abecedarian \ay-bee-see-DAIR-ee-un\ (adjective)
*1 a : of or relating to the alphabet b : alphabetically arranged
2 : rudimentary
Example sentence:
The children recited an abecedarian chant, beginning with
"A is for apple" and ending with "Z is for zebra."
Did you know?
The history of "abecedarian" is as simple as ABC -- literally. The term's
Late Latin ancestor, "abecedarius"
(which meant "of the alphabet"), was created as a combination of the letters A,
B, C, and D, plus the suffix "-arius"; you can hear the echo of that origin in
the pronunciation of the English term (think "ABC-darian"). In its oldest
documented English uses in the early 1600s, "abecedarian" was a noun meaning
"one learning the rudiments of something"; it specifically referred to someone
who was learning the alphabet. The adjective began appearing in English texts
around 1665.
bastion \BASS-chun\ (noun)
1 : a projecting part of a fortification
2 : a fortified area or position
*3 : something that is considered a stronghold : bulwark
Example sentence:
The university's economics department was considered the last bastion of
political conservatism within an otherwise liberal campus.
Did you know?
"Bastion" is constructed of etymological building blocks that are very
similar to those of "bastille" (a word now used as a general term for a prison,
but probably best known as the name of the Parisian fortress-turned-prison
stormed by an angry mob at the start of the French Revolution). The history of
"bastion" can be traced through Middle French to the Old Italian verb "bastire,"
which means "to build." "Bastille" descends from the Old Provencal verb "bastir,"
which also means "to build." "Bastir" and "bastire" are themselves of Germanic
origin and akin to the Old High German word "besten," meaning "to patch."
purfle \PER-ful\ (verb)
: to ornament the border or edges of
Example sentence:
"The [guitar] top is Sitka spruce purfled in abalone." (Marti Davis,
_Knoxville News-Sentinel_, May 15, 2002)
Did you know?
Today we use "purfle" mostly in reference to setting a decorative inlaid
border around the body of a guitar or violin, a process known as "purfling." In
the past, "purfle" got the most use in connection with adornment of garments.
"The Bishop of Ely . . . wore a robe of scarlet . . . purfled with minever,"
reported an English clergyman in 1840, for example. We embellished our language
with "purfle," first as "purfilen" in the 1300s, when we took it with its
meaning from Middle French "porfiler." Related to "purfle" is "filigree," which
is used as a noun for ornamental work made of fine wire, and also as a verb
meaning "to adorn with filigree." "Purfle" and "filigree" share the Latin source
"filum," which means "thread."
impregnable \im-PREG-nuh-bul\ (adjective)
*1 : incapable of being taken by assault : unconquerable
2 : unassailable; also : impenetrable
Example sentence:
Herod the Great built what he thought was an impregnable fortress at Masada,
near the Dead Sea, but it fell to the Romans in 73 A.D.
Did you know?
You may think at first glance that "impregnable" means "incapable of being
impregnated," but "impregnable" is actually unrelated to "impregnate" and
"pregnant." Both "impregnate" and "pregnant" can be traced back to the Latin
word "praegnas," which means "pregnant." "Impregnable," on the other hand, came
to English from Middle French and derives from the verb "prendre," which means
"take, capture." (It ultimately comes from the Latin verb "prehendere," meaning
"to seize.") "Impregnable" does have some other surprising cousins in English --
combining "prendre" with various prefixes has given our language words such as
"surprise," "reprise," and "enterprise."
oneiric \oh-NYE-rik\ (adjective)
: of or relating to dreams : dreamy
Example sentence:
The misty garden setting and odd dialogue gave the film an oneiric quality.
Did you know?
The notion of using the Greek noun "oneiros" (meaning "dream") to form the
English adjective "oneiric" wasn't dreamed up until the mid-19th century. But
back in the early 1600s, linguistic dreamers came up with a few "oneiros"
spin-offs, giving English "oneirocriticism," "oneirocritical," and "oneirocritic"
(each referring to dream interpreters or
interpretation). The surge in "oneiros" derivatives at that time may have been
fueled by the current interest among English scholars in _Oneirocritica_, a book
about dream interpretation by 2nd century Greek soothsayer Artemidorus Daldianus.
intestine \in-TESS-tin\ (adjective)
: internal; specifically : of or relating to the internal affairs of a
state or country
Example sentence:
Regrettably, the region has been mired in intestine conflict for many
years.
Did you know?
We bet you thought "intestine" was a noun referring to a part of the
digestive system! Well, it is, of course, but naming that internal body part
isn't the word's only function. It can also be an adjective meaning "internal."
Both parts of speech have been a part of English since the 15th century, and
both trace to the Latin adjective "intestinus," meaning "internal." (Our
adjective comes directly from "intestinus," while our noun comes from "intestinus"
by way of the Latin noun "intestinum.") Of course, these days, the adjective
"intestine" tends to turn up much less frequently than does its anatomical
cousin. The adjective does see occasional use, however, especially as a synonym
for "civil" and "domestic" (in contrast to "foreign") to describe wars and
disturbances.
carte blanche \KART-BLAHNSH or KART-BLAHNCH\
(noun)
: full discretionary power
Example sentence:
Mia's parents had granted her carte blanche to decorate her bedroom as she
wished, so they held their tongues when she chose colors they didn't like.
Did you know?
"Carte blanche" is much like "a blank check." In French, "carte" means
"document" and "blanche" means "blank," so the phrase all together means "blank
document." When English speakers first borrowed the phrase in the early 18th
century, it retained that literal meaning: a carte blanche was a blank document
signed in advance by one party and given to the other with permission to fill in
conditions later. Much like "blank check," "carte blanche" also took on the
extended meaning "complete freedom." This meaning remains the primary meaning
for the word, though it can also signify a hand of cards containing no king,
queen, or jack.
parlay \PAR-lay or PAR-lee\ (verb)
1 : to bet in a parlay
*2 a : to exploit successfully b : to increase or otherwise transform into
something of much greater value
Example sentence:
Albert parlayed his notoriety into a fortune by publishing a memoir about
his life in crime and his years in
prison.
Did you know?
If you're the gambling type, you already know that "parlay" can also be
used as a noun describing a series of bets
in which a person places a bet, then puts the original stake of money and all of
its winnings on new wagers. But you might not know that "parlay" represents a
modified spelling of the French name for such bets, "paroli." You might also be
unaware that the original French word is still occasionally used in English with
the same meaning as the noun "parlay."
cerebral \suh-REE-brul or SEH-ruh-brul\
(adjective)
1 : of or relating to the brain, intellect, or cerebrum
*2 : appealing to or involving the intellect
Example sentence:
The cerebral drama of George Bernard Shaw forces the audience to think hard
about complex subjects such as social duty, justice, and morality.
Did you know?
English borrowed the root "cerebrum," meaning "brain," direct from Latin,
but the adjective "cerebral" took a slightly more circuitous route into our
language, reaching English by way of the French "cerebral" (in French, the word
has accents on the first and second "e"). Although "cerebrum" has been used in
our language as a name for the brain since the early 1600s (the more specific
scientific sense referring just to the large upper part of the brain developed
later), "cerebral" didn't appear in print in English until 1816. Other brainy
descendants of "cerebrum" in English include "cerebellum" (a technical label for
part of the brain) and "cerebrate," which arrived in English in 1915 with the
meaning "to use the mind, think."
higgledy-piggledy \hih-gul-dee-PIG-gul-dee\
(adverb)
: in a confused, disordered, or random manner
Example sentence:
Furniture, boxes, and clothes were piled higgledy-piggledy throughout the
house, offering chaotic testimony that the Harrisons were far from settled in
their new home.
Did you know?
We really have no idea where "higgledy-piggledy" came from, but we do know
it's a perfect example of English speakers' fondness for reduplication; that is,
for forming new words by repetition of a base word with just a slight change of
sound. In this case, the "base" word might actually be the second term, which is
loosely reminiscent of "pig" and calls to mind the possible association of pigs
with disorderliness. (Nathaniel Hawthorne, at least, noted a connection: "pigs,
on a march, do not subject themselves to any leader among themselves, but pass
on, higgledy-piggledy, without regard to age or sex.") We also know that the
word has been around since before 1600; it appeared as a translation of an
Italian word in a 1598 Italian-English dictionary. According to that dictionary,
the Italian term could also be translated as "pell-mell" or "helter-skelter" --
two other examples of reduplication.
ambrosia \am-BROH-zhuh or am-BROH-zhee-uh\ (noun)
*1 a : the food of the Greek and Roman gods b : the ointment or perfume of
the gods
2 : something extremely pleasing to taste or smell
3 : a dessert made of oranges and shredded coconut
Example sentence:
"We feasted that evening as on nectar and ambrosia; and not the least
delight of the entertainment was the smile of
gratification with which our hostess regarded us . . ." (Charlotte Bronte, _Jane
Eyre_)
Did you know?
