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Wordnik is billions of words, over a billion example sentences, 8,067,002 unique words, 250,481 comments, 193,280 tags, 121,651 pronunciations, 148,411 favorites and 1,628,089 words in 40,724 lists created by 116,791 Wordniks.
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ry commented on the word hindsight
see comments at hindsighting
April 23, 2014
alexz commented on the word hindsighting
we'll have to synergize it with our core competencies outside the box to leverage scalable bleeding edge best practices to punt our lots of moving parts solutions over the wall to empower our customers to drink the kool aid.
April 23, 2014
ry commented on the word hindsighting
onsite today with new client; heard hindsight repeatedly verbed; blech
April 23, 2014
Made4thisMoment commented on the user Made4thisMoment
seek truth, add value, be humble,love others, know God and make Him known....this is HIStory
April 23, 2014
mercy commented on the word algesis
The capacity to feel pain; hypersensitivity. It also means pertaining to or emanating from algesia.
April 23, 2014
mercy commented on the word carnice
Probably from carnyx.
April 23, 2014
qms commented on the word buck-and-wing
If you're moved to an artistic fling
You could join in a chorus and sing;
Or choose not to mingle,
Perform as a single
If you're up to a brisk buck-and-wing.
April 23, 2014
alexz commented on the word undiscovered country
Shakespeare Star Trek, and recently seen in Neil Tyson's Cosmos (episode 4)
Shakespeare's definition was an afterlife.
Tyson's definition is the unobservable inside of a black hole.
April 23, 2014
Bharathsimhan commented on the user Bharathsimhan
Indignation
Anger about an unfair situation
April 23, 2014
alexz commented on the word Lexicon
Came across a clearly scanned Latin dictionary from 1530.
http://books.google.ca/books?id=mfZKAAAAcAAJ
April 23, 2014
alexz commented on the word An Alvearie
allegedly the Dictionary that Shakespeare used.
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/04/has-shakespeares-own-dictionary-been-found/361019/
April 23, 2014
joebros commented on the word thanatophobe
Thanatophobia is the fear of death, more specifically being dead or dying. It is a very complicated type of phobia -Wikipedia
April 23, 2014
biocon commented on the word celeripes
L. celeripēs = swift-footed.
April 23, 2014
oleksandrknyga commented on the user oleksandrknyga
Lets start
April 22, 2014
qms commented on the word festoon
A feature of the well-run saloon
Was the bright and hygienic spittoon.
If absent the spit
That chewers emit
Would leave a mephitic festoon.
April 22, 2014
deinonychus commented on the word mud-puddling
"Mud-puddling, or simply puddling, is behaviour most conspicuous in butterflies, but occurs in other animals as well, mainly insects; they seek out certain moist substances such as rotting plant matter, mud and carrion and they suck up the fluid. Where the conditions are suitable conspicuous insects such as butterflies commonly form aggregations on wet soil, dung or carrion." (Wikipedia)
April 22, 2014
chained_bear commented on the word wapentake
"The five wapentake courts were administered by the steward of Middleham who, as bailiff, acted in place of the sheriff of Yorkshire in the liberty."
—A. J. Pollard, Warwick the Kingmaker: Politics, Power and Fame (London: Hambledon Continuum, 2007), 113.
April 22, 2014
chained_bear commented on the word mainpernor
"He was subsequently retained by the duchy of Lancaster and by the duke of York, whose councilor he became, and for whom he was acting as a mainpernor by bill of the treasurer (Salisbury) at Westminster on 19 July 1454 (as of Middleham) with Witham (in his capacity as chancellor of the Exchequer), as of London."
—A. J. Pollard, Warwick the Kingmaker: Politics, Power and Fame (London: Hambledon Continuum, 2007), 87.
April 22, 2014
leirion commented on the word festoon
Perhaps best use of "festoon" I've seen:
April 22, 2014
alexz commented on the word Chinternet
refers to Chinese internet, as it is different behind the great firewall of China.
April 22, 2014
bilby commented on the word shitbird
Hmmm. I'm probably prefering the bananabird.
April 22, 2014
ThatsBaloneyMan commented on the word interlard
Don Quixote!!
"Father and son again wondered at Don Quixote's interlarding of sense and nonsense, and at his mania for devoting himself heart and soul to the search for his adventures and misadventures..."
