Word - 84

CONSIGLIERE \kohn-sil-YEH-reh\ noun

: counselor, adviser

Example sentence:
After years of being a consigliere to the CEOs of Silicon Valley's top giants, Norman has decided to break out and head his own high-tech enterprise.

Did you know?

If you're a fan of The Godfather series of movies, the character Tom Hagen may have already come to mind. Hagen, the Corleones' family lawyer, was famously dismissed by the Don's successor and son Michael Corleone because he was not a "wartime consigliere." The word "consigliere" comes from Italian and has been a part our language since 1615; it was originally used of someone who served on a council in Italy. Currently, it is most commonly used to designate advisers to the Mafia -- a use that first appeared in English in a document from a 1963 session of the U.S. Senate. It is also often used generally of a political or financial adviser, or any other trusted adviser for that matter.

Word - 83

BILIOUS \BILL-yus\ adjective

1 a : of or relating to bile
b : marked by or suffering from liver dysfunction and especially excessive secretion of bile

*2 : of or indicative of a peevish ill-natured disposition

3 : sickeningly unpleasant

Example sentence:
Molly's bilious demeanor made her ill-suited for a job in customer service, and she was let go from the position after two weeks.

Did you know?

"Bilious" is one of several words whose origins trace to the old belief that four bodily humors (black bile, yellow bile, phlegm, and blood) control temperament. Just like "phlegmatic" ("of a slow and stolid phlegm-driven character"), "melancholy" ("experiencing dejection associated with black bile"), and the recent Word of the Day "sanguine" ("of a cheerful, blood-based disposition"), "bilious" suggests a personality associated with an excess of one of the humors -- in this case, yellow bile. "Bilious," which first appeared in English in the mid-1500s, derives from the Middle French "bilieux," which in turn traces to "bilis," Latin for "bile." In the past, "bile" was also called "choler," which gives us "choleric," a synonym of "bilious."

Word - 82

INTERLOPER \in-ter-LOH-per\ noun

: one that intrudes in a place or sphere of activity

Example sentence:
As he watched the startled doe and her fawn dart off into the woods, Nelson felt like an interloper in the forest world.

Did you know?

When English speakers combined "inter-" with "-loper" in the late 1500s, they already had a word "landloper" (now archaic) for "a person who runs about the land" (in other words, a vagrant). The "-loper" part of "interloper" is related to Middle Dutch and Old English words meaning "to run" and "to leap." An "interloper" is essentially one who jumps into the midst of things without an invitation to do so. In its earliest uses, "interloper" referred specifically to one who interfered in trade illegally -- that is, a trader who trespassed on the rights or charters of others. Sometimes "interloper" even referred to a ship employed in illegal trading. But the word quickly took on extended use, coming to refer not just to intrusion in trade but also in personal affairs or other matters.

Word - 81

FLACK \FLACK\ verb

: to provide publicity
: engage in press-agentry

Example sentence:
The billionaire's former mistress has been in the tabloids and on the talk-show circuit as of late, flacking for her juicy tell-all.

Did you know?

The word "flack" was first used as a noun meaning "publicity agent" during the late 1930s. According to one rumor, the word was coined in tribute to a well-known movie publicist of the time, Gene Flack. Another rumor holds that "flack" derives from a similar-sounding Yiddish word for someone who talks about someone else's affairs. The editors of Merriam-Webster dictionaries remain skeptical about these claims and have listed the etymology of "flack" as "unknown." We can say with confidence, however, that the verb form of the word appeared in Maclean's in 1963. You may also be familiar with another "flack" -- a noun meaning “criticism" or "opposition." This unrelated homograph stems from a misspelling of "flak," a German acronym and English word for antiaircraft guns.

Word - 80

MYOPIC \mye-OH-pik\ adjective

1 : affected by nearsightedness : of, relating to, or exhibiting nearsightedness

*2 : lacking in foresight or discernment : limited in outlook

Example sentence:
The mayor's myopic handling of the city park project caused a number of long-term problems that persisted after her term ended.

Did you know?

"Myopia" is a condition in which visual images come to a focus in front of the retina of the eye, resulting in the inability to see distant objects clearly. Those with myopia can be referred to as "myopic" (or, less formally, "nearsighted"). "Myopic" has extended meanings, too. Someone who is myopic might have trouble seeing things from a different perspective or considering the future consequences before acting. "Myopic" and "myopia" have a lesser-known relative, "myope," meaning "a myopic person." All of these words ultimately derive from the Greek "myops," which comes from "myein" (meaning "to be closed") and "ops" (meaning "eye" or "face").

Word - 79

VORACITY \vuh-RASS-uh-tee\ noun

: the quality or state of being ravenous or insatiable

Example sentence:
Elena reads books with such voracity that she returns to the library two or three times a week.

Did you know?

"Voracity" comes to us via the Middle French "voracite" from the Latin word "voracitas," which itself comes from "vorax," meaning "voracious," plus "-itas," the Latin equivalent of the English noun suffix "-ity." "Voracity" is one of two English words that mean "the quality or state of being voracious." The other is "voraciousness," which was once considered to be archaic but has made a comeback. Because "voracity" evolved from non-English forerunners, rather than being created in English from "voracious" (as was "voraciousness"), the word may strike some English speakers as an unusual formation. It's not surprising, therefore, that the more familiar-looking "voraciousness" has reappeared -- most likely through a process of reinvention by people unaware of "voracity."

Word - 78

TETCHY \TETCH-ee\ adjective

: irritably or peevishly sensitive : touchy

Example sentence:

Nico sensed that his sister was in a tetchy mood, so he decided to wait until the next day to ask to borrow her car.

Did you know?

"Tetchy" is a word that may have been coined by Shakespeare -- its first known use in English occurs in Romeo and Juliet (1592). Etymologists are not certain how the word came about, but some have suggested that it derives from "tetch," an obsolete noun meaning "habit." The similarity both in meaning and pronunciation to "touchy" might lead you to conclude that "tetchy" is related to that word, but there is no conclusive evidence to suggest such a connection. The adjectives "teched" and "tetched," meaning "mentally unbalanced," are variations of "touched," and are probably also unrelated to "tetchy."

Word - 77

EUPHONY \YOO-fuh-nee\ noun

*1 : pleasing or sweet sound; especially : the acoustic effect produced by words so formed or combined as to please the ear
2 : a harmonious succession of words having a pleasing sound

Example sentence:
The poet chose words for the sake of euphony and rhythm as well as rhyme.

Did you know?

"Euphony" was borrowed from French at the beginning of the 17th century; the French word ("euphonie") itself derives from the Late Latin "euphonia," which in turn traces back to the Greek adjective "euphonos," meaning "sweet-voiced" or "musical." "Euphonos" was formed by combining the prefix "eu-" ("good") and "phone" ("voice"). In addition to its more commonly recognized senses, "euphony" also has a more specific meaning in the field of linguistics, where it can refer to the preference for words that are easy to pronounce; this preference may be the cause of an observed trend of people altering the pronunciation of certain words apparently in favor of sound combinations that are simpler and faster to say out loud.

Word - 76

SURLY \SER-lee\ adjective

1 : menacing or threatening in appearance

*2 : irritably sullen and churlish in mood or manner : crabbed

Example sentence:

Vicki almost reported the surly cashier to the store manager, but then decided against doing so, telling herself that he was probably just having a bad day.

Did you know?

In its very earliest uses in the 16th century, "surly" meant "majestic" or "lordly." These early meanings make sense when you know that this word is an alteration of Middle English "serreli," which probably comes from "sire, ser," a title formerly used as a form of address for men of rank or authority. So how did a word with such lofty beginnings come to be associated with grumbling rudeness? Arrogant and domineering behavior is sometimes associated with men of rank or position, and "surly" came to mean "haughty" or "imperious." These meanings (which are now obsolete) led to the "rude" sense that is very common today.

Word - 75

LOUT \LOUT\ noun

: an awkward brutish person

Example sentence:
Because the three louts behind him in the movie theater were being loud and obnoxious, Jonah decided to move to another seat.

Did you know?

"Lout" belongs to the large group of words we use to indicate an undesirable person, a boor, a bumpkin, a dolt, a clod. We’ve used "lout" in this way since the mid-1500s. As early as the 800s, however, "lout" functioned as a verb with the meaning "to bow in respect." No one is quite sure how the verb sense developed into a noun meaning "a brutish person." Perhaps the awkward posture of one bowing down led over time to the idea that the person was personally low and awkward as well.

