12-15-2010

Ephemeral

–adjective
1. lasting a very short time; short-lived; transitory: the ephemeral joys of childhood.
2. lasting but one day: an ephemeral flower.
–noun
3. anything short-lived, as certain insects.

[This message has been edited by walexander (edited December 16, 2010).]
 

Esoteric

1: designed for or understood by the specially initiated alone <a body of esoteric legal doctrine>
2: requiring or exhibiting knowledge that is restricted to a small group <esoteric terminology>;
3: difficult to understand <esoteric subjects>
4: limited to a small circle <engaging in esoteric pursuits>
5: private, confidential <an esoteric purpose>
6: of special, rare, or unusual interest <esoteric building materials>
 

from the Latin hortus, a garden, and cultura, culture.

The art of cultivating a garden, be it flowers or shrubs or fruits or vegetables...or the cultivation of a garden itself.

Use the word in a sentence:

"You can lead a horticulture, but you can't make her think." (---attributed to Spider Robinson.)

[This message has been edited by Robert Nowall (edited December 16, 2010).]
 

lacuna (n) or lacunal (adj)

1. gap - a gap or place where something is missing, e.g. in a manuscript or a line of argument.

2. small cavity - anatomoy a small cavity, e.g.in bone or cartilage
 

Edited based on MattLeo's suggestion:
I use this word in my WIP novel when a the protag sees a number of alien creatures communicating in a very unusual way that involves a physical interaction. In that sense they create a 'bizarre assemblage', and I wanted a strange word to convey the strangeness the protag felt.

[This message has been edited by Osiris (edited December 19, 2010).]
 

noun
1
: a portion of ground covered with grass
2
: the grassy surface of land
 

Conclave

1. A secret or confidential meeting. A lockable room.
2. A meeting of family members or associates.
3. Roman Catholic Church
a. The private rooms in which the cardinals meet to elect a new pope.

Rox - I found Lacuna can also mean-

A decorative sunken panel in a ceiling, dome, soffit, or vault. Similar to the word Coffer

Thank you to everyone who has added so far.

[This message has been edited by walexander (edited December 17, 2010).]
 

1: having an insipid often unpleasant taste
2: sickly or puerilely sentimental

 

So let's say that in addition to defining a word, you explain why and where you would use it, and where you might want to avoid it.

Let me give an example:

blench
1    /blɛntʃ/
to shrink; flinch; quail.

"Blench" an antique word commonly found in Victorian adventure romances, where it is often used in a figurative sense for any involuntary reaction to danger. In those stories it can describe any kind of backing down or or hesitating in the face of a threat, not just a physical action.

"Blench" is not familiar to many modern readers, even reasonably literate ones, so you're probably better off using "flinch" or "blink" or "back down" instead. The exception might be if you have a specific reason to evoke those old Ruritanian Romances (e.g. your story is set in the Victorian era or lampoons the stories of that era).
 

Obdurate

1.
a. Hardened in wrongdoing or wickedness; stubbornly impenitent:
"The obdurate conscience of the old sinner"
b. Hardened against feeling; hardhearted: an obdurate miser.
2. Not giving in to persuasion; esp to moral persuasion

from Latin obdūrāre to make hard, from ob- (intensive) + dūrus hard
More commonly used words are stubborn, obstinate, intractable, inflexible.

The stubborn old miser... or The obdurate old miser...

Matt and eye - I'm fine with the added detail. I think it helps remember the word and it's usage. I didn't start this for writers to fling around big words carelessly. It's more about increasing vocabulary. So that when you need the right word you have it in mind. If Hatrackers want to just add a word, that's fine. If they want to add detail that's great. But the basic idea is to add a word - what's done with it is up to the writer.

And 'eye' you owe me a word. Admission fee is one word.

W.

[This message has been edited by walexander (edited December 18, 2010).]
 

An adjective, describing something that's superficially attractive but without value, or false though plausible at first glance.

From, ultimate, the Latin meretrix, a prostitute.

Used:

"This work is meretricious."

"Pardon me, but what was that word you used?"

"Meretricious!"

"Oh...and a Happy New Year to you, too!"
 

Insipid

1: lacking taste or savor : tasteless <insipid food>
2: lacking in qualities that interest, stimulate, or challenge: dull, flat <insipid prose>

# The soup was rather insipid.
# - an apple pie with a mushy, insipid filling that strongly resembled soggy cardboard.

French & Late Latin; French insipide, from Late Latin insipidus, from Latin in- + sapidus savory, from sapere to taste.
First Known Use: 1609

 

Use it when describing alien body parts (or, even those of earth creatures, since let's face it, the coolest thing monkeys do is hang from their prehensile tails).

[This message has been edited by EP Kaplan (edited December 19, 2010).]
 

Scarf usually refers to a strip of cloth, either to be worn around the neck or draped decoratively on a table. But there are two identically spelled homonyms.

"Scarf" can refer to a kind of wood joint where each piece of wood is tapered. It comes from the Old Norse "scarfr" -- "to cut", and has several derived meanings related to tapered forms or using tapered forms:

noun
1. a tapered or otherwise-formed end on each of the pieces to be assembled with a scarf joint.
2. Whaling . a strip of skin along the body of the whale.

verb (used with object)
3. to assemble with a scarf joint.
4.to form a scarf on (the end of a timber).
5.Steelmaking . to burn away the surface defects of (newly rolled steel).
6. Whaling . to make a groove in and remove (the blubber and skin).

