Words whose 5th letter is U

Account (v. t.) To place to one's account; to put to the credit of; to assign; -- with to.

Account (v. i.) To render an account; to answer in judgment; -- with for; as, we must account for the use of our opportunities.

Account (v. i.) To give a satisfactory reason; to tell the cause of; to explain; -- with for; as, idleness accounts for poverty.

Acicular (a.) Needle-shaped; slender like a needle or bristle, as some leaves or crystals; also, having sharp points like needless.

Aciculiform (a.) Needle-shaped; acicular.

Acidulous (a.) Slightly sour; sub-acid; sourish; as, an acidulous tincture.

Adieu (interj. & adv.) Good-by; farewell; an expression of kind wishes at parting.

Adjourn (v. t.) To put off or defer to another day, or indefinitely; to postpone; to close or suspend for the day; -- commonly said of the meeting, or the action, of convened body; as, to adjourn the meeting; to adjourn a debate.

Aground (adv. & a.) On the ground; stranded; -- a nautical term applied to a ship when its bottom lodges on the ground.

Altruism (n.) Regard for others, both natural and moral; devotion to the interests of others; brotherly kindness; -- opposed to egoism or selfishness.

Altruist (n.) One imbued with altruism; -- opposed to egoist.

Altruistic (a.) Regardful of others; beneficent; unselfish; -- opposed to egoistic or selfish.

Amotus (a.) Elevated, -- as a toe, when raised so high that the tip does not touch the ground.

Apneumona (n. pl.) An order of holothurians in which the internal respiratory organs are wanting; -- called also Apoda or Apodes.

Asilus (n.) A genus of large and voracious two-winged flies, including the bee killer and robber fly.

Astructive (a.) Building up; constructive; -- opposed to destructive.

Atrous (a.) Coal-black; very black.

Aurous (a.) Pertaining to, or derived from, gold; -- said of those compounds of gold in which this element has its lower valence; as, aurous oxide.

Avicula (n.) A genus of marine bivalves, having a pearly interior, allied to the pearl oyster; -- so called from a supposed resemblance of the typical species to a bird.

Barium (n.) One of the elements, belonging to the alkaBarque (n.) A three-masted vessel, having her foremast and mainmast square-rigged, and her mizzenmast schooner-rigged.

Barouche (n.) A four-wheeled carriage, with a falling top, a seat on the outside for the driver, and two double seats on the inside arranged so that the sitters on the front seat face those on the back seat.

Barruly (a.) Traversed by barrulets or small bars; -- said of the field.

Basque (n.) A part of a lady's dress, resembling a jacket with a short skirt; -- probably so called because this fashion of dress came from the Basques.

Bantu (n.) A member of one of the great family of Negroid tribes occupying equatorial and southern Africa. These tribes include, as important divisions, the Kafirs, Damaras, Bechuanas, and many tribes whose names begin with Aba-, Ama-, Ba-, Ma-, Wa-, variants of the Bantu plural personal prefix Aba-, as in Ba-ntu, or Aba-ntu, itself a combination of this prefix with the syllable -ntu, a person.

Bicaudate (a.) Two-tailed; bicaudal.

Bijou (n.) A trinket; a jewel; -- a word applied to anything small and of elegant workmanship.

Bismuthinite (n.) Native bismuth sulphide; -- sometimes called bismuthite.

Bogsucker (n.) The American woodcock; -- so called from its feeding among the bogs.

Bunkum (n.) Speech-making for the gratification of constituents, or to gain public applause; flattering talk for a selfish purpose; anything said for mere show.

Cachucha (n.) An Andalusian dance in three-four time, resembling the bolero.

Carburettor (n.) One that carburets; specif., an apparatus in which air or gas is carbureted, as by passing it through a light petroleum oil. The carburetor for a gasoCactus (n.) Any plant of the order Cactacae, as the prickly pear and the night-blooming cereus. See Cereus. They usually have leafless stems and branches, often beset with clustered thorns, and are mostly natives of the warmer parts of America.

Caecum (n.) The blind part of the large intestine beyond the entrance of the small intestine; -- called also the blind gut.

Carburize (v. t.) To combine with carbon or a carbon compound; -- said esp. of a process for conferring a higher degree of illuminating power on combustible gases by mingling them with a vapor of volatile hydrocarbons.

Celluloid (n.) A substance composed essentially of gun cotton and camphor, and when pure resembling ivory in texture and color, but variously colored to imitate coral, tortoise shell, amber, malachite, etc. It is used in the manufacture of jewelry and many small articles, as combs, brushes, collars, and cuffs; -- originally called xylonite.

Census (n.) A numbering of the people, and valuation of their estate, for the purpose of imposing taxes, etc.; -- usually made once in five years.

Cernuous (a.) Inclining or nodding downward; pendulous; drooping; -- said of a bud, flower, fruit, or the capsule of a moss.

Cherub (n.) A beautiful child; -- so called because artists have represented cherubs as beautiful children.

Cinquefoil (n.) The name of several different species of the genus Potentilla; -- also called five-finger, because of the resemblance of its leaves to the fingers of the hand.

Circulation (n.) The movement of the blood in the blood-vascular system, by which it is brought into close relations with almost every living elementary constituent. Also, the movement of the sap in the vessels and tissues of plants.

