Te -symbol

  1. tellurium

tea ['tē] -n, adj

  1. a shrub ( Camellia sinensisof the family Theaceae, the tea family) cultivated esp. in China, Japan, and the East Indies
  2. the leaves, leaf buds, and internodes of the tea plant prepared and cured for the market, classed according to method of manufacture into one set of types (as green tea, black tea, or oolong), and graded according to leaf size into another (as orange pekoe, pekoe, or souchong)
  3. an aromatic beverage prepared from tea leaves by infusion with boiling water
  4. any of various plants somewhat resembling tea in properties
  5. an infusion of their leaves used medicinally or as a beverage
  6. tea rose
  7. refreshments usu. including tea with sandwiches, crackers, or cookies served in late afternoon
  8. a reception, snack, or meal at which tea is served
  9. marijuana

tea bag -n

  1. a bag usu. of filter paper holding enough tea for an individual serving

tea ball -n

  1. a perforated metal ball that holds tea leaves and is used in brewing tea in a pot or cup

tea·ber·ry ['tē-,ber-ē] -n

  1. checkerberry

tea caddy -n

  1. caddy

tea cake -n

  1. a small flat cake usu. made with raisins
  2. cookie

tea cart -n

  1. tea wagon

teach ['tēch] -vb

  1. to cause to know something
    • taught them a trade
  2. to cause to know how
    • is teach ing me to drive
  3. to accustom to some action or attitude
    • teach students to think for themselves
  4. to cause to know the disagreeable consequences of some action
    • I'll teach you to come home late
  5. to guide the studies of
  6. to impart the knowledge of
    • teach algebra
  7. to instruct by precept, example, or experience
  8. to make known and accepted
    • experience teach es us our limitations
  9. to conduct instruction regularly in
    • teach school
  10. to provide instruction : act as a teacher

teach·able ['tē-chə-bəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. capable of being taught
  2. apt and willing to learn
  3. favorable to teaching

teach·er ['tē-chər] -n

  1. one that teaches
  2. one whose occupation is to instruct
  3. a Mormon ranking above a deacon in the Aaronic priesthood

teach·er·ly [-lē] -adj

  1. resembling, characteristic of, or befitting a teacher

teachers college -n

  1. a college for the training of teachers usu. offering a full 4-year course and granting a bachelor's degree

teacher's pet -n

  1. a pupil who has won the teacher's special favor
  2. a person who is treated as a favorite by one in authority

teachin ['tēch-,in] -n

  1. an extended meeting usu. held on a college campus for lectures, debates, and discussions to raise awareness of or express a position on a social or political issue

teaching -n

  1. the act, practice, or profession of a teacher
  2. something taught
  3. doctrine
    • the teaching s of Confucius
  4. of, relating to, used for, or engaged in teaching
    • a teaching aid
    • the teaching profession
    • a teaching assistant

teaching hospital -n

  1. a hospital that is affiliated with a medical school and provides means for medical education

tea·cup ['tē-,kəp] -n

  1. a small cup usu. with a handle used with a saucer for hot beverages

tea dance -n

  1. a dance held in the late afternoon

tea garden -n

  1. a public garden where tea and light refreshments are served
  2. a tea plantation

tea gown -n

  1. a semiformal gown of fine materials in graceful flowing lines worn esp. for afternoon entertaining at home

tea·house ['tē-,hau̇s] -n

  1. a public house or restaurant where tea and light refreshments are sold

teak ['tēk] -n

  1. a tall tropical Asian timber tree ( Tectona grandis) of the vervain family
  2. the hard yellowish-brown wood of teak used esp. for furniture and shipbuilding

tea·ket·tle ['tē-,ke-tᵊl] -n

  1. a covered kettle with a handle and spout for boiling water

teak·wood ['tēk-,wu̇d] -n

  1. teak

teal ['tēl] -n

  1. any of various widely distributed small short-necked dabblers (genus Anas)
  2. teal blue

teal blue -n

  1. a dark greenish blue

team ['tēm] -n

  1. two or more draft animals harnessed to the same vehicle or implement
  2. these with their harness and attached vehicle
  3. a draft animal often with harness and vehicle
  4. lineage, race
  5. : a group of animals: as
  6. a brood esp. of young pigs or ducks
  7. a matched group of animals for exhibition
  8. : a number of persons associated together in work or activity: as
  9. a group on one side (as in football or a debate)
  10. crew, gang
  11. of or performed by a team
    • a team effort
  12. marked by devotion to teamwork rather than individual achievement
    • a team player
  13. to yoke or join in a team
  14. to put together in a coordinated ensemble
  15. to convey or haul with a team
  16. to drive a team or motortruck
  17. to form a team or association

team foul -n

  1. one of a designated number of personal fouls the players on a basketball team may commit during a given period of play before the opposing team begins receiving bonus free throws

team handball -n

  1. a game developed from soccer which is played between two teams of seven players each and in which the ball is thrown, caught, and dribbled with the hands

team·mate ['tēm-,māt] -n

  1. a fellow member of a team

team·ster ['tēm(p)-stər] -n

  1. one who drives a team or motortruck esp. as an occupation

team·work ['tēm-,wərk] -n

  1. work done by several associates with each doing a part but all subordinating personal prominence to the efficiency of the whole

tea party -n

  1. an afternoon social gathering at which tea is served
  2. an exciting disturbance or proceeding

tea·pot ['tē-,pät] -n

  1. a vessel with a spout and a handle in which tea is brewed and from which it is served

tea·poy ['tē-,pȯi] -n

  1. a 3-legged ornamental stand
  2. a stand or table containing a tea chest or caddy and used for supporting a tea set
  3. tea caddy

tear ['tir] -n, adj

  1. a drop of clear saline fluid secreted by the lacrimal gland and diffused between the eye and eyelids to moisten the parts and facilitate their motion
  2. a secretion of profuse tears that overflow the eyelids and dampen the face
  3. a transparent drop of fluid or hardened fluid matter (as resin)
  4. an act of weeping or grieving
    • broke into tear s
  5. to fill with tears : shed tears
    • eyes tear ing in the November wind -- Saul Bellow
  6. to separate parts of or pull apart by force : rend
  7. to wound by or as if by tearing : lacerate
    • tear the skin
  8. to divide or disrupt by the pull of contrary forces
    • a mind torn with doubts
  9. to remove by force : wrench often used with off
    • tear a cover off a box
  10. to remove as if by wrenching
    • tear your thoughts away from the scene
  11. to make or effect by or as if by tearing
    • tear a hole in the wall
  12. to separate on being pulled : rend
    • this cloth tear s easily
  13. to move or act with violence, haste, or force
    • went tear ing down the street
  14. to smash or penetrate something with violent force
    • the bullet tore through his leg
  15. damage from being torn
  16. a hole or flaw made by tearing
  17. the act of tearing
  18. a tearing pace : hurry
  19. spree
    • got paid and went on a tear
  20. a run of unusual success
    • the team was on a tear

tear·away ['ter-ə-,wā] -n

  1. a rebellious and unruly or reckless young person

tear away -vt

  1. to remove (as oneself) reluctantly

tear·down ['ter-,dau̇n] -n

  1. the act or process of disassembling

tear down -vt

  1. to cause to decompose or disintegrate
  2. vilify, denigrate
    • trying to tear down his reputation
  3. to take apart : disassemble
    • tear down an engine

tear·drop ['tir-,dräp] -n

  1. tear
  2. something shaped like a dropping tear
  3. a pendent gem (as on an earring)

tear·ful ['tir-fəl] -adj, adv, n

  1. flowing with or accompanied by tears
    • tearful entreaties
  2. causing tears : teary
    • a tearful eulogy

tear·gas [-,gas] -vt

  1. to use tear gas on

tear gas -n

  1. a solid, liquid, or gaseous substance that on dispersion in the atmosphere irritates mucous membranes resulting esp. in blinding of the eyes with tears and is used chiefly in dispelling mobs

tear·ing ['ter-iŋ] -adj

  1. causing continued or repeated pain or distress
  2. hasty, violent
  3. splendid

tear·jerk·er ['tir-,jər-kər] -n, adj

  1. a story, song, play, film, or broadcast that moves or is intended to move its audience to tears

tea·room ['tē-,rüm, -,ru̇m] -n

  1. a small restaurant or cafe with service and decor designed primarily for a female clientele

tea rose -n

  1. a garden bush rose ( Rosa odorata) of Chinese origin that includes several cultivars and is valued esp. for its abundant large usu. tea-scented blossoms

tear sheet -n

  1. a sheet torn from a publication

tear·stain ['tir-,stān] -n, adj

  1. a spot or streak left by tears

tear up -vt

  1. to damage, remove, or effect an opening in
    • tore up the street to lay a new water main
  2. to perform or compete with great success on, in, or against
    • couples tearing up the dance floor
    • a batter who's tearing up the league

teary ['tir-ē] -adj

  1. wet or stained with tears : tearful
    • teary eyes
  2. consisting of tears or drops resembling tears
  3. causing tears : pathetic
    • a teary story

tease ['tēz] -vt, adv

  1. to disentangle and lay parallel by combing or carding
    • tease wool
  2. teasel
  3. to tear in pieces
  4. to shred (a tissue or specimen) for microscopic examination
  5. to disturb or annoy by persistent irritating or provoking esp. in a petty or mischievous way
  6. to annoy with petty persistent requests : pester
  7. to obtain by repeated coaxing
  8. to persuade to acquiesce esp. by persistent small efforts : coax
  9. to manipulate or influence as if by teasing
  10. to make fun of : kid
  11. to comb (hair) by taking hold of a strand and pushing the short hairs toward the scalp with the comb
  12. to tantalize esp. by arousing desire or curiosity often without intending to satisfy it
  13. the act of teasing : the state of being teased
  14. one that teases

tea·sel ['tē-zəl] -n

  1. an Old World prickly herb ( Dipsacus fullonumof the family Dipsacaceae, the teasel family) with flower heads that are covered with stiff hooked bracts and were used esp. formerly in the woolen industry called also fuller's teasel
  2. a plant of the same genus as the teasel
  3. a flower head of the fuller's teasel used when dried to raise a nap on woolen cloth
  4. a wire substitute for the teasel

teasel ['tēz-liŋ, 'tē-zə-] -vt

  1. to nap (cloth) with teasels

tease out -vt

  1. to obtain by or as if by disentangling or freeing with a pointed instrument
  2. unravel

teas·er ['tē-zər] -n

  1. one that teases
  2. an advertising or promotional device intended to arouse interest or curiosity esp. in something to follow

tea service -n

  1. tea set

tea set -n

  1. a matching set of metalware or china (as a teapot, sugar bowl, creamer, and often plates, cups, and saucers) for serving tea and sometimes coffee at table

tea shop -n

  1. a small restaurant or cafe : tearoom

tea·spoon ['tē-,spün, -'spün] -n

  1. a small spoon that is used esp. for eating soft foods and stirring beverages and that holds about one third of a tablespoon
  2. a unit of measure esp. in cookery equal to fluid ounce or tablespoon (5 milliliters)

tea·spoon·ful [-,fu̇l] -n

  1. as much as a teaspoon can hold
  2. teaspoon

teat ['tit, 'tēt] -n, adj

  1. the protuberance through which milk is drawn from an udder or breast : nipple
  2. a small projection or a nib (as on a mechanical part)

tea table -n

  1. a table used or spread for tea
  2. a small table for serving afternoon tea

tea·time ['tē-,tīm] -n

  1. the customary time for tea : late afternoon or early evening

tea towel -n

  1. a cloth for drying dishes

tea tray -n

  1. a tray that accommodates a tea set

tea tree -n

  1. any of various Australasian shrubs or small trees (genus Leptospermum) of the myrtle family that form dense thickets and have aromatic evergreen foliage
  2. any of various melaleucas (esp. Melaleuca alternifolia) with aromatic leaves that yield an essential oil used esp. as an antiseptic

tea wagon -n

  1. a small table on wheels used in serving tea

Te·bet [tā-'vāt, -'vāth, 'tā-,ves] -n

  1. the 4th month of the civil year or the 10th month of the ecclesiastical year in the Jewish calendar

tech ['tek] -n

  1. technician
    • lab tech s
    • a computer tech
  2. technology
    • the triumph of tech...is far from complete -- Newsweek
  3. technical; technically
  4. technological

teched ['techt] -adj

  1. mentally unbalanced

tech·ie ['te-kē] -n, adj

  1. a person who is very knowledgeable or enthusiastic about technology and esp. high technology

tech·ne·tium [tek-'nē-sh(ē-)əm] -n

  1. a radioactive metallic element obtained esp. from nuclear fuel as a product of uranium fission and used as a diagnostic radiopharmaceutical

tech·ne·tron·ic [,tek-nə-'trä-nik] -adj

  1. shaped or influenced by the changes wrought by advances in technology and communications
    • our modern technetronic society

tech·nic ['tek-nik, for 1 also tek-'nēk] -n

  1. technique
  2. technology

tech·ni·cal ['tek-ni-kəl] -adj, adv

  1. having special and usu. practical knowledge esp. of a mechanical or scientific subject
    • a technical consultant
  2. marked by or characteristic of specialization
    • technical language
  3. of or relating to a particular subject
  4. of or relating to a practical subject organized on scientific principles
    • a technical school
  5. technological
  6. based on or marked by a strict or legal interpretation
  7. legal
  8. of or relating to technique
  9. of, relating to, or produced by ordinary commercial processes without being subjected to special purification
    • technical sulfuric acid
  10. relating to or caused by the functioning of the market as a discrete mechanism not influenced by macroeconomic factors
    • a technical rally

technical foul -n

  1. a foul (as in basketball) that involves no physical contact with an opponent and that usu. is incurred by unsportsmanlike conduct called also technical

tech·ni·cal·i·ty [,tek-nə-'ka-lə-tē] -n

  1. something technical
  2. a detail meaningful only to a specialist
    • a legal technicality
  3. the quality or state of being technical

tech·ni·cal·ize ['tek-ni-kə-,līz] -vt, n

  1. to give a technical slant to

technical knockout -n

  1. the termination of a boxing match when a boxer is unable or is declared by the referee to be unable (as because of injuries) to continue the fight called also TKO

technical sergeant -n

  1. a noncommissioned officer in the air force ranking above a staff sergeant and below a master sergeant

tech·ni·cian [tek-'ni-shən] -n

  1. a specialist in the technical details of a subject or occupation
    • a computer technician
  2. one who has acquired the technique of an art or other area of specialization
    • a superb technician and a musician of integrity -- Irving Kolodin

