salubrious: promoting health; healthful; wholesome
Example: A sea voyage was undertaken during half a dozen vacations, but during a portion of forty-two summers I “pitched my moving tent” in salubrious Saratoga, and a part of twenty-one summers was spent on the heights of Mohonk. [Reference: Recollections of a Long Life, by Theodore Ledyard Cuyler]
Monday, June 28, 2010
CIRCUMAMBIENT
circumambient: surrounding; encompassing; extending all around; being on all sides
Example: It's a voice that does something physical to me, that jumps out of the circumambient air and seizes hold of me like a thing that lives off the blood of other things. [Reference: T.C. Boyle, A Friend of the Earth]
Example: It's a voice that does something physical to me, that jumps out of the circumambient air and seizes hold of me like a thing that lives off the blood of other things. [Reference: T.C. Boyle, A Friend of the Earth]
PRECOCIAL
precocial: capable of independent activities from birth (see the following example)
Example: The use of the pig in neuroscience research is gaining popularity because pigs are anatomically similar to humans and many of their organ systems grow and develop similarly as well. Pigs are also precocial, meaning they are born with well-developed sensory and motor systems. This allows them to be very mobile and weaned at an early age. [Reference: Science Daily, (June 28, 2010)]
Example: The use of the pig in neuroscience research is gaining popularity because pigs are anatomically similar to humans and many of their organ systems grow and develop similarly as well. Pigs are also precocial, meaning they are born with well-developed sensory and motor systems. This allows them to be very mobile and weaned at an early age. [Reference: Science Daily, (June 28, 2010)]
TRANSMUTE
transmute:
transitive verb:
- to change from one nature, form, substance, or state into another; to transform
intransitive verb:
- to undergo transmutation
Example: Sand that once was rock becomes rock once again as it slowly sediments and compresses into layers of sandstone, which, in turn, transmute into sand. [Reference: Lena Lencek and Gideon Bosker, The Beach: The History of Paradise on Earth]
transitive verb:
- to change from one nature, form, substance, or state into another; to transform
intransitive verb:
- to undergo transmutation
Example: Sand that once was rock becomes rock once again as it slowly sediments and compresses into layers of sandstone, which, in turn, transmute into sand. [Reference: Lena Lencek and Gideon Bosker, The Beach: The History of Paradise on Earth]
Sunday, June 27, 2010
DOLOROUS
dolorous: marked by, causing, or expressing grief or sorrow
Example: And at the centre of this intense display of devotion Carlo himself, bearing aloft the relic of the Holy Nail from the cathedral, shoeless and oblivious to his bleeding feet, walked amid a dolorous procession of penitents. [Reference: Helen Langdon, Caravaggio: A Life]
Example: And at the centre of this intense display of devotion Carlo himself, bearing aloft the relic of the Holy Nail from the cathedral, shoeless and oblivious to his bleeding feet, walked amid a dolorous procession of penitents. [Reference: Helen Langdon, Caravaggio: A Life]
ENUNCIATE
enunciate:
transitive verb:
- to utter articulately; to pronounce
- to state or set forth precisely or systematically
- to announce; to proclaim; to declare
intransitive verb:
- to utter words or syllables articulately
transitive verb:
- to utter articulately; to pronounce
- to state or set forth precisely or systematically
- to announce; to proclaim; to declare
intransitive verb:
- to utter words or syllables articulately
DEBOUCH
debouch:
intransitive verb:
- to march out (as from a wood, defile, or other narrow or confined spot) into the open
- to emerge; to issue
transitive verb:
-to cause to emerge or issue; to discharge
intransitive verb:
- to march out (as from a wood, defile, or other narrow or confined spot) into the open
- to emerge; to issue
transitive verb:
-to cause to emerge or issue; to discharge
Saturday, June 26, 2010
NE PLUS ULTRA
ne plus ultra:
- the highest point, as of excellence or achievement; the acme; the pinnacle; the ultimate
- the most profound degree of a quality or condition
Example: If you were a graduate student in the 80's and subject to the general delusion that held literary criticism to be the ne plus ultra of intellectual thrill, then you too probably owned one of these: an oversize paperback with an austere cover and small-type title that, grouped with three or more of its kind on your bookshelf, confirmed your status as an avatar of predoctoral chic. [Reference: Judith Shulevitz, "Correction Appended", New York Times, October 29, 1995]
