David Foster Wallace's Dictionary Words

a constituent in Latin grammar

a vowel whose quality or length is changed to indicate linguistic distinctions (such as sing sang sung song)

a loss of will power

a hormone produced by the anterior pituitary gland that stimulates the adrenal cortex

a nearly horizontal passage from the surface into a mine

sayings of Jesus not recorded in the canonical Gospels

any of several deciduous Asian trees of the genus Ailanthus

dependent on chance

sexual pleasure derived from inflicting or experiencing pain

growing at high altitudes

a cylindrical spikelike inflorescence

an androgenic hormone that is less active than testosterone

live associated with sea anemones

a verse or song to be chanted or sung in response

direct opposite

a short synopsis or outline

loss of the ability to swallow

(of ovaries of flowering plants) consisting of carpels that are free from one another as in buttercups or roses

an embellishing note usually written in smaller size

Scandinavian liquor usually flavored with caraway seeds

a supportive arch standing apart from the main structure

a Russian unit of length (71 cm)

forming or resembling an arch

a colorless and odorless inert gas

the collection of equipment and methods used in the practice of medicine

accumulation of serous fluid in peritoneal cavity

varying slightly from a perfectly spherical shape

lack of normal muscular tension or tonus

examine by auscultation

lysis of plant or animal tissue by an internal process

occurring singly; not one of a pair

an upholstered bench

navigable deep diving vessel for underwater exploration

a region including the bottom of the sea and the littoral zones

flat crusty-bottomed onion roll

the craniometric point at the junction of the sagittal and coronal sutures at the top of the cranium

any general reduction in vitality and strength of body and mind resulting from a debilitating chronic disease

a smoky yellow or brown quartz

a chest to hold ammunition

an instrument for measuring the distance between two points

stable gear consisting of a decorated covering for a horse, especially (formerly) for a warhorse

feeding on fruit

a cartridge (usually with paper casing)

a cartridge (usually with paper casing)

having or resembling repeated square indentations like those in a battlement

strained or paradoxical use of words either in error (as `blatant' to mean `flagrant') or deliberately (as in a mixed metaphor: `blind mouths')

of or related to Old World monkeys that have nostrils together and opening downward

the cavity in which the large intestine begins and into which the ileum opens

a milky or greyish translucent to transparent quartz

varying in color when seen in different lights or from different angles

capable of being taken apart

an iron spike attached to the shoe to prevent slipping on ice when walking or climbing

an instrument used by surveyors in order to measure an angle of inclination or elevation

glittering with gold or silver

small nut-bearing tree much grown in Europe

stiff coarse fiber from the outer husk of a coconut

a pardon by treating the offender as if the offense had not occurred

a type of folk dance in which couples are arranged in sets or face one another in a line

unpaid labor (as for the maintenance of roads) required by a lord of his vassals in lieu of taxes

relating to or resembling a crow

the fleshy red crest on the head of the domestic fowl and other gallinaceous birds

the act of putting off or delaying an action to a later time

surgery to remove tissue or growths from a bodily cavity (as the uterus) by scraping with a curette

a dead shot

either a design that is fixed to some surface or a paper bearing the design which is to be transferred to the surface

to roast or calcine so as to cause to crackle or until crackling stops

a style of glazed earthenware

a medication that soothes inflamed or injured skin

resembling a finger

a unit of measurement of the refractive power of a lens which is equal to the reciprocal of the focal length measured in meters; used by oculists

branch off

the room in the palace of a native prince of India in which audiences and receptions occur

a port where merchandise can be imported and then exported without paying import duties

remove the nucleus from (a cell)

a diocese of the Eastern Orthodox Church

expel gas from the stomach

a reflex that expels gas noisily from the stomach through the mouth

(geology) a long winding ridge of post glacial gravel and other sediment; deposited by meltwater from glaciers or ice sheets

a trellis on which ornamental shrub or fruit tree is trained to grow flat

make weak by stunting the growth or development of

the ratio (in percent) of the maximum width to the maximum height of the face

having clusters of erect branches

the passage between the back of the mouth and the pharynx

foul with waste matter

capable of being molded or modeled

a state treasury or exchequer or a royal treasury

strip the blubber or skin from (a whale or seal)

salted and cured abdominal wall of a side of pork

of or relating to or happening in a river

stoloniferous white-flowered spring-blooming woodland plant

a thin layer or stratum of (especially metamorphic) rock

sexual intercourse between persons not married to each other

(of limbs and feet) adapted for digging

Eurasian perennial herb with white flowers that emit flammable vapor in hot weather

amazingly impressive

of or relating to or resembling a gallinacean

feeding that consists of the delivery of a nutrient solution (as through a nasal tube) to someone who cannot or will not eat

tall perennial with hairy stems and leaves

the conical mass of erectile tissue that forms the head of the penis

a Scottish cap with straight sides and a crease along the top from front to back; worn by Highlanders as part of military dress