"Ambrosia" literally means "immortality" in Greek; it is derived from the
Greek word "ambrotos," meaning "immortal," which combines the prefix "a-"
(meaning "not") with "-mbrotos" (meaning "mortal"). In Greek and Roman
mythology, only the immortals -- gods and goddesses -- could eat ambrosia. Those
mythological gods and goddesses also drank "nectar," the original sense of which
refers to the "drink of the gods." "Nectar" (in Greek, "nektar") may have
implied immortality as well, as it probably translates literally as "overcoming
death." (Even today, you'll often find the words "ambrosia" and "nectar" in each
other's company.) While the "ambrosia" of the gods offered immortality, we mere
mortals use "ambrosia" in reference to things that just taste or smell
especially delicious.
clairvoyant \klair-VOY-unt\ (adjective)
1 : unusually perceptive : discerning
*2 : of or relating to the power of discerning objects not present to the
senses
Example sentence:
Ted hoped that Madame Serena really was clairvoyant when she looked at the
tea leaves in the bottom of his cup and predicted he'd soon meet the girl of his
dreams.
Did you know?
In French, "clairvoyant" literally means "clear-seeing." English speakers
borrowed the term in the latter half of the
17th century as an adjective describing someone with a keen sense of perception,
but not supernatural powers. Who could have foretold then that some 200 years
later we would apply this same adjective to someone who essentially has ESP, an
unexplainable ability to know or perceive things that others cannot? (We also
now use "clairvoyant" as a noun for a person who has this ability.) Nowadays,
"clairvoyant" is nearly always used in the ESP sense, although frequently the
allusion to special powers isn't dead serious. ("Are you clairvoyant? How did
you know I was going to wear my flamingo shirt?")
dossier \DOSS-yay or DAH-see-ay\ (noun)
: a file containing detailed records on a particular person or subject
Example sentence:
"Here's everything we have on the Wainwright case," said Jonas, handing me
a thick dossier.
Did you know?
Gather together a small mountain of documents relating to the affairs of a
certain individual, sort it all into separate
folders, label the spine of each folder, and arrange them in a box. "Dossier,"
the French word for such a compendium of spine-labeled folders, was picked up by
English speakers in the late 19th century. It comes from "dos," the French word
for "back," which is in turn derived from "dorsum," Latin for "back." (Our word
"dorsal," meaning "situated on the back," comes from the same Latin source.) If
"dossier" has an official, even a Big Brother-ish ring, that's not too
surprising. From its earliest days in English, we've tended to use it for
compilations of weighty government matters such as national security.
palmary \PAL-muh-ree or PAHL-muh-ree\ (adjective)
: outstanding, best
Example sentence:
Louis Pasteur is best known for originating pasteurization, but he also
made palmary contributions in the field of
immunology, including finding a vaccination for anthrax.
Did you know?
English speakers have been using "palmary" since the 1600s, and its history
stretches back even further than that. It was the ancient Romans who first used
their "palmarius" to describe someone or something extraordinary. "Palmarius"
literally translates as "deserving the palm." But what does that mean exactly?
Was it inspired by palms of hands coming together in applause? That would be a
good guess, but the direct inspiration for "palmarius" was the palm leaf given
to a victor in a sports competition. That other palm, the one on the hand, is
loosely related. The Romans thought the palm tree's leaves resembled an
outstretched palm of the hand; they thus used their word "palma"
for both meanings, just as we do with "palm" in English.
perpend \per-PEND\ (verb)
1 : to reflect on carefully : ponder
*2 : to be attentive : reflect
Example sentence:
Perpend: if you let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip away, you will
regret it.
Did you know?
"Perpend" isn't used often these days, but when it does show up it is
frequently imperative, as in our example sentence. As such, its use can be
compared to the phrase "mark my words." "Perpend" arrived in English in the 15th
century from the Latin verb "perpendere," which in turn comes from "pendere,"
meaning "to weigh." Appropriately, our English word essentially means "to weigh
carefully in the mind." "Pendere" has several descendants in English, including
"append," "compendium," "expend," and "suspend." "Perpend" can also be a noun
meaning "a brick or large stone reaching through a wall" or "a wall built of
such stones," but that "perpend" comes from a Middle French source and is
unrelated to the verb.
clandestine \klan-DESS-tun\ (adjective)
: marked by, held in, or conducted with secrecy: surreptitious
Example sentence:
In their clandestine meetings, the conspirators determined how and when
they would assassinate the emperor.
Did you know?
In 1658, the English poet John Milton wrote of "clandestine Hostility
cover'd over with the name of Peace." Three and a half centuries later we use
"clandestine" in much the same way. The word is often used as a synonym of
"secret"
and "covert," and it is commonly applied to actions that involve secrecy
maintained for an evil, illicit, or unauthorized purpose. It comes to us by way
of Middle French from Latin "clandestinus," which is itself from "clam," meaning
"secretly."
tatterdemalion \tat-er-dih-MAIL-yun\ (adjective)
1 *a : ragged or disreputable in appearance b : being in a decayed state
or condition : dilapidated
2 : beggarly, disreputable
Example sentence:
Ill-equipped and ragtag, the tatterdemalion volunteers showed no hope of
ever becoming a real fighting army.
Did you know?
The exact origin of "tatterdemalion" is uncertain, but it's probably
connected somehow to either the noun "tatter" ("a torn scrap or shred") or the
adjective "tattered" ("ragged" or "wearing ragged clothes"). We do know that
"tatterdemalion" has been used in print since the 1600s. In its first documented
use in 1611, it was used as a noun (as it still can be) in reference to a person
in ragged clothing -- the type we might also call a ragamuffin. ("Ragamuffin,"
incidentally, predates "tatterdemalion" in this sense. Like "tatterdemalion," it
may have been formed by combining a known word, "rag," with a fanciful ending.)
Within three years of the first appearance of "tatterdemalion," it came to be
used as an adjective for anything or anyone ragged or disreputable.
chary \CHAIR-ee\ (adjective)
: discreetly cautious: as a : hesitant and vigilant about dangers and risks
*b : slow to grant, accept, or expend
Example sentence:
"I wanted my father's good opinion because he was chary of his compliments
and shy in his affection." (_The
Autobiography of William Allen White_)
Did you know?
It was sorrow that bred the caution of "chary." In Middle English "chary"
meant "sorrowful," a sense that harks back to the word's Old English ancestor "caru"
(an early form of "care," another term that originally meant "sorrow" or
"grief"). In a sense switch that demonstrates that love can be both bitter and
sweet, "chary" later came to mean "dear" or "cherished." That's how 16th century
English dramatist George Peele used it: "the chariest and the choicest queen,
That ever did delight my royal eyes." Both sorrow and affection have largely
faded away now, however, and in Modern English "chary" is most often used as a
synonym of either "careful" or "sparing."
canard \kuh-NARD\ (noun)
*1 : a false or unfounded report or story; especially : a fabricated report
2 : an airplane with horizontal stabilizing and control surfaces in front
of supporting surfaces; also : a small airfoil in front of the wing of an
aircraft that increases the aircraft's stability
Example sentence:
The old canard about lemmings suicidally jumping into the sea has been
disproven, although it's true they do often
drown during migration.
Did you know?
The French had an old saying (going back to Middle French), "vendre des
canards a moitie," literally, "to half-sell ducks." It meant "to fool" or "to
cheat." That expression led to the use of "canard," the French word for "duck,"
to mean "a hoax" or "a fabrication." English speakers adopted this "canard" in
the mid-1800s. The aeronautical sense of "canard," used from the early days of
flying, comes from the stubby duck-like appearance of the aircraft. "Canard" can
even mean simply "duck" in English as well, but this use is limited to the
specialized realm of cooking. The French word itself is ultimately derived from
"caner," Old French for "cackle," a word of imitative origin.
peripeteia \peh-ruh-puh-TEE-uh or peh-ruh-puh-TYE-uh\
(noun)
: a sudden or unexpected reversal of circumstances or situation especially
in a literary work
Example sentence:
In the last act of the play, the king's decision to avenge his brother
leads to an abrupt peripeteia that leaves
him bereft of his throne and his family.
Did you know?
"Peripeteia" comes from Greek, in which the verb "peripiptein" means "to
fall around" or "to change suddenly."
