A
Aachen
Unless I am mistaken
There is a place called
Aachen
A city found in Western Germany
A place where they crowned kings
And among other things
Charlemagne was born allegedly!
Aardvark
One night walking through a park
I stumbled upon an
aardvark
Who said, "Hello my name is Erica"
She told me how for quite a while
She had been burrowing for miles
And had just then arrived from Africa!
She had long ears where ears are
Her snout was long and tubular
And a long tongue that flicked from left to right
She said, "I'm feeling quite hungry"
I asked her, "Would you like some tea?"
"Yes please!" She said, "I'd love a fresh termite!"
Aaron
Aaron was a man who stood
Ten feet tall and hard as wood
And few could wear him down at any length,
And so when outlaws came to town
His neighbours ran to him and found
Like his name he was a
mount of strength!
All it took from him was a
Frown and he could save the day
For foes would look at him and quickly flee,
Probably because if he
Just stepped on them it was likely
That his bulk would crush them like a flea!
Abaca
There is a plant found in Asia
In the realm of Manila
From which we get what’s called Manila Hemp
A strong and useful fiber that
Is used for making things like mats
And paper too or ropes that hold up tents
The name of this quite useful herb,
Just in case you haven’t heard,
Which is related to the banana,
Is short and sweet and made of three
Syllables and is easy
To say, it’s simply called the
Abaca.
Aback
Once when on a sailing ship
I sat
aback while eating chips
Relaxing at the rear end of the boat
Where I was taken
aback
Surprised in fact to be attacked
By a furry band of pirate goats!
It was a frightening sight to see
A boat of goats upon the sea
Where they'd come from was a mystery
But it was my chips they sought
And rushed upon me with the thought
That these chips of mine would be their tea!
So I took the only measure
I could to protect my treasure
And held
aback my jib to catch the breeze
And when my sails were in place
The wind thrust me into a race
Against the hungry goats pursuing me!
And as I sped away I saw
The goats were brandishing their swords
Taking orders from their Captain Billy
Who sat
aback his pirate ship
Coveting my crispy chips
It's true I tell you even though it's silly!
But boy were they taken in
aback
When they became the hearty snack
Of a pterodactyl known as Peg
Who terrified the capric crew
Gobbling down more than a few
And left the captain needing a peg leg!
But I didn't wait around
To see Peg gulp her dinner down
But kept
aback the sails of my ship
And when I knew I could be sure
That I would safely reach the shore
I sat
aback my ship and ate a chip!
Abacus
If you are investigating
how to do your calculating
without using your fingers or your toes,
then the
Abacus will do
the arithmetic for you
by organizing beads on rods in rows.
The word originated as
has been so speculated
from "abax", spoken by the Ancient Greeks.
A table for the purpose
to do math on its surface,
used exclusively by ancient geeks.
Abalone
This is the testimony
of the noble
abalone
a shell fish from the bottom of the sea.
Its mother of pearl interior
beats its rough exterior
and makes for some exquisite jewellery.
Abate
When things seem much to fast for you
Or there's just too much to do
And you find you need a little break,
To lessen in intensity
Its clear your best defence will be
To slow down or in other words
abate!
Abattoir
If indeed you are like me
And like to eat dead things for tea
but not to dwell on where the meat comes from
You're best then to stay where you are
and not visit an
abattoir,
the slaughterhouse where beasts don't live for long!
Abaxial
In botany there is a term
That every botanist should learn
Which describes the underside of leaves,
The word to use as I recall
Is the word
abaxial
Which means the same as dorsal I believe.
Abdicate
If the burden of the throne
seems too big for you alone
or you dislike responsibility,
To
abdicates the thing to do,
give up the power bestowed on you
and relinquish your authority.
Abduct
There are two ways one can
abduct
A chicken or maybe a duck
Depending on the goal you have in mind
You could kidnap it from its home
Or remove the meat from off its bones
To serve it with ginger and lemon rind.
Aberrant
Something that is unusual
And not exactly typical
In which its deviations are apparent.
Something that is strange
Or maybe a bit deranged
Can be described as something that’s Aberrant
what is the meaning of aberrant?
what is the definition of aberrant?
Abeyance
If you ever find that I’m
Out of action for some time
Please accept this short but true conveyance
My suspension will be brief
My inactivity succinct
Because you see I’m only in
abeyance.
What is the meaning of Abeyance?
what is the definition of Abeyance?
Abhorrent
I did a most repulsive act
To say
Abhorrent would be apt
But loudly I broke wind before the Queen
The odour gross and hideous
Abhorrently insidious
Made her inquire if I'd eaten beans!
What is the definition of abhorrent?
what is the meaning of abhorrent?
Abigail
Were it a thing conventional
All my daughters I would call
This name that does contain a "Father's Joy".
For all of them could never fail
At being for me an
Abigail
A name the Hebrew language did employ...
Abject
If something is miserably grindingly wretched,
Pitiful, shocking and mostly dejected,
Shameless, brazen or despicable
Or Humble, respectful, rightly differential
Modestly civil, meekly reverential
The word
Abject is still applicable!
Abjure
Once I was an obese man
Weighing lots of kilograms
Until one day from junk food I renounced.
Formally I did
abjure
From foods that used to make me purr
And now truly I only weigh an ounce.
Ablution
There is in some religions
A traditional condition
That an individual practice good hygiene
So the ultimate solution
Is the action of
ablution
The washing of the body till it's clean.
Abnegation
A scenario that makes me quake
Is when there's one last piece of cake
That occupies another's aspiration
I'm much too nice to claim the slice
And will commit self-sacrifice
And offer it to them in
Abnegation.
Abner
Should you ever meet an
Abner
Of this name you can remember
That it brings one comfort in the night,
For it was used by Hebrews,
The people today we call Jews,
And means in English "Father of the Light"
Abolish
If within society
Are certain things that shouldn't be
Perhaps the social order needs a polish
It's possible to pass a law
Against the things that aren't adored
And ending them by having them
abolished.
Abominable
Let us now deeply discuss
A thing that causes much disgust
The likes of which induces much repulsion
Abominable is he who eats
His boogers as if they were treats
And the thought of kissing him gives one convulsions!
