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rout

"When you think about the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat,

wiggle

To wiggle is to move something back and forth. When you dance, you probably wiggle your hips. If you wiggle them too much, your mother might wiggle a finger at you and say "Settle down!",Young children wiggle loose teeth until they fall out. Sometimes, if your mom is trying to hold your little brother still, he'll wiggle out of her grasp and run off. Have you ever come across a rule that you don't want to follow? If so, you've probably tried to find some wiggle room, or little ways you could get out of doing what you don't want to do.

unction

Unction is a specially-prepared substance meant to bless or heal أ¢آ€آ" the use of special oils in a religious ceremony or the medicine you might put on your chest if you are congested.,Unction refers to a religious leader placing special oils, usually on the forehead, of people during a ceremony of healing or blessing. Another meaning of unction describes people who are very pleased with their own good works, maybe even bragging about all the people they help at the homeless shelter or soup kitchen. This kind of unction is also called oily, almost like these smug people are oozing self-centeredness.

pivotal

High school graduation is a pivotal moment in most people's lives أ¢آ€آ" an important point that signifies a shift in direction.,You see the word pivot in pivotal. That is because when something is pivotal, it is central, and everything related to the topic turns or depends on it. An election can be a pivotal moment in a nation's history if the direction the country takes depends on it. Your belief in reincarnation may be pivotal to how you treat animals. Pivotal means important, but it has the sense of centrality and turning.

unravel

However tempting, don't pull that straggly thread hanging from your sleeve. You'll just unravel, or totally undo, your hand-knitted sweater.,Something that's unraveled has been completely undone, whether it's a spool of thread, some knotty shoelaces, or your mental state after a long and frustrating day. You can also unravel a mystery by picking it apart, untangling the details or just following the trail of clues like a line of string.

prosody

Prosody is the rhythm and sounds used in poetry. Kids who can freestyle rap fit the prosody of their words to a rhythm that's already laid down.,Prosody can also mean the study of the rhythms and sounds of language, and sometimes you can talk about the prosody of prose. It's about where the emphasis falls in the words and how those work together. When you read great writers like Alice Munro aloud, you will see that their prosody, as much as anything, is what carries the story forward.

Rhapsodize

Use the verb rhapsodize to refer to speaking with extreme enthusiasm أ¢آ€آ" and often at great length, like that friend who tends to rhapsodize about her favorite movie for twenty minutes straight.,To correctly pronounce rhapsodize, say "RAP-so-dies." A rhapsody is a conversation or speech that is elaborate and very emotional, so to rhapsodize is to speak that way. Someone with a tendency to rhapsodize gets carried away with the emotion of the topic. That's why when you rhapsodize you don't always notice that listeners stop listening if they don't share the same passion.

SAGE

Use the word sage for someone or something wise and judicious. Thanks to the sage advice of your friend, you didn't write your teacher an angry e-mail!,Although you might think of a wizard when you hear the word sage, really it means a wise man. Today you see it used to refer to someone who has insight in a particular field. If someone is a policy sage, he knows just what advice to give politicians to make them understand the issue and respond successfully to it. In a totally unrelated use, there is also a plant called sage that is useful in home remedies and cooking.

rotunda

When making the plans for your new house, consider adding a rotunda, or a round room. It will give the house a grand appearance and also allow you to walk in circles as much as you please.,You may have heard the adjective rotund to describe a person with a round shape. Rotunda, with an -a at the end, is a noun that refers to a type of building or room that is round and often has a dome on top. Rotundas are often found as part of large, important buildings such as capitol buildings and museums.

slipshod

When someone does something in a slipshod manner, they do it in a way that's careless and sloppy أ¢آ€آ" that isn't right.,An easy way to remember the meaning of slipshod is to note that "shod" is part of "shoddy," another word for slipshod. (Alert: despite their similarity, slipshod isn't genetically related to shoddy.) Or you can use "slip" to clue yourself in. Originally, someone who looked slipshod was wearing worn-out slippers: they were shod in slippers.

unsullied

Your reputation is unsullied, or unsoiled, because you study hard, you donأ¢آ€آ™t skip school, and you are generally kind to everyone. Your friendأ¢آ€آ™s reputation hasnأ¢آ€آ™t stayed unsullied since he got caught selling answers to tests.,To understand the adjective unsullied, you must understand its root, sully, "to soil or tarnish." Something unsullied is spotless: you usually refer to things in the abstract in this wayأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"your military record may be unsullied by disciplinary actions, your report card may be unsullied by grades lower than A.

saboteur

A saboteur is a person who makes a mess of a situation on purpose. You might call your little brother a saboteur for letting the air out of your bicycle tires, but you could be a saboteur in return by filling his shoes with cold spaghetti.,Saboteur is a noun that is fairly new to the English language; it was first used in the early 1900s, and it refers to a person who deliberately destroys or obstructs something. It comes from the French word, saboter, which really and truly means to kick something with an old-fashioned wooden shoe. We can only hope that one day the word Nikeur might enter the English language to mean a person who kicks something with a sneaker.

treatise

Our principal published her fifty-page "Treatise on Gum Chewing" days before she was carted away by men in white coats. Treatises are formal papers that treat a specific subject. Gum chewing shouldn't merit one.,Treatise is related to the verb treat, which means "deal with." A doctor treats a patient. A teacher treats the senator's child with kid gloves. Treatise means a written paper or exposition that deals with or treats a specific subject.

uninhibited

The prefix "un-" means "not," making the meaning of uninhibited "not inhibited, not restrained or holding back." Someone who is uninhibited is not afraid to act however he or she wishes.,Uninhibited is the opposite of inhibited, from the Latin inhibأ„آ"re, "to prohibit or hinder." In the late 19th century the word took on a new importance to psychologists, describing a person not afraid to express emotions, even in public. The following quote from writer Norman Podhoretz gives a contextual definition: "Creativity represents a miraculous coming together of the uninhibited energy of the child with its apparent opposite and enemy, the sense of order imposed on the disciplined adult intelligence."

upshot

The upshot of an action is the end result, whatever happens last as a consequence of the original action. The upshot of reading this sentence is that you will understand what the word upshot means.,In the 16th century, the last arrow launched in an archery competition was called the upshot. Like that final arrow, the upshot is the conclusion, the outcome. Sure, you can eat ice cream really fast, but the upshot is that youأ¢آ€آ™ll have a brain freeze. The upshot of eating ice cream slowly is that it will melt. Decisions, decisions.

pry

To pry is to try and find something out that is none of your business. We all hate people who pry, sticking their nose into our personal affairs, and it is an annoying and disrespectful habit.,We are taught as children to ask questions, but sometimes those questions are used to pry, or peek into someone's private business. A nosy person will peek into some else's life the same way one might use a crowbar to pry open a crate (though أ¢آ€آ" alert! أ¢آ€آ" that pry has a different origin). Our word is thought to come from a word related to the Old English verb beprأ„آ«wan, "to wink," which evolved into the Middle English prie, "to peer in," which gives us today's meaning.

