Word of the Day, April 4, 2023

April 4, 2023 [The Free Dictionary]( Word of the Day [palpitation]( [Discuss]( Definition: (noun) A trembling or shaking. Synonyms: [shakiness]( [trembling]( [quiver]( [vibration]( Usage: Cornelius put his hand on his heart, to repress as it were its violent palpitation. Missing Idiom Contest The Free Dictionary has the largest collection of English idioms in the world. But we are always looking for more to add, and we want your help! Every so often we hear from users who have looked up an idiom on The Free Dictionary that it was not found in the database. Maybe it was some expression they heard at work, or some phrase they grew up hearing their grandmother say. If you know an idiom that isn't already defined on The Free Dictionary, [send it to us]( and you might win $150 USD. The Farlex Financial Dictionary [The Farlex Financial Dictionary] New! Define your success with the essential financial and business dictionary. ✔ 19,000+ entries covering both basic and advanced concepts—nearly 4X more than the leading financial dictionary! ✔ Cut through the jargon with clear, in-depth definitions backed by industry expertise. [Buy now]( Idiom of the Day [dirty money]( — Money that is obtained or earned through illicit or illegal means, especially thievery, bribery, forgery, or money laundering. ["More...]( [Idiom video]( Article of the Day Contact Lenses [Discuss]( The contact lens, a thin plastic lens worn between the eye and eyelid, usually serves the same general corrective purpose as conventional glasses, but may be worn for cosmetic or therapeutic purposes as well. Leonardo da Vinci is frequently credited with having introduced the general principle of contact lenses, but it was A.E. Fick, a Swiss physician, who made the first, albeit uncomfortable, contact lens in 1887. According to estimates, how many people use contact lenses worldwide? [More...]( Daily Grammar Lesson Action Verbs that Take Gerunds [Discuss]( Certain action verbs (also called "dynamic verbs") can also take a gerund as their object if describing a secondary action. "Consider" is one such action verb. What is the gerund in the following sentence? "He is considering moving to London." [More...]( This Day in History Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan Executed (1979) [Discuss]( Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, founder of the Pakistan Peoples Party, served as president of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973 and as prime minister from 1973 to 1977. In the 1970 parliamentary elections, Bhutto's party won a majority of seats in West Pakistan, but East Pakistan's Mujibur Rahman won an overall majority. The power struggle that followed led to a civil war in which East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, gained its independence and Bhutto rose to become president of Pakistan. Why was he executed in 1979? [More...]( Today's Birthday Antoine Galland (1646) [Discuss]( Antoine Galland was a French scholar famed as the first European translator of The Thousand and One Nights. After translating The Tale of Sindbad the Sailor into French in 1701, he embarked on a translation of a 14th-century Syrian manuscript of the tales, filling 12 volumes. Still, mystery surrounds the origins of some of the most famous tales. No Arabic manuscripts of Aladdin and Ali Baba pre-date Galland's translations, leading some scholars to conclude what? [More...]( Today's Holiday Megalesia [Discuss]( The cult of the [Phrygian]( goddess [Cybele]( (also known as Magna Mater) was established in Rome on this day in 204 BCE, and April 4 continued to be set aside as a commemoration of the foreign goddess' arrival in Rome. In the beginning, no Roman citizens were allowed to take part in it. But over time it spread to the streets of Rome, where Cybele's image was carried in a chariot drawn by lions with her castrated priests leaping and gashing themselves in a frenzy of devotion. The procession went from the [Palatine]( to the Circus, where plays known as ludi megalenses were held. [More...]( Quote of the Day [Discuss]( There's no use in weeping, Though we are condemned to part: There's such a thing as keeping A remembrance in one's heart... [Charlotte Bronte]( (1816-1855) Mobile apps from TheFreeDictionary.com [The Free Dictionary Classic Free App] The classic free version, downloaded more than 6 million times! - Multiple dictionaries, encyclopedias, and thesauruses in one place. - 14 languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Simplified Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, Norwegian, Greek, Arabic, Polish, Turkish, and Russian. - Online translations of English into more than 40 languages, plus dozens of other translation options. 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