| Words | Parts of Speech | Meaning/Definition/Similar Words |
|---|---|---|
| orache | noun | A genus (Atriplex) of herbs or low shrubs of the Goosefoot family, most of them with a mealy surface. |
| oracle | noun | The answer of a god, or some person reputed to be a god, to an inquiry respecting some affair or future event, as the success of an enterprise or battle., Hence: The deity who was supposed to give the answer; also, the place where it was given., The communications, revelations, or messages delivered by God to the prophets; also, the entire sacred Scriptures — usually in the plural., The sanctuary, or Most Holy place in the temple; also, the temple itself., One who communicates a divine command; an angel; a prophet., Any person reputed uncommonly wise; one whose decisions are regarded as of great authority; as, a literary oracle., A wise sentence or decision of great authority., To utter oracles. |
| orally | adverb | In an oral manner., By, with, or in, the mouth; as, to receive the sacrament orally. |
| orange | noun | The fruit of a tree of the genus Citrus (C. Aurantium). It is usually round, and consists of pulpy carpels, commonly ten in number, inclosed in a leathery rind, which is easily separable, and is reddish yellow when ripe., The tree that bears oranges; the orange tree., The color of an orange; reddish yellow., Of or pertaining to an orange; of the color of an orange; reddish yellow; as, an orange ribbon. |
| orator | noun | A public speaker; one who delivers an oration; especially, one distinguished for his skill and power as a public speaker; one who is eloquent., In equity proceedings, one who prays for relief; a petitioner., A plaintiff, or complainant, in a bill in chancery., An officer who is the voice of the university upon all public occasions, who writes, reads, and records all letters of a public nature, presents, with an appropriate address, those persons on whom honorary degrees are to be conferred, and performs other like duties; — called also public orator. |
| orbing | present participle & vb. noun | of Orb |
| orbate | adjective | Bereaved; fatherless; childless. |
| orbity | noun | Orbation. |
| orcein | noun | A reddish brown amorphous dyestuff, /, obtained from orcin, and forming the essential coloring matter of cudbear and archil. It is closely related to litmus. |
| orchal | noun | See Archil. |
| orchel | noun | Archil. |
| orchid | noun | Any plant of the order Orchidaceae. See Orchidaceous. |
| orchil | noun | See Archil. |
| orchis | noun | A genus of endogenous plants growing in the North Temperate zone, and consisting of about eighty species. They are perennial herbs growing from a tuber (beside which is usually found the last year’s tuber also), and are valued for their showy flowers. See Orchidaceous., Any plant of the same family with the orchis; an orchid. |
| ordain | verb t. | To set in order; to arrange according to rule; to regulate; to set; to establish., To regulate, or establish, by appointment, decree, or law; to constitute; to decree; to appoint; to institute., To set apart for an office; to appoint., To invest with ministerial or sacerdotal functions; to introduce into the office of the Christian ministry, by the laying on of hands, or other forms; to set apart by the ceremony of ordination. |
| ordeal | noun | An ancient form of test to determine guilt or innocence, by appealing to a supernatural decision, — once common in Europe, and still practiced in the East and by savage tribes., Any severe trial, or test; a painful experience., Of or pertaining to trial by ordeal. |
| ordure | noun | Dung; excrement; faeces., Defect; imperfection; fault. |
| oreide | noun | See Oroide. |
| orfray | noun | The osprey. |
| organy | noun | See Origan. |
| orgasm | noun | Eager or immoderate excitement or action; the state of turgescence of any organ; erethism; esp., the height of venereal excitement in sexual intercourse. |
| orgeat | noun | A sirup in which, formerly, a decoction of barley entered, but which is now prepared with an emulsion of almonds, — used to flavor beverages or edibles. |
| orgeis | noun | See Organling. |
| orgies | noun pl. | A sacrifice accompanied by certain ceremonies in honor of some pagan deity; especially, the ceremonies observed by the Greeks and Romans in the worship of Dionysus, or Bacchus, which were characterized by wild and dissolute revelry., Drunken revelry; a carouse., of Orgy |
| orgyia | noun | A genus of bombycid moths whose caterpillars (esp. those of Orgyia leucostigma) are often very injurious to fruit trees and shade trees. The female is wingless. Called also vaporer moth. |
| orient | adjective | Rising, as the sun., Eastern; oriental., Bright; lustrous; superior; pure; perfect; pellucid; — used of gems and also figuratively, because the most perfect jewels are found in the East., The part of the horizon where the sun first appears in the morning; the east., The countries of Asia or the East., A pearl of great luster., To define the position of, in relation to the orient or east; hence, to ascertain the bearings of., Fig.: To correct or set right by recurring to first principles; to arrange in order; to orientate. |
| origan | noun | Alt. of Origanum |
| origin | noun | The first existence or beginning of anything; the birth., That from which anything primarily proceeds; the fountain; the spring; the cause; the occasion., The point of attachment or end of a muscle which is fixed during contraction; — in contradistinction to insertion. |
| oriole | noun | Any one of various species of Old World singing birds of the family Oriolidae. They are usually conspicuously colored with yellow and black. The European or golden oriole (Oriolus galbula, or O. oriolus) has a very musical flutelike note., In America, any one of several species of the genus Icterus, belonging to the family Icteridae. See Baltimore oriole, and Orchard oriole, under Orchard. |
| orison | noun | A prayer; a supplication. |
| ormolu | noun | A variety of brass made to resemble gold by the use of less zinc and more copper in its composition than ordinary brass contains. Its golden color is often heightened by means of lacquer of some sort, or by use of acids. Called also mosaic gold. |
| ormuzd | noun | The good principle, or being, of the ancient Persian religion. See Ahriman. |
| ornate | adjective | Adorned; decorated; beautiful., Finely finished, as a style of composition., To adorn; to honor. |
| oroide | noun | An alloy, chiefly of copper and zinc or tin, resembling gold in color and brilliancy. |
| orphan | noun | A child bereaved of both father and mother; sometimes, also, a child who has but one parent living., Bereaved of parents, or (sometimes) of one parent., To cause to become an orphan; to deprive of parents. |
| orphic | adjective | Pertaining to Orpheus; Orphean; as, Orphic hymns. |
| orpine | noun | A low plant with fleshy leaves (Sedum telephium), having clusters of purple flowers. It is found on dry, sandy places, and on old walls, in England, and has become naturalized in America. Called also stonecrop, and live-forever. |
| orrach | noun | See Orach. |
| orrery | noun | An apparatus which illustrates, by the revolution of balls moved by wheelwork, the relative size, periodic motions, positions, orbits, etc., of bodies in the solar system. |
| orthid | noun | A brachiopod shell of the genus Orthis, and allied genera, of the family Orthidae. |
| orthis | noun | An extinct genus of Brachiopoda, abundant in the Paleozoic rocks. |
| ortho- | A combining form signifying straight, right, upright, correct, regular; as, orthodromy, orthodiagonal, orthodox, orthographic., A combining form (also used adjectively), The one of several acids of the same element (as the phosphoric acids), which actually occurs with the greatest number of hydroxyl groups; as, orthophosphoric acid. Cf. Normal., Connection with, or affinity to, one variety of isomerism, characteristic of the benzene compounds; — contrasted with meta- or para-; as, the ortho position; hence, designating any substance showing such isomerism; as, an ortho compound. | |
| ortive | adjective | Of or relating to the time or act of rising; eastern; as, the ortive amplitude of a planet. |
| oryall | noun | See Oriel. |