Word of the Day 10.31.08

frump

frump (frmp)

n.

1. A girl or woman regarded as dull, plain, or unfashionable.

2. A person regarded as colorless and primly sedate.

[Possibly short for Middle English `frumple`, wrinkle, from Middle Dutch `verrompelen`, to wrinkle : `ver-`, completely; see `per`¹ in Indo-European roots + `rompelen`, to wrinkle.]

frumpi·ly adv.

frumpi·ness n.

frumpy adj.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Noun 1. frump - a dull unattractive unpleasant girl or woman; “she got a reputation as a frump”; “she’s a real dog”

dog

disagreeable woman, unpleasant woman - a woman who is an unpleasant person

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

Posted on October 31, 2008 by admin

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Word of the Day 10.30.08

denizen

den·i·zen (dn-zn)

n.

1. An inhabitant; a resident: denizens of Monte Carlo.

2. One that frequents a particular place: a bar and its denizens.

3. Ecology An animal or a plant naturalized in a region.

4. Chiefly British A foreigner who is granted rights of residence and sometimes of citizenship.

tr.v. den·i·zened, den·i·zen·ing, den·i·zens Chiefly British

To make a denizen of; grant rights of residence to.

[Middle English `denisein`, from Anglo-Norman `denzein`, from `deinz`, within, from Late Latin `deintus`, from within; see dedans.]

deni·zen·ation n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

denizen

noun inhabitant, resident, citizen, occupant, dweller

Collins Essential Thesaurus 2nd Edition 2006 © HarperCollins Publishers 2005, 2006

Posted on October 30, 2008 by admin

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Word of the Day 10.29.08

imponderable

im·pon·der·a·ble (m-pndr--bl)

adj.

That cannot undergo precise evaluation: imponderable problems.

im·ponder·a·ble n.

im·ponder·a·bili·ty, im·ponder·a·ble·ness n.

im·ponder·a·bly adv.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Noun

1. imponderable - a factor whose effects cannot be accurately assessed; “human behavior depends on many imponderables”

influence - a cognitive factor that tends to have an effect on what you do; “her wishes had a great influence on his thinking”

leavening, leaven - an influence that works subtly to lighten or modify something; “his sermons benefited from a leavening of humor”

Adj.

1. imponderable - difficult or impossible to evaluate with precision; “such imponderable human factors as aesthetic sensibility”

ponderable - capable of being weighed or considered; “something ponderable from the outer world–something of which we can say that its weight is so and so”- James Jeans

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

Posted on October 29, 2008 by admin

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Word of the Day 10.28.08

apiary

a·pi·ar·y (p-r)

n. pl. a·pi·ar·ies

A place where bees and beehives are kept, especially a place where bees are raised for their honey.

[Latin `apirium`, beehive, from `apis`, bee.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Noun 1. apiary - a shed containing a number of beehives

bee house

hive, beehive - a man-made receptacle that houses a swarm of bees

shed - an outbuilding with a single story; used for shelter or storage

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

Posted on October 28, 2008 by admin

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Word of the Day 10.27.08

brazen

bra·zen (brzn)

adj.

1. Marked by flagrant and insolent audacity. See Synonyms at shameless.

2. Having a loud, usually harsh, resonant sound: “sudden brazen clashes of the soldiers’ band” James Joyce.

3. Made of brass.

4. Resembling brass, as in color or strength.

tr.v. bra·zened, bra·zen·ing, bra·zens

To face or undergo with bold self-assurance: brazened out the crisis.

[Middle English `brasen`, made of brass, from Old English `bræsen`, from `bræs`, brass.]

brazen·ly adv.

brazen·ness n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Verb 1. brazen - face with defiance or impudence; “brazen it out”

dare, defy - challenge; “I dare you!”

Adj. 1. brazen - unrestrained by convention or propriety; “an audacious trick to pull”; “a barefaced hypocrite”; “the most bodacious display of tourism this side of Anaheim”- Los Angeles Times; “bald-faced lies”; “brazen arrogance”; “the modern world with its quick material successes and insolent belief in the boundless possibilities of progress”- Bertrand Russell

brazen-faced, insolent, audacious, bald-faced, barefaced, bodacious, brassy

unashamed - used of persons or their behavior; feeling no shame

2. brazen - made of or resembling brass (as in color or hardness)

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

Posted on October 27, 2008 by admin

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Word of the Day 10.26.08

mucilage

mu·ci·lage (mys-lj)

n.