Circumflex (a.) Curved circularly; -- applied to several arteries of the hip and thigh, to arteries, veins, and a nerve of the shoulder, and to other parts.

Circumpolar (a.) About the pole; -- applied to stars that revolve around the pole without setting; as, circumpolar stars.

Circumstantial (n.) Something incidental to the main subject, but of less importance; opposed to an essential; -- generally in the plural; as, the circumstantials of religion.

Clonus (n.) A series of muscular contractions due to sudden stretching of the muscle, -- a sign of certain neuropathies.

Clique (v. i.) A narrow circle of persons associated by common interests or for the accomplishment of a common purpose; -- generally used in a bad sense.

Clique (v. i.) To To associate together in a clannish way; to act with others secretly to gain a desired end; to plot; -- used with together.

Cockup (n.) A large, highly esteemed, edible fish of India (Lates calcarifer); -- also called begti.

Coerulignone (n.) A bluish violet, crystalColeus (n.) A plant of several species of the Mint family, cultivated for its bright-colored or variegated leaves.

Commune (n.) Absolute municipal self-government.

Communicable (a.) Communicative; free-speaking.

Compunct (a.) Affected with compunction; conscience-stricken.

Compurgation (v. t.) The act or practice of justifying or confirming a man's veracity by the oath of others; -- called also wager of law. See Purgation; also Wager of law, under Wager.

Concurrence (n.) A meeting of minds; agreement in opinion; union in design or act; -- implying joint approbation.

Concurrent (n.) One of the supernumerary days of the year over fifty-two complete weeks; -- so called because they concur with the solar cycle, the course of which they follow.

Conduce (n.) To lead or tend, esp. with reference to a favorable or desirable result; to contribute; -- usually followed by to or toward.

Conduct (n.) To behave; -- with the reflexive; as, he conducted himself well.

Conduplicate (a.) Folded lengthwise along the midrib, the upper face being within; -- said of leaves or petals in vernation or aestivation.

Confuse (v. t.) To perplex; to disconcert; to abash; to cause to lose self-possession.

Confusion (n.) The state of being abashed or disconcerted; loss self-possession; perturbation; shame.

Conium (n.) A genus of biennial, poisonous, white-flowered, umbelliferous plants, bearing ribbed fruit ("seeds") and decompound leaves.

Conjugate (a.) Agreeing in derivation and radical signification; -- said of words.

Conjugate (a.) Presenting themselves simultaneously and having reciprocal properties; -- frequently used in pure and applied mathematics with reference to two quantities, points, Conjugation (n.) A kind of sexual union; -- applied to a blending of the contents of two or more cells or individuals in some plants and lower animals, by which new spores or germs are developed.

Connutritious (a.) Nutritious by force of habit; -- said of certain kinds of food.

Consubstantiation (n.) The actual, substantial presence of the body of Christ with the bread and wine of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper; impanation; -- opposed to transubstantiation.

Consumption (n.) A progressive wasting away of the body; esp., that form of wasting, attendant upon pulmonary phthisis and associated with cough, spitting of blood, hectic fever, etc.; pulmonary phthisis; -- called also pulmonary consumption.

Cornuted (a.) Bearing horns; horned; horn-shaped.

Corrugent (a.) Drawing together; contracting; -- said of the corrugator.

Cotquean (n.) A she-cuckold; a cucquean; a henhussy.

Crepusculous (a.) Flying in the twilight or evening, or before sunrise; -- said certain birds and insects.

Crocus (n.) A genus of iridaceous plants, with pretty blossoms rising separately from the bulb or corm. C. vernus is one of the earliest of spring-blooming flowers; C. sativus produces the saffron, and blossoms in the autumn.

Croquet (n.) An open-air game in which two or more players endeavor to drive wooden balls, by means of mallets, through a series of hoops or arches set in the ground according to some pattern.

Cultured (a.) Characterized by mental and moral training; discipCurculio (n.) One of a large group of beetles (Rhynchophora) of many genera; -- called also weevils, snout beetles, billbeetles, and billbugs. Many of the species are very destructive, as the plum curculio, the corn, grain, and rice weevils, etc.

Curmurring (n.) Murmuring; grumbling; -- sometimes applied to the rumbling produced by a slight attack of the gripes.

Debouch (v. i.) To issue; -- said of a stream passing from a gorge out into an open valley or a plain.

Demountable () Capable of being dismounted; -- said of a form of rim, for an automobile wheel, which can be removed with its tire from the wheel.

Defluxion (n.) A discharge or flowing of humors or fluid matter, as from the nose in catarrh; -- sometimes used synonymously with inflammation.

Deloul (n.) A special breed of the dromedary used for rapid traveling; the swift camel; -- called also herire, and maharik.

Dengue (n.) A specific epidemic disease attended with high fever, cutaneous eruption, and severe pains in the head and limbs, resembling those of rheumatism; -- called also breakbone fever. It occurs in India, Egypt, the West Indies, etc., is of short duration, and rarely fatal.

Disburse (v. t.) To pay out; to expend; -- usually from a public fund or treasury.

Discuss (v. t.) To break up; to disperse; to scatter; to dissipate; to drive away; -- said especially of tumors.

Discussive (a.) Doubt-dispelling; decisive.

