[‘ A person who engages ineffectually or superficially in an occupation or pastime; a dilettante.'] Pronunciation: Brit. /ˈpɪdl̩ə/, ˈpɪdlə, U.S. /ˈpɪd(ə)lər/ Forms: see piddle v. and -er suffix1; also 19– *piddeler* /U.S. regional/. Etymology: < piddle v. + -er suffix1.  /colloq./ /derogatory/.  A person who engages ineffectually or superficially in an occupation or pastime; a dilettante. 1602 T. Dekker /Blurt Master-Constable/ sig. C4, This Flaxen hayr’d men are such pu-lers, and such pidlers.

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[‘ /intr./ Chiefly Sc. and Eng. regional (north.). To talk foolishly or inconsequentially; to talk nonsense; to blather, ramble; to chatter, gossip. Freq. with on, about.'] Pronunciation: Brit. /ˈheɪvə/, U.S. /ˈheɪvər/, Sc. /ˈhevər/ Forms: 17 *havrin’** present participle, 17– *haver**, 18 *haever*, 18 *hyver* /Shetland/, 18– *haiver*. Etymology:Origin uncertain; perhaps imitative. Compare earlier claver v.2 and also Scots /habber/ to stammer, to talk incessantly and repetitively (1808). In sense 2 perhaps influenced by waver v.

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[‘ Usu. in pl. An issue or practice not considered to be central to a religion, esp. Christianity; a religious matter that allows latitude; a non-essential element of a faith. Also: something of a morally neutral nature; a thing which is neither inherently good nor bad.'] Pronunciation: Brit. /ˌadɪˈafərɒn/, U.S. /ˌædaɪˈæfərˌɑn/ Inflections: Pl. *adiaphora*. Etymology: < post-classical Latin /adiaphoron/ (usually in plural, adiaphora) (1519 or earlier with reference to Stoic philosophy; 1545 or earlier with reference to religion) < ancient Greek /ἀδιάϕορον/ (usually in plural, ἀδιάϕορα), something neither good nor bad, use as noun of neuter of ἀδιάϕορος indifferent (see adiaphorous adj.

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[‘ (A mock title for) a mysterious (freq. imaginary) personage of great power or authority; a pompous or pretentious official; a self-important person in authority. Also Grand Panjandrum, Great Panjandrum.'] Pronunciation: Brit. /panˈdʒandrəm/, U.S. /ˌpænˈdʒændr(ə)m/ Inflections: Plural *panjandrums*, *panjandra*. Forms: 18 *pangendrum*, 18 *panjandarum*, 18– *panjandrum*. Also with capital initial. Etymology:Apparently < pan- comb. form + an arbitrary second element. (Any deliberate echo of pangeran n. seems unlikely.) The word is supposed to have been coined in 1754 or 1755 as part of a farrago of nonsense composed by Samuel Foote (1720–77), actor and dramatist, to test the memory of his fellow actor Charles Macklin, who had asserted that he could repeat anything after hearing it once.

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[‘ Of long duration, lengthy, protracted; overlong, overextended. Now rare in general sense.'] Pronunciation: Brit. /ˈprəʊlɪks/, U.S. /proʊˈlɪks/, ˈproʊˌlɪks Forms: lME–16 *prolixe*, lME– *prolix*; /Sc./ pre-17 *prolikis*, pre-17 *prolixe*, pre-17 17– *prolix*. Etymology: < Middle French /prolixe/ (French /prolixe/) (of a discourse, text, etc.) longwinded, lengthy (c/1224 in Old French as /prolipse), (of an illness) of long duration (1480), (of a writer) characterized by longwindedness (1493), physically long (1495) and its etymon classical Latin /prōlixus/ extended, long, lengthy, copious, probably < /prō-* pro- prefix1 + the same Indo-European base as classical Latin /liquēre* to flow, to be liquid (see liquid adj.

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[‘ Thoughts or scraps of information about all or many kinds of things, esp. (a collection of) notes, jottings, or short pieces of writing on all or many kinds of subjects.'] Pronunciation: Brit. /ˌɒmnɪˈɑːnə/, U.S. /ˌɑmniˈɑnə/ Etymology: < classical Latin /omnis/ all (see omni- comb. form) or omnia all things, use as noun of neuter plural of omnis (see above) + -ana (see -ana suffix). Quot. 1990 probably refers to Coleridge’s co-authorship with Southey of Omniana (see quot.

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[‘ A great number, a crowd.'] Pronunciation: Brit. /ˈmampəs/, U.S. /ˈmæmpəs/ Etymology:Perhaps < English regional mump a lump or heap (see Eng. Dial. Dict. s.v. Mump n.1 and compare mump n.2). For the termination compare rumpus n. A form mumpus is also recorded in W. Barnes Gloss. Dorset Dial. (1886) at mampus, and as an adverb in J. D. Robertson Gloss. Words County of Gloucester (1890) at Mumpus: ‘“She fell down mumpus on the patch”; said of a child with epilepsy’.

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[‘ Bearing, carrying, or consisting of all things, or many kinds or sorts of things.'] Pronunciation: Brit. /ɒmˈnɪf(ə)rəs/, U.S. /ɑmˈnɪf(ə)rəs/ Etymology: < classical Latin /omnifer/ (a dubious reading in Ovid; also in isolated use in post-classical Latin (7th cent. in a British source); < /omni-/ omni- comb. form + /-fer/ -fer comb. form) + -ous suffix; compare -ferous comb. form.  Bearing, carrying, or consisting of all things, or many kinds or sorts of things.

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[‘ /intr./ To talk at length, esp. using inflated or empty rhetoric; to speechify or ‘sound off’.'] Pronunciation: Brit. /ˈbləʊvɪeɪt/, U.S. /ˈbloʊviˌeɪt/ Etymology:Probably < blow v.1 + -viate (in e.g. deviate v., abbreviate v., etc.); compare -ate suffix3.  /U.S./  /intr./ To talk at length, esp. using inflated or empty rhetoric; to speechify or ‘sound off’. 1845 /Huron Reflector (Norwalk, Ohio)/ 14 Oct. 3/1 Peter P. Low, Esq., will with open throat.

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[‘ Originally: the branch of learning that deals with the mind or thinking; (occas.) a work on this subject (now hist.). Later (also): the study of the spiritual or distinctively human aspects of humanity.'] Pronunciation: Brit. /nəʊˈɒlədʒi/, U.S. /noʊˈɑlədʒi/ Etymology: < ancient Greek /νόος/ nous n. + -logy comb. form. Compare post-classical Latin /noologia/ (1666). Compare noological adj., nooscopic adj., nooscopics n. (also earliest in Bentham).  Originally: the branch of learning that deals with the mind or thinking; (occas.

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