I should lend another verse
Before things go from bad to worse
And bring to end this dirty contemplation
To say that any sordid act
Exemplifies the dire fact
That foul misdeeds are an
abomination!
Aboriginal
It often pays to understand
The native of a mass of land
Is in fact the
aboriginal
Inherently indigenous
It's far from being ambiguous
They are not foreign but original!
Abrade/Abrasion/Abrasive
If you dare to listen here
I can swear you can impair
A smooth surface by rubbing it away
For example take some wood
And with sand paper rub it good
And thus you've demonstrated an
Abrade
Which is a word one can upgrade
A trade that can be simply made
Should you find the need on an occasion
For if you accidentally
Should fall and graze your skin you see
The thing you suffer from is an
abrasion!
But wait! There is another thing
To this discussion I can bring
Just to make the matter more exhaustive
The thing that does the
abrading
The wearing, rubbing or scraping
That of course is known as an
abrasive!
And last of all, just as you thought
About this word that all was taught
It can be used a way that's more abstract
I can assert that words that hurt
Language cruel and harsh and curt
Are in point of fact
abrasive acts!
Abraham
If you found out that by some
Freak of nature you'd become
The Father of a multitude then you
Might consider that it's time
To find a name that's more in line
Like Abraham, a name from old Hebrew...
Abscess
A pus filled blister, boil or bump
Pimply bulbous, filled with gunk
Is the bubbly lumpy taut
abscess
I hate to say it but it's true
Squeezing them is fun to do
Just keep a tissue handy for the mess!
The word derives in history
From the word abscedere
Which is Latin for "to go away"
Used by doctors who believed
Squeezing sores could cure disease
Such was the pseudo science of the day...
Abscond
You've just committed burglary
A most successful robbery
The best thing for you now is to
abscond
Flee the scene and run away
Or else the cops will make you pay
A punishment that's worthy of your wrong!
If you're standing on the edge
Of a steep cliff's scary ledge
And you need a quick way to get down
As long as you have rope to grasp
Tied around you for the task
You can a
bseil quickly to the ground...
Absolutism
Totalitarian
Authoritarian
Describes
absolutism true
A dictator's tyranny
A despotic monarchy
A form of government that's absolute!
Absolve
When your crimes are purged away
Your name set free of blame
When the shame of sin has been dissolved
When offenses you've committed
Are pardoned or remitted
Celebrate the state of being
absolved!
Abstemious
Such a one who demonstrates
Discipline and great restraint
Especially with food and alcohol
A person so impervious
Is one who is abstemious
Over whom no vice will have control.
Abstinence
If for a certain while
You practice self denial
Perhaps for health or acting out a penance
When saying no to drink or food
Or anything you love to do
The thing you’re doing is called
abstinence.
Abstract
Disassociated from
Any specific case
Is the hard to grasp
abstract concept
Expressing then a quality
Or perhaps peculiarity
That is apart from the discussed object
Or put in simple words
Art that is absurd
And makes you wonder, “What the heck was that?”
Void of beings and things
What the painting really means
Can only be discussed in terms
abstract!
Abstracted
At certain times you might well find
I'm in a certain state of mind
Seeming kind of vacant or distracted
The mood I'm in then is the sort
When so engrossed I'm lost in thought
I guess you could well say I am abstracted!
Abstruse
Something too cerebral
For a mind simple and feeble
Something that's too tricky to deduce
A concept that's been rated
Massively complicated
Is said to be a thing that is abstruse
Abut
When two things are neighboring
So close they are adjoining
When two things that one another touch
The situation in that case
When two things are so closely placed
You are describing two things that abut!
Abysmal
If something is deeply and profoundly bad
Appalling and awful more than just a tad
The adjective to use is
abysmal
As in, "The most abysmal dish
Is custard fried with rotten fish."
It adequately denotes things dreadful
Of course it is quite hard to miss
The word is kindred to "abyss"
A hole that's truly dark, deep and dismal.
Academia
If into
academia
A student then indeed you are
Concerned with things that end in "-ology"
One whose occupation
Is pursuing education
Whose aim in life is to be scholarly.
Acanthus
There is a type of prickly shrub
Thistle like and often dubbed
Bear's Breeches or A
canthus in the Greek
A pretty plant of bristly leaf
Depicted in ancient relief
The floral pattern near a column's peak!
A cappella
A cappellas how I sing
In the shower loud to bring
Suffering to any soul that hears
Singing without instruments
Or music so to compliment
Just my voice to grace one's listening ears
Wailing like a tortured whale
Or a drunk who's lost his ale
Quaking quavers with my Adam's apple
I believe myself Gregorian
Or caroler Victorian
As I squawk "in the style of the Chapel"
Acarine
Upon this timid arm of mine
Was something that was
acarine
So I swiftly ruthlessly squashed it,
Because I did not like the sight
Of a mite on my arm that night
So I quickly gave the tick the flick!
Acceptation
Upon investigation
It would seem that
acceptation
Is the accepted meaning of a thing
Whether it's a word
Or phrase that you have heard
The
acceptation tells you what it means.
What is the meaning of acceptation?
What is the definition of acceptation?
Accession
I owned a flock of geese
That suddenly increased
Adding extra birds to my possessions
This marvel of addition
And welcome acquisition
Was a great example of
accession
Now if you do agree
And think the same as me
That everything I've said so far is true
Accession here applies
To us seeing eye to eye
Whether you agree with me or I with you
But another thing it means
Is the act of joining things
The accession of a magnet to a fridge
Or the laying down of bricks
Or sticky things that stick
Or connecting a bank to a brand new bridge
But let me now evince
The tale of the Prince
Whose parents died and left him everything
So despite the lad's depression
He underwent
accession
And so became the boy who became King
But I'm not finished yet
Lest we should forget
That a sudden fit or loud outburst
Is also an
accession
An expression of aggression
Marking thus the end of this long verse.
Accessory
A thing that's supplementary
And used so to accompany
Something else is an
accessory
Whether it be for your car
Or something like a lady's scarf
Not the main thing but auxiliary.