- the highest point, as of excellence or achievement; the acme; the pinnacle; the ultimate
- the most profound degree of a quality or condition
Example: If you were a graduate student in the 80's and subject to the general delusion that held literary criticism to be the ne plus ultra of intellectual thrill, then you too probably owned one of these: an oversize paperback with an austere cover and small-type title that, grouped with three or more of its kind on your bookshelf, confirmed your status as an avatar of predoctoral chic. [Reference: Judith Shulevitz, "Correction Appended", New York Times, October 29, 1995]
Monday, June 21, 2010
APOTHEOSIS
apotheosis:
- elevation to divine rank or stature; deification
- an exalted or glorified example; a model of excellence or perfection of a kind
Example: Charles I's court represented the English apotheosis of this Renaissance ideal of kingship. [Reference: John Brewer, The Pleasures of the Imagination]
- elevation to divine rank or stature; deification
- an exalted or glorified example; a model of excellence or perfection of a kind
Example: Charles I's court represented the English apotheosis of this Renaissance ideal of kingship. [Reference: John Brewer, The Pleasures of the Imagination]
COMMENSURATE
commensurate:
- equal in measure, extent, or duration
- corresponding in size or degree or extent; proportionate
- having a common measure; commensurable; reducible to a common measure; as, commensurate quantities
Example: A new era, Hoover called it, one that was witnessing breathtaking transformations in traditional ways of life and that demanded commensurate transformations in the institutions and techniques of government. [Reference: David M. Kennedy, Freedom from Fear]
- equal in measure, extent, or duration
- corresponding in size or degree or extent; proportionate
- having a common measure; commensurable; reducible to a common measure; as, commensurate quantities
Example: A new era, Hoover called it, one that was witnessing breathtaking transformations in traditional ways of life and that demanded commensurate transformations in the institutions and techniques of government. [Reference: David M. Kennedy, Freedom from Fear]
TETE-A-TETE
tete-a-tete:
adjective:
- private; confidential; familiar
noun:
- a private conversation between two people
- a short sofa intended to accommodate two persons
Example: Raw garlic will give you plenty of this disulfide, but cooking gets rid of it because it is volatile enough to evaporate during cooking. This is the reason you can safely eat a soup or stew that has lots of garlic in the recipe, and still enjoy a friendly tete-a-tete with someone. [Reference: John Emsley, Molecules at an Exhibition]
adjective:
- private; confidential; familiar
noun:
- a private conversation between two people
- a short sofa intended to accommodate two persons
Example: Raw garlic will give you plenty of this disulfide, but cooking gets rid of it because it is volatile enough to evaporate during cooking. This is the reason you can safely eat a soup or stew that has lots of garlic in the recipe, and still enjoy a friendly tete-a-tete with someone. [Reference: John Emsley, Molecules at an Exhibition]
STARVELING
starveling:
noun:
- one who is thin from lack of food, or who is starving or being starved
adjective:
- being a starveling
- poor in quality; inadequate
noun:
- one who is thin from lack of food, or who is starving or being starved
adjective:
- being a starveling
- poor in quality; inadequate
Sunday, June 20, 2010
PUCKISH
puckish: impish; whimsical; mischievous
Example: It happens that I had recently read an article on wordplay in the Smithsonian magazine in which the author asserted that some puckish soul had once sent a letter addressed, with playful ambiguity, to HILL JOHN MASS and it had gotten there after the postal authorities had worked out that it was to be read as "John Underhill, Andover, Mass." [Reference: Bill Bryson, I'm a Stranger Here Myself]
Example: It happens that I had recently read an article on wordplay in the Smithsonian magazine in which the author asserted that some puckish soul had once sent a letter addressed, with playful ambiguity, to HILL JOHN MASS and it had gotten there after the postal authorities had worked out that it was to be read as "John Underhill, Andover, Mass." [Reference: Bill Bryson, I'm a Stranger Here Myself]
TENET
tenet: an opinion, principle, belief, dogma or doctrine generally held to be true; especially, one held by members of an organization