Disgust (v. t.) To provoke disgust or strong distaste in; to cause (any one) loathing, as of the stomach; to excite aversion in; to offend the moral taste of; -- often with at, with, or by.

Disgust (v. t.) Repugnance to what is offensive; aversion or displeasure produced by something loathsome; loathing; strong distaste; -- said primarily of the sickening opposition felt for anything which offends the physical organs of taste; now rather of the analogous repugnance excited by anything extremely unpleasant to the moral taste or higher sensibilities of our nature; as, an act of cruelty may excite disgust.

Disqualify (v. t.) To deprive of the qualities or properties necessary for any purpose; to render unfit; to incapacitate; -- with for or from before the purpose, state, or act.

Dissuade (v. t.) To divert by persuasion; to turn from a purpose by reasons or motives; -- with from; as, I could not dissuade him from his purpose.

Ekaluminium (n.) The name given to a hypothetical element, -- later discovered and called gallium. See Gallium, and cf. Ekabor.

Encourage (v. t.) To give courage to; to inspire with courage, spirit, or hope; to raise, or to increase, the confidence of; to animate; enhearten; to incite; to help forward; -- the opposite of discourage.

Eosaurus (n.) An extinct marine reptile from the coal measures of Nova Scotia; -- so named because supposed to be of the earliest known reptiles.

Erbium (n.) A rare metallic element associated with several other rare elements in the mineral gadolinite from Ytterby in Sweden. Symbol Er. Atomic weight 165.9. Its salts are rose-colored and give characteristic spectra. Its sesquioxide is called erbia.

Erbium (n.) A metallic element of the rare earth group, found in gadolinite and some other minerals. Symbol, Er; at. wt. 167.4. Its salts are rose-colored and give characteristic spectra.

Espauliere (n.) A defense for the shoulder, composed of flexible overlapping plates of metal, used in the 15th century; -- the origin of the modern epaulette.

Euphuism (n.) An affectation of excessive elegance and refinement of language; high-flown diction.

Euphuist (n.) One who affects excessive refinement and elegance of language; -- applied esp. to a class of writers, in the age of Elizabeth, whose productions are marked by affected conceits and high-flown diction.

Evolutility (n.) The faculty possessed by all substances capable of self-nourishment of manifesting the nutritive acts by changes of form, of volume, or of structure.

Evolution (n.) The extraction of roots; -- the reverse of involution.

Evolution (n.) That theory of generation which supposes the germ to preexist in the parent, and its parts to be developed, but not actually formed, by the procreative act; -- opposed to epigenesis.

Extrude (v. t.) To shape or form by forcing metal heated to a semi-plastic condition through dies by the use of hydraulic power; as, extruded metal, extruded rods, extruded shapes.

Extrusive (a.) Forced out at the surface; as, extrusive rocks; -- contrasted with intrusive.

Exclude (v. t.) To shut out; to hinder from entrance or admission; to debar from participation or enjoyment; to deprive of; to except; -- the opposite to admit; as, to exclude a crowd from a room or house; to exclude the light; to exclude one nation from the ports of another; to exclude a taxpayer from the privilege of voting.

Exclusionist (n.) One who would exclude another from some right or privilege; esp., one of the anti-popish politicians of the time of Charles II.

Exclusive (a.) Not taking into the account; excluding from consideration; -- opposed to inclusive; as, five thousand troops, exclusive of artillery.

Execution (n.) That which is executed or accomplished; effect; effective work; -- usually with do.

Exscutellate (a.) Without, or apparently without, a scutellum; -- said of certain insects.

Eyecup (n.) A small oval porcelain or glass cup, having a rim curved to fit the orbit of the eye. it is used in the application of liquid remedies to eyes; -- called also eyeglass.

Facture (n.) The act or manner of making or doing anything; -- now used of a literary, musical, or pictorial production.

Falcula (n.) A curved and sharp-pointed claw.

Famous (a.) Celebrated in fame or public report; renowned; mach talked of; distinguished in story; -- used in either a good or a bad sense, chiefly the former; often followed by for; as, famous for erudition, for eloquence, for military skill; a famous pirate.

February (n.) The second month in the year, said to have been introduced into the Roman calendar by Numa. In common years this month contains twenty-eight days; in the bissextile, or leap year, it has twenty-nine days.

Fergusonite (n.) A mineral of a brownish black color, essentially a tantalo-niobate of yttrium, erbium, and cerium; -- so called after Robert Ferguson.

Fissurella (n.) A genus of marine gastropod mollusks, having a conical or limpetlike shell, with an opening at the apex; -- called also keyhole limpet.

Fistula (n.) A permanent abnormal opening into the soft parts with a constant discharge; a deep, narrow, chronic abscess; an abnormal opening between an internal cavity and another cavity or the surface; as, a salivary fistula; an anal fistula; a recto-vaginal fistula.

Fistuliform (a.) Of a fistular form; tubular; pipe-shaped.

Fondu (a.) Blending; passing into each other by subtle gradations; -- said of colors or of the surface or material on which the colors are laid.

Folium (n.) A curve of the third order, consisting of two infinite branches, which have a common asymptote. The curve has a double point, and a leaf-shaped loop; whence the name. Its equation is x3 + y3 = axy.

Fulgurata (n.) A spectro-electric tube in which the decomposition of a liquid by the passage of an electric spark is observed.

