serpent /sp()nt/ n. & a. ME. [(O)Fr. f. L serpent-, -ens use as n. of pres. pple of serpere creep, rel. to Gk herpein: see -ENT.] A n. 1 a A scaly limbless reptile, usu. characterized by sinuous slithering movement, hissing, and freq. a venomous bite; a snake. Also, a mythical creature resembling a snake; a dragon. Freq. rhet. or poet., with allus. to the proverbial attributes of guile, treachery, or malignancy. ME. b A creeping thing; an animal regarded as venomous or noxious. LME-L17. c A marine animal resembling a snake; a sea-serpent. E17. d = serpent-green below. L19. 2 (Freq. S-.) The Devil, Satan (as tempter: Gen. 3:1-5, Rev. 12:9). ME. b A treacherous, deceitful, or malicious person. L16.

bargain /bgn/ n. ME. [OFr. barga(i)gne, -g(u)igne: see next.] 1 Discussion between two parties over terms; haggling. ME-L16. 2 An agreement on the terms of a transaction, a compact. With specifying wd, as good, bad, etc.: a good, bad, etc., agreement from the point of view of one of the parties. ME. 3 A thing acquired by bargaining; any purchase, esp. regarded according to whether or not one obtained value for money; spec. an advantageous purchase. LME. 4 Contention, struggle, fight. Sc. & north. LME-L19. b An article offered at a reduced or allegedly reduced price, esp. in a special sale. L19. Comb.

squirm /skwm/ v. & n. L17. [Of symbolic origin: prob. assoc. w. worm.] A v. 1 v.i. Wriggle, writhe. Also foll. by along, out, round, up, etc. L17. 2 v.i. Be painfully affected by a reproof, sarcasm, etc.; show or feel embarrassment or discomfiture. E19. 3 v.t. Foll. by out: utter with a squirm. rare. L19. B n. 1 A squirming or writhing movement; a wriggle. M19. 2 Naut. A twist in a rope. M19. 3 A twisting or curving form of decoration characteristic of art nouveau; colloq. the style of such decoration.

strike /strk/ v. Pa. t. struck /strk/; pa. pple striked, struck, (arch. exc. Law & US) stricken /strk()n/, (obs. exc. Sc. & north.) strucken /strk()n/. See also STRIKED ppl a., STRICKEN a., STRUCK ppl a. [OE strican = OFris. strika, MLG striken, MDu. strijken, OHG strihhan (G streichen), f. Gmc base of STREAK n. Cf. STRICK, STRICKLE, STROKE n.1, v.1] I 1 v.i. a Of a thing, esp. a stream of liquid: make its way; flow. OE-LME. b Of a person: make one's way, proceed, go. Later usu. foll. by forward, over, etc. arch. ME. 2 v.i. a Of a boundary, path, mountain-range, etc.: take a certain course or direction. LME. b Of a person, road, stream, etc.: proceed in a new direction; turn in a journey or course. Foll. by advs. or preps. L16.

wage /wed/ n. ME. [AN, ONFr. (AL vagium, wagium) = OFr. guage, (also mod.) gage, f. Gmc, rel. to GAGE n.1, WED n.] 1 = GAGE n.1 1, 2. ME-L16. 2 sing. & in pl. A payment made, usu. by an employer to an employee, in return for work or service rendered; formerly esp. a salary or fee paid to a person of official or professional status. Now spec. a fixed regular payment, usu. daily or weekly, by an employer to an unskilled or manual worker (cf. SALARY n. 1). ME. b spec. (Usu. in pl.) A soldier's pay. ME-M17. c In pl. (Econ.) The part of total production that is the return to labour as earned income as distinct from the remuneration received by capital as unearned income. M20. 3 sing. & in pl. Reward, recompense, requital. ME. 4 A payment for the use or possession of property.

thrush /thr/ n.1 [OE prysce rel. to synon. praesce, OHG drosca; cf. THROSTLE.] 1 A songbird common in much of Europe, Turdus philomelos, which has a buff spotted breast and a loud repetitive song (also more fully song thrush). Also = mistle thrush s.v. MISTLE 2. OE. b Any of various other birds of the genus Turdus or related genera; gen. any bird of the family Turdidae. Freq. w. specifying wd. E18. c Any of various birds which resemble the true thrushes, esp. of the families Timaliidae, Pachycephalidae, and Parulidae. Usu. w. specifying wd. M18. 2 fig. A female singer. US colloq.

