fine |
1. adj. Senses referring to subjective quality. | |
2. adj. Of superior quality. | |
The tree frog that they encountered was truly a fine specimen. | |
Only a really fine wine could fully complement Lucía's hand-made pasta. | |
3. adj. (informal) Being acceptable, adequate, passable, or satisfactory. | |
How are you today? – Fine. | |
Will this one do? It's got a dent in it. – Yeah, it'll be fine, I guess. | |
It's fine with me if you stay out late, so long as you're back by three. | |
4. adj. (informal) Good-looking, attractive. | |
That man is so fine that I'd jump into his pants without a moment's hesitation. | |
5. adj. Subtle, delicately balanced. | |
6. adj. (obsolete) Showy; overdecorated. | |
7. adj. Delicate; subtle; exquisite; artful; dexterous. | |
8. adj. (An answer often used to cover an unnecessary explanation, rather to avoid conflict or an argument. Saying "I'm fine" can be used to avoid inquiry when | |
When a girl says she's "fine," she ain't fine. | |
9. adj. Senses referring to objective quality. | |
10. adj. Of a particular grade of quality, usually between very good and very fine, and below mint. | |
The small scratch meant that his copy of “X-Men 2” was merely fine when it otherwise would have been “near mint”. | |
11. adj. (of weather) Sunny and not raining. | |
12. adj. Consisting of especially minute particulate; made up of particularly small pieces. | |
Grind it into a fine powder. | |
When she touched the artifact, it collapsed into a heap of fine dust. | |
13. adj. Particularly slender; especially thin, narrow, or of small girth. | |
The threads were so fine that you had to look through a magnifying glass to see them. | |
14. adj. Made of slender or thin filaments. | |
They protected themselves from the small parasites with a fine wire mesh. | |
15. adj. Having a (specified) proportion of pure metal in its composition. | |
coins nine tenths fine | |
16. adj. (cricket) Behind the batsman and at a small angle to the line between the wickets. | |
...to nudge it through the covers (or tickle it down to fine leg) for a fournb... | |
17. adj. (obsolete) Subtle; thin; tenuous. | |
18. adv. Expression of (typically) reluctant agreement. | |
19. adv. Well, nicely, in a positive way. | |
Everything worked out fine. | |
20. adv. (dated, dialect, colloquial) Finely; elegantly; delicately. | |
21. adv. (pool, billiards) In a manner so that the driven ball strikes the object ball so far to one side as to be barely deflected, the object ball being driven to one side. | |
22. n. Fine champagne; French brandy. | |
23. n. (usually in the plural) Something that is fine; fine particles. | |
24. v. To make finer, purer, or cleaner; to purify or clarify. | |
to fine gold | |
25. v. (intransitive) To become finer, purer, or cleaner. | |
26. v. To make finer, or less coarse, as in bulk, texture, etc. | |
to fine the soil | |
27. v. To change by fine gradations. | |
to fine down a ship's lines, i.e. to diminish her lines gradually | |
28. v. To clarify (wine and beer) by filtration. | |
29. v. (intransitive, dated) To become gradually fine; to diminish; to dwindle (with away, down, or off). | |
30. n. A fee levied as punishment for breaking the law. | |
The fine for jay-walking has gone from two dollars to thirty in the last fifteen years. | |
31. v. To issue a fine as punishment to (someone). | |
She was fined a thousand dollars for littering, but she appealed. | |
32. v. (intransitive) To pay a fine. | |
33. n. (music) The end of a musical composition. | |
34. n. (music) The location in a musical score that indicates the end of the piece, particularly when the piece ends somewhere in the middle of the score due to a section of the music being repeated. | |
35. v. (obsolete, intransitive) To finish; to cease. | |
36. v. (obsolete, transitive) To cause to cease; to stop. | |
37. n. (obsolete) End; conclusion; termination; extinction. | |
38. n. A final agreement concerning lands or rents between persons, as the lord and his vassal. | |
39. n. (legal) A sum of money or price paid for obtaining a benefit, favor, or privilege, as for admission to a copyhold, or for obtaining or renewing a lease. | |
Black |
1. adj. alternative case form of black (of or relating to any of various ethnic groups having dark pigmentation of the skin) | |
2. adj. (of an object) Absorbing all light and reflecting none; dark and hueless. | |
3. adj. (of a place, etc) Without light. | |
4. adj. (sometimes capitalized) Of or relating to any of various ethnic groups having dark pigmentation of the skin. | |
5. adj. (chiefly historical) Designated for use by those ethnic groups which have dark pigmentation of the skin. | |
black drinking fountain; black hospital | |
