If there is no subdivision, transitive verb or intransitive verb takes the place of verb:
ac·ti·fy … transitive verb
Definition of a verb as transitive does not preclude intransitive usage, although it may be uncommon. On occasion most transitive verbs get used intransitively.
3.3 Other italicized labels sometimes occurring in the same position as the part-of-speech label are:
atty abbreviation
¹anth- … combining form
ante- … prefix
²Ac symbol
¹may … verbal auxiliary
whoa … imperative verb
me·thinks … vb impersonal (impersonal verb)
Occasionally, two or more functional labels are combined, as noun or adjective; see also 19.3 .
4.1 A plural for nearly all standard nouns is explicitly or implicitly shown in this dictionary. If a plural is irregular in any way, the form is given in full in boldface following the label n, pl:
man … noun, plural men
mouse … noun, plural mice
da·tum … noun, plural da·ta
mother-in-law … noun, plural mothers-in-law
4.2 If there are two or more plurals, all are written out in full and joined by or or also to indicate whether the forms are equal or secondary variants (see also 1.6.1 and 1.6.2 ):
fish … noun, plural fish or fishes
court-martial … noun, plural courts-martial also court-martials
fun·gus … noun, plural fun·gi … also funguses
beef … noun, plural beefs … or beeves … also beef
crux … noun, plural cruxes … also cru·ces
4.3 Nouns that are plural in form and regularly used in plural construction are labeled plural noun (without a comma):
en·vi·rons … plural noun
feazings plural noun
Da·na·i·dae … plural noun
If the plural form is not always construed as a plural, the label continues with an applicable qualification:
ge·net·ics … noun plural but singular in construction
pol·i·tics … noun plural but singular or plural in construction
math·e·mat·ics … noun plural but usually singular in construction
in which singular in construction means that the entry word takes a singular verb.
4.4 A noun that has only a regular English plural formed by adding the suffix -s or the suffix -es or by changing a final -y to -i- and adding the suffix -es is indicated by an -S or -ES following the label n:
bird … noun -S
love … noun -S
wish … noun -ES
sky … noun -ES
ba·by … noun -ES
All standard English nouns can have regular English plurals. Such endings are given analogically in this dictionary to nouns that may be little used in the plural. All that their presence means in cases of doubtful frequency is that these plurals are available for use if needed; it does not bar the use of a non-English plural if known.
4.5 Plurals are usually omitted at compounds containing a terminal element that corresponds to a whole English word whose plural is regular and is shown at its own place. At
blackbird … noun
arrow grass noun
cake-eater … noun
bio·ecology … noun
the plurals are omitted because they can be found at bird, grass, eater, and ecology. At words (as bioecology ) that may be unfamiliar, an etymology consisting of the elements of a compound word shows the element at which an omitted plural can be looked up. Plurals are often not indicated at nonstandard terms. At compounds with doubtful irregular plurals, the plural forms are written out in full.
4.6 A plural form that falls alphabetically more than five inches from the main entry in the print book is entered at its own alphabetical place:
bows plural of BOW
boxes plural of BOX
mice … plural of MOUSE
geni·i plural of GENIUS
Such an entry does not specify whether it is the only plural; it simply tells where to look for relevant information. At genius the variant plurals geniuses and genii are shown. The plural geniuses is not a main entry because it falls within five inches alphabetically of the main entry of genius in the print book.
4.7 The principal parts of all standard verbs are explicitly or implicitly given in this dictionary. These principal parts, besides the main entry, are four: the past, the past participle, the present participle, and the present 3d singular. They are printed in that order in boldface whenever any one of them has an irregular or unexpected combination of letters:
see … verb saw … seen … seeing … sees
make … verb made … made … making … makes
hit … verb hit … hit … hitting … hits
trap … verb trapped … trapped … trapping … traps
cha·grin … transitive verb chagrined … chagrined … chagrining … chagrins
dye … verb dyed … dyed … dyeing … dyes
tie … verb tied … tied … tying … ties
volley … verb volleyed … volleyed … volleying … volleys
emcee … verb emceed … emceed … emceeing … emcees
4.8 Whenever any of the four parts has a variant all parts are written out in full:
sky … verb skied or skyed … skied or skyed … skying … skies
burn … verb burned … or burnt … burned or burnt … burning … burns
ring … verb rang … also rung … rung … ringing … rings
show … verb showed … shown … or showed … showing … shows
dwell … verb dwelt … also dwelled … dwelt also dwelled … dwelling … dwells
drink … verb drank … or dialectal drunk … drunk … or archaic drunk·en … drinking … drinks
4.9 If the four spaces usually occupied by inflectional forms cannot (for lack of evidence) all be filled, the surviving forms that can be given are identified by an italic label:
aby or abye … verb , past tense or past participle abought
4.10 Verbs are considered regular when they have in their past a terminal -ed which is added with no other change except dropping a final -e or changing a final -y to -i- . The principal parts for these verbs are indicated by adding -ED/-ING/-S or -ED/-ING/-ES to represent the past and past participle endings (-ed ), the present participle ending (-ing ), and the present 3d singular ending (-s or -es ):
bark … verb -ED/-ING/-S
wish … verb -ED/-ING/-ES
stone … verb -ED/-ING/-S
ba·by … transitive verb -ED/-ING/-ES
4.11 Principal parts are usually omitted at compounds containing a terminal element or related homograph whose principal parts are regular and are shown at its own place. At
freewheel … intransitive verb
overdrive … transitive verb
un·wrap … transitive verb
the principal parts are not given because they can be found at wheel, drive, and wrap. An etymology consisting of the elements of a compound verb shows the element at which omitted principal parts can be looked up. Principal parts are often not given at nonstandard terms or at verbs of relatively low frequency.
4.12 A principal verb part that falls alphabetically more than five inches away from the main entry in the print book is entered at its own alphabetical place if there is no entry that is a homograph:
burned past of BURN
shoving present participle of SHOVE
denies present tense third person singular of DENY
4.13 All adjectives and adverbs that have comparatives and superlatives with the suffixes -er and -est have these forms explicitly or implicitly shown in this dictionary. They are written out in full in boldface when they are irregular or when they double a final consonant:
red … adjective redder … reddest
cheer·ful … adjective, sometimes cheerfuller … sometimes cheerfullest
well … adverb bet·ter … best
4.14 When they are formed by simple addition of -er and -est with no change except dropping of final -e or changing of final -y to -i- , these forms are indicated by -ER/-EST following the part-of-speech label:
green … adjective -ER/-EST
lucky … adjective -ER/-EST
re·mote … adjective, often -ER/-EST
soon … adverb -ER/-EST
ear·ly … adverb -ER/-EST
4.15 Comparatives and superlatives are usually omitted at compounds containing a constituent element whose inflection is shown at its own place. At
kindhearted … adjective
un·lucky … adjective
kinderhearted and unluckiest are omitted because -ER and -EST are shown at kind and at lucky. Similarly the comparatives and superlatives of adverbs are often omitted when an adjective homograph shows them, as at flat and hot.
