botany |
1. n. The scientific study of plants, a branch of biology. Typically those disciplines that involve the whole plant. | |
2. n. The plant life of a geographical area. | |
the botany of Greenland | |
3. n. The properties and life phenomena exhibited by a plant, plant type, or plant group. | |
4. n. A botanical treatise or study, especially of a particular system of botany or that of a particular place. | |
a |
1. art. One; any indefinite example of; used to denote a singular item of a group. | |
There was a man here looking for you yesterday. | |
2. art. Used in conjunction with the adjectives score, dozen, hundred, thousand, and million, as a function word. | |
I've seen it happen a hundred times. | |
3. art. One certain or particular; any single.Brown, Lesley, (2003) | |
We've received an interesting letter from a Mrs. Miggins of London. | |
4. art. The same; one. | |
We are of a mind on matters of morals. | |
5. art. Any, every; used before a noun which has become modified to limit its scope; also used with a negative to indicate not a single one.Lindberg, Christine A. (2007) | |
A man who dies intestate leaves his children troubles and difficulties. | |
He fell all that way, and hasn't a bump on his head? | |
6. art. Used before plural nouns modified by few, good many, couple, great many, etc. | |
7. art. Someone or something like; similar to; Used before a proper noun to create an example out of it. | |
The center of the village was becoming a Times Square. | |
8. prep. (archaic) To do with position or direction; In, on, at, by, towards, onto. | |
Stand a tiptoe. | |
9. prep. To do with separation; In, into. | |
Torn a pieces. | |
10. prep. To do with time; Each, per, in, on, by. | |
I brush my teeth twice a day. | |
11. prep. (obsolete) To do with method; In, with. | |
12. prep. (obsolete) To do with role or capacity; In. | |
A God’s name. | |
13. prep. To do with status; In. | |
King James Bible (II Chronicles 2:18) | |
To set the people a worke. | |
14. prep. (archaic) To do with process, with a passive verb; In the course of, experiencing. | |
1964, Bob Dylan, The Times They Are a-Changin’ | |
The times, they are a-changin'. | |
15. prep. (archaic) To do with an action, an active verb; Engaged in. | |
1611, King James Bible, Hebrews 11-21 | |
Jacob, when he was a dying | |
16. prep. (archaic) To do with an action/movement; To, into. | |
17. v. (archaic, or slang) Have. | |
I'd a come, if you'd a asked. | |
18. pron. (obsolete, outside, England, and Scotland dialects) He. | |
19. interj. A meaningless syllable; ah. | |
20. prep. (archaic, slang) Of. | |
The name of John a Gaunt. | |
21. adv. (chiefly Scotland) All. | |
22. adj. (chiefly Scotland) All. | |
sharp |
1. adj. Able to cut easily. | |
I keep my knives sharp so that they don't slip unexpectedly while carving. | |
2. adj. (colloquial) Intelligent. | |
My nephew is a sharp lad; he can count to 100 in six languages, and he's only five years old. | |
3. adj. Terminating in a point or edge; not obtuse or rounded. | |
Ernest made the pencil too sharp and accidentally stabbed himself with it. | |
a sharp hill; a face with sharp features | |
4. adj. (music) Higher than usual by one semitone (denoted by the symbol ♯ after the name of the note). | |
5. adj. (music) Higher in pitch than required. | |
The orchestra's third violin several times was sharp about an eighth of a tone. | |
6. adj. Having an intense, acrid flavour. | |
Milly couldn't stand sharp cheeses when she was pregnant, because they made her nauseated. | |
7. adj. Sudden and intense. | |
A pregnant woman during labor normally experiences a number of sharp contractions. | |
8. adj. (colloquial) Illegal or dishonest. | |
Michael had a number of sharp ventures that he kept off the books. | |
9. adj. (colloquial) Keenly or unduly attentive to one's own interests; shrewd. | |
a sharp dealer; a sharp customer | |
10. adj. Exact, precise, accurate; keen. | |
You'll need sharp aim to make that shot. | |
11. adj. Offensive, critical, or acrimonious. | |
sharp criticism; When the two rivals met, first there were sharp words, and then a fight broke out. | |
12. adj. (colloquial) Stylish or attractive. | |
You look so sharp in that tuxedo! | |
13. adj. Observant; alert; acute. | |
Keep a sharp watch on the prisoners. I don't want them to escape! | |
