Elizabethan English

/əˌlɪzəˈbiːθən ˈiːŋɡlɪʃ/

Blends, also known as portmanteau words, are not an original part of English. That is, none occur in Old or Middle English, nor even in Elizabethan English, with the earliest known example being the rare and now obsolete term tomaxe, a blend of tomahawk and axe.

2018, James Lambert, “A multitude of ‘lishes’: The nomenclature of hybridity”, in English World-Wide, page 10:

The dialect of English spoken during the reign of Elizabeth I of England.


Negerhollands

US Virgin Islands
United States Virgin Islands

A Dutch-based creole, also incorporating elements of Danish, English, French, Spanish and West African languages, once spoken in what are now the US Virgin Islands.


Middle Persian

The ancestor of New Persian spoken from around 300 BC till about 800 AD, evolving from Old Persian.


Eastern Armenian

One of the two standardized forms of the modern Armenian language, the other being Western Armenian. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia and is the dialect spoken by Armenian diaspora in CIS countries and Iran. It developed in the 19th century in Russian Armenia.


Western Armenian

One of the two standardized forms of the modern Armenian language, the other being Eastern Armenian. Following the Genocide of Armenians of 1915, it is now spoken by the descendants of Armenian survivors from the Ottoman Empire fleeing to Armenian diaspora, mainly in North America and South America, Europe and most of the Middle East except for Iran.


Rae

CHUCK. Joyce Mathews! I see and this girl's name is Rae Edwards. What does Rae stand for?
CHRIS. Rae, Rae!
CHUCK. Rachel? That's what I'm trying to find out; Sugar Ray? Rae doesn't mean too much to me. Hooray, Sugar Ray, etc. So her name is Rachael H? I see.

1965, Lewis Yablonsky, The Tunnel Back: Synamon, Macmillan, page 204:

A diminutive of the female given name Rachel, also used as a formal given name, mostly as a middle name.


Cincinnatian

While Fortescue Cuming could entertain a cabinful of young men with a violin in 1807, Frances Trollope noted that Cincinnatians organized formal balls for young people of quality twenty years later.

2015, Emily Foster, The Ohio Frontier: An Anthology of Early Writings, →ISBN, page 139:


Kickapoo

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Borrowed from Spanish Kikapú, further origins are contested; an Anishinaabeg source proposes giiwigaabaw (“stand here and there”), in reference to the tribe's migratory patterns.

A member of a particular Algonquian-speaking Native American tribe.


Kickapoo

A township and unincorporated community therein, in Peoria County, Illinois.

A ghost town in Warren Township, Warren County, Indiana.

Leavenworth County
Leavenworth County#English

A township and unincorporated community therein, in Leavenworth County, Kansas.

A place in the United States:
A town in Vernon County, Wisconsin.

Other townships, listed under Kickapoo Township.

A river in Wisconsin, a tributary of the Wisconsin River.


Hui

In Hui restaurants in towns such as Wuchung and Chungning, restaurant workers wearing the white caps of the Hui nationality serve customers. Most government institutions, factories and schools in different parts of the autonomous region have set up dining rooms for the Huis, where their special foods are served.

1978 November [1978 October 16], “Religious Life Never Interfered With”, in Eastern Horizon, volume XVII, number 11, Hong Kong: Eastern Horizon Press, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 16:

This compact collection of households comprises nine teams that are almost 100 percent Hui, a rarity in central and northern Ningxia, where Hui are thinly distributed among the majority Han population. Yongning county is only 12.9 percent Hui, a relatively small minority in contrast to neighboring Lingwu county in the southeast, which is 47 percent Hui, and southern Jingyuan county, which is 97 percent Hui (the highest concentration of Hui in one county in China).

2002, Dru C. Gladney, “Ethnoreligious Resurgence in a Northwestern Sufi Community”, in Susan D. Blum, Lionel M. Jensen, editors, China Off Center: Mapping the Margins of the Middle Kingdom, Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 109:

Within Xi’an, Hui and Han alike eat roujiamo, the Chinese hamburger: meat tucked into flatbread that’s been crisped on the grill until it shows tiger skin on one side — shades of orange and black — and a chrysanthemum whorl on the other. The Han make it with long-braised pork, doused with a spoonful of its own broth, and the Hui with beef or lamb, stewed, then salted and dried.

2020 May 11, Ligaya Mishan, “Eating in Xi’an, Where Wheat and Lamb Speak to China’s Varied Palette”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 2020-05-11:

An ethnic group of China, distinguished by their practice of Islam, who speak Mandarin (or Dungan in Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Russia).


cybername

He signed in using his own cybername: Point Guard.

Your modem dials an 800 number a couple of times. Along the way, you'll be asked to make up a cybername for yourself...

2002, David Pogue, Flat screen iMac for dummies:

"Are the two of you going to stick to phony cybernames? Or shall I introduce you by your real ones?"

(Internet) A nickname used on the Internet or in cyberspace.


Sanders

en-prop

Sanders (countable and uncountable, plural Sanderses)

From the Middle English Sander, a shortened form of Alexander + suffix -s.

(rare) A male given name transferred from the surname.


Cy

A diminutive of the male given name Cyril.

A diminutive of the male given name Cyrus.


Tamar

From Hebrew תָּמָר (tamár, “Tamar”, literally “date palm, date”).

der

A female given name from Hebrew of biblical origin.


Thomasina

A female given name from Aramaic, a feminine form of Thomas.


Montegonian

A native or inhabitant of Montego Bay, Jamaica.


Paiwan

(uncountable) The Formosan language of the Paiwan people.


Ostrogoth

Borrowed from Late Latin Ostrogothus, from Proto-Germanic *austrą ("east") and *gutô, via Ancient Greek Γότθος (Gótthos) from Gothic *𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌰 (*guta).

Any member of an ancient East Germanic tribe, one branch of the Goths (the Visigoths being the other), which invaded Italy in the sixth century.


US American

I personally believe that US Americans are unable to do so because some people out there in our nation don’t have maps and I believe that our education, such as in South Africa and the Iraq, everywhere such as, and I believe that they should, our education over here in the US should help the US - or should help South Africa, and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries, so we will be able to build up our future for our children.

2007, Miss South Carolina, Miss Teen USA:

(rare) Alternative form of U.S. American


U.S. American

U.S. Americans (plural)
US American (alternative)
US-American (alternative)
USAmerican (alternative)

I've heard a Canadian say that citizens of the U.S. should really be called USians, but somehow I don't think it will catch on. Instead, if you talk about U.S. Americans, Canadians, Brazilians, and so on, nobody should be offended.

2004, Gwyneth Olofsson, When in Rome or Rio or Riyadh—: cultural Q&As for successful business behavior around the world, page 56:

To Mai, Aunt Mary is another role model, one who is a native-born U.S. American who knows the country's tricks

2005, Pauline T. Newton, Transcultural women of late twentieth-century U.S. American literature, page 139:

Her answer, in its entirety, was: “I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uhmmm, some people out there in our nation don't have maps and uh, I believe that our, I, education like such as, uh, South Africa, and uh, the Iraq, everywhere like such as, and I believe that they should, uhhh, our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S., uh, should help South Africa, it should help the Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future, for us.”

2007, Miss South Carolina Teen USA explains herselfhttps://www.today.com/news/miss-south-carolina-teen-usa-explains-herself-1C9014791, today.com

United States of America
United States of America

A person from the United States of America.

estatounitense

ílį́įgo Wááshindoon Bikéyah biiʼ kééhojitʼíinii


Shanghainese

Inhabitant of Shanghai; person of Shanghainese descent.


Epirote

Borrowed from Latin Ēpīrōtēs, from Koine Greek Ἠπειρώτης (Ēpeirṓtēs).


Mags

A diminutive of the female given name Maggie, which is a diminutive of the female given name Margaret.


Pegah

پگاه پگاه#Persian

A transliteration of the Persian female given name پگاه (pagâh).


Sirian

(science fiction) An inhabitant of (an exoplanet orbiting) Sirius.


Marv

Marvin: I have a million ideas, but, they all point to certain death.
Arthur: Thanks very much, Marv!

2005, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (film)

A diminutive of the male given name Marvin.


Masha

From Russian and Ukrainian Ма́ша (Máša).

A female given name of Russian, Ukrainian origin, diminutive of Maria.


Izzy

Izzies (plural)
Isy (alternative)
Issy (alternative)
Izzie (alternative)

From the /ɪz-/ root of the names + -y. The common noun derives from Isaac and Israel, male given names of Hebrew origin, popular among Jewish people, the latter also being the name of the self-defined Jewish state.

"I approve of anything you desire to do, Izzy," said Henchard huskily.

1886, Thomas Hardy, The Mayor of Casterbridge:

A diminutive of the female given name Isabel, Isobel, Isabelle, Isabella, Elizabeth, Isidora, Isra, Izebel, Ismara and Isobelle.

“Geez, Cecil, you sound just like Izzy Benet,” Patrick said. “We don’t need two Izzies. Nobody needs two Izzies.”

2012 [2011], R. M. Meluch, The Ninth Circle: A Novel of the U.S.S. Merrimack (Tour of the Merrimack; 5), New York, NY: DAW Books, →ISBN, page 367:

A diminutive of the male given name Israel, Isaac, Isambard, Isidore, Ismail, Chreistus, Chreistos, Isaiah, Isiah, Izzet, Isarn, Ismail and Isam.


Carmine

The given name is borrowed from Italian Carmine.


Aida

Borrowed from Italian Aida, made famous by the opera.

Her name was Aida, like the opera, and I said I’d heard it meant happy in Italian. More laughter. Oh, I always live up to it.

2023, C Pam Zhang, Land of Milk and Honey, Hutchinson Heinemann, page 23:

A female given name from Italian in quiet use since the 1870s.


Rajasthani

The group of Indo-Aryan languages spoken primarily in Rajasthan and Pakistan.


Nuer

Borrowed from Dinka Nuer; the Nuer name is Naath.

Nouaer (alternative)
Nouer (alternative)
Nueir (alternative)
Nuér (alternative)


Lisetta

"And you can buy a dress for your wife off this piece of stuff," said Lisetta, who had always an eye to business.

1857, The National Magazine, volumes 10-11, page 350:

(rare) A female given name from Italian.


Lilibet

"Oh, Betty, this is so awful for mummy and Margaret," Lilibet wrote to a family friend, Elizabeth Cecil, soon after she became queen.

2005, Carolly Erickson, Lilibet: An Intimate Portrait of Elizabeth II:

A variant of the female given name Lilibeth.


Banyumasan

A Javanese language closely related to Malay, Sundanese, Madurese, and Balinese.


Newari

A Tibeto-Burman language spoken in Nepal, India and Bhutan by the Newa people, and the only Tibeto-Burman language written in Devanagari script.


Jacinta

Borrowed from Spanish Jacinta. Variant of Jacinda and Jacintha.


Jack the Ripper

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September 1888, Jack + the + ripper, from the Dear Boss letter.

Keep this letter back till I
do a bit more work. then give
it out straight. My knife's so nice
and sharp I want to get to work
right away if I get a chance.
Good luck.
Yours truly
Jack the Ripper
Dont mind me giving the trade name

1888 September 25, Jack the Ripper, Dear Boss Letter, London, page 2:

Two communications of an extraordinary nature, both signed "Jack the Ripper," have been received by the Central News Agency, the one on Thursday last and the other yesterday morning. The first - the original of which has been seen by Major Smith, the Assistant Commissioner of the City Police - was a letter, bearing the E.C. postmark, in which reference was made to the atrocious murders previously committed in the East-end, which the writer confessed, in a brutally jocular vein, to have committed; stating that in the "next job" he did he would "clip the lady's ears off" and send them to the police, and also asking that the letter might be kept back until he had done "a bit more work." The second communication was a postcard, and as above stated, it was received yesterday morning. It bore the date, "London, E., October 1," and was as follows: - "I was not codding, dear old Boss, when I gave you the tip. You'll hear about Saucy Jacky's work to-morrow. Double event this time. Number One squealed a bit; couldn't finish straight off. Had not time to get ears for police. Thanks for keeping the last letter back till I got to work again." The postcard was sent to Scotland Yard. No doubt is entertained that the writer of both communications, whoever he may be, is the same person.