There is a third and more intriguing homonym spelled "scarf". It is a slang word meaning "to eat rapidly and voraciously." Etymological speculation puts the origins of this word around 1960, as a derivative of a similar slang word "scoff" with the same meaning that is attested as early as the mid 1800s. The idea is that somehow "scoff" attained a superfluous "r" on the way to becoming "scarf".

I have personal reason to doubt this. Growing up in Boston in the 1960s, "scarf" meaning "to eat voraciously" was in universal use among folk of Irish descent, young or old -- including those too old to pick up the slang of the 50s and 60s. Seamus Heaney, in the introduction to his translation of Beowulf, mentions the phenomenon of English words that have become extinct in England after the Tudor conquest of Ireland that remained in use in Irish dialects of English. I am inclined to suspect "scarf" is one of these. The Old English word "sceorfan" is a candidate root. It means "to gnaw or bite".

In any case, I remember coming across the following line in Macbeth:
Come, seeling night,
Scarf up the tender eye of pitiful day,
And with thy bloody and invisible hand
Cancel and tear to pieces that great bond
Which keeps me pale!

Shakespeare is talking about *blindfolding* here -- I think. But my first reading of this was that Macbeth was calling on the night to *gobble up* the tender eye of the pitiful day.
 

1: to wear off the skin of : abrade
2: to censure scathingly

Although it was physically painless when the boss excoriated me in front of everyone, I still felt like I had been spanked.
 

verb - Hibernate in water. Used in a sentence, "After a day like I just had, I'm gonna hydronate for the next hour or so. Use the other bathroom."

I made it up, but I feel it is a necessary word, and that there is a gap in the English language just large enough for hydronate to fit in.

~Sheena
 

Portentous
–adjective
1.
of the nature of a portent; momentous.
2.
ominously significant or indicative: a portentous defeat.
3.
marvelous; amazing; prodigious.

I don't like definitions that use other forms of the word, so you get a twofer with a quick definition of portent:
noun
an indication or omen of something about to happen, esp. something momentous.

Portentous things tend to precede or encompass epic ones. The word can be used to describe:
The glowing seals on the ancient evil's chamber, moments before it awakens.
The clarion call to battle.
The calm before the storm.
Most any act of prophecy or seeing/clairvoyance. Harry Potter's divination teacher, Prof. Trelawney, those few times she wasn't acting like a crackpot and actually had a bona fide vision, was downright portentous. Dreams that have a symbolic or mystic component can often fit the bill.

From Prentice Alvin, by our own beloved host:
"Oh, it was a portentous thing. My daughter stood there and looked afar off and saw that your big brother was still alive as you came out of the womb--"

[This message has been edited by EP Kaplan (edited December 20, 2010).]
 

Obfuscate

1: darken: to make obscure <obfuscate the issue>
2: confuse: Bewilder <obfuscate the reader>
3: Render obscure, unclear, or unintelligible. <As in obfuscated code for computer science>

#Their explanations only serve to obfuscate and confuse.

Obfuscation: Is the concealment of intended meaning in communication, making communication confusing, intentionally ambiguous, and more difficult to interpret.

Late Latin obfuscatus, past participle of obfuscare, from Latin ob- in the way + fuscus dark brown

More common words used instead: Blur, cloud, muddy, confuse

"Eschew obfuscation", also stated as "eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation", is a humorous fumblerule used by English teachers and professors when lecturing about proper writing techniques.

Literally, the phrase means "avoid being unclear" or "avoid being unclear, support being clear", that the use of relatively uncommon words causes confusion, making the phrase an example of irony, and more precisely a heterological or hypocritical phrase (it does not embody its own advice).

Antonyms: clarify, illuminate
 

From isthmos, Greek for island.

A narrow strip of land between two larger land masses; i. e. the Isthmus of Panama between North and South America.

Used in a sentence:

"Isthmus be my lucky day."

[This message has been edited by Robert Nowall (edited December 20, 2010).]
 

Any of a number of bacteria from the genus Salmonella, that are associated with food poisoning---or the food poisoning itself.

Used in a sentence:

"Salmonella, sitting in a tree..."
 

distinct in kind; essentially different; dissimilar: disparate ideas.

Used in a sentence:

There are too many disparate ideas here that don't make a cohesive argument.
 

Now for my entry:

aquiline
adj

1. of or like an eagle
2. of a nose, curved like an eagle's beak; hooked

She could have been a model but for her aquiline nose.
 

Veracious vs. Voracious

Veracious
1. Habitually speaking the truth; truthful; honest: a veracious witness.
2. Characterized by truthfulness; true, accurate, or honest in content: a veracious statement; a veracious account.

from Latin vērax, from vērus true]

He has a reputation for being veracious, so people generally take his word.

Antonym: Mendacious

Voracious

1. Craving or consuming large quantities of food: a voracious appetite.
2. Exceedingly eager or avid: voracious readers; a voracious collector.

Latin vorac-, vorax, from vorare to devour; akin to Old English ācweorran to guzzle, Latin gurges whirlpool, Greek bibrōskein to devour.

The voracious appetite of the werewolf only fed its hunger to kill.

Antonym: apathetic

The two words are spelled the same except for the difference of e or o.

[This message has been edited by walexander (edited December 21, 2010).]
 

Overt

1: Done or shown openly; plainly or readily apparent, not secret or hidden; an overt act of aggression; in untreated cases, overt psychosis may occur

2: open and observable; "an overt lie"; "overt hostility"; "overt intelligence gathering"; "overt ballots"

Middle English, from Old French, past participle of ovrir, to open, of Latin - aperre

overtly - in an overt manner; "he did it overtly"
overtness - The state of being overt; openness

covert (concealed, covered, hidden) is the opposite of overt.

