitions appear.
July 2, 2021
ry commented on the word archaeus
see archæus
July 2, 2021
ry commented on the word fuguiug
I think maybe this is supposed to be fuguing
June 30, 2021
ry commented on the word baphe
from Greek βαφή, which just means "dye." Also a component of the word phlobaphene
June 30, 2021
ry commented on the list cool-words-ill-never-find-a-use-for-kux6tvvWgu-b
appropriate places to use pareidolia can occur quite frequently, given that most everyone is constantly experiencing it
June 28, 2021
ry commented on the list waves-and-waveforms
replying to an 8-year old comment to say that it should be Aegir, referring to the Trent Aegir, not "aiger." And it's not a tidal wave in the tsunamic sense, it's a tidal bore
June 28, 2021
ry commented on the list agentive-exocentric--v-n-n-compounds
smash-mouth??
June 28, 2021
ry commented on the user raymondmark
awsome
June 28, 2021
ry commented on the word playing 4D chess
love this usage. It might be more than being very smart. I picture the patient orchestration of a multiplex, intricate plan, with pawns and schemes maneuvered according to plans either unfathomable or counterintuitive to us rubes, but seen at last to be borne of flabbergasting shrewdness and foresight.
It's also become (through its use WRT Sidney Powell and similar) parodic/facetious, with the implication that simple idiocy is what gives rise to anything counterintuitive or unfathomable
June 8, 2021
ry commented on the user johnmullen
he means one-off icyww
June 1, 2021
ry commented on the word vagrant
the actual etymology of vagrant is above—it comes from an Old French word wacrer, to wander, of Germanic and ultimately Indo-European origin.
May 15, 2021
ry commented on the word ha'n't
defined at han't
May 14, 2021
ry commented on the word thatsthejoke.gif
"(meme name).(typical file extension)" is a super interesting snowclone format used in web and text contexts, when the user is technically constrained from or just perfunctorily eschews displaying the actual image. dealwithit.gif is another common one, and I've seen stonks.jpg used several times recently. Where the meme is widely-enough known, this shorthand immediately brings to mind the image and its usual connotation
May 3, 2021
ry commented on the word whirlygig
etymonline has some info at their entry for gig which mentions "Middle English ghyg "spinning top" (in whyrlegyg, mid-15c.),"
This also makes me think of thingamajig and jiggumbob. Also fizgig. it seems to have taken on a role of intensifying whimsicality in constructions. Possibly related to the idea of spinning.
April 8, 2021
ry commented on the word corpspeak
see corporatespeak. Also called bizspeak
April 6, 2021
ry commented on the word execute
I think two nonstandard usages are conspiring to create confusion there. First the intransitive execute, and second against in a sense vaguely like "with reference to". Both characteristic of American corpspeak in the tens.
I think one of the standard meanings of against, "in comparison with," (as in "checking the cargo against the manifest") has undergone a semantic shift to give rise to this newfangled meaning.
April 1, 2021
ry commented on the word tridacne
this should be at tridacna
March 26, 2021
ry commented on the word Ha'n't
defined at han't
March 25, 2021
ry commented on the word han't
see comments at Ha'n't
March 25, 2021
ry commented on the word cultellate
see cultellation
March 22, 2021
ry commented on the word uakoko
awesome. check the flickr example.
this hawai'ian dictionary page mentions low lying rainbows, but also the phenomenon of clouds refracting in rainbow colors which i imagine this to be an example of
March 22, 2021
ry commented on the word swan-necked
adj that can refer to something with a distinctive question-mark-shaped swan-neck curve to it, as a lamp, or to a neck considered long and elegant, as of a person
March 18, 2021
ry commented on the word cinerarious
of, like, or comprising a cinerarium
March 17, 2021
ry commented on the word four-flushing
an insult for one who makes empty claims. Maybe a minced oath for full of shit? See four-flush
March 17, 2021
ry commented on the word capharnaum
A chaotic jumble, a shambles. Also capharnaüm. From the biblical town of Capernaum.
March 17, 2021
ry commented on the word baratour
archaic (Middle English) form of barrator
March 17, 2021
ry commented on the word cabajoutis
Amazing word. Defined in the passage
Honore de Balzac, Ferragus, Ch. IV
March 17, 2021
ry commented on the word phasganion
phasgănĭŏn, ancient Greek word for gladiolus aka sword-lily. Appears in Pliny the Elder's Natural History
March 17, 2021
ry commented on the word tenement of clay
archaic euphemism for the body considered as abode of the soul. Or for a corpse.
Dryden, Absalom and Achitophel Part i
March 17, 2021
ry commented on the word high-dried
Deprived of an especially high proportion of moisture through drying or baking. Sometimes metaphorically.
