Index of Word Meanings
1.
hearken
/ˈhɑːk(ə)n/
verb
past tense: hearkened; past participle: hearkened
ARCHAIC
listen.
"he refused to hearken to Tom's words of wisdom"
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2.
coda
/ˈkəʊdə/
noun MUSIC
noun: coda; plural noun: codas
the concluding passage of a piece or movement, typically forming an addition to the basic structure.
"the first movement ends with a fortissimo coda"
# the concluding section of a dance, especially of a pas de deux or the finale of a ballet in which the dancers parade before the audience.
# a concluding event, remark, or section.
"his new novel is a kind of coda to his previous books"
Origin
mid 18th century: Italian, from Latin cauda ‘tail’.
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3.
expediency
/ɪkˈspiːdɪənsi,ɛkˈspiːdɪənsi/
noun
noun: expediency; plural noun: expediencies
the quality of being convenient and practical despite possibly being improper or immoral; convenience.
"an act of political expediency"
Similar:
convenience
advantage
advantageousness
usefulness
utility
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4.
troupe
/truːp/
noun
noun: troupe; plural noun: troupes
a group of dancers, actors, or other entertainers who tour to different venues.
"a dance troupe"
h
Similar:
group
company
band
ensemble
set
cast
Origin
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5.
primordial
/prʌɪˈmɔːdɪəl/
adjective
adjective: primordial
existing at or from the beginning of time; primeval.
"the primordial oceans"
Similar:
ancient
earliest
first
prehistoric
antediluvian
antique
primeval
primitive
primal
autochthonous
autochthonic
primigenial
Opposite:
modern
(especially of a feeling or state) basic and fundamental.
"the primordial needs of the masses"
h
Similar:
instinctive
primitive
basic
primal
primeval
intuitive
intuitional
involuntary
inborn
innate
inherent
inbred
natural
congenital
hereditary
inherited
in the blood
ingrained
Biology
(of a cell, part, or tissue) in the earliest stage of development.
"primordial germ cells"
Origin
late Middle English: from late Latin primordialis ‘first of all’, from primordius ‘original’ (see primordium).
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6.
stave
/steɪv/
See definitions in:
all
building
carpentry
weapons
music
prosody
noun
noun: stave; plural noun: staves; noun: staff; plural noun: staffs
1.
a vertical wooden post or plank in a building or other structure.
any of the lengths of wood fixed side by side to make a barrel, bucket, or other container.
a strong wooden stick or iron pole used as a weapon.
2.
British•Music
a set of five parallel lines on any one or between any adjacent two of which a note is written to indicate its pitch.
3.
a verse or stanza of a poem.
Phrases
stave in
break something by forcing it inwards or piercing it roughly. "the door was staved in"
stave off
avert or delay something bad or dangerous. "a reassuring presence can stave off a panic attack"
Origin
Middle English: back-formation from staves, archaic plural of staff1. Current senses of the verb date from the early 17th century.
stave in
phrasal verb of stave
verb: stave
break something by forcing it inwards or piercing it roughly.
"the door was staved in"
Similar:
break in
smash in
put a hole in
push in
kick in
cave in
splinter
shiver
fracture
stave off
phrasal verb of stave
verb: stave
avert or delay something bad or dangerous.
"a reassuring presence can stave off a panic attack"
Similar:
avert
prevent
avoid
preclude
rule out
counter
forestall
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7.
beaver 1
/ˈbiːvə/
See definitions in:
all
mammal
clothing
textiles
scouting
military history
noun
plural noun: beavers; plural noun: Beavers
1.
a large semiaquatic broad-tailed rodent native to North America and northern Eurasia. It is noted for its habit of gnawing through trees to fell them in order to make dams.
the soft light brown fur of the beaver.
"long coats trimmed with light beaver"
historical
a hat made of felted beaver fur.
noun: beaver hat; plural noun: beaver hats
a heavy woollen cloth resembling felted beaver fur.
noun: beaver cloth; plural noun: beaver cloths
a very hard-working person.
"Hopkins was a regular beaver where gardening was concerned"
2.
a boy aged about 6 or 7 who is an affiliated member of the Scout Association.
verbinformal
3rd person present: beavers
work hard.
"Bridget beavered away to keep things running smoothly"
Origin
Old English beofor, befor, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch bever and German Biber, from an Indo-European root meaning ‘brown’.
...
beaver 2
/ˈbiːvə/
noun
plural noun: beavers
the lower part of the face guard of a helmet in a suit of armour. The term is also used to refer to the upper part or visor, or to a single movable guard.
Origin
late 15th century: from Old French baviere ‘bib’, from baver ‘slaver’.
...
beaver 3
/ˈbiːvə/
noun
plural noun: beavers
1.
vulgar slang•North American
a woman's genitals or pubic area.
2.
dated•informal
a bearded man.
Origin
early 20th century: of unknown origin.
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8.
prosaic
/prə(ʊ)ˈzeɪɪk/
adjective
adjective: prosaic
having or using the style or diction of prose as opposed to poetry; lacking imaginativeness or originality.
"prosaic language can't convey the experience"
Similar:
unimaginative
uninspired
matter-of-fact
dull
dry
humdrum
mundane
pedestrian
heavy
plodding
lifeless
dead
spiritless
lacklustre
undistinguished
stale
jejune
bland
insipid
vapid
vacuous
banal
hackneyed
trite
literal
factual
unpoetic
unemotional
unsentimental
clear
plain
unadorned
unembellished
unvarnished
monotonous
deadpan
flat
Opposite:
imaginative
inspired
commonplace; unromantic.
