Word of the Day
Definition: (verb) Indicate by signs. Synonyms: augur, auspicate, bode, foreshadow, omen, presage, prognosticate, predict, prefigure, betoken, forecast, foretell. Usage: Comets, in Western tradition, always portend doom and gloom. Discuss
Definition: (noun) Someone who collects things that have been discarded by others. Synonyms: pack rat, magpie. Usage: A devoted scavenger, Harold refused to buy a new sofa, opting instead to search for one that had been abandoned by its previous owner at the curb. Discuss
Definition: (noun) The act or practice of enhancing or exaggerating one's own importance, power, or reputation. Synonyms: ego trip. Usage: The speaker encouraged bursts of applause from the crowd, which many suspected was merely a form of self-aggrandizement. Discuss
Definition: (noun) Mesh netting made of wires. Synonyms: grillwork. Usage: His white mice live in a little pagoda of gaily-painted wirework, designed and made by himself. Discuss
Definition: (noun) The state that exists when one person or group has power over another. Synonyms: dominance, control. Usage: Thanks to widespread governmental corruption and instability, the extremists are gaining ascendancy in the region. Discuss
Definition: (noun) A product made during the manufacture of something else. Synonyms: spin-off. Usage: Whey is a byproduct of the cheese production process. Discuss
Definition: (noun) The humanistic study of language and literature. Synonyms: linguistics. Usage: Another master had come, with a degree of doctor of philology from the University of Heidelberg…to teach French to the upper forms and German to anyone who cared to take it up. Discuss
Definition: (noun) A small plastic magnetic disk enclosed in a stiff envelope with a radial slit; used to store data or programs for a microcomputer. Synonyms: floppy. Usage: Due to their relatively slow speed and small capacity, diskettes have largely been replaced by data storage devices like CDs and USB flash drives. Discuss
Definition: (noun) The most outstanding work of a creative artist or craftsman. Synonyms: masterpiece. Usage: The <i>Mona Lisa</i> is considered by many to be the chef-d'oeuvre of Italian painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, and scientist Leonardo da Vinci. Discuss
Definition: (adjective) Not based on reason or evidence. Synonyms: blind. Usage: After the funeral, when he saw her preparing to go away, he was seized with an unreasoning dread of being left alone on the farm; and before he knew what he was doing he had asked her to stay there with him. Discuss