obeisance (noun)§
Deferential respect. A gesture expressing deferential respect, such as a bow or curtsy. (NOA)
A movement of the body made in token of respect or submission; bow. Acknowledgment of another's superiority or importance; homage. (MW)
Deferential respect. A gesture expressing deferential respect, such as a bow or curtsy. (NOA)
A movement of the body made in token of respect or submission; bow. Acknowledgment of another's superiority or importance; homage. (MW)
A gesture or movement of the body, such as a curtsy, that expresses deference or homage. An attitude of deference or homage. (AHD)
The fact of obeying or respecting someone, or something you do that expresses this. (CD)
A bow; a courtesy; an act of reverence made by inclination of the body or knee. (JDO)
A manifestation of obedience; an expression of difference or respect; homage; a bow; a courtesy. (WUD)
Homage or submission to a person in authority; deference towards an acknowledged superior; respectfulness of manner or bearing. Frequently used in: To do obeisance or make obeisance to or pay obeisance to. Homage or deferential acknowledgement given to a thing, quality, idea, etc. An act or gesture expressing submission or deferential respect, usually a bending or prostration of the body; a respectful salutation; a bow or curtsy. Frequently used in: to make one's obeisance. (OED)
obeisant (adjective)
obeisantly (adverb)
obelus (noun)§
obeisant (adjective)
obeisantly (adverb)
obelisk now sometimes dagger (noun)§
The symbol †, usually used to show a footnote, a note at the bottom of a page of text, if the asterisk symbol * has already been used (CD)
The dagger sign †, used especially as a reference mark. Also called dagger. (AHD)
A character used in printing to indicate a cross reference or footnote. (VC)
A mark of censure in the margin of a book, in the form of a dagger †. (JDO)
The mark †, chiefly used in printing for marginal references, footnotes, etc. (OED)
double obelisk: the double dagger ‡. (OED)
dagger: A mark resembling a dagger †, used for marginal references, etc., also called obelisk. (OED)
double dagger: A mark having each end like the hilt of a dagger ‡, similarly used. (OED)
Note: Some sources muddle the distinction between obelisk and obelus, sometimes using the terms interchangeably. For purposes of clarity, I will here keep them distinct. But be aware of this practice. The simplest way to think of it is that the obelisk is the dagger symbol and the obelus is the division symbol.
See: obelus, octothorpe, silcrow
obelus (noun)§
The symbol ÷ (MW)
A mark (— or ÷) used in ancient manuscripts to indicate a doubtful or spurious passage. (AHD)
The symbol − or ÷, used in ancient documents to show that part of the text may not be correct or is not necessary. (CD)
A mark, — or ÷, used in editions of ancient documents to indicate spurious words or passages; used in ancient manuscripts to indicate questionable passages or readings; as well as spurious, corrupt, doubtful, or superfluous words or passages. (CDC)
The symbol for division ÷. In math, an obelus is a symbol that means divided by, while in an ancient text it is an editorial mark on a line or word that is incorrect or doubtful. (VC)
A mark, thus — or ÷, so called as resembling a needle. In old manuscripts or editions of the classics, it marks suspected passages or readings. (WUD)
Note: Some sources muddle the distinction between obelisk and obelus, sometimes using the terms interchangeably. For purposes of clarity, I will here keep them distinct. But be aware of this practice. The simplest way to think of it is that the obelisk is the dagger symbol and the obelus is the division symbol.
