SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

rain tree

noun

Definition of rain tree

: monkeypod

First Known Use of rain tree

1877

Seen and Heard

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WORD OF THE DAY

gauche

play

lacking social experience or grace

Words at Play

Words and Phrases That Come from the Dinner Table

Fill your plate with these surprising food words

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'Disinvite' or 'Uninvite'?

A disinvited guest is an uninvited problem

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Words We're Watching: 'Scoby'

Kombucha lovers unite.

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Words We're Watching: 'Fidget Spinner'

Don't fight the fad

Ask the Editors

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Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

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Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

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Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

The Emoji Quiz

Think you’re an emoji 👓 expert? Let’s see 🤔

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A Game of Thrones Word Quiz

In the Game of Thrones quiz, you learn some new vocabulary. (It’s quite safe, really. You will not die.)

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Name That Thing

Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

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Syn City

Build a city of skyscrapers—one synonym at a time.

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