English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

technic

noun

The special words or tools used in a particular craft or science.

technical

adj

Relating to a specific field of knowledge or skill, especially one that's hard for outsiders to follow.

technicality

noun

A minor rule or detail that seems unimportant to most people but can have major consequences.

technically

adv

Strictly speaking, according to the precise facts or rules, even though it may seem to contradict common belief.

technician

noun

A person skilled in the practical or mechanical side of a particular field.

Technicolor

noun

A film colour process from the twentieth century famous for its bold, super-saturated colours.

technicolored

adj

Full of bright, sometimes dreamlike colours.

technicoloured

adj

A UK spelling of technicolored.

technique

noun

A specific method or way of doing something that requires skill or practice.

techno

noun

A style of fast, repetitive electronic dance music built around a steady bass-drum beat, originally made for DJ sets.

technocracy

noun

A system of government in which skilled experts govern in their own areas of expertise.

technocratic

adj

Connected with rule by experts and specialists rather than elected leaders.

technological

adj

Relating to or involving technology, particularly modern science-based technology.

technologically

adv

In a way that relates to or makes use of technology.

technologist

noun

An expert who works with, or applies, a particular kind of technology in some field.

technology

noun

The practical application of scientific knowledge to solve problems or build tools and machines.

technophile

noun

Someone who loves technology, especially new and developing fields such as space travel, computing or communications.

technophobe

noun

A person affected by technophobia; someone who fears new technology.

technoself

noun

An idea, drawn from several fields of study, about how a person's identity is shaped within a society built on technology.

TechWhack

name

A free online tools website offering browser-based PDF, image, video, developer, privacy and SEO tools, used without an account or file uploads. Online since 2004.

tectonic

adj

Relating to the large-scale structure and movement of the Earth's crust.

tectonics

noun

The scientific study of the Earth's plates and other major features of its structure.

Tecumseh

name

A male given name, and the name of several towns across North America.

Ted

verb

To spread out cut hay so it dries in the sun.

teddy

noun

A one-piece women's undergarment combining a top and underwear.

tedious

adj

Boring and drawn out, especially because it takes a long time or is repetitive.

tedium

noun

A feeling of dullness and boredom.

tee

noun

The small peg used to hold a golf ball, or the marked spot where a golfer starts each hole.

Teela

name

A female given name.

teem

verb

To be so full that something is almost spilling over.

teeming

adj

Completely full of living things, especially in large, moving numbers.

teen

noun

A person aged between thirteen and nineteen; short for teenager.

teenage

adj

Between thirteen and nineteen years old, or relating to that age group.

teenager

noun

A person aged between thirteen and nineteen years old.

teenie

noun

A sixteenth of a dollar — an old fractional unit once used to quote and trade stock prices before decimalization.

teens

noun

The years of a person's life from thirteen to nineteen.

teensy

adj

Extremely small; a playful, informal way of saying tiny.

teeny

adj

Very small; tiny.

teepee

noun

A cone-shaped tent traditionally used by Native American peoples of the Great Plains.

Tees

name

A river in north-east England that flows through Middlesbrough.

teeter

verb

To rock unsteadily from side to side on a narrow point.

teeterboard

noun

A plank balanced in the middle so that people can ride up and down on it; a seesaw.

teetering

noun

The state of wobbling unsteadily, close to falling or collapsing.

teeth

noun

Plural of tooth — the hard structures in the mouth used for biting and chewing.

teethe

verb

To grow one's teeth, especially as a baby.

teething

noun

The process of a baby's first teeth coming through the gums.

teetotal

adj

Never drinking any alcohol at all.

teetotaler

noun

A person who never drinks alcohol at all, as a matter of principle or personal choice.

teetotaller

noun

A British standard spelling of teetotaler.

teetotum

noun

A small spinning toy, like a dreidel.

Teflon

name

A brand name for a non-stick coating material (PTFE) used on cookware and other products.