simper

To simper means to smile in an artificial, coy or self-conscious way. If you hope to please someone by simpering, you may wind up annoying him or her.,The origin of the word simper is not clear, but it is probably Germanic as there are similar words in Danish as well as Middle Dutch. What is clear is that a simper is not attractive to those observing it. Watching your colleague simper and giggle as the boss tells a not-very-funny joke, you can be sure that she is angling for that promotion.

realm

A realm is an area that is ruled by something. If you are a controlling cook who doesnأ¢آ€آ™t like anyone to do anything else in the kitchen, then the kitchen is your realm.,Realm comes from the French for kingdom, but since there arenأ¢آ€آ™t so many kings or queens left in the world, youأ¢آ€آ™ll more often find it referring to non-royal spheres. That could be the sphere of a special kind of knowledge, like the realm of biology, or the political realm. Or it could be an area dominated by some group. Little Italy was famously the realm of the mafia; Hollywood is the realm of film stars.

striated

If a field is plowed into furrows, it's striatedأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"or, technically, it's marked with striae, which are stripes or grooves.,When you see striate, think of stripes. When you draw a row of stripes in clay with the tines of a fork, you're striating it. A striated rock surface might show evidence of the movement of glaciers thousands of years ago. Striated muscle has a striped appearance.

regal

"Even though he was homeless, Dan had a regal bearing. Regal is an adjective that describes things that appear to be royal.,There are several synonyms for regal, but they all have slightly different meanings. Reserve regal for those instances when the person or thing truly seems like it wants to be the queen, actually is the queen, or looks like it might belong to the queen.

somnambulist

If you ever find yourself standing in the backyard in your pajamas at 4:00 in the morning and wondering how you got there, you may be a somnambulist أ¢آ€آ" someone who walks in her sleep.,In Roman mythology, Somnus was the god of sleep; the Greeks called him Hypnos. His mother was Night (Nix) and his brother was Death (Thanatos). He lived in a dark cave and presumably never had to get up in time for school.

unaccountable

People, especially those in leadership positions, are described as unaccountable when they behave as though they don't need to explain themselves, answer to anyone else, or take responsibility for their actions.,We often complain about the need for "accountability" when our leaders spend our money, oversee our wars, or make confusing new laws without explaining to us what's going on. If there's nothing in place to keep them from being corrupt, we say that they are "unaccountable." Another interesting definition of unaccountable is "unexplainable." Crop circles, Big Foot sightings, and unidentified flying objects are mysterious and unaccountable.

unsightly

Unsightly is a gentler way of saying ugly. Often something that is described as unsightly sticks out like a sore thumb in an otherwise attractive environment.,A yard full of weeds and broken-down cars in a well-groomed neighborhood is unsightly. Magazine advertisements highlight products that promise to remove or hide unsightly blemishes and scars, restoring your skin to its previous beauty.

sustain

Sustain means to support something or keep it going. If you get hungry in the mid-afternoon, you might try snacking to sustain your energy through dinner.,Beams and rafters sustain a roofأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"they keep it up. If you sustain a conversation over the course of hours, you keep it going during that time. If you sustain an injury, it means you are injured. If you sustain an interest in what you're studying, it means that you're just as excited about the subject after studying as you are when you began.

pontifical

If you ever listen to talk radio you'll hear some fairly pontifical talk going on أ¢آ€آ" that is, puffed up, vain, overblown speech from someone convinced he alone is right. What he's doing is pontificating.,Pontifical also has a strictly religious meaning, in the sense of anything related to the Pope since the Pope is also known as the Pontiff, or supreme head of the Roman Catholic church. Because Catholic doctrine regards the Pope as being incapable of being wrong, his pontifical utterances are therefore deemed quite infallible.

porridge

Porridge is a thick, warm type of food similar to oatmeal. It's often a breakfast food.,When you boil oats in milk or water, the end result of porridge. Porridge is served in a bowl and eaten with a spoon. Itأ¢آ€آ™s usually served for breakfast and is famous for appearing in the fairy tale of Goldilocks. Porridge is the food that's too hot, too cold, and then just right.

respiration

Respiration is the act of breathing. You wear a ventilator if you need help with your respiration.,Everyone who breathes has the power of respiration. There is, however, another type of respiration which occurs in cells. This is the process of taking in certain substances and putting out others that a cell undergoes to produces energy. One single breath, the inhale and the exhale together, is also called a respiration.

sentient

Someone sentient is able to feel things, or sense them. Sentient usually occurs in phrases like "sentient beings" and "sentient creatures," making it clear that things that donأ¢آ€آ™t have life donأ¢آ€آ™t have feelings. Explain that to a pet rock.,Sentient comes from the Latin sentient-, "feeling," and it describes things that are alive, able to feel and perceive, and show awareness or responsiveness. Having senses makes something sentient, or able to smell, communicate, touch, see, or hear. Whether or not plants and living things other than animals and people are sentient depends on whom you ask.

rail

The verb rail means to criticize severely. When you rail against increased taxes at a town meeting, you speak openly and loudly about how wrong the increase is and point out the problems it will cause.,Rail can also mean "to complain." When your mom asks you to vacuum the house, you might rail against this chore by saying that you ALWAYS do the vacuuming, that vacuuming is SO hard, and that you hate the stupid vacuum! Rail can also mean to spread negative information about someone in an abusive way. If your "friends" rail against you to everyone in school, they're spreading nasty rumors about you, and you should find new friends!

temporize

The verb temporize describes stalling in order to gain time in the hopes of avoiding or preventing something. Your class might temporize so your teacher won't have time to give the pop quiz you all think she's going to give.,Accent the first syllable of temporize: "TEM-puh-rise." Tempor- means "time," which you probably recognize from other time-related words such as temporary, temporal, and contemporary. Temporize comes from the Middle French word temporiser, meaning "to pass one's time, wait one's time."

traverse

The verb traverse means to travel across an extended area. "Her dream was to traverse the country by car, so she could meet new people and see all the kitschy sites أ¢آ€آ" like the giant roadside tire in Michigan or the shoe house in Pennsylvania.",The verb traverse can also mean "to span," to span a physical space or time. "The bridge traversed the river, linking the two cities." Traverse can be used for any crossing, but it often is used when implying the crossing will be difficult. "She was exhausted from traveling in the snowy conditions, but she still had to traverse an icy bridge before she would arrive safely home."

sequester

The word sequester describes being kept away from others. If your sister tells you to stay out of the way so she can cook dinner for her new boyfriend, you might sequester yourself in your room.,Legal types may be familiar with the word sequester since itأ¢آ€آ™s often used in relation to a jury for an important trial. In that case, members of the jury are sequestered, meaning they aren't allowed to watch the news or read articles that could influence their judgment. However, sequester can describe anyone who is isolated or hidden away from others, like a pop star sequestered in a hotel room, protected from fans' mania below.

vortex

Think vortex and picture a tornado or whirlpool أ¢آ€آ" swirling around, causing destruction.,If you picture a whirlpool spinning and draining like water out of a bathtub, you'll get a pretty good impression of what a vortex looks like. Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz found out first-hand the meaning of vortex as she and her house whirled around in the funnel cloud of a tornado. In a figurative sense, vortex can be used to tell about something that seems like it is whirling out of control, all consuming, or chaotic. This may include exam week, your relationships, or your life in general.