Overt is sometimes confused with: Avert (which means to prevent or turn away)

Words regularly used: apparent, clear, observable, open, visible

[This message has been edited by walexander (edited December 22, 2010).]
 

boasting or bragging

I could not stand his jactation.
 

apotheosis

1 - (noun) the elevation to divine status
2 - (noun) the glorification/deification of an act, person, principle, etc.
3 - (noun) the perfect example

Gk -
apo- preposition meaning to separate, possibly to divine as...
theos - god/godly
-is - suffix, making word a noun.
- something recognized or established as godly or an example of perfection.

The tree of life was the apotheosis of humankind's yearning for immortality.

[This message has been edited by philocinemas (edited December 22, 2010).]
 

I just wanted to say that after I looked up all the words in your definition for roué, I decided that it would fit perfectly in a short I'm working on. Thanks.
 

nyctophobia
noun: An abnormal fear of night or darkness.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin nycto (night) + -phobia (fear)

From the Latin egregius, which means "out of the common flock."

Adjective: doing something flamboyantly bad and / or undesireable, in the sense of a blunder.

Example: "Egregious Philbin hosts a talk show in the mornings with Kelly Ripa."
 

vehement

1. Characterized by forcefulness of expression or intensity of emotion or conviction; fervid: <a vehement denial><vehement patriotism>
2: by or full of vigor or energy; strong: <a vehement storm>
3: marked by forceful energy : powerful <a vehement wind>
4: deeply felt <a vehement suspicion>
5: forcibly expressed <vehement denunciations>
6: bitterly antagonistic <a vehement debate>

He issued a vehement denial of the accusation.

Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin vehement-, vehemens, vement-, vemens

Antonyms: nonassertive, nonemphatic, unemphatic
 

Fervent

1. intensely passionate; <a fervent desire to change society>
2. Archaic or poetic boiling, burning, or glowing <fervent heat>

[from Latin fervēre to boil, glow]

May your lover have a fervent soul this Christmas.

Have a Merry Christmas everyone!
I'll keep my fingers crossed that you made the good list
No hope for me this year. Naughty list all the way - Another lump of coal in the ol' sock.
 

noun: 1. A characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves)
2. The everyday speech of the people (as distinguished from literary language)

Used in a sentence: "I have not heard such spectacular vernacular as I have witnessed today."

 

verb
throw through or out of the window; "The rebels stormed the palace and defenestrated the President"
 

noun:
1. Bargaining; haggling.

"Ours was a place where profit-seeking Phoenician master mariners would come to chaffer the ten thousand gewgaws in their ships: also my father had a Phoenician woman among his bond-maids."
-- Homer, The Odyssey

Originally from American slang, probably deriving from the same Phillipine source as "boondocks."

Noun (usually), meaning something that's a complete and utter waste of time, usually at government expense.

Sentence: "How much is that boondoggle in the window? The one with the waggly tail?"
 

the season of Christmas extending from Dec 24th to Jan 6 (the Festival of Epiphany or Twelfth Night).

Santa; "Bahhh... Christmastide... I have one night to delivery Everything to Everyone and they get to party for Twelve Days!"
After a few moments of reflection he chuckles, "Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"
 

Indecorous

1: Lacking propriety or good taste.

2: Improper or ungraceful; unseemly

3: Not decorous : conflicting with accepted standards of good conduct or good taste

Due to my indecorous behavior all year long Santa created a whole new list category: Irremediable.

Latin indecorus, from in- + decorus decorous

Usual word used - Naughty

Antonym: Nice

Merry Christmas Hatrackers! May you all have a day filled with wonder and joyous delight!
 

from the Greek mnemonikos, pertaining to memory, back to mnemon, mindful, and mnasthai, to remember---the same root as mind.

Noun: memory training, often involving the substitution or use of humor to force remembrances: "Oh, be a fine girl and kiss me..." (figure out what that decodes to!)

Used in a sentence: "The efforts at study were hampered by a mnemonic influence."
 

Ok word nerds hears a duesy!

Either

1.one or the other (of two) <either coat will do>: (as pronoun) <either is acceptable>
2. both one and the other <there were ladies at either end of the table>
3. (coordinating) used preceding two or more possibilities joined by ``or'' >you may have either cheese or a sweet>
adv (sentence modifier)
(used with a negative) used to indicate that the clause immediately preceding is a partial reiteration of a previous clause <John isn't a liar, but he isn't exactly honest either>

[Old English ǣgther, short for ǣghwæther each of two; related to Old Frisian ēider, Old High German ēogihweder

More rules than you can imagine - Warning! You may walk away dizzy after reading the first time.