March 17, 2021
ry commented on the word tophet
see Tophet
March 17, 2021
ry commented on the word provoquant
French for provoking or provocative
March 17, 2021
ry commented on the word wooden iron
term in rhetoric, philosophy etc for something that is inherently contradictory, oxymoronic or impossible.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wooden_iron
March 17, 2021
ry commented on the word homoteleuton
repetition of word endings in poetry, also known as near rhyme.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeoteleuton
March 17, 2021
ry commented on the word polyhedronist
an enthusiast or student of polyhedrons and their properties. Apparently Magnus Wenninger is a notable one.
March 17, 2021
ry commented on the word apotheonic
of, like, or comprising an apotheon
March 17, 2021
ry commented on the word inguinal crease
A crease between the torso and the thigh, demarcated by the inguinal ligament that connects the pubic tubercle to the ilium. Considered as defining a 'V' shape in the direction of the groin, sometimes appears in discussions of male secondary sexual characteristics (ie sexy body parts)
beware medical illustrations in Flickr tags
March 17, 2021
ry commented on the word pair of bodies
a precursor garment to, and etymological root of, the bodice. Per Wikipedia, "The name bodice comes from an older garment called a pair of bodies (because the garment was originally made in two separate pieces that fastened together, frequently by lacing)."
March 17, 2021
ry commented on the user daddyjeff56
indeed
March 17, 2021
ry commented on the word shinola
featured in the phrase know shit from Shinola
March 15, 2021
ry commented on the word not know shit from Shinola
see know shit from Shinola
March 15, 2021
ry commented on the word Oulipo
see comments at oulipo. This is another word where the root form on this page is undefined (where Wiktionary.org has a definition), while its Reverse Dictionary tags xref to an inflection (Oulipian) that *does* source the Wiktionary def.
March 9, 2021
ry commented on the word maquisard
see Maquisard
March 8, 2021
ry commented on the word bibliosmia
some people out there on the internet are claiming this word refers to the smell of old books, instead of the act of smelling them. I disagree mostly because the -osmia particle is more used in word construction for pathologies like anosmia and hyperosmia and prefer the interpretation posted here by Logophile77
March 8, 2021
ry commented on the word biblichor
a modern coinage (possibly from this blogpost), on the model of petrichor, referring to the smell of books (not necessarily old books).
March 8, 2021
ry commented on the word antiquaroma
biblichor and bibliosmia are other more often cited recent coinages for this.
In fact, after various searches I can find no other use of "antiquaroma" anywhere other than here.
March 8, 2021
ry commented on the word Flambeaux
what would constitute Christmas crimes?
March 8, 2021
ry commented on the word figpecker
or a minced oath for pigfucker
February 26, 2021
ry commented on the word ultimate line
see raie ultime
February 26, 2021
ry commented on the word raie ultime
in spectroscopy, this means one of the emission lines of the spectrum of an element which is last or nearly last to disappear as the concentration of the element decreases. Also called ultimate line
February 26, 2021
ry commented on the list verses
I want satanicopotatoverses to be a real word.
February 26, 2021
ry commented on the list triple-dactyls
and, of course there is a list for triple dactyls
February 26, 2021
ry commented on the word optoelectromechanical
this is a triple dactyl!
February 26, 2021
ry commented on the word palladobismutharsenide
scans in iambic
February 25, 2021
ry commented on the word deitic
comments like this are awesome and welcome! Just a note that we do already have deific for this, not to mention divine
February 25, 2021
ry commented on the list situation-normal
another one scenariot
February 23, 2021
ry commented on the word zagaye
obsolete rendering (from French) of assegai. See also lancegay
February 23, 2021
ry commented on the list strangely-exigent-phrases
I think when I posted that comment in 2013, it was still active ;)
This list has something to do with preserving such ephemera even divorced from its sources, though. Perhaps it'd have been better if I didn't mention Horse_ebooks at all
February 23, 2021
ry commented on the word tango delta
tango and delta elements derived from the NATO phonetic alphabet
February 23, 2021
ry commented on the word nihilate
you've heard of molecular gastronomy, get ready for existential gastronomy
February 23, 2021
ry commented on the list cool-sounding-words
notably the user has mongoloid, another once-acceptable-but-now-potentially-offensive word (is there a word for that?) in their username
February 23, 2021
ry commented on the word nihilate
what does encase in a shell of non-being even mean?
February 22, 2021
ry commented on the user candis1
good luck.
