Empire in the making: 2016

Saturday 31 December 2016

Janus: Word of the day for January 1, 2017

Janus , proper n :
(Roman mythology) The god of doorways, gates and transitions, and of beginnings and endings, having two faces looking in opposite directions. (attributively) Used to indicate things with two faces (such as animals with diprosopus) or aspects; or made of two different materials; or having a two-way action. (chemistry, attributively) Used to indicate an azo dye with a quaternary ammonium group, frequently with the diazo component being safranine. (figuratively) A two-faced person, a hypocrite. (astronomy) A moon of Saturn. The word January is from a Latin word meaning “month of Janus”. Happy New Year from all of us at the English Wiktionary!

Picture of the day for January 1, 2017

Wikipedia picture of the day on January 1, 2017: Sunrise in the Lake Titicaca, near Puno, in the Peruvian Andes, not far from Bolivia. The lake is, by volume of water, the largest in South America and, with a surface elevation of 3,812 metres (12,507 ft), it's considered the highest navigable lake in the world. The lake has a max. length of 190 kilometres (120 mi) and width of 80 kilometres (50 mi) and a surface of 8,372 square kilometres (3,232 sq mi), whereas the water volume is 893 cubic kilometres (214 cu mi) with a max. depth of 281 metres (922 ft) and an average depth of 107 metres (351 ft). http://ift.tt/2iRH8oW

Friday 30 December 2016

Picture of the day for December 31, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on December 31, 2016: Besides New Year's Eve fireworks are often used to celebrate many important events. http://ift.tt/2iqQhUH

fireworks: Word of the day for December 31, 2016

fireworks , n :
[…] (plural only) An event or a display where fireworks are set off. (plural only, figuratively) A boisterous or violent event or situation. Happy New Year’s Eve from all of us at the Wiktionary!

Thursday 29 December 2016

underfire: Word of the day for December 30, 2016

underfire , v :
(transitive, intransitive) To heat from below. (transitive) To intentionally operate a boiler, furnace, oven, etc., at a low level. (intransitive) Not burning fuel at the desired level, and thus not providing heat efficiently. (transitive, ceramics) To fire at a low (or excessively low) temperature.

Picture of the day for December 30, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on December 30, 2016: Ceiling frescos in Sonntagberg Basilica (Lower Austria) by Daniel Gran (1738–43) http://ift.tt/2hAARxE

Wednesday 28 December 2016

Picture of the day for December 29, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on December 29, 2016: Lighthouse “Memmertfeuer” at the harbor, island Juist, Lower Saxony, Germany. http://ift.tt/2hpXkIG

writing on the wall: Word of the day for December 29, 2016

writing on the wall , n :
An ominous warning; a prediction of bad luck.

Tuesday 27 December 2016

Picture of the day for December 28, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on December 28, 2016: Yacare caiman (Caiman yacare), the Pantanal, Brazil. On 28 December 1973, the Endangered Species Act became law in the USA. The Yacare Caiman was reclassified to threatened status on 5 April 2000. http://ift.tt/2ifaD3n

tortfeasance: Word of the day for December 28, 2016

tortfeasance , n :
(chiefly law) The condition, or an act, of doing wrong; the act of committing a tort.

Monday 26 December 2016

Picture of the day for December 27, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on December 27, 2016: Romanesque Chapel of St. John in Pürgg, Styria, Austria. The frescos date from the 12th century, probably around 1160, the crucifix from the 11th century. http://ift.tt/2i1a7Fs

spuriosity: Word of the day for December 27, 2016

spuriosity , n :
(rare) Spuriousness. (rare) That which is spurious; something false or illegitimate.

Sunday 25 December 2016

Picture of the day for December 26, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on December 26, 2016: Winter landscape in Kuznetsk Alatau, South Siberia, Russia http://ift.tt/2i6ckxs

Boxing Day: Word of the day for December 26, 2016

Boxing Day , n :
The day after Christmas; the 26th of December.

