Browse dictionary
Showing 1-20 of 211 results in 211 entries
1. alpha, n. and adj. View full entry ?c1200
...(The name of) the first letter (Α, α) of the Greek alphabet, corresponding to English a....
2. ancient, adj. and n.1 View full entry 1366
...Of or belonging to time past, former, earlier, bygone. arch., exc. when approaching sense A. 2....
3. animal, n. View full entry a1398
...A living organism which feeds on organic matter, typically having specialized sense organs and a nervous system and able to respond rapidly to stimuli; any living creature, including man....
4. ass, n.1 View full entry c1000
...A well-known quadruped of the horse kind, distinguished from the horse by its smaller size, long ears, tuft at end of tail, and black stripe across the shoulders. Found wild in western...
5. attic, n.2 View full entry 1696
...A decorative structure, consisting of a small order (column and entablature) placed above another order of much greater height constituting the main façade. This was usually an Attic order, with pilasters instead...
6. back-, comb. form View full entry ?c1225
...General senses in combination....
7. badger, n.2 View full entry ?1523
...A nocturnal burrowing Eurasian mammal, Meles meles (family Mustelidae), having a grey coat and a white head bearing two long black stripes. Also: a similar animal, Taxidea...
8. ball, n.1 View full entry 1166
...A rounded hill, a knoll. Now Eng. regional (south-west.)....
9. beak, n.1 View full entry c1220
...The horny termination of the jaws of a bird, consisting of two pointed mandibles adapted for piercing and for taking firm hold: a bird's bill....
10. beating, n. View full entry ?c1225
...The infliction of repeated blows; spec. the action of inflicting blows in punishment; the dashing of waves against the shore; the whipping up of a fluid; the flapping of wings;...
11. bird, n. View full entry a800
...orig. The general name for the young of the feathered tribes; a young bird; a chicken, eaglet, etc.; a nestling. The only sense in Old English; found in literature down to...
12. black, adj. and n. View full entry eOE
...Designating the darkest colour possible, that of soot, coal, the sky on a moonless night in open country, and a small hole in a hollow object; of or having this colour; (also)...
13. blanch, v.1 View full entry 1398
...trans. To make white, whiten: chiefly, in mod. use, by depriving of colour; to bleach. Also fig....
14. blood, n. (and int.) View full entry eOE
...The red fluid flowing in the arteries, capillaries, and veins of humans and other vertebrates, carrying oxygen and nutrients to, and carbon dioxide and waste metabolites away from, the organs and tissues...
15. blue, adj. and n. View full entry c1300
...Of a colour of the spectrum intermediate between green and violet, as of the sky or deep sea on a clear day....
16. boot, n.3 View full entry c1325
...A covering for the foot and lower part of the leg, usually of leather. (Distinguished from a shoe by extending above the ankle. In earlier times used only by riders:...
17. bottle, n.2 View full entry c1375
...A vessel with a narrow neck for holding liquids, now usually made of glass; originally of leather....
18. branch, n. View full entry 1297
...A portion or limb of a tree or other plant growing out of the stem or trunk, or out of one of the boughs; in a more specific sense, a branch...
19. break, v. View full entry 851
...trans. generally....
20. bull-dog, n. View full entry ?1518
...A dog of a bold and fierce breed, with large bull-head, short muzzle, strong muscular body of medium height, and short smooth hair, formerly much used for bull-baiting....