Usage Notes: The traditional rule holds that either should be used only to refer to one of two items and that any is required when more than two items are involved: Any (not either) of the three opposition candidates still in the race would make a better president than the incumbent. But reputable writers have often violated this rule, and in any case it applies only to the use of either as a pronoun or an adjective. When either is used as a conjunction, no paraphrase with any is available, and so either is unexceptionable even when it applies to more than two clauses: Either the union will make a counteroffer or the original bid will be refused by the board or the deal will go ahead as scheduled. · In either ... or constructions, the two conjunctions should be followed by parallel elements. The following is regarded as incorrect: You may either have the ring or the bracelet (properly, You may have either the ring or the bracelet). The following is also incorrect: She can take either the examination offered to all applicants or ask for a personal interview (properly, She can either take ... ). · When used as a pronoun, either is singular and takes a singular verb: The two left-wing parties disagree with each other more than either does (not do) with the Right. When followed by of and a plural noun, either is often used with a plural verb: Either of the parties have enough support to form a government. But this usage is widely regarded as incorrect; in an earlier survey it was rejected by 92 percent of the Usage Panel. · When all the elements in an either ... or construction (or a neither ... nor construction) used as the subject of a sentence are singular, the verb is singular: Either Eve or Herb has been invited. Analogously, when all the elements in the either ... or construction are plural, the verb is plural too: Either the Clarks or the Kays have been invited. When the construction mixes singular and plural elements, however, there is some confusion as to which form the verb should take. It has sometimes been suggested that the verb should agree with whichever noun phrase is closest to it; thus one would write Either Eve or the Kays have been invited, but Either the Kays or Eve has been invited. This pattern is accepted by 54 percent of the Usage Panel. Others have maintained that the construction is fundamentally inconsistent whichever number is assigned to the verb and that such sentences should be rewritten accordingly.

PS: don't confuse with Ether: A volatile, highly flammable liquid, C2H5OC2H5,

W. X-Mas -1

[This message has been edited by walexander (edited December 26, 2010).]
 

1. the act of departing from the right, normal, or usual course.

2. the act of deviating from the ordinary, usual, or normal type.

3. deviation from truth or moral rectitude.

4. mental irregularity or disorder, esp. of a minor or temporary nature; lapse from a sound mental state.

5. Astronomy - apparent displacement of a heavenly body, owing to the motion of the earth in its orbit.

6. Optics - any disturbance of the rays of a pencil of light such that they can no longer be brought to a sharp focus or form a clear image.

7. Photography - a defect in a camera lens or lens system, due to flaws in design, material, or construction, that can distort the image.

[This message has been edited by PB&Jenny (edited December 27, 2010).]
 

...not in my late 1970s dictionary, but would seem to derive from the Greek tachys, "quick."

Noun, a hypothetical (far as I know) particle that always moves faster than the speed of light. Useful in assorted science fiction scenarios.

Used in a sentence: "My stars, girl, that dress sure looks tachyon you..."
 

Lopadotemachoselachogale-okranioleipsanodrimhypot-rimmatosilphioparaome-litokatakechymenokichlepi-kossyphophattoperisteralek-tryonoptekephlliokigklop-eleiolagoiosiraiobaphetrag-ano pterygon.

“a goulash composed of all the leftovers from the meals of the leftovers from the meals of the last two weeks.” Or, hash (from Aristophanes’ The Ecclesiazusae).

Pg 118 of Mrs Byrne’s Dictionary of Unusual, Obscure and Preposterous Words, University Books, 1974.

[This message has been edited by DRaney (edited December 27, 2010).]
 

Loquacious

1. talking or tending to talk much or freely; talkative; chattering; babbling; garrulous: <a loquacious dinner guest.>

2. characterized by excessive talk; wordy: <easily the most loquacious play of the season.>

1660–70; loquaci(ty) + -ous

* DR now you have to use it in a sentence.
* Robert your best pun yet.
* It's a fitting word PB&J.

[This message has been edited by walexander (edited December 27, 2010).]
 

1. Astronomy -- the ratio of the light reflected by a planet or satellite to that received by it.

2. Meteorology -- such a ratio for any part of the earth's surface or atmosphere.

3. the white, inner rind of a citrus fruit.

Origin:
1855–60; < LL albēdō whiteness, equiv. to alb ( us ) white + -ēdō n. suffix; cf. torpedo

Use Albedo in a Sentence - Oysters are good for my albedo.

 

From the Old French felonie---lotsa English legal terms come from French, for historical reasons---look it up!

Adverb, describing a crime more serious than a misdemenor, or, in general, something awful or terrible.

Sentence: "One of the great jazz performers of the twentieth century was named Felonious Monk."
 

when in doubt... cheat.

edit~ Sepulchral - adj., 1. of, pertaining to or serving as a tomb, 2. pertaining to burial, 3. funeral or dismal, 4. hollow and deep.

used in a sentence. (does it have to be grammatically... aw nevermind.)

She looked up from her plate, her face ashen, sepulchral, and spoke in barely a whisper, "This is broccoli... you tricked me, Mother! How could you? I trusted you!"

[This message has been edited by DRaney (edited December 28, 2010).]
 

{b]Enervate[/b]

1: To tire, wear out

2: drain energy or vigor from

(from Latin enervare 'weaken by extraction of the sinews')

The wolves tactic was to enervate their prey.
 

From the Latin spurius, "bastard," also sperno, verb, "to despise."

Not legitmate, not from the true source, not genuine, counterfeit, somehow different and inferior.

Use in a sentence: "Longtime football coach Steve Spurious said today..."

[edited to respell a word---awkward doing this with a dictionary in one's lap]

[This message has been edited by Robert Nowall (edited December 29, 2010).]
 

[dey-noo-mahn]

–noun
1. the final resolution of the intricacies of a plot, as of a drama or novel.
2. the place in the plot at which this occurs.
3. the outcome or resolution of a doubtful series of occurrences.

 

Tenet

1: a principle, belief, or doctrine generally held to be true; especially : one held in common by members of an organization, movement, or profession

examples:
1. the central tenets of a religion
2. one of the basic tenets of the fashion industry

from Latin: tenēre: to hold

not to be confused with: Tenant: one who holds or possesses real estate or sometimes personal property by any kind of right
 

Greek-through-French, from stereos, solid, and typos, type.

Making a plaster cast of composed type and recasting it in type metal, or a printing plate made this way...or a typical image or conception of people in a particular group.