February 18, 2021
ry commented on the list en---autological-words
@tonyj tosh. No one missed anything—mellifluence is 100 per cent subjective
February 18, 2021
ry commented on the word butt over boob
also head over heels, arse over tit
February 12, 2021
ry commented on the word alitanym
also "alita" is not Latin, or at least does not mean "elite" or "special" in Latin. Alit is a possible inflection of alō/alere, to feed, nourish or foster, as in Alit lectio ingenium "Reading nourishes the mind."
February 10, 2021
ry commented on the word contourniated
more at contorniate. Should be tagged so
February 9, 2021
ry commented on the word Memphis design
see Memphis style
February 8, 2021
ry commented on the word Memphis style
I can't find a real good definition for this, so I'm just linking to some sites that show/discuss it. You'll know it when you see it.
https://design.tutsplus.com/articles/what-is-the-memphis-style--cms-31160
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memphis_Group
https://www.flickr.com/photos/memphis-milano
https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/memphis-style-design-trend-explained
also called Memphis design
February 8, 2021
ry commented on the word Corporate Memphis
cf. Memphis style.
It's nice that, in in a few decades, someone can mimic or copy this style of graphics, and an audience will immediately date the associated content in the late 2010s (20teens?)/early 2020s.
February 8, 2021
ry commented on the word De Gammon
see Gammon, Shelta
February 8, 2021
ry commented on the word toska
Well this just sounds like a description of depression
February 8, 2021
ry commented on the word stonk
how has this not shown up on the "Twitter isn'ts" and "Twitter hates" auto-lists?
February 4, 2021
ry commented on the user alikoo
hi alikoo, these words aren't undefined—you can find definitions for them by searching without the initial capitalization e.g. impromptu. Wordnik is case-sensitive. Because Pole and pole are different words.
February 4, 2021
ry commented on the word Orchidaceous
defined at orchidaceous. Wordnik is case-sensitive.
February 1, 2021
ry commented on the word chatoiement
likely cognate with chatoyant, I realize five years later.
January 25, 2021
ry commented on the word biosecure
see biosecurity, bio-secure
January 25, 2021
ry commented on the word bio-secure
term used during the COVID-19 pandemic in reference to sport facilities in which players or competitors are isolated from contact with the outside world to prevent transmission of disease. Used in Wikipedia article on Bio-secure bubbles. UAE has an entire island that purportedly makes the cut.
https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2021/1/24/poirier-stuns-mcgregor-in-2nd-round-at-ufc-257-upset
see also biosecurity
January 25, 2021
ry commented on the word glowie
scarequotes is living up to their username
January 25, 2021
ry commented on the word murk
commonly an alternate spelling of the colloquial merk (see Twitter examples here and at merk, merked)
January 22, 2021
ry commented on the word dadcore
can be considered a type of antifashion
January 22, 2021
ry commented on the word pedescript
WOTD contender here imo, although it'd be a much stronger one if anyone had ever used it after James Shirley in 1659
January 19, 2021
ry commented on the word shellsuit
see also tracksuit
January 19, 2021
ry commented on the word shell suit
Common in UK English, more or less equivalent with U.S. English tracksuit
January 19, 2021
ry commented on the word hatorade
more commonly haterade
January 19, 2021
ry commented on the word ba dum tss
I wish tags could be gotten working again.
January 14, 2021
ry commented on the word ba dum tss
used in text media to represent a rimshot. See comment at ba dum tss 🥁
January 14, 2021
ry commented on the word ba dum tss 🥁
see also rimshot and comments at sting
January 14, 2021
ry commented on the word sting
sting can also refer to a short sequence played by a drummer in entertainment productions such as circus, vaudeville, or cabaret shows, to punctuate a joke, often a bad or obvious one.
January 14, 2021
ry commented on the word obelion
see comment on obelion user page
January 14, 2021
ry commented on the word VUCA
an acronym used as shorthand for the volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity of large-scale conditions or situations. First used in post-Cold War geopolitics discourse, and later in general studies of strategic leadership.
January 14, 2021
ry commented on the word shitsome
how wonderful (not sarcasm)
January 14, 2021
ry commented on the user jazzymom
see quisling!
January 14, 2021
ry commented on the word respair
see comment at Respair
January 7, 2021
ry commented on the word xenoglossia
see xenoglossy
January 7, 2021
ry commented on the user stuartmathergibson
Hi! You might want to add your comments to the pages sanative and respair, and (possibly) psellismophiliac nebulophily. Word urls are case sensitive on Wordnik.