See: obelisk, octothorpe, silcrow
obstreperous (adjective)§
Noisily unruly or defiant. (AHD)
Noisily unruly or defiant. (AHD)
Noisy and difficult to control. (NOA)
Difficult to deal with and noisy. (CD)
Noisy and refusing to do what someone asks. (LDOCE)
Marked by unruly or aggressive noisiness; clamorous. Stubbornly resistant to control; unruly. (MW)
Marked by unruly or aggressive noisiness; clamorous. Stubbornly resistant to control; unruly. (MW)
If you say that someone is obstreperous, you think that they are noisy and difficult to control. Noisy or rough, especially in resisting restraint or control. Noisy, boisterous, or unruly, especially in resisting or opposing. Resisting control or restraint in a difficult manner; unruly. Noisy, clamorous, or boisterous. (CDC)
Noisily and stubbornly defiant. Boisterously and noisily aggressive. Boisterous, noisy, aggressive, defiant. (VC)
Loud; clamorous; noisy; turbulent; vociferous. (JDO)
Attended by, or making, a loud and tumultuous noise; clamorous; noisy; vociferous. (WUD)
Clamorous, noisy; vociferous. Noisily or aggressively resisting control, advice, etc.; turbulent, unruly; aggressive, argumentative, bad-tempered. (OED)
ochlocracy (noun)§
Government by a mob; mob rule. (NOA)
ochlocracy (noun)§
Government by a mob; mob rule. (NOA)
Government by the masses; mob rule. (AHD)
Mob rule; government by the populace. (CHM)
A political system in which a mob is the source of control; government by the masses. (VC)
A form of government by the multitude; a mobocracy. (WUD)
A degraded form of government dominated by the passions and whims of the masses, where legitimate authority is undermined by crowd intimidation, lawlessness, and the rule of demagogues rather than reasoned institutions. (Groki)
Government by the populace; mob rule; a state, etc., ruled or dominated by the populace. (OED)
octothorpe or octothorp (noun)§
Also known as: number sign, pound sign, hash sign, hash mark, or simply hash
octothorpe or octothorp (noun)§
Also known as: number sign, pound sign, hash sign, hash mark, or simply hash
MW: The symbol #. Has become popularized in hashtags, those words or phrases prefixed by the symbol on social media, especially to classify or categorize the accompanying text. The octothorpe is believed to have been adopted by the telecommunications industry with the advent of touch-tone dialing in the 1960s, but it remains unknown how, exactly, the symbol got its odd name. The octo- part almost certainly refers to the eight points on the symbol, but the -thorpe bit is mysterious. One story claims it derives from an Old English word for village. (MW)
The hash sign #, as it appears on the buttons of touch-tone telephones and some other keypads. (OED)
pound sign: The symbol #, for a pound as a unit of weight. (AHD)
hash mark: The symbol #, especially when used as the start of a hashtag. (AHD)
Note: Apparently the telecom folks playfully construed the sign as eight fields surrounding a village (New Scientist, 30 March 1996). While this may well be true, the symbol existed, representing both pound and number, long before they labeled it octothorpe.
odd pricing (business practice)§
A strategy whereby retail prices are set at levels a little less than a round number, for example $19.99, $8.98, $99.95. (CDC)
Grok: Odd pricing, also known as odd-even pricing or psychological pricing, is a marketing strategy where products or services are priced just below a round number, typically ending in an odd digit like nine (for example, $9.99 instead of $10.00) to create the illusion of a lower cost and encourage impulse purchases. This tactic leverages consumer psychology, as people tend to focus on the leftmost digits and round down mentally, perceiving $9.99 as closer to $9 than $10. (Grok)
Note: Conventional wisdom and numerous studies suggest it works because people read left to right. Therefore, the left-most figure is the most important in terms of perception. My personal opinion is that odd pricing becomes less effective, the more expensive the item. If for no other reason than people pay more attention to the prices of more expensive items. It is one thing to price a can of green beans at $1.99, but it is something else entirely to price a house at $499,900. In fact, I have argued that it is insulting, and perhaps belittling, to your potential customers. Yet you see this every day. If someone is smart enough, and successful enough, to purchase a fifty million dollar aircraft, are you really going to price it at $49,900,000. It's just bad form. Use even pricing: Price a half million dollar house at $500,000, a fifty million dollar aircraft at $50,000,000, and a seventy-five thousand dollar automobile at $75,000. If you are advised differently, you need better counselors.
