Peelite

From Peel + -ite, after Sir Robert Peel.

(UK politics, historical) One of a breakaway faction of the British Conservative Party in the nineteenth century, characterised by a commitment to free trade and a managerial, almost technocratic, approach to government.


gymnasiarch

From Latin gymnasiarchus, from Ancient Greek γυμνασίαρχος (gumnasíarkhos).

uder

γυμνασίαρχος

(Ancient Greece) An officer who had various powers and duties connected with the gymnasia, such as the payment of training, oil, or other necessities.


Dobbs

en-proper noun

Dobbs (countable and uncountable, plural Dobbses)

From a medieval diminutive form of the given name Robert + the patronymic suffix -s.

By overturning Roe v. Wade, Dobbs is sure to go down as one of the most consequential Supreme Court decisions, undoing a constitutional right that’s been in place for nearly half a century and delivering a decisive victory to the anti-abortion movement.

2022 June 24, “‘Abortion Is Just the Beginning’: Six Experts on the Decision Overturning Roe”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-07-01:

What makes Republicans and progressives come together? “It was honestly Dobbs,” Ms. Watson-Whittaker said. “The decision brought everybody together.” In Michigan, at least, that togetherness seems to have paid off for Democrats.

2022 November 19, Amy Littlefield, “Democrats Need to Realize How Much Dobbs Mattered”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-12-11:

Dobbs demolished a federal right to abortion, and its legality currently rests with each state. This has created a patchwork of laws that have made legislation designed to stop abortions less effective in some parts of the country.

2023 July 6, Sarah Boden, “A year after victory in Dobbs decision, anti-abortion activists still in fight mode”, in NPR, archived from the original on 2023-07-07:

“People who reported using more substances or having more mental health conditions were more likely to report a policy-related barrier to obtaining an abortion,” Roberts said. In the aftermath of Dobbs, she said, “There’s no reason to believe that things would have become easier.”

2023 October 26, Nada Hassanein, “Medical exceptions to abortion bans often exclude mental health conditions”, in USA Today, online edition:

w:en:Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization

unenumerated right
unenumerated right#English

(US, law, US politics, informal, uncountable, neologism) Ellipsis of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling which stated that access to abortion was not a constitutionally protected right, overturning the earlier Roe ruling which established this unenumerated right.


Anahita

From Old Persian 𐎠𐎴𐏃𐎡𐎫 (a-n-h-i-t /anahita/).

Anahit (alternative)
Nahid (alternative)

(Iranian mythology) the name of an Iranian goddess, associated with fertility, healing and wisdom.


wave the bloody shirt

en-verb

wave the bloody shirt (third-person singular simple present waves the bloody shirt, present participle waving the bloody shirt, simple past and past participle waved the bloody shirt)

waves the bloody shirt (present singular third-person)
waving the bloody shirt (participle present)
waved the bloody shirt (participle past)
waved the bloody shirt (past)

(US politics, slang) To mention the fallen and wars (especially the American Civil War) in an effort to draw empathy.


Hellanodic

From Ancient Greek Ἑλλανοδίκας (Hellanodíkas), from Ἕλλην (Héllēn, “Greek”) + δίκη (díkē, “justice”).

af

(Ancient Greece) A judge or umpire in certain games or combats.


speak softly and carry a big stick

Popularized by and often attributed to U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) as an expression of his view of foreign policy, possibly of earlier, West African origin according to his account, but with a probability of he himself having coined it. The full version is “speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.”

talk softly and carry a big stick (alternative)
walk softly and carry a big stick (alternative)

There is a homely old adage which runs: "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."

1903 April 3, Theodore Roosevelt, President Roosevelt's Speech on the Monroe Doctrine," Arizona Journal-Miner, p. 4 (retrieved 19 Dec 2011)

Under any governmental auspices, as the modern world knows governments, the keeping of the peace comes at its best under the precept, "Speak softly and carry a big stick."

1917, Thorstein Veblen, The Nature of Peace, Introductory:

When it comes to China, we have gone from "Speak softly and carry a big stick" to "Take the fifth and carry a toothpick". (from a Congressional speech by Rep. James Traficant, June 22, 1998)

1999 January 17, Tom Kuntz, “Word for Word/Representative James A. Traficant Jr.”, in New York Times, retrieved 2011-12-19:

Do not boast or utter verbal threats, but do make others aware that you are prepared to use physical or military force if necessary.

溫言在口，大棒在手 /温言在口

do not boast but do make others aware that you are prepared to use force

you get more with a kind word and a gun than you do with a kind word alone


Naderite

(US politics) A supporter of Ralph Nader (born 1934), American political activist.


enomoty

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἐνωμοτία (enōmotía).

(historical, Ancient Greece) A band of sworn soldiers; a division of the Spartan army ranging from twenty-five to thirty-six men, bound together by oath.


parascenium

(Ancient Greece, theater) One of two apartments adjoining the ancient stage, probably used as dressing rooms.


bhakta

Transliteration of Sanskrit भक्त (bhakta).

translit

But the Goswami seems to have got her drift and instead of bristling at her snub, he realized that here was an enlightened bhakta who had grasped the essence of the Lord.

1997, Kiran Nagarkar, Cuckold, HarperCollins, published 2013, page 395:

(Hinduism) Someone who practises bhakti; a person who is devoted to God; a devotee; a worshipper.


Vaishnava

(Hinduism) A worshipper of the god Vishnu in any of his incarnations.


eparch

From Ancient Greek ἔπαρχος (éparkhos), from ἐπί (epí, “over”) + ἀρχός (arkhós, “ruler”).

(historical, Ancient Greece) The governor or prefect of a province.

eparkhos

(Ancient Greece) the governor or prefect of a province

An Orthodox eparch, or metropolitan bishop, was installed in Polatsk in 992.

2011, Norman Davies, Vanished Kingdoms, Penguin, published 2012, page 246:

(Eastern Orthodoxy) The metropolitan bishop of a province or eparchy.


taxiarch

From Ancient Greek ταξῐαρχος (taxĭarkhos, “taxiarch”), from τάξις (táxis, “body of soldiers”) + ἀρχός (arkhós, “leader, commander”). Equivalent to taxi- + -arch.

bor

The Taxis of the Athenian service, like the Lochus of the Lacedæmonian, was analogous to our battalion, and the rank of the Taxiarch, its commander, as of the Lochage, was nearly that of our colonel.

1838, William Mitford, History of Greece, revised edition, volume 1, section IV, chapter V:

In recognition of his services in the education of the women of Athens, he was buried with the honors of a taxiarch, by special orders […]

1968, James Grant Wilson, John Fiske, Appleton's Cyclopædia of American Biography:

(historical, Ancient Greece) An Athenian military officer commanding a certain division of an army.


tricennial

From Latin trīcennium (“30-year period”) + -al, from trīcennis (“30-year”) + -ium, from trīciēs (“30 times”) + annus (“year”) + -is. Compare Latin tricennalis. Equivalent to tri- + decennial. Doublet of tricennal.

Some manuscripts of Eusebius' Life of Constantine contain not only the four books of the Life and Constantine's Speech to the Assembly of the Saints but also two speeches which are conventionally known by a single title as Laus Constantini, Laudes Constantini, De laudibus Constantini, or the "Tricennial Oration," and which all editors of Eusebius so far have published as a single work.

1977, T.D. Barnes, “Two Speeches by Eusebius”, in Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies, number 18, page 341:

(vi) The employment of Constantine's high-crested helmet in the gold coinage of Constantius in his tricennial issues...

1997, Patrick Bruun, “The Victorious Signs of Constantine: A Reappraisal”, in Numismatic Chronicle, volume 157, page 53:

(historical) Of or related to a tricennalia, the celebrations marking the 30th year of a Roman emperor's rule.


decern

en-verb

decern (third-person singular simple present decerns, present participle decerning, simple past and past participle decerned)

decerns (present singular third-person)
decerning (participle present)
decerned (participle past)
decerned (past)

First attested in late Middle English circa 1425; from the French décerner, from the Latin dēcernō (“I decide, pronounce a decision”), from dē (“of, from, away from”) + cernō (“I separate, distinguish”), whence the English cern. In Old French, the forms of décerner were frequently conflated with those of descerner, discerner; the two verbs were not clearly distinguished until the 16th century; hence, in English also, decern is found with the sense discern.

der

(transitive, Scots law) Decree by judicial sentence.

Decide; determine; decree.
Decree by judicial sentence.
with simple object

Decree by judicial sentence that something be done.

He purſued Andrew Houſtoun upon his promiſe, to give him the like Sallary for the next year, and in abſence obtained him to be holden as confeſt and Decerned.

1668 July 3rd, James Dalrymple, “Thomas Rue contra Andrew Houſtoun” in The Deciſions of the Lords of Council & Seſſion I (Edinburgh, 1683), pages 547–548

Decree a person etc. to be or to do something by judicial sentence.  (in the phrase “to decern in”, obsolete) To mulct in by decree of court.

Decide; determine; decree.
Decree by judicial sentence.
intransitive

transferred sense
transferred sense#English

Decide; determine; decree.
Decree by judicial sentence.
transferred sense


Valley of the Kings

The tomb chapel has no burial shaft below it, and it has been suggested that Rekhmira was buried in a shaft tomb in the Valley of the Kings, although the location of this burial-place remains unknown.

1995, Ian Shaw, Paul Nicholson, “Rekhmira”, in The British Museum Dictionary of Ancient Egypt, The British Museum Press, published 2002, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 244, column 1:

(Egyptology) A valley in Egypt, on the west bank of the Nile, known for the tombs constructed there for the pharaohs.


RomneyCare

Blend of Romney (“Mitt Romney”) + healthcare or Medicare and likely influenced by the term ObamaCare. Although the 2006 Massachusetts Law signed by then-governor Mitt Romney predated the 2010 United States Federal Law signed by President Barack Obama, the term RomneyCare was not commonly used until after the term ObamaCare was in wide use.

blend

(US politics, neologism, chiefly derogatory) Healthcare plans instituted by the state of Massachusetts under the governorship of Mitt Romney, which provided for complete coverage of all citizens of the Commonwealth, and included an individual mandate to purchase health insurance for those able to pay.


newhalf

newhalfs (plural)
newhalves (plural)
new half (alternative)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-newhalf.wav

Calque of Japanese ニューハーフ (nyūhāfu, “new half”). ニューハーフ is wasei eigo, from English.

calque

(anime, manga, slang) A character with a female body but only male genitals.


Aonian

en-adj

Aonian (comparative more Aonian, superlative most Aonian)

more Aonian (comparative)
most Aonian (superlative)

The Aonian fount stood at the foot of Mount Helicon, not far from Thebes, and was sacred to the Muses.

(Ancient Greece) Pertaining to Aonia, or to the Muses, who were supposed to dwell there.

aonio

pertaining to Aonia, or to the Muses, who were supposed to dwell there


Nader's raider

From the name of US lawyer, author, politician, and social activist Ralph Nader (born 1934).

Nader's Raiders struck again last week. This time their target was the Federal Food and Drug Administration, which they tore apart in what may well be the most devastating critique of a U.S. Government agency ever issued.

1970 April 20, “Agencies: Up Against the Wall, FDA!”, in Time:

[S]he was overshadowed by her intensely competitive siblings, especially her brother Bruce, a graduate of Harvard’s law and business schools who went from being a Nader’s Raider, a left-wing consumer advocate, to a Master of the Universe, a leveraged buyout billionaire.

2011 August 28, “Biography: Wendy’s secrets”, in Miami Herald, retrieved 2012-01-16:

(US politics) An associate or assistant of Ralph Nader and of organizations led by him, who participates in Nader's legal, political, and social activitism.


batmobile

en-verb

batmobile (third-person singular simple present batmobiles, present participle batmobiling, simple past and past participle batmobiled)

batmobiles (present singular third-person)
batmobiling (participle present)
batmobiled (participle past)
batmobiled (past)
Batmobile (alternative)

From the Batmobile driven by superhero Batman in the eponymous media franchise, from bat + -mobile. The second verb sense references the retractable shielding featured on the vehicle in the 1989 film.