Quaff

To quaff is to gulp. Youأ¢آ€آ™re in a desert; you havenأ¢آ€آ™t had water in days; youأ¢آ€آ™re wicked thirsty. Then you find an oasis! You lean over and quaff the water.,If youأ¢آ€آ™re in a room with your favorite foods, you might stuff the food into your mouth. Quaffing is the same fun, but with beverages instead of foods. But just like with stuffing food, quaffing means you drink a little too much. Often, quaffing refers to alcoholic drinks, but it can mean any beverage in general, like milkshakes. Quaff a milkshake and youأ¢آ€آ™ll get a headache, but youأ¢آ€آ™ll have fun doing it.

roil

To roil means to stir up or churn. A stormy ocean might roil, or even a restless crowd.,The word roil is often confused with rile, which has a slightly different meaning. If you roil someone you're stirring them up but not necessarily annoying them. To rile someone is to deliberately provoke or antagonize them. Usually there's no roiling without riling. Muhammad Ali roiled much of America when he refused to be drafted for the Vietnam War.

stoke

To stoke is to poke a fire and fuel it so that it burns higher. It can also mean "incite"أ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"a principal's impassive silence in the face of requests for more tater tots might stoke the flames of student anger.,When a surfer says, "I am so stoked," it means they are excitedأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"the fire of enthusiasm is burning hotter. It's interesting to reflect on how many words in our language have to do with the tending of fires, an activity that has become much less common in recent human history.

tithe

To tithe is to make a contribution equal to one-tenth of your income, usually to a church or religious institution. Devout church-goers usually tithe, even in years when their finances are very tight.,Tithe comes from the Old English word teogotha, which means أ¢آ€آœtenth.أ¢آ€آ‌ To tithe is to relinquish one-tenth of your personal income, either as a mandatory contribution, a voluntary donation, or as a levy. In ancient times farmers were required to tithe a portion of their crops. You may suspect that some of the wealthiest members of your church donأ¢آ€آ™t really tithe as expected.

trample

To trample is to forcefully walk right over something or someone. If you fall down during a footrace, another runner might trample you.,When you trample, you're stomping or stamping: it's the opposite of walking on tippy toes. A dog might trample a flower garden while chasing a ball, and an angry child might deliberately trample her sister's sandcastle, flattening it with her feet. The verb trample comes from tramp, "walk heavily or stamp," which is rooted in the Middle Low German word trampen, "to tramp, stamp, or press upon."

waive

To waive is to give up one's right to do something. If you waive your right to help name your family's new puppy, you can't complain if he ends up being called "Mr. Tinkerbell Sweetheart Lovey-Face.",Waive comes from a Middle English word meaning to abandon; the word waif, which refers to a neglected or orphaned child, shares the same root. However, while abandoning a child on a street corner is not okay, waiving one's right to do something is in most cases perfectly acceptable. A document stating one's decision to give up one's rights is appropriately called a waiver.

run-down

Use the adjective run-down to describe something that's so old it's falling apart, like a beat up old car or a worn out mattress with springs sticking out of it.,A dingy neighborhood that's seen better days can be called run-down, and so can your decrepit apartment building, with its broken elevator, creaky stairs, and windows that don't close all the way. A person can also be run-down, if he is bent and elderly, or just exhausted from traveling for days or working too many late nights. You can also spell it rundown, although the hyphenated run-down is more common.

verdigris

Verdigris is the blue-green tarnish on certain metals after they are left outside for a long period of time. A lot of churches have rooftops coated with verdigris, and many capitol buildings have verdigris on their domes.,Bronze, brass, and copper metals get verdigris because of exposure to air and wetness, especially saltwater. The Old French origin of verdigris literally translates to أ¢آ€آœgreen of Greece,أ¢آ€آ‌ which can help you remember how to pronounce the word: VURR-de-Greece. The word is a noun that refers to the actual layer of green pigment that coats a surface. Itأ¢آ€آ™s a handsome color, and many painters use verdigris when they want a sea-foam look.

scanty

We refer to an amount or thing that is not quite enough as scanty, or lacking. It's an adjective used to describe something that doesn't offer enough, as in "farmers having a scanty crop in a drought year.",The adjective scanty comes from the Old Norse scamt, which means "short or brief," and so suggests a small amount. The word usually suggests a meager amount, and can refer to anything that is barely sufficient. Someone trying to stretch a meal might offer scanty servings. On a humorous note, a Roaring Twenties flapper referred to her underwear as scanties.

weather

Weather is the atmospheric conditions, including the temperature, wind, snow, rain, or anything else happening outside. People tend to talk about the weather when they can't think of anything else to talk about.,In some places, people say, "Don't like the weather? Wait an hour and it'll change." Every day, experts try to predict the weather, but they never get it exactly right. You can also use weather to mean "endure something," as in "I weathered the storm at work." That's not a real storm, but a stormy situation. Even though the weather drives us all crazy at times, at least it gives us something to blab about.

warren

When Bugs Bunny outruns Elmer Fudd and vanishes down his rabbit hole, he's escaping into a warren أ¢آ€آ" a network of underground tunnels where rabbits live.,A warren isn't just the maze-like tunnels where rabbits live. You may encounter a warren of subway tunnels or a warren of interconnected bomb shelters. Bring those narrow paths above ground and cluster them with homes and you have another kind of warren, or a maze-like residential area.

putrefy

When eggs rot, they putrefy or start to smell really, really bad. Putrefy is to begin stinking, usually when rotting or decomposing.,When you describe something as putrid, it means it is foul or disgusting أ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ" drinking Coke and milk together is gross. Add ketchup, and the cocktail becomes putrid. But technically, putrid, like putrefy, refers to the smell of something organic that has begun to decompose. Open the lid of your garbage can and you will smell the putrefying remains of your meals. Both putrid and putrefy share the Latin root of putr which you can remember by its first two letters أ¢آ€آ" P. U.!

stultify

When something stultifies you, it drains you of your energy, enthusiasm, or pleasure. A well-acted Shakespeare play can be a thrill. A poorly acted one can stultify like nothing else.,The verb stultify is sometimes used in place of "bore" or "exhaust," but only if something is so boring or exhausting that it makes you feel as though you might just die. It's a very negative word. If you're in a relationship that's stultifying, you should find a way out. Relationships should make you feel more alive, not less. Constant construction noise can have a stultifying effect, leaving a person almost unable to function.