However it is also true
That a crime you did not do
But indirectly aided or allowed
Makes you into a cohort
In the stern eyes of the court
And therefore an
accessory as well!
Accidie/Acedia
If you find your state of mind
Is one of a despairing kind
One of listlessness and apathy
You might well say spiritually
You’re suffering from lethargy
That is
acedia or
accidie.
what is the meaning of acedia? what is the definition of accidie? What does accidie mean?
Acclamation
Here’s my humble denotation
Of the act of
acclamation
An overwhelming show of eager praise
When most of all the gathered crowd
Cheer, applaud and shout aloud
Showing their assent with voices raised.
Acclamation can also
Be a way to cast a vote
Without a formal voting process done
For when the applause of the crowd
And cheers are generously loud
It’s obvious to all whose vote has won.
what is the meaning of acclamation? What is the definition of Acclamation?
Acclimatise
When from hot to cold you go
Geographically so
Let me take the time to emphasize
That your body’s more than apt
To adjust and to adapt
That is to say you will acclimatise.
And if you are American
According to my lexicon
Acclimatise is spelt “acclimatize”
A “z” is used instead of “s”
For reasons that I cannot guess
But sounds the same when it is verbalized.
Accolade
Maybe once you’ve seen that thing
Done by Queens and often Kings
When they touch one’s shoulder with their blade?
By doing so they then confer
Knighthood making him a sir
This is what we call the accolade.
Then again it’s also true
That if I were to give to you
An award or simply give you praise
Then from me you have you see
Received what then apparently
Also can be called an accolade.
But there’s something more to learn
That in music there’s a term
Referring to the lines that make the stave.
An Accolade’s a line in place,
Sometimes also called a brace,
That joins together the adjacent staves!
what is an accolade? definition of accolade? what is the meaning of accolade?
Accomplice
If I wanted to do wrong
And brought another chap along
To help me do the thing I shouldn't do,
This criminal cohort of mine,
This partner in my naughty crime
Is then my accomplice well and true!
what is an accomplice? definition of accomplice? what does accomplice mean? what is the meaning of accomplice?
Accost
If you ever come across
Someone and accuse them of
Something like stealing your candy floss
Approaching and confronting them
Waylaying and delaying them
Is the meaning of the word
accost
But equally bizarrely so
If one was to have a go
At offering a sexual invitation
Allow me to exemplify
The word
accost also applies
To this type of naughty instigation!
what is the meaning of accost? What is the definition of accost? what does accost mean?
Accouchement
Let us now get lyrical
About a certain miracle
That being the miracle of accouchement
That thing that populates the earth
That’s right, the act of childbirth,
When said aloud it sounds like "a koosh mon"!
Accoucheuse
A woman who’s an accoucheuse,
Which is pronounced as “akoo sherz”,
Is such a one who aides in child birth
Also known as a midwife
Or obstetrician if you like
A noble and much valued line of work!
However I should say to you
It’s something also men can do
Not just a "women’s only" kind of craft
And so we have the accoucheur
A midwife who is not a “her”
But the profession’s male counterpart!
Accoutre
Accoutre is a useful word
A practical and helpful verb
Meaning to provide or to equip,
Like a walking hiker who
Has been accoutred with good shoes,
And all the things he needs for such a trip.
Also though it can convey
Someone who is dressed in a
Certain type of way so to impress
Like a soldier decked out for parade
Or dancer in a masquerade
Accoutred with a decorated dress.
what is the meaning of accoutre? what is the definition of accoutre?
Accretion
Once upon a time I planned
To fill a bucket up with sand
Slowly though and only by
accretion
Putting in a single grain
And every day doing the same
Until my gradual task reached its completion.
But then someone quite close to me
Died and left me their TV
And an acre of the land they’d owned
I learnt this was
accretion too
When unearned stuff is left to you
And suddenly is yours to call your own.
what is the meaning of accretion? what is the definition of accretion? what is accretion?
what is accretion? what is the definition of accretion?
Accrue
If you’re wise and save your cash
And in the bank you keep your stash
Like a seed your money there will grow
Your wealth invested will
accrue
As interest is paid to you
Adding more again to your prized dough!
what is the meaning of accrue? what does accrue mean? What is the definition of accrue?
Accumulator
It would be fair to postulate
That someone who accumulates
Could indeed be an
accumulator
However in technology
There is a type of circuitry
Of the same name inside a calculator.
Also in computers too,
Exactly what it’s meant to do
Is something that you’ll have to Google later!
And if you can handle the strain
These verses might put on your brain
There are a few more meanings here to cater
Like the fact you won’t get far
Without a battery in your car,
Also known as an
accumulator.
And before you've had enough of this
Here’s the most unusual twist
That I will present before your face,
It is also a betting term
In racing where money is earned
By betting on more than a single race!
Four or more to be exact
The winnings of each one are stacked
Accumulating for a bigger prize
So with that I think I’ll go,
Confident that now you know,
How one can "accumulatorize"!
what is an accumulator? what is the definition of accumulator? what does an accumulator do?
Acetic
Once I found a cup of what
I thought was something it was not
And so without a thought I gulped it down
I felt rather pathetic
When I found it was
acetic
For vinegar will leave you with a frown!
What is the meaning of acetic?
definition of acetic
acetic in a sentence
Acetylene
When a welder welds his steel
He will find it is ideal
That his flame burns the right gasoline
To do the job he wants to do,
To weld or cut metal in two,
The gas to use is called
acetylene!
The Ancient Greeks told in a tale
About a great heroic male
Who was invincible except that he
Still could be rendered kaput
If shot between ankle and foot
So was the fate of the great Achilles.
And so if someone has a flaw,
A weakness easy to ignore,
And yet once hit from it they might not heal
That fault of theirs seemingly small,
That could bring them to their downfall,
Is what we call their own Achilles’ heel.
What is an Achilles' heel?
What is the Definition of Achilles?
Who was Achilles?
Achromatic
When my parents were still young
One thing that they did for fun
Was sit down in the lounge and watch T.V.
Though I’m not exactly sure
How they liked what their eyes saw
When there was no colour on the telly!