1888 October 2, The Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2004-08-10:

Nothing whatever has been discovered during the week to throw light upon the Whitechapel murders. The police entertain the belief, as we gather from the remarks of Mr. Crawford, the City Coroner, who is inquiring into the murder in Mitre Square, that they possess a fairly accurate description of the person of the murderer. He has, however, for the present, disappeared into space, unless it is he who writes certain letters signed "Jack the Ripper." The police think this is the case, and if so, he is an educated or partly educated man, of extreme audacity, intoxicated with the evil pride of crime, and resolute to commit more murders.

1888 October 13, “NEWS OF THE WEEK.”, in The Spectator, number 3,146, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 1379, column 1:

Many of the dead were never identified simply because whole families died together and there was no one left to say who they were. One woman, named Elizabeth Stride, claimed to have been one of the survivors of the sinking, although there was no proof of this. She would later go down in history as the third victim of Jack the Ripper.

2018 September 14, Derek Coleman, “Old superstition comes true with tragic consequences”, in AP News, archived from the original on 2023-12-03:

Six weeks after Maxwell reported the sewage seepage this summer, an MDC inmate charged with robbing a bank said the toilet in his cell had been broken for three days.
"I do not care if the defendant is Jack the Ripper, we treat people under our care with respect and decency," U.S. District Judge William Kuntz said in a July 27 hearing about the toilet, which a prosecutor said was fixed ahead of the hearing. "This is an ongoing disgrace."

2021 November 18, Luc Cohen, quoting William Kuntz, “Ghislaine Maxwell sex crimes trial highlights conditions at Brooklyn jail”, in Noeleen Walder, Aurora Ellis, editors, Reuters, archived from the original on 2021-11-18, United States:

A supposed individual who was an unidentified 19th century serial killer in England, who has become part of folklore.


Ringo

From ring + -o. From the stage name of one of the Beatles, Ringo Starr, actually named Richard Starkey, the drummer of the quartet. From ring, from the rings worn by Richard "Ringo Starr" Starkey.


Ringo

From Japanese りんご (Ringo), from 林檎(りんご) (ringo, “apple”).

ja-r

<i class="Latn mention" lang="en">apple</i>

(countable) A male given name from Japanese.


Ossian

An anglicisation, made known by James Macpherson, of Irish Oisín, diminutive form of os (“deer”).

Fingal! thou king of heroes! Ossian, next to him in war! ye have fought in your youth; your names are renowned in song.

1765, James Macpherson, The Poems of Ossian, Tauchnitz, published 1847, page 204:

A male given name from Irish; rather rare in the Anglo-Saxon world.


Fingal

From Scottish Gaelic Fionnghall, from fionn (“fair”) + gall (“stranger”). Used by Macpherson as a rendering of the Irish Fionn mac Cumhail.

A male given name from Scottish Gaelic, best known in Scotland.


Lilith

bor

Hebrew לִילִית (lîlîṯ)


Lalage

From Ancient Greek λᾰλᾰγή (lălăgḗ, “to prattle”).

der

"What's her name?"
"Lalage." She pronounced it as a dactyl, the g hard. Still she could not raise her eyes. " Mr Rossetti approached me one day in the street. […] He himself proposed the name. He is her godfather." She murmured, "I know it is strange."

1969, John Fowles, The French Lieutenant's Woman, Penguin, published 1981, →ISBN, page 359:


Hortensia

A female given name from Spanish, equivalent to English Hortense.


Imelda

From Romance (Italian Imelda, Spanish Imelda), from German Irmhild.

A female given name from the Romance languages.


Germanist

Borrowed from German Germanist, along the model of earlier English Romanist (“scholar of Romance languages”). By surface analysis, German + -ist, doublet of Germanicist.

m+

(humanities) A person who specializes in the German language, literature and/or culture of the German-speaking world.


Venetic

From Latin veneticus, from Venetia (“land of the Veneti; Venice, Veneto”) + -icus (“-ic: forming adjectives”), from Venetī + -ia, of uncertain origin. Equivalent to Veneti + -ic.

(historical linguistics) An extinct Indo-European language once spoken by the Veneti people who lived between the Po River delta in northeastern Italy and the southern Alps in Slovenia in antiquity.


Kazak

Borrowed from Kazakh Ⱪazaⱪ (official Latin orthography in Xinjiang diring 1964–1984).

bor+

Official term for the local Kazakh nationality in the People’s Republic of China.


Stacee

A female given name from Ancient Greek, a fanciful respelling of Stacy or Stacey.


Gnawa

Gnawas (plural)
Gnawa (plural)
Gnaoua (alternative)

From Arabic غَنَاوَة (ḡanāwa). The name appears to originate from the Saharan Berber dialect word aguinaw (or agenaou) (Arabic أݣناو), meaning black (men), perhaps itself derived from the name of a city significant in the 11th century, in what is now western Mali, called Gana, in Arabic Ghana or Jenna and in Portuguese and later French Guinea or Jenné.

Any member of an ethnic group and Sufi religious order in Morocco.


Clotilda

A Latinate form of the French Clotilde, of Germanic origin (Proto-Germanic *Hlūdahildiz).

A female given name from the Germanic languages; of mostly historical use in the Anglo-Saxon world.


Gan

From Mandarin 贛／赣 (Gàn, “Jiangxi; Gan (language)”).

One of the major varieties of Chinese, spoken in Jiangxi province.

цзянси́йский

диале́кт, язы́к


Gan

Alternative form of Ngen (“dialect of the Beng language”)


Gan

en-proper noun

Gan (countable and uncountable, plural Gans)

Borrowed from Mandarin 甘 (Gān), Hokkien 顏／颜 (Gân), etc.


Amie

A female given name from Latin, a less common spelling of Amy.


Ceqli

A constructed auxiliary language based on Loglan and influenced by Mandarin.


Atikamekw

Borrowing from Atikamekw atikamekw (“whitefish”); recorded as Atikamegouékhi in early documents.

Their language, part of the Cree subgroup of Algonquian.

atikamekw nehiromowin

Algonquian language spoken by this people


United Statesian

en-noun

United Statesian (plural United Statesians)

United Statesians (plural)
United-Statesian (alternative)

To those of us who know […] such entries are more amusing than inconvenient; but to an outsider, say a Frenchman or a United-Statesian, they would cause a great expenditure of useless labour.

1892, William White, Notes and queries, volume 86 (August 20), page 146:

If I was, through my father, a first-generation United Statesian, I found I was, through him, an eleventh-generation North American.

2004, David Plante, American ghosts, page 175:

(nonstandard) An inhabitant or citizen of the United States of America.


Awadhi

An Indo-Aryan language spoken in India and Nepal that is considered to be a part of the Eastern Hindi languages.


Vlax Romani

A dialect of Romani spoken in Bosnia, Herzegovina, Romania, Albania and Hungary.


Balkan Romani

One of several dialects of Romani, spoken by groups within the Balkans.


Lomavren

The mixed language of the Armenian Lom people (the Bosha), spoken by a tiny number of persons mostly in Armenia but also Azerbaijan, Russia and Syria and consisting chiefly of Armenian grammar and pronunciation with an Indic-derived vocabulary.


US-ian

US-ians (plural)
USian (alternative)
U.S.-ian (alternative)

The belief that there is a culture to which a majority of (European-American) USians belong, called "white culture," is a local cultural construction, one powereful enough to influence science and society

1998, Stephen Garrard Post, Peter J. Whitehouse, Genetic testing for Alzheimer disease: ethical and clinical issues, 2nd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, page 266:

(rare) An inhabitant or citizen of the United States of America.


Lilah

Short form of Delilah; also a variant of Leila.

Who was Lilah? I am sure / She was young and sweet and pure; / - - - So to Lilah's name above / I will add two names I love

1874, James Thomson, “Lilah Alice Hypatia”, in The City of Dreadful Night and Other Poems, Reeves and Turner, published 1895, page 282:


Lilia

Borrowed from Latin lilia, plural of lilium (“lily”), or a Latinization of the English Lily.

Lilia, wild with sport, / Half child, half woman as she was, had wound / A scarf of orange round the stony helm,

1853 Alfred Tennyson, The Princess, The Prologue


Lila

Variant of Leila or Lilah, depending on pronunciation; also associated with Spanish lila (“lilac”).

Your name is flowery too. I used to say Mamita would have called you Lady Viola; but violet colors and lilac colors are cousins, and they both suit your complexion and your name, Mamita Lila.

1867, Lydia Maria Francis Child, A Romance of the Republic, Ticknor and Fields, published 1867, page 149:

“I been thinking about ‘Lila.’ I had a sister Lila. Give her a pretty name, maybe she could turn out pretty.”

2014, Marilynne Robinson, Lila, Hachette UK, →ISBN:


Lila

From Sanskrit लीला (līlā, “play, charm”).

A female given name from Sanskrit used in India.


Leela

Dorothy's daughters were of exceptional beauty and the sisters could complain only that the Hindi names Dorothy had chosen - Mira, Leela, Lena - were meant to pass as Western ones.

1961, V. S. Naipaul, A House for Mr Biswas, Penguin Books, published 1977, →ISBN, page 366:

A female given name from Sanskrit used in India, a spelling variant of Lila.


Ermengarde

From the Old English name reinforced by its Norman cognate, from Proto-Germanic *ermunaz (“all,whole”) + *gardaz (“enclosure”), "strong protection". Cognate with the German saint's name Irmgard.

"What is your name?" she said. [...] "My name's Ermengarde St. John," she answered. / "Mine is Sara Crewe," said Sara. "Yours is very pretty. It sounds like a story-book."

1905, Frances Hodgson Burnett, “Ermengarde”, in A Little Princess: […], New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC, page 26:

(rare) A female given name from Old English.


Almira

Coined name, possibly inspired by Elmira, of a queen of Castile in C. F. Handel's opera Almira (1705) to an Italian [Term?] libretto.

Almira was the only daughter of a worthy merchant in the city of London.

1762, Almira: Being the History of a Young Lady of Good Birth and Fortune, but more Distinguish'd Merit, W. Owen, page 1:

(rare) A female given name originating as a coinage, of mainly 18th and 19th century usage.


Usanian

Usanians (plural)
USAnian (alternative)
USA-nian (alternative)
US-anian (alternative)

USA + -an + -ian, parallel to Panamanian, etc.; or Usania + -an

I remember Juan Trippe arriving at Croydon from Paris in a Handley Page Hercules, at which that great pseudo-Usanian Cy Caldwell had thrown the jeer that it embodied “ built-in head winds.”

1945, Charles Grey Grey, The civil air war, page 116:

Like Usanians in the last half of the 20c, Japanese in the middle part of the Tokugawa Era often exhibited a smug sense of superiority vis-à-vis foreign countries

2007, Robin D. Gill, The Woman Without a Hole—& Other Risky Themes from Old Japanese Poems, page 342:


Christyn

A female given name from Latin, variant of Christine.


Zebul

(very rare) A male given name from Hebrew.


Wichita

/ˈwɪt͡ʃɪtɔː/

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

Uncertain. Probably from Creek we-chate (“red water”), referring to We-chate hatchee (Red Water River, or Red River of the South).

A member of a tribe of Native Americans, most populous in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.


Wichita

/ˈwɪt͡ʃɪtɔː/

Their Caddoan language, which is now extinct.

Future speeding on swift wheels / straight to the heart of Wichita!

1966, Allen Ginsberg, Wichita Vortex Sutra:

I'm half sick on the drinks you mixed / Through your / True dreams / Of Wichita

1994, “True Dreams of Wichita”, in Ruby Vroom, performed by Soul Coughing:

A large city, the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States; the largest city in Kansas.


Vitus

Name of an early martyr, Late Latin Vitus, perhaps from a Thracian word meaning "a person from Bithynia". Also associated with Latin vita (“life”). Vitus has also been used as a Latinization of Guy.

