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English Wiktionary

@enwiktionary.bsky.social
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The official account for en.wiktionary.org, the English Wiktionary. We’re a collaborative project to produce a free-content multilingual dictionary. We aim to describe all words of all languages using definitions and descriptions in English.

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English Wiktionary @enwiktionary.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
theconversation.com
English doesn’t need protecting in New Zealand – but other languages do
The proposed English Language Bill assumes a problem. In reality, English dominates public life while many heritage languages struggle to survive.
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English Wiktionary @enwiktionary.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
theconversation.com
The deaf blacksmith who married in 1576 – and the history of sign as a legal language
The medieval church’s acknowledgement that signs were equivalent to a spoken language was transformative for deaf people.
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Linguistic Discovery @linguisticdiscovery.com · 13/10/2026
Researchers have developed a new text prediction algorithm aimed at deciphering the Singapore Stone—and any other fragmentary texts. theconversation.com/cracking-the...
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English Wiktionary @enwiktionary.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
”[...] Characteristic of or resembling the fictional anthropomorphic teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh from the aforementioned works.” Happy birthday, Winnie! A. A. Milne’s book #Winnie-the-Pooh was first published on this day 100 years ago in 1926.
A 1925 illustration of Winnie-the-Pooh. By Ernest Howard Shepard (public domain; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Winnie_The_Pooh_Classic.jpg).
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English Wiktionary @enwiktionary.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
#Wiktionary #WOTD for 14 October 2026: “Winnie-the-Poohish”—“characteristic of or resembling the children’s book ‘Winnie-the-Pooh’ (1926) and related works by the English author A. A. Milne (1882–1956); [...]” en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktion...
A person wearing a Winnie-the-Pooh costume at the Shanghai Disneyland theme park in Shanghai, China. By Techqin (CC-BY-SA 3.0 Unported; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%E4%B8%8A%E6%B5%B7%E8%BF%AA%E5%A3%AB%E5%B0%BC_%E5%B0%8F%E7%86%8A%E7%BB%B4%E5%B0%BC_%E8%B7%B3%E8%B7%B3%E8%99%8E_%E5%B1%B9%E8%80%B3_%E5%88%86%E5%89%B201.jpg).
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English Wiktionary @enwiktionary.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
#Wiktionary #FWOTD for 14 October 2026: “semele” (Haji)—“odd; strange; weird” en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktion...
A masked gubang dancer. Gubang is a dance originating from Anambas in the Riau Islands, Indonesia. By Yuliseperi2020 (CC-BY-SA 4.0 International; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Potret_Penari_Gubang.jpg).
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Noah Webster's Dictionary Online - 1806, 1828 @nwdictionary.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
The 1800s were full of remarks on this confusion; some even roped in “triweekly,” which meant thrice a week, despite Noah Webster’s scolding that it shouldn’t. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/08/m...
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Wikipedia @wikipedia.org · 13/10/2026
They say Proxima Centauri b is lovely this time of the year! 🎥 ghoulproductionofficial on TikTok
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Linguistic Discovery @linguisticdiscovery.com · 13/10/2026
When writing first emerged, it wasn't even used for language—it was used to count! Here's how the world's first writing system emerged.
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depths of wikipedia @depthsofwikipedia.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
The advertisements compare the brain to an egg, and suggest that using drugs is like cracking it open and frying it in a hot pan.
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Wikimedia Foundation @wikimediafoundation.org · 12/10/2026
What happens when someone asks the Wikimedia Foundation to remove content on our projects or comes looking for who uploaded it? We show you the types of requests we receive and how we respond in our Transparency Report. Read it ➡️ wikimediafoundation.org/who-we-are/t...
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Word Family Friday @wordfamilyfriday.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Hey, there's a season 4 trailer out for my favorite podcast, @dannybate.com 's A Language I Love Is! shows.acast.com/a-language-i...
shows.acast.com
Series 4 Teaser! | A Language I Love Is...
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Ben Zimmer @benzimmer.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
"Mad Men" was so meticulous about its period-appropriate decor, but they used an edition of the Compact Oxford English Dictionary from 1987 in an episode set in 1963. www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wordroute...
Screenshot from "Mad Men" showing an anachronistic dictionary on Lane Pryce's credenza.
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Wordorigins.org @wordorigins.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
nonesuch #etymology #wordorigins #language
wordorigins.org
nonesuch — Wordorigins.org
12 October 2026 A nonesuch , or nonsuch , is something that is unparalleled, without equal. The word, rare today, dates to the sixteenth century, although the use of a negated such , as in no suc...
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Johnson's Dictionary Online @sjdictionary.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Medication. n.s. [from medicate.] 1. The act of tincturing or impregnating with medicinal ingredients. 2. The use of physick. johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/1755/medicat...
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Noah Webster's Dictionary Online - 1806, 1828 @nwdictionary.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Can you imagine seeing the words "shame lips" on your medical notes? The term, which can also be translated as "pubic lips", is the Dutch word for a women's body part. But, for some, it's just one of countless examples that are outdated and loaded with stigma. www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Why the Dutch dictionary has a new word for labia
Campaigners hope the new words will lead to less body shaming and more sex positivity.
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Depths of Wiktionary @depthsofwiktionary.wikis.world.ap.brid.gy · 12/10/2026
[Screenshot of the Polish entry for "wyjść jak Zabłocki na mydle" on English Wiktionary]

