Definition: (adjective) Not having the qualities associated with active, living organisms.
Synonyms: pulseless, breathless.
Usage: I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body.
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Source: The Free Dictionary
Clay minerals cannot form unless there is water available—it is an essential ingredient in their microscopic crystalline structure. Clays are found virtually nowhere on the red planet except in Mars’s most ancient terrains, dating back to an epoch about … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Romanos advanced through the ranks of the Byzantine military to become an influential figure in the royal court. In May 919, he arranged for the marriage of his daughter to the teenage Emperor Constantine VII and was declared “Father of the Emperor.” The next year, he was crowned co-emperor, and he then made his own sons co-emperors. However, in 944, Romanos’s sons arrested him and made him become a monk to prevent him from naming Constantine VII his successor. What happened to them? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
This Ancient Roman Winter Solstice festival began on December 17 and lasted for seven days. It was held in honor of Saturn, the father of the gods, and was characterized by the suspension of discipline and reversal of the usual order. Grudges and quarrels were forgotten; businesses, courts, and schools closed down; and masquerading or change of dress between the sexes often occurred. The festivities were characterized by various kinds of excesses—giving rise to the modern use of the term saturnalian, which is used to describe “unrestrained license and revelry.” Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Safire was an American journalist and a speechwriter for US President Richard Nixon, who once ordered Safire’s phone be tapped. In 1973, Safire became a syndicated political columnist for The New York Times, a post he held until 2005. A master of wordplay, he also wrote regularly on language-related topics. After Safire wrote a column in which he insulted a first lady, a White House aide remarked that if the president were not the president, he would have responded in what way? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Distinguished by its roof of white concrete “shells,” Australia’s Sydney Opera House is one of the world’s most distinctive and famous 20th-century buildings. Danish architect Jørn Utzon’s design, which was among the first to use computers for structural analysis, was chosen in 1957 from among 233 competition entries from 32 countries. The Opera House was formally completed in 1973 at a cost of $102 million—10 years late and $95 million over budget. Why did Utzon resign from the project in 1966? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
As if horseshoe crabs weren’t weird enough, scientists just discovered one that looks like Darth Vader. A 245-million-year-old fossil shows a strange invertebrate with a head the shape of the letter D and a long tail. The scientists who discovered the … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Just seven years before the start of World War I, a fleet of 16 American battleships took part in a 14-month, round-the-world voyage ordered by US President Theodore Roosevelt as a peaceful display of American naval power. Later known as the “Great White Fleet,” the ships were painted white except for the gilded scrollwork on their bows. In ports around the world, thousands of people turned out to see the ships when they arrived. Why did several of the ships make an unscheduled stop in Italy? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
This public holiday in Bangladesh commemorates the end of the war with Pakistan in 1971 and the official creation of the state of Bangladesh, after months of fighting and years of struggle to gain autonomy. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary