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

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2020
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1

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Word of the day
for September 1
screed v
  1. (transitive, chiefly Northern England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, dated) To rend, to shred, to tear.
  2. (transitive, Scotland, also figurative, dated) To read or repeat from memory fluently or glibly; to reel off.
  3. (transitive, construction, masonry) To use a screed to produce a smooth, flat surface of concrete, plaster, or similar material; also (generally) to put down a layer of concrete, plaster, etc.
  4. (intransitive, Scotland) To become rent or torn.

[...] (Northern Ireland, Scotland)

  1. (intransitive, chiefly humorous) To play bagpipes, a fiddle, or a pipe.
  2. (intransitive) To make a discordant or harsh scratching or tearing sound.
  3. (transitive, chiefly humorous, obsolete) To play (a sound or tune) on bagpipes, a fiddle, or a pipe.
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2

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Word of the day
for September 2
toothcomb n
  1. (British, chiefly figurative, sometimes proscribed) A comb with finely spaced teeth, chiefly as a metaphorical means of making a thorough search. [...]
  2. (zoology) A comb-like dental structure found in the lower jaws of certain primates consisting of long, flat front teeth with microscopic grooves, which are used for grooming fur. [...]

toothcomb v (British, transitive, sometimes proscribed)

  1. (rare) To use a toothcomb on (something).
  2. (figurative) To search (something) thoroughly.
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3

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Word of the day
for September 3
gular adj
  1. (chiefly zoology) Particularly of an animal: of, pertaining to, or located at the gula (“the upper front of the neck next to the chin”) or the throat.

gular n

  1. (zoology) A plate or scale in the throat region of the body of a fish or reptile (especially a snake).

[...]

  1. (India) Synonym of cluster fig (“Ficus racemosa, a species of plant in the family Moraceae; the edible fruit of this plant”).
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4

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Word of the day
for September 4
glaive n
  1. (obsolete, historical) A light lance with a long, sharp-pointed head.
  2. (historical) A weapon consisting of a pole with a large blade fixed on the end, the edge of which is on the outside curve.
  3. (loosely or poetic, archaic) A sword, particularly a broadsword.
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5

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Word of the day
for September 5
gormy adj
  1. (British, chiefly Northern England, US, chiefly New England) Awkward, clumsy, klutzy, ungainly.

[...]

  1. (British, US, chiefly Southern US) Alternative spelling of gaumy (“sticky, smeared with something sticky; grimy”)
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6

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Word of the day
for September 6
maniple n
  1. (Ancient Rome, military) A division of the Roman army numbering 120 (or sometimes 60) soldiers exclusive of officers; (generally, obsolete) any small body of soldiers.
  2. (Christianity, chiefly historical) In Western Christianity, an ornamental band or scarf worn upon the left arm as a part of the vestments of a priest in the Roman Catholic Church, and sometimes the Church of England.
  3. (obsolete, informal) A hand; a fist.

[...]

  1. (obsolete) A handful.
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7

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Word of the day
for September 7
claviform adj
  1. (chiefly biology) Larger at the tip than at the base; club-shaped.

[...]

  1. (chiefly biology) Shaped like a nail (“a metallic spike-shaped fastener”).

[...]

  1. Key-shaped.
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8

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Word of the day
for September 8
father tongue n
  1. A separate language for expressing ideas, as opposed to the vernacular (mother tongue) which is employed for everyday speech.
  2. The form of language acquired through education and reading, as opposed to the dialect one grows up speaking; educated or formal language.
  3. A second language that one speaks fluently.
  4. The language spoken by one's father, when it differs from that spoken by one's mother.

Today is recognized by UNESCO as International Literacy Day to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities, and societies.

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9

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10

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Word of the day
for September 10
chaperome n
  1. (biochemistry) All the proteins called chaperones that assist in the folding of misfolded proteins in an organism, and other functions.
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11

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Word of the day
for September 11
monolith n
  1. (also attributively) A large, single block of stone which is a natural feature; or a block of stone or other similar material used in architecture and sculpture, especially one carved into a monument in ancient times.
  2. (also attributively and figurative) Anything massive, uniform, and unmovable, especially a towering and impersonal cultural, political, or social organization or structure.
  3. (chemistry) A substrate having many tiny channels that is cast as a single piece, which is used as a stationary phase for chromatography, as a catalytic surface, etc.
  4. (British, horticulture) A dead tree whose height and size have been reduced by breaking off or cutting its branches.
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12