(historical) A male given name from Latin.


native language

native language (plural native languages)

native languages (plural)
Native language (alternative)

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

Mary Katharine, one of the things in California, kids apparently who speak English as a second language have a year in which they can take classes that are taught in their native language in addition to English, and some people would say that that should help them really get established and after that, you're on your own, go take all the tests in English.

2007 November 23, on “Teaching Spanish; Holiday Debt”, John Gibson Show, Fox Radio

One's first language, learned in early childhood.


martyry

From Late Latin martyrium (also 'martyrdom'), from Ancient Greek (martyrion), from (martys) 'witness'.

Major martyries are often traditional destinations of pilgrimages, hence become chapels or churches beyond the local parish needs

A shrine in honor of a (usually religious, notably Christian) martyr, possibly at his grave.

A shrine at a site which "bears witness" to a crucial religious event not related to a tomb.


Old Spanish

Early form of the Spanish language that was spoken on the Iberian Peninsula from the 10th century until roughly the beginning of the 15th century, before a consonantic readjustment gave rise to the evolution of Modern Spanish.


Downs

Let's go for a walk on the Downs.


Korowai

The Nuclear-Trans-New-Guinean language of these people.


Ammy

Hi. I used to have a CPC464 and now have an Amiga 1200. I've moved to Edinburgh for Uni, and left the Ammy for my younger brother and sister. However, I wouldn't mind being able to play all the old classics...

1995, Paul Branney, “CPC464+ wanted”, in comp.sys.amstrad.8bit (Usenet):

Hi all. A few weeks ago I asked for information on how I could get a replacement 3" drive for/repair to my Amstrad 6128. Glad to say that the drive has now been fixed and my lovely Ammy now works a treat.

1998, D Mazzetti, “CPC 6128”, in comp.sys.amstrad.8bit (Usenet):

Has anyone got an ^([sic]) 6128 for sale?

1999, Paul Morse, “Ammy 6128”, in comp.sys.amstrad.8bit (Usenet):

(computing, informal) An Amstrad CPC computer.


planetless

And I am not going to gamble half our resources on as crazy an effort as this, masterminded by a mouthful of planetless lunatics.

1961, Galaxy Magazine - Volume 20, Issues 1-6, page 163:

He cleared his throat and began the tale of the planetless boy, and Kate listened, drowsy, drifting.

1998, Dana Stabenow, Killing Grounds, →ISBN, page 222:

Umlari, others called them. Or spacefolk. Or those planetless freaks. Living in their great stations, orbiting unwanted stars, the People cared nothing for names.

2006, Marvin Kaye, Forbidden planets, →ISBN, page 269:

(science fiction) Having no home planet.


Fliss

It was addressed to "Fliss Benson", so it must be from someone who knows me.' 'Why must it?' Laurie demands. 'They'd have written "Felicity" otherwise.' He squints at me. 'Is your name Felicity?'

2010, Sophie Hannah, A Room Swept White, Hodder & Stoughton, →ISBN, page 22:

A diminutive of the female given name Felicity.


Simps

2000, TomServo, “Twin Peaks spoof in Simps!”, in alt.tv.simpsons (Usenet):

(fandom slang) The television program The Simpsons.


Mingrelian

From Mingrel + -ian, from Georgian მეგრელი (megreli). Compare the variant Megrelian.

I’m told, Minister Beria did, on occasion, like to perform Mingrelian peasant songs on the balalaika.

2020, Ben Creed, City of Ghosts, London: Welbeck Publishing, →ISBN, page 264:

A Kartvelian language spoken in parts of Georgia (mainly Samegrelo and Abkhazia).


Göktürk

Göktürks (plural)
Köktürk (alternative)
Kokturk (alternative)
Kök Türük (alternative)

Borrowed from Turkish Göktürk, from gök (“sky, blue”) + Türk (“Turk”).

A member of a powerful nomadic confederation in medieval Asia


Ajeesh

A male given name from India, of Indian usage.


Melia

A diminutive of the female given name Amelia.


Moana

en-proper-noun

Moana (countable and uncountable, plural Moanas)

From Hawaiian Moana (“sea, ocean”), Maori moana, and other Polynesian languages.

A unisex given name from Polynesian.
(US) A unisex given name from Hawaiian.

A unisex given name from Polynesian.
A unisex given name from Hawaiian.


Tigers

(cricket) The Bangladesh national cricket team.


Tori

The American singer Tori Amos was born in 1963.

A diminutive of the female given name Victoria.


Old Italian

Old + Italian, on the pattern of Old English

The theory that there was a spontaneous development of an obscure vowel in final position on certain occasions in Old Italian has gained general currency and has been carried on in the works of the main authorities.

1938, George Melville Bolling, Bernard Bloch, Language, volume 14, Linguistic Society of America, page 224:

[… T]his configuration, in which the infinitive clause is a prepositional complement of a noun, could not be found in the documentary evidence of (Tuscan) Old Italian. Another diverging property in this example is the preverbal subject after prepositions, no longer common in Old Italian at the end of the fifteenth century […]
[… T]he examples show the use of nonauxiliary verbs. Though similar to Old Italian, this is another difference from contemporary Italian.

2000, Guido Mensching, Infinitive Constructions with Specified Subjects: A Syntactic Analysis of the Romance Languages, pages 30 and 31 (Oxford Studies in Comparative Syntax; →ISBN, 9780195133035)

The continuum of languages derived from Vulgar Latin spoken in the Italian peninsula between circa 960 and the establishment of the Accademia della Crusca in 1582.


East Bird's Head

A language family whose members are spoken on the Bird's Head peninsula in West Papua.


Isoko

The language spoken in the Isoko region and Niger Delta in Nigeria, by the Isoko people. It is linguistically similar to the language of the neighboring Urhobo people.


Rahab

Wycherly reflected that any woman raised by a clergyman who named her daughter Rahab was probably making something in the nature of a personal statement.

1997, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Gravelight, →ISBN, page 173:


Daffodil

From the daffodil flower, used since the end of the 19th century.

"Pansy would be his wife," Delia guessed.
"Yes, and the baby's name is Daffodil, can you believe it?"
"There's a baby?"
"And it wasn't even a springtime baby! It was born in October!"

1995, Anne Tyler, Ladder of Years, Knopf, →ISBN, page 148:

(rare) A female given name from English.


Varsovian

Varsovians (plural)
Warsovian (alternative)

Someone living in or originating from Warsaw.


Praguian

Related to the Prague linguistic circle.


Budapestian

A native or inhabitant of Budapest, Hungary.


Nicosian

From Medieval Latin Nicosianus, from Nicosia + -ānus. Equivalent to Nicosia + -an.


Skopjan

During the second half of the soccer game, the Skopjan side trounced the inexperienced team from Bitola.

Of, from, or pertaining to Skopje in North Macedonia.

(by extension, neither derogatory, nor offensive, simple identification) Of, from, or pertaining to North Macedonia, especially in Greek media.

neither derogatory; nor offensive; simple identification; neither derogatory; nor offensive; simple identification


Skopjan

(by extension, sometimes derogatory, sometimes offensive) Someone from North Macedonia, especially in Greek media.


Zagrebian

/zɑˈɡɹɛbiən/


Zagrebian

/zɑˈɡɹɛbiən/


Bernese

Bernese mountain dog
Bernese mountain dog


Brusselian

Formed as *Brussel (structurally singular back-formation of Brussels) + -ian.


Copenhagener

[…] young people not only downgrade their own local accents […] relative to young Copenhagen speech, but they also perceive and evaluate the variation in this speech […] in exactly the same way as young Copenhageners do themselves.

2018, Charles Boberg, John Nerbonne, Dominic Watt, The Handbook of Dialectology, page 119:


Stockholmer

Stockholmers are very proud of their brand new underground railway—they even refrain from putting their feet on the opposite seats—and they have every reason for their pride.

1963 August, W. Shepherd, “Stockholm's modern underground railway”, in Modern Railways, page 99:


Samburu

From an old Maasai word, saamburr, for the leather bag the Samburu use.

Their Eastern Nilotic, North Maa language.


Kabulese

(rare) Synonym of Kabuli (“of, or pertaining to Kabul”)


Kabulese

(rare) Synonym of Kabuli (“a resident or native of Kabul”)


Baghdadi

Borrowed from Arabic بَغْدَادِيّ (baḡdādiyy). By surface analysis, Baghdad + -i.


Baghdadi

Baghdadis (plural)
Bagdadi (alternative)


Pru

A diminutive of the female given name Prudence.


Japlish

(informal) A confused blend of Japanese and English; Engrish.


Bing

A male given name transferred from the surname.

A diminutive of the male given names Bingley or Bingham (see also Bing Crosby).


Ridge

en-proper noun

Ridge (countable and uncountable, plural Ridges)

From ridge. Originating from Middle English.


Becki

A fanciful respelling of Becky, diminutive of Rebecca.

A diminutive of the female given name Rebecca, variant of Becky.


Kassonke

Khasonke (alternative)
Kasonke (alternative)
Khassonké (alternative)
Khassonka (alternative)
Xasonke (alternative)
Xassonke (alternative)
Xasonga (alternative)
Kasson (alternative)
Kasso (alternative)

A Manding-West language spoken as a first language by the Khassonké people on the border of Mali and Senegal.


Xamtanga

A Central Cushitic language spoken in Ethiopia by the Xamir.


Xinca

Their language, generally considered a language isolate.


Xipaya

Shipaja (alternative)
Xipaia (alternative)

A moribund Tupian language of the Pará region of Brazil.


Xiri

A moribund Khoisan language of South Africa, related to Nama.


Proto-Romance

The reconstructed ancestor of all the Romance languages.


Queenie

George sat down. Queenie got up. 'Could I have some money to buy a birthday present for somebody?' she asked.

1940, Enid Blyton, The Naughtiest Girl In The School:


Hayk

A transliteration of the Armenian male given name Հայկ (Hayk).


Fox

en-prop

Fox (countable and uncountable, plural Foxes or Foxs)

* (surname): From fox (“vulpine animal”)


Annabella

A female given name from Latin, variant of Annabel or Annabelle.


Shasta

Uncertain. Possibly from the exonym Sustika, with an origin in the Klamath language.

census-designated place
census-designated place

A census-designated place in Shasta County, California, United States.


Tauri

From Latin Taurī, from Ancient Greek Ταῦροι (Taûroi).

Who these Tauri were is a question of some difficulty. Strabo calls them a Scythian people, but Herodotus clearly distinguishes the Tauri from the Scythians, as being a different nation.

1850, Charles Anthon, “Chersonēsus Taurica”, in A System of Ancient and Mediæval Geography for the Use of Schools and Colleges, page 238:

(historical) An ancient people who inhabited the Crimean Mountains.

Ταῦροι

an ancient people who inhabited the Crimean Mountains


Proto-Bantu

The hypothetical protolanguage of the Bantu languages.


Old Cornish

An early form of the Cornish language, used circa 800-1200 AD.


Uzbekistani

A person from Uzbekistan or one of that ancestry.


Tajikistani

a person from Tajikistan or of Tajikistani descent.


São Toméan

São Tomé and Principe
São Tomé and Principe

Citizen of São Tomé and Principe or of São Toméan descent.

Santomees

citizen of São Tomé and Principe or of São Toméan descent


Mosotho

Basotho (plural)
Mosoto (alternative)
Mosuto (alternative)
Mosutho (alternative)


Rhaetian

Raetian (alternative)
Rhætian (alternative)

(linguistics) An extinct non-Romance language spoken in the ancient region of Raetia in the eastern Alps in pre-Roman and Roman times.


Philomena

From Latin Filumena, from Ancient Greek Φιλουμένη (Philouménē, literally “beloved”). Name of an alleged early martyr whose remains were discovered in 1802 in Rome.

der

"Why did St Philomena get crossed off, I wonder?" asked Celia.
"I don't know, maybe they found her out," Tom grinned. "I know my sister Phil was very annoyed at the time, she felt it was an attack of some sort."

1984, Maeve Binchy, The Lilac Bus, Delacorte Press, published 1991, →ISBN, page 136:


Sabaean

Sabean (alternative)
Sabæan (alternative)

An extinct Semitic language spoken in Sheba (Saba).


