Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time!: 2010

Friday, December 10, 2010

ERUCTATION

eructation: an act of belching or, an instance of belching

Example: For all these reasons, the White House was furiously issuing denials of accusations that no one had yet read well before the tightly embargoed book was released on Sept. 14. That of course led to an eructation of publicity that only heightened interest in the book. [Reference: The New York Times, 'The Family': Here Comes the Son, published: October 10, 2004]

MALVERSATION

malversation:

- misconduct in public office; corrupt administration
- misbehavior and particularly corruption in an office or trust

Example: It has already begun to appear that the sudden evasion of one of the officers of that Company is attributable rather to despair at his incapacity of correcting accounts, which he had kept without sufficient order or method, than to any malversation or dishonesty on his part. [Reference: The New York Times, Meum and Tuum, published: May 21, 1860]

HIPPOCAMPUS

hippocampus: a major component of the brains of humans and other mammals, located in the medial temporal lobe of the brain, which plays important roles in long-term memory and spatial navigation

(Image Source: http://brainmind.com/BrainLecture1.html)

Reference: Improve Your General Knowledge in Leisure Time: Hippocampus

VESPERTINE

vespertine:

- of, relating to, or occurring in the evening

- active, flowering, or flourishing in the evening

Example: To my own ear, I sound hyperpoetic, and I don't mean to exaggerate these vespertine moods; I think that this restlessness that I am describing was really quite ordinary. [Reference: Peter Gadol, The Long Rain]

CACHINNATE

cachinnate: to laugh loudly or immoderately

TARRY

tarry:

verb:

- to remain or stay, as in a place; sojourn

- to delay or be tardy in acting, starting, coming, etc.

- to wait

Example: Wilson allows his tour groups to tarry at the site, soaking up the strange feelings there and taking plenty of pictures in front of the wooden sign that still reads "Building 84." [Reference: RoswellTours.com offers tours of UFO haunts, Melodika.net, 2010]

FOSSICK

fossick:

- to search for any object (e.g. gold) by which to make gain; to search around or rummage for a possible profit

Example: "We must go and fossick for a bit now," I said, "just for enough to make the pot boil; but we won't take any more of your 'tucker,' Mrs. Mangrove, without paying." [Reference: Rolf Boldrewood, The Miner's Right, a Tale of the Australian Goldfields]

BELLWETHER

bellwether: a leader of a movement or activity; a leader of a moving group as a sheep with a bell in a herd

ARCANUM

arcanum (plural arcana):

- a secret; a mystery

- specialized or mysterious knowledge, language, or information that is not accessible to the average person (generally used in the plural)

Example: Through the years, Usenet evolved into an international forum on thousands of topics, called Usenet news groups, from the arcana of programming languages to European travel tips. [Reference: Katie Hafner, "James T. Ellis, 45, a Developer of Internet Discussion Network, Is Dead", New York Times , July 1, 2001]

CROOK

crook:

noun:

- a tool having a bent or hooked form as a shepherd's staff

- a part of something that is curved or hook-shaped as the crook of an umbrella handle

adjective:

- dishonest

- unsatisfactory

- irritable, angry

- ill, unwell

transitive verb:

bend

intransitive verb:

curve, wind

BAS

bas: stop

Note: "bas" is a loanword originally from the Persian language where it means: stop; stop due to being sufficient or enough.

FABIFORM

fabiform: shaped like a bean; kidney-bean shaped; reniform

EBULLIENT

ebullient:

- high-spirited; overflowing with enthusiasm or excitement
- boiling, agitated
- bubbling up like a boiling liquid

Example: Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev attended a session of the Supreme Soviet on Monday and appeared ebullient after last week's victory at a meeting of the Communist Party Central Committee. [Reference: Los Angeles Times, Gorbachev Appears Ebullient at Meeting, June 30, 1987]

DACOIT

dacoit: bandit

Note: The word "dacoity" means a criminal activity involving robbery by groups of armed bandits.