oenology (noun) – see enology
oeuvre (noun)§
The complete works of a writer, painter, or other artist. (CD)
The works of a painter, composer, or author regarded collectively. (NOA)
The sum of the lifework of an artist, writer, or composer. (AHD)
The sum of the lifework of an artist, writer, or composer. (AHD)
The total output of a writer, painter, etc. The group consisting of all the works, usually of a lifetime, of a particular writer, artist, or composer. The works of a writer, painter, or the like, taken as a whole. (CDC)
All the works of an artist or writer. (LDOCE)
The total output of a writer or artist, or a substantial part of it. The oeuvre of a writer or artist refers to all their work combined. (VC)
A substantial body of work constituting the lifework of a writer, an artist, or a composer. (MW)
A substantial body of work constituting the lifework of a writer, an artist, or a composer. (MW)
The works produced by an artist, composer, or writer, regarded collectively. (OED)
Grok: Refers to the complete body of work produced by an artist, writer, composer, or creator over their lifetime. It encompasses all their creations, such as paintings, novels, symphonies, or films, often analyzed as a cohesive whole. (Grok)
oikophobia (neologism)§
Roger Scruton on oikophobia: The disposition, in any conflict, to side with them against us, and the felt need to denigrate the customs, culture and institutions that are identifiably ours. Being the opposite of xenophobia I propose to call this state of mind oikophobia, by which I mean (stretching the Greek a little) the repudiation of inheritance and home…A chronic form of oikophobia has spread through the American universities, in the guise of political correctness, and loudly surfaced in the aftermath of September 11th, to pour scorn on the culture that allegedly provoked the attacks, and to side by implication with the terrorists…The oik is, in his own eyes, a defender of enlightened universalism against local chauvinism (Roger Scruton, England and the Need for Nations, 2006).
oikophobia (neologism)§
Roger Scruton on oikophobia: The disposition, in any conflict, to side with them against us, and the felt need to denigrate the customs, culture and institutions that are identifiably ours. Being the opposite of xenophobia I propose to call this state of mind oikophobia, by which I mean (stretching the Greek a little) the repudiation of inheritance and home…A chronic form of oikophobia has spread through the American universities, in the guise of political correctness, and loudly surfaced in the aftermath of September 11th, to pour scorn on the culture that allegedly provoked the attacks, and to side by implication with the terrorists…The oik is, in his own eyes, a defender of enlightened universalism against local chauvinism (Roger Scruton, England and the Need for Nations, 2006).
Grok: Coined by the philosopher Roger Scruton to describe a form of aversion towards one's own culture, traditions, or homeland. Scruton used this term to critique what he saw as a prevalent attitude in modern Western societies where individuals or groups might show disdain or rejection of their own cultural heritage while often idealizing or overly romanticizing foreign cultures. In broader terms, oikophobia can manifest as:
Cultural self-loathing: A tendency to criticize or devalue one's own cultural practices or national identity excessively.
Negative patriotism: An attitude where one's own country or culture is viewed through an overly critical lens, often ignoring positive aspects or achievements.
Preference for the foreign: An inclination to prefer or overly idealize other cultures at the expense of one's own, sometimes leading to cultural relativism where all cultures are considered equal regardless of their practices or values. (Grok)
Grokipedia: Oikophobia is an aversion to, or active repulsion from, one's own home, family, neighborhood, or homeland, with particular application in political philosophy to the disdain or hatred directed by intellectuals toward their native culture, institutions, and inherited traditions. The term was repurposed in its modern ideological sense by British philosopher Roger Scruton in a 1993 essay, contrasting it with xenophobia, fear of the foreign, to denote a paradoxical self-loathing that rejects the familiar in favor of the alien or abstract. (Grokipedia)
omniana (noun)§
A miscellaneous collection of scraps of information on different topics, often in written form. (CDC)
Thoughts or scraps of information about all or many kinds of things, especially (a collection of) notes, jottings, or short pieces of writing on all or many kinds of subjects. (OED)
Grok: A miscellaneous collection of notes, thoughts, or information on various subjects, often gathered by an individual over time. The term was popularized by Robert Southey, an English poet, who used it for his collection of literary and historical anecdotes in the early 19th century. Essentially, it is a catch-all term for a broad, eclectic mixture of writings or knowledge. (Grok)
Gemini: Refers to a miscellaneous collection of scraps of information on various and different topics, often in written form, or a work containing information on every topic. In essence, it describes a collection of notes, anecdotes, or pieces of data covering an extremely wide range of subjects. (Gemini)
Note: Like this weblog.
ontology (noun)§
Note: Like this weblog.