14. adj. Forming a small angle; especially, forming an angle of less than ninety degrees. | |
Drive down Main for three quarters of a mile, then make a sharp right turn onto Pine. | |
15. adj. Steep; precipitous; abrupt. | |
a sharp ascent or descent; a sharp turn or curve | |
16. adj. (mathematics, of a statement) Said of as extreme a value as possible. | |
Sure, any planar graph can be five-colored. But that result is not sharp: in fact, any planar graph can be four-colored. That is sharp: the same can't be said for any lower number. | |
17. adj. (chess) Tactical; risky. | |
18. adj. Piercing; keen; severe; painful. | |
a sharp pain; the sharp and frosty winter air | |
19. adj. Eager or keen in pursuit; impatient for gratification. | |
a sharp appetite | |
20. adj. (obsolete) Fierce; ardent; fiery; violent; impetuous. | |
21. adj. Composed of hard, angular grains; gritty. | |
22. adj. (phonetics, dated) Uttered in a whisper, or with the breath alone; aspirated; unvoiced. | |
23. adv. To a point or edge; piercingly; eagerly; sharply. | |
24. adv. (notcomp) Exactly. | |
I'll see you at twelve o'clock sharp. | |
25. adv. (music) In a higher pitch than is correct or desirable. | |
I didn't enjoy the concert much because the tenor kept going sharp on the high notes. | |
26. n. (music) The symbol ♯, placed after the name of a note in the key signature or before a note on the staff to indicate that the note is to be played a semitone higher. | |
The pitch pipe sounded out a perfect F♯ (F sharp). | |
Transposition frequently is harder to read because of all the sharps and flats on the staff. | |
27. n. (music) A note that is played a semitone higher than usual; denoted by the name of the note that is followed by the symbol ♯. | |
28. n. (music) A note that is sharp in a particular key. | |
The piece was difficult to read after it had been transposed, since in the new key many notes were sharps. | |
29. n. (music) The scale having a particular sharp note as its tonic. | |
Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" is written in C♯ minor (C sharp minor.) | |
30. n. (usually in the plural) Something that is sharp. | |
Place sharps in the specially marked red container for safe disposal. | |
31. n. A sharp tool or weapon. | |
32. n. (medicine) A hypodermic syringe. | |
33. n. (medicine, dated) A scalpel or other edged instrument used in surgery. | |
34. n. A dishonest person; a cheater. | |
The casino kept in the break room a set of pictures of known sharps for the bouncers to see. | |
This usage is often classified as variant spelling of shark, and unrelated to the 'pointed' or 'cutting' meanings of sharp. | |
35. n. Part of a stream where the water runs very rapidly. | |
36. n. A sewing needle with a very slender point, more pointed than a blunt or a between. | |
37. n. (in the plural) Fine particles of husk mixed with coarse particle of flour of cereals; middlings. | |
38. n. (slang) An expert. | |
39. n. A sharpie (member of Australian gangs of the 1960s and 1970s). | |
40. v. (music) To raise the pitch of a note half a step making a natural note a sharp. | |
That new musician must be tone deaf: he sharped half the notes of the song! | |
41. v. To play tricks in bargaining; to act the sharper. | |
tapering |
1. v. present participle of taper | |
2. n. A tapered shape. | |
taper |
1. n. A slender wax candle; a small lighted wax candle | |
2. n. (by extension) a small light. | |
3. n. A tapering form; gradual diminution of thickness and/or cross section in an elongated object | |
the taper of a spire | |
The legs of the table had a slight taper to them. | |
4. n. A thin stick used for lighting candles, either a wax-coated wick or a slow-burning wooden rod. | |
5. v. To make thinner or narrower at one end. | |
6. v. (intransitive) To diminish gradually. | |
7. adj. Tapered; narrowing to a point. | |
8. n. (weaving) One who operates a tape machine. | |
9. n. Someone who works with tape or tapes. | |
point |
1. n. A discrete division of something. | |
2. n. An individual element in a larger whole; a particular detail, thought, or quality. | |
The Congress debated the finer points of the bill. | |
3. n. A particular moment in an event or occurrence; a juncture. | |
There comes a point in a marathon when some people give up. | |
