A vocabulary is the body of words used in a particular language.
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What are the criteria to adopt new words into English?
Long time no see is a typical example for Chinglish, though it is said that long time no see has been accepted by the mainstream English speakers.
Recently, there is a neologism movement in the ...
15
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1answer
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Words pertaining to the senses and the corresponding disabilities
I need help on finding words relating to the senses/perception. I mean this in a neuronic/biological or philosophy-of-mind kind of way.
A word for...
pertaining to the senses (Is it sensory?)
...
144
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5answers
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Did English ever have a formal version of “you”?
From the top of my head, Danish "de" (practically never used), German "Sie", Chinese "您", French "vous", Spanish "usted" are a formal way of addressing someone, especially if one isn't familiar with ...
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15answers
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Words with opposite meanings in different regions
I can't recall it, but there is a word in American English which now means the opposite of itself in British English. What words are there that have opposite (not just different) meanings in different ...
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5answers
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Term for catchy tune that stays in your head
Is there a term for a catchy tune that stays in your head after you hear it? The Germans call it an earworm.
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4answers
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Is “prepone” being used outside India?
"Prepone" is a great word - it's the opposite of "postpone". I was wondering if it was beginning to spread around the world at all.
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3answers
832 views
Terms for collections of animals
As I watched the murder of crows sitting on the line above my house this evening, I got wondering where all of the collective nouns for animals (pod of whales, gaggle of geese, pride of lions) came ...
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11answers
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What does “a couple” mean to you, and what does “a few” mean to you?
What does “a couple” mean to you, and what does “a few” mean to you? Is there a proper way to use it?
It was striking to hear that “a couple” meant two (2) to someone. My reaction was, “how/why do ...
10
votes
2answers
614 views
Are there any rules governing what we call people from different countries?
people from China = Chinese
people from Japan = Japanese
people from Australia = Australian
people from Lebanon = Lebanese
people from Sweden = Swedish
Are there any rules that ...
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8answers
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What's the difference between a jumper, a pullover, and a sweater?
Following on from a recent question, in Australia we have the word jumper for a knitted long-sleeved garment, typically woollen and long-sleeved.
When cosuming foreign media I always assumed the ...
12
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10answers
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Why do words like “expectorate” sound more posh than words like “spit”?
I think English is unique in having a set of "bad words" each which has its "more refined" equivalent, e.g.:
spit -> expectorate
piss -> urinate
shit -> defecate
f*ck -> ...
5
votes
6answers
934 views
What are common word sets for describing ranks in a profession? [closed]
What are some sets of words used to describe rank in different professions (music, engineering, science)?
I'm thinking about words similar to novice, amateur, and professional. In the European guild ...
5
votes
6answers
449 views
What are some products that are now words? [closed]
All of the ones I can think of are specific products that have come to represent their kind. This is usually either because it is the first of its kind, as in a Xerox machine (the first office ...
9
votes
3answers
676 views
How to speak mathematics [closed]
I've been asked to give lectures on electromagnetism in English, but I encounter many problems trying to express mathematical formulas since they are written and I do not know how to read them. Are ...
16
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11answers
1k views
Adjective used to mean “smellable”
An object that can be seen is visible.
Something that can be heard is audible.
What's a similar word to indicate that something is smellable?
11
votes
5answers
672 views
Arcane/obscure word that represents a person's timeline or daily record
I'm looking for an arcane or obscure word to describe a person's daily record.
Words like:
account, agenda, appointment book,
chronicle, diary, daily record,
daybook, engagement book, ...
8
votes
15answers
1k views
Simple word related to “a group of intellectuals” or “a group of smart learners”
What could be a good word for "a group of intellectuals" or "a group of smart learners"? Any suggestions of related terms also invited.
6
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2answers
326 views
An expression that adds little information
There is a family of expressions called oxymorons which contain contradicting meanings. What about expressions that add little meaning like "fatally injured"? What are these expressions called?
11
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4answers
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Is “alien” offensive?
I understand that alien is used as a synonym of foreigner, as well as a synonym of extraterrestrial.
I suspect that people from other planets wouldn't mind being called aliens. But is it wrong ...
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5answers
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4answers
349 views
Aren't adverbs related to the closest word? What about other modifiers?
Aren't adverbs related to the closest word?
Does nightly in nightly business report refer to business?
Update:
I am still confused.
Is relation of non-adverb modifiers different from that of ...
10
votes
5answers
753 views
Variations of the word “Schadenfreude”
Schadenfreude is pleasure derived from the misfortune of others.
Is there a word which means to take pleasure in the misfortune of another when previously that misfortune was inflicted on you by that ...
7
votes
2answers
3k views
Is there a word that means “the wife of one's brother”?
In some of the non-Latin-based languages that I know there is a special word for your brother's wife. Is there such a word in English?
Usage would be something like:
She is my __ (My brother's ...
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votes
2answers
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What's a reception room / parlor / parlour / drawing room?
What's a reception room/parlor/parlour/ drawing room?
I'm thinking, is it just another word for the living room of my house?
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4answers
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Word with meaning of “taking advantage of somebody”
I need one word with the meaning of "take advantage of somebody for personal benefit", is there any one?
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2answers
1k views
What is the meaning of `non-normative`?
What is the meaning of non-normative?
Does it mean casual?
