Wiktionary:Word of the day/Archive/2024/May

2024
← Dec 2023	Jan • Feb • Mar • Apr • May • Jun • Jul • Aug • Sep • Oct • Nov • Dec	Jan 2025 →
1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24  25  26  27  28  29  30  31

1

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for May 1

worky adj (informal)

Characterized by or pertaining to work. Especially of attire: appropriate for work; businesslike. Requiring much work; laborious. Tending to be very serious about work; diligent, industrious. (obsolete) Showing the effect of much effort and work; intricate, involved. [...] Today is celebrated as International Workers’ Day or Labour Day in many countries to recognize the achievements and contributions of workers. The American Federation of Labor chose this date to commemorate a demonstration in support of workers striking for an eight-hour work day, which began on this day in 1886.

← yesterday | About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback | tomorrow →

2

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for May 2

smell the barn v

(intransitive, chiefly US, idiomatic) To act with renewed energy or speed or to experience heightened anticipation as one approaches a destination, goal, or other desired outcome.

← yesterday | About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback | tomorrow →

3

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for May 3

pen picture n (idiomatic)

A written description, often biographical. (art, archaic) A picture drawn with a pen. Today is World Press Freedom Day, which is recognized by the United Nations to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press and remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression. The Windhoek Declaration, a statement of press freedom principles by African newspaper journalists, was adopted on this day in 1991.

← yesterday | About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback | tomorrow →

4

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for May 4

Yoda condition n

(programming, informal) A logical condition with the usual order of operands reversed for various reasons, such as avoiding accidental misuse of = (assignment) instead of == (equality), a mistake that is harder to spot when using the normal order of operands. May the Fourth—oops, the Force—be with you! Today is observed as Star Wars Day by fans of the franchise.

← yesterday | About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback | tomorrow →

5

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for May 5

dawn chorus n

Birdsong by a large number of birds occurring in the early morning. (electromagnetism, radio) Radio interference sometimes experienced at sunrise. Today, the first Sunday of May in 2024, is International Dawn Chorus Day, which was originally organized by the Urban Wildlife Trust (now the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country) to encourage people to listen to birdsong and engage in birdwatching. The British naturalist Chris Baines, one of the founders of the Trust, was born on Sunday, 4 May 1947.

← yesterday | About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback | tomorrow →

6

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for May 6

descend v

Senses relating to moving from a higher to a lower position. (transitive) To pass from a higher to a lower part of (something, such as a flight of stairs or a slope); to go down along or upon. (transitive) Of a flight of stairs, a road, etc.: to lead down (a hill, a slope, etc.). (transitive, archaic) To move (someone or something) from a higher to a lower place or position; to bring or send (someone or something) down. (intransitive) To physically move or pass from a higher to a lower place or position; to come or go down in any way, such as by climbing, falling, flowing, walking, etc.; to move downwards; to fall, to sink. (astrology) Of a zodiac sign: to move away from the zenith towards the horizon; to sink; also, of a planet: to move to a place where it has less astrological significance. (astronomy) Of a celestial body: to move away from the zenith towards the horizon; to sink; also, to move towards the south. (biology, physiology) Of a body part: to move downwards, especially during development of the embryo; specifically, of the testes of a mammal: to move downwards from the abdominal cavity into the scrotum. (chemistry, obsolete) Of a liquid substance: to distil out from another substance and gather at the bottom of a container; also, to distil a substance to obtain another liquid substance in this manner. (intransitive) To slope or stretch downwards. (intransitive, chiefly historical) To alight from a carriage, a horse, etc.; also, to disembark from a vessel; to land. (intransitive, figurative) To come or go down, or reduce, in intensity or some other quality. Of a physical thing (such as a a cloud or storm) or a (generally negative) immaterial thing (such as darkness, gloom, or silence): to settle upon and start to affect a person or place. In speech or writing: to proceed from one matter to another; especially, to pass from more general or important to specific or less important matters to be considered. Chiefly followed by into or to: of a situation: to become worse; to decline, to deteriorate. Chiefly followed by on or upon: to make an attack or incursion, from or as if from a vantage ground; to come suddenly and with violence. Chiefly followed by on or upon: to arrive suddenly or unexpectedly, especially in a manner that causes disruption or inconvenience. (reflexive) To come down to a humbler or less fortunate, or a worse or less virtuous, rank or state; to abase or lower oneself; to condescend or stoop to something. (reflexive, chiefly poetic or religion) Chiefly in the form descend into (or within) oneself: to mentally enter a state of (deep) meditation or thought; to retire. (mathematics) Of a sequence or series: to proceed from higher to lower values. (music) To pass from a higher to a lower note or tone; to fall in pitch. Senses relating to passing down from a source to another thing. (transitive, obsolete, rare) To trace (a lineage) from earlier to later generations. (intransitive) Of a characteristic: to be transmitted from a parent to a child. (intransitive, often passive voice) Chiefly followed by from or (obsolete) of: to come down or derive from an ancestor or ancestral stock, or a source; to originate, to stem. (intransitive, chiefly law) Of property, a right, etc.: to pass down to a generation, a person, etc., by inheritance. [...]

