Wiktionary:Word of the day/Archive/2020/October

2020
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1

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Sinocentrism n

(historical) The belief, held by the ancient Chinese, that China was literally the centre of the world. (politics) The practice of viewing the world from a Chinese perspective, with an implied belief, either consciously or subconsciously, in the pre-eminence of Chinese culture. (politics) Ethnocentrism among the Han people of China; Han chauvinism. Today is the National Day of the People’s Republic of China.

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2

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Sanskritize adj (transitive, American spelling, Oxford British English)

(linguistics) To render a non-Sanskrit text, word, etc., in a form characteristic of Sanskrit morphology or phonology. (linguistics) To influence a non-Sanskrit language by Sanskritic vocabulary. (South Asia, Southeast Asia) To emulate rituals and practices of upper classes so as to gain upward social mobility. Today is Gandhi Jayanti, a national festival celebrated in India to mark the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi in 1869.

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3

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wanderlust n

A strong impulse or longing to travel. wanderlust v (intransitive) To feel a strong impulse or longing to travel. (intransitive) To roam or travel widely. Today is the 30th anniversary of Tag der Deutschen Einheit (German Unity Day), which commemorates German Reunification in 1990.

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4

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half-timbered adj

(architecture) Of a building: constructed using a load-bearing timber frame with the spaces (panels) between the timbers filled with bricks, stone, or wattle and daub, etc. (the infill), especially if the timber frame is visible on the outside of the building. Today in 2020 is the eve of World Architecture Day, which is marked by the International Union of Architects.

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5

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sleep rough v

(idiomatic) To sleep outdoors; specifically, if without a place to go home to; to be homeless. Today, the first Monday of October in 2020, is designated by the United Nations as World Habitat Day to encourage reflection on the state of towns and cities, and on people’s basic right to adequate shelter.

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6

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Instagrammable adj

(informal) Visually attractive or interesting such that it lends itself to being photographed and posted on social media (specifically on Instagram); photogenic. The photograph and video sharing social networking service Instagram was launched on this day ten years ago in 2010.

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7

8

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octagon n

(geometry, also attributively) A polygon with eight sides and eight angles. (martial arts) Often in the form Octagon: the arena for mixed martial arts.

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9

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masquerade n (also attributively)

An assembly or party of people wearing (usually elaborate or fanciful) masks and costumes, and amusing themselves with dancing, conversation, or other diversions. The act of wearing a mask or dressing up in a costume for, or as if for, a masquerade ball. (figuratively) An act of living under false pretenses; a concealment of something by a false or unreal show; a disguise, a pretence; also, a pretentious display. (figuratively) An assembly of varied, often fanciful, things. (fandom slang) A cosplay event at which costumed attendees perform skits. (obsolete) A dramatic performance by actors in masks; a mask or masque. (obsolete, rare) A Spanish entertainment or military exercise in which squadrons of horses charge at each other, the riders fighting with bucklers and canes. masquerade v (intransitive) To take part in a masquerade; to assemble in masks and costumes; (loosely) to wear a disguise. (intransitive, figuratively) To pass off as a different person or a person with qualities that one does not possess; also, to make a pretentious show of being what one is not. (transitive, rare) To conceal (something) with, or as if with, a mask; to disguise. “Masquerade” is a song in Act II of the musical The Phantom of the Opera, which premiered on this day in London in 1986.

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10

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junco n

Any bird of the genus Junco, which includes several species of North American sparrow. (obsolete) The common reed bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus), a bird found in Europe and much of the Palearctic. Today, the second Saturday of October in 2020, is the second of the two World Migratory Bird Days in the year. These days were established by the Secretariats of the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals to highlight the importance of protecting migratory birds and their habitats.

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11

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sister from another mister n

(informal) A very close female friend. Today is the International Day of the Girl Child, which is recognized by the United Nations to increase awareness of gender inequality faced by girls worldwide and to support greater opportunities for them.

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12

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vagrant adj

Wandering from place to place, particularly when without any settled employment or habitation. Of or pertaining to a vagabond or vagrant, or a person fond of wandering. (figurative) Moving without a certain direction; roving, wandering; also, erratic, unsettled.

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13

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thrapple n

(chiefly Northern England, Northern Ireland, Scotland) The throat, especially the gullet or windpipe. thrapple v (transitive, chiefly Northern England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, dated) To strangle, to throttle.

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14

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in-joke n

Synonym of inside joke (“a joke that is understood or meant to be understood only by certain people who are aware of the details”)

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15

16

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saveloy n

(chiefly Australia, British, New Zealand) A seasoned and smoked pork sausage, normally purchased ready-cooked. Today is recognized by the United Nations as World Food Day to highlight the importance of food security and good nutrition, and the need for action against hunger.

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17

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cave painting n (archaeology, art)

(uncountable) The activity of applying pigments to the interior surfaces of caves to create images, especially when carried out in prehistoric times. (uncountable) The paintings resulting from this activity regarded collectively, especially if prehistoric; cave art; (countable) a individual painting of this type. Today, the third Saturday of October in 2020, was established by the Archaeological Institute of America as International Archaeology Day to celebrate archaeology and its contributions to society.

