Wiktionary:Word of the day/Archive/2015/December

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phalanx n

(historical, plural phalanxes) An ancient Greek and Macedonian military unit that consisted of several ranks and files (lines) of soldiers in close array with joined shields and long spears. (historical sociology) A Fourierite utopian community; a phalanstery. (plural phalanxes) A large group of people, animals or things, compact or closely massed, or tightly knit and united in common purpose. (anatomy, plural phalanges) One of the bones of the finger or toe.

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trollop n

A woman held by others as retaining a vulgar and discourteous disposition. (derogatory) A strumpet, a whore. English novelist Anthony Trollope died on this day in 1882 (no aspersion intended!).

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abreast adv

Side by side and facing forward. (figurative) Alongside; parallel to. Informed, well-informed, familiar, acquainted. Followed by of or with: up to a certain level or line; equally advanced. (nautical) Side by side; also, opposite; over against; on a line with the vessel's beam. (obsolete) At the same time; simultaneously.

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cheeky adj

(informal) Impudent; impertinent; impertinently bold, often in a way that is regarded as endearing or amusing. (informal, UK, of food and drink) Eaten or drunk as an indulgence.

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chronique scandaleuse n

A journalistic account of a love affair, crime, or other sensational event. Edward VIII of the United Kingdom abdicated on this day in 1936 after the governments of the UK and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth opposed his proposal to marry the divorcée Wallis Simpson.

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spearcaster n

A sling-like device used to impart greater impetus to a thrown spear. A soldier or guard armed with a spear used as a ranged weapon. A track-and-field athlete who throws a spear or spears; a javelinist, a javelin thrower.

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anting n

(ornithology) The practice of some birds of rubbing live ants or occasionally other items into the feathers, possibly as a means of controlling parasites.

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polar opposite n

The complete opposite, opposite in every way. On this day in 1911, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and his party became the first people to reach the Geographic South Pole.

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parsimonious adj

Exhibiting parsimony; sparing in expenditure of money; frugal to excess; penurious; niggardly; stingy. (sports) Not conceding many goals. Using a minimal number of assumptions, steps, or conjectures.

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gafiate v

(dated, fandom slang, science fiction) To leave the mundane world and enter the science fiction fandom community. […] The British and Sri Lankan science and science fiction writer and futurist Arthur C. Clarke was born on this day in 1917.

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puddle jumper n

(idiomatic) A small passenger airplane, typically used for shorter connecting trips to smaller airports. Today is Wright Brothers Day in the USA, which commemorates Orville and Wilbur Wright's first successful flights in a heavier than air, mechanically propelled airplane in 1903.

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tiptoe adj

Standing elevated, on or as if on the tips of one's toes. Moving carefully, quietly, warily or stealthily, on or as if on the tips of one's toes. On this day in 1892, Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

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apologetic apostrophe n

(sociolinguistics, orthography) An apostrophe added to a Scots word in order to give the appearance that it is a contraction of an English word.

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wreath n

Something twisted, intertwined, or curled. An ornamental circular band made, for example, of plaited flowers and leaves, and used as decoration; a garland or chaplet, especially one given to a victor. (heraldry) An appendage to the shield, placed above it, and supporting the crest. It generally represents a twist of two cords of silk, one tinctured like the principal metal, the other like the principal color in the coat of arms. "'Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro' the house / Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; […] " — Clement Clarke Moore, "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (1823)

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gulp v

To swallow eagerly, or in large draughts; to swallow up; to take down at one swallow. To react nervously by swallowing. In Catalonia Sant Esteve (St. Stephen's Day), which falls today, is celebrated with a big meal.

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showboat v

(informal, chiefly US) To show off. The musical Show Boat premiered at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City on this day in 1927.

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arbuscle n

(botany) A plant midway in height between a shrub and a tree; a dwarf tree. (mycology) A branched hypha in some fungi. (mycology) The site at which a symbiotic fungus attaches to the roots of a plant and exchanges nutrients, etc., with it. (zoology) A clump of feather-like cilia (hairlike structures).

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watchnight n

(Christianity, historical) A monthly or quarterly religious service participated in by Methodists which extended past midnight. (Christianity) A religious service involving a review of the year passed and preparation for the year ahead participated in by Methodists and members of other Christian denominations which starts late on New Year's Eve and ends after midnight on New Year's Day; hence, the night that begins on December 31 and ends on January 1. A religious or spiritual vigil. (West Africa) A night watchman.

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