Tech·ni·col·or ['tek-ni-,kə-lər] -trademark

  1. used for a process of color cinematography

tech·nique [tek-'nēk] -n

  1. the manner in which technical details are treated (as by a writer) or basic physical movements are used (as by a dancer)
  2. ability to treat such details or use such movements
    • good piano technique
  3. a body of technical methods (as in a craft or in scientific research)
  4. a method of accomplishing a desired aim

tech·no ['tek-nō] -n

  1. electronic dance music that features a fast beat and synthesized sounds usu. without vocals or a conventional popular song structure

techno- -comb form

  1. technical : technological
    • techno cracy

tech·no·bab·ble ['tek-nə-,ba-bəl] -n

  1. technical jargon

tech·noc·ra·cy [tek-'nä-krə-sē] -n

  1. government by technicians
  2. management of society by technical experts

tech·no·crat ['tek-nə-,krat] -n

  1. an adherent of technocracy
  2. a technical expert
  3. one exercising managerial authority

tech·no·crat·ic [,tek-nə-'kra-tik] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or suggestive of a technocrat or a technocracy

technol -abbr

  1. technology

tech·no·log·i·cal [,tek-nə-'lä-ji-kəl] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or characterized by technology
  2. resulting from improvements in technical processes that increase productivity of machines and eliminates manual operations or operations done by older machines

tech·nol·o·gize [tek-'nä-lə-,jīz] -vt

  1. to affect or alter by technology

tech·nol·o·gy [-jē] -n

  1. the practical application of knowledge esp. in a particular area : engineering
    • medical technology
  2. a capability given by the practical application of knowledge
    • a car's fuel-saving technology
  3. a manner of accomplishing a task esp. using technical processes, methods, or knowledge
    • new technologies for information storage
  4. the specialized aspects of a particular field of endeavor
    • educational technology

tech·no·phile ['tek-nə-,fī(-ə)l] -n

  1. an enthusiast of technology

tech·no·pho·bia [,tek-nə-'fō-bē-ə] -n, adj

  1. fear or dislike of advanced technology or complex devices and esp. computers

tech·nopop ['tek-(,)nō-,päp] -n

  1. popular music featuring extensive use of synthesizers

tech·no·pre·neur [,tek-nō-prə-'nər, -'n(y)u̇r] -n

  1. an entrepreneur involved with high technology

tech·no·struc·ture ['tek-nō-,strək-chər] -n

  1. the network of professionally skilled managers (as scientists, engineers, and administrators) that tends to control the economy both within and beyond individual corporate groups

tech·nothrill·er ['tek-nō-,thri-lər, -nə-] -n

  1. a thriller whose plot relies on modern technology

techy ['te-kē] -adj

  1. characterized by technological sophistication : technical
    • techy innovations

tec·ton·ic [tek-'tä-nik] -adj, adv

  1. of or relating to tectonics
  2. having a strong and widespread impact
    • a tectonic shift in voting patterns

tec·ton·ics [tek-'tä-niks] -n pl but sing or pl in constr

  1. geological structural features as a whole
  2. a branch of geology concerned with the structure of the crust of a planet (as earth) or moon and esp. with the formation of folds and faults in it
  3. tectonism

tec·to·nism ['tek-tə-,ni-zəm] -n

  1. the process of deformation that produces in the earth's crust its continents and ocean basins, plateaus and mountains, folds of strata, and faults called also diastrophism

tec·tum ['tek-təm] -n, adj

  1. a bodily structure resembling or serving as a roof
  2. the dorsal part of the midbrain

ted ['ted] -vt

  1. to spread or turn from the swath and scatter (as new-mown grass) for drying

ted·der ['te-dər] -n

  1. one that teds
  2. a machine for stirring and spreading hay to hasten drying and curing

ted·dy ['te-dē] -n

  1. chemise

ted·dy bear ['te-dē-,] -n

  1. a stuffed toy bear

teddy boy -n

  1. a young British thug esp. of the 1950s and 1960s characterized by Edwardian dress

Te De·um [,tā-'dā-əm, ,tē-'dē-] -n

  1. a liturgical Christian hymn of praise to God

te·dious ['tē-dē-əs, 'tē-jəs] -adj, adv, n

  1. tiresome because of length or dullness : boring
    • a tedious public ceremony

te·di·um ['tē-dē-əm] -n

  1. the quality or state of being tedious : tediousness
  2. boredom
  3. a tedious period of time

tee ['tē] -n

  1. the letter t
  2. something shaped like a capital T
  3. a mark aimed at in various games (as curling)
  4. a small mound or a peg on which a golf ball is placed before being struck at the beginning of play on a hole
  5. a device for holding a football in position for kicking
  6. an adjustable post on which a ball is placed for batting (as in T-ball)
  7. the area from which a golf ball is struck at the beginning of play on a hole
  8. to place (a ball) on a tee often used with up

teed off -adj

  1. angry, annoyed

teehee ['tē-'hē] -vi, n

  1. giggle, titter

teem ['tēm] -vb, adv, n

  1. bring forth: give birth to : produce
  2. to become pregnant : conceive
  3. to become filled to overflowing : abound
  4. to be present in large quantity
  5. empty, pour
    • teem molten metal into a mold

teen ['tēn] -n

  1. misery, affliction
  2. a teenage person : teenager

teen·age ['tēn-,āj] -adj, n

  1. of, being, or relating to people in their teens

teen·er ['tē-nər] -n

  1. teen, teenager

teens ['tēnz] -n pl

  1. the numbers 13 to 19 inclusive
  2. the years 13 to 19 in a lifetime or century

teens·ploi·ta·tion [,tēn-(,)splȯi-'tā-shən] -n

  1. the exploitation of teenagers by producers of teen-oriented films

teen·sy ['tēn(t)-sē] -adj

  1. tiny

teen·syween·sy [,tēn(t)-sē-'wēn(t)-sē] -adj

  1. tiny

tee·ny ['tē-nē] -adj

  1. tiny

teeny·bop ['tē-nē-,bäp] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or being a teenybopper

teeny·bop·per [-,bä-pər] -n

  1. a teenage girl
  2. a young teenager who is enthusiastically devoted to popular music and to current fads

tee·nywee·ny [,tē-nē-'wē-nē] -adj

  1. tiny

tee off -vi

  1. to drive from a tee
  2. begin, start
  3. to hit hard
  4. to make an angry denunciation often used with on

teepee ['tē-(,)pē] -n

(variant of tepee)

  1. a conical tent usu. consisting of skins and used esp. by American Indians of the Great Plains

tee·ter ['tē-tər] -vi

  1. to move unsteadily : wobble
  2. waver, vacillate
    • teeter ed on the brink of bankruptcy
  3. seesaw

teeter -n

  1. seesaw

tee·ter·board [-,bȯrd] -n

  1. seesaw
  2. a board placed on a raised support so that a person standing on one end of the board is thrown into the air if another jumps on the opposite end

tee·tertot·ter ['tē-tər-,tä-tər] -n

  1. seesaw

teeth ['tüth] -n, adj

(variant of tooth)

  1. one of the hard bony appendages that are borne on the jaws or in many of the lower vertebrates on other bones in the walls of the mouth or pharynx and serve esp. for the prehension and mastication of food and as weapons of offense and defense
  2. any of various usu. hard and sharp processes esp. about the mouth of an invertebrate
  3. taste, liking
  4. : a projection resembling or suggesting the tooth of an animal in shape, arrangement, or action
    • a saw tooth
    : as
  5. any of the regular projections on the circumference or sometimes the face of a wheel that engage with corresponding projections on another wheel esp. to transmit force : cog
  6. a small sharp-pointed marginal lobe or process on a plant
  7. something that injures, tortures, devours, or destroys
    • jealousy with rankling tooth -- Thomas Gray
  8. effective means of enforcement
    • drug laws with teeth
  9. a roughness of surface produced by mechanical or artificial means

teethe ['tēth] -vi

  1. to experience the emergence of one's teeth through the gums

teeth·er ['tē-thər] -n

  1. an object (as a teething ring) designed for a baby to bite on during teething

teething -n

  1. the first growth of teeth
  2. the phenomena accompanying growth of teeth through the gums

teething ring -n

  1. a usu. rubber or plastic ring for a teething infant to bite on

teeth·ridge ['tēth-,rij] -n

  1. the inner surface of the gums of the upper front teeth

tee·to·tal ['tē-'tō-tᵊl, -,tō-] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or practicing teetotalism
  2. total, complete

tee·to·tal·er [-'tō-tᵊl-ər] -n

  1. one who practices or advocates teetotalism

tee·to·tal·ism [-tᵊl-,i-zəm] -n

  1. the principle or practice of complete abstinence from alcoholic drinks

tee·to·tum ['tē-'tō-təm] -n

  1. a small top usu. inscribed with letters and used in put-and-take

teff ['tef] -n

  1. an economically important Ethiopian annual cereal grass ( Eragrostis tefsyn. E. abyssinica) grown for its small grain which yields a white flour and as a forage and hay crop

te·fil·lin [tē-'fi-lən also -ləm] -n pl but sometimes sing in constr

  1. the phylacteries worn by Jews

TEFL -abbr

  1. teaching English as a foreign language

Tef·lon ['te-,flän] -trademark

  1. used for synthetic fluorine-containing resins used esp. for molding articles and for nonstick coatings

teg·men ['teg-mən] -n

  1. a superficial layer or covering usu. of a plant or animal part

teg·men·tal [teg-'men-tᵊl] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or associated with an integument or a tegmentum

teg·men·tum [teg-'men-təm] -n

  1. an anatomical covering : tegmen
  2. the part of the ventral midbrain above the substantia nigra formed of longitudinal white fibers with arched transverse fibers and gray matter

teg·u·ment ['te-gyə-mənt] -n

  1. integument

te·iid ['tē-əd, 'tī-] -n, adj

  1. any of a family (Teiidae) of mostly tropical American lizards (as the race runner) with an elongate forked tongue

Te·ja·no [tā-'hä-(,)nō] -n

  1. a Texan of Hispanic descent
  2. Tex-Mex popular music combining elements of traditional, rock, and country music and often featuring an accordion

tek·tite ['tek-,tīt] -n, adj

  1. a glassy body of probably meteoritic origin and of rounded but indefinite shape

tel -abbr

  1. telephone

tel- -comb form

  1. end
    • tel angiectasia

tel·a·mon ['te-lə-,män] -n

  1. atlas

tel·an·gi·ec·ta·sia [,te-,lan-jē-,ek-'tā-zh(ē-)ə, ,tē-, tə-] -n, adj

  1. an abnormal dilation of red, blue, or purple superficial capillaries, arterioles, or venules typically localized just below the skin's surface (as of the face)

tel·co ['tel-(,)kō] -n

  1. a telecommunications company

tele ['te-lē] -n

  1. television

tele- -comb form

  1. distant : at a distance : over a distance
    • tele gram
  2. telegraph
    • tele typewriter
  3. television
    • tele cast
  4. telecommunication
    • tele marketing

tele·cast ['te-li-,kast] -vb, n

  1. to broadcast by television
  2. to broadcast a television program

tele·cine ['te-li-,si-nē, ,te-li-'si-] -n

  1. the equipment used in the process of transferring a motion picture to videotape or converting it into television images
  2. such a process

tel·e·com ['te-li-,käm] -n

  1. telecommunication
  2. the telecommunications industry

tele·com·mu·ni·ca·tion [,te-li-kə-,myü-nə-'kā-shən] -n

  1. communication at a distance (as by telephone)
  2. technology that deals with telecommunication usu. used in pl.

tele·com·mute ['te-li-kə-,myüt] -vi, n

  1. to work at home by the use of an electronic linkup with a central office

tele·con·fer·enc·ing ['te-li-,kän-f(ə-)rən(t)-siŋ, -fərn(t)-] -n

  1. the holding of a conference among people remote from one another by means of telecommunication devices (as telephones or computer terminals)

Tele·copi·er ['te-lə-,kä-pē-ər] -trademark

  1. used for transmitting and receiving equipment for producing facsimile copies of documents

tele·course ['te-li-,kȯrs] -n

  1. a course of study conducted over television
  2. such a course taken at home for academic credit

tele·fac·sim·i·le [,te-li-fak-'si-mə-(,)lē] -n

  1. facsimile

tele·fax ['te-li-,faks] -n

  1. facsimile

tele·film ['te-li-,film] -n

  1. a motion picture made to be telecast

tele·ge·nic [,te-lə-'je-nik, -'jē-] -adj

  1. well-suited to the medium of television
  2. having an appearance and manner that are markedly attractive to television viewers

tele·gram ['te-lə-,gram, Southern also -grəm] -n

  1. a telegraphic dispatch
  2. telegraph

tele·graph [-,graf] -n

  1. an apparatus for communication at a distance by coded signals
  2. an apparatus, system, or process for communication at a distance by electric transmission over wire
  3. telegram

telegraph [tə-'le-grə-fər] -vt, n

  1. to send or communicate by or as if by telegraph
  2. to send a telegram to
  3. to send by means of a telegraphic order
  4. to make known by signs esp. unknowingly and in advance

tele·graph·ese [,te-lə-gra-'fēz, -'fēs] -n

  1. language characterized by the terseness and ellipses that are common in telegrams

tele·graph·ic [,te-lə-'gra-fik] -adj, adv

  1. of or relating to the telegraph
  2. concise, terse

te·leg·ra·phy [tə-'le-grə-fē] -n

  1. the use or operation of a telegraph apparatus or system for communication

tele·ki·ne·sis [,te-li-kə-'nē-səs, -kī-] -n, adj, adv

  1. the production of motion in objects (as by a spiritualistic medium) without contact or other physical means