Used in a sentence: "My car radio is busted, but they don't sell that replacement stereotype anymore..."
 

Jetsam-noun:
1. the part of a ship, it's equipment or cargo that is cast overboard to lighten the load in time of distress and that sinks or is washed ashore.

"No, no," she corrected the auditor, "the oldest is Flotsam, the redhead is named Jetsam."

[This message has been edited by DRaney (edited December 30, 2010).]
 

Unhallowed

1. not hallowed or consecrated; not regarded as holy or sacred: <unhallowed ground.>
2. impious; unholy.
3. wicked or sinful: <unhallowed practices.>

From ME unhalewed, OE unhālghod, ungehālghod.

"I press not to the quire, nor dare I greet
The holy place with my unhallowed feet;
My unwashed Muse pollutes not things divine,
Nor mingles her profaner notes with thine;
Here humbly at the porch she listening stays,
And with glad ears sucks in thy sacred lays."

- Thomas Carew (1589–1639), British poet.
 

Latin-through-French, occidens (or occident-), the west. Also occidere, fall, or go down, as the sun does.

Noun. Referring to the western regions of, well, anywhere. Counterpart of orient. Also occidental and assorted adjectives and verbs and such.

Used in a sentence: "When the Arab prayed facing west instead of east, he was said to be occident-prone."

(No, I make no claim of originality for these awful puns.)
 

Whether

1: Expressing a doubt or choice between alternatives <he seemed undecided whether to go or stay><it is still not clear whether or not he realizes>
2: Expressing an inquiry or investigation (often used in indirect questions) <I'll see whether she's at home>
3: Indicating that a statement applies whichever of the alternatives mentioned is the case <I'm going whether you like it or not>

Not to be confused with: weather: The state of the atmosphere at a given time and place, with respect to variables such as temperature, moisture, wind velocity, and barometric pressure.

Bonus use: Weathers: Changes of fortune: had known him in many weathers.

[This message has been edited by walexander (edited January 01, 2011).]
 

French, a dieu, to God (short for I commend you to God), but used commonly enough in English to have an entry in my late 1970s dictionary. (Also adios from Spanish.)

Good-bye, a phrase of parting, conveying kind wishes.

Used in a title: "Much Adieu About Nothing."
 

1-1-2011 +1

Rare word.

Pshaw!

1: an exclamation of disgust, impatience, disbelief, etc

Used between 1665–75 though there are rare occasions some writer might use it in a sentence. <Oh Pshaw! This word is a day late!>

Temporal

1. of or pertaining to time.
2. pertaining to or concerned with the present life or this world; worldly: temporal joys.
3. enduring for a time only; temporary; transitory ( opposed to eternal).
4. Grammar .
a. of, pertaining to, or expressing time: a temporal adverb.
b. of or pertaining to the tenses of a verb.
5. secular, lay, or civil, as opposed to ecclesiastical.
6. a temporal possession, estate, or the like; temporality.
7. something that is temporal; a temporal matter or affair.

1300–50; ME (adj. and n.) < L temporālis, equiv. to tempor- (s. of tempus ) time + -ālis -al1

can also mean:

1. of, pertaining to, or situated near the temple or a temporal bone.
–noun
2. any of several parts in the temporal region, esp. the temporal bone.

UIAS: The things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. -Anonymous

[This message has been edited by walexander (edited January 02, 2011).]
 

Throe

1. a violent spasm or pang; paroxysm.
2. a sharp attack of emotion.
3. throes,
a. any violent convulsion or struggle: <the throes of battle.>
b. the agony of death.
c. the pains of childbirth.

[Old English thrāwu threat; related to Old High German drawa threat, Old Norse thrā desire, thrauka to endure]

UIAS: While in the throes of battle he no longer knew friend from foe.

Often confused with Throw - to propel or cast in any way, esp. to project or propel from the hand by a sudden forward motion or straightening of the arm and wrist: <to throw a ball.>

 

From Lord De La Warre, who was an early governor of the Colony of Virginia.

Name of the state, first applied as a colony...then applied to the Indian tribe...also applied to the language said tribe speaks.

Used in a sentence: "What did Delaware? Her brand New Jersey."
 

Zeit·geist - [tsahyt-gahyst] –noun

* the spirit of the time; general trend of thought or feeling characteristic of a particular period of time.
* the spirit, attitude, or general outlook of a specific time or period, esp as it is reflected in literature, philosophy, etc
* The taste, outlook, and spirit characteristic of a period or generation.

Origin - German
zeitgeist - 1848, from Ger. Zeitgeist , lit. "spirit of the age," from Zeit "time" (see tide) + Geist "spirit" (see ghost).

Used in a sentence: It's interesting to see how Americans always assume the zeitgeist always changes automatically with the arrival of a new decade. - Adam Robinson
 

Noun 1. One who has recently become rich, especially one who flaunts newly acquired wealth.

Nouveau-riche

Noun 1. nouveau-riche - a person who has suddenly risen to a higher economic status but has not gained social acceptance of others in that class.

Adj. 1. nouveau-riche - characteristic of someone who has risen economically or socially but lacks the social skills appropriate for this new position

ex "Susan liked Helen just fine, but found her manner decidedly nouveau-riche."

(From thefreedictionary.com)

[This message has been edited by Natej11 (edited January 05, 2011).]
 

Ramshackle

1: Loosely made or held together; rickety; shaky: <a ramshackle house.>

from obsolete ransackle - to ransack

UIAS: He never ceases, as he reads, to run up some rickety and ramshackle fabric which shall give him the temporary satisfaction of looking sufficiently like the real object to allow of affection, laughter, and argument. - Virginia Woolf (1882–1941), British novelist, essayist, and diarist. The Common Reader, ch. 1 (1925).