Saturday 24 December 2016

Picture of the day for December 25, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on December 25, 2016: Image of Grace Our Lady with six Fingers at the parish- and pilgrimage church Maria Laach am Jauerling, Lower Austria. Anonymous master, 2nd half of 15th century. http://ift.tt/2hUPxGz

Christingle: Word of the day for December 25, 2016

Christingle , n :
(Christianity) A small Christmas gift for children symbolizing Jesus Christ as the light of the world. A typical modern Christingle is made of an orange with sweets skewered into it, a candle inserted into the top and a red ribbon wrapped round it. (Christianity) A church service for children incorporating Christingles, usually held during Advent. Merry Christmas from all of us at the Wiktionary!

Friday 23 December 2016

Picture of the day for December 24, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on December 24, 2016: Interior of a chapel at the Vordere Niedere alp in the mountains near Andelsbuch, Vorarlberg, Austria. The chapel was designed by architects Cukrowicz Nachbaur and built in 2008. http://ift.tt/2haNvye

sommelier: Word of the day for December 24, 2016

sommelier , n :
The member of staff at a restaurant who keeps the wine cellar and advises guests on a choice of wines; a wine steward, a wine waiter. Enjoy your Christmas Eve party!

Thursday 22 December 2016

Picture of the day for December 23, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on December 23, 2016: The Reichstag building in Berlin at night with a Christmas tree in front of it. At the left of the Reichstag, the International Trade Centre (Friedrichstrasse) and the television tower on Alexanderplatz can be seen. Above the TV tower there's the moon. The cupola of the Reichstag building was designed by Norman Foster. http://ift.tt/2ihpk6m

aweless: Word of the day for December 23, 2016

aweless , adj :
Without fear; fearless, unafraid. Wanting reverence; void of respectful fear; irreverent. (obsolete) Inspiring no awe.

Wednesday 21 December 2016

Picture of the day for December 22, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on December 22, 2016: Seebach Valley and Ankogel (3,252 metres (10,669 ft)) in the High Tauern National Park near Mallnitz, Carinthia, Austria. http://ift.tt/2hbzUtV

endosteum: Word of the day for December 22, 2016

endosteum , n :
(biology) A membranous vascular layer of cells which line the medullary cavity of a bone; an internal periosteum.

Tuesday 20 December 2016

Picture of the day for December 21, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on December 21, 2016: Schloss Nymphenburg, "Castle of the Nymph (or Nymphs)", is a Baroque palace in Munich, Bavaria, southern Germany. The palace was the main summer residence of the former rulers of Bavaria of the House of Wittelsbach. http://ift.tt/2icWrnw

glitten: Word of the day for December 21, 2016

glitten , n :
A cross between a glove and a mitten, often in the form of a fingerless glove with an attached mitten-like flap that can be used to cover the fingers. The winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere falls on this day in 2016.

Monday 19 December 2016

Picture of the day for December 20, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on December 20, 2016: Laguna Honda (in English "Deep Lagoon") is a salt lake located at 4,114 metres (13,497 ft) over the sea level in the bolivian Potosí Department, close to the border with Chile. http://ift.tt/2hTdjjO

tettix: Word of the day for December 20, 2016

tettix , n :
A cicada, especially one in Greece.

Sunday 18 December 2016

Picture of the day for December 19, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on December 19, 2016: Larva of Death's-head hawkmoth http://ift.tt/2gQ4Ign

humbug: Word of the day for December 19, 2016

humbug , interj :
(slang) Balderdash!, nonsense!, rubbish! Charles Dickens’ novella A Christmas Carol, featuring the character Ebenezer Scrooge who hates Christmas and calls it a “humbug”, was first published on this day in 1843.

Saturday 17 December 2016

Picture of the day for December 18, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on December 18, 2016: Dülferstraße is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U2. http://ift.tt/2hLaam2

patroon: Word of the day for December 18, 2016

patroon , n :
(US) One of the landowning Dutch grandees of the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, especially after it became a British possession renamed as New York. To mark Koninkrijksdag (Kingdom Day; 15 December), which commemorates the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, we are featuring a series of words of Dutch origin.

