Meanings

See also Definitions, Adjectives, Prefixes and Suffixes.

Forms of Government

Note that the suffix "–ocracy" actually means "power", while "–archy" means "rulership".

Autocracy		Government by one individual
Gerontocracy		Government by the aged
Heterarchy		Government by a foreign power
Hierarchy		Government by a high priest
Ideocracy		Self–rule
Kakistocracy		Government by the worst, least qualified, and/or least scrupulous elements of society
Meritocracy		Government based on ability and talent, rather than on class, privilege or wealth
Ochlocracy		Government by the mob
Oligarchy		Government by the few (particularly when power is vested in a dominant class or clique)
Plutocracy		Government by the wealthy
Stratocracy		Government by the military
Theocracy		Government by priests in the name of God

Other

Q: What is (a/an)		A:
Ablution		Washing (used especially in a religious context)
Acolyte		Lowly servant or attendant (originally a church official)
Aglet		The metal or plastic sheath on the end of a shoelace, to stop it fraying
Alb		Long white tight–sleeved vestment, worn by a priest
Amanuensis		One who writes to dictation (or copies written documents)
Ambisinistrous		Equally clumsy with both hands (opposite of ambidextrous)
Anchorite		Hermit (from the Greek meaning to withdraw)
Aphonia		Loss of voice
Aquaculture		Farming of aquatic organisms (fish, crustaceans, molluscs, aquatic plants)
Arbalest		Mediaeval crossbow
Arras		Tapestry (hanging from a wall – named after the city in Picardy, Northern France)
Atavism		Reversion to ancestral type
Aureate		Golden or gilded
Autonym		Real name (not a pseudonym)
Ayah		Native Hindu nurse, or nanny, for European children
Baldric(k)		Belt or shoulder sash, worn by a warrior (or a Morris dancer!)
Barouche		Horse–drawn carriage (four wheels, two seats plus one for the driver)
Basinet or basnet		Helmet (sometimes with a visor)
Bassinet		Cradle (of wicker–work)
Bastinado		Caning the soles of someone's feet, as punishment
Benefice		Church living held by vicar or rector
Besom		Broom (made from a bunch of twigs)
Biretta		Priest’s hat
Bombast		Raw cotton used as stuffing
Breviary		Book of prayers, hymns, psalms etc. – condensed for daily use
Brougham		Horse–drawn carriage
Burlap		Coarse fabric ( hemp)
Cadaver		Corpse
Canula		Tube
Carboy		Large globular coloured glass jar, enclosed in basket–work
Carrack		Merchant ship sailed in the Mediterranean in the 15th and 16th centuries
Cartography		Map–making
Cartomancy		Telling fortunes with cards
Catachresis		Misuse of a word (e.g. ‘flaunt’ for ‘flout’)
Cenotaph (literally)		Empty tomb
Centesimal		One hundredth (of something)
Chambray		Fabric
Charnel House		Place for storing corpses (or bones)
Chiromancy		Palmistry (telling fortunes from people's palms)
Clepsydra		Water clock (uses the rate of flow of liquid through an aperture)
Consanguinity		Blood relationship
Crapulence		Excessive consumption (of food or alcohol)
Creel		Wicker–work basket (worn on the back or suspended from the shoulder, used especially by anglers for carrying fish)
Cruciverbalist		Someone who is interested in (setting or solving) crossword puzzles
Cuneiform		Wedge–shaped
Cutpurse		Pickpocket
Dactylogram		Fingerprint
Dandy–horse		Early type of bicycle (driven by kicking the ground)
Destrier		Horse (knight’s charger)
Digamy		(Legal) second marriage
Dottle		The wet and sour–smelling mass of unburned tobacco found at the bottom of a tobacco pipe
Dragée (dra–JAY)		Small edible cake decoration (e.g. sugared almonds, silver balls)
Drakkar		Viking longship
Drupe		A type of fruit (e.g. a peach, plum or cherry) – also known as a stone fruit
Dysphonia		Disturbance of normal vocal function; difficulty in speaking
Eagre or eager		Tidal bore (as on the Severn or Nile)
Encomium		Hymn of praise (eulogy)
Ephemeral		Lasting for only one day
Epidiascope		Overhead projector (strictly speaking, a predecessor to the 'modern' instrument)
Eructation		Belch (or burp)
Felucca		Small fishing vessel, used on the Nile
Feretory: contains		Relics of saints
Fipple		Plug in mouth of wind instruments
Fumitory		Fast–growing wild plant
Funambulist		Tightrope walker
Gallivat		Small armed vessel, used on the coast of Malabar (India)
Gamin		Street urchin; a precocious or mischievous child
Ger		Portable dwelling (tent) used by nomads in the steppes of central Asia (cf. Yurt)
Gospel		Good news (from the Greek, via Old English)
Grimalkin		(Old English word for a) (she) cat
Guipure		Lace
Ha–ha		Sunken fence
Haruspicy: telling fortunes by		Animal entrails
Hassock		Stuffed stool for kneeling on (or a tuft or tussock of grass, etc.)
Hebdomad		A group of seven, including seven days – a week
Howdah		Seat on an elephant
Hummum		Turkish bath
