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Word List 32 (octant - oilbird)

(2023-07-16 07:21:12) 下一个

- octant n. 1. One eighth of a circle. 2a. A 45 degree arc. b. The area enclosed

  by two radii at a 45 degree angle and the intersected arc.

 

- octave n. 1 Music a. The interval of eight diatonic degrees between two tones

  of the same name, the higher of which has twice as many vibrations per second

  as the lower. b. A tone that is eight diatonic degrees above or below another

  given tone. g. The interval between any two frequencies having a ratio of 2 to

  1. 3. A group of series of eight.

 

- octet n. 2. A group of eight: "A train of heavy wagons rumbled north on the

  Winnipeg trail, drawn by octets of oxen" (GK).

 

- octogenarian adj. Being between 80 and 90 years of age. n.

 

- octopod n. Any of various cephalopod mollusks of the order Octopoda, such as

  an octopus, having eight tentacles.

 

- octoroon n. A person whose ancestry is one-eighth Black. (Usage Note:

  The mulatto, quadroon and octoroon originated with the racial policies of

  European colonizers in the Americas, especially the Spanish.)

 

- octuple adj. 1. Consisting of eight parts or members. 2. Eight times as much

  in size, strength, number, or amount. n. An eightfold amount or number. tr. &

  intr.v. To multiply or be multiplied by eight.

 

- ocularist n. A person who is skilled in the design, fabrication, and fitting

  of artificial eyes and in the making of prostheses associated with the

  appearance or function of the eyes.

 

- oculist n. 1. A physician who treats diseases of the eyes; an

  ophthalmologist. 2. An optometrist.

 

- oculogyric crisis n. A spasmodic movement of the eyeballs into a fixed

  position, usually upward, that persists for several minutes or hours.

 

- oculus n. Architecture An eyelike opening or ornament, especially: a round

  window. b. A circular opening at the apex of a dome.

 

- OD Slang n. 1a An overdose of a drug. b. An overdose of a substance or thing.

  2. One who has taken an overdose. intr.v.

 

- odd adj. 2. Being in excess of the indicated or approximate number, extent, or

  degree. Often used in combination: invited 30-odd guests. 3a. Constituting a

  remainder: had some odd dollars left over. b. Small in amount: jingled the odd

  change in my pockets. 4a. Being one of an incomplete pair or set: an odd shoe.

  b. Remaining after others have been paired or grouped.

 

- oddball n. Informal A person regarded as eccentric.

 

- Odd Fellow n. A member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, a fraternal

  and benevolent secret society.

 

- odd man out n. One who, because of strangeness of behavior or belief, stands

  alone in or out from from a group.

 

- odds pl.n. 1. A certain number of points given beforehand to a weaker side in

  a contest to equalize the chances of all participants. 2a. The ratio of the

  probability of an event's occurring to the probability of its not occurring. b.

  The likelihood of the occurrence of one thing rather than the occurrence of

  another thing, as in a contest: The odds are that she will get the nomination

  on the first ballot. 4. An amount or a degree by which one thing exceeds or

  falls short of another: won the contest by considerable odds.

 

- odds and ends pl.n. Miscellaneous items, remnants, or pieces.

 

- odds-on adj. Informal More likely than others to win; having a good chance of

  success: "I was the odds-on favorite to become the next president of the Ford

  Motor Company" (Lee Iacocca).

 

- odium n. 1. The state or quality of being odious. 2. Strong dislike, contempt,

  or aversion. 3. A state of disgrace resulting from hateful or detestable

  conduct.

 

- odontalgia n. A toothache.

 

- odontoid process n. A small, toothlike, upward projection from the second

  vertebra of the neck around which the first vertebra rotates.

 

- oenology n. Variant of enology.

 

- oeuvre n. 1. A work of art. 2. The sum of the lifework of an artist, writer,

  or composer.

 

- of prep. 17. Before; until: five minutes of two.

  [Usage Note: double genitive construction.]

 

- off adj. 1a. Distant or removed; farther: the off side of the barn. b. Remote;

  slim: stopped by on the off chance that they're home. 5. Slack: Production was

  off this year. 6a. Not up to standard; below a normal or satisfactory level:

  Your pitching is off today. b. Not accurate; incorrect: Your statistical

  results are off. c. Somewhat crazy; eccentric: I think that person is a little

  off. 7. Started on the way; going: I'm off to see the president. 9a. Being on

  the right side of an animal or vehicle. (See also nigh) b. Being the animal or

  vehicle on the right. prep. 3a. By consuming: living off locusts and honey. b.

  With the means provided by: living off my pension. c. Informal From: "What

  else do you want off me?" 6. So as to abstain from :went off narcotics. 7.

