-
abstain
0
v 1: refrain from voting
2: choose not to consume; "I abstain from alcohol" [syn:
abstain, refrain, desist] [ant: consume, have,
ingest, take, take in]
-
aeroplane
0
n 1: an aircraft that has a fixed wing and is powered by
propellers or jets; "the flight was delayed due to trouble
with the airplane" [syn: airplane, aeroplane, plane]
-
again
0
adv 1: anew; "she tried again"; "they rehearsed the scene again"
[syn: again, once again, once more, over again]
-
ain
0
adj 1: belonging to or on behalf of a specified person
(especially yourself); preceded by a possessive; "for
your own use"; "do your own thing"; "she makes her own
clothes"; "`ain' is Scottish" [syn: own(a), ain]
-
aquamarine
0
n 1: a transparent variety of beryl that is blue green in color
2: a shade of blue tinged with green [syn: greenish blue,
aqua, aquamarine, turquoise, cobalt blue, peacock
blue]
-
aquaplane
0
n 1: a board that is pulled by a speedboat as a person stands on
it and skims over the top of the water
v 1: rise up onto a thin film of water between the tires and
road so that there is no more contact with the road; "the
car aquaplaned"
2: ride on an aquaplane
-
arcane
0
adj 1: requiring secret or mysterious knowledge; "the arcane
science of dowsing"
-
arraign
0
v 1: call before a court to answer an indictment
2: accuse of a wrong or an inadequacy
-
ascertain
0
v 1: establish after a calculation, investigation, experiment,
survey, or study; "find the product of two numbers"; "The
physicist who found the elusive particle won the Nobel
Prize" [syn: determine, find, find out, ascertain]
2: be careful or certain to do something; make certain of
something; "He verified that the valves were closed"; "See
that the curtains are closed"; "control the quality of the
product" [syn: see, check, insure, see to it,
ensure, control, ascertain, assure]
3: find out, learn, or determine with certainty, usually by
making an inquiry or other effort; "I want to see whether she
speaks French"; "See whether it works"; "find out if he
speaks Russian"; "Check whether the train leaves on time"
[syn: determine, check, find out, see, ascertain,
watch, learn]
4: learn or discover with certainty
-
attain
0
v 1: to gain with effort; "she achieved her goal despite
setbacks" [syn: achieve, accomplish, attain, reach]
2: reach a point in time, or a certain state or level; "The
thermometer hit 100 degrees"; "This car can reach a speed of
140 miles per hour" [syn: reach, hit, attain]
3: find unexpectedly; "the archeologists chanced upon an old
tomb"; "she struck a goldmine"; "The hikers finally struck
the main path to the lake" [syn: fall upon, strike, come
upon, light upon, chance upon, come across, chance
on, happen upon, attain, discover]
4: reach a destination, either real or abstract; "We hit Detroit
by noon"; "The water reached the doorstep"; "We barely made
it to the finish line"; "I have to hit the MAC machine before
the weekend starts" [syn: reach, make, attain, hit,
arrive at, gain]
-
baleen
0
n 1: a horny material from the upper jaws of certain whales;
used as the ribs of fans or as stays in corsets [syn:
whalebone, baleen]
-
bane
0
n 1: something causing misery or death; "the bane of my life"
[syn: bane, curse, scourge, nemesis]
-
bean
0
n 1: any of various edible seeds of plants of the family
Leguminosae used for food [syn: bean, edible bean]
2: any of various seeds or fruits that are beans or resemble
beans
3: any of various leguminous plants grown for their edible seeds
and pods [syn: bean, bean plant]
4: informal terms for a human head [syn: attic, bean,
bonce, noodle, noggin, dome]
v 1: hit on the head, especially with a pitched baseball
-
benzene
0
n 1: a colorless liquid hydrocarbon; highly inflammable;
carcinogenic; the simplest of the aromatic compounds [syn:
benzene, benzine, benzol]
-
between
0
adv 1: in the interval; "dancing all the dances with little rest
between" [syn: between, betwixt]
2: in between; "two houses with a tree between" [syn: between,
'tween]
-
biplane
0
n 1: old fashioned airplane; has two wings one above the other
-
blain
0
n 1: an inflammatory swelling or sore
-
brain
0
n 1: that part of the central nervous system that includes all
the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull;
continuous with the spinal cord [syn: brain,
encephalon]
2: mental ability; "he's got plenty of brains but no common
sense" [syn: brain, brainpower, learning ability,
mental capacity, mentality, wit]
3: that which is responsible for one's thoughts and feelings;
the seat of the faculty of reason; "his mind wandered"; "I
couldn't get his words out of my head" [syn: mind, head,
brain, psyche, nous]
4: someone who has exceptional intellectual ability and
originality; "Mozart was a child genius"; "he's smart but
he's no Einstein" [syn: genius, mastermind, brain,
brainiac, Einstein]
5: the brain of certain animals used as meat
v 1: hit on the head
2: kill by smashing someone's skull
-
butane
0
n 1: occurs in natural gas; used in the manufacture of rubber
and fuels
-
caffeine
0
n 1: a bitter alkaloid found in coffee and tea that is
responsible for their stimulating effects [syn: caffeine,
caffein]
-
campaign
0
n 1: a race between candidates for elective office; "I managed
his campaign for governor"; "he is raising money for a
Senate run" [syn: political campaign, campaign, run]
2: a series of actions advancing a principle or tending toward a
particular end; "he supported populist campaigns"; "they
worked in the cause of world peace"; "the team was ready for
a drive toward the pennant"; "the movement to end slavery";
"contributed to the war effort" [syn: campaign, cause,
crusade, drive, movement, effort]
3: several related operations aimed at achieving a particular
goal (usually within geographical and temporal constraints)
[syn: campaign, military campaign]
4: an overland journey by hunters (especially in Africa) [syn:
campaign, hunting expedition, safari]
v 1: run, stand, or compete for an office or a position; "Who's
running for treasurer this year?" [syn: campaign, run]
2: exert oneself continuously, vigorously, or obtrusively to
gain an end or engage in a crusade for a certain cause or
person; be an advocate for; "The liberal party pushed for
reforms"; "She is crusading for women's rights"; "The Dean is
pushing for his favorite candidate" [syn: crusade, fight,
press, campaign, push, agitate]
3: go on a campaign; go off to war [syn: campaign, take the
field]
-
cane
0
n 1: a stick that people can lean on to help them walk
2: a strong slender often flexible stem as of bamboos, reeds,
rattans, or sugar cane
3: a stiff switch used to hit students as punishment
v 1: beat with a cane [syn: cane, flog, lambaste,
lambast]
-
canteen
0
n 1: a flask for carrying water; used by soldiers or travelers
2: sells food and personal items to personnel at an institution
or school or camp etc.