Fulgurating (a.) Resembling lightning; -- used to describe intense lancinating pains accompanying locomotor ataxy.

Fulguration (n.) The sudden brightening of a fused globule of gold or silver, when the last film of the oxide of lead or copper leaves its surface; -- also called blick.

Fungus (n.) Any one of the Fungi, a large and very complex group of thallophytes of low organization, -- the molds, mildews, rusts, smuts, mushrooms, toadstools, puff balls, and the allies of each.

Furfuran (n.) A colorless, oily substance, C4H4O, obtained by distilling certain organic substances, as pine wood, salts of pyromucic acid, etc.; -- called also tetraphenol.

Furfurol (n.) A colorless oily liquid, C4H3O.CHO, of a pleasant odor, obtained by the distillation of bran, sugar, etc., and regarded as an aldehyde derivative of furfuran; -- called also furfural.

Garrulous (a.) Having a loud, harsh note; noisy; -- said of birds; as, the garrulous roller.

Garrupa (n.) One of several species of California market fishes, of the genus Sebastichthys; -- called also rockfish. See Rockfish.

Giaour (n.) An infidel; -- a term applied by Turks to disbelievers in the Mohammedan religion, especially Christrians.

Globular (a.) Globe-shaped; having the form of a ball or sphere; spherical, or nearly so; as, globular atoms.

Glomuliferous (a.) Having small clusters of minutely branched coral-like excrescences.

Graduated (a.) Tapered; -- said of a bird's tail when the outer feathers are shortest, and the others successively longer.

Granulite (n.) A whitish, granular rock, consisting of feldspar and quartz intimately mixed; -- sometimes called whitestone, and leptynite.

Hallucinate (v. i.) To wander; to go astray; to err; to blunder; -- used of mental processes.

Hippurite (n.) A fossil bivalve mollusk of the genus Hippurites, of many species, having a conical, cup-shaped under valve, with a flattish upper valve or lid. Hippurites are found only in the Cretaceous rocks.

Icequake (n.) The crash or concussion attending the breaking up of masses of ice, -- often due to contraction from extreme cold.

Illaudable (a.) Not laudable; not praise-worthy; worthy of censure or disapprobation.

Include (v. t.) To comprehend or comprise, as a genus the species, the whole a part, an argument or reason the inference; to contain; to embrace; as, this volume of Shakespeare includes his sonnets; he was included in the invitation to the family; to and including page twenty-five.

Inclusive (a.) Comprehending the stated limit or extremes; as, from Monday to Saturday inclusive, that is, taking in both Monday and Saturday; -- opposed to exclusive.

Inequilateral (a.) Having unequal sides; unsymmetrical; unequal-sided.

Inocular (a.) Inserted in the corner of the eye; -- said of the antenn/ of certain insects.

Inoculate (v. t.) Fig.: To introduce into the mind; -- used especially of harmful ideas or principles; to imbue; as, to inoculate one with treason or infidelity.

Iodous (a.) Pertaining to, or containing, iodine. See -ous (chemical suffix).

Jacqueminot (n.) A half-hardy, deep crimson rose of the remontant class; -- so named after General Jacqueminot, of France.

Jonquille (n.) A bulbous plant of the genus Narcissus (N. Jonquilla), allied to the daffodil. It has long, rushlike leaves, and yellow or white fragrant flowers. The root has emetic properties. It is sometimes called the rush-leaved daffodil. See Illust. of Corona.

Kahau (n.) A long-nosed monkey (Semnopithecus nasalis), native of Borneo. The general color of the body is bright chestnut, with the under parts, shoulders, and sides of the head, golden yellow, and the top of the head and upper part of the back brown. Called also proboscis monkey.

Kalium (n.) Potassium; -- so called by the German chemists.

Kuklux (n.) The name adopted in the southern part of the United States by a secret political organization, active for several years after the close of the Civil War, and having for its aim the repression of the political power of the freedmen; -- called also Kuklux Klan.

Kumquat (n.) A small tree of the genus Citrus (C. Japonica) growing in China and Japan; also, its small acid, orange-colored fruit used for preserves.

Kulturkampf (n.) Lit., culture war; -- a name, originating with Virchow (1821 -- 1902), given to a struggle between the the Roman Catholic Church and the German government, chiefly over the latter's efforts to control educational and ecclesiastical appointments in the interest of the political policy of centralization. The struggle began with the passage by the Prussian Diet in May, 1873, of the so-called May laws, or Falk laws, aiming at the regulation of the clergy. Opposition eventually com> Lacquer (n.) A varnish, consisting of a solution of shell-lac in alcohol, often colored with gamboge, saffron, or the like; -- used for varnishing metals, papier-mache, and wood. The name is also given to varnishes made of other ingredients, esp. the tough, solid varnish of the Japanese, with which ornamental objects are made.

Lactucic (a.) Pertaining to, or derived from, the juice of the Lactuca virosa; -- said of certain acids.

Languaged (a.) Having a language; skilled in language; -- chiefly used in composition.

Leptus (n.) The six-legged young, or larva, of certain mites; -- sometimes used as a generic name. See Harvest mite, under Harvest.

Lingual (n.) A consonant sound formed by the aid of the tongue; -- a term especially applied to certain articulations (as those of t, d, th, and n) and to the letters denoting them.