Genericans live on fast food bought with $20 bills (Yuppie food coupons) taken out of automatic teller machines.
They tend to be young men and women prone to batmobiling, defined as "putting up protective emotional shields just as a relationship enters an intimate vulnerable stage," like the steel plates that cloak Batman's car.

1997 June 8, James Coates, “Generica, Semisweet Land Of Jitterati”, in Chicago Tribune:

Baby's antennae stood straight up. She tried to read him but Jake was too quick for her. He was batmobiling. His deflector screens had shot up—he was an emotional escape vehicle, complete with tinted windows. Bullet-proof, bomb-proof, utterly impenetrable.

1998, Linda Jaivin, Rock 'n' Roll Babes from Outer Space, page 243:

Meredith (Gillian Anderson) is a frosty, uptight theatre director being romanced by an architect (John Stewart), but she is, as we say in the 90s, batmobiling - her defences are up.

1999 August 6, Peter Bradshaw, “Sex in the windy city”, in The Guardian:

(dated slang) To put up an emotional or intellectual shield, especially to protect oneself from something that makes one uncomfortable.


boldly go where no man has gone before

boldly go<goes,,went,gone> where no man has gone before

boldly go where no man has gone before (third-person singular simple present boldly goes where no man has gone before, present participle boldly going where no man has gone before, simple past boldly went where no man has gone before, past participle boldly gone where no man has gone before)

en-au-boldly go where no man has gone before.ogg

A line from the opening sequence of the Star Trek TV series.

While Strauss would not exactly be boldly going where no man has gone before if he led England to victories this year in away Test series against Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India, he set foot on an airbus to Dubai knowing that 2012 represents the last great examination of his side.

2012 January 2, Paul Newman, “Tough Trek ahead but Strauss' men know winning in Asia is the final frontier”, in the Mail online:

E-Racer Based loosely upon one of the original Rutan designs, the airplane goes where no man has gone before. In the first place, the composite canard machine is the first known example of the Rutan Long-EZ clones to have

1998 April, Budd Davisson, “Skyburners”, in Popular Mechanics, volume 165, page 68:

These were the voyages of Scott, Amundsen, Shackleton and Mawson, Nordenskjold, Borchgrevink, de Gerlache and von Drygalski, Filchner, Shirase, Bruce and Bull, national heroes most of them, who boldly went where no man had gone before.

1990, John Stewart, Antarctica: an encyclopedia: Volume 1:


Spock ears

(idiomatic) Pointy ears, resembling those of Spock, a Star Trek character.


super PAC

Coined by reporter Eliza Newlin Carney in 2010.

coin

Court decisions have established that super PACs are supposed to act independently of a candidate, with no coordination permitted. But the indictment focused on the suspicious timing of hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations to Mr. Menendez’s re-election campaign from a generous friend who allegedly sought government favors through the senator’s influence.

2015 April 13, “On the Trail of Super PAC Money”, in New York Times:

(US politics) A political action committee which may support a political candidate, and officially endorse one, but is legally bound to not coordinate with any candidate, and is not limited in financial contributions from donors or financial spending.

特別政治活動委員会

とくべつせいじかつどういいん


Orestes

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Ὀρέστης (Oréstēs).

(Greek mythology) The son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, who killed his mother, avenging his father's death, and was then pursued by the Furies.


andron

Latin andron, from Ancient Greek ἀνδρών (andrṓn).

(architecture, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome), the room reserved for males and their activities, often in the lower part of the house.


Argoan

en-adj

Argoan (comparative more Argoan, superlative most Argoan)

more Argoan (comparative)
most Argoan (superlative)

(Greek mythology) Pertaining to the mythical ship Argo.


amphoric

From Latin amphoricus (“of or related to an amphora”), from amphora + -icus (“-ic: forming adj.”). Equivalent to amphora + -ic.

der

amphoric respiration or resonance

(medicine) Produced by or indicating a hollow cavity in the lungs, giving a sound like that produced by blowing into an empty decanter.

amphorique

medicine: produced by or indicating a hollow cavity in the lungs


Ejaculation Proclamation

the Ejaculation Proclamation (canonical)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Ejaculation Proclamation.wav

Rhyme with Emancipation Proclamation, a proclamation issued by US President Abraham Lincoln.

And we now have a title to Clinton's speech to the nation last Monday night: The "Ejaculation Proclamation."

1998 August 19, basch, “An^([sic]) Look at the Speech”, in alt.rush-limbaugh (Usenet):

I accepted it as the 'momentary lapse of judgment' before posting a 'not appropriate' message to the newsgroup of a person who merely 'volunteered' to articulate a scenario that may have been on some Americans' minds in the hours following their watching of the Ejaculation Proclamation.

1998 August 19, Colin M. Alberts, “Hitler 1933”, in soc.history.what-if (Usenet):

This would be the Ejaculation Proclamation, eh?

1998 August 19, endPC, “My Fellow Americans”, in alt.fan.regular-guys (Usenet):

the curtain jet up later rather than sooner Monday fo' Slick's Ejaculation Proclamation.

1998 August 20, Bob Kemp, “Theatre of the Absurd”, in alt.personals.intercultural (Usenet):

Not sure what nation you're from or the nature of its legal system, but would you and your countrymen be concerned if serious allegations arose causing your leader of perjury, subornation of perjury and obstruction of justice? The great misperception is that it's about sex. Anyone who saw the "Ejaculation Proclamation" speech Monday night should know that's exactly what the Prez wants us to think -- it's between him, Hillary and his God. It's not.

1998 August 20, Scott Sprintz, “Embassy Bombs Retaliated”, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.flight-sim (Usenet):

(humorous, uncommon) US President Bill Clinton's admission that he had had an "improper physical relationship" with Monica Lewinsky.

Abraham Lincoln
Emancipation Proclamation
Lewinsky scandal


symposiarch

From Ancient Greek συμποσίαρχος (sumposíarkhos). By surface analysis, symposium + -arch.

συμποσίαρχος

(historical, Ancient Greece) The master of a feast.


chelandion

From Ancient Greek χελάνδιον (khelándion).

(historical, nautical) a Byzantine bireme used primarily for cargo transport


dromon

(historical, nautical) A Byzantine bireme, similar to the chelandion, but used primarily for naval combat.


pentecoster

From pentecost + -er, from Medieval Latin pentēcostē, from Ancient Greek πεντηκοστή (pentēkostḗ, “fiftieth”). Cognate with Pentecost.

...they would have the command of the pentecoster, penteconter, or pentecoptater (for thus variously the title is written)...

1784-1810, William Mitford, The History of Greece:

An officer who commands fifty men, particularly (historical) in the Spartan army.


Orcus

From Latin Orcus. Doublet of ogre and orc.

Then ſhall our footmen lie within the trench,
And with their Cannons mouth’d like Orcus gulfe
Batter the wales, and we will enter in:
And thus the Grecians ſhalbe conquered.

c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act III, scene i:

(Roman mythology) The Etruscan and Roman god of the underworld.


triaconter

From Ancient Greek τριακοντήρης (triakontḗrēs).

τριακοντήρης

(Ancient Greece) A vessel with thirty banks of oars, or thirty ranks of rowers.


civic crown

Calque of Latin corōna cīvica, the adjective being from cīves (“citizen”).

(historical, Ancient Rome) A crown or garland of oak leaves and acorns, bestowed on a soldier who had saved the life of a citizen in battle.


lemures

Coordinate term: Lares

The Lars and Lemures moan with midnight plaint.

1629, John Milton, “On the Morning of Christs Nativity”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, […], London: […] Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Mosely, […], published 1646, →OCLC:

So still lay the figure, and so dim was its outline, that any other than Arbaces might have felt a superstitious fear, lest he beheld one of those grim lemures, who, above all other spots, haunted the threshold of the homes they formerly possessed.

1834, [Edward Bulwer-Lytton], chapter VII, in The Last Days of Pompeii. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […]; successor to Henry Colburn, →OCLC, book IV, page 13:

(Roman mythology) The spirits or ghosts of the dead, considered as malignant.


disgradation

(Scots law, obsolete) degradation; a stripping of titles and honours


rerefief

From French arrière-fief. See rear (“hinder”), and fief.

by these means the feodal polity was greatly extended; these inferior feudatories (who held what are called in the Scots law "rerefiefs") being under similar obligations of fealty

1765–1769, William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England, (please specify |book=I to IV), Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Clarendon Press, →OCLC:

(Scots law, historical) A fief held of a superior feudatory; a fief held by an undertenant.


Lampadrome

(Ancient Greece) A race run by young men carrying lighted torches.


enomotarch

/ɪˈnəʊməˌtɑː(ɹ)k/

From Ancient Greek ἐνωμοτάρχης (enōmotárkhēs).

sixteen Enomotarchs : the number of soldiers he leaves unmentioned

(historical, Ancient Greece) The commander of an enomoty.


uti possidetis

From Latin [Term?] (literally “as you possess”).

bor

(law, historical, Ancient Rome) A species of interdict granted to one who was in possession of an immovable thing, in order that he might be declared the legal possessor.


Punic War

So ended the first and longest of the three Punic Wars; or, if viewed from a more romantic standpoint, the first act of a three-act tragedy, the tragedy of the destruction not only of Carthage but also of old Rome - of Rome the city state.

1992, Brian Caven, The Punic Wars, Barnes & Noble, page 64:

The first Punic War has ended in 241 BC, but another Punic War would begin in 218 BC.

2002, Richard Michael Pasichnyk, In Defense of Nature: The History Nobody Told You About, iUniverse, page 133:

The third and last Punic War (151-146 B.C.E) led to the complete destruction of Carthage.

2004, Kevin McGeough, The Romans: new perspectives, ABC-CLIO, page 69:

Any of several wars between Ancient Rome and Carthage.


Spockish

en-adj

Spockish (comparative more Spockish, superlative most Spockish)

more Spockish (comparative)
most Spockish (superlative)

Gary Oldman is pale with pale blue eyes and Spockish ears.

1997, Film review: Special: Issues 18-21:

In the early shows, Leonard Nimoy and the various writers and directors struggled to find the Spockish response to emotionally charged situations.

1998, Grace Lee Whitney, Jim Denney, Leonard Nimoy, The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy, page 89:

Rather like the Spockish character Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation, psychology is coming to appreciate the power and virtues of emotions in mental life, as well as their dangers.

2009, Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence, page 41:

It is not driven by the fiction of optimization in the manner of Dr.^([sic]) Spock in Star Trek―obsessively using high-tech logic tools. Such a Spockish approach often tends to mis-characterize the nature of the problem when the environment is complex, turbulent and evolving.

2010, Ruth Hubbard, Gilles Paquet, The Case for Decentralized Federalism, page 211:

Resembling or characteristic of the Star Trek character Mr. Spock, especially in being excessively logical and emotionless.


phyle

From New Latin phȳlē, from Ancient Greek φῡλή (phūlḗ, “a union of individuals into a community”).

der

(Ancient Greece) A local division of the people; a clan or tribe.


Civil War

Puritans had always been only a minority, albeit one with disproportionate influence. The Civil War of the 1640s, which culminated in the execution of Charles I in 1649 and the establishment of a republic, gave them supreme power.

2012, Faramerz Dabhoiwala, The Origins of Sex, Penguin, published 2013, page 46:

Any of several civil wars, taken specifically.


stellionate

From Latin stellionatus (“cozenage, trickery”), from stellio (“a newt, a crafty, knavish person”).

The crime of stellionate[…]includes every fraud which is not distinguished by a special name; but it is chiefly applied to conveyances of the same numerical right granted by the proprietor to different disponees

1754, John Erskine of Carnock, Principles of the Law of Scotland:

(law, Scotland, Ancient Rome) Any fraud not distinguished by a more special name; chiefly applied to sales of the same property to two different persons, or selling that for one's own which belongs to another, etc.


oversman

(Scots law) An umpire; a third arbiter, appointed when two arbiters disagree.


tailzie

tailzies (plural)
tailzee (alternative)
tailye (alternative)

From French tailler (“to cut”). See tail (“a limitation”). For the z, compare etymology of English Mackenzie.