← yesterday | About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback | tomorrow →

7

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for May 7

kugel n

A traditional savoury or sweet Jewish dish consisting of a baked pudding of pasta, potatoes, or rice, with vegetables, or raisins and spices. [...] A traditional hanging ornament of German origin made of coloured glass, usually spherical but also produced in other shapes such as bunches of grapes and drops.

← yesterday | About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback | tomorrow →

8

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for May 8

whither adv (formal, archaic except literary or poetic)

Interrogative senses. To what place; where. (figurative, also humorous) To what (future) cause, condition or state, reason, etc.; where, where next; also (obsolete) to what extent; how far. Relative senses. To which place; also (after a noun denoting a place) to which. To the place in or to which. (generally) In or to any place to which; to whatever place; wherever. whither n (formal, archaic except literary or poetic) A place to which someone or something goes; also, a condition to which someone or something moves. [...]

← yesterday | About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback | tomorrow →

9

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for May 9

derelict n

(uncountable) Property abandoned by its former guardian or owner; (countable) an item of such property. (uncountable, specifically, law) Property abandoned at sea with no hope of recovery and no expectation of being returned to its owner; (countable) an item of such property, especially a ship. (countable, dated) An abandoned or forsaken person; an outcast, a waif. (countable, by extension, derogatory) A homeless and/or jobless person; a vagrant; also, a person who is (perceived as) negligent in their hygiene and personal affairs. (countable, chiefly US) A person who is negligent in performing a duty. derelict adj Given up by the guardian or owner; abandoned, forsaken. (specifically) Of a ship: abandoned at sea; dilapidated, neglected; of a spacecraft: abandoned in outer space. (figurative) Adrift, lost. (chiefly US) Negligent in performing a duty; careless, deficient, neglectful, unfaithful. [...]

← yesterday | About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback | tomorrow →

10

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for May 10

embolden v (transitive)

To render (someone) bolder or more courageous; to encourage, to hearten. (typography) To format (text) in boldface.

← yesterday | About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback | tomorrow →

11

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for May 11

syrinx n

(music) A set of panpipes. (by extension) (archaeology, Egyptology) Chiefly in the plural: a narrow channel cut in rock, especially in Ancient Egyptian burial chambers. (neurology, pathology) Any of several abnormal tube-shaped structures in the body, especially a rare, fluid-filled neuroglial cavity in the brain stem or within the spinal cord. (ornithology, zootomy) The voice organ in birds, located at or near where the trachea and the bronchi join. Today, the second Saturday of May in 2024, is the first of the two World Migratory Bird Days in the year. These days were established by the Secretariats of the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals to highlight the importance of protecting migratory birds and their habitats.

← yesterday | About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback | tomorrow →

12

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for May 12

apple of someone's eye n

(idiomatic) The object of somebody's affections; a person (or sometimes a thing) that someone strongly prefers; a favourite, a loved one. Today, the second Sunday of May in 2024, is celebrated in many countries as Mother’s Day. Anna Jarvis first held a memorial ceremony at the Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia, U.S.A. (now the International Mother’s Day Shrine) to honour her deceased mother and all mothers on Sunday, May 10, 1908.

← yesterday | About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback | tomorrow →

13

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for May 13

what's your poison phrase

(originally US, idiomatic, humorous, informal, dated) Used to ask someone what alcoholic beverage they would like to drink: what drink would you like to have? Today is celebrated by some people as World Cocktail Day. On this day in 1806, the American journalist Harry Croswell, the editor of the Balance and Columbian Repository, defined a cocktail in his newspaper as “a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters”.

