Wiktionary:Word of the day/Archive/2024/June

2024
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1

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baby's tears n

Any of various plants having parts (such as leaves or spots on leaves, petals, etc.) resembling teardrops; specifically, angel's tears (Soleirolia soleirolii), a plant in the nettle family grown as a green, mossy ground cover. Today is the Global Day of Parents, which is recognized by the United Nations to honour the commitment of parents towards their children.

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2

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snottite n

(bacteriology) A colony of single-celled extremophilic bacteria that hangs in a sheet (having the consistency of snot or nasal mucus) from the ceilings of some caves like stalactites.

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3

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tandem adv

One behind the other; in single file. (figurative) In close collaboration; collaboratively, cooperatively. tandem n (also attributive) (countable) A carriage pulled by two or more draught animals (generally draught horses) harnessed one behind the other, both providing pulling power but only the animal in front being able to steer. (by extension, countable) Two draught animals (generally draught horses) harnessed one behind the other. A thing with two components arranged one behind the other. (specifically, cycling) Short for tandem bicycle (“a bicycle or tricycle in which two people sit one behind the other, both able to pedal but only the person in front being able to steer”). (medicine) A hollow metal tube containing radioactive material, inserted through the vagina into the uterus to treat gynecological cancer. (figurative) (countable) A group of two or more machines, people, etc., working together; hence (uncountable), close collaboration. (uncountable, education) A method of language learning based on mutual exchange, where ideally each learner is a native speaker in the language the other person wants to learn. [...] Today is World Bicycle Day, which is recognized by the United Nations to highlight the bicycle as a simple, affordable, and sustainable form of transport.

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4

5

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greenhouse gas n

Any gas (such as carbon dioxide, a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), or methane) that contributes to the greenhouse effect when released into the atmosphere by absorbing infrared radiation emitted by a planet's surface, thus increasing the surface temperature. 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. The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, Sweden, began on this day in 1972.

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6

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nuzzle v

(transitive) To push or thrust (the nose or snout, face or muzzle, or head, or an object) against or into something. To rub or touch (someone or something) with the nose, face, etc., or an object. Chiefly of an animal: to dig (something, especially food) out of the ground using the nose or snout; to root. (intransitive) Often followed by in or into: to press or push the nose or snout, mouth, face, etc., against or into someone or something; to touch someone or something with the nose or snout, etc. Chiefly of an animal: to push the nose or snout into the ground to dig for something, especially food; to root, to rootle. Followed by down: to settle or lie comfortably and snugly in a bed, nest, etc.; to nestle. Chiefly followed by up or with: to press affectionately against someone or something; to nestle, to snuggle. (figurative) To come into close contact with someone or something. (obsolete, rare) To feel or probe with the fingers. nuzzle n An act of nuzzling (all verb senses). [...]

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7

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eat someone's lunch v

(idiomatic, chiefly US, slang) To best or defeat someone thoroughly; to make short work of. 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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memory hole n

A figurative place to which information is deliberately sent to be forgotten, or to which forgotten or lost information ends up; nowhere, oblivion. (computing) A fragment of physical address space which does not map to main memory. (rare) Synonym of memory leak (“any of several faults in the memory allocation logic of a computer or program whereby parts of memory become hidden or unusable”) The English writer George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, from which the term originates, was published on this day 75 years ago in 1949.

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9

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plankter n

(biology) A single organism of plankton. Yesterday was World Oceans Day, a day recognized by the United Nations to highlight the importance of conserving and protecting the world’s oceans. The Oceans Institute of Canada, supported by the Government of Canada, held an event called Oceans Day at the Global Forum, a parallel event at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 8 June 1992.

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10

11

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frowsty adj (British, dialectal)

Of an atmosphere: not fresh; close, musty, stuffy; of an object: having a musty, stale odour. Of a person: dull, slow; also, unkempt, untidy.

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12

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15

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come to papa phrase

(idiomatic, originally US) Used to encourage someone or something to approach, or an event to occur. Tomorrow, the third Sunday of June in 2024, is celebrated in many countries as Father’s Day. The first commemoration took place on Sunday, June 19, 1910, during a church service in Spokane, Washington, U.S.A., at the encouragement of Sonora Smart Dodd who wished to honour her widowed father.