(historical, Scots law) An entailment or deed whereby the legal course of succession is cut off, and an arbitrary one substituted.


Trimurti

From Sanskrit त्रिमूर्ति (trimūrti), equivalent to tri- (“three”) + murti (“form, embodiment of an idea, person or deity”).

af

1874, Later Hindu Myths, in The Monthly Packet, New Series, Volume 17, John and Charles Mozley, page 481,
We now turn to the third Person in the Trimurti—Siva, the destroyer—but in doing so it is as well to remark that the character and attributes of the Hindu divinities are not very clearly defined, the special offices and qualities of one being often attributed to the other; thus Vishnu often appears as the destroyer and avenger, Siva sometimes as the restorer and redeemer.

We must first note that Hindus themselves were sober in their assessment of Trimurti, which was never a universally accepted doctrine. For instance, in the Tamil devotional tradition of the medieval Vaisnava saints known as the alvars, we find ambivalence toward "the three." Their hymns both recognize the Trimurti and downplay its importance.

2011, Francis X. Clooney, “Trinity and Hinduism”, in Peter C. Phan, editor, The Cambridge Companion to the Trinity, Cambridge University Press, page 315:

2018, Swami Achuthananda, The Ascent of Vishnu and the Fall of Brahma, Relianz Communications, page 23,
It was not until the arrival of the Puranas that the Trimurti, as we know them today, became accepted as standard doctrine. One of the earliest images of Trimurti can be found at one of the many caves on Elephanta,¹⁶ an island near Mumbai, India.

(Hinduism) The trinity of supreme divinity, as represented by the forms of Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the maintainer or preserver), and Shiva (the destroyer or transformer).

ত্রিমূৰ্তি

triple deity of supreme divinity in Hinduism


glossocomon

Apparently from Ancient Greek γλωσσόκομον (glōssókomon, “a case for flute mouthpieces”).

der

(Ancient Greece) A kind of winch used to hoist patients.


Son of Heaven

Calque of Literary Chinese 天子, from the Emperor having the Mandate of Heaven.


hemiditone

(music, Ancient Greece) The lesser third.


Asiarch

From Latin Asiarcha, from Ancient Greek Ἀσιάρχης (Asiárkhēs).

They now begged Philip, the Asiarch, to let out a lion against Polycarp

1794, Joseph Milner, The History of the Church of Christ:

(historical) One of the chiefs or pontiffs of the Roman province of Asia, who had the superintendence of the public games and religious rites.

asiarque

one of the chiefs or pontiffs of the Roman province of Asia


dothead

From dot + head, referring to the bindi.

Two weeks later, in another meeting, Sandy announces, “We've assembled a great team of dotheads in Karachi.” No one else seems bothered by this—or even appears to notice anything strange about it—so once again you say nothing.

2011, David Knighton, The Wisdom of the Healing Wound, page 116:

(slang, derogatory, offensive, ethnic slur) A South Asian person.


torii

From Japanese 鳥居 (torii, literally “bird abode”).

bor

The torii marks the entrance to the sacred grounds of a shrine. There are a variety of types of torii, each with a unique history. Regardless of origin, the torii is inseparably identified with the image of Shinto.

1994 November 22, Stuart D. B. Picken, Essentials of Shinto: An Analytical Guide to Principal Teachings, Greenwood Publishing Group, →ISBN, page 146:

(Shinto) A traditional Japanese gate at Shinto shrines, symbolically marking the transition from the profane to the sacred.


Tsukuyomi

Borrowed from Japanese 月読 (つくよみ, Tsukuyomi), originally a compound of 月 (つく, tsuku, “the moon”) + 読み (よみ, yomi, “reading”, ancient meaning of “counting”).

af

(Japanese mythology, Shinto) The Japanese moon god, son of Izanami and Izanagi and brother of Amaterasu, Susanoo, Ōyamatsumi and Kagutsuchi.


Menehune

A member of a hidden race in Hawaiian mythology, often described as very small and having magical powers.


balimbing

(Philippine politics) A turncoat; one who defects to the other side in politics; one who switches political parties


postscenium

(Ancient Rome, theater) The part of a theater behind the stage; the backstage area.


Appomattox

The river was named after the Appamatuck tribe of Native Americans (whose name is from Powhatan). The town was named after the county, which in turn was named after the river.

Appomattox County
Appomattox County#English

A town, the county seat of Appomattox County, Virginia, United States, formerly known as Nebraska and Appomattox Station

A historic village in Appomattox County, Virginia, United States, formerly the county seat, also known as Clover Hill and Appomattox Court House


ult

Coordinate term: bias

(South Korean idol fandom) One's ultimately favorite group or member, i.e. a preference which is never expected to change.


Pnyx

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Πνύξ (Pnúx); since ancient times it has been claimed the word is derived from πυκνός (puknós, “close-packed; dense; thick”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *puḱ- (“to press together”), but the Oxford English Dictionary considers this a folk etymology with no evidence supporting it.

der

(Ancient Greece, historical) A hill in Athens west of the Acropolis with a stone platform and steps set into its side, which was used as the meeting place of the democratic assembly in Ancient Greece.


Nuberu

(Asturian mythology) The god of the clouds.


homocon

(US politics, often derogatory) A gay conservative.


prolegate

From Latin prolegatus, from pro (“for”) + legatus (“legate”).

(Ancient Rome) The deputy or substitute legate.


hetaerism

From Ancient Greek ἑταῖρος (hetaîros, “companion”) + -ism.

hetairism (alternative)
hetarism (alternative)

An Ancient Greek custom according to which a man's wife was forbidden to accompany him to many public events, including the banquets or symposia which made up a large part of Greek social life, and where men sought out the company of courtesans or hetaerae instead.


Lampadist

(Ancient Greece) One who gained the prize in the Lampadrome.


plebiscitum

en-noun

plebiscitum (plural plebiscitums or plebiscita)

plebiscitums (plural)
plebiscita (plural)

Learned borrowing from Latin plēbiscītum, plēbis scītum, plēbī scītum (“law of the common people or plebs”), from plēbis (the genitive singular of plēbs (“common people, plebeians”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁- (“to fill”)) + scītum (“decree, ordinance, statute”) (from scīscō (“to ascertain; to know; to decree, enact, ordain”) (from sciō (“to know; to understand”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *skey- (“to dissect; to split”)) + -scō (suffix meaning ‘to begin [doing something]’)) + -tum (suffix forming action nouns from verbs)).

der

Still worse went it with another individual; doomed, by extempore Plebiscitum, to the Lanterne; […]

1837, Thomas Carlyle, The French Revolution: A History […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Chapman and Hall, →OCLC, (please specify the book or page number):

(Ancient Rome, historical) A law enacted by the common people, under the superintendence of a tribune or some subordinate plebeian magistrate, without the intervention of the senate.


Asclepiad

First used by the Ancient Greek poet Asclepius.

(Ancient Greece) A member of one of the families that claimed descent from Asclepius, known as physicians or healers.


decurionate

/dɪˈkjʊəɹɪənət/

(Ancient Rome) The position or office of a decurion.


UCP

United Conservative Party
w:United Conservative Party

(Canadian politics) Initialism of United Conservative Party., a political party in Alberta.


panegyris

panegyreis (plural)
panegyry (alternative)

From Ancient Greek πανήγυρις (panḗguris), from παν- (pan-, “all”) + ἄγυρις (águris), Aeolic form of ᾰ̓γορᾱ́ (ăgorā́, “assembly”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ger- (“to assemble, gather together”). See panegyric.

(Ancient Greece) religious festival on a fixed day in honor of a god, often including prayers, games, and panegyrics.


pancratist

An athlete or gymnast in the pankration in Ancient Greece.


ecbole

en-noun

ecbole (countable and uncountable, plural ecboles)

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἐκβολή (ekbolḗ, “a digression”), from ἐκβάλλω (ekbállō, “to throw out”).

bor

Ecbole: a […] change in the enharmonic genus, by the accidental elevation of a chord, or string, five dieses above its ordinary pitch.

1813, J.M. Good & al., Pantologia, s.v. "Ecbole"

(music) The raising or sharping of a tone, especially (historical) in relation to Ancient Greek music.


parapherna

From Late Latin parapherna, from Ancient Greek παράφερνα (parápherna, “things additional to a dowry”), from παρα- (para-, “beside”) + φερνή (phernḗ, “dowry”). In the propertied classes, a dowry was placed under the control of the husband, while the 'paraphernalia' which she brought with her remained the wife’s property.

der

(law, historical, Ancient Rome) A woman's property which was not made a part of her marriage dower but remained her own.


Cyrenaic

en-adj

Cyrenaic (comparative more Cyrenaic, superlative most Cyrenaic)

more Cyrenaic (comparative)
most Cyrenaic (superlative)

From Latin Cyrenaicus, from Ancient Greek Κῡρηνᾰῐ̈κός (Kūrēnăĭ̈kós), from Κῡρηναῖος (Kūrēnaîos, “Cyrenian, n.”) + -ικός (-ikós, “-ic: forming adjectives”), from Κυρήνη (Kurḗnē, “Cyrene”) + -ιος (-ios, “-y: forming demonyms”), q.v. Equivalent to Cyrene + -ic or a backformation from Cyrenaica.

(chiefly historical) Of or related to Cyrenaicism, the philosophical school founded by Aristippus of Cyrene and codified by Aristippus the Younger.

(historical) Synonym of Cyrenian, of or related to Cyrene.

Cyrenaican

(chiefly historical) Synonym of Cyrenaican, of or related to Cyrenaica, the area around Cyrene in northeastern Libya.


Cyrenaic

(chiefly historical) A member or adherent of Cyrenaicism, the philosophical school founded by Aristippus of Cyrene and codified by Aristippus the Younger.

(historical) Synonym of Cyrenian, a person of or from Cyrene.

Cyrenaican

(chiefly historical) Synonym of Cyrenaican, a person of or from Cyrenaica, the area around Cyrene in northeastern Libya.


Pre-Greek

Calque of German Vorgriechisch. By surface analysis, pre- + Greek.

A hypothetical language (or languages) conjectured to have been spoken in prehistoric Greece before the arrival of Proto-Greek speakers, and used to explain the large number of non-Indo-European words found in Ancient Greek.


Zhou

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin 周 (Zhōu). Doublet of Chau.

Chou (alternative)
Chow (alternative)
Tchou (alternative)
Chau (alternative)
Jou (alternative)
Jhou (alternative)


Zhou

Various regions of ancient China occupied by this people, including the Fen and Wei valleys

A dynasty of rulers over this people, who conquered the Shang kingdom and nominally ruled China until their conquest by Qin in the 3rd century BC

The short-lived dynasty declared by Wu Zetian during the Tang


Marcian

(Ancient Greece) A minor fourth century Greek geographer from Heraclea (an ancient city on the coast of Bithynia).

(Ancient Rome) Roman emperor of the East from 450 to 457, born 392.

(Ancient Rome) Son of Anthemius, grandson of the Emperor Marcian, who led an unsuccessful rebellion in 479.


Cú Chulainn

From Irish cú (“hound”) + Culann. The latter name could be related to Ancient Greek κυλλός (kullós, “crooked, crippled”).

cog

(Irish mythology) The pre-eminent hero of Ulster in the Ulster Cycle, almost undefeatable due to his spear the Gae Bulg, but cursed to reach an early grave; son of Lugh and Deichtine.


Landtag

A representative assembly or parliament in German-speaking countries, with some legislative authority.