CABAL

cabal:

- a political coterie or a group secretly united in a plot
- group; club

Example: But though the pattern is clear — anti-McCain stories are much more likely to be buried — identifying who's responsible is more difficult. The majority of a Digg's user's actions on the site — including which stories they submitted, voted for, and commented on — are archived and publicly viewable. But information about who buries stories is invisible. Any 'Bury Brigade,' whether it's a formally organized cabal or a group of like-minded, independent activists, cannot be detected by publicly available means. [Reference: Los Angeles Times, Digg Bury Brigade: 28 negative McCain stories buried in 30 days 09:23 AM PT, Aug 11 2008]

BÉTON

béton: concrete (a composite construction material composed of cement, gravel, etc.)

A CAPPELLA

A cappella (also Acapella or A Capella): music of singing unaccompanied by instruments

IMPUGN

impugn: to assail or attack by words or arguments; to gainsay; oppose as false

Example: Even though it is nowhere alleged that disclosures of sinful activity by priests impugn the integrity of the entire ministry, that nevertheless is the passing legacy of the current scandals. [Reference: William F. Buckley Jr., "The House of Disillusion", National Review , May 14, 2002]

COMPORT

comport:

- to be fitting; accord

- conduct or behave in a particular manner conformable to what is right or expected

Example: Considered friendly and funny in private, the queen has a formal, remote air in public that some people attribute to shyness and others say is a reflection of her belief that, as monarch, she should comport herself with dignity and restraint. [Reference: Sarah Lyall, "Tradition and Personality Keep Elizabeth Far From Her Subjects", New York Times , September 5, 1997]

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BETE NOIRE

bete noire: someone or something detested or avoided; a bugbear

Example: Even more regrettable, as far as Dame Edna is concerned, is the presence of her old bete noire , the extravagantly disgusting Sir Les Patterson. [Reference: "The Dame's New Man", Daily Telegraph , April 18, 1998]

Sunday, October 31, 2010

EXACERBATE

exacerbate: to render more severe, violent, or bitter; to irritate; to aggravate; to make worse

Example: To reduce the stress that exacerbates my stuttering, I have meditated, done deep-breathing exercises, and floated under a condition of sensory deprivation in a dark, enclosed isolation tank. [Reference: Marty Jezer, Stuttering: A Life Bound Up in Words]

VERDANT

verdant:

- green with vegetation; covered with green growth

- green

- lacking experience or sophistication; naive

Happy Halloween!

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Source: Improve Your General Knowledge in Leisure Time!

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KOBOLD

kobold (or kobolt):

[in German folklore:]

a haunting spirit; a gnome; a goblin

Example: The kobolds were a species of gnomes, who haunted the dark and solitary places, and were often seen in the mines. [Reference: Sir Walter Scott, Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft]

Thursday, October 28, 2010

DEPRECATE

deprecate:

- to disapprove of strongly
- to belittle; to depreciate
- [archaic:] to pray against, as an evil; to seek to avert by prayer

Example: Copland humorously deprecated his looks, finding in his gaunt physique, narrow face, prominent nose, and buckteeth a comic resemblance to a giraffe. [Reference: Howard Pollack, Aaron Copland: The Life and Work of an Uncommon Man]

Friday, October 22, 2010

INCARNADINE

incarnadine:

adjective:

- blood-red; crimson
- having a fleshy pink color; flesh-colored; pale pink

noun:

- an incarnadine color

verb:

- to make incarnadine; to make red; to make crimson

Saturday, October 16, 2010

TRUCULENT

truculent:

- fierce; savage
- cruel; ruthless

Example: The danger comes if there becomes this sense that they are being truculent for the sake of being truculent. [Reference: NYTIMES.COM, THE NATION: CALCULUS; Perks and Perils of a Heavy Gavel, ADAM NAGOURNEY Published: March 25, 2007]

TEMPORIZE

temporize:

- to be indecisive or evasive in order to gain time or delay action
- to comply with the time or occasion; to yield to prevailing opinion or circumstances
- to engage in discussions or negotiations so as to gain time
- to come to terms

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

SLAKE

slake:

- to satisfy; to quench; to extinguish; (e.g. to slake thirst)

- to cause to lessen; to make less active or intense; to moderate; (e.g. slaking her anger)

- to become slaked (intransitive verb)

FYI: Coming Soon on Amazon Kindle (will be available by the end of this week!):

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EVANESCENCE

evanescence:

- a gradual disappearance
- the state of becoming imperceptible

Example: But this was an evanescence, and quickly repented of, as it were, by an immitigable look, pinching and shriveling the visage into the momentary semblance of a wrinkled walnut. [Reference: Herman Melville, Billy Budd, sailor]

