Wiktionary:Word of the day/Archive/2021/June

2021
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1

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matatu n

(Kenya, road transport) A minivan used as a share taxi, especially one operating without a licence. Today is Madaraka Day in Kenya, which celebrates the date in 1963 when the nation achieved internal self-rule from the United Kingdom.

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2

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punching bag n (chiefly US)

A tough bag, usually cylindrical, filled with air, sand, or other material, often suspended so that it swings freely, which is punched or kicked when practising sports such as boxing or martial arts. (figuratively) A person serving as an object of abuse. Today is the eve of the fifth anniversary of the death of Muhammad Ali in 2016, the American professional boxer widely regarded as the best heavyweight boxer and greatest athlete of the 20th century.

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3

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pyx n

(Christianity, also figuratively) A small, usually round container used to hold the host (“consecrated bread or wafer of the Eucharist”), especially when bringing communion to the sick or others unable to attend Mass. (by extension, rare) A (small) box; a casket, a coffret. (chiefly British) A box used in a mint as a place to deposit sample coins intended to have the fineness of their metal and their weight tested before the coins are issued to the public. (nautical, obsolete, rare) A compass used by sailors. pyx v (transitive) (obsolete) To place (the host) in a pyx. (figuratively) To enclose (something) in a box or other container; specifically, to place (a deceased person's body) in a coffin; to coffin, to encoffin. (chiefly British) To deposit (sample coins) in a pyx; (by extension) to test (such coins) for the fineness of metal and weight before a mint issues them to the public. Today, the Thursday after Trinity Sunday in 2021, is marked as the Feast of Corpus Christi by some churches to celebrate the presence of Jesus Christ in the elements of the Eucharist.

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4

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chromatic adj

Uses relating to colour (not comparable) Characterized or caused by, or relating to, colour or hue. (comparable) Brightly coloured; colourful, vivid. (not comparable, optics) Having the capacity to separate spectral colours by refraction. (not comparable, music) (Ancient Greece, historical) One of three types of tetrachord (the others being the diatonic and enharmonic), with an interval between half and four-fifths of the total interval of a tetrachord. Relating to or using notes not belonging to the diatonic scale of the key in which a passage of music is written. [...] (biology) Relating to chromatin (“a complex of DNA, RNA, and proteins within the cell nucleus out of which chromosomes condense during cell division”).

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5

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archaeophyte n

(botany) A plant which was introduced to an area by humans (or arrived naturally, but from an area in which it was present as a human introduction) and became naturalized before 1500 C.E. (but especially in prehistoric times). Today is World Environment Day, which is recognized by the United Nations to promote worldwide awareness of the need and action to protect the environment.

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6

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ugari n

(Australia (Queensland), also attributively) The edible saltwater clam Plebidonax deltoides, which is endemic to Australia. Today is Queensland Day in Australia, which commemorates the date in 1859 when Queensland became a British colony separate from New South Wales.

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7

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victual n

(archaic) Food fit for human (or occasionally animal) consumption. (archaic, chiefly in the plural) Food supplies; provisions. (specifically, obsolete) Edible plants. (Scotland) Grain of any kind. victual v (archaic) (transitive, reflexive, chiefly military, nautical) To provide (military troops, a place, a ship, etc., or oneself) with a stock of victuals or food; to provision. (intransitive, chiefly military, nautical) To lay in or procure food supplies. (intransitive) To eat. Today is World Food Safety Day, which is recognized by the United Nations to raise awareness about and promote global food safety.

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8

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gyre v (literary, poetic)

(intransitive) To spin around; to gyrate, to whirl. (transitive, rare) To make (something) spin or whirl around. gyre n (chiefly literary, poetic) A swirling vortex. A circular or spiral motion; also, a circle described by a moving body; a revolution, a turn. (anatomy, zootomy, archaic) Synonym of gyrus (“a fold or ridge on the cerebral cortex of the brain”) (oceanography) An ocean current caused by wind which moves in a circular manner, especially one that is large-scale and observed in a major ocean. Today is World Oceans Day, a day recognized by the United Nations to highlight the importance of conserving and protecting the world’s oceans.

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9

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comfortability n

Synonym of comfort (“contentment, ease”) Synonym of comfortableness (“the quality or state of being comfortable or relaxed”)

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10

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close, but no cigar phrase

(idiomatic, originally US, colloquial) Used to indicate that one is almost correct or has almost succeeded, but not quite.

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11

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paramount adj

(often postpositive) Highest, supreme; also, chief, leading, pre-eminent. Of the highest importance. (obsolete) Of a law, right, etc.: having precedence over or superior to another. paramount n A chief or superior; (specifically, chiefly South Africa) an African chief having the highest status in a region; a paramount chief. (obsolete) A supreme ruler; an overlord; (specifically, historical) in the feudal system, a landowner who did not derive ownership of the land from anyone else, and who was able to grant fees to others; a lord paramount.

