Klryz
Pronunciation guide: IPA symbols, stress and word endings

Vowels

iːseeɪsite / ɛbedæcat
ɑːfatherɒhot (UK)ɔːlawʊput
uːtooʌcupɜːbirdəabout
eɪdayaɪmyɔɪboyaʊnow
əʊ / oʊgo (UK / US)ɪəneareəhairʊətour

Consonants that look unusual

θthinðthisʃsheʒmeasure
tʃchurchdʒjudgeŋsingjyes

p b t d k g f v s z h m n l r w sound as in ordinary English spelling.

Marks

  • ˈ main stress, before the stressed syllable: /ˈwɔːtə/ water · ˌ lighter (secondary) stress: /ˌʌndəˈstænd/ understand
  • ː a long vowel · (r) an r said only in accents that pronounce it (most American, Scottish, Irish)

Common word endings

  • -s / -es (plurals; he/she form of verbs): /s/ after voiceless sounds (cats), /z/ after voiced (dogs), /ɪz/ after s, z, sh, ch, j sounds (buses, watches). Spelling: -es after s, x, z, ch, sh; consonant + y → -ies (city → cities).
  • -ed (past): /t/ after voiceless sounds (walked), /d/ after voiced (played), /ɪd/ after t or d (wanted). Spelling: love → loved, stop → stopped, carry → carried.
  • -ing: make → making, run → running, see → seeing.
  • Irregular: go, went, gone · be, was, been · see, saw, seen · man → men · child → children · mouse → mice.
  • Older (King James) forms: -eth = -s (he loveth = he loves) · -est with “thou” (thou lovest) · spake = spoke.

English Dictionary · 107,383 entries · Sources & licences

earwig

/ˈɪə(ɹ)wɪɡ/ noun, verb

Forms earwigs earwigging earwigged earywig

  1. noun Any of various insects of the order Dermaptera that have elongated bodies, large membranous wings folded underneath short leathery forewings and a pair of large pincers protruding from the rear of the abdomen.
  2. noun One who whispers insinuations; a secret counsellor.
  3. noun A flatterer.
  4. verb (transitive) To fill the mind of with prejudice by insinuations.
  5. verb (transitive) To attempt to influence by persistent confidential argument or talk.
  6. verb (intransitive, UK, slang) To eavesdrop.
  7. verb (transitive, UK, slang) To eavesdrop on.

Synonyms

forkytail pincher bug twinge

Etymology

From Middle English erwigge, from Old English ēarwicga, from ēare (“ear”) + wicga (“insect”), so named from the appearance of the hindwings, which are unique in their resemblance to human ears when unfolded.
Compare typologically Dutch oorworm, German Ohrwurm, Danish ørentvist; French perce-oreille, Romanian urechelniță; Russian уховёртка (uxovjórtka), Serbo-Croatian uholaža, Slovak ucholak; Lithuanian auslinda (all are cognates via Proto-Indo-European *h₂ows-). Also compare Mongolian чихүүр хорхой (čixüür xorxoj) (<+ чих (čix)), Turkish kulağakaçan (<+ kulak).

Webster’s 1913

  1. noun Any insect of the genus Forticula and related genera, belonging to the order Euplexoptera.
  2. noun In America, any small chilopodous myriapod, esp. of the genus Geophilus.
  3. verb To influence, or attempt to influence, by whispered insinuations or private talk. "No longer was he earwigged by the Lord Cravens." Lord Campbell.

Etymology [AS. eárwicga; eáre ear + wicga beetle, worm: cf. Prov. E. erri-wiggle.]

Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “earwig”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details