| informal |
| 1. adj. Not formal or ceremonious. | |
| an informal get-together | |
| 2. adj. Not in accord with the usual regulations. | |
| an informal agreement | |
| 3. adj. Suited for everyday use. | |
| informal clothes | |
| 4. adj. (of language) Reflecting everyday, non-ceremonious usage. | |
| 5. adj. (gardening) Not organized; not structured or planned. | |
| clipping |
| 1. v. present participle of clip | |
| 2. n. A piece of something removed by clipping. | |
| a clipping of hair | |
| grass clippings | |
| 3. n. An article clipped from a newspaper. | |
| 4. n. (linguistics) A short form (of a word) created by removing syllables. | |
| The word "ad" is a clipping of "advertisement". | |
| 5. n. (signal processing) The process of cutting off a signal level that rises above a certain maximum level. | |
| 6. n. (computer graphics) The use of a mask to hide part of an object or image. | |
| 7. n. (American football) Falling, rolling, or throwing one's body on the back of an opponent's legs after approaching from behind. | |
| of |
| 1. prep. Expressing distance or motion. | |
| 2. prep. (now obsolete, or dialectal) From (of distance, direction), "off". | |
| 3. prep. (obsolete except in phrases) Since, from (a given time, earlier state etc.). | |
| 4. prep. From, away from (a position, number, distance etc.). | |
| There are no shops within twenty miles of the cottage. | |
| 5. prep. (North America, Scotland, Ireland) Before (the hour); to. | |
| What's the time? / Nearly a quarter of three. | |
| 6. prep. Expressing separation. | |
| 7. prep. (Indicating removal, absence or separation, with the action indicated by a transitive verb and the quality or substance by a grammatical object.) | |
| Finally she was relieved of the burden of caring for her sick husband. | |
| 8. prep. (Indicating removal, absence or separation, with resulting state indicated by an adjective.) | |
| He seemed devoid of human feelings. | |
| 9. prep. (obsolete) (Indicating removal, absence or separation, construed with an intransitive verb.) | |
| 10. prep. Expressing origin. | |
| 11. prep. (Indicating an ancestral source or origin of descent.) | |
| The word is believed to be of Japanese origin. | |
| 12. prep. (Indicating a (non-physical) source of action or emotion; introducing a cause, instigation); from, out of, as an expression of. | |
| The invention was born of necessity. | |
| 13. prep. (following an intransitive verb) (Indicates the source or cause of the verb.) | |
| It is said that she died of a broken heart. | |
| 14. prep. (following an adjective) (Indicates the subject or cause of the adjective.) | |
| I am tired of all this nonsense. | |
| 15. prep. Expressing agency. | |
| 16. prep. (following a passive verb) (Indicates the agent (for most verbs, now usually expressed with by).) | |
| I am not particularly enamoured of this idea. | |
| 17. prep. (Used to introduce the "subjective genitive"; following a noun to form the head of a postmodifying noun phrase) (see also 'Possession' senses below). | |
| The contract can be terminated at any time with the agreement of both parties. | |
| 18. prep. (following an adjective) (Used to indicate the agent of something described by the adjective.) | |
| It was very brave of you to speak out like that. | |
| 19. prep. Expressing composition, substance. | |
| 20. prep. (after a verb expressing construction, making etc.) (Used to indicate the material or substance used.) | |
| Many 'corks' are now actually made of plastic. | |
| 21. prep. (directly following a noun) (Used to indicate the material of the just-mentioned object.) | |
| She wore a dress of silk. | |
| 22. prep. (Indicating the composition of a given collective or quantitative noun.) | |
| What a lot of nonsense! | |
| 23. prep. (Used to link a given class of things with a specific example of that class.) | |
| Welcome to the historic town of Harwich. | |
| 24. prep. (Links two nouns in near-apposition, with the first qualifying the second); "which is also". | |
| I'm not driving this wreck of a car. | |
| 25. prep. Introducing subject matter. | |
| 26. prep. (Links an intransitive verb, or a transitive verb and its subject (especially verbs to do with thinking, feeling, expressing etc.), with its subject-ma | |
| I'm always thinking of you. | |
| 27. prep. (following a noun (now chiefly nouns of knowledge, communication etc.)) (Introduces its subject matter); about, concerning. | |
| He told us the story of his journey to India. | |
| 28. prep. (following an adjective) (Introduces its subject matter.) | |
| This behaviour is typical of teenagers. | |
| 29. prep. Having partitive effect. | |
| 30. prep. (following a number or other quantitive word) (Introduces the whole for which is indicated only the specified part or segment); "from among". | |