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16

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sacrifice n

(religion) Originally, the killing (and often burning) of a human being or an animal as an offering to a deity; later, also the offering of an object to a deity. A human being or an animal, or a physical object or immaterial thing (see sense 1.3), offered to a deity. (figurative) The offering of devotion, penitence, prayer, thanksgiving, etc., to a deity. (Christianity, specifically) Jesus Christ's voluntary offering of himself to God the Father to be crucified as atonement for the sins of humankind. (by extension) The rite of Holy Communion or the Mass, regarded as (Protestantism) an offering of thanksgiving to God for Christ's crucifixion, or (Roman Catholicism) a perpetual re-enactment of Christ's sacrificial offering. (figurative) The destruction or surrender of anything for the sake of something else regarded as more urgent or valuable; also, the thing destroyed or surrendered for this purpose. (baseball) Short for sacrifice bunt or sacrifice hit (“a play in which the batter intentionally hits the ball softly with a hands-spread batting stance at the cost of an out to advance one or more runners”) (bridge) In full sacrifice bid: a bid of a contract which is unlikely to be fulfilled, that a player makes in the hope that they will incur fewer penalty points than the points likely to be gained by opponents in making their contract. (business, slang, dated) A monetary loss incurred by selling something at less than its value; also, the thing thus sold. (chess) An act of intentionally allowing one's piece to be captured by the opponent in order to improve one's position in the game. [...] In many countries, today is the start of عِيد الْأَضْحَى (ʕīd al-ʔaḍḥā, “Eid al-Adha or Festival of the Sacrifice”), an Islamic festival which honours the willingness of the prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to Allah’s command.

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17

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fatwa n

(Islam) A formal legal decree, opinion, or ruling issued by a mufti or other Islamic judicial authority. (by extension, loosely, erroneous) A decree issued by a mufti or other Islamic judicial authority that a person should be put to death, usually as punishment for committing apostasy or blasphemy. (religion, by extension) A formal decree or ruling, or statement, issued by an authority of a religion other than Islam. (figurative, informal) An emphatic decree or opinion, especially one which condemns or criticizes. fatwa v (transitive, rare) To issue a fatwa (noun sense 1) against (someone); specifically (loosely, erroneous), a fatwa imposing a ban or a death sentence. The Fatwa of Peace for Humanity, authored by the Bangladeshi Islamic scholar Farid Uddin Masood and declaring that suicide attacks and violence in the name of Islam are prohibited, was issued on 18 June 2016.

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18

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savour n (British spelling)

(countable) An aroma or smell. (uncountable) The quality which the sense of taste detects; also (countable), a specific flavour or taste, especially one different from the predominant one. (countable, chiefly in the negative) An appealing or appetizing flavour, especially one which is savoury or strong. (figurative) (countable) A distinctive sensation like a flavour or taste, or an aroma or smell. (countable) A particular quality, especially a small amount of it; a hint or trace of something. (countable, chiefly in the negative) A quality which is appealing or enjoyable; merit, value. (countable, archaic) A reputation. (uncountable) Enjoyment or taste for something; appreciation; pleasure; relish; (countable) an instance of this. (uncountable, obsolete) Knowledge; understanding. [...] 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

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shackle v

(transitive) To place (a person or animal) in shackles (noun sense 1); to immobilize or restrain using shackles. To connect or couple (something) to another thing using a shackle (noun sense 1.1.1, sense 1.1.2, etc.). To provide (something) with a shackle. (figurative) To inhibit or restrain the ability, action, activity, or progress of (someone or something); to render (someone or something) incapable or ineffectual. (chemistry, obsolete) To combine (a substance) with another substance. (intransitive, reflexive) Of two things: to connect or couple together. [...] Today is Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. On this day in 1865, Union Army General Gordon Granger read out General Order No. 3 in Galveston, Texas, stating that all previously enslaved people in Texas were now free.

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20

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take French leave v (idiomatic, intransitive, informal, dated)

To leave quietly and unnoticed, without asking for permission or informing anyone; to slip out. (specifically, chiefly military, euphemistic) To desert or be temporarily absent from duty or service without permission; to go absent without leave (AWOL). Time for a summer holiday! The summer solstice falls on this day in the Northern Hemisphere, according to the UTC.

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21

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face the music v

(idiomatic) To accept or confront the unpleasant consequences of one's actions. The Fête de la Musique (also known as World Music Day), which originated in France in 1982 and is now celebrated around the world, takes place today.

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22

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heft n

(uncountable) The feel of the weight of something; heaviness. (dated except UK, dialectal and US) The force exerted by an object due to gravitation; weight. (figurative) Graveness, seriousness; gravity. (figurative) Importance, influence; weight. (US, informal, dated) The greater part of something; the bulk, the mass. (countable) (UK, dialectal) An act of lifting; a lift. (obsolete) An act of heaving (lifting with difficulty); an instance of violent exertion or straining. [...]