If I write a document, what requirements must it have before I can say "it's a normative document" / "it's a non-normative document"?
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2answers
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What's the difference between “successive” and “consecutive”?
What's the difference between "successive" and "consecutive"?
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2answers
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Differences between “vulgar” and “coarse”, “crass”, “crude”, “rough”, “rude”, “unrefined” as applied to language
This question specifically covers how these terms are used to describe language, it is a followup to What's the difference between "informal", "colloquial", "slang", ...
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vote
1answer
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Is it supposed to be a HTML or an HTML [duplicate]
Possible Duplicates:
“A” vs. “An” in writing vs. pronunciation
Do you use “a” or “an” before acronyms?
I've often seen people calling a ...
0
votes
0answers
81 views
What should I know if vocabulary starts with “AB”? [closed]
English is my second language.
I have to take GRE test.
I am studying vocabulary, so my question is, if word starts with "AB" does it mean anything, what should I know if word start with AB.
...
0
votes
1answer
332 views
Can't understand the meaning of “facile” in these example [closed]
I found the meaning of facile is easy, getting something without effort.
http://sentence.yourdictionary.com/facile
I have read those sentences. But can't understand it clearly.
I'm trying to ...
0
votes
2answers
701 views
What does it mean when someone calls himself “non sequitur”?
Coming from my answer to question Is there a better noun form of “unreasonable” than “unreasonableness?”
What does it mean when someone calls himself "non sequitur"?
Examples:
"I AM NON ...
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votes
13answers
6k views
Is there a polite alternative to “No thanks, I'm full”?
English is not my native language, but when I was studying in the US, I was always trying to find an alternative to
I'm full!
I felt that it was a very improper way to express that I have eaten ...
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7answers
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Words for meat differ from the words for the corresponding animal
In English we have:
"beef" for "cow", "cattle"
"veal" for "calf"
"pork" for "pig"
"mutton" for "sheep"
I'm not aware of this separation for "fish", "goat" or "chicken" (Spanish has "pollo" and ...
8
votes
3answers
731 views
What do we call this kind of recursive expression?
A metaphor is like a simile.
Is there a name for the kind of statement that suggests an infinite recursion?
It is in a way similar to a paradox such as the one with a statement written on each ...
6
votes
12answers
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What's the opposite for “steep learning curve”?
[Inspired by the Steep learning curve question]
Is there a phrase similar to steep learning curve (i.e. [some-word] learning curve) describing something that is easy to learn?
14
votes
6answers
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Is there a term for simultaneous snow and rain?
I'm from Australia where we don't have so many kinds of precipitation. I'm familiar with these:
rain
hail
snow
sleet
As I understand it, sleet refers to frozen rain but I'm not totally familiar ...
12
votes
5answers
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How do you form the 'north' and 'south' versions of 'occident' and 'orient'?
How does one correctly form the "north" and "south" forms for which occident and orient are "west" and "east"?
I found boreal and austral, but those look like adjectives and I'm after the nouns.
...
12
votes
12answers
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What is the word for the emotion I feel when I see someone being humiliated?
When I see someone else being embarrassed / humiliated, for example a singer forgetting their words in a concert, I would say something like "I feel embarrassed for them". But is there a better word ...
7
votes
1answer
216 views
Are there acknowledged studies about the relationship of vocabulary and comprehension of English language?
Though I’m not sure whether this question is suitable to EL&U site or not, I’m glad if I can get any input on the relationship of the vocabulary and comprehension of English language, or if you ...
6
votes
5answers
859 views
Can sound be “blurry?”
Can sound be considered "blurry?"
I have heard of visual things being "blurry." Examples of this include blurry photographs or blurred vision.
Is the word "blurry" restricted only to vision? I ...
6
votes
6answers
841 views
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3answers
395 views
Words based on the names of gods [closed]
While the word christen means "to baptise" or "to make Christian", in another sense, it has shed its religious connotations to simply mean "to name" or even "use for the first time". Is there any ...
18
votes
5answers
895 views
Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon: Is there a name for this kind of punny transference?
First came John Guare's play Six Degrees of Separation, which was later turned into a film. It was about the web of interconnections that binds all of humanity together.
Later came the well known ...
18
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20answers
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Is there a single word for “one who speaks/boasts a lot about everything”?
I'm looking for a single word to most aptly describe a person possessing the following "qualities":
Appears to be superior in every technology/skill under the sun, which he deems worthy of knowing
...
15
votes
3answers
2k 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, ...
9
votes
10answers
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What is a word for a man who has a lot of sexual relationships?
What do you call a man who loves and tries to have many sexual relationships with girls and usually doesn't fall in love with any of them?
To clear what I'm looking for, Suppose a guy at ...
9
votes
15answers
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Informal terms for money amounts
What informal terms are used in English as money amounts? I know the following US terms and I'm curious about the rest:
a grand: 1000 dollars
a buck: 1 dollar
6
votes
3answers
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“Consist in” vs. “consist of”
I would like to have this clear once and for all:
What is the correct use of consist in / consist of?
"Meditation consists in/of attentive watchfulness."
"The body consists in/of cells."
...
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votes
5answers
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Using or arguing a biased opinion as fact
I'm fairly sure there is a word or phrase to describe arguing emotively from an extreme, or biased, point of view as if your view is fact, but I can't remember what it may be. (I am wanting to use ...