Te·lem·a·chus [tə-'le-mə-kəs] -n

  1. the son of Odysseus and Penelope who contrives with his father to slay his mother's suitors

tel·e·mark ['te-lə-,märk] -n

  1. a turn in skiing in which the outside ski is advanced considerably ahead of the other ski and then turned inward at a steadily widening angle until the turn is completed

tele·mar·ket·ing [,te-lə-'mär-kə-tiŋ] -n

  1. the marketing of goods or services by telephone

tel·e·mark·ing ['te-le-,mär-kiŋ] -n

  1. the act or sport of performing telemarks

tele·med·i·cine [,te-lə-'me-də-sən, -'med-sən] -n

  1. the practice of medicine when the doctor and patient are widely separated using two-way voice and visual communication (as by satellite or computer)

tele·me·ter ['te-lə-,mē-tər] -n

  1. an instrument for measuring the distance of an object from an observer
  2. an electrical apparatus for measuring a quantity (as pressure, speed, or temperature) and transmitting the result esp. by radio to a distant station

telemeter -vt

  1. to transmit (as the measurement of a quantity) by telemeter
  2. to telemeter the measurement of a quantity

te·lem·e·try [tə-'le-mə-trē] -n, adj, adv

  1. the science or process of telemetering data
  2. data transmitted by telemetry
  3. biotelemetry

tel·en·ceph·a·lon [,te-len-'se-fə-,län, -lən] -n, adj

  1. the anterior subdivision of the embryonic forebrain or the corresponding part of the adult forebrain that includes the cerebral hemispheres and associated structures

tel·e·no·vela [,te-lə-nō-'ve-lə] -n

  1. a soap opera produced in and televised in or from many Latin-American countries

tel·e·o·log·i·cal [,te-lē-ə-'lä-ji-kəl, ,tē-] -adj, adv

  1. exhibiting or relating to design or purpose esp. in nature

tel·e·ol·o·gy [,te-lē-'ä-lə-jē, ,tē-] -n

  1. the study of evidences of design in nature
  2. a doctrine (as in vitalism) that ends are immanent in nature
  3. a doctrine explaining phenomena by final causes
  4. the fact or character attributed to nature or natural processes of being directed toward an end or shaped by a purpose
  5. the use of design or purpose as an explanation of natural phenomena

tel·e·on·o·my [,te-lē-'ä-nə-mē, ,tē-] -n, adj

  1. the quality of apparent purposefulness of structure or function in living organisms due to evolutionary adaptation

tel·e·ost ['te-lē-,äst, 'tē-] -n, adj

  1. bony fish

tele·path ['te-lə-,path] -n

  1. one who is able to communicate by telepathy

te·lep·a·thy [tə-'le-pə-thē] -n, adj, adv

  1. communication from one mind to another by extrasensory means

tele·phone ['te-lə-,fōn] -n

  1. an instrument for reproducing sounds at a distance
  2. one in which sound is converted into electrical impulses for transmission (as by wire or radio waves)

telephone -vb, n

  1. to speak to or attempt to reach by telephone
  2. to send by telephone
  3. to communicate by telephone

telephone book -n

  1. a book listing the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of telephone customers

telephone booth -n

  1. an enclosure within which one may stand or sit while making a telephone call

telephone box -n

  1. a public telephone booth

telephone directory -n

  1. telephone book

telephone number -n

  1. a number assigned to a telephone line for a specific location that is used to call that location

telephone tag -n

  1. telephoning back and forth by parties trying to reach each other without success

tele·phon·ic [,te-lə-'fä-nik] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or conveyed by a telephone

te·le·pho·nist [tə-'le-fə-nist, 'te-lə-,fō-nist] -n

  1. a telephone switchboard operator

te·le·pho·ny [tə-'le-fə-nē also 'te-lə-,fō-] -n

  1. the use or operation of an apparatus (as a telephone) for transmission of sounds as electrical signals between widely removed points

tele·pho·to [,te-lə-'fō-(,)tō] -adj

  1. being a camera lens system designed to give a large image of a distant object
  2. relating to or being photography in which a telephoto lens is used

telephoto -n

  1. a telephoto lens
  2. a photograph taken with a camera having a telephoto lens

Telephoto -trademark

  1. used for an apparatus for transmitting photographs electrically or for a photograph so transmitted

tele·pho·tog·ra·phy [,te-lə-fə-'tä-grə-fē] -n

  1. the photography of distant objects (as by a camera provided with a telephoto lens)

tele·play ['te-li-,plā] -n

  1. a story prepared for television production

tele·port ['te-lə-,pȯrt] -vt

  1. to transfer by teleportation

tele·por·ta·tion [,te-lə-,pȯr-'tā-shən, -pər-] -n

  1. the act or process of moving an object or person by psychokinesis

tele·print·er ['te-lə-,prin-tər] -n

  1. a device capable of producing hard copy from signals received over a communications circuit
  2. teletypewriter

tele·pro·cess·ing [-'prä-,se-siŋ, -'prō-, -sə-siŋ] -n

  1. computer processing via remote terminals

tele·prompt·er ['te-lə-,präm(p)-tər] -n

  1. a device for displaying prepared text to a speaker or performer

tele·scope ['te-lə-,skōp] -n

  1. a usu. tubular optical instrument for viewing distant objects by means of the refraction of light rays through a lens or the reflection of light rays by a concave mirror
  2. any of various tubular magnifying optical instruments
  3. radio telescope

telescope -vb

  1. to become forced together lengthwise with one part entering another as the result of collision
  2. to slide or pass one within another like the cylindrical sections of a collapsible hand telescope
  3. to become compressed or condensed
  4. to cause to telescope
  5. compress, condense

tele·scop·ic [,te-lə-'skä-pik] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or performed with a telescope
  2. suitable for seeing or magnifying distant objects
  3. seen or discoverable only by a telescope
    • telescopic stars
  4. able to discern objects at a distance
  5. having parts that telescope

tel·e·sis ['te-lə-səs] -n

  1. progress that is intelligently planned and directed : the attainment of desired ends by the application of intelligent human effort to the means

Tel·es·tra·tor ['te-lə-,strā-tər] -trademark

  1. used for an electronic device that generates drawn video images over a background image

tele·text ['te-lə-,tekst] -n

  1. a system for broadcasting text over an unused portion of a television signal and displaying it on a decoder-equipped television set

tele·thon ['te-lə-,thän] -n

  1. a long television program usu. to solicit funds esp. for a charity

Tele·type ['te-lə-,tīp] -trademark

  1. used for a teletypewriter

tele·type·writ·er [,te-lə-'tīp-,rī-tər] -n

  1. a printing device resembling a typewriter that is used to send and receive telephonic signals

tel·evan·ge·list [,te-li-'van-jə-list] -n

  1. an evangelist who conducts regularly televised religious programs

tele·view ['te-li-,vyü] -vi, n

  1. to observe or watch by means of a television receiver

tele·vise ['te-lə-,vīz] -vb

  1. to broadcast (as a baseball game) by television
  2. to broadcast by television

tele·vi·sion ['te-lə-,vi-zhən esp Brit ,te-lə-'] -n

  1. an electronic system of transmitting transient images of fixed or moving objects together with sound over a wire or through space by apparatus that converts light and sound into electrical waves and reconverts them into visible light rays and audible sound
  2. a television receiving set
  3. the television broadcasting industry
  4. television as a medium of communication

tele·vi·su·al [,te-lə-'vi-zhə-wəl, -zhəl; -'vizh-wəl] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or suitable for broadcast by television

tel·ex ['te-,leks] -n

  1. a communication service involving teletypewriters connected by wire through automatic exchanges
  2. a teletypewriter used in telex
  3. a message sent by telex

telex -vt

  1. to send (as a message) by telex
  2. to communicate with by telex

te·lic ['te-lik, 'tē-] -adj, adv

  1. tending toward an end or outcome

te·lio·spore ['tē-lē-ə-,spȯr] -n

  1. a chlamydospore that is the final stage in the life cycle of a rust fungus and that gives rise to the basidium

te·li·um ['tē-lē-əm] -n, adj

  1. a teliospore-producing sorus or pustule on the host plant of a rust fungus

tell ['tel] -vb

  1. count, enumerate
    • tell the stars, if thou be able to number them -- Gen 15:5(AV)
  2. to relate in detail : narrate
    • told the whole story to us
  3. to give utterance to : say
    • could never tell a lie
  4. to make known : divulge, reveal
    • don't tell your password
  5. to express in words
    • she never told her love -- Shak.
  6. to give information to : inform
    • tell us about your job
  7. to assure emphatically
    • they did not do it, I tell you
  8. order, direct
    • told me to wait
  9. to find out by observing : recognize
    • you can tell it's a masterpiece
  10. to give an account
    • an article telling of her experience
  11. to act as an informer often used with on
    • I'll get even with you if you ever tell on me -- Inside Detective
  12. to have a marked effect
    • the pressure was beginning to tell on him
  13. to serve as evidence or indication
  14. hill, mound
  15. an ancient mound in the Middle East composed of remains of successive settlements

tellall ['tel-'ȯl] -n, adj

  1. a written account (as a biography) that contains revealing and often scandalous information

tell·er ['te-lər] -n

  1. one that relates or communicates
    • a teller of stories
  2. : one that reckons or counts: as
  3. one appointed to count votes
  4. a member of a bank's staff concerned with the direct handling of money received or paid out

telling [-liŋ-lē] -adj, adv

  1. carrying great weight and producing a marked effect : effective, expressive
    • the most telling evidence

tell off -vt

  1. to number and set apart
  2. to assign to a special duty
    • told off a detail and put them to opening a trench -- J. F. Dobie
  3. reprimand, excoriate
    • told him off for his arrogance

tell·tale ['tel-,tāl] -n, adj

  1. talebearer, informer
  2. an outward sign : indication
  3. : a device for indicating or recording something: as
  4. a wind-direction indicator often in the form of a ribbon
  5. a strip of metal on the front wall of a racquets or squash court above which the ball must be hit

tellur- -comb form

  1. earth
    • tellur ic
  2. tellurium
    • tellur ide

tel·lu·ric [tə-'lu̇r-ik, te-] -adj

  1. of or relating to the earth : terrestrial
  2. being or relating to a usu. natural electric current flowing near the earth's surface

tel·lu·ride ['tel-yə-,rīd] -n

  1. a binary compound of tellurium with a more electropositive element or group

tel·lu·ri·um [tə-'lu̇r-ē-əm, te-] -n

  1. a semimetallic element that occurs in a silvery-white brittle crystalline form of metallic luster, in a dark amorphous form, or combined with metals and that is used esp. in alloys and catalysts

tel·lu·rom·e·ter [,tel-yə-'rä-mə-tər] -n

  1. a device that measures distance by means of microwaves

tel·ly ['te-lē] -n

  1. television

tel·net ['tel-,net] -n, vi

  1. a telecommunications protocol providing specifications for emulating a remote computer terminal so that one can access a distant computer and function online using an interface that appears to be part of the user's local system

telo·cen·tric [,te-lə-'sen-trik, ,tē-] -adj, n

  1. having the centromere terminally situated so that there is only one chromosomal arm
    • a telocentric chromosome

te·lome ['tē-,lōm] -n

  1. a hypothetical plant structure in a theory of the evolution of leaves and sporophylls in vascular plants that consists of one of the vegetative or reproductive terminal branchlets of a dichotomously branched axis

tel·o·me·rase [te-'lō-mə-,rās, -,rāz] -n

  1. a DNA polymerase that is a ribonucleoprotein catalyzing the elongation of chromosomal telomeres in eukaryotic cell division and is particularly active in cancer cells

telo·mere ['te-lə-,mir, 'tē-] -n

  1. the natural end of a eukaryotic chromosome composed of a usu. repetitive DNA sequence and serving to stabilize the chromosome

telo·phase ['te-lə-,fāz, 'tē-] -n

  1. the final stage of mitosis and of the second division of meiosis in which the spindle disappears and the nuclear envelope reforms around each set of chromosomes
  2. the final stage in the first division of meiosis that may be missing in some organisms and is characterized by the gathering at opposite poles of the cell of half the original number of chromosomes including one from each homologous pair

te·los ['te-,läs, 'tē-] -n

  1. an ultimate end

tel·son ['tel-sən] -n

  1. the terminal segment of the body of an arthropod or segmented worm
  2. that of a crustacean forming the middle lobe of the tail

Tel·u·gu ['te-lə-,gü] -n

  1. a member of the largest group of people in Andhra Pradesh, India
  2. the Dravidian language of the Telugu people

TEM -abbr

  1. transmission electron microscope; transmission electron microscopy

tem·blor ['tem-blər; 'tem-,blȯr, tem-'] -n

  1. earthquake

tem·er·ar·i·ous [,te-mə-'rer-ē-əs] -adj, adv, n

  1. marked by temerity : rashly or presumptuously daring
    • a temerarious comment

te·mer·i·ty [tə-'mer-ə-tē] -n

  1. unreasonable or foolhardy contempt of danger or opposition : rashness, recklessness
  2. an act or instance of temerity

temp ['temp] -n

  1. temperature
  2. a temporary worker
  3. to work as a temp
  4. temporary
  5. in the time of

tem·peh ['tem-,pā] -n

  1. an Asian food prepared by fermenting soybeans with a rhizopus

tem·per ['tem-pər] -vt, adj, n

  1. to dilute, qualify, or soften by the addition or influence of something else : moderate
    • temper justice with mercy
  2. to exercise control over : govern, restrain
  3. to cause to be well disposed : mollify
    • temper ed and reconciled them both -- Richard Steele
  4. : to bring to a suitable state by mixing in or adding a usu. liquid ingredient: as
  5. to mix (clay) with water or a modifier (as grog) and knead to a uniform texture
  6. to mix oil with (colors) in making paint ready for use
  7. to soften (as hardened steel or cast iron) by reheating at a lower temperature
  8. to harden (as steel) by reheating and cooling in oil
  9. to anneal or toughen (glass) by a process of gradually heating and cooling
  10. to make stronger and more resilient through hardship : toughen
    • troops temper ed in battle
  11. to put in tune with something : attune
  12. to adjust the pitch of (a note, chord, or instrument) to a temperament

temper -n

  1. a suitable proportion or balance of qualities : a middle state between extremes : mean, medium
    • virtue is...a just temper between propensities -- T. B. Macaulay
  2. character, quality
    • the temper of the land you design to sow -- John Mortimer
  3. characteristic tone : trend
    • the temper of the times
  4. high quality of mind or spirit : courage
  5. the state of a substance with respect to certain desired qualities (as hardness, elasticity, or workability)
  6. the degree of hardness or resiliency given steel by tempering
  7. the feel and relative solidity of leather
  8. a characteristic cast of mind or state of feeling : disposition
  9. calmness of mind : composure
  10. state of feeling or frame of mind at a particular time usu. dominated by a single strong emotion
  11. heat of mind or emotion : proneness to anger : passion
    • she has a real temper
  12. a substance (as a metal) added to or mixed with something else (as another metal) to modify the properties of the latter

tem·pera ['tem-pə-rə] -n

  1. a process of painting in which an albuminous or colloidal medium (as egg yolk) is employed as a vehicle instead of oil
  2. a painting done in tempera
  3. poster color

tem·per·a·ment ['tem-p(ə-)rə-mənt, -pər-mənt] -n

  1. constitution of a substance, body, or organism with respect to the mixture or balance of its elements, qualities, or parts : makeup
  2. complexion
  3. climate
  4. temperature
  5. the peculiar or distinguishing mental or physical character determined by the relative proportions of the humors according to medieval physiology
  6. characteristic or habitual inclination or mode of emotional response
    • a nervous temperament
  7. extremely high sensibility
  8. excessive sensitiveness or irritability
  9. the act or process of tempering or modifying : adjustment, compromise
  10. middle course : mean
  11. the slight modification of acoustically pure intervals in tuning a musical instrument
  12. modification that produces a set of 12 equally spaced tones to the octave

