Wiktionary:Word of the day/Archive/2018/February

1. (informal, neologism) A person who creates audiovisual material designed to induce an autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR; a claimed biological phenomenon involving a pleasurable tingling in response to a stimulus).

1. (transitive, intransitive) To make a soft murmuring sound, as a pigeon.
2. (intransitive) To speak in an admiring fashion, to be enthusiastic about.

1. One who makes prints.
2. The operator of a printing press, or the owner of a printing business.
3. (computing) A device, usually attached to a computer, used to print text or images onto paper.

German blacksmith, goldsmith, printer, and publisher Johannes Gutenberg, who introduced mechanical movable type to Europe, died on this day in 1468.

1. (transitive) To make slightly wet or soiled by spattering or sprinkling a liquid (such as water, mud, or paint) on it; to bedabble.
2. (transitive) To cause splashing by moving a body part like a bill or limb in soft mud, water, etc., often playfully; to play in shallow water; to paddle.
3. (intransitive) To participate or have an interest in an activity in a casual or superficial way.
4. (intransitive, obsolete) To interfere or meddle in; to tamper with.

1. To straighten one's arms with a sudden movement to make the cuffs of one's shirt appear beyond the sleeves of one's coat or jacket.

Today is the start of New York Men’s Fashion Week in 2018.

1. A group dance of New Zealand's Maori people featuring rhythmic chanting, vigorous facial and arm movements, and foot stamping. Traditionally a war dance, today it is also performed to welcome guests, as a mark of respect at occasions such as commemorations and funerals, as a challenge to opposing teams at sports events, and for artistic purposes.

Today is Waitangi Day, the national day of New Zealand.

1. One who is skilled at using words; a wordsmith.
2. One who studies words.
3. (derogatory) One who uses words instead of actions; a hypocrite, a verbalist.

Scottish lexicographer and philologist Sir James Murray, who was the first editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, was born on this day in 1837.

1. A pit over which lumber is positioned to be sawn with a long two-handled saw (a pitsaw) by two people, one standing above the timber and the other in the pit below.

1. (US, idiomatic) To have the entirety of what one earns consumed by living expenses, thus having nothing left over to save; make just enough (money, etc.) to survive; to scratch by.

1. A level or rank in an organization, profession, or society.
2. (cycling) A line of riders seeking maximum drafting in a crosswind, resulting in a diagonal line across the road.
3. (military) A formation of troops, ships, etc., in diagonal parallel rows.

1. (geometry) Lacking an angle.
2. (cartography, navigation) Having a magnetic deviation of zero.

1. (geology) The proposed current geological epoch, in which human activities have a powerful effect on the global environment.

English naturalist, geologist and biologist Charles Darwin, best known for his contributions towards the science of evolution, was born on this day in 1809.

1. (Trinidad and Tobago) A traditional character in the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival dressed as a devil, mostly naked and covered in molasses or grease and a colourful dye.

Today is Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras in Western Christianity in 2018, the day before the start of Lent when carnivals are often held.

1. The scientific study of kissing.

Happy Valentine’s Day from all of us at the Wiktionary!

1. Alternative form of even Homer nods (“not even the most vigilant and expert are immune to error”).

1. A small dog breed which originated in China; a dog of that breed.

Today is the first day of the Chinese New Year in 2018; it is the Year of the Dog.

1. Denoting a standard layout of keys on a keyboard for typing, in which the leftmost keys of the top lettered row are Q-W-E-R-T-Y.

American inventor Christopher Latham Sholes, who came up with the QWERTY keyboard, died on this day in 1890.

1. (countable, uncountable) The killing of one's own nephew.
2. (countable) One who kills his or her own nephew.

1. (idiomatic) One's closest and most intimate family members, friends, etc.

Today, the third Monday of February in 2018, is celebrated as Family Day in some parts of Canada.

1. Temporarily incapacitated but not permanently defeated.

1. (sociolinguistics, geography) A line on a map indicating the geographical boundaries of a linguistic feature.

Today is International Mother Language Day, which is recognized by the United Nations to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.

1. (simile, idiomatic) To evade or shun, if at all possible.

1. (Australia) A railway or tram enthusiast; particularly (formerly derogatory) one who is overly enthusiastic or foolish.
2. (Australia, by extension) An enthusiast or geek with a specific interest.

The film Trainspotting was released in the United Kingdom on this day in 1996.

1. In a stochastic manner; by means of a process involving a randomly determined sequence of events.

1. The Russian-influenced argot used by the teenage protagonists in Anthony Burgess's novel A Clockwork Orange (1962).

English writer Anthony Burgess was born on this day 101 years ago in 1917.

1. (uncommon) Possible to avoid; avertible.

1. (obsolete) A woman who is exaggeratedly affected or coquettish.
2. A type of formal, decorative women's clutch bag without handles or a strap.

Today is the start of Paris Fashion Week for women’s fashion in 2018.

1. (dated) An aromatic drink originally prepared from salep and later from sassafras bark with other ingredients such as milk and sugar added, which was once popular in London, England.
2. The berry saltbush or red berry saltbush (Chenopodium hastatum, syn. Einadia hastata and Rhagodia hastata), a small plant found in coastal and inland areas of eastern Australia.
3. Alternative form of salep (“starch or jelly made from orchid plants”).