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Word |
Desc |
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prodigality |
1. Extravagant wastefulness. 2. Profuse genorosity. 3. Extreme abundance; lavish [...] |
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preclude |
1. To make impossible or impracticable by previous action; prevent. 2. To bar or [...] |
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porpoising |
(archery) Said of arrows that dip up and down whilst in flight. |
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polemic |
Any virulent criticism, especially of an established doctrine, eg. "Cease your [...] |
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plangent |
Any sound which strikes with reverberation or is loud and resounding, eg. waves [...] |
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pithy |
Precisely meaningful, cogent and terse. Also `pithiness', `pithily' |
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pike |
(archery) To shorten a longbow and thus increase its draw weight. |
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peregrine |
(archaic) 1. Foreign; alien. 3. Roving or wandering; migratory. |
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perigrinate |
-intr. To journey or travel from place to place, usually over a long time and ov [...] |
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peremptory |
1. Overbearing; imperious. 2. Having the nature of or expressing command; urgent [...] |
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pustulation |
1. The formatuion or appearance of pustules. 2. A pustule. |
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probity |
Complete and confirmed integrity; uprightness; honesty. |
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preferment |
1. The act of advancing to higher office or rank. 2. A position, appointment or [...] |
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peradventure |
(archaic) Perhaps; perchance; it may be. ~n (archaic) Uncertainty; doubt - `beyo [...] |
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quiescent |
Inactive or still; dormant. |
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peroration |
The concluding part of a speech or written discourse, usually consisting of a fo [...] |
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penurious |
1. Miserly; stingy. 2. Poverty stricken; needy. 3. Yielding little; barren. |
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parvenu |
A person who has risen above their class or station. Usually used derogatorily. [...] |
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ossify |
1. To change into bone; to become bony. 2. To become set in a rigidly convention [...] |
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opprobrious |
1. Expressing or carrying a sense of disgrace or contemptuous scorn - `opprobrio [...] |
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orthography |
The art or study of correct spelling according to usage. |
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obstreperous |
1. Noisily defiant; unruly, boisterously unmanageable. |
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nidor |
The smell of burned flesh. (This is very rare but has been verified...) |
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nacreous |
1. Consisting of mother-of-pearl. 2. Like mother-of pearl; pearly. |
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mutable |
Prone to change. Fickle. Also 'mutability.' |
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Mordant |
1a. Bitingly sarcastic. 1b. Incisive and trenchant. 2. Bitingly painful. n. 1. C [...] |
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moratorium |
1. A deferment or delay of any action |
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mittimus |
(Law) 1. A writ committing someone to prison. 2. (British Archaic) A dismissal. |
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misologist |
A person who doesn't tolerate reason, argument or enlightenment (everybody knows [...] |
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misanthrope |
A person who distrusts or dislikes humankind. Also `misanthropist.' |
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milliner |
1. A person who makes, trims, sells or designs women's hats (sold in a millinery [...] |
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militate |
1. To have force as evidence or influence. Used with against or (rarely) for. `t [...] |
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meretricious |
1a. Superficially attractive. 1b. Attracting attention in a vulgar manner. 2. La [...] |
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meritocracy |
A system or society where advancement is achieved on merit or ability. 2a. An el [...] |
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mendicant |
1. Dependent upon alms for a living. Having the characteristics or countenance [...] |
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mendacious |
(formal) A person who is lying or is untruthful. False, dishonest. Also 'Mendac [...] |
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melisma |
A passage of several notes sung to one syllable of text eg Gregorian Chant. Also [...] |
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mellifluous |
1. Flowing with honey or sweetness. 2. Smooth and sweet. Rich and harmonious. S [...] |
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lucubration |
1. a. Laborious studying or writing. b. A product of such study, such as a treat [...] |
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losel |
(archaic) One who is without worth. |
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lassitude |
A state of exhaustion or torpor. Synonyms: lethargy, apathy, languorous, listle [...] |
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lambent |
1. Flickering lightly or gently over a surface. 2. Flicking over subjects with e [...] |
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karst |
A barren limestone or dolomite region typified by sinkholes, fissures, undergrou [...] |
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jorum |
1. A large drinking bowl. 2. The amount of liquid such a bowl contains. |
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jactation |
(rare) Bragging or boasting. |
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irony |
Having "ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife" could be ironic... "ra [...] |
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intire |
1. Pertaining to integrity. "Honest and intire men" 2. Obsolete for `entire.' (n [...] |
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invidious |
1. Tending to arouse ill will or animosity; offensive. "An invidious law." 2. C [...] |
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iniquity |
Wicked or sinful. Also 'iniquitous.' |
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ingeminate |
Incessant urging or reiteration. Also 'ingeminated.' |