Womble

Elisabeth Beresford
The Wombles
Wimbledon Common

Created by author Elisabeth Beresford; they originally appeared in a series of children's novels from 1968. The name was suggested to the author by her young daughter's mispronunciation of the place name "Wimbledon" as "Wombledon" https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/tv-radio-obituaries/8226039/Elisabeth-Beresford.htmlhttps://www.tidybag.uk/people/interview-with-elisabeth-beresford-daughter/. The books centre on the activities of a group of the creatures who live on Wimbledon Common.

(UK, as 'the Wombles') A nickname of Wimbledon Football Club.


Lateef

From Arabic لَطِيف (laṭīf, “gentle, kind”).


Saar

סַעַר סער#Hebrew


baptismal name

1685, Charles Cotton (translator), Essays of Michael, Seigneur de Montaigne, London: T. Basset et al., Volume 1, “Of Names,” pp. 538-539,
Will not Posterity say, that our Modern Reformation has been wonderfully exact, in having […] proceeded so far, as to quarrel with the Ancient Baptismal Names of Charles, Lewis, and Francis, to fill the World with Methusalems, Ezekiels, and Malachies, of a more Scriptural sound?

A custom had generally obtained, of giving a new name, upon adopting a new member into a family. […] In imitation of this common practice, the old christians gave baptismal names to their children, which were intended to point out their heavenly adoption, as their surnames distinguished their temporal alliance.

1779, William Gilpin, Lectures on the Catechism of the Church of England, London: R. Blamire, Volume 1, Lecture 1, p. 9:

“John Walter Ardworth, commonly called Walter; he, like me, preferred to be known only by his second baptismal name. […]”

1846, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, chapter 6, in Lucretia, volume 2, London: Saunders and Otley, page 234:

they had been lovers—if you could give that name to a relationship in which she had never used his baptismal name

1940, Graham Greene, The Power and the Glory, London: Heinemann, Part 2, Chapter 1, p. 85:


calling name

(anthropology, linguistics) The name by which a person is normally identified in conversation.

roepnaam

name by which a person is identified in conversation


boy's name

A given name to a young male person or boy.


Petro

Ultimately from Koine Greek Πέτρος (Pétros).

Петро́ Петро#Ukrainian

A transliteration of the Ukrainian male given name Петро́ (Petró), equivalent to Peter.


SNP

(UK politics) Initialism of Scottish National Party.


Mandaic

The liturgical language of the Mandaean religion, a variety of Aramaic with strong Persian influences.


Astghik

Astlik (alternative)
Astłik (alternative)

Աստղիկ Աստղիկ#Armenian

A transliteration of the Armenian female given name Աստղիկ (Astġik).


Zizilivakan

A Chadic language spoken in parts of Cameroon and Nigeria.


Zumaya

A moribund Chadic language spoken in Cameroon.


Zande

An Ubangian language spoken by the Azande people.


Zaiwa

zh-l

載瓦／载瓦 (Zǎiwǎ)

A language spoken in parts of China and Burma.


Caburn

(Sussex, rare) A male given name transferred from the place name deriving from the hill in Sussex, mainly found in the city of Brighton.


Sabin

* As an English and French surname, from a personal name derived from Latin Sabinus.
* As an Irish surname, from Ó Sabháin (“descendant of Sabhán”), from sabh (“cub”). Also found as Savage.

Sabin Figaro, Final Fantasy character


Sahaptin

Sahaptian languages
Sahaptin language
Sahaptin people

Shahaptian (alternative)
Sahaptian (alternative)

A family of languages comprising Sahaptin and Nez Perce.


Saho

The Cushitic language spoken by this people.


Kaila

From Yiddish קיילה (kaila)), In modern use a spelling variant of Kayla or Kyla.

How we got to Kate I don't know. My mother must have sought it to keep as clear as possible the link to her grandmother Kaila, not realizing how intensely Catholic a name it then was.

1982, Kate Simon, Bronx Primitive: Portraits in a Childhood, Viking Press, →ISBN, page 23:


haitch

→ Irish: héis

From earlier aitch with an initial H (lost already in Vulgar Latin) restored, from Middle English ache, from Old French ache, from Vulgar Latin *acca, probably an extension of earlier ha, from an unidentified source. The restoration reflects the pronunciation of the letter name in several dialects of English. See the Wikipedia article about the letter.

(chiefly Ireland, Australia, Malaysia) Alternative form of aitch


zaa

Z (zaa): a loose-tongued z; same as above.

2006, Coleman South, Leslie Jermyn, Syria, page 95:

the letter Zaa, formally an emphatic 'z', but often pronounced as an emphatic 'd' in Egyptian Arabic

2013, Jane Wightwick, Mahmoud Gaafar, Colloquial Arabic of Egypt:


Ysabelle

A female given name from Hebrew, variant of Ysabel.


Halina

Borrowed from Belarusian Галі́на (Halína), from Ancient Greek γαλήνη (galḗnē, “calm”), name of a Nereid and of early martyrs venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Галі́на Галіна#Belarusian

A transliteration of the Belarusian female given name Галі́на (Halína).


Churchillian

en-adj

Churchillian (comparative more Churchillian, superlative most Churchillian)

more Churchillian (comparative)
most Churchillian (superlative)

/t͡ʃɜː(ɹ)ˈt͡ʃɪli.ən/

Barton was gorillian of build, all of it muscle, and Churchillian of jaw, all of it stubborn, but for all that amazingly good at not trampling over the authority of village elders.

1998, Dana Stabenow, Fire and Ice, page 77:

They are Churchillian theme parks of red pillar boxes, fish and chips and warm beer. But they want the smooth without the rough. When the neighbours cut up nasty, they demand that those whose taxes protect them should send soldiers, diplomats and lawyers to their aid.

2013 August 14, Simon Jenkins, “Gibraltar and the Falklands deny the logic of history”, in The Guardian:

Why, [Jacob Rees-]Mogg even offers the same shtick: Etonian accent, Latin tags, supposedly lovable Wodehousian eccentricity, sub-Churchillian evocation of the glorious past of this island race.

2017 October 4, Jonathan Freedland, “Boorish Boris: Johnson’s Libya joke is proof he cannot do his job”, in The Guardian:

Boris Johnson's speech to the nation on Sunday May 10 was rambly, incoherent, and he failed dismally in his attempt to sound Churchillian.

2020 May 20, Christian Wolmar, “Clarity is required on social distancing and the railways”, in Rail, page 50:

Of or pertaining to Winston Churchill (1874–1965), English statesman and author, or to his policies, speeches, or writings.


Soraya

Borrowed from Iranian Persian ثریا (sorayyâ), from Classical Persian ثریا (surayyā, “brilliant gem; Pleiades”), ultimately from Arabic ثُرَيَّا (ṯurayyā).

m+

Surayya (alternative)
Surayyo (alternative)
Sorayya (alternative)

Lots of exotics to choose from - Malaysian, Thai, Chinese, you name it. He spends an evening with another Soraya - Soraya has become, it seems, a popular nom de commerce - in a hotel room in Long Street.

1999, J. M. Coetzee, Disgrace, Penguin, published 2000, →ISBN, page 8:


Anglian

An Old English dialect from Mercia or Northumbria.


Aferdita

Orthographic simplification of Albanian Afërdita. Doublet of Aphrodite.

An English spelling of an Albanian female given name, equivalent to English Aphrodite.


Samira

A female given name from Persian mainly used by Persians.


Antwerpian

A person who was born in, or is a citizen or inhabitant of Antwerp, Belgium


Chastity

Since she was saddled with that awful name, Chastity Bono has given her parents much grief over it. "It helps to get into a show or something, but most of the time it's a pain," she told McCall's. The girl blames mama Cher who was inspired by a movie.

1990, Frank Zappa, Peter Occhiogrosso, The Real Frank Zappa Book, Simon&Schuster, →ISBN, page 247:

(rare) A female given name from English from the virtue chastity.


Egbert

From Old English Ecgberht, name of early English kings, from Old English ecg (“edge (of a blade)”) + beorht (“bright”) or Proto-Germanic *Agjōberhtaz.


Jonquil

From jonquil; one of the flower names invented in the 19th century.


Royce

Derived from the Middle English given name Rose. See English Rose.

A unisex given name transferred from the surname.


Royston

From a place name in Hertfordshire, from the medieval given name Royce + Old English tūn (“settlement”).

Royston Gower was the man to whom De Marchmont had trusted this mission; he was a hardy old soldier, one who had been to the Holy Land, and seen blood spilt as plentifully as water; - - -

1838, Thomas Miller, Royston Gower, or, The Days of King John, London: Henry Colburn, page 235:

A male given name transferred from the surname.


Blythe

en-proper noun

Blythe (countable and uncountable, plural Blythes)

English surname, from Old English blīþe (“merry”). Many senses are derived from placenames, such as the River Blythe, all from the Old English adjective.

布萊斯 /布莱斯

transliterations of place in England and U.S.A.

(countable) A female given name transferred from the surname, reinforced by the word blithe.


Old Scandinavian

The language Proto-Norse or Proto-Scandinavian.


Janelle

From Jane + -elle, q.v.
Doublet of Ivanka, Jan, Janet, Janey, Janine, Jeanette, Jeanie, Jeannette, Jeannine, Jen, Jenna, Jenny, Jessie, Jo, Jody, Juanita, Shanae, Sinead, and Vanna.

doublet

Janel (alternative)
Jenelle (alternative)

That must be her name. Janelle Waters. It sounded smooth as silk. Sweet as honey.

2007, Gail Herman, Everybody Hates Romeo and Juliet, →ISBN, page 32:


North American Indian

en-noun

North American Indian (plural North American Indians)

1748 noun, 1845 adjective, from North American + Indian.

A member of one of the indigenous peoples of North America (but not a member of the Aleut, Inuit, Metis, or Yupik).


North American Indian

en-adj

North American Indian (comparative more North American Indian, superlative most North American Indian)

more North American Indian (comparative)
most North American Indian (superlative)

Of or relating to the indigenous peoples of North America (but not the Aleut, Inuit, Metis, or Yupik).


Auslan

Blend of Australian + sign + language, coined by Trevor Johnston in the early 1980s, although the language itself is much older.

The sign language of the Australian deaf community.


Saka

First attested in the late 19th century as a learned borrowing from Sanskrit शक (śaka), from Old Persian 𐎿𐎣𐎠 (s-k-a /Sakā/, “Scythian”), from 𐎿𐎣 (s-k /Saka/, “Scythia”), from Scythian. Mostly displaced earlier Saca, ultimately from the same source via Latin. Doublet of Saca, Shaka, and Scyth.

der

The Iranian language of the Saka people.


Saka

Borrowed from Japanese 坂(さか) (Saka); sometimes used as a topographic surname for someone who lived on a slope.


Saka

Borrowed from Turkish Saka, an occupational surname for a water-carrier, from saka (“water-carrier”).


Filomena

From Latin Filumena, ultimately from Ancient Greek Φιλομήνη (Philomḗnē).

A female given name from the Romance languages Synonym of Philomena


Kamala

en-prop

Kamala (countable and uncountable, plural Kamalas)

Transliteration of Sanskrit कमला (kamalā). Doublet of Kamal.

translit

On Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris appeared on “The Drew Barrymore Show,” and in a lighthearted moment, explained — as she did during the last presidential election cycle — that in her blended family, her stepchildren affectionately call her Momala.

2024 May 1, Charles M. Blow, “Kamala Harris Isn’t Americans’ ‘Momala.’ She’s Our Vice President.”, in The New York Times:


Kamala

From Hawaiian Kamala, from English Tamara.

A female given name originating from the Bible [in turn from Hebrew], variant of Tamara.


Lilianna

A female given name from Latin, a less common spelling of Liliana.


Lilliane

A female given name from Latin, a less common spelling of Lilian.


Lillia

A female given name from Latin, a less common spelling of Lilia.


NuLab

New Labour rendered in Orwellian Newspeak.

We are totally opposed to the creeping privatisation of these services which NuLab has indicated it will commence once this election is safely out of the way.