6. adj. (card games, of a card) Of the spades or clubs suits. Compare red | |
I got two red queens, he got one of the black queens. | |
7. adj. Bad; evil; ill-omened. | |
8. adj. Expressing menace, or discontent; threatening; sullen. | |
He shot her a black look. | |
9. adj. Illegitimate, illegal or disgraced. | |
10. adj. (Ireland, informal) Overcrowded. | |
11. adj. (of coffee or tea) Without any cream, milk or creamer. | |
Jim drinks his coffee black, but Ellen prefers it with creamer. | |
12. adj. (board games, chess) Of or relating to the playing pieces of a board game deemed to belong to the "black" set (in chess the set used by the player who moves second) (often regardless of the pieces' ac | |
The black pieces in this chess set are made of dark blue glass. | |
13. adj. (typography) Said of a symbol or character that is solid, filled with color. Compare white. | |
Compare two Unicode symbols: , ☞ = "WHITE RIGHT POINTING INDEX"; , ☛ = BLACK RIGHT POINTING INDEX | |
14. adj. (politics) Related to the Christian Democratic Union of Germany. | |
After the election, the parties united in a black-yellow alliance. | |
15. adj. Relating to an initiative whose existence or exact nature must remain withheld from the general public. | |
5 percent of the Defense Department funding will go to black projects. | |
16. adj. (Ireland, now pejorative) Protestant, often with the implication of being militantly pro-British or anti-Catholic | |
Originally "the Black North" meant west Ulster | |
17. adj. 1812, Edward Wakefield, "There is a district, comprehending Donegal, the interior of the county of Derry, and the western side of Tyrone, which is emphatically called by the people "the Black North," | |
18. adj. then Protestant east Ulster.1841 March 20 Catholic Herald (Bengal) Vol. 2 No. 1 p. 27 'Even in the "black North"—in " Protestant Ulster"—Catholicity is progessing at a rate that must strike terror in | |
19. adj. Used in the vernacular name of a species to indicate that it has one or more features that is black or dark, especially in comparison to another species with the same base name. | |
black birch, black locust, black rhino | |
20. n. The colour/color perceived in the absence of light, but also when no light is reflected, but rather absorbed. | |
(colour panel, 000) | |
21. n. A black dye or pigment. | |
22. n. A pen, pencil, crayon, etc., made of black pigment. | |
23. n. (in the plural) Black cloth hung up at funerals. | |
24. n. (sometimes capitalised) A person of African, Aborigine, or Maori descent; a dark-skinned person. | |
25. n. (billiards, snooker, pool, with the) The black ball. | |
26. n. (baseball) The edge of home plate | |
27. n. (British) A type of firecracker that is really more dark brown in colour. | |
28. n. (informal) Blackcurrant syrup (in mixed drinks, e.g. snakebite and black, cider and black). | |
29. n. (in chess and similar games) The person playing with the black set of pieces. | |
At this point black makes a disastrous move. | |
30. n. Part of a thing which is distinguished from the rest by being black. | |
31. n. (obsolete) A stain; a spot. | |
32. v. To make black, to blacken. | |
33. v. To apply blacking to something. | |
34. v. (British) To boycott something or someone, usually as part of an industrial dispute. | |
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. | |
dull |
1. adj. Lacking the ability to cut easily; not sharp. | |
All these knives are dull. | |
2. adj. Boring; not exciting or interesting. | |
He sat through the dull lecture and barely stayed awake. | |
When does having a dull personality ever get you a girlfriend? Even if you get one, how does being dull help you keep a relationship for over a year? | |
3. adj. Not shiny; having a matte finish or no particular luster or brightness. | |
Choose a dull finish to hide fingerprints. | |
a dull fire or lamp; a dull red or yellow; a dull mirror | |
4. adj. Not bright or intelligent; stupid; slow of understanding. | |
5. adj. Sluggish, listless. | |
6. adj. Cloudy, overcast. | |
It's a dull day. | |
7. adj. Insensible; unfeeling. | |
8. adj. Heavy; lifeless; inert. | |
9. adj. (of pain etc) Not intense; felt indistinctly or only slightly. | |
Pressing on the bruise produces a dull pain. | |
10. adj. (of a noise or sound) Not clear, muffled. | |
11. v. To render dull; to remove or blunt an edge or something that was sharp. | |
Years of misuse have dulled the tools. | |
12. v. To soften, moderate or blunt; to make dull, stupid, or sluggish; to stupefy. | |
He drinks to dull the pain. | |
13. v. (intransitive) To lose a sharp edge; to become dull. | |
A razor will dull with use. | |
14. v. To render dim or obscure; to sully; to tarnish. | |
brown |
1. n. A colour like that of chocolate or coffee. | |