3: a restaurant outside; often for soldiers or policemen [syn:
canteen, mobile canteen]
4: a recreation room in an institution
5: restaurant in a factory; where workers can eat
-
careen
0
n 1: pitching dangerously to one side [syn: rock, careen,
sway, tilt]
v 1: walk as if unable to control one's movements; "The drunken
man staggered into the room" [syn: stagger, reel,
keel, lurch, swag, careen]
2: move sideways or in an unsteady way; "The ship careened out
of control" [syn: careen, wobble, shift, tilt]
-
casein
0
n 1: a milk protein used in making e.g. plastics and adhesives
2: a water-base paint made with a protein precipitated from milk
[syn: casein paint, casein]
-
chain
0
n 1: a series of things depending on each other as if linked
together; "the chain of command"; "a complicated
concatenation of circumstances" [syn: chain,
concatenation]
2: (chemistry) a series of linked atoms (generally in an organic
molecule) [syn: chain, chemical chain]
3: a series of (usually metal) rings or links fitted into one
another to make a flexible ligament
4: (business) a number of similar establishments (stores or
restaurants or banks or hotels or theaters) under one
ownership
5: anything that acts as a restraint
6: a unit of length
7: British biochemist (born in Germany) who isolated and
purified penicillin, which had been discovered in 1928 by Sir
Alexander Fleming (1906-1979) [syn: Chain, Ernst Boris
Chain, Sir Ernst Boris Chain]
8: a series of hills or mountains; "the valley was between two
ranges of hills"; "the plains lay just beyond the mountain
range" [syn: range, mountain range, range of mountains,
chain, mountain chain, chain of mountains]
9: a linked or connected series of objects; "a chain of daisies"
10: a necklace made by a stringing objects together; "a string
of beads"; "a strand of pearls"; [syn: chain, string,
strand]
v 1: connect or arrange into a chain by linking
2: fasten or secure with chains; "Chain the chairs together"
[ant: unchain]
-
champagne
0
n 1: a white sparkling wine either produced in Champagne or
resembling that produced there [syn: champagne, bubbly]
2: a region of northeastern France [syn: Champagne,
Champagne-Ardenne]
-
chatelaine
0
n 1: the mistress of a chateau or large country house
2: a chain formerly worn at the waist by women; for carrying a
purse or bunch of keys etc.
-
chilblain
0
n 1: inflammation of the hands and feet caused by exposure to
cold and moisture [syn: chilblain, chilblains,
pernio]
-
clean
0
adv 1: completely; used as intensifiers; "clean forgot the
appointment"; "I'm plumb (or plum) tuckered out" [syn:
clean, plumb, plum]
2: in conformity with the rules or laws and without fraud or
cheating; "they played fairly" [syn: fairly, fair,
clean] [ant: below the belt, unfairly]
adj 1: free from dirt or impurities; or having clean habits;
"children with clean shining faces"; "clean white
shirts"; "clean dishes"; "a spotlessly clean house";
"cats are clean animals" [ant: dirty, soiled,
unclean]
2: free of restrictions or qualifications; "a clean bill of
health"; "a clear winner" [syn: clean, clear]
3: (of sound or color) free from anything that dulls or dims;
"efforts to obtain a clean bass in orchestral recordings";
"clear laughter like a waterfall"; "clear reds and blues"; "a
light lilting voice like a silver bell" [syn: clean,
clear, light, unclouded]
4: free from impurities; "clean water"; "fresh air" [syn:
clean, fresh]
5: (of a record) having no marks of discredit or offense; "a
clean voting record"; "a clean driver's license"
6: ritually clean or pure [ant: impure, unclean]
7: not spreading pollution or contamination; especially
radioactive contamination; "a clean fuel"; "cleaner and more
efficient engines"; "the tactical bomb is reasonably clean"
[syn: clean, uncontaminating] [ant: contaminating,
dirty]
8: (of behavior or especially language) free from objectionable
elements; fit for all observers; "good clean fun"; "a clean
joke" [syn: clean, unobjectionable] [ant: dirty]
9: free from sepsis or infection; "a clean (or uninfected)
wound" [syn: uninfected, clean]
10: morally pure; "led a clean life" [syn: clean, clean-
living]
11: (of a manuscript) having few alterations or corrections;
"fair copy"; "a clean manuscript" [syn: clean, fair]
12: (of a surface) not written or printed on; "blank pages";
"fill in the blank spaces"; "a clean page"; "wide white
margins" [syn: blank, clean, white]
13: exhibiting or calling for sportsmanship or fair play; "a
clean fight"; "a sporting solution of the disagreement";
"sportsmanlike conduct" [syn: clean, sporting, sporty,
sportsmanlike]
14: without difficulties or problems; "a clean test flight"
15: thorough and without qualification; "a clean getaway"; "a
clean sweep"; "a clean break"
16: not carrying concealed weapons
17: free from clumsiness; precisely or deftly executed; "he
landed a clean left on his opponent's cheek"; "a clean
throw"; "the neat exactness of the surgeon's knife" [syn:
clean, neat]
18: free of drugs; "after a long dependency on heroin she has
been clean for 4 years"
n 1: a weightlift in which the barbell is lifted to shoulder
height and then jerked overhead [syn: clean and jerk,
clean]
v 1: make clean by removing dirt, filth, or unwanted substances
from; "Clean the stove!"; "The dentist cleaned my teeth"
[syn: clean, make clean] [ant: begrime, bemire,
colly, dirty, grime, soil]
