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

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!

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

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