Words—Answers

Today’s questions focus on five words, each starting with a different letter: W, O, R, D, S. These words are all found in the Oxford English Dictionary. Each word is listed below with three definitions, so simply select the correct one for each.

One

Welkin

A. A barrel with a capacity of 12 pecks (24 gallons)
B. A grandchild
C. The sky or heavens

Answer: The sky or heavens

noun literary the sky or heaven.

– ORIGIN Old English wolcen ‘cloud, sky’, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch wolk and German Wolke.

— Oxford English Dictionary

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Two

Ouabain

A. A poisonous white crystalline glycoside
B. A two-wheeled cart
C. A witches potion

Answer: A. A poisonous white crystalline glycoside

noun [mass noun] Chemistry a toxic compound obtained from certain trees, used as a very rapid cardiac stimulant. It is a polycyclic glycoside.

– ORIGIN late 19th century: via French from Somali wabayo, denoting a tree that yields poison (used on arrow points) containing ouabain.

— Oxford English Dictionary

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Three

Regolith

A. Unified register of official documents.
B. An order of reptiles characterised by a bony plate shell covered in horny scales.
C. The layer of unconsolidated solid material covering a planet’s bedrock.

Answer: The layer of unconsolidated solid material covering the bedrock of a planet

noun [mass noun] Geology the layer of unconsolidated solid material covering the bedrock of a planet.

– ORIGIN late 19th century: from Greek rhēgos ‘rug, blanket’ + -lith.

— Oxford English Dictionary

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Four

Deemster

A. An apprentice printer
B. A judge
C. A person falsely claiming to have a special knowledge

Answer: A Judge

noun a judge (of whom there are two) in the Isle of Man judiciary.

– ORIGIN Middle English (originally a general word for a judge): from deem + -ster. The current sense dates from the early 17th century.

— Oxford English Dictionary

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Five

Starets

A. A magnesium flare

B. A spiritual leader

C. A Vietnamese roasted snake dish

Answer: A spiritual leader

noun A spiritual adviser, often a monk or religious hermit, in the Eastern Orthodox Church.

A religious adviser (not necessarily a priest) in the Eastern Orthodox Church.

— American Heritage Dictionary