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Definitions

Words: Definitions

See also Meanings and Adjectives.

Q: Which word (means / describes / is used for) (a / an / the) A:
Word that is to summer, as hibernation is to winter Click to show or hide the answer
Cover to protect the back of a chair – literally from hair oil Click to show or hide the answer
Botanic garden specifically dedicated to the cultivation of trees Click to show or hide the answer
One who avoids referring to himself (or herself) Click to show or hide the answer
Cap worn by a Roman Catholic priest – black, red or purple depending on seniority Click to show or hide the answer
Throwing weapon, used in pre–Columbian South America and also by gauchos (of European descent): made of weights on the ends of interconnected cords, used to capture animals by entangling their legs (Spanish word) Click to show or hide the answer
A type of antelope and a type of drum Click to show or hide the answer
A drug made from part of a plant, as from roots, leaves, bark, or berries; or a similar substance used in the production of gin Click to show or hide the answer
Physical strength, or a jellied loaf made from a pig's head Click to show or hide the answer
A discordant and meaningless mixture of sounds – in music, literature or speech (from the Greek meaning 'bad sound') Click for more information Click to show or hide the answer
The art of fine (decorative) handwriting; comes from the Greek words for 'beauty' and 'writing' Click to show or hide the answer
Northern politicians or businessmen going South to exploit conditions after the American Civil War Click to show or hide the answer
(Area surrounding a) castle or fortified area in a North African town Click to show or hide the answer
Teach or examine by means of questions and answers Click to show or hide the answer
Machine designed to separate two substances of differing densities, by rapid rotation Click to show or hide the answer
The small disk or square of paper or card, formed by a hole punch – also a lake and a country in Africa! Click to show or hide the answer
Branch of a printing or journalists' trade union Click to show or hide the answer
Someone who accompanies and looks after another person (particularly an older woman with a younger one, or an adult with children) Click to show or hide the answer
Device that measures time by the rate of flow of liquid through an aperture Click for more information Click to show or hide the answer
English word for a master of ceremonies; also the French word for a godfather Click to show or hide the answer
A private or secret meeting – especially that of the cardinals who meet to elect a new Pope (and the place where they do so) Click to show or hide the answer
Joint sovereignty of two or more countries over another Click to show or hide the answer
Term used in geography for a build–up of hard snow on the leeward side of a mountain or ridge, often overhanging cliffs and other steep slopes below, and in architecture for a projecting moulding around the top of a building, or a plaster moulding around a ceiling Click to show or hide the answer
Pursuit of game by sight rather than scent Click to show or hide the answer
An assembly of witches Click to show or hide the answer
Bishop's staff Click to show or hide the answer
A substance that attracts water and is used to dry something out or keep it dry Click to show or hide the answer
Originally an honorary title applied to a Byzantine emperor or his heir apparent; used nowadays (and in more recent history) to refer to a tyrant or oppressor Click to show or hide the answer
Jews who don't live in Israel (collectively) Click to show or hide the answer
A piece of turf, dislodged (typically) by a golf club or a horse's hoof Click to show or hide the answer
Female line of descent – after a tool used in spinning (click here for the male equivalent) Click to show or hide the answer
Wheeled platform on which a film crew is moved Click to show or hide the answer
A moderately large house on an estate, available for use by the widow of the estate–owner (as in Downton Abbey) Click to show or hide the answer
The movement for co–operation and unity between (Christian) churches Click to show or hide the answer
(the technique of) shaping the mouth in order to play a wind instrument Click to show or hide the answer
Territory of one country, entirely surrounded by that of another Click to show or hide the answer
Letter sent by the Pope to all his bishops Click to show or hide the answer
Word used to describe a novel written in the form of a series of letters Click to show or hide the answer
Used to mean to loathe, detest or abhor, but literally means to curse Click to show or hide the answer
Female executor Click to show or hide the answer
Obstructing legislation by long speeches and other delaying tactics Click to show or hide the answer
To strip blubber from a whale Click to show or hide the answer