Example: Adopting this tenet is a practical matter and has nothing to do with any insight into an ultimate truth. [Reference: A Brief History of Disbelief]
Example: Adopting this tenet is a practical matter and has nothing to do with any insight into an ultimate truth. [Reference: A Brief History of Disbelief]
SURREPTITIOUS
surreptitious:
- done, made, gotten or acquired by stealth
- acting something clandestinely; marked by stealth
Example: Now she made a surreptitious glance toward the doorway into the hall. [Reference: Naeem Murr, The Boy]
- done, made, gotten or acquired by stealth
- acting something clandestinely; marked by stealth
Example: Now she made a surreptitious glance toward the doorway into the hall. [Reference: Naeem Murr, The Boy]
NEOTERIC
neoteric: recent in origin; modern
Example: In point of fact, the clash between outmoded newsgathering and neoteric tech-wizardry is a long time coming. [Reference: Rob Fishman: Old Dogs, New Media: Why J-School Apps Are Up]
Example: In point of fact, the clash between outmoded newsgathering and neoteric tech-wizardry is a long time coming. [Reference: Rob Fishman: Old Dogs, New Media: Why J-School Apps Are Up]
Friday, June 18, 2010
TUTELARY
tutelary: having the guardianship or charge of protecting a person or a thing; guardian; protecting; as, "tutelary goddesses."
VAPID
vapid:
- lacking liveliness and spirit; unanimated; spiritless; dull; as, "a vapid speech."
- flavorless; lacking taste or zest; flat; as, "vapid beer."
- lacking liveliness and spirit; unanimated; spiritless; dull; as, "a vapid speech."
- flavorless; lacking taste or zest; flat; as, "vapid beer."
EXPROPRIATE
expropriate:
- to deprive of possession
- to transfer (the property of another) to oneself
(Example: Very few voters, after all, really believe Europe's new generation of social democratic leaders are wild Bolsheviks plotting to expropriate their Toyotas. [Reference: Fintan O'Toole, "The last gasp of social democracy", Irish Times, March 19, 1999])
- to deprive of possession
- to transfer (the property of another) to oneself
(Example: Very few voters, after all, really believe Europe's new generation of social democratic leaders are wild Bolsheviks plotting to expropriate their Toyotas. [Reference: Fintan O'Toole, "The last gasp of social democracy", Irish Times, March 19, 1999])
SUPERCILIOUS
supercilious: disdainfully arrogant; haughty
(Exapmle: The girl has a supercilious expression, and seems to be looking down her nose at the camera. [Reference: Annie Dillard, For the Time Being])
(Exapmle: The girl has a supercilious expression, and seems to be looking down her nose at the camera. [Reference: Annie Dillard, For the Time Being])
OSTRACIZE
ostracize:
- to banish or expel from a community or group; to cast out from social, political, or private favor
- [Greek Antiquity] to exile by ostracism; to banish by a popular vote, as at Athens
(Example: As for scientists who might be tempted to pursue the theory, he says, they worry that their colleagues might ostracize them for stepping out of line and that their funding could suffer. [Reference: Jon Cohen, "The Hunt for the Origin of AIDS", The Atlantic, October 2000])
- to banish or expel from a community or group; to cast out from social, political, or private favor
- [Greek Antiquity] to exile by ostracism; to banish by a popular vote, as at Athens
(Example: As for scientists who might be tempted to pursue the theory, he says, they worry that their colleagues might ostracize them for stepping out of line and that their funding could suffer. [Reference: Jon Cohen, "The Hunt for the Origin of AIDS", The Atlantic, October 2000])
Saturday, June 12, 2010
EPHEMERON
ephemeron:
- something short-lived or of no lasting significance
- ephemera: items, especially printed matter (as posters, broadsides, pamphlets, etc.), intended to be of use or importance for only a short time but preserved by collectors
- something short-lived or of no lasting significance
- ephemera: items, especially printed matter (as posters, broadsides, pamphlets, etc.), intended to be of use or importance for only a short time but preserved by collectors
SIMULACRUM
simulacrum:
- an image; a representation
- an insubstantial, superficial, or vague likeness or semblance
- an image; a representation
- an insubstantial, superficial, or vague likeness or semblance
SYLVAN
sylvan:
adjective:
- of or pertaining to woods or forest regions
- living or located in a wood or forest
- abounding in forests or trees; wooded
noun:
- a fabled deity or spirit of the woods
- one that lives in or frequents the woods or forest; a rustic
adjective:
- of or pertaining to woods or forest regions
- living or located in a wood or forest
- abounding in forests or trees; wooded
noun:
- a fabled deity or spirit of the woods
- one that lives in or frequents the woods or forest; a rustic
INTROSPECTION
introspection: - the act or process of self-examination; contemplation of one's own thoughts and feelings; a looking inward
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
AMANUENSIS
amanuensis: (plural: amanuenses) one employed to write dictation or to copy manuscript
(Example: On the contrary, Tolstoy corrected and recorrected it so often that his wife, who acted as his amanuensis, is said to have copied the whole enormous manuscript no less than seven times! [Reference: Imperishable Fiction: An Inquiry into the Short Life of the Best Sellers Reveals the Methods Which Brought into Being the Novels that Endure, Le Gallienne, Richard])
(Example: On the contrary, Tolstoy corrected and recorrected it so often that his wife, who acted as his amanuensis, is said to have copied the whole enormous manuscript no less than seven times! [Reference: Imperishable Fiction: An Inquiry into the Short Life of the Best Sellers Reveals the Methods Which Brought into Being the Novels that Endure, Le Gallienne, Richard])
Review Items No. 1-180
Review Items No. 1-180
febrile: pertaining to fever; feverish; caused by fever
foment: to rouse; to incite; to instigate
beholden: being under obligation; indebted
gravid: pregnant; distended with eggs
bibelot: a small household ornament or decorative object that has no practical utility; trinket
edacious: voracious; gluttonous
hale: free from disease, infirmity, defect, or weakening conditions; sound; healthy
fetid: having a very offensive smell; stinking
gloaming: twilight; dusk
bestow:
- to present as a gift; to present as an honor
- to put to use; to apply
sobriquet: nickname; epithet; a descriptive name
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
wizened: dried up; withered; shriveled; shrunken (Example: The new CEO is a wizened old man.)
neologism:
- a new word or a new meaning for an established word or expression
- the use or creation of new words or new expressions
lassitude:
- a state or feeling of being tired; fatigue
- a condition of weariness or debility; languor
- a condition of listlessness
cosset:
- a pet lamb
- a small pet
- to treat as a pet; pamper
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.
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.)
bifurcate:
- to divide into two branches; to divide into two parts
- divided into two branches; divided into two parts
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 achievement
limen: threshold (Example: A limen of a psychological response is called a liminal point.)
exiguous: excessively scanty; inadequate; little; small; meager
lucre: monetary gain; profit (Example: He is a director who makes movies almost entirely for lucre.)
emolument: the returns, wages or perquisites arising from office, employment, or labor; compensation; gain
repast:
- something taken as food; a meal
also:
- the act of taking food
- the time of taking food
eschew: to avoid (as something wrong or distasteful especially on moral or practical grounds)
chary:
- wary; discreetly cautious as hesitant and vigilant about risks and dangers
- discreetly cautious as slow to accept, or expend; not expending freely; sparing
extempore: without preparation or premeditation; on the spur of the moment; in an extemporaneous manner (Example: He spoke extempore and wearied the audience.)
bombast: pompous or pretentious inflated speech or writing
weenie:
- frankfurter; wiener
- penis (slang)
- nerd
- an insignificant, disliked man (slang)
- a weak and ineffectual man (slang)
segue: a transition from one part to another without pause, as in music
propound: to put forward for discussion or consideration; to set forth; to propose
brio: enthusiastic vigor; vivacity (Example: "She tells their story with brio and a mixture of sympathy and tart insight.” [Michiko Kakutani])
superfluous: unnecessary; useless; more than what is wanted
dour: stern; obstinate; inflexible
aberrant: deviating from the normal way; atypical; abnormal
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"])
iota:
- the ninth letter of the Greek alphabet
- a bit; a jot; a very small quantity; a very small degree
cadge:
- to obtain by begging; to sponge
- to beg
insipid:
- lacking flavor or zest; tasteless
- not exciting; not interesting
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.)