tem·per·a·men·tal [,tem-p(ə-)rə-'men-tᵊl, ,tem-pər-'] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or arising from temperament : constitutional
    • temperamental peculiarities
  2. marked by excessive sensitivity and impulsive mood changes
    • a temperamental child
  3. unpredictable in behavior or performance
    • a temperamental computer

tem·per·ance ['tem-p(ə-)rən(t)s, -pərn(t)s] -n

  1. moderation in action, thought, or feeling : restraint
  2. habitual moderation in the indulgence of the appetites or passions
  3. moderation in or abstinence from the use of alcoholic beverages

tem·per·ate ['tem-p(ə-)rət] -adj, adv, n

  1. : marked by moderation: as
  2. keeping or held within limits : not extreme or excessive : mild
  3. moderate in indulgence of appetite or desire
  4. moderate in the use of alcoholic beverages
  5. marked by an absence or avoidance of extravagance, violence, or extreme partisanship
  6. having a moderate climate which esp. lacks extremes in temperature
  7. found in or associated with a moderate climate
    • temperate insects
  8. existing as a prophage in infected cells and rarely causing lysis
    • temperate bacteriophages

temperate rain forest -n

  1. woodland of a usu. rather mild climatic area within the temperate zone that receives heavy rainfall, usu. includes numerous kinds of trees, and is distinguished from a tropical rain forest esp. by the presence of a dominant tree

temperate zone -n

  1. the area or region between the Tropic of Cancer and the arctic circle or between the Tropic of Capricorn and the antarctic circle

tem·per·a·ture ['tem-pə(r)-,chu̇r, -p(ə-)rə-, -chər, -,tyu̇r, -,tu̇r] -n

  1. complexion
  2. temperament
  3. degree of hotness or coldness measured on a definite scale
  4. the degree of heat that is natural to the body of a living being
  5. abnormally high body heat
    • running a temperature
  6. relative state of emotional warmth
    • scandals raised the political temperature
  7. mood
    • testing the temperature of voters

temperature inversion -n

  1. inversion

tem·pered ['tem-pərd] -adj

  1. having the elements mixed in satisfying proportions : temperate
  2. qualified, lessened, or diluted by the mixture or influence of an additional ingredient : moderated
    • a pale gleam of tempered sunlight fell through the leaves -- W. H. Hudson 1922
  3. treated by tempering
  4. treated so as to impart increased strength and the property of shattering into pellets when broken
  5. having a specified temper used in combination
    • short- tempered
  6. conforming to adjustment by temperament used of a musical interval, intonation, semitone, or scale

tem·pest ['tem-pəst] -n

  1. a violent storm
  2. tumult, uproar

tempest -vt

  1. to raise a tempest in or around

tempest in a teapot

  1. a great commotion over an unimportant matter

tem·pes·tu·ous [tem-'pes-chə-wəs, -'pesh-] -adj, adv, n

  1. of, relating to, or resembling a tempest : turbulent, stormy
    • tempestuous weather
    • a tempestuous relationship

Tem·plar ['tem-plər] -n

  1. a knight of a religious military order established in the early 12th century in Jerusalem for the protection of pilgrims and the Holy Sepulcher
  2. knight templar

tem·plate ['tem-plət] -n

  1. a short piece or block placed horizontally in a wall under a beam to distribute its weight or pressure (as over a door)
  2. a gauge, pattern, or mold (as a thin plate or board) used as a guide to the form of a piece being made
  3. a molecule (as of DNA) that serves as a pattern for the generation of another macromolecule (as messenger RNA)
  4. overlay
  5. something that establishes or serves as a pattern

tem·ple ['tem-pəl] -n, adj

  1. : a building for religious practice: as
  2. either of two successive national sanctuaries in ancient Jerusalem
  3. a building for Mormon sacred ordinances
  4. the house of worship of Reform and some Conservative Jewish congregations
  5. a local lodge of any of various fraternal orders
  6. the building housing it
  7. a place devoted to a special purpose
    • a temple of cuisine

temple -n

  1. the flattened space on each side of the forehead of some mammals including humans
  2. one of the side supports of a pair of glasses jointed to the bows and passing on each side of the head

tem·po ['tem-(,)pō] -n

  1. the rate of speed of a musical piece or passage indicated by one of a series of directions (as largo, presto, or allegro) and often by an exact metronome marking
  2. rate of motion or activity : pace

tem·po·ral ['tem-p(ə-)rəl] -adj, adv

  1. of or relating to time as opposed to eternity
  2. of or relating to earthly life
  3. lay or secular rather than clerical or sacred : civil
    • lords temporal
  4. of or relating to grammatical tense or a distinction of time
  5. of or relating to time as distinguished from space
  6. of or relating to the sequence of time or to a particular time : chronological

temporal -n

  1. a temporal part (as a bone or muscle)
  2. of or relating to the temples or the sides of the skull behind the orbits

temporal bone -n

  1. a compound bone of the side of the skull of some mammals including humans

tem·po·ral·i·ty [,tem-pə-'ra-lə-tē] -n

  1. civil or political as distinguished from spiritual or ecclesiastical power or authority
  2. an ecclesiastical property or revenue often used in pl.
  3. the quality or state of being temporal

tem·po·ral·ize ['tem-p(ə-)rə-,līz] -vt

  1. secularize
  2. to place or define in time relations

temporal lobe -n

  1. a large lobe of each cerebral hemisphere that is situated in front of the occipital lobe and contains a sensory area associated with the organ of hearing

temporal summation -n

  1. sensory summation that involves the addition of single stimuli over a short period of time

tem·po·rar·i·ly [,tem-pə-'rer-ə-lē] -adv

  1. during a limited time

tem·po·rary ['tem-pə-,rer-ē] -adj, n

  1. lasting for a limited time

temporary -n

  1. one serving for a limited time
    • adding several temporaries as typists during the summer

temporary duty -n

  1. temporary military service away from one's permanent duty station

tem·po·rise ['tem-pə-,rīz] -vi, n

(variant of temporize)

  1. to act to suit the time or occasion : yield to current or dominant opinion
  2. to draw out discussions or negotiations so as to gain time
    • you'd have to temporize until you found out how she wanted to be advised -- Mary Austin

tem·po·rize ['tem-pə-,rīz] -vi, n

  1. to act to suit the time or occasion : yield to current or dominant opinion
  2. to draw out discussions or negotiations so as to gain time
    • you'd have to temporize until you found out how she wanted to be advised -- Mary Austin

tem·po·ro·man·dib·u·lar ['tem-pə-rō-man-'di-byə-lər] -adj

  1. of, relating to, being, or affecting the joint between the temporal bone and the mandible that allows for the movement of the mandible
    • temporomandibular dysfunction

tempt ['tem(p)t] -vt, adj

  1. to entice to do wrong by promise of pleasure or gain
  2. to make trial of : test
  3. to try presumptuously : provoke
    • tempt fate
  4. to risk the dangers of
  5. to induce to do something
  6. to cause to be strongly inclined
    • was tempt ed to call it quits

temp·ta·tion [tem(p)-'tā-shən] -n

  1. the act of tempting or the state of being tempted esp. to evil : enticement
  2. something tempting : a cause or occasion of enticement

tempt·er ['tem(p)-tər] -n

  1. one that tempts or entices

tempt·ing ['tem(p)-tiŋ] -adj, adv

  1. having an appeal : enticing
    • a tempting offer

tempt·ress ['tem(p)-trəs] -n

  1. a woman who tempts or entices

tem·pu·ra ['tem-pə-rə, -,rä; tem-'pu̇r-ə] -n

  1. seafood or vegetables dipped in batter and fried in deep fat

ten ['ten] -n, adj, pron, pl in constr

  1. the 10th in a set or series
    • wears a ten
  2. something having 10 units or members
  3. a 10-dollar bill
  4. one deserving the highest rating
  5. an exceptionally attractive person

ten·a·ble ['te-nə-bəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. capable of being held, maintained, or defended : defensible, reasonable

ten·ace ['te-,nās, te-'nās, 'te-nəs] -n

  1. a combination of two high or relatively high cards (as ace and queen) of the same suit in one hand with one ranking two degrees below the other

te·na·cious [tə-'nā-shəs] -adj, adv, n

  1. not easily pulled apart : cohesive
    • a tenacious metal
  2. tending to adhere or cling esp. to another substance
    • tenacious burs
  3. persistent in maintaining, adhering to, or seeking something valued or desired
    • a tenacious advocate of civil rights
    • tenacious negotiators
  4. retentive
    • a tenacious memory

te·nac·i·ty [tə-'na-sə-tē] -n

  1. the quality or state of being tenacious

te·nac·u·lum [tə-'na-kyə-ləm] -n

  1. a slender sharp-pointed hook attached to a handle and used mainly in surgery for seizing and holding parts (as arteries)
  2. an adhesive animal structure

ten·an·cy ['te-nən(t)-sē] -n

  1. a holding of an estate or a mode of holding an estate
  2. the temporary possession or occupancy of something (as a house) that belongs to another
  3. the period of a tenant's occupancy or possession

ten·ant ['te-nənt] -n, adj

  1. one who holds or possesses real estate or sometimes personal property (as a security) by any kind of right
  2. one who has the occupation or temporary possession of lands or tenements of another
  3. one who rents or leases (as a house) from a landlord
  4. occupant, dweller

tenant [-nən-tə-bəl] -vt, adj

  1. to hold or occupy as or as if as a tenant : inhabit

tenant farmer -n

  1. a farmer who works land owned by another and pays rent either in cash or in shares of produce

ten·ant·ry ['te-nən-trē] -n

  1. tenancy
  2. a body of tenants

tench ['tench] -n

  1. a cyprinid fish ( Tinca tinca) native to Eurasia but introduced in the U.S. and noted for its ability to survive in poorly oxygenated waters

Ten Commandments -n pl

  1. the ethical commandments of God given according to biblical accounts to Moses by voice and by writing on stone tablets on Mount Sinai

tend ['tend] -vb

  1. listen
  2. to pay attention : apply oneself
    • tend to your own affairs
    • tend to our correspondence
  3. to act as an attendant : serve
    • tend ed to his wife
  4. await
  5. to attend as a servant
  6. to apply oneself to the care of : watch over
    • tend ed her sick father
  7. to have or take charge of as a caretaker or overseer
    • tend the sheep
  8. cultivate, foster
  9. to manage the operations of : mind
    • tend the store
    • tend the fire
  10. to stand by (as a rope) in readiness to prevent mischance (as fouling)
  11. to move, direct, or develop one's course in a particular direction
    • cannot tell where society is tend ing
  12. to exhibit an inclination or tendency : conduce
    • tend s to be optimistic

ten·dance ['ten-dən(t)s] -n

  1. watchful care
  2. persons in attendance : retinue

ten·den·cious [ten-'den(t)-shəs] -adj, adv, n

(variant of tendentious)

  1. marked by a tendency in favor of a particular point of view : biased

ten·den·cy ['ten-dən(t)-sē] -n

  1. direction or approach toward a place, object, effect, or limit
  2. a proneness to a particular kind of thought or action
  3. the purposeful trend of something written or said : aim
  4. deliberate but indirect advocacy

ten·den·tious [ten-'den(t)-shəs] -adj, adv, n

  1. marked by a tendency in favor of a particular point of view : biased

ten·der ['ten-dər] -adj, adv, n

  1. having a soft or yielding texture : easily broken, cut, or damaged : delicate, fragile
    • tender feet
  2. easily chewed : succulent
  3. physically weak : not able to endure hardship
  4. immature, young
    • children of tender age
  5. incapable of resisting cold : not hardy
    • tender perennials
  6. marked by, responding to, or expressing the softer emotions : fond, loving
    • a tender lover
  7. showing care : considerate, solicitous
    • tender regard
  8. highly susceptible to impressions or emotions : impressionable
    • a tender conscience
  9. appropriate or conducive to a delicate or sensitive constitution or character : gentle, mild
    • tender breeding
    • tender irony
  10. delicate or soft in quality or tone
    • never before heard the piano sound so tender -- Elva S. Daniels
  11. dear, precious
  12. sensitive to touch or palpation
    • the bruise was still tender
  13. sensitive to injury or insult : touchy
    • tender pride
  14. demanding careful and sensitive handling : ticklish
    • a tender situation
  15. easily tipped by an external force

tender -n

  1. consideration, regard
  2. to make tender : soften, weaken
  3. to regard or treat with tenderness
  4. to become tender
  5. to make a tender of
  6. to present for acceptance : offer
    • tender ed my resignation
  7. to make a bid or tender
  8. an unconditional offer of money or service in satisfaction of a debt or obligation made to save a penalty or forfeiture for nonpayment or nonperformance
  9. : an offer or proposal made for acceptance: as
  10. an offer of a bid for a contract
  11. tender offer
  12. something that may be offered in payment
  13. money

tend·er ['ten-dər] -n

  1. : one that tends: as
  2. a ship employed to attend other ships (as to supply provisions)
  3. a boat for communication or transportation between shore and a larger ship
  4. a warship that provides logistic support
  5. a car attached to a steam locomotive for carrying a supply of fuel and water

tender -n

  1. an often breaded strip of usu. breast meat
    • chicken tender s
  2. the tenderloin of a chicken

ten·der·foot ['ten-dər-,fu̇t] -n

  1. a newcomer in a comparatively rough or newly settled region
  2. one not hardened to frontier or outdoor life
  3. an inexperienced beginner : novice
    • a political tenderfoot

ten·der·heart·ed ['ten-dər-,här-təd] -adj, adv, n

  1. easily moved to love, pity, or sorrow : compassionate, impressionable

ten·der·ize ['ten-də-,rīz] -vt, n

  1. to make (meat or meat products) tender by applying a process or substance that breaks down connective tissue

ten·der·loin ['ten-dər-,lȯin] -n

  1. a strip of tender meat consisting of a large internal muscle of the loin on each side of the vertebral column
  2. a district of a city largely devoted to vice

ten·dermind·ed ['ten-dər-,mīn-dəd] -adj

  1. marked by idealism, optimism, and dogmatism

tender offer -n

  1. a public offer to buy not less than a specified number of shares of a stock at a fixed price from stockholders usu. in an attempt to gain control of the issuing company

ten·der·om·e·ter [,ten-də-'rä-mə-tər] -n

  1. a device for determining the maturity and tenderness of samples of fruits and vegetables

ten·di·ni·tis [,ten-də-'nī-təs] -n

  1. inflammation of a tendon

ten·di·nous ['ten-də-nəs] -adj

  1. consisting of tendons : sinewy
    • tendinous tissue
  2. of, relating to, or resembling a tendon

ten·don ['ten-dən] -n

  1. a tough cord or band of dense white fibrous connective tissue that unites a muscle with some other part (as a bone) and transmits the force which the muscle exerts

tendon of Achil·les [-ə-'ki-lēz]