Black and white and grey was what
The average audience then got
Entertainment that was
achromatic
I can’t imagine how they viewed
Anything in those grey hues
And came away from it feeling ecstatic!
What is the definition of achromatic?
What is the meaning of achromatic?
achromatic in a sentence
Have you ever noticed that
Raspberries are made of sacs
Collected close together in a bunch?
This is also very true
Of the Boysenberry too
And other berries you might like to munch.
Also I can tell you that
These little squishy juice filled sacs
Have themselves a name that’s far from plain
Which is of course the fabulous
Designation
Acinus
Which is in fact an ancient Latin name.
I think it is somewhat amusing
And also a bit confusing
That the berry’s seed is called the same;
Perhaps the chaps who dish out names
Are the ones who are to blame
Goodness knows what goes on in such brains.
But anyway I do digress
I have to share with you the rest
Of the information on this word,
As is often so the case
There is in fact another place
You will find this word is also heard...
You see, within biology
There is a saclike cavity
Surrounded by secretory cells
And if you haven’t so far guessed
It is called an
Acinus
At least that’s what it is in a nut shell…
I’m afraid there’s a bit more
About this word we could explore
But alas it strays beyond my reach
Into realms of science which
Leaves my brain parked in a ditch
Exceeding my ability to teach…
Acipenserine
I know it's mean for me to say
But at the pool the other day
An
acipenserine chap took a swim,
Built just like a big sturgeon
He made the water to burgeon
When this giant fellow jumped right in.
Amazing though despite his size
I could not quite believe my eyes
When he swam with all a sturgeon's grace,
But more than that I'd never seen
Someone with the urge to clean
The bottom of the pool using their face!
Accipitrine
Once I had a friend called Mike
Who came out with me for a hike
But only I returned after that day,
For something quite
accipitrine
Flew down and took that friend of mine
A bird of prey that is took Mike away!
Ack-ack
If enemy planes are on the attack
It helps if you have an
ack-ack
To shoot the naughty planes down one by one.
So just in case you’re ever quizzed
About just what an
ack-ack is
You can say, “An anti-aircraft gun!”
Acme
Imagine that you have a goal
Into which you pour your soul
Until you’ve gone as far as you can go
Perhaps it was you set your mind
On learning all of Shakespeare’s lines
Or reading all of Edgar Allan Poe?
Or like me you waste your time
Putting down in silly rhymes
Definitions for ten thousand words
Hoping that one day they may
See more than the light of day
And hopefully by millions will be heard?
Perhaps you gave your fingers to
The practice most musicians do
And earned the skill of all Beethoven’s works
Or instead you’ve used your mind
To learn the theories of Einstein
To find out if you can how the world works?
Whatever is your noble aim
Once the thing has been attained
And you’ve reached the highest point or peak
And from there there’s nothing more
Or left there that you can explore
“I’ve reached the
acme!” is the thing to shriek.
And if you are a person who
Embodies the things you can do
So brilliantly then you can also be
Regarded as the
acme too
By virtue of that thing you do
Expressing it no less than perfectly.
what does acme mean? what is the definition of acme? what is the meaning of acme?
Acolyte
If someone is an
acolyte
Or a disciple if you like
They are the type to follow and admire
Or The assistant of a priest
Or an altar boy at least
Who sings on Sunday’s in his Church’s choir.
what is an acolyte? what is the meaning of acolyte? what does acolyte mean? what is the definition of acolyte?
Acoustic
The adjective used to relate
To the noises that things make
Is a word that in your brain should stick;
When thinking of the way things sound
In my lexicon I found
The best word there to use is this – Acoustic
But wait of course there has to be
Another use that we can see
That being it does refer to the fine fact
In music if an instrument
Has no need to implement
Electricity it’s then clear that
An instrument that makes its noise
All by itself then does employ
The same word that this poem is about
Whether it’s a plucked sitar
Or a classical guitar
Acoustic is the word that marks it out.
what is the meaning of acoustic? what is the definition of acoustic? What does acoustic mean?
Acquiesce
There was a girl on her way out
When suddenly her Dad did shout,
“You are not going out wearing that dress!”
And when she saw she had no choice
In a meek accepting voice
She agreed with him and humbly acquiesced.
.
what does acquiesce mean? what is the definition of acquiesce? what is the definition of acquiesce?
Acquit
When you’ve been acquitted
Of a crime that’s been committed
It means the judge has deemed you not guilty
Like when once I was accused
Of feeding cake to kangaroos
But thankfully they found it wasn’t me.
And when a challenge must be faced
Acquitted wears a different face
It means for one to act accordingly
Like soldiers who acquit themselves
Well when fighting mighty elves
And did what they were meant to valiantly.
what does acquit mean? what is the meaning of acquit? what does it mean to be acquitted? what is the definition of acquit? acquit in a sentence, a poem about acquitting
Acrylic
Acrylic is a substance that
You wouldn't want to feed your cat
However it’s a useful thing to use,
A synthetic resin which
Is used in fibres and plastics
And also found in paintings in the louvre.
what is acrylic? what does acrylic do? can you eat acrylic? what is the definition of acrylic? acrylic in a sentence, poems about acrylic
Acrid
An acrid thing is hard to eat
The last thing that it is is sweet
For it is harsh and bitter to the taste
Neither is it nice to smell
‘Twill make your tear ducts quick to swell
And see your lips retract into your face
What is the meaning of acrid? what does acrid mean? What is the definition of acrid? acrid in a sentence, poems about the word acrid
Acrimony
Once I broke a person’s kite
Who was in turn so filled with spite
That he heaped such rancor upon me
In bitterness he called me names
Each word of his affixed with flames
Acrimoniously taunting me!
Acronym
An
acronym’s a clever word
That by itself might seem absurd
For example the new word EDASH
Taken from the group of words
“
English
Ducks
Are
Seldom
Heard”
And shortened so to say it in a dash.
Acrophobia
I’m the sort of fellow who
Freaks out when I go to do
Anything when done at a great height
I can’t help but imagine that
I might fall and go kursplat
And become a rather gruesome sight!
