Word of the Day
Definition: (noun) A small molded or sculptured figure; a statuette. Synonyms: statuette. Usage: She had all the delicate grace of that Tanagra figurine that you have in your studio, Basil. Discuss
Definition: (noun) A cabinet containing an automatic record player; records are played by inserting a coin. Synonyms: jukebox. Usage: When they arrived at the dance hall, the professional musicians were dismayed by the presence of the popular nickelodeon. Discuss
Definition: (noun) An indication of something important or calamitous about to occur. Synonyms: omen, prognostication, presage, prodigy. Usage: The soldier looked to the sky for a portent and was gripped with fear when he read his future in the clouds. Discuss
Definition: (noun) A fishing boat that uses a trawl net or dragnet to catch fish. Synonyms: dragger. Usage: The fisherman boarded the trawler at four in the morning. Discuss
Definition: (noun) A primitive wind instrument consisting of several parallel pipes bound together. Synonyms: syrinx, pandean pipe. Usage: When his parents refused to buy him an instrument, the industrious ten-year-old fashioned himself a makeshift panpipe out of string and some pieces of dried bamboo he found in the garage. Discuss
Definition: (noun) A chemical agent capable of reducing the surface tension of a liquid in which it is dissolved. Synonyms: wetting agent, surface-active agent, wetter. Usage: She ordered a new pair of glasses and had the lenses coated with a surfactant that would act as an anti-fogging agent. Discuss
Definition: (noun) A trite or banal remark or statement, especially one expressed as if it were original or significant. Synonyms: banality, cliche, commonplace, bromide. Usage: A trite platitude about his not caring to lose her was on his lips, but he refrained from uttering it. Discuss
Definition: (noun) A ritual recitation of words or sounds believed to have a magical effect. Synonyms: conjuration. Usage: Hagar, the witch, chanted an awful incantation over her kettleful of simmering toads, with weird effect. Discuss
Definition: (noun) A flat triangular bone located at the front of the knee joint. Synonyms: kneecap, kneepan. Usage: Having learned his lesson, the rollerblader wore kneepads to protect his patellae from further injury.
Definition: (noun) A bell tower, especially one near but not attached to a church or other public building. Synonyms: belfry. Usage: The architect intended the Tower of Pisa to stand straight and tall, but the marble campanile's foundation was poorly laid, and it soon began to lean.