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18

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incarnadine adj (archaic, literary)

(originally) Of the pale pink or pale red colour of flesh; carnation. Of the blood-red colour of raw flesh; crimson. (figurative) Bloodstained, bloody. (generally) Of a red colour. incarnadine n (originally) The pale pink or pale red colour of flesh; carnation. incarnadine:     The blood-red colour of raw flesh; crimson. incarnadine:   (generally) A red colour. incarnadine v (transitive, originally) To make flesh-coloured. (transitive, also figurative) To make red, especially blood-coloured or crimson; to redden.

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19

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left turn n

(idiomatic) An unexpected change from the way things seemed to be going. left turn interj (chiefly military) A command to a soldier or other person who is marching: turn ninety degrees to your left! left turn v (intransitive, chiefly military) To turn ninety degrees to one's left, especially in response to a military command while marching.

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20

21

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confab n

(informal) Clipping of confabulation (“a casual chat or talk”). confab v (intransitive, informal) Clipping of confabulate (“to speak casually with somebody; to chat”).

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22

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plume v

(transitive, also figurative) To adorn, cover, or furnish with feathers or plumes, or as if with feathers or plumes. (transitive, reflexive) Chiefly of a bird: to arrange and preen the feathers of, specifically in preparation for flight; hence (figurative), to prepare for (something). (transitive, reflexive, by extension) To congratulate (oneself) proudly, especially concerning something unimportant or when taking credit for another person's effort; to self-congratulate. (transitive, archaic) To strip (a bird) of feathers; to pluck. (by extension) To peel, to strip completely; to pillage; also, to deprive of power. (falconry, obsolete) Of a hawk: to pluck the feathers from prey. (intransitive) Of a dispersed substance such as dust or smoke: to fan out or spread in a cloud.

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23

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mashup n

(informal) Something consisting of two or more components combined together. (art, slang) An artistic work that consists primarily of parts borrowed from other works, or features a mixture of genres. (chiefly computing, slang) A derivative work consisting of two or more pieces of (generally digital) media joined together, such as a video clip with a different soundtrack applied for humorous effect, or a map overlaid with user-supplied data. (Internet) A Web application that combines data and/or functionality from more than one source. (music, slang) A remix created by combining two or more songs from different artists into one piece of music.

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24

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etiolated adj

(chiefly botany, horticulture) Of a plant or part of a plant: pale and weak because of sunlight deprivation or excessive exposure to sunlight. [from mid 18th c.] (horticulture) Of a plant: intentionally grown in the dark. (by extension) Of an animal or person: having an ashen or pale appearance; also, haggard or thin; physically weak. (figurative) Lacking in vigour; anemic, feeble.

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25

26

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listenership n

The audience that listens to a certain form or genre of audio material (specifically (Internet, radio), an audio broadcast such as a radio program or a podcast). (linguistics) The act of paying attention to a conversation or speech; listening. Today is the eve of the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage, which was established by UNESCO 15 years ago in 2005 to raise awareness about the significance and preservation risks of recorded audio and audiovisual materials.

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27

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compellation n

(archaic, rare) An act of addressing a person by a certain name or title. (archaic, rare) A name or title by which someone is addressed or identified; an appellation, a designation. (obsolete) An act of addressing or speaking to someone; also, the address or speech so made. The song “I Call Your Name”, by the Norwegian band a-ha, was released on this day 30 years ago in 1990 in their album East of the Sun, West of the Moon.

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28

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Xanthippe n

(literary, derogatory, dated) An ill-tempered woman. Today is Ohi Day (Anniversary of the “No”) in Greece, which marks the rejection by Ioannis Metaxas of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini’s ultimatum in 1940 during World War II to allow Axis forces to enter Greek territory.

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29

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stratospheric adj

(meteorology) Of, relating to, or occurring the stratosphere (“the region of the uppermost atmosphere”). (figurative, colloquial) Unusually or unreasonably high; astronomical.

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30

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thesis n

Senses relating to logic, rhetoric, etc. (rhetoric) A proposition or statement supported by arguments. (by extension) A lengthy essay written to establish the validity of a thesis (sense 1.1), especially one submitted as a requirement for a university degree; a dissertation. (logic) An affirmation, or distinction from a supposition or hypothesis. (philosophy) In the dialectical method of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel: the initial stage of reasoning where a formal statement of a point is developed; this is followed by antithesis and synthesis. Senses relating to music and prosody. (music, prosody, originally) The action of lowering the hand or bringing down the foot when indicating a rhythm; hence, an accented part of a measure of music or verse indicated by this action; an ictus, a stress. (music, prosody, with a reversal of meaning) A depression of the voice when pronouncing a syllables of a word; hence, the unstressed part of the metrical foot of a verse upon which such a depression falls, or an unaccented musical note. Today is the eve of Reformation Day on which, in 1517, German friar and theologian Martin Luther sparked off the Reformation by writing to Albert, the Archbishop of Mainz, to protest the sale of indulgences, attaching his Ninety-five Theses. According to Philip Melanchthon, on the same day Luther also nailed the Theses to the door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg. However, modern scholars argue that there is little foundation for the story.

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31

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pumpking n

(programming, slang) A Perl user working on shared source code who has been temporarily designated as the only person who is allowed to make changes. Boo! Happy Halloween!

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