  1. achilles tendon

ten·dresse [täⁿ-'dres] -n

  1. fondness

ten·dril ['ten-drəl] -n, adj

  1. a leaf, stipule, or stem modified into a slender spirally coiling sensitive organ serving to attach a climbing plant to its support
  2. something suggestive of a tendril
    • creeping tendril s of fog

Ten·e·brae ['te-nə-,brā, -,brī, -,brē] -n pl but sing or pl in constr

  1. a church service observed during the final part of Holy Week commemorating the sufferings and death of Christ

ten·e·brif·ic [,te-nə-'bri-fik] -adj

  1. gloomy
  2. causing gloom or darkness

te·ne·bri·o·nid [tə-'ne-brē-ə-nəd, ,te-nə-'brī-ə-nəd] -n, adj

  1. darkling beetle

te·neb·ri·ous [tə-'ne-brē-əs] -adj

  1. tenebrous

ten·e·brism ['te-nə-,bri-zəm] -n, n or adj

  1. a style of painting esp. associated with the Italian painter Caravaggio and his followers in which most of the figures are engulfed in shadow but some are dramatically illuminated by a beam of light usu. from an identifiable source

ten·e·brous ['te-nə-brəs] -adj

  1. shut off from the light : dark, murky
    • tenebrous depths
  2. hard to understand : obscure
    • a tenebrous affair
  3. causing gloom

ten·e·ment ['te-nə-mənt] -n

  1. any of various forms of corporeal property (as land) or incorporeal property that is held by one person from another
  2. dwelling
  3. a house used as a dwelling : residence
  4. apartment, flat
  5. tenement house

tenement house -n

  1. apartment building
  2. one meeting minimum standards of sanitation, safety, and comfort and usu. located in a city

te·nes·mus [tə-'nez-məs] -n

  1. a distressing but ineffectual urge to evacuate the rectum or bladder

te·net ['te-nət also 'tē-nət] -n

  1. a principle, belief, or doctrine generally held to be true
  2. one held in common by members of an organization, movement, or profession

ten·fold ['ten-,fōld, -'fōld] -adj, adv

  1. having 10 units or members
  2. being 10 times as great or as many

tengallon hat -n

  1. cowboy hat

tenia ['tē-nē-ə] -n

(variant of taenia)

  1. a band on a Doric order separating the frieze from the architrave
  2. tapeworm
  3. an ancient Greek fillet

Tenn -abbr

  1. Tennessee

ten·ne ['teŋ-ā] -n

  1. see manat at

ten·ner ['te-nər] -n

  1. a 10-pound note
  2. a 10-dollar bill

Ten·nes·see walking horse ['te-nə-,sē-] -n

  1. any of an American breed of large easy-gaited saddle horses largely of standardbred and Morgan ancestry called also Tennessee walker

ten·nies ['te-nēz] -n pl

  1. tennis shoes, sneakers

ten·nis ['te-nəs] -n

  1. court tennis
  2. an indoor or outdoor game that is played with rackets and a light elastic ball by two players or pairs of players on a level court (as of clay or grass) divided by a low net

tennis elbow -n

  1. inflammation and pain over the outer side of the elbow usu. resulting from excessive strain on and twisting of the forearm

tennis shoe -n

  1. a lightweight usu. low-cut sneaker

ten·nist ['te-nist] -n

  1. a tennis player

ten·on ['te-nən] -n

  1. a projecting member in a piece of wood or other material for insertion into a mortise to make a joint

tenon -vt

  1. to unite by a tenon
  2. to cut or fit for insertion in a mortise

ten·or ['te-nər] -n

  1. the drift of something spoken or written : purport
  2. an exact copy of a writing : transcript
  3. the concept, object, or person meant in a metaphor
  4. the melodic line usu. forming the cantus firmus in medieval music
  5. the voice part next to the lowest in a 4-part chorus
  6. the highest natural adult male singing voice
  7. a person having this voice
  8. a member of a family of instruments having a range next lower than that of the alto
  9. a continuance in a course, movement, or activity
  10. habitual condition : character

tenor -adj

  1. relating to or having the range or part of a tenor

ten·or·ist ['te-nə-rist] -n

  1. a person who sings tenor or plays a tenor instrument

te·no·syn·o·vi·tis ['te-nō-,si-nə-'vī-təs, ,tē-] -n

  1. inflammation of a tendon sheath

ten·our ['te-nər] -n

(variant of tenor)

  1. the drift of something spoken or written : purport
  2. an exact copy of a writing : transcript
  3. the concept, object, or person meant in a metaphor
  4. the melodic line usu. forming the cantus firmus in medieval music
  5. the voice part next to the lowest in a 4-part chorus
  6. the highest natural adult male singing voice
  7. a person having this voice
  8. a member of a family of instruments having a range next lower than that of the alto
  9. a continuance in a course, movement, or activity
  10. habitual condition : character

ten·pen·ny ['ten-'pe-nē, Brit -pə-nē] -adj

  1. amounting to, worth, or costing 10 pennies

tenpenny nail -n

  1. a nail three inches (7.6 centimeters) long

ten·pin ['ten-,pin] -n

  1. a bottle-shaped bowling pin 15 inches high
  2. a bowling game using 10 tenpins and a large ball 27 inches in circumference and allowing each player to bowl 2 balls in each of 10 frames

ten·pound·er ['ten-'pau̇n-dər] -n

  1. ladyfish

ten·rec ['ten-,rek] -n

  1. any of numerous small often spiny mammalian insectivores (family Tenrecidae) chiefly of Madagascar

TENS ['tenz] -n

  1. electrical stimulation of the skin to relieve pain by interfering with the neural transmission of signals from underlying pain receptors
  2. a device used for TENS

tense ['ten(t)s] -n

  1. a distinction of form in a verb to express distinctions of time or duration of the action or state it denotes
  2. a set of inflectional forms of a verb that express distinctions of time
  3. an inflectional form of a verb expressing a specific time distinction
  4. stretched tight : made taut : rigid
    • tense muscles
  5. feeling or showing nervous tension
    • a tense smile
  6. marked by strain or suspense
    • a tense thriller
  7. produced with the muscles involved in a relatively tense state
    • the vowels e and u in contrast with the vowels i and are tense
  8. to make tense
  9. to become tense
    • tensed up and missed the putt

ten·sile ['ten(t)-səl also 'ten-,sī(-ə)l] -adj, n

  1. capable of tension : ductile
  2. of, relating to, or involving tension
    • tensile stress

tensile strength -n

  1. the greatest longitudinal stress a substance can bear without tearing apart

ten·si·om·e·ter [,ten(t)-sē-'ä-mə-tər] -n, adj

  1. a device for measuring tension (as of structural material)
  2. an instrument for determining the moisture content of soil
  3. an instrument for measuring the surface tension of liquids

ten·sion ['ten(t)-shən] -n, adj

  1. the act or action of stretching or the condition or degree of being stretched to stiffness : tautness
  2. stress
  3. either of two balancing forces causing or tending to cause extension
  4. the stress resulting from the elongation of an elastic body
  5. inner striving, unrest, or imbalance often with physiological indication of emotion
  6. a state of latent hostility or opposition between individuals or groups
  7. a balance maintained in an artistic work between opposing forces or elements
  8. a device to produce a desired tension (as in a loom)

tension ['ten(t)-sh(ə-)niŋ] -vt, n

  1. to subject to tension
  2. to tighten to a desired or appropriate degree

tension headache -n

  1. bilateral headache marked by mild to moderate pain of variable duration that typically is accompanied by contraction of the neck and scalp muscles

ten·si·ty ['ten(t)-sə-tē] -n

  1. the quality or state of being tense : tenseness

ten·sive ['ten(t)-siv] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or causing tension

ten·sor ['ten(t)-sər, 'ten-,sȯr] -n

  1. a muscle that stretches a part
  2. a generalized vector with more than three components each of which is a function of the coordinates of an arbitrary point in space of an appropriate number of dimensions

tenspeed ['ten-,spēd] -n

  1. a bicycle with 10 gear combinations

tens place ['tenz-] -n

  1. the place two to the left of the decimal point in a number expressed in the Arabic system of writing numbers

tenstrike ['ten-,strīk] -n

  1. a strike in tenpins
  2. a highly successful stroke or achievement

tent ['tent] -n, adj

  1. a collapsible shelter of fabric (as nylon or canvas) stretched and sustained by poles and used for camping outdoors or as a temporary building
  2. dwelling
  3. something that resembles a tent or that serves as a shelter
  4. a canopy or enclosure placed over the head and shoulders to retain vapors or oxygen being medically administered
  5. the web of a tent caterpillar
  6. to reside for the time being : lodge
  7. to live in a tent
  8. to cover with or as if with a tent
  9. to lodge in tents
  10. to attend to

ten·ta·cle ['ten-ti-kəl] -n, adj

  1. any of various elongate flexible usu. tactile or prehensile processes borne by animals and esp. invertebrates chiefly on the head or about the mouth
  2. something that resembles a tentacle esp. in or as if in grasping or feeling out
    • corruption spreading its tentacle s
  3. a sensitive hair or emergence on a plant (as the sundew)

ten·tac·u·lar [ten-'ta-kyə-lər] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or resembling tentacles
  2. equipped with tentacles

tent·age ['ten-tij] -n

  1. a collection of tents : tent equipment

ten·ta·tive ['ten-tə-tiv] -adj, n, adv

  1. not fully worked out or developed
    • tentative plans
  2. hesitant, uncertain
    • a tentative smile

tent caterpillar -n

  1. any of several destructive gregarious caterpillars (genus Malacosomaand esp. M. americanumof the family Lasiocampidae) that construct large silken webs on trees

tent·ed ['ten-təd] -adj

  1. covered with a tent or tents
    • tented camps
  2. shaped like a tent

ten·ter ['ten-tər] -n

  1. a frame or endless track with hooks or clips along two sides that is used for drying and stretching cloth
  2. tenterhook

tenter -n

  1. one who lives in or occupies a tent

ten·ter·hook ['ten-tər-,hu̇k] -n

  1. a sharp hooked nail used esp. for fastening cloth on a tenter

tenth ['ten(t)th] -n, adj or adv

  1. a musical interval embracing an octave and a third
  2. the tone at this interval

tenthrate ['tenth-'rāt] -adj

  1. of the lowest character or quality

tent stitch -n

  1. a short stitch slanting to the right that is used in embroidery to form even lines of solid background

tenty ['ten-tē] -adj

  1. attentive, watchful

ten·u·is ['ten-yə-wəs] -n

  1. an unaspirated voiceless stop

te·nu·ity [te-'nü-ə-tē, tə-, -'nyü-] -n

  1. lack of substance or strength
  2. lack of thickness : slenderness, thinness
    • the tenuity of poplars -- Edith Wharton
  3. lack of density : rarefied quality or state

ten·u·ous ['ten-yə-wəs, -yü-əs] -adj, adv, n

  1. not dense : rare
    • a tenuous fluid
  2. not thick : slender
    • a tenuous rope
  3. having little substance or strength : flimsy, weak
    • tenuous influences
  4. shaky
    • tenuous reasons
    • on grounds that were tenuous

ten·ure ['ten-yər also -,yu̇r] -n, adj, adv

  1. the act, right, manner, or term of holding something (as a landed property, a position, or an office)
  2. a status granted after a trial period to a teacher that gives protection from summary dismissal
  3. grasp, hold

ten·ured ['ten-yərd] -adj

  1. having tenure
    • tenured faculty members

ten·uretrack ['ten-yər-,trak also -,yu̇r-] -adj

  1. relating to or being a teaching position that may lead to a grant of tenure

te·nu·to [tā-'nü-(,)tō] -adj or adv

  1. held (as a tone or chord) to its full value used as a direction in music

te·o·cal·li [,tē-ə-'ka-lē, ,tā-ə-'kä-] -n

  1. an ancient temple of Mexico or Central America usu. built upon the summit of a truncated pyramidal mound
  2. the mound itself

te·o·sin·te [,tā-ō-'sin-tē] -n

  1. a tall annual grass ( Zea mexicanasyn. Z. mays mexicana) esp. of the central highlands of Mexico that is closely related to and sometimes considered ancestral to Indian corn

te·pa·ry bean ['te-pə-rē-] -n

  1. an annual twining bean ( Phaseolus acutifoliusvar. latifolius) that is native to the southwestern U.S. and Mexico and is cultivated for its roundish white, yellow, brown, or bluish-black edible seeds
  2. the seed

te·pee ['tē-(,)pē] -n

  1. a conical tent usu. consisting of skins and used esp. by American Indians of the Great Plains

teph·ra ['te-frə] -n

  1. solid material ejected into the air during a volcanic eruption
  2. ash

tep·id ['te-pəd] -adj, n, adv

  1. moderately warm : lukewarm
    • a tepid bath
  2. lacking in passion, force, or zest
    • tepid poetry
  3. marked by an absence of enthusiasm or conviction
    • a tepid interest
    • a tepid response

TEPP [,tē-(,)ē-(,)pē-'pē] -n

  1. a hygroscopic corrosive liquid organophosphate C 8H 20O 7P 2that is a powerful anticholinesterase and is used esp. as an insecticide

tep·pan·ya·ki [,te-pän-'yä-kē] -n

  1. a Japanese dish of meat, fish, or vegetables cooked on a large griddle usu. built into the diner's table
  2. this style of cooking

te·qui·la [tə-'kē-lə, tā-] -n

  1. a Mexican liquor distilled from the fermented sap of an agave ( Agave tequilana)

tequila sunrise -n

  1. a cocktail consisting of tequila, orange juice, and grenadine

ter -abbr

  1. terrace
  2. territory

ter- -comb form

  1. three times : threefold : three
    • ter centenary

tera- -comb form

  1. trillion (10 12)
    • tera watt

tera·byte ['ter-ə-,bīt] -n

  1. 1024 gigabytes or 1,099,511,627,776 bytes
  2. one trillion bytes

te·rai [tə-'rī] -n

  1. a wide-brimmed double felt sun hat worn esp. in subtropical regions

ter·aph ['ter-əf] -n

  1. an image of a Semitic household god

terat- -comb form

  1. developmental malformation
    • terato genic

te·rato·car·ci·no·ma [,ter-ə-tō-,kär-sə-'nō-mə] -n

  1. a malignant teratoma
  2. one involving germinal cells of the testis

te·rato·gen [tə-'ra-tə-jən] -n

  1. a teratogenic agent

ter·a·to·gen·e·sis [,ter-ə-tə-'je-nə-səs] -n

  1. production of developmental malformations

ter·a·to·gen·ic [-'je-nik] -adj, n

  1. of, relating to, or causing developmental malformations
    • teratogenic substances
    • teratogenic effects

ter·a·to·log·i·cal [,ter-ə-tə-'lä-ji-kəl] -adj

  1. abnormal in growth or structure
  2. of or relating to teratology

ter·a·tol·o·gy [,ter-ə-'tä-lə-jē] -n

  1. the study of malformations or serious deviations from the normal type in developing organisms

ter·a·to·ma [,ter-ə-'tō-mə] -n

  1. a tumor made up of a heterogeneous mixture of tissues

tera·watt ['ter-ə-,wät] -n

  1. a unit of power equal to one trillion watts

ter·bi·um ['tər-bē-əm] -n

  1. a metallic element of the rare-earth group

ter·bu·ta·line [tər-'byü-tə-,lēn] -n

  1. a bronchodilator C 12H 19NO 3used esp. in the form of its sulfate

terce ['tərs] -n

  1. the third of the canonical hours

tercel ['tir-səl] -n

(variant of tiercel)