ontology (noun)§
A branch of metaphysics concerned with the nature and relations of being. (MW)
The part of philosophy that studies what it means to exist. (CD)
The branch of metaphysics dealing with the nature of being. (NOA)
The metaphysical study of the nature of being and existence. The study of being alive and existing. (VC)
The branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of existence. The branch of metaphysics that deals with the nature of being. The branch of metaphysics dealing with the nature of being, reality, or ultimate substance. The branch of metaphysics that studies the nature of existence or being as such. (CDC)
The branch of metaphysics that deals with the nature and essence of things or of existence. (CHM)
The science of the affections of being in general; metaphysicks. (JDO)
That department of the science of metaphysics which investigates and explains the nature and essential properties and relations of all beings, as such, or the principles and causes of being. (WUD)
The science or study of being; that branch of metaphysics concerned with the nature or essence of being or existence. (OED)
ontological argument:
Grok: A philosophical argument for the existence of God that asserts God's existence can be deduced from the concept of God itself, primarily focusing on the idea that God is a being than which no greater can be conceived. (Grok)
Argument that proceeds from the idea of God to the reality of God. (EB)
The argument that God, being defined as the most great or perfect being, must exist, since a God who exists is greater than a God who does not. (OED)
Christopher Hitchens: The simpleminded notion that if god can be conceived as an idea, or stated as a predicate, he must therefore possess the quality of existence (God is Not Great, 2007, Page 265).
opprobrium (noun)§
Severe criticism and blame. (CD)
Harsh criticism or censure. The public disgrace arising from someone's shameful conduct. (NOA)
Disgrace arising from exceedingly shameful conduct; ignominy. Scornful reproach or contempt. (AHD)
Strong criticism or disapproval, especially expressed publicly. (LDOCE)
Open criticism or disapproval of something that someone has done. The state of being abused or scornfully criticized. Reproach or censure. The disgrace or infamy attached to conduct viewed as grossly shameful. Reproachful contempt for something regarded as inferior. The disgrace or the reproach incurred by conduct considered outrageously shameful; infamy. (CDC)
Something that brings disgrace. Public disgrace or ill fame that follows from conduct considered grossly wrong or vicious. Contempt, reproach. (MW)
opprobrious (adjective): Of language, expressing scorn or criticism. (NOA)
opprobrious (adjective): Of language, expressing scorn or criticism. (NOA)
Disgrace; infamy; reproach mingled with contempt; abusive language. (WUD)
Disgrace or bad reputation arising from a person's shameful or dishonorable conduct; infamy; shame; reproach. An imputation or expression of disapproval or contempt. (OED)
organization man (noun)§
A man who subordinates his individuality and his personal life to the organization for which he works. (OED)
A man who lets his individuality and personal life be dominated by the organization he serves. (OD)
A man who subordinates individualism to conformity with the standards and requirements of an organization. (MW)
An employee who sacrifices his own individuality for the good of an organization. (VC)
A man who subordinates his personal life to the demands of the organization he works for. An employee, especially of a large corporation, who has adapted so completely to what is expected in attitudes, ideas, behavior, etc. by the corporation as to have lost a sense of personal identity or independence. (CDC)
organization man (noun)§
A man who subordinates his individuality and his personal life to the organization for which he works. (OED)
A man who lets his individuality and personal life be dominated by the organization he serves. (OD)
A man who subordinates individualism to conformity with the standards and requirements of an organization. (MW)
An employee who sacrifices his own individuality for the good of an organization. (VC)
A man who subordinates his personal life to the demands of the organization he works for. An employee, especially of a large corporation, who has adapted so completely to what is expected in attitudes, ideas, behavior, etc. by the corporation as to have lost a sense of personal identity or independence. (CDC)
Grok: The term organization man refers to an individual, typically a mid-20th-century white-collar employee, who subordinates their personal individualism and autonomy to the conformity, standards, and demands of a large corporation or bureaucratic organization. This concept was popularized by sociologist William H. Whyte in his 1956 book The Organization Man, which critiqued the emerging post-World War II corporate culture in the United States, where loyalty to the company often superseded personal or community ties, fostering a bureaucratic personality marked by deference and groupthink. (Grok)
orthography (noun)§
The conventional spelling system of a language. The study of spelling and how letters combine to represent sounds and form words. (NOA)
The art or study of correct spelling according to established usage. The aspect of language study concerned with letters and their sequences in words. (AHD)
