Definition: (verb) Strike, usually with the fist.
Synonyms: biff.
Usage: Arthur now uses the school’s back entrance because bullies are often loitering in the front, waiting to pommel him in the face.
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Source: The Free Dictionary
National Day is a public holiday commemorating the people’s vote to establish a united Republic of Cameroon on May 20, 1972. This day is also known as Constitution Day. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Eurypterids are members of an extinct order of arthropods that lived approximately 505 to 245 million years ago. Frequently referred to as giant scorpions, most eurypterids were small, although Pterygotus buffaloenis, a species from the Silurian period, was the largest arthropod ever known, reaching a length of about 10 ft (3 m). Living in brackish waters, some were predators, while others were probably scavengers. Eurypterids were similar in body plan to what modern sea creature? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (noun) The visual property of something that shines with reflected light.
Synonyms: sheen, shininess.
Usage: Distant masses of plants and flowers, mingled in ever-varying forms of beauty, are touched by the melancholy luster of the rising moon.
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Source: The Free Dictionary
This dramatization of the Pied Piper of Hamelin is presented on an open-air stage in Hamelin (or Hameln), Germany. According to the legend, in 1284 Hamelin was infested with rats. A stranger promised to free the town of vermin if they would pay him. The town agreed, and the piper led the rats to the Weser River where they were drowned. When the citizens refused to pay the piper, he led 130 children out of the town and they disappeared forever. Today, the children of Hamelin are the principal performers in the play, and their number is limited to 130 in keeping with the legend. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Tissue engineering is the development of biological substitutes to repair or replace damaged tissue or organs. It is an interdisciplinary field based on life science and engineering principles and relies on the use of living cells as engineering materials. The process begins with the extraction and cultivation of cells, which may later be transferred to a scaffold that helps them develop the proper structure. Finally, the tissue is implanted in the patient. What materials are used for scaffolds? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (noun) Someone who unlawfully seizes and detains a victim (usually for ransom).
Synonyms: kidnapper, snatcher.
Usage: Until dark the Englishman searched the nearby jungle for a trace of the missing one or a sign of the trail of her abductor.
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Source: The Free Dictionary
A 12th-century German abbess and visionary mystic, von Bingen reportedly began experiencing visions in childhood and eventually recorded three collections of revelations. After founding a convent, she became known as the “Sibyl of the Rhine,” and her advice was sought by Europe’s most powerful. Her other works include a morality play, a book of saints’ lives, scientific treatises, and lyrical poems set to melodies she composed. Long regarded a saint, she has never been canonized for what reason? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (adjective) Related by blood.
Synonyms: kin, cognate.
Usage: Howard felt like an outsider in his adoptive family, as if he were somehow intruding on their consanguineous unit.
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Source: The Free Dictionary
The Kentucky Derby is a classic US thoroughbred horse race. Established in 1875, it is run annually on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs track in Louisville, Kentucky. The field is limited to three-year-old Thoroughbreds, and the track distance is 1.25 mi (2,000 m). With the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes, it makes up US racing’s coveted Triple Crown. In front of an estimated crowd of 10,000 people, the inaugural derby was won by jockey Oliver Lewis riding a colt named what? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary