obsolete |
1. adj. (of words, equipment, etc.) No longer in use; gone into disuse; disused or neglected (often by preference for something newer, which replaces the subject). | |
It is speculated that, within a few years, the Internet's speedy delivery of news worldwide will make newspapers obsolete. | |
2. adj. (biology) Imperfectly developed; not very distinct. | |
3. v. (transitive, US) To cause to become obsolete. | |
This software component has been obsoleted. | |
We are in the process of obsoleting this product. | |
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. | |
catapult |
1. n. A device or weapon for throwing or launching large objects, such as a mechanical aid on aircraft carriers designed to help airplanes take off from the flight deck. | |
2. n. (UK) slingshot | |
3. n. An instance of firing a missile from a catapult. | |
4. n. (figuratively) An instance of firing something, as if from a catapult. | |
5. v. To fire a missile from a catapult. | |
6. v. To fire or launch something, as if from a catapult. | |
7. v. To increase the status of something rapidly. | |
The candidate selection for running mate has catapulted her to the national scene. | |
8. v. (intransitive) To be fired from a catapult or as if from a catapult. | |
9. v. (intransitive) To have one's status increased rapidly. | |
She catapulted to the national scene following her selection by the candidate. | |
or |
1. conj. Connects at least two alternative words, phrases, clauses, sentences, etc. each of which could make a passage true. In English, this is the "inclusive or." The "exclusive or" is formed by "either(...) | |
In Ohio, anyone under the age of 18 who wants a tattoo or body piercing needs the consent of a parent or guardian. | |
He might get cancer, or be hit by a bus, or God knows what. | |
2. conj. (logic) An operator denoting the disjunction of two propositions or truth values. There are two forms, the inclusive or and the exclusive or. | |
3. conj. Counts the elements before and after as two possibilities. | |
4. conj. Otherwise (a consequence of the condition that the previous is false). | |
It's raining! Come inside or you'll catch a cold! | |
5. conj. Connects two equivalent names. | |
The country Myanmar, or Burma | |
6. n. (logic, electronics) alternative form of OR | |
7. n. (tincture) The gold or yellow tincture on a coat of arms. | |
8. adj. (tincture) Of gold or yellow tincture on a coat of arms. | |
9. adv. (obsolete) Early (on). | |
10. adv. (obsolete) Earlier, previously. | |
11. prep. (now archaic, or dialect) Before; ere. | |
other |
1. adj. See other (determiner) below | |
2. adj. second. | |
I get paid every other week. | |
3. adj. Alien. | |
4. adj. Different. | |
5. adj. (obsolete) Left, as opposed to right. | |
6. n. An other one, more often rendered as another. | |
I'm afraid little Robbie does not always play well with others. | |
7. n. The other one; the second of two. | |
One boat is not better than the other. | |
8. det. Not the one or ones previously referred to. | |
Other people would do it differently. | |
9. adv. Apart from; in the phrase "other than". | |
Other than that, I'm fine. | |
10. adv. (obsolete) Otherwise. | |
It shall none other be. — Chaucer. | |
If you think other. — Shakespeare. | |
11. v. To regard, label or treat as an "other", as not part of the same group; to view as different and alien. | |
12. v. To treat as different or separate; segregate; ostracise. | |
kind |
1. n. A type, race or category; a group of entities that have common characteristics such that they may be grouped together. | |
What kind of a person are you? | |
This is a strange kind of tobacco. | |
2. n. A makeshift or otherwise atypical specimen. | |
The opening served as a kind of window. | |
3. n. (archaic) One's inherent nature; character, natural disposition. | |
4. n. Goods or services used as payment, as e.g. in barter. | |
5. n. Equivalent means used as response to an action. | |
I'll pay in kind for his insult. | |
6. n. (Christianity) Each of the two elements of the communion service, bread and wine. | |
7. adj. Having a benevolent, courteous, friendly, generous, gentle, liberal, sympathetic, or warm-hearted nature or disposition, marked by consideration for – and service to – others. | |
8. adj. Affectionate. | |
a kind man; a kind heart | |
9. adj. Favorable. | |
10. adj. Mild, gentle, forgiving | |
The years have been kind to Richard Gere; he ages well. | |
11. adj. Gentle; tractable; easily governed. | |
a horse kind in harness | |
12. adj. (obsolete) Characteristic of the species; belonging to one's nature; natural; native. | |
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. | |
war |
1. n. Organized, large-scale, armed conflict between countries or between national, ethnic, or other sizeable groups, usually involving the engagement of military forces. | |
The war was largely between Sunni and Shia militants. | |
2. n. A particular conflict of this kind. | |
3. n. By extension, any conflict, or anything resembling a conflict. | |
You look like you've been through the wars. | |
4. n. (figuratively) A campaign against something. | |
The "war on drugs" is a campaign against the use of narcotic drugs. | |
The "war on terror" is a campaign against terrorist crime. | |
In the US, conservatives rail against the "war on Christmas". | |
5. n. (business) A bout of fierce competition in trade. | |
I reaped the benefit of the car dealerships' price war, getting my car for far less than it's worth. | |
The cellular phone companies were engaged in a freebie war, each offering various services thrown in when one purchased a plan. | |
6. n. (obsolete) Instruments of war. | |
7. n. (obsolete) Armed forces. | |
8. n. A particular card game for two players, notable for having its outcome predetermined by how the cards are dealt. | |
9. v. (intransitive) To engage in conflict (may be followed by "with" to specify the foe). | |
10. v. To carry on, as a contest; to wage. | |
engine |
1. n. A large construction used in warfare, such as a battering ram, catapult etc. | |
2. n. (now archaic) A tool; a utensil or implement. | |
3. n. A complex mechanical device which converts energy into useful motion or physical effects. | |
4. n. A person or group of people which influence a larger group; a driving force. | |
5. n. The part of a car or other vehicle which provides the force for motion, now especially one powered by internal combustion. | |
6. n. A self-powered vehicle, especially a locomotive, used for pulling cars along a track. | |
7. n. (computing) A software or hardware system responsible for a specific technical task (usually with qualifying word). | |
a graphics engine; a physics engine | |
8. n. (obsolete) Ingenuity; cunning, trickery, guile. | |
9. n. (obsolete) The result of cunning; something ingenious, a contrivance; (in negative senses) a plot, a scheme. | |
10. n. (obsolete) Natural talent; genius. | |
11. n. Anything used to effect a purpose; any device or contrivance; an agent. | |
12. v. (transitive, dated) To equip with an engine; said especially of steam vessels. | |
Vessels are often built by one firm and engined by another. | |
13. v. (transitive, obsolete) To assault with an engine. | |
14. v. (transitive, obsolete) To contrive; to put into action. | |
15. v. (transitive, obsolete) To rack; to torture. | |