2: remove unwanted substances from, such as feathers or pits;
"Clean the turkey" [syn: clean, pick]
3: clean and tidy up the house; "She housecleans every week"
[syn: houseclean, clean house, clean]
4: clean one's body or parts thereof, as by washing; "clean up
before you see your grandparents"; "clean your fingernails
before dinner" [syn: cleanse, clean]
5: be cleanable; "This stove cleans easily"
6: deprive wholly of money in a gambling game, robbery, etc.;
"The other players cleaned him completely"
7: remove all contents or possession from, or empty completely;
"The boys cleaned the sandwich platters"; "The trees were
cleaned of apples by the storm" [syn: clean, strip]
8: remove while making clean; "Clean the spots off the rug"
9: remove unwanted substances from [syn: scavenge, clean]
10: remove shells or husks from; "clean grain before milling it"
-
cocaine
0
n 1: a narcotic (alkaloid) extracted from coca leaves; used as a
surface anesthetic or taken for pleasure; can become
powerfully addictive [syn: cocaine, cocain]
-
complain
0
v 1: express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or
unhappiness; "My mother complains all day"; "She has a lot
to kick about" [syn: complain, kick, plain, sound
off, quetch, kvetch] [ant: cheer, cheer up, chirk
up]
2: make a formal accusation; bring a formal charge; "The
plaintiff's lawyer complained that he defendant had
physically abused his client"
-
constrain
0
v 1: hold back [syn: restrain, encumber, cumber,
constrain]
2: restrict; "Tighten the rules"; "stiffen the regulations"
[syn: stiffen, tighten, tighten up, constrain]
-
contain
0
v 1: include or contain; have as a component; "A totally new
idea is comprised in this paper"; "The record contains many
old songs from the 1930's" [syn: incorporate, contain,
comprise]
2: contain or hold; have within; "The jar carries wine"; "The
canteen holds fresh water"; "This can contains water" [syn:
hold, bear, carry, contain]
3: lessen the intensity of; temper; hold in restraint; hold or
keep within limits; "moderate your alcohol intake"; "hold
your tongue"; "hold your temper"; "control your anger" [syn:
control, hold in, hold, contain, check, curb,
moderate]
4: be divisible by; "24 contains 6"
5: be capable of holding or containing; "This box won't take all
the items"; "The flask holds one gallon" [syn: contain,
take, hold]
6: hold back, as of a danger or an enemy; check the expansion or
influence of; "Arrest the downward trend"; "Check the growth
of communism in South East Asia"; "Contain the rebel
movement"; "Turn back the tide of communism" [syn: check,
turn back, arrest, stop, contain, hold back]
-
convene
0
v 1: meet formally; "The council convened last week"
2: call together; "The students were convened in the auditorium"
[syn: convoke, convene]
-
crane
0
n 1: United States writer (1871-1900) [syn: Crane, Stephen
Crane]
2: United States poet (1899-1932) [syn: Crane, Hart Crane,
Harold Hart Crane]
3: a small constellation in the southern hemisphere near Phoenix
[syn: Grus, Crane]
4: lifts and moves heavy objects; lifting tackle is suspended
from a pivoted boom that rotates around a vertical axis
5: large long-necked wading bird of marshes and plains in many
parts of the world
v 1: stretch (the neck) so as to see better; "The women craned
their necks to see the President drive by" [syn: crane,
stretch out]
-
cuisine
0
n 1: the practice or manner of preparing food or the food so
prepared [syn: cuisine, culinary art]
-
dean
0
n 1: an administrator in charge of a division of a university or
college
2: United States film actor whose moody rebellious roles made
him a cult figure (1931-1955) [syn: Dean, James Dean,
James Byron Dean]
3: a man who is the senior member of a group; "he is the dean of
foreign correspondents" [syn: dean, doyen]
4: (Roman Catholic Church) the head of the College of Cardinals
-
deign
0
v 1: do something that one considers to be below one's dignity
[syn: condescend, deign, descend]
-
deplane
0
v 1: get off an airplane
-
detain
0
v 1: deprive of freedom; take into confinement [syn: confine,
detain] [ant: free, liberate, loose, release,
unloose, unloosen]
2: stop or halt; "Please stay the bloodshed!" [syn: stay,
detain, delay]
3: cause to be slowed down or delayed; "Traffic was delayed by
the bad weather"; "she delayed the work that she didn't want
to perform" [syn: delay, detain, hold up] [ant:
hurry, rush]
-
disdain
0
n 1: lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense
dislike; "he was held in contempt"; "the despite in which
outsiders were held is legendary" [syn: contempt,
disdain, scorn, despite]
2: a communication that indicates lack of respect by patronizing
the recipient [syn: condescension, disdain, patronage]
v 1: look down on with disdain; "He despises the people he has
to work for"; "The professor scorns the students who don't
catch on immediately" [syn: contemn, despise, scorn,
disdain]
2: reject with contempt; "She spurned his advances" [syn:
reject, spurn, freeze off, scorn, pooh-pooh,
disdain, turn down]
-
domain
0
n 1: a particular environment or walk of life; "his social
sphere is limited"; "it was a closed area of employment";
"he's out of my orbit" [syn: sphere, domain, area,
orbit, field, arena]
2: territory over which rule or control is exercised; "his
domain extended into Europe"; "he made it the law of the
land" [syn: domain, demesne, land]