the simplest amino acid found in proteins and the principal amino acid in sugar cane

intuitive knowledge of spiritual truths

a religious orientation advocating gnosis as the way to release a person's spiritual element; considered heresy by Christian churches

in an advanced stage of pregnancy

an outer garment consisting of a large piece of white cloth

a cloth covering for a service cap with a flap extending over the back of the neck to protect the neck from direct rays of the sun

the presence of blood in the urine

reflex erection of hairs of the skin in response to cold or emotional stress or skin irritation

abnormal condition in which vision for distant objects is better than for near objects

abnormal increase in number of cells

the reasoning involved in drawing a conclusion or making a logical judgment on the basis of circumstantial evidence and prior conclusions rather than on the basis of direct observation

used especially of leaves or bracts

not perforated; having no opening

exhaustion resulting from lack of food

a colorless liquid hydrocarbon extracted from petroleum or coal tar and used in making synthetic resins

make hard or harder

incapable of extermination or extirpation

introvert or invaginate

leishmaniasis of the viscera

an oblong metal ring with a spring clip

a cosmetic preparation used by women in Egypt and Arabia to darken the edges of their eyelids

having edges irregularly and finely slashed

(folklore) a corpse that rises at night to drink the blood of the living

a four-wheel covered carriage with a roof divided into two parts (front and back) that can be let down separately

someone to whom a legacy is bequeathed

the form of empiricism that bases all knowledge on perceptual experience (not on intuition or revelation)

an abnormal inward curvature of the vertebral column

move out of position

(Hinduism) a sacred epic Sanskrit poem of India dealing in many episodes with the struggle between two rival families

resembling or characteristic of a prophet or prophecy

loose gown of the 17th and 18th centuries

(closed sea) a navigable body of water under the jurisdiction of a single nation

a block of the earth's crust bounded by faults and shifted to form peaks of a mountain range

an informal use of the Latin word for mother

a Polish national dance in triple time

a natural body passageway

a membrane that envelops the brain and spinal cord

a dealer in textiles (especially silks)

undifferentiated tissue from which new cells are formed, as at the tip of a stem or root

(shipbuilding) the point of intersection between two vertical lines, one line through the center of buoyancy of the hull of a ship in equilibrium and the other line through the center of buoyancy of the hull when the ship is inclined to one side; the distance of this intersection above the center of gravity is an indication of the stability of the ship

alternation of sexual and asexual generations

hatred of marriage

hatred of reasoning

(Judaism) a good deed performed out of religious duty

silk fabric with a wavy surface pattern

British informal for donkey

a polyvalent metallic element that resembles chromium and tungsten in its properties; used to strengthen and harden steel

serving to warn

music consisting of a single vocal part

paralysis of a single limb

(of marriages) of a marriage between one of royal or noble birth and one of lower rank; valid but with the understanding that the rank of the inferior remains unchanged and offspring do not succeed to titles or property of the superior

a streamlined enclosure for an aircraft engine

an oriental tobacco pipe with a long flexible tube connected to a container where the smoke is cooled by passing through water

the aggregate of actively swimming animals in a body of water ranging from microscopic organisms to whales

the upper part of a glacier where the snow turns to ice

a blemish on the skin that is formed before birth

a protective fold of skin in the eyes of reptiles and birds and some mammals

egg-shaped terra cotta wind instrument with a mouthpiece and finger holes

the third compartment of the stomach of a ruminant

a chalcedony with alternating black and white bands

the visual property of something having a milky brightness and a play of colors from the surface

limbless scaly elongate reptile; some are venomous

an atypical pneumonia caused by a rickettsia microorganism and transmitted to humans from infected birds

the science of mountains

perennial northern temperate plant with toothed leaves and heads of small purplish-white flowers

planetarium consisting of an apparatus that illustrates the relative positions and motions of bodies in the solar system by rotation and revolution of balls moved by wheelwork; sometimes incorporated in a clock

the way a word or a language is customarily spoken

an involuntary intake of breath through a wide open mouth

Egyptian god of the underworld and judge of the dead

a hard brittle blue-grey or blue-black metallic element that is one of the platinum metals; the heaviest metal known

small abnormal bony outgrowth

rounded like an egg

inflammation of one or both parotid glands

of or relating to or giving birth

liable to sin

a small stalk bearing a single flower of an inflorescence

thin protective membrane in some protozoa

a flared ruffle attached to the waistline of a dress or jacket or blouse

the branch of dentistry dealing with diseases of the gums and other structures around the teeth

an instance of using more words than needed

having columns on all sides

a disease of the respiratory mucous membrane

a semisolid mixture of hydrocarbons obtained from petroleum

an intaglio print produced by gravure

(Judaism) either of two small leather cases containing texts from the Hebrew Scriptures (known collectively as tefillin); traditionally worn (on the forehead and the left arm) by Jewish men during morning prayer