It usually indicates a turning point in a drama after which the plot moves
steadily to its denouement. In his _Poetics_,
Aristotle describes the peripeteia as the shift of the tragic protagonist's
fortune from good to bad -- a shift that is
essential to the plot of a tragedy. But the term is also used to refer to a
protagonist's shift from bad fortune to good in
a comedy.
countermand \KOWN-ter-mand ("ow" as in "town")\ (verb)
*1 : to revoke (a command) by a contrary order
2 : to recall or order back by a superseding contrary order
Example sentence:
General Carmichael countermanded his original order for reinforcements when
he saw that the threat of an attack had clearly passed.
Did you know?
In the military, one's mandate is to follow the commands (and sometimes the
"countermands") of the officers. Doing their bidding is not particularly
commendable -- it's simply mandatory. The Latin verb "mandare," meaning "to
entrust" or "to order," is the authority behind "countermand." It's also behind
the words "mandate," "command," "commend" (which can mean "to entrust" as well
as "to praise"), and "mandatory." "Countermand" came to English via Middle
French, where the prefix "contre-" ("against") was combined with the verb "mander"
("to command"). It has been a part of our language since the 1400s.
paean \PEE-un\ (noun)
: a joyous song or hymn of praise, tribute, thanksgiving, or triumph;
broadly : encomium, tribute
Example sentence:
When the king announced that the war was officially over, the crowd erupted
into a wild paean that rose in a chorus of thousands of voices.
Did you know?
According to the poet Homer, the Greek god Apollo sometimes took the guise
of Paean, physician to the gods. The earliest musical paeans were hymns of
thanksgiving and praise that were dedicated to Apollo. They were sung at events
ranging from boisterous festivals to public funerals, and were the traditional
marching songs of armies heading into battle. Over time, the word became
generalized, and it is now used for any kind of tribute.
apotheosis \uh-pah-thee-OH-suss or ap-uh-THEE-uh-suss("th"
as in "think")\ (noun)
*1 : elevation to divine status : deification
2 : the perfect example : quintessence
Example sentence:
Abraham Lincoln underwent an apotheosis of sorts, from controversial
politician to saintly father of democracy,
shortly after he was assassinated.
Did you know?
Among the ancient Greeks, it was sometimes thought fitting -- or simply
handy, say if you wanted a god somewhere in your bloodline -- to grant someone
or other god status. So they created the word "apotheosis," meaning "making into
a god." (The prefix "apo-" can mean simply "quite" or "completely," and "theos"
is the Greek word for "god.") There's not a lot of Greek-style apotheosizing in
the 21st century, but there is hero-worship. Our extended use of "apotheosis" as
"elevation to divine status" is the equivalent of "placement on a very high
pedestal." Even more common these days is to use "apotheosis" in reference to a
perfect example or ultimate form. For example, one might describe a movie as
"the apotheosis of the sci-fi movie genre."
autochthonous \aw-TAHK-thuh-nuss ("th" as in "think")\
(adjective)
*1 : indigenous, native
2 : formed or originating in the place where found
Example sentence:
Though an avid bird enthusiast, Eric has little love for species that
aren't autochthonous, because they often crowd
out native species.
Did you know?
Ancient Athenians considered their ancestors the primordial inhabitants of
their land, as if sprung from the very soil of the region they inhabited. Their
word for any true-born Athenian, "autochthon," itself springs from "auto-,"
meaning "self," and "chthon," meaning "earth." Nowadays, the English adjective
"autochthonous" is most likely to be used in
somewhat meaty scientific or anthropological writing (as in "several
autochthonous cases of fever broke out in the
region"), but it was a "bready" context in which it made its debut. Observed
English literary critic William Taylor in 1805: "The English have this great
predilection for autochthonous bread and butter" (rather than French bread, one
might safely presume).
alienist \AY-lee-uh-nist\ (noun)
: psychiatrist
Example sentence:
Julius Wagner von Jauregg was a gifted alienist and neurologist who was
awarded the 1927 Nobel Prize for
Physiology or Medicine.
Did you know?
"Alienist" looks and sounds like it should mean "someone who studies
aliens," and in fact "alienist" and "alien" are
related -- both are ultimately derived from the Latin word "alius," meaning
"other." In the case of "alienist," the etymological trail leads from Latin to
French, where the adjective "aliene" ("insane") gave rise to the noun "alieniste,"
referring to a doctor who treats the insane. "Alienist" first appeared in print
in English in 1864, but it was preceded by the other "alius" descendants "alien"
(14th century) and "alienate" (used as a verb since the early 16th century).
"Alienist" is much rarer than "psychiatrist" these days, but at one time it was
the preferred term.
gest \JEST\ (noun)
1 : a tale of adventures; especially : a romance in verse
*2 : adventure, exploit
Example sentence:
Dorothy, who has been led to the ends of the earth by her thirst for
adventure, now daydreams of the ultimate gest -- a trip into outer space.
Did you know?
"Let the Queen know of our gests," Antony instructs his men after a
hard-won victory on the battlefield in Shakespeare's _Antony and Cleopatra_.
Great deeds and heroic acts have been the stuff of gests since medieval days; in
fact, the word is more often associated with knights and heroes of old than with
modern adventurers. We may not be hearing about many 21st century "gests," but
we do frequently encounter other relatives of the word. "Gest" traces to Latin "gestus,"
the past participle of the verb "gerere," which means "to wage," "to
accomplish," or "to act," among other things. That Latin verb gave us stoutly
enduring words like "gesture," "ingest," "jest," "register," and "suggest."
valorous \VAL-uh-russ\ (adjective)
: valiant
Example sentence:
The mayor gave a stirring speech commemorating the valorous actions of the
firefighters who had worked so tirelessly to protect the town from the
encroaching forest fire.
Did you know?
If you are boldly seeking synonyms for "valorous," consider "courageous,"
"intrepid," "dauntless," "doughty," "bold," or just plain "brave" -- all of
which mean "having or showing no fear when faced with danger or difficulty." Of
the group, "brave" is the most straightforward, implying lack of fear in
alarming or difficult circumstances. "Courageous" carries a sense of
stout-hearted resolution in the face of danger, while "intrepid" suggests
downright daring in confronting peril (or fortitude in enduring it). "Dauntless"
suggests determination and resolution despite danger. "Doughty" means both
"fearless" and "resolute," but with a touch of humor. "Bold" may also indicate a
forward or defiant tendency to thrust oneself into difficult or dangerous
situations.
tremulous \TREM-yuh-luss\ (adjective)
*1 : marked by trembling or tremors : quivering
2 : timorous, timid
Example sentence:
"More than once he had cleared his throat, and drawn in the long, deep, and
tremulous breath, which, when sent forth again, would come burdened with the
black secret of his soul."
Did you know?
Do you suspect that "tremulous" must be closely related to "tremble"? If
so, you're right. Both of those words derive from the Latin verb "tremere,"
which means "to tremble." Some other English offspring of "tremere" are
"tremor," "tremendous," and "tremolo," a term that describes a vibrating and
quavering musical effect that was particularly popular for electric guitars and
organs in the 1970s.
will-o'-the-wisp \wil-uh-thuh-WISP\ (noun)
1 : a light that appears at night over marshy ground
*2 : a misleading or elusive goal or hope
Example sentence:
Though her friends think she's chasing a will-o'-the-wisp, Alexis is
determined to quit her job and follow her dream of becoming a pop music star.
Did you know?
The will-o'-the-wisp is a flame-like phosphorescence caused by gases from
decaying plants in marshy areas. In olden days, it was personified as "Will with
the wisp," a sprite who carried a fleeting "wisp" of light. Foolish travelers
were said to try to follow the light and be led astray into the marsh. (An 18th
century fairy tale described Will as one "who bears the wispy fire to trail the
swains among the mire.") The light was first known, and still also is, as "Ignis
Fatuus," which in Latin means "foolish fire." Eventually, the name
"will-o'-the-wisp" was extended to any impractical or unattainable goal.
declivity \dih-KLIH-vuh-tee\ (noun)
1 : downward inclination
*2 : a descending slope
Example sentence:
They hiked through the woods for several hours until they came to a gentle
declivity leading down to a stream, and there they decided to eat lunch.
Did you know?
"Clivus" is the Latin word for "slope" or "hill." Today we have three
English words descended from this Latin noun with various Latin prefixes
attached. "Declivity" comes from "clivus" plus the prefix "de-," meaning "down"
or "away." "Acclivity" uses the Latin "ad-" (which may change its second letter
depending on the root word), meaning "to" or "toward." Hence, an acclivity is an
upward slope. The third word has a figurative meaning in English: "proclivity"
makes use of the Latin prefix "pro-," meaning "forward," and this word refers to
a personal inclination, predisposition, or "leaning."
estival \ESS-tuh-vul\ (adjective)
: of or relating to the summer
Example sentence:
Curt basked in the simple estival joys, lolling in his hammock in the heat
of midday, sipping an icy lemonade, and
listening to the gentle hum of nearby bees.