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Word of the day
for September 12
parlay v
  1. (transitive, intransitive, gambling) To carry forward the stake and winnings from a bet on to a subsequent wager or series of wagers.
  2. (transitive, by extension) To increase (an asset, money, etc.) by gambling or investing in a daring manner.
  3. (transitive, by extension, generally) To convert (a situation, thing, etc.) into something better.

parlay n

  1. (originally US, gambling) A bet or series of bets where the stake and winnings are cumulatively carried forward; an accumulator.
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13

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14

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Word of the day
for September 14
proletarianization n (American spelling, Oxford British English)
  1. The act or process of making somebody or something proletarian.
    1. (Marxism) The social process whereby people move from being either employers, unemployed, or self-employed to being employed as wage labour by employers.

The first volume of Das Kapital (Capital) by Karl Marx was published on this day in 1867. It was the only volume of the work to appear during his lifetime.

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15

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Word of the day
for September 15
snap election n
  1. (politics) An election that the ruler or political party which is in power calls before the regularly scheduled election time.

Today is the International Day of Democracy, which is recognized by the United Nations to promote and uphold the principles of democracy.

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16

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Word of the day
for September 16
wifelet n
  1. (colloquial, endearing) A wife.
  2. (informal, by extension) A wife who is of small stature.
  3. (informal, by extension) A long-term girlfriend; a mistress (“the other woman in an extramarital relationship”).

Yesterday in 1961, the Women’s Charter came into force in Singapore, abolishing polygamous marriages for non-Muslims.

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17

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18

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Word of the day
for September 18
cataphract n
  1. (military, historical) Defensive armour covering the entire body of a soldier and often the soldier's horse as well, especially the linked mail or scale armour of some eastern nations.
  2. (ichthyology, by extension, obsolete) An outer covering of some fish resembling armour or plate.

[...]

  1. (military, historical) A soldier (especially a horseman) covered with a cataphract (etymology 1, sense 1). [...]

cataphract adj

  1. (nautical, historical) Of a galley such as a trireme: with the upper tier of rowers shielded rather than exposed.
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19

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Word of the day
for September 19
walk the plank v
  1. (historical, also figurative) On an early naval vessel or pirate ship: to be forced to walk off the end of a gangplank (a plank of wood extending outwards from the side of the vessel) and plunge into the ocean and drown, used as a method of killing.
  2. (idiomatic) To be forced to resign from a position in an organization.

Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day, a parodic holiday invented in 1995 by John Baur (‘Ol’ Chumbucket’) and Mark Summers (‘Cap’n Slappy’), of Albany, Oregon, USA.

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20

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Word of the day
for September 20
philistine n
  1. (derogatory) A person who is ignorant or uneducated; specifically, a person who lacks appreciation of or is antagonistic towards art or culture, and who has pedestrian tastes.

philistine adj

  1. (derogatory) Ignorant or uneducated; specifically, lacking appreciation for or antagonistic towards art or culture, and having pedestrian tastes.
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21

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Word of the day
for September 21
sleep of the just n
  1. A deep and worry-free sleep.
  2. (euphemistic, dated) A peaceful death or burial.

Today is designated by the United Nations as the International Day of Peace, which is dedicated to world peace.

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22

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Word of the day
for September 22
leaf peeper n
  1. (US, slang) A tree sightseer who enjoys observing the color change in their leaves, especially in the autumn.

The September equinox, often regarded as the start of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, occurs on this day in 2020, according to UTC.

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23

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Word of the day
for September 23
sangoma n
  1. (South Africa and other parts of Southern Africa) A (usually female) traditional healer or herbalist, or witch doctor.

Today is the eve of Heritage Day in South Africa, which celebrates the diversity of the nation’s beliefs, culture, and traditions.

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24

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Word of the day
for September 24
question mark n
  1. (typography) The punctuation mark "?", used at the end of a sentence to indicate a question.
  2. (figuratively, informal) A state of doubt or uncertainty.
  3. (figuratively, informal) An enigmatic, inscrutable, or mysterious person or thing; an enigma, a riddle.
  4. Polygonia interrogationis, a North American nymphalid butterfly with a silver mark on the underside of its hindwing resembling a question mark (sense 1).

Today is National Punctuation Day in the United States, a celebration established by Jeff Rubin in 2004 to promote the correct use of punctuation.