1-5-2011 Ok I'm caught up now, Yeah!

Bedraggled

1: To make limp, untidy, dirty, or soiled, as with rain, dirt, or mud.

1727, from be- + draggle , frequentative of drag.

UIAS: "The guy has baggy pants, flat feet, the most miserable, bedraggled-looking little bastard you ever saw; makes itchy gestures as though he's got crabs under his arms—but he's funny."
- Sterling Ford (1883–1939), U.S. comic actor. Quoted in Charlie Chaplin, My Autobiography, ch. 10 (1964).

 

Said to be a variant of squilgee, but, I suspect, ultimately derives from the sound made when you use one.

A tool, usually with a rubber edge, for sweeping water off decks or water off windows.

Used in a sentence: "I can forsee the future using my Squeegee Board."
 

Bob's litany of complaints about his marriage to Sue is longer than most letters to Santa.

 

milquetoast
very timid, unassertive or spineless person.

When Liza forgot to add eggs in her french toast batter, I was left with a cinnamon-nutmeg blend of soggy milquetoast."

[This message has been edited by Wordcaster (edited January 06, 2011).]
 

–adjective
1. causing or capable of causing laughter; laughable; ludicrous.
2. having the ability, disposition, or readiness to laugh.
3. pertaining to or connected with laughing.

The two headed witness caused risible courtroom antics.

*Has nothing to do with the word 'visible'.*
 

Torrid

1. Parched with the heat of the sun; intensely hot.<The torrid sands>
2. Scorching; burning: <the torrid noonday sun.>
3. Passionate; ardent: highly charged emotionally <torrid love letters>
4. Hurried; rapid: set a torrid pace; torrid economic growth.

Latin torridus, from torrre, to parch or scorch

UIAP: There a captive sat in chains
Crooning ditties treasured well
From his Afric's torrid plains.
Sole estate his sire bequeathed,—
Hapless sire to hapless son,—
Was the wailing song he breathed,
And his chain when life was done.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882), U.S. essayist, poet, philosopher.
 

NOUN (1)

1. a rack with hooks for temporarily holding coats and hats;

2. a magic treehouse with hooks for temporarily holding kooks and hacks;

kooks

NOUN (1)

1. someone regarded as eccentric or crazy and standing out from a group;

hack
NOUN (8)

1. one who works hard at boring tasks;
[syn: hack, drudge, hacker]

2. a politician who belongs to a small clique that controls a political party for private rather than public ends;
[syn: machine politician, ward-heeler, political hack, hack]

3. a mediocre and disdained writer;
[syn: hack, hack writer, literary hack]

4. a tool (as a hoe or pick or mattock) used for breaking up the surface of the soil;

5. a car driven by a person whose job is to take passengers where they want to go in exchange for money;
[syn: cab, hack, taxi, taxicab]

6. an old or over-worked horse;
[syn: hack, jade, nag, plug]

7. a horse kept for hire;

8. a saddle horse used for transportation rather than sport etc.;

*** Edited to say, this is supposed to be funny, and not an insult to anyone here. Yay for hatrack, and yay for all of us trying to stand out from the crowd.

[This message has been edited by shimiqua (edited January 07, 2011).]
 

From the Latin matricula, a public register, a diminuitive of matrix, which means womb. (Really.)

Transitive verb, meaning being admitted to membership as a student in a college or university.

Used in a sentence: "Senator Smathers once implied Senator Pepper couldn't be trusted because when he went to college he matriculated."
 

From the Greek, anthropos, meaning man or human, and morphos, meaning shape or form.

Seeing a human shape (literally or metaphorically) in things that are not human. (the hands of a clock, the car had a mind of it's own)

[This message has been edited by PB&Jenny (edited January 07, 2011).]
 

Greek, pertaining to Thespis, a Greek tragic poet.

Noun, an actor or actress, more specifically a tragedian...also an adjective, pertaining to tragedy or the dramatic arts.

Used in a sentence: "Senator Smathers also pointed out that Senator Pepper's sister was a practicing thespian."
 

Pander

–noun Also, pan·der·er.
1. a person who furnishes clients for a prostitute or supplies persons for illicit sexual intercourse; procurer; pimp.
2. a person who caters to or profits from the weaknesses or vices of others.
3. a go-between in amorous intrigues.

to act as a pander;<to pander to the vile tastes of vulgar persons.>

Origin:
1325–75; earlier pandar ( e ), generalized use of ME name Pandare Pandarus

pan·der·age, noun
pan·der·ing·ly, adverb
pan·der·ism, noun
pan·der·ly, adjective

1-8-2011

Dilatory

1. tending to delay or procrastinate; slow; tardy.
2. intended to cause delay, gain time, or defer decision: a dilatory strategy.

My dilatory behavior always catches up with me.

Origin:
1250–1300; ME (< AF) < L dīlātōrius, equiv. to dīlā-, suppletive s. of differre to postpone ( see differ) + -tōrius -tory1

[This message has been edited by walexander (edited January 09, 2011).]
 

From French esclave, which comes from Middle Latin sclavus, which was originally Sclavus, a Slav.

One who's the property of another, or solely subject to another...used metaphorically to refer to someone who's under the influence of something or another...one who labors like a slave...or a device wholly under the control of another device.

Not by any means to be regarded as a substitute for another familiar word as used in Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn.