Reb

"Jest here, or hereabouts," Disko replied, "earnin' my bread on the deep waters, an' dodgin' Reb privateers. […]"

1897, Rudyard Kipling, Captains Courageous:

(US) Abbreviation of Rebel (“Confederate soldier”).


blanch holding

And be it enacted, That all Tenures of any Lands or Heretages in Scotland, that are now held or liable or be held of his Majesty by Ward Holding, whether simple or taxed Ward, are hereby enacted to be turned into Blanch Holding […]

1876, Hugh Cowan, The Land Rights of Scotland: Being a Collection of the Entail, Conveyancing, and Other Statutes Relating to Land:

(Scots law, historical) A mode of tenure by the payment of a small duty in white rent (silver) or otherwise.


atimy

From Ancient Greek ἀτιμία (atimía, “disgrace”).

uder

the decree of atimy, or deprivation of rights and honors, which had been passed against him on occasion of the mutilation of the Mercuries[…]

1784-1810, William Mitford, The History of Greece:

(historical, Ancient Greece) public disgrace or stigma; outlawry; loss of civil rights


chiliarchy

From Latin chiliarchia, from Ancient Greek χιλιαρχία (khiliarkhía), from χῑ́λιοι (khī́lioi, “1000”) + -αρχία (-arkhía, “-archy: rule by”). Equivalent to chilia- + -archy.


sycee

en-noun

sycee (countable and uncountable, plural sycees)

From Cantonese 細絲 /细丝 (sai³ si¹, “fine silk”), variously explained as owing to the bullion's ability to be worked into fine strands or from the resemblance of its luster.

uder

(historical) Any of various gold or silver ingots used as currency in imperial China.


Mandela

Our common room, thanks to a morally rectitudinous constitutional change some time previously, was known as the Nelson Mandela Room.

2008 December 30, Libby Brooks, “Let heroes be unsung”, in The Guardian:

A surname from Xhosa, notably borne by Nelson Mandela.


psephism

Ancient Greek ψήφισμα (psḗphisma, “a decree”) from ψηφίζω (psēphízō, “to vote”)

No psephism shall pass to the commons before the senate's supervisal. The tablets on which the psephisms are engraved are by no means to be removed.

1694, John Potter, Archaeologica Graeca:

The well-known story of the Spartan psephism quoted by Boethius de musica, via. that the Spartans ordered him to cut off four of his eleven strings […] is contradicted by the present text

1880, John Pentland Mahaffy, History of Classical Greek Literature:

(historical, Ancient Greece) A proposition adopted by a majority of votes, especially by the vote of the Athenian people; a statute.


doi moi

Unadapted borrowing from Vietnamese đổi mới (“reform”).

ubor

A program of political and economic reforms initiated in Vietnam from 1986.


Rhadamanthus

/ˌɹæ.dəˈmæn.θəs/

From Latin, from Ancient Greek Ῥαδάμανθυς (Rhadámanthus).

(Greek mythology) A king of Crete, one of the three judges in Hades.


trabea

When the emperors were themselves consuls, they wore a Trabea adorned with gems, which were allowed to none else.

1767, Basil Kennett, Romae Antiquae Notitia:

(historical, Ancient Rome) A toga of purple, or ornamented with purple horizontal stripes, worn by kings, consuls, and augurs.


Lotusland

In reference to Vancouver, coined by Canadian journalist Allan Fotheringham.

coined

Lotus Land (alternative)
Lotos-land (alternative)

We will abide in the golden vale / Of the Lotos-land, till the Lotos fail; / We will not wander more.

1832 December (indicated as 1833), Alfred Tennyson, “The Lotos-Eaters”, in Poems, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 117:

Calypso is by far the most effective impediment Odysseus encounters on his journey home to Ithaca, holding him in a sensuous but tedious captivity for seven years, Lotusland revisited.

1994, Judith Yarnall, Transformations of Circe: The History of an Enchantress:

(Greek mythology) The legendary island of the lotus-eaters.


primipilar

From Latin primipilaris, from primipilus (“the centurion of the first cohort of a Roman legion”), from primus pilus (“the division made up of the triarii in the Roman army”).

Upon ſuch grounds it may be reaſonable to allovv S. Peter a primacy of order; ſuch an one as the Ring-leader hath in a Dance, as the primipilar Centurion had in the Legion, or the Prince of the Senate had there, in the Roman State; […]

a. 1678 (date written), Isaac Barrow, “[The I. Supposition Discussed, that Saint Peter had a Primacy over the Apostles]”, in J[ohn] Tillotson, editor, A Treatise of the Pope’s Supremacy. […], London: […] Miles Flesher, for Brabazon Aylmer, […], published 1680, →OCLC, page 49:

(Ancient Rome) Of or relating to the captain of the vanguard of a Roman army.


roughrider

Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War

(US, military, dated, slang) A member of the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry during the Spanish-American War


catasterism

From Ancient Greek καταστερισμός (katasterismós, “star legend”), from καταστερίζω (katasterízō, “to place among the stars”), from κατά (katá, “down”) + ἀστήρ (astḗr, “star”).

uder

καταστερισμός

(Greek mythology) The transformation of a hero or mythological creature, into a star, constellation, comet or other celestial object.


Senones

Via Latin from Ancient Greek Σήνωνες (Sḗnōnes), originally the capital of the Gaulish people of the same name.


gymnopaedic

Ancient Greek From Ancient Greek γυμνός (gumnós, “naked”) + a child.

(Ancient Greece) Of or relating to the Gymnopaedia (a Spartan festival)


Areopagitic

en-adj

Areopagitic (comparative more Areopagitic, superlative most Areopagitic)

more Areopagitic (comparative)
most Areopagitic (superlative)

/ˌɛəɹiəʊpəˈd͡ʒɪtɪk/

Latin Areopagiticus, from Ancient Greek.

(Ancient Greece) Of or pertaining to the Areopagus (council of ancient Athens).

(Ancient Rome) Of or pertaining to the Areopagitic Oration of Dionysius of Halicarnassus (named after but only loosely connected to the Areopagus).


Areopagitic

/ˌɛəɹiəʊpəˈd͡ʒɪtɪk/

1836 (1810), William Mitford, The History of Greece, Volume VIII, T. Cadell (London), W. Blackwood & Sons (Edinburgh), New Edition, page 60,
The Areopagitic carries within itself clear indication of its own date, after the conclusion of peace with the confederates, and before the measures which quickly followed […] .

1884 (1869), Thomas Carlyle, Carlyles' Works: Critical and miscellaneous essays, Volume IV, Dana Estes & Charles E. Lauriat, page 201,
And one Mr. Milton sat in his house, by Bride's Church, teaching grammar, writing Areopagitics; and had dined that day, not perhaps without criticism of the cookery.

(Ancient Greece) A document connected to the Areopagus, particularly an oration delivered before it.


obtemper

en-verb

obtemper (third-person singular simple present obtempers, present participle obtempering, simple past and past participle obtempered)

obtempers (present singular third-person)
obtempering (participle present)
obtempered (participle past)
obtempered (past)

and after reading thereof, enquir'd at him, if he would obtemper the famin; to which he answer'd, That he could not comply with, or would he obtemper the said Sentence

1712, Charles Nice Davies, The Present State of the Parties in Great Britain:

(Scots law, transitive) To obey (a judgement or decree).


backbond

(Scots law) An instrument which, in conjunction with another making an absolute disposition, constitutes a trust.


helotry

en-noun

helotry (countable and uncountable, plural helotries)

Apparently influenced by Montesquieu's judgment that Spartan helotry combined the worst features of slavery and serfdom, Dew credited the Athenians with treating their slaves gently.

2005, Elizabeth Fox-Genovese, Eugene D. Genovese, The Mind of the Master Class, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 289:

(Ancient Greece) Collectively, the helots (slaves or bondsmen).


centumvir

centumvir (plural centumvirs or centumviri)

(historical, Ancient Rome) One of a court of about 100 judges chosen to try civil suits. Under the Empire the court was increased to 180, and met usually in four sections.


decerniture

(historical or obsolete, Scots law) A decree or sentence of a court.


Hathor

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Ἅθωρ (Háthōr), from Egyptian ḥwt-ḥr O10-C9.

(Egyptian mythology) The goddess of joy, love, and motherhood; one of the "Eyes / Daughters of Ra", the consort of Ra/Horus; often depicted as having a cow's head.


Bastet

From Egyptian bꜣstjt (“Bastet”, literally “she of the ointment jar”).

bor

Bast (alternative)
Baast (alternative)
Ubasti (alternative)
Basset (alternative)
Phast (alternative)

(Egyptian mythology) The goddess of the sun and the moon, of cats, and Lower Egypt; one of the "Eyes / Daughters of Ra", the consort of Ptah, often depicted as having a she-cat's head.


Sekhmet

From Egyptian sḫmt (“Sekhmet”), in turn from sḫm (“to have control”) (compare sḫm jb (“violent”)).

Sachmet (alternative)
Sakmet (alternative)
Sakhet (alternative)
Sekmet (alternative)
Sakhmet (alternative)
Sekhet (alternative)

(Egyptian mythology) The goddess of death, war, violence, plague, and medicine; one of the "Eyes / Daughters of Ra", the consort of Ptah; depicted as having the head of a lioness.


assythment

en-noun

assythment (countable and uncountable, plural assythments)

assythments (plural)
assythement (alternative)
assithment (alternative)

/əˈsʌɪðmənt/

From assyth + -ment, from Old French aset, asez, originally meaning "enough". See assets.

It may be observed that assythment is not due to the next of kin of a person slain where the offender hath by the exertion of public justice suffered the punishment due to his crime; but whether it can be demanded from the king's donatary where the criminal hath fled from justice and forfeited his movable estate upon a sentence of fugitation, may be doubted.

1871, John Erskine, An Institute of the Law of Scotland, volume 2, page 1235:

I, Fergus and my Heirs and Assignies, against all deadly the foresaid Three Daughs, and the forenamed Land of Ardendraught, with their pertinents, liberties and assythments and other privileges as aforesaid.

1894 February 5, Scottish Notes and Queries, volume 7, page 140:

Although there is no precise statistical analysis of assythments, bonds of manrent were only very rarely used in such circumstances.

2003, Christine Peters, Women in Early Modern Britain, 1450-1640, page 25:

(Scots law, historical) Compensation or reparation for a criminal offence.


Eleatic

en-adj

Eleatic (comparative more Eleatic, superlative most Eleatic)

more Eleatic (comparative)
most Eleatic (superlative)

Borrowed from Latin Eleāticus, from Ancient Greek ’Ελεατικός (’Eleatikós), from Ἐλέα (Eléa, “Elea, Velia”).

Of or relating to a certain school in Elea of Ancient Greek philosophers who taught that reality is stable and unchanging and that real knowledge comes from reason rather than senses.


pentecosty

en-noun

pentecosty (plural pentecosties or pentecostys)

pentecosties (plural)
pentecostys (plural)

From Ancient Greek πεντηκοστύς (pentēkostús), from πεντήκοντα (pentḗkonta, “fifty”).

There were seven companies in the field without counting the Sciritae, who numbered six hundred men: in each company there were four Pentecostyes, and in the Pentecosty four Enomoties.

1874, Thucydides, translated by Richard Crawley, History of the Peloponnesian War, Book 5:

(military, Ancient Greece) A troop of fifty soldiers in the Spartan army.


disdiapason

(music, Ancient Greece) An interval of two octaves, or a fifteenth.


Susanoo

Borrowed from Japanese 須佐之男(すさのお) (Susanoo).