  1. a male hawk

ter·cen·te·na·ry [,tər-(,)sen-'te-nə-rē, (,)tər-'sen-tə-,ner-ē] -n, adj

  1. a 300th anniversary or its celebration

ter·cen·ten·ni·al [,tər-(,)sen-'te-nē-əl] -adj or n

  1. tercentenary

ter·cet ['tər-sət] -n

  1. : a unit or group of three lines of verse:
  2. one of the 3-line stanzas in terza rima
  3. one of the two groups of three lines forming the sestet in an Italian sonnet

ter·e·binth ['ter-ə-,bin(t)th] -n

  1. a small European tree ( Pistacia terebinthus) of the cashew family yielding turpentine

te·re·do [tə-'rē-(,)dō, -'rā-] -n

  1. shipworm

tere·phthal·ate [,ter-ə(f)-'tha-,lāt] -n

  1. a salt or ester of terephthalic acid
  2. a dimethyl-ester that is a major starting material for polyester fibers and coatings

tere·phthal·ic acid [,ter-ə(f)-'tha-lik-] -n

  1. a p-dicarboxylic acid C 8H 6O 4that is obtained esp. by oxidation of xylene and is used chiefly in the synthesis of polyesters

te·rete [tə-'rēt, te-] -adj

  1. approximately cylindrical but usu. tapering at both ends
    • a terete seedpod

Te·reus ['tir-,yüs, 'tē-,rüs] -n

  1. the husband of Procne who rapes his sister-in-law Philomela

ter·gite ['tər-,gīt] -n

  1. the dorsal plate or dorsal portion of the covering of a metameric segment of an arthropod
  2. one on the abdomen

ter·gi·ver·sate ['tər-jə-vər-,sāt; ,tər-'ji-vər-,sāt, -'gi-; ,tər-jə-'vər-] -vi, n

  1. to engage in tergiversation

ter·gi·ver·sa·tion [,tər-,ji-vər-'sā-shən, -,gi-; ,tər-ji-(,)vər-] -n

  1. evasion of straightforward action or clear-cut statement : equivocation
  2. desertion of a cause, position, party, or faith

ter·gum ['tər-gəm] -n, adj

  1. the dorsal part or plate of a segment of an arthropod

ter·i·ya·ki [,ter-ē-'yä-kē] -n

  1. a Japanese dish of meat or fish that is grilled or broiled after being soaked in a seasoned soy sauce marinade

term ['tərm] -n

  1. end, termination
  2. a point in time assigned to something (as a payment)
  3. the time at which a pregnancy of normal length terminates
    • had her baby at full term
  4. a limited or definite extent of time
  5. the time for which something lasts : duration, tenure
    • term of office
    • lost money in the short term
  6. the whole period for which an estate is granted
  7. the estate or interest held by one for a term
  8. the time during which a court is in session
  9. provisions that determine the nature and scope of an agreement : conditions
    • term s of sale
    • liberal credit term s
  10. a word or expression that has a precise meaning in some uses or is peculiar to a science, art, profession, or subject
    • legal term s
  11. expression of a specified kind
    • described in glowing term s
  12. a unitary or compound expression connected with another by a plus or minus sign
  13. an element of a fraction or proportion or of a series or sequence
  14. mutual relationship : footing
    • on good term s
  15. agreement, concord
    • come to term s after extensive negotiations
  16. a state of acceptance or understanding
    • came to term s with the failure of his marriage
  17. any of the three substantive elements of a syllogism
  18. a quadrangular pillar often tapering downward and adorned on the top with the figure of a head or the upper part of the body
  19. division in a school year during which instruction is regularly given to students
  20. to apply a term to : call, name

ter·ma·gant ['tər-mə-gənt] -n

  1. a deity erroneously ascribed to Islam by medieval European Christians and represented in early English drama as a violent character
  2. an overbearing or nagging woman : shrew

termagant -adj

  1. overbearing, shrewish

term·er ['tər-mər] -n

  1. a person serving for a specified term (as in a political office or in prison)
    • a first termer

ter·mi·na·ble ['tər-mə-nə-bəl, 'tərm-nə-] -adj, n, adv

  1. capable of being terminated

ter·mi·nal ['tərm-nəl, 'tər-mə-nᵊl] -adj, adv

  1. of or relating to an end, extremity, boundary, or terminus
    • a terminal pillar
  2. growing at the end of a branch or stem
    • a terminal bud
  3. of, relating to, or occurring in a term or each term
    • terminal payments
  4. leading ultimately to death : fatal
    • terminal cancer
  5. approaching or close to death : being in the final stages of a fatal disease
    • a terminal patient
  6. of or relating to patients with a terminal illness
    • terminal care
  7. extremely or hopelessly severe
    • terminal boredom
  8. occurring at or constituting the end of a period or series : concluding
    • the terminal moments of life
  9. not intended as preparation for further academic work
    • a terminal curriculum

terminal -n

  1. a part that forms the end : extremity, termination
  2. a terminating usu. ornamental detail : finial
  3. a device attached to the end of a wire or cable or to an electrical apparatus for convenience in making connections
  4. either end of a carrier line having facilities for the handling of freight and passengers
  5. a freight or passenger station that is central to a considerable area or serves as a junction at any point with other lines
  6. a town or city at the end of a carrier line : terminus
  7. a combination of a keyboard and output device (as a video display unit) by which data can be entered into or output from a computer or electronic communications system

terminal leave -n

  1. a final leave consisting of accumulated unused leave granted to a member of the armed forces just prior to separation or discharge from service

terminal side -n

  1. a straight line that has been rotated around a point on another line to form an angle measured in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction

ter·mi·nate ['tər-mə-nət] -adj

  1. coming to an end or capable of ending
  2. to extend only to a limit (as a point or line)
  3. to reach a terminus
  4. to form an ending
  5. to come to an end in time
  6. to bring to an end : close
    • terminate a marriage by divorce
    • terminate a transmission line
  7. to form the conclusion of
    • review questions terminate each chapter
  8. to discontinue the employment of
    • workers terminated because of slow business
  9. to serve as an ending, limit, or boundary of
  10. assassinate, kill

terminating decimal -n

  1. a decimal which can be expressed in a finite number of figures or for which all figures to the right of some place are zero

ter·mi·na·tion [,tər-mə-'nā-shən] -n, adj

  1. end in time or existence : conclusion
    • the termination of life
  2. the last part of a word
  3. an inflectional ending
  4. the act of terminating
  5. a limit in space or extent : bound
  6. outcome, result

ter·mi·na·tive ['tər-mə-,nā-tiv] -adj, adv

  1. tending or serving to terminate : ending

ter·mi·na·tor ['tər-mə-,nā-tər] -n

  1. the dividing line between the illuminated and the unilluminated part of the moon's or a planet's disk
  2. one that terminates

ter·mi·nol·o·gy [,tər-mə-'nä-lə-jē] -n, adj, adv

  1. the technical or special terms used in a business, art, science, or special subject
  2. nomenclature as a field of study

term insurance -n

  1. insurance for a specified period that provides for no payment to the insured except on losses during the period and that becomes void upon its expiration

ter·mi·nus ['tər-mə-nəs] -n

  1. a final goal : a finishing point
  2. a post or stone marking a boundary
  3. either end of a transportation line or travel route
  4. the station, town, or city at such a place : terminal
  5. an extreme point or element : tip
    • the terminus of a glacier

terminus ad quem [-,äd-'kwem] -n

  1. a goal, object, or course of action : destination, purpose
  2. a final limiting point in time

terminus a quo [-,ä-'kwō] -n

  1. a point of origin
  2. a first limiting point in time

ter·mi·tar·i·um [,tər-mə-'ter-ē-əm, -,mī-] -n

  1. a termites' nest

ter·mi·tary ['tər-mə-,ter-ē, -,mī-,ter-ē] -n

  1. termitarium

ter·mite ['tər-,mīt] -n

  1. any of numerous pale-colored soft-bodied social insects (order Isoptera) that live in colonies consisting usu. of winged sexual forms, wingless sterile workers, and soldiers, feed on wood, and include some which are very destructive to wooden structures and trees called also white ant

term·less ['tərm-ləs] -adj

  1. having no term or end : boundless, unending
  2. unconditioned, unconditional

term of art

  1. a term that has a specialized meaning in a particular field or profession

term paper -n

  1. a major written assignment in a school or college course representative of a student's achievement during a term

tern ['tərn] -n

  1. any of various chiefly marine birds (subfamily Sterninae of the family Laridae and esp. genus Sterna) that differ from the related gulls in usu. smaller size, a more slender build, a sharply pointed bill, narrower wings, and an often forked tail

ter·na·ry ['tər-nə-rē] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or proceeding by threes
  2. having three elements, parts, or divisions
  3. arranged in threes
    • ternary petals
  4. using three as the base
    • a ternary logarithm
  5. being or consisting of an alloy of three elements
  6. of, relating to, or containing three different elements, atoms, radicals, or groups
    • sulfuric acid is a ternary acid
  7. third in order or rank

ter·nate ['tər-,nāt, -nət] -adj, adv

  1. arranged in threes or in subdivisions so arranged
    • a ternate leaf

terne ['tərn] -n

  1. an alloy of lead and tin typically in a ratio of four to one that is used as a coating in producing terneplate
  2. terneplate

terne·plate [-,plāt] -n

  1. sheet iron or steel coated with an alloy of about four parts lead to one part tin

ter·pene ['tər-,pēn] -n, adj, adj or n

  1. any of various isomeric hydrocarbons C 10H 16found present in essential oils (as from conifers) and used esp. as solvents and in organic synthesis
  2. any of numerous hydrocarbons (C 5H 8) n found esp. in essential oils, resins, and balsams

ter·pin·e·ol [,tər-'pi-nē-,ȯl, -,ōl] -n

  1. any of three fragrant isomeric alcohols C 10H 17OH found in essential oils or made artificially and used esp. in perfume or as solvents

ter·poly·mer [,tər-'pä-lə-mər] -n

  1. a polymer (as a complex resin) that results from copolymerization of three discrete monomers

Terp·sich·o·re [,tərp-'si-kə-(,)rē] -n

  1. the Greek Muse of dancing and choral song

terp·si·cho·re·an [,tərp-(,)si-kə-'rē-ən; -sə-'kōr-ē-, -'kȯr-] -adj

  1. of or relating to dancing

terr -abbr

  1. terrace
  2. territorial; territory

ter·ra ['ter-ə] -n

  1. any of the relatively light-colored highland areas on the surface of the moon or a planet

ter·race ['ter-əs, 'te-rəs] -n

  1. a colonnaded porch or promenade
  2. a flat roof or open platform
  3. a relatively level paved or planted area adjoining a building
  4. a raised embankment with the top leveled
  5. one of usu. a series of horizontal ridges made in a hillside to increase cultivatable land, conserve moisture, or minimize erosion
  6. a level ordinarily narrow plain usu. with steep front bordering a river, lake, or sea
  7. a similar undersea feature
  8. a row of houses or apartments on raised ground or a sloping site
  9. a group of row houses
  10. a strip of park in the middle of a street often planted with trees or shrubs
  11. street
  12. a section of a British soccer stadium set aside for standing spectators

terrace -vt

  1. to provide (as a building or hillside) with a terrace
  2. to make into a terrace

ter·racot·ta [,ter-ə-'kä-tə] -n

  1. a glazed or unglazed fired clay used esp. for statuettes and vases and architectural purposes (as roofing, facing, and relief ornamentation)
  2. something made of this material
  3. a brownish orange

terra fir·ma [-'fər-mə also -'fir-] -n

  1. dry land : solid ground

ter·rain [tə-'rān also te-] -n

  1. a geographic area
  2. a piece of land : ground
  3. the physical features of a tract of land
  4. terrane
  5. a field of knowledge or interest : territory
  6. environment, milieu

ter·ra in·cog·ni·ta ['ter-ə-,in-,käg-'nē-tə, -in-'käg-nə-tə] -n

  1. unknown territory : an unexplored country or field of knowledge

Ter·ra·my·cin [,ter-ə-'mī-sᵊn] -trademark

  1. used for oxytetracycline

ter·rane [tə-'rān, te-] -n

  1. the area or surface over which a particular rock or group of rocks is prevalent
  2. terrain

ter·ra·pin ['ter-ə-pən] -n

  1. any of various aquatic turtles (family Emydidae)
  2. diamondback terrapin

terr·aque·ous [te-'rā-kwē-əs, tə-, -'ra-] -adj

  1. consisting of land and water

ter·rar·i·um [tə-'rer-ē-əm] -n

  1. a usu. transparent enclosure for keeping or raising plants or usu. small animals (as turtles) indoors

ter·raz·zo [tə-'ra-(,)zō, -'rät-(,)sō] -n

  1. a mosaic flooring consisting of small pieces of marble or granite set in mortar and given a high polish

ter·rene [te-'rēn, tə-; 'ter-,ēn] -adj

  1. mundane, earthly

terrene -n

  1. earth, terrain

ter·re·plein ['ter-ə-,plān] -n

  1. the level space behind a parapet of a rampart where guns are mounted

ter·res·tri·al [tə-'res-t(r)ē-əl; -'res-chəl, -'resh-] -adj, n, adv

  1. of or relating to the earth or its inhabitants
    • terrestrial magnetism
  2. mundane in scope or character : prosaic
  3. of or relating to land as distinct from air or water
    • terrestrial transportation
  4. living on or in or growing from land
    • terrestrial plants
    • terrestrial birds
  5. of or relating to terrestrial organisms
    • terrestrial habits
  6. belonging to the class of planets that are like the earth (as in density and silicate composition)
    • the terrestrial planets Mercury, Venus, and Mars

