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.