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])
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])
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]
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])
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 trauma
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 overtake
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 stymie
erudite:
- possessing or showing an extensive knowledge gained from reading
- learned
- scholarly
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.
verve:
spirit and enthusiasm in an artistic performance
deft:
dexterous; quick; skillful; adroit
scrum:
- a restart after an interruption in a rugby play
- throng
masthead:
- the top of a mast
- the printed matter in a blog, newspaper or periodical that gives the title and the ownership detail, etc.
agelast:
a mirthless person; a person who never laughs
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 appearance
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 formation
baryon: the family of composite subatomic particles made of three quarks
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 joust
lambda:
- the eleventh letter of the Greek alphabet (Λ, λ)
- an uncharged hyperon
necropsy: autopsy (usually used for autopsy on animals)
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 position
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; allegiance
frolicsome:
full of gaiety; full of high-spirited fun; playful; sportive; rollicking
disport:
- to amuse; to entertain
- amusement; diversion
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 laager
Xanthippe (also: Xantippe) :
- Xanthippe was the wife of Socrates
- a scolding woman or wife; an ill-tempered woman or wife; a shrewish woman or wife
jollification: festivity; merrymaking; revelry; conviviality
roomette:
a small private room on a railroad sleeping car or in a railroad passenger train
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; amble
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-looking
old-timer:
- a person who has been an employee, member, soldier or resident for a long time
- an old-fashioned person
- oldster
- veteran
expound:
- to set forth in detail; to state in detail
- to explain, interpret, clarify or defend by setting forth in careful and often elaborate detail
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.)
remorse:
a gnawing distress for wrongdoing; compunction; self-reproach
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 knife
sorgo:
a sorghum cultivated for the sweet juice in its stems (to make sugar and syrup)
delve:
- to dig (with a spade)
- to make a careful investigation for information (Example: He delved into the book to understand the complex algorithms.)
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 fabric
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; clear
coeval:
of the same age or antiquity; contemporary
affranchise:
to make or set free from obligation or service
eremite:
a religious recluse; hermit
de jure:
- by right
- in accordance with the laws or the actions of the state
gregarious:
- tending or enjoying to be in crowds and socializing
- traveling or living in herds, flock, or crowd (as animals)
brut:
- very dry
- a sweetness measure for dry sparkling wines
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 months
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 policy
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-respect
jovial: good-humored, hearty convivial, or genial
abba:
- father
- title of a bishop in some Arabic churches
kame: an irregularly shaped hill or mound composed of sand, gravel and till
scuttlebutt: rumour; gossip
wordmonger
- a writer or speaker who uses words pretentiously
- a writer or speaker who uses words carelessly disregarding for meanings
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 dependence
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])
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])
ewe - a female sheep especially when mature
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 work
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 workers
hoodlum: a gangster; a thug; a ruffian
yowl:
- to utter a loud and long mournful cry of grief or distress; wail
- to complain with yowls
raver: a person who frequently speaks wildly and irrationally
sempre: always; used in music directions as without varying
turmoil: a state of extreme commotion; tumult
oblivion: the state of forgetting or being forgotten (Example: "Oblivion is a kind of annihilation." [Reference: The Life Of Johnson book])
pooh bah: a pompous ostentatious official especially one that holds many offices and jobs but fulfills none of them
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.
topsy-turvy:
- with the head downward; upside down; in a reversed condition
- in confusion or disorder
beleaguerment:
- surrounding with troops; besiege
- harassment
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 steps
lexicon: dictionary; a dictionary especially for of an ancient language
vex: disturb; annoy (Eample: "Vex not your mind on that," the prince answered, smiling. [Reference: The White Company book])
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])
womanizer:
- a man who philanders
- to be sexually promiscuous with women
- to make effeminate
duad: pair; couple; unit of two objects
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])
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.)
