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."