Used in a sentence: "As honorary chairman of the welcoming committee, it's my privilege to present a laurel and hearty handshake to our new...slave."

See?
 

Conflate Borrowed from tchernabyelo reply on my Titling post. Had to look up what the heck it meant.

1: to bring together : fuse

2: to combine (as two readings of a text) into a composite whole

UIAS: the movie conflates documentary footage and dramatized reenactments so seamlessly and ingeniously that viewers may not know what is real and what is not.

Latin conflatus, past participle of conflare to blow together, fuse, from com- + flare to blow

Ultimately from Middle Latin totalis and Latin totus, the whole, entire.

Adjective, relating to a form of government that permits no opposition. Coined by Mussolini.

Used: "Don't eat those Wheaties, you're a Totalitarian!"
 

Hackle

1. one of the long, slender feathers on the neck or saddle of certain birds, as the domestic rooster, much used in making artificial flies for anglers.
2. the neck plumage of a male bird, as the domestic rooster.
3. hackles,
a. the erectile hair on the back of an animal's neck: At the sound of footsteps, the dog raised her hackles.
b. anger, esp. when aroused in a challenging or challenged manner: with one's hackles up.

—Idiom
4. raise one's hackles, to arouse one's anger: Such officiousness always raises my hackles.

1570–80; hack1 + -le; c. MD hakkelen

1-11-2011

Infrasonic

1: having or relating to a frequency below the audibility range of the human ear
2: utilizing or produced by infrasonic waves or vibrations

1925–30; infra- + sonic

1-12-2011

Parallax

1: the apparent displacement of an observed object due to a change in the position of the observer.
2. Astronomy . the apparent angular displacement of a celestial body due to its being observed from the surface instead of from the center of the earth (diurnal parallax or geocentric parallax) or due to its being observed from the earth instead of from the sun (annual parallax or heliocentric parallax). A parallactic ellipse.
3. the difference between the view of an object as seen through the picture-taking lens of a camera and the view as seen through a separate viewfinder.
4. an apparent change in the position of cross hairs as viewed through a telescope, when the focusing is imperfect.

1585–95; < Gk parállaxis change, equiv. to parallak- (s. of parallássein to cause to alternate

Sorry got behind, but here are three words into the pot to break even. W.
 

From French, cantaloup, from Cantalupo, a former estate of the Pope near Rome.

A small, ribbed melon, Cucumis melo cantalupensis, of specific flavor and orange color of its flesh, popular in fruit salads.

Used in a sentence: "Home, home on the range...where the deer and the cantaloup play..."
 

I'm already married, so I cantaloupe with you.
 

Juxtaposition

1. an act or instance of placing close together or side by side, esp. for comparison or contrast.
2. the state of being close together or side by side.

UIAS: "Juxtaposition marries men." - Herman Melville (1819–1891), U.S. author. Pierre (1852), bk. III, The Writings of Herman Melville

1660s, coined in Fr. 17c. from L. juxta "beside, near" + Fr. position (see position (n.)). Latin juxta is a contraction of *jugista (adv.), superlative of adj. *jugos "closely connected," from stem of jugum "yoke," from jungere "to join"

Rob - Rez, Funny

 

Ok, today is the thirty day review. Here is the list in the order of posts. Thank you to all who have contributed. Tomorrow starts another thirty days. Any words you don't know you can find in order. Thank you. W.

Ephemeral, Esoteric, horticulture, lacuna, liminal, quintessential, phantasmagorical, Sward, Conclave, mawkish, blench, Obdurate, meretricious, Insipid, Prehensile, yeoman, Scarf, excoriate, Hydronate, Portentous, Obfuscate, isthmus, roué, salmonella, Disparate, aquiline, Veracious, Voracious, Overt, jactation, apotheosis, nyctophobia, egregious, vehement, Fervent, Vernacular, defenestrate, chaffer, boondoggle, Christmastide, Indecorous, mnemonic, Either, aberration, tachyon, DRaney's Infinitely long word, Loquacious, Albedo, felonious, Sepulchral, Enervate, spurious, denouement, Tenet, stereotype, Flotsam, Jetsam, Unhallowed, occident, Whether, adieu, Pshaw, Temporal, Throe, Delaware, Zeitgeist, nouveau riche, Ramshackle, Bedraggled, squeegee, Litany, milquetoast, risible, Torrid, hatrack, kooks, hack, matriculate, Anthropomorphic, thespian, Pander, Dilatory, slave, Conflate, totalitarian, Hackle, Infrasonic, Parallax, cantaloup, Prise, Juxtaposition.

[This message has been edited by walexander (edited January 14, 2011).]
 

noun - a slight trace, as of a particular taste or flavor, a slight amount; dash

[from French, ultimately from Latin suspicio - suspicion]

 

Lunch ain't ready yet, but soupçon.

Which reminds me of my very fave Star Wars comic: Some alien wag, eyeing Luke in the bacta tank, remarks, "Is it soup yet?"
 

Through Late Latin catechismus from Greek katechizein, teaching orally, kata down, echein, sound.

Religious instruction, or, usually, a book containing this religious instruction...also a set of questions put to candidates for the church in question.

Used in a sentence: "With the sudden departure of Gehrig, the New York Yankees suffered a terrible catechism."
 

New Latin anthropologia from Greek anthropos, "man," and [/i]logos[/i], "discourse" here in my dictionary, but really "word."

Ostensibly the science of man and mankind, with the emphasis on physical and mental constitution and cultural development, past and present.

Used in a sentence: "The feminist took offense at the exclusion of women from 'the science of man,' so he offered her an anthropology."
 

