noun
sarcasm
Mocking language used to insult, criticize, or express contempt.
Meaning and history →Lexifour library
Words
Meanings, origins and the stories behind words. Browse by first letter or search for the start of a word.
noun
seizure
A sudden medical attack, or the act of taking possession by force or authority.
Meaning and history →verb
shrink
wither, as with a loss of moisture
Meaning and history →adjective
sinister
Threatening or suggesting evil or tragic events to come
Meaning and history →noun
skeleton
The framework of bones supporting a body, or the bare framework of something.
Meaning and history →noun
sketch
A quick or unfinished drawing or brief descriptive account.
Meaning and history →noun
slapstick
Boisterous comedy built around chases, collisions, and practical jokes
Meaning and history →adjective
splendid
Exceptionally beautiful and impressive
Meaning and history →verb
sponge
wipe with a sponge, so as to clean or moisten
Meaning and history →noun
stigma
A strong social mark of shame or disapproval.
Meaning and history →noun
strand
To leave someone stuck or helpless; as a noun, a shore or a single length of material.
Meaning and history →verb
subscribe
To arrange to receive or pay for something regularly, or formally express support for an idea.
Meaning and history →verb
swallow
To make food or liquid pass down the throat; separately, a swift-flying bird.
Meaning and history →adjective
sympathetic
Showing understanding or compassion; also responding in harmony with something else.
Meaning and history →adjective
synthetic
Artificially made by combining materials or elements rather than occurring naturally.
Meaning and history →noun
tablet
A small flat slab, a medicinal pill, or a portable touchscreen computer.
Meaning and history →adjective
tedious
So uninteresting as to cause mental weariness
Meaning and history →verb
temper
A person’s state of mind or anger; as a verb, to moderate or strengthen by controlled treatment.
Meaning and history →noun
temptation
A strong desire to do or have something, especially something unwise or forbidden.
Meaning and history →noun
texture
The way a surface or material feels or appears to feel.
Meaning and history →noun
threshold
A doorway sill, or the point at which an effect or response begins.
Meaning and history →verb
thrill
A sudden feeling of excitement, pleasure, or fear.
Meaning and history →noun
timber
the wood of trees cut and prepared for use as building material
Meaning and history →verb
translate
To express words in another language or transfer something into another form.
Meaning and history →noun
treason
The crime of betraying one’s country or government, especially by helping an enemy.
Meaning and history →noun
trillion
The number 1,000,000,000,000 in modern English short-scale usage.
Meaning and history →noun
turnover
The act of upsetting something so that it falls or flips
Meaning and history →noun
umbrella
A folding canopy carried for protection from rain or sun.
Meaning and history →verb
undertake
Begin an activity or enterprise
Meaning and history →noun
vaccine
A preparation that trains the immune system to protect against a disease.
Meaning and history →