4.16 Comparatives and superlatives that fall alphabetically more than five inches away from the main entry in the print book are entered at their own alphabetical places:
hotter comparative of HOT
hottest superlative of HOT
4.17 Showing -er and -est forms does not imply anything more about the use of more and most with a simple adjective or adverb than that the comparative and superlative degrees can often be expressed in either way (luckier or more lucky, smoothest or most smooth ).
4.18 A few pronouns have identified case forms:
her … pronoun, objective case of SHE
5.1 Except for trademarks and some abbreviations and symbols the main entries in this dictionary are set lowercase. The extent to which usage calls for an initial uppercase letter is indicated in one of five ways. Four of these consist of an italic label:
capitalized = almost always capitalized initially
usually capitalized = more often capitalized than not; capitalized approximately two to one
often capitalized = as likely to be capitalized as not; acceptable one way or the other
sometimes capitalized = more often not capitalized than capitalized; not usually capitalized
The fifth is absence of one of these labels, which indicates that the word is almost never capitalized except under irrelevant circumstances (as beginning a sentence):
french·ify … verb … often capitalized
die·sel … adjective, sometimes cap
5.2 When an entry has more than one letter in question, the label specifies the capitalization required by usage:
abominable snowman noun , often capitalized A&S
6.1 The label often attributive in italics added to the label noun at a main entry indicates that the noun is often used as an adjective equivalent in attributive position before a substantive (as in air passage, cabbage soup ):
air … noun -S often attributive
cab·bage … noun -S often attributive
din·ner … noun -S often attributive
fox … noun, plural foxes or fox often attributive
pep·per … noun -S often attributive
shoul·der … noun -S often attributive
va·ca·tion … noun -S often attributive
6.2 While any noun is likely to get used attributively sometimes, the label often attributive is confined to those having such widespread general frequent attributive use that they could be entered and defined as adjectives or adjectival elements. The label is not used when there is an entered adjective homograph (as milk, adjective and dog, adjective ). Also, it is not used at open compounds that may be often used attributively when hyphened (as X ray in X-ray microscope ).
7.1 The matter in boldface square brackets preceding the definition is the etymology. Meanings given in roman type within these brackets are not definitions of the main entry, but meanings of the Middle English, Old English, or non-English words within the brackets. Such etymological meanings may or may not be the same as one or more of the meanings of the main entry. For the meanings of abbreviations in an etymology, see “Abbreviations Used in This Dictionary” .
7.2 It is the purpose of the etymology to trace a main vocabulary entry as far back as possible in English, as to Old English; to tell from what language and what form it came into English; and to trace the pre-English source as far back as possible. These etyma (or a part of them) are printed in italic type.
7.3 The etymology usually gives the Middle English and Old English forms of native words in the manner illustrated by the following examples:
earth … noun … [[Middle English erthe , from Old English eorthe …]
day … noun … [Middle English, from Old English dæg …]
7.3.1 When a word is traced back to Middle English but not to Old English, it is found in Middle English but not in the texts that have survived from the Old English period, even though it cannot be shown to have been borrowed from any other language, and even though it may have cognates in the other Germanic languages:
girl … noun … [Middle English girle, gerle, gurle young person of either sex]
poke … verb … [Middle English poken ; akin to Middle Dutch poken to poke, stick …]
7.3.2 When a word is traced back directly to Old English with no intervening mention of Middle English, it has not survived continuously from Old English times to the present, but died out after the Old English period and has been revived in modern times for its historical or antiquarian interest:
ge·mot or ge·mote … noun … [Old English gemōt …]
7.4 For words borrowed into English from other languages, the etymology gives the language from which the word is borrowed and the form or a transliteration of the word in that language if the form differs from that in English:
etch … verb … [Dutch etsen …]
flam·boy·ant … adjective [French …]
judge … verb … [Middle English juggen , from Old French jugier …]
ab·bot … noun … [Middle English abbot , abbod , going back to Old English abbod , abbot , borrowed from Late Latin abbāt- , abbās …]
7.5.1 Sometimes no etymology is given for words (including open compounds) created in Modern English by the combination of existing constituents. This generally indicates that the identity of the constituents is expected to be evident to the user without guidance. Examples:
blackfish … noun 1 : any of several dark-colored fishes
black·ly adverb: in a black manner
7.5.2 At other times the etymology states one or both of the constituents of such words, especially when it is felt that their identity is not necessarily self-evident:
ac·ti·va·ble … adjective … [activate + -able ]
man·ga·nite … noun … [mangan- + -ite ]
black·guard … noun [¹black + guard ]
Indian bison noun … [²indian 1]
No hard-and-fast line, however, can be drawn between these two methods of treatment.
7.6 A considerable part of the technical vocabulary of the sciences and other specialized studies consists of words or word elements that are current in two or more languages with only such slight modifications as are necessary to adapt them to the structure of the individual language in each case. Many words and word elements of this kind have become sufficiently a part of the general vocabulary of English to require entry in a general dictionary of our language. On account of the vast extent of the relevant published material in many languages and in many scientific and other specialized fields, it is impracticable to ascertain the language of origin of every such term, yet it would not be accurate to formulate a statement about the origin of any such term in a way that could be interpreted as implying that it was coined in English. Accordingly, whenever a term that is entered in this dictionary belongs recognizably to this class of internationally current terms, and no positive evidence is at hand to show that it was coined in English, the etymology recognizes its international status and the possibility that it originated elsewhere than in English by use of the label International Scientific Vocabulary. In some instances a statement as to probable language of origin is added after a semicolon. Examples:
end·oral … adjective [International Scientific Vocabulary end- + oral ]
en·do·scope … noun [International Scientific Vocabulary end- + -scope ; probably originally formed in French]
hap·loid … adjective [International Scientific Vocabulary, from Greek haploeidēs single …] 1 : having the gametic number of chromosomes or half the number characteristic of the somatic cells
-ene … noun suffix … [International Scientific Vocabulary, from Greek -ēnē (feminine patronymic suffix)] : unsaturated carbon compound
7.6.1 Occasionally the label International Scientific Vocabulary is used, not to indicate that the entire entry form belongs to the International Scientific Vocabulary, but to identify as internationally current (though non-Latin) one of the constituents of a compound word formed in New Latin:
cho·les·ter·ol·emia also cho·les·ter·ol·ae·mia … noun … [New Latin, from International Scientific Vocabulary cholesterol + New Latin -emia, -aemia ]
7.7.1 An etymology beginning with the name of a language (including Middle English or Old English) and not giving the foreign (or Middle English or Old English) form indicates that the foreign (or Middle English or Old English) form is the same as that in present-day English:
for … preposition [Middle English, from Old English …]
fos·sa … noun … [Latin, cavity, ditch, trench …]
7.7.2 An etymology beginning with the name of a language (including Middle English or Old English) and not giving the foreign (or Middle English or Old English) meaning indicates that the foreign (or Middle English or Old English) meaning is the same as that expressed in the first or only definition in the entry:
bea·con … noun … [Middle English beken , from Old English bēacen sign …] 1 : a signal fire
de·note … transitive verb … [Middle French denoter , from Latin denotare …] 1 : to serve as indication of
7.8.1 Small superscript figures preceding forms mentioned in an etymology identify them in each case as a particular member of a set of numbered homographic entries in this dictionary. Such figures are normally used with unlabeled (Modern English) forms; but sometimes, for convenience, they are used with forms labeled Old English, Middle English, New Latin, or International Scientific Vocabulary, provided these are completely identical in spelling with the corresponding Modern English form. Examples:
³chucker … noun [⁶chuck + -er ]
in·definable … adjective [¹in- + definable ]
in·dec·or·ous … adjective [Latin indecorus , from in- ¹in- + decorus decorous]
bi·fluoride … [International Scientific Vocabulary ¹bi- + fluoride ]
sad·ness noun … [Middle English sadnesse seriousness, firmness, from ¹sad + -nesse -ness]
7.8.2 Small superscript figures following words or syllables in an etymology refer in each case to the tone of the word or syllable which they follow, and accordingly are used only with forms cited from tone languages:
sam·pan also san·pan … noun … [Chinese (Pekingese) san1 pan3 , from san1 three + pan3 board, plank]
voo·doo also vou·dou … noun … [… Ewe vo 1 du 3 tutelary deity, demon]
7.9 When the source of a word appearing as a main entry is unknown, the formula “origin unknown” is usually used. Only rarely and in exceptional circumstances does absence of an etymology mean that it has not been possible to furnish any informative etymology; this is the case, however, with some ethnic names. More usually it means that no etymology is felt to be necessary; this is the case, for instance, with a very large proportion of the entries identified as variants or taxonomic synonyms and with Modern English coinages of the kind mentioned in paragraph 7.5.1. In one situation, absence of an etymology has a distinct and positive significance, namely in the second and later items in a set of homographic entries; here it indicates derivation by functional shift, in Modern English, from the last preceding homograph that has an etymology.
7.10.1 For native words the etymology gives cognates where possible from other Germanic or Indo-European languages, especially Old High German, Old Norse, Gothic, Latin, Greek, and Sanskrit. Similarly, for a very large proportion of the words borrowed into English from other Indo-European languages, not only Latin and Greek but also Sanskrit, the Germanic languages, the Romance languages, the Slavic languages, and the rest, the etymology gives a like indication of the Indo-European cognates. Examples:
bench … noun … [Middle English, from Old English benc; akin to Old High German bank bench, Old Norse bekkr ]
bear … verb … [Middle English beren, from Old English beran; akin to Old High German beran to carry, Old Norse bera, Goth bairan, Latin ferre, Greek pherein, Sanskrit bharati he carries]
dic·tion … noun … [Late Latin & Latin; Late Latin diction- , dictio word, from Latin, delivery in public speaking, from dictus (past part. of dicere to say) + -ion- , -io -ion; akin to Old English tēon to accuse, Old High German zīhan to accuse, Old Norse tjā to show, Goth gateihan to tell, Latin dicare to dedicate, Greek deiknynai to show, dikē right, judgment, Sanskrit diśati he shows]
meld … verb … [German melden to announce, report, from Old High German meldōn ; akin to Old English meldian to announce, reveal, inform on, meld proclamation, Old Saxon meldon to inform on, betray, Old Saxon & Old High German melda betrayal, Old Slavic moliti to ask for, request, pray, Armenian maltem I request, Hittite maltai, maldi he prays; basic meaning: to pray]
7.10.2 Considerations of space of course make it inadvisable to give a full display of cognates at every possible entry; what is more usually done is to direct the user by a “more at” cross-reference to another entry where such a full display of cognates is given:
edict … noun … [Latin edictum, from neuter of edictus, past participle of edicere to declare, decree, from e- + dicere to say — more at DICTION ]
7.11 Besides the use of “akin to” to denote ordinary cognate relationship, as in several examples in the preceding paragraph, there is in some etymologies a somewhat special use of “akin to” as part of a longer formula “of — origin; akin to —”. This longer formula indicates that a word was borrowed from some language belonging to a group of languages, the name of the group being inserted in the blank just before origin; that for some reason it is not possible to say with confidence that the word in question is a borrowing of a particular attested word in a particular language of the source group; and that the word or words cited in the blank after “akin to” are a cognate or cognates of the word in question as attested within the source group. Examples:
guard … verb … [Middle French garder , from Old French garder, guarder to ward, guard, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German wartēn to watch, take care — more at WARD ]
cant … noun … [Middle English, probably from Middle Dutch or Old North French; Middle Dutch, edge, from Old North French, from Latin cantus, canthus iron ring round a carriage wheel, perhaps of Celtic origin; akin to Welsh cant rim, Breton cant circle; akin to Greek kanthos corner of the eye, Russian kut corner]
This last example shows the two uses of “akin to” in explicit contrast with each other. The words cited immediately after “of Celt origin; akin to” are Celtic cognates of the presumed Celtic source word from which the Latin word was borrowed; the words cited after the second “akin to” are further cognates from other Indo-European languages.
8.0 A status label in italics sometimes appears before a definition. It provides a degree of usage orientation by identifying the character of the context in which a word ordinarily occurs. Status labels are of three kinds: temporal, stylistic, and regional.