Friday 16 December 2016

Picture of the day for December 17, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on December 17, 2016: Vervain hummingbird (Mellisuga minima), Strawberry Hill, Jamaica http://ift.tt/2hExEtP

keelhaul: Word of the day for December 17, 2016

keelhaul , v :
(transitive, nautical) To punish by dragging under the keel of a ship. (transitive) To rebuke harshly. To mark Koninkrijksdag (Kingdom Day; 15 December), which commemorates the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, we are featuring a series of words of Dutch origin.

Thursday 15 December 2016

middelmannetjie: Word of the day for December 16, 2016

middelmannetjie , n :
A ridge between ruts made by wheels in a dirt or gravel road. To mark Koninkrijksdag (Kingdom Day; 15 December), which commemorates the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, we are featuring a series of words of Dutch origin. Today is also the Day of Reconciliation in South Africa.

Picture of the day for December 16, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on December 16, 2016: Warwick Castle from the bridge over the River Avon in Warwickshire, England. http://ift.tt/2hzwYIe

Wednesday 14 December 2016

stroopwafel: Word of the day for December 15, 2016

stroopwafel , n :
A Dutch waffle made from two thin wafers with syrup in between. To mark Koninkrijksdag (Kingdom Day; 15 December), which commemorates the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, we are featuring a series of words of Dutch origin.

Picture of the day for December 15, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on December 15, 2016: Brown-headed gull (Chroicocephalus brunnicephalus) in flight, Mumbai Harbour, India. http://ift.tt/2hxY0gM

Tuesday 13 December 2016

handlanger: Word of the day for December 14, 2016

handlanger , n :
(South Africa) An unskilled assistant to an artisan. To mark Koninkrijksdag (Kingdom Day; 15 December), which commemorates the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, we are featuring a series of words of Dutch origin.

Picture of the day for December 14, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on December 14, 2016: Near-elegant Frog Shell Bufonaria perelegans. Shell length 83 mm. http://ift.tt/2gIX22C

Monday 12 December 2016

Picture of the day for December 13, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on December 13, 2016: The Palace of Justice in Munich was constructed in 1890-1897 by the architect Friedrich von Thiersch in neo-baroque style at the west side of Stachus. The building of the Gründerzeit is dominated by a glass dome (67 meters). It houses the Bavarian Department of Justice and the District Court I of Munich. http://ift.tt/2hxlZQf

feague: Word of the day for December 13, 2016

feague , v :
To increase the liveliness of a horse by inserting an irritant, such as a piece of peeled raw ginger or a live eel, in its fundament. (obsolete) To beat or whip; to drive. (obsolete) To subject to some harmful scheme; to ‘do in’. […] To mark Koninkrijksdag (Kingdom Day; 15 December), which commemorates the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, we are featuring a series of words of Dutch origin.

Sunday 11 December 2016

cockalorum: Word of the day for December 12, 2016

cockalorum , n :
A menial, yet self-important person; a person who makes empty boasts. Boastful speech, crowing. A game similar to leapfrog. To mark Koninkrijksdag (Kingdom Day; 15 December), which commemorates the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, we are featuring a series of words of Dutch origin.

Picture of the day for December 12, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on December 12, 2016: Interior view of Chuquicamata, a state-owned copper mine located 2,850 metres (9,350 ft) above sea level just outside Calama, north of Chile. It is by excavated volume the largest open pit copper mine in the world. The huge hole was started in 1882 as a mine to extract gold and copper. It is 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) long, 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) wide and with a depth of 850 metres (2,790 ft) it is the second deepest open-pit mine in the world (after Bingham Canyon Mine in Utah, USA). http://ift.tt/2hjBdEZ

Saturday 10 December 2016

Picture of the day for December 11, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on December 11, 2016: River Skeiðará and Skeiðarársandur as seen from the Skaftafellsheiði plateau, Vatnajökull National Park, Iceland. http://ift.tt/2hgIjtR

hedge sermon: Word of the day for December 11, 2016

hedge sermon , n :
(Christianity, historical) An open-air religious service held by Calvinists in the Low Countries during the Reformation, typically in rural areas beyond the reach of civic authorities. To mark Koninkrijksdag (Kingdom Day; 15 December), which commemorates the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, we are featuring a series of words of Dutch origin.