Word - 74

DANEGELD \DAYN-gheld\ noun

often capitalized

: an annual tax believed to have been imposed originally to buy off Danish invaders in England or to maintain forces to oppose them but continued as a land tax

Example sentence:
Today's lecture will be on the Danegeld and taxation in the Middle Ages.

Did you know?

The subjects of King Ethelred II, who ruled England from 978-1016, didn't think much of the ruler they dubbed "the Unready." They suspected him of murdering his brother to gain the throne, so it isn't surprising that they didn't rally around him to defend the country against the Danish invaders who attempted to unseat him. Ethelred tried a payoff tax called the Danegeld as a last ditch effort to keep his kingdom intact. The "Dane" part of the name refers to the Danish invaders who received the money. The "geld" part comes from an Old English word meaning "payment" or "tribute."

Word - 73

EPONYMOUS \ih-PAH-nuh-mus\ adjective

: of, relating to, or being one for whom or which something is or is believed to be named

Example sentence:
Fans of The Steve Mapplethorpe Comedy Hour waited outside the studio exit in hopes of catching a glimpse of its eponymous host.

Did you know?

It's no coincidence that "eponymous" has to do with naming -- it comes to us from the Greek adjective "eponymos," which is itself from "onyma," meaning "name." "Onyma" has lent its name to a number of English words, including "synonymous," "pseudonym," and "anonymous." Traditionally, an eponymous person or thing (i.e., an "eponym") might be a mythical ancestor or totem believed to be the source of a clan's name. Today, however, "eponymous" more typically refers to such individuals as the front man of "Theo's Trio" or the owner of "Sally's Restaurant"(Theo and Sally, respectively, of course). The things that are named for such name-providers are also "eponymous." For example, we can speak of "the eponymous 'Ed Sullivan Show'" as well as "the eponymous Ed Sullivan."

Word - 72

REPLETE \rih-PLEET\ adjective

*1 : fully or abundantly provided or filled

2 a : abundantly fed
b : fat, stout

3 : complete

Example sentence:
The children were delighted to find that the costume trunk was replete with dresses, hats, capes, and all sorts of props to play make-believe.

Did you know?
Given that one of the roots of "replete" is the Latin verb "plere," meaning "to fill," it isn't surprising that the word has synonyms such as "full" and "complete." "Replete," "full," and "complete" all indicate that something contains all that is wanted or needed or possible, but there are also subtle differences between the words. "Full" implies the presence or inclusion of everything that can be held, contained, or attained ("a full schedule"), while "complete" applies when all that is needed is present ("a complete picture of the situation"). "Replete" is the synonym of choice when fullness is accompanied by a sense of satiety.

Word - 71

ARCANUM \ar-KAY-num\ noun

*1 : mysterious or specialized knowledge, language, or information accessible or possessed only by the initiate -- usually used in plural

2 : elixir

Example sentence:
The author, a physicist, adeptly demystifies arcana of her field with lucid, accessible prose.

Did you know?
The word "arcanum" (pluralized as "arcana") came from Latin "arcanus," meaning "secret," and entered English as the Dark Ages gave way to the Renaissance. It was often used in reference to the mysteries of the physical and spiritual worlds, subjects of heavy scrutiny and rethinking at the time. Alchemists were commonly said to be pursuing the arcana of nature, and they sought elixirs for changing base metals into gold, prolonging life, and curing disease. The frequent association of the word with the alchemists' elixirs influenced the use of "arcanum" for "elixir."

Word - 70

KVELL \KVEL\ verb

: to be extraordinarily proud

: rejoice

Example sentence:
Critics kvelled over the violinist's triumphant return to the stage where she had made her debut many years ago.

Did you know?

We are pleased to inform you that the word "kvell" is derived from Yiddish "kveln," meaning "to be delighted," which, in turn, comes from the Middle High German word "quellen," meaning "to well, gush, or swell." Yiddish has been a wellspring of creativity for English, giving us such delightful words as "meister" ("one who is knowledgeable about something"), "maven" ("expert"), and "shtick" ("one's special activity"), just to name a few. The date for the appearance of "kvell" in the English language is tricky to pinpoint exactly. The earliest known printed evidence for the word in an English source is found in a 1952 handbook of Jewish words and expressions, but actual usage evidence before that date remains unseen.

Word - 69

CIRCUMLOCUTION \ser-kum-loh-KYOO-shun\ noun

*1 : the use of an unnecessarily large number of words to express an idea

2 : evasion in speech

Example sentence:
Mr. Harvey was notorious for his tendency to engage in endless circumlocution when a simple, brief explanation would suffice.

Did you know?

In The King's English, grammarian H.W. Fowler advised, "Prefer the single word to the circumlocution." Alas, that good advice was not followed by the framers of "circumlocution." They actually used two terms in forming that word for unnecessarily verbose prose or speech. But their choices were apt; "circumlocution" derives from the Latin "circum-," meaning "around," and "locutio," meaning "speech" -- so it literally means "roundabout speech." Since the 15th century, English writers have used "circumlocution" with disdain, naming a thing to stop, or better yet, to avoid altogether. Charles Dickens even used it to satirize political runarounds when he created the fictional Circumlocution Office, a government department that delayed the dissemination of information and just about everything else.

Word - 68

USURP \yoo-SERP\ verb

: to seize and hold by force or without right

Example sentence:
In her first managerial position, Hannah was hesitant to delegate critical tasks for fear that a subordinate might usurp her position.

Did you know?

"Usurp" was borrowed into English in the 14th century from the Anglo-French word "usorper," which in turn derives from the Latin verb "usurpare," meaning "to take possession of without a legal claim." "Usurpare" itself was formed by combining "usu" (a form of "usus," meaning "use") and "rapere" ("to seize"). Other descendants of "rapere" in English include "rapacious" ("given to seizing or extorting what is coveted"), "rapine" ("the seizing and carrying away of things by force"), "rapt" (the earliest sense of which is "lifted up and carried away"), and "ravish" ("to seize and take away by violence").

Word - 67

MISPRISON \mis-PRIZH-un\ noun

1 a : neglect or wrong performance of official duty

b : concealment of treason or felony by one who is not a participant in the treason or felony

*2 : misunderstanding, misinterpretation

Example sentence:
In her memoir Sleeping with Cats, poet Marge Piercy reflects that her life "has been full of blunders, misprisions, accidents, losses."

Did you know?

All but one of the following words traces back to Latin "prehendere," meaning "to seize."

Which word doesn’t belong?

apprehend comprehend misprision misprize prison surprise

It's easy to see the "prehendere" connection in "apprehend" and "comprehend," whereas you may be surprised that "surprise" is from "prehendere" (via Anglo-French "susprendre," meaning "to capture" or "to take by surprise"). "Misprision" comes to us by way of Anglo-French "mesprisun" ("error, wrongdoing"), from "mesprendre" ("to take by mistake"), itself from "prehendere." "Prison," too, is from Anglo-French, where it had the same meaning as our English word. It was adapted from Latin "prehension-, prehensio" ("act of seizing") -- again, from "prehendere." The only word that's out of place is "misprize," meaning "to undervalue." It's ultimately from Latin "pretium," meaning "value."

Word - 66

SANGUINE \SANG-gwin\ adjective

1 : bloodred

2 of the complexion : ruddy

*3 : confident, optimistic

Example sentence:
The coach remained sanguine about his team's chances in the playoffs, even though his star player was injured.

Did you know?

"Sanguine" has quite a few relatives in English, including a few that might sound familiar to Word of the Day readers. "Sangfroid" ("self-possession especially under strain") and "sanguineous" ("bloodthirsty") are consanguineous with "sanguine." ("Consanguineous," meaning "descended from the same ancestor," is another former Word of the Day.) The tie that binds these words is "sanguis," the Latin word for blood. "Exsanguination" ("the draining or losing of blood"), "sanguinary" ("murderous" or "bloody"), and the rare "sangsue" ("leech") and "sanguinolent" ("tinged with blood") are also "sanguis" relatives. That's something you can raise a glass of "sangaree" or "sangria" ("a usually iced punch made of red wine, fruit juice, and soda water") to!

Word - 65

WORMHOLE \WERM-hohl\ noun

1 : a hole or passage burrowed by a worm

*2 : a hypothetical structure of space-time envisioned as a long thin tunnel connecting points that are separated in space and time

Example sentence:

Some science fiction writers speculate that wormholes will become the intergalactic highways of the future.

Did you know?