2001, Patrick Harrington, Cliff Morrison, Third Way Manifesto:

(UK, informal, derogatory, UK politics) New Labour.


Emmabel

Perhaps a blend of Emma + Annabel or blend of Emma + Mabel.

July 4, 1899 (Tuesday) at house of Joseph B. Bennett by Joseph B. Bennett, Judge Greenup County Court, in presence of Annie L. Bennett and Emmabel Bennett […]

2007, Patricia Porter Phillips, Greenup County, Kentucky Marriages: The First 100 Years, 1803-1903:

(rare) A female given name originating as a coinage.


Brabantian

He speaks Brabantian with his schoolmates, and Belgian Standard Dutch in the classroom and with unfamiliar teachers in the playground, a classic example of diglossia.

The language or dialect mainly spoken in North Brabant (the Netherlands), Antwerp and Flemish Brabant provinces (Belgium).


ar-

Potassium permanganate oxidizes ac-tetrahydronaphtylamine to o-hydrocinnam-carboxylic acid (p. 245); ar-tetrahydronaphthylamine, however, because of the oxidation of its amided benzene nucleus, is changed to adipic acid together with oxalic acid (B. 22, 767): […]

1900, Edgar Fahs Smith (English translator), R. Anschütz (German editor), Victor von Richter's Organic Chemistry: or, Chemistry of the Carbon Compounds, Third American Edition, Volume II, P. Blakiston's Son & Co., page 393

ar-Tetrahydro-α-carbamidonaphthalene, C₁₁H₁₄ON₂, crystallized in square plates from alc., soften at 198° and melts at about 206° (quickly heated, at 212°).

1919 January 10, C. J. West, abstract of G. Schroeter and K. Thomas, “Transformation of tetrahydronaphthalene (tetralin) in the animal body”; in American Chemical Society, Chemical Abstracts, Volume 13, Number 1, page 43

1-Naphthylamine is reduced by sodium and isopentanol to ar'''-tetrahydro-1-naphthylamine; the prefix ar- is the abbreviation of aromatic and indicates that the four hydrogen atoms are not in the ring containing the amino-group: […]

2006, Amit Arora, Aromatic Organic Chemistry, Discovery Publishing House, published 2007, →ISBN, page 173:

organic compounds
organic compounds#English

(organic chemistry) Forming classification names for classes of organic compounds that contain a carbon skeleton and one or more aromatic rings.


ar-

Shortened from area (because the function describes the area under a hyperbola), by analogy with arc-, the corresponding prefix for the circular trigonometric functions.

inverse hyperbolic function
inverse hyperbolic function#English

(trigonometry) Used to form the names of inverse hyperbolic functions, and the symbols for these functions.


Archi

A Northeast Caucasian language spoken in the Dagestan region of Russia.


Our Father

Coordinate term: Hail Mary

“What did the priest, and all of you, keep on saying when we first went in?” / “Our Fathers, Hail Maries, and Glorias; couldn’t you hear?” asked Emily, laughing.

1872, F. A., chapter V, in Marion Howard; or Trials and Triumphs, Philadelphia: Peter F. Cunningham, […], page 100:

"You are our Father as well as theirs. Permit us, for a short space, to meet in brotherhood, that we may have an added knowledge of that eternal life which awaits us, and so be helped during our years of waiting in this lower world." He ended with the "Our Father", in which we all joined.

1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:

(Christianity) (Our Father) The Lord's Prayer, which begins with these words.


Jennilyn

The girl, Jennilyn, was very dark, like her mama […]

1995, Timothy Mo, Brownout on Breadfruit Boulevard:

[…] Jennilyn Mann, who painstakingly put the manuscript into desktop publishing format […]

1999, Mary Ann Farquhar, Children's literature in China: from Lu Xun to Mao Zedong:

Jennilyn, you check the closets. I'll check the yard and the swings. Suzi, you check with the neighbors. Trudy, go to the barn […]

2003, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Chicken soup for the horse lover's soul:

A female given name originating as a coinage, a twentieth-century blend of Jennifer and Lyn (or their variants).


Cuyonon

Cuyo (alternative)
Cuyono (alternative)
Cuyunon (alternative)
Kuyonon (alternative)
Kuyunon (alternative)

A language spoken on the coast of Palawan and the Cuyo Islands in the Philippines.


Meagan

A female given name from Welsh, a pseudo-Irish spelling of the Welsh Megan.


Shavaughn

A 20th-century phonetic spelling of Irish Siobhán.


Arline

I have lost the taste of joy, and the sight of youth and beauty recalls to my memory that treasure of both, my loved and lost Arline.

1843 Michael William Balfe - Alfred Bunn, The Bohemian Girl, Act II, Scene II

A female given name originating as a coinage, of older usage, variant of Arlene.


Arleen

A female given name originating as a coinage, variant of Arlene.


Middle Low German

The written language is nowhere spoken by the people; it was formed at the period when Luther, rejecting the Middle High and the Middle Low German, adopted in preference the dialect of Misnia or Meissen, which had begun to be written much later.

A language or collection of dialects that descended from Old Saxon and is the ancestor of modern Low German, spoken from about 1100 to 1600.

Middelnedderdütsch (as adjective: middelnedderdütsch)


ǂKxʼauǁʼein

A Khoisan language spoken in Namibia and Botswana.


Achuar-Shiwiar

A Jivaroan language spoken in Peru and Ecuador.


Ajië

An Austronesian language spoken in New Caledonia.


Akhvakh

A Northeast Caucasian language spoken in Russia.


Alsea

An extinct Penutian language spoken in the United States.


alif

From Arabic أَلِف (ʔalif). Doublet of aleph and alpha.

The first letter of the Arabic alphabet: ا (ʔalif).


commixtion

en-noun

commixtion (countable and uncountable, plural commixtions)

commixtions (plural)
commixion (alternative)

From Middle English commixtion, from Middle French commixtion, and its source, Latin commixtiōnem, from commiscēre (“to mix”).

(Roman law, Scots law) A method of acquiring property by mixing or blending substances belonging to different proprietors.


Eleazar

Borrowed from Hebrew אֶלְעָזָר ('El'azár, “God has helped”). Doublet of Lazarus.

bor

A male given name from Hebrew of biblical origin.


Tryphena

From Ancient Greek τρῠφή (trŭphḗ, “softness, daintiness”).

uder

(rare) A female given name from Ancient Greek of biblical origin.


Zipporah

From Biblical Hebrew צִפֹּרָה (ṣippōrā), a feminization of ציפור / צִפֹּר (ṣippōr, “bird”).

he-m

ציפור / צִפֹּר (ṣippōr, “bird”)

A female given name from Hebrew of biblical origin.


Mahlon

From Biblical Hebrew מַחְלוֹן (makhlón).

(rare) A male given name from Hebrew of biblical origin.


two bob

(UK, Australia, obsolete) Two shillings; a florin.


Chinglish

en-adj

Chinglish (comparative more Chinglish, superlative most Chinglish)

more Chinglish (comparative)
most Chinglish (superlative)

(sometimes derogatory) Of or resembling English that is influenced by the Chinese language.

中式英語的 /中式英语的

resembling English influenced by Chinese


Chinglish

And as Global English evolves through the twenty-first century, Chinglish will, undoubtedly, continue to have a sizable impact.

2008, Paul J.J. Payack, A Million Words And Counting: How Global English Is Rewriting The World, →ISBN:

Andrea acknowledged that she spoke Chinglish, that she hated her accent, and that learners needed a comprehensible teacher voice in the classroom.

2010, Janette Ryan, Gordon Slethaug, International Education and the Chinese Learner, →ISBN, page 146:

You will see signs written in Chinglish all over China. These signs are usually amusing to English-speaking westerners because they often make no sense, or the translation is inappropriately sexual in content.

2011, Jean M. Life, LIFE IN CHINA: My Story, →ISBN, page 204:

The same can be said about the speakers of Teochiu, Hokkien, Hakka, and Cantonese and Hailam in Southeast Asia, Cantonese in Hong Kong, and all the different topolect speakers and Chinglish or pidgin speakers in the United States.

2012, Shu-mei Shih, Sinophone Studies: A Critical Reader, →ISBN, page 32:

(sometimes derogatory) Spoken or written English which is influenced by the Chinese language.


Classical Arabic

The form of the Arabic language used in literary texts around the 8th to 10th centuries, standardized from ancient dialects of Arab tribes and the Qur'an.

klassíčeskij arábskij literatúrnyj jazýk

класси́ческий ара́бский литерату́рный язы́к


Modern Standard Arabic

The standard and literary variety of Arabic used in writing and in formal speech in the Arab world since c. the 19th century.

совреме́нный ара́бский литерату́рный язы́к


Fianna Fáil

Unadapted borrowing from Irish Fianna Fáil. From Irish fianna, plural of fiann (“warrior”), and Fáil, genitive of Fál (a legendary name of Ireland); cf. Old Irish fál. The original meaning is thus “warriors of Fál”, but the phrase is traditionally translated as “soldiers of destiny”.

ubor

I dreamt that Ruairi Quinn was smokin' marijuana in the Dail. Barry Desmond handing Frenchies out to scuts in Fianna Fail.

1985, “Delerium Tremens” (track 2), in Ordinary Man, performed by Christy Moore:

Ireland’s largest party, Fianna Fáil, has said it will not consider going into government with Sinn Féin, a decision likely to prevent the leftwing nationalists from entering power for the first time.

2020 February 13, “Ireland: Fianna Fáil rules out coalition with Sinn Féin”, in The Guardian, sourced from Reuters, →ISSN:

A conservative Irish political party founded in the 1920s.


Udi

Compare Uti, the name of one of the provinces of Greater Armenia.

A Lezgic language (Northeast Caucasian) spoken by the Udi people who live mostly in Azerbaijan and nearby regions. Probably descended from Caucasian Albanian.


Burkinese

From the first part of Burkina Faso + -ese.

In, of or otherwise relating to Burkina Faso, the former Upper Volta, or its citizens.


Burkinese

The members or descendants of the population of Burkina Faso.


Antillean Creole

crioulo antilhano

a French-based creole language spoken in the Caribbean


Phineas

From Ancient Greek Φινέας (Phinéas), alternative form of Φινεύς (Phineús). See Phineus. Alternative source from Hebrew. See Phinehas.

And when Phineas the sonne of Eleazer the sonne of Aaro the preast sawe it he rose vp out of the companye and toke a wepon in his hande

1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, xxv:[7]:

And we'll rub up our old Latin, and dip into modern poetry—great rubbish, I fear! Nobody like our old friend Will of Avon, or even your namesake, worthy Phineas Fletcher.

1857, Dinah Craik, John Halifax, Gentleman, Chapter XL

A male given name from Ancient Greek, Hebrew, or Egyptian of biblical origin.


Phinehas

From Biblical Hebrew פִּינְחָס (Pīnəḥās), from Egyptian pꜣ-nḥsj (literally “the Nubian”), from pꜣ + nḥsj.

der

(rare) A male given name from Ancient Greek, Hebrew, or Egyptian of biblical origin.


Tehani

"Tehani," he announced in my ear, which is to say "the Darling," a name by no means inappropriate, I thought.

1936 Charles Nordhoff - James Norman Hall, Mutiny on the Bounty.The Bounty Trilogy, Little, Brown and co, 1940, page 84

"I am Tehani, chief Tatai's daughter."
"Tehani," Teroro interpreted. "The little darling."

1959, James Michener, Hawaii, Corgi Books, published 1981, →ISBN, page 54:


Abrahan

From American Spanish Abrahán. Doublet of Abraham.


Excalibur

From Middle English Excalaber, from Old French Escalibor, Escaliborc, prothetic form of Calliborc, alteration of Calibourne, from Medieval Latin Caliburnus (Geoffrey of Monmouth, ca. 1136), influenced by calibs (“steel”) (for chalybs), alteration of Old Welsh Caledbulch (compare modern Caledfwlch), compound of caled (“hard”) and bwlch (“cleft, crack”). Related to the Irish legendary sword Caladbolg, literally ‘hard-belly’, i.e. ‘voracious’.