ter·ret ['ter-ət] -n

  1. one of the rings on the top of a harness pad through which the reins pass

ter·ri·ble ['ter-ə-bəl, 'te-rə-] -adj, n, adv

  1. exciting extreme alarm or intense fear : terrifying
  2. formidable in nature : awesome
    • a terrible responsibility
  3. difficult
    • in a terrible bind
  4. extreme, great
    • a terrible disappointment
  5. : extremely bad: as
  6. strongly repulsive : obnoxious
    • a terrible smell
  7. notably unattractive or objectionable
    • terrible behavior
  8. of very poor quality
    • a terrible movie

ter·ri·er ['ter-ē-ər, 'te-rē-] -n

  1. any of various usu. small energetic dogs orig. used by hunters to dig for small game and engage the quarry underground or drive it out

ter·rif·ic [tə-'ri-fik] -adj, adv

  1. very bad : frightful
  2. exciting or fit to excite fear or awe
    • a terrific thunderstorm
  3. extraordinary
    • terrific speed
  4. unusually fine : magnificent
    • terrific weather

ter·ri·fy ['ter-ə-,fī, 'te-rə-] -vt

  1. to drive or impel by menacing : scare
  2. deter, intimidate
  3. to fill with terror

terrifying -adj, adv

  1. causing terror or apprehension
  2. of a formidable nature

ter·rig·e·nous [te-'ri-jə-nəs, tə-] -adj

  1. being or relating to oceanic sediment derived directly from the destruction of rocks on the earth's surface

ter·rine [tə-'rēn, ter-'ēn] -n

  1. tureen
  2. a usu. earthenware dish in which foods are cooked and served
  3. a mixture of chopped meat, fish, or vegetables cooked and served in a terrine

ter·ri·to·ri·al [,ter-ə-'tȯr-ē-əl] -adj, adv

  1. nearby, local
  2. serving outlying areas : regional
  3. of or relating to a territory
    • territorial government
  4. of or relating to or organized chiefly for home defense
    • a territorial army
  5. of or relating to private property
  6. of or relating to an assigned or preempted area
    • territorial commanders
  7. exhibiting or involving territoriality
    • territorial birds
    • territorial salespeople

territorial -n

  1. a member of a territorial military unit

territorial court -n

  1. a court in a U.S. territory that has jurisdiction over local and federal cases

ter·ri·to·ri·al·ism [,ter-ə-'tȯr-ē-ə-,li-zəm] -n

  1. landlordism
  2. the principle established in 1555 requiring the inhabitants of a territory of the Holy Roman Empire to conform to the religion of their ruler or to emigrate

ter·ri·to·ri·al·i·ty [-,tȯr-ē-'a-lə-tē] -n

  1. territorial status
  2. persistent attachment to a specific territory
  3. the pattern of behavior associated with the defense of a territory

ter·ri·to·ri·al·ize [-'tȯr-ē-ə-,līz] -vt, n

  1. to organize on a territorial basis

territorial waters -n pl

  1. the waters under the sovereign jurisdiction of a nation or state including both marginal sea and inland waters

ter·ri·to·ry ['ter-ə-,tȯr-ē] -n

  1. a geographic area belonging to or under the jurisdiction of a governmental authority
  2. an administrative subdivision of a country
  3. a part of the U.S. not included within any state but organized with a separate legislature
  4. a geographic area (as a colonial possession) dependent on an external government but having some degree of autonomy
  5. an indeterminate geographic area
  6. a field of knowledge or interest
  7. an assigned area
  8. one in which a sales representative or distributor operates
  9. an area often including a nesting or denning site and a variable foraging range that is occupied and defended by an animal or group of animals

ter·ror ['ter-ər, 'te-rər] -n, adj

  1. a state of intense fear
  2. one that inspires fear : scourge
  3. a frightening aspect
    • the terror s of invasion
  4. a cause of anxiety : worry
  5. an appalling person or thing
  6. brat
  7. reign of terror
  8. violent or destructive acts (as bombing) committed by groups in order to intimidate a population or government into granting their demands
    • insurrection and revolutionary terror

ter·ror·ise ['ter-ər-,īz] -vt, n

(variant of terrorize)

  1. to fill with terror or anxiety : scare
  2. to coerce by threat or violence

ter·ror·ism ['ter-ər-,i-zəm] -n, adj or n, adj

  1. the systematic use of terror esp. as a means of coercion

ter·ror·ize ['ter-ər-,īz] -vt, n

  1. to fill with terror or anxiety : scare
  2. to coerce by threat or violence

ter·ry ['ter-ē, 'te-rē] -n

  1. the loop forming the pile in uncut pile fabrics
  2. an absorbent fabric with such loops called also terry cloth

terse ['tərs] -adj, adv, n

  1. smoothly elegant : polished
  2. devoid of superfluity
    • a terse summary
  3. short, brusque
    • dismissed me with a terse no

ter·tian ['tər-shən] -adj

  1. recurring at approximately 48-hour intervals used of malaria

tertian -n

  1. a tertian fever (as vivax malaria)

ter·tia·ry ['tər-shē-,er-ē, -shə-rē] -n

  1. a member of a monastic third order esp. of lay people
  2. the Tertiary period or system of rocks

tertiary -adj

  1. of third rank, importance, or value
  2. of, relating to, or being higher education
  3. of, relating to, or constituting the third strongest of the three or four degrees of stress recognized by most linguists (as the stress of the third syllable of basketball team)
  4. of, relating to, or being the first period of the Cenozoic era or the corresponding system of rocks marked by the formation of high mountains (as the Alps, Caucasus, and Himalayas) and the dominance of mammals on land
  5. involving or resulting from the substitution of three atoms or groups
    • a tertiary salt
    • tertiary amine
  6. being or containing a carbon atom having bonds to three other carbon atoms
    • an acid containing a tertiary carbon
    • tertiary alcohols
  7. of, relating to, or being the normal folded structure of the coiled chain of a protein or of DNA or RNA
  8. : occurring in or being a third stage: as
  9. being or relating to the recovery of oil and gas from old wells by means of the underground application of heat and chemicals
  10. being or relating to the purification of wastewater by removal of fine particles, nitrates, and phosphates

tertiary care -n

  1. highly specialized medical care usu. over an extended period of time that involves advanced and complex procedures and treatments performed by medical specialists in state-of-the-art facilities

tertiary color -n

  1. a color produced by mixing two secondary colors
  2. a color produced by an equal mixture of a primary color with a secondary color adjacent to it on the color wheel

tertiary syphilis -n

  1. the third stage of syphilis that develops after disappearance of the symptoms of secondary syphilis and is marked by ulcers in and gummas under the skin and commonly by involvement of the skeletal, cardiovascular, and nervous systems

ter·ti·um quid [,tər-shē-əm-'kwid, ,tər-tē-] -n

  1. a middle course or an intermediate component
    • where there are two systems of law and two orders of courts, there must...be some tertium quid to deal with conflicts of law and jurisdiction -- Ernest Baker
  2. a third party of ambiguous status
    • there was a man and his wife and a tertium quid -- Rudyard Kipling

ter·za ri·ma [,tert-sə-'rē-mə] -n

  1. a verse form consisting of tercets usu. in iambic pentameter in English poetry with an interlaced rhyme scheme (as aba, bcb, cdc)

TESL -abbr

  1. teaching English as a second language

tes·la ['tes-lə] -n

  1. a unit of magnetic flux density in the meter-kilogram-second system equivalent to one weber per square meter

TESOL -abbr

  1. Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages

tes·sel·late ['te-sə-,lāt] -vt

  1. to form into or adorn with mosaic

tes·sel·lat·ed [-,lā-təd] -adj

  1. having a checkered appearance

tes·sel·la·tion [,te-sə-'lā-shən] -n

  1. mosaic
  2. a covering of an infinite geometric plane without gaps or overlaps by congruent plane figures of one type or a few types
  3. an act of tessellating : the state of being tessellated

tes·sera ['te-sə-rə] -n

  1. a small tablet (as of wood, bone, or ivory) used by the ancient Romans as a ticket, tally, voucher, or means of identification
  2. a small piece (as of marble, glass, or tile) used in mosaic work

tes·ser·act ['te-sə-,rakt] -n

  1. the four-dimensional analogue of a cube

tes·si·tu·ra [,te-sə-'tu̇r-ə] -n

  1. the general range of a melody or voice part
  2. the part of the register in which most of the tones of a melody or voice part lie

test ['test] -n

  1. cupel
  2. a critical examination, observation, or evaluation : trial
  3. the procedure of submitting a statement to such conditions or operations as will lead to its proof or disproof or to its acceptance or rejection
    • a test of a statistical hypothesis
  4. a basis for evaluation : criterion
  5. an ordeal or oath required as proof of conformity with a set of beliefs
  6. : a means of testing: as
  7. a procedure, reaction, or reagent used to identify or characterize a substance or constituent
  8. something (as a series of questions or exercises) for measuring the skill, knowledge, intelligence, capacities, or aptitudes of an individual or group
  9. a positive result in such a test
  10. a result or value determined by testing
  11. test match
  12. of, relating to, or constituting a test
  13. subjected to, used for, or revealed by testing
    • a test group
    • test data
  14. to put to test or proof : try often used with out
  15. to require a doctrinal oath of
  16. to undergo a test
  17. to be assigned a standing or evaluation on the basis of tests
    • test ed positive for cocaine
    • the cake test ed done
  18. to apply a test as a means of analysis or diagnosis used with for
    • test for mechanical aptitude
  19. an external hard or firm covering (as a shell) of many invertebrates (as a foraminifer or a mollusk)

Test -abbr

  1. Testament

tes·ta ['tes-tə] -n

  1. the hard external coating or integument of a seed

tes·ta·ceous [tes-'tā-shəs] -adj

  1. having a shell
    • a testaceous protozoan
  2. of any of the several light colors of bricks

tes·ta·cy ['tes-tə-sē] -n

  1. the state of being testate

tes·ta·ment ['tes-tə-mənt] -n, adj

  1. a covenant between God and the human race
  2. either of two main divisions of the Bible
  3. a tangible proof or tribute
  4. an expression of conviction : creed
  5. an act by which a person determines the disposition of his or her property after death
  6. will

tes·tate ['tes-,tāt, -tət] -adj

  1. having left a valid will
    • she died testate

tes·ta·tor ['tes-,tā-tər, tes-'] -n

  1. a person who dies leaving a will or testament in force

tes·ta·trix ['tes-,tā-triks, tes-'] -n

  1. a woman who is a testator

test ban -n

  1. a self-imposed partial or complete ban on the testing of nuclear weapons that is mutually agreed to by countries possessing such weapons

test bed -n

  1. a vehicle (as an airplane) used for testing new equipment (as engines or weapons systems)
  2. any device, facility, or means for testing something in development

test case -n

  1. a representative case whose outcome is likely to serve as a precedent
  2. a proceeding brought by agreement or on an understanding of the parties to obtain a decision as to the constitutionality of a statute

test·cross ['tes(t)-,krȯs] -n, vt

  1. a genetic cross between a homozygous recessive individual and a corresponding suspected heterozygote to determine the genotype of the latter

testdrive ['tes(t)-,drīv] -vt, n

  1. to drive (a motor vehicle) in order to evaluate performance
  2. to use or examine (as a computer program) in order to evaluate performance
    • testdrive the new game

test·ed ['tes-təd] -adj

  1. subjected to or qualified through testing often used in combination
    • time- tested principles

test·ee [tes-'tē] -n

  1. one who takes an examination

tes·ter ['tēs-tər, 'tes-] -n

  1. the canopy over a bed, pulpit, or altar
  2. teston

test·er ['tes-tər] -n

  1. one that tests or is used for testing

testes ['tes-təs] -n

(variant of testis)

  1. a typically paired male reproductive gland that produces sperm and secretes testosterone and that in most mammals is contained within the scrotum at sexual maturity

testfly ['test-,flī] -vt

  1. to subject to a flight test
    • testfly an experimental plane

tes·ti·cle ['tes-ti-kəl] -n, adj

  1. testis
  2. one of a higher mammal usu. with its enclosing structures

tes·ti·fy ['tes-tə-,fī] -vb, n

  1. to make a statement based on personal knowledge or belief : bear witness
  2. to serve as evidence or proof
  3. to express a personal conviction
  4. to make a solemn declaration under oath for the purpose of establishing a fact (as in a court)
  5. to bear witness to : attest
  6. to serve as evidence of : prove
  7. to make known (a personal conviction)
  8. to give evidence of : show
  9. to declare under oath before a tribunal or officially constituted public body

tes·ti·mo·ni·al [,tes-tə-'mō-nē-əl, -nyəl] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or constituting testimony
  2. expressive of appreciation or esteem
    • a testimonial dinner

testimonial -n

  1. evidence, testimony
  2. a statement testifying to benefits received
  3. a character reference : letter of recommendation
  4. an expression of appreciation : tribute

tes·ti·mo·ny ['tes-tə-,mō-nē] -n

  1. the tablets inscribed with the Mosaic law
  2. the ark containing the tablets
  3. a divine decree attested in the Scriptures
  4. firsthand authentication of a fact : evidence
  5. an outward sign
  6. a solemn declaration usu. made orally by a witness under oath in response to interrogation by a lawyer or authorized public official
  7. an open acknowledgment
  8. a public profession of religious experience

test·ing ['tes-tiŋ] -adj

  1. requiring maximum effort or ability
    • a most difficult and testing problem -- Ernest Bevin

tes·tis ['tes-təs] -n

  1. a typically paired male reproductive gland that produces sperm and secretes testosterone and that in most mammals is contained within the scrotum at sexual maturity

testmar·ket ['tes(t)-,mär-kət] -vt

  1. to subject (a product) to trial in a limited market

test match -n

  1. any of a series of championship cricket matches played between teams representing Australia and England
  2. a championship game or series (as of cricket) played between teams representing different countries

tes·ton ['tes-,tän] -n

  1. : any of several old European coins: as
  2. a shilling of Henry VIII of England decreasing in value to ninepence and then to sixpence in Shakespeare's time
  3. a French silver coin of the 16th century worth between 10 and 14 sous

tes·tos·ter·one [tes-'täs-tə-,rōn] -n

  1. a hormone that is a hydroxy steroid ketone C 19H 28O 2produced esp. by the testes or made synthetically and that is responsible for inducing and maintaining male secondary sex characters
  2. qualities (as brawn and aggressiveness) usu. associated with males : manliness

test pattern -n

  1. a fixed picture broadcast by a television station to assist viewers in adjusting their receivers

test pilot -n

  1. a pilot who specializes in putting new or experimental airplanes through maneuvers designed to test them (as for strength) by producing strains in excess of normal

testtube -adj

  1. in vitro
    • testtube experiments
  2. produced by in vitro fertilization
    • testtube babies

test tube -n

  1. a plain or lipped tube usu. of thin glass closed at one end and used esp. in chemistry and biology

tes·tu·do [tes-'tü-(,)dō, -'tyü-] -n

  1. a cover of overlapping shields or a shed wheeled up to a wall used by the ancient Romans to protect an attacking force

tes·ty ['tes-tē] -adj, adv, n

  1. easily annoyed : irritable
  2. marked by impatience or ill humor
    • testy remarks