8.1.1 The temporal label obsolete means that no evidence of standard use since 1755 has been found or is likely to be found:
abastardize transitive verb … obsolete
abhorrency noun … obsolete
absume transitive verb … obsolete
obsolete is a comment on the word being defined, not on the thing defined by the word. When obsoleteness of the thing is in question, it is implied in the definition (as by onetime, formerly, or historical reference):
longbow … noun … : the great bow of medieval England …
man·tel·et … noun … : a movable shelter formerly used by besiegers as a protection when attacking
8.1.2 The temporal label archaic means standard after 1755 but surviving in the present only sporadically or in special contexts:
be·like … adverb … archaic
oak·en … adjective … archaic
spir·i·tu·ous … adjective … archaic
archaic is a comment on the word being defined, not on the thing the word represents.
8.2.1 The stylistic label slang is affixed to terms especially appropriate in contexts of extreme informality, having usually a currency not limited to a particular region or area of interest, and composed typically of clipped or shortened forms or extravagant, forced, or facetious figures of speech:
clary … noun … slang
cornball … noun … slang
happy dust … noun … slang
lu·lu … noun … slang
There is no completely satisfactory objective test for slang, especially in application to a word out of context. No word is invariably slang, and many standard words can be given slang connotations or used so inappropriately as to become slang.
8.2.2 The stylistic label substandard indicates status conforming to a pattern of linguistic usage that exists throughout the American language community but differs in choice of word or form from that of the prestige group in that community:
drown … verb … substandard drownd·ed
his·self … also his·sel … pronoun … substandard
This label is not regional.
8.2.3 The stylistic label nonstandard is used for a very small number of words that can hardly stand without some status label but are too widely current in reputable context to be labeled substandard:
ir·regardless … adjective … nonstandard
8.3.1 The regional label dialectal when unqualified indicates a regional pattern too complex for summary labeling usually because it includes several regional varieties of American English or of American and British English:
husky … noun … dialectal
8.3.2 The combined label dialectal, British and the combined label dialectal, England indicate substandard currency in a provincial dialect of the British Commonwealth or England:
clart … dialectal, British
slape … adjective … dialectal, England
8.3.3 A standard word requiring a specified regional restriction in the U.S. will have one of the seven labels North, New England, Midland, South, West, Southwest, and Northwest. These correspond loosely to the areas in Hans Kurath's Word Geography of the Eastern United States (1949). Examples:
dreadful … adverb … chiefly North
jolt-wagon … noun … Midland
can·ni·kin … noun … New England
mountain pheasant noun, South
cay·use … noun … West
jor·na·da … noun … Southwest
muck·a·muck … verb … Northwest
No collective label (as U.S. ) is used to indicate currency in all regions of the U.S.
8.3.4 A regional label that names a country indicates standard currency in the named part of the whole English language area. Examples:
derry … noun … Australia
cau·been … noun … Irish
abeigh … adverb … Scottish
cabbage tree noun … New Zealand
Ca·nuck … noun … chiefly Canada
pet·rol … noun … British
9.1 A prefixed subject label in italics names an activity or branch of knowledge in relation to which a word usually has a special meaning not identical with any other meaning it may have apart from the labeled subject. An abbreviated subject label can be found in the list of “Abbreviations Used in This Dictionary” . Examples:
break … transitive verb … 4 … c cricket
con·choi·dal … adjective … 2 mineralogy
con·sec·u·tive … adjective … 3 … b Semitic grammar
10.1 More common than the subject label in this dictionary is the subject guide phrase. This is a brief italicized phrase that points to something with which the word is associated:
con·chyl·i·at·ed … adjective … of a dye
con·cor·dant … adjective … 3 of twins
fire … intransitive verb … 1 … d (1) of flax
break intransitive verb … 6 … d (1) of a fish or whale
11.1 This dictionary uses a colon as a linking symbol between the main entry and a definition. It stands for an unexpressed simple predicate that may be read “is being here defined as (or by)”. It indicates that the supporting orientation immediately after the main entry is over and thus facilitates a visual jumping from word to definition:
black·ly adverb : in a black manner
blackfish \ˈ=ˌ=\ noun 1 : any of several dark-colored fishes
Bis·cay·ner \ˈbi(ˌ)skānər\ also Bis·cay·neer \ˌ==ˈni(ə)r\ noun -S [REVISED ]
[obsolete Biskaine, Biscayne Biscayan (from Biscay , province of Spain) + -er or -eer ] : a sailor or ship from Biscay
11.2 Words that have two or more definitions have two or more symbolic colons. The signal for another definition is another symbolic colon:
daunt·less … : marked by courageous resolution : incapable of being daunted, intimidated, or subdued
avail·a·ble … 3 : such as may be availed of : capable of use for the accomplishment of a purpose : immediately utilizable
11.3 If there is no symbolic colon, there is no definition. For what sometimes takes the place of a definition see 15.2 , 16.3 , 19.1 , 20.1 .
12.1 Boldface arabic numerals separate the senses of a word that has more than a single sense:
x … 1 : … 2 : … 3 :
sev·en·teenth … adjective … 1 : being number 17 in a countable series … 2 : being one of 17 equal parts into which something is divisible
12.2 Boldface lowercase letters separate coordinate subsenses of a numbered sense or sometimes of an unnumbered sense:
x … 1 : … 2 a : … b : … c : … 3 :
howl … noun … 1 : a loud protracted mournful rising and falling cry … 2 a : a prolonged cry of distress … b : a yell or outcry of disappointment, rage, or protest
x … 1 : …: as a : … b : … c : … 2 :
bridge·man … noun … 1 : one who works on a bridge: such as a : one who tends the landing bridge where a ferryboat docks and supervises the loading and unloading of the ferry b : one who operates the machinery for opening and closing drawbridges or who operates the bridge over which railroad cars are run from wharf to scow c : a member of a construction crew that builds bridges with structural steel or iron 2 : one who works on the loading platform of an icehouse selling ice to wholesale and retail customers
x …: …: as a : … b : … c :
huge … adjective …: very large or extensive: such as a : of great size or area … b : of sizable scale or degree … c : of limitless scope or character
x … 1 : … 2 : …: a : … b : … c :
gag … verb … transitive verb 1 : to apply a gag to: a : to stop the mouth of … b : to pry or hold open … c : to silence by the force of authority … 2 : to cause to heave
12.2.1 The lightface colon (as in the preceding formulas) indicates that the definition immediately preceding it binds together or subsumes the coordinate subsenses that follow it:
main stem noun : a main trunk or channel: such as a : the main course of a river or stream … b : the main line of a railroad c : the main street of a city or town
12.2.2 The word as may or may not follow this lightface colon. Its presence indicates that the subsenses following are typical or significant examples which are not exhaustive. Its absence indicates that the subsenses following are exhaustive with respect to evidence for dictionary inclusion.