- tr. John Rutherford, Part II, Ch. XVIII, last paragraph
April 21, 2014
biocon commented on the word tardipes
L. tardipēs = 1. slow-footed, tardy-footed; 2. limping, halting.
April 21, 2014
qms commented on the word garua
The water is scarce in coastal Peru
Where rainstorms are feeble and few,
So the moisture imbuer
Is a mist called garua
That enfolds all the plants in its dew.
April 21, 2014
qms commented on the word bilby
Bilby?
A Hobbit, I thought, or maybe a hat,
Bilby symbolized something like that.
Conceive my surprise!
He opts for the guise
Of a big-eared marsupial rat.
April 21, 2014
bilby commented on the word SATWOTD
SAT word of the day.
April 21, 2014
alexz commented on the word beginnermediate
beginner/intermediate portmanteau.
I spotted this on mountain biking meetup posting. This word seems to be used for group activities which need skill.
April 21, 2014
sadowski commented on the word SATWOTD
Satwotd is not a word! It a tag someone is using only on this website to personally tag words. Perhaps it's another word for impolite. It's also an anagram for Swat Dot.
April 21, 2014
knitandpurl commented on the word barding
"The white rat stepped cautiously into the room, nostrils flaring. Satisfied of its immediate safety, the rat darted up Teo's desk and sat atop her paperwork. It wore black velvet barding blazoned with a silver spiderweb; a leather scroll case the size of a cigarette hung around its neck."
Two Serpents Rise by Max Gladstone, p 65
April 20, 2014
bilby commented on the word bilby
Sunday haiku:
aargh oh no the shame
that inbred little fuckhead
threw me out of the pram
April 20, 2014
qms commented on the word thropple
Deceit is but awkwardly wrung
From mouths still trusting and young.
It stings like graupel,
Stops up the thropple,
And totally tangles the tongue.
April 20, 2014
alexz commented on the word bilby
Bilby gets a royal visit. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-27093429
April 20, 2014
zarathustra commented on the word buffalofishes
Buffalofishes, the plural for buffalofish, especially referring to two or more kinds or species. Any of several large, carplike, North American, freshwater fishes of the genus Ictiobus, of the sucker family.
April 20, 2014
zarathustra commented on the word caulophyrnine
This word is misspelled. It should be "y" before the "r": caulophrynine, pertaining to the genus of deep sea angler fish Caulophryne.
April 20, 2014
yarb commented on the word syneisaktism
Brilliant! Thanks ritw.
April 20, 2014
oroboros commented on the word pleonase
To talk too much; use too many words, according to NPR's Says You.
April 19, 2014
qms commented on the word methinks
When Ernest sets out to collect a word
However unlikely he'll not be deterred.
The problem, methinks,
Is Ernest, he drinks,
And then he'll believe the completely absurd.
For more on the peculiar credulity of Ernest Bafflewit see cahot.
April 19, 2014
raven_in_the_woods commented on the word syneisaktism
A monk and a nun living together without carnal knowledge of each other. Found in Isabel Colegate's A Pelican in the Wilderness
April 19, 2014
alexz commented on the word Finite State Grammar
Today I learned there's something called Finite state grammar. This should come in handy when someone on the internet tells me I can't use the phrase "begs the question"
April 19, 2014
alexz commented on the word Special English
Today I also learned:
"Special English is a controlled version of the English language first used on October 19, 1959, and still presented daily by the United States broadcasting service Voice of America (VOA)."
April 19, 2014
alexz commented on the word Simplified English
Today I learned:
Simplified English, or Simplified Technical English is a language held to a technical specification.
http://www.asd-ste100.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplified_English
April 19, 2014
alexz commented on the word aircrafts
There are many citations of 'aircrafts'.
In looking this up, came across 'Simplified English'.
"Clarity of Text: Assembly/use/maintenance
manuals must be clear and simple to follow.
Aircraft companies use a Simplified English
for maintenance manuals precisely for this
reason "
http://aclweb.org/anthology//C/C96/C96-2183.pdf
April 19, 2014
Geoffroy_Hauppier commented on the word aircrafts
The word aircraft spells the same whether it is used in singular or plural form. The entry for aircrafts is wrong.
April 19, 2014
glypheme commented on the list words-i-made-up--1
Nice, fbharjo! Thanks for the tip.