3: (mathematics) the set of values of the independent variable
for which a function is defined [syn: domain, domain of a
function]
4: people in general; especially a distinctive group of people
with some shared interest; "the Western world" [syn: world,
domain]
5: the content of a particular field of knowledge [syn:
knowledge domain, knowledge base, domain]
-
drain
0
n 1: emptying something accomplished by allowing liquid to run
out of it [syn: drain, drainage]
2: tube inserted into a body cavity (as during surgery) to
remove unwanted material
3: a pipe through which liquid is carried away [syn: drain,
drainpipe, waste pipe]
4: a gradual depletion of energy or resources; "a drain on
resources"; "a drain of young talent by emigration"
v 1: flow off gradually; "The rain water drains into this big
vat" [syn: drain, run out]
2: deplete of resources; "The exercise class drains me of
energy"
3: empty of liquid; drain the liquid from; "We drained the oil
tank"
4: make weak; "Life in the camp drained him" [syn: enfeeble,
debilitate, drain]
-
emplane
0
v 1: board a plane [syn: emplane, enplane]
-
enplane
0
v 1: board a plane [syn: emplane, enplane]
-
entertain
0
v 1: provide entertainment for
2: take into consideration, have in view; "He entertained the
notion of moving to South America" [syn: entertain, think
of, toy with, flirt with, think about]
3: maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings); "bear a grudge";
"entertain interesting notions"; "harbor a resentment" [syn:
harbor, harbour, hold, entertain, nurse]
-
explain
0
v 1: make plain and comprehensible; "He explained the laws of
physics to his students" [syn: explain, explicate]
2: define; "The committee explained their plan for fund-raising
to the Dean"
3: serve as a reason or cause or justification of; "Your need to
sleep late does not excuse your late arrival at work"; "Her
recent divorce may explain her reluctance to date again"
[syn: excuse, explain]
-
fain
0
adv 1: in a willing manner; "this was gladly agreed to"; "I
would fain do it" [syn: gladly, lief, fain]
adj 1: having made preparations; "prepared to take risks" [syn:
disposed(p), fain, inclined(p), prepared]
-
feign
0
v 1: make believe with the intent to deceive; "He feigned that
he was ill"; "He shammed a headache" [syn: feign, sham,
pretend, affect, dissemble]
2: make a pretence of; "She assumed indifference, even though
she was seething with anger"; "he feigned sleep" [syn:
simulate, assume, sham, feign]
-
floatplane
0
n 1: a seaplane equipped with pontoons for landing or taking off
from water [syn: floatplane, pontoon plane]
-
gain
0
n 1: a quantity that is added; "there was an addition to
property taxes this year"; "they recorded the cattle's gain
in weight over a period of weeks" [syn: addition,
increase, gain]
2: the advantageous quality of being beneficial [syn: profit,
gain]
3: the amount of increase in signal power or voltage or current
expressed as the ratio of output to input [syn:
amplification, gain]
4: the amount by which the revenue of a business exceeds its
cost of operating [ant: loss, red, red ink]
v 1: obtain; "derive pleasure from one's garden" [syn: derive,
gain]
2: win something through one's efforts; "I acquired a passing
knowledge of Chinese"; "Gain an understanding of
international finance" [syn: acquire, win, gain] [ant:
lose]
3: derive a benefit from; "She profited from his vast
experience" [syn: profit, gain, benefit]
4: reach a destination, either real or abstract; "We hit Detroit
by noon"; "The water reached the doorstep"; "We barely made
it to the finish line"; "I have to hit the MAC machine before
the weekend starts" [syn: reach, make, attain, hit,
arrive at, gain]
5: obtain advantages, such as points, etc.; "The home team was
gaining ground"; "After defeating the Knicks, the Blazers
pulled ahead of the Lakers in the battle for the number-one
playoff berth in the Western Conference" [syn: gain,
advance, win, pull ahead, make headway, get ahead,
gain ground] [ant: drop off, fall back, fall behind,
lose, recede]
6: rise in rate or price; "The stock market gained 24 points
today" [syn: advance, gain]
7: increase or develop; "the peace movement gained momentum";
"the car gathers speed" [syn: gain, gather]
8: earn on some commercial or business transaction; earn as
salary or wages; "How much do you make a month in your new
job?"; "She earns a lot in her new job"; "this merger brought
in lots of money"; "He clears $5,000 each month" [syn:
gain, take in, clear, make, earn, realize,
realise, pull in, bring in]
9: increase (one's body weight); "She gained 20 pounds when she
stopped exercising" [syn: gain, put on] [ant: lose
weight, melt off, reduce, slenderize, slim, slim
down, thin]
-
germane
0
adj 1: relevant and appropriate; "he asks questions that are
germane and central to the issue"
-
grain
0
n 1: a relatively small granular particle of a substance; "a
grain of sand"; "a grain of sugar"
2: foodstuff prepared from the starchy grains of cereal grasses
[syn: grain, food grain, cereal]
3: the side of leather from which the hair has been removed
4: a weight unit used for pearls or diamonds: 50 mg or 1/4 carat
[syn: grain, metric grain]
5: 1/60 dram; equals an avoirdupois grain or 64.799 milligrams
6: 1/7000 pound; equals a troy grain or 64.799 milligrams
7: dry seed-like fruit produced by the cereal grasses: e.g.
