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How to Use This Dictionary
1. The entry word or phrase appears in boldface.
2. Pronunciation appears next in italics in parentheses, with the
stressed syllables in uppercase type. In some cases where the
original pronunciation of the foreign word differs from that of
modern or standard English, both pronunciations are given.
3. The etymology and/or language origin of the words appears
in brackets.
4. The definition follows.
5. Cross-references appearing within or at the end of the entries
are in small capital letters.
Pronunciation Guide
ah
ay
eh
eye
ih
oh
ow
uh
zh
the sound of
the sound of
the sound of
the sound of
the sound of
the sound of
the sound of
the sound of
the sound of
(a) in father.
(a) in day, ace.
(e) in met, edge.
(i) in ice, write.
(i) in it, give.
(o) in go, over.
(o) in cow, now.
(u) in but, up.
(s) in vision, treasure.
Foreign Sounds
au
eu
as in German auf, Latin laude, Spanish gaucho: the sound of
(ou) in out.
as in French deux, German schửn: the sound of (e) in get or
let, pronounced with the lips rounded or pursed.
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2 How to Use This Dictionary
kh
as in German ach or Scottish loch: made by pronouncing a
strong, aspirated (h) with the tongue in position for (k), as
in keel or cool.
ỹ
as in French rue, German ỹber: the sound of (e) in feet, pronounced with the lips rounded or pursed.
nh Indicates the heavy nasalization of a preceding vowel. (The
symbols n and h are not pronounced.) Nasalization means
that more of the sound comes through the nose than
through the mouth. Thus:
anh heavily nasalized sound of the (a) in father, as in French
piquant (pee-KANH) or nuance (nỹ-ANHS).
enh heavily nasalized sound of the (a) in cat, as in French vin
(venh) or point (point).
onh heavily nasalized sound of the (o) in order, as in French tontine (tonh-TEEN) or marron (mah-RONH).
Note: In some words, such as the German verboten (fehr-BOH-tn),
no vowel appears in the unstressed syllable because the (tn) is
closest in sound to the entire syllable. Many languages do not use
stress in the manner of English. In some transliterations of Japanese words that have high and low tones rather than accents, we
have chosen to indicate a syllable that the Japanese pronounce
with a low tone, as if it were a stressed syllable.
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bas a capella
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A
bas (ah BAH) [French] Down with, as in bas le roi: down with
the king. The opposite is vive.
abbatoir (ah-bah-TWAHR) [French] A slaughterhouse.
abbộ (ah-BAY) [French, from Latin] An abbott. In France, a title
given to a priest or member of the clergy.
abogado (ah-boh-GAH-doh) [Spanish] An advocate; an attorney;
a lawyer.
ab origine (ahb oh-RIH-jeh-neh) [Latin] From the beginning. Not
the same as the single word aborigine.
aborigine (ah-boh-RIH-jeh-nee) [Latin] One of the original people
(of a country). The Maoris are the aborigines of New Zealand.
ab ovo (ahb OH-voh) [Latin: from (the) egg] From the very beginning.
abrazo (ah-BRAH-soh) [Spanish] An embrace; a hug.
abri (ah-BREE) [French, from Latin] A shelter; a place of refuge.
absinthe (AB-sinth) [French, from Latin and Greek] A green, bitter, licorice-flavored liqueur distilled from wormwood and other
aromatics; like ouzo, it turns milky white when water is added.
Because of its extremely high alcohol content (70 percent to 80
percent) and toxicity, it has been banned in most countries.
a capella (ah kah-PEL-ah) [Italian: in chapel] A musical term describing choral music that has no instrumental accompaniment.
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accablộ (ah-kah-BLAY) [French] Overwhelmed; physically or mentally overcome by fatigue or sorrow; crushed.
accolade (ah-koh-LAID) [French: around the neck] Originally, the
embrace around the neck by which the king bestowed knighthood, later the touch of a sword on the shoulder. Recently, any
award, honor, or praise. The highest accolade honored two
officers killed in the line of duty
accouchement (ah-koosh-MANH) [French, from accoucher: to give
birth, to be delivered] Childbirth; confinement; lying-in.
achtung (AHKH-toong) [German] Watch out! Attention! Pay attention.
acme (AK-mee) [Greek: point, edge] The highest point; the greatest achievement.
actualitộs (ahk-tyoo-ah-lee-TAY) [French] Current or recent events;
the news of the moment; a newsreel.
adagio (ah-DAH-zhyoh) [Italian, from ad agio: at ease] In music,
slowly. A slow piece of music or dance. In ballet, the slow,
sustained movements of an adagio form the first section of the
classical pas de deux.
addenda (plural); addendum (singular) (ah-DEHN-dah, ah-DEHNdum) [Latin] Something added; additional information. thousands of clumsy, awkward amateurs, whose addenda to this
course of study make the schools ridiculousThe Atlantic
Monthly, March 1999.
addio (ah-DEE-oh) [Italian, from a Dio: to God] Good-bye.
deux (ah DEU) [French] For or of two people; for two people
only; between two people in a close relationship; intimate.
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ad hoc Adonai
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ad hoc (ahd HOHK) [Latin: for this] For a particular purpose or
thing; up to this time. Usually applied to small groups or committees whose work will continue only as long as a specific problem is under discussion. This ad hoc group of five investigators . . . published a report.The New York Review of Books,
April 22, 1999.
ad hominem (ahd HOM-ih-nehm) [Latin: to the man] Founded
on or appealing to the interests, passions, or prejudices of an
individual, rather than to his or her argument. By extension,
casting doubt on an opponents character rather than responding to the question posed. Also, an argument that fails to prove
a point under discussion by failing to address it directly. There
is a difference between satire and spiteful, ad hominem playground insults.
adieu (ah-DYEU) [French, from Dieu: to God] Good-bye; farewell.
ad infinitum (ahd in-fih-NYE-tum) [Latin] To infinity; forever.
The list could be extended ad infinitum.The New York Times,
November 30, 1941.
adios (ah-DYOHS) [Spanish, from a Dios: to God] Good-bye;
farewell.
ad libitum (ahd LIB-ih-tum) [Latin] At liberty; at will.
ad nauseam (ahd NAW-zee-um) [Latin] To the point of nausea;
to a sickening degree.
adobe (ah-DOH-bee) [Spanish] A yellow silt found in the U.S.
Southwest, used to make sun-dried bricks for building. The
community houses of the Pueblo Indians were built of adobe or
stone.
Adonai (ah-doh-NYE) [Hebrew] A phrase meaning the name of
God, used in Orthodox Jewish services to avoid speaking the
