Tag: Word of the Day

WORD OF THE DAY

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CATERWAUL-

cat·er·waul
[ˈkadərˌwôl]

VERB
caterwauls (third person present) · caterwauled (past tense) · caterwauled (past participle) · caterwauling (present participle)
  1. make a shrill howling or wailing noise like that of a cat.
    “he seems to think that singing soulfully is to whine and caterwaul tunelessly” · “the caterwauling of a pair of bobcats” · “a caterwauling guitar”
    synonyms: howl · howling · wail · wailing · screech · screeching · shriek · shrieking · scream · screaming · bawl · bawling · cry · crying · yell · yelling · yelp · yelping · yowl · yowling · squall · squalling · whine · whining · ululating · miaowing · miaow · howl · wail · bawl · cry · yell · scream · screech · yelp · yowl · squall · whine · miaow · ululate
NOUN
caterwauls (plural noun)
  1. a shrill howling or wailing noise.
    “the song ended in a caterwaul of feedback”
    synonyms: yell · cry · call · roar · howl · bellow · bawl · clamor · bay · cheer · yawp · yelp · wail · squawk · shriek · scream · screech · squeal · squall · caterwaul · whoop · holler · vociferation
    antonyms: whisper
ORIGIN
late Middle English: from cat1 + imitative waul.

Word of the Day

plan·gent
[ˈplanjənt]

ADJECTIVE
literary
(of a sound) loud, reverberating, and often melancholy.
“the plangent sound of a harpsichord”
synonyms: melancholy · mournful · plaintive · sonorous · reverberant · reverberating · resonant · loud

ORIGIN
early 19th century: from Latin plangent- ‘lamenting’, from the verb plangere.

Word of the Day

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o·rac·u·lar
[ôˈrakyələr]

ADJECTIVE
relating to an oracle.
“the oracular shrine”
synonyms: prophetic · prophetical · sibylline · predictive · prescient · prognostic · divinatory · augural · vatic · mantic · fatidical · fatidic · haruspical · pythonic
(of an utterance, advice, etc.) hard to interpret; enigmatic.
“an ambiguous, oracular remark”
synonyms: enigmatic · cryptic · abstruse · unclear · obscure · confusing · mystifying · puzzling · perplexing · baffling · mysterious · arcane · ambiguous · equivocal · two-edged · Delphic
holding or claiming the authority of an oracle.
“he holds forth in oracular fashion”

ORIGIN
mid 17th century: from Latin oraculum ( see oracle) + -ar1.

Word of the day

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ad·a·man·tine
[ˌadəˈmanˌtēn, ˌadəˈmanˌtīn]

ADJECTIVE
literary
unbreakable.
“adamantine chains” · “her adamantine will”
synonyms: unbreakable · shatterproof · nonbreakable · toughened · sturdy · stout · hardwearing · heavy-duty · resistant · durable · lasting · made to last · enduring · everlasting · perennial · deathless · undying · immortal · endless · inextinguishable · imperishable · ineradicable · long-lasting · adamantine · infrangible
antonyms: fragile · ephemeral

Word Of The Day

 

gorgonize

verb

gor·gon·ize | \ ˈgȯr-gə-ˌnīz

gorgonized; gorgonizing

Definition of gorgonize
transitive verb
: to have a paralyzing or mesmerizing effect on : stupefy, petrify

Did You Know?
In Greek mythology, the Gorgons (from the Greek adjective gorgos, meaning “terrifying”) were commonly depicted as three female monsters who had snakes for hair and the ability to turn anyone who looked at them into stone. The most notorious of the three was Medusa; when she was slain by the hero Perseus, her severed head retained the power of turning anyone who looked on it to stone. In modern parlance, to gorgonize someone is to make him or her feel (metaphorically) petrified, usually through an intimidating glance or gaze.
First Known Use of gorgonize
1609, in the meaning defined above

Word of the Day

se·nes·cence

[səˈnesəns]

NOUN
biology
  1. the condition or process of deterioration with age.
    synonyms: elderliness · old age · oldness · seniority · maturity · dotage · senility · one’s advancing/advanced years · one’s declining years · the winter/autumn of one’s life · senescence · eld · caducity
    antonyms: youth · childhood

Word of The Day

an·ti·quat·ed

[ˈan(t)əˌkwādəd]

ADJECTIVE
  1. old-fashioned or outdated.
    “this antiquated central heating system”
    synonyms: outdated · out of date · outmoded · behind the times · old-fashioned · archaic · anachronistic · superannuated · outworn · ancient · antediluvian · primitive · medieval ·

Word of The Day

taradiddle

noun
tar·a·did·dle \ ˌter-ə-ˈdi-dᵊl , ˌta-rə-ˈdi-dᵊl , ˈter-ə-ˌdi-dᵊl , ˈta-rə-ˌdi-dᵊl \

variants: or tarradiddle

Definition—-pretentious nonsense

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