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Wiktionary:Word of the day/Archive/2016/June

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

1

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Word of the day
for June 1
mansplain v
  1. (informal) To explain (something) condescendingly (to a female listener), especially to explain something the listener already knows, presuming that she has an inferior understanding of it because she is a woman.
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2

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Word of the day
for June 2
couch v
  1. To lie down; to recline (upon a couch or other place of repose).
  2. (archaic) To lie down for concealment; to conceal, to hide; to be concealed; to be included or involved darkly or secretly.
  3. To bend the body, as in reverence, pain, labor, etc.; to stoop; to crouch.
  4. (transitive) To lay something upon a bed or other resting place.
  5. (transitive) To arrange or dispose as if in a bed.
  6. (transitive) To lay or deposit in a bed or layer; to bed.
  7. (transitive) To lower (a spear or lance) to the position of attack.
  8. (ophthalmology, transitive) In the treatment of a cataract in the eye, to displace the opaque lens with a sharp object such as a needle. The technique is regarded as largely obsolete.
  9. (paper-making, transitive) To transfer (for example, sheets of partly dried pulp) from the wire mould to a felt blanket for further drying.
  10. (sewing, transitive) To attach a thread onto fabric with small stitches in order to add texture.
  11. To phrase in a particular style; to use specific wording for.
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3

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Word of the day
for June 3
grapple v
  1. (transitive) To seize something and hold it firmly.
  2. (transitive, figuratively) Normally used with with: to ponder and intensely evaluate a problem.
  3. (transitive) To fasten, as with a grapple; to fix; to join indissolubly.
  4. (intransitive) To use a grapple.
  5. (intransitive) To wrestle or tussle.
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4

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Word of the day
for June 4
gastronomy n
  1. The art of preparing and eating good food.
  2. The study of the relationship between food and culture.
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5

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Word of the day
for June 5
geocide n
  1. The destruction of the earth, its ecosystems, or some part thereof, due to human activity.

Today is World Environment Day.

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6

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7

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Word of the day
for June 7
quagmire n
  1. A swampy, soggy area of ground.
  2. (figuratively) A perilous, mixed up and troubled situation; a hopeless tangle; a predicament.
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8

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Word of the day
for June 8
newspeak n
  1. A mode of talk by politicians and officials using ambiguous words to deceive the listener.

George Orwell's dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four was published in London on this day in 1949.

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9

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Word of the day
for June 9
eggcorn n
  1. (linguistics) An idiosyncratic but semantically motivated substitution of a word or phrase for a word or words that sound identical, or nearly so, at least in the dialect the speaker uses.
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10

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Word of the day
for June 10
corpus n
  1. (uncommon) A body.
  2. (linguistics) A collection of writings, often on a specific topic, of a specific genre, from a specific demographic or a particular author, etc.
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11

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Word of the day
for June 11
grit n
  1. Strength of mind; great courage or fearlessness; fortitude. []

On this day in 1969, the film True Grit was released.

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12

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Word of the day
for June 12
drama llama n
  1. (slang) A histrionic person.

The annual Tony Awards, which recognize achievement in Broadway productions, are being held today in 2016.

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13

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14

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Word of the day
for June 14
dark horse n
  1. (idiomatic) Someone who possesses talents or favorable characteristics that are not known or expected by others.
  2. (idiomatic, politics) A candidate for an election who is nominated unexpectedly, without previously having been discussed or considered as a likely choice.

The Royal Ascot begins on this day in 2016.

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15

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Word of the day
for June 15
dung beetle n
  1. A type of beetle of the family Scarabaeidae noted for rolling dung into balls for use as food or as brooding chambers.
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16

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17

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Word of the day
for June 17
chyron n
  1. (television) A set of graphics or words at the bottom of a television screen, sometimes unrelated to the current viewing content.
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18

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Word of the day
for June 18
mandilion n
  1. A loose outer garment resembling a cassock or coat, often sleeveless, worn by soldiers over armour or by menservants as a type of overcoat.

Milan Fashion Week for menswear begins today in 2016.

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19

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Word of the day
for June 19
dad dancing n
  1. The making of embarrassing flamboyant dance moves to pop music by middle-aged men.

In many countries, Father's Day is celebrated today in 2016 (the third Sunday in June).

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20

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Word of the day
for June 20
economical with the truth adj
  1. (idiomatic, euphemistic) Not telling the whole truth, especially in order to present a false image of a situation; untruthful; lying. Often used with sarcasm or satire.
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21

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Word of the day
for June 21
contumacy n
  1. (chiefly Christianity and law) Disobedience, resistance to authority.

Edward Snowden, an American former government contractor who leaked classified information from the U.S. National Security Agency, was born on this day in 1983.

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22

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Word of the day
for June 22
hoon n
  1. (Australia, New Zealand) One who drives excessively quickly, loudly or irresponsibly; a street drag racer often driving heavily customized cars. []

On this day in 2001, The Fast and the Furious, the first film in the Fast and the Furious franchise, went on general release in the USA.

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23

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Word of the day
for June 23
sexuality n
  1. That which is characterized or distinguished by sex. []
  2. Sexual orientation.
  3. Sexual identity, gender.

American sexologist Alfred Kinsey was born on this day in 1894.

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24

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Word of the day
for June 24
arborescent adj
  1. Like a tree; having a structure or appearance similar to that of a tree; branching.
  2. (philosophy) Marked by insistence on totalizing principles, binarism and dualism (as opposed to the rhizome theory).
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25

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Word of the day
for June 25
Brexit n
  1. (British, politics) The withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union.

On 23 June 2016 at the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, British voters opted to take their nation out of the European Union.

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26

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Word of the day
for June 26
shark bait n
  1. (humorous) One who has been or is likely to be attacked by a shark.
  2. (humorous, by extension) One who is in a precarious or vulnerable position; a dead duck.
  3. (Australia, colloquial) A lone swimmer or surfer far from shore, a shark baiter. []

Shark Week, a annual series of TV programmes about sharks on the Discovery Channel, starts today in 2016.

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27

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Word of the day
for June 27
from pillar to post adv
  1. (idiomatic) From one place (or person, or task) to another; hither and thither.

Today marks the start of The Championships at Wimbledon, UK, in 2016.

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28

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Word of the day
for June 28
night-biter n
  1. An animal, especially an insect such as a mosquito, that bites during the night.
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29

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Word of the day
for June 29
bentwood n
  1. (woodworking, countable and uncountable) Also attributive. Lengths of wood that have been made pliable by heating with steam and then bent into the appropriate shape (to make furniture, ships' hulls, etc.).
  2. (countable) An object, especially a piece of furniture, made from bentwood.
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30

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Word of the day
for June 30
coop n
  1. A basket, pen or enclosure for birds.
  2. A wickerwork basket (kipe) or other enclosure for catching fish.
  3. (figuratively, slang) A narrow place of confinement, a cage; a jail, a prison. []

The animated comedy film Chicken Run was released in the UK on this day in 2000.

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