Did you know?
"Estival" and "festival" look so much alike (and the estival months lend
themselves so well to festivals) that you
might think they're very closely related, but that isn't the case. "Estival"
traces back to "aestas," which is the Latin
word for "summer" (and which also gave us "estivate," a verb for spending the
summer in a torpid state -- a sort of hot-weather equivalent of hibernation).
"Festival" also comes from Latin, but it has a different and unrelated root. It
derives from "festivus," a term that means "festive" or "merry." "Festivus" is
also the ancestor of "festive," as well as
"festivity," the much rarer "festivous" (which also means "festive"), and the
also rare "infestive," meaning "not merry,
mirthless."
nescience \NEH-shee-unss or NEE-shee-unss\ (noun)
: lack of knowledge or awareness : ignorance
Example sentence:
"Your nescience of science fiction is rather obvious,"Jessie snarled, "and
I suggest you try reading it before you
criticize it."
Did you know?
Eighteenth-century British poet, essayist, and lexicographer Samuel Johnson
once said, "There is nothing so minute or inconsiderable that I would not rather
know it than not know it." He undoubtedly knew a thing or two about the history
of the word "nescience," which evolved from a combination of the Latin prefix "ne-,"
meaning "not," and "scire," a verb meaning "to know." And he probably knew that
"scire" is also an ancestor of "science," a word whose original meaning in
English was "knowledge."
flagitious \fluh-JIH-shuss\ (adjective)
: marked by scandalous crime or vice : villainous
Example sentence:
The actor will play a flagitious scoundrel in his next film -- a departure
from the "good guy" roles he usually takes
on.
Did you know?
"Flagitious" derives from the Latin noun "flagitum," meaning "shameful
thing," and can be ultimately traced back to
the Latin word "flagrum," meaning "whip." "Flagrum" is also the source of
"flagellate" ("to whip, scourge") and the very rare "flagitate," meaning
"importune." But it is NOT the source of "flagrant," which means "conspicuously
bad," despite the superficial resemblance. "Flagrant" and its cousins derive
instead from the Latin "flagrare," meaning "to burn." "Flagitious" first
appeared in print in the late 14th century, and it was originally applied to
people who were horribly criminal or wicked. These days, it can also describe
intangibles, such as actions ("flagitious promiscuity"), ideas ("a flagitious
notion"), and principles ("flagitious motives").
pogonip \PAH-guh-nip\ (noun)
: a dense winter fog containing frozen particles that is formed in deep
mountain valleys of the western U.S.
Example sentence:
"Never, ever again will I drive through the mountains in Nevada in winter,"
Renee told us, "after driving through a
pogonip last year, with zero visibility."
Did you know?
In the mountains of the western U.S., the fog condenses into tiny, biting
ice particles in extremely cold weather. The English-speaking settlers who
encountered this unpleasant and sometimes scary phenomenon when they went out
West in the 1800s needed a word for it. So they borrowed "paginappih" ("cloud")
from the Southern Paiute, a Shoshonean people of the southwestern U.S., altering
it to "pogonip." "Pogonip" is also the designation of an aptly named wilderness
area north of Santa Cruz that is often enveloped in fog.
vanguard \VAN-gard\ (noun)
1 : the troops moving at the head of an army
*2 : the forefront of an action or movement
Example sentence:
The artists and gallery owners in Joel's clique consider themselves to be
in the vanguard of the art world, setting
trends for others to follow.
Did you know?
People who think they are in the vanguard often feel that they are
avant-garde, which is reasonable given that "vanguard" derives from the Middle
French "avant-garde." Both terms were created by combining the Old French words
"avant," meaning "fore-," and "garde," meaning "guard." In the days of Middle
French, "avant-garde" referred to the troops that marched at the head of the
army. English speakers retained that meaning when they adopted "vanguard" in the
15th century. "Avant-garde" didn't make its own English debut until 1910.
revenant \REH-vuh-nunt\ (noun)
: one that returns after death or a long absence
Example sentence:
The play is about a family of revenants who come back to their ancestral
home after years of political exile.
Did you know?
Frightening or friendly, the classic revenant is a ghost, a spectre
returning from the dead. Sir Walter Scott, in his
novel the _Fair Maid of Perth_ used it that way in 1828, in one of the earliest
uses of the word in English. Somewhat chillingly he wrote, "Nor of taking the
fatal leap, had my revenant the slightest recollection." We borrowed "revenant"
from the French, who created it from their verb "revenir," which means simply
"to return" (as does its Latin ancestor, "revenire"). Later we appended a more
earthly meaning; a revenant can be any flesh-and-blood returnee when we use it
simply to mean a person who shows up after a long absence.
mollycoddle \MAH-lee-kah-dul\ (verb)
: to surround with an excessive or absurd degree of indulgence or attention
Example sentence:
"That boy's old enough to be on his own without you playing mother hen to
him," warned Uncle Joe, "so don't you
mollycoddle him, Elma."
Did you know?
Coddling eggs is delicate business. You need to cook them slowly and
gently, keeping the cooking water just below boiling. Given how carefully you
need to treat the eggs, it's not surprising that "coddle," the name for the
cooking process, had by the early 19th century developed a sense meaning "to
treat like an invalid, pamper." "Mollycoddle" was formed by combining "coddle"
with "molly," a nickname for Mary. In its earliest known uses in the 1830s,
"mollycoddle" was a noun, a synonym of our modern "wimp" (and specifically
applied to pampered or effeminate males), but within 30 years it was also being
used as a verb for the process of treating someone like a wimp.
infra dig \IN-fruh-DIG\ (adjective)
: being beneath one's dignity : undignified
Example sentence:
Now that Todd is a high school senior, he feels that riding the bus to
school is intolerably infra dig.
Did you know?
In her autobiography, Eleanor Roosevelt wrote "No one can make you feel
inferior without your consent." In other (less eloquent) words, don't put up
with any treatment or situation that is unendurably "infra dig." "Infra dig" is
used in relatively casual, sometimes sarcastic contexts (e.g., "Apparently
drugstore-purchased shampoo is too infra dig for my glamorous sister -- only the
most expensive salon shampoos will do!"). "Infra dig" is a shortened version of
the Latin phrase "infra dignitatem," meaning "beneath dignity."
muckrake \MUCK-rayk\ (verb)
: to search out and publicly expose real or apparent misconduct of a
prominent individual or business
Example sentence:
Arn is an aggressive reporter, never afraid to ask difficult questions,
hound evasive sources, or muckrake when
things appear suspect.
Did you know?
The noun "muckrake" (literally, a rake for "muck," i.e., manure) rose out
of the dung heap and into the realm of
literary metaphor in 1684. That's when John Bunyan used it in _Pilgrim's
Progress_ to represent man's preoccupation with earthly things. "The Man with
the Muckrake," he wrote, "could look no way but downward." In a 1906 speech,
Teddy Roosevelt recalled Bunyan's words while railing against journalists he
thought focused too much on exposing corruption in business and government.
Roosevelt called them "the men with the muck-rakes" and claimed they didn't know
"when to stop raking the muck and look upward." Investigative reporters weren't
insulted; they adopted the term "muckraker" as a badge of honor. And soon
English speakers were using the verb "muckrake" for the practice of exposing
misconduct.
untenable \un-TEH-nuh-bul\ (adjective)
*1 : not able to be defended
2 : not able to be occupied
Example sentence:
The contractor made the untenable demand that all work be paid for up
front, at which point we decided to take our business elsewhere.
Did you know?
"Untenable" and its opposite "tenable" come to us from Old French "tenir"
and ultimately from Latin "tenere," both of which mean "to hold." We tend to
use "untenable" in situations where an idea or position is so off base that
holding on to it is unjustified or inexcusable. One way to hold on to the
meaning of "untenable" is to associate it with other "tenir" descendants whose
meanings are associated with "holding" or "holding on to." "Tenacious" ("holding
fast") is one example. Others are "contain," "sustain," "maintain," and
"retain." This last group came to us by way of Middle English, which introduced
the "ai" spelling. "Untenable," "tenable," and "tenacious," by contrast, entered
Modern English from Middle French, which left the spelling of the root alone.
commemorate \kuh-MEH-muh-rayt\ (verb)
1 : to call to remembrance
*2 a : to mark by some ceremony or observation : observe b
: to serve as a memorial of
Example sentence:
The children in Mrs. Clark's sixth-grade class have made a memorial quilt
to commemorate the events of September 11, 2001.