← yesterday | About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback | tomorrow →

14

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for May 14

impose v

(transitive) (archaic) To physically lay or place (something) on another thing; to deposit, to put, to set. (Christianity) To lay or place (one's hands) on someone as a blessing, during rites of confirmation, ordination, etc. (printing) To lay (columns or pages of type, or printing plates) arranged in a proper order on the bed of a press or an imposing stone and secure them in a chase in preparation for printing. (figurative) To apply, enforce, or establish (something, often regarded as burdensome as a restriction or tax: see sense 1.2.2) with authority. To place or put (something chiefly immaterial, especially something regarded as burdensome as a duty, an encumbrance, a penalty, etc.) on another thing or on someone; to inflict, to repose; also, to place or put (on someone a chiefly immaterial thing, especially something regarded as burdensome). To force or put (a thing) on someone or something by deceit or stealth; to foist, to obtrude. (UK, school or university slang) To subject (a student) to imposition (“a task inflicted as punishment”). (archaic or obsolete) To appoint (someone) to be in authority or command over other people. (obsolete) To accuse someone of (a crime, or a sin or other wrongdoing); to charge, to impute. (obsolete) To put (a conclusion or end) to something definitively. (intransitive) Chiefly followed by on or upon. To affect authoritatively or forcefully; to influence strongly. To encroach or intrude, especially in a manner regarded as unfair or unwarranted; to presume, to take advantage of; also, to be a burden or inconvenience. To practise deceit or stealth; to cheat, to deceive, to trick. (obsolete) To subject to an impost, levy, tax, etc. impose n (obsolete) An act of placing or putting on something chiefly immaterial, especially something regarded as burdensome as a duty, a task, etc.; an imposition.

← yesterday | About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback | tomorrow →

15

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for May 15

child's play n

(idiomatic) Something particularly easy or simple. Today is the International Day of Families, which is recognized by the United Nations to promote awareness of issues relating to families and to increase knowledge of the demographic, economic, and social processes affecting families.

← yesterday | About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback | tomorrow →

16

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for May 16

broad daylight n

Abundant natural illumination in daytime, producing clear visibility; hence, daytime. (figurative) Chiefly preceded by in: the full view of observers during the day. Today is the International Day of Light, which is recognized by the United Nations to emphasize the importance of light science and technology in sustainable development, and to celebrate the place of light in art, culture, and education. It marks the day in 1960 when the American engineer and physicist Theodore Maiman successfully fired the first laser.

← yesterday | About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback | tomorrow →

17

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for May 17

gazetteer n

(archaic or historical) A person who writes for a gazette or newspaper; a journalist; (specifically) a journalist engaged by a government. (by extension, obsolete) A gazette, a newspaper. [...] (geography) A dictionary or index of geographical locations. (by extension) A descriptive list (often alphabetical) of any subject. gazetteer v (transitive) Synonym of gazette (“to announce the status of (someone) in an official gazette”) (archaic) To report about (someone) in a gazette or newspaper. [...] (transitive, geography) To describe the geography of (a country or other place) in a gazetteer (etymology 2, noun sense 1). Today is World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, which is recognized by the United Nations to raise awareness of the benefits to society of the Internet and other information and communication technologies, and the need to bridge the digital divide. It commemorates the founding of the International Telecommunication Union on this day in 1865.

← yesterday | About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback | tomorrow →

18

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for May 18

in Minecraft prepositional phrase

(Internet slang, figurative, humorous) Used to supposedly keep oneself from becoming legally liable for making a certain statement that could be perceived as a threat, or that may otherwise pose a legal risk. The video game Minecraft was made public as a developmental release 15 years ago on May 17, 2009.

← yesterday | About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback | tomorrow →

19

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for May 19

sail close to the wind v (intransitive)

(nautical) To sail in a direction close to that from which the wind is blowing, while still making headway. (figurative) To behave in a manner that is on the verge of being dangerous, illegal, or improper. Today is the eve of European Maritime Day, which seeks to raise European citizens’ awareness of the seas and their importance.

← yesterday | About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback | tomorrow →

20

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for May 20

melliferous adj

(botany) Of a plant or its parts: bearing any substance (such as nectar or pollen) which is collected by bees to produce honey. (by extension) Producing honey. (figurative) Honeyed, sweet. Today is World Bee Day, which is recognized by the United Nations to emphasize the importance of bees and other pollinators, the threats they face and their contribution to sustainable development. Anton Janša, a pioneer of modern apiculture born in Carniola (now part of Slovenia), was baptized on this day 290 years ago in 1734.