The browns and greens in this painting give it a nice woodsy feel. | |
(color panel, 623017) | |
2. n. (snooker) One of the colour balls used in snooker, with a value of 4 points. | |
3. n. Black tar heroin. | |
4. n. (slang) A copper coin. | |
5. n. (sometimes capitalised) A person of Middle Eastern, Latino or South Asian descent; a brown-skinned person; someone of mulatto or biracial appearance. | |
6. adj. Having a brown colour. | |
7. adj. (obsolete) Gloomy. | |
8. adj. (sometimes capitalized) Of or relating to any of various ethnic groups having dark pigmentation of the skin. | |
9. v. (intransitive) To become brown. | |
Fry the onions until they brown. | |
10. v. (cooking, transitive) To cook something until it becomes brown. | |
Brown the onions in a large frying pan. | |
11. v. (intransitive, transitive) To tan. | |
Light-skinned people tend to brown when exposed to the sun. | |
12. v. To make brown or dusky. | |
13. v. To give a bright brown colour to, as to gun barrels, by forming a thin coating of oxide on their surface. | |
14. v. (demography, transitive, intransitive, slang) To turn progressively more Middle Eastern, Hispanic or Latino, in the context of the population of a geographic region. | |
the browning of America | |
particles |
1. n. plural of particle | |
particle |
1. n. A very small piece of matter, a fragment; especially, the smallest possible part of something. | |
2. n. (physics) Any of various physical objects making up the constituent parts of an atom; an elementary particle or subatomic particle. | |
3. n. (linguistics) A word that has a particular grammatical function but does not obviously belong to any particular part of speech, such as the word to in English infinitives or O as a vocative particle. | |
4. n. (linguistics) A part of speech which cannot be inflected: an adverb, preposition, conjunction or interjection. | |
5. n. (Christianity) In the Roman Catholic church, a crumb of consecrated bread; also the smaller breads used in the communion of the laity. | |
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. | |
amorphous |
1. adj. lacking a definite form or clear shape | |
The enormous pile of spaghetti landed on the floor in an amorphous heap. | |
2. adj. being without definite character or nature | |
3. adj. lacking organization or unity | |
4. adj. (physics) in the non-crystalline solid state of a typically crystalline solid | |
5. adj. (set theory, of a set) infinite and not the disjoint union of two infinite subsets | |
carbon |
1. n. The chemical element (symbol C) with an atomic number of 6. | |
2. n. An atom of this element, in reference to a molecule containing it. | |
A methane molecule is made up of a single carbon with four hydrogens. | |
3. n. (informal) A sheet of carbon paper. | |
4. n. (informal) A carbon copy. | |
5. n. A fossil fuel that is made of impure carbon such as coal or charcoal. | |
6. n. (ecology) Carbon dioxide, in the context of global warming and climate change. | |
7. n. A carbon rod or pencil used in an arc lamp. | |
8. n. A plate or piece of carbon used as one of the elements of a voltaic battery. | |
9. v. (Internet, intransitive) To cause (someone) to receive a carbon copy of an email message. | |
When I send it, I'll carbon Julia so she's aware. | |
and |
1. conj. As a coordinating conjunction; expressing two elements to be taken together or in addition to each other. | |
2. conj. Used simply to connect two noun phrases, adjectives or adverbs. | |
3. conj. Simply connecting two clauses or sentences. | |
4. conj. Introducing a clause or sentence which follows on in time or consequence from the first. | |
5. conj. (obsolete) Yet; but. | |
6. conj. Used to connect certain numbers: connecting units when they precede tens (not dated); connecting tens and units to hundreds, thousands etc. (now often | |
7. conj. (now colloquial, or literary) Used to connect more than two elements together in a chain, sometimes to stress the number of elements. | |
8. conj. Connecting two identical elements, with implications of continued or infinite repetition. | |
9. conj. Introducing a parenthetical or explanatory clause. | |
10. conj. Introducing the continuation of narration from a previous understood point; also used alone as a question: ‘and so what?’. | |
11. conj. (now regional or somewhat colloquial) Used to connect two verbs where the second is dependent on the first: ‘to’. Used especially after come, | |
12. conj. Introducing a qualitative difference between things having the same name; "as well as other". | |
13. conj. Used to combine numbers in addition; plus (with singular or plural verb). | |
14. conj. Expressing a condition.: | |
15. conj. (now US dialect) If; provided that. | |