wheat, barley, Indian corn [syn: grain, caryopsis]
8: a cereal grass; "wheat is a grain that is grown in Kansas"
9: the smallest possible unit of anything; "there was a grain of
truth in what he said"; "he does not have a grain of sense"
10: the direction, texture, or pattern of fibers found in wood
or leather or stone or in a woven fabric; "saw the board
across the grain"
11: the physical composition of something (especially with
respect to the size and shape of the small constituents of a
substance); "breadfruit has the same texture as bread";
"sand of a fine grain"; "fish with a delicate flavor and
texture"; "a stone of coarse grain" [syn: texture,
grain]
v 1: thoroughly work in; "His hands were grained with dirt"
[syn: ingrain, grain]
2: paint (a surface) to make it look like stone or wood
3: form into grains [syn: granulate, grain]
4: become granular [syn: granulate, grain]
-
gyroplane
0
n 1: an aircraft that is supported in flight by unpowered
rotating horizontal wings (or blades); forward propulsion
is provided by a conventional propeller [syn: autogiro,
autogyro, gyroplane]
-
humane
0
adj 1: pertaining to or concerned with the humanities;
"humanistic studies"; "a humane education" [syn:
humanist, humanistic, humane]
2: marked or motivated by concern with the alleviation of
suffering [ant: inhumane]
3: showing evidence of moral and intellectual advancement
-
hydroplane
0
n 1: an airplane that can land on or take off from water; "the
designer of marine aircraft demonstrated his newest
hydroplane" [syn: seaplane, hydroplane]
2: a speedboat that is equipped with winglike structures that
lift it so that it skims the water at high speeds; "the
museum houses a replica of the jet hydroplane that broke the
record" [syn: hydrofoil, hydroplane]
v 1: glide on the water in a hydroplane [syn: hydroplane,
seaplane]
-
inane
0
adj 1: devoid of intelligence [syn: asinine, fatuous,
inane, mindless, vacuous]
-
inhumane
0
adj 1: lacking and reflecting lack of pity or compassion;
"humans are innately inhumane; this explains much of the
misery and suffering in the world"; "biological weapons
are considered too inhumane to be used" [ant: humane]
-
insane
0
adj 1: afflicted with or characteristic of mental derangement;
"was declared insane"; "insane laughter" [ant: sane]
2: very foolish; "harebrained ideas"; "took insane risks behind
the wheel"; "a completely mad scheme to build a bridge
between two mountains" [syn: harebrained, insane, mad]
-
lane
0
n 1: a narrow way or road
2: a well-defined track or path; for e.g. swimmers or lines of
traffic
-
legerdemain
0
n 1: an illusory feat; considered magical by naive observers
[syn: magic trick, conjuring trick, trick, magic,
legerdemain, conjuration, thaumaturgy, illusion,
deception]
-
main
0
adj 1: most important element; "the chief aim of living"; "the
main doors were of solid glass"; "the principal rivers of
America"; "the principal example"; "policemen were
primary targets"; "the master bedroom"; "a master switch"
[syn: chief(a), main(a), primary(a),
principal(a), master(a)]
2: (of a clause) capable of standing syntactically alone as a
complete sentence; "the main (or independent) clause in a
complex sentence has at least a subject and a verb" [syn:
independent, main(a)] [ant: dependent, subordinate]
3: of force; of the greatest possible intensity; "by main
strength"
n 1: any very large body of (salt) water [syn: main, briny]
2: a principal pipe in a system that distributes water or gas or
electricity or that collects sewage
-
maintain
0
v 1: keep in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., "keep
clean"; "hold in place"; "She always held herself as a
lady"; "The students keep me on my toes" [syn: keep,
maintain, hold]
2: keep in safety and protect from harm, decay, loss, or
destruction; "We preserve these archeological findings"; "The
old lady could not keep up the building"; "children must be
taught to conserve our national heritage"; "The museum
curator conserved the ancient manuscripts" [syn: conserve,
preserve, maintain, keep up]
3: supply with necessities and support; "She alone sustained her
family"; "The money will sustain our good cause"; "There's
little to earn and many to keep" [syn: sustain, keep,
maintain]
4: state categorically [syn: assert, asseverate, maintain]
5: have and exercise; "wield power and authority" [syn: wield,
exert, maintain]
6: maintain for use and service; "I keep a car in the
countryside"; "She keeps an apartment in Paris for her
shopping trips" [syn: keep, maintain]
7: maintain by writing regular records; "keep a diary";
"maintain a record"; "keep notes" [syn: keep, maintain]
8: state or assert; "He maintained his innocence" [syn:
maintain, defend]
9: support against an opponent; "The appellate court upheld the
verdict" [syn: uphold, maintain]
10: stick to correctly or closely; "The pianist kept time with
the metronome"; "keep count"; "I cannot keep track of all my
employees" [syn: observe, keep, maintain]
-
mane
0
n 1: long coarse hair growing from the crest of the animal's
neck
2: growth of hair covering the scalp of a human being [syn:
mane, head of hair]
-
mean
0
adj 1: approximating the statistical norm or average or expected
value; "the average income in New England is below that
of the nation"; "of average height for his age"; "the
mean annual rainfall" [syn: average, mean(a)]
2: characterized by malice; "a hateful thing to do"; "in a mean
mood" [syn: hateful, mean]
3: having or showing an ignoble lack of honor or morality; "that
liberal obedience without which your army would be a base
rabble"- Edmund Burke; "taking a mean advantage"; "chok'd
with ambition of the meaner sort"- Shakespeare; "something
essentially vulgar and meanspirited in politics" [syn:
base, mean, meanspirited]
4: excellent; "famous for a mean backhand"
5: marked by poverty befitting a beggar; "a beggarly existence
in the slums"; "a mean hut" [syn: beggarly, mean]
6: (used of persons or behavior) characterized by or indicative
