Portcullis (noun)
port-kul-is
A strong, heavy grating that can be lowered down grooves on each side of a gateway to block it.
Middle English from Old French porte coleice ‘sliding door’, from porte ‘door’ (from Latin porta) + coleice ‘sliding’ (feminine of couleis, from Latin colare ‘to filter’).
Example sentences
“The portcullis acted as both defence and decoration.”
Abrade (verb) a-brayd to wear off or down by scraping or rubbing. 1670–80; Latin abrādere, equivalent to ab- ab- + rādere to scrape (more…)
Skiplagging (noun) skip-lag-ing the practice of purchasing an air ticket for a flight with a layover at one’s true destination, getting off at the layover point, and skipping the last…
Gambol (verb) gam-buhl to skip about, as in dancing or playing; frolic. (West Mids) (UK) (noun/verb) a somersault/ to do a somersault. First recorded around 1495–1505. Earlier forms included gambold,…
Collaborative (adj) kol-ab-or-at-iv characterized or accomplished by collaboration (working together) (more…)
Tutelage (noun) toot-lij instruction; teaching; guidance. First recorded around 1595–1605 and comes from the Latin word tūtēl(a), “guardianship,” which derived from the Latin verb tuērī, “to watch.” (more…)
Smorgasbord (noun) smaw-guz-bord an extensive array or variety. First recorded in 1875–80 and comes from the Swedish word smörgåsbord. Smörgåsbord is formed from smörgås, “(slice of) bread and butter, sandwich,”…
Dendroglyph (noun) den-dro-glif an image, message, or symbol carved into a tree, especially by Indigenous people and often hundreds of years old, providing cultural and historical information not available from…
Nimble (adj) nim-bl Agile, quick in movement. / Alert, acute. Old English nǣmel quick to grasp, and numol quick at seizing, both from niman to take (more…)