If you associate "wormhole" with quantum physics and sci-fi, you'll probably be surprised to learn that the word has been around since Shakespeare's day -- although, admittedly, he used it more literally than most modern writers. To Shakespeare, a "wormhole" was simply a hole made by a worm, but even the Bard subtly linked "wormholes" to the passage of time; for example, in The Rape of Lucrece, he notes time's destructive power "to fill with worm-holes stately monuments." To modern astrophysicists, a wormhole isn't a tunnel wrought by a slimy invertebrate, but a theoretical tunnel between two black holes or other points in space-time, providing a shortcut between its end points.

Word - 64

APPELLATION \ap-uh-LAY-shun\ noun

*1 : an identifying name or title : designation

2 : archaic : the act of calling by a name

3 : a geographical name used to identify wine

Example sentence:

We used to call him "Danny," but he recently let us know that he prefers the appellation "Daniel."

Did you know?

Ask a Frenchman named "Jacques" his name, and you may very well get the reply, "Je m'appelle Jacques." The French verb "appeller" means "to call (by a name)," so Jacques' answer literally translates to "I call myself Jacques." Knowing the function of "appeller" makes it easy to remember that "appellation" refers to the name or title by which something is called or known. "Appeller" and "appellation" also share a common ancestor -- the Latin "appellare," meaning "to call or summon," formed by combining the prefix "ad-" ("to") with another verb, "pellere" ("to drive"). "Appellare" is also the root of our word "appeal" (by way of Anglo-French and Middle English), as well as "appellate," referring to a kind of court where appeals are heard.

Word - 63

PRECOCIOUS \prih-KOH-shus\ adjective

1 : exceptionally early in development or occurrence

*2 : exhibiting mature qualities at an unusually early age

Example sentence:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a precocious child who, by the age of five, was already composing his first musical pieces.

Did you know?

"Precocious" got started in Latin when the prefix "prae-," meaning "ahead of," was combined with the verb "coquere," meaning "to cook" or "to ripen," to form the adjective "praecox," which means "early ripening" or "premature." By 1650, English speakers had turned "praecox" into "precocious" and were using it especially of plants that produced blossoms before their leaves came out. By the 1670s, "precocious" was also being used to describe humans who developed skills or talents before others typically did.

Word - 62

NOMENCLATURE \NOH-mun-klay-cher\ noun

1 : name, designation

2 : the act or process or an instance of naming

3 *a : a system or set of terms or symbols especially in a particular science, discipline, or art
b : an international system of standardized New Latin names used in biology for kinds and groups of kinds of animals and plants

Example sentence:
Karin was introduced to a whole range of unfamiliar terms when she started her new job as a laboratory assistant, but she soon became familiar with the nomenclature.

Did you know?

In his 1926 Dictionary of Modern English Usage, grammarian H. W. Fowler asserted that it was wrong to use "nomenclature" as a synonym for "name"; he declared that "nomenclature" could only mean "a system of naming or of names." It is true that "nomenclature" comes from the Latin "nomenclatura," meaning "the assigning of names," but the "name" sense was one of the first to appear in English (it is documented as long ago as 1610), and it has been considered perfectly standard for centuries.

Word - 61

NADIR \NAY-deer\ noun

1 : the point of the celestial sphere that is directly opposite the zenith and vertically downward from the observer
*2 : the lowest point

Example sentence:
Ironically, the high point of the novel occurs when the protagonist reaches her nadir, for only then does she arouse our empathy and emotional involvement.

Did you know?

"Nadir" is part of the galaxy of scientific words that have come to us from Arabic, a language that has made important contributions in the vocabulary of mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and chemistry. "Nadir" derives from an Arabic word meaning "opposite" -- the opposite, that is, of the "zenith," which names the highest point of the celestial sphere, the one vertically above the observer. (The word "zenith" itself is a modification of another Arabic word that means "the way over one's head.") The English poet John Donne is first on record as having used "nadir" in the figurative sense of "lowest point" in a sermon he wrote in 1627.

Word - 60

EXASPERATE \ig-ZAS-puh-rayt\ verb

1 : to excite the anger of : enrage
*2 : to cause irritation or annoyance to

Example sentence:
Our former neighbors' habit of throwing loud parties that lasted late into the night thoroughly exasperated us.

Did you know?

"Exasperate" hangs with a rough crowd. It derives from "exasperatus," the past participle of the Latin verb "exasperare," which in turn was formed by combining "ex-" with "asper," meaning "rough." Another descendant of "asper" in English is "asperity," which can refer to the roughness of a surface or the roughness of someone's temper. Another relative, albeit a distant one, is the English word "spurn," meaning "to reject."

Word - 59

BUMPTIOUS \BUMP-shus\ adjective

: presumptuously, obtusely, and often noisily self-assertive

: obtrusive

Example sentence:

"I wish the DJs on this station weren't so bumptious," said Andrea. "I'd prefer to just listen to the music."

Did you know?

Etymologists believe that "bumptious" was probably coined, perhaps playfully, from the noun "bump" plus "-tious." When "bumptious" was first used around 1800, it meant "self-conceited." Charles Dickens used it that way in David Copperfield: "His hair was very smooth and wavy; but I was informed ... that it was a wig ... and that he needn't be so 'bounceable' -- somebody else said 'bumptious' -- about it, because his own red hair was very plainly to be seen behind."

Word - 58

REFRACTORY \rih-FRAK-tuh-ree\ adjective

*1 : resisting control or authority : stubborn, unmanageable

2 a : resistant to treatment or cure
b : unresponsive to stimulus
c : immune, insusceptible

3 : difficult to fuse, corrode, or draw out; especially : capable of enduring high temperature

Example sentence:
Refractory students may be disciplined, suspended, or expelled, depending on the seriousness of their offense.

Did you know?

"Refractory" is from the Latin word "refractarius." During the 17th century, it was sometimes spelled as "refractary," but that spelling, though more in keeping with its Latin parent, had fallen out of use by the century's end. "Refractarius," like "refractory," is the result of a slight variation in spelling. It stems from the Latin verb "refragari," meaning "to oppose."

Word - 57

PEJORATIVE \pih-JOR-uh-tiv\ adjective

: having negative connotations; especially

: tending to disparage or belittle : depreciatory

Example sentence:
The team's star player has come under fire for making pejorative remarks about women during a magazine interview.

Did you know?

"If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." Moms have given that good advice for years, but unfortunately many people haven't heeded it. The word "pejorative" makes it clear that both English and Latin speakers have long known that disparaging words can make a bad situation worse. "Pejorative" derives from the Late Latin adjective "pejoratus," which in turn comes from the Latin verb "pejorare," meaning "to make or become worse." Although pejorative words have probably always been part of English, the adjective "pejorative" has only been found in English texts since the late 1880s. Before then, English speakers could rely on older synonyms of "pejorative" such as "derogatory" and "uncomplimentary" to describe disparaging words.

Word - 56

SOPHISTRY \SAH-fuh-stree\ noun

*1 : subtly deceptive reasoning or argumentation
2 : an argument apparently correct in form but actually invalid; especially : such an argument used to deceive

Example sentence:
The senatorial candidate argued that his opponent was using sophistry in an effort to distort his plan for education reform.

Did you know?

The original Sophists were ancient Greek teachers of rhetoric and philosophy prominent in the 5th century B.C. In their heyday, these philosophers were considered adroit in their reasoning, but later philosophers (particularly Plato) described them as sham philosophers, out for money and willing to say anything to win an argument. Thus "sophist" (which comes from Greek "sophistes," meaning "wise man" or "expert") earned a negative connotation as "a captious or fallacious reasoner." "Sophistry" is reasoning that seems plausible on a superficial level but is actually unsound, or reasoning that is used to deceive.

Word - 55

DILAPIDATE \dih-LAP-uh-dayt\ verb

*1 : to bring into a condition of decay or partial ruin
2 : to become decayed or partially ruined

Example sentence:
Although years of abandonment had dilapidated the old warehouse, Stuart still thought it could be salvaged and remade into an apartment building.

Did you know?

Something that is dilapidated may not have been literally pummeled with stones, but it might look that way. "Dilapidate" derives from the past participle of the Latin verb "dilapidare," meaning "to squander or destroy." That verb was formed by combining "dis-" with another verb, "lapidare," meaning "to pelt with stones." From there it's just a stone's throw to some other English relatives of "dilapidate." You might, for example, notice a resemblance between "lapidare" and our word for a person who cuts or polishes precious stones, "lapidary." That's because both words share as a root the Latin noun "lapis," meaning "stone." We also find "lapis" in the name "lapis lazuli," a bright blue semiprecious stone.