Visceral

When something's visceral, you feel it in your guts. A visceral feeling is intuitive أ¢آ€آ" there might not be a rational explanation, but you feel that you know what's best, like your visceral reaction against egg salad.,Your hatred of mice may not be rational, but it is visceral, and every time you see one, you feel like you're going to faint. And when you had to decide whether you were going to stay in Florida or move to Texas, even though you had a good job in Orlando you had a visceral feeling that Texas would be the right choice . . . and it turned out you were meant to be a rancher! Visceral can also mean أ¢آ€آœrelating to the viscera,أ¢آ€آ‌ with viscera being your organs.

visceral

When something's visceral, you feel it in your guts. A visceral feeling is intuitive أ¢آ€آ" there might not be a rational explanation, but you feel that you know what's best, like your visceral reaction against egg salad.,Your hatred of mice may not be rational, but it is visceral, and every time you see one, you feel like you're going to faint. And when you had to decide whether you were going to stay in Florida or move to Texas, even though you had a good job in Orlando you had a visceral feeling that Texas would be the right choice . . . and it turned out you were meant to be a rancher! Visceral can also mean أ¢آ€آœrelating to the viscera,أ¢آ€آ‌ with viscera being your organs.

unanimity

When there is unanimity, everyone agrees. When it comes to opinion, unanimity is the opposite of disagreement.,Unanimity is a word for a group of people all being of one mind. If everyone in the country voted for the same person for president, that would be complete unanimity. Just like uniforms make people look alike, this similar word indicates people are thinking alike. Unanimity doesn't happen often, because people tend to disagree about everything. When there is disagreement, there's no unanimity.

retrench

When times are tight, it's time to retrench. That means rethink your budget, cut back on the spending, and use your pennies wisely.,Usually when you have to retrench, it's not a good thing. Companies in the process of retrenching are usually laying off staff or cutting back on employee benefits. But even if you're making gobs of money and your bank account is full of cash, it might be wise to save for a rainy day أ¢آ€آ" that way you won't have to retrench when the going gets tough.

submerge

When you go swimming, you submerge your body in water. If your head is out of the water, it is not submerged أ¢آ€آ" it's just wet.,To really soak a washcloth, you should submerge it in a basin of water. It is said that the word submerge was invented by William Shakespeare. We don't know that for sure, but we know that its appearance in the play Antony and Cleopatra is the first recorded time the word was written, and therefore read, by anyone.

rectify

When you rectify something, you fix it or make it right. Some English teachers will give you a chance to rectify any mistakes you've made in an essay and hand in a second, edited draft.,This verb often turns up in sentences like "The truce should help to rectify this situation between the two countries," or "I'd like to rectify the misspellings in this article before I print it." To rectify is to correct or improve something أ¢آ€آ" you can imagine straightening out something that's bent to make it work better. The Old French rectifier, in fact, means "to make straight," from the Latin root rectus, "straight."

thrall

When you're in thrall to someone, you are under their control in some way. If you're being held as a hostage, you're in thrall to your captor.,You can be in thrall to anything that holds you captive or controls your thoughts or actions, like an addiction, a disease, or a cult leader. The Old English word that thrall comes from literally means "slave" or "servant." Another word with the same root as thrall is enthrall, which is sort of a friendlier version of the same idea. If you're enthralled by someone, you're captivated or fascinated, rather than "held in bondage."

tardy

When you're tardy, you're late. If you've ever been late for school, you know about tardy, and you may have a stash of notes your teacher has sent home to your parents, informing them of your tardiness.,You may be tardy for an appointment because you got stuck in traffic, or maybe you just slept late and you don't have good time management skills. Whatever the excuse, being tardy almost always annoys whoever's waiting for you. As a reality TV star once crooned, "Don't be tardy for the party." The word comes from the Latin tardus, meaning "slow."

Unencumbered

When you're unencumbered, you're free of baggage: either you literally don't have a lot of stuff to carry, or you're emotionally care-free.,This word has two closely related uses. A person is unencumbered when they're traveling light أ¢آ€آ" they're not struggling to carry 5 suitcases. But if you have no worries or responsibilities, you're also unencumbered أ¢آ€آ" nothing is weighing on your mind. In both senses being unencumbered means you feel light: either literally or emotionally.

saga

When your friend tells you every detail of how she tripped over a rock, broke her ankle, and then got into a car accident on the way to the hospital, she is sharing a long, involved story known as a saga.,The word saga has its origins in the Middle Ages. In those days, a saga was an historical tale of the first families who lived in Norway or Iceland. Today the word is used to describe a very complicated or detailed series of events. A saga is the kind of long, drawn-out story that can cause the people who hear it to roll their eyes in boredom.

provenance

Where something comes from is its provenance. If a style of music originated in the capital of Rhode Island, you could say that its provenance was Providence.,Some items of foreign provenance are taxed more heavily than domestic products. If you claim that an artwork put up for sale was stolen from your family's art collection, an investigation may be ordered to resolve issues of provenance. In this case, provenance refers to who has the legal right to the specific work of art, or to whom it belongs.

therapeutic

Whether youأ¢آ€آ™re talking about a therapeutic drug or a therapeutic exercise plan, something that is therapeutic helps to heal or to restore health.,The adjective therapeutic can be traced all the way back to the Greek word therapeutikos (from therapeuein, meaning أ¢آ€آœto attendأ¢آ€آ‌ or أ¢آ€آœto treatأ¢آ€آ‌). Although the word relates to healing or soothing, therapeutic isnأ¢آ€آ™t reserved only for drugs or medical treatments. Youأ¢آ€آ™ve probably heard particular activities referred to as therapeutic, which just means that doing that activity makes you feel rejuvenated. You might consider shopping for shoes, for example, to be a therapeutic activity أ¢آ€آ" at least until the credit card bill arrives.

temperament

While a mood can change, your temperament is your overall tone most of the time. Just like dogs, people have temperaments: some are aggressive; some are playful; and some are just happy to carry your slippers.,Just as a temperature gives a reading of how hot or cold something is, your temperament gives a reading of your disposition, or general outlook. Some folks with optimistic temperaments see that glass as half full; other more pessimistic folks see it as half empty. And there are still others who prefer to drink straight from the bottle.

vivacious

A vivacious person is lively and spirited: a vivacious dancer might do a back-flip off the wall and then jump into the arms of her partner.,Some people are just naturally fun to be around; they sparkle, they animate any group they're part of, they're full of life. That, in fact, is the root meaning of the word: it's from Latin vivere "to live." It has more of a sense of playfulness than lively or animated. Even the most sedentary slob can feel revitalized in the presence of a vivacious soul.

servitude

"If you're free-spirited you won't enjoy servitude, mainly because servitude means you have to answer to a master, like a servant does.,Slavery, a brutal form of servitude, existed in the United States until the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865. Before this, thousands upon thousands of African Americans were forced into servitude, where they were forced to perform labor for their masters. A key to remembering the meaning of servitude is the fact that it resembles servant.

recast

"Let's start over." That's what someone might say when he or she needs to recast something, meaning "to make major changes that make something seem very different or even brand new.",When you recast something, you arenأ¢آ€آ™t just improving it slightly أ¢آ€آ" something that is recast typically involves significant changes to the original. As it applies to actors' parts in a movie, television show, or play, to recast a part means finding a different actor to play it. When you recast a metal item, like a piece of jewelry, the item is melted down completely and then remade in a new form. When teachers get blank stares from students, they recast their questions to make them less confusing.

