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.