At this point in the meeting, I'd like to propose a new item for the agenda. | |
4. n. (archaic) Condition, state. | |
She was not feeling in good point. | |
5. n. A topic of discussion or debate; a proposition. | |
I made the point that we all had an interest to protect. | |
6. n. A focus of conversation or consideration; the main idea. | |
The point is that we should stay together, whatever happens. | |
7. n. A purpose or objective, which makes something meaningful. | |
Since the decision has already been made, I see little point in further discussion. | |
8. n. (obsolete) The smallest quantity of something; a jot, a whit. | |
9. n. (obsolete) A tiny amount of time; a moment. | |
10. n. A specific location or place, seen as a spatial position. | |
We should meet at a pre-arranged point. | |
11. n. (mathematics, science) A zero-dimensional mathematical object representing a location in one or more dimensions; something considered to have position | |
12. n. A full stop or other terminal punctuation mark. | |
13. n. (music) A dot or mark used to designate certain tones or time. In ancient music, it distinguished or characterized certain tones or styles (points of p | |
14. n. (by extension) A note; a tune. | |
15. n. A distinguishing quality or characteristic. | |
Logic isn't my strong point. | |
16. n. Something tiny, as a pinprick; a very small mark. | |
The stars showed as tiny points of yellow light. | |
17. n. (now only in phrases) A tenth; formerly also a twelfth. | |
Possession is nine points of the law. | |
18. n. Each of the marks or strokes written above letters, especially in Semitic languages, to indicate vowels, stress etc. | |
19. n. (sports) A unit of scoring in a game or competition. | |
The one with the most points will win the game | |
20. n. (mathematics) A decimal point (now especially when reading decimal fractions aloud). | |
10.5 ("ten point five"; = ten and a half) | |
21. n. (economics) A unit used to express differences in prices of stocks and shares. | |
22. n. (typography) a unit of measure equal to 1/12 of a pica, or approximately 1/72 of an inch (exactly 1/72 of an inch in the digital era). | |
23. n. (UK) An electric power socket. | |
24. n. (navigation, nautical) A unit of bearing equal to one thirty-second of a circle, i.e. 11.25°. | |
Ship ahoy, three points off the starboard bow! | |
25. n. (UK) A unit of measure for rain, equal to 0.254 mm or 0.01 of an inch. | |
26. n. A sharp extremity. | |
27. n. The sharp tip of an object. | |
Cut the skin with the point of the knife. | |
28. n. Any projecting extremity of an object. | |
29. n. An object which has a sharp or tapering tip. | |
His cowboy belt was studded with points. | |
30. n. (backgammon) Each of the twelve triangular positions in either table of a backgammon board, on which the stones are played. | |
31. n. A peninsula or promontory. | |
32. n. The position at the front or vanguard of an advancing force. | |
33. n. Each of the main directions on a compass, usually considered to be 32 in number; a direction. | |
34. n. (nautical) The difference between two points of the compass. | |
to fall off a point | |
35. n. Pointedness of speech or writing; a penetrating or decisive quality of expression. | |
36. n. (railroads, UK, in the plural) A railroad switch. | |
37. n. (usually in the plural) An area of contrasting colour on an animal, especially a dog; a marking. | |
The point color of that cat was a deep, rich sable. | |
38. n. A tine or snag of an antler. | |
39. n. (fencing) A movement executed with the sabre or foil. | |
tierce point | |
40. n. (heraldry) One of the several different parts of the escutcheon. | |
41. n. (nautical) A short piece of cordage used in reefing sails. | |
42. n. (historical) A string or lace used to tie together certain garments. | |
43. n. Lace worked by the needle. | |
point de Venise; Brussels point | |
44. n. (US, slang) An item of private information; a hint; a tip; a pointer. | |
45. n. The attitude assumed by a pointer dog when he finds game. | |
The dog came to a point. | |
46. n. (falconry) The perpendicular rising of a hawk over the place where its prey has gone into cover. | |
47. n. The act of pointing, as of the foot downward in certain dance positions. | |
48. n. The gesture of extending the index finger in a direction in order to indicate something. | |