poseur

"Strike a pose," sang Madonna in her most famous song, "Vogue." But if the pose you're striking is fake, pretentious, or arrogant, you're a poseur. Be yourself: it's cooler.,It's one thing to be smart, funny, or cool. It's another thing to pretend to be that way: that's the life of a poseur. (Say it in the French way: poh-ZUHR.) It's all too easy to spot a poseur from their ridiculous posing. Why poseurs think that they come across as anything other than fake is beyond me. They must be really insecure to think they need to pretend to be something they're not. Every once in a while, though, a poseur can fake it till they make it. Then they're no longer a poseur.

queue

A queue is a line of things, usually people. If you go to the store on a big sale day, there will probably be a long queue at the check-out.,Queue comes from the Latin cauda, for tail. Outside the United States it means a line of people or vehicles waiting their turn, so if your English friend talks about queuing up for the movies, that means getting in line for a ticket. We also use it in computing to mean an order of messages to be sent. In a big office, you send documents to the printer queue, and they're printed in the order they are sent.

raffle

A raffle is a type of contest in which you buy a ticket for a chance to win a prize. After the tickets are sold, a drawing determines which ticket holds the winning number. People raffle off everything from fruit baskets to cars.,You might enter a raffle at a school gathering, a fair, or another event. The proceeds from selling raffle tickets often go toward a good cause, like a charity. When a group holds a raffle, you can also say that they raffle the prizes off أ¢آ€آ" your French club might raffle off a bicycle to raise money for your trip to Montreal, for example. A raffle was originally "a dice game."

ramification

A ramification is an accidental consequence that complicates things. Remember that time you borrowed your father's car without asking? The ramification was that Dad missed an important meeting, his company went under, and he had to sell the car. Oops!,The ramifications are the broader effects that fan out into the world from one situation, or decision, that kicks it all off. Ramification also refers to something branching out, like limbs on a tree أ¢آ€آ" which is what bad decisions tend to do. Ramification is like consequence, but usually unintended and bad. The word is often used in political discussions about laws or government decisions because they might be made locally but could affect people worldwide.

Reagent

A reagent is a substance used to create a chemical reaction. Reagents cause transformations.,Chemists love reagents because they cause chemical reactions. For example, a certain type of reagent could tell a chemist if something contains a poison. Like a reactant or a catalyst, a reagent makes something happen. It can help you remember reagents are active if you remember that other agents أ¢آ€آ" like secret agents أ¢آ€آ" are also active and make things happen.

Ream

A ream is a quantity of paper sold in a bundle, once comprised of 480 sheets but now rounded up to 500. If you write reams of love letters to your beloved, I hope she appreciates them. Or at least recycles.,The word ream has two distinct meanings, depending on whether you use it as a noun or a verb. As a noun, it refers to an amount of paper, its origin from the Arabic rizmah, or "bundle." As a verb, ream is a rough word that can mean "to make a hole in" or "to squeeze." When you "ream someone out" you give them a scolding.

rebate

A rebate is a partial refund of the cost of an item. It acts as an incentive to help sell the product. If your new cell phone came with a rebate, you'll get a check in the mail for a certain amount of the cost.,A well-known rebate occurred in 2007 when President George Bush issued tax rebate checks to many people in America, giving back some of what each person paid in taxes. Rebate comes from the Old French word rabattre, meaning "beat down, drive back." Rebate can also be used as a verb that refers to giving a reduction in price during a sale. For example, your internet provider might rebate your bill for three months to keep you as a customer.

rebus

A rebus is a puzzle that uses symbols or pictures to represent the sounds of words. A picture of an eye, a heart, and a ewe might be used to say "I love you." Isn't that sweet?,A rebus uses pictures and symbols to convey a message in what may be considered a fun code. The letters ICU might be used to stand for the sentence أ¢آ€آœI see you.أ¢آ€آ‌ The word rebus could be depicted with the letters RE followed by a picture of a school bus. Some children's books use rebuses as a way of introducing kids to the reading process, but rebuses can also be quite challenging, even for the adult mind.

recreant

A recreant is a heavy-duty coward. If your friend shoves you in front of him when a growling dog approaches, you'd quickly recognize him for the recreant that he is. And in the future youأ¢آ€آ™d choose your friends more carefully.,An extreme recreant would be the soldier who goes over to the enemy if it looks like they might win. Definitely not the kind of person you'd want in your platoon. Recreant (RE-cree-unt) comes from the Latin re-, meaning to "reverse" something, and credere, "entrust." The word miscreant is nearly synonymous, although a miscreant is not so much a coward, but just an all-around bad sort.

regatta

A regatta is an organized series of boat races. In a regatta, yachts or sailboats usually participate, but some regattas focus on rowboats or powerboats.,In the 1650s, regatta related to a boat race among gondoliers, held on the Grand Canal in Venice. The Italian word regatta means "contention for mastery" and comes from the Latin word regattare, or "to compete, haggle, sell at retail." Regatta came to specifically mean "boat race" أ¢آ€آ" and the many social events related to it أ¢آ€آ" in the late 1700s.

regime

A regime is the ruling government of a country. The amount of freedom and restriction that citizens of a country have can change from regime to regime.,Regime takes its militaristic and government feel from the Latin word regimen "to rule." A political regime has a negative association to it that makes you think of totalitarian governments. How did it come to mean "diet" or "program of exercise" as well? If you are put on a regime of exercise and healthy eating, you are ordered by a doctor to do these things and it probably feels like you're being ruled sometimes!

regimen

A regimen is a systematic plan for some kind of therapy. If your doctor tells you to eat more vegetables, cut out potato chips, exercise, and take vitamins, he is prescribing a regimen for better health.,It's easy to confuse regimen with regime, which means a ruling government. Both words involve things that you follow. If you wash your face twice a day, apply medicine to your acne, and use a special lotion, that's your "skin-care regimen." A skin-care regime would be armed dermatologists taking over the government.

relic

A relic is a fragment from the past أ¢آ€آ" one of Elvis's guitars, an ancient piece of pottery or even an outmoded way of thinking -أ¢آ€آ" that remains behind. Your dad might love his old albums, but to you, they're just relics.,The noun relic is derived from relinquere, Latin for "to leave behind." A crumbling Roman wall is a relic of a once-great civilization. The superstition that seven years of bad luck will follow if you break a mirror may be a relic of the old superstition that a mirror can trap the souls of those reflected in it. Whether it's an object or an idea, a relic is a remnant of the past. Religious relics are items, such as Buddhaأ¢آ€آ™s tooth or St. Anneأ¢آ€آ™s wrist bone, that have been preserved and venerated.

reminiscence

A reminiscence is a memory, or the act of recovering it. A visit to your old elementary school may flood your brain with reminiscencesأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"things you hadn't thought of in years coming suddenly back.,Many people find that when they travel or have quiet time to think, their brain becomes occupied with reminiscence. You can see how close the word reminiscence is in meaning to the word rememberأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"you might think of the word reminiscence as a remembering.

remnant

A remnant is something that's left over, once the rest is used up. If you plan to sew a shirt using only a remnant, it might have to be a midriff shirt.,The noun remnant can also be used to refer to leftover things other than cloth. The origin of the word might help you remember this, more all-purpose, meaning أ¢آ€آ" it comes from the French remanant, which means "to remain." Think of it this way: a remnant is something that remains, or is left behind. For example, the remnants from the ancient battle gave archaeologists clues from which to infer what had happened.