1. A sticky substance used as an adhesive.

2. A gummy substance obtained from certain plants.

[Middle English `muscilage`, gelatinous plant substance, from Old French `mucilage`, from Late Latin `mcilg, mcilgin-`, from Latin `mcre`, to be musty, from `mcus`, mucus.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Noun 1. mucilage - a gelatinous substance secreted by plants

gum - any of various substances (soluble in water) that exude from certain plants; they are gelatinous when moist but harden on drying

2. mucilage - cement consisting of a sticky substance that is used as an adhesive

glue, gum

animal glue - a protein gelatin obtained by boiling e.g. skins and hoofs of cattle and horses

casein glue - made from casein; used for e.g. plywood and cabinetwork

fish glue - gelatinous substance obtained by boiling skins fins and bones of fish

marine glue - glue that is not water soluble

cement - something that hardens to act as adhesive material

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

Posted on October 26, 2008 by admin

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Sermon on the Mound

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Posted on October 25, 2008 by admin

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Word of the Day 10.25.08

viscid

vis·cid (vsd)

adj.

1. Thick and adhesive. Used of a fluid.

2. Covered with a sticky or clammy coating.

[Late Latin `viscidus`, from Latin `viscum`, mistletoe, birdlime made from mistletoe berries.]

vis·cidi·ty, viscid·ness n.

viscid·ly adv.

Adj. 1. viscid - having the sticky properties of an adhesive

gluey, glutinous, gummy, mucilaginous, sticky, viscous, pasty

adhesive - tending to adhere

Posted on October 25, 2008 by admin

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Word of the Day 10.24.08

hinterland

hin·ter·land (hntr-lnd)

n.

1. The land directly adjacent to and inland from a coast.

2. a. A region remote from urban areas; backcountry.

b. A region situated beyond metropolitan centers of culture.

[German : `hinter`, behind (from Middle High German, from Old High German `hintar`; see `ko-` in Indo-European roots) + `Land`, land (from Middle High German `lant`, from Old High German; see `lendh-` in Indo-European roots).]

Noun 1. hinterland - a remote and undeveloped area

back country, backwoods, boondocks

rural area, country - an area outside of cities and towns; “his poetry celebrated the slower pace of life in the country”

Posted on October 24, 2008 by admin

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Word of the Day 10.23.08

brickbat

brick·bat (brkbt)

n.

1. A piece, especially of brick, used as a weapon or missile.

2. An unfavorable remark; a criticism.

[brick + bat¹, piece of brick.]

Word History: The earliest sense of brickbat, first recorded in 1563, was “a piece of brick.” Such pieces of brick have not infrequently been thrown at others in the hope of injuring them; hence, the figurative brickbats (first recorded in 1929) that critics hurl at performances they dislike. The appearance of bat as the second part of this compound is explained by the fact that the word bat, “war club, cudgel,” developed in Middle English the sense “chunk, clod, wad,” and in the 16th century came to be used specifically for a piece of brick that was unbroken on one end.

Noun 1. brickbat - a fragment of brick used as a weapon

fragment - a piece broken off or cut off of something else; “a fragment of rock”

2. brickbat - blunt criticism

criticism, unfavorable judgment - disapproval expressed by pointing out faults or shortcomings; “the senator received severe criticism from his opponent”

Posted on October 23, 2008 by admin

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Verb	1.	brazen - face with defiance or impudence; “brazen it out” dare, defy - challenge; “I dare you!”
Adj.	1.	brazen - unrestrained by convention or propriety; “an audacious trick to pull”; “a barefaced hypocrite”; “the most bodacious display of tourism this side of Anaheim”- Los Angeles Times; “bald-faced lies”; “brazen arrogance”; “the modern world with its quick material successes and insolent belief in the boundless possibilities of progress”- Bertrand Russell brazen-faced, insolent, audacious, bald-faced, barefaced, bodacious, brassy unashamed - used of persons or their behavior; feeling no shame
	2.	brazen - made of or resembling brass (as in color or hardness)

Noun	1.	mucilage - a gelatinous substance secreted by plants gum - any of various substances (soluble in water) that exude from certain plants; they are gelatinous when moist but harden on drying
	2.	mucilage - cement consisting of a sticky substance that is used as an adhesive glue, gum animal glue - a protein gelatin obtained by boiling e.g. skins and hoofs of cattle and horses casein glue - made from casein; used for e.g. plywood and cabinetwork fish glue - gelatinous substance obtained by boiling skins fins and bones of fish marine glue - glue that is not water soluble cement - something that hardens to act as adhesive material

Noun	1.	brickbat - a fragment of brick used as a weapon fragment - a piece broken off or cut off of something else; “a fragment of rock”
	2.	brickbat - blunt criticism criticism, unfavorable judgment - disapproval expressed by pointing out faults or shortcomings; “the senator received severe criticism from his opponent”

garboil
Definition:	A state of commotion and noise and confusion.
Synonyms:	tumult, uproar

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frump  (frmp)

n.