Did you know?
When you remember something, you are mindful of it. It's appropriate,
therefore, that "commemorate" and other related memory-associated words
(including "memorable," "memorial," "remember," and "memory" itself) come from
the Latin root "memor," meaning "mindful." Some distant older relatives are Old
English "gemimor" ("well-known"), Greek "mermera" ("care"), and Sanskrit "smarati"
("he remembers"). English speakers have been marking the memory of important
events with "commemorate" since the late 16th century.
belvedere \BEL-vuh-deer\ (noun)
: a structure (as a cupola or a summerhouse) designed to
command a view
Example sentence:
"From the north and northwest sides of the belvedere behind the church, you
can see the French border and trace the distant roads scoring the mountains. . .
." (David Downie, _The San Francisco Chronicle_, March 17, 2002)
Did you know?
It is said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder -- and someone with a
belvedere will likely have a great deal of
beauty to behold. Given the origins of the word, "belvedere" is the ideal term
for a building (or part of a building) with a view. It derives from two Italian
words, "bel," which means "beautiful," and "vedere," which means "view." The
term has been used in English since at least 1593.
spoonerism \SPOO-nuh-rih-zum\ (noun)
: a transposition of usually initial sounds of two or more words
Example sentence:
Everyone burst out laughing when Marco tried to order his lunch with the
spoonerism, "I'd like to have a chilled greese," instead of "I'd like to have a
grilled cheese."
Did you know?
Pity poor William Archibald Spooner (1844-1930). That British clergyman and
educator often had to speak in public, but he was a nervous man and his tongue
frequently got tangled up. So he would say things like "a blushing crow" when he
meant "a crushing blow." Spooner's letter reversals became the stuff of legend
(and undoubtedly gave his listeners many a laugh), and by 1900 his name had
inspired the term for that particular variety of public-speaking gaffe.
inhere \in-HEER\ (verb)
: to be inherent
Example sentence:
Competitiveness inheres in the athlete's nature.
Did you know?
You're probably familiar with "inherent," the adjective meaning "part of
the constitution or natural character of something," but were you aware of its
less common relative "inhere"? This verb looks like it could be a back-formation
of "inherent" (a back-formation is a word created by removing a prefix or suffix
from an existing word), but "inhere" is actually the older word. It first
appeared in print in the 15th century, while "inherent" didn't show up until the
late 16th century. Both are derived from the Latin verb "inhaerere" ("to
inhere"), which was itself formed by combining "in-" with "haerere," a verb
meaning "to adhere."
thimblerig \THIM-bul-rig\ (verb)
*1 : to cheat by trickery
2 : to swindle by thimblerig
Example sentence:
"Ma'am, I believed you've been thimblerigged," said the jewelry appraiser.
"This is a zirconia, not a diamond."
Did you know?
The game of thimblerig seems innocent enough. The thimblerigger places a
seed under one of three thimbles. He
deftly scoots the thimbles around on a table, then asks the player to bet on
which one hides the seed. (Perhaps the poor bettor is unaware that "rig" has
meant "trick" or "swindle" since the 1700s.) But thimbleriggers are masters of
sleight of hand and can move and manipulate the seed unfairly -- so the
guileless player doesn't stand a chance of winning. When the same sham is played
with nutshells, it's called a "shell game."
lissome \LIH-sum\ (adjective)
1 : easily flexed
*2 : characterized by easy flexibility and grace; also : athletically slim
3 : nimble
Example sentence:
Katherine watched the lissome ballerinas pirouette across the stage and
dreamed of becoming a professional ballet dancer herself someday.
Did you know?
"Lissome" (sometimes spelled "lissom") is a gently altered form of its
synonym, "lithesome." The two words are comparative newcomers to English; the
earliest documented use of "lithesome" was around 1774, while "lissome" was
first recorded around 1800. Both trace back to the much older "lithe" (a synonym
of senses 1 and 2 of "lissome"), which first appeared in our language during the
14th century and which itself comes from an Old English word meaning "gentle."
"Lithesome" may have been the earlier word, but these days "lissome" tends to be
a more popular choice. "Lissome" can also be an adverb meaning "in a supple or
nimble manner," but this use is rare.
troubadour \TROO-buh-dor\ (noun)
1 : any of a class of poet-musicians flourishing especially in southern
France and northern Italy during the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries
*2 : a strolling minstrel; also : anyone who in music, verse, or rhetorical
prose promotes some cause
Example sentence:
Pete makes his living as a troubadour, traveling from town to town with his
guitar and playing his own music in
cafes and music halls across the Midwest.
Did you know?
In the Middle Ages, troubadours were the shining knights of poetry (in
fact, some were ranked as high as knights in the feudal class structure). It was
troubadours who made chivalry a high art, writing poems and singing about
chivalrous love, creating the mystique of refined damsels, and glorifying the
gallant knight on his charger. "Troubadour" was a fitting name for such creative
artists; it derives from an Old Provencal word meaning "to compose." In modern
contexts, "troubadour" still refers to the song-meisters of the Middle Ages, but
it has been extended to cover contemporary poet-musicians as well.
epigone \EH-puh-gohn\ (noun)
: follower, disciple; also : an inferior imitator
Example sentence:
Carlton was influenced by Brown's writing, but he wasn't simply an epigone;
he had a unique style all his own.
Did you know?
Always something of a linguistic imitator, the English language borrowed
"epigone" from German in the 19th century. The Germans themselves had taken the
word from the Latin "epigonus," which meant "successor." The Latin term followed
the Greek "epigonos," which was often used in plural to designate the seven sons
of seven legendary Greek leaders who were defeated at Thebes. "Epigonos" in turn
came from the Greek verb "epigignesthai," meaning "to be born after." "Epi-" can
mean "after"; "gignesthai" means "to be born."
disavow \dih-suh-VOW ("OW" as in "cow")\ (verb)
1 : to deny responsibility for : repudiate
*2 : to refuse to acknowledge : disclaim
Example sentence:
Naturally, the suspects all disavowed having any knowledge of the crime,
claiming they had been far from the
scene and had not seen or heard anything.
Did you know?
If you trace the etymology of "disavow" back through Middle English and
Middle French to Old French, you'll arrive eventually at the prefix "des-" and
the verb "avouer," meaning "to avow." The prefix "des-" in turn derives from the
Latin prefix "dis-," meaning "apart." That Latin prefix plays a significant role
in many Modern English words, including "disadvantage," "disappoint," and
"disagree."
menagerie \muh-NADGE-uh-ree\ (noun)
1 : a collection of wild animals especially for exhibition
*2 : a varied mixture
Example sentence:
Emma loved to visit her grandfather's woodworking shop, which housed a
menagerie of oddly shaped hand tools.
Did you know?
In both English and French, a "menage" is a household. Back in the days of
Middle French, "menagerie" meant "the management of a household or farm" or "a
place where animals are tended." By the 1670s, English had adopted the word but
dropped its housekeeping aspects, applying it specifically to the places where
circuses and other exhibitions kept show animals. Later, the word was
generalized to any varied mixture, especially one that included things that were
strange or foreign to one's experience.
ruly \ROO-lee\ (adjective)
: obedient, orderly
Example sentence:
Concert organizers worried that rambunctious fans might get out of hand,
but the crowd was surprisingly ruly.
Did you know?
You're probably familiar with "unruly," meaning "not readily controlled or
disciplined." Have you ever wondered, "Is there a 'ruly' too?" If so, did it
seem to you that such a word SHOULD exist? Centuries ago, someone apparently
followed that same thought process, creating "ruly" by dropping the prefix from
"unruly." ("Unruly" in turn comes from "un-" and "reuly," a Middle English word
meaning "disciplined." "Reuly" comes from Middle English "reule," which also
gave us "rule.") "Unruly" had only been in the language a short time when it
gave rise to "ruly." Both words first appeared in print in the 15th century --
and both have been with us ever since. These days, however, "ruly" is the much
rarer word.
spelunker \spih-LUNG-ker or SPEE-lung-ker\ (noun)
: one who makes a hobby of exploring and studying caves
Example sentence:
Our favorite B horror movie is about a group of spelunkers who discover a
colony of zombies in a cavern.
Did you know?
"Spelunker" sounds like the noise a pebble makes when you drop it down a
deep hole and into dark, hidden water far below. But there's nothing dark or
obscure about the etymology of the term. We borrowed "spelunker" from the Latin
"spelunca," which in turn derives from the Greek "spelynx." When you get to the
bottom of things, you find that both the Latin and Greek roots mean "cave."