renegade

A renegade is a person who has deserted their cause or defied convention; they're rebels and sometimes outlaws, or even traitors.,A long, long time ago, a renegade was a Christian person who decided to become Muslim. That definition is pretty outdated, as these days a renegade is anyone who breaks laws or expectations to do their own thing or join the other side. It might sound kind of cool to be a renegade, like some rogue action hero. But in general, renegade actions are frowned, not smiled, upon.

reprieve

A reprieve is a break in or cancellation of a painful or otherwise lousy situation. If you're being tortured, a reprieve is a break from whatever's tormenting you.,For some, a night at the opera is a night of punishing boredom during which the only reprieve is the intermission. For others, it's baseball that feels like torture. The seventh-inning stretch is the only reprieve from a night of endless waiting. Often, you'll hear reprieve used when a court or governor decides not to execute a prisoner. That prisoner is given a reprieve and will be allowed to live. He probably won't get a reprieve from prison, though, unless he's found innocent.

requiem

A requiem is a religious ceremony performed for the dead. A requiem, or dirge, can also be a piece of music used for this ceremony or in any other context honoring those who have died.,The word requiem comes from the opening words of the Roman Catholic Mass for the Dead, which is spoken or sung in Latin (requies means أ¢آ€آœrestأ¢آ€آ‌). In a nonreligious context the word refers simply to an act of remembrance. Mozart, Brahms, and Dvoأ...آ™أƒآ،k have all written important requiems. The English composer Benjamin Britten wrote his famous "War Requiem" for the reconsecration of a cathedral that was destroyed in World War II.

rhapsody

A rhapsody is an impassioned speech or sentiment. Your rhapsody about the desserts at your city's new restaurant has all of your friends drooling and dying to try them.,A rhapsody is also part of an epic poem that is suitable for reciting. The word comes from the Greek word rhapsodios, which means a person who recites epic poems, and whose root is rhaptein, meaning to stitch. A rhapsody is also a musical piece noted for its improvisational nature and irregular form. Perhaps the most famous of this type of music is George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," composed in 1924.

riveting

A rivet is a fastener that holds something closed or down, and something riveting keeps you glued to your seat and grabs your attention. Sometimes a movie is so riveting that not even free popcorn refills can lure you away.,Riveting is an adjective for things that really draw you in, like a book you read in one sitting or a song you turn up so you can hear every lyric. Beautiful scenes are riveting, but terrible and ugly things are also riveting, like the site of an accident you can't stop looking at. Words from a teacher or actor have a riveting effect when they're full of impact and interest, and when you exaggerate a story for your best friend, that's riveting too.

rubric

A rubric is a heading or a category in a chart, or a rule of conduct. A teacher's grading rubrics may include participation, homework completion, tests, quizzes, and papers.,A rubric can also mean a rule or a procedure. If you use "might makes right" as the rubric for the formation of a list of classroom rules, you'll have a different-feeling classroom culture than if your rubric is "everyone deserves respect."

ruffian

A ruffian is a bully, someone who is violent toward others. Maybe they had a bad childhood, or perhaps they like the sound of people in pain. No matter where they come from, ruffians are best avoided.,Soccer fans have a reputation for being ruffians. Sure, some are sensitive poetry-reading types, but the ones that get the most attention scream obscenities, break things, and fight each other. Ruffian comes from a Germanic word that literally translates as أ¢آ€آœscabbiness,أ¢آ€آ‌ and perhaps ruffians are covered in scabs from all the fights they start. Sometimes a ruffian is a person involved in crime, however, the word is always used to describe someone whoأ¢آ€آ™s a cruel, violent jerk.

rustle

A rustle can be the dry sounds made by papers rubbing together or leaves crackling. It can also be the act of searching, stealing, finding food, or making rustle sounds.,Rustle has a whole lotta meanings! Walking home late at night, you hear a rustle behind you. Maybe itأ¢آ€آ™s just leaves, but youأ¢آ€آ™re spooked, so you rustle around in your knapsack, searching for a weapon. You turn, and itأ¢آ€آ™s just a hungry friend, so you bring him home and rustle up some food from your cupboards. As your friend leaves, he rustles all your cows and takes them away.

Scabbard

A scabbard is a sheath for a sword, dagger, or other type of knife. Some cooks wear their French knives in a scabbard so they'll be ready to chop no matter where they are in the kitchen.,Youأ¢آ€آ™ve probably seen a scabbard in an older movie. The hero sheaths his sword in a long wooden, metal or leather scabbard hanging from his belt. The origins of the word, however, are not that manly. Scabbard comes from an old Germanic compound meaning "blade protector."

scabbard

A scabbard is a sheath for a sword, dagger, or other type of knife. Some cooks wear their French knives in a scabbard so they'll be ready to chop no matter where they are in the kitchen.,Youأ¢آ€آ™ve probably seen a scabbard in an older movie. The hero sheaths his sword in a long wooden, metal or leather scabbard hanging from his belt. The origins of the word, however, are not that manly. Scabbard comes from an old Germanic compound meaning "blade protector."

scale

A scale is a series that climbs up or down. Think of scaling, or climbing, a mountain; a musical scale: do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do; or a scale you weigh yourself onأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"it counts up the pounds one after another after another.,Scale can be a ratio tooأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"when maps are drawn "to scale," that means one mile of real road might translate to one inch of road on the map. Even fish scales can be understood this wayأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"they repeat the same shape row after row after row. You can also rate something using a scale: "How much do you love pizza? Rate it on a scale of one to ten, with one being blech and ten being amazing."

scourge

A scourge is a whip أ¢آ€آ" or anything else that is punishing and dreadful. You could confront "a scourge of corruption" or "a scourge of hunger.",As a verb, scourge means to cause suffering. Not surprisingly, it comes from the old French word meaning "to whip." A dictatorship could scourge and oppress its citizens, and an infectious disease could scourge an entire community. When you see scourge, think "suffering."

scrap

A scrap is a little leftover bit of something. You might jot down notes on a scrap of paper, or you might toss a scrap of food to your happy dog.,A scrap is typically a small item that originally was part of something larger, like a scrap of fabric that was once part of a larger piece. Scrap can also describe something thatأ¢آ€آ™s no longer useful. For example, you might take scrap metal to the recycling center. Scrap also has a verb form that means "discard." When you scrap your plan to move to the Bahamas, that means youأ¢آ€آ™re abandoning the plan.

scrimmage

A scrimmage is a practice أ¢آ€آ" not an official game أ¢آ€آ" in American football, hockey, and in other team sports.,You might think of football when you hear the word scrimmage, because the ball is placed on the "line of scrimmage" at the start of a play. A scrimmage is also a practice between two squads. You can also use scrimmage as a verb for other types of practicing. A basketball player might scrimmage by shooting one hundred free throws, for example. Originally, scrimmage was a variation on the word skirmish, and meant "a confused struggle between players."