Susa-no-O (alternative)
Susano'o (alternative)
Susano-o (alternative)
Susanowo (alternative)

(Japanese mythology, Shinto) The main Japanese storm god (along with Raijin and Fūjin), son of Izanami and Izanagi and brother of Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, Ōyamatsumi and Kagutsuchi.


amphictyonic

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Ἀμφικτυονικός (Amphiktuonikós). By surface analysis, amphictyon + -ic.

bor

Ἀμφικτυονικός

an Amphictyonic town or state

the Amphictyonic body

Of the duties of the Amphictyonic Council nothing will give us a better idea than the oath taken by its members. It ran thus “We will not destroy any Amphictyonic town, nor cut it off from running water in war or peace[…]

1854, William Smith, A History of Greece: From the Earliest Times to the Roman ... - Página 50:

(Ancient Greece) Of or relating to the amphictyons or their League or Council.


prytany

From Ancient Greek πρυτανεία (prutaneía, “presidency”), from πρύτανις (prútanis).

der

(historical, Ancient Greece) The period during which the presidency of the senate belonged to the prytanes of the section


amphictyon

Borrowed from Latin Amphictyones, itself a borrowing from Ancient Greek Ἀμφικτύονες (Amphiktúones), both of which are only attested in the plural. Probably the word originally meant "dwellers around, neighbours".

(Ancient Greece) One of the deputies from the confederated states of Ancient Greece to a congress or council. They considered both political and religious matters.

amphictyon

deputee from the confederated states of Ancient Greece


conistra

From Ancient Greek κονίστρα (konístra), from κονίς (konís, “dust”).

(historical) A part of the orchestra of the Ancient Greek theatre.


pilentum

(Ancient Rome) An easy chariot or carriage, used by Roman ladies, and in which the vessels etc. for sacred rites were carried.


hemina

From Latin hemina (“half-sextarius”), from Ancient Greek, from ἡμι- (hēmi-, “hemi-: half”) + -ίνα (-ína, “-ina: forming nouns”). As a Spanish unit, via Spanish hemina.

(historical) A traditional Spanish unit of dry measure equivalent to about 23 L, used particularly in Leon.


hopium

Blend of hope + opium, as though it were a drug; likely modelled after copium; regarding the surface analysis as hope + -ium, see copium § Etymology.

Hopium can make you see potential in the grimmest set of circumstances.

2016, Tracy Schorn, Leave a Cheater, Gain a Life: The Chump Lady's Survival Guide, Hachette, →ISBN:

This way, we might avoid depression, panic, denial, and hopium for good or bad news, any of which renders us more unrealistic, unprepared, and unwell.

2020, Jack Adam Weber, Carolyn Baker, Climate Cure: Heal Yourself to Heal the Planet, Llewellyn Worldwide, →ISBN:

(colloquial, derogatory) A clinging to unreasonable or unfounded hopes.


decury

Accordingly, the hundred senators divided the government among themselves, ten decuries being formed, and the individual members who were to have the chief direction of affairs being chosen into each decury.

1904, John Henry Freese, Alfred John Church, William Jackson Brodribb, Roman History, Books I-III:

If one, two, or more of a decury proceed bravely to battle, and the rest do not follow, the cowards are slain.

1760, Robert Kerr, A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. 1:

(Ancient Rome) A group of ten men under the command of a decurion.


devaprasnam

devaprasnams (plural)
deva prasnam (alternative)

Transliteration of Sanskrit देवप्रश्नम् (devapraśnam).

translit

A deva prasnam conducted in July 1975 revealed that the image had been consecrated by a saint from Tirupati more than one thousand years ago.

1992, Kunissery Ramakrishnier Vaidyanathan, Sri Krishna, the Lord of Guruvayur:

The temple has been in the news since June when astrologer Panicker maintained that the ‘devaprasnam’ had revealed to him that the temple had been ‘defiled’ two decades ago.

2006, Pakistan & Gulf Economist, volume 25, page 109:

As the citizens of Trivandrum debated what to do about Vault B, the royal family and officials from the temple invited a group of astrologers to hold a four-day ceremony, known as a Devaprasnam, in order to ascertain the will of the deity.

2012 April 30, Jake Halpern, “The Secret of the Temple”, in The New Yorker:

(Hinduism) An astrological ritual carried out to interpret the will of the gods.


Philippi

From Latin Philippī, from Ancient Greek Φίλιπποι (Phílippoi). Doublet of Filippi.

A city, the county seat of Barbour County, West Virginia, United States.


Angelos

From Ancient Greek ἄγγελος (ángelos). Doublet of Angel.

(Greek mythology) A daughter of Zeus and Hera, and a goddess of the Underworld.


Agdistis

(Greek mythology) A hermaphroditic being, associated with the worship of Cybele or Rhea


Massilia

Unadapted borrowing from Latin Massilia.

Gallia Narbonensis
Gallia Narbonensis#English

(historical) A city in Gallia Narbonensis, now Marseille


Bats

From Bat(man) + -s (hypocoristic suffix).

The Dark Knight Returns, published in four installments in 1986, is an extremely grim vision of a near-future Batman in a crime-ridden Gotham (reminiscent of Death Wish–era New York) that went to seed after Bats hung up the cape and cowl years prior.

2014 July 23, Abraham Riesman, “Dear Hollywood: Stop Using Frank Miller’s Batman Stories As Source Material”, in Vulture:


Harperite

For quotations using this term, see Citations:Harperite.

(Canadian politics, sometimes derogatory) A supporter of Stephen Harper and the policies of his government.


moirai

(Greek mythology) The three Fates, personifications of destiny.


polemarch

/ˈpɑləˌmɑɹk/

Borrowed from Ancient Greek πολέμαρχος (polémarkhos).

(historical, Ancient Greece, originally) The military commander in chief in Athens, one of the nine archonts.

Ancient Greece; originally; Ancient Greece; originally

(historical, Ancient Greece) A civil magistrate in Athens who had jurisdiction in respect of strangers and sojourners.

(historical, Ancient Greece) In other Greek (city) states, a high military and civil officer.


sakoku

Borrowed from Japanese 鎖国, literally "closed country".

(historical) The foreign policy of Japan between the 1630s and 1866, during which entry to and exit from Japan were severely restricted.


pancratiast

(Ancient Greece) A contestant in the pancratium.


tauroctony

From Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek ταυροκτόνος (tauroktónos), from ταῦρος (taûros, “bull”) + κτόνος (któnos, “killing”).

lbor

In any event, if, as I am arguing, the tauroctony represents the astronomical situation which obtained during the epoch in which the spring equinox was in Taurus, the fact that the summer solstice was in Leo during that epoch provides a convincing explanation for the occasional presence of the figure of a lion in the tauroctony.

1991, David Ulansey, The Origins of the Mithraic Mysteries, Oxford University Press, page 54:

The central icon, ever present in Mithras temples throughout the Roman Empire, is the tauroctony, or bull-slaying.

2005, Payam Nabarz, The Mysteries of Mithras, Inner Traditions, page 20:

Tauroctonies featuring Mithras' regular clothes but with a crown instead of a cap would belong to a further cluster. A tauroctony would then also be assigned to other clusters for its patterns of features relating to the torchbearers, to the animals, and so on.

2022, Kevin Stoba, “6: A network analysis of the Mithraic tauroctony”, in Anna Collar, editor, Networks and the Spread of Ideas in the Past, Taylor & Francis (Routledge), unnumbered page:

(Mithraism, historical, art) A depiction (typically in relief or sculpture) of Mithras killing a bull; associated with the practice of Mithraism (as a cult) in the Roman Empire.

tauroctonie

depiction of the killing of a bull by Mithras


sigillaria

(historical, Ancient Rome) Little images or figures of earthenware sold or given as presents on the last two days of the saturnalia.


ryder

(obsolete) A gold coin of Zealand (Netherlands) worth 14 florins.


nekomimi

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-nekomimi.wav

From Japanese 猫耳 (nekomimi), from 猫 (neko, “cat”) + 耳 (mimi, “ear”).

Thank you, Galen - I was pretty sure that she wasn't really a nekomimi, but this gives me some proof.

2005 February 17, Rob Kelk, “Re: DiGi Charat without her hat”, in rec.arts.anime.misc (Usenet):

(chiefly Japanese fiction, by extension) A fictional character who has cat ears on an otherwise human body, and possibly other feline characteristics such as a tail.


spooky PAC

(US politics) A type of political action committee which does not have to reveal its donors' identities, and which does not limit the amount of contributions by donors.


apprizer

The apprizer, therefore (as the holder of a mortgage was then called), entered upon possession, and, in the language of Hotspur, “came me cranking in”

1815 February 24, [Walter Scott], Guy Mannering; or, The Astrologer. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and Archibald Constable and Co., […], →OCLC:

(Scots law) A creditor for whom an appraisal is made.


devata

(Hinduism) A kind of good spirit, similar to a guardian angel or a lesser deity.


obreption

From Latin obreptio, from obrepo, obreptum (“to creep up to”), from ob (see prefix ob-) + repo (“to creep”).

In Mr John Maitland's action against Cardross, (vide 17th instant,) the Lords repelled Cardross's allegeances founded upon the impetrating of the gift of eschat from his Majesty by obreption expresso mendacio, or subreption celata veritate; because it appeared that there was a competition made by Cardross before the gift was past in Exchequer, and this same objection was made against it, that it was impetrated viis et modis;

1826, Mungo Ponton Brown, Supplement to the Dictionary of the Decisions of the Court of Session, page 390:

(Scots law, obsolete) Act of obtaining gifts of escheat by fraud or surprise.


ancile

(Ancient Rome) The sacred shield of the Ancient Romans, said to have fallen from heaven in the reign of Numa Pompilius. 11 copies were said to have been made, and it was the palladium of Rome.


TTS

(US politics) Initialism of Technology Transformation Services.


pylagore

Ancient Greek [Term?] Pylae, or Thermopylae, where the Amphictyonic council met + to assemble: compare French pylagore.

(Ancient Greece) A deputy of a state at the Amphictyonic council.


Murugan

Kartikeyan (alternative)
Skanda (alternative)
Subrahmanyan (alternative)
Saravanan (alternative)
Velavan (alternative)

The temple was […] dedicated to Murugan, the god of war, to whom he had always shown particular devotion.

2023, V. V. Ganeshananthan, Brotherless Night, Viking, page 256:

A Hindu deity, especially popular among Tamils, worshipped in areas of South India.


patavinity

en-noun

patavinity (usually uncountable, plural patavinities)

From Latin patavinitas, from Patavium (now Padua), where Livy was born. Compare French patavinité.

Livy, the Roman historian was often accused of patavinity.

(Ancient Greece) The use of local or provincial words


Faunus

(Roman mythology) Horned god of the forest, plains and fields; Greek counterpart: Pan.


Bhagavata Purana

From Sanskrit भागवत (bhāgavata) + पुराण (purāṇá, “stories of ancient times told in a new manner”).

One of the Hindu Puranas, with its primary focus on the incarnations of Vishnu, particularly Krishna.


Ramayana

Transliteration of Sanskrit रामायण (rāmāyaṇa). Doublet of Ramin.

translit

(Hinduism, Jainism, mythology) An ancient Sanskrit epic of Indian mythology about the legendary king Rāma.


Paulicianism

From Paulician + -ism; see Paulician for more.

(historical) A Christian sect and militarized revolt movement that flourished between 650 and 872 in Armenia and the Eastern Themes of the Byzantine Empire.


Zionize

en-verb

Zionize (third-person singular simple present Zionizes, present participle Zionizing, simple past and past participle Zionized)

Zionizes (present singular third-person)
Zionizing (participle present)
Zionized (participle past)
Zionized (past)
Zionise (alternative)

(sometimes derogatory) to make (something) Zionist or more Zionist


secle

From Latin saeculum. Compare French siècle. See secular.

If on this principle we calculate back from this first secular epoch preserved in history, the beginning ot the second secle falls U.C. 78.

1845, Barthold Georg Niebuhr, Sir Travers Twiss, Niebuhr's History of Rome - Volumes 1-2, page 55:

Such a secular year therefore was probably the term assigned to the life of the gods, as the natural secle was to the life of man, the secular day to that of nations, the secular week to that of one human race. They taught, as we know historically, that the expiration of each secular day was announced by wonders and signs, intelligible to them. So was the close of every natural secle; ten of which, of unequal length, made up a great day. The signs by which each of these epochs had been foreshewn, were recorded in their history .