Hydroponics		Growing plants without soil (usually in water, using mineral solutes)
Imbroglio		Confused, tangled affair – an embroilment
Incumbent		Clergyman in receipt of a benefice
Karateka		Someone who practices karate
Kilim		Oriental rug
Killick		Small anchor
Knout		Whip (made of knotted rope)
Lapidation		Stoning to death
Leman		Mistress, lover (archaic, poetical)
Libation		Drink (originally a liquid offering to the Gods)
Lorgnette		Spectacles (with a handle)
Loupe		Magnifying lens (as used by jewellers etc.)
Lycanthrope		Werewolf
Mahout		Elephant driver or handler
Mandoline		Tool for slicing food (e.g. vegetables, eggs)
Mangonel		Mediaeval siege catapult
Martingale		Part of a horse’s harness
Mastication		Chewing
Mattamore		Subterranean dwelling or storehouse
Merkin		Pubic wig
Metempsychosis		Reincarnation
Miniver		White fur (ermine)
Misogamy		Fear or dislike of marriage
Mop (West Country)		(Hiring) fair
Motley (used as a noun)		Multicoloured cloth; hence a jester’s costume, or jester
Nacre		Mother of pearl
Natation (natatorium)		Swimming (pool)
Necropolis		Cemetery
Nephogram: photograph of a		Cloud
Nictation		Winking
Numnah		Saddle–cloth pad
Obideau		Sluice gate
Odalisk		Female slave or concubine
Orogenesis: formation of		Mountains
Orrery		Mechanical model of the Solar System
Osculation		Kissing (also, in geometry, something to do with curves touching circles)
Ossification: formation of		Bones
Paean		Hymn of praise or thanksgiving
Palanquin		Enclosed chair carried on the shoulders of two men
Palfrey		Horse (with a smooth gait instead of a trot – often ridden by a woman)
Palliasse		Straw mattress
Parsimony		Meanness
Pedagogue		Teacher
Pelerine		Shoulder cape with elongated sides
Pelotherapy		Therapeutic use of mud
Peruke		Wig (from the French perruque)
Phaeton		Open four–wheeled carriage, drawn by one or two horses
Philtre		Love potion
Poltergeist (literally)		Noisy spirit
Polyandry		Having more than one husband
Polyglot		Speaks more than one language
Polygraph		Lie detector
Polygyny (poly–GUY–nee)		Having more than one wife
Poniard		A long, lightweight thrusting knife or dagger
Portmanteau		Trunk or suitcase
Postern		Gateway (especially a sealed one)
Postilion		One who rides a post horse or one of the horses pulling a carriage
Prairie schooner		Covered wagon
Promnesia		Deja vu
Propinquity		Proximity, nearness
Proselyte		Religious convert (especially to Judaism)
Psalter		Book of psalms
Pug or pugmark (of an animal)		Footprint
Ramekin		Small, glazed ceramic dish used for serving (individual portions of) food
Recabite		Tee–totaller (after Recab in the Bible)
Redd (Scottish)		Spawning ground (in a river) or the spawn itself
Reflexology		Treatment of ills by manipulating the soles of the feet
Reliquary		Place where religious relics are kept
Reticule		Lady’s handbag
Rhabdomancy		Water divining
Rugosity		Wrinkle
Sabra		Jew born in Israel (from the Hebrew for a prickly pear)
Samovar		Tea urn
Saraband		Dance (slow, stately Spanish)
Scuttlebut (to a sailor)		Drinking vessel
Shawm		Musical instrument
Silviculturalist		Tree specialist
Sommelier		Butler or wine waiter (from the French)
Somnambulism		Sleepwalking
Somniloquy		Sleeptalking
Spurtle (Scots)		Stick (or spoon) used to stir porage; or a sword
Stich		Line of poetry
Stoup: another word for a		Baptismal font
Surtout (19th century – sur–too)		Overcoat or frock coat
Susurration		Whispering or murmuring
Symposium (originally – Greek)		Drinking party
Tachycardia		Rapid pulse rate or heartbeat
Tachygraphy		Shorthand
Tachypnoeia		Rapid breathing
Tandoor		Clay oven
Tanka		Japanese poem (five lines)
Tarpan		Horse
Tasseography		Telling fortunes from tea leaves, coffee grounds or wine sediment (etc.)
Termagant		Boisterous bully (especially a woman)
Thurible		Incense burner
Thurifer		Someone that swings a thurible
Tintinnabulation		The sound of bells ringing
Toposcope		A graphic tablet at a viewpoint (typically on top of a hill or mountain), showing the direction and distance to notable locations
Toque		Close–fitting cap
Toque blanche		Chef's hat
Toxophily, toxophilite		Archery, archer
Treen		Wooden artefact(s)
Triskelion		Three–legged symbol (e.g. Isle of Man, Sicily)
Troglodyte		Cave dweller
Turophile		A lover of cheese
Tyg		Two–handled drinking cup
Ululate		To howl or wail with grief
Utopia (literally)		No place (nowhere)
Uxoricide		Murder of one’s wife
Valetudinarian		An invalid, or a hypochondriac
Vaticinisation		Prophecy (power of)
Ventriloquism (literally)		Speaking from the stomach
Wicca		Pagan religion or witchcraft
Xebec		Sailing ship (used on the Mediterranean)
Yacuza		Japanese gangster (or organised crime gang)
Yurt		Turkish name for the Mongolian ger
Zamarra		Spanish sheepskin jacket
Zuona		Turkish bagpipe

© Haydn Thompson 2017–23