The indentation in a brick (possibly after a similar indentation in a horse's hoof); also a type of fastening, which uses a button and a loop of fabric Click to show or hide the answer
Short–napped cloth with a twill weave – e.g. corduroy Click to show or hide the answer
To irritate or annoy – originally a sore on the skin caused by chafing Click to show or hide the answer
Small ceremonial mallet used by an auctioneer, or (in the USA) a judge Click to show or hide the answer
Geographical dictionary (a dictionary of place names) Click to show or hide the answer
A type of penguin, and also a Hindu as distinct from a Muslim Click to show or hide the answer
Rearranging constituency boundaries to suit the party in power Click to show or hide the answer
(In Scotland) a servant who acts as a guide for hunting and/or fishing Click to show or hide the answer
Land used to support a parish priest – a.k.a. church furlong, rectory manor or parson's close Click to show or hide the answer
The upright pin on a sundial, which casts the shadow Click to show or hide the answer
A structure (of wood, concrete or stone) built into the sea from a shore, to interrupt water flow and limit the movement of sediment Click to show or hide the answer
The cabin beneath an airship Click to show or hide the answer
Literature about the lives of saints Click to show or hide the answer
Political dominance by one member of a supposedly equal group (derived from the Greek word for a leader) Click to show or hide the answer
Term generally used in England for German wine, or the lower, less succulent end of a joint of ham; also used colloquially to refer to pawning goods Click to show or hide the answer
Three–dimensional image created by lasers Click to show or hide the answer
An excess of ambition, pride etc., which leads ultimately to the transgressor's ruin (word originating in Greek tragedy) Click to show or hide the answer
Place for keeping things (typically cigars) moist Click to show or hide the answer
An event where one or more political candidates speak or debate – from the name for a governing assembly in early Germanic society; known in the USA as a 'stump' Click for more information Click to show or hide the answer
Book published before the year 1500 Click to show or hide the answer
In falconry, the name given to the short leather strap used to tether the bird to a leash Click to show or hide the answer
Someone who is versed in the law, as a judge, lawyer or scholar Click to show or hide the answer
A collective agriculture–based community, in Israel Click to show or hide the answer
A surgical instrument, or a type of arch or window Click to show or hide the answer
The side (of a ship, island, etc.) sheltered from the wind Click to show or hide the answer
A harmless drudge (according to Dr. Johnson) Click to show or hide the answer
A syrupy medicinal formulation taken to relieve coughs and sore throats (from the past participle of the Latin verb meaning to lick) Click to show or hide the answer
House inhabited by a non–conformist minister, especially in Scotland Click to show or hide the answer
A word or phrase chanted repeatedly during meditation Click to show or hide the answer
In poetry, the regular linguistic sound patterns of a verse; the regular underlying temporal grid of music; or the syllable patterns in hymn stanzas; also a unit of measurement Click to show or hide the answer
Dislike of men, as misogyny is a dislike of women Click to show or hide the answer
A ledge fitted to the underside of a tip–seat (particularly in a church), allowing the user to rest on it when standing for long periods; also known as a mercy seat Click to show or hide the answer
A device to aid memory, such as "Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain" for the colours of the rainbow Click to show or hide the answer
Can be a type of footwear or a type of snake Click to show or hide the answer
Resin, mentioned in the Nativity: name derived from the Latin word for 'bitter' Click to show or hide the answer
Tendency to fall asleep at random times, especially in the daytime Click to show or hide the answer
Originally meant foolish; from a French word meaning simple or silly, which in turn comes from a Latin word meaning ignorant Click to show or hide the answer
Informal alternative name for a gill (particularly in southern England), in reference to alcoholic drinks; alternatively two gills (particularly in northern England) Click to show or hide the answer
Kiln for drying hops Click to show or hide the answer
Form of censure originating in ancient Greece, when victims would be nominated by members of the public on pieces of broken pottery Click to show or hide the answer
Ancient manuscript with writing effaced to allow new writing Click to show or hide the answer
Bag, box or basket fitted to either side of a beast of burden, or the rear wheel of a bicycle Click to show or hide the answer