January 6, 2021
ry commented on the list unenthusiastic-interjections
see also oh-well-what-the-hell
January 6, 2021
ry commented on the list oh-well-what-the-hell
this list and my list unenthusiastic-interjections are substantially parallel conceptually but have very little crossover in content. Amazing
January 6, 2021
ry commented on the list boundaries-SzQNmpV80e6
Oh have I got a list for you: thresholds
January 5, 2021
ry commented on the list fairy-glossary-dlkHTmkFILH
this is also a Good List
January 5, 2021
ry commented on the list kickassery
cf. m--2
lots of people have this same kind of list, I love it
January 5, 2021
ry commented on the word ru
but it seems that zuzu is entirely undefined
January 5, 2021
ry commented on the word gumsucker
as a note, vandemonian is here on Wordnik as an uncapitalized word, in the Century
January 5, 2021
ry commented on the user buffalogalbarb
toponymy
January 5, 2021
ry commented on the user roberttown
Your ideas are intriguing to me, and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
January 5, 2021
ry commented on the word panko
"ko" is not "short for coating"
January 4, 2021
ry commented on the word Sanative
sanative
January 4, 2021
ry commented on the word Polychronicon
see comment on polychronicon
December 19, 2020
ry commented on the word botchpotch
embrangulée
December 19, 2020
ry commented on the word borbs
yes tits can be round, but also pointy
December 14, 2020
ry commented on the word mishegos
variant spelling of mishegoss
December 14, 2020
ry commented on the word electric eel
numb-eel, apparently, courtesy Aphra Behn. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23179031/
December 14, 2020
ry commented on the list witchcraft-and-magic-IHx-q6Jyf68
this is a Good List
December 14, 2020
ry commented on the word headarsery
I need to make a list of terms related to this. Off the top of my head asshat, asshattery, brainus, careculo, intrarectalcranialitis, rectocranial inversion...
December 14, 2020
ry commented on the word bearded tit
the exemplar of a borb
December 14, 2020
ry commented on the word borb
a borb is a round or round-presenting (as with ruffed feathers) birb. Often applied to small passerine birbs such as the (exemplary) bearded tit, any of various kinglets or bullfinches.
For some reason New Zealand boasts a plethora of medium-sized borbs, including the kiwi, the weka and takahe.
Possibly from a melding of birb+orb
see also comments at borbs
December 14, 2020
ry commented on the word borbs
my understanding is that it's not a matter of size but of roundness. A borb is a round birb. They can be very small, such as bullfinches
December 14, 2020
ry commented on the user joekillian
Hi, thanks for some quite enjoyable nonsense.
December 7, 2020
ry commented on the word noetic
there was a neat word list someone made that relates to this word: noesis
December 4, 2020
ry commented on the word scrunt
this is like a skit where someone is making fun of lexicographers
December 4, 2020
ry commented on the word Yggdrasil
There seem to be alternative interpretations. I think the Wiktionary one cited on this page is not in fact commonly accepted. Wikipedia agrees with Etymonline.
Important note: Etymonline is entirely the project of a single very prolific old guy.
December 4, 2020
ry commented on the word LULZ
see lulz
December 2, 2020
ry commented on the word hepatizon
from Wikipedia:
cf. orichalcum/orichalc
November 23, 2020
ry commented on the word sonar sneezing
a supposed condition similar to photic sneezing, where exposure to loud noises invokes a sneeze response. Can't find any references at all to this in medical literature online, so it may be completely made-up. Not sure where I heard it.
November 23, 2020
ry commented on the word karasu
English (romaji) transcription of からす, a crow or raven.
November 23, 2020
ry commented on the word decretum
From Latin, a decree or ordinance. Also a formal collection of decisions and judgments in canon law.
November 23, 2020
ry commented on the word onomatopoeticon
A German cognate of onomatopoeia in the sense of an onomatopoeic word (that is, not the sense of onomatopoeia as a linguistic process or practice.)
November 23, 2020
ry commented on the word difrasismo
A linguistic term. From Wikipedia:
cf. kenning in Norse languages.
also cf. the metaphor-language of the Tamarians in the iconic Star Trek: the Next Generation episode Darmok.
November 23, 2020
ry commented on the word cutterhead
The large, rotating cutting wheel mounted at the head of a modern TBM (tunnel boring machine). Often cutter head.
November 23, 2020
ry commented on the word ambihelical
an "ambihelical hexnut" is an "impossible figure" optical illusion, conceptually somewhat similar to the more well-known Penrose triangle.
https://mathworld.wolfram.com/AmbihelicalHexnut.html
November 23, 2020
ry commented on the word abstractum
A philosophy term referring to something that is abstract, or exists abstractly. Distinguished from concretum.
this is another word where I can find the definition at Wiktionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/abstractum), but it doesn't appear here on Wordnik. cc erinmckean
November 23, 2020
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