This tag is for questions seeking a single word that fits a meaning. If you actually seek a phrase, or don't care, see the "phrase requests" tag too.
0
votes
2answers
5 views
Use of “permission” in technical writing
In a request for proposal (RFP) I am attempting to edit the following sentence-fragment which isn't grammatically correct:
"...except for staff permissioned to update..."
My problem is with the ...
0
votes
1answer
15 views
Is there a specific word in English (a noun) for the strong smell of spaces like cellars, basements and storerooms?
Due to the lack of sunlight, usually located fully underground in the house and kept shut almost all the time , basements tend to release a very strong odour that fills your nostrils whenever you open ...
5
votes
4answers
4k views
Is there a version of brunch for a meal between dinner and lunch?
Brunch has become quite a common word in the English language. Is there a similar word for a meal in place of dinner and lunch? (A phrase will also do).
-5
votes
2answers
194 views
Is there a word for a compilation of charts? [closed]
What word can best describe multiple charts put together?
(Graphs, in math context - not projections or business)
-6
votes
1answer
223 views
How to name the hierarchy of my employees
If the employees working directly for him are called his direct reports, how should one call the complete hierarchy of employees who work for him?
2
votes
2answers
60 views
What is the word to describe trying to find the right word for something?
There is a "meanings" tag on English.SE, but I would like the opposite way around — I have a meaning already, I want the word (if it exists) for doing just this.
4
votes
2answers
47 views
Word for 'that which requires something'?
If A requires B, then B is the requirement. In this relationship what is A?
In this context, I'm describing academic courses where B is a course that fulfills the requirements for course A.
0
votes
1answer
29 views
Word meaning “close in time, or current”
Is there a word that can be used to describe something that is either close in time, or currently happening?
Something like "proximate" or "imminent", but without the implication that the thing has ...
2
votes
5answers
88 views
Can the phrase 'is contained in' be substituted by a single word?
If a lunchbox contains an apple, then the apple is contained in a lunchbox. Is it possible to replace the phrase 'is contained in' with a single word? I can't think of one, and the thesaurus hasn't ...
-2
votes
0answers
25 views
Word for user/reader/etc [closed]
Is there a general word to describe the following words:
User/End User
Reader
Audience
I imagine that it would be used as follows: "Use of the [word] in instruction manuals is common and has the ...
4
votes
1answer
60 views
Unambiguous Opposite of “The Subtitle of a Film”
A word to refer to the "The Far Side of the World" part in the film title Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (MC:FSW) might be subtitle. By here, the "Master and Commander" part is called ...
0
votes
3answers
116 views
How do you properly say “missing each other” (that's SO the wrong word!)?
Imagine I sent a message to someone over Instant Messaging, and then went offline.
5 minutes later, they come online, send me a message and go offline.
10 minutes later, I come online, find their ...
0
votes
0answers
26 views
I want to know a one word for the person who always make your day [closed]
Is their a single word to describe a person that how happy you are to have them?. Like some people are your "lucky charm" as that they bring luck in your life by some reason. So, in that way can we ...
2
votes
3answers
123 views
Word for describing the emotion of helping someone
I am looking for a word which describes the emotion that one experiences on helping someone (friend, colleague, family, stranger). This helping out is not in the context of charity, but more of as ...
0
votes
1answer
43 views
Word for long chain of causes [closed]
What may be the conceptual, phenomenal word for
a long chain of complex causes and reasons, that doesn't believe in coincidences, accidentalities, karma etc.?
3
votes
1answer
118 views
What is the English equivalent of the phrase “ménage à trois”?
Merriam-Webster defines ménage à trois as:
an arrangement in which three persons (as a married pair and the lover of one of the pair) share sexual relations especially while living together
I ...
-2
votes
1answer
33 views
Antonym for force (verb) [closed]
What is the antonym for the verb force? (i.e. antonym of 'urge or force (a person) to an action')
2
votes
1answer
62 views
A word that means “to become one's name”
I'm looking for a word which indicates that a person has adopted a quality suggested by their name, e.g. a person named Grace who is indeed graceful, or perhaps someone named Shepherd who has become a ...
3
votes
2answers
112 views
What is the term used to describe the relationship between two words that are both the opposite of another word, but also the opposite of each other? [duplicate]
To start this off light, I was initially thinking about this with Oreos. There are fresh Oreos, and then there are two different ways they can go stale: dry/hard (in low humidity) and soft/mushy (in ...
0
votes
1answer
188 views
Is there a word to describe a person who keeps talking about the TV show while watching it?
Is there a word to describe a person who keeps talking about a TV show while watching it with their family/relatives/friends/whoever?
An example: The person was talking about why this character is ...
6
votes
7answers
2k views
Single word for taking advantage of the situation?
What is that word that is used to say someone "takes advantage of the situation". This word usually has a mildly negative connotation. It is related to being clever.
1
vote
4answers
64 views
What's the word that means: something that allows/helps something else? [closed]
I've been on a quest to find a word that I knew, but eventually forgot. It's not a common word. I remember I liked its aesthetics. I searched synonyms for all words I could think of, and I still can't ...
2
votes
3answers
96 views
How to refer to the part of the desk where one usually puts the speakers?
Here's a picture of one:
Is there a simple but clear way of referring to it?
10
votes
6answers
629 views
Opposite word for “cursive”, as related to writing
I looked up the etymology entry at etymonline.com for cursive, which reads:
1784, from French cursif (18c.), from Medieval Latin cursivus “running,” from Latin cursus “a running,” from past ...
7
votes
6answers
851 views
What is it called when you stay at hospital? [closed]
When you stay overnight at the hospital (in the UK, at hospital) for a period of time, for whatever reason, what do you call it?