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12

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soft sign n

The Cyrillic letter Ь/ь (transliterated in English with an apostrophe (’) or prime (′)), which in modern languages using the Cyrillic alphabet serves to denote a soft (palatized) consonant. Today is День России or Russia Day, which commemorates the day in 1990 when the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic declared itself to be a sovereign state.

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13

14

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foraminifer n

Any of a large group of aquatic amoeboid protists of the subphylum Foraminifera, characterized by streaming granular ectoplasm that among other things is used for catching food, often with a calcareous shell with many holes through which pseudopodia protrude.

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15

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hoodwink v

(transitive, archaic) To cover the eyes with, or as if with, a hood; to blindfold. (transitive, figuratively) To deceive using a disguise; to bewile, dupe, mislead. (archaic) To hide or obscure. (intransitive, obsolete, rare) To close the eyes. hoodwink n An act of hiding from sight, or something that cloaks or hides another thing from view. (British, games, obsolete) The game of blind man's buff.

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16

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ship in a bottle n

An ornament consisting of a model ship inside a glass bottle, usually one with a narrow neck which makes it difficult to see how the ship was put in place.

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17

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sol n

(music) In a movable-do or tonic sol-fa system: the fifth step in a scale, preceded by fa and followed by la. In a fixed-do system: the musical note G. [...] (historical) An old coin from France and some other countries worth 12 deniers. [...] (historical) A former Spanish-American silver coin. In full nuevo sol or new sol: the main currency unit of Peru which replaced the inti in 1991; also, a coin of this value. [...] (astronomy) A solar day on the planet Mars (equivalent to 24 hours, 39 minutes, 35 seconds). [...] (physical chemistry) A type of colloid in which a solid is dispersed in a liquid. (obsolete) A solution to an objection (or "ob"), for example, in controversial divinity.

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18

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wake up and smell the coffee v

(idiomatic, US, informal) Often in the infinitive or imperative: to face reality and stop deluding oneself. Today is designated as Sustainable Gastronomy Day by the United Nations to highlight the role that gastronomy can play in promoting sustainable development.

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19

20

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euphonious adj

Of sounds, especially speech: demonstrating or possessing euphony; agreeable to the ear; pleasant-sounding. Today is the eve of Fête de la Musique (also known as World Music Day), which originated in France in 1982 and is now celebrated around the world.

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21

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oligolecty n

(entomology) The preference of an insect pollinator (chiefly a bee) for pollinating only a few plant species. Today in 2021 is the start of Insect Week in the United Kingdom, which is organized every two years by the Royal Entomological Society to highlight the importance of insects.

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22

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look daggers v

(intransitive) Often followed by at: to stare in a disapproving, severe, or threatening manner, especially without speaking.

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23

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preponderance n

(obsolete) Greater physical weight. (specifically, weaponry, historical) The excess of weight of that part of a cannon behind the trunnions over that in front of them. Superiority in amount or number; the bulk or majority; also, a large amount or number; an abundance, a profusion. Superiority of influence, power, a quality, etc.; an outweighing, predominance, pre-eminence.

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24

25

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moon pool n

(nautical, chiefly oil industry) An opening in the base of the hull of a vessel (especially a marine drilling platform), which is used for lowering equipment into the sea below. Today is the Day of the Seafarer, which was established by the International Maritime Organization in 2010 and recognized by the United Nations to acknowledge the contributions made by seafarers to international seaborne trade, the world economy, and civil society.

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26

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needs adv

(archaic) Either directly or indirectly preceded or followed by an auxiliary verb, often must: of necessity or need; necessarily, indispensably.

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27

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heel turn n

(dance) A ballroom dancing move in which the dancer steps backwards, shifts their weight on to the back foot, and turns on the heel of that foot while holding the other foot close and parallel to it. (chiefly skating, snowboarding) A turn executed by shifting weight on to the heel(s). (by extension) An act of turning around abruptly, especially so that one faces the opposite direction. (figuratively) A radical change (of mind, opinion, etc.). (professional wrestling) Synonym of heel/face turn (“a situation in which a wrestler previously identified as a villain changes to being considered a hero”) (by extension) A situation in which someone changes from being a villain into a hero.

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28

29

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kapok n

A silky fibre obtained from seed pods of the silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra) used for insulation and stuffing for mattresses, pillows, etc. The silk-cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra). The cotton tree, Malabar silk-cotton tree, or red silk-cotton tree (Bombax ceiba). Today is the International Day of the Tropics, which is recognized by the United Nations to highlight the important role that countries in tropical areas of the world play in achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and to raise awareness about the challenges faced by these areas.

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30