| Most of these apples are rotten. | |
| 31. prep. (following a noun) (Indicates a given part.) | |
| 32. prep. (now archaic, literary, with preceding partitive word assumed, or as a predicate after to be) Some, an amount of, one of. | |
| On the whole, they seem to be of the decent sort. | |
| 33. prep. (Links to a genitive noun or possessive pronoun, with partitive effect (though now often merged with possessive senses, below).) | |
| He is a friend of mine. | |
| 34. prep. Expressing possession. | |
| 35. prep. Belonging to, existing in, or taking place in a given location, place or time. Compare "origin" senses, above. | |
| He was perhaps the most famous scientist of the twentieth century. | |
| 36. prep. Belonging to (a place) through having title, ownership or control over it. | |
| The owner of the nightclub was arrested. | |
| 37. prep. Belonging to (someone or something) as something they possess or have as a characteristic; (the "possessive genitive". (With abstract nouns, this inter | |
| Keep the handle of the saucepan away from the flames. | |
| 38. prep. Forming the "objective genitive". | |
| 39. prep. (Follows an agent noun, verbal noun or noun of action.) | |
| She had a profound distrust of the police. | |
| 40. prep. Expressing qualities or characteristics. | |
| 41. prep. (now archaic, or literary) (Links an adjective with a noun or noun phrase to form a quasi-adverbial qualifier); in respect to, as regards. | |
| My companion seemed affable and easy of manner. | |
| 42. prep. (Indicates a quality or characteristic); "characterized by". | |
| Pooh was said to be a bear of very little brain. | |
| 43. prep. (Indicates quantity, age, price, etc.) | |
| We have been paying interest at a rate of 10%. | |
| 44. prep. (US, informal considered incorrect by some) (Used to link singular indefinite nouns (preceded by the indefinite article) and attributive adjectives mod | |
| It's not that big of a deal. | |
| 45. prep. Expressing a point in time. | |
| 46. prep. (chiefly regional) During the course of (a set period of time, day of the week etc.), now specifically with implied repetition or regularity. | |
| Of an evening, we would often go for a stroll along the river. | |
| 47. prep. (UK dialectal, chiefly in negative constructions) For (a given length of time). | |
| I've not tekken her out of a goodly long while. | |
| 48. prep. (after a noun) (Indicates duration of a state, activity etc.) | |
| After a delay of three hours, the plane finally took off. | |
| Sister |
| 1. n. Title of respect for an adult female member of a religious order. | |
| Please welcome Sister Smith as she moves from her former congregation to her new congregation. Sister Jane Miller ux, en, Please welcome Sister Smith as she moves from her former | |
| Could you say a prayer for me, Sister? | |
| 2. n. Title of respect for am adult female member of a fraternal/sororal organization, or comrade in a movement, or even a stranger using fictive kin. | |
| 3. n. A title used to personify or respectfully refer to concepts or animals. | |
| Native American leader Chief Seattle urged ecological responsibility, referring to Brother Eagle and Sister Sky in his purported 1854 speech. I honor you, Sister Bear, and I will make us | |
| 4. n. A daughter of the same parents as another person; a female sibling. | |
| My sister is always driving me crazy. | |
| 5. n. A female member of a religious order; especially one devoted to more active service; (informally) a nun. | |
| Michelle left behind her bank job and became a sister at the local convent. | |
| 6. n. Any butterfly in the genus , so named for the resemblance of the dark-colored wings to the black habit traditionally worn by nuns. | |
| 7. n. (British) A senior or supervisory nurse, often in a hospital. | |
| 8. n. Any woman or girl with whom a bond is felt through common membership of a race, profession, religion or organization, such as feminism. | |
| Connie was very close to her friend Judy and considered her to be her sister. | |
| 9. n. (slang) A black woman. | |
| 10. n. (informal) (A form of address to a woman.) | |
| 11. n. A woman, in certain labour or socialist circles; also as a form of address. | |
| 12. n. (attributively) An entity that has a special or affectionate, non-hierarchical relationship with another. | |
| sister publication, sister city, sister projects | |
| 13. n. (comptheory) A node in a data structure that shares its parent with another node. | |
| 14. n. (usually attributively) Something in the same class. | |
| sister ships, sister facility | |
| 15. v. (transitive, construction) To strengthen (a supporting beam) by fastening a second beam alongside it. | |
| I’m trying to correct my sagging floor by sistering the joists. | |
| 16. v. (obsolete, transitive) To be sister to; to resemble closely. | |