Although "spelunker" might sound neat, be careful: some cave-exploring
enthusiasts prefer the term "caver."
oleaginous \oh-lee-ADGE-uh-nuss\ (adjective)
1 : resembling or having the properties of oil : oily; also : containing or
producing oil
*2 : marked by an offensively ingratiating manner or quality
Example sentence:
Kelly spoke to her boss with an oleaginous deference that made her
coworkers cringe.
Did you know?
The oily "oleaginous" slipped into English through Middle French, coming
from the Latin "oleaginus," meaning "of an olive tree." "Oleaginus" came from
the Latin "olea," meaning "olive tree," and ultimately from the Greek "elaia,"
meaning "olive." "Oleaginous" was at first used in a literal sense, as it still
can be. An oleaginous substance is simply oily, and an oleaginous plant produces
oil. The word took on its extended "ingratiating" sense in the 19th century.
Xanadu \ZAN-uh-doo\ (noun)
: an idyllic, exotic, or luxurious place
Example sentence:
Aunt Layla joked that if she won the lottery she would retreat to an island
Xanadu, never to return again.
Did you know?
"In Xanadu did Kubla Khan / A stately pleasure dome decree." Thus begins
Samuel Taylor Coleridge's 1816 poem "Kubla Khan," a fantastic description of an
exotic utopia. Coleridge's poem fired public imagination and ultimately brought
about the use of "Xanadu" as a generalized term for an idyllic place. Although
the Xanadu in the poem is fictitious, it was inspired by a real residence built
by Mongolian general and statesman Kublai Khan (grandson of Genghis Khan) in the
city of Shang-tu in the 13th century.
roister \ROY-ster\ (verb)
: to engage in noisy revelry : carouse
Example sentence:
Chandra didn't get much sleep last night -- her neighbors were roistering
until the wee hours of the morning, with a good deal of laughing and singing.
Did you know?
As Hugo Williams asserts in _The Times Literary Supplement_(November 15,
1991), roistering tends to be "funnier, sillier and less harmful than standard
hooliganism, being based on nonsense rather than violence." Roisterers might be
chagrined to learn that the word "roister" derives from a Middle French word
that means "lout" or "boor" ("rustre"). Ultimately, however, it is from the
fairly neutral Latin word "rusticus," meaning "rural." In the 16th century, the
original English verb was simply "roist," and one who roisted was a "roister."
Later, we changed the verb to "roister" and the corresponding noun to
"roisterer."
incongruous \in-KAHNG-gruh-wuss\ (adjective)
: lacking congruity: as a : not harmonious : incompatible
b : not conforming : disagreeing c : inconsistent within itself
d : lacking propriety : unsuitable
Example sentence:
The sight of Allen roaring up the street on his motorcycle seemed
incongruous with the quiet, navy-blue-suit conservatism he displayed at the
office.
Did you know?
"Incongruous" is a spin-off of its antonym, "congruous," which means "in
agreement, harmony, or correspondence." Etymologists are in agreement about the
origin of both words; they trace to the Latin verb "congruere," which means "to
come together, agree." The dates of the words' first uses in English match up
pretty well, too. The first known use of "congruous" dates from 1599, and the
earliest print appearance of "incongruous" dates from 1611.
funicular \fyoo-NIH-kyuh-ler\ (noun)
: a cable railway ascending a mountain; especially : one in which an
ascending car counterbalances a descending car
Example sentence:
"For a panoramic view of the Riviera and the old forts surrounding the
city, take the funicular from Largo della Zecca up to Monte Righi." (_The
Washington Post_, August 25, 2002)
Did you know?
You may have fun on a funicular, but the word is not related to "fun"
(which comes to us from an English dialect
verb meaning "to hoax"). The noun "funicular" descends from an earlier adjective
"funicular," meaning "relating to a cord under tension." It was also influenced
by "funiculaire," a French word used for a type of railway that is dependent
upon cables (or on "cords under tension"). Ultimately, these terms trace to the
Latin noun "funiculus," meaning "small rope." "Funicular" first appeared in
print as an adjective in English in 1664; the noun has been with us since the
early 20th century.
macedoine \mass-uh-DWAHN\ (noun)
1 : a confused mixture : medley
*2 : a mixture of fruits or vegetables served as a salad or cocktail or in a
jellied dessert or used in a sauce or as a
garnish
Example sentence:
With the haddock, Tim served rice pilaf and a macedoine of peas, green
beans, and diced carrots.
Did you know?
"Macedoine" is the French name for Macedonia, a region on the Balkan
Peninsula that is now part of Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, and Bulgaria.
Historically, this area has been home to a richly varied population encompassing
many ethnic groups. Linguists believe that the cultural heterogeneity of the
region may have inspired people to use its name as a generic term for any kind
of wildly jumbled mixture. English speakers borrowed the word early in the 19th
century, and later in the century it took on its more specific "salad" sense.
Babbitt \BAB-it\ (noun)
: a business or professional man who conforms unthinkingly to prevailing
middle-class standards
Example sentence:
"I'd rather be a starving artist," said Jack, "than be a Babbitt like my
father, always scraping and biting to keep his
just-so house and two car garage in the suburbs."
Did you know?
He was a prosperous real-estate broker, a pillar of his Midwestern
community, and a believer in success for its own sake. George F. Babbitt was his
name and complacent American middle-class values were his game. He was created
by Sinclair Lewis in the satirical 1922 novel _Babbitt_, and the fictional
protagonist's name quickly became a synonym for one who adheres to a conformist,
materialistic, unimaginative way of life.
verbose \ver-BOHSS\ (adjective)
*1 : containing more words than necessary : wordy; also : impaired by
wordiness
2 : given to wordiness
Example sentence:
The writing style in government publications has often been both dry and
verbose -- a deadly combination.
Did you know?
"Verbose" derives from the Latin noun "verbum," meaning "word," and also
includes the suffix "-ose," meaning "full of" or "having." Appropriately for a
root meaning "word," "verbum" has given rise to a great many words. Other
descendants of "verbum" include "verb," "adverb," "proverb," "verbatim,"
"verbiage" and "verbicide" (that's the deliberate distortion of the sense of a
word).
cineast \SIH-nee-ast\ (noun)
: a devotee of motion pictures; also : moviemaker
Example sentence:
Roger and Tory met -- and fell in love -- at a film festival, and within a
year the two cineasts were engaged to
be married.
Did you know?
"Cineast" is a French borrowing that made its American premiere in the
mid-1920s. It didn't take much for English
speakers to remake the French "cineaste" into the more anglicized "cineast," but
we remained partial to the French
spelling for several decades. French spliced together "cine" and "-aste" to
create this word for both a movie buff and for a film producer. "Cine" in French
is just another word for "cinema"; the "-aste" comes from their word "enthousiaste."
We made only one minor cut, shortening "-aste" to "-ast" (as in English
"enthusiast").
widow's cruse \WIH-dohz-KROOZ or WIH-dohz-KROOSS\
(noun)
: an inexhaustible supply
Example sentence:
It often seemed to Connie that her sons thought of the refrigerator as a
widow's cruse of food that would magically restock itself every week.
Did you know?
A cruse is a small metal hanging lamp, such as the one featured in the
biblical tale of Elijah (1 Kings 17:8-16). In that story, the prophet was sent
to a poor widow who had little food and only a single cruse for light. He asked
her to
share her food and light with him; she did, and was rewarded with an
ever-burning lamp and an inexhaustible food supply. The term "widow's cruse"
recalls the bountiful outcome of that tale.
persnickety \per-SNIH-kuh-tee\ (adjective)
1 *a : fussy about small details : fastidious b : having the
characteristics of a snob
2 : requiring great precision
Example sentence:
Robert and Sue tried to help with the housework, but their persnickety aunt
complained so much about everything that they finally gave up.
Did you know?
Persnickety people like things neat and tidy, but the etymology of
"persnickety" doesn't provide the kind of clean,
clear explanation that appeals to the fastidious. The tale starts out simply
enough. "Persnickety" was first documented in English around 1905. It is
undoubtedly an alteration of "pernickety," a word that has the same meaning and
has been in use since the early 1800s. But beyond that things get murky. Some
think "pernickety" might be a modified version of "particular," but that isn't
known for sure.
myrmidon \MER-muh-dahn\ (noun)
: a loyal follower; especially : a subordinate who executes orders
unquestioningly or unscrupulously
Example Sentence:
When DeVour, Inc. was accused of unsavory dealings, even company myrmidons
like Bruce were held accountable.
