Box·er 1 ( b¼k"s…r) n. Sports 1. One who fights with the fists as a sport.

Box·er 2 ( b¼k"s…r) n. 1. One that packs items in boxes.

Box·er 3 ( b¼k"s…r) n. 1. A medium-sized, short-haired dog of a breed developed in Germany, having a brownish coat and a short, square-jawed muzzle. [German from English boxer 1 ( from its pugnacious nature) ]

Box·er ( b¼k"s…r) n. 1. A member of a secret society in China that unsuccessfully attempted in 1900 to drive foreigners from the country by violence and force Chinese Christians to renounce their religion. [Approximate translation of Chinese (Mandarin) yì hé quán righteous harmonious fists alteration of yì hé tuán righteous harmonious society yì righteous hé harmonious tuán society]

ex·er·cise ( µk"s…r-sºz") n. 1. An act of employing or putting into play; use: the free exercise of intellect; the exercise of an option. 2. The discharge of a duty, function, or office. 3. Activity that requires physical or mental exertion, especially when performed to develop or maintain fitness: took an hour of vigorous daily exercise at a gym. 4. A task, problem, or other effort performed to develop or maintain fitness or increase skill: a piano exercise; a memory exercise. 5. exercises A program that includes speeches, presentations, and other ceremonial activities performed before an audience: graduation exercises. v. ex·er·cised ex·er·cis·ing ex·er·cis·es v. tr. 1. To put into play or operation; employ: Proceed, but exercise caution. 2. To bring to bear; exert: " The desire to be re-elected exercises a strong brake on independent courage " John F. Kennedy 3. a. To subject to practice or exertion in order to train, strengthen, or develop: exercise the back muscles; exercise the memory. b. To put through exercises: exercise a platoon. See note at practice . 4. To carry out the functions of; execute: exercise the role of disciplinarian. 5. a. To absorb the attentions of, especially by worry or anxiety. b. To stir to anger or alarm; upset: an injustice that exercised the whole community. v. intr. 1. To take exercise. [Middle English from Old French exercice from Latin exercitium from exercitus, past participle of exerc¶reto exercise ex- ex- arc¶re to restrain] ex "er·cis"a·ble adj.

pow·er·ful ( pou"…r-f…l) adj. 1. Having or capable of exerting power. 2. Effective or potent: a powerful drug. 3. Computer Science Fast, versatile, or able to handle large tasks. Used of hardware or software. 4. Chiefly Upper Southern U.S. Great: The storm did a powerful lot of harm. adv. Chiefly Upper Southern U.S. 1. Very: It was powerful humid. pow "er·ful·ly adv. pow "er·ful·ness n.

Notes: In the upper southern United States the words powerful and mighty are intensives used frequently like the adverb very : Your boy's grown powerful big. The new baby is mighty purty. Powerful is used as an adjective in some expressions: The storm did a powerful lot of harm. In the same dialect region the noun power has, in addition to its standard meaning, the sense of " a large number or amount. " This sense appears in the Oxford English Dictionary as common in dialectal British English of the 18th and 19th centuries: " It has done a power of work " (Charles Dickens). All these derivative senses of power and might take advantage of the notion of strength inherent in these nouns, making them natural intensives. Colloquial English is always on the lookout for ways to make language more vivid with new intensives. We think of the upper southern part of the United States as linguistically conservative, but in fact it has preserved uses of power, powerful, and mighty that were innovative in their time.

de·sign ( d¹-zºn") v. de·signed de·sign·ing de·signs v. tr. 1. a. To conceive or fashion in the mind; invent: design a good excuse for not attending the conference. b. To formulate a plan for; devise: designed a marketing strategy for the new product. 2. To plan out in systematic, usually graphic form: design a building; design a computer program. 3. To create or contrive for a particular purpose or effect: a game designed to appeal to all ages. 4. To have as a goal or purpose; intend. 5. To create or execute in an artistic or highly skilled manner. v. intr. 1. To make or execute plans. 2. To have a goal or purpose in mind. 3. To create designs. n. 1. a. A drawing or sketch. b. A graphic representation, especially a detailed plan for construction or manufacture. 2. The purposeful or inventive arrangement of parts or details: the aerodynamic design of an automobile; furniture of simple but elegant design. 3. The art or practice of designing or making designs. 4. Something designed, especially a decorative or an artistic work. 5. An ornamental pattern. See note at figure . 6. A basic scheme or pattern that affects and controls function or development: the overall design of an epic poem. 7. A plan; a project. See note at plan . 8. a. A reasoned purpose; an intent: It was her design to set up practice on her own as soon as she was qualified. b. Deliberate intention: He became a photographer more by accident than by design. 9. Often designs A secretive plot or scheme: He has designs on my job. [Middle English designen from Latin d¶sign³re to designate; See designate ] de·sign "a·ble adj.

