1. Often followed by from: to allow or cause (someone or something) to be free; to set free, to release.
   1. To free (someone or something) from discriminatory or oppressive attitudes, inhibition, or restraint.
   2. To release (someone) from slavery; to manumit.
   3. (sometimes ironic) To free (a place such as a country, or the residents thereof) from an occupying force, or from oppression such as unjust rule.
   4. (chemistry, physics) To cause (energy or a substance) to be released through a chemical reaction or physical decomposition.
2. (originally military slang, euphemistic, informal) To take (property belonging to someone else) by force or theft; to loot, to rob, to steal. [...]

Today is VE Day, which marks the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.

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1. (art, especially sculpture, uncountable) The position of a human figure whose hips and legs are twisted away from the direction of the head and shoulders; (countable) an instance of this.

Today, the anniversary of the day Italian Renaissance polymath Leonardo da Vinci was born in 1452, is declared by the International Association of Art to be World Art Day to celebrate the fine arts.

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1. In very close physical proximity; crowded together; side by side.
2. (figurative) In very close or intimate association.

cheek by jowl adj

1. (chiefly UK, idiomatic) Often in the form cheek-by-jowl: in very close physical proximity; crowded together; tightly packed.

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1. One who roves: a person or animal that travels around, especially over a wide area, without a fixed destination; a nomad, a roamer, a wanderer. [...]

At sunset today, the sixth day of Passover or Pesach in 2026 begins. It celebrates the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. According to the Bible, the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years before entering the Promised Land.

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1. Very hot; burning, scorching; also, glowing with heat.
2. (obsolete)
   1. Of cold: intense, severe.
   2. (pharmacy, historical) Of a drug: having an abundance of heat as one of the four qualities believed to be characteristic of all things; hot rather than cold, dry, or moist.
3. (figurative)
   1. Of a person, or their actions, interests, or nature: exhibiting persistent belief or conviction, and/or enthusiasm or zeal; ardent, earnest, passionate.
   2. (archaic) Of a thing such as a battle, unrest, etc.: intense, severe; also, of a wild animal: fierce.

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1. (chiefly US, dated) An exclamation of dismay, irritation, or surprise.

At sunset today, the seventh day of Passover or Pesach in 2026 begins. It celebrates the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. The term may refer to the difficulties endured by the Hebrew prophet Moses while the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years before entering the Promised Land.

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1. Of, relating to, resembling, or containing brine (“water saturated or strongly impregnated with salt”), such as seawater or tears; salty.
2. (figurative) Of a person: difficult to get along with or to like; acerbic, prickly, unlikable.

briny n

1. (humorous or informal) The ocean, the sea. [...]

Today is World Oceans Day, a day recognized by the United Nations to highlight the importance of conserving and protecting the world’s oceans. The Oceans Institute of Canada, supported by the Government of Canada, held an event called Oceans Day at the Global Forum, a parallel event at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on this day in 1992.

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1. (chiefly humorous, rare) Of or relating to, or in the manner of, an aunt.

Today is the International Day of Families, which is recognized by the United Nations to promote awareness of issues relating to families and to increase knowledge of the demographic, economic, and social processes affecting families.

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1. (uncountable, archaic)
   1. Sorrow for the misery of another person; compassion, mercy, pity.
   2. Regret, remorse, repentance.
2. (obsolete)
   1. (uncountable) Matter for regret or sorrow; calamity, ruin; also, occasion for regret or sorrow; (countable) an instance of this; a disaster, a pitiful thing.
   2. (uncountable) Distress, misery, sorrow.

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1. A device used since ancient times in the Middle East to raise water from a well or other low point, consisting of a pivoted rod with a bucket on one end and a counterweight on the other.

Today is designated by the United Nations as World Water Day, which focuses on the importance of fresh water and the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

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1. Chiefly preceded by the.
   1. (chiefly England (Cornwall, Northern England), Ireland, archaic) Idleness or laziness regarded as a medical condition; also, depression, especially resulting from a hangover.
   2. (possibly by extension, originally UK military slang, now chiefly Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, UK) A non-specific (often infectious) disease, especially one with symptoms similar to those of a cold or flu, which renders one unfit to attend social events, go to work, etc.

lurgy adj

1. (chiefly England (Cornwall, Northern England), obsolete) Idle, lazy.

Today is Saint Patrick’s Day, the feast day of the patron saint of Ireland.

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1. (biblical, Judaism) The one-day Biblical feast or festival (not a holy day) that begins at twilight at the beginning of the fourteenth day of the first month (Abib or Nisan 14), during which the firstborn sons of the Israelites were passed over by God while those of the Egyptians were killed; this feast day is then immediately followed by the seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread (Nisan 15 to 21; the first and seventh days are holy days or yearly Sabbaths).
2. (by extension)
   1. (Christianity)
      1. Synonym of Last Supper (“the meal that Jesus Christ ate with his disciples on the night before his death”).
      2. (figurative) Synonym of Paschal Lamb (“Jesus Christ symbolized as a sacrifice for the sins of humankind”).
   2. (Judaism)
      1. The seven-day (in Reform Judaism) or eight-day (Orthodox and Conservative Judaism) Jewish festival of Pesach (also called the Feast of Unleavened Bread (מַצּוֹת (matsót)), commemorating the Biblical story of the Exodus.
      2. Synonym of Paschal Lamb (“the lamb traditionally eaten during Pesach”); also, the meal at which this lamb is eaten.
      3. (obsolete) A lamb which was sacrificed during the original Passover (sense 1).
3. (figurative) A major festival or observance.

At sunset today, the first day of the Passover or Pesach in 2026 begins. It celebrates the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.

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