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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

owliness en · NOUN

Etymology

From owly + -ness.

Meanings

  1. (uncountable) The condition of being an owl or having owllike characteristics.
    • Like Monty had told us, I thought about the "qualities" of owliness. My wise nature. Where my home might be. What I would have for supper. Mouse, I fancied. 2011, Louise Rennison, Withering Tights, HarperTeen, →ISBN, page 217:
  2. (uncountable) The state of being in an ill temper; crankiness.
    • The teams obviously studied at the Hatfield-McCoy school of diplomacy and graduating at the top of his class in owliness was Eston playing-coach Don Sasser. 1979 August 10, Ian Dutton, “Weather was cool, but teams' tempers weren't”, in The Leader-Post:

Synonyms

grumpiness (state of being in an ill temper) · orneriness (state of being in an ill temper) · crabbiness (state of being in an ill temper) · owlishness (condition of being an owl or owl-like) · crankiness (state of being in an ill temper)