Civilisation/Words

T

Tabard – a short coat, either sleeveless, or with short sleeves or shoulder pieces, which was a common item of men's clothing in the Middle Ages, usually for outdoors

Tabloid – comes from the name given by the London based pharmaceutical company Burroughs Wellcome & Co. to the compressed tablets they marketed as ‘Tabloid’ pills in the late 1880s

Tachograph – a device fitted to a vehicle that automatically records its speed and distance

Tachometer – an instrument measuring the rotation speed of a shaft or disk, as in a motor or other machine. Rev counter

Tachycardia – a heart rate that exceeds the normal range for a resting heart rate

Tacking – sailing into the wind with a zig-zag movement

Tajine – a type of North African dish (Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia) as well as the special pot to cook them in. Tajine dishes are slow cooked at low temperatures, resulting in tender, falling-off-the-bone meat with aromatic vegetables and sauce

Talkbox – an effects unit that allows musicians to modify the sound of a musical instrument

Tallit – a Jewish prayer shawl

Tallow – hard fat obtained from parts of the bodies of cattle, sheep, or horses, and used in foodstuffs or to make candles, leather dressing, soap, and lubricants

Tankini – a two piece bathing suit with the upper portion resembling a tank top

Tannoy – abbreviation of tantalum alloy

Tantalize – to tease, after Tantalus, a son of Zeus who was punished by being ‘tantalized’ with hunger and thirst in Tartarus

Tantalus – wooden display cabinet that holds decanters of spirits

Tantra – any of a comparatively recent class of Hindu or Buddhist religious literature written in Sanskrit and concerned with powerful ritual acts of body, speech, and mind

Taphophilia – a passion for and enjoyment of cemeteries

Taphophobia – fear of being buried alive

Tarantass – a four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle on a long longitudinal frame. It was widely used in Russia in the first half of the 19th century

Tatami – a type of mat used as a flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms

Tatting – a decorative form of lace, usually made by hand with a small shuttle

Tautology – needless repetition of the same sense in different words

Taxol – a chemical substance derived from a yew tree of the Pacific Coast: used experimentally as a drug in the treatment of cancer

Technosexual – an individual who has a strong aesthetic sense and a love of gadgets. Also used to refer to robot fetishism

Tegestologist – collector of beer mats

Telesphobia – fear of coming last

Telly Novella – term used for a soap opera

Tempera – a water-based paint that uses egg, egg yolk, glue, or casein as a binder. Many commercially made paints identified as tempera are actually gouache

Tempering – a process of heat treating, which is used to increase the toughness of iron-based alloys. It is also a technique used to increase the toughness of glass

Temple – either of the flat surfaces alongside the forehead, in front of each ear

Tempura – Japanese deep fried batter-dipped seafood and vegetables

Tenderfoot – first rank US scout

Tendon – a tough band of fibrous connective tissue that usually connects muscle to bone. Also known as sinew (see ligament)

Teratology – the study of abnormalities of physiological development

Teratophobia – fear of monsters

Termagant – scalding woman

Tercentenary – 300 years

Terry towelling – a fabric with loops that can absorb large amounts of water. Also known as terrycloth

Terylene – a synthetic polyester fibre or fabric based on terephthalic acid, characterized by lightness and crease resistance

Tessellation – a repeated geometric design that covers a plane without gaps or overlaps

Tessera – an individual tile, usually formed in the shape of a cube, used in creating a mosaic

Tester – canopy above a four poster bed

Thalassophobia – fear of the sea

Thane – between a Freeman and a Noble

Theocracy – government by religious law (see autocracy, oligarchy, plutocracy, stratocracy)

Theodicy – a vindication of God's goodness and justice in the face of the existence of evil

Theremin – musical instrument played by moving the hands around antennae

Thinning – a term used in agricultural sciences to mean the removal of some plants, or parts of plants, to make room for the growth of others

Three-line whip – compulsory note to an MP to attend a vote

Threshold – the sill of a door

Tines – parallel or branching spikes forming parts of various tools, e.g. forks. Tines also form the branched bony antlers of deer

Tipstaff – arrests people in contempt of court

Tithe – a tenth part of one's annual income contributed voluntarily or due as a tax, especially for the support of the clergy or church

Titian – shade of brownish orange named after the artist

Titration – a procedure which is used to determine the concentration of an acid or base

Tittle – a small distinguishing mark, such as a diacritic or the dot on a lowercase i or j

Tocsin – an alarm bell or signal

Tog – Measure of thermal insulation

Tog – Terry Wogan fan (Terry’s old geezers)

Toilette – cloth cover for a ladies’ dressing table

Tombstoning – jumping into the sea off cliffs

Tom Swifty (or Tom Swiftie) – a phrase in which a quoted sentence is linked by a pun to the manner in which it is represented as having been said, e.g. ‘Pass me the shellfish,’ said Tom crabbily