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25

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Word of the day
for September 25
potlatch n
  1. (Canada, US, also figuratively) A ceremony amongst certain indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest in which gifts are bestowed upon guests and personal property is destroyed in a show of generosity and wealth.
  2. (US, chiefly Alaska) A communal meal to which guests bring dishes to share; a potluck.

potlatch v

  1. (transitive) To give; especially, to give as a gift during a potlatch ceremony.
  2. (intransitive) To carry out or take part in a potlatch ceremony.

Today, the fourth Friday in September in 2020, is celebrated as Native American Day in California and Nevada, USA, to honor the cultural contributions of Native American communities.

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26

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Word of the day
for September 26
staycation n
  1. (informal) A vacation spent at or close to home.
    1. (British, Ireland) A holiday spent in one's own country without travelling abroad.
    2. (US) A vacation spent at one's own home without other overnight accommodation.

Today is the eve of the 40th anniversary of World Tourism Day, which was established in 1980 and is recognized by the United Nations to raise awareness about tourism’s role in the international community and to demonstrate how it affects cultural, political, social, and economic values worldwide.

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27

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Word of the day
for September 27
censor n
  1. (Ancient Rome) One of the two magistrates who originally administered the census of citizens, and by Classical times (between the 8th century B.C.E. and the 6th century C.E.) was a high judge of public behaviour and morality.
  2. An official responsible for the removal or suppression of objectionable material (for example, if obscene or likely to incite violence) or sensitive content in books, films, correspondence, and other media.
  3. (education) A college or university official whose duties vary depending on the institution.
  4. (obsolete) One who censures or condemns. [...]
  5. (psychology) A hypothetical subconscious agency which filters unacceptable thought before it reaches the conscious mind. [...]

censor v

  1. (transitive) To review for, and if necessary to remove or suppress, content from books, films, correspondence, and other media which is regarded as objectionable (for example, obscene, likely to incite violence, or sensitive).

Banned Books Week, organized by the American Library Association to celebrate the freedom to read and to draw attention to banned and challenged books, is held in 2020 from September 27 to October 3.

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28

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29

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Word of the day
for September 29
obscene adj
  1. Offensive to current standards of decency or morality.
  2. Lewd or lustful.
  3. Disgusting or repulsive.
  4. (by extension) Beyond all reason; excessive.
  5. (chiefly British, criminal law) Liable to corrupt or deprave.

Banned Books Week, organized by the American Library Association to celebrate the freedom to read and to draw attention to banned and challenged books, is held in 2020 from September 27 to October 3.

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30

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Word of the day
for September 30
translate v
  1. Senses relating to the change of information, etc., from one form to another.
    1. (transitive) To change spoken words or written text (of a book, document, movie, etc.) from one language to another.
    2. (intransitive) To provide a translation of spoken words or written text in another language; to be, or be capable of being, rendered in another language.
    3. (transitive) To express spoken words or written text in a different (often clearer or simpler) way in the same language; to paraphrase, to rephrase, to restate.
    4. (transitive) To change (something) from one form or medium to another.
      1. (transitive, music) To rearrange (a song or music) in one genre into another.
    5. (intransitive) To change, or be capable of being changed, from one form or medium to another.
    6. (transitive, genetics) To generate a chain of amino acids based on the sequence of codons in an mRNA molecule.
  2. Senses relating to a change of position.
    1. (transitive, archaic) To move (something) from one place or position to another; to transfer.
      1. (transitive) To transfer the remains of a deceased person (such as a monarch or other important person) from one place to another; (specifically, Christianity) to transfer a holy relic from one shrine to another.
      2. (transitive, Christianity) To transfer a bishop or other cleric from one post to another.
      3. (transitive, Christianity) Of a holy person or saint: to be assumed into or to rise to Heaven without bodily death; also (figuratively) to die and go to Heaven.
      4. (transitive, mathematics) In Euclidean geometry: to transform (a geometric figure or space) by moving every point by the same distance in a given direction.
      5. (transitive, mathematics) To map (the axes in a coordinate system) to parallel axes in another coordinate system some distance away.
      6. (transitive, medicine, obsolete) To cause (a disease or something giving rise to a disease) to move from one body part to another, or (rare) between persons.
      7. (transitive, physics) To subject (a body) to linear motion with no rotation.
      8. (intransitive, physics) Of a body: to be subjected to linear motion with no rotation.
  3. (transitive, obsolete) To entrance (“place in a trance”), to cause to lose recollection or sense.

Today is International Translation Day, which is marked by the United Nations to recognize the work of translators in facilitating understanding and co-operation, and bringing nations together.

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