Word - 54

AGGREGATE \AG-rih-gut\ noun

1 : a mass or body of units or parts somewhat loosely associated with one another
*2 : the whole sum or amount : sum total

Example sentence:
"The aggregate of incriminating details unmistakably points towards a conviction," said the prosecuting attorney.

Did you know?

We added "aggregate" to our flock of Latin borrowings in the 15th century. It descends from "aggregare" ("to add to"), a Latin verb made up of the prefix "ad-" (which means "to," and which usually changes to "ag-" before a "g") and "greg-" or "grex" (meaning "flock"). "Greg-" also gave us "congregate," "gregarious," and "segregate." "Aggregate" is commonly employed in the phrase "in the aggregate," which means "considered as a whole" (as in the sentence "In the aggregate, the student's various achievements were sufficiently impressive to merit a scholarship"). "Aggregate" also has some specialized senses. For example, it is used for a mass of minerals formed into a rock and for a material, such as sand or gravel, used to form concrete, mortar, or plaster.

Word - 53

CALLOW \KAL-oh\ adjective

: lacking adult sophistication
: immature

Example sentence:
"Back when I was a callow college student," said Emma, "I paid little attention to the advice given to me by my professors."

Did you know?

You might not expect a relationship between "callow" and baldness, but that connection does in fact exist. "Callow" comes from "calu," a word that meant "bald" in Middle English and Old English. By the 17th century, "callow" had come to mean "without feathers" and was applied to young birds not yet ready for flight. The term was also used for those who hadn't yet spread their wings in a figurative sense. "Callow" continues to mean "inexperienced" or "unsophisticated" today.

Word - 52

IDEE FIXE \ee-day-FEEKS\ noun

: an idea that dominates one's mind especially for a prolonged period : obsession

Example sentence:
The fear that he was going to be fired became such an idee fixe for Toby that he could think of nothing else.

Did you know?

According to The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, the term "idee fixe" was coined by French composer Hector Berlioz in 1830, who used it to describe the principal theme of his Symphonie fantastique. That reference goes on to say that, at about the same time French, novelist Honore de Balzac used "idee fixe" in Gobseck to describe an obsessive idea. By 1836, Balzac's more generalized use of the term had carried over into English, where "idee fixe" was embraced as a clinical and literary term for a persistent preoccupation or delusional idea that dominates a person's mind. Nowadays "idee fixe" is also applied to milder and more pedestrian obsessions.

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TREPIDATION \trep-uh-DAY-shun\ noun

: timorous uncertain agitation
: apprehension

Example sentence:
As she boarded the plane for her first flight, Corrine felt a mixture of trepidation and excitement.

Did you know?

If you've ever trembled with fright, you know something of both the sensation and etymology of "trepidation." The word "trepidation" comes from the Latin verb "trepidare," which means "to tremble." When "trepidation" first appeared in English in the early 1600s, it meant "tremulous motion" or "tremor." Around the same time, English speakers also started using the "nervous agitation" sense of "trepidation" that we use today.

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RAPPORTEUR \ra-por-TER\ noun

: a person who gives reports (as at a meeting of a learned society)

Example sentence:
The rapporteur compiled the available evidence into a report and presented it to the full committee.

Did you know?

"Rapporteur" was adopted into English in the early 16th century and is a descendant of the Middle French verb "rapporter," meaning "to bring back, report, or refer." Other descendants of "rapporter" in English include "rapportage" (a rare synonym of "reportage," in the sense of "writing intended to give an account of observed or documented events") and "rapport" ("harmonious relationship"). The words "report," "reporter," "reportage," etc., are also distant relatives of "rapporteur"; all can ultimately be traced back to the Latin prefix "re-," meaning "back, again, against," and the Latin word "portare," meaning "to carry."

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BELEAGUER \bih-LEE-gur\ verb

1 : besiege
*2 : trouble, harass

Example sentence:
The new programming chief was hired to revamp the schedule for the network, which was consistently beleaguered by low ratings.

Did you know?

English speakers created "beleaguer" from the Dutch word "belegeren" in the 16th century. "[Military men] will not vouchsafe ... to use our ancient terms belonging to matters of war, but do call a camp by the Dutch name," commented the English soldier and diplomat Sir John Smyth in 1590. The word for "camp" that he was referring to is "leaguer." That term in turn comes from Dutch "leger," which is one of the building blocks of "belegeren" (literally, "to camp around"). But neither "leaguer" nor "beleaguer" were in fact utterly foreign. Old English "leger," the source of our modern "lair," is related to the Dutch word. And the Old English "be-" ("about, around"), as seen in "besiege" and "beset," is related to the Dutch prefix "be-" in "belegeren."

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METRONOME \MET-ruh-nohm\ noun

: an instrument designed to mark exact time by a regularly repeated tick

Example sentence:
After practicing the drums with a metronome, Lars had a better feel for tempo and kept time better.

Did you know?

The patent for the metronome was entered in 1816: "John Malzl [sic], of Poland-street, Middlesex, Machinist; for an instrument ... which he denominates a Metronome, or musical time-keeper." The courts, however, later proved that the aforementioned Johann Maelzel copied a pendulum design of Dietrich Winkel, making Winkel the actual inventor. Nonetheless, Maelzel was the more successful marketer of the metronome and even has a notation named after him. The "M.M." in notations like "M.M. = 60" stands for "Maelzel's metronome" and indicates a tempo of 60 beats per minute or a beat per tick of the metronome as it ticks 60 times, in the case of our example. The name of the invention itself is based on the Greek words "metron," meaning "measure," and "nomos," meaning "law."

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SPAVINED \SPAV-ind\ adjective

1 : affected with spavin
*2 : old and decrepit : over-the-hill

Example sentence:
There is no point in expecting the spavined Arts Council to do more than sponsor the same stale events and shopworn fund-raisers.

Did you know?

"His horse [is] ... troubled with the lampas, infected with the fashions, full of windgalls, sped with spavins... ." Petruchio's poor, decrepit horse in Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew is beset by just about every known equine malady, including a kind of swelling in the mouth (lampas), skin lesions (fashions), tumors on his fetlocks (windgalls), and bony enlargements on his hocks (spavins). The spavins alone can be enough to render a horse lame and useless. In the 17th century, "spavined" horses brought to mind other things that are obsolete, out-of-date, or long past their prime, and we began using the adjective figuratively. "Spavined" still serves a purpose, despite its age. It originated in Middle English as "spaveyned" and can be traced to the Middle French word for "spavin," which was "espavain."

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FARCE \FAHRSS\ noun

1 : a light dramatic composition marked by broadly satirical comedy and improbable plot

2 : the broad humor characteristic of farce or pretense

3 a : ridiculous or empty show

*b : mockery

Example sentence:

"No wonder we’re late -- the management of traffic in this city is a farce!" Lyle complained.

Did you know?

When "farce" first appeared in English, it had to do with cookery, not comedy. In the 14th century, English adopted "farce" from Middle French, retaining its original meaning of "forcemeat" or "stuffing." The comedic sense of "farce" in English dates from the 16th century, when England imported a kind of knockabout comedy already popular in France. This dramatic genre had its origins in the 13th-century practice of augmenting, or "stuffing," Latin church texts with explanatory phrases. By the 15th century, a similar practice had arisen of inserting unscripted buffoonery into religious plays. Such farces -- which included clowning, acrobatics, reversal of social roles, and indecency -- soon developed into a distinct dramatic genre and spread rapidly in various forms throughout Europe.

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INNOCUOUS \ih-NAH-kyuh-wus\ adjective

1 : producing no injury : harmless
*2 : not likely to give offense or to arouse strong feelings or hostility : inoffensive, insipid

Example sentence:
Bella was surprised when her seemingly innocuous remark enraged her classmates.

Did you know?

"Innocuous" has harmful roots -- it comes to us from the Latin adjective "innocuus," which was formed by combining the negative prefix "in-" with a form of the verb "nocere," meaning "to harm" or "to hurt." In addition, "nocere" is related to the truly "harmful" words "noxious," "nocent," and even "nocuous." "Innocent" is from "nocere" as well, although like "innocuous" it has the "in-" prefix negating the hurtful possibilities. "Innocuous" first appeared in print in 1598 with the clearly Latin-derived meaning "harmless or causing no injury" (as in "an innocuous gas"). The second sense is a metaphorical extension of the idea of injury, used to indicate that someone or something does not cause hurt feelings, or even strong feelings ("an innocuous book" or "innocuous issues," for example).