"the masses were too preoccupied by prosaic day-to-day concerns"
h
Similar:
ordinary
everyday
usual
common
conventional
straightforward
routine
humdrum
commonplace
run-of-the-mill
workaday
businesslike
pedestrian
tame
mundane
dull
dreary
tedious
boring
ho-hum
uninspiring
monotonous
h
Opposite:
interesting
Origin
late 16th century (as a noun denoting a prose writer): from late Latin prosaicus, from Latin prosa ‘straightforward (discourse)’ (see prose). Current senses of the adjective date from the mid 18th century.
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9.
licentious
/lʌɪˈsɛnʃəs/
adjective
adjective: licentious
1.
promiscuous and unprincipled in sexual matters.
"the ruler's tyrannical and licentious behaviour"
Similar:
dissolute
dissipated
debauched
degenerate
salacious
immoral
wanton
decadent
depraved
profligate
impure
sinful
wicked
corrupt
indecent
libertine
lustful
lecherous
lascivious
libidinous
prurient
lubricious
lewd
promiscuous
unchaste
carnal
fleshly
intemperate
abandoned
ribald
risqué
smutty
dirty
filthy
coarse
perverted
horny
raunchy
naughty
pervy
randy
concupiscent
lickerish
Opposite:
moral
virtuous
2.
archaic
disregarding accepted conventions, especially in grammar or literary style.
Origin
late Middle English: from Latin licentiosus, from licentia ‘freedom’.
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10.
begrudge
/bɪˈɡrʌdʒ/
verb
gerund or present participle: begrudging
1.
envy (someone) the possession or enjoyment of (something).
"she begrudged Martin his affluence"
Similar:
envy
grudge
resent
be jealous of
be envious of
be resentful of
2.
give reluctantly or resentfully.
"nobody begrudges a single penny spent on health"
Similar:
resent
feel aggrieved about
feel bitter about
be annoyed about
be angry about
be displeased about
be resentful of
grudge
mind
object to
take exception to
regret
give unwillingly
give reluctantly
give resentfully
give stintingly
be dissatisfied with
Translate begrudging to
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11.
vexed
/ˈvɛkst/
adjective
adjective: vexed
1.
(of a problem or issue) difficult and much debated; problematic.
"the vexed question of how much money the government is going to spend"
Similar:
disputed
in dispute
contested
in contention
contentious
debated
debatable
open to debate
open to question
questionable
at issue
open to doubt
controversial
moot
unresolved
unsettled
up in the air
undecided
yet to be decided
undetermined
unconcluded
ongoing
problematic
problematical
taxing
knotty
thorny
ticklish
delicate
sticky
dicey
hairy
iffy
dodgy
Opposite:
undisputed
resolved
2.
annoyed, frustrated, or worried.
"I'm very vexed with you!"
Similar:
annoyed
irritated
angry
irate
furious
incensed
inflamed
enraged
infuriated
maddened
fuming
wrathful
choleric
exasperated
piqued
irked
nettled
ill-humoured
hot-tempered
testy
cross
in a bad mood
in a temper
in high dudgeon
huffy
in a huff
put out
fed up
disgruntled
displeased
dissatisfied
frustrated
resentful
upset
perturbed
fretted
bothered
troubled
worried
agitated
harassed
harried
flustered
distressed
aggravated
peeved
miffed
miffy
mad
riled
hacked off
peed off
hot under the collar
foaming at the mouth
browned off
cheesed off
brassed off
not best pleased
narked
eggy
teed off
ticked off
sore
steamed
vex
ireful
snuffy
wrath
vulgar slang
pissed off
pissed
Opposite:
calm
content
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12.
vex
/vɛks/
verb
past tense: vexed; past participle: vexed
make (someone) feel annoyed, frustrated, or worried, especially with trivial matters.
"the memory of the conversation still vexed him"
Similar:
annoy
irritate
infuriate
anger
incense
inflame
enrage
irk
chagrin
exasperate
madden
pique
provoke
nettle
disturb
upset
perturb
discompose
put out
try
try someone's patience
get on someone's nerves
bother
trouble
worry
agitate
harass
harry
fuss
fluster
ruffle
hound
rankle with
nag
torment
pain
distress
tease
frustrate
chafe
grate
fret
gall
outrage
displease
offend
disgust
dissatisfy
disquiet
rub up the wrong way
mither
peeve
aggravate
miff
bug
bite
eat
hassle
rile
get to
hack off
make someone's blood boil
make someone see red
get someone's goat
get someone's hackles up
make someone's hackles rise
get someone's back up
get someone's dander up
drive up the wall
drive bananas
needle
be a pain in the neck
ruffle someone's feathers
get in someone's hair
get under someone's skin
give someone a hard time
nark
get on someone's wick
give someone the hump
wind up
get across
get up someone's nose
tick off
ride
rankle
gravel
bum out
vulgar slang
piss off
get on someone's tits
Opposite:
mollify
appease
West Indian
be annoyed, irritated, or unhappy.
"I wouldn't vex; it will be just great if whoever borrow the pump, just bring it back"
archaic
cause distress to.
"thou shalt not vex a stranger"
Origin
late Middle English: from Old French vexer, from Latin vexare ‘shake, disturb’.
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