Descriptionary

Descriptionary provides indispensable glossaries of terms to help you define and describe a subject you are writing about, be it cathedrals or castles, the stock market or stock cars. Consult Descriptionary whenever you are tempted to use words such as watchamacallit, thingamajig, or doohickey or whenever you are at a loss for a precise term.

Let's say, for example, you need the word for a sharp, steely descending peak, but you just cannot seem to bring the word to mind. Consult the standard dictionary and you will confront the age-old question of how to look up a word when you do not know what the word is. The answer is, you cannot—not with a standard diction­ary, anyway. Nor will a thesaurus offer much help. A thesaurus lists the synonyms of mountains, not the components of mountains.

Enter Descriptionary to find the word you are looking for: matterhorn. This book lists not only definitions and synonyms, but also all the technically accurate words used in describing a mountain—words like cairn, cordillera, couloir, Krumm- holz zone, ridgeback, saddle, scree, and sierra, to name just a few.

Through a Descriptionary listing you will discover that there is a phrase for the leeward side of a mountain (rain shadow), and there is a name for the beautiful light that bathes a peak at sunset (alpenglow), and there is a word for the lateral ridge that projects from the side of a mountain (spur). And unlike when you are using a dictionary, you need only look under Mountains to find them all.

The value of having related words all in one place will become obvious the more you use Descriptionary. For example, you may discover words that you never dreamed existed (do you know where the murder holes are in a castle?) but that you might find useful in giving your work added authority or pizzazz.

Unlike most dictionaries, Descriptionary can be picked up and read for sheer entertainment alone, or for inspiration or ideas.

Introd

Place Descriptionary between your standard dictionary and thesaurus. We think you will find it equally as useful as either of these standard references, with one dif­ference: It is twice as much fun.

A

ANIMALS AND INSECTS

ANIMAL GROUPS

Animal

group

male

Female

Young

ant

colony

antelope

herd

buck

doe

kid

ass

herd/drove

jack

jenny

colt/foal

badger

cete

boar

sow

cub

bear

sloth

boar

sow

cub

bee

swarm/hive

drone

queen

buffalo

herd

bull

cow

calf

camel

herd/flock

bull

cow

foal/calf

cattle

herd/drove

bull

cow

calf/heifer

deer

herd

buck/stag

doe

fawn

dog

pack

hound

bitch

puppy/whelp

elephant

herd

bull

cow

calf

elk

gang

bull

cow

calf

ferret

business

dog

bitch

fish

shoal/school

fox

skulk

vix

vixen

cub

frog

army

tadpole

goat

herd/tribe

billy

nanny

kid

horse

herd/stable

stallion

mare

colt/foal/filly

kangaroo

troop

buck/jack

doe/jill

joey

leopard

leap

leopard

leopardess

cub

lion

pride/troop

lion

lioness

cub

monkey

troop/tribe

moose

bull

cow

calf

mouse

nest

mule

barren/rake

otter

dog

bitch

ox

herd/drove/yoke

pig

litter/herd

boar

sow

piglet/farrow/shoat

polecat

hob

jill

rabbit

nest

buck

doe

bunny

rhino

crash

seal

herd/pod

bull

cow

pup

sheep

drove/flock

ram

ewe

lamb

squirrel

dray/scurry

buck

doe

pup/kit/kitten

ANIMAL GROUPS (continued)

Animal Group Male

tiger streak/ambush tiger

toad knot

turtle bale

whale gam/pod bull

wolf pack/rout dog

BIRDS

aerie the lofty nest of a predatory bird, such as an

eagle.

altricial of chicks, born blind and helpless.

alula the group of feathers on the leading edge of a wing, used to keep airflow smooth as the wing is tilted; also known as a false wing.

Anseriformes the order of ducks, geese, and swans.

anting the practice of some birds of placing live ants within their feathers, thought to help rid them of parasites.

apterous without wings, wingless.

aquiline of a beak, curved or hooked, as an eagle's.

Archaeopteryx the earliest known bird, semireptil- ian in nature, and living about 150 million years ago.

avian referring to birds.

aviary an enclosure or large cage for birds.

barbs the filaments emanating from the shaft of a feather.

bevy a group or flock of quail.

brood to sit on eggs; also, a group or flock of chick­ens.

brood spots bare patches on a bird's underbody that are rich in blood vessels and used for warming or incubating eggs.

Charadriiformes birds that live in ravines or cliffs, such as gulls, terns, and plovers.

charm a group or flock of finches.

chattering a group or flock of starlings.

Female

tigress

cow bitch

clutch a group of eggs.

cob a male swan.

colony a group or flock of gulls.

Columbiformes the order of doves and pigeons.

comb the fleshy crest on the head of a fowl.

contour feathers the feathers involved in flying and regulating body temperature.