Linguiform (a.) Having the form of the tongue; tongue-shaped.

Mavourneen (n.) My darling; -- an Irish term of endearment for a girl or woman.

Marguerite (n.) The daisy (Bellis perennis). The name is often applied also to the ox-eye daisy and to the China aster.

Masturbation (n.) Onanism; self-pollution.

Mayduke (n.) A large dark-red cherry of excellent quality.

Measure (n.) To allot or distribute by measure; to set off or apart by measure; -- often with out or off.

Mercurial (a.) Having the form or image of Mercury; -- applied to ancient guideposts.

Mercurial (a.) Of or pertaining to Mercury as the god of trade; hence, money-making; crafty.

Mercuric (a.) Of, pertaining to, or derived from, mercury; containing mercury; -- said of those compounds of mercury into which this element enters in its lowest proportion.

Mercurous (a.) Of, pertaining to, or derived from, mercury; containing mercury; -- said of those compounds of mercury in which it is present in its highest proportion.

Mercury (n.) A Latin god of commerce and gain; -- treated by the poets as identical with the Greek Hermes, messenger of the gods, conductor of souls to the lower world, and god of eloquence.

Merluce (n.) The European hake; -- called also herring hake and sea pike.

Mesquit (n.) A name for two trees of the southwestern part of North America, the honey mesquite, and screw-pod mesquite.

Mixture (n.) That which results from mixing different ingredients together; a compound; as, to drink a mixture of molasses and water; -- also, a medley.

Mixture (n.) A mass of two or more ingredients, the particles of which are separable, independent, and uncompounded with each other, no matter how thoroughly and finely commingled; -- contrasted with a compound; thus, gunpowder is a mechanical mixture of carbon, sulphur, and niter.

Mixture (n.) An organ stop, comprising from two to five ranges of pipes, used only in combination with the foundation and compound stops; -- called also furniture stop. It consists of high harmonics, or overtones, of the ground tone.

Molluscoidea (n. pl.) A division of Invertebrata which includes the classes Brachiopoda and Bryozoa; -- called also Anthoid Mollusca.

Molluscum (n.) A cutaneous disease characterized by numerous tumors, of various forms, filled with a thick matter; -- so called from the resemblance of the tumors to some molluscous animals.

Murmur (v. i.) To utter complaints in a low, half-articulated voice; to feel or express dissatisfaction or discontent; to grumble; -- often with at or against.

Muscular (a.) Well furnished with muscles; having well-developed muscles; brawny; hence, strong; powerful; vigorous; as, a muscular body or arm.

Musculospiral (a.) Of or pertaining to the muscles, and taking a spiral course; -- applied esp. to a large nerve of the arm.

Nasturtium (n.) Any plant of the genus Tropaeolum, geraniaceous herbs, having mostly climbing stems, peltate leaves, and spurred flowers, and including the common Indian cress (Tropaeolum majus), the canary-bird flower (T. peregrinum), and about thirty more species, all natives of South America. The whole plant has a warm pungent flavor, and the fleshy fruits are used as a substitute for capers, while the leaves and flowers are sometimes used in salads.

Neptune (n.) The remotest known planet of our system, discovered -- as a result of the computations of Leverrier, of Paris -- by Galle, of Berlin, September 23, 1846. Its mean distance from the sun is about 2,775,000,000 miles, and its period of revolution is about 164,78 years.

Netsuke (n.) In Japanese costume and decorative art, a small object carved in wood, ivory, bone, or horn, or wrought in metal, and pierced with holes for cords by which it is connected, for convenience, with the inro, the smoking pouch (tabako-ire), and similar objects carried in the girdle. It is now much used on purses sold in Europe and America.

Noctuary (n.) A record of what passes in the night; a nightly journal; -- distinguished from diary.

Noctuid (n.) Any one of numerous moths of the family Noctuidae, or Noctuaelitae, as the cutworm moths, and armyworm moths; -- so called because they fly at night.

Nocturnal (a.) Of, pertaining to, done or occuring in, the night; as, nocturnal darkness, cries, expedition, etc.; -- opposed to diurnal.

Nocturne (n.) A night piece, or serenade. The name is now used for a certain graceful and expressive form of instrumental composition, as the nocturne for orchestra in Mendelsohn's "Midsummer-Night's Dream" music.

Nonjuring (a.) Not swearing allegiance; -- applied to the party in Great Britain that would not swear allegiance to William and Mary, or their successors.

Obelus (n.) A mark [thus /, or ? ]; -- so called as resembling a needle. In old MSS. or editions of the classics, it marks suspected passages or readings.

Occlude (v. t.) To take in and retain; to absorb; -- said especially with respect to gases; as iron, platinum, and palladium occlude large volumes of hydrogen.

Ophiuchus (n.) A constellation in the Northern Hemisphere, deOphiuroidea (n. pl.) A class of star-shaped echinoderms having a disklike body, with slender, articulated arms, which are not grooved beneath and are often very fragile; -- called also Ophiuroida and Ophiuridea. See Illust. under Brittle star.

Orotund (a.) Characterized by fullness, clearness, strength, and smoothness; ringing and musical; -- said of the voice or manner of utterance.

Oxidulated (a.) Existing in the state of a protoxide; -- said of an oxide.