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REDOUBT \rih-DOUT\ noun

1 a : a small usually temporary enclosed defensive work
b : a defended position : protective barrier
*2 : a secure retreat : stronghold

Example sentence:
From his redoubt on the ninth floor, the fugitive could see the line of police cars that had surrounded the building.

Did you know?

Based on its spelling, you might think that "redoubt" shares its origin with words such as "doubt" and "redoubtable," both of which derive from a Latin verb, "dubitare." But that's not the case. "Redoubt" actually derives via French and Italian from a different Latin verb -- "reducere," meaning "to lead back," the same root that gives us "reduce." How that "b" ended up in "redoubt" is a lingering question, but some etymologists have posited that the word might have been conflated with another "redoubt" -- a now-archaic transitive verb meaning "to regard with awe, dismay, or dread." Unlike its homographic twin, that "redoubt" does derive from the same root as "doubt" and "redoubtable."

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BEVY \BEV-ee\ noun

*1 : a large group or collection
2 : a group of animals and especially quail

Example sentence:
The band's latest album offers up a bevy of new songs, as well as some remixes of old favorites.

Did you know?

What do you call a group of crows? Or swine? Or leopards? Well-educated members of the medieval gentry seem to have been expected to know the answers: a murder of crows, a sounder of swine, and a leap of leopards. They would also have been expected to know that "bevy" referred specifically to a group of deer, quail, larks, or young ladies. Scholars aren't certain why "bevy" was chosen for those groups (though they have theories). What is known for sure is that "bevy" first appeared in the 15th century and was used as a highly specific collective for many years. Today, however, bevies can include anything from football players to toaster ovens.

Word - 42

HOMILY \HAH-muh-lee\ noun

1 : a usually short sermon

*2 : a lecture or discourse on or of a moral theme

3 : an inspirational catchphrase; also : platitude

Example sentence:

"I don't mind eating tofu burgers," said Darnell, "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" or "assembly." Greeks used "homilos" to create the verb "homilein" ("to consort with" or "to address"), as well as the noun "homilia" ("conversation"). Latin speakers borrowed "homilia," then passed it on to Anglo-French. By the time it crossed into Middle English, the spelling had shifted to "omelie," but by the mid-16th century the term had regained its "h" and added the "y" of the modern spelling.

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ANATHEMA \uh-NATH-uh-muh\ noun

1 a : one that is cursed by ecclesiastical authority
*b: someone or something intensely disliked or loathed
2 a : a ban or curse solemnly pronounced by ecclesiastical authority and accompanied by excommunication
b : a vigorous denunciation : curse

Example sentence:
Maryam's radical political views are anathema to her more conservative sister.

Did you know?

Historically, "anathema" can be considered a one-word oxymoron. When it first appeared in English in 1526, it was used to refer to something accursed. Shortly thereafter, however, people also began to use it to refer to something consecrated to divine use -- generally a good thing. Why the contradiction? "Anathema" comes from Greek, where it initially meant "anything devoted" and later "anything devoted to evil." The "consecrated to divine use" sense of "anathema" comes from that earlier Greek use but is not widely used today.

Word - 40

GRUB STREET \GRUB-STREET\ noun

: the world or category of needy literary hacks

Example sentence:
Writer Paul Theroux once characterized the world of literary quarterlies and poetry magazines as "that respectable little cul-de-sac off Grub Street."

Did you know?

The original Grub Street was an address in London (it was renamed Milton Street in 1830) described by Dr. Samuel Johnson in his Dictionary of the English Language as "much inhabited by writers of small histories, dictionaries, and temporary poems." The term was applied figuratively to the dog-eat-dog world of pens-for-hire as early as 1630, and not surprisingly it became the subject of several novels. Writer Tobias Smollett, all too familiar with hackwork himself, described a Grub Street dinner party in his novel The Expedition of Humphry Clinker (1771). And the allusion to Grub Street still packed a punch in 1891 when George Gissing chose New Grub Street as the title of his realistic novel about intrigues of the Victorian literary world.

Word - 39

OMNISCIENT \ahm-NISH-unt\ adjective

1 : having infinite awareness, understanding, and insight
*2 : possessed of universal or complete knowledge

Example sentence:
While many students expect their professors to be omniscient, Anton was glad that Dr. Hawkins was honest about the things she did not know.

Did you know?

One who is "omniscient" literally "knows all." The word, which has been part of English since at least the beginning of the 17th century, brings together two Latin roots: the prefix "omni-," meaning "all," and the verb "scire," meaning "to know." You will recognize "omni-" as the prefix that tells all in such words as "omnivorous" ("eating all,” or, more precisely, "eating both meat and vegetables") and "omnipotent" ("all-powerful"). "Scire" likewise has a number of other knowledge-related descendants in English, including "conscience," "science," and "prescience" (meaning "foreknowledge").

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MAU-MAU \MOW-mow (the “ow” is as in “cow”)\ verb

*1 : to intimidate (as an official) by hostile confrontation or threats

2 : to engage in mau-mauing someone

Example sentence:

"Going downtown to mau-mau the bureaucrats got to be the routine practice in San Francisco." (Tom Wolfe, Radical Chic & Mau-mauing the Flak Catchers)

Did you know?

The Mau Mau was a militant secret society that operated in colonial Kenya during the 1950s. The ferocity with which Mau Mau terrorists rebelled against British rule was well-documented by national news sources, like Newsweek and Time, and by 1970 "Mau Mau" had become synonymous with "hostile intimidation," especially when used for social or political gain. Novelist Tom Wolfe was the first to use "mau-mau" in print as a word for "intimidate."

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PLAUSIBLE \PLAW-zuh-bul\ adjective

1 : seemingly fair, reasonable, or valuable but often not so
2 : superficially pleasing or persuasive
*3 : appearing worthy of belief

Example sentence:
Her excuses for missing work were plausible at first, but soon became ridiculous.

Did you know?

Today the word "plausible" usually means "reasonable" or "believable," but it once held the meanings "worthy of being applauded" and "approving." It comes to us from the Latin adjective "plausibilis" ("worthy of applause"), which in turn derives from the verb "plaudere," meaning "to applaud or clap." Other "plaudere" descendants in English include "applaud," "plaudit" (the earliest meaning of which was "a round of applause"), and "explode" (from Latin "explodere," meaning "to drive off the stage by clapping").

Word - 36

VISAGE \VIZ-ij\ noun

*1 : the face, countenance, or appearance of a person or sometimes an animal
2 : aspect, appearance

Example sentence:
The model's fierce, smoldering visage appears to gaze with contempt from billboards throughout the city.

Did you know?

The word "face" may be a pretty generic word, but it has several high-flown synonyms. "Physiognomy," for instance, refers to facial features thought to reveal qualities of temperament or character ("I thought I could detect in his physiognomy a mind owning better qualities than his father ever possessed...." -- Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights). "Countenance" is often used to refer to the face as an indication of mood or emotion ("Mina struggled hard to keep her brave countenance...." -- Bram Stoker, Dracula). "Visage" can refer to the face of a person or an animal, and it can also refer to the appearance of nonliving things, as in "the dirty visage of the old abandoned factory."

Word - 35

STEADFAST \STED-fast\ adjective

1 a : firmly fixed in place : immovable
*b : not subject to change

2 : firm in belief, determination, or adherence : loyal

Example sentence:
Maureen knew she could count on the steadfast support of her best friend even in the hardest of times.

Did you know?

"Steadfast" has held its ground in English for many centuries. Its Old English predecessor, "stedefaest," combined "stede" (meaning "place" or "stead") and "faest" (meaning "firmly fixed"). An Old English text of the late 10th century, called "The Battle of Maldon," contains our earliest record of the word, which was first used in battle contexts to describe warriors who stood their ground. Soon, it was also being used with the broad meaning "immovable," and as early as the 13th century it was applied to those unswerving in loyalty, faith, or friendship. Centuries later, all of these meanings endure.

Word - 34

CICERONE \sih-suh-ROH-nee\ noun

1 : a guide who conducts sightseers
*2 : mentor, tutor

Example sentence:
After I bought my first set of golf clubs, Jerry acted as my cicerone, enthusiastically teaching me the basics of the challenging sport.

Did you know?

Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 - 43 B.C.) was renowned in Rome as a statesman, lawyer, and writer, and he is remembered today for his skills as an orator and rhetorician. The Ciceronian style of rhetoric placed special emphasis on the rhythms and cadences of phrases and sentences and their ability to appeal to the speaker's audience. It is believed that Cicero's eloquence and learning influenced the use of his Italian name, "Cicerone," to refer to sightseeing guides, themselves known for their talkativeness and eloquence, and later, to persons who serve as mentors or tutors to others.

