Word of the Day archive

Every word we have featured on this site, most recent first, going back 236 days.

• 21 June 2026buffer stopa device installed at the end of a railway line or siding, which is intended to stop trains and other rail...
• 20 June 2026modular buildingA method where structures are prefabricated in sections, or modules, off-site in a factory setting before...
• 19 June 2026bankerA railway locomotive that can be attached to the rear of a train to assist it in climbing an incline.
• 18 June 2026microboreA kind of narrow tubing with an outside diameter of 10 millimetres or less.
• 17 June 2026six footthe area between the closest rails of two parallel standard gauge railway lines, regardless of the actual...
• 16 June 2026level staffA graduated rod used by surveyors to measure differences in level.
• 15 June 2026harvesterA type of heavy forestry vehicle employed in cut-to-length logging for felling, delimbing and bucking trees...
• 14 June 2026carpenter's pencilA pencil specifically designed for the requirements of a carpenter: oval shape makes it less likely to roll...
• 13 June 2026relishIn a wooden frame: the projection or shoulder around, or at the side of, a tenon (“projecting member made to...
• 12 June 2026convertibleAble to change from a closed to an open frame and back again.
• 11 June 2026defocusThe distance by which the focal point is in front of (positive defocus) or beyond (negative defocus) the...
• 10 June 2026openerA person employed to separate sheets of hot metal that become stuck together.
• 9 June 2026hose jacketA device that clamps around a burst or leaking portion of hose.
• 8 June 2026fathomA man's armspan, generally reckoned to be six feet (about 1.8 metres). Later used to measure the depth of...
• 7 June 2026almond furnaceA kind of furnace used in refining to separate the metal from cinders and other foreign matter.
• 6 June 2026keepaliveA short message sent by one device to another to check that the link between the two is operating, or to...
• 5 June 2026piece-dyeTo dye (a finished fabric) after it has been woven or knitted, but before it is cut and sewn into finished...
• 4 June 2026bang outTo celebrate (a fellow printing or newspaper industry worker) to mark their completion of an apprenticeship...
• 3 June 2026crabTo navigate (an aircraft, e.g. a glider) sideways against an air current in order to maintain a straight-line...
• 2 June 2026sprocketA toothed wheel that enmeshes with a chain or other perforated band.
• 1 June 2026twillA pattern, characterised by diagonal ridges, created by the regular interlacing of threads of the warp and...
• 31 May 2026electric fluxThe measure of flow of the electric field through a given area.
• 30 May 2026round danceA repetitive, circular movement made by a foraging honey bee in process of communicating to other workers...
• 29 May 2026frame tablea supporting framework that is true and square, used to square up a vehicular frame, to elevate a vehicle's...
• 28 May 2026hushA part of a mine or quarry where ore is to be, or has been, excavated by an artificial flow of water.
• 27 May 2026oil-canningA moderate deformation or buckling of sheet material, particularly common with flat sheet metal surfaces.
• 26 May 2026butmentThe mass of stone or solid work at the end of a bridge, by which the extreme arches are sustained, or by...
• 25 May 2026coaling towerA tall structure formerly used to supply coal to steam locomotives.
• 24 May 2026taftTo spread the end of a pipe outward so as to form a wide thin flange.
• 23 May 2026varnishA passenger train, probably derived from the varnished passenger cars used at one time.