1847, Barthold Georg Niebuhr, Leonhard Schmitz, The History of Rome - Volume 1, page 138:

So the haruspex Vulcatius announced that the comet which appeared shortly after the assassination of Julius Cæsar indicated the end of the ninth secle and the beginning of the tenth.

1887, Horace, James Lonsdale, Samuel Lee, The Works of Horace, page 85:

(Ancient Rome) The length of an epoch, believed to be the amount of time that elapsed from the start of one epoch to the time when no one who was alive at that point is still alive (starting at the founding of Rome).


Billy Yank

American Civil War
American Civil War#English

(US, dated) A soldier in the Union Army during the American Civil War.


Benzaiten

Borrowed from Japanese 弁才天 (Benzaiten) 弁財天 (Benzaiten).

(Japanese mythology, Shinto) (Also known as "Benten-sama") The Hindu goddess, Saraswati, of knowledge, art and beauty, music, language, wisdom, poetry and rivers.

the fat and happy god of abundance and good health

commerce and trade. Ebisu and Daikoku are often paired and represented as carvings

masks on the walls of small retail shops


subreption

en-noun

subreption (countable and uncountable, plural subreptions)

/sʌbˈɹɛpʃən/

From Latin subreptio, from subripere, subreptum (“to snatch or take away secretly”). Compare French subreption. See surreptitious, surreptition.

(Scots law) The act of obtaining a gift or favor by concealing the truth.


Fukurokuju

Borrowed from Japanese 福禄寿 (Fukurokuju), from Middle Chinese 福 (pjuwk, “fortune”) + 祿 (luwk, “blessings”) + 壽 (dzyuwX/dzyuwH, “longevity”).

af

(Japanese mythology, Shinto) The Japanese name for the Chinese god Xuanwu, one of the seven gods of good fortune: the god of happiness, wealth, and longevity.

Ebisu

恵比須; 恵比寿, 夷 or 戎


Poochie-fication

From Poochie, a character added to boost the ratings of the fictional Itchy and Scratchy Show in The Simpsons episode "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show", + -fication.

In case you're wondering, that extra, 3rd dimension they're going to be adding to the bears is going to be made entirely out of neon, sunglasses, and highlights for the fur of Mama and Sister. Basically, it's Poochie-fication of the Berenstain Bears.

2009 November 3, Amelie Gillette, “Berenstain Bears Movie To Change The Way You Think About Anthropomorphic Bears”, in The Onion AV Club:

In the 90s, this Poochie-fication of comics — wherein many titles grew consistently and thoroughly EXTREEEEME — reached its zenith.

2010 September 29, Glen Weldon, “In Praise of M.O.D.O.K: Why Gleefully Goofy Beats Broodingly Brutal”, in National Public Radio:

It’s rare when the Poochie-fication of a character actually works, but it totally did with Kyle Rayner. Rather than the earnest, Silver Age Hal Jordan, backed up by thousands of Corps members, and knowing what his job and destiny was, Rayner was given a ring by a dying Guardian, left alone as the last Green Lantern.

2011 June 16, Alex Zalban, “The 10 Best Green Lanterns Of All Time”, in MTV, archived from the original on 2011-12-26:

(entertainment, derogatory, uncommon) The process of adding a new character to a work of fiction, or altering characters already present, in a bid to make the work cooler or more extreme.


Astraeus

Ancient Greek Ἀστραῖος (Astraîos), in turn from ἀστήρ (astḗr, “star”).

(Greek mythology) The Greek god of the dusk. Husband of Eos (goddess of the dawn), and father of the four Anemoi ("Winds"), and the five Astra Planeta ("Wandering Stars/Planets").


superficiary

(historical, Ancient Rome) One to whom a right of surface occupation is granted; one who pays quitrent for a house built upon another's ground.


flag, motherhood and apple pie

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-flag, motherhood and apple pie.wav

(US politics) Something that cannot be questioned because it appeals to patriotism and widely-held American traditional values.


kwyjibo

Taken from a nonsense word (supposedly meaning "A big, dumb, balding North American ape with no chin and a short temper") used in the 1990 episode "Bart the Genius" of the TV show The Simpsons.

On the Kwyjibo.... On steps 2-4, I've been raising my left (free) hand, swinging the yo overto^([sic]) the right and then bringing my right hand over under it.

1999, mike, “pocket rocket....”, in alt.sport.yo-yo (Usenet):

I have been yo-yoing for just over 1 year now, I have just recently learned kwyjibo, white buddha, and other tricks but I can't sleep a yo-yo for over a minute, without an amazing throw […]

2000, Allen MacInnis, “Anyone know how to sleep a yo-yo for a long time??”, in alt.sport.yo-yo (Usenet):


chilian

(Ancient Greece) A chiliarch (commander or chief of a thousand men).


kaiju

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-kaiju.wav

From Japanese 怪獣 (かいじゅう, kaijū), from Middle Chinese 怪 (kˠuɛiᴴ, “strange, fantastic”) + 獸 (ɕɨuᴴ, “beast”) (compare Mandarin 怪獸 /怪兽 (guàishòu)).

bor

かいじゅう, kaijū

compound

The resurrections of Mothra, the giant butterfly in Japanese kaiju movies, are treated as colourful religious events, glitter falling upon fat children as the fluffy-faced behemoth dries its wings.

2015, Steve Aylett, Heart of the Original, Unbound, page 117:

A giant monster, particularly of the kind found in Japanese science fiction films, like Godzilla or Gamera.


Obaman

en-adj

Obaman (comparative more Obaman, superlative most Obaman)

more Obaman (comparative)
most Obaman (superlative)

(US politics) Of or pertaining to Barack Obama or to his ideology or policies.


Blairist

Blairist (comparative more Blairist, superlative most Blairist)

more Blairist (comparative)
most Blairist (superlative)

The campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq left him looking like the leader of a Blairist 'front' party as he backed the government on these and other issues.

2006, David Childs, Britain Since 1945: A Political History, page 298:

The Blairist emphasis on inclusiveness and recruitment by post code will likewise set off a new downward spiral in education[…]

2000, The Salisbury Review: Volumes 19-20:

(UK politics) Favouring, or according to, the policies of Tony Blair, British prime minister 1997-2007.


Augean stables

en-noun

Augean stables pl (normally plural, singular Augean stable)

From Augean (“pertaining to Augeas”) + stables. Augeas was a legendary king of Elis in Greek mythology who owned 3,000 divine cattle which produced a huge amount of dung in stables that had not been cleaned for over 30 years. The cleaning of the stables was the fifth of the twelve Labours of Hercules, which Hercules achieved by rerouting the Alpheus and Peneus rivers through them.

compound

Yea, as yee loue your ovvne life, peace, vvelfare; Rouze vp your ſpirits, avvaken your Chriſtian courage, and ſet your ſelues heartily againſt the traitorly ſinnes of theſe times, vvhich threaten the bane of all theſe. Cleanſe yee theſe Augean''' ſtables of our drunken Tauernes, of our profane ſtages, and of thoſe blinde Vaults of profeſſed filthineſſe, VVhoſe ſteppes goe dovvne to the chambers of Death; yea, to the deepe of Hell.

1613 April 3 (Gregorian calendar), Jos[eph] Hall, “An Holy Panegyrick. A Sermon Preached at Paules-Crosse, vpon the Anniuersary Solemnity of the Happie Inauguration of Our Drad Soueraigne Lord, King Iames, March 24. 1613.”, in A Recollection of Such Treatises as Haue Bene heretofore Seuerally Published and are Nowe Reuised, Corrected, Augmented. […], London: […] [Humfrey Lownes] for Arthur Iohnson, Samuel Macham and Laurence Lisle, published 1615, →OCLC, page 711:

Let us ſhevv our Duty to this our great and benevolent Sovereign; let us endeavour to alleviate his Cares, and him of all ungrateful Burthens; let us take upon our ſelves the heavy and long Labour of cleanſing the Augean''' Stables, and of cutting off all the Hydra's Head at once.

1721 February 1 (Gregorian calendar), “Cato” [pseudonym], “Political Letters to the Author of the Lond[on] Journal, from Jan. 14. to Feb. 18.”, in The Political State of Great Britain, volume XXI, London: […] [F]or the author [Abel Boyer], and sold by T. Warner […], and A. Rocayrol, […], published 11 March 1721 (Gregorian calendar), →OCLC, page 156:

Some perſons imagine, and argue, as if a conſolidation of the Legiſlatures vvould correct the vices and cure the corruption of Parliament, […] as if they conſidered the Britiſh Senate the choſen ſpot, the conſecrated temple of genuine and unſullied freedom, and that of Ireland no better than the Augean ſtable, vvhich no time or labour could cleanſe of its filth and free from its impurities. But, my friends and countrymen, you have too much underſtanding to be deluded by ſuch monſtrous and abſurd poſitions, vvhich have ſuch little foundation, either in fact or in a knovvledge of human nature.

1799, “A Freeholder” [pseudonym], A Letter to the Electors of Ireland, on the Projected Measure of an Union. […], Dublin: […] J. Moore, […], →OCLC, pages 9–10:

We have assembled to discuss those principles of government—principles which have been subverted to the purposes of the present administration. […] We have seen the effect of some of the measures of the administration at Washington, and it is high time, my fellow-citizens, that the Augean stable there was cleansed. […] The Augean stable at Washington has had a number of animals in it for nearly twelve years, without being cleaned out. [Laughter.]

1840 October 5, General [Pierre] Van Cortlandt, “Meeting at Auburn, N.Y.”, in A[nthony] B[anning] Norton, The Great Revolution of 1840. Reminiscences of the Log Cabin and Hard Cider Campaign, Mount Vernon, Oh., Dallas, Tex.: A. B. Norton & Co., published 1888, →OCLC, page 341:

'What an Augean stable!' he muttered to himself. 'Where does one begin? With the masses? Educate the masses?' He shook his head. 'Not a chance there. It would take centuries. A handful of men at the top. Or even one man with vision – an enlightened dictator. People are scared of the word nowadays. But what kind of democracy can exist side by side with so much corruption and ignorance? Perhaps a half-way house – a sort of compromise.'

1960, Chinua Achebe, chapter 5, in No Longer at Ease (African Writers Series), Oxford, Oxfordshire: Heinemann Educational Publishers, published 1987, →ISBN, page 40:

Augean stables are everywhere under the Congress Raj—whether in agriculture or elsewhere. Only a few days back there was a huge fraud in the CHS dispensaries.

1972 August 23, Dahyabhai V. Patel, “The Insecticides (Amendment) Bill, 1972”, in Parliamentary Debates: Rajya Sabha: Official Report (Rajya Sabha), volume LXXXI, number 16, New Delhi: Rajya Sabha Secretariat, →OCLC, column 248:

For him [Glenn Brown], daft, culturally sanctioned gesturalism is an Augean stable, and he the Hercules whose duty it is to disinfect it. At this time, for example, he mounted an attack on the ultimate in post-war expressionism. Unfortunately, his version of a chimpanzee painting remains unfinished.

1993 October 10, Stuart Morgan, “Confessions of a Body Snatcher: Glenn Brown”, in Frieze, London: Frieze Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-03-11, page 52:

The legacy of State-based political machines—I need to win an election despite them. And then I can clean out the Augean stables: abolish the National Executive for what they did to Cookie, and abolish the primacy of the State branches.

2004 April 27, Mark Latham, “2004 Pre-election”, in The Latham Diaries, Carlton, Vic.: Melbourne University Press, published 2005, →ISBN, page 283:

The military administration wasted little time in getting down to the business of cleaning up the Augean Stable. The constitution was suspended. All political appointees lost their job. They were all hounded into detention, collectively accused of corruption.

2012 May, Dan Agbese, “The Augean Stable”, in Ibrahim Babangida: The Military, Politics and Power in Nigeria, London, Abuja, Nigeria: Adonis & Abbey, →ISBN, page 177:

(figuratively) A place or situation characterized by corruption or moral decay.


Whitewatergate

From Whitewater + -gate, influenced by the original Watergate scandal.

