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

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« 2009/February

(Recycled February)

March

(Recycled March)

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(Recycled April)

Day: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

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{{wotd | theWord | p.o.s. | Definition | month | day | audio=En-uk-{{subst:PAGENAME}}.ogg }}

When the words for a given month have all been replaced (or whatever) then subst: the sub-templates in on this page. That will preserve this month's archive, leaving the entries in the "Recycled" monthly pages to be (optionally) reused next year.

1

Word of the day
for March 1
breviary n
  1. A book containing prayers, hymns, and so on for everyday use at the canonical hours
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2

Word of the day
for March 2
hirsute adj
  1. Covered in hair or bristles; hairy
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3

Word of the day
for March 3
esprit de corps n
  1. A shared spirit of comradeship, enthusiasm, and devotion to a cause among the members of a group
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4

Word of the day
for March 4
partisan adj
  1. Adherent to a party or faction; especially, having the character of blind, passionate, or unreasonable adherence.
  2. Devoted to or biased in support of a party, group, or cause.
  3. Serving as commander of a body of detached light troops
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5

Word of the day
for March 5
mosey v
  1. (mainly US, dialectal) To amble; to walk or proceed in a leisurely manner.
  2. (mainly US, dialectal) To set off, get going; to start a journey
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6

Word of the day
for March 6
vulnerary adj
  1. Useful or used for healing wounds; healing, curative.
  2. (archaic, rare) Causing wounds, wounding
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7

Word of the day
for March 7
ecchymosis n
  1. A skin discoloration caused by bleeding underneath the skin; a bruise.
  2. The leaking of blood into the tissues of the body as a result of a bruise
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8

Word of the day
for March 8
pulsate v
  1. To expand and contract rhythmically; to throb or to beat.
  2. To quiver, vibrate, thrill.
  3. To produce a recurring increase and decrease of some quantity
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9

Word of the day
for March 9
bougainvillea n
  1. Any of several South American flowering shrubs or lianas, of the genus Bougainvillea, having three showy, colorful bracts attached below each group of three inconspicuous flowers
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10

Word of the day
for March 10
nonchalant adj
  1. Casually calm and relaxed.
  2. Indifferent; unconcerned; behaving as if detached
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11

Word of the day
for March 11
seiche n
  1. (hydrology) A short-period standing wave oscillation of the water level in a lake, characteristic of the lake's geometry
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12

Word of the day
for March 12
frumpy adj
  1. Dowdy, unkempt, or unfashionable.
  2. (dated) Ill- or bad-tempered
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13

Word of the day
for March 13
underpin v
  1. To support from below with props or masonry.
  2. (figuratively) To give support to; to corroborate
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14

Word of the day
for March 14
guerdon n
  1. (now literary) A reward, prize or recompense for a service; an accolade
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15

Word of the day
for March 15
rive v
  1. To rend asunder by force; to split or cleave.
  2. To be split or rent asunder
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16

Word of the day
for March 16
despotic adj
  1. Of or pertaining to a despot or tyrant.
  2. Acting or ruling as a despot, tyrannical
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17

Word of the day
for March 17
shamrock n
  1. The trefoil leaf of any small clover, especially Trifolium repens, or of any clover-like plant.
  2. Any of several small forms of clover with trefoil leaves, especially Trifolium repens
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18

Word of the day
for March 18
clairvoyant adj
  1. Of, or relating to clairvoyance.
  2. Able to see things that cannot be perceived by the normal senses.
  3. Able to foresee the future
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19

Word of the day
for March 19
mandarin n
  1. (historical) A high government bureaucrat of the Chinese Empire.
  2. A pedantic or elitist bureaucrat
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20

Word of the day
for March 20
bluster v
  1. To speak or protest loudly.
  2. To blow in strong or sudden gusts
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21

Word of the day
for March 21
hematophagy n
  1. The practice, of some animals, of feeding on blood
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22

Word of the day
for March 22
protean adj
  1. Exceedingly variable; readily assuming different shapes or forms
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23

Word of the day
for March 23
furlough n
  1. (US) A leave of absence or vacation, especially one granted to a member of the armed forces, or to a prisoner
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24

Word of the day
for March 24
rogation n
  1. A deeply serious and somber prayer or entreaty
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25

Word of the day
for March 25
incendiary adj
  1. Capable of causing fire.
  2. Intentionally stirring up strife, riot, rebellion
  3. Inflammatory, emotionally charged
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26

Word of the day
for March 26
conterminous adj
  1. Meeting end-to-end or at the ends.
  2. (of geographical regions) Adjoining; sharing a boundary.
  3. Having the same scope, range of meaning, or extent in time
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27

Word of the day
for March 27
daub v
  1. To apply something to a surface in hasty or crude strokes
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28

Word of the day
for March 28
satay n
  1. An Indonesian dish made from small pieces of meat or fish grilled on a skewer and served with a spicy peanut sauce
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29

Word of the day
for March 29
alkaline adj
  1. Of, or relating to an alkali, one of a class of caustic bases.
  2. (chemistry) Having a pH greater than 7
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30

Word of the day
for March 30
inveigle v
  1. To convert, convince or win over with flattery or wiles.
  2. To obtain through guile or cunning
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31

Word of the day
for March 31
crescendo n
  1. (music) An instruction to play gradually more loudly, denoted by a long, narrow angle with its apex on the left ( < ).
  2. (figuratively) A gradual increase of anything, especially to a dramatic climax
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