The accepted way of spelling and writing words. (CD)
The art of writing words with the proper letters according to standard usage. The representation of the sounds of a language by written or printed symbols. A part of language study that deals with letters and spelling. (MW)
A writing system. Spelling considered to be correct. The principles underlying spelling. The study of spelling. Spelling in accord with accepted usage. Any style or method of spelling. Spelling as a subject for study. (CDC)
orthography (noun)§
The conventional spelling system of a language. The study of spelling and how letters combine to represent sounds and form words. (NOA)
The art or study of correct spelling according to established usage. The aspect of language study concerned with letters and their sequences in words. (AHD)
The accepted way of spelling and writing words. (CD)
The art of writing words with the proper letters according to standard usage. The representation of the sounds of a language by written or printed symbols. A part of language study that deals with letters and spelling. (MW)
A writing system. Spelling considered to be correct. The principles underlying spelling. The study of spelling. Spelling in accord with accepted usage. Any style or method of spelling. Spelling as a subject for study. (CDC)
The part of grammar which teaches how words should be spelled. The art or practice of spelling. (JDO)
The art or practice of writing words with the proper letters, according to standard usage; conventionally correct spelling. The part of grammar which treats of the letters, and of the art of spelling words correctly. (WUD)
Correct or proper spelling; spelling according to accepted usage or convention. A system of spelling or notation. Spelling as an art or practice; the branch of knowledge which deals with letters and their combination to represent sounds and words; the study of spelling. (OED)
Oxbridge (noun and adjective)§
The universities of Oxford and Cambridge regarded together, especially in contrast to other British universities. Of, relating to, characteristic of, or reminiscent of Oxbridge, frequently with implication of superior social or intellectual status. (OED)
Oxbridge (noun and adjective)§
The universities of Oxford and Cambridge regarded together, especially in contrast to other British universities. Of, relating to, characteristic of, or reminiscent of Oxbridge, frequently with implication of superior social or intellectual status. (OED)
Oxford and Cambridge universities regarded together. (NOA)
Oxford and Cambridge universities, especially when regarded as the seat of traditional academic excellence, privilege, and exclusiveness. Of or characteristic of Oxbridge. (AHD)
The universities of Oxford and Cambridge, considered as a unit separate from other universities in Britain. Belonging or relating to the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. (CD)
Of, relating to, or characteristic of Oxford and Cambridge Universities. (MW)
Grok: A portmanteau term combining the names of the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, the two oldest, wealthiest, and most prestigious universities in the United Kingdom. It is often used to refer to these institutions collectively as a unit distinct from other universities, or to describe characteristics, traditions, or manners associated with them, such as upper-class intellectual culture. (Grok)
Oxbridge denotes the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, England's two oldest universities, renowned for their collegiate systems, rigorous academic standards, and enduring influence on intellectual and political spheres. (Groki)
Oxford comma (noun)§
Also known as: serial comma
A comma immediately preceding the conjunction in a list of items. (OED)
A comma used to separate the second-to-last item in a list from a final item introduced by the conjunction and or or. Also known as a serial comma. (MW)
A comma between the final items in a list, often preceding the word and or or. (CDC)
Grok: The Oxford comma, also known as the serial comma, is an optional comma used before the conjunction, usually and or or, in a list of three or more items. It is more commonly used in British English than in American English, although this is a generalization and usage varies widely. (Grok)
A comma inserted immediately before the coordinating conjunction, typically and or or, that precedes the final item in a series of three or more elements, as in the list red, white, and blue. Its inclusion aims to delineate items distinctly, reducing potential syntactic ambiguity in parsing compound structures. While optional in many contexts, the serial comma is mandated by style guides such as the Chicago Manual of Style and the MLA Handbook to promote precision. (Groki)
MLA: This comma precedes the final item in a list or series, before the word and or or. With the exception of newspapers, most publications use the serial comma, because it helps writers avoid ambiguity. Who would object to unambiguous prose? Fair-weather comma users: Publications that do not require the serial comma may use it only when misreading results. Proponents of the serial comma, like the MLA, would decry the inconsistency of the use-it-when-you-need-it approach and advocate using the serial comma in all series of three or more items or phrases. (MLA)