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23

24

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cochineal n

(countable) A scale insect of the species Dactylopius coccus, native to the tropical and subtropical Americas, which lives on prickly pear cacti (genus Opuntia). (uncountable) A vivid red dye made from the dried bodies of cochineal insects. (uncountable) The vivid red colour of this dye. cochineal:   cochineal adj Possessing a vivid red colour, as or as if produced from dyeing with cochineal dye (noun sense 2). Today is the start of Insect Week in the United Kingdom, which is organized annually by the Royal Entomological Society to highlight the importance of insects.

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25

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plain sailing n

(nautical) The navigation of waters free from hazards or unfavourable winds. Obsolete spelling of plane sailing (“a technique for navigation using the assumption that the journey occurs over a plane or flat surface rather than the actual curved surface of the Earth, which is sufficiently accurate over short distances”). (figurative) Something that is easy, simple, or straightforward; something that offers no difficulties or trouble. Today is the Day of the Seafarer, which is observed by the International Maritime Organization and the United Nations to acknowledge the contributions made by seafarers to international seaborne trade, the world economy, and civil society. Parties to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers made major amendments to the convention and established the observance on this day in 2010.

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26

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distance v

(transitive) Often followed by from: to set (someone or something) at a distance (noun sense 1.1) from someone or something else. To cause (a place, a thing, etc.) to seem distant, or (figurative) unfamiliar. To leave behind (someone or something moving in the same direction; specifically, other competitors in a race) some distance away; to outpace, to outstrip. (figurative) To keep (someone) emotionally or socially apart from another person or people. To exceed or surpass (someone, such as a peer or rival); to outdo, to outstrip. (reflexive) To keep (oneself) away from someone or something, especially because one does not want to be associated with that person or thing. (chiefly US, horse racing, archaic) Of a racehorse: to beat (another horse) by a certain distance; also (passive voice), to cause (a horse) to be disqualified by beating it by a certain distance. (obsolete) To cover the entire distance to (something). To depart from (a place); to leave (a place) behind. To indicate or measure the distance to (a place). To set (two or more things) at regular distances from each other; to space, to space out. (intransitive, reflexive) Often followed by from. To set oneself at a distance from someone or something else; to move away from someone or something. (figurative) To keep oneself emotionally or socially apart from another person or people; to keep one's distance. [...]

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27

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prior n

(Christianity) A high-ranking member of a religious house or religious order. In an abbey, the person ranking just after the abbot, appointed as his deputy; a prior claustral. The head of a priory (“a monastery which is usually a branch of an abbey”), or some other minor or smaller monastery; a prior conventual. The head friar of a house of friars. The head of the Arrouaisian, Augustinian, and formerly Premonstratensian religious orders. An honorary position held by a priest in some cathedrals. (historical) A chief magistrate of the Republic of Florence (1115–1569) in what is now Italy. The elected head of a guild of craftsmen or merchants in some countries in Europe and South America. (obsolete) A person who is the earliest or most prominent in a field; the chief. (business) The head of a company. [...]

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28

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bisexual lighting n

(LGBTQ, often art, film, television) The simultaneous use of pink, purple, and blue lighting, often to indicate bisexuality. On this day 55 years ago in 1969, members of the LGBT community refused to cooperate or go with police who raided the Stonewall Inn in New York City, beginning spontaneous, violent demonstrations now known as the Stonewall riots, a key moment in the fight for LGBT rights in the US.

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29

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sengi n

An elephant shrew (family Macroscelididae). [...] (historical) A former (1967–1993) monetary unit of Zaire, one hundredth of a likuta, and one ten-thousandth of a zaire; it was issued only in ten sengi coins. 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. The first State of the Tropics Report by twelve tropical research institutions was launched on this day ten years ago in 2014.

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30

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prodigious adj

Extraordinarily amazing. In a positive sense: marvellous, wonderful; (specifically) extremely talented, especially at a young age. In a negative sense: appalling, horrifying, shocking; (specifically, archaic) abnormal, freakish, monstrous, unnatural. Very big in extent, quantity, or size; abundant; intense; colossal, huge. (archaic or obsolete) Having the nature of an omen or portent; ominous, portentous. prodigious adv (archaic) Synonym of prodigiously (“in a prodigious manner”)

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