- oakum n. Loose hemp or jute fiber, sometimes treated with tar, creosote, or

  asphalt, used chiefly for caulking seams in wooden ships and packing pipe

  joints.

 

- oarfish n. A widely distributed marine fish having a slender silvery body up

  to 11 meters in length, a bright red dorsal fin along its entire length, and

  an undulating motion in swimming resembling that of a snake.

 

- oarlock n. A device, usually a U-shaped metal hoop on a swivel in the gunwale,

  used to hold an oar in place and as a fulcrum in rowing.

 

- oast n. A kiln for drying hops or malt or drying and curing tobacco.

 

- oaten adj. Of, made of, or containing oats, oatmeal, or oat straw: oaten

  fodder.

 

- oater n. Slang A movie about frontier or cowboy life; a western.

 

- obdurate adj. 1a. Hardened in wrongdoing or wickedness; stubbornly impenitent:

  "obdurate conscience of the old sinner." b. Hardened against feeling;

  hardhearted: an obdurate miser. 2. Not giving in to persuasion; intractable.

 

- obeisance n. 1. A gesture or movement of the body, such as a curtsy, that

  expresses deference or homage. 2. An attitude of deference or homage.

 

- obelisk n. 1. A tall, four-sided shaft of stone, usually tapered and

  monolithic, that rises to a pointed pyramidal top. 2. Printing The dagger

  sign, used especially as a reference mark. Also called dagger, obelus.

 

- ob-gyn n. Informal 1. The combined practice or field of obstetrics and

  gynecology. 2. A specialist in this field; an obstetrician-gynecologist.

 

- obit n. Informal An obituary.

 

- objet d'art n. An object of artistic merit.

 

- objet trouve See found object.

 

- objurgate tr.v. To scold or rebuke sharply; berate.

 

- oblate1 adj. 1. Having the shape of a spheroid generated by rotating an

  ellipse about its shorter axis. 2. Having an equatorial diameter greater than

  the distance between poles; compressed along or flattened at the poles: Plant

  Earth is an oblate solid.

 

- oblate2 n. 1. A layperson dedicated to religious life.

 

- oblation n. 1. The act of offering something, such as worship or thanks, to a

  deity. 2. Oblation a. The act of offering the bread and wine of the Eucharist.

  b. Something offered, especially the bread and wine of the Eucharist. 3. A

  charitable offering or gift.

 

- oblique angle n. An angle, such as an acute or obtuse angle, that is not a

  right angle or multiple of a right angle.

 

- obliquity n. 1. The quality or condition of being oblique. 2a. A deviation

  from a vertical or horizontal line, plane, position, or direction. b. The

  angle or extent of such a deviation. 3a. A mental deviation or aberration. b.

  Immoral conduct. 4a. Obscurity in conduct or verbal expression: "It may be

  that the candor of contemporary literature creates a nostalgia for

  indirection, obliquity and deferral." b. An obscure statement.

 

- obloquy n. 1. Abusively detractive language or utterance; calumny: "I have had

  enough obloquy for one lifetime." 2. The condition of disgrace suffered as a

  result of abuse or vilification; ill repute.

 

- obsolesce intr.v. To undergo the process of becoming obsolete.

 

- obsolescent adj. 1. Being in the process of passing out of use or usefulness;

  becoming obsolete. 2. Biology Gradually disappearing; imperfectly or only

  slightly developed. Used of an organ or other part of an animal or plant.

 

- obstreperous adj. 1. Noisily and stubbornly defiant. 2. Aggressively

  boisterous.

 

- obtest tr.v. To supplicate; entreat.

 

- obtrude v. -tr. 1. To impose (oneself or one's ideas) on others with undue

  insistence or without invitation. 2. To thrust out; push forward. -intr. To

  impose oneself on others.

 

- obverse adj. Facing or turned toward the observer: the obverse side of a

  statue. 2. Serving as a counterpart or complement. n. 1. The side of a coin,

  medal, or badge that bears the principal stamp or design. 2. The more

  conspicuous of two possible alternatives, cases, or sides: the obverse of this

  issue.

 

- obvert tr.v. 1. To turn (something) so as to present another side or aspect to

  view. 2. To alter the appearance of.

 

- obviate tr.v. To anticipate and dispose of effectively; render unnecessary.

 

- ocarina n. A small terra-cotta or plastic wind instrument wth finger holes, a

  mouthpiece, and an elongated ovoid shape.

 

- occasion n. 5. Something that provides a reason or justification; a ground. 6.

  A need created by a particular circumstance: "He must buy what he has little

  occasion for." 7. A large or important social gathering. tr.v. To provide

  occasion for; cause: "The year's annual reports occasion an especially

  revealing glimpse of how corporations lend ... embellishment to the stark    numbers of the controller's office."

 

- occlude v. -tr. 1. To cause to become closed; obstruct: occlude an artery. 2.

  To prevent the passage of: occlude light; occlude the flow of blood. 3.

  Chemistry To absorb or adsorb and retain (a substance). 4. Meteorology To

  force (ar) upward from the earth's surface, as when a cold front overtakes and

  undercuts a warm front. 5. Dentistry To bring together (the upper and lower

  teeth) in proper alignment for chewing.

 

- Oceanid n. Greek Mythology Any of the ocean nymphs believed to be the

  daughters of Oceanus and Tethys.

 

- ochlocracy n. Government by the masses; mob rule

 

- ochlophobia n. An abnormal fear of crowds.

 

- Ockham's razor also Occam's razor n. A rule in science and philosophy stating

  that entities should not be multiplied needlessly. This rule is interpreted to

  mean that the simplest of two or more competing theories is preferable and

  that an explanation for unknown phenomena should first be attempted in terms

  of what is already known. Also called law of parsimony.

 

- o'clock adv. 2. According to an imaginary clock dial with the observer at the

  center and 12 o'clock considered as straight ahead in horizontal position or

  straight up in vertical position. Used to indicate relative position: enemy

  planes at 10 o'clock.