16. conj. (obsolete) As if, as though. | |
17. n. (enm, music, often informal) In rhythm, the second half of a divided beat. | |
18. n. (UK dialectal) Breath. | |
19. n. (UK dialectal) Sea smoke; steam fog. | |
20. v. (UK dialectal, intransitive) To breathe; whisper; devise; imagine. | |
tar |
1. n. A black, oily, sticky, viscous substance, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons derived from organic materials such as wood, peat, or coal. | |
2. n. Coal tar. | |
3. n. A solid residual byproduct of tobacco smoke. | |
4. n. (slang) A sailor, because of their tarpaulin clothes. Also Jack Tar. | |
5. n. Black tar, a form of heroin. | |
6. v. To coat with tar. | |
7. v. To besmirch. | |
The allegations tarred his name, even though he was found innocent. | |
8. n. (computing) A program for archiving files, common on Unix. | |
9. n. (computing) A file produced by such a program. | |
10. v. (computing, transitive) To create a tar archive. | |
11. n. A Persian long-necked, waisted instrument, shared by many cultures and countries in the Middle East and the Caucasus. | |
12. n. A single-headed round frame drum originating in North Africa and the Middle East. | |
produced |
1. v. simple past tense and past participle of produce | |
produce |
1. v. To yield, make or manufacture; to generate. | |
2. v. To make (a thing) available to a person, an authority, etc.; to provide for inspection. | |
3. v. (transitive, media) To sponsor and present (a motion picture, etc) to an audience or to the public. | |
4. v. (mathematics) To extend an area, or lengthen a line. | |
to produce a side of a triangle | |
5. v. (obsolete) To draw out; to extend; to lengthen or prolong. | |
to produce a man's life to threescore | |
6. v. (music) To alter using technology, as opposed to simply performing. | |
highly produced sound | |
7. n. Items produced. | |
8. n. Amount produced. | |
9. n. Harvested agricultural goods collectively, especially vegetables and fruit, but possibly including eggs, dairy products and meat; the saleable food products of farms. | |
10. n. Offspring. | |
11. n. (Australia) Livestock and pet food supplies. | |
by |
1. prep. Near or next to. | |
The mailbox is by the bus stop. | |
2. prep. At some time before (the given time), or before the end of a given time interval. | |
Be back by ten o'clock! We will send it by the first week of July. | |
3. prep. Indicates the actor in a clause with its verb in the passive voice: Through the action or presence of. | |
The matter was decided by the chairman. The boat was swamped by the water. He was protected by his body armour. | |
4. prep. Indicates the creator of a work: Existing through the authorship etc. of. | |
There are many well-known plays by William Shakespeare | |
5. prep. Indicates the cause of a condition or event: Through the action of, caused by, responsibility for; by dint of. | |
6. prep. Indicates a means: Involving/using the means of. | |
I avoided the guards by moving only when they weren't looking. | |
7. prep. Indicates a source of light used as illumination. | |
The electricity was cut off, so we had to read by candlelight. | |
8. prep. Indicates an authority, rule, or permission followed. | |
I sorted the items by category. By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. | |
9. prep. Indicates the amount of some progression: With a change of. | |
Our stock is up by ten percent. | |
10. prep. In the formulae X by X and by Xs, indicates a steady progression, one X after another. | |
We went through the book page by page. We crawled forward by inches. | |
11. prep. Indicates a referenced source: According to. | |
He cheated by his own admission. | |
12. prep. Indicates an oath: With the authority of. | |
By Jove! I think she's got it! By all that is holy, I'll put an end to this. | |
13. prep. Used to separate dimensions when describing the size of something. | |
It is easy to invert a 2-by-2 matrix. The room was about 4 foot by 6 foot. The bricks used to build the wall measured 10 by 20 by 30 cm. | |
14. prep. (horse breeding) Designates a horse's male parent (sire); cf. out of. | |
She's a lovely little filly, by Big Lad, out of Damsel in Distress. | |
15. adv. Along a path which runs by the speaker. | |
I watched as it passed by. | |
16. adv. In the vicinity, near. | |
There was a shepherd close by. | |
The shop is hard by the High Street. | |
17. adv. To or at a place, as a residence or place of business. | |
I'll stop by on my way home from work. | |
We're right near the lifeguard station. Come by before you leave. | |
18. adv. Aside, away. | |
The women spent much time after harvest putting jams by for winter and spring. | |
19. adj. Out of the way, subsidiary. | |