screech /skrit/ n.1 M16. [Alt. of SCRITCH n. Cf. SCREECH v.] 1 A loud harsh high piercing cry or scream characteristically expressing sudden intense pain, alarm, etc.; a shrill grating cry. M16. b transf. a loud harsh squealing sound. M19. 2 Any of various birds having a harsh discordant cry, esp. the barn owl, swift, or mistle thrush. Now dial. M17.Comb.: screech owl ( a ) the barn owl (from its discordant cry which is supposed to be an evil omen); ( b ) any of various small American owls of the genus Otus, allied to the Scops owls; esp. O. asio of N. America; ( c ) fig. a bearer of evil tidings; a person who presages misfortune.screechy a. given to screeching; loud, shrill, and discordant: E19.

dotted /dtd/ a. L18. [f. DOT n.1, v.: see -ED2, -ED1.] 1 Formed of dots. L18. b Of (an) engraving: executed by dots instead of lines; stippled. E19. 2 Irregularly marked with or occupied by dots or things occurring singly. L18. b spec. Designating moths marked thus. M19. 3 Scattered (about etc.) like dots; occurring or situated singly here and there. E19. 4 Of a musical note, a symbol, etc.: having an added dot. M19. Special collocations: dotted line a line of dots or small dashes, esp. one on a document to indicate the space left for a signature and therefore acceptance of its terms; (dotted-line responsibility, indirect responsibility to another in an organizational structure; sign on the dotted line, agree fully or formally). dotted rhythm Mus.: in which long notes alternate with short notes.

compel /kmpel/ v.t. Infl. -ll-. LME. [L compellere, f. as COM- + pellere drive.] 1 Constrain, force, oblige, (a person). (Foll. by to do, (in)to an action etc.). LME. 2 Force to come or go (in some direction); drive or force together. Now literary. LME. 3 Take by force, extort, requisition. LME-E19. 4 Bring about or evoke by force. L17.

oak /k/ n. & a. [OE ac (pl. aec) = OFris., MLG ek (Du. eik), OHG eih (G Eiche), ON eik, f. Gmc.] A n. 1 Any of numerous trees (rarely shrubs) of the genus Quercus, of the beech family, with acorns borne in cupules and freq. with sinuately lobed leaves; spec. (more fully common oak, English oak, pedunculate oak) Q. robur and (more fully durmast oak, sessile oak) Q. petraea. Also oak tree. OE. 2 The timber of the oak, an important building material, esp. for ships. Freq. in allusive phrases w. ref. to its hardness and durability. LME. b A wooden outer door, usu. of university rooms. Chiefly in sport one's oak, shut this door as a sign that one does not wish to be disturbed. colloq. L18. c Furniture or domestic fittings made of oak. E19. 3 In certain biblical translations: the terebinth tree, Pistacia terebinthus. LME. 4 The leaves of the oak, esp. as worn in wreaths. LME. b A shade of brown like that of a young oak-leaf. L19. 5 Any of various trees resembling the English oak or having wood similarly grained; esp. = CASUARINA. Cf. SHE-OAK. Austral. L18.

birch /bt/ n. Also (north.) birk /bk/. [OE birce, bierce = MLG berke, OHG birihha, birka (G Birke) f. Gmc.] 1 Any of various hardy northern trees or shrubs of the genus Betula (family Betulaceae), having smooth, tough bark and slender branches; esp. (in Europe) B. pendula (more fully silver birch) and B. pubescens (more fully downy birch), and (in N. America) B. papyrifera (more fully paper birch). Also birch tree. OE. 2 The wood of the birch. LME. 3 A bundle of birch twigs used for flogging. M17. 4 In pl. in form birks. A grove of birches. north. E18. 5 A canoe made of the bark of Betula papyrifera. N. Amer. M19.

denounce /dnans/ v.t. ME. [OFr. denoncier (mod. denoncer) f. L denuntiare give official information, f. de- DE- 1 + nuntiare make known, report.] 1 Give official information of; proclaim, announce. Now arch. rare. ME. b Of a thing: indicate, portend, presage. L16-M18. 2 Proclaim or pronounce (a person) to be (cursed, a rebel, etc.); publicly declare (a person or thing) to be wicked or evil, accuse publicly, openly inveigh against. ME. b Proclaim (as) king, emperor, etc. L15-E17. 3 Make known (an offender) to the authorities; inform against. L15. 4 Announce as a threat or warning. arch. L16. 5 Give formal notice of the termination of (a treaty, armistice, etc.).

saboteur /sabt/ n. E20. [Fr., f. saboter (see SABOTAGE) + -eur -OR.] A person who commits sabotage.

incredible /nkredb()l/ a. LME. [L incredibilis, f. as IN-3 + CREDIBLE.] 1 Not credible; that cannot be believed. LME. b Hard to believe; of exceedingly great quantity, quality, etc.; surprising. Now colloq. L15. 2 Unbelieving.