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

BILOCATION

bilocation: the state of being or the ability to be in two places at the same time

Example: He experienced a sudden, startling sense of bilocation . He seemed to become a passive observer watching a second Finn. [Reference: Morgan Llywelyn, Finn Mac Cool]

MUSSITATE

mussitate: to silently move the lips in simulation of audible speech

Example: "Oh, Anu, I never thought to see you again," he mussitates . [Reference: Dan Wick, The Devil's Tale]

Sunday, October 10, 2010

SUBTERFUGE

subterfuge: a deceptive device or stratagem

Example: He is adept at subterfuge , at gaining entry to factories by masquerading as a laborer, a wholesaler, an exporter. [Reference: Jonathan Silvers, "Child Labor in Pakistan", The Atlantic , February 1996]

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FAINEANT

faineant:

adjective:
- doing nothing or given to doing nothing; idle; lazy

noun:
- a do-nothing; an idle fellow; a sluggard

Sunday, October 3, 2010

TERMAGANT

termagant:

noun:

- a shrew; an ill-tempered scolding woman

adjective:

- overbearing; scolding

Termagant (capitalized): a deity erroneously ascribed to Islam by medieval European Christians

CONFLAGRATION

conflagration:

- a large and destructive fire; a large disastrous fire; a general burning

- something like a conflagration; conflict; war

Example: Every winter the city seemed to go up in a conflagration of house fires: faulty furnaces, kerosene lamps knocked over, exploding water heaters, damp wiring, bored kids playing with matches, burglars turned arsonists this year, to cover their tracks, always something. [Reference: Alvin Greenberg, How the Dead Live]

EXEGESIS

exegesis: an explanation or critical interpretation of a text

Example: These are tightly argued, crisp exercises in literary and cultural exegesis which make perfectly clear the brilliant patterns of language and oftentimes strained analogic thinking of the poets. [Reference: Review of Made in America , by Lisa M. Steinman, in the Journal of Modern Literature]

Thursday, September 30, 2010

MORIBUND

moribund:

1: being in the state of dying; at the point of death; dying
2: being or becoming in a state of inactivity or obsolescence

Example: The real problem is not the economic crisis that dominates the headlines, but a pair of intertwined long-run concerns: the work force is shrinking fast, and Japan undermines its economy's productivity by squandering money on life support for moribund industries and backward regions. [Reference: Nicholas D. Kristof, "Empty Isles Are Signs Japan's Sun Might Dim", New York Times , August 1, 1999]

Saturday, September 25, 2010

OBDURATE

obdurate:

- unmoved by pity or persuasion; unyielding; hard-hearted; stubborn
- persistently impenitent; hardened in wickedness

Example: Rather, they mean to demonstrate that the obdurate is assailable; that it is, in fact, possible to "turn oppression into opportunity"; and that the experience of a young woman like Rath is replicable: she escaped sexual slavery, which is an accomplishment in itself, and has gone on to become a successful entrepreneur, selling hats and bags and phone calls out of a cart she was able to buy and stock with a $400 loan from an aid group, and now is married, has a son, and supports her extended family. [Reference: The New York Review of Books, "Breaking a Conspiracy of Silence"]

STEENTH

steenth:

- one sixteenth
- latest one in an indefinitely long sequence

Example: A jiffy later, I was on my way up, and another steenth of a jiffy I was at the eaves, and, being a very good climber, I scrambled up the other little ladder that was made out of nailed-on boards, to the red brick chimney. [Reference: Shenanigans at Sugar Creek by Paul Hutchens]

PRECATORY

precatory: of, relating to, characterized by, or expressing a request or an entreaty

Example: "The laws are precatory as opposed to mandatory," said Scott Sommer, "They say the city 'may', rather than 'shall', enforce the housing code." [Reference: Deborah Sontag; A Weak Housing Agency Seems to Be a Step Behind; The New York Times; Oct 7, 1996]

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Review & Take a Quiz!