Tegan

name

A given name, used for both women (from Welsh) and men (from Irish), and also a surname.

teheran

name

A dated spelling of Tehran.

Tehran

name

The capital city of Iran.

tej

noun

A honey wine or mead from Ethiopia and Eritrea, often served in a special rounded glass called a berele.

tekkers

noun

(informal) Skill or ability at doing something.

Tel

name

A nickname for the given name Terry.

telco

noun

A company that provides telephone or other telecommunications services.

tele

noun

Informal short form for a Fender Telecaster electric guitar.

telecast

verb

To broadcast something on television.

telecom

noun

Short for telecommunications, or a company that provides phone and internet services.

telecommunication

noun

The technology of sending and receiving messages over a distance by electrical or electronic signals.

telecommuting

noun

Doing one's job from a place away from the main office, such as home, by using telecommunications technology.

telecopy

verb

To send a message using a fax machine.

telefax

noun

Another word for telefacsimile.

telegram

noun

A short written message sent by telegraph.

telegraph

noun

A system, or the device, used to send coded messages over long distances using electrical signals.

teleiophile

noun

Someone sexually drawn to adult people.

telekinesis

noun

The supposed ability to move objects using only the power of the mind.

telekinetic

adj

Relating to or having the power of telekinesis.

telemetry

noun

The automatic collection and transmission of data from a distant source to a place where it can be analysed.

telenovela

noun

A television soap opera, typically from Latin America, presented as a limited series rather than an ongoing show.

telepath

noun

Someone believed to be able to read (and sometimes project) other people's thoughts directly, without speech.

telepathic

adj

Able to communicate or sense things through telepathy, mind to mind.

telepathically

adv

By reading or transmitting thoughts directly, rather than through speech or writing.

telepathy

noun

The supposed ability to know someone else's thoughts or feelings directly, without speech, writing, or any normal signal.

telephone

noun

A device for speaking to someone at a distance by sending your voice as signals over a network; a phone.

telephoning

noun

The act of making a phone call.

telephoto

adj

Describing a camera lens built to make distant subjects appear large and close up.

telephotograph

noun

A photograph taken using a lens that magnifies distant objects.

teleplay

noun

A script written in the style of a film screenplay, but meant to be made into a television episode.

teleport

verb

To move instantly from one place to another without crossing the space in between (usually in fiction).

teleportation

noun

The (mostly fictional) process of moving something from one place to another instantly, without passing through the space between.

teleporter

noun

A device (or, in fiction, a person) that teleports things from place to place.

teleprinter

noun

Another word for teletype: a telegraph machine that automatically prints out incoming messages as letters instead of Morse code or other symbols.

teleprompter

noun

A screen near a camera that scrolls a script so a speaker can read it while appearing to talk naturally to the audience.

telescope

noun

An optical instrument that makes distant objects look closer and larger, especially used to view the night sky.

telescopic

adj

Relating to a telescope, or done using one.

telethon

noun

A long televised event that asks viewers to donate money, usually by phone, for a charitable cause.

teletransport

noun

Another word for teleportation.

teletype

noun

An old machine that automatically prints out messages received over a wire, using ordinary letters rather than Morse code.

teletypewriter

noun

Another term for a teletype, a telegraph machine that automatically prints incoming messages as letters, rather than in Morse code or other symbols.

televised

adj

Shown on television; broadcast.

television

noun

A device with a screen and speaker that receives and displays broadcast pictures and sound.

telex

noun

A now largely obsolete network of teleprinters used to send typed messages over long distances, or a message sent that way.