The term best used to designate
My rather apprehensive state
Of summits, pinnacles and hills and peaks
Is
acrophobia which means
I’m scared of heights, they hurt my spleen,
And fill my mouth with unbecoming shrieks.
The word originated from
Ancient Greece’s word “Akron”
Meaning the "highest point" or "the extreme"
And “phobia” which means to fear,
To be afraid, frightened or scared,
Of anything which makes you want to scream
Put them both together and
Now you no doubt understand
That to be
acrophobic is to dread
Standing on the very edge
Of a cliff or window ledge
Or any height that might leave you for dead!
what is acrophobia? what is the meaning of acrophobia? what is the definition of acrophobia? the etymology of acrophobia, acrophobia in a sentence
Acropolis
The Ancient Greeks of long ago
Used different words to what we know
Take
acropolis for example
For if you lived on top of this
Thing called an acropolis
You lived inside a city on a hill.
The word originated from
Two words, first the word Akron
Meaning for height or great extremity
And the other ancient word,
Polis, if you haven’t heard,
Is a word that in Greek means a city.
Acrostic
Allow me please to demonstrate
Clarify and illustrate
Rightly this
acrostic mystery
On the left of this you’ll find
Something that should blow your mind
Truly typifying and hopefully
Insinuating what it’s meant to be,
Concealed so to show you what it means…
An actuary is a chap
Who’s good at math and stuff like that
A statistician to be more precise
He works for companies that sell
Insurance to their clientele
And offers his employer such advice,
As how to manage jeopardy
And risky possibilities
Using numbers to evaluate
Just how much the customer
Should pay to the insurer
Premiums are what he calculates!
Actuate
The time has come to contemplate
The two meanings of
Actuate
The first to cause to act or to impel
For example you might say
“My need to throw my socks away
Was actuated by their dreadful smell!”
But another implication
Is the one of activation
Like when pushing the “on switch” on a thing.
So instead of activating
You could say, “I’m actuating
My cell phone in case someone tries to ring.”
Acuity
Most of us from time to time
Wish we had the kind of mind
That had a sharper kind of quality,
A keener comprehension
Or a razor like perception
Demonstrating more
acuity!
Acumen
Certain women and some men
Demonstrate what
acumen
Is when they make judgements sound and shrewd,
Thus making each decision
With insightful precision
And showing a perceptive aptitude!
Acupuncture
There is a type of therapy,
That is not quite my cup of tea,
But hails from the Ancient Chinese culture
When thin needles are stuck into
The skin so as to cure you
Something that is known as
acupuncture.
Adage
At some point you’ve likely heard
Someone state a short proverb
Like the famous, “You reap what you sow.”
Being an
adage or maxim
Intended to impart wisdom
Or teach you something everyone should know.
Adagio
Whenever a musician
Performs a composition
That is meant to be played rather slow,
Such music I have learned
Is known by the term
For slow tempos which is “
adagio”
Adam
There is an ancient story in
The Bible of the origin
Of the human race in days long past
It's said that God himself did form
A man from clay and breathed his warm
Breath, a gentle life imparting blast...
And so arose the man whose name
In Hebrew means no less the same
As "man" which curiously found it's birth
From another of that tongue
"Adamah" which unlike its son
Fits into the meaning of "red earth."
Adamant
A stone that was unbreakable
Completely indestructible
Was the
adamant of legends old,
So if I say, “I’m
adamant
That I am not an elephant!”
I won’t relent no matter what I’m told!
Addendum
The next time that you read a book
Take the time to take a look
And see if something has been added to it;
A footnote or perhaps you’ve heard
Of something called an afterword,
Addendum or appendix or a postscript!
Additive
Say I got some food or drink
And so it wouldn’t rot and stink
I added to it a preservative,
Well that thing I put in there
To make it last more than a year
Is something that we call an
additive.
Addled
Once I tried to eat an egg
And to my great despair and dread
I wished that my taste buds could be disabled;
I quickly spat the remnants out
And proceeded then to shout
“Yuck that rotten egg was gross and
addled!”
It must have done me in a bit
For after eating some of it
I became a bit baffled and muddled
I walked about as if bemused
Bewildered and a tad confused
And was myself
addled and befuddled!
Adduce
If I am
adducing
Then it means I am producing
An argument or reason for a proof;
Like if I had for you to see
A dictionary quote from me
As evidence I'm telling you the truth!
Adenoidal
Once I met a man who spoke
As if his nostrils were being poked
And when he snored the noises did annoy all;
Indeed the noises of his nose
Whether awake or when he dozed
Were nasally annoying and
adenoidal!
Adela
Adela is thematic
Of one aristocratic
A teutonic name fashionable
To the old Victorians,
According to historians,
Who wanted to convey someone noble.
Adept
When something is done skillfully
Expertly with proficiency
We say the thing has been
adeptly done;
The same is true of people who
Are highly skilled at what they do
Like a baker who's
adept at making buns.
Adherent
A chap who follows or supports
A faith, a thing, person or sports
Or perhaps a certain policy
Like a fan who likes a band,
Or man who loves a certain brand,
Are
adherents of those things you see.
Adhesive
Should you ever find that you
Need to stick a thing or two
Together then the best thing you can do
Is find a strong adhesive that
Will help to stick this thing to that
A sticky substance also known as glue!
Ad hoc
A group of lads and I were shocked
One day when walking by the loch
You won't believe what we saw near the dock
The monster there known as Nessie
Munching on a fish or three
So scared we were we hid behind a rock.
And so we had a most
ad hoc
Meeting there behind the rock
That is to say we spoke over one purpose
With only one agenda we
Quarreled over how to flee
And get away before Nessie could hurt us!
We huddled there for quite some time
Myself and those scared friends of mine
"Have you the time?" I asked the one called Scott
"No!" He said, "I have no phone,
Or watch, I've left them both at home!"
And so we made a clock there on the spot
Using what we had at hand
A toothpick and a rubber band
We engineered a new way to tick tock
Using a sock, a wedding ring
And string, a spring and other things
We made ourselves a useful
ad hoc clock!