Did you know?
The Myrmidons, legendary inhabitants of Thessaly in Greece, were known for
their fierce devotion to their king, Achilles, who led them in the Trojan War. "Myrmex"
means "ant" in Greek, an image that evokes small and insignificant workers
mindlessly fulfilling their duty. Whether the original Myrmidons were given
their name for that reason is open to question. The "ant" association is strong,
however. Some say the name is from a legendary ancestor who once had the form of
an ant; others say the Myrmidons were actually transformed from ants. In any
case, since the 1600s, we've employed "myrmidon" in its
not-always-complimentary, ant-evoking, figurative sense.
daedal \DEE-dul\ (adjective)
1 a : skillful, artistic *b : intricate
2 : adorned with many things
Example sentence:
Without our map, we would have gotten completely lost in the city's daedal
network of one-way streets.
Did you know?
You might know Daedalus as the mythological prisoner who fashioned wings of
feathers and wax to escape from the island of Crete with his son Icarus. But it
was as architect and sculptor, one said to have designed a labyrinth for King
Minos on Crete, that he earned his name. "Daedalus" (from Greek "daidalos") is
Latin for "skillfully wrought." The same skillful Latin adjective also gave
English the adjectives "daedel" (in use since the 16th century) and "Daedalian"
(or "Daedalean"), a synonym of "daedal."
scrumptious \SKRUMP-shuss\ (adjective)
: delightful, excellent; especially : delicious
Example sentence:
"This cake is so scrumptious, Martha, that I simply must have the recipe,"
gushed Hannah.
Did you know?
"Scrumptious" may look as if it should derive from a word like "scrum," but
actually those two terms have nothing in common except their spelling.
"Scrumptious" probably originated as an alteration of "sumptuous," and it
carries the elegant and wonderful connotations of its parent. "Scrum," on the
other hand, is a down-and-dirty term that is a shortened form of "scrummage,"
itself an alteration of "scrimmage." In rugby, a scrum is a play in which
opposing sides come together in a tight bunch, all trying to grab a ball tossed
in among them.
homily \HAH-muh-lee\ (noun)
1 : a usually short sermon
*2 : a lecture or discourse on a moral theme
3 : an inspirational catchphrase; also : platitude
Example sentence:
"I don't mind eating tofu burgers," said Cassie, "as long as I don't have
to hear a homily on the virtues of
vegetarianism."
Did you know?
Gather around for the history of "homily." The story starts with ancient
Greek "homilos," meaning "crowd, assembly." Greeks used "homilos" to create the
verb "homilein" ("to talk with" or "to make a speech"), as well as the noun "homilia"
("conversation"). Latin speakers borrowed "homilia," then passed it on to Middle
French. By the time it crossed into Middle English, the spelling had shifted to
"omelie," but by the 14th century the term had regained its "h" and added the
"y" of the modern spelling.
manque \mahn-KAY\ (adjective)
: short of or frustrated in the fulfillment of one's aspirations or talents
-- used postpositively
Example sentence:
"It was Benjamin Franklin, a natural scientist manque if ever there was
one, who observed that 'in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except
death and taxes.'" (Will Self, _New Statesman_, November 27, 1998)
Did you know?
The etymology of "manque" is likely to vex left-handers. English speakers
picked up "manque" directly from French more than two centuries ago, and it
ultimately comes from Latin "manco," meaning "having either hand crippled." But
in between the Latin and French portions of this word's history came the Italian
word "manco," which means both "lacking" and "left-handed." Lefties may be
further displeased to learn that "manque" isn't the only English word with a
history that links left-handedness with something undesirable. For example, the
word "awkward" comes from "awke," a Middle English word meaning both "turned the
wrong way" and "left-handed." And the noun "gawk" ("a clumsy stupid person")
probably comes from an English dialect "gawk" meaning "left-handed."
gymkhana \jim-KAH-nuh or jim-KAN-uh\ (noun)
: a meet featuring sports contests; especially : a contest of
automobile-driving skills
Example sentence:
Steven easily won the gymkhana, steering his car through the tricky course
in record time without so much as brushing a single cone.
Did you know?
Both the word "gymhkhana" and the event it describes originated in
19th-century India. The word is probably an
alteration of the Hindi "gedkhana," which describes a ball-playing area similar
to a racket ball court. Early gymkhanas
were displays of athletics and equestrian skill, but 20th-century varieties
usually test car handling. They are often held in parking lots, and contestants
race over tight, twisting courses marked with cones or pylons.
acedia \uh-SEE-dee-uh\ (noun)
: apathy, boredom
Example sentence:
Writer Gary Danko of _SF Weekly_, once described brunch as "a stupefyingly
lavish buffet spread that will do nothing to erase your acedia."
Did you know?
"Acedia" comes from a combination of the negative prefix "a-" and the Greek
noun "kedos," meaning "care, concern, grief." (The Greek word "akedeia" became "acedia"
in Late Latin, and that spelling was retained in English.) "Acedia" initially
referred specifically to the "deadly sin" of sloth. It first appeared in print
in English in 1607 describing ceremonies which could induce this sin in
ministers and pastors, but that sense is now rare. It now tends to be used more
generally to simply imply a lack of interest or caring, although it still
carries overtones of laziness as well as apathy.
unbeknownst \un-bih-NOHNST\ (adjective)
: happening without one's knowledge : unknown -- usually used with "to"
Example sentence:
Unbeknownst to the barbecue guests, Dad had scooped the fallen hot dogs off
the grass and quietly placed them back on the grill.
Did you know?
"Unbeknownst" derives from "beknown," an obsolete synonym of "known" that
traces back to the days of Old English. But for a word with a straightforward
history, "unbeknownst" and its synonym "unbeknown" have created quite a flap
among usage commentators. Despite widespread use (including appearances in the
writings of Charles Dickens, A.E. Housman, and E.B. White), the two words have
been called everything from "obsolete" and "vulgar" to "perfectly acceptable."
Our evidence shows that both can be considered standard.
palaver \puh-LAV-ur or puh-LAH-vur\ (noun)
1 a : a long parley usually between persons of different cultures or levels
of sophistication *b : conference, discussion
2 a : idle talk b : misleading or beguiling speech
Example sentence:
Almost every Saturday, Dad and the other men from our neighborhood would
hold a palaver out by the mailbox on the corner.
Did you know?
During the 18th century, Portuguese and English sailors often met during
trading trips along the African coast. This
contact prompted the English to borrow the Portuguese "palavra," a word for a
conference or for misleading, idle talk. The Portuguese word traces back to the
Late Latin "parabola," a noun meaning "speech, parable," which in turn comes
from the Greek "parabole," meaning "juxtaposition, comparison."
memento \muh-MEN-toh\ (noun)
: something that serves to warn or remind; also : souvenir
Example sentence:
Penny and Aaron collected a few colorful leaves from the tree outside the
synagogue and kept them as a memento of their wedding day.
Did you know?
"Memento" comes from the imperative form of "meminisse," a Latin verb that
literally means "to remember." The word's history makes it clear where its
spelling came from, but because a memento often helps one remember a particular
moment, people occasionally spell the term "momento." That second version is
usually considered a misspelling, but it appears often enough in edited prose to
have been considered acceptable for entry in _Webster's Third New International
Dictionary_ and the _Oxford English Dictionary_.
sciolism \SYE-uh-lih-zum\ (noun)
: a superficial show of learning
Example sentence:
The grad students in the corner of the cafe were engaged in a display of
sciolism, tossing around trendy academic terms and evoking obscure writers.
Did you know?
"Sciolism" comes from the Late Latin "sciolus," which means "smatterer" (or
"one who speaks with spotty or superficial knowledge"). "Sciolus" comes from the
diminutive of the Latin "scius," meaning "knowing," which itself comes from the
verb "scire," meaning "to know." Of course, if you know something about Latin
roots, you know that "scire" is the source of many other English words,
including "science," "prescience" ("foreknowledge"), "nescience" ("lack of
knowledge"), and "conscience."
infrangible \in-FRAN-juh-bul\ (adjective)
1 : not capable of being broken or separated into parts
*2 : not to be infringed or violated
Example sentence:
"Family is sacred to me," wrote Page, "for I believe that few things in
life are more infrangible than the bonds of
kinship."
Did you know?