12.3 Numbers in parentheses indicate a further division of subsenses:
x … 1 a : … b (1) : … (2) : … c : … 2 :
lead … intransitive verb … 2 a : to be first or foremost in some respects … b (1) : to begin or open a passage or course of action … (2) : to play the first card of a trick, round, or game (3) : to direct the first of a series of blows at an opponent in boxing
12.4 The system of separating by numbers and letters reflects something of the semantic relationship between various senses of a word. It is only a lexical convenience. It does not evaluate senses or establish an enduring hierarchy of importance among them. The best sense is the one that most aptly fits the context of an actual genuine utterance.
12.5 The order of senses is historical: the one known to have been first used in English is entered first. This ordering does not imply that each sense has developed from the immediately preceding sense. Sense 1 may give rise to sense 2 and sense 2 to sense 3. As often as not, however, each of several senses derived in independent lines from sense 1 has served as the source of a number of other meanings. Sometimes an arbitrary arrangement or rearrangement is the only reasonable and expedient solution to the problems of ordering senses.
12.6.1 An italic functional label or other information given between a main entry and the etymology of a multisense word applies to all senses and subsenses unless a limiting label (as plural ) or symbol (as -S ) is inserted immediately after a divisional number or letter and before the symbolic colon or unless in any way clearly inapplicable. Examples of limiting labels:
can·tha·ris … noun … 1 plural can·thar·i·des … 2 canthar·ides plural but singular or plural in construction … 3 capitalized
frit·il·lar·ia … noun … 1 capitalized : a genus of bulbous herbs … 2 -S : any plant, bulb, or flower of the genus Fritillaria
front … adjective … 2 comparative sometimes fronter : articulated at or toward the front of the oral passage
12.6.2 The etymology also applies to all senses and subsenses unless another etymology in boldface brackets is given after a sense number or letter:
can·on … noun … [Middle English canoun …] … 6 [Late Greek kanōn, from Greek] : a contrapuntal musical composition
12.6.3 An italic status label, subject label, or guide phrase does not apply to all the senses of a multisense word. When divisional numbers are present, such a label is inserted after the number:
daisy cutter noun 1 slang : … 2 slang : … 3 slang :
de·ject … transitive verb … 2 a (1) obsolete : to lower especially in rank or condition: ABASE, HUMBLE (2) archaic : to reduce especially in force, degree, or quality : WEAKEN, LESSEN b : to make gloomy
de·fine … verb … 6 a mathematics : … b :
fish … verb … intransitive verb … 4 of a Salvationist : to speak with individuals
It then applies to lettered and parenthetically numbered subsenses that follow. It does not apply to succeeding boldface-numbered senses:
glance … transitive verb … 2 obsolete a : to allude to b : to barely touch: GRAZE 3 :
Senses 2a and 2b are both obsolete but not sense 3. If it falls between a boldface letter and the symbolic colon or between a number in parentheses and the symbolic colon, it applies only to the immediately following sense.
13.1 The matter enclosed in a pair of angle brackets illustrates an appropriate use of the word in context. The word being illustrated is replaced by a swung dash which stands for the same form of the word as the main entry or by a swung dash plus an italicized suffix which can be added without any change of letters to the form of the main entry. Otherwise the word is written in full and italicized:
av·id … adjective … 2 … 〈an ~ reader〉 〈an ~ gardener〉
firm … adjective … 1 … b (1) … 〈walked with a ~ tread〉 〈a ~ handshake)
fix … verb … transitive verb … 4 … c … (2) … 〈the jury had been ~ ed 〉
fritter … verb … 1 … 〈foolishly ~ ing away time and energy〉
shake … verb … 3 a : … 〈were shaking in their shoes〉
13.2.1 A person's name or an italicized title included in the angle brackets acknowledges the authorship or source of a quoted verbal illustration:
just … adverb … 4 a … 〈I'm ~ your interpreter — Ernest Hemingway〉
lim·it … noun … la … 〈at the exact northern ~ of this valley — American Guide Series: Minn. 〉
shake … verb … 3 a … 〈his voice shook and became shrill — Kenneth Roberts〉
13.2.2 Suspension periods indicate an omission in quoted matter. Sometimes spelling, punctuation, or capitalization has been normalized without notation usually because the brief quotation is so far removed from its original context that such matters are no longer significant and may be actually misleading.
14.1 A main entry that defines the name of a kind of plant or animal (as rose) or a technical category of plants or animals (as Rosaceae) is a taxonomic entry. Such entries employ in part a formal codified New Latin terminology developed and used by biologists in accord with international codes of botanical and of zoological nomenclature to identify and to indicate the relations of plants and animals. In this terminology each kind of organism has one and only one correct name that for a species (binomial or species name) consists of a singular capitalized genus name combined with an uncapitalized specific epithet or trivial name which is an appositive or genitive noun or an adjective agreeing in case, number, and gender with the genus name (as in Rosa setigera ). For a variety or subspecies (trinomial or variety name or subspecies name) the name adds a similar varietal or subspecific epithet (as in Rosa setigera tomentosa ). Such binomials and trinomials are in this dictionary routinely italicized and enclosed in parentheses and ordinarily immediately follow the primary orienting noun:
ca·ran·dá … noun … 1 : a tropical palm (Copernicia australis )
bar·row's goldeneye … noun …: a No. American goldeneye (Bucephala islandica )
red-shafted flicker noun : a flicker (Colaptes caper collaris )
By their use an absolute technical identification is made.
14.2 A binomial or trinomial so used is a technical device and does not have separate entry. The name of a genus used in such a combination normally does have an entry unless directly or indirectly oriented (as by specific mention of a higher category or through another vernacular or a technical adjective) to a higher taxonomic category (as a family, order, or class):
northern anthracnose noun … caused by a fungus (Kabatulla caulivora ) of the family Tuberculariaceae
man·go … noun … 4 : any of a genus (Anthracothrax ) of hummingbirds
rainbow runner noun : a … carangid food and sport fish (Elegatis bipinnulatus ) but
indian laurel … noun … 1 : an Asiatic tree (Persea indica )
14.3 Occasionally two binomials appear in one parenthesis in a taxonomic entry:
redstart … noun … 2 … birds of the genus Phoenicurus (as the black redstart, P. ochruros syn. P. titys of Europe)
blacknose dace … noun : a common No. American dace (Rhinichthys atronasus or Atratulus atronasus )
The first form indicates that the binomial following syn (for “synonym”) is technically invalid but so widely known or generally used as to justify mention. The second is used when there is professional lack of agreement about the correct name.