← yesterday | About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback | tomorrow →

21

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for May 21

Eurafrican n

A person of mixed European and African descent. An African person with European ancestors. (South Africa) Synonym of colored (“a person having ancestry from more than one of the racial groups of Southern Africa (black, white, and Asian)”) Eurafrican adj Of or relating to the continents of, or countries in, both Europe and Africa; having both European and African characteristics. Of a person: of mixed European and African descent; (specifically, South Africa) synonym of colored (“belonging to a multiracial ethnic group or category, having ancestry from more than one of the racial groups of Southern Africa (black, white, and Asian)”) (anthropology, archaic) Of a person: from the parts of Europe and North Africa surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Today is the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development or Diversity Day, which is recognized by the United Nations to highlight the value of cultural diversity and the need for people to live together in harmony.

← yesterday | About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback | tomorrow →

22

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for May 22

summit disease n

(phytopathology) A disease (usually fungal, caused by the species complex Entomophaga grylli) that affects various species of insect, especially grasshoppers, whereby the infected individual typically climbs to the upper parts of a plant, attaches itself there and dies, at which point the infecting agent disperses itself, usually in the form of spores. Today is the International Day for Biological Diversity or World Biodiversity Day, which is recognized by the United Nations to promote awareness of the importance of biodiversity. The Convention on Biological Diversity was adopted on this day in 1992.

← yesterday | About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback | tomorrow →

23

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for May 23

with a will prepositional phrase

(idiomatic, originally nautical, dated) With willingness and zeal; with all one's heart or strength; earnestly, heartily.

← yesterday | About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback | tomorrow →

24

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for May 24

back-of-the-envelope adj

(idiomatic, informal) Especially of a calculation, estimation, or other reasoning, or an idea: approximate, rough, simplified.

← yesterday | About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback | tomorrow →

25

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for May 25

tubular bells n

(music) A percussion instrument consisting of a set of tuned metal tubes that are struck with a mallet, producing sounds like those of church bells. The British musician Mike Oldfield released his first studio album Tubular Bells on this day in 1973.

← yesterday | About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback | tomorrow →

26

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for May 26

exsanguinate v

(transitive) To drain (a living or dead body, or (medicine, surgery) a body part) of blood. To kill (a person or animal) by means of blood loss. (intransitive) To bleed profusely; also, to die by means of blood loss. To cause blood to drain from a body or body part, or profuse bleeding. The book Dracula by the Irish author Bram Stoker was first published on this day in 1897.

← yesterday | About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback | tomorrow →

27

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for May 27

milliner n

(archaic) A person who sells (women's) apparel, accessories, and other decorative goods, especially those originally manufactured in Milan. (specifically) A person involved in the design, manufacture, or sale of hats for women. milliner v (transitive, archaic) To manufacture (women's apparel, specifically hats); also, to supply (someone) with women's apparel, specifically hats. (figurative) To adorn or decorate (something). The London-based Irish hat designer Philip Treacy, described by Vogue magazine as “perhaps the greatest living milliner”, celebrated his birthday yesterday; he was born on 26 May 1967.

← yesterday | About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback | tomorrow →

28

29

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for May 29

Mount Everest proper n

A mountain in the Himalayas, on the border of Solukhumbu district, Koshi, Nepal and Tingri County, Shigatse, Tibet Autonomous Region, China; the world's highest mountain above sea level. Mount Everest n (figurative) An endeavour that is very demanding yet rewarding; also, a thing which is the highest achievement, challenge, etc.; the epitome, the pinnacle, the ultimate. The mountaineers Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, who were members of a British expedition, became the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest—the highest mountain in the world—on this day in 1953.

← yesterday | About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback | tomorrow →

30

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for May 30

ne'er cast a clout till May be out proverb

(UK, dialectal) Do not change from winter clothes to summer clothes until June, as there is often a sudden cold snap in May.

← yesterday | About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback | tomorrow →

31

edit · refresh · view Word of the day for May 31

contain multitudes v

(intransitive, idiomatic) To have a complex and apparently paradoxical nature; to be inconsistent, especially in a way that is ultimately admirable or noble. The American poet Walt Whitman, from whose work “Song of Myself” (1855) the term derives, was born on this day 205 years ago in 1819.

← yesterday | About Word of the Day • Nominate a word • Leave feedback | tomorrow →