foreknowlege: - prescience - awareness of something before its existence or occurrence
looby: someone awkward and clumsy
novemdecillion: The number equal to 1060; one with 60 zeros
foolhardy: heady, reckless
goo goo:
- loving (mostly used in the phrase: goo-goo eyes)
- an advocate of a political reform movement
umpirage: mediation by an umpire; the act of umpiring; refereeing
vorticity:
- the state of a fluid in swirling or vortical motion
- a measure of vortical motions
quackery:
- charlatanism
- medical practice and advice based on observation and experience and ignoring scientific findings
mooch:
- ask for and get free as being a parasite
- someone who cadges and tries to get something free
ultramundane: being beyond the world or the limits of the universe
almsgiving: something such as money, food, etc. given freely to relieve the poor
lorn: desolate; forsaken
idiographic: relating to or concerned with concrete or unique
facts or events
cade: left by its mother and reared by hand (e.g. a cade lamb)
zoolatry: animal worship
baksheesh: munificence (baksheesh is originally a Persian word)
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 art
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 art
iconoclast:
- someone who destroys religious images or opposes their veneration
- someone who attacks settled beliefs or institutions
amulet: a small object worn to ward off evil, harm, or illness or to bring
good fortune
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 obstacle
artiodactyl: having an even number of toes on each foot (as
camel or pig)
neuston: minute organisms that float in the surface film of water
vatic:
- of or related to a prophet or a prophecy
- prophetic
gelid: extremely cold, icy
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 recital
rorqual: any of a family of large baleen whales having the skin of
the throat marked with deep longitudinal furrows
endocarp: the inner, usually woody, layer of the pericarp of a
fruit, such as the stone of a cherry or peach
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 language
euphemism: the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive
expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant
derision:
- the use of ridicule or scorn to show contempt
- an object of ridicule or scorn
doppelganger (Doppelgänger): the ghostly double of a living
person
subintelligitur:
- something that is implied even though not expressed
- something that is not stated but understood
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
pneuma: - soul - spirit
interdigitate: to become interlocked like the fingers of folded
hands
nanocephalous: having abnormally small head
firmament: - the arch of the sky - the heavens
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 expression
sapid: - having a strong pleasant flavor - pleasing to the mind
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 society
socioeconomic: relating to, or involving both economic and
social factors
gadabout: one roaming about in search of amusement or social
activity
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 life
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 intrude
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 type
penchant: - a strong liking - a strong inclination
incongruous: - not harmonious - inconsistent
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)
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)
vexatious: distressing
----------------------
Detailed Definition:
adjective
- full of stress
- full of disorder
- full of annoyance
- causing vexation
- annoying
- intended to vex
- intended to annoy
pecuniary: monetary
----------------------
Detailed Definition:
adjective
- relating to money
- consisting of or measured in money
- requiring payment of money (e.g. a pecuniary offense)
propitious: presenting favorable conditions
----------------------
Detailed Definition:
adjective
- favorable
- being a good omen
- auspicious
- benevolent
chicanery: deception by trickery or sophistry
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
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 vigor
machination: a crafty action intended to accomplish a sinister
end
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
- intermission
chapfallen: cast down in spirit
----------------------
Detailed Definition:
adjective
- dejected
- downhearted
- crestfallen
- depressed
heliolatry: worship of the sun
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 argument
MIEN
mien:
- demeanor; manner or bearing (especially as expressive of attitude or personality)
- aspect; appearance
(Example: He was a Vietnam veteran with a haunted mien. [James Traub (1954- )])
- demeanor; manner or bearing (especially as expressive of attitude or personality)
- aspect; appearance
(Example: He was a Vietnam veteran with a haunted mien. [James Traub (1954- )])
CLOY
cloy:
- to weary by excess usually of something originally pleasing
- to become distasteful with an excess
(Example: I use orange and lemon zest in the recipe and a drizzle of soured cream at the table to take away its tendency to cloy. [Reference: Nigel Slater, "Cream tease", The Observer, December 14, 2003])
- to weary by excess usually of something originally pleasing
- to become distasteful with an excess
(Example: I use orange and lemon zest in the recipe and a drizzle of soured cream at the table to take away its tendency to cloy. [Reference: Nigel Slater, "Cream tease", The Observer, December 14, 2003])
Thursday, June 3, 2010
PREGAME
pregame:
- to drink before going to a party; to drink to start one's night off
- the act of partaking in a pregame
(Example: I really need to pregame tonight before we go to her birthday party.)