Word - 33

DIVAGATE \DYE-vuh-gayt\ verb

: to wander or stray from a course or subject
: diverge, digress

Example sentence:
The novel divagates and meanders through a labyrinth of subplots and asides.

Did you know?

"Divagate" hasn't wandered far in meaning from its Latin ancestors. It descends from the verb "divagari," which comes from "dis-," meaning "apart," and "vagari," meaning "to wander." "Vagari" also gave us "vagabond," meaning "a wanderer with no home," and "extravagant," an early, now archaic, sense of which was "wandering away." Latin "vagari" is also probably the source of our noun "vagary," which now usually means "whim or caprice" but originally meant "journey, excursion, or tour." Even the verb "stray" may have evolved from "vagari," by way of Vulgar Latin and Middle French. Today, "divagate" can suggest a wandering or straying that is literal (as in "the hikers divagated from the trail"), but it is more often used figuratively (as in "she tends to divagate from the subject").

Word - 32

CURSORY \KER-suh-ree\ adjective

: rapidly and often superficially performed or produced : hasty

Example sentence:
A cursory reading of the syllabus made it clear that Professor Leary's sociology class was not going to be as easy as we had anticipated.

Did you know?

"Cursory" and its synonyms "superficial" and "shallow" all mean "lacking in depth or solidity" -- but these words are not used in exactly the same way in all cases. "Cursory," which comes from the Latin verb "currere" ("to run"), implies speed and stresses a lack of attention to detail. While "cursory" suggests a lack of thoroughness, "superficial" implies a concern only with surface aspects or obvious features. An analysis of a problem might be labeled "superficial" if it considers only the obvious and fails to dig deeper into the issue. "Shallow" is more generally derogatory in implying lack of depth in knowledge, reasoning, emotions, or character, as in "insensitive and shallow comments."

Word - 31

PROGENY \PRAH-juh-nee\ noun

1 *a : descendants, children b : offspring of animals or plants
2 : outcome, product
3 : a body of followers, disciples, or successors

Example sentence:
The champion thoroughbred passed on his speed, endurance, and calm temperament to his progeny, many of whom became successful racehorses themselves.

Did you know?

"Progeny" is the progeny of the Latin verb "progignere," meaning "to beget." That Latin word is itself an offspring of the prefix "pro-," meaning "forth," and "gignere," which can mean "to beget" or "to bring forth." "Gignere" has produced a large family of English descendants, including "benign" (meaning "mild" or "harmless"), "congenital" (meaning "inherent"), "engine," "genius," "germ," "indigenous," "ingenuous," and "malign." "Gignere" even paired up with "pro-" again to produce a close relative of "progeny": the noun "progenitor," which can mean "an ancestor in the direct line," "a biologically ancestral form," or "a precursor or originator."

Word - 30

OLDSTER \OHLD-ster\ noun

: an old or elderly person

Example sentence:

More and more oldsters are embracing the Internet and connecting and interacting using social networking Web sites.

Did you know?

"Youngster" has been used since the 16th century as a word for a young person with a lot of spunk. It has also long been used by maritime people as a word for a midshipman who has served less than four years. This use is connected with the Dutch word "younker," which, like "youngster," refers to a young person as well as a young seaman. "Oldster" came about as a word used to differentiate the inexperienced midshipmen, or youngsters, from the experienced ones. To be exact, an oldster is a midshipman of four years' standing. Charles Dickens gets credit for the earliest known use of "oldster" in the general sense of "an old person." In his 1848 novel Dombey & Son he wrote, "Her eyes would play the Devil with the youngsters before long -- 'and the oldsters too, Sir, if you come to that,' added the Major."

Word - 29

WANGLE \WANG-gul\ verb

1 : to adjust or manipulate for personal or fraudulent ends
*2 : to make or get by devious means : finagle

Example sentence:
Steve didn't tell Sharon how he'd wangled an extra week of vacation, and she didn't care as long as it meant they could go to Greece for their honeymoon.

Did you know?

"Wangle," a verb of uncertain origin, has been used in its newest sense, "to obtain by sly methods," since at least the early 20th century. Occasionally, one sees "wrangle" used similarly, as in "wrangle a huge salary," but more typically it means "to argue or engage in controversy." Did the "obtain" sense of "wrangle" evolve through confusion with "wangle"? Not exactly. "Wrangle" was used with the meaning "to obtain by arguing or bargaining" as early as 1624, long before "wangle" appeared in the language. The sense had all but disappeared until recent decades, however, and its revival may very well have been influenced by "wangle." The "obtain" sense of "wangle" is currently more common than that of "wrangle," but both are considered standard.

Word - 28

BINDLE STIFF \BIN-dul-stiff\ noun

: hobo; especially : one who carries his clothes or bedding in a bundle

Example sentence:
Jack London's experiences as a bindle stiff in the early 1890s later provided material for his writing.

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 an alteration of the more familiar "bundle." "Stiff" itself can mean "hobo" or "migrant worker," meanings it took on in the late 19th century. About the same time, any tramp or hobo who habitually carried such a pack was known as a "bindle stiff." In Australia, a pack-carrying hobo might be called a "swagman."

Word - 27

SOUPCON \soop-SAWNG (the final NG is not pronounced, but the vowel is nasalized)\ noun

: a little bit : trace

Example sentence:
The author makes the protagonist seem more human by infusing a bit of vanity, a touch of greed, and a soupcon of self-doubt into his otherwise exceptional character.

Did you know?

Culinary enthusiasts may think "soupcon" originated with a dash of garlic in the coq au vin or a splash of vanilla in the creme anglaise, but the etymology of the word has more to do with inklings and suspicions than with food. Sometime in the 18th century, English speakers borrowed "soupcon" from the French, who were using the word to mean "drop," "touch," or "suspicion." The Old French form of the word was "sospecon," which in turn comes from the Latin forms "suspection-" and "suspectio." Etymologists have further traced the word's Latin ancestry to the verb "suspicere," meaning "to suspect." "Suspicere," as you might expect, is also the source of the English words "suspect" and "suspicion."

Word - 26

NATATORIAL \nay-tuh-TOR-ee-ul\ adjective

*1 : of or relating to swimming

2 : adapted to or characterized by swimming

Example sentence:

The Olympic swimmer's natatorial prowess was on full display as she won her fifth gold medal.

Did you know?

On a warm spring weekday afternoon, the local swimming hole beckons... and boys will be boys. "Mr. Foster [the town truant officer] knew very well where to find us... at our vernal and natatorial frolics," confessed John Gould in _The Christian Science Monitor_ (January 10, 1992), some 70 years after that warm spring day of his youth. The Latin verb "natare," meaning "to swim," gave English the word "natatorial" and its variant "natatory." It also gave us "natant" ("swimming or floating in water"); "supernatant" ("floating on the surface"); "natation" ("the action or art of swimming"); and last but not least, "natatorium" ("an indoor swimming pool").

Word - 25

CAUSTIC \KAWSS-tik\ adjective

1 : capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action : corrosive
*2 : marked by incisive sarcasm

Example sentence:
She always seemed to have a caustic reply to any silly or unnecessary question.

Did you know?

If you have a burning desire to know the origins of "caustic," you're already well on the way to figuring it out. "Caustic" was borrowed into English in the 14th century from the Latin "causticus," which itself derives from the Greek "kaustikos." "Kaustikos," in turn, comes from the Greek verb "kaiein," meaning "to burn." Other "kaiein" descendants in English include "cautery" and "cauterize," "hypocaust" (an ancient Roman heating system), "causalgia" (a burning pain caused by nerve damage), and "encaustic" (a kind of paint which is heated after it's applied).

Word - 24

EPIGONE \EP-uh-gohn\ noun

: follower, disciple;
also : an inferior imitator

Example sentence:
No one can accuse Lara of being an epigone; her artistic style is uniquely her own!

Did you know?

English borrowed "epigone" from German in the 19th century. The Germans themselves had taken the word from the Latin "epigonus," which means "successor." The Latin term followed the Greek "epigonos," which was often used in plural to designate the 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," and "gignesthai" means "to be born."

Word - 23

ASPERSE \uh-SPURSS\ verb

1 : to sprinkle; especially : to sprinkle with holy water
*2 : to attack with evil reports or false or injurious charges

Example sentence:
"Though my opponent's supporters have aspersed my character, I think my record speaks for itself," said the candidate.

Did you know?