bunch ( b¾nch) n. 1. a. A group of things growing close together; a cluster or clump: a bunch of grapes; grass growing in bunches. b. A group of like items or individuals gathered or placed together: a bunch of keys on a ring; people standing around in bunches. 2. Informal A group of people usually having a common interest or association: My brother and his bunch are basketball fanatics. 3. Informal A considerable number or amount; a lot: a bunch of trouble; a whole bunch of food. 4. A small lump or swelling; a bump. v. bunched bunch·ing bunch·es v. tr. 1. To gather or form into a cluster: bunched my fingers into a fist. 2. To gather together into a group. 3. To gather (fabric) into folds. v. intr. 1. To form a cluster or group: runners bunching up at the starting line. 2. To be gathered together in folds, as fabric. 3. To swell; protrude. [Middle English bonche probably from Flemish bondje, diminutive of bont bundle from Middle Dutch; See bundle ] bunch "i·ness n. bunch "y adj.

butch ( b‹ch) n. 1. A butch haircut. 2. Offensive Slang Used as a disparaging term for a lesbian. adj. 1. Unusually or markedly masculine in appearance or manner. [Probably from the male nickname Butch] butch adj.

culch or cultch ( k¾lch) n. 1. A natural bed for oysters, consisting of gravel or crushed shells to which the oyster spawn may adhere. 2. The spawn of the oyster. 3. Also scultch or sculch ( sk¾lch) New England Clean trash or rubbish, such as string, paper, and cloth: " We always had a culch box around " New Hampshire informant in DARE 4. A person or thing not highly regarded. [Perhaps ultimately from Old French culche couch; See couch ]

cutch ( k¾ch) n. 1. See catechu . [Malay kachu of Dravidian origin]

gulch ( g¾lch) n. 1. A small ravine, especially one cut by a torrent. [Perhaps from dialectal gulch to gush, (of land) to sink in from Middle English gulchen to drink greedily, to spew]

hunch ( h¾nch) n. 1. An intuitive feeling or a premonition: had a hunch that he would lose. 2. A hump. 3. A lump or chunk. v. hunched hunch·ing hunch·es v. tr. 1. To bend or draw up into a hump: I hunched my shoulders against the wind. 2. To push or shove. v. intr. 1. To assume a crouched or cramped posture: The cat hunched in a corner. 2. To thrust oneself forward. [Origin unknown]

hutch ( h¾ch) n. 1. A pen or coop for small animals, especially rabbits. 2. A cupboard with drawers for storage and usually open shelves on top, often used for dishes. 3. A chest or bin for storage. 4. A hut. [Middle English huche chest from Old French from Medieval Latin h¿tica possibly of Germanic origin]

jun·co ( j¾ng"k½) n. pl. jun·cos or jun·coes 1. Any of various small North American birds of the genus Junco, having predominantly gray plumage, a gray or black head, and white outer tail feathers. [Spanish reed from Latin iuncus]

lunch ( l¾nch) n. 1. A meal eaten at midday. 2. The food provided for a midday meal. n. attributive. 1. Often used to modify another noun: a lunch date; a lunch box. v. intr. lunched lunch·ing lunch·es 1. To eat a midday meal.

Idioms: out to lunch Slang 1. Not in touch with the real world; crazy. [Short for luncheon ] lunch "er n.

lurch 1 ( lûrch) v. intr. lurched lurch·ing lurch·es 1. To stagger. See note at blunder . 2. To roll or pitch suddenly or erratically: The ship lurched in the storm. The car gave a start and then lurched forward. n. 1. A staggering or tottering movement or gait. 2. An abrupt rolling or pitching. [Origin unknown] lurch "ing·ly adv.

lurch 2 ( lûrch) n. Games 1. The losing position of a cribbage player who scores 30 points or less to the winner's 61.