Tonga – a kind of horse-drawn taxi formerly used in northern India

Tonitrophobia – fear of thunder

Tonsure – the traditional practice of Christian churches of cutting or shaving the hair from the scalp of clerics

Toponymy – the scientific study of toponyms (place-names)

Toque – chef’s hat

Torero – a bullfighter in Spain

Torii – a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine

Torpor – is a state of decreased physiological activity in an animal, usually by a reduced body temperature and metabolic rate

Torquetum or turquet – a medieval astronomical instrument designed to take and convert measurements made in three sets of coordinates: Horizon, equatorial, and ecliptic. In a sense, the torquetum is an analog computer

Toxiphobia – fear of poison

Tracery – an architectural term used primarily to describe the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window

Transept – either of the two parts forming the arms of the cross shape, projecting at right angles from the nave

Transfiguration – a marked change in form or appearance; a metamorphosis

Transliteration – the conversion of a text from one script to another

Transpiration – loss of water by evaporation in terrestrial plants

Transom – the horizontal member which is framed across a window, dividing it into stages or heights

Trebuchet – large catapult

Treen – small objects made of wood

Trefah or treif – opposite of kosher. Means ‘torn’

Trepanation – surgical operation involving the removal of a disc of bone from the skull

Triangulation – the process of determining the location of a point by measuring angles to it from known points at either end of a fixed baseline

Tribadism – commonly known by its scissoring position, is a form of non-penetrative sex in which a woman rubs her vulva against her partner's body for sexual stimulation

Tribology – the science and engineering of interacting surfaces in relative motion. It includes the study and application of the principles of friction, lubrication and wear

Tribune – an official in ancient Rome chosen by the plebeians to protect their interests

Triclinium – a formal dining room in a Roman building with three couches

Tricolon – a sentence with three clearly defined parts (cola) of equal length, usually independent clauses and of increasing power

Triforium – a gallery of arches above the side-aisle vaulting in the nave of a church

Triga – three-horse chariot

Triglyph – an architectural term for the vertically channeled tablets of the Doric frieze

Trimmer – politician who changes allegiances

Tripoint – (also known as tri-border area) is a geographical point at which the borders of three countries or subnational entities meet

Trireme – an ancient Greek or Roman galley or warship, having three tiers of oars on each side

Triumvirate – a political regime dominated by three powerful political and/or military leaders

Triskaidekaphobia – fear of the number 13

Troika – a committee consisting of three members (Russian)

Troika – a Russian carriage pulled by three horses abreast

Troll – a commenter whose sole purpose is to attack the views expressed on a blog and incite a flamewar

Trope – a figurative or metaphorical use of a word or expression

Troubadour – one of a class of 12th century and 13th century lyric poets in southern France, northern Italy, and northern Spain, who composed songs about courtly love

Trousseau – clothes collected by a woman for her marriage

Trug – a shallow oblong basket made of strips of wood, traditionally used for carrying garden flowers and produce

Truthiness – the quality of knowing something in your gut, or your heart, as opposed to in your head

Trypanophobia – fear of needles

Trypophobia – fear of objects with small holes

Tsarevich (czarevich) – the title of the heir apparent or heir presumptive to the emperors of Russia

Tubercle – a wart-like projection

Tulle – a lightweight, very fine netting, which is often starched. Tulle is most commonly used for veils, gowns (particularly wedding gowns), and ballet tutus

Tumbi – a traditional high pitched, single string plucking instrument from the Punjab region

Tumbril – cart that took prisoners to the guillotine at the time of the French Revolution

Tup – male sheep

Tuque – Canadian knitted woolen cap

Turpentine – a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin obtained from trees, mainly pine trees

Tweeter – a speaker driver designed to reproduce high frequencies (see woofer)

Twerking – to dance to popular music in a sexually provocative manner involving thrusting hip movements and a low, squatting stance

Twilight – the time of day immediately following sunset

Twine – a light string or strong thread composed of two or more smaller strands or yarns twisted together

Twinsie – has three legs, four arms, two hoods. Onesie for two people

Tyrant – one who illegally seized and controlled a governmental power in a polis

U

Ultrasound – cyclic sound pressure with a frequency greater than the upper limit of human hearing. It is approximately 20 kilohertz

Umbilicus – navel or belly button

Unciform – hook-shaped

Undercroft – church crypt

Ulama – group of scholars in Islam

Ululation – a long, wavering, high-pitched vocal sound resembling a howl with a trilling quality. It is produced by emitting a high pitched loud voice accompanied with a rapid movement of the tongue and the uvula

Umami – a savory taste which is one of the five basic tastes, together with sweet, sour, bitter, and salty. Umami is a loanword from Japanese

Umrah – a pilgrimage to Mecca

Unicameralism – the practice of having only one legislative or parliamentary chamber