20. n. (card games) A pass | |
21. interj. alternative spelling of bye | |
the |
1. art. Definite grammatical article that implies necessarily that an entity it articulates is presupposed; something already mentioned, or completely specified later in that same sentence, or assumed already | |
I’m reading the book. (Compare I’m reading a book.) | |
The street in front of your house. (Compare A street in Paris.) | |
The men and women watched the man give the birdseed to the bird. | |
2. art. Used before a noun modified by a restrictive relative clause, indicating that the noun refers to a single referent defined by the relative clause. | |
The street that runs through my hometown. | |
3. art. Used before an object considered to be unique, or of which there is only one at a time. | |
No one knows how many galaxies there are in the universe. | |
God save the Queen! | |
4. art. Used before a superlative or an ordinal number modifying a noun, to indicate that the noun refers to a single item. | |
That was the best apple pie ever. | |
5. art. Added to a superlative or an ordinal number to make it into a substantive. | |
That apple pie was the best. | |
6. art. Introducing a singular term to be taken generically: preceding a name of something standing for a whole class. | |
7. art. Used before an adjective, indicating all things (especially persons) described by that adjective. | |
Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable. | |
8. art. Used to indicate a certain example of (a noun) which is usually of most concern or most common or familiar. | |
No one in the whole country had seen it before. | |
I don't think I'll get to it until the morning. | |
9. art. Used before a body part (especially of someone previously mentioned), as an alternative to a possessive pronoun. | |
A stone hit him on the head. (= “A stone hit him on his head.”) | |
10. art. When stressed, indicates that it describes an object which is considered to be best or exclusively worthy of attention. | |
That is the hospital to go to for heart surgery. | |
11. adv. 1=With a comparative ormore and a verb phrase, establishes a parallel with one or more other such comparatives. | |
The hotter the better. | |
The more I think about it, the weaker it looks. | |
The more money donated, the more books purchased, and the more happy children. | |
It looks weaker and weaker, the more I think about it. | |
12. adv. 1=With a comparative, and often withfor it, indicates a result more like said comparative. This can be negated withnone. | |
It was a difficult time, but I’m the wiser for it. | |
It was a difficult time, and I’m none the wiser for it. | |
I'm much the wiser for having had a difficult time like that. | |
incomplete |
1. adj. Not complete; not finished | |
2. adj. (botany) Of a flower, wanting any of the usual floral organs. | |
3. n. Something incomplete. | |
4. n. (Internet) A multipart file posted to Usenet that is incomplete and thus unusable. | |
5. n. (Internet) A multiplayer game that is abandoned because one player disconnects. | |
6. n. A designation of being incomplete. | |
He got four incompletes out of five courses last semester. | |
combustion |
1. n. (chemistry) The act or process of burning. | |
2. n. A process where two chemicals are combined to produce heat. | |
3. n. A process wherein a fuel is combined with oxygen, usually at high temperature, releasing heat. | |
4. n. (figuratively) Violent agitation, tumult. | |
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. | |
coal |
1. n. A black rock formed from prehistoric plant remains, composed largely of carbon and burned as a fuel. | |
2. n. A piece of coal used for burning. Note that in British English either of the following examples could be used, whereas the latter would be more common in American English. | |
Put some coals on the fire. | |
Put some coal on the fire. | |
3. n. A type of coal, such as bituminous, anthracite, or lignite, and grades and varieties thereof. | |
4. n. A glowing or charred piece of coal, wood, or other solid fuel. | |
Just as the camp-fire died down to just coals, with no flames to burn the marshmallows, someone dumped a whole load of wood on, so I gave up and went to bed. | |
5. n. Charcoal. | |
6. v. (intransitive) To take on a supply of coal (usually of steam ships). | |
7. v. To supply with coal. | |
to coal a steamer | |
8. v. (intransitive) To be converted to charcoal. | |
9. v. To burn to charcoal; to char. | |
10. v. To mark or delineate with charcoal. | |
oil |
1. n. Liquid fat. | |
2. n. Petroleum-based liquid used as fuel or lubricant. | |
3. n. An oil painting. | |
4. v. To lubricate with oil. | |
5. v. To grease with oil for cooking. | |
etc |
1. adv. alternative form of etc. | |