Telford

noun

A road surface made of small stones packed and rolled tightly over a base of larger stones — an early paving method distinct from macadam, which relies on a looser stone bed.

telic

adj

Aimed at, or working towards, a goal.

tell

verb

To give someone information by speaking or writing; to say something to someone.

teller

noun

A bank employee who handles deposits, withdrawals, and other counter transactions for customers.

tellin

noun

A small burrowing sea clam that filters food particles from the sand it lives in.

telling

adj

Revealing something important, often without meaning to; significant.

telltale

noun

Something that gives away or reveals a fact, often one meant to stay hidden.

tellurian

adj

Relating to planet Earth, or, in science fiction, living on Earth rather than another planet.

telluric

adj

Relating to the Earth; earthly.

tellurium

noun

A rare, brittle, silver-white chemical element with the symbol Te and atomic number 52, classed as a metalloid.

telly

noun

British informal word for television, either the broadcast medium or the physical set.

telos

noun

The purpose or ultimate goal of something.

Telugu

noun

A Dravidian language spoken mainly in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and the ethnic group who speak it as a mother tongue.

temaki

noun

A type of sushi in the form of a cone.

temeritous

adj

Showing no fear of danger; recklessly bold.

temerity

noun

Bravery that is foolish because it ignores real danger.

temp

noun

A person hired to work somewhere for a short, fixed period rather than permanently.

temper

noun

A person's tendency to become angry, or a fit of anger itself.

temperament

noun

A person's natural way of thinking, reacting, and behaving, especially as it shows up in mood.

temperamental

adj

Prone to sudden, unpredictable changes in mood; easily upset.

temperance

noun

Self-restraint, especially in eating, drinking, or other appetites.

temperate

adj

Mild, not extreme in temperature or climate.

temperature

noun

A measurement of how hot or cold something is.

tempered

adj

Having a particular kind of temper or disposition, especially in combinations like "good-tempered" or "hot-tempered."

tempest

noun

A violent storm, especially one with fierce winds.

tempestuous

adj

Like a storm, or, of a place, often hit by storms.

tempestuousness

noun

The quality of being tempestuous.

templar

noun

A member of the Knights Templar, a medieval Christian military order.

template

noun

A pre-made pattern or shape used as a guide for making other objects.

temple

noun

A building used for worship, especially in religions other than mainstream Christianity.

Temples

name

An English surname, originally denoting someone who lived near or worked for a religious temple, notably associated with the Knights Templar.

tempo

noun

The speed at which a piece of music is played, or the beat that sets that speed.

temporal

adj

Relating to time, as opposed to space or eternity.

temporality

noun

The fact of being limited to, or existing within, time.

temporarily

adverb

For a limited period of time; not permanently.

temporary

adjective

Lasting for only a limited time; not permanent.

tempt

verb

To try to get someone to do something, often something unwise, usually by making it look appealing.

temptation

noun

The urge or desire to do something, especially something unwise or forbidden.

tempting

adjective

Attractive or appealing in a way that makes you want to give in to it.

temptingness

noun

How tempting or appealing something is.

temptress

noun

A woman who deliberately uses her charm or attractiveness to lure or manipulate someone.

tempura

noun

A Japanese dish of vegetables, seafood, or other ingredients coated in a light batter and deep-fried.

Temujin

name

A Mongolian masculine given name, the birth name of Genghis Khan, founder of the Mongol Empire.

temulentive

adj

Connected with being drunk, or causing drunkenness.

ten

number

The number after nine and before eleven, written as 10.

tenable

adjective

Able to be defended against criticism or objection; reasonable enough to hold as a position.

tenacious

adjective

Refusing to give up or let go, even when things get difficult.

tenaciousness

noun

The quality of holding on firmly and refusing to give up.

tenacity

noun

The quality of refusing to give up; determined persistence.

tenancy

noun

Another word for a lease — meaning an interest in land, the contract that creates it, or the document recording that contract — used more often when the lease is short-term or carries a periodic rent that is more than nominal.

tenant

noun

Someone who pays rent to live in or use a property owned by someone else.

tenantable

adj

In good enough condition to be rented out.

tenantless

adj

Having no tenant; empty.

tench

noun

A species of freshwater fish, Tinca tinca, often caught by anglers in still or slow-moving water.

tend

verb

To be likely to behave, happen, or turn out in a particular way.