- to drink before going to a party; to drink to start one's night off
- the act of partaking in a pregame
(Example: I really need to pregame tonight before we go to her birthday party.)
HEAD OFF
head off:
- to intercept and force to change direction
- to prevent something that is likely to happen; to prevent the occurrence of; to forestall
- to depart
- prevention (for happening, progress, or completion of)
(Example: In order to head off the fugitives, the frigate took one channel and her consorts the other, the ship and brig choosing that which the Hyder Ali had selected. [Reference: Life and Times of Washington])
- to intercept and force to change direction
- to prevent something that is likely to happen; to prevent the occurrence of; to forestall
- to depart
- prevention (for happening, progress, or completion of)
(Example: In order to head off the fugitives, the frigate took one channel and her consorts the other, the ship and brig choosing that which the Hyder Ali had selected. [Reference: Life and Times of Washington])
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
PROFLIGATE
profligate:
- wildly, openly and shamelessly immoral
- recklessly extravagant
(Example: Life had to be challenged, attacked every instant, with reckless speed in a Ferrari, with profligate spending, with unrestrained sexuality, with artistic ambitions as monumental as they were impractical. [Reference: Tag Gallagher, The Adventures of Roberto Rossellini])
- wildly, openly and shamelessly immoral
- recklessly extravagant
(Example: Life had to be challenged, attacked every instant, with reckless speed in a Ferrari, with profligate spending, with unrestrained sexuality, with artistic ambitions as monumental as they were impractical. [Reference: Tag Gallagher, The Adventures of Roberto Rossellini])
CREDULOUS
credulous:
- ready or inclined to believe especially on slight or uncertain evidence
- proceeding from a disposition to believe too readily; proceeding from credulity
(Example: To her critics, she was a madam and con artist who charged credulous clients ... [Reference: Laurence Bergreen, Louis Armstrong: An Extravagant Life])
- ready or inclined to believe especially on slight or uncertain evidence
- proceeding from a disposition to believe too readily; proceeding from credulity
(Example: To her critics, she was a madam and con artist who charged credulous clients ... [Reference: Laurence Bergreen, Louis Armstrong: An Extravagant Life])
OMNIPRESENT
omnipresent: present in all places at the same time; present in all places at all times; ubiquitous
(Example: The novella moves at a pace as sluggish as that of the omnipresent moon making its way across the limpid summer sky. [Reference: Tobin Harshaw, "Pay the Piper", New York Times, November 14, 1999])
(Example: The novella moves at a pace as sluggish as that of the omnipresent moon making its way across the limpid summer sky. [Reference: Tobin Harshaw, "Pay the Piper", New York Times, November 14, 1999])
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
RATIOCINATION
ratiocination: the process of logical reasoning or exact thinking
(Example: The adventures of Sherlock Holmes proved so popular that it became a given that mystery tales should include a sleuth who investigates a murder or other crime, and by virtue of intelligence, ratiocination and perseverance solves a case that initially seemed unsolvable. [Reference: Maxim Jakubowski, "A beginner's guide to crime fiction", The Guardian, October 29, 1999])
(Example: The adventures of Sherlock Holmes proved so popular that it became a given that mystery tales should include a sleuth who investigates a murder or other crime, and by virtue of intelligence, ratiocination and perseverance solves a case that initially seemed unsolvable. [Reference: Maxim Jakubowski, "A beginner's guide to crime fiction", The Guardian, October 29, 1999])
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