declination

declination (n)

1. At a given point, the angle between magnetic north and true north.

2. At a given point, the angle between the line connecting this point with the geographical center of the earth and the equatorial plane.

3. A refusal.

4. (archaic) Declension.

deixis

deixis (n)

1. (linguistics) A reference within a sentence that relies on the context being known to interpret correctly.

definiend

definiendum (n)

1. A word or phrase defined in a definition.

demesne

demesne (n)

1. A lord’s chief manor place, with that part of the lands belonging thereto which has not been granted out in tenancy; a house, and the land adjoining, kept for the proprietor’s own use.

charabanc

charabanc (n)

1. A horse-drawn, and then later, motorized omnibus with open sides, and often, no roof.

ceilidh

ceilidh (n)

1. An Irish or Scottish informal social gathering where traditional folk music is played, with dancing and story telling.

caesura

caesura (n)

1. A pause or interruption in a poem, music, building or other work of art.

2. In Classical prosody, using two words to divide a metrical foot.

bedlamite

bedlamite (n)

1. (obsolete) A lunatic.

berdache

berdache (n)

1. (Anthropology) Among North American Indians, a transvestite or transgendered person.

beignet

beignet (n)

1. A type of fried donut or fritter covered in powdered sugar.

Baritsu

Bartitsu (n)

1. A form of martial arts based on jujitsu and also incorporating elements of boxing, savate, and stick fighting, popularized by E.W. Barton-Wright in late-Victorian London.

barbule

barbule (n)

1. Any of the secondary barbs that form a fringe of small projections on a feather.

ballotade

ballotade (n)

1. (dressage) A leap of a horse, as between two pillars, or on a straight line, so that when his four feet are in the air, he shows only the shoes of his hind feet, without jerking out.

bactericidin

bactericidin (n)

1. Any antibody that, together with a complement, can kill bacteria.

polaxe

poleaxe (n)

1. An ax having both a blade and a hammer face; used to slaughter cattle.

2. A long-handled battle-ax, being a combination of ax, hammer and pike.

poleaxe (vt)

1. To fell someone with, or as if with, a poleaxe.

balustrade

balustrade (n)

1. A row of balusters topped by a rail, serving as an open parapet, as along the edge of a balcony, terrace, bridge, staircase, or the eaves of a building.

bandolier

bandolier (n)

1. A pocketed belt for holding ammunition, worn over the shoulder.

bairn

bairn (n)

1. (Northern English dialect, Geordie) A child or baby.

infanta

infanta (n)

1. The daughter of a king in Spain and Portugal.

insuperable

insuperable (adj)

1. Impossible to achieve or overcome or be negotiated.

2. Overwhelming or insurmountable.

indomitable

indomitable (adj)

1. Impossible to subdue or overcome or vanquish.

inanition

inanition (n)

1. Emptiness.

warren

warren (n)

1. The system of burrows where rabbits live.

2. A mazelike place of dark alleys etc in which it's easy to lose oneself; especially one that may be overcrowded.

leet

leet (adj)

1. Of or related to leetspeak.

2. Possessing outstanding skill in a field; expert, masterful.

3. Having superior social rank over others; upper class, elite.

4. Awesome, typically to describe a feat of skill; cool, sweet.

leet (n)

1. (Scottish) A portion or list, especially a list of candidates for an office.

2. (British obsolete) a regular court in which the certain lords had jurisdiction over local disputes, or the physical area of this jurisdiction.

3. (zoology) The European pollock.

4. (Internet slang) Abbreviation of leetspeak.

leet (vt)

1. (obsolete) Imperfect of let (to allow).

lavolta

lavolta (n)

1. An ancient dance of the Renaissance which incorporated many challenging twists and skips.