  Nautical To seaward of: a mile off Sandy Hook. -intr. To go away; leave: Off

  or I'll call the police. -tr. Slang To murder.

 

  [Usage Note: The compound preposition 'off of' is generally regarded as

  informal: "He stepped off (not off of) the platform." Off is informal as well

  when used to indicate a source: formal style requires "I borrow it from (not

  off) my brother."

 

- offal n. 1. Waste parts, especially of a butchered animal. 2. Refuse; rubbish.

 

- offbeat n. Music An unaccented beat in a measure. adj. Slang Not conforming to

  an ordinary type or pattern; unconventional: offbeat humor.

 

- off-brand adj. Of or being a product sold inexpensively under a relative

  unfamiliar brand name and often considered inferior to better known brands.

 

- off-color adj. 1. Exhibiting bad taste: an off-color joke. 2. Varying from the

  usual, expected, or required color. 3. Not in good health or spirits.

 

- off-hand adv. Without preparation or forethoughts; extemporaneously. adj. also

  offhanded.

 

- off-hour n. A period of time during which motor vehicular and pedestrian

  traffic is light.

 

- officialese n. Language characteristic of official documents or statements,

  especially when obscure, pretentiously wordy, or excessively formal.

 

- officialism n. Rigid adherence to official regulations, forms, and procedures.

 

- officiant n. One who performs a religious rite or presides over a religious

  service or ceremony.

 

- officinal adj. 1. Readily available in pharmacies; not requiring special

  preparation. 2. Recognized by a pharmacopoeia: an officinal herb. n. An

  officinal drug.

 

- offing n. The part of the sea visible from shore that is very distant or

  beyond anchoring ground. -idiom: in the offing.

 

- offish adj. Inclined to be distant and reserved; aloof.

 

- off-label adj. Of or relating to a drug prescribed to treat a condition for

  which it has not been approved by the FDA.

 

- off-license n. Chiefly British A store that sells bottles or cans of alcoholic

  beverages for consumption off the premises.

 

- off-limits adj. Not to be entered or frequented by a designated group: a bar

  that is off-limits to military personnel.

 

- off rhyme n. A partial or imperfect rhyme, often using assonance or consonance

  only, as in 'dry' and 'died' or 'grown' and 'moon.' Also called half rhyme,

  near rhyme, oblique rhyme, slant rhyme.

 

- offscouring n. 1. Something that is scoured off or disposed of; refuse. Often

  used in the plural. 2. A person regarded as fallen from society; an outcast.

  Often used in the plural.

 

- offside adv. & adj. 1. Sports Illegally ahead of the ball or puck in the

  attacking zone. n.

 

- off-the-cuff adj. Not prepared in advance; impromptu: an off-the-cuff remark.

 

- off-the-rack adj. Of, relating to, or being merchandise, especially clothing,

  made in standard sizes; ready-made.

 

- off-the-wall adj. Informal 1. Very unconventional or unusual: manic,

  off-the-wall creativity; off-the-wall humor. 2. Exhibiting bizarre behavior;

  crazy: their off-the-wall friends.

 

- off-track betting n. Abbr. OTB A system of placing bets away from a racetrack.

 

- off-white n. A grayish or yellowish white. adj.

 

- off year n. 1. A year in which no major political elections occur. 2. A year

  of reduced activity or production: an off year for soybean crops.

 

- oft adv. Often. Often used in combination: his oft-expressed philosophy;

  oft-repeated tales.

 

- oil -idiom: oil (someone's) hand (or palm) Informal 1. To bribe: an attorney

  who tried to oil the judge's hand to obtain a favorable verdict. 2. To give a

  tip to: oil the porter's palm.

 

- oilbird n. See guacharo.

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7grizzly 回复 悄悄话 回复 '暖冬cool夏' 的评论 :
Thank you, 暖冬, for reading and your comments.

Yes. I also enjoyed the words and phrases starting with 'off.' Google confirmed
my guess that 'offside' should translate to 越位 as in soccer.

I like the 9a and 9b entries for 'off' which remind me of its counterpart 'nigh'
and nautical terms such as 'lee,' 'port,' and 'starboard.' It's likely there are
even more ways to say left and right. I don't quite get it :-)

Living in America, I'd like to see an oilbird someday.

Have a wonderful week.
暖冬cool夏 回复 悄悄话 A much better o-list:) And I like the "off-" a lot.
Originally I thought "off-the-rack" is akin to what it means in "Nordstrom Rack". Good to know that it is the opposite of "custom-made".
Just saw the word "oeuvre" again today. Thanks for sharing, my friend!
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