of lack of generosity; "a mean person"; "he left a miserly
tip" [syn: mean, mingy, miserly, tight]
7: (used of sums of money) so small in amount as to deserve
contempt [syn: beggarly, mean]
8: of no value or worth; "I was caught in the bastardly traffic"
[syn: bastardly, mean]
n 1: an average of n numbers computed by adding some function of
the numbers and dividing by some function of n [syn:
mean, mean value]
v 1: mean or intend to express or convey; "You never understand
what I mean!"; "what do his words intend?" [syn: mean,
intend]
2: have as a logical consequence; "The water shortage means that
we have to stop taking long showers" [syn: entail, imply,
mean]
3: denote or connote; "`maison' means `house' in French"; "An
example sentence would show what this word means" [syn:
mean, intend, signify, stand for]
4: have in mind as a purpose; "I mean no harm"; "I only meant to
help you"; "She didn't think to harm me"; "We thought to
return early that night" [syn: intend, mean, think]
5: have a specified degree of importance; "My ex-husband means
nothing to me"; "Happiness means everything"
6: intend to refer to; "I'm thinking of good food when I talk
about France"; "Yes, I meant you when I complained about
people who gossip!" [syn: think of, have in mind, mean]
7: destine or designate for a certain purpose; "These flowers
were meant for you"
-
mien
0
n 1: dignified manner or conduct [syn: bearing, comportment,
presence, mien]
-
monoplane
0
n 1: an airplane with a single wing
-
moraine
0
n 1: accumulated earth and stones deposited by a glacier
-
mullein
0
n 1: any of various plants of the genus Verbascum having large
usually woolly leaves and terminal spikes of yellow or
white or purplish flowers [syn: mullein, flannel leaf,
velvet plant]
-
mundane
0
adj 1: found in the ordinary course of events; "a placid
everyday scene"; "it was a routine day"; "there's nothing
quite like a real...train conductor to add color to a
quotidian commute"- Anita Diamant [syn: everyday,
mundane, quotidian, routine, unremarkable,
workaday]
2: concerned with the world or worldly matters; "mundane
affairs"; "he developed an immense terrestrial practicality"
[syn: mundane, terrestrial]
3: belonging to this earth or world; not ideal or heavenly; "not
a fairy palace; yet a mundane wonder of unimagined kind"; "so
terrene a being as himself" [syn: mundane, terrene]
-
nineteen
0
adj 1: being one more than eighteen [syn: nineteen, 19,
xix]
n 1: the cardinal number that is the sum of eighteen and one
[syn: nineteen, 19, XIX]
-
obscene
0
adj 1: designed to incite to indecency or lust; "the dance often
becomes flagrantly obscene"-Margaret Mead
2: offensive to the mind; "an abhorrent deed"; "the obscene
massacre at Wounded Knee"; "morally repugnant customs";
"repulsive behavior"; "the most repulsive character in recent
novels" [syn: abhorrent, detestable, obscene,
repugnant, repulsive]
3: suggestive of or tending to moral looseness; "lewd
whisperings of a dirty old man"; "an indecent gesture";
"obscene telephone calls"; "salacious limericks" [syn:
lewd, obscene, raunchy, salacious]
-
obtain
0
v 1: come into possession of; "How did you obtain the visa?"
2: receive a specified treatment (abstract); "These aspects of
civilization do not find expression or receive an
interpretation"; "His movie received a good review"; "I got
nothing but trouble for my good intentions" [syn: receive,
get, find, obtain, incur]
3: be valid, applicable, or true; "This theory still holds"
[syn: prevail, hold, obtain]
-
ordain
0
v 1: order by virtue of superior authority; decree; "The King
ordained the persecution and expulsion of the Jews"; "the
legislature enacted this law in 1985" [syn: ordain,
enact]
2: appoint to a clerical posts; "he was ordained in the Church"
[syn: ordain, consecrate, ordinate, order]
3: invest with ministerial or priestly authority; "The minister
was ordained only last month"
4: issue an order
-
pain
0
n 1: a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder; "the patient
developed severe pain and distension" [syn: pain,
hurting]
2: emotional distress; a fundamental feeling that people try to
avoid; "the pain of loneliness" [syn: pain, painfulness]
[ant: pleasance, pleasure]
3: a somatic sensation of acute discomfort; "as the intensity
increased the sensation changed from tickle to pain" [syn:
pain, pain sensation, painful sensation]
4: a bothersome annoying person; "that kid is a terrible pain"
[syn: pain, pain in the neck, nuisance]
5: something or someone that causes trouble; a source of
unhappiness; "washing dishes was a nuisance before we got a
dish washer"; "a bit of a bother"; "he's not a friend, he's
an infliction" [syn: annoyance, bother, botheration,
pain, infliction, pain in the neck, pain in the ass]
v 1: cause bodily suffering to and make sick or indisposed [syn:
trouble, ail, pain]
2: cause emotional anguish or make miserable; "It pains me to
see my children not being taught well in school" [syn:
pain, anguish, hurt]
-
pane
0
n 1: sheet glass cut in shapes for windows or doors [syn:
pane, pane of glass, window glass]
2: a panel or section of panels in a wall or door [syn:
paneling, panelling, pane]
3: street name for lysergic acid diethylamide [syn: acid,
back breaker, battery-acid, dose, dot, Elvis,
loony toons, Lucy in the sky with diamonds, pane,
superman, window pane, Zen]
-
pertain
0
v 1: be relevant to; "There were lots of questions referring to
her talk"; "My remark pertained to your earlier comments"
[syn: refer, pertain, relate, concern, come to,
bear on, touch, touch on, have-to doe with]
2: be a part or attribute of [syn: pertain, appertain]
-
plain
0
adv 1: unmistakably (`plain' is often used informally for
`plainly'); "the answer is obviously wrong"; "she was in
bed and evidently in great pain"; "he was manifestly too
important to leave off the guest list"; "it is all
patently nonsense"; "she has apparently been living here
for some time"; "I thought he owned the property, but
apparently not"; "You are plainly wrong"; "he is plain