OxyquinoParquet (n.) In various European public bourses, the railed-in space within which the "agents de change," or privileged brokers, conduct business; also, the business conducted by them; -- distinguished from the coulisse, or outside market.

Panduriform (a.) Obovate, with a concavity in each side, like the body of a violin; fiddle-shaped; as, a panduriform leaf; panduriform color markings of an animal.

Parquetry (n.) A species of joinery or cabinet-work consisting of an inlay of geometric or other patterns, generally of different colors, -- used especially for floors.

Penguin (n.) The egg-shaped fleshy fruit of a West Indian plant (Bromelia Pinguin) of the Pineapple family; also, the plant itself, which has rigid, pointed, and spiny-toothed leaves, and is used for hedges.

Perfume (v.) The scent, odor, or odoriferous particles emitted from a sweet-smelling substance; a pleasant odor; fragrance; aroma.

Perjure (v. t.) To cause to violate an oath or a vow; to cause to make oath knowingly to what is untrue; to make guilty of perjury; to forswear; to corrupt; -- often used reflexively; as, he perjured himself.

Permutation (n.) The arrangement of any determinate number of things, as units, objects, letters, etc., in all possible orders, one after the other; -- called also alternation. Cf. Combination, n., 4.

Persulphide (n.) A sulphide containing more sulphur than some other compound of the same elements; as, iron pyrites is a persulphide; -- formerly called persulphuret.

Persulphocyanogen (n.) An orange-yellow substance, produced by the action of chlorine or boiling dilute nitric acid and sulphocyanate of potassium; -- called also pseudosulphocyanogen, perthiocyanogen, and formerly sulphocyanogen.

Permulator (n.) A special form of rotary converter with stationary commutator and rotating brushes, in which the exciting field is induced by the alternating current in a short-circuited magnetic core instead of being produced by an external magnet.

Phleum (n.) A genus of grasses, including the timothy (Phleum pratense), which is highly valued for hay; cat's-tail grass.

Pignut (n.) The bitter-flavored nut of a species of hickory (Carya glabra, / porcina); also, the tree itself.

Pinnulate (a.) Having each pinna subdivided; -- said of a leaf, or of its pinnae.

Planula (n.) The very young, free-swimming larva of the coelenterates. It usually has a flattened oval or oblong form, and is entirely covered with cilia.

Plenum (n.) That state in which every part of space is supposed to be full of matter; -- opposed to vacuum.

Pollute (v. t.) To make foul, impure, or unclean; to defile; to taint; to soil; to desecrate; -- used of physical or moral defilement.

Postulate (n.) Something demanded or asserted; especially, a position or supposition assumed without proof, or one which is considered as self-evident; a truth to which assent may be demanded or challenged, without argument or evidence.

Postulate (n.) The enunciation of a self-evident problem, in distinction from an axiom, which is the enunciation of a self-evident theorem.

Potgun (n.) A pot-shaped cannon; a mortar.

Prelude (v. t.) An introductory performance, preceding and preparing for the principal matter; a preliminary part, movement, strain, etc.; especially (Mus.), a strain introducing the theme or chief subject; a movement introductory to a fugue, yet independent; -- with recent composers often synonymous with overture.

Prelumbar (a.) Situated immediately in front of the loins; -- applied to the dorsal part of the abdomen.

Presume (v. i.) To venture, go, or act, by an assumption of leave or authority not granted; to go beyond what is warranted by the circumstances of the case; to venture beyond license; to take liberties; -- often with on or upon before the ground of confidence.

Procuration (n.) A sum of money paid formerly to the bishop or archdeacon, now to the ecclesiastical commissioners, by an incumbent, as a commutation for entertainment at the time of visitation; -- called also proxy.

Produce (v. t.) To extend; -- applied to a Prunus (n.) A genus of trees with perigynous rosaceous flowers, and a single two-ovuled carpel which usually becomes a drupe in ripening.

Purpure (n.) Purple, -- represented in engraving by diagonal Purpuric (a.) Pertaining to or designating, a nitrogenous acid contained in uric acid. It is not known in the pure state, but forms well-known purple-red compounds (as murexide), whence its name.

Purpuriparous (a.) Producing, or connected with, a purple-colored secretion; as, the purpuriparous gland of certain gastropods.

Pursuant (a.) Acting in consequence or in prosecution (of anything); hence, agreeable; conformable; following; according; -- with to or of.

Pursuivant (n.) A functionary of lower rank than a herald, but discharging similar duties; -- called also pursuivant at arms; an attendant of the heralds. Also used figuratively.

Quatuor (n.) A quartet; -- applied chiefly to instrumental compositions.

Radius (n.) Radiating organs, or color-markings, of the radiates.

Ragguled (a.) Notched in regular diagonal breaks; -- said of a Recoupe (v. t.) To reimburse; to indemnify; -- often used reflexively and in the passive.

Rectum (n.) The terminal part of the large intestine; -- so named because supposed by the old anatomists to be straight. See Illust. under Digestive.

Redoubt (n.) A small, and usually a roughly constructed, fort or outwork of varying shape, commonly erected for a temporary purpose, and without flanking defenses, -- used esp. in fortifying tops of hills and passes, and positions in hostile territory.