Tet ['tet] -n

  1. the Vietnamese New Year observed during the first several days of the lunar calendar beginning at the second new moon after the winter solstice

tet·a·nal ['te-tə-nəl] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or derived from tetanus

te·tan·ic [te-'ta-nik] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, being, or tending to produce tetany or tetanus

tet·a·nize ['te-tə-,nīz] -vt, n

  1. to induce tetanus in
    • tetanize a muscle

tet·a·nus ['te-tə-nəs, 'tet-nəs] -n

  1. an acute infectious disease characterized by tonic spasm of voluntary muscles esp. of the jaw and caused by an exotoxin of a bacterium ( Clostridium tetani) which is usu. introduced through a wound
  2. the bacterium that causes tetanus
  3. prolonged contraction of a muscle resulting from rapidly repeated motor impulses

tet·a·ny ['te-tə-nē, 'tet-nē] -n

  1. a condition of physiological calcium imbalance marked by tonic spasm of muscles and often associated with deficient parathyroid secretion

te·tar·to·he·dral [te-,tär-tə-'hē-drəl] -adj

  1. having one fourth the number of planes required by complete symmetry

tetched ['techt] -adj

(variant of teched)

  1. mentally unbalanced

tetchy ['te-chē] -adj, adv, n

  1. irritably or peevishly sensitive : touchy
    • the tetchy manner of two women living in the same house -- Elizabeth Taylor 1975

teteatete [,tet-ə-'tet, ,tāt-ə-'tāt, 2 is also 'tēt-ə-,tēt] -n

  1. a private conversation between two persons
  2. a short piece of furniture (as a sofa) intended to seat two persons esp. facing each other
  3. in private
  4. face-to-face, private

tetebeche ['tet-'besh] -adj

  1. of or relating to a pair of stamps inverted in relation to one another either through a printing error or intentionally

teth ['tāt, 'tāth, 'tās] -n

  1. the 9th letter of the Hebrew alphabet

teth·er ['te-thər] -n

  1. something (as a rope or chain) by which an animal is fastened so that it can range only within a set radius
  2. the limit of one's strength or resources
    • at the end of my tether

tether [-th(ə-)riŋ] -vt

  1. to fasten or restrain by or as if by a tether
    • felt tether ed to her desk until the work was done

teth·er·ball ['te-thər-,bȯl] -n

  1. a game played with a ball suspended by a string from an upright pole in which the object is to wrap the string around the pole by striking the ball in a direction opposite to that of one's opponent
  2. the ball used in this game

Te·thys ['tē-thəs] -n

  1. a Titaness and wife of Oceanus

tet·ra ['te-trə] -n

  1. any of numerous small often brightly colored So. American characin fishes often bred in tropical aquariums

tetra- -comb form

  1. four : having four : having four parts
    • tetra valent
  2. containing four atoms or groups (of a specified kind)
    • tetra chloride

tet·ra·caine ['te-trə-,kān] -n

  1. a crystalline basic ester C 15H 24N 2O 2that is closely related chemically to procaine and is used chiefly in the form of its hydrochloride as a local anesthetic

tet·ra·chlo·ride [,te-trə-'klȯr-,īd] -n

  1. a chloride containing four atoms of chlorine

tet·ra·chord ['te-trə-,kȯrd] -n

  1. a diatonic series of four tones with an interval of a perfect fourth between the first and last

tet·ra·cy·cline [,te-trə-'sī-,klēn] -n

  1. a yellow crystalline broad-spectrum antibiotic C 22H 24N 2O 8produced by streptomyces or synthetically
  2. any of several chemically related antibiotics (as doxycycline)

tet·rad ['te-,trad] -n, adj

  1. : a group or arrangement of four: as
  2. a group of four cells produced by the successive divisions of a mother cell
    • a tetrad of spores
  3. a group of four synapsed chromatids that become visibly evident in the pachytene stage of meiotic prophase

tet·ra·drachm ['te-trə-,dram] -n

  1. an ancient Greek silver coin worth four drachmas

tet·ra·eth·yl lead [,te-trə-,e-thəl-'led] -n

  1. a heavy oily poisonous liquid Pb(C 2H 5) 4used esp. formerly as an antiknock agent

tet·ra·flu·o·ride [,te-trə-'flȯr-,īd, -'flu̇r-] -n

  1. a fluoride containing four atoms of fluorine

te·trag·o·nal [te-'tra-gə-nᵊl] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the tetragonal system

tetragonal system -n

  1. a crystal system characterized by three axes at right angles of which only the two lateral axes are equal

tet·ra·gram·ma·ton [,te-trə-'gra-mə-,tän] -n

  1. the four Hebrew letters usu. transliterated YHWH or JHVH that form a biblical proper name of God

tet·ra·he·dral [,te-trə-'hē-drəl] -adj, adv

  1. being a polyhedral angle with four faces
  2. relating to, forming, or having the form of a tetrahedron

tet·ra·he·dron [,te-trə-'hē-drən] -n

  1. a polyhedron that has four faces

tet·ra·hy·dro·can·nab·i·nol [-,hī-drə-kə-'na-bə-,nȯl, -,nōl] -n

  1. thc

tet·ra·hy·dro·fu·ran [-'fyu̇r-,an, -fyu̇-'ran] -n

  1. a flammable liquid heterocyclic ether C 4H 8O that is derived from furan and used as a solvent and as an intermediate in organic synthesis

tet·ra·hy·me·na [,te-trə-'hī-mə-nə] -n

  1. any of a genus ( Tetrahymena) of ciliate protozoans

te·tral·o·gy [te-'trä-lə-jē, -'tra-] -n

  1. a group of four dramatic pieces presented consecutively on the Attic stage at the Dionysiac festival
  2. a series of four connected works (as operas or novels)

tet·ra·mer ['te-trə-mər] -n, adj

  1. a molecule (as an enzyme or a polymer) that consists of four structural subunits (as peptide chains or condensed monomers)

te·tram·er·ous [te-'tra-mə-rəs] -adj

  1. having or characterized by the presence of four parts or of parts arranged in sets of four
    • tetramerous flowers

te·tram·e·ter [te-'tra-mə-tər] -n

  1. a line of verse consisting either of four dipodies (as in classical iambic, trochaic, and anapestic verse) or four metrical feet (as in modern English verse)

tet·ra·meth·yl·lead [,te-trə-,me-thəl-'led] -n

  1. a volatile poisonous liquid Pb(CH 3) 4used esp. formerly as an antiknock agent

tet·ra·ploid ['te-trə-,plȯid] -adj, n

  1. having or being a chromosome number four times the monoploid number
    • a tetraploid cell

tetraploid -n

  1. a tetraploid individual

tet·ra·pod ['te-trə-,päd] -n

  1. a vertebrate (as an amphibian, a bird, or a mammal) with two pairs of limbs

tet·ra·pyr·role [,te-trə-'pir-,ōl] -n

  1. a chemical group consisting of four pyrrole rings joined either in a straight chain or in a ring (as in chlorophyll)

te·trarch ['te-,trärk, 'tē-] -n, adj

  1. a governor of the fourth part of a province
  2. a subordinate prince

te·trar·chy ['te-,trär-kē, 'tē-] -n

  1. government by four persons ruling jointly

tet·ra·spore ['te-trə-,spȯr] -n

  1. one of the four haploid asexual spores developed meiotically in the red algae

tet·ra·va·lent [,te-trə-'vā-lənt] -adj

  1. having a valence of four

tet·ra·zo·li·um [,te-trə-'zō-lē-əm] -n

  1. a monovalent cation or group CH 3N 4that is analogous to ammonium
  2. any of several of its derivatives used esp. as electron acceptors to test for metabolic activity in living cells

te·traz·zi·ni [,te-trə-'zē-nē] -adj

  1. prepared with pasta and a white sauce seasoned with sherry and served au gratin
    • chicken tetrazzini

tet·ri ['te-trē] -n

  1. see lari at

tet·rode ['te-,trōd] -n

  1. a vacuum tube with a cathode, an anode, a control grid, and an additional grid or other electrode

te·tro·do·tox·in [te-,trō-də-'täk-sən] -n

  1. a neurotoxin C 11H 17N 3O 8found esp. in puffer fish that blocks nerve conduction by suppressing permeability of the nerve fiber to sodium ions

te·trox·ide [te-'träk-,sīd] -n

  1. a compound of an element or group with four atoms of oxygen

tet·ryl ['te-trəl] -n

  1. a pale yellow crystalline explosive C 7H 5N 5O 8used esp. as a detonator

tet·ter ['te-tər] -n

  1. any of various vesicular skin diseases (as ringworm, eczema, and herpes)

Teu·ton ['tü-tᵊn, 'tyü-, -,tän] -n

  1. a member of an ancient prob. Germanic or Celtic people
  2. a member of a people speaking a language of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family
  3. german

Teu·ton·ic [tü-'tä-nik, tyü-] -n

  1. germanic

Teutonic [-ni-k(ə-)lē] -adj, adv

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the Teutons

Teu·ton·ism ['tü-tə-,ni-zəm, 'tyü-] -n

  1. germanism

Teu·ton·ist [-nist] -n

  1. germanist

teu·ton·ize [-,nīz] -vt

  1. germanize

TeV -abbr

  1. tera-electron-volt; trillion electron-volts

Te·wa ['tā-wə, 'tē-] -n

  1. a member of a Pueblo Indian people of New Mexico and Arizona
  2. the language of the Tewa people

Tex -abbr

  1. Texas

tex·as ['tek-səs, -siz] -n

  1. a structure on the awning deck of a steamer that contains the officers' cabins and has the pilothouse in front or on top

Texas fever -n

  1. an infectious disease of cattle transmitted by the cattle tick and caused by a protozoan ( Babesia bigemina) that multiplies in the blood and destroys the red blood cells

Texas Hold·'em [-'hōl-dəm] -n

  1. poker in which each player is dealt two cards facedown and all players share five cards dealt faceup

Texas Independence Day -n

  1. March 2 observed as the anniversary of the declaration of independence of Texas from Mexico in 1836 and also as the birthday of Sam Houston

Texas leaguer -n

  1. a fly in baseball that falls too far out to be caught by an infielder and too close in to be caught by an outfielder

Texas longhorn -n

  1. longhorn
  2. any of a breed of relatively small cattle developed in the U.S. from descendants of the original longhorns and typically having a horn spread that averages 40 to 65 inches (100 to 165 centimeters) and a variable color pattern

Texas Ranger -n

  1. a member of a formerly mounted police force in Texas

TexMex ['teks-'meks] -adj, n

  1. of, relating to, or being the Mexican-American culture or cuisine existing or originating in esp. southern Texas
    • TexMex cooking
    • TexMex music

text ['tekst] -n

  1. the original words and form of a written or printed work
  2. an edited or emended copy of an original work
  3. a work containing such text
  4. the main body of printed or written matter on a page
  5. the principal part of a book exclusive of front and back matter
  6. the printed score of a musical composition
  7. a verse or passage of Scripture chosen esp. for the subject of a sermon or for authoritative support (as for a doctrine)
  8. a passage from an authoritative source providing an introduction or basis (as for a speech)
  9. a source of information or authority
  10. theme, topic
  11. the words of something (as a poem) set to music
  12. matter chiefly in the form of words or symbols that is treated as data for processing by computerized equipment
    • a text message
  13. a type suitable for printing running text
  14. textbook
  15. something (as a story or movie) considered as an object to be examined, explicated, or deconstructed
  16. something likened to a text
    • the surfaces of daily life are text s to be explicated -- Michiko Kakutani
  17. frame of reference
    • updated to fit the women's lib text for consciousness raising -- Judith Crist
  18. to send a text message from one cell phone to another
  19. to communicate by text messaging

text·book ['teks(t)-,bu̇k] -n

  1. : a book used in the study of a subject: as
  2. one containing a presentation of the principles of a subject
  3. a literary work relevant to the study of a subject

textbook -adj

  1. of, suggesting, or suitable to a textbook
  2. classic
    • a textbook example of bureaucratic waste

text·book·ish [-,bu̇-kish] -adj

  1. of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a textbook
    • the style is heavy and textbookish -- Nation

text edition -n

  1. an edition of a book prepared for use esp. in schools and colleges

tex·tile ['tek-,stī(-ə)l, 'teks-tᵊl] -n

  1. cloth
  2. a woven or knit cloth
  3. a fiber, filament, or yarn used in making cloth

text messaging -n

  1. the sending of short text messages electronically esp. from one cell phone to another

tex·tu·al ['teks-chə-wəl, -chəl] -adj, n, adv

  1. of, relating to, or based on a text

textual critic -n

  1. a practitioner of textual criticism

textual criticism -n

  1. the study of a literary work that aims to establish the original text
  2. a critical study of literature emphasizing a close reading and analysis of the text

tex·tu·al·ize ['teks-ch(ə-w)ə-,līz] -vt, n

  1. to put into text : set down as concrete and unchanging
    • the novel textualize s complex emotions

tex·tu·ary ['teks-chə-,wer-ē] -n

  1. one who is well informed in the Bible or in biblical scholarship

textuary -adj

  1. textual

tex·ture ['teks-chər] -n, adj, adv

  1. something composed of closely interwoven elements
  2. a woven cloth
  3. the structure formed by the threads of a fabric
  4. essential part : substance
  5. identifying quality : character
  6. the disposition or manner of union of the particles of a body or substance
  7. the visual or tactile surface characteristics and appearance of something
    • the texture of an oil painting
  8. a composite of the elements of prose or poetry
    • all these words...meet violently to form a texture impressive and exciting -- John Berryman
  9. a pattern of musical sound created by tones or lines played or sung together
  10. basic scheme or structure
  11. overall structure

texture -vt

  1. to give a particular texture to

textured vegetable protein -n

  1. protein from some vegetables and esp. soybeans used as a substitute for or added to meat

tex·tur·ize ['teks-chə-,rīz] -vt

  1. texture

tex·tus re·cep·tus [,tek-stəs-ri-'sep-təs] -n

  1. the generally accepted text of a literary work (as the Greek New Testament)