April 18, 2014
fbharjo commented on the list words-i-made-up--1
You may also like hyblends.
April 18, 2014
fbharjo commented on the word inusitate uintaites
It paints an unusual piece. .....(of a Utah mountain range?)
April 18, 2014
fbharjo commented on the word flexuous - useful ox
it has a boustrophedonic feel to it!
April 18, 2014
qms commented on the word balow
The piping began with a lusty blow
But whisky soon began to flow
And the bourdon to waver
To an uncertain quaver
And skirling to slow to a low balow.
For context see stane.
April 18, 2014
qms commented on the word balow
The following information was provided on the page documenting balow as the Word of the Day for April 18, 2004:
Examples
Balow my boy, lie still and sleep, It grieves me sore to hear thee weep; If thou'lt be silent, I'll be glad, Thy mourning makes my heart full sad.
Note
'Balow' may be an alteration 'Bas le loup!,' (down! there the wolf), from an old French lullaby. However, the OED says this is only conjecture.
April 18, 2014
fbharjo commented on the word jangeling
Middle English - arguing, squabbling
April 18, 2014
alexz commented on the list a-group-of-tornadoes-should-be-called-a
thanks, I coined clustersuck for this list.
Hopefully tornado researchers end up using that term.
April 18, 2014
bilby commented on the list a-group-of-tornadoes-should-be-called-a
clustersuck is good.
April 18, 2014
bilby commented on the list a-group-of-tornadoes-should-be-called-a
You say tornaydo, I say tornahdo.
April 18, 2014
alexz commented on the word fire whirl
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_whirl "Fire whirls, also known as fire devils, fire tornadoes or firenadoes, are whirlwinds of flame..."
April 18, 2014
bilby commented on the word Good Friday
p.s. And thanks for the memoory.
April 18, 2014
bilby commented on the word Good Friday
Thank Good it's Friday!
April 18, 2014
glypheme commented on the list words-i-made-up--1
Oh yeah, I love the "Words of the Future" lists! And ry, go ahead. I'll check your list out!
April 18, 2014
ry commented on the word fiscal shrike
see butcherbird
April 17, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the list laundry-list
Also, mangle. Ooh! And box mangle.
I love this list.
April 17, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the list laundry-list
posser
April 17, 2014
ry commented on the word butcherbird
fiscal shrike?!
April 17, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the list words-i-made-up--1
You might also like words-of-the-future-part-2, etc.
April 17, 2014
ry commented on the word hornwood
wth, this is great. Trying to figure out what wood refers to in this context, and if it's the same as in wood-wroth
April 17, 2014
ry commented on the list words-i-made-up--1
I have a list like this one! — should be a word. Yours seem more plausible though. I might take a couple of them
April 17, 2014
glypheme commented on the word snatchy
In Bob's Burgers, this is a very drunk Linda's word for a taxi.
April 17, 2014
fbharjo commented on the word dithyramb - rabid myth
also 'bard thymi'
April 17, 2014
fbharjo commented on the word saezuri
twittering or chirping of birds - Japanese
April 17, 2014
fbharjo commented on the word kigo
season word
April 17, 2014
qms commented on the word flittermouse
It's a form of eponymous flattery
To call a cat habitat a cattery.
Since flittermice people
So many a steeple
Should not a belfry be a battery?
April 17, 2014
WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot commented on the user WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot
Peh on you
April 17, 2014
alexz commented on the word soitenly
is a listed word!
April 17, 2014
alexz commented on the word firehose
In Twitter terms, this refers to the data feed of Every Tweet Sent.
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/apr/16/twitter-buys-gnip-firehose-analytics-apple-topsy
"
Gnip uses its access to the feed of every tweet sent – known as the "firehose", for the sheer quantity of data pumped out through it – to offer deep analysis of social media to companies in areas including marketing, finance and public relations."
April 17, 2014
fakeymcfakeypants commented on the list beautiful-words--1
They only become more beautiful with time.
April 16, 2014
fakeymcfakeypants commented on the word dadventure
The trend is more obvious in Hollywood, where the dadventure—don’t look for that term elsewhere; I’m making it up right here—found greater traction than ever in the nineties. You’ll recognize the dadventure if you give it some thought; it’s a subgenre in which the protagonist is a capital-F Father, one whose fatherhood defines both his relationship to the film’s other characters and supplies the film’s central drama. The Dadliest Decade
April 16, 2014
reesetee commented on the user reesetee
Or my teeth should come with reinforcement!