Friday 9 December 2016

clomp: Word of the day for December 10, 2016

clomp , v :
(transitive) To make a clomping sound (with some object). (intransitive) To move in a way that makes loud noises with one's feet. (intransitive, rare) To walk with wooden shoes. To mark Koninkrijksdag (Kingdom Day; 15 December), which commemorates the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, we are featuring a series of words of Dutch origin.

Picture of the day for December 10, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on December 10, 2016: A Tree trunk spider (Hersilia sp.) capturing a cicada. http://ift.tt/2hdhI0F

Thursday 8 December 2016

Picture of the day for December 9, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on December 9, 2016: Scene of a car accident by the road near San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. The wreck of the car has been left there and a memorial has been built right next to it. http://ift.tt/2h2qAJa

hit point: Word of the day for December 9, 2016

hit point , n :
(chiefly role-playing games) A unit of damage, used to specify the amount of damage a character can withstand before it is defeated. (computer graphics) In ray tracing, the point in a scene at which a ray strikes an object.

Wednesday 7 December 2016

Picture of the day for December 8, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on December 8, 2016: Monticello was the primary plantation of Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, who began designing and building Monticello at age 26 after inheriting land from his father. Located just outside Charlottesville, Virginia, in the Piedmont region, the plantation was originally 5,000 acres (20 km2), with Jefferson using slaves for extensive cultivation of tobacco and mixed crops, later shifting from tobacco cultivation to wheat in response to changing markets. http://ift.tt/2aQqGSq

tankie: Word of the day for December 8, 2016

tankie , n :
(slang) A tank engine. (slang, historical, Britain) A member of the Communist Party of Great Britain who slavishly agreed with the Soviet Union's policy of crushing revolts in Hungary in the 1950s and Czechoslovakia in the 1960s by sending army tanks into these countries. (slang, derogatory, by extension) A person acting as an apologist for the brutal policies of Joseph Stalin (1878–1953), the leader of the Soviet Union.

Tuesday 6 December 2016

Picture of the day for December 7, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on December 7, 2016: The beach of Reynisfjara and Reynisdrangar, basalt sea stacks, as seen from Dyrhólaey, Iceland. http://ift.tt/2gi4rWw

vehement: Word of the day for December 7, 2016

vehement , adj :
Showing strong feelings; passionate; forceful or intense.

Monday 5 December 2016

Picture of the day for December 6, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on December 6, 2016: View of "the Amfitheater", a rock formation in Valle de la Luna (Spanish for "Moon Valley") during the golden hour, Atacama Desert, Chile. Valle de la Luna is a part of the Reserva Nacional los Flamencos and was declared a Nature Sanctuary in 1982 for its great natural beauty and strange lunar landscape, from which its name is derived. http://ift.tt/2g2qnX9

them's the facts: Word of the day for December 6, 2016

them's the facts , phrase :
(idiomatic, colloquial) Those are the facts, that's the truth, that's how it is; frequently used in reference to an unfortunate truth. The first “number”, or part, of the Encyclopædia Britannica was published in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, on this day in 1768.

Sunday 4 December 2016

Picture of the day for December 5, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on December 5, 2016: Neo-byzantine dome in Christian IX's Chapel in Roskilde Cathedral, Roskilde, Denmark. Built by architect Andreas Clemmensen, born on August 7, 1852, died December 5, 1928. http://ift.tt/2g0P5SR

ulterior: Word of the day for December 5, 2016

ulterior , adj :
Situated beyond, or on the farther side. Beyond what is obvious or evident. Being intentionally concealed so as to deceive. (archaic) Happening later; subsequent.

