| abbreviation |
a shortened form of a word or phrase used in writing. |
| acronym |
a word formed by putting together the first letters or parts of a series of words in a longer phrase. |
| alliteration |
the repetition of the same sound at the beginning of words in a phrase or sentence. |
| context |
the setting of a word or phrase in speaking or writing that determines or affects its meaning. Context can be pictures, sounds, other words, or physical surroundings. |
| curse |
In stories of magic, a curse is a magical word or phrase that causes something very bad to happen to a person or thing. A curse is also a statement of a wish that something very bad will happen to someone or something. [1/5 definitions] |
| definition |
the statement of the meaning of a word or phrase. |
| emphasis |
stress given to a particular word, phrase, or idea. [1/2 definitions] |
| entry |
a word or phrase listed and defined in a dictionary. [1/4 definitions] |
| etc. |
"Etc." is a short way of writing the phrase "et cetera." We use "etc." when we are listing things of a certain category but we don't want to list every single thing, or we don't think it is necessary. We write "etc." at the end of the list as a way of saying, "and more things like this." |
| et cetera |
Et cetera is a phrase that means "and other things like this." When et cetera is used in writing, it is often abbreviated as "etc." but we still pronounce it as et cetera. |
| exclamation |
a single word or phrase that is said when a person has strong feelings. "Wow!" is an exclamation that people use when they are surprised or amazed. "Oh, dear!" is an exclamation that people use when something disappoints or worries them. [1/2 definitions] |
| idiom |
a phrase that cannot be understood by understanding the meanings of each of its words. The phrase "fall out," meaning "have a disagreement," is an idiom. |
| interjection |
An interjection is one word or a short phrase that we use to show some feeling or give a special short message. Words like "ouch," "hello," "hey," and "thanks" are interjections. |
| interrogative |
a word, phrase, or other expression that is often used to ask a question. "When" is an interrogative in the sentence, "When will they arrive?" [1/2 definitions] |
| label |
a term or phrase used to describe a person or thing. [1/4 definitions] |
| make up |
We often use the phrase "make up" when we are talking about the parts that make a whole thing. For example, the eyes, the nose, and the mouth are some of the parts of a person's face. We can say that these things "make up" a person's face, or we can say that a person's face is "made up" of these parts. [1/2 definitions] |
| melody |
a musical phrase or theme made up of a sequence of single tones. [1/2 definitions] |
| metaphor |
a phrase that describes something by comparing it to some other thing, as, for example, when a man says that his wife is a diamond. |
| modify |
When we say that one word modifies another word, we mean that the first word describes the other word or makes its meaning more exact or specific. For example, in the phrase "hot water," the word "hot" modifies "water." It tells us something more about the water. In the sentence "Sam was very angry," the word "very" modifies the word "angry." It tells us how angry Sam was. He was not just angry, but VERY angry. [1/2 definitions] |
| motto |
A motto is a short phrase that is used as an expression or reminder of what you believe in, especially what you believe is the way you should act or live your life. |
| nor |
used to introduce a negative statement, especially after a phrase using "neither." [1/2 definitions] |