A towed underwater device used in minesweeping and anti-submarine warfare, in sport, or commercial fishing; also the code name of the British air raid of World War II that inflicted heavy damage on the German battleship Tirpitz Click to show or hide the answer
Burlesque imitation of another work (in art) Click to show or hide the answer
Artistic work made up of bits of various other works or in imitation of the style of another Click to show or hide the answer
Book, list or collection of drugs (book defines uses, preparation etc.) Click to show or hide the answer
A printer's measurement, or an abnormal craving to eat unusual things Click to show or hide the answer
Scissors with saw–toothed blades, for cutting zigzag edges – used to cut cloth, to reduce fraying Click to show or hide the answer
Distance between threads on a screw Click to show or hide the answer
Periodic mob attacks on Jews in Russia, from 1881 Click to show or hide the answer
Came into popular usage in the 1960s; derived from the Greek words for 'soul' and 'visible' Click to show or hide the answer
Shade of red, defined as purplish–brown or reddish–brown; name is French for a flea Click to show or hide the answer
The dimple in the bottom of a wine bottle Click to show or hide the answer
Arrangement of five things, four in a square and one in the middle (as on a die) Click to show or hide the answer
A small fireproof dish, traditionally circular with a fluted exterior: given the French name of a dish, based on cheese or meat, that was cooked in it Click to show or hide the answer
The right hand page of a book Click to show or hide the answer
Map using three–dimensional shapes or colours to indicate height Click to show or hide the answer
Nonsense word coined by Edward Lear for a type of spoon – since applied to a pickle fork with three broad prongs and a cutting edge, shaped like a spoon Click to show or hide the answer
Can mean a dark brown colour with a reddish–orange tinge, or a type of apple or potato Click to show or hide the answer
Furry grip on a bell rope Click to show or hide the answer
Can be a type of sailing vessel or a type of drinking glass Click to show or hide the answer
A board used to level and/or smooth the surface of concrete or sand (e.g. in long jump events) Click to show or hide the answer
Seats (usually three) on the South side of a chancel, for use of clergy Click to show or hide the answer
The ability to make remarkable discoveries by accident Click to show or hide the answer
The shell of an oyster or clam; to remove such a creature from its shell; also (plural noun) a mild (euphemistic) expression of frustration or exasperation Click to show or hide the answer
A flock of geese in flight Click to show or hide the answer
Female equivalent of a fraternity Click to show or hide the answer
Illegal drinking club during prohibition Click to show or hide the answer
Male line of descent (click here for the female equivalent) Click to show or hide the answer
Clergyman's salary Click to show or hide the answer
Hand–operated water pump used in fighting fires Click to show or hide the answer
Leather strap or abrasive strip for sharpening razors Click to show or hide the answer
Lightweight two–wheeled cart, used in harness racing Click to show or hide the answer
Case where drink decanters are visible but locked up so that they can't be removed (by servants, etc.) – named after a character in Greek mythology Click to show or hide the answer
Uncut loops in pile of towelling or similar fabric Click to show or hide the answer
Violent followers of the Hindu goddess Kali Click to show or hide the answer
Solution of a drug in alcohol Click to show or hide the answer
A single prong of a fork Click to show or hide the answer
Bell rung in times of danger Click to show or hide the answer
A name derived from a place name (or just a place name) Click to show or hide the answer
A rigid metal neck ring, found in various European Iron Age cultures Click for more information Click to show or hide the answer
A low bed on wheels, kept under a main bed; or a barrel–shaped cheese Click to show or hide the answer
Hi–fi loudspeaker for reproducing high–frequency sound (click here for the low–frequency equivalent) Click to show or hide the answer
Corruption of a Japanese word for a military leader Click to show or hide the answer
Early name for a bicycle – derived from the Latin words for 'speed' and 'foot' Click to show or hide the answer
The left hand page of a book Click to show or hide the answer
Adam's ale or Adam's wine Click to show or hide the answer
A building material, a flap of skin on a bird or an animal, or a tree of the acacia family Click to show or hide the answer
Hi–fi loudspeaker for reproducing low–frequency sound (click here for the high–frequency equivalent) Click to show or hide the answer
Pyramidal temple tower in Babylon or Sumer Click to show or hide the answer

© Haydn Thompson 2017–23