Saturday 3 December 2016

Picture of the day for December 4, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on December 4, 2016: Vault with hanging keystones in St. Barbara's Chapel of St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna http://ift.tt/2g5XZBG

dude: Word of the day for December 4, 2016

dude , n :
(colloquial) A man, generally a younger man. So we were at the mall and these two dudes just walk up to us and say "hi".‎ (colloquial, used in the vocative) A term of address for a teenager or young man, particularly when cautioning him or offering him advice. An inexperienced cowboy. (slang) A tourist. (archaic) A man who is very concerned about his dress and appearance; a dandy, a fop. American actor, singer and producer Jeff Bridges, who played Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski in the 1998 film The Big Lebowski, was born on this day in 1949.

Friday 2 December 2016

Picture of the day for December 3, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on December 3, 2016: Köln Hauptbahnhof is a railway station in Cologne, Germany. The station is an important local, national and international hub, with many ICE, Thalys and Intercity trains calling there, as well as regional and local trains. It has frequent connections to Frankfurt by way of the Cologne-Frankfurt high-speed rail line, which starts in southern Cologne. On an average day, about 280,000 travellers frequent the station, making it the fifth busiest station in Germany. http://ift.tt/2gwBned

telemark: Word of the day for December 3, 2016

telemark , n :
(uncountable, skiing) Telemark skiing, a method of skiing using the telemark turn and a binding that only connects the boot to the ski at the toes. (countable, skiing) A telemark turn.

Thursday 1 December 2016

houndstooth: Word of the day for December 2, 2016

houndstooth , n :
A two-colour fabric pattern of broken checks. Fabric with a houndstooth pattern; an item of clothing made with such fabric. Today is one of two National Mutt Days in the United States, a commemoration created by animal welfare advocate Colleen Paige to celebrate mixed breed dogs. (The other is July 31.)

Picture of the day for December 2, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on December 2, 2016: Tallinn bay during December storm from region Merivälja, Estonia. http://ift.tt/2gFbGpg

Wednesday 30 November 2016

Picture of the day for December 1, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on December 1, 2016: Rheinturm in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany http://ift.tt/2fSJqS1

snowdrop: Word of the day for December 1, 2016

snowdrop , n :
Any of the 20 species of the genus Galanthus of the Amaryllidaceae, bulbous flowering plants, bearing a solitary, pendulous, white, bell-shaped flower that appears, depending on species, between autumn and late winter or early spring, all native to temperate Eurasia.

Tuesday 29 November 2016

Picture of the day for November 30, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on November 30, 2016: Colourful shop oasis at the Laguna Hedionda, Nor Lípez Province southwestern Bolivia. http://ift.tt/2ghoYL3

saltire: Word of the day for November 30, 2016

saltire , n :
(heraldry) An ordinary (geometric design) in the shape of an X. It usually occupies the entire field in which it is placed. The Saint Andrew's cross, the flag of Scotland. Today is Saint Andrew’s Day, Scotland’s national day.

Monday 28 November 2016

Picture of the day for November 29, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on November 29, 2016: Am Hart is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U2. http://ift.tt/2fG2WOa

pink-collar: Word of the day for November 29, 2016

pink-collar , adj :
Of or pertaining to employees in predominately female service industries.

Sunday 27 November 2016

Picture of the day for November 28, 2016

Wikipedia picture of the day on November 28, 2016: Ceriagrion cerinorubellum pair with male transferring sperm from the primary to the secondary sex organs. http://ift.tt/2gwokd5

sickle: Word of the day for November 28, 2016

sickle , n :
(agriculture) An implement having a semicircular blade and short handle, used for cutting long grass and cereal crops. German philosopher Friedrich Engels, who wrote The Communist Manifesto (1848) with Karl Marx, was born on this day in 1820. The hammer and sickle are common symbols of Communism.