April 16, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the user reesetee
Sorry--those things should come with a warning!
April 16, 2014
reesetee commented on the user reesetee
Soitenly!
*takes fuflun with grape riffles*
Yum! *cracks tooth on grape riffle*
Ouch. They get me every time.
April 16, 2014
rahul0417 commented on the word aaronic
the word aarnonic comes in for religious activities often related to church, christianity
April 16, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the word Orangey
"Orangey (credited under various names) had a prolific career in film and television in the 1950s and early 1960's and was the only cat to win two Patsy Awards (Picture Animal Top Star of the Year, an animal actor's version of an Oscar), the first for the title role in Rhubarb (1951), a story about a cat who inherits a fortune, and the second for his portrayal of the cat, Audrey Hepburn's "poor slob without a name" in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)."
-- http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Orangey&oldid=594717422
April 16, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the list how-to-name-a-cat
The cat called "Cat" in the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's was played by Orangey.
April 16, 2014
qms commented on the word choke-pear
How sweet to conclude a dispute
By serving up wit's bitter fruit -
Your foe in despair
And sucking choke-pear,
Left helplessly fuming but mute.
Wordnik defines choke-pear as the bitter fruit/effective put down item. Spelled without the hyphen choke pear’s primary definition in Wordnik is the medieval instrument of torture. Google produces the same search result for both spellings and is overwhelmingly a record of the torture instrument. Such is the way of The Web.
April 16, 2014
ry commented on the list how-to-name-a-cat
I like cat as a name for a cat. If you have more than one, cat 1, cat 2...
I hope that doesn't sound mean spirited—i'm very much a dog person but i like cats.
April 16, 2014
fbharjo commented on the word prosenchyma ponymarches
prosenchyma
April 15, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the word vegetable lamb of tartary
Also see Vegetable Lamb of Tartary.
April 15, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the list zombification
I see what you mean about the broken links. This list could support witches too, though--and I think there's even a vampire list around here somewhere (and maybe we can find another spot for the vegetable lamb of tartary).
April 15, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the word slug
Oh, fun. It's also a "slimy mass of aggregated amoeboid cells from which the sporophore of a cellular slime mold develops" (to quote John Wayne again).
April 15, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the word eyeware
Or, you know, beyer beware!
April 15, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the word sullage
See gray water.
April 15, 2014
ry commented on the word renied
past tense of reny
April 15, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the word pair of stays
See stays.
April 15, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the word eyeware
Cav-eye-at emptor.
April 15, 2014
erinmckean commented on the word witches' broom
thanks ry! Can you give me a bit more info on the glitchiness? An email would be awesome if you have time!
I'm looking into a bunch of related encoding issues right now ...
April 15, 2014
ruzuzu commented on the list zombification
Add 'em both, if you like.
April 15, 2014
oroboros commented on the word hangry
Heard used on NPR morning edition segment today (4/15/14) about effects of low blood sugar on marital discord.
April 15, 2014
ry commented on the word witches' broom
erinmckean / wordnik staff: can something be done about the glitchiness in lookups where an apostrophe is present in the word? Replace ' with ’ in all definitions and then also replace ' with ’ when search or word page urls are generated, similar to how the browser replaces space with %20? but actually no that's not server-side... hm (I hope it doesn't sound like i know what i'm talking about, b/c i don't). Anyway. It would be awesome if it were fixed.
April 15, 2014
ry commented on the word weka
I wonder if wekau is somehow linguistically and/or cladistically related? Also, the Wordnet definition is boffo: "flightless New Zealand rail of thievish disposition..."
April 15, 2014
deinonychus commented on the list zombification
This article mentions witch's broom. (or witches' broom, I find it very hard to choose!)
(edit: but now i see that the links get broken anyway...)
April 15, 2014
ry commented on the word venomous
I like that a lot.
April 15, 2014
ry commented on the word manic pixie dream girl
that article uses the phrase strip club terrorist act, which made my morning.
April 15, 2014
ry commented on the word eyeware
saw this in an optometrist’s advert. Typo, malapropism, or insufferably gimmicky marketing-speak?
April 15, 2014