Idioms: in the lurch 1. In a difficult or embarrassing position. [Perhaps back-formation from Middle English lurching a total victory at lorche from lorche a kind of game perhaps lurken to lurk; See lurk ]

mulch ( m¾lch) n. 1. A protective covering, usually of organic matter such as leaves, straw, or peat, placed around plants to prevent the evaporation of moisture, the freezing of roots, and the growth of weeds. v. tr. mulched mulch·ing mulch·es 1. To cover or surround with mulch. [Probably from Middle English melsche, molsh soft from Old English melsc mellow, mild; See mel- 1 in Indo-European Roots.]

munch ( m¾nch) v. munched munch·ing munch·es v. intr. 1. To chew food audibly or with a steady working of the jaws. 2. To eat with pleasure. v. tr. 1. To chew or eat (food) audibly or with pleasure. [Middle English monchen] munch "er n.

mus·cle ( m¾s"…l) n. 1. A tissue composed of fibers capable of contracting to effect bodily movement. 2. A contractile organ consisting of a special bundle of muscle tissue, which moves a particular bone, part, or substance of the body: the heart muscle; the muscles of the arm. 3. Muscular strength: enough muscle to be a high jumper. 4. Informal Power or authority: put some muscle into law enforcement. v. intr. mus·cled mus·cling mus·cles Informal 1. To make one's way by or as if by force: muscled into the conversation. [Middle English from Old French from Latin m¿sculus,diminutive of m¿smouse; See m ¿s- in Indo-European Roots.] mus "cly adj.

nun·cle ( n¾ng"k…l) n. Chiefly British 1. An uncle: " Can you make no use of nothing, nuncle? " Shakespeare [From the phrase an uncle]

punch 1 ( p¾nch) n. 1. A tool for circular or other piercing: a leather punch. 2. A tool for forcing a pin, bolt, or rivet in or out of a hole. 3. A tool for stamping a design on a surface. 4. A tool for making a countersink. v. intr. tr. punched punch·ing punch·es 1. To use a punch or use a punch on. [Middle English pounce, punche from Old French poinçon, ponchon; See puncheon 1 V., from Middle English pouncen, punchen to prick from Old French poinçoner, ponchoner to emboss with a punch; See punch 2 ]

punch 2 ( p¾nch) v. tr. punched punch·ing punch·es 1. To hit with a sharp blow of the fist. 2. a. To poke or prod with a stick. b. Western U.S. To herd (cattle). 3. To depress (a key or button, for example) in order to activate a device or perform an operation: punched the " repeat" key; punched in the number on the computer. n. 1. A blow with the fist. 2. Vigor or drive. See note at vigor .

Phrasal Verbs: punch in 1. To check in formally at a job upon arrival. punch out 1. To check out formally at a job upon departure. 2. Slang To eject from a military aircraft.

Idioms: beat to the punch 1. To make the first decisive move: a marketing team that beat all the competitors to the punch. [Middle English punchen to thrust, prod, prick from Old French poinçonner, ponchonner to emboss with a punch from poinçon, ponchon pointed tool; See puncheon 1 ] punch "less adj.

punch 3 ( p¾nch) n. 1. A beverage of fruit juices and sometimes carbonated water or soda, often spiced and mixed with a wine or liquor base. [Perhaps from Hindi pañc- five-from Sanskrit pañca (from the hypothesis that it was originally prepared from five ingredients); See penk w e in Indo-European Roots.]

Punch ( p¾nch) n. 1. The quarrelsome hook-nosed husband of Judy in the comic puppet show Punch and Judy.

Idioms: pleased as Punch 1. Highly pleased; gratified. [Short for Punchinello ]

quiche ( k¶sh) n. 1. A rich unsweetened custard baked in a pastry shell often with other ingredients such as vegetables or seafood. [French from German dialectal Küche diminutive of German Kuchen cake; See kuchen ]

tu·sche ( t‹sh"…) n. 1. A black liquid used for drawing in lithography and as a resist in etching and silk-screen work. [German back-formation from tuschen to lay on colors from French toucher from Old French tochier, touchier to touch; See touch ]