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Wiktionary:Word of the day/Archive/2017/December

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2017
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1

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Word of the day
for December 1
Eurodeterrent n
  1. The proposed unified nuclear deterrent of the European Community (before November 1993) and the European Union (after November 1993).

  On this day in 2009, the Treaty of Lisbon, which amended the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (originally the 1957 Treaty of Rome) and the Treaty on European Union (the 1992 Maastricht Treaty) that form the constitutional basis for the European Union, came into force.

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2

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Word of the day
for December 2
bardo n
  1. (Tibetan Buddhism) The state of existence between death and subsequent reincarnation.

  American author George Saunders, whose novel Lincoln in the Bardo won the 2017 Man Booker Prize, was born on this day in 1958.

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3

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Word of the day
for December 3
fomentation n
  1. The act of fomenting; the application of warm, soft, medicinal substances, as for the purpose of easing pain by relaxing the skin, or of discussing (dispersing) tumours.
  2. A lotion or poultice applied to a diseased or injured part of the body.
  3. Encouragement; excitation; instigation.
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4

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5

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Word of the day
for December 5
quarry n
  1. […] (uncountable, obsolete) A part of the entrails of a hunted animal, given to the hounds as a reward.
  2. (uncountable) An animal, often a bird or mammal, which is hunted.
  3. (countable) An object of search or pursuit. […]
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6

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7

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Word of the day
for December 7
afflatus n
  1. A sudden rush of creative impulse or inspiration, often attributed to divine influence.

  The Roman orator and philosopher Cicero, who first used the related Latin word adflātū in the “inspiration” sense in his work De Natura Deorum (The Nature of the Gods, 44 B.C.E.), died on this day in 43 B.C.E.

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8

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Word of the day
for December 8
glaciology n
  1. (geography) The study of ice and its effect on the landscape, especially the study of glaciers.

  Norwegian explorer Carl Anton Larsen, after whom the Larsen Ice Shelf in Antarctica is named, died on this day in 1924.

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9

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Word of the day
for December 9
genticide n
  1. (rare) The killing of a race or nation of people; the slaughter of an ethnic group; a genocide.
  2. (rare) The killing of a kinsman or kinswoman; the murder of a blood relative.

  Today, the anniversary of the adoption of the Genocide Convention in 1948, is recognized by the United Nations as the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime.

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10

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Word of the day
for December 10
putter v
  1. (intransitive) To be active, but not excessively busy, at a task or a series of tasks. […]
  2. (intransitive) To produce intermittent bursts of sound in the course of operating.
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11

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Word of the day
for December 11
scree n
  1. (uncountable) Loose stony debris on a slope.
  2. (uncountable, by extension) Similar debris made up of broken building material such as bricks, concrete, etc.
  3. (countable) A slope made up of loose stony debris at the base of a cliff, mountain, etc.

  Today is designated by the United Nations General Assembly as International Mountain Day to highlight the importance of sustainable mountain development.

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12

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Word of the day
for December 12
Wiktionary proper n
  1. A collaborative project run by the Wikimedia Foundation to produce a free and complete dictionary in every language; the dictionaries, collectively, produced by that project.
  2. A particular version of this dictionary project, written in a certain language, such as the English-language Wiktionary (often known simply as the English Wiktionary).

  Happy birthday to us! Wiktionary went online on this day 15 years ago in 2002.

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13

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Word of the day
for December 13
angle parking n
  1. A form of roadside car parking where the parking spaces are arranged at an acute angle to the direction of approach, allowing the driver to enter a space easily and later reverse back out.
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14

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Word of the day
for December 14
retroussé adj
  1. Turned up, as in describing the nose.
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15

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16

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17

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Word of the day
for December 17
cromulent adj
  1. (humorous) Fine, acceptable or correct; seamless, relevant, legitimate or authentic; nonanomalous.

  The animated sitcom The Simpsons, from which the word originates, premiered on this date in 1989.

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18

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19

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Word of the day
for December 19
unguligrade n
  1. (zoology) An animal that walks on hooves.

  Today is celebrated as National Day of the Horse in the United States.

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20

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Word of the day
for December 20
Shangri-La n
  1. A place of complete bliss, delight, and peace, especially one seen as an escape from ordinary life; a paradise.

  British author James Hilton, who coined the word in his 1933 novel Lost Horizon, died on this day in 1954.

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21

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Word of the day
for December 21
on ice prepositional phrase
  1. (idiomatic) Not being used; temporarily unavailable or suspended; on hold.
  2. Of an entertainment normally performed on a stage: performed by ice skaters as an ice show.
  3. Of a sporting or other contest: in a state of assured victory for the leading contestant. […]

  The winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere falls on this day in 2017.

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22

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Word of the day
for December 22
etendue n
  1. (optics) A conserved property of the light in an optical system which characterizes how "spread out" the light is in terms of angle and area: it is the product of its cross-sectional area (normal to the direction of propagation) and the solid angle it subtends.
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23

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Word of the day
for December 23
pappardelle plural n
  1. A broad form of fettuccine, or a narrow form of lasagne, traditionally eaten with a meat sauce (especially one made with hare).
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24

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Word of the day
for December 24
carol n
  1. (historical) A round dance accompanied by singing.
  2. A ballad or song of joy.
    1. (specifically) A (usually traditional) religious or secular song sung at Christmastime.

  Have yourself a merry little Christmas Eve!

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25

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Word of the day
for December 25
Yuletide n
  1. (dated) The period of celebration of a pre-Christian festival associated with the (northern) winter solstice, later absorbed into the festival of Christmas.
  2. (dated) The period around Christmas; the Christmas season, Christmastime; specifically, Christmas itself.
  3. (Australia, regional) The period of southern winter in the middle of the year, sometimes celebrated in the colder, snowy regions of Australia with allusions to Christmas, which originated as a marketing gimmick.

  Merry Christmas from all of us at the Wiktionary!

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26

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Word of the day
for December 26
St. Stephen's Day proper n
  1. (Christianity) A Christian holiday commemorating Saint Stephen the protomartyr (first Christian martyr; died 34 C.E.), falling immediately after Christmas Day (on December 26 in the Western Church and on December 27 in the Eastern Orthodox Church).
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27

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Word of the day
for December 27
dragline excavator n
  1. Any of several very large vehicles used for lifting, especially in the process of mining: basically an excavator which drags its bucket to fill it.
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28

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Word of the day
for December 28
wurley n
  1. (chiefly South Australia) An Australian indigenous shelter made from small branches with the leaves still attached.
  2. (chiefly South Australia, by extension) A settlement made up of such shelters.

  On this day in 1836, John Hindmarsh, the first Governor of South Australia, announced that South Australia had been created a British province, and that both the indigenous population and settlers would be equally protected by the law. For some years the date was commemorated as Proclamation Day, until the holiday was changed to the first otherwise working day after Christmas Day (usually 26 December).

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29

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Word of the day
for December 29
ensete n
  1. Ensete ventricosum, a species of flowering plant in the banana family Musaceae, the root of which is used for food and other purposes.
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30

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Word of the day
for December 30
cognate accusative n
  1. (grammar) An object of kindred sense or derivation; specifically, that which may adverbially follow an intransitive verb (for example, the word death in “to die the death”).
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31

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Word of the day
for December 31
hemerology n
  1. The study of calendars, especially with a view to identifying propitious days.

  Happy New Year’s Eve from all of us at the Wiktionary!

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