49. n. (medicine, obsolete) A vaccine point. | |
50. n. In various sports, a position of a certain player, or, by extension, the player occupying that position. | |
51. n. (cricket) A fielding position square of the wicket on the off side, between gully and cover. | |
52. n. (lacrosse, ice hockey) The position of the player of each side who stands a short distance in front of the goalkeeper. | |
53. n. (baseball) The position of the pitcher and catcher. | |
54. n. (hunting) A spot to which a straight run is made; hence, a straight run from point to point; a cross-country run. | |
55. v. (intransitive) To extend the index finger in the direction of something in order to show where it is or to draw attention to it. | |
It's rude to point at other people. | |
56. v. (intransitive) To draw attention to something or indicate a direction. | |
The arrow of a compass points north | |
The skis were pointing uphill. | |
The arrow on the map points towards the entrance | |
57. v. (intransitive) To face in a particular direction. | |
58. v. To direct toward an object; to aim. | |
to point a gun at a wolf, or a cannon at a fort | |
59. v. To give a point to; to sharpen; to cut, forge, grind, or file to an acute end. | |
to point a dart, a pencil, or (figuratively) a moral | |
60. v. (intransitive) To indicate a probability of something. | |
61. v. (ambitransitive, masonry) To repair mortar. | |
62. v. (transitive, masonry) To fill up and finish the joints of (a wall), by introducing additional cement or mortar, and bringing it to a smooth surface. | |
63. v. (stone-cutting) To cut, as a surface, with a pointed tool. | |
64. v. To direct or encourage (someone) in a particular direction. | |
If he asks for food, point him toward the refrigerator. | |
65. v. (transitive, mathematics) To separate an integer from a decimal with a decimal point. | |
66. v. To mark with diacritics. | |
67. v. (dated) To supply with punctuation marks; to punctuate. | |
to point a composition | |
68. v. (transitive, computing) To direct the central processing unit to seek information at a certain location in memory. | |
69. v. (transitive, Internet) To direct requests sent to a domain name to the IP address corresponding to that domain name. | |
70. v. (intransitive, nautical) To sail close to the wind. | |
Bear off a little, we're pointing. | |
extending |
1. v. present participle of extend | |
extend |
1. v. (intransitive) To increase in extent. | |
2. v. (intransitive) To possess a certain extent. | |
3. v. To cause to increase in extent. | |
4. v. To cause to last for a longer period of time. | |
5. v. To straighten (a limb). | |
6. v. To bestow; to offer; to impart; to apply. | |
to extend sympathy to the suffering | |
7. v. To increase in quantity by weakening or adulterating additions. | |
8. v. (legal) To value, as lands taken by a writ of extent in satisfaction of a debt; to assign by writ of extent. | |
9. v. (object-oriented programming) Of a class: to be an extension or subtype of, or to be based on, a prototype or a more abstract class. | |
The classes Person and Dog extend the class Animal. | |
from |
1. prep. With the source or provenance of or at. | |
This wine comes from France. | |
I got a letter from my brother. | |
2. prep. With the origin, starting point or initial reference of or at. | |
He had books piled from floor to ceiling. | |
He left yesterday from Chicago. | |
Face away from the wall! | |
3. prep. (mathematics, now uncommon) Denoting a subtraction operation. | |
20 from 31 leaves 11. | |
4. prep. With the separation, exclusion or differentiation of. | |
An umbrella protects from the sun. | |
He knows right from wrong. | |
a |
1. art. One; any indefinite example of; used to denote a singular item of a group. | |
There was a man here looking for you yesterday. | |
2. art. Used in conjunction with the adjectives score, dozen, hundred, thousand, and million, as a function word. | |
I've seen it happen a hundred times. | |
3. art. One certain or particular; any single.Brown, Lesley, (2003) | |
We've received an interesting letter from a Mrs. Miggins of London. | |
4. art. The same; one. | |
We are of a mind on matters of morals. | |
5. art. Any, every; used before a noun which has become modified to limit its scope; also used with a negative to indicate not a single one.Lindberg, Christine A. (2007) | |