Review the following words and (when you would be connected to the Internet*) take this Quiz: quizazz.com:655891

* Kindle Readers

bobo: drunk (Example: She's totally bobo; get her out of here before she barfs.)
Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

torpid:
- numb; dormant; having lost the power of exertion, movement, or feeling
- lacking in energy; lacking in vigor; dull
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declaim: to speak in an emotional and loud manner; to harangue; to orate
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ignoble:
- not noble; humble; of low origin; plebeian
- characterized by lowness; not noble in character
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oneiric: pertaining to dreams; dreamy
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doff:
- to take off or to remove as an article of clothing
- to tip or remove one's hat as in greeting
- to put aside; to discard; to rid oneself of
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dolorous: causing, marked by, or expressing misery, sorrow, or grief; mournful
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cupidity:
- strong desire for wealth; greed; avarice
- strong desire
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ersatz: inferior substitute; inferior imitation (Example: I looked it over to show I was alert, not because I'd know an ersatz from the real thing. [Reference: NEUTRON STAR by Larry Niven])
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myrmidon:
- a loyal follower who executes orders unquestioningly or unscrupulously
- (Capitalized) a member of the legendary Thessalian people who followed Achilles on the expedition against Troy
Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

tact:
- acute sensitivity or aesthetic perception (Example: He could convert the play into a movie script with remarkable skill and tact.)
- ability to say or do the right thing without offending in dealing with others (Example: By the use of tact, I could calm my jealous girlfriend.)
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dismal:

- dark and depressing; showing or causing gloom (Example: When the weather is very dismal my grandma stays in bed all day.)

- lacking merit; characterized by ineptitude (Example: Her dismal performance disappointed me last night.)
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nascent: beginning to exist or having recently come into existence; coming into being
(Example: But there are other nascent technologies that are widely predicted to play a major part in moving the world from a dependence on oil, nuclear energy and coal. [Reference: "Out of thin air", The Guardian, October 31, 2001])
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affray: a tumultuous assault or quarrel; a brawl (Example: Mounted encounters by armored knights locked in desperate hand-to-hand combat, stabbing and wrestling in tavern brawls, deceits and brutalities in street affrays, balletic homicide on the dueling field - these were the martial arts of Renaissance Europe. [Reference: Sydney Anglo, The Martial Arts of Renaissance Europe])
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puerile:
- juvenile
- childish, silly (Example: Though Laura enjoys a good practical joke, she finds some of the gags pulled by her co-workers on April Fool’s Day to be merely puerile.)
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zeitgeist: the spirit of the time; the general intellectual and moral state or temper characteristic of any period of time (Example: The best writers of that predawn era were originals who had the zeitgeist by the tail. [Reference: Gary Giddins, Visions of Jazz: The First Century])
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stoic:

Noun:

- (Capitalized) a member of a school of philosophy founded by Zeno holding that one should be free from passion, unmoved by joy or grief, and should submit without complaint to unavoidable necessity
-one who is apparently or professedly indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain, joy or grief

Adjective:

- of or pertaining to the Stoics; resembling the Stoics or their doctrines
- not affected by passion; being or appearing indifferent to pleasure or pain, joy or grief
Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

indelible:
- that cannot be removed, erased, or washed away
- making marks that cannot easily be removed or erased
- incapable of being forgotten; memorable

(Example: In a sense, these years were like a blur of hunger, a time without roots or a sense of stability that made an indelible mark and colored his every move years later. [Reference: Marcos Bretón and José Luis Villegas, Away Games])
Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

limn:
- to depict by drawing or painting
- to portray in words; to describe

(Example: Oh, yes, I write, as I limn the familiar perfections of his profile, "you look very well." [Reference: Kimberly Elkins, "What Is Visible", The Atlantic, March 2003])
Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

verbiage:
- an overabundance of words; wordiness
- manner or style of expression; diction.