Until recently, suppression of ethnicity has perhaps been the leading characteristic of the trend of thought of these Jewish intellectuals. Some, like Noam Chomsky and I. F. Stone, have been considered by some Jews to be so suppressed—or at least so overcompensating for their being Jewish—as to be regarded as anti-Semitic on some issues. Such men flaunt their universalism like Excaliburs of truth and objectivity.

1974, Stephen D. Isaacs, Jews and American Politics, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday & Company, Inc., →ISBN, page 53:

And we would see fish swimming among the tall bulrushes that rose like Excaliburs out of the lake.

1998, Imogen Stubbs, “The Undiscovered Road: Northumberland”, in Dea Birkett, Sara Wheeler, editors, Amazonian: The Penguin Book of Women’s New Travel Writing, Penguin Books, →ISBN, page 228:

You and I, we are not alone, and our screwdrivers are our flashing Excaliburs as we sally forth to make small parts of the fragmented world whole again.

2017, James May, The Reassembler, Hodder & Stoughton, →ISBN, page 19:

(Arthurian legend) The legendary sword of King Arthur, having magical properties.


Otomi

Borrowed from Spanish otomí, from Classical Nahuatl otomih, plural of otomitl.

Otomies (alternative)
Ottomies (alternative)

An Oto-Manguean language and one of the indigenous languages of Mexico, spoken by around 240,000 indigenous Otomi people in the central altiplano region of Mexico.


CMA

Indeed, the more common complaint is that the regulator is too willing to accept an acquirer’s proposed remedies to competition concerns. Microsoft tried the remedy route with Activision but the CMA, unusually, wasn’t convinced. Tough.

2023 April 27, Nils Pratley, “Ignore Microsoft’s whines about the Activision takeover. The CMA did its job”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

Competition and Markets Authority
w:Competition and Markets Authority

(UK politics) Initialism of Competition and Markets Authority.


cryptonym

From crypto- (“hidden, secret”) + -onym (“name”).

confix

The spy was known only by his cryptonym, 'Shadow'.


Floy

Then he would turn his head, and watch the child away, and say to Florence, 'We don't want any others, do we? Kiss me, Floy.'

1846 October 1 – 1848 April 1, Charles Dickens, “Dombey and Son: Chapter 8”, in Dombey and Son, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1848, →OCLC:

A diminutive of the female given name Florence.


Pirahã

/piːɹəˈhɑːn/

Piraha (alternative)
Pirahá (alternative)
Pirahan (alternative)

The Pirahã language challenges simplistic application of Hockett's nearly universally accepted design features of human language by showing that some of these features (interchangeability, displacement, and productivity) may be culturally constrained.

2005, Daniel Everett, “Cultural Constraints on Grammar and Cognition in Pirahã”, in Current Anthropology, section 46.4:

The language of this people, having no extant relatives, with few phonemes, and controversially claimed to have no true numbers, no way of talking about history, and no recursive embedding.


aspirated h

/ˈæspəɹeɪ̯tɪd eɪ̯tʃ/

Calque of French h aspiré. The aspirated h was pronounced /h/ until Early Modern French (and still is in some northern dialects), whereas the mute h had long been silent. The designation has been maintained although both kinds of h are now technically silent in standard French, but the aspirated h remains pronounced dialectally and in Norman French.

The French word héros ("hero") begins with an aspirated h. Consequently we say le héros /lə e.ʁo/ and les héros /le e.ʁo/, but never /l‿e.ʁo/ and /le‿ze.ʁo/ as we do with the mute h.

(French phonology) In the French language, usage of the letter h at the start of a word which does not allow liaison with a preceding consonant or elision of a preceding schwa.

h aspirada

in the French language usage of the letter h at the start of a word which does not allow liaison with a preceding consonant


mute h

The French word homme ("man") begins with a mute h. Consequently we can say l'homme /l‿ɔm/ and les hommes /le‿zɔm/, but never /lə ɔm/ and /le ɔm/, like we do with the aspirated h.

Whether the h be a mute h or an aspirate h, it may be regarded in either case as absolutely silent.

1913, James Geddes, French Pronunciation, page 83:

In French initial h’s are called either mute h’s (the greatest number) or aspirate h’s (fewer in number, but frequent nonetheless).

1994, Thomas M. Donnan, French Lyric Diction, page 83:

The only difference between the two is that a mute h allows contractions and liaisons in front of it, and an aspirated h does not.

2006, Laura K. Lawless, The Everything French Grammar Book, page 29:

(phonology) In the French language usage of the letter h at the start of a word which allows liaison with a preceding consonant.


Old Welsh

The Welsh language as it existed from about 800 until the early twelfth century (when it developed into Middle Welsh), not readily intelligible to modern Welsh speakers.


Old Norwegian

The Old Norse language as spoken and written in Norway in the Middle Ages.


Old Swedish

The medieval form of the Swedish language, markedly different from the modern language in having more complex case and gender systems.


Old Babylonian

The Akkadian language spoken at that time.


Old Ukrainian

стараўкраінская

West Russian descendant of Old East Slavic - specific to Old Ukrainian


Old Belarusian

старабелару́скі

West Russian descendant of Old East Slavic - specific to Old Belarusian


Old Icelandic

The Old Norse language as spoken and written in Iceland in the Middle Ages, quite similar to Old Norwegian, but differing most markedly in orthography and, to a lesser extent, in phonology.


paleocontact

ancient astronauts
ancient astronauts#English

The theory that intelligent extraterrestrial beings (sometimes called ancient astronauts) visited Earth in the distant past, influencing human culture, technology, or religion.


Pouyan

From Persian پویان (puyân, literally “runner, seeker, persistent”). It has the same root as in Pouya, Pooya. Common in Iran (Persia).

bor

پویان پویان#Persian

A transliteration of the Persian male given name پویان (puyân).


Oprah

From Oprah Winfrey, a very influential talk show host, originally named Orpah after the Biblical figure, via metathesis.

A female given name from Hebrew, of modern usage, variant of Orpah.


Vira

From Ukrainian Ві́ра (Víra), a calque of the female given name Ве́ра (Véra, “Vera”).

A transliteration of the Ukrainian female given name diminutive Віра (Vira).


Trixie

A diminutive of the female given name Beatrix or Beatrice.


Alyshia

One of the modern variations of Alicia meaning of noble kind.

A female given name from the Germanic languages.


Natali

A fanciful respelling of female given name from Latin Natalie.


Ahhnold

Pronunciation spelling of Arnold, as pronounced in the Austrian accent of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"He thinks he is Ahhnold." Everyone laughed at Anton's imitation of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

2003, Mary Pipher, The Middle of Everywhere: Helping Refugees Enter the American Community, page 182:

(informal, humorous) Arnold Schwarzenegger.


Zeno

Via Latin Zēnō, from Ancient Greek Ζήνων (Zḗnōn), an ancient derivative of Ζεύς (Zeús), from Proto-Hellenic *dzéus, from Proto-Indo-European *dyḗws. Modern scientific and philosophical use derives from Zeno of Elea, poser of Zeno's paradoxes.


Nic

A diminutive of the female given name Nicola, Nichola, and Nicole.


Marybeth

He began to tell me that Marybeth is accused or it is alleged she is one of the dur in Crooked Tree.

2023 June 13, Jules Vasquez, “Who Put Marybeth's Fraudulent Approval on Chester's Desk?”, in 7 News Belize:

A female given name originating as a coinage.


Eliel

From Hebrew אֱלִיאֵל ('ĕlī'ēl, “El is my lord”).

A male given name from Hebrew of biblical origin.


Mariia

Sophia Dorothea adopted the Russian Orthodox name Mariia Fedorovna.

1982, Hugh Ragsdale, “Paul I (Pavel Petrovich)”, in edited by Joseph L[eon] Wieczynski, The Modern Encyclopedia of Russian and Soviet History, volume 27 (Pares, Bernard – Peterhof Conferences of 1905), Gulf Breeze, Fla.: Academic International Press, →ISBN, page 66:

[I]n 1838 the community was elevated to a monastery, and [Margarita] Tuchkova, having been tonsured and given the monastic name Mariia, was appointed abbess.

1993, Brenda Meehan, “Popular Piety, Local Initiative, and the Founding of Women’s Religious Communities in Russia, 1764–1907”, in Stephen K[almar] Batalden, editor, Seeking God: The Recovery of Religious Identity in Orthodox Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia, DeKalb, Ill.: Northern Illinois University Press, →ISBN, part 1 (Popular Religious Culture and Orthodox Identity), page 92:

Even a look at the names of pupils supports the conclusion that the student body was diverse. Where such information is available, Yettas and Rakhels attended classes with Mariias and Terezas. In other words, the schools were not composed entirely of the wealthy or the Russified elements of the Jewish community, who might have chosen to give their children Russian names, but instead drew on a far wider selection of families, including those who relied on traditional Yiddish and biblical names.

2011, Eliyana R. Adler, “The Wisdom of Women Builds Her House: Jewish School Girls”, in In Her Hands: The Education of Jewish Girls in Tsarist Russia, Detroit, Mich.: Wayne State University Press, →ISBN, “Characteristics” section, page 104:

Мари́я Мария#Russian

A transliteration of the Russian female given name Мари́я (Maríja), equivalent to Mary.

The post office searched for the sender and found another Gordichuk, who also came from Bukovyna and had a wife there named Mariia.

1981, William A[ndrew] Czumer, translated by Louis T. Laychuk, “The Political Process in the Whitford District of Alberta”, in Recollections About the Life of the First Ukrainian Settlers in Canada, Edmonton, Alta.: Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, →ISBN, page 127:

After the death of her husband in 1665, she devoted herself to church and community work, joined the *Lutske Brotherhood of the Elevation of the Cross in 1666, and later entered a monastery, where she took the name Mariia Mahdalyna.

1993, “Mazepa, Maryna”, in Danylo Husar Struk, editor, Encyclopedia of Ukraine, volume III (L–Pf), Toronto, Ont.: University of Toronto Press, →ISBN, page 355, column 2:

Although recalled much less often than many of the men, Anna nevertheless appeared on the Church schedule much more often than did most women’s names; only Mariia was honored more often, but from ancient times the Orthodox Church preserved “the honorable custom not to give to those newly christened the names of the Lord Jesus Christ or His Most Holy Mother. . . . .”

1997, Harvard Ukrainian Studies, volume 19, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 282:

Марі́я Марія#Ukrainian

A transliteration of the Ukrainian female given name Марі́я (Maríja), equivalent to Mary.


Kimi

A diminutive of the female given name Kimberley, variant of Kimmy.


Miko

A transliteration of a female given name from Japanese.


Arfie

A diminutive of the male given name Arthur, from the Celtic languages.


interdimensional

By their own mysterious yardstick, extraterrestrials and interdimensionals choose the most unlikely individuals for close encounters of the third kind on up: for starters Gilliland, Whitley Strieber, Jim Moroney, Betty and Barney Hill.

2012, Richard Grossinger, Dark Pool of Light, Volume Three: The Crisis and Future of Consciousness:

(science fiction) A hypothetical being that can move between dimensions.


Lisu

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of Mandarin 傈僳 (Lìsù), 𤠫𤢂, etc.

There are more than a hundred such groups, including the Karen of Thailand and Burma; the Kachin in Burma; the Akha, the Lahu, and the Lisu in Thailand; the Hmong, the Kmhmu, and the Yao in Laos; and the Nùng and the Lati in Vietnam.

2011, Terry Miller, Sean Williams, The Garland Handbook of Southeast Asian Music, page 303:

A member of a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group inhabiting the mountainous regions of Yunnan (southwestern China), Arunachal Pradesh (northeastern India), northern Myanmar and Thailand.


Lisu

A tonal language spoken by the Lisu people.


Evadne

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Εὐάδνη (Euádnē).

A noble gentleman of Rhodes, on his marriage with Evadne, discovers' that the marriage had been brought about by the king, her paramour...

1837, Sir Richard Phillips, The Monthly Magazine, or, British Register, page 215:

"My dear boy," said Lady Adeline, "You mustn't call Mrs. Colquhoun by her Christian name." "Christian!" jeered Diavolo. "Now, that is a good one! There's nothing Christian about Evadne. - - - Evadne - classical Evadne - was noted for her devotion to her husband, and distinguished herself finally on his funeral pyre - she ex-pyred there."