A man who dies intestate leaves his children troubles and difficulties. | |
He fell all that way, and hasn't a bump on his head? | |
6. art. Used before plural nouns modified by few, good many, couple, great many, etc. | |
7. art. Someone or something like; similar to; Used before a proper noun to create an example out of it. | |
The center of the village was becoming a Times Square. | |
8. prep. (archaic) To do with position or direction; In, on, at, by, towards, onto. | |
Stand a tiptoe. | |
9. prep. To do with separation; In, into. | |
Torn a pieces. | |
10. prep. To do with time; Each, per, in, on, by. | |
I brush my teeth twice a day. | |
11. prep. (obsolete) To do with method; In, with. | |
12. prep. (obsolete) To do with role or capacity; In. | |
A God’s name. | |
13. prep. To do with status; In. | |
King James Bible (II Chronicles 2:18) | |
To set the people a worke. | |
14. prep. (archaic) To do with process, with a passive verb; In the course of, experiencing. | |
1964, Bob Dylan, The Times They Are a-Changin’ | |
The times, they are a-changin'. | |
15. prep. (archaic) To do with an action, an active verb; Engaged in. | |
1611, King James Bible, Hebrews 11-21 | |
Jacob, when he was a dying | |
16. prep. (archaic) To do with an action/movement; To, into. | |
17. v. (archaic, or slang) Have. | |
I'd a come, if you'd a asked. | |
18. pron. (obsolete, outside, England, and Scotland dialects) He. | |
19. interj. A meaningless syllable; ah. | |
20. prep. (archaic, slang) Of. | |
The name of John a Gaunt. | |
21. adv. (chiefly Scotland) All. | |
22. adj. (chiefly Scotland) All. | |
plant |
1. n. (botany) An organism that is not an animal, especially an organism capable of photosynthesis. Typically a small or herbaceous organism of this kind, rather than a tree. | |
The garden had a couple of trees, and a cluster of colourful plants around the border. | |
2. n. (botany) An organism of the kingdom Plantae; now specifically, a living organism of the Embryophyta (land plants) or of the Chlorophyta (green algae), a eukaryote that includes double-membraned chloro | |
3. n. (ecology) Now specifically, a multicellular eukaryote that includes chloroplasts in its cells, which have a cell wall. | |
4. n. (proscribed as biologically inaccurate) Any creature that grows on soil or similar surfaces, including plants and fungi. | |
5. n. A factory or other industrial or institutional building or facility. | |
6. n. An object placed surreptitiously in order to cause suspicion to fall upon a person. | |
That gun's not mine! It's a plant! I've never seen it before! | |
7. n. Anyone assigned to behave as a member of the public during a covert operation (as in a police investigation). | |
8. n. A person, placed amongst an audience, whose role is to cause confusion, laughter etc. | |
9. n. (snooker) A play in which the cue ball knocks one (usually red) ball onto another, in order to pot the second; a set. | |
10. n. Machinery, such as the kind used in earthmoving or construction. | |
11. n. (obsolete) A young tree; a sapling; hence, a stick or staff. | |
12. n. (obsolete) The sole of the foot. | |
13. n. (dated, slang) A plan; a swindle; a trick. | |
14. n. An oyster which has been bedded, in distinction from one of natural growth. | |
15. n. (US, dialect) A young oyster suitable for transplanting. | |
16. v. To place (a seed or plant) in soil or other substrate in order that it may live and grow. | |
17. v. To place (an object, or sometimes a person), often with the implication of intending deceit. | |
That gun's not mine! It was planted there by the real murderer! | |
18. v. To place or set something firmly or with conviction. | |
Plant your feet firmly and give the rope a good tug. | |
to plant cannon against a fort; to plant a flag; to plant one's feet on solid ground | |
19. v. To place in the ground. | |
20. v. To furnish or supply with plants. | |
to plant a garden, an orchard, or a forest | |
21. v. To engender; to generate; to set the germ of. | |
22. v. To furnish with a fixed and organized population; to settle; to establish. | |
to plant a colony | |
23. v. To introduce and establish the principles or seeds of. | |
to plant Christianity among the heathen | |
24. v. To set up; to install; to instate. | |