Verb
1. (intransitive, idiomatic) to make a bad deal [with na (+ instrumental) ‘doing something’]

Etymology: Literally, “to end up like Zabłocki did with soap”. Cyprian Zabłocki was a 19th century Polish nobleman who allegedly came up with a scheme to get rich by selling soap abroad. Trying to deceive Prussian customs officers, he chained waterproof crates with the soap to a barge and ordered them thrown into the Vistula River, so that they would be transported unseen under the cover of water. Upon reaching the port city of Gdańsk, the crates were revealed to be faulty, resulting in all of the soap dissolving in water and Zabłocki losing all money he had invested in it.

Compare Belarusian вы́йграць як Забло́цкі на мы́ле (výjhracʹ jak Zablócki na mýlje), зарабі́ць як Забло́цкі на мы́ле (zarabícʹ jak Zablócki na mýlje).
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English Wiktionary @enwiktionary.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
#Wiktionary #WOTD for 13 October 2026: “illude”—“(transitive; literary, archaic) to give (someone) a false impression; to deceive, to trick; (obsolete) to elude (someone or something); to escape, to evade; to mock (someone); to deride; [...]” en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktion...
An 1869 illustration of Reynard the Fox, a well-known trickster character. Reynard is shown in anthropomorphic form, standing on his hind paws like a human being, and wearing human clothes and boots. In his left front paw he holds a pole with a red pennant at the end with the word “Reynard” on it. In his right front paw he holds a hat with a feather. Reynard is standing on a mound, with birds, a cat and a dog cheering him. By Ernest Henri Griset (public domain; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Reynard-the-fox.jpg).
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English Wiktionary @enwiktionary.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
#Wiktionary #FWOTD for 13 October 2026: “pśichodny nan” (Lower Sorbian)—“father-in-law (literally, ‘future father’)” en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktion...
A man from Schleife, Saxony, Germany, dressed in traditional Sorbian costume. Photographer unknown, from “Sächsische Volkstrachten und Bauernhäuser” (“Saxon Folk Costumes and Farmhouses”, 1896) (public domain; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:S%C3%A4chsische_Volkstrachten_und_Bauernh%C3%A4user_(1896)_25_2.jpg).
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Noah Webster's Dictionary Online - 1806, 1828 @nwdictionary.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
FREAK, n. ... 1. Literally, a sudden starting or change of place. Hence, 2. A sudden causeless change or turn of the mind; a whim or fancy; a capricious prank... webstersdictionaryonline.com/1828/ai/00791
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Depths of Wiktionary @depthsofwiktionary.wikis.world.ap.brid.gy · 13/10/2026
[Screenshot of the Dutch entry for "treitervlogger" on English Wiktionary]