And by it we could see that we
Were going to be late for tea
Our monster wait just simply had to end
And so we leapt out from the rock
Where Nessie waited with a wok
Which is why today I have no friends!
Ad hominem
Once upon a grand debate
About the shape of dinner plates
My opponent filled me with disgust
He did not address what I said
But attacked my character instead
Saying I was not someone he could trust
Arguing
ad hominem
He said the state my life was in
Disqualified me from a point of view
"Sir," Said he, "It's clear to me
"You have the brain of a monkey
And clearly should be living in a zoo!"
But I argued back again
Not attacking but
ad rem
Sticking to my guns and argument
Said I, "Have you nothing to say
About the shape of plates today?
What say you sir and make it relevant!"
Ad infinitum
Something hard to comprehend
Is that numbers have no end
They just keep going for eternity;
It's true to say no one could ever
Succeed in counting to forever
Ad infinitum – to infinity!
Adipose
I had some trouble yesterday
When my scales ran away
Just before I tried to stand on them
Quivering and shivering
And positively blithering
"Have mercy, I can't go through that again!"
"What on earth are you on about?"
I questioned him trying not to shout
To which he said, "I'm going to end up dead!
Either that or my small nose
Will break under your
adipose
Your fat is too much for my metal head!"
"My adipose? You saying I'm fat?"
"Yes!" He said, "You'll make me flat
The moment that you stand on me and pose!"
"I want to know how much I weigh!"
Said I to which he said, "No way!
Now back away before we come to blows!"
"Now see here you dumb machine"
I said to him now feeling mean
"This is what you're built for so submit!"
"Yes" he said, "I am, it's true
But I can't weigh hippos like you
So come back when you're thinner and more fit!"
So to his dire dismay
I made sure that I got my weigh
And jumped on him like a cat on a rat
Except there was a small issue
It seems my
adipose tissue
Prevented him from living after that.
Adieu
At the end of a fine day
Together should you hear me say,
"Well my friend I must bid you
adieu!"
Don't assume that I'm being odd
Committing you to Holy God
In French that is, I'm saying farewell to you!
Adit
I heard it said there might be gold
Beneath a hill that I was sold
So I got to work with pick and spade,
And dug an
adit through the hill
That is a shaft horizontal
To mine the gold for near on a decade.
But underneath this hilly ground
Inside my
adit all I found
After all my work were angry worms,
Who berated me a bit
Because it seems that my
adit
Had demolished what was their law firm!
They asked of me, "Where's your permit?"
I lied and said, "I'll go get it."
And exited my
adit with some haste,
I quickly found a match to light
And chucked a stick of dynamite
Into the
adit laying it to waste.
Many months went rolling by
And just when I was sure that I
Had blown up the worms and got away with it,
I went into my lounge one day
To discover in dismay
In my living room a gaping
adit!
Inside which a hoard of worms
Made me gulp and want to squirm
Each one wearing wigs and court attire!
Declaring rather succinctly
That I was indeed guilty
And taking aim they loudly cried out "Fire!"
Thankfully my prosecution
Did not end in execution
Because they had such tiny little guns
Shooting sand for their bullets
It only stung a little bit
That I stood waiting till they were done...
So now I have inside my home
An
adit of my very own
Not to mention a thriving law firm,
So you see it did unfold
That in the end I got my gold
Except it is the currency of worms!
Adjacent
Once to my amazement
I found myself
adjacent
To a man who was made of ice cream,
By that I mean I found that I
Was sitting right next to this guy
The likes of whom till then I'd never seen!
And Oh this creamy man who sat
Adjacent to me wore a hat
That was made of crumbly honey comb,
He wore a suit of brown toffee
That smelt faintly of sweet coffee
I looked both ways to check we were alone...
So by the time the bus arrived
Only one of us survived
I got on board whilst patting my tummy,
Thinking what a foolish thing
That anything made of ice cream
Would ever think of sitting next to me!
Adjourn
I was on trial in the Court
For being a rather naughty sort
Of chap who had acted illegally,
The Jury though could not decide
If the last witness had not lied
Whilst testifying against the likes of me...
And so the day nearing its end
The Judge decided to suspend
Proceedings saying, "This Court is now
adjourned"
Meaning my trial took a break
And was moved to another date
Before my fate and verdict could be learned.
In a court or say a fudge
Contest then that would indicate,
That I am a person who
Judges things like judges do
In other words I do
adjudicate!
Today when I went to class
Our professor, Dr Glass,
Introduced us to his young adjunct,
An assistant who would be
Teaching us apparently
And her name was Mrs Penny Punct.
Ironically the lesson she
Taught us on just had to be
The word “adjunct” and all of its meanings,
She said it wasn’t only an
“Assistant” but it also can
Be a person or even a something...
Associated with another
Person or a thing in rather
A subordinate or short-term way,
Like a trailer for your car
That’s used but not for very far
And after use is no doubt put away…
I felt my mind expanding when
She opened up her mouth again
And out of it came quite another thing,
That this word was also for
A concept that one can’t ignore
It being a word that gives words deeper meaning!
For example I could say
Of a boy, “He went away”
And that would be the end of it except,
I could make the sentence sound
Quite different if I did resound
“He went away careful and circumspect”.
So you see in language we
Can clearly see obviously
That an adjunct is another word
For the words that you and I
Use when trying to qualify
A verb or in other words an adverb!
And so I write this accolade
For Dr Glass’s Teacher Aide
Whose intelligence none could debunk,
For now I am a smarter man
And now know when I can’t or can
Use the word we heard today – “Adjunct”
Adjure
Once upon a day I met
As I walked into the vet
A dog whose name was Rudolph Oscar Badger
He said to me with pleading eyes
“Get me away from these guys!
Help me I adjure you won’t you please sir!”
Adjuring me to let him go
Begging earnestly although
He didn't realize I was his vet
Looking at him I adjured
That is to say I then ordered
Him into my office, “Go on, get!”
And after his small visit he
Looked up, smiled, and said to me
“I thought my time here would be worse than that!”
Although I'm sure when he got home
He had more than a little moan
When he found out he was now a cat!