"Infrangible" comes to us via Middle French from the Late Latin "infrangibilis,"
and is ultimately derived from the
prefix "in-" and the Latin verb "frangere," meaning "to break."(Believe it or
not, our "break" is ultimately derived from the same ancient word that gave rise
to "frangere.") "Infrangible" first appeared in print in English in the 16th
century with the literal meaning "impossible to break"; it was later extended
metaphorically to things that cannot or should not be broken.
bindle stiff \BIN-dul-stiff\ (noun)
: a transient usually carrying a bundle (as of clothing or bedding) : as a
: a migratory worker b : tramp, hobo
Example sentence:
"The summer after his freshman year, he went bumming across the land as a
bindle stiff . . . working hard with his body in the wheat harvest on the plains
and living on pittances." (John Hersey, _The New Yorker_, July 18, 1988)
Did you know?
In the argot of tramps and hoboes, a roll of clothes and bedding was called
a "bindle," a word that probably originated as a dialect variant of the more
familiar "bundle." "Stiff" itself can mean "hobo" or "migrant worker"; it took
on these meanings in the late 19th century. By 1901, any tramp or hobo who
habitually carried such a pack was known as a "bindle stiff." In Australian
slang, such a hobo might be called a "swagman."
widdershins \WIH-der-shinz\ (adverb)
: in a left-handed, wrong, or contrary direction : counterclockwise
Example sentence:
"He turned to his right, knowing that it is unlucky to walk about a church
widdershins." (Dorothy Sayers, _The Nine Tailors_)
Did you know?
Legend holds that demons always approached the devil widdershins. Not
surprisingly, such a path was considered evil and unlucky. By the mid-1500s,
English speakers had adopted "widdershins" (from the Middle High German "wider,"
meaning "back, against," and "sinnen," meaning "to travel") for anything
following a path opposite to the direction the sun travels across the sky (that
is, counterclockwise). But in its earliest known uses "widdershins" was far less
malignant; it was used simply to describe a case of bad hair in which unruly
locks stood on end or fell the wrong way.
raconteur \rak-kahn-TER or rak-kun-TER\ (noun)
: a person who excels at telling anecdotes
Example sentence:
A bona fide raconteur, Turner can turn even mundane experiences into
hilariously entertaining stories.
Did you know?
The story of "raconteur" is a tale of telling and counting. English
borrowed the word from French, which derived it from the Middle French verb "raconter,"
meaning "to tell." "Raconter" in turn traces to the Old French verb "aconter,
acompter," meaning "to tell" or "to count," and ultimately to Latin "computare,"
meaning "to count." "Computare" is also the source of our "count" and "account."
"Raconteur" has been part of the English vocabulary since at least 1828.
ostentatious \ahss-tun-TAY-shuss\ (adjective)
: marked by or fond of conspicuous or vainglorious and sometimes
pretentious display
Example sentence:
The party was an ostentatious affair with gourmet catering, an enormous
cake, and music by the most renowned string quartet in the city.
Did you know?
"Showy," "pretentious," and "ostentatious" all mean given to outward
display, but there are subtle differences in the
meaning of these show-off words. "Showy" implies an imposing or striking
appearance, but usually also implies cheapness or bad taste. "Pretentious"
suggests an appearance of importance not justified by a thing's value or a
person's standing. "Ostentatious" is the most peacockish of all, stressing the
vanity of the display.
fata morgana \fah-tuh-mor-GAH-nuh\ (noun)
: mirage
Example sentence:
"Then, suddenly -- like a fata morgana rising out of the desert clouds --
houses, trees, and people materialized."
(Joseph Wechsberg, _The New Yorker_, November 1952)
Did you know?
"Fata Morgana" is the Italian name for Morgan le Fay (meaning "Morgan the
Fairy"), the fairy sorceress of medieval legends. This half-sister of the
legendary King Arthur is sometimes portrayed as living in a palace under water
and is said to have had a number of magical powers, with which she caused a
great deal of trouble. Among her powers, say some versions of the legends, was
the ability to create mirages. She has been blamed for causing complex mirages
over bodies of water, especially in the Strait of Messina. Today we know that
such optical illusions are really caused by atmospheric conditions, but we still
sometimes use "fata morgana" as a synonym of "mirage."
jackleg \JAK-leg\ (adjective)
1 a : lacking skill or training : amateur
*b : characterized by unscrupulousness, dishonesty, or lack of professional
standards
2 : makeshift
Example sentence:
There we were, stuck in Nowheresville with a jackleg mechanic who told us
he'd fix the car but we'd have to wait a few days unless we wanted to pay him
double.
Did you know?
Don't call someone a "jackleg" unless you're prepared for them to get angry
with you. Throughout its more than 150-year-old history in English, "jackleg"
has most often been used as a term of contempt and deprecation, particularly in
reference to lawyers and preachers. Its form echoes that of the similar
"blackleg," an older term for a cheating gambler or a worker opposed to union
policies. Etymologists know that "blackleg" appeared over a hundred years before
"jackleg," but they don't have any verifiable theories about the origin of the
earlier term.
tousle \TOW-zul ("OW" as in "cow")\ (verb)
: dishevel, rumple
Example sentence:
Vic stood in front of the mirror and tousled his hair, trying to master the
cool, disheveled look.
Did you know?
"Tousle" is a word that has been through what linguists call a "functional
shift." That's a fancy way of saying it was
originally one part of speech, then gradually came to have a different function.
"Tousle" started out as a verb back in the 15th century. By the late 19th
century, "tousle" was also being used as a noun meaning "a tangled mass (as of
hair)." Etymologists connect the word to an Old High German word meaning "to
pull to pieces."
louche \LOOSH ("OO" as in "food")\ (adjective)
: not reputable or decent
Example sentence:
Her novels are populated by louche characters wasting their days in seedy
bars and brothels.
Did you know?
"Louche" ultimately comes from the Latin "luscus," meaning "blind in one
eye" or "one-eyed." This Latin term gave
rise to the French "louche," meaning "squinting, cross-eyed" or "shady,
devious." English speakers borrowed the term in the 19th century, using it to
describe both people and places of questionable repute.
vatic \VAT-ik\ (adjective)
: prophetic, oracular
Example sentence:
Andy's years of experience bird-watching have given him a vatic ability to
name the precise day each bird will appear in the spring.
Did you know?
Some people say only thin lines separate poetry, prophecy, and madness. We
don't know if that's generally true, but it is in the case of "vatic." The
adjective derives directly from the Latin word "vates," meaning "seer" or
"prophet." But that Latin root is in turn distantly related to an Old English
word for "poetry," an Old High German word for "madness," and an Old Irish word
for "seer" or "poet."
kakistocracy \kak-uh-STAH-kruh-see\ (noun)
: government by the worst people
Example sentence:
The free election won't guarantee an end to kakistocracy, because none of
the candidates have any more integrity than the corrupt dictator currently in
power.
Did you know?
A reader of _Time_ magazine was once so surprised to find this rare and
unusual word in the pages of that publication that he decided the occasion
warranted a letter to the editor. "Where in the name of Semanticus, did your
writer come up with that word 'kakistocracy,'" he wrote in a letter dated
February 6, 1956. "Is it a government of parrots?" (A "kaka" is a New Zealand
parrot.) Good guess, but "kakistocracy" actually originated as a combination of
the Greek "kakistos" (superlative of "kakos," which means "bad") and the English
suffix "-cracy," meaning "form of government."
artless \ART-less\ (adjective)
1 : lacking art, knowledge, or skill : uncultured
2 a : made without skill : crude b : free from artificiality : natural
*3 : free from guile or craft : sincerely simple
Example sentence:
I wasn't offended when Sonia told me, in her artless way, that my outfit
was unbecoming; rather, I appreciated her honesty.
Did you know?
"Artless," "ingenuous," and "naive" all refer to freedom from pretension or
calculation, but there are subtle differences in their uses. "Ingenuous" implies
an inability to disguise or conceal one's feelings, while "naive" suggests a
credulous lack of worldly wisdom. "Artless" generally indicates an utter
naturalness, one in which a person is innocent of the effect of his or her
speech or behavior on others.
resplendent \rih-SPLEN-dunt\ (adjective)
: shining brilliantly : characterized by a glowing splendor
Example sentence:
"The boys entered, and found themselves in a spacious and elegant saloon,
resplendent with gilding, and adorned on all sides by costly mirrors." (Horatio
Alger, Jr., _Ragged Dick_)
Did you know?
Think of "splendid." Or "splendor." Or maybe "splendent." Each of those
glowing terms gets its shine from the Latin verb "splendere" ("to shine"), as
does "resplendent." Etymologists believe "splendere" is related to the Greek "spledos,"
meaning "ashes," and the Sanskrit "sphulinga," meaning "spark." "Splendent,"
"splendor," and "resplendent" first showed their lustrous senses in English
during the 15th century, but "splendid" didn't show up until nearly 200 years
later; its earliest known use dates from 1634.