Redoubtable (a.) Formidable; dread; terrible to foes; as, a redoubtable hero; hence, valiant; -- often in contempt or burlesque.

Relbun (n.) The roots of the Chilian plant Calceolaria arachnoidea, -- used for dyeing crimson.

Repousse (a.) Ornamented with patterns in relief made by pressing or hammering on the reverse side; -- said of thin metal, or of a vessel made of thin metal.

Rictus (n.) The gape of the mouth, as of birds; -- often resricted to the corners of the mouth.

Roxburgh (n.) A style of bookbinding in which the back is plain leather, the sides paper or cloth, the top gilt-edged, but the front and bottom left uncut.

Sanguine (n.) Anything of a blood-red color, as cloth.

Sanguineous (a.) Blood-red; crimson.

Sanguivorous (a.) Subsisting upon blood; -- said of certain blood-sucking bats and other animals. See Vampire.

Sannup (n.) A male Indian; a brave; -- correlative of squaw.

Santalic (a.) Of, pertaining to, or obtained from, sandalwood (Santalum); -- used specifically to designate an acid obtained as a resinous or red crystalScarus (n.) A Mediterranean food fish (Sparisoma scarus) of excellent quality and highly valued by the Romans; -- called also parrot fish.

Scutum (n.) An oblong shield made of boards or wickerwork covered with leather, with sometimes an iron rim; -- carried chiefly by the heavy-armed infantry.

Seppuku (n.) Same as Hara-kiri.

Septuagesima (n.) The third Sunday before Lent; -- so called because it is about seventy days before Easter.

Septuagint (n.) A Greek version of the Old Testament; -- so called because it was believed to be the work of seventy (or rather of seventy-two) translators.

Serpula (n.) Any one of numerous species of tubicolous annelids of the genus Serpula and allied genera of the family Serpulidae. They secrete a calcareous tube, which is usually irregularly contorted, but is sometimes spirally coiled. The worm has a wreath of plumelike and often bright-colored gills around its head, and usually an operculum to close the aperture of its tube when it retracts.

Serrula (n.) The red-breasted merganser.

Sesquiplicate (a.) Subduplicate of the triplicate; -- a term applied to ratios; thus, a and a' are in the sesquiplicate ratio of b and b', when a is to a' as the square root of the cube of b is to the square root of the cube of b', or a:a'::?b3:?b'3.

Sesquisulphide (n.) A sulphide, analogous to a sesquioxide, containing three atoms of sulphur to two of the other ingredient; -- formerly called also sesquisulphuret; as, orpiment, As2S3 is arsenic sesquisulphide.

Singular (a.) Denoting one person or thing; as, the singular number; -- opposed to dual and plural.

Singular (a.) Departing from general usage or expectations; odd; whimsical; -- often implying disapproval or consure.

Speculate (v. i.) To purchase with the expectation of a contingent advance in value, and a consequent sale at a profit; -- often, in a somewhat depreciative sense, of unsound or hazardous transactions; as, to speculate in coffee, in sugar, or in bank stock.

Speculum (n.) A mirror, or looking-glass; especially, a metal mirror, as in Greek and Roman archaeology.

Spodumene (n.) A mineral of a white to yellowish, purplish, or emerald-green color, occuring in prismatic crystals, often of great size. It is a silicate of aluminia and lithia. See Hiddenite.

Statuette (n.) A small statue; -- usually applied to a figure much less than life size, especially when of marble or bronze, or of plaster or clay as a preparation for the marble or bronze, as distinguished from a figure in terra cotta or the like. Cf. Figurine.

Stature (n.) The natural height of an animal body; -- generally used of the human body.

Statute (n.) An act of the legislature of a state or country, declaring, commanding, or prohibiting something; a positive law; the written will of the legislature expressed with all the requisite forms of legislation; -- used in distinction fraom common law. See Common law, under Common, a.

Statute (a.) An assemblage of farming servants (held possibly by statute) for the purpose of being hired; -- called also statute fair.

Stimulant (n.) An agent which produces a temporary increase of vital activity in the organism, or in any of its parts; -- sometimes used without qualification to signify an alcoholic beverage used as a stimulant.

Stylus (n.) That needle-shaped part at the tip of the playing arm of phonograph which sits in the groove of a phonograph record while it is turning, to detect the undulations in the phonograph groove and convert them into vibrations which are transmitted to a system (since 1920 electronic) which converts the signal into sound; also called needle. The stylus is frequently composed of metal or diamond.

Stylus (n.) The needle-like device used to cut the grooves which record the sound on the original disc during recording of a phonograph record.

Stylus (n.) A pen-shaped pointing device used to specify the cursor position on a graphics tablet.

Subduplicate (a.) Expressed by the square root; -- said of ratios.

Tabouret (n.) A seat without arms or back, cushioned and stuffed: a high stool; -- so called from its resemblance to a drum.

Tarsus (n.) A plate of dense connective tissue or cartilage in the eyelid of man and many animals; -- called also tarsal cartilage, and tarsal plate.

Tatouay (n.) An armadillo (Xenurus unicinctus), native of the tropical parts of South America. It has about thirteen movable bands composed of small, nearly square, scales. The head is long; the tail is round and tapered, and nearly destitute of scales; the claws of the fore feet are very large. Called also tatouary, and broad-banded armadillo.