14.4 A genus name used more than once in an unnumbered entry or in a numbered sense of an entry is routinely abbreviated in uses after the first:
go·ran … noun …: either of two Indian mangroves (Ceriops roxburghiana and C. candolleana )
nas·tur·tium … noun … 2 -S : any plant of the genus Tropaeolum (as T. majus and T. minus )
ich·thy·oph·thir·i·us … noun … cap : a genus of oval holotrichous ciliates comprising a single species (I. multifiliis )
14.5 Names of taxonomic categories higher than the genus are capitalized plural nouns often used with singular verbs, are not italicized or abbreviated in normal use, and in this dictionary are routinely oriented in rank when used in defining:
turtle … noun … 1 : a reptile of the order Testudinata
scar·a·bae·oid … 1 : a beetle of Scarabaeidae or a closely related family
achari·ace·ae … a family of herbs and subshrubs (order Parietales)
Such names when used in other entries will be found entered at their own alphabetical place.
14.6 A taxonomic entry of the form x synonym of Y means that x is in all respects (as grammatical number, capitalization, meaning, and taxonomic rank) equivalent to y but that it is for some reason (as a flaw of spelling or form, a faulty application, or a lack of priority) technically inferior to and less valid than y.
14.7 An italic guide phrase (as in some classifications ) used to introduce the text of a taxonomic entry is a warning device and implies that the taxon defined though not strictly a synonym in the taxonomic sense is not as generally acceptable as one lacking such a qualifier.
15.1 A usage note is introduced by a lightface dash. Two or more successive usage notes are separated by a semicolon. A usage note provides information about the use of the word being defined and so always modifies the word that is the main entry. It may be in the form of a comment on idiom, syntax, semantic relationship, status, or various other matters:
fresh·en … transitive verb … 4 : … — usually used with up
collar … verb … intransitive verb : … — used of a steel bar in a rolling mill
al·le·gro … adverb (or adjective) …: … — used as a direction in music
free·ma·son … noun … 2 : … — called also Mason
co·he·sion … noun 3 : … — distinguished from adhesion
15.2 A usage note may stand in place of a definition and without the symbolic colon. Some function words have little or no semantic content, and most interjections express feelings but otherwise are untranslatable into substitutable meaning. Many other words (as some oaths and imprecations, calls to animals, specialized signals, song refrains, and honorific titles), though genuinely a part of the English language, have a usage note instead of a definition:
gee … interjection … — often used as an introductory expletive for emphasis and sometimes to express surprise or enthusiasm
at … preposition … 1 — used as a function word to indicate presence in, on, or near
ahoy … interjection … — used in hailing 〈ship ~ 〉
hey … interjection … — used to call attention or to incite, to express interrogation, surprise, or exultation, or with indefinite meaning in the burden of a song
16.0 Various word relationships requiring that matter at one place in a dictionary show special awareness of matter at another place are taken care of by a system of cross-references. A sequence of lightface small capitals used anywhere in a definition is identical letter-by-letter with a boldface main entry (or with one of its inflectional forms) at its own alphabetical place. This sequence is a cross-reference; its boldface equivalent elsewhere is what is cross-referenced to and is not itself a cross-reference.
16.1 A cross-reference following a lightface dash and beginning with either see or compare is a directional cross-reference. It explicitly directs one to look somewhere else for further information. It never stands for a definition but (with a few exceptions) is always appended to one. Such a cross-reference is separated from another cross-reference or from a usage note by a semicolon.
16.1.1 A cross-reference using the verb see means that the boldface entry word to which it is appended is mentioned in the same meaning and function at the entry cross-referenced to. The information at this entry which is cross-referenced to adds to the meaning of the boldface word to which the cross-reference is attached or supplements it in some significant way (as by adding to one definition of house the cross-reference “see BUNGALOW, COTTAGE, MANSION; APARTMENT BUILDING, BOARDINGHOUSE, DWELLING HOUSE, LODGING HOUSE, ROOMING HOUSE, TENEMENT HOUSE ”):
horn … noun … 1 a (1) : one of the paired bony processes that arise from the upper part of the head of many ungulate mammals … — see ANTLER
ant·ler … noun …: a horn of an animal of the deer family
16.1.2 A cross-reference using the verb compare means that the boldface entry word to which it is appended is not mentioned (except perhaps incidentally) at the entry cross-referenced to. The additional information at this entry which is cross-referenced to is related in some pertinent way (as by similarity, contrast, or complement):
apoc·o·pe … noun …: the loss of one or more sounds or letters at the end of a word … — compare APHAERESIS, SYNCOPE
syn·co·pe … noun … 2 a : the loss of one or more sounds or letters in the interior of a word
16.2 A cross-reference following a symbolic colon is a synonymous cross-reference. It may stand alone as the only definitional matter for a boldface entry or for a sense or subsense of an entry. It may be one of a group of definitions joined in series by symbolic colons. In either case the cross-reference means that the definitions at the entry cross-referenced to are substitutable as definitions for the boldface entry or the sense or subsense at which the cross-reference appears:
con·cep·ti·ble … adjective …: CONCEIVABLE
con·cen·tra·tion … noun … 4 : DENSITY 1
concentric cable noun : COAXIAL CABLE
con·cen·tric … adjective … 1 … b : having a common axis (as of two or more cones or moraines): formed about the same axis: COAXIAL
in·vent … transitive verb … 2 : to think up or imagine: concoct mentally: FABRICATE
16.2.1 Two or more synonymous cross-references are sometimes introduced by a symbolic colon and joined to each other by a comma. This indicates that there are two or more sets of definitions at other entries which are substitutable in various contexts:
con·cept … noun …: THOUGHT, IDEA, NOTION
con·cede … verb … 2 : ADMIT, ACKNOWLEDGE
16.2.2 A synonymous cross-reference sometimes accounts for a usage note introduced by called also at the entry cross-referenced to:
ra·ad … noun …: ELECTRIC CATFISH
electric catfish noun … — called also raad
fairy bell noun 1 …: FOXGLOVE 1
foxglove … n … 1 … — called also fairy bell, fingerflower, fingerroot
16.3.1 A cross-reference following an italic variant of is a cognate cross-reference. It is explained and illustrated in 1.6.3 as applied to standard variants.