(Example: The sheer volume of verbiage he has expelled over eight years is enough to make John Updike look blocked. [Reference: Andrew Sullivan, "Sounds of Silence", New Republic, January 15, 2001])
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febrile: pertaining to fever; feverish; caused by fever
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foment: to rouse; to incite; to instigate
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beholden: being under obligation; indebted
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gravid: pregnant; distended with eggs
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bibelot: a small household ornament or decorative object that has no practical utility; trinket
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edacious: voracious; gluttonous
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hale: free from disease, infirmity, defect, or weakening conditions; sound; healthy
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fetid: having a very offensive smell; stinking
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gloaming: twilight; dusk
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bestow:
- to present as a gift; to present as an honor
- to put to use; to apply
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sobriquet: nickname; epithet; a descriptive name
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taw:
- a large marble used for shooting in playing marbles
- a line from which the players shoot at marbles
- a square-dance partner
- the 23d letter of the Hebrew alphabet
- to shoot a marble
- to tan skins by a dry process; to make skins into leather by treating with alum, or salt
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wizened: dried up; withered; shriveled; shrunken (Example: The new CEO is a wizened old man.)
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neologism:
- a new word or a new meaning for an established word or expression
- the use or creation of new words or new expressions
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lassitude:
- a state or feeling of being tired; fatigue
- a condition of weariness or debility; languor
- a condition of listlessness
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cosset:
- a pet lamb
- a small pet
- to treat as a pet; pamper
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cormorant:
- a greedy person
- a gluttonous person
- a rapacious person
- a genus of dark-colored web-footed water birds

adobe: a natural building material made from sand, clay, horse manure and water, with some kind of fibrous or organic material which is shaped into bricks using frames and dried in the sun. Adobe is a Spanish word that is from Arabic al-ṭūb (the brick), from Coptic tōbe (brick), from Egyptian dbt.Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

sorcerer: a person who practices sorcery; wizard (Example: The first novel in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.)Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

bifurcate:
- to divide into two branches; to divide into two parts
- divided into two branches; divided into two partsCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

laureates:
- a person who is the recipient of honor or recognition for achievement in literature, art, or science (Example: The Swedish Academy decides who will receive the Nobel Prize in Literature and announces the name of the chosen laureate.)
- to crown with a laurel wreath as a mark of honor, excellence, or achievementCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

repast:
- something taken as food; a meal
also:
- the act of taking food
- the time of taking foodCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

chary:
- wary; discreetly cautious as hesitant and vigilant about risks and dangers
- discreetly cautious as slow to accept, or expend; not expending freely; sparingCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

extempore: without preparation or premeditation; on the spur of the moment; in an extemporaneous manner (Example: He spoke extempore and wearied the audience.)Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

weenie:
- frankfurter; wiener
- penis (slang)
- nerd
- an insignificant, disliked man (slang)
- a weak and ineffectual man (slang)Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

brio: enthusiastic vigor; vivacity (Example: "She tells their story with brio and a mixture of sympathy and tart insight.” [Michiko Kakutani])Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

stentorian: extremely loud (Example: Then a stentorian voice blared an all-points bulletin: "Calling the G-men! Calling all Americans to war on the underworld!" [Reference: Strobe Talbott, "Resisting the Gangbusters Option"])Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

iota:
- the ninth letter of the Greek alphabet
- a bit; a jot; a very small quantity; a very small degreeCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

cadge:
- to obtain by begging; to sponge
- to begCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

insipid:
- lacking flavor or zest; tasteless
- not exciting; not interestingCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

assiduous:
- constant and careful in attention or application; diligent (Example: John is an assiduous programmer who strove for perfection.)
- persistent; unceasing; (Example: The police did an assiduous research to find the murderer.)Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

wanderlust:
an impulse to wander or travel (Example: The British installation artist Mike Nelson doesn’t just embrace such wanderlust. He also makes it a good reason to stay put. [Reference: The New York Times: Mike Nelson’s Trailer Trash])Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

asperity: rigor; severity; harshness; roughness (Example: What Pope would say of Cibber nobody inquired, but in hope that Pope's asperity might betray his pain and lessen his dignity. [Reference: Lives of the English Poets: Prior, Congreve, Blackmore, Pope])Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

mascot:
An icon, sign, person, animal, or object, adopted by a group, believed to bring good luck (Example: The ongoing search for a new mascot at the University of Mississippi has gained national attention. After students voted in favor of having a say in choosing the mascot, speculation ramped up that Ole Miss could end up with Star Wars character Admiral Ackbar as the mascot. [Reference: USNews.com]Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

interdisciplinary:
involving multiple academic, scientific, or artistic disciplines; involving multiple branches of learning (Example: Some schools allow you to construct your own major, perhaps in an interdisciplinary field. [Reference: USNews.com])Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

traumatize
- to wound or injure (e.g. tissues) in a surgical operation, or by force or by thermal, chemical, etc. - to subject to psychological trauma by a childhood experience
- to impose a trauma; to subject to a traumaCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