Taurus (n.) The Bull; the second in order of the twelve signs of the zodiac, which the sun enters about the 20th of April; -- marked thus [/] in almanacs.

Taurus (n.) A zodiacal constellation, containing the well-known clusters called the Pleiades and the Hyades, in the latter of which is situated the remarkably bright Aldebaran.

Teague (n.) An Irishman; -- a term used in contempt.

Teleutospore (n.) The thick-celled winter or resting spore of the rusts (order Uredinales), produced in late summer. See Illust. of Uredospore.

Telluride (n.) A compound of tellurium with a more positive element or radical; -- formerly called telluret.

Tellurium (n.) A rare nonmetallic element, analogous to sulphur and selenium, occasionally found native as a substance of a silver-white metallic luster, but usually combined with metals, as with gold and silver in the mineral sylvanite, with mercury in Coloradoite, etc. Symbol Te. Atomic weight 125.2.

Tellurize (v. t.) To impregnate with, or to subject to the action of, tellurium; -- chiefly used adjectively in the past participle; as, tellurized ores.

Testudo (n.) A kind of musical instrument. a species of lyre; -- so called in allusion to the lyre of Mercury, fabled to have been made of the shell of a tortoise.

Tammuz (n.) The fourth month of the Jewish ecclesiastical year, -- supposed to correspond nearly with our month of July.

Through (prep.) Among or in the midst of; -- used to denote passage; as, a fish swims through the water; the light glimmers through a thicket.

Tilbury (n.) A kind of gig or two-wheeled carriage, without a top or cover.

Tongue (n.) Speech; words or declarations only; -- opposed to thoughts or actions.

Tonguester (n.) One who uses his tongue; a talker; a story-teller; a gossip.

Toreumatography (n.) A description of sculpture such as bas-relief in metal.

Toreumatology (n.) The art or the description of scupture such as bas-relief in metal; toreumatography.

Torqued (a.) Twisted; bent; -- said of a dolphin haurient, which forms a figure like the letter S.

Tortuous (a.) Oblique; -- applied to the six signs of the zodiac (from Capricorn to Gemini) which ascend most rapidly and obliquely.

Traducement (n.) The act of traducing; misrepresentation; ill-founded censure; defamation; calumny.

Traducianism (n.) The doctrine that human souls are produced by the act of generation; -- opposed to creationism, and infusionism.

Tricuspidate (a.) Three-pointed; ending in three points; as, a tricuspidate leaf.

Trisulcate (a.) Having three furrows, forks, or prongs; having three grooves or sulci; three-grooved.

Turlupin (n.) One of the precursors of the Reformation; -- a nickname corresponding to Lollard, etc.

Turnus (n.) A common, large, handsome, American swallowtail butterfly, now regarded as one of the forms of Papilio, / Jasoniades, glaucus. The wings are yellow, margined and barred with black, and with an orange-red spot near the posterior angle of the hind wings. Called also tiger swallowtail. See Illust. under Swallowtail.

Uncaused (a.) Having no antecedent cause; uncreated; self-existent; eternal.

Unequaled (a.) Not equaled; unmatched; unparalleled; unrivaled; exceeding; surpassing; -- in a good or bad sense; as, unequaled excellence; unequaled ingratitude or baseness.

Unicursal (a.) That can be passed over in a single course; -- said of a curve when the coordinates of the point on the curve can be expressed as rational algebraic functions of a single parameter /.

Unijugate (a.) Having but one pair of leaflets; -- said of a pinnate leaf.

Unstudied (a.) Not skilled; unversed; -- followed by in.

Vellum (n.) A fine kind of parchment, usually made from calfskin, and rendered clear and white, -- used as for writing upon, and for binding books.

Venous (a.) Contained in the veins, or having the same qualities as if contained in the veins, that is, having a dark bluish color and containing an insufficient amount of oxygen so as no longer to be fit for oxygenating the tissues; -- said of the blood, and opposed to arterial.

Versus (prep.) Against; as, John Doe versus Richard Roe; -- chiefly used in legal language, and abbreviated to v. or vs.

Vettura (n.) An Italian four-wheeled carriage, esp. one let for hire; a hackney coach.

Victual (n.) Food; -- now used chiefly in the plural. See Victuals.

Vinculum (n.) A straight, horizontal mark placed over two or more members of a compound quantity, which are to be subjected to the same operation, as in the expression x2 + y2 - x + y.

Virgularian (n.) Any one of numerous species of long, slender Alcyonaria belonging to Virgularia and allied genera of the family Virgularidae. These corals are allied to the sea-pens, but have a long rodlike rhachis inclosing a slender, round or square, calcareous axis. The polyps are arranged in transverse rows or clusters along each side of the rhachis.

Virtuous (a.) Chaste; pure; -- applied especially to women.

Zamouse (n.) A West African buffalo (Bubalus brachyceros) having short horns depressed at the base, and large ears fringed internally with three rows of long hairs. It is destitute of a dewlap. Called also short-horned buffalo, and bush cow.

About the author

Mark McCracken Author: Mark McCracken is a corporate trainer and author living in Higashi Osaka, Japan. He is the author of thousands of online articles as well as the Business English textbook, "25 Business Skills in English".

Copyright © 2011 Mark McCracken , All Rights Reserved.