(informal) The Whitewater controversy, a US political scandal that began with the real-estate investments of Bill and Hillary Clinton and their associates in the Whitewater Development Corporation.


decommunization

decommunisation (alternative)
de-communisation (alternative)
de-Communisation (alternative)
de-communization (alternative)
de-Communization (alternative)

The act, process, or result of decommunizing.


Vali

(Hinduism) King of Kishkindha, a son of Indra and the elder brother of Sugriva in Ramayana.


Janaki

Borrowed from Sanskrit जानकी (jānakī), from Sanskrit जनक (janaka).

(Hinduism) An epithet (patronymic) of Sita in Ramayana.


Realo

(colloquial, German politics) A member of a more pragmatic faction within a leftist organisation, often the FRG Green Party.


Menaka

In Hindu mythology, one of the most beautiful of the apsaras and the wife of Himavat.


apsara

Borrowed from Hindi अप्सरा (apsarā), descended from Sanskrit अप्सरस् (apsaras).

But the boy's relatives don't sit on their behinds and wait for a pari or an apsara to drop out of the heavens.

1997, Kiran Nagarkar, Cuckold, HarperCollins, published 2013, page 40:

But here was an apsara rising out of the waters of a holy Ganga, raising her arms in salutation to the sun rising above the range of hills and offering her behind to him to marvel at and worship.

2004, Khushwant Singh, Burial at Sea, Penguin, published 2014, page 102:

Don't burn us with your fierce austerities, O master. I'll have to send apsaras to distract you.

2006, Vikram Chandra, Sacred Games, volume 1, Penguin, published 2007, page 17:

(Indian mythology, Hinduism, Buddhism) A female spirit of the clouds and waters.

অপ্সরা

a female spirit of the clouds and waters


Rambha

(Hinduism) One of the most beautiful apsaras in Hindu mythology.

রম্ভা

(mythology) one of the most beautiful apsaras in Hindu mythology


Urvashi

ウルヴァシー

the most prominent apsara from Hindu mythology


brony

Blend of bro + pony, the earliest documented use dates to the 25th of October 2010 on the 4chan image boards.

But Sethisto thinks that for him and his fellow bronies, the show has "evolved way past being just another 22-minute commercial. They gave the team enough freedom to really make it awesome."

2011 September 7, Jaime Weinman, “Men who love ‘My Little Pony’”, in Maclean's, →ISSN:

(fandom slang) A (usually major, often male) fan of the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, typically an adult male.

ব্রনি

fan of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic


Rāma

(Hinduism) A mythological king of Ayodhya in ancient India, considered as the seventh avatar of Vishnu and a lila-avatara described in Bhagavata Purana; one of the most worshipped Hindu deities.


Lakshmana

Borrowed from Sanskrit लक्ष्मण (lakṣmaṇa).

(Hinduism) The younger brother of Rāma, an avatar of Shesha.

A male given name from Sanskrit used mostly in India.


Kausalya

Borrowed from Sanskrit कौसल्या (kausalyā).

bor+

(Hinduism) The eldest wife of King Dasaratha, queen of Ayodhya and the mother of Rāma.


Ayodhya

Borrowed from Sanskrit अयोध्या (ayodhyā).

A city, district, and division of Uttar Pradesh, India, on the bank of the Sarayu river.

(Hinduism, historical) A legendary city, the ancient capital of Kosala kingdom, and birthplace of the Hindu deity Rāma.


Angada

(Hinduism) Son of Vali, King of Kishkindha in Ramayana.


Agastya

(Hinduism) One of the Saptarishis (seven sages), a revered Vedic sage and the author of Agastya Samhita.


Banasura

(Hinduism) A thousand-armed asura and son of Bali. His daughter is Usha.


Bharata

A legendary emperor of India, and is referred to in Hindu and Jain theology. He was son of King Dushyanta and Shakuntala.

(Hinduism) Younger brother of Rāma in Ramayana.


Arundhati

(Hinduism) The wife of the sage Vasishtha, celebrated for her virtue.


Brihaspati

Borrowed from Sanskrit बृहस्पति (bṛhaspati).


Daksha

(Hinduism) "the skilled one", is an ancient creator god, one of the Prajapatis.


Dhruva

(Hinduism) A Puranic child sage who become the pole star.


Hari

(Hinduism) A name or epithet given commonly to Vishnu, but also to Indra and Yama.

A male given name from Sanskrit used in India.


harikatha

A form of Hindu religious discourse in which the storyteller explores a religious theme, usually the life of a saint or a story from an Indian epic.


abolitiondom

Abolitionists, specifically the northern states during the US Civil War.


Bhishma

Bheeshma (alternative)
Bhisma (alternative)


Vyasa

(Hinduism) Name of a Hindu sage. One who classified the Vedas into four parts. He is the author of the Mahabharata.


Subhadra

(Hinduism) Subhadra, daughter of Vasudeva, and Rohini, sister of Krishna, and Balarama, wife of Arjuna and the mother of Abhimanyu

A female given name from Sanskrit mostly used in India.


Abhimanyu

From Sanskrit अभिमन्यु (abhimanyu, “Abhimanyu”).

bor

The son of Arjuna and Subhadra in Mahabharata.


Urmila

(Hinduism) The daughter of King Janaka of Mithila and the younger sister of Sita. She was the wife of Lakshmana in Ramayana.


Sumitra

(Hinduism) The third wife of King Dasharatha; mother of twins Lakshmana and Shatrughna in Ramayana.


Sabari

(Hinduism) A staunch devotee of Rāma in Ramayana.

A tributary of the Godavari river in India.


Sugriva

From Sanskrit सुग्रीव (sugrīva, “handsome-necked”).

uder

(Hinduism) The younger brother of Vali, whom he succeeded as ruler of the Kishkindha in Ramayana.


Ganapati

Etymology tree
Sanskrit गण् (gaṇ)
Proto-Indo-European *-os
Sanskrit -अ (-a)
Sanskrit गण (gaṇa)
Proto-Indo-European *pótis
Proto-Indo-Iranian *pátiš
Sanskrit पति (pati)
Sanskrit गणपति (gaṇapati)translit.
English Ganapati
Transliteration of Sanskrit गणपति (gaṇapati), from गण (gaṇa) + पति (pati).


Megaric

Derived from Latin megaricus, from Ancient Greek Μεγαρικός (Megarikós). Also Megara + -ic.


Terminalia

(historical) In Ancient Rome, a festival to Terminus, the god of boundaries.


Twitard

Twitards (plural)
Twi-tard (alternative)
twitard (alternative)
twi-tard (alternative)

From twilight + -tard, after the pattern of Twihard.

If I go missing, please reference this, as Twitards have more than likely kidnapped me, all because I seem to be the one person on the planet not to understand the vampire hype.

2010, Felicia Mancini, “2009: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly”, in View Magazine, 7 January - 13 January 2010 issue:

(slang, derogatory) An avid fan of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight book series or the associated films.


Gulf War

(history) One of several wars fought at the Persian Gulf in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, principally the one from 1990 to 1991.


Obamatard

This collective mindset could be seen in the 2008 election, where it was discovered that trying to argue with Obamatards was futile.

2010 November 17, Dänk 666 [username], “Re: The Primary Aim Of Modern Warfare - George Orwell”, in alt.politics (Usenet):

(US politics, slang, derogatory) A supporter of Barack Obama.


Paultard

And then the motley Paultards with their freedom and liberty signs? LOL. Ultimate irony: Like they believe in *their* 'freedoms' to control and 'liberties' to stick their snouts into somebody else's reproductive freedoms. What a mob of hypocrites!

2008 January 23, jis [username], “Re: Funny photo essay about the anti-abortion rally on the mall in Dee Cee”, in alt.appalachian (Usenet):

(US politics, slang, derogatory) A supporter of Ron Paul.


Party of No

Coined in United States political commentary since 2008.

(neologism, derogatory, US politics) The Republican Party of the United States.


mugwumpism

en-noun

mugwumpism (countable and uncountable, plural mugwumpisms)

(US politics, slang) The acts and views of the mugwumps.


mugwumpery

(US politics, historical, slang) The acts and views of the mugwumps.


nonentry

nonentry (countable and uncountable, plural nonentries)

(Scots law, historical) The casualty or advantage which formerly fell to the superior when the heir of a deceased vassal failed to renew the investiture, the superior being then entitled to the rent of the feu.


Temple of Heaven

Calque of Chinese 天壇 /天坛 (Tiāntán, literally “Altar of Heaven”).

calque

Jonah Byrde: Y'know, in third grade, we learned about the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. There are like 600 acres and on the grounds there's this building called the Hall for Prayer for Good Harvests. It's circled by this thing called the Echo Wall.
Wendy Byrde: Ok, ok.
Jonah Byrde: You can go there and even when people are whispering you just hear the same things repeated over and over and over.
Wendy Byrde: Ok, enough. You wanna be a smartass? You want to hate me? Fine.

2022 January 21, Chris Mundy, Ozark, 00:41:05

A religious complex in southeastern Beijing, formerly important to Chinese imperial rituals; the present-day park surrounding and preserving the site.

(proscribed) The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the largest building in the complex, commonly confused as its focus.


Mithraeum

en-noun

Mithraeum (plural Mithraea or Mithraeums)

A grotto where the god Mithra was worshipped.


Haunebu

It has been suggested that the Haunebu, an “ethnic” name known from most periods, were a partly assimilated group living in this environment and reported in recognizable form only in Classical texts.

1996, John Baines, Jerrold S. Cooper, Glenn M. Schwartz, editors, The Study of the Ancient Near East in the Twenty-First Century: The William Foxwell Albright Centennial Conference, Eisenbrauns, page 362:

He studied ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic records and in Atlantis of the North (New York, Van Norstrand Reinhold Company, 1980) he discussed the mystery of the Haunebu or North People. The Haunebu were mentioned in texts dating to 2400 B.C.

1997, Jon Douglas Singer, Lost lands and cities beneath the sea: legends, folklore, and facts of the North Atlantic, page 5:

They were called Haunebu, and a treasurer of the Eleventh Dynasty, whose duty was the maintenance of safe frontier ports, boasts of himself as one “who quells the Haunebu.”

2003, James Henry Breasted, History of Egypt from the Earliest Time to the Persian Conquest, Kessinger Publishing, page 188:

(Egyptology, plural "Haunebu") A member of a people from the Aegean Sea.


Hooverian

en-adj

Hooverian (comparative more Hooverian, superlative most Hooverian)

more Hooverian (comparative)
most Hooverian (superlative)

(economics) Of or relating to the politics or economics of Herbert Hoover.


Euryale

Ancient Greek Εὐρυάλη (Euruálē, literally “far-roaming”).

uder

(Greek mythology) The second eldest of the gorgons.


Olympiad

Olympiads (plural)
Ol. (alternative)
olympiad (alternative)

Hadrian
International Mathematical Olympiad
Olympiad
Summer Olympics
Winter Olympics
inclusive counting

From the plural forms Olimpiades, Olympiades, and Olympiadiz of Middle English Olimpias and Olympias (“ancient Olympic Games, 4-year period between these games, intense battle or competition”) from Middle French Olympiade and Old French Olympiade (“ancient Olympic games, 4-year period between these games”), from Latin Olympias (“4-year period between Olympic Games”) whose genitive form was Olympiados or Olympiadis), from Ancient Greek Ὀλυμπῐᾰ́ς (Olumpĭắs, “ancient Olympic Games, 4-year period between these games”) whose plural form was Ὀλυμπῐᾰ́δες (Olumpĭắdes), from Ὀλυμπῐ́ᾱ (Olumpĭ́ā, “Olympia”), the town in ancient Greece where the games were held, + -ᾰ́ς (-ắs, a suffix forming feminine adjectives or nouns), from either Ὀλῠ́μπῐος (Olŭ́mpĭos, “of or related to Mount Olympus, Olympian, the Olympian Zeus”) or Ὄλῠμπος (Ólŭmpos, “Mount Olympus”) + -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā, suffix forming feminine abstract nouns).
The use of olympiad for academic competitions aspiring to the level of the Olympic Games was first popularized by the International Mathematical Olympiad, a calque of its Romanian name Olimpiada Internațională de Matematică.

