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plain
plain simple, uncomplicated.plain as a pikestaff very plain. The phrase was originally (in the mid 16th century) plain as a packstaff, a packstaff being the staff on which a pedlar supported his wares while resting.plain living and high thinking denoting a frugal and philosophic lifestyle; the orig...
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Jahve
Jahve Jahveh, or Jahweh , modern reconstructions of the ancient Hebrew name of God ( Yahweh ), which is traditionally not pronounced.
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Magellanic Clouds
Magellanic Clouds , two dwarf galaxies located in the far southern sky and visible to the unaided eye; they are classified as irregular because they show no definite symmetry or nucleus. The larger of the two, known as the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), is located mostly in the constellation Dorado; ...
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J
J 10th letter of the alphabet , a Western European medieval development of I, with which it was formerly quite interchangeable in writing. It is pronounced as a consonant in English and often as a y in other languages, as in the Hebrew hallelujah.
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Shibboleth
Shibboleth , in the Bible, test word that the Gileadites made the Ephraimites pronounce. As Ephraimites could not say sh but only s as in "Sibboleth," this was regarded as a test of an Ephraimite; 42,000 Ephraimites were thus detected.
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I
I 9th letter of the alphabet . This vowel can be pronounced with a short vowel sound, as the Ĭ in sit, or with a long vowel sound, like the ī in ride. The Greek correspondent is iota. J is a formal development from I. English is pronounced as a diphthong of ä and y. In c...
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seasonal affective disorder
seasonal affective disorder (SAD), recurrent fall or winter depression characterized by excessive sleeping, social withdrawal, depression, overeating, and pronounced weight gain. SAD effects an estimated 6% of Americans; for reasons not yet understood, 80% of those affected are women. Most children...
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moonstone
moonstone an orthoclase feldspar , found in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Madagascar (and formerly in the St. Gotthard district of Switzerland). In spite of its pronounced cleavage, it is widely used as a gem . The refraction of light by its thin, paired internal layers causes its milky, bluish sheen. ...
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pun
pun use of words, usually humorous, based on (a) the several meanings of one word, (b) a similarity of meaning between words that are pronounced the same, or (c) the difference in meanings between two words pronounced the same and spelled somewhat similarly, e.g., Thomas Hood's "They went and tol...
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boat
boat small, open nautical vessel propelled by sail, oar, pole, paddle, or motor. The use of the term boat for larger vessels, although common, is somewhat improper, but the line between boats and ships is not easy to draw. A number of special types of boat are generally referred to by their indiv...
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