1893, Sarah Grand, The Heavenly Twins, University of Michigan Press, published 1992, →ISBN, page 603:

'Unusual name, Evadne Platt.' 'You think so?' Barnaby could afford to sound superior.

1999, Caroline Graham, A Place of Safety, G. K. Hall, published 2000, →ISBN, page 192:


Divya

From Sanskrit दिव्या (divyā́), feminine of दिव्य (divyá, “divine,charming, heavenly”).


Middle Irish

The Goidelic language spoken in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man from the 10th to the 12th century.


French Sign Language

Old French Sign Language
Old French Sign Language

A dactylological sign language used in seven different countries, based on Old French Sign Language. ISO 639-3 code: fsl.


Latin-American Spanish

Coordinate term: Peninsular Spanish

The continuum of standard forms of Spanish spoken in Latin America.


Rihanna

From Arabic رَيْحَانَة (rayḥāna, singulative of رَيْحَان (rayḥān, “basil; myrtle”)).

singulative of <i class="Arab mention" lang="ar">رَيْحَان</i> (rayḥān, “basil; myrtle”)


Thatcheresque

en-adj

Thatcheresque (comparative more Thatcheresque, superlative most Thatcheresque)

more Thatcheresque (comparative)
most Thatcheresque (superlative)

Reminiscent of Margaret Thatcher (1925–2013), former British prime minister, or her policies.


Yair

Transliteration of Hebrew יַאִיר, meaning "he will light up".

der

Hebrew יַאִיר


Kymber

(rare) A female given name from Old English.


Rastus

Thought to be derived from Erastus. Despite paucity of actual usage, the name became associated with African-American men because of a character in the first Uncle Remus book by Joel Chandler Harris.


Erastus

From Ancient Greek ἐραστός (erastós, “lovable”).

uder

(rare) A male given name from Ancient Greek of biblical derivation.


Veluws

A Dutch Low Saxon dialect which is spoken on the Veluwe, usually divided into West Veluws and East Veluws, the former being more influenced by the neighboring Hollandian and Standard Dutch than the latter. (ISO 639-3 code: "vel".)


Janette

"Is Janette Lisle Miss Lisle, Walter?" "Yes, Vinnie; the eldest Miss Lisle. Janette is her name. Very pretty name, don't you think?"

1885, Justin McCarthy, Camiola. A Girl With a Fortune, Chatto and Windus, published 1885, page 149:

"Janette Marie de la Beauville," he said softly. "It's a good name. Did you see it on the ad? It sounds much more important than Harry Winston."

1981, Harold Robbins, Goodbye, Janette, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 190:

A female given name from Hebrew, variant of Janet.


Janna

Clever little sister Janna. Correction, Jane. She wasn't going to call me Janna, Jane it was and Jane it will be, to the end. How many times I have said to her, Georgie, no one calls me Jane, no one, I want to be Janna. I can't remember to, says she, making a point, and that's that. She thinks Janna is a smart little name to go with a smart little job.

1984, Doris Lessing, The Diaries of Jane Somers, Michael Joseph, →ISBN, page 64:

A female given name from Hebrew, a fanciful modern variant of Jane.


Thecla

From the name of an apocryphal early Christian martyr, Ancient Greek Θεοκλεία (Theokleía), (from θεός (theós, “god”) + κλέος (kléos, “glory”)).

Theckla (alternative)
Thekla (alternative)


Theckla

A female given name from Ancient Greek, variant of Thecla.


Istriot

A Romance language spoken in western Istria.


Motswana

He said very carefully, ‘Most of the time we Batswana live in the wilderness and loneliness.’

1969, Bessie Head, When Rain Clouds Gather, Heinemann, published 1995, page 15:

The Minister who piloted it through Parliament, the Honourable Phandu Skelemani, swore that if any Motswana were to suffer under it, he would take personal responsibility.

A member of the Tswana tribe of southern Africa, especially an inhabitant of Botswana; a Botswanan.


Luana

American 18th/19th century coinage, a fanciful spelling of Louanna, from Lou + Anna.

Young Eagle, with a proud heart, led Luana forth to the mossy bank of the river,

1845 Lowell Offering, Misses Curtis and Farley, Vol.4, page 250 ("Nepomiwassit" by "J.L.B")

The Bird of Paradise, by Mr Richard Walton Tully, is more pictorial than decorative. […] One of these characters, an American physician named Paul Wilson, sinks from civilisation to savagery because he marries a native princess named Luana […]

1912, The Bookman, volume 35, Dodd, Mead and Company, page 168:

Luana Patten, a former Disney child star, was cast as the level-headed romantic interest.

2011, R. Serge Denisoff, William D. Romanowski, Risky Business: Rock in Film:

A female given name originating as a coinage.


Luci

A modern nonstandard spelling of Lucy, from Lucia, from the Latin feminine form of the Latin praenomen Lucius, from lux "light".

"Have you named your new doll?" "I shall call her Luci," Violet said. "Luci." "Why do you spell it like that?" "I didn't spell it, Mama. It's the way Luci spells her name."

2004, Arelo C. Sederberg, Dead Night on the Beat: and Other Stories, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 98:


Stevie

A diminutive of the male given names Stephen and Steven.

A diminutive of the female given name Stephanie.


Peleg

en-proper noun

Peleg (countable and uncountable, plural Pelegs)


isiGqumo

A cant (argot) jargon used by Bantu African mine workers in small townships in South Africa, in same-sex circumstances.


Gilaki

A Caspian language spoken in the Gilan province of Iran.


Bishnupriya Manipuri

An Indo-Aryan language closely related to Bengali and Assamese spoken in chiefly in the Northeast Indian states of Assam and Tripuraas well as in Bangladesh and Myanmar.


Shaniqua

Those people are not Africans. They don’t know a damned thing about Africa— with names like Shaniqua, Shaligua, Mohammed, and all that crap, and all of them are in jail.

2008 May 1, Ta-Nehisi Coates, quoting Bill Cosby, “‘This Is How We Lost to the White Man’”, in The Atlantic:

A female given name originating as a coinage, of African-American usage.


Buhid

A language spoken by Mangyans in the province of Mindoro in the Philippines, divided into eastern and western dialects.


Irish English

The set of English dialects native to the island of Ireland, including both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.


Middle Chinese

Chinese language spoken during Southern and Northern Dynasties and the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties (6th century – 10th century)


Limbu

Their Tibeto-Burman language, written in a unique script.


Irelander

A person from Ireland or of Irish descent.


Scotlander

A person from Scotland or of Scottish descent; a Scot.


Englander

From England + -er. Compare Saterland Frisian Änglounder (“an Englishman”), German Engländer (“an Englishman”), Danish englænder (“an Englishman”).

cog

A person from England or of English descent.


Ewart

A male given name from Old French from the Norman French for Edward


ayn

A romanization of Kazakh аин (ain), the Kazakh name for the letter Ғ (Ğ).

(linguistics) Synonym of ghayn, the letter Ғ, representing the consonant /ʁ/ or /ɣ/, particularly in Kazakh.


Kimber

* From the name of a 7th-century English female saint, Kyneburga or Cyneburh, from Old English cyne- (“royal”) + burh (“fortress”).
* English: probably a habitational name from East and West Kimber in the parish of Northlew in Devon, so named from Old English cempa (“warrior”) (or the Old English personal name Cempa) + bearn (“grove/wood”). It may also be an altered form of Kimbrough. Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Kinberg.

When Brin Ohmsford had come into Darklin Reach three hundred years earlier, Hearthstone had been the home of Cogline and the child he claimed as his granddaughter, Kimber Boh.

1990, Terry Brooks, The Scions of Shannara, Ballantine Books, page 14:

A female given name from Old English of modern usage, transferred back from the surname.


Ananda

Transliteration of Sanskrit आनन्द (ānanda) or Pali ānanda.


Shekkacho

A regional language of Ethiopia with approximately 70,000 speakers.


Cia-Cia

An Austronesian language spoken in Buton Island, Indonesia.


lunate sigma

The form of the Greek letter sigma used in Medieval Greek and occasionally in Greek Orthodox Church transcriptions: ϲ.


final sigma

The form of the Greek letter sigma, ς, only ever used as the last letter of a word.


Columbia-Wenatchi

A language spoken in the northwest of the United States that is nearly extinct.


Hungana

A near-extinct language of the Dominican Republic.


Fam

A local language spoken in the Taraba State area of Nigeria.


Middle Watut

A language spoken in 7 villages of the Watut Valley in Papua New Guinea.


Cherusci

(historical) a Germanic tribe that inhabited parts of the plains and forests of northwestern Germany, in the area possibly near present-day Hanover, during the first centuries BC and AD


Demosthenes

From Latin Dēmosthenēs, from Ancient Greek Δημοσθένης (Dēmosthénēs).

A transliteration of the Ancient Greek male given name Δημοσθένης (Dēmosthénēs), famously borne by Demosthenes, the Athenian statesman and orator of 4th century BC.


Khoekhoe

From Khoekhoe Khoekhoe.n (“Khoekhoe people”), from khoe.b (“human being”).

A member of a Southern African people, formerly known as Hottentots.


Khoekhoe

Any of a group of languages or dialects spoken by these people.


Old Provençal

The old Provençal tongue, beloved of knights and troubadours, and forever associated in our minds with romance and chivalry, had become so debased by low singers of tavern songs, that its poetry was only “a riot of coarse speech, which had slain modesty in the ears of the young.”

1872, Edward Everett Hale, editor, Old and New, volume VI, page 471:

(dated in linguistics) Romance language spoken in the south of France which is considered the origin of modern Provençal, also known as Occitan.


Old Occitan

Romance language spoken in the south of France which is considered the origin of modern Occitan, also known as Provençal.


Coleman

A male given name transferred from the surname.


Colman

From the Irish saints' name Colmán, diminutive of Colm, from Latin columba (“dove”).


Transalpine Gaulish

An extinct European language of the Indo-European family, spoken in Gaul.


Old Breton

An early form of Breton language, spoken in the North of France in the between the 9th and the 11th century AD.


Middle Breton

An early form of Breton language, spoken in Brittany, in western France, between the 11th and the 16th century AD.


Brittonic

en-adj

Brittonic (comparative more Brittonic, superlative most Brittonic)

more Brittonic (comparative)
most Brittonic (superlative)

From Briton + -ic, with -tt- after Latin Brittō.

The Welsh language is not a backwards, insignificant thing; it is a fundamental part of Britain’s collective history. I find it absurd that so few English people realise it is still spoken in families and communities across Wales, as part of a Brittonic culture which has survived through the ages.

2014 July 23, Ellie Mae O'Hagen, The Guardian:

Brythonic; pertaining to the Celtic people inhabiting Britain before the Roman conquest, and to their language.


Chagatai

/ˈt͡ʃɑːɡətaɪ/

Transliteration of Russian Чагата́й (Čagatáj), from Uyghur چاغاتاي (chaghatay), from Chagatai جغتای (jağatāy), from Middle Mongol ᠴᠠᠭᠠᠲᠠᠶ (čaɣatay).

transliteration

Chagatay (alternative)
Chaghatai (alternative)
Chaghatay (alternative)
Jagatai (alternative)
Jagatay (alternative)
Jaghatai (alternative)
Jaghatay (alternative)
Jaghatāy (alternative)
Chighatay (alternative)
Chighatāy (alternative)
Chighatoy (alternative)

A male given name of historical usage, most famously borne by the Mongol ruler Chagatai Khan (1183–1242), second son of Genghis Khan and first khan of the Chagatai Khanate, a medieval Mongol and later Turkicized khanate of Central Asia (divided after the 14th century).

An extinct literary Turkic language used in Central Asia and Bashkortostan between the 15th and the 20th century.

(with article, collective) An ethnic group of Uzbekistan.


Old Bulgarian

Old Church Slavonic
Old Church Slavonic#English

старобъ́лгарски

The Bulgarian recension of Old Church Slavonic (9th–11th century).