Unitarianism – a religious theological movement named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism, which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one being

Urtication – flogging with nettles

Ushanka – a Russian fur cap with ear flaps

Uxoricide – killing one’s wife

Uxorious – excessive devotion to the wife

V

Valentines – love notes

Vaporetto – a motorboat for transporting people along the canals in Venice

Vascular – in zoology and medicine means ‘relating to blood vessels’. In botany, plants with a dedicated transport system for water and nutrients are called vascular plants

Vector – an organism that transmits diseases or infections

Vedette – a mounted sentry or outpost, who has the function of bringing information, giving signals or warnings of danger, etc., to a main body of troops

Vedic – the language of the Vedas, an early form of Sanskrit

Veduta – a highly detailed, usually large-scale painting or, actually more often print, of a cityscape or some other vista

Veilkini – an Islamic swimsuit similar in style to the Burkini

Veldt – open grassland in South Africa

Venal – open to bribery; mercenary

Verbosity – speech or writing which is deemed to use an excess of words. Adjectival forms are verbose, wordy, prolix and garrulous

Verecund – modest

Vermeil – a combination of sterling silver, gold, and other precious metals, commonly used as a component in jewellery

Vermicide – pesticide for worms

Vernacular – the everyday language spoken by a people

Vernissage – preview of art exhibition

Verso – even pages, Recto – odd pages of a book

Vespers – evening church service

Vestibule – a lobby, entrance hall, or passage between the entrance and the interior of a building

Vexilology – study of flags

Vicarious – felt or undergone as if one were taking part in the experience or feelings of another

Vicenarian – a person aged 20 to 29

Vintitulist – collects wine labels

Virion – a complete virus particle

Visceral – coming from strong emotions and not from logic or reason

Vishing – voice phishing, the criminal practice of using social engineering over the telephone system to gain access to private personal and financial information from the public

Viscosity – the thickness or resistance to flow of a liquid

Vitrine – a glass-paneled cabinet or case for displaying articles

Vizier – a high-ranking political advisor or minister

Volar – palms of the hands, or soles of the feet

Volkskammer – was East German parliament

Vomitorium – a passage situated below or behind a tier of seats in an amphitheatre, through which crowds can ‘spew out’ at the end of a performance

Vuvuzela – horns blown at African football matches

W

Wackaging – portmanteau of wacky and packaging

Wain – a usually large and heavy vehicle for farm use; a hay wain

Wainscoting – wood panelling

Wainwright – wagon maker

Wampum – beads of shells strung in strands and used by American Indians as money

Wanderlust – a strong desire for or impulse to wander or travel and explore the world

Warp – threads that run lengthwise along a cloth (see weft)

Wassailing – carol singing

Watermen – river workers who transfer passengers across and along city centre rivers and estuaries

Wattle – a mat of woven (willow) sticks and weeds; used in wall and dike construction

Wayland – a supernatural blacksmith and king of the elves

Webcast – a broadcast of an event or a recording of an event over the World Wide Web

Webinar – portmanteau of web and seminar

Webisode – an episode of a TV programme that is shown first on the Internet

Weft – horizontal threads interlaced through the warp in a woven fabric

Wheelbase – the distance from the centre of the front wheel to that of the rear wheel in a motor vehicle

Wherry – type of boat particularly associated with the River Thames

Whey – watery part of milk that is separated from the curd in making cheese

Whitebait – the young of various fishes, especially the herring

Wicker – hard woven fibre formed into a rigid material, usually used for baskets or furniture

Wiki – a website or similar online resource which allows users to add and edit content collectively

Winnowing – the act of separating grain from chaff

Woad – blue dye used by ancient Britons to colour clothes and skin

Wonk – an overly studious person, particularly student; a nerd

Woofer – a speaker driver designed to reproduce low frequencies (see tweeter)

Wrangler – a student who gains first-class honours in the third year of Cambridge University’s undergraduate degree in mathematics

X

Xenia – the ancient Greek concept of hospitality

Xiphoid – sword-shaped

Y

Yakuza – members of traditional organized crime groups in Japan

Yarmulke – Jewish skullcap. Also known as a kippah

Yashmak – double veil worn in public, only the eyes are uncovered

Yazidi – primarily ethnic Kurds, mostly living in the Mosul region of northern Iraq

Yodeling – a form of singing that involves singing an extended note which rapidly and repeatedly changes in pitch

Z

Zambo – an individual in the Americas who is of mixed African and Amerindian ancestry

Zealot – a member of an ancient Jewish sect in Judea in the 1st century who fought to the death against the Romans

Zeugma – a figure of speech describing the joining of two or more parts of a sentence with a single common verb or noun

Zucchetto – small skullcap. The Pope's zucchetto is white, those worn by cardinals are red, bishops wear violet, and priests and deacons wear black