overhaul:
- a major repair, renovation, or revision (Example: The sewing machine requires a overhaul to work properly again.)
- to examine thoroughly for needed repairs
- to dismantle to repair
- to repair, renovate, or revise
- to catch up with; to overtakeCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

stymie:
- obstacle; obstruction
- in golf, the condition that exists when an opponent's ball lies in a direct line between the player's ball and the hole
- to present an obstacle in the way of; to block; to impede
- to hinder or obstruct as with a stymieCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

erudite:
- possessing or showing an extensive knowledge gained from reading
- learned
- scholarlyCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

nomenclature:
A system or set of names, terms, or procedures used in a branch of science, art, or technology, e.g. the nomenclature of geomorphology.Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

verve:
spirit and enthusiasm in an artistic performanceCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

deft:
dexterous; quick; skillful; adroitCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

scrum:
- a restart after an interruption in a rugby play
- throngCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

masthead:
- the top of a mast
- the printed matter in a blog, newspaper or periodical that gives the title and the ownership detail, etc.Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

agelast:
a mirthless person; a person who never laughsCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

facade: (also façade)
- the front of a building; any face of a building facing a street, courtyard, etc.; any face of a building that has special architectural treatment
- a superficial, artificial, or false appearanceCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

stratum: ( plural: strata)
- a layer of rock or soil with internally consistent characteristics that makes it be distinguished from the other contiguous layers
- a horizontal layer or section of material in a set of contiguous layers
- a part of a series that presents a period or a stage of development or formationCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

joust:
- a fight with lances between two knights on horseback
- to fight on horseback as knights
- to engage in fight or competition as in a joustCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

lambda:
- the eleventh letter of the Greek alphabet (Λ, λ)
- an uncharged hyperonCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

vassal:
- in the Middle Ages: a feudal tenant; a person under protection of the feudal lord to whom she or he has vowed fealty and homage
- a person in a subordinate position
- a person in a subservient positionCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

fealty:
- the loyalty that people owe to their country; the loyalty that people owe to their sovereign
- the fidelity that vassals owe to their feudal lord
- the oath of fidelity or loyalty to country, sovereign, or feudal lord
- faithfulness; allegianceCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

frolicsome:
full of gaiety; full of high-spirited fun; playful; sportive; rollickingCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

disport:
- to amuse; to entertain
- amusement; diversionCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

laager:
- a defensive encampment protected by a circle of armored vehicles or wagons
- a defensive policy; a defensive position
- to camp in a defensive circle of armored vehicles or wagons
- to form (armoured vehicles or wagons) into a laager
- to park (armoured vehicles or wagons) in a laagerCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

Xanthippe (also: Xantippe) :

- Xanthippe was the wife of Socrates
- a scolding woman or wife; an ill-tempered woman or wife; a shrewish woman or wifeCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

tootle:
- to toot gently, softly, repeatedly, or continuously on a flute or some musical instrument like that
- to drive, walk or move along in a leisurely manner; ambleCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

hag:
- an ugly, slatternly, wizened, evil-looking old woman; witch
- a kind of fairy or goddess, often found in folklore and children's tales, who is ugly, slatternly, wizened, or evil-lookingCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

old-timer:
- a person who has been an employee, member, soldier or resident for a long time
- an old-fashioned person
- oldster
- veteranCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

expound:
- to set forth in detail; to state in detail
- to explain, interpret, clarify or defend by setting forth in careful and often elaborate detailCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

abstain:
to refrain deliberately and often with an effort of self-denial from something regarded as improper or unhealthy (Example: He abstains from eating meat.)Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

gore:
- a small usually triangular piece of land (as where two roads diverge)
- a triangular piece (as a triangular piece of fabric in clothes)
- to cut into a triangular form
- to pierce or wound with a horn, tusk, or knifeCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

delve:
- to dig (with a spade)
- to make a careful investigation for information (Example: He delved into the book to understand the complex algorithms.)Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

shank:
- the part of leg between knee and ankle in human or other vertebrates
- a cut of meat from the upper or the lower part of the leg of animals
- a projection on the back of buttons by which they are sewn to fabricCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

pellucid:

- allowing for the passage of light without diffusion; transparent (Example: The air was strangely still, the sky pellucid and speckled with stars except where the swelling clouds massed to the west. [Reference: Conan and the Emerald Lotus by John C. Hocking])

- easy to understand; clearCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

gregarious:
- tending or enjoying to be in crowds and socializing
- traveling or living in herds, flock, or crowd (as animals)Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

ides:
originally referred to the day of the full moon; but then, in the ancient Roman calendar, refers to the 15th day of March, May, July, or October, or the 13th of the other monthsCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

eddy:
- a current of water or air running contrary to the main current and with a circular motion; small whirlpool or whirlwind
- an unimportant contrary movement or trend
- a contrary current as of thought or policyCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

mortification:
- the control of physical desires and bodily passions and appetites by self-denial, abstinence, fasting, etc.
- something causing shame, humiliation, etc. as it wounds one's pride or self-respect
- the sense of shame and humiliation due to something that wounds one's pride or self-respectCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

wordmonger
- a writer or speaker who uses words pretentiously
- a writer or speaker who uses words carelessly disregarding for meaningsCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

wean:
- to cause a child or a young animal to get accustomed gradually to food other than its mother's milk
- to detach gradually from a source of dependenceCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

elide:
leave out; suppress; omit; ignore; to strike out, e.g. some word written; slur over, e.g. a vowel, syllable, etc. (Example: "Did you know that dragons elide riders' names?" [Reference: The Chronicles of Pern written by Anne McCaffrey])Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

drudge:
- a person who does hard, menial, tedious, or unpleasant work
- to do hard, menial, tedious, or unpleasant work
- to force to do hard, menial, tedious, or unpleasant workCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

sabotage:
- destruction of property or obstruction of normal operations in time of war
- destruction of an employer's equipments, tools and materials or hindering of production by discontented workersCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

oblivion: the state of forgetting or being forgotten (Example: "Oblivion is a kind of annihilation." [Reference: The Life Of Johnson book])Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

epigrammatic: relating to or resembling an epigram; where an epigram is a short, witty poem expressing a single thought or observation, as an example the following is an epigram by John Donne entitled as A Lame Beggar:

I am unable, yonder beggar cries,
To stand, or move; if he say true, he lies.Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

algorithm:
- a step by step procedure to solve a problem
- a set of instructions for solving a problem on a computer in a finite number of stepsCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

vex: disturb; annoy (Eample: "Vex not your mind on that," the prince answered, smiling. [Reference: The White Company book])Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

maim: to deprive of a necessary part of the body; cripple (Example: I couldn't, didn't, couldn't believe that Ellis could maim - and effectively kill - a child's pony and three young racehorses. [Reference: Come To Grief book])Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

downtrodden: figuratively oppressed; subjugated (Example: He is not a spokesman for the downtrodden, much less those who seek just solutions to real dilemmas [Reference: America and the War by Tony Judt])Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

oodles: - a great quantity; a great amount; lots; an unspecified large number (Example: I just met her this morning and I could already think of oodles of stuff that I wanted to tell her about.)Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

novemdecillion: The number equal to 10⁶⁰; one with 60 zeros

quackery:
- charlatanism
- medical practice and advice based on observation and experience and ignoring scientific findingsCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

kabbalah (variant of cabala):
- a medieval and modern system of Jewish theosophy, mysticism and thaumaturgy marked by belief in creation through emanation and a cipher method of interpreting Scripture
- a traditional esoteric matter
- esoteric doctrine or mysterious artCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

cabala:
- a medieval and modern system of Jewish theosophy, mysticism and thaumaturgy marked by belief in creation through emanation and a cipher method of interpreting Scripture
- a traditional esoteric matter
- esoteric doctrine or mysterious artCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

iconoclast:
- someone who destroys religious images or opposes their veneration
- someone who attacks settled beliefs or institutionsCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

balk: to refuse abruptly

----------------------
Detailed Definition:

noun
- a ridge of land left unplowed as a dividing line or through carelessness
- a hindrance
- a ridge between furrows
- a wooden beam or rafter
- failure of a player to complete a motion, especially an illegal motion of the pitcher

in baseball while in position

intransitive verb
- to refuse abruptly [is used with 'at'] (e.g. He balked at putting up the promised

money)
- to stop and refuse to proceed
- to commit a balk in sports

transitive verb
- to check or stop by or as if by an obstacleCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