16.3.2 A limiting label before the variant of in a cognate cross-reference indicates in what way an entry word is nonstandard:
air Scottish variant of EYRE
alarum clock chiefly British variant of ALARM CLOCK
ast … dialectal variant of ASK
colour … chiefly British variant of COLOR
defuse obsolete variant of DIFFUSE
16.3.3 A cross-reference following an italic synonym of is also a cognate cross-reference. See 14.6 .
16.4 A cross-reference following an italic label identifying an entry as an inflectional form of a singular noun, of an adjective or adverb, or of an infinitive verb is an inflectional cross-reference. These are illustrated in 4.6 , 4.12 , and 4.16 .
16.5 A cross-reference following a functional label is a suffixal cross-reference. These are illustrated at 4.4 , 4.10 , and 4.14 . Each of these suffixes is an entry at its own alphabetical place where the way in which it is suffixed is explained.
16.6 A cross-reference may or may not be identified by a superscript number before it or by a lightface sense number or letter after it. A synonymous cross-reference to a homograph is not identified by part of speech: nouns refer to nouns, adjectives to adjectives. Cross-references to verbs sometimes distinguish between transitive verb and intransitive verb.
17.1.1 A main entry may be continued after a lightface dash by a boldface derivative of itself. This is a run-on entry. Its boldface is always in alphabetical order with respect to the word it is run on to. It has a functional label but no definition:
en·vi·able … adjective … — en·vi·able·ness … noun -ES
epi·phenomenal … adjective … — epi·phenomenally … adverb
equi·distant … adjective … — equidistantly adverb
17.1.2 An additional run-on entry sometimes follows:
er·ro·neous … adjective … — er·ro·neous·ly adverb — er·ro·neous·ness noun -ES
17.2 A main entry may be continued after a lightface dash by a boldface phrase containing the main entry word or an inflected form of it. This also is a run-on entry. It often is not in alphabetical order. It may or may not have a functional label but it has a definition:
ac·count … noun … — in account with preposition … — on account of preposition
bad … adjective … — in a bad way … — too bad
deep … adjective … — in deep water
run … verb … — run across … — run a temperature … — run foul of … — run riot … — run to seed … — run wild
set … verb … — set about … — set aside … — set forth … — set one's cap for … — set one's hand to
17.3 A run-on entry is an independent entry with respect to function and status. Labels at the main entry do not apply unless they are repeated.
18.1 This dictionary contains over a thousand paragraphs in which synonymous words are briefly discriminated and given verbal illustrations. Each paragraph follows the entry of one of the words of a group under consideration and is signaled by the boldface abbreviation synonyms indented. The paragraph is a synonymy. The first one appears at the word abjure and considers abjure, renounce, forswear, recant, and retract.
18.2 Words considered in a synonymy refer at their own alphabetical places to its location by running on the bold-italic letters synonyms and the word:
re·nounce … synonyms see ABJURE
for·swear … synonyms see ABJURE
19.1 An entry having the label abbreviation is an abbreviation and what follows it is an expansion rather than a definition. No symbolic colon is used:
bbl abbreviation barrel; barrels
abp abbreviation, often capitalized archbishop
19.2 An abbreviation formed from the initial letters of two or more words appears in unspaced capital letters.
BCD abbreviation bad conduct discharge
GA abbreviation 1 general agent 2 general assembly …
19.3 Some abbreviations function also as substantives and have a combined label:
TD abbreviation or noun -S … touchdown
20.1 An entry having the label symbol has an expansion or interpretation rather than a definition. No symbolic colon is used:
Ga symbol gallium
y symbol 1 unknown quantity 2 an ordinate 3 capitalized admittance 4 capitalized yttrium
21.1 A main entry that begins or ends with a hyphen is a word element that forms part of an English compound. The identifying label, besides the hyphen, is combining form , or if the element is used only as an affix, the label is prefix or suffix. A suffix or terminal combining form that always determines syntactic function is further identified by addition of a part-of-speech label (as adjective suffix or noun combining form ):
nas- or naso- also nasi- combining form
pre- prefix
-able also -ible … adjective suffix
-age … noun suffix -S
cephal- or cephalo- combining form … 1 : head 〈cephalitis 〉 〈cephalo meter〉 2 : cephalic and 〈cephalo facial〉
21.2 This dictionary enters combining forms for two reasons: chiefly to make easier the writing of etymologies of words in which they occur over and over again; and to recognize meaningful elements that are constantly being used to form new words not yet authenticated for dictionary inclusion. A compound consisting of a known word and a known combining form is not censurable merely by being absent from the dictionary.
22.1 The following definition appears at its own alphabetical place in the dictionary:
As defined, this term applies to all the entries as they are printed alphabetically from a to Zyzzogeton, with or without hyphens, all their boldface variants, all the run-on entries, and all inflectional forms whether written out in boldface or indicated by small-capital suffixes.
For greater detail and for some symbols not shown below see “Guide to Pronunciation ”.
