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cockatrice (ˈkɒkətrɪs#pronListen("cockatrice" "/media/sounds/e/en_/en_gb/en_gb_cockatrice.mp3");-ˌtraɪs)
Definitions
noun
- a legendary monster, part snake and part cock, that could kill with a glance
- another name for #velocityLinkStart("
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basilisk")basilisk (sense 1)#linkEnd
Word Origin
C14: from Old French cocatris, from Medieval Latin cocatrix, from Late Latin calcātrix trampler, tracker (translating Greek ikhneumon ichneumon), from Latin calcāre to tread, from calx heel
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cucking stool (ˈkʌkɪŋ#pronListen("cucking stool" "/media/sounds/e/en_/en_gb/en_gb_cucking_stool.mp3"))
Word Origin
C13 cucking stol, literally: defecating chair, from cukken to defecate; compare Old Norse kúkr excrement
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morganatic (ˌmɔːɡəˈnætɪk#pronListen("morganatic" "/media/sounds/e/en_/en_gb/en_gb_morganatic.mp3"))
Definitions
adjective
- of or designating a marriage between a person of high rank and a person of low rank, by which the latter is not elevated to the higher rank and any issue have no rights to the succession of the higher party's titles, property, etc
Alternative Forms
ˌmorgaˈnatically adverb Word Origin
C18: from the Medieval Latin phrase mātrimōnium ad morganāticum marriage based on the morning-gift (a token present after consummation representing the husband's only liability); morganātica, ultimately from Old High German morgan morning; compare Old English morgengiefu morning-gift
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zwitterion (ˈtsvɪtərˌaɪən#pronListen("zwitterion" "/media/sounds/e/en_/en_gb/en_gb_zwitterion.mp3"))
Definitions
noun
- chemistry an ion that carries both a positive and a negative charge
Alternative Forms
zwitterionic (ˌtsvɪtəraɪˈɒnɪk#pronListen("zwitterionic" "/media/sounds/e/en_/en_gb/en_gb_zwitterionic.mp3")) adjective Word Origin
C20: from German Zwitter hermaphrodite + ion
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vug or vugg or vugh(vʌɡ#pronListen("" "/media/sounds/e/en_/en_gb/en_gb_vug.mp3"))
Definitions
noun
- mining a small cavity in a rock or vein, usually lined with crystals
Alternative Forms
ˈvuggy ˈvughy adjective Word Origin
C19: from Cornish vooga cave
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polysyndeton (ˌpɒlɪˈsɪndɪtən#pronListen("polysyndeton" "/media/sounds/e/en_/en_gb/en_gb_polysyndeton.mp3"))
Definitions
noun
- rhetoric the use of several conjunctions in close succession, esp where some might be omitted, as in the use of several conjunctions in close succession, esp where some might be omitted, as in he ran and jumped and laughed for joy
- Also called syndesisgrammar a sentence containing more than two coordinate clauses
Word Origin
C16: poly- + -syndeton, from Greek sundetos bound together
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zoomorphism (ˌzəʊəˈmɔːfɪzəm#pronListen("zoomorphism" "/media/sounds/e/en_/en_gb/en_gb_zoomorphism.mp3"))
Definitions
noun
- the conception or representation of deities in the form of animals
- the use of animal forms or symbols in art, literature, etc
Alternative Forms
ˌzooˈmorphic adjective
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koniology or coniology(ˌkəʊnɪˈɒlədʒɪ#pronListen("" "/media/sounds/e/en_/en_gb/en_gb_coniology.mp3"))
Definitions
noun
- the study of atmospheric dust and its effects
Word Origin
C20: from Greek konia dust + -logy
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macadam (məˈkædəm#pronListen("macadam" "/media/sounds/e/en_/en_gb/en_gb_macadam.mp3"))
Definitions
noun
- a road surface made of compressed layers of small broken stones, esp one that is bound together with tar or asphalt
Word Origin
C19: named after John McAdam (1756–1836), Scottish engineer, the inventor
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tabbouleh or tabbouli(təˈbuːlɪ#pronListen("" "/media/sounds/e/en_/en_gb/en_gb_tabbouleh.mp3"))
Definitions
noun
- a kind of Middle Eastern salad made with cracked wheat, mint, parsley, and usually cucumber
Word Origin
C20: from Arabic tabbūla
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FMRI
Definitions
abbreviation for
- functional magnetic resonance imaging: a technique that directly measures the blood flow in the brain, thereby providing information on brain activity
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