litany:
- a liturgical prayer consisting of a series of petitions recited by a leader alternating

with fixed responses by the congregation
- a repetitive or incantatory recitalCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

pedantic:
- like a pedant, overly concerned with formal rules and trivial points of learning
- being showy of one’s knowledge, often in a boring manner
- being finicky or picky with languageCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

euphemism: the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive

expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasantCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

endemic: native to a particular region

----------------------
Detailed Definition:

adjective
- constantly present in a particular region
- native to a particular country, nation, or region

noun
- an endemic organism
Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

magniloquent: bombastic in style or expression

----------------------
Detailed Definition:

adjective
- speaking by a bombastic style or manner
- characterized by a bombastic style or manner
- inflated in style or expression
- pompous in style or expressionCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

lumpen: one cut off from his/her normal socioeconomic class

----------------------
Detailed Definition:

adjective
- relating to displaced people who have been cut off from the socioeconomic class

with which they would ordinarily be identified (e.g. lumpen intellectuals unable to

find jobs in their fields)
- plebeian
- stupid
- unthinking

noun
- a member of the uneducated lowest class of societyCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

languor: mental or physical weariness or fatigue

----------------------
Detailed Definition:

noun
- mental or physical weariness or fatigue
- physical or mental laziness or weariness
- weakness or weariness of body or mind
- listless indolence
- indolence of one satiated by a luxury lifeCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

obtrude: to impose oneself or one's idea on others without

request

----------------------
Detailed Definition:

transitive verb
- to impose oneself or one's idea without request
- to force oneself or one's idea without warrant or invitation
- to thrust out

intransitive verb
- to become unduly prominent
- to interfere unduly
- to intrudeCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

exemplar: one that serves as a model or example

----------------------
Detailed Definition:

noun
- one that serves as a model or example
- a copy of a book or writing
- a model to be copied
- a model to be imitated
- a pattern to be copied
- a pattern to be imitated
- a typical or standard specimen
- an ideal model or typeCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

precarious: dependent on circumstances beyond one's control

----------------------
Detailed Definition:

adjective
- depending on the will or pleasure of another
- dependent on uncertain premises
- dubious
- having insufficient foundation (a precarious belief)Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

esoteric: intended only for a particular group

----------------------
Detailed Definition:

adjective
- limited to a small circle
- private
- confidential (an esoteric target)
- of rare interest (esoteric construction materials)Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

vexatious: distressing

----------------------
Detailed Definition:

adjective
- full of stress
- full of disorder
- full of annoyance
- causing vexation
- annoying
- intended to vex
- intended to annoyCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

pecuniary: monetary

----------------------
Detailed Definition:

adjective
- relating to money
- consisting of or measured in money
- requiring payment of money (e.g. a pecuniary offense)Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

propitious: presenting favorable conditions

----------------------
Detailed Definition:

adjective
- favorable
- being a good omen
- auspicious
- benevolentCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

jocund: merry

----------------------
Detailed Definition:

adjective
- full of high-spirited merriment
- marked by high spirits
- marked by lively mirthfulness
- of a humorous temperament
- showing high-spirited merriment
Copyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

languish: to be or become feeble

----------------------
Detailed Definition:

intransitive verb
- to be or become feeble
- to be or become weak
- to be or become enervated
- to be or live in a state of depression
- to be or live in a state of decreasing vitality
- to lose strength or vigorCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

surcease: to desist from action

----------------------
Detailed Definition:

1. intransitive verb
- to desist from action
- to come to an end
- to cease
- to stop

2. transitive verb
- to put an end to
- to discontinue

3. noun
- cessation
- a temporary respite or end
- intermissionCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

chapfallen: cast down in spirit

----------------------
Detailed Definition:

adjective
- dejected
- downhearted
- crestfallen
- depressedCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

wrangle: to dispute something angrily

----------------------
Detailed Definition:

1. intransitive verb
- to dispute angrily, noisily or peevishly
- to engage in argument or controversy
- to quarrel noisily or angrily

2. transitive verb
- to win or obtain by argument
- to herd livestock, especially horses

3. noun
- the act of wrangling
- an angry, noisy dispute or argumentCopyright ©2010 Improve Your Vocabulary in Leisure Time! All rights reserved.

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