You may be more familiar with the idea of "casting aspersions" than with "aspersing," although they mean essentially the same thing; the word "aspersion" can mean "a sprinkling with water" or, more commonly, "a false or misleading charge meant to harm someone's reputation." Both "asperse" and "aspersion" are descendants of the Latin verb "aspergere," meaning "to sprinkle." "Asperse" is the older word, dating to at least 1490; "aspersion" first appeared in print in English in the 1500s.

Word - 22

FIRE - SALE \FYRE-SAIL\ adjective

: heavily discounted

Example sentence:

"As holders of mortgage-backed securities and the like revalue their assets at fire-sale prices, they are running short of capital -- which can lead to further sales and more write-downs." (The Economist, March 2008)

Did you know?

The term "fire sale" flared up in the late-19th century as the name for a sale of items damaged by fire. As you can imagine, much of the merchandise at a fire sale was sold at very low prices, which fanned the flames of the use of "fire sale" for any sale with discounted or low price tags. The extended meaning of the term sparked an adjective use that had burst into a full-blown blaze by the mid-20th century. Since then, people have embraced "fire-sale prices" in the marketplace, well aware that they won't get burned.

Word - 21

BOGART \BOH-gart\ verb

1 : bully, intimidate
*2 : to use or consume without sharing

Example sentence:
Three of the older girls bogarted the ice cream, ignoring the other campers' pleas for them to share.

Did you know?

The legendary film actor Humphrey Bogart was known for playing a range of tough characters in a series of films throughout the 1940s and 1950s, including The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, and The African Queen. The men he portrayed often possessed a cool, hardened exterior that occasionally let forth a suggestion of romantic or idealistic sentimentality. Bogart also had a unique method of smoking cigarettes in these pictures -- letting the butt dangle from his mouth without removing it until it was almost entirely consumed. It is believed that this habit inspired the current meaning of "bogart," which was once limited to the phrase "Don't bogart that joint [marijuana cigarette]," as popularized by a song on the soundtrack to the film Easy Rider, among other things. Today "bogart" can be applied to hogging almost anything.

Word - 20

SUPERANNUATED \soo-per-AN-yuh-way-tud\ adjective

1 : outmoded, old-fashioned

2 a : incapacitated or disqualified for active duty by advanced age

*b : older than the typical member of a specified group

Example sentence:

The article focused on senior citizens who retired from the workplace and returned to school to become superannuated graduate students.

Did you know?

"Superannuated" was first put to use in English in the 1600s, having been borrowed from Medieval Latin "superannuatus," the past participle of "superannuari" ("to be too old") -- from Latin "super-" ("over" or "above") and "annus" ("year"). Shortly thereafter, we made our own verb, "superannuate," from the adjective. "Superannuate" meant "to retire and pension because of age or infirmity" as well as "to declare obsolete," meanings that are still in active service. "Superannuated" can mean "outmoded or old-fashioned," as in "superannuated slang" or "superannuated neckties," or it can simply mean "older than usual," as in our example sentence.

Word - 19

BELVEDERE \BEL-vuh-deer\ noun

: a structure (as a cupola or a summerhouse) designed to command a view

Example sentence:
On summer evenings, guests at the estate often joined their hosts in the belvedere to watch the sunset.

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.

Word - 18

OCCAM'S RAZOR \AH-kumz-RAY-zer\ noun

: a scientific and philosophic rule that entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily which is interpreted as requiring that the simplest of competing theories be preferred to the more complex or that explanations of unknown phenomena be sought first in terms of known quantities

Example sentence:
Invoking Occam's razor, Eli concluded that the sill was wet because someone had left the window open during the storm.

Did you know?

William of Occam (also spelled "Ockham") didn't invent the rule associated with his name. Others had espoused the "keep it simple" concept before that 14th-century philosopher and theologian embraced it, but no one wielded the principle (also known as the "law of parsimony") as relentlessly as he did. He used it to counter what he considered the fuzzy logic of his theological contemporaries, and his applications of it inspired 19th-century Scottish philosopher Sir William Hamilton to link "Occam" with the idea of cutting away extraneous material, giving us the modern name for the principle.

Word - 17

INDURATE \IN-duh-rut\ adjective

: physically or morally hardened

Example sentence:
The sculpture was so realistic that it seemed that at any moment the indurate marble form would shift position to stare back at the viewer.

Did you know?

"Indurate" is a hard word -- in more than one way. Not only is it fairly uncommon in modern usage, but it also can be traced back to Latin "durare," meaning "to harden." ("Durare" can mean "to endure" as well, and appropriately "indurate" is a word that has lasted many years -- it has been a part of the English language since the 14th century.) "Durare" is also the root of other durable English words, including "during," "endure," "duration," "durance" (an archaic word meaning "endurance"), and even "durable" itself. In addition, "indurate" can be a verb meaning "to make or grow hard," "to make unfeeling, stubborn, or obdurate," and "to establish firmly."

Word - 16

LIONIZE \LYE-uh-nyze\ verb

*1 : to treat as an object of great interest or importance
2 Brit : to show the sights of a place to

Example sentence:
After his successful first novel, critics lionized the young writer as a literary virtuoso, though he has yet to replicate the feat.

Did you know?

The lion is traditionally regarded as the king of beasts, and perhaps rightly so -- the lion is brave, stately, and quite often ferocious. Those qualities that earn the lion respect from other creatures were probably in people's minds when, in the 18th century, "lion" came to be used for a person who is similarly well-regarded, especially after a long and distinguished career in a particular field. A veteran lawmaker might be considered one of the lions of the Senate; a literary lion has enjoyed a long career as a successful writer. This sense of "lion" forms the basis of "lionize," which first appeared in English in the early 19th century.

Word - 15

TRIPTYCH \TRIP-tik\ noun

1 : an ancient Roman writing tablet with three waxed leaves hinged together
2 *a : a picture (as an altarpiece) or carving in three panels side by side
b : something composed or presented in three parts or sections; especially : trilogy

Example sentence:
The artist unveiled an elaborate triptych in which the three panels represented the past, present, and future.

Did you know?

A painted or carved triptych typically has three hinged panels, and the two outer panels can be folded in towards the central one. A literary or musical triptych generally consists of three closely related or contrasting themes or parts. "Triptych" derives from the Greek "triptychos" ("having three folds"), formed by combining "tri-" ("three") and "ptyche" ("fold" or "layer"). Although "triptych" originally described a specific type of Roman writing tablet that had three hinged sections, it is not surprising that the idea was generalized first to a type of painting, and then to anything composed of three parts.

Word - 14

IGNOMINIOUS \ig-nuh-MIN-ee-us\ adjective

1 : marked with or characterized by disgrace or shame : dishonorable
2 : deserving of shame or infamy : despicable
*3 : humiliating, degrading

Example sentence:
The director's first film was an ignominious failure, panned by critics and ignored by moviegoers.

Did you know?

The "-nom-" of "ignominious" comes from "nomen," the Latin word for "name" or “repute.” (It's also the root of "misnomer," "nomenclature," and "nominal," among others.) The "ig-" part of the word is akin to the negative prefix "in-"; when joined to the root "-nom-," it indicates the namelessness that goes with shame or dishonor. To suffer an ignominious fate is to lose the opportunity to make a name for oneself or to lose one's good name. When "ignominious" was first borrowed from a French form of the word in the 15th century, it meant "disgraced" or "dishonorable." "Ignominious" continues to have such meanings, but it also has somewhat milder meanings -- "embarrassing" and "humiliating."

Word - 13

ALEMBIC \uh-LEM-bik\ noun

1 : an apparatus used in distillation
*2 : something that refines or transmutes as if by distillation

Example sentence:
In the alembic of the child's mind, the ratty old blanket became a magnificent cape.

Did you know?

The alembic is a kind of still that has been used since ancient times and continues to be used even today in the production of cognac, a distinctive brandy distilled from white wine in western France. In ancient times, this apparatus was called "al-anbiq," a word that means "the still" in Arabic and can be traced to "ambix," meaning "still" in Greek. When the apparatus found its way into Medieval European laboratories, scientific texts first transformed the Arabic word into Medieval Latin as "alembicum." English speakers shortened it to "alembic," and some also dropped the initial "a." That change led to "limbeck," a standard variant still in use today. "Alembic" acquired its figurative use in the 17th century.

Word - 12

WAHINE \wah-HEE-nee\ noun

1 : a Polynesian woman
*2 : a female surfer

Example sentence:
"Make some serious waves this summer by learning to surf! Ridin' the swells is fab exercise and, well, what's cooler than a wahine girl?" (Girls' Life, June 2005)

Did you know?