Noun
1. (derogatory) a vlogger who records themselves or their friends engaging in bullying or harassment of others 

Etymology: From treiteren (“to bully, to annoy”) +‎ vlogger.
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Tuatha @tuatha.ie · 11/10/2026
I love this cat with a curly tail, caught in the act of devouring its prey. She is tucked under the north arm of the Cross of the Scriptures at Clonmacnoise, one of the finest high crosses in Ireland. It is thought to date to the early 10th century. A meow from more than a millennia ago #Ireland
A stone carving of a cat with a curly tail, it appears to be eating something or perhaps playing a musical instrument
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Digital Brain @yourdigitalbrain.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
This sheep has Sam Porter Bridges' voice and a day way too dramatic for grazing grass
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depths of wikipedia @depthsofwikipedia.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
learning about the 1978 maine state senate election
Shortly before election day, candidate Hayes Gahagan held a press conference to announce that "unknown, subversive agents" had defaced his campaign brochures with subliminal sexual messages that could only be picked up subconsciously, including crude scratches of the word sex and female genitalia hidden in his hairline.[8] "This is no joke," he said. "It's a national scandal, and I'm not the only candidate."[9] Independent observers were unable to confirm the presence of the supposed messages, and the incident caused Gahagan to lose support
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Michele @funnymichele.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
#art
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Digital Brain @yourdigitalbrain.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
The tail starts wagging before the bus even stops. For dogs, the school bus arrival is the highlight of the day, pure joy at seeing their favorite human again.
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Michelle says: Be kind. Always. ❤️ @snarkysillysad.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Some Sunday whimsy: #AGoodPlace Source: www.instagram.com/reel/DeNy-b1...
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Jonathan Slater @jonathanslater.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
The cat drink
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depths of wikipedia @depthsofwikipedia.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
wiktionary
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English Wiktionary @enwiktionary.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
About Singlish.
fb.watch
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Dr Danny Bate @dannybate.com · 11/10/2026
In Canto 18 of his Inferno, Dante puts a lot of people from Bologna in Hell, and mentions their local word for 'yes': sipa. Words for 'yes' matter to Dante; he's the first on record to recognise sì, òc and oïl as alternatives in Romance – hence the lenga d'òc (Occitan) and langues d'oïl in France.
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depths of wikipedia @depthsofwikipedia.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
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Mr Natural @neilmatheson66.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Salvador Dali (1904-1989) Flordali 1, 1981. #Lithograph
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Johnson's Dictionary Online @sjdictionary.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
To Eventerate. v.a. [eventero, Latin.] To rip up; to open by ripping the belly. In a bear, which the hunters eventerated, or opened, I beheld the young ones, with all their parts distinct. Brown. johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/1773/eventer...
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Linguistic Discovery @linguisticdiscovery.com · 11/10/2026
Why human language isn’t like computer code Human language may seem messy and inefficient compared to the ultra-compact strings of ones and zeros used by computers—but our brains actually prefer it that way.
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Erin McKean @emckean.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
It's the 11th of the month! In this edition of "Things I Learned While Looking Up Other Things": the curse of Scotland, massurrealism, and soft drinks as byproducts of other industrial processes: buttondown.com/thingslearne...
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depths of wikipedia @depthsofwikipedia.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
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depths of wikipedia @depthsofwikipedia.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
rescued baby eastern gray squirrel being fed using a syringe
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Old English Wordhord @oewordhord.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
