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english. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
english, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
english in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
english you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Etymology 1
Uncertain. It is speculated to relate either to people from England introducing the technique for billiards or bowling in the United States, or perhaps from a particular person with the surname English.[1]
Pronunciation
Noun
english (uncountable)
- (uncountable, Canada, US) Spinning or rotary motion given to a ball around the vertical axis, as in pool, billiards or bowling; spin, sidespin.
You can't hit it directly, but maybe if you give it some english.
2005, S. Moran, Bronx Boy: Book One of The Zombie Island Trilogy, page 179:There was a magical way of putting English on the dice to result in a six.
- (by extension, figurative) An unusual or unexpected interpretation of a text or idea, a spin, a nuance.
1988, Andre Romelle Young (lyrics and music), “Express Yourself”, in Straight Outta Compton, performed by Dr. Dre, Ruthless Records:Some drop science, while I'm dropping english.
1993, Thomas Cripps, Making Movies Black, page 94:Preston Sturgis in his Sullivan’s Travels (1942) put some english on the idea in a bit about a filthy, defeated, white chaingang that is invited to a rural black church for an evening of old movies.
Synonyms
Translations
spinning or rotary motion around the vertical axis
See also
Etymology 2
Verb
english (third-person singular simple present englishes, present participle englishing, simple past and past participle englished)
- (transitive; archaic or rare) Alternative form of English.
1930, Kemp Malone, “The Terminology of Anglistics.”, in The English Journal, volume 19, number 8, →JSTOR, page 645:Eduard Sievers and his followers have, in recent years, raised the study of speech rhythm to the rank of a special science, which they call Schallanalyse, a name best englished as rhythmics.
References
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