The word "wahine" came into English in the late 18th century from Maori, the language of a Polynesian people native to New Zealand; it was originally used for a Maori woman, especially a wife. The word is also used for a woman in Hawaiian and Tahitian, though spelled "vahine" in the latter. Enormous waves, which are perfect for surfing, are an attraction of the Polynesian islands. As the surfing culture solidified in the mid-20th century, and as more and more girls and women grabbed their boards, "wahine" took on the new meaning of "female surfer."

Word - 11

WELTANSCHAUUNG \VELT-ahn-show-ung (“ow” as in “cow”)\ noun, often capitalized

: a comprehensive conception or apprehension of the world especially from a specific standpoint

Example sentence:
Nadia dreads visiting her cousin, whose narrow, provincial Weltanschauung contrasts sharply with her own open-minded view of the world.

Did you know?

The German word "Weltanschauung" literally means "world view"; it combines "Welt" ("world") with "Anschauung" ("view"), which ultimately derives from the Middle High German verb "schouwen" ("to look at" or "to see"). When we first adopted it from German in the mid-19th century, "weltanschauung" referred to a philosophical view or apprehension of the universe, and this sense is still the most widely used. It can also describe a more general ideology or philosophy of life.

Word - 10

TURPITUDE \TER-puh-tood\ noun

: inherent baseness : depravity; also : a base act

Example sentence:

The judge declared that the murders were the product of a gross moral turpitude.

Did you know?

"Turpitude" came to English from Latin by way of Middle French. The Latin word "turpitudo" comes from "turpis," which means "vile" or "base." The word is often heard in the phrase "moral turpitude," an expression used in law to designate an act or behavior that gravely violates the sentiment or accepted standard of the community. A criminal offense that involves "moral turpitude" is considered wrong or evil by moral standards, in addition to being the violation of a statute.

Word - 9

MACADAM \muh-KAD-um\ noun

: a roadway or pavement of small closely packed broken stone

Example sentence:
We left the old city with much regret, passing from its quaint cobblestones to lumpy macadam, leaving our vacation behind and returning reluctantly to the workaday world.

Did you know?

In 1783, inventor John Loudon McAdam returned to his native Scotland after amassing a fortune in New York City. He became the road trustee for his district and quickly set his inventiveness to remedying the terrible condition of local roads. After numerous experiments, he created a new road surfacing material made of bits of stone that became compressed into a solid mass as traffic passed over them. His invention revolutionized road construction and transportation, and engineers and the public alike honored him by using his name (respelled "macadam") as a generic term for the material or pavement made from it. He is further immortalized in the verb "macadamize," which names the process of installing macadam on a road.

Word - 8

INALIENABLE \in-AY-lee-uh-nuh-bul\ adjective

: incapable of being alienated, surrendered, or transferred

Example sentence:
"Just because I can use my work e-mail for personal correspondence doesn't mean I have the inalienable right to do so," Brian explained.

Did you know?
"Alien," "alienable," "inalienable" -- it's easy enough to see the Latin word "alius," meaning "other," at the root of these three words. "Alien" joined our language in the 14th century, and one of its earliest meanings was "belonging to another." By the early 1600s that sense of "alien" had led to the development of "alienable," an adjective describing something you could give away or transfer ownership of, and "unalienable," its opposite. By about 1645, "inalienable" was also in use as a synonym of "unalienable." "Inalienable" is the more common variant today, but it was "unalienable" that was used in the Declaration of Independence to describe rights like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Word - 7

PEREGRINE \PAIR-uh-grin\ adjective

: having a tendency to wander

Example sentence:
"Birders are peregrine by nature, typically traveling to distant destinations in pursuit of their hobby...." (James F. McCarty, Plain Dealer [Cleveland], June 1, 2006)

Did you know?

The current meaning of "peregrine" has wandered a bit from its earlier meanings. The word originally meant "foreign," as did its Latin predecessor "peregrinus." But even before "peregrine" appeared on its own in English, it was part of the name of that well-known bird of prey, the peregrine falcon. The bird's appellation derives from "falco peregrinus" -- literally, "pilgrim falcon" in Medieval Latin. Peregrine falcons typically nest in high places, such as on cliff ledges or, in modern times, city skyscrapers. Because of the nests' inaccessibility, medieval falconers who wanted young peregrine falcons to train had capture them on their first flights or migratory "pilgrimages." That practice led to a new sense of "peregrine" ("engaged in or traveling on a pilgrimage"), which was later broadened to "wandering."

Word - 6

REIFY \RAY-uh-fye\ verb

: to regard (something abstract) as a material or concrete thing
: to give definite content and form to (something abstract)

Example sentence:
"He describes the phenomenal popularity of Edwin Markham's proletarian poem 'The Man With the Hoe,' which reified labor's feelings of injustice." (Neal Gabler, The Washington Post, February 18, 1996)

Did you know?

"Reify" is a word that attempts to provide a bridge between what is abstract and what is real. Fittingly, it derives from a word that is an ancestor to "real" -- the Latin noun "res," meaning "thing." Both "reify" and the related noun "reification" first appeared in English in the mid-19th century, though "reification" is a few years older and some dictionaries consider "reify" to be a back-formation of the noun. In general use, the words refer to the act of considering or presenting an abstract idea in real or material terms, or of judging something by a concrete example.

Word - 5

TRICHOTILLOMANIA \trick-uh-till-uh-MAY-nee-uh\ noun

: an abnormal desire to pull out one's hair

Example sentence:
Connie's trichotillomania left her with an unfortunate array of bald spots along the crown of her head.

Did you know?

The word "trichotillomania" derives from the Greek "trich-" ("hair") and "tillein" ("to pull or pluck"), along with the suffix "-mania" (from "mainesthai," meaning "to be mad"). People suffering from trichotillomania will routinely pluck hair from the scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes or other parts of the body, usually impulsively but sometimes with careful deliberation (such as by using tweezers). Some researchers believe that it may be a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder. The word for this condition first appeared in English around the dawn of the 20th century (it's generally thought to have been first coined in French by a French dermatologist).

Word - 4

DECIMATE \DESS-uh-mayt\ verb

1 : to take or destroy the tenth part of
*2 : to cause great destruction or harm to

Example sentence:
Farmers struggled to feed their families after their crops were decimated by blight.

Did you know?

The connection between "decimate" and the number ten harks back to a brutal practice of the army of ancient Rome. A unit that was guilty of a severe crime (such as mutiny) was punished by selecting and executing one-tenth of its soldiers, thereby scaring the remaining nine-tenths into obedience. It's no surprise that the word for this practice came from Latin "decem," meaning "ten." From this root we also get our word "decimal" and the name of the month of December, originally the tenth month of the calendar before the second king of Rome decided to add January and February. In its extended uses "decimate" strayed from its "tenth" meaning and nowadays refers to the act of destroying or hurting something in great numbers.

Word - 3

JOG TROT\JOG-TROT\ noun

1 : a horse's slow measured trot
*2 : a routine habit or course of action

Example sentence:
The weekly Friday-night dances provided the townsfolk with a few hours of respite from the jog trot of life.

Did you know?

The jog trot is a kind of careful, deliberate trot that is sometimes required at horse shows, among other things. "Jog" is thought to have come from an alteration of "shog," a verb meaning "to shake" or "to jolt" and used primarily in dialect. "Trot" has been part of English since the 14th century. The phrase "jog trot," which first appeared in print in 1796, developed a figurative sense as well; it can refer to a steady and usually monotonous routine, similar to the slow, regular pace of a horse at a jog trot. There is a suggestion with the generalized sense that the action is uniform and unhurried, and perhaps even a little dull.

Word - 2

SENTIENT \SEN-shee-unt\ adjective

*1 : responsive to or conscious of sense impressions

2 : aware

3 : finely sensitive in perception or feeling

Example sentence:

"Pets are sentient beings, just like you and me," explained Ted, "so it's important to treat them kindly."

Did you know?

You may have guessed that "sentient" has something to do with the senses. The initial spelling "sent-" or "sens-" is often a giveaway for such a meaning. A "sentient" being is one who perceives and responds to sensations of whatever kind -- sight, hearing, touch, taste, or smell. "Sentient" ultimately comes from the Latin verb "sentire," which means "to feel" and is related to the noun "sensus," meaning "feeling" or "sense." A few related English words are "sentiment" and "sentimental," which have to do with emotions, and "sensual," which relates to more physical "sensations."