A hospital stay?
3
votes
5answers
424 views
Is there a word for when an action has an effect opposite to the one intended?
Is there a word or phrase to express the concept of an action having the opposite effect of the expected outcome?
For example, a drug taken to cure headaches that actually causes headaches, or an ...
5
votes
1answer
57 views
A word for “living contemporary”
My teacher always says that I cannot use the word contemporary when talking about living people.
According to him you could say for instance: He was a contemporary of Shakespeare, but you couldn't ...
6
votes
2answers
1k views
Is there a word that means “every four weeks”?
Is there a fourth word in this series: weekly, biweekly, triweekly, ...?
If not, and I had to coin a word, then would "quadweekly", "quadriweekly", or some other word be more etymologically ...
0
votes
0answers
34 views
What would be an alternative to using “disappear” transitively? [closed]
For reasons which are beyond my understanding "disappear" can be used transitively. But - I want an alternative. That is, I'd like to replace the word 'disappear' in the following sentence:
He ...
7
votes
5answers
323 views
what is the adjectival form of the word “noun?”
What is the adjectival form of the word 'noun'?
Every result I get is for the adjectival form of a noun, not the word 'noun' itself.
13
votes
9answers
6k views
What would you call a person from India?
My guess would be "Indian", but that sounds like a guy with a feather on his head who hunts buffalo.
Is there a better name?
2
votes
2answers
44 views
'Whereas' as conjunction between main clause and subordinate clause?
I am wondering if I can use 'whereas' as a conjunction between a main and a subordinate clause, with the subordinate clause following and giving a reason supporting the statement in the main clause. ...
-2
votes
1answer
49 views
Onomatopoeia for Physical Objects [closed]
Here's something I was thinking about the other day: is there a word like "onomatopoeia" that can be used to describe words that sound like what they describe?
This can include, for example, seeing a ...
-3
votes
2answers
73 views
One word for “seemingly small but very important” [closed]
I need one word (if there is any) for "seemingly small but very important".
22
votes
15answers
20k views
What would you call a person who doesn't want to learn anything new?
What would you call a person who doesn't want to learn new things and even maybe thinks that this is unnecessary since he knows enough already? An ignorant person?
3
votes
5answers
131 views
Similar numbers [closed]
Say, I have two numbers which are almost equal:
A = 1.000000000000000000000001
and
B = 1.000000000000000000000002
What is the right way to say that they are "almost the same"?
A is almost ...
1
vote
2answers
64 views
Contentment with “Settling for Less”
I'm looking for a word to describe an emotion in fictional lawyer Horace Rumpole. Several characters try to goad him into finding a better-paying, more prestigious job in law. He entertains the idea ...
-2
votes
3answers
65 views
Offer / Quotation / Proposal? [closed]
I'm looking for a word to describe a piece of paper I hand to my customer - to offer (well, ...) something for a specified amount of money.
Let's say I send my customer a letter with the content ...
3
votes
4answers
56 views
One word for limited or piecemeal benefit
I'm writing a paper on data strategy for large corporates. In this paper I define 4 levels of maturity on the path to a Google-like nirvana state where corporate, client, user, and other data is ...
1
vote
3answers
93 views
What do you call a person who leads a charge?
What do you call a person who leads a charge, or otherwise leads a body of soldiers into combat 'from the front'?
My context is historical but with a request this specific I'll take what I can get.
3
votes
3answers
79 views
A word for a favor/debt that cannot be repaid
I just feel like unrepayable isn't actually a word. Thesauri are not much helpful.
Consider a case in which someone saves your child's life. There is nothing you can ever do to pay them back for this ...
6
votes
6answers
1k views
A single word for a person who suffers great loss
Can anybody give me a single word for a person who suffers great loss as in the context below. The word loser is not appropriate:
Mike lost everything after his failed
business venture.
...
14
votes
14answers
949 views
Is there a single word for “money-mindedness”?
I'm looking for a single word for describing a person "whose motive is dictated by money"...I seem to recall there was an elegant word for this, but I can't remember it now...can someone help?
15
votes
4answers
3k views
Word to describe “everyday things”
Is there any one word which can describe everyday things?
By this, I mean things we commonly regard as things most people do every day, like taking a shower, brushing your teeth, getting dressed, ...
2
votes
2answers
56 views
What is the term for replacing one word/phrase with one that is more friendly/appropriate
I apologize for such a simple and stupid question but the word is completely skipping my mind and my google fu seems to be failing me for this one.
An example would be something along the lines of ...
0
votes
2answers
95 views
Looking for words similar to “lagging” and “ahead of”
In computer networking, assume that I'm waiting for packets which are ordered by sequence number. First I get sequence number 1, and then 2, then 3 …
Assume that I now have 99 packets and ...
0
votes
0answers
48 views
A term for heterosexual victims of homophobia [closed]
Would there be a term for heterosexual victims of homophobia? Is there a term for homosexual victims of homophobia? In either case, the victims could simply be referred to as victims, but I'm ...
5
votes
2answers
265 views
Is there a word for someone born through incest?
The word 'bastard' is used liberally throughout Game of Thrones and it made me wonder about the children born through incest.
2
votes
1answer
50 views
What do you call a quote collector?
EDIT: As Chris Taylor made note of, there are multiple types of quotes. I mean quotes as in phrases written/spoken by someone (not insurance quotes, etc.).
Is there a single word that describes ...
1
vote
6answers
296 views
Is there a single word to mean “rate of procrastination”?
Take the following contrived sentence:
Our staff's productivity has doubled since we upgraded their computers.
And now this one:
Our staff's [rate of procrastination] has doubled since we ...
