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

steamer

UK /ˈstiːmə/ · US /ˈstimɚ/ noun, verb

Forms steamers steamering steamered

  1. noun A vessel in which articles are subjected to the action of steam, as in washing and in various processes of manufacture.
  2. noun (cooking) A cooking appliance that cooks by steaming.
  3. noun (obsolete) A steam fire engine, that is, a steam boiler and engine driving a pump, which are all mounted on wheels.
  4. noun A steam-powered road locomotive; a traction engine.
  5. noun (nautical) A vessel propelled by steam; a steamboat or steamship.
  6. noun A babycino (frothy milk drink).
  7. noun A wetsuit with long sleeves and legs.
  8. noun (Maine) The soft-shell clam, sand gaper, or long-neck clam (Mya arenaria), an edible saltwater clam; specifically the clam when steamed for eating.
  9. verb (intransitive) To travel by steamer.
  10. noun A gullible or easily cheated person.
  11. noun A stupid or contemptible person.
  12. noun (UK, slang) A homosexual man with a preference for passive partners.
  13. noun (UK, slang) A prostitute's client.
  14. noun (US, slang) a gambler who increases a wager after losing.

Synonyms

bender binge carouse piss-up male homosexual prostitute's client soft-shell clam steamer clam long-neck clam steamship Mya arenaria steam

Etymology

From steam + -er. The steamer duck or steamer (sense 6.2) is apparently named for its resemblance to a paddle steamer when swimming rapidly. The feces sense comically evokes the idea of steaming hot food and probably reflects that fresh feces sometimes give off visible water vapor in cold outdoor conditions such as those encountered by hunters, campers, and soldiers.

From steam tug, rhyming slang for mug (“a gullible or easily cheated person; a stupid or contemptible person”).

Webster’s 1913

  1. noun A vessel propelled by steam; a steamship or steamboat.
  2. noun A steam fire engine. See under Steam.

Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “steamer”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details