self-righteous

A self-righteous person thinks their beliefs and morals are better than everyone else's. If you're quite sure the charity of others pales in comparison with yours, you might be self-righteous.,Join the Old English words self, meaning "one's own person," and rightwise, meaning "virtuous," and you've got somebody who thinks very highly of their own morality. A self-righteous person thinks they can do no wrong, and goes about with a "holier-than-thou" attitude, judging and scrutinizing everyone else. A fur designer may view PETA activists as self-righteous when they picket his fashion show. You may consider a friend self-righteous when it comes to musical taste.

sentinel

A sentinel is a guard, a lookout, a person keeping watch. It's often a soldier, but not always. If you're watching a pot, waiting for it to boil, you're standing sentinel over it أ¢آ€آ" and incidentally, it won't boil until you leave.,Etymologists think sentinel stems from the Old Italian words sentina, meaning "vigilance," and sentire, "to hear or perceive." It's a close cousin of sentry, which means the same thing. You can use sentinel as a noun or a verb. A kid in a snowball war might be the sentinel, patrolling the entrance to the fort. Wolves stand sentinel over their kill, stepping aside only for the alpha male, who always eats first.

sepulcher

A sepulcher is a burial vault or tomb, like the one that is featured prominently in the final scenes of Romeo and Juliet. (Of course, for those who havenأ¢آ€آ™t read the play yet, weأ¢آ€آ™re not suggesting that anyone dies, necessarily.),Sepulchers often appear in literature, probably because they instantly convey sadness, spookiness, and all sorts of other unpleasant emotions. For example, Edgar Allen Poeأ¢آ€آ™s poem أ¢آ€آœAnnabel Leeأ¢آ€آ‌ tells the story of the narrator's true love, who now lies أ¢آ€آœ[i]n the sepulcher there by the sea.أ¢آ€آ‌ When reading "Annabel Lee," Romeo and Juliet, and other similarly depressing works aloud, note that sepulcher is pronounced with the emphasis on the first syllable.

serrated

A serrated edge is jagged. When a knife is described as having a serrated blade, its edge is lined with small teeth, similar to a saw's. It will cut tomatoes, bread, and meat more effectively than a smooth-edged blade.,The adjective serrated comes from the Latin word serratus, meaning أ¢آ€آœnotched like a saw.أ¢آ€آ‌ Most often, it is swords and knives that are described as serrated, but some leaves, like those of the Ash and Maple trees, as well as certain flower petals, like carnations and some tulips, also have serrated edges. Great White sharks have serrated teeth so they can more easily rip the flesh of their prey. Yum.

score

A set of twenty things is a score. Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address began "Four score and seven years ago." Four score means 4 times 20, so Lincoln could have just said "87 years ago," but it didn't have the same ring to it!,In a game, the score tells you the number of points each team has. In school, you can score or earn a number of points for every test or paper you turn in. That grade (or an accumulation of grades) is your class score. Score can also be used to describe the facts about an event or the components of a musical composition. So, when you ask, "What's the score?" you could be met with a variety of answers depending on the context!

sextant

A sextant is a tool for measuring the angles between heavenly bodies أ¢آ€آ" the kind found in outer space. Used as a navigational tool out at sea, it helps determine a ship's longitude and latitude.,There is nothing sexy about a sextant, unless you're a sailor. Even then, in today's world of sophisticated instrumentation, it's considered quaint and old-fashioned. The noun sextant dates back to the late 16th century, from the Latin word sextans, meaning "sixth part." The sextant uses a graduated arc of 60أ‚آ° (there's the six reference) for measuring the altitude of the planets and stars.

shack

A shack is a small, rundown building used as a shelter. To shack is to live somewhere. If you tell your parents you want to shack up with your best friend, prepare to get grounded.,A shack is a tiny, crude shelter that one person might be living in. Itأ¢آ€آ™s not well maintained, and it probably has peeling paint and a leaky roof. A shack is a big step below a house and a small step above a refrigerator box. To shack is to live somewhere, especially somewhere that's not nice. Shacking up is kind of like crashing on someoneأ¢آ€آ™s couch, or living somewhere temporarily.

sham

A sham is a fake. If you frequently order products advertised on late-night, hour-long television commercials, youأ¢آ€آ™ve probably ended up with at least one item that was a sham. All-purpose, industrial strength stain remover, anyone?,Sham can be used to refer to people as well as to things. Remember that doctor from the late-night TV commercial advertising UltraMiracleCure vitamin pills? Heأ¢آ€آ™s probably a sham, or a quack. Some sources claim that the word sham originated in the 17th century and was derived from the English word shame, but who knows? Maybe that theoryأ¢آ€آ™s a sham too.

shear

A shear is a cutting implement that looks like a long pair of scissors. Also like scissors, this form of the noun is usually plural. You can cut metal, prune a tree, or cut up a chicken with shears.,In farming, when you remove wool from a sheep, goat, or even a llama, you shear the animal. Most farmers shear their sheep once a year, but the timing varies from farm to farm. The verb shear also means to cause to break off or come apart with a cutting force. The wind during a storm can blow hard enough to shear the tiles off a roof.

shudder

A shudder is an involuntary vibration, usually in your body, or the shaking itself. A cold breeze or an unpleasant memory might make you shudder.,A shudder isn't always a bad thing. It can mean a pleasurable sensation or tingle that goes through your body, like a shudder of excitement you feel when you see your favorite star on the street. As a verb, shudder means to shake and shiver. Being really cold or seeing something that scares you أ¢آ€آ" a ghost! أ¢آ€آ" can make you shudder. The phrase "shudder to think" means just the thought of something upsets you enough to shudder.

shunt

A shunt is a small tube that goes inside the body to drain fluid. It also means to divert in a general way, like if you shunt the thought of tubes in your body, you think about rainbows and kittens instead.,Although shunt usually refers to a tube that drains blood or other fluid out of a part of the body, shunt also means to bypass. If a train is shunted, itأ¢آ€آ™s diverted from the main track onto a side track. The word may have come from shun, as in أ¢آ€آœturn away,أ¢آ€آ‌ which is what a shunt essentially does. It turns something away from where it was headed.

shyster

A shyster is someone who might rip you off or do something unethical in order to get his way.,A used car salesman might tell you a car is a thousand dollars, but when you read the fine print, it turns out youأ¢آ€آ™ll pay a lot more. That salesman is a shyster أ¢آ€آ" someone who lies and deceives for his own benefit. The word comes from the German Scheisser, which is a vulgar term for أ¢آ€آœworthless person.أ¢آ€آ‌ Although it contains the word shy, it actually sounds more like heist, which makes sense, since shysters are basically trying to rob you.

sibling

A sibling is your brother or sister. It's that simple.,The word sibling once meant anyone who is related to you, but now it's reserved for children of the same parent or parents. It is a word that was once out of use but then brought back into English in the early 1900s as a useful word in anthropology. If you and your brother fight all of the time, your parents might call it sibling rivalry. You might just call him annoying and run from the room.