1. A girl or woman regarded as dull, plain, or unfashionable.

2. A person regarded as colorless and primly sedate.

[Possibly short for Middle English frumple, wrinkle, from Middle Dutch verrompelen, to wrinkle : ver-, completely; see per1 in Indo-European roots + rompelen, to wrinkle.]

frumpi·ly adv.

frumpi·ness n.

frumpy adj.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Noun 1. frump - a dull unattractive unpleasant girl or woman; “she got a reputation as a frump”; “she’s a real dog” dog disagreeable woman, unpleasant woman - a woman who is an unpleasant person

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

den·i·zen  (dn-zn)

n.

1. An inhabitant; a resident: denizens of Monte Carlo.

2. One that frequents a particular place: a bar and its denizens.

3. Ecology An animal or a plant naturalized in a region.

4. Chiefly British A foreigner who is granted rights of residence and sometimes of citizenship.

tr.v. den·i·zened, den·i·zen·ing, den·i·zens Chiefly British

To make a denizen of; grant rights of residence to.

[Middle English denisein, from Anglo-Norman denzein, from deinz, within, from Late Latin deintus, from within; see dedans.]

deni·zen·ation n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

denizen

noun inhabitant, resident, citizen, occupant, dweller

Collins Essential Thesaurus 2nd Edition 2006 © HarperCollins Publishers 2005, 2006

im·pon·der·a·ble  (m-pndr--bl)

adj.

That cannot undergo precise evaluation: imponderable problems.

im·ponder·a·ble n.

im·ponder·a·bili·ty, im·ponder·a·ble·ness n.

im·ponder·a·bly adv.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Noun

1.

imponderable - a factor whose effects cannot be accurately assessed; “human behavior depends on many imponderables”

influence - a cognitive factor that tends to have an effect on what you do; “her wishes had a great influence on his thinking”

leavening, leaven - an influence that works subtly to lighten or modify something; “his sermons benefited from a leavening of humor”

Adj.

1.

imponderable - difficult or impossible to evaluate with precision; “such imponderable human factors as aesthetic sensibility”

ponderable - capable of being weighed or considered; “something ponderable from the outer world–something of which we can say that its weight is so and so”- James Jeans

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

a·pi·ar·y  (p-r)

n. pl. a·pi·ar·ies

A place where bees and beehives are kept, especially a place where bees are raised for their honey.

[Latin apirium, beehive, from apis, bee.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Noun 1. apiary - a shed containing a number of beehives bee house hive, beehive - a man-made receptacle that houses a swarm of bees shed - an outbuilding with a single story; used for shelter or storage

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

bra·zen  (brzn)

adj.

1. Marked by flagrant and insolent audacity. See Synonyms at shameless.

2. Having a loud, usually harsh, resonant sound: “sudden brazen clashes of the soldiers’ band” James Joyce.

3. Made of brass.

4. Resembling brass, as in color or strength.

tr.v. bra·zened, bra·zen·ing, bra·zens

To face or undergo with bold self-assurance: brazened out the crisis.

[Middle English brasen, made of brass, from Old English bræsen, from bræs, brass.]

brazen·ly adv.

brazen·ness n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

mu·ci·lage  (mys-lj)

n.

1. A sticky substance used as an adhesive.

2. A gummy substance obtained from certain plants.

[Middle English muscilage, gelatinous plant substance, from Old French mucilage, from Late Latin mcilg, mcilgin-, from Latin mcre, to be musty, from mcus, mucus.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

frump (frmp)

[Possibly short for Middle English `frumple`, wrinkle, from Middle Dutch `verrompelen`, to wrinkle : `ver-`, completely; see `per`¹ in Indo-European roots + `rompelen`, to wrinkle.]

Noun 1. frump - a dull unattractive unpleasant girl or woman; “she got a reputation as a frump”; “she’s a real dog”

dog

disagreeable woman, unpleasant woman - a woman who is an unpleasant person

den·i·zen (dn-zn)

[Middle English `denisein`, from Anglo-Norman `denzein`, from `deinz`, within, from Late Latin `deintus`, from within; see dedans.]

im·pon·der·a·ble (m-pndr--bl)

a·pi·ar·y (p-r)

[Latin `apirium`, beehive, from `apis`, bee.]

Noun 1. apiary - a shed containing a number of beehives

bee house

hive, beehive - a man-made receptacle that houses a swarm of bees

shed - an outbuilding with a single story; used for shelter or storage

bra·zen (brzn)

[Middle English `brasen`, made of brass, from Old English `bræsen`, from `bræs`, brass.]

mu·ci·lage (mys-lj)

[Middle English `muscilage`, gelatinous plant substance, from Old French `mucilage`, from Late Latin `mcilg, mcilgin-`, from Latin `mcre`, to be musty, from `mcus`, mucus.]

vis·cid (vsd)

[Late Latin `viscidus`, from Latin `viscum`, mistletoe, birdlime made from mistletoe berries.]

Adj. 1. viscid - having the sticky properties of an adhesive

gluey, glutinous, gummy, mucilaginous, sticky, viscous, pasty

adhesive - tending to adhere

hin·ter·land (hntr-lnd)