stubborn" [syn: obviously, evidently, manifestly,
patently, apparently, plainly, plain]
adj 1: clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment;
"the effects of the drought are apparent to anyone who
sees the parched fields"; "evident hostility"; "manifest
disapproval"; "patent advantages"; "made his meaning
plain"; "it is plain that he is no reactionary"; "in
plain view" [syn: apparent, evident, manifest,
patent, plain, unmistakable]
2: not elaborate or elaborated; simple; "plain food"; "stuck to
the plain facts"; "a plain blue suit"; "a plain rectangular
brick building" [ant: fancy]
3: lacking patterns especially in color [syn: plain,
unpatterned] [ant: patterned]
4: not mixed with extraneous elements; "plain water"; "sheer
wine"; "not an unmixed blessing" [syn: plain, sheer,
unmingled, unmixed]
5: free from any effort to soften to disguise; "the plain and
unvarnished truth"; "the unvarnished candor of old people and
children" [syn: plain, unvarnished]
6: lacking embellishment or ornamentation; "a plain hair style";
"unembellished white walls"; "functional architecture
featuring stark unornamented concrete" [syn: plain, bare,
spare, unembellished, unornamented]
7: lacking in physical beauty or proportion; "a homely child";
"several of the buildings were downright homely"; "a plain
girl with a freckled face" [syn: homely, plain]
n 1: extensive tract of level open land; "they emerged from the
woods onto a vast open plain"; "he longed for the fields of
his youth" [syn: plain, field, champaign]
2: a basic knitting stitch [syn: knit, knit stitch, plain,
plain stitch]
v 1: express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or
unhappiness; "My mother complains all day"; "She has a lot
to kick about" [syn: complain, kick, plain, sound
off, quetch, kvetch] [ant: cheer, cheer up, chirk
up]
-
plane
0
adj 1: having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is
higher or lower than another; "a flat desk"; "acres of
level farmland"; "a plane surface"; "skirts sewn with
fine flat seams" [syn: flat, level, plane]
n 1: an aircraft that has a fixed wing and is powered by
propellers or jets; "the flight was delayed due to trouble
with the airplane" [syn: airplane, aeroplane, plane]
2: (mathematics) an unbounded two-dimensional shape; "we will
refer to the plane of the graph as the X-Y plane"; "any line
joining two points on a plane lies wholly on that plane"
[syn: plane, sheet]
3: a level of existence or development; "he lived on a worldly
plane"
4: a power tool for smoothing or shaping wood [syn: plane,
planer, planing machine]
5: a carpenter's hand tool with an adjustable blade for
smoothing or shaping wood; "the cabinetmaker used a plane for
the finish work" [syn: plane, carpenter's plane,
woodworking plane]
v 1: cut or remove with or as if with a plane; "The machine
shaved off fine layers from the piece of wood" [syn:
plane, shave]
2: travel on the surface of water [syn: plane, skim]
3: make even or smooth, with or as with a carpenter's plane;
"plane the top of the door"
-
porcelain
0
n 1: ceramic ware made of a more or less translucent ceramic
-
preen
0
v 1: clean with one's bill; "The birds preened" [syn: preen,
plume]
2: pride or congratulate (oneself) for an achievement [syn:
preen, congratulate]
3: dress or groom with elaborate care; "She likes to dress when
going to the opera" [syn: preen, primp, plume, dress]
-
preordain
0
v 1: foreordain or determine beforehand [syn: predestine,
foreordain, preordain]
-
profane
0
adj 1: characterized by profanity or cursing; "foul-mouthed and
blasphemous"; "blue language"; "profane words" [syn:
blasphemous, blue, profane]
2: not concerned with or devoted to religion; "sacred and
profane music"; "secular drama"; "secular architecture",
"children being brought up in an entirely profane
environment" [syn: profane, secular] [ant: sacred]
3: not holy because unconsecrated or impure or defiled [syn:
profane, unconsecrated, unsanctified]
4: grossly irreverent toward what is held to be sacred;
"blasphemous rites of a witches' Sabbath"; "profane
utterances against the Church"; "it is sacrilegious to enter
with shoes on" [syn: blasphemous, profane,
sacrilegious]
v 1: corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality; "debauch
the young people with wine and women"; "Socrates was
accused of corrupting young men"; "Do school counselors
subvert young children?"; "corrupt the morals" [syn:
corrupt, pervert, subvert, demoralize,
demoralise, debauch, debase, profane, vitiate,
deprave, misdirect]
2: violate the sacred character of a place or language;
"desecrate a cemetery"; "violate the sanctity of the church";
"profane the name of God" [syn: desecrate, profane,
outrage, violate]
-
propylene
0
n 1: a flammable gas obtained by cracking petroleum; used in
organic synthesis [syn: propylene, propene]
-
queen
0
n 1: the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such
as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs
2: a female sovereign ruler [syn: queen, queen regnant,
female monarch] [ant: Rex, king, male monarch]
3: the wife or widow of a king
4: something personified as a woman who is considered the best
or most important of her kind; "Paris is the queen of
cities"; "the queen of ocean liners"
5: a competitor who holds a preeminent position [syn: king,
queen, world-beater]
6: offensive term for an openly homosexual man [syn: fagot,
faggot, fag, fairy, nance, pansy, queen, queer,
poof, poove, pouf]
7: one of four face cards in a deck bearing a picture of a queen
8: (chess) the most powerful piece
9: an especially large mole rat and the only member of a colony
of naked mole rats to bear offspring which are sired by only
a few males [syn: queen, queen mole rat]
10: female cat [syn: tabby, queen]
v 1: promote to a queen, as of a pawn in chess
2: become a queen; "her pawn queened"
-
rain
0
n 1: water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the
atmosphere [syn: rain, rainfall]
2: drops of fresh water that fall as precipitation from clouds
[syn: rain, rainwater]
