Obscure

1. Hard to understand: Difficult to understand because of not being fully or clearly expressed.

2. Indistinct: Not able to be seen or heard distinctly.

3. Unimportant or unknown: not important or well-known.

4. Known to few people: Unknown to most people, e.g. because of being hidden or remote.

5. Dim: dark, shadowy, or clouded.

1. An obscure passage in the manuscript.
2. Its outlines are obscure, but the object seems roughly cigar-shaped.
3. An obscure portrait painter.
4. An obscure object.
5. An obscure corner of the hall.

by Jafje March 31, 2007

Census

An official count of the population, carried out every 10 years. It includes details on every member of a household, e.g. name, age, occupation and place of birth.

Census is done every 10 years.

by Jafje May 10, 2007

Abiotic factor

A non-living feature of the environment, e.g. temperature.

An abiotic factor can be anything that has to do with the weather.

by Jafje May 10, 2007

Procrastination

To postpone doing something, especially as a regular practice.

To postpone homework regularly is called procrastination.

by Jafje September 29, 2007

Abbreviation

A shortened form of a word or phrase.

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Types of abbreviations:

There are four main kinds of abbreviations: shortenings, contractions, initialisms, and acronyms. 1 Shortenings of words usually consist of the first few letters of the full form and are usually spelled with a final period when they are still regarded as abbreviations, for example, cont. = continued, in = inch. In the cases when they form words in their own right, the period is omitted, for example, hippo = hippopotamus, limo = limousine. Such shortenings are often but not always informal. Some become the standard forms, and the full forms are then regarded as formal or technical, for example, bus = omnibus, taxi = taxicab, deli = delicatessen, zoo = zoological garden. Sometimes shortenings are altered to facilitate their pronunciation or spelling: bike = bicycle2 Contractions are abbreviated forms in which letters from the middle of the full form have been omitted, for example, Dr. = doctor, St. = saint or street. Such forms are invariably followed by a period. Another kind of contraction is the type with an apostrophe marking the omission of letters: can't = cannot, didn't = did not, you've = you have. 3 Initialisms are made up of the initial letters of words and are pronounced as separate letters: CIA (or C.I.A.), NYC, pm (or p.m.), U.S. (or US). Practice varies with regard to periods, with current usage increasingly in favor of omitting them, especially when the initialism consists entirely of capital letters. 4 Acronyms are initialisms that have become words in their own right, or similar words formed from parts of several words. They are pronounced as words rather than as a series of letters, for example, AIDS, laser, scuba, UNESCO, and do not have periods. In many cases the acronym becomes the standard term and the full form is only used in explanatory contexts.

An example of an abbreviation is abbr, which is short for "abbreviation".

by Jafje September 01, 2007

Attainment

Noun;

1. Accomplishment of something: the achievement of the goals that somebody has set.

2. A skill, accomplishment, or distinction, especially one achieved through effort.

1. They forced them to reach the attainment.
2. He's got attainments, he's got skills.

by Jafje August 22, 2007

Bile

A substance produced by the liver which helps seperate fats into tiny droplets in the small intestine.

Your liver produces bile.

by Jafje May 10, 2007