Word of the Day
binnacle
noun
a place on a ship where the compass is kept
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Why Dictionary.com chose binnacle
More about binnacle
- First recorded in 1615–25.
- A corruption of the earlier form bittacle; from Latin habitāculum, meaning “a little lodge or dwelling place.”
EXAMPLES OF BINNACLE
- The binnacle housed a magnetic compass and protected it from the metal ship’s own magnetic influence.
- He placed a chart next to the binnacle to double-check their heading.
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Why Dictionary.com chose fress
More about fress
- A dialect word used in the area around Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada.
- From Yiddish fresn or German fressen “to eat ravenously or devour.”
- Related to the word fret¹, meaning “to worry.”
EXAMPLES OF FRESS
- No one talks when the food is good — we just fress.
- Stop fressing on all the mangos! Leave some for the rest of us!
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Why Dictionary.com chose wakerife
More about wakerife
- First recorded in 1470–80.
- Combines wake¹ + rife, meaning “abundant, plentiful, or numerous.”
- Primarily heard in Northern England and Scottish dialects.
EXAMPLES OF WAKERIFE
- The flickering streetlamp buzzed, keeping the neighborhood wakerife.
- After a long nap in the afternoon, she found herself wakerife deep into the night.
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