ə | ba nana , co llect |
ˈə, ˌə | hu mdru m |
ə̄ | as in one pronunciation used by r -droppers for bir d (alternative \əi\) |
ə̇ | two-value symbol equivalent to the unstressed variants \ə\, \i\, as in habi t, duche ss (\ˈhabə̇t\ = \ˈhabət, -bit\) |
ə | immediately preceding \l\, \n\, \m\, \ŋ\, as in battle , mitten , and in one pronunciation of cap and bells \-ə m-\, lock and key \-ə ŋ-\; immediately following \l\, \m\, \r\, as in one pronunciation of French table , prisme , titre |
əi | as in one pronunciation used by r -droppers for bir d (alternative \ə̄\) |
ər | oper ation; stressed, as in bir d as pronounced by speakers who do not drop r ; stressed and with centered period after the \r\, as in one pronunciation of burr y (alternative \ə̄r\) and in one pronunciation of hurr y (alternative \ə·r\); stressed and with centered period between \ə\ and \r\, as in one pronunciation of hurr y (alternative \ər·\) |
a | ma t, ma p |
ā | day , fa de, da te, a orta |
ä | bo ther, co t; most American speakers have the same vowel in fa ther, ca rt |
ȧ | fa ther as pronounced by speakers who do not rhyme it with bo ther; far ther and car t as pronounced by r -droppers |
aa | ba d, ba g, fa n as often pronounced in an area having New York City and Washington, D. C., on its perimeter; in an emphatic syllable, as before a pause, often \aaə\ |
ai | as in some pronunciations of ba g, ba ng, pa ss |
au̇ | now , lou d, some pronunciations of tal cum |
b | b ab y, rib |
ch | ch in, nature \ˈnāchə(r)\ (actually, this sound is \t\ + \sh\) |
d | eld er, und one |
d· | as in the usual American pronunciation of latt er, ladd er |
e | be t, be d |
ˈē, ˌē | bea t, noseblee d, e venly, slee py |
ē | as in one pronunciation of evenly , sleepy , envi ous, igne ous (alternative \i\) |
ee | (in transcriptions of foreign words only) indicates a vowel with the quality of e in bet but long, not the sound of ee in sleep: en arrière \äⁿnȧaryeer\ |
eu̇ | as in one pronunciation of el k, hel m |
f | f if ty, cuff |
g | g o, big |
h | h at, ah ead |
hw | wh ale as pronounced by those who do not have the same pronunciation for both whale and wail |
i | ti p, one pronunciation of bani sh (alternative unstressed \ē\), one pronunciation of habi t (alternative \ə\; see ə̇) |
ī | si te, si de, buy (actually, this sound is \ä\ + \i\, or \ȧ\ + \i\) |
iu̇ | as in one pronunciation of mil k, fil m |
j | j ob, g em, edge , proced ure \prəˈsējə(r)\ (actually, this sound is \d\ + \zh\) |
k | k in, c ook , ache |
ḵ | as in one pronunciation of loch (alternative \k\), as in German ich -laut |
l | l il y, pool |
m | m urm ur, dim , nym ph |
n | n o, own |
ⁿ | indicates that a preceding vowel is pronounced with the nasal passages open, as in French un bon vin blanc \œⁿbōⁿvaⁿbläⁿ\ |
ŋ | sing \ˈsiŋ\, sing er \ˈsiŋə(r)\, fin ger \ˈfiŋgə(r)\, in k \ˈiŋk\ |
ō | bo ne, snow , beau ; one pronunciation of glo ry |
ȯ | saw , a ll, sau rian; one pronunciation of ho rrid |
œ | French bœu f, German Hö lle |
œ̄ | French feu , German Höh le |
ȯi | coi n, destroy , strawy , sawi ng |
ōō | (in transcriptions of foreign words only) indicates a vowel with the quality of o in bone but longer, not the sound of oo in food: comte \kōōⁿt\ |
p | p epp er, lip |
r | r ar ity, one pronunciation of tar |
s | s ource , less |
sh | with nothing between, as in sh y, missi on, mach ine, speci al (actually, this is a single sound, not two); with a stress mark between, two sounds as in death's -h ead \ˈdethsˌhed\ |
t | t ie, att ack; one pronunciation of latt er (alternative \d-\) |
th | with nothing between, as in th in, eth er (actually, this is a single sound, not two); with a stress mark between, two sounds as in knighth ood \ˈnītˌhu̇d\ |
th | th en, eith er (actually, this is a single sound, not two) |
ü | ru le, foo l, you th, union \ˈyünyən\, few \ˈfyü\ |
u̇ | pu ll, woo d, curable \ˈkyu̇rəbəl\ |
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German fü llen, hü bsch |
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French rue , German füh len |
v | v iv id, give |
w | w e, aw ay |
y | y ard, cue \ˈkyü\, union \ˈyünyən\ |
y | (in transcriptions of foreign words only) indicates that during the articulation of the sound represented by the preceding character the tip of the tongue has substantially the position it has for the articulation of the first sound of yard, as in French digne \dēny \ |
yü | you th, u nion, cue , few |
yu̇ | cu rable |
z | z one, raise |
zh | with nothing between, as in visi on, azure \ˈazhə(r)\ (actually, this is a single sound, not two); with a stress mark between, two sounds as in rosehi ll \ˈrōzˌhil\ |
For greater detail on most of the following see the beginning of “Guide to Pronunciation ” and that part of “Explanatory Notes ” dealing with pronunciation (section numbers for the latter are included below).
\ | slant line used in pairs to mark the beginning and end of a transcription: \ˈpen\ |
ˈ | mark preceding a syllable with primary (strongest) stress: \ˈpenmənˌship\ |
ˌ | mark preceding a syllable with secondary (next-strongest) stress: \ˈpenmənˌship\ |
¦ | combined marks preceding a syllable whose stress varies between primary and secondary: backbone \ˈ=¦=\ (§ 2.2 ) |
- | inferior minus sign canceling a stress in the same position in a preceding pronunciation or emphasizing that a following syllable is without stress: optimism \ˈäptəˌmizəm\, optimist \-- mə̇st\ (§ 2.11 ) |
· | mark of syllable division inserted in a sequence of sounds that can have more than one syllable division: nitrate \ˈnī·ˌtrāt\ (§ 2.1 ) |
= | symbol for the sounds of a syllable: backbone \ˈ=¦=\ (§§ 2.7.1, 2.7.2 ) |
( ), ( | indicate that what is symbolized between or after is present in some utterances but not in others: factory \ˈfakt(ə)rē\, bar \ˈbär, ˈbȧ(r\ (§§ 2.5.1, 2.5.2 ) |
“ | ditto mark, indicating that a preceding pronunciation is to be repeated: ¹poise \ˈpȯiz\ v, ²poise \“\ n (§§ 2.8.1, 2.8.2 ) |
+ | in an incomplete pronunciation signifies that the missing part is to be sought elsewhere in the vocabulary: geopositive \¦jē(ˌ)ō+\ (pronunciation of -positive is to be sought at POSITIVE ) (§ 2.9 ) |
+V | means “when a vowel sound follows without pause, as in a suffix or another word” |
| | facilitates the placement of a variant pronunciation: flightily \ˈflīd·|ə lē, -īt|, |ə li, |ə̇l-\ (§ 2.6.2 ) |
R | labels certain pronunciations used by speakers who do not drop r (§ 2.10 ) |
−R | labels certain pronunciations used by speakers who drop r (§ 2.10 ) |
÷ | indicates that many regard as unacceptable the one pronunciation immediately following: cupola \ˈkyüpələ, ÷ -pəˌlō\, sacrilegious \ ÷¦sakrə̇¦lijəs (§ 2.12 ) |
… | indicates an omission to be supplied from a preceding entry or an entry elsewhere: dilettantish \¦==¦t…ntish\ (four variants for the a are to be supplied from ¹DILETTANTE ) |