covered with hairs especially fine soft ones

an alloy of copper and zinc that is used in cheap jewelry to imitate gold

featherlike; having leaflets on each side of a common axis

the process of erosion whereby a level surface is produced

form or weave into a braid or braids

a pleasant and secluded part of a garden

excessively abundant

the act of folding in parallel folds

a light gym shoe with a rubber sole and a canvas top

low-lying land that has been reclaimed and is protected by dikes (especially in the Netherlands)

a problem that severely tests the ability of an inexperienced person

a band of nerve fibers linking the medulla oblongata and the cerebellum with the midbrain

any of numerous trees of north temperate regions having light soft wood and flowers borne in catkins

the stipend assigned by a cathedral to a canon

suggesting by deliberately concise treatment that much of significance is omitted

turn the forearm or the hand so that the palm is directed downwards

serious form of septicemia contracted by a woman during childbirth or abortion (usually attributable to unsanitary conditions); formerly widespread but now uncommon

a rare soft orange mineral consisting of arsenic sulphide

serving or tending to repel

happen

any of various straight muscles

curved backward or inward

a reddish oxide of lead (Pb3O4) used as a pigment in paints and in glass and ceramics

hormone secreted by the corpus luteum during the last days of pregnancy; relaxes the pelvic ligaments and prepares the uterus for labor

an organism or species surviving as a remnant of an otherwise extinct flora or fauna in an environment much changed from that in which it originated

a net or mesh foundation for lace

a network of intersecting blood vessels or intersecting nerves or intersecting lymph vessels

a facing (usually masonry) that supports an embankment

a solemn supplication ceremony prescribed by the church

a feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others

containing or yielding salt

feeding on dead or decaying animal matter

yellowwood tree with brittle wood and aromatic leaves and bark; source of sassafras oil; widely distributed in eastern North America

a cotton fabric with a satiny finish

a wild gathering

a marginal note written by a scholiast

a condition in which overactivity of the sebaceous glands causes the skin to become oily

the presence of pus-forming bacteria or their toxins in the blood or tissues

of or producing or containing serum

tall hat

paper money of little value issued on insufficient security

make a sharp hissing sound, as if to show disapproval

a woman who was regarded as an oracle or prophet

a floating or swimming oceanic colony of polyps often transparent or showily colored

make a shrill, wailing sound

a naked mass of protoplasm having characteristics of both plants and animals; sometimes classified as protoctists

the quantitative study of social relationships

a plain plinth that supports a wall

a mute for a violin

a pert or flirtatious young girl

a swelling of the hock joint of a horse

a thin strip (wood or metal)

an intuitive feeling for the natural idiom of a language

expressing existence or a state rather than an action

an extreme accumulation of fat on the buttocks

the presence of greater than normal amounts of fat in the feces which are frothy and foul smelling and floating; a symptom of disorders of fat metabolism and malabsorption syndrome

a small leafy outgrowth at the base of a leaf or its stalk

basin for holy water

a tool or rod used to level off grain or other granular material that is heaped in a measure

make a shrill creaking noise by rubbing together special bodily structures

shaking a person to determine whether a large amount of liquid is present in a body cavity

inducing perspiration

of a liquid

the person who proposes toasts and introduces speakers at a banquet

wasting of the body during a chronic disease

smallest guenon monkey

a wicked king and son of Zeus

painful spasm of the anal sphincter along with an urgent desire to defecate without the significant production of feces; associated with irritable bowel syndrome

male hawk especially male peregrine or gyrfalcon

some third thing similar to two opposites but distinct from both

a ductless glandular organ at the base of the neck that produces lymphocytes and aids in producing immunity; atrophies with age

individual serving of minced e.g. meat or fish in a rich creamy sauce baked in a small pastry mold or timbale shell

an annuity scheme wherein participants share certain benefits and on the death of any participant his benefits are redistributed among the remaining participants; can run for a fixed period of time or until the death of all but one participant

not arcuate; having straight horizontal beams or lintels

a drill for cutting circular holes around a center

a surgical instrument used to remove sections of bone from the skull

tight-fitting trousers; usually of tartan

distension of the abdomen that is caused by the accumulation of gas in the intestines or the peritoneal cavity

god of war and strife and son of Odin

sting with or as with nettles and cause a stinging pain or sensation

befitting or characteristic of a wife

the murder of a wife by her husband

a deformity in which there is an abnormal displacement of part of a limb away from the midline of the body

a minute vein continuous with a capillary

a caliper with a vernier scale for very fine measurements

the side or slope of a mountain

the development of male secondary sexual characteristics in a female (or prematurely in a young boy)

an examination conducted by spoken communication

with wings extended in a flying position

relating to the palm of the hand or the sole of the foot

dependent on chance