Adjutant
A person who is a soldier
Specifically an officer
Who aids the official who is in charge,
Is a type of assistant
That we call and
adjutant
And does administration by and large.
But it doesn’t have to be
Exclusively for the army
For anyone who helps as an assistant
Is the type of person who
Can be an
adjutant too
By virtue of their offering assistance!
Ad-lib
Way back when I went to school
I was a rather little fool
And often told my teacher the tall tale
That my canine was the sort
To gobble up my book reports
Or that my homework was eaten by whales!
But then she'd say, "What happened next?"
Leaving me a little vexed
And having to make up there on the spot
A story all about how my
Doctor told me I would die
If I did homework more oft than not…
"Really?" She would say to me
"Tell me more!" So I would be
Forced again so quickly to
ad-lib
About how aliens came down
And took my homework out of town
But somehow she knew I was telling fibs!
And although I was bad that way
To save face I would like to say
I learned one thing from committing that sin
That
ad-lib is a word shortened
From the word ad libitum
Which means "to the desire" in old Latin!
Ad nauseam
I was chatting to a chap one day
And watched the minutes fly away
As I spoke incessantly about
Ducks and how the small birds are
My favorite type of bird by far,
A fowl the planet could not do without...
Little did I know that he
Was quite bored apparently
For I had gone on and on
Repeatedly and tiresomely
To an excessive degree
Or in other words
ad nauseam!
Aedine
Sometimes at night I like to go
Around my house with a book so
I can squash the aedine things I find,
Those little bugs that buzz about
And like to suck your warm blood out
Only to leave an itchy bite behind!
And when I find the mosquito
I aim my book and quickly throw
It down upon its head and just like that
The Aedine insect's life is toast
As it becomes a tiny ghost
Leaving its mangled body that went SPLAT!
And as the bug to heaven goes
I say to the dead mosquito
That Aedine comes to us from Greek Aedes,
A word that does "unpleasant" mean
Which fits because I like to dream
That its soul will go instead to Hades!
Aer- / Aero- (Prefixes)
When you want a word to have
The sense of "gas" or "air",
Or "aviation" then
AERO
Or
AER will give it "atmosphere".
Agape
One day I saw a giant grape
That made my mouth open agape
My jaw dropped down so far it touched the ground,
Seriously man this fruit
Was bigger than my red gumboot!
The biggest of its kind to have been found!
And there I stood in wonderment
But also in predicament
My mouth was still agape by the surprise,
Do I gulp it down for tea
Or keep it for posterity
So others could feast on it with their eyes?
I asked myself, “How much do you
Care about the others who
Might enjoy the prospect of this fruit?”
Do I love my family
So much that I’d say no to me,
And share with them this tastelicious loot?
Did I love them agape?
The love that sounds like “a-gar-pay”
The kind of love that’s unconditional?
Did I love them so much so
That I was willing to forgo
This grape of mine so unconventional?
No it turns out I did not
For as I pondered there I got
So hungry that in fact I could not wait
For by the time I’d thought it through
Deciding upon what to do
The grape within my stomach met its fate!
Ah
Ah's a word that can convey
A range of emotions they say
Like surprise, pleasure or sympathy
So when I found one night in bed
A kitten asleep on my head
"
Ah!" was what I said apparently!
Aid/Aide
If someone lends you a hand
It would pay to understand
That such an individual is your
aide.
But the action in itself
When someone gives you help
The thing that they are offering is
aid.
It’s important that you see
That the little letter ‘e’
Actually can make quite a difference
Although it can’t be heard
Adding the letter to the word
Separates
assistant from
assistance.
Alcheringa
According to the natives of
Dusty Australia
There was a legendary Age
That they called
Alcheringa
That is to say the "dreamtime" when
Everything began
The arrival of the animals
And eventually man...
Aliform
Some man-made inventions
Will have wing-like extensions
The shape of which we say is
aliform,
Like the glider gliding high
Or aeroplane up in the sky
Or anything designed to be airborne.
Allele
When you find a word like this
You might just need a scientist
To explain it comprehensively
But so you get a basic feel
For what is known as an
allele
I’ll try to make this simple as can be
When any of the various,
Alternative, I’m serious,
Forms of what we’ve come to call a gene
Are found to be in the same zone
Or loci of a chromosome
At least that’s what I think
allele means!
Alaudine
I like to think that when I sing
People get a warm feeling
And stop in wonderment and cry out "Hark!
"What could that
alaudine sound be
That strokes mine ears beautifully
Not unlike the song of a skylark?"
Alcelaphine
Once upon another time
I met a young
Alcelaphine
Who wanted me to share my cantaloupe!
I told him that there was no way
And said to him, "Now go away
And eat some grass like other antelope!
One day around morning tea
Some birds approached and looked at me
An Auk, a Murre and a hungry Puffin,
Apparently these
alcidine
Birds had come with hopes to dine
Either upon me or on my muffin!
I met a woman who was tall
But I'm afraid that was not all
That made me think she was alectorine,
For when I saw that she lived in
The marsh and ate amphibians
The image of a crane came to my mind!
Ambassage
The enemy is coming
And the drums of war are drumming
As they approach intent on war to wage!
We must send a delegation
And pray that the situation
Can be averted by the
ambassage.
A certain type of embassy
Armed only with diplomacy
Intent on calming our opponents' rage.
Ana- (Prefix)
A word can be promoted by
Adding
ANA to it
Making it a word that has
"Up" or "upward" in it.
As in "Anabasis" or
In "anabolism"
But "backward" it can also mean
As in "Anarchism"!
Anatine
What was that thing upon my plate?
Was it
anatine I ate?
I don't think it was something that went cluck,
But rather something that went quack
So now I want my money back,
For like my dinner I'm also a duck!
Anguilline / Anguine
I heard a hissing sound one night
It gave me such an aweful fright
And then I felt a slither on my leg!
Something long and
anguilline
A snake it seems had come to dine
Upon me whilst I lay there in my bed!
"Listen here you dreadful snake!"
I said to it, "I'm still awake!
Can't you at least wait till I'm asleep?"
To which the
anguine reptile
Said to me with a sly smile
"Of course I'll wait till then before I eat..."
