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

1

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xenocide n

(science fiction) The genocide of an entire alien species. (US, colloquial) The intentional killing of an entire foreign (plant or animal) species. The film Alien was released in the United Kingdom on this date in 1979.

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2

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in articulo mortis adv

At the moment of death. In Western Christianity, today is All Souls' Day, a day of prayer for the faithful departed.

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3

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prograde adj

(astronomy) Describing motion in a forward direction, especially with respect to other bodies in the same system. (geology) Describing a metamorphic change resulting from a higher pressure or temperature.

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4

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entelechy n

(Aristotelian philosophy) The complete realisation and final form of some potential concept or function; the conditions under which a potential thing becomes actualized. A particular type of motivation, need for self-determination, and inner strength directing life and growth to become all one is capable of being; the need to actualize one's beliefs; having a personal vision and being able to actualize that vision from within. Something complex that emerges when a large number of simple objects are put together.

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tenacious adj

Clinging to an object or surface; adhesive. Unwilling to yield or give up; dogged. Holding together; cohesive. Having a good memory; retentive.

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7

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addling n

Causing fertilised eggs to lose viability, by killing the developing embryo within through shaking, piercing, freezing or oiling, without breaking the shell.

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8

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klecksography n

The art of making images from inkblots. Swiss psychiatrist and psychologist Hermann Rorschach, who developed the Rorschach inkblot test, was born on this day in 1884.

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9

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welfare trap n

(US) A situation where the welfare system keeps people on social insurance because entering low-paid work does not result into a significant income increase.

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10

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birdsmouth n

(carpentry) A notch cut into the underside of a rafter to ensure that it does not move when resting on the wall plate running across the top of a wall; a similar notch in other components.

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11

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Catch-22 n

(idiomatic) A difficult situation from which there is no escape because it involves mutually conflicting or dependent conditions. On this day in 1961, Joseph Heller's book Catch-22 was published.

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12

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inoculate v

(transitive, immunology) To introduce an antigenic substance or vaccine into the body, as to produce immunity to a specific disease. (transitive, by extension) To safeguard or protect something as if by inoculation. To add one substance to another; to spike. To graft by inserting buds. (figurative) To introduce into the mind (used especially of harmful ideas or principles); to imbue.

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13

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Romanesco n

Romanesco broccoli, a light-green edible flower bud of the species Brassica oleracea, which is thus related to broccoli and cauliflower. Its form is a natural approximation of a fractal. Romanesco dialect, the dialect of Italian language spoken in Rome.

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14

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calamondin n

A small decorative evergreen citrus tree, of the species Citrofortunella mitis, sometimes cultivated for its fruit. The fruit of this tree.

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19

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trite adj

Often in reference to a word or phrase: used so many times that it is commonplace, or no longer interesting or effective; worn out, hackneyed.

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21

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three-fisted adj

Having three components or parts. Aggressive, energetic, enthusiastic, exuberant; two-fisted. In three-fisted drinker: able to consume large quantities of liquor without ill effects; heavy (drinker); compare two-fisted drinker.

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22

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dory n

(nautical) A small flat-bottomed boat with pointed or somewhat pointed ends, used for fishing both offshore and on rivers. Any of several different families of large-eyed, silvery, deep-bodied, laterally compressed, and roughly discoid marine fish. […] A wooden pike or spear about three metres (ten feet) in length with a flat, leaf-shaped iron spearhead and a bronze butt-spike (called a sauroter), which was the main weapon of hoplites in Ancient Greece. It was usually not thrown but rather thrust at opponents with one hand.

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dzud n

A summer drought followed by a severe winter, generally causing serious loss of livestock. Today is the independence day of Mongolia.

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27

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bodge v

(British) To do a clumsy or inelegant job, usually as a temporary repair; mend, patch up, repair. To work green wood using traditional country methods; to perform the craft of a bodger.

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28

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coterie n

A circle of people who associate with one another. An exclusive group of people, who associate closely for a common purpose; a clique. A communal burrow of prairie dogs.

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29

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hectad n

(biology, cartography) A unit of land area, ten by ten (that is, a hundred) square kilometres, often used for assessing how widely distributed particular animals or plants are.

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30

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gardyloo interj

(Scotland, obsolete) Used by servants in medieval Scotland to warn passers-by of waste about to be thrown from a window into the street below. The term was still in use as late as the 1930s and 1940s, when many people had no indoor toilets. Today is St. Andrew's Day, Scotland's official national day.

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