sealt, n.n: salt (literally and figuratively). (SEH-alt / ˈsɛalt) Image: Lot’s wife is turned into a pillar of salt in the Old English Hexateuch; England (Canterbury), 11th century; @britishlibrary.bsky.social Cotton Claudius B IV, f. 33r. #OldEnglish #WOTD
Medieval manuscript illustration of a man with his hands out in a gesture of dismay as he looks at a blurry figure to the left; on the right two women sit in a building, one doing a face palm.
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Archaeology News Online Magazine @archaeologynews.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Violently killed child was buried beneath a 2,500-year-old Scandinavian house floor A new study of unusual human remains from Iron and Viking Age Scandinavia shows how violence and death shaped daily life in complex ways. Researchers examined 12 individuals... archaeologymag.com/2026/10/kill...
archaeologymag.com
Violently killed child was buried beneath a 2,500-year-old Scandinavian house floor | Archaeology News Online Magazine
A study of 12 unusual burials reveals violence, possible sacrifice, and human remains placed inside Iron and Viking Age homes.
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Linguistic Discovery @linguisticdiscovery.com · 11/10/2026
The word “one” appears in some places you might not expect in English. In Old English, the word for ‘one’ was “ān”, which eventually became the Modern English word “one”.
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English Wiktionary @enwiktionary.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Today, 12 October, is the #FiestaNacionaldeEspaña, the #NationalDayofSpain. The commemoration was formally declared by royal decree in 1892.
The national flag of Spain. By Hguti2004 (CC-BY-SA 4.0 International; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BanderaEspa%C3%B1aHguti.jpg).
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English Wiktionary @enwiktionary.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
#Wiktionary #WOTD for 12 October 2026: “fabada”—“(uncountable) a stew from Asturias, Spain, made of white beans, pork (including chorizo, lacón (cured pork shoulder), and morcilla (blood sausage)), [etc.]; (countable) a particular variety of this stew” en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktion...
A dish of fabada in a cazuela (casserole). By Juan J. Martínez (CC-BY-SA 2.0 Generic; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fabada_en_cazuela_de_barro.jpg).
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English Wiktionary @enwiktionary.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
#Wiktionary #FWOTD for 12 October 2026: “नाचिवउं” (nācivaüṃ; Old Gujarati)—“to dance”. This year, #Navratri is from 11 to 19 October, and it is celebrated with dances such as dandiya raas and garba, especially where Old Gujarati was once spoken. en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktion...
Women performing a dandiya raas dance in New Delhi, India. By Goutam1962 (CC-BY-SA 4.0 International; https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Indian_Classical_Dance_Kathak_at_Kamani_Auditorium_03.jpg).
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Quote Investigator @quoteinvestigator.com · 11/10/2026
Was the following from Oscar Wilde, a greeting card company, or someone else? Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. quoteinvestigator.com/2026/10/11/s...
Heart-shaped arch of flowers from Anubhav Sonker at Unsplash. The image has been cropped and resized.
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Noah Webster's Dictionary Online - 1806, 1828 @nwdictionary.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Noah Webster began working on his patriotic Blue-Backed speller, published in 1783, amid a revolution that would shape his every word as a lexicographer. www.wsj.com/opinion/free...
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depths of wikipedia @depthsofwikipedia.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
huge if true
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depths of wikipedia @depthsofwikipedia.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
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Depths of Wiktionary @depthsofwiktionary.wikis.world.ap.brid.gy · 12/10/2026
[Screenshot of the English entry for "famous last words" on Wiktionary]

Noun
1. (literally) A notable final utterance before death, especially one made by a celebrity or historical figure.
2. (figuratively, expressing sarcasm) A statement which is overly optimistic, results from overconfidence, or lacks realistic foresight.
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Internet Archive Canada 🍁 @internetarchiveca.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! 🦃 Does a defrosted bird cook faster? Will guests spot potatoes from a box? Dare to microwave your buns? (Testers couldn’t tell!) Gems from our theses & government collections can help: archive.org/details/dehy... #CanadianThanksgiving #Turkey #Archives 🥔🍞🍗
5 images of pages from academic theses and government documents with the caption Thanksgiving for Food Science Nerds.
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