Olimpiade

period between celebrations of the ancient or modern Olympic Games

olympiade

celebration of the ancient or modern Olympic Games

Ancient sources variously dated the founding of Rome to the 38th year before the first Olympiad, the third or fourth year of the sixth Olympiad, the first year of the seventh or eighth Olympiad, or the fourth year of the 12th Olympiad.

Now was bright Hero weary of the day,
Thought an Olympiad in Leanders ſtay.

1598, George Chapman, “Fifth Sestyad”, in Christopher Marlo[w]e, George Chapman, Hero and Leander: […], London: […] A[ugustine] M[atthews] for Richard Hawkins: […], published 1629, →OCLC:

Olympiad. 42. about the yeare of Rome 142. ſhee [the planet Venus] is bigger then all the other ſtarres, and ſo cleare that (ſome-times) her beames make a ſhadowe.

1610, Saint Augustine, “Of Certaine Starres that the Pagans Call Their Gods”, in J[ohn] H[ealey], transl., St. Augustine, of the Citie of God: […], [London]: […] George Eld, →OCLC, book VII, page 274:

Now therefore ſeeing that the firſt yeare of Cyrus his Monarchie (which was the laſt of the ſixtieth Olympiad, and the two hundredth and fortieth yeare from the inſtitution of thoſe games by Iphitus) followed the laſt of the ſeuentie yeares, of the captiuitie of Iuda, and deſolation of the Land of Iſrael; manifeſt it is, that we muſt reckon back thoſe ſeuentie yeares, and one hundred threeſcore and ten yeares more, the laſt which paſſed vnder the Kings of Iuda, to finde the firſt of theſe Olympiads; which by this accompt is the one and fiftieth of Vzzia, as wee haue alreadie noted.

1614, Walter Ralegh [i.e., Walter Raleigh], “Of Vzzia”, in The Historie of the World […], London: […] William Stansby for Walter Burre, […], →OCLC, 1st book, §. V (Of the Olympiads, and the Time when They Beganne), page 576:

The moſt Antient and Renowned Epoch uſed by the Heathens is that of the Olympiads or Olympick Games, which were inſtituted by one Iphitus, in the Fields of Olympia, a City or Town of the Region Elis in the Peloponneſe; and which laſt whereof fell on the Full Moon, which was the next after the Summer Solſtice. Theſe Games were celebrated every four Years, that is, there were three Years between the Years wherein the next preceding and the next following Olympiad was celebrated. Hence by a compleat Olympiad, is denoted the Space of four Years; the Year wherein the Olympiad was celebrated, being ſtiled the firſt Year of the ſaid Olympiad, and ſo on.

1736, Edward Wells, “Of Epoch’s or Æra’s; and Especially of the Æra of Year of Christ, the Æra of the Olympiads, and the Æra of the Building of Rome”, in The Young Gentleman’s Astronomy, Chronology, and Dialling, […], 4th edition, London: […] James, John, and Paul Knapton, […], →OCLC, paragraph 4, pages 64–65:

When he was fourteen, he went to work on the starcher. […] It marked an era. It was a machine Olympiad, a thing to date from.

1911 January, Jack London, “The Apostate”, in When God Laughs and Other Stories, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company, →OCLC, page 55:

The Games of the XXXII Olympiad is going ahead in Tokyo a year late, despite concerns about coronavirus. […] The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Japanese government are pressing ahead with the XXXII Olympiad after it was delayed last summer – albeit in a very different manner from usual.

2021 July 12, Natalie Merchant, “Explainer: The Tokyo Olympics by Numbers”, in World Economic Forum, archived from the original on 2021-08-02:

Emperor Naruhito was caught in a conundrum when it came to wording in his speech in Japanese to declare the 2020 Tokyo Olympics open during the July 23 Opening Ceremony at the National Stadium. […] The official English version for the Tokyo Olympics was: "I declare open the Games of Tokyo celebrating the 32nd Olympiad of the modern era." […] Following discussions among central government officials and the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee, it was decided to allow Naruhito to use "kinensuru" for celebrating. The term has more of a nuance of marking or commemorating an important occasion.

2021 July 24, Tatsuro Sugiura, “Emperor in bind over use of ‘celebrate’ for Tokyo Olympiad”, in The Asahi Shimbun, Osaka: The Asahi Shimbun Company, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2021-07-30:

A four-year period, particularly (historical) those based on Hippias's computations of the ancient Olympic Games which placed Coroebus's footrace victory in 776 BCE and (sports) those based on the modern Summer Olympic Games first held in 1896.

Victors at the ancient Olympiads only won an olive wreath but were usually freed from paying taxes for the remainder of their life, but modern Olympians have frequently needed to pay taxes on the market value of their gold, silver, or bronze medals.

It was their [the priests of Jupiter Olympius's] Buſineſs, alſo not only to regiſter the Names of the Victors in the ſeveral Games, with other Matters relating to them, but alſo whatever occurr'd remarkable, during the Intervals between the Celebration of every Olympiad.

1707, Thomas Hind, “Book II. The Second Period, from the Taking of Troy, to the Battle of Marathon, Containing the Space of 700 Years.”, in The History of Greece. […], London: […] S. and J. Sprint, A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, Tim[othy] Childe, and Rob[ert] Knaplock, →OCLC, page 124:

Strabo […] makes Corœbus the firſt Victor at the firſt Olympiad of Iphitus; who, he ſaies, was the Reſtorer of them. This Olympiad was in the Year before Chriſt 776.

1752, John Jackson, “Of the Origin and Æra of Oracles. [Of the Institution of the Olympic Games.]”, in Chronological Antiquities: Or, The Antiquities and Chronology of the Most Ancient Kingdoms, from the Creation of the World, for the Space of Five Thousand Years. […], volume III, London: Printed for the author; and sold by J. Noon, […], →OCLC, page 340:

The noble and free citizens of Epidaphne being, as they declare, well satisfied of the faith, valor, wisdom, and divinity of their king, […] do think it no more than their duty to invest his brows (in addition to the poetic crown) with the wreath of victory in the foot race—a wreath which it is evident he must obtain at the celebration of the next Olympiad, and which, therefore, they now give him in advance.

1840, Edgar A[llan] Poe, “Epimanes”, in Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque, volume II, Philadelphia, Pa.: Lea and Blanchard, published 1840, →OCLC, pages 16–17:

After the distribution of the prizes, the athletes formed for the traditional procession around the Stadion. Louës [i.e., Spyridon Louis], the victor of Marathon, came first, bearing the Greek flag; then the Americans, the Hungarians, the French, the Germans. […] The king announced that the first Olympiad was at an end, and left the Stadion, the band playing the Greek national hymn, and the crowd cheering.

1896 November, Pierre de Coubertin, “The Olympic Games of 1896. […]”, in The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine, volume XXXI (New Series; volume LIII overall), number 1, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co.; London: Macmillan & Co. Ltd., →OCLC, page 50:

[I]t is the intention of the management of the exposition to make the Olympiad of 1904 the greatest ever held. The first of these modern Olympiads—which are the reproduction of the famous games of Ancient Greece—was held at Athens in 1896, when an American astonished the world by winning the discus-throwing championship. […] The representatives of athletics in America propose that nothing shall be left undone to make this first American Olympiad a phenomenal success.

1903 November 20, “Olympic Games”, in Message from the President of the United States, Transmitting a Statement Showing the Receipts and Disbursements of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Company from Date of Incorporation to September 30, 1903, together with a Report Submitted by the Exposition Company Showing Progress Made by the Various Departments of the Exposition (58th Congress, 1st Session, document no. 12), Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, →OCLC, page 58:

1950 marks the twilight of one of the greatest eras of California crew history. Many of the graduating crew men were in the jayvee Poughkeepsie winning boat in 1947; the next year these same men rowed to the eight-oared championship in the 14th Olympiad in England.

1950, “[Athletics] 1950 Varsity”, in Blue and Gold 1950, volume 77, Berkeley, Calif.: Associated Students of the University of California, →OCLC, page 234:

(sports, sometimes proscribed) Synonym of Olympic Games: an instance of the ancient or modern Olympic Games.

Olympic Games

the International Mathematical Olympiad... the Science Olympiad... the International Science Olympiads... the Women's Chess Olympiad...

The Junior Olympiad track and field meet was a major special event with 276 entrants.

1943 November, Margaret King, “Southwest District Association News [California]”, in Mary Wibel, editor, The Journal of Health and Physical Education, volume 14, number 9, Washington, D.C.: American Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, →OCLC, page 492, column 1:

Selected competitively from more than 400,000 high school students to represent the United States in the 19th International Mathematical Olympiad in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, July 5–6, an 8-man team emerged victorious over teams from 20 other nations. […] Credited with developing the International Mathematics Olympiad in 1959 is Rumania, the winner that year in competition with Bulgaria, Czechosolvakia, Poland, German Democratic Republic, and Soviet Union. […] The idea of a U.S. Mathematical Olympiad was spawned in 1971 when Prof. Nura D. Turner of SUNY (State University of New York), Albany, authored an article in the American Mathematical Monthly that led in 1972 to the USA Mathematical Olympiad.

1977 May–July, “USA Team Wins over 20 Nations”, in Clarence T. Smith, editor, Army Research and Development, volume 18, number 3, Alexandria, Va.: Development and Engineering Directorate, HQ. U.S. Army Materiel Development and Readiness Command, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 29, column 2:

[…] Kent Howerton led dominance of the initial Motorcycle Olympiad by AMA professional moto-crossers. […] The fans dug it, the bike press agreed, and the Second Annual Motorcycle Olympiad will be held September 16–17 at Saddleback Park in Orange, California. More on the Olympiad in future issues.

1978 June, “Olympiad Set for Second Go”, in Bill Amick, editor, American Motorcyclist, volume 32, number 6, Westerville, Oh.: American Motorcyclist Association, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 34, column 3:

The Prize distribution ceremony of the First National Science Olympiad was held at National Museum Auditorium, New Delhi on October 18. […] The Second National Science Olympiad will be conducted on 28th January 2000.

1999 December, “Miscellaneous”, in Mahendra Jain, editor, Competition Science Vision, volume 2, number 22, Agra, Uttar Pradesh: Mahendra Jain for M/s Pratiyogita Darpan, →OCLC, page 1266, columns 2–3:

The FIDE Online Chess Olympiad 2021 will be held between August 13 to September 15, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) announced. Each national federation intending to take part in the Online Olympiad shall confirm its participation by July 31, it said.

2021 July 14, “Second Online Chess Olympiad from August 13, says FIDE”, in The Times of India, Mumbai, Maharashtra: The Times Group, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2021-08-06:

(by extension, usually preceded by descriptive words) A competition aspiring to the importance of the Olympic Games or considered similar to them, especially one occurring at 4-year intervals, representing a national or international range of amateur student rather than professional adult competition, and/or requiring the highest level of ability in the field for success.

奧林匹克 /奥林匹克

high-level competitions in other fields, especially among students


Rukmini

Borrowed from Sanskrit रुक्मिणी (rukmiṇī).

(Hinduism) The wife of Lord Krishna; considered as an incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi.

A female given name from Sanskrit mainly used in India.


Satyabhama

Borrowed from Sanskrit सत्यभामा (satyabhāmā).


Yashoda

Transliteration of Sanskrit यशोदा (yaśodā). The given name is a transliteration of Hindi यशोदा (yaśodā), etc.

translit

(Hinduism) The foster mother of Krishna.


Kamsa

(Hinduism) The ruler of Mathura and brother of Devaki.


Devaki

(Hinduism) Devaki, cousin of Kamsa, wife of Vasudeva and the biological mother of Krishna.


Vasudeva

(Hinduism) Vasudeva, husband of Devaki, and Rohini, son of Shurasena, and the father of Krishna, and Balarama