Word - 175

XERIC \ZEER-ik\ adjective

: characterized by, relating to, or requiring only a small amount of moisture

Example sentence:
Many cacti have thick, succulent stems that can store enough water to allow them to survive even in xeric habitats.

Did you know?

By the late 1800s, botanists were using the terms "xerophyte" and "xerophytic" for plants that were well adapted for survival in dry environments. But some felt the need of a more generic word that included both animals and plants. In 1926 that group proposed using "xeric" (derived from "xeros," the Greek word for "dry") as a more generalized term for either flora or fauna. They further suggested that "xerophytic ... be entirely abandoned as useless and misleading." Not everyone liked the idea. In fact, the Ecological Society of America stated that "xeric" was "not desirable," preferring terms such as "arid." Others declared that "xeric" should refer only to habitats, not to organisms. Scientists used it anyway, and by the 1940s "xeric" was well documented in scientific literature.

Word - 174

NATIVITY \nuh-TIH-vuh-tee\ noun

*1 : the process or circumstances of being born; especially capitalized : the birth of Jesus

2 : a horoscope at or of the time of one's birth

3 : the place of origin

Example sentence:
On Christmas morning, church bells joyously pealed a reminder that the day marked the anniversary of the Nativity.

Did you know?

"Nativity" is one of many words born of the Latin verb "nasci," which means "to be born." The gestation of the word was a long one. "Nasci" developed in Latin into "nativitas," meaning "birth," which passed through Middle French as "nativite" before entering English in the 14th century. "Nativity" has many siblings and cousins in our language; other terms of the lineage of "nasci" include "cognate," "innate," "nascent," "native," and "renaissance."

Word - 173

SCAPEGRACE \SKAYP-grayss\ noun

: an incorrigible rascal

Example sentence:
Joanna was at a loss for ways to help her teenage brother, a scapegrace who always found himself in trouble with the police.

Did you know?

At first glance, you might think "scapegrace" has something in common with "scapegoat," our word for a person who takes the blame for someone else's mistake or calamity. Indeed, the words do share a common source -- the verb "scape," a variant of "escape" that was once far more common than it is today. "Scapegrace," which first appeared in English in the mid-18th century (over 200 years after "scapegoat"), arrived at its meaning through its literal interpretation as "one who has escaped the grace of God." (Two now-obsolete words based on a similar notion are "scape-thrift," meaning "spendthrift," and "want-grace," a synonym of "scapegrace.") In ornithological circles, "scapegrace" can also refer to a loon with a red throat, but this sense is rare.

Word - 172

VIDELICET \vuh-DEH-luh-set\ adverb

: that is to say

: namely

Example sentence:
The restaurant is famous for several dishes: videlicet, arroz con pollo, olla podrida, and carne asada.

Did you know?

The abbreviation of "videlicet" is "viz," and people often wonder how the "z" got there. There is no "z" in the word's Latin roots, "videre" ("to see") and "licet" ("it is permitted"). As it turns out, the "z" in "viz" originally wasn't a "z" at all. It was a symbol that looked like a "z" and that was used in medieval manuscripts to indicate the contraction of Latin words ending in "-et." When the symbol was carried into English, it was converted into the more familiar "z."