alternative |
1. adj. Relating to a choice between two or more possibilities | |
an alternative proposition | |
2. adj. Not traditional, outside the mainstream, underground. | |
alternative medicine; alternative lifestyle; alternative rock | |
3. adj. Other; different from something else. | |
4. adj. alternate; reciprocal | |
5. n. A situation which allows a mutually exclusive choice between two or more possibilities; a choice between two or more possibilities. | |
6. n. One of several mutually exclusive things which can be chosen. | |
7. n. The remaining option; something available after other possibilities have been exhausted. | |
spelling |
1. v. present participle of spell | |
2. n. The act, practice, ability, or subject of forming words with letters, or of reading the letters of words; orthography. | |
3. n. The manner of spelling of words; correct spelling. | |
4. n. A specific spelling of a word. | |
5. n. (US, rare dated or un) A spelling test or spelling bee. | |
spell |
1. n. Words or a formula supposed to have magical powers. | |
He cast a spell to cure warts. | |
2. n. A magical effect or influence induced by an incantation or formula. | |
under a spell | |
3. n. (obsolete) Speech, discourse. | |
4. v. To put under the influence of a spell; to affect by a spell; to bewitch; to fascinate; to charm. | |
5. v. (obsolete) To speak, to declaim. | |
6. v. (obsolete) To tell; to relate; to teach. | |
7. v. (transitive, obsolete) To read (something) as though letter by letter; to peruse slowly or with effort. | |
8. v. (transitive, sometimes with “out”) To write or say the letters that form a word or part of a word. | |
9. v. (intransitive) To be able to write or say the letters that form words. | |
I find it difficult to spell because I'm dyslexic. | |
10. v. Of letters: to compose (a word). | |
The letters “a”, “n” and “d” spell “and”. | |
11. v. (transitive, figuratively) To indicate that (some event) will occur. | |
This spells trouble. | |
12. v. (transitive figuratively, with “out”) To clarify; to explain in detail. | |
Please spell it out for me. | |
13. v. To constitute; to measure. | |
14. v. To work in place of (someone). | |
to spell the helmsman | |
15. v. To rest (someone or something), to give someone or something a rest or break. | |
They spelled the horses and rested in the shade of some trees near a brook. | |
16. v. (intransitive, colloquial) To rest from work for a time. | |
17. n. A shift (of work); (rare) a set of workers responsible for a specific turn of labour. | |
18. n. (informal) A definite period (of work or other activity). | |
19. n. (colloquial) An indefinite period of time (usually with a qualifier); (by extension,) a relatively short distance. | |
20. n. A period of rest; time off. | |
21. n. (colloquial, US) A period of illness, or sudden interval of bad spirits, disease etc. | |
22. n. (cricket) An uninterrupted series of alternate overs bowled by a single bowler. | |
23. n. (dialectal) A splinter, usually of wood; a spelk. | |
24. n. The wooden bat in the game of trap ball, or knurr and spell. | |
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. | |
die |
1. v. (intransitive) To stop living; to become dead; to undergo death. | |
2. v. followed by of; general use: | |
He died of embarrassment. | |
3. v. followed by from; general use, though somewhat more common in the context of medicine(topics, en, Medicine) or the sciencestopics, en, Sciences: | |
He died from heart failure. | |
4. v. followed by for; often expressing wider contextual motivations, though sometimes indicating direct causes: | |
He died for the one he loved. | |
5. v. (now rare) followed by with as an indication of direct cause: | |
6. v. (still current) followed by with as an indication of manner: | |
She died with dignity. | |
7. v. To stop living and undergo (a specified death). | |
He died a hero's death. | |
They died a thousand deaths. | |
8. v. (intransitive, figuratively) To yearn intensely. | |
I'm dying for a packet of crisps. | |
I'm dying for a piss. | |
9. v. (intransitive) To be utterly cut off by family or friends, as if dead. | |
The day our sister eloped, she died to our mother. | |
10. v. (intransitive, figuratively) To become spiritually dead; to lose hope. | |
He died a little inside each time she refused to speak to him. | |
11. v. (intransitive, colloquial, hyperbolic) To be mortified or shocked by a situation. | |
If anyone sees me wearing this ridiculous outfit, I'll die. | |
12. v. (figurative, intransitive, hyperbolic) To be so overcome with emotion or laughter as to be incapacitated. | |
When I found out my two favorite musicians would be recording an album together, I literally planned my own funeral arrangements and died. | |
13. v. (intransitive, of a machine) To stop working, to break down. | |
My car died in the middle of the freeway this morning. | |
14. v. (intransitive, of a computer program) To abort, to terminate (as an error condition). | |
15. v. To perish; to cease to exist; to become lost or extinct. | |
16. v. To sink; to faint; to pine; to languish, with weakness, discouragement, love, etc. | |
17. v. (often with "to") To become indifferent; to cease to be subject. | |
to die to pleasure or to sin | |
18. v. (intransitive, video games) To be killed by an enemy. Usually followed by to or another preposition. | |
I can't believe I just died to a squirrel! | |
19. v. (architecture) To disappear gradually in another surface, as where mouldings are lost in a sloped or curved face. | |
20. v. To become vapid, flat, or spiritless, as liquor. | |
21. v. (of a stand-up comedian or a joke) To fail to evoke laughter from the audience. | |
Then there was that time I died onstage in Montreal... | |
22. n. The cubical part of a pedestal, a plinth. | |
23. n. A device for cutting into a specified shape. | |
24. n. A device used to cut an external screw thread. (Internal screw threads are cut with a tap.) | |
25. n. A mold for forming metal or plastic objects. | |
26. n. An embossed device used in stamping coins and medals. | |
27. n. (electronics) (plural also dice) An oblong chip fractured from a semiconductor wafer engineered to perform as an independent device or integrated circuit. | |
28. n. Any small cubical or square body. | |
29. n. A regular polyhedron, usually a cube, with numbers or symbols on each side and used in games of chance. | |
30. n. (obsolete) That which is, or might be, determined, by a throw of the die; hazard; chance. | |
31. n. (electronics) (plural also dies) An oblong chip fractured from a semiconductor wafer engineered to perform as an independent device or integrated circuit. | |
32. v. topics, en, Death, Dice games | |
singular |
1. adj. Being only one of a larger population. | |
A singular experiment cannot be regarded as scientific proof of the existence of a phenomenon. | |
2. adj. Being the only one of the kind; unique. | |
She has a singular personality. | |
3. adj. Distinguished by superiority; eminent; extraordinary; exceptional. | |
a man of singular gravity or attainments | |
4. adj. Out of the ordinary; curious. | |
It was very singular; I don't know why he did it. | |
5. adj. (grammar) Referring to only one thing or person. | |
6. adj. (linear algebra, of matrix) Having no inverse. | |
7. adj. (linear algebra, of transformation) Having the property that the matrix of coefficients of the new variables has a determinant equal to zero. | |
8. adj. (set theory, of a cardinal number) Not equal to its own cofinality. | |
9. adj. (legal) Each; individual. | |
to convey several parcels of land, all and singular | |
10. adj. (obsolete) Engaged in by only one on a side; single. | |
11. n. (grammar) A form of a word that refers to only one person or thing. | |
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. | |
dice |
1. n. Gaming with one or more dice. | |
2. n. (proscribed by some; standard in British English) A die. | |
3. n. (formerly , cooking) That which has been diced. | |
Cut onions, carrots and celery into medium dice. | |
4. v. (intransitive) To play dice. | |
5. v. To cut into small cubes. | |
6. v. To ornament with squares, diamonds, or cubes. | |
7. n. plural of die | |