Quid pro quo

1: something given or received for something else; also : a deal arranging a quid pro quo

UIAS: In politics nobody does something for nothing: there's always a quid pro quo involved.

New Latin, something for something
First Known Use: 1582

1-16-2011

metaphor

1: a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them (as in drowning in money)

Middle English methaphor, from Middle French or Latin; Middle French metaphore, from Latin metaphora, from Greek, from metapherein to transfer, from meta- + pherein to bear

1-17-2011

Analogy

1. agreement or similarity, esp in a certain limited number of features or details
2. a comparison made to show such a similarity to draw an analogy between an atom and the solar system
3. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Biology) Biology the relationship between analogous organs or parts
4. (Philosophy / Logic) Logic maths a form of reasoning in which a similarity between two or more things is inferred from a known similarity between them in other respects
5. (Linguistics) Linguistics imitation of existing models or regular patterns in the formation of words, inflections, etc. a child may use ``sheeps'' as the plural of ``sheep'' by analogy with ``dog'', ``dogs'', ``cat'', ``cats'', etc

from Greek analogia ratio, correspondence, from analogos analogous
 

Parable

1: specifically : a usually short fictitious story that illustrates a moral attitude or a religious principle

UIAS: He told the children a parable about the importance of forgiveness.

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin parabola, from Greek parabolē comparison, from paraballein to compare, from para- + ballein to throw

First Known Use: 14th century
 

Hyperbole

1. obvious and intentional exaggeration.
2. an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally, as “to wait an eternity.”

1520–30; < Gk hyperbolḗ excess, exaggeration, throwing beyond, equiv. to hyper- hyper- + bolḗ throw

"Taffeta phrases, silken phrases precise,
Three-piled hyperbole, spruce affectation,
Figures pedantical—these summer flies
Have blown me full of maggot ostentation.
I do forswear them." - Shakespeare - Love's labor's lost.

Used in a sentence:

You may ask whether wethers weather weather better than ewes.

I'll put myself away now
 

From Latin obsolescens, and from obsoletus...well, you can guess just what.

Noun (also obsolescent, adjective), something that's fallen into disuse or is no longer in use, something that's been replaced by something else. Also a certain specialized use in biology for something gradually disappearing or imperfectly developed.

Used: "The aging twenty-something former teenager found himself in a prolonged case of obsolescence."
 

– adjective (of speech, writing, etc.)
pompous; pretentious; high-sounding; high-flown; inflated.

From the Greek geometria, geo, the Earth, and metron, measure---in Greek, the equivalent of land surveying.

The branch of mathematics dealing with points, lines, angles, surfaces, and solids, and the relationships between them. Also more specific branches, such as analytic geometry.

Used: "The method actor practicing his craft once said 'Gee, I'm a tree!'"
 

–verb (used with object)
1. to bring into discord or conflict; involve in contention or strife.
2. to throw into confusion; complicate.

The recipe directions called for embroiled beef strips.
 

1-20-2011
Sever

1. to separate (a part) from the whole, as by cutting or the like.
2. to divide into parts, esp. forcibly; cleave.

1-21-2011
Lacerate

1: to tear roughly; mangle: The barbed wire lacerated his hands.

1-22-2011
Incise

1. to cut into; cut marks, figures, etc., upon.
2. to make (marks, figures, etc.) by cutting; engrave; carve.

1-23-2011
Cleave

1: to split or divide by or as if by a cutting blow, esp. along a natural line of division, as the grain of wood.

1-24-2011
Slit

1.to cut apart or open along a line; make a long cut, fissure, or opening in.
2.to cut or rend into strips; split.
3. a straight, narrow cut, opening, or aperture.

 

From the ancient Greek Seirios, "glowing," or maybe "scorcher."

Alpha Canis Majoris, the brightest star visible from Earth, a binary system. Also known as "the Dog Star," because of its location in Canis Major ("Big Dog.")

Used in a sentence: "Don't worry, Ma, 'twas nothing Sirius."
 

Plait

1: pleat
2: a braid of material (as hair or straw); specifically : pigtail

1. She wore her hair in plaits.
2. she wore a plait down her back that reached her waist

Origin of PLAIT
Middle English pleit, from Anglo-French pleit, plei, pli, from Vulgar Latin *plicitum, from neuter of Latin plicitus, past participle of plicare to fold — more at ply
First Known Use: 14th century

1-26-2011

Pleat

1: fold; especially : to arrange in pleats <pleat a skirt>
2: plait

Origin of PLEAT
Middle English pleten, from pleit, plete plait
First Known Use: 14th century

1-27-2011

Glabrous

1: having a surface devoid of hair or pubescence.

Origin:
1630–40; < L glabr- (s. of glaber ) smooth, hairless + -ous

1-28-2011

Comose

1: hairy; comate.

Origin:
1785–95; < L comōsus, equiv. to com ( a ) (< Gk kómē hair, foliage of trees or plants) + -ōsus -ose1

11-29-2011

Comate

1: a mate or companion.

Origin:
1570–80; co- + mate1

1-30-2011

Hirsute

1. hairy; shaggy.
2. Botany, Zoology . covered with long, rather stiff hairs.
3. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of hair.

Origin:
1615–25; < L hirsūtus rough, shaggy, bristly; akin to horrid

1-31-2011

Grizzled

1. having gray or partly gray hair.
2. gray or partly gray.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME.

2-1-2011

Ropy

1. resembling a rope or ropes: ropy muscles.
2. forming viscid or glutinous threads, as a liquid.

Origin:
1470–80; rope + -y1