alpha and omega |
the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. [2 definitions] |
anointing of the sick |
a Catholic sacrament in which a priest anoints a person who is in danger of imminent death, while praying for recovery and remission of sins; last rites. |
antepenult |
the third from last syllable in a word, such as "get" in "forgetfulness". |
apocalypse |
(cap.) the last book of the New Testament, ascribed to St. John the Divine; the Book of Revelation; Revelations. [1/3 definitions] |
at length |
at last; finally. [1/2 definitions] |
ballade |
a poem of three eight-line or ten-line stanzas followed by an envoy of four or five lines, the stanzas and the envoy all having the same last line. [1/2 definitions] |
Belshazzar |
according to the Old Testament, the last king of Babylon, killed by the invading Persians after being warned by a hand that wrote of his defeat on a wall. |
cellar |
(informal) the position of an athletic team that is last in the league standings. [1/4 definitions] |
Cheshire cat |
in the nineteenth-century children's novel Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, a grinning cat that magically disappears, his grin being the last to fade away. |
cognomen |
a last name; surname. [1/2 definitions] |
compline |
the last of the seven canonical hours in Christian worship, or the accompanying service. |
continue |
to last for an extended period. [1/7 definitions] |
cram |
to prepare intensively for an examination at the last minute. [1/8 definitions] |
crescent |
the shape of the moon as it appears in its first or last quarter, an arc tapering to a point at either end. [3/5 definitions] |
deathbed |
of, relating to, or in a person's last hours of life. [1/3 definitions] |
depression |
a mood characterized by deep sadness or low spirits that can last for just hours or possibly months. [1/7 definitions] |
dernier cri |
last cry (French); the last word; latest fashion. |
desperate |
done as a last effort, without great hope of success. [1/4 definitions] |
dessert |
a sweet or fruit served as the last course of a meal. |
Deuteronomy |
the fifth book of the Old Testament, which contains a restatement and exposition of the laws of Moses, his addresses to the Israelites, and an account of his last days. |
do2 |
in music, the syllable that denotes the first or last tone of a diatonic scale. (See sol-fa.) [1/2 definitions] |