3: anything happening rapidly or in quick successive; "a rain of
bullets"; "a pelting of insults" [syn: rain, pelting]
v 1: precipitate as rain; "If it rains much more, we can expect
some flooding" [syn: rain, rain down]
-
ravine
0
n 1: a deep narrow steep-sided valley (especially one formed by
running water)
-
reconvene
0
v 1: meet again; "The bill will be considered when the
Legislature reconvenes next Fall"
-
refrain
0
n 1: the part of a song where a soloist is joined by a group of
singers [syn: refrain, chorus]
v 1: resist doing something; "He refrained from hitting him
back"; "she could not forbear weeping" [syn: refrain,
forbear] [ant: act, move]
2: choose not to consume; "I abstain from alcohol" [syn:
abstain, refrain, desist] [ant: consume, have,
ingest, take, take in]
-
regain
0
v 1: get or find back; recover the use of; "She regained control
of herself"; "She found her voice and replied quickly"
[syn: recover, retrieve, find, regain]
2: come upon after searching; find the location of something
that was missed or lost; "Did you find your glasses?"; "I
cannot find my gloves!" [syn: find, regain] [ant: lose]
-
reign
0
n 1: a period during which something or somebody is dominant or
powerful; "he was helpless under the reign of his egotism"
2: the period during which a monarch is sovereign; "during the
reign of Henry VIII"
3: royal authority; the dominion of a monarch [syn: reign,
sovereignty]
v 1: have sovereign power; "Henry VIII reigned for a long time"
2: be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance;
"Money reigns supreme here"; "Hispanics predominate in this
neighborhood" [syn: predominate, dominate, rule,
reign, prevail]
-
rein
0
n 1: one of a pair of long straps (usually connected to the bit
or the headpiece) used to control a horse
2: any means of control; "he took up the reins of government"
v 1: control and direct with or as if by reins; "rein a horse"
[syn: harness, rein in, draw rein, rein]
2: stop or slow up one's horse or oneself by or as if by pulling
the reins; "They reined in in front of the post office" [syn:
rein, rein in]
3: stop or check by or as if by a pull at the reins; "He reined
in his horses in front of the post office" [syn: rein,
rein in]
4: keep in check; "rule one's temper" [syn: rule, harness,
rein]
-
remain
0
v 1: stay the same; remain in a certain state; "The dress
remained wet after repeated attempts to dry it"; "rest
assured"; "stay alone"; "He remained unmoved by her tears";
"The bad weather continued for another week" [syn: stay,
remain, rest] [ant: change]
2: continue in a place, position, or situation; "After
graduation, she stayed on in Cambridge as a student adviser";
"Stay with me, please"; "despite student protests, he
remained Dean for another year"; "She continued as deputy
mayor for another year" [syn: stay, stay on, continue,
remain]
3: be left; of persons, questions, problems, results, evidence,
etc.; "There remains the question of who pulled the trigger";
"Carter remains the only President in recent history under
whose Presidency the U.S. did not fight a war"
4: stay behind; "The smell stayed in the room"; "The hostility
remained long after they made up" [syn: persist, remain,
stay]
-
restrain
0
v 1: keep under control; keep in check; "suppress a smile";
"Keep your temper"; "keep your cool" [syn: restrain,
keep, keep back, hold back]
2: place limits on (extent or access); "restrict the use of this
parking lot"; "limit the time you can spend with your
friends" [syn: restrict, restrain, trammel, limit,
bound, confine, throttle]
3: to close within bounds, limit or hold back from movement;
"This holds the local until the express passengers change
trains"; "About a dozen animals were held inside the
stockade"; "The illegal immigrants were held at a detention
center"; "The terrorists held the journalists for ransom"
[syn: restrain, confine, hold]
4: hold back [syn: restrain, encumber, cumber,
constrain]
5: to compel or deter by or as if by threats [syn: intimidate,
restrain]
-
retain
0
v 1: hold back within; "This soil retains water"; "I retain this
drug for a long time"; "the dam retains the water"
2: allow to remain in a place or position or maintain a property
or feature; "We cannot continue several servants any longer";
"She retains a lawyer"; "The family's fortune waned and they
could not keep their household staff"; "Our grant has run out
and we cannot keep you on"; "We kept the work going as long
as we could"; "She retained her composure"; "this garment
retains its shape even after many washings" [syn: retain,
continue, keep, keep on]
3: secure and keep for possible future use or application; "The
landlord retained the security deposit"; "I reserve the right
to disagree" [syn: retain, hold, keep back, hold
back]
4: keep in one's mind; "I cannot retain so much information"
-
retrain
0
v 1: teach new skills; "We must retrain the linguists who cannot
find employment"
2: train again; "He is retraining to become an IT worker"
-
romaine
0
n 1: lettuce with long dark-green leaves in a loosely packed
elongated head [syn: cos, cos lettuce, romaine,
romaine lettuce]
-
routine
0
adj 1: found in the ordinary course of events; "a placid
everyday scene"; "it was a routine day"; "there's nothing
quite like a real...train conductor to add color to a
quotidian commute"- Anita Diamant [syn: everyday,
mundane, quotidian, routine, unremarkable,
workaday]
n 1: an unvarying or habitual method or procedure [syn:
routine, modus operandi]
2: a short theatrical performance that is part of a longer
program; "he did his act three times every evening"; "she had
a catchy little routine"; "it was one of the best numbers he
ever did" [syn: act, routine, number, turn, bit]
3: a set sequence of steps, part of larger computer program
[syn: routine, subroutine, subprogram, procedure,
function]
-
sailplane
0
n 1: aircraft supported only by the dynamic action of air
against its surfaces [syn: glider, sailplane]
v 1: fly a plane without an engine [syn: sailplane, soar]