Needless to say that frigtful night
He never left my sleepless sight
For sleeping is a tricky thing to do,
When in your bed an
anguilline
Creature has anguine designs
To make an uncooked meal out of you!
Anserine
Once upon a long long time
Ago I knew an
anserine
Fellow who went by the name of Bruce,
And ever time I called his name
His answer always was the same,
He honked at me because he was a goose.
Anti- (Prefix)
ANTI is a prefix which
Is used in lots of ways
It can imply "of the same kind;
going a different way"
As in "anticlinal",
Something to do with plants,
Which I won't go into
It's beyond me so I shan't.
The prefix also can relate
To something opposite,
So one who anti-implicates
Is someone who's explicit!
And if you are the kind who hates
When someone makes up words
Words like "anti-implicate"
Then it's time you heard
That an opposing point of view
Or hostile attitude
Also is a concept that
ANTI does imbue.
Then again it can imply
That which alleviates,
As in "antibiotics"
When they eliminate
All the bad bacteria
Along with all the good
To stop you from being buried in
A coffin made of wood!
And lastly
ANTI can be used
Of combat or defense
As in the antiaircraft gun
To ward off an offence.
Aotearoa
New Zealand had a different Name
When the Maori people came
Meaning "The Land of the Long White Cloud,"
Aotearoa was
What they named the land because
They found it covered in a misty shroud.
Apian (See also Apiarian)
A little black and yellow thing
Accosted me whilst gardening
And threatened so to stab me with its sting,
It seemed the apian insect
Did not much like the prospect
Of sharing the outdoors with me this spring,
And so it brought its armed butt down
And got me squarely on my frown
And with it's dying breath it said to me,
"Take that you human animal,
I do not like your kind at all."
Such was the end of this aggressive bee.
Aquiline
Instead of these dull arms of mine
I wish that I had
aquiline
Wings to lift me up and help me fly,
Where like an eagle I would glide
And nothing edible could hide
From me as I swoop down from up in high!
Are
The present second singular
Is what I have to say of "
are"
And also that it is the present plural
Of another word you see
That word which we know as "be"
A definition that I find infernal!
On account of how it might
Keep me up in thought at night
And leave me in the morning quite undone,
I suppose that I should mention too
It's true the Old English once knew
The same word by the older word "earun".
Another thing to add I fear
Is that an "are" is found elsewhere,
It being a unit of an area
Equal to one hundred square
Meters in metric terms I hear
A system of measuring superior...
Arctian
What a little mess I'm in
For something small and
arctian
Has been inside my wardrobe now I fear
This menacing and hungry moth
Has eaten through my clothes of cloth
And I'm afraid I now have naught to wear!
Once I knew an
arietine
Fellow who most of the time
Went about in wool from head to tail,
That's because, you understand,
He was none other than a ram
With curly horns and definitely male!
He thought himself the king of all
The sheep and all such animals
Who lived upon the farm he called his home,
That was until, let me tell you,
He ended up inside a stew
And left me with the jumper I now own!
Asinine
One who has the quality
Of foolish
asininity
Is one with much in common with an ass
That is to say a donkey who
Is more than just a tad cuckoo
Fatuous and lacking in brain mass.
Aspersion
There was a chap I didn't like
Let's just say his name was Mike
For no good reason so I told a fib,
I spread a little lie around
To make the people in my town
Believe he was a loser and they did...
This particular perversion
Of mine was called aspersion
To put another's character in doubt
By saying things that are not true
Like, "That guy Mike came from a zoo
And I heard that his mother is a trout!"
Needless to say I felt quite bad
For what I did was mean and sad
So with conviction I figured I oughta
Go to church and see if the
Priest could flick water on me
In the aspersion of sprinkled water!
Aspine
Once when in the thick jungles
Of somewhere hot and tropical
I stumbled on an
aspine creature who
Was in fact a talking snake
Who said to me, "Yum human steak!"
And tried to add me to its lunch menu!
This happens to me every time
I meet something that is
aspine
What is it about me that so appeals?
Why not eat instead a rat
Or a juicy ginger cat?
Or something other than me for its meal?
Assay
Once the King commissioned me
To take his crown so I could see
If it was made of metal or of gold
He sent me on this royal mission
To satisfy his own suspicion
That it was not as pure as prior told.
So I took the crown away
To figure out how to
assay
Or test it for the right ingredients
And putting it to scrutiny
I found out it was certainly
Manufactured by some miscreants!
For this crown that looked like gold
And to the king had then been sold
Was simply chocolate wrapped in gold tinfoil;
For when I put the crown upon
My head it didn't last for long
But melted running down my face like oil!
And now it is, to my dismay,
Up to me now to
assay,
Up to me to carefully attempt,
To explain to an angry king
What happened to his favourite thing
And that his fortune had been poorly spent!
Atherine
Once when swimming in the sea
A shoal of fish swam up to me,
Smelts to be exact who to me said,
"Don't feed upon us sir please
We are an endangered species,
And when we're gone all of us will be dead!"
To which I said, "I think you'll find
That I don't dine on
atherine
Fish so be assured that you'll be fine!"
But as they swam away from me
Relieved, elated and happy
A hungry shark snacked on them from behind!
Atmo- (Prefix)
To make a word contain the sense
Of being about the "air"
Emplace
ATMO in first place
As in "Atmosphere".
Hailing from the old Greek word
Atmos it is said
When it meant "vapor" or "smoke"
When back then it was read.
Audacity
One who has the quality
Of what we call
audacity
Is someone who shows an intrepid nerve,
But also it is understood
That such a one is one who could
Also be likely not to observe
What we call normal constraints
Imperious and less a saint
Defiant in their blatant apathy
For social convention and
Etiquette you understand
Like someone who wears pyjamas to tea...
And whilst this slight
audacious act
Might seem tame observe the fact
That the queen herself beheld the sight
At her dining table when
My audacious and pert friend
Was there strictly by his own invite!
Avian/Avine
Feathered things that in the sky
Flap their wings so as to fly
Are known by some interesting words,
Like avian or then sometimes
The other word which is avine
Both words being the adjectives for bird!
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