Wiktionary:Word of the day/Archive/2009/May

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1

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mizzenmast n

(nautical) The third mast from the bow on a ship having three or more masts. (nautical) The shorter, aftward mast of a ship having two masts, such as a ketch or yawl

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resile v

To start back; to recoil; to recede from a purpose. To spring back; rebound; resume the original form or position, as an elastic body

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polyptoton n

A stylistic scheme in which words from the same root are used together, or a word is repeated in a different inflection or case

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quasar n

(astronomy) An extragalactic object, starlike in appearance, that is among the most luminous and thought to be the most distant objects in the universe

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grue adj

(philosophy) Of an object, green when first observed before a specified time or blue when first observed after that time. (linguistics) A term sometimes used as a translation of the word used for both "green" and "blue" in certain languages, such as Welsh, that do not distinguish between the two colors

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practicum n

A college course designed to give a student supervised practical knowledge of a subject previously studied theoretically. A science exam in which students are questioned about specimens or other objects placed in front of them

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18

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nip in the bud v

To remove a bud from a plant to prevent flower and fruit from forming. (idiomatic) To stop something at an early stage

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voluble adj

Fluent; having a ready flow of speech; garrulous or loquacious. Easily rolling or turning. (botany) Twisting and turning like a vine

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21

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propel v

To cause to move very fast in a certain direction. To make to arrive at a much greater pace to a certain situation or result

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22

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esoteric adj

Understood only by a chosen few or an enlightened inner circle. Having to do with concepts that are highly theoretical and without obvious practical application. Confidential; private

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heuristic adj

Relating to general strategies or methods for solving problems. Of a method that is not certain to arrive at an optimal solution

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contain multitudes v

(intransitive, idiomatic) To have a complex and apparently paradoxical nature; to be inconsistent, especially in a way that is ultimately admirable or noble. The American poet Walt Whitman, from whose work “Song of Myself” (1855) the term derives, was born on this day in 1819.

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