Britishism

en-noun

Britishism (countable and uncountable, plural Britishisms)

Britishisms (plural)
British-ism (alternative)

A word, phrase, idiom, or expression peculiar to the English language as spoken in Britain.


North Briton

From north + Briton, after North Britain.

About Christmas we set out for England, accompanied by a little North Briton, who lived with lord B— as his companion, and did not at all approve of our correspondence […].

1751, [Tobias] Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), London: Harrison and Co., […], →OCLC:

(now historical) Someone from Scotland; a Scot.


Madi

Mady (alternative)
Madie (alternative)
Maddie (alternative)
Maddi (alternative)
Maddy (alternative)

A diminutive of the female given name Madeleine.

A diminutive of the female given name Madison.


Codies

Five power-packed pages of game thrills - more than ever before! On the Powertape: Astroclone (Hewson)! Sea Battles (Atlantis!). Skull & Crossbones demo (Tengen)! On The Run (Design Design)! Soccer Cup Quizmaster (Powertape)! and Pokemania! Plus (gasp!) on your Codies tape: Phantomas, Dizzy, BMX Simulator and Fruit Machine Simulator! Blimey!

1989 June, “Contents”, in Crash, number 89, published 1991:

The Codies seem to take great delight in mistreating their little pet egg, Dizzy. He's been thumped, kicked, bashed, scrambled and dropped in his games so far. Now the cruel so and sos want to drown him.

1992, James Leach, Bubble Dizzy (game review in Your Sinclair magazine issue 74, February 1992)

Well, obviously it was since they're ^([sic]) now got an interview with a codies rep, however, suggesting a May release.

2002, Rod Prince, “Adelaide Clipsal 500 and Codemasters”, in rec.autos.simulators (Usenet):

(informal, video games) The video game development company Codemasters (formerly Code Masters).


Shlomo

Transliteration of Biblical Hebrew שְׁלֹמֹה (šəlōmōʰ), from שָׁלוֹם (šālôm, “peace”). Doublet of Solomon.

A Jewish male given name from Hebrew, feminine equivalent Shulamith, equivalent to English Solomon.


Salishan

A family of North American languages spoken by the Salish.


Vilnian

A person from, or an inhabitant of, Vilnius.


Cracovian

/kɹəˈkəʊvɪən/

Formed as Latin Cracōvia (“Cracow”) + English -an (suffix forming adjectives with the sense “of or pertaining to”). Equivalent to the Latin Cracōviānus.


Cracovian

/kɹəˈkəʊvɪən/

Being used to horses from their childhood, the Cracovians are excellent riders.

1921, National Polish Committee of America, Geography and ethnography of Poland:

(astronomy, geodesy) a clerical convenience in solving systems of linear equations by hand.


Memphite

en-adj

Memphite (comparative more Memphite, superlative most Memphite)

more Memphite (comparative)
most Memphite (superlative)

From Middle English Memphyte, from Classical Latin Memphītis. By surface analysis, Memphis + -ite.

Of, from or pertaining to Memphis, Egypt.


Latgalian

A language spoken by the ancient Latgalians, from which Latvian is largely derived.

A modern language spoken in the eastern part of Latvia, sometimes considered a dialect of Latvian.


English English

My own tongue is neither American English nor English English, but Irish English; so I am as nearly impartial in the matter as it is in human nature to be.

1901, [George] Bernard Shaw, “Notes to Captain Brassbound’s Conversion”, in Three Plays for Puritans: The Devil’s Disciple, Cæsar and Cleopatra, & Captain Brassbound’s Conversion, London: Grant Richards, […], →OCLC, page 305:

A dialect of the English language that is spoken mostly in England.


Andres

en-proper noun

Andres (countable and uncountable, plural Andreses)

Patronymic surname, borrowed from Spanish Andrés.

A male given name from Spanish, equivalent to English Andrew.


North Frisian

A Frisian language, or group of dialects, spoken by 5,000 to 10,000 people in northwestern Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.

Mooring Frisian (2nd-largest dialect, spoken around Niebüll)


IEA

"The European economic and welfare model – I think it's over," says Mark Littlewood, director of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), like the CPS a veteran British free-market thinktank reinvigorated by current possibilities.

2012 August 22, Andy Beckett, “Britannia Unchained: the rise of the new Tory right”, in The Guardian:

Institute of Economic Affairs
w:Institute of Economic Affairs

(UK politics, economics) Initialism of Institute of Economic Affairs: a British neoliberal think tank.


Mengen

A Malayo-Polynesian language spoken in Papua New Guinea.


Purepecha

Purépecha (alternative)
P’urhépecha (alternative)


Judaeo-Spanish

Judæo-Spanish (alternative)
Judeo-Spanish (alternative)

Although like most American-born children of immigrants they had failed to develop a fluent use of the mother tongue, both had heard Judaeo-Spanish all their lives and had entirely native habits of pronouncing it.

1950, Agard, Frederick B., "Present-Day Judaeo-Spanish in the United States," in Hispania, Vol. 33, American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, page 204

A Romance language, based on Old Spanish, and spoken almost exclusively by Sephardic Jews in Greece and Turkey.


Judezmo

Borrowed from Ladino djudezmo (“Jewishness”) (related to Spanish judaísmo and English Judaism), from Biblical Hebrew יְהוּדָה (Yehuda, “Judah”). Doublet of Judaism.

der

Djudezmo (alternative)
Dzudezmo (alternative)

However, from the perspective of spoken Magrebi Judeo-Arabic, Judezmo appears to have very substantial autonomy indeed (Cohen 1981 and this volume).

1985, Joshua A. Fishman, Readings in the Sociology of Jewish Languages, E.J. Brill, page 6:


Tessy

A female given name, diminutive of Theresa.


Eshtehardi

Eshtehard (“town near Karaj, Iran”) + -i

suffix

A Northwestern Iranian language spoken in Eshtahard (Eshtehard), a town near Karaj, Iran.


Linden

* As a Dutch, German and Jewish surname, plural form of Linde.
* As a Dutch and West Flemish surname, from several placenames called Linden or Lienden. Also shortened from Vanderlinden.
* As a Swedish surname, from lind (“lime tree”). Compare Lindeen.
* As an English surname, variant of Lindon.
* As an Irish surname, shortened from McLinden, itself a variant of McClinton.

A unisex given name transferred from the surname, or for the linden tree.


intrusive r

(phonetics) An "r" sound that is like a linking r but occurs despite the absence of "r" in the spelling, as in Asia and the Far East in some pronunciations.


Gardner

en-proper noun

Gardner (countable and uncountable, plural Gardners)

Gardners (plural)
Gardener (alternative)
Gardiner (alternative)


Shyla

A 20th-century coinage, possibly inspired by Sheila.

- - - the malignant ache I felt every time Shyla's name was mentioned. The word Shyla itself became a land mine. That sweet-sounding word was merciless and I could not bear to hear it.

1995, Pat Conroy, Beach Music, Bantam Books, published 1996, →ISBN, page 5:

A female given name originating as a coinage.


Kalispel-Pend d'Oreille

Montana Salish, a Salishan language spoken in parts of Washington and Montana.


tenpence

(rare, British, Ireland) A coin worth ten new pence.


Gagauz

/ˌɡæɡɑːˈuːz/

See Turkish Gagavuz. Compare Kavkazian and Caucasus.

The language of Gagauzia and the Gagauz people.


bare infinitive

en-noun

bare infinitive (plural bare infinitives)

(grammar) The infinitive form of an English verb without the particle to; a comparable infinitive in other Germanic languages, e.g. a German infinitive without a preceding "zu", or a Swedish one without a preceding "att".

infinitif nu

uninflected Germanic verb form without 'to'


Leyla

A female given name from Arabic, variant of Leila.


Osakan

en-adj

Osakan (comparative more Osakan, superlative most Osakan)

more Osakan (comparative)
most Osakan (superlative)

Of, relating to, from, or characteristic of Osaka in Japan.


Inna

Transliteration of Russian И́нна (Ínna), of uncertain origin. (One suggestion is Ancient Greek ἴννα (ínna), from ἴννην (ínnēn, “little girl”).)

A transliteration of the Belarusian or Russian female given name И́нна (Ínna).

A transliteration of the Ukrainian female given name І́нна (Ínna)


Ere

A language spoken on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea.


Romanichal

en-noun

Romanichal (plural Romanichals or Romanichal)

Romanichals (plural)
Romanichal (plural)
Romnichal (alternative)
Rumnichal (alternative)

/ˈɹɒmɪnɪtʃæl/

/ˈɹɑmɪniˌt͡ʃæl/

A member of a Romani people found in the United Kingdom.


stroke order

the standard sequence in which a Chinese character is written in Chinese, Japanese or Korean writing


polynym

They agree upon one point, viz., the advantages, other things being equal, of mononyms (single word terms) over polynyms (terms consisting of two or more words).

1890, The American Naturalist - Volume 24, page 695:


Yehuda

Transliteration of Hebrew יְהוּדָה (yehudá). Doublet of Judah and Judas.


Yitzchak

uder

Hebrew יִצְחָק


British Sign Language

A language that uses hands, facial expressions, and other bodily behaviour to communicate both concrete and abstract ideas; some signs are based on English words, but BSL syntax and grammar are not based on English.

Teanga Chomharthaíochta na Breataine

sign language used in the United Kingdom


Vandalic

The extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Vandals, probably closely related to the Gothic language.


Xiang

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of Mandarin 湘 (Xiāng).

Hsiang (alternative)
Siang (alternative)

A Chinese language spoken mainly in Hunan province, China

湘語 /湘语

one of the divisions of the Chinese language

хуна́ньский

диале́кт, язы́к


Louanne

A female given name originating as a coinage, a combination of Lou and Anne.


Luanne

A female given name originating as a coinage, variant of Louanne.


Eda

From Old English ead (“riches”), also short for compound given names beginning thus, particularly Edith.

Your name is Eda Morton, is it not? Mine is Edith, or Eda M'Kenzie, and I rather suspect you are my name-daughter, therefore I have a title to your friendship.

1848, Letitia Mary M. Bell, Eda Morton and her Cousins, or, School-room Days, John Ollivier, published 1848, page 142:


Bathsheba

From Hebrew בַּת שֶׁבַע (bat shéva', “daughter of an oath”), from בַּת (bát, “daughter”) + שֶׁבַע (shéva, “oath”).

af

'I was kinda sweet on her my own self. Sheba Otis, her name was then.' I was surprised. 'She married a Queen? Which one?' 'Can't say.' He sighed. 'Her name's Bathsheba, but she never liked that much.' He turned to look at me. 'That's one of them Bible names.'

1996, Martha Grimes, “Hotel Paradise”, in Headline, →ISBN, page 172:

(uncommon) A female given name from Hebrew of biblical origin.


Uriah

From Biblical Hebrew אוּרִיָּה ('ūriyyā, literally “God is my light”).

uder

but the thing that struck me most, was, that with the evidences of his native superiority still upon him, he should submit himself to that crawling impersonation of meanness, Uriah Heep.

1869, Charles Dickens, David Copperfield, Chapter XXXV:

(rather rare) A male given name from Hebrew of Biblical origin.


Urias

(rather rare) A male given name from Hebrew of biblical origin.


Bathshua

(rare) A female given name from Hebrew of biblical origin.


Livia

From Latin Livia, feminine form of Livius, name of a plebeian Roman gens.

Some nobler token I have kept apart / For Livia and Octavia, to induce / Their mediation; […]

c. 1606–1607 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:


Campidanese Sardinian

a diasystem of the Sardinian language primarily spoken in the Cagliari, capital of the island of Sardinia, a region of Italy


Kalenjin

A member of an ethnic group of Nilotic origin living in the Great Rift Valley in western Kenya and eastern Uganda.


Kalenjin

The Nilotic language spoken by this group.


SPAD

(UK politics, informal) Alternative form of spad (“special advisor in government”)


Rahul

Transliteration of Sanskrit राहुल (rāhula)


Andalusian Arabic

An extinct variety of the Arabic language spoken in Al-Andalus, in the Iberian Peninsula, under Muslim rule.