Skein

A skein is a ball of coiled yarn. If it werenأ¢آ€آ™t for the skein, the world would be full of tangled messes of yarn that would take hours to untangle before you could start your knitting.,Whether you use a skein (rhymes with أ¢آ€آœrainأ¢آ€آ‌) to keep your yarn separated and organized, or as something for your cat to play with, may be a sign of how often you knit. Skein can take on a metaphorical sense: The character Sherlock Holmes said, أ¢آ€آœThere's the scarlet thread of murder running through the colorless skein of life, and our duty is to unravel it, and isolate it, and expose every inch of it."

skinflint

A skinflint is someone who only shops at bargain stores, never orders dessert, and in general hates spending money. It's not a nice word, so if you're trying to compliment someone, better to call them "thrifty" or "frugal.",A flint is a kind of rock that was used in the olden days to start a fire. If you didn't want to buy a new flint, you'd use an old one over and over again, "skinning" it أ¢آ€آ" that is, wearing it down until it's as thin as skin. So someone who did that would be called a skinflint. It's another way of saying that someone will try to squeeze a penny out of anything.

skirmish

A skirmish is a small fight أ¢آ€آ" more a dust-up than a full-out battle أ¢آ€آ" and it can refer to a physical fight or just a battle of words. It is definitely confrontational, though.,Think of a skirmish as kind of a mini-battle, although a military skirmish can end with casualties. Still, although such an encounter can be serious, even the very word skirmish sounds slight, like a stirring of dust in the breeze. Shakespeare referred to the combative nature of his characters Beatrice and Benedick, in "Much Ado About Nothing," as "a kind of merry war betwixt Signior Benedick and her: they never meet but there's a skirmish of wit between them."

sleeper

A sleeper is something that succeeds when no one thought it would. That low-tech movie about shark attacks that you shot on vacation and edited in your basement? It could be a sleeper if you market it in the right way.,You probably know that sleeper can be used in an obvious sense to refer to someone who is asleep. But you also may hear the word used to describe something that becomes an unexpected success, like "a sleeper of a film" featuring unknown actors that ends up becoming the big summer hit. This sense of the word may have originated in the world of gambling in the nineteenth century. When a card player unexpectedly drew a winning card, the card was called "a sleeper."

Slur

A slur is an insulting remark. In a political campaign, itأ¢آ€آ™s not unheard of for a candidate to launch a slur at her opponent, though doing so is usually frowned upon.,Slur can also be used as a verb meaning أ¢آ€آœto insult,أ¢آ€آ‌ and it has a number of additional meanings as well. To slur oneأ¢آ€آ™s speech is to pronounce words in a clumsy, lazy way. In the context of music, to slur is to slide smoothly from one note to another. The word history of slur is hazy, but some scholars have suggested a relationship with a Dutch word meaning "to drag."

smirk

A smirk is specific kind of smile, one that suggests self-satisfaction, smugness, or even pleasure at someone else's unhappiness or misfortune.,Smirk can function as either a noun or a verb: "Wipe that smirk off your face. Don't smirk at me, buddy: you're gonna get yours next!" A smirk implies you think you're better than the person you're smirking at. Ever heard of the term "service with a smile"? Yeah, well, there's a reason it's not "service with a smirk."

Snare

A snare is a trap, usually for small animals, and using a noose. Snare can also mean to trap in general or any type of trap, like the snare of a TV cliffhanger that traps you into watching again.,If writers are to be believed, we are surrounded by snares. Francis Beaumont implores us to know that أ¢آ€آœthe worldأ¢آ€آ™s a snare.أ¢آ€آ‌ And Hilda Doolittle asserts that أ¢آ€آœa snare is Love.أ¢آ€آ‌ Still Soren Kierkegaard lets us know that أ¢آ€آœthe truth is a snare: you cannot have it, without being caught.أ¢آ€آ‌ Whoever is right, it seems that you canأ¢آ€آ™t escape. A snare is also a type of small drum that rattles, as well as a wire loop used by surgeons.

sonnet

A sonnet is a poem, often a love poem, of 14 rhyming lines. Is that a love letter from your secret admirer or a formal sonnet?,The word sonnet comes from the Italian sonetto, meaning أ¢آ€آœlittle song.أ¢آ€آ‌ The origin makes sense, since the first sonnets were developed by the Italian poet Petrarch. But the sonnet form we are most familiar with today is Shakespearean. Many of the most often quoted lines in poetry come from Shakespeareأ¢آ€آ™s sonnets, such as this ending couplet from Sonnet 18, أ¢آ€آœSo long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.أ¢آ€آ‌

soothsayer

A soothsayer is someone who can foretell the future. If the convincing soothsayer at the state fair tells you you'll soon meet someone tall, dark, and handsome, you'll probably keep your eye out for someone who fits that description.,A fortune teller is also known as a soothsayer, or someone who claims to be able to predict the future. Long ago, a soothsayer might have been considered a useful consultant, even for a government, but today soothsayers are more likely to be scoffed at. Still, there are many soothsayers who have successful businesses telling people's fortunes and giving advice. Soothsayer comes from the Old English word for "truth," combined with "say," together meaning "an act of speaking the truth."

raspy

A sound is raspy when it is rough or scratchy. If you get a bad cold or scream encouragement to a losing team for a few hours, you will end up with a raspy voice.,A rasp is a tool, usually used by wood- or metal-workers, to scrape. Nail files and kitchen graters do the same work that a rasp does. A raspy voice sounds like it had to pass through a rasp or a grater to get out of your mouth. If you can barely speak, you might ask for water in a raspy whisper. Other sounds can seem raspy too like a dry cough, the caw of a crow or the bark of a dog that has been at it for a long time.

spate

A spate is a large number. If a spate of new coffee shops open in your neighborhood, itأ¢آ€آ™ll be easy for you to stay wide awake. Youأ¢آ€آ™ll have easy access to plenty of caffeine.,Though itأ¢آ€آ™s now used to describe a large number or unusually large amount of something, the word spate originally described a sudden flood of water, such as a river overflowing after a downpour. Thinking about being overwhelmed by a sudden rush of water will help you remember to use spate when you encounter an unexpected overflow of anything, whether itأ¢آ€آ™s books, robberies, celebrity break-ups, or corporate mergers.

spoilsport

A spoilsport is a person who ruins other people's fun. You know: the girl shushing everyone at a sleepover party, the kid who refuses to play when it comes their turn to be "it.",Back before it meant organized athletics, sport meant games or joking. Instead of making fun of someone, you'd be "making sport" of them. So someone who spoils or wrecks the fun or sport of others is a spoilsport. Calling someone a spoilsport, though, is often just a way to pressure them to do something everyone knows is wrong.

sprout

A sprout is a small growth on a plant أ¢آ€آ" a little new bud. Other things can sprout too: kids are constantly sprouting (growing).,The key thing to think of when you're trying to remember the meaning of sprout is growth أ¢آ€آ" as a noun, a sprout is a new growth of a plant, and as a verb, to sprout means to grow. Sprouting mainly applies to height and to the young, whether you're talking about plants, people, or things. An older person who gains fifty pounds is growing but not sprouting.

squabble

A squabble is a fight but not necessarily a serious one. When we squabble, we have a little argument, probably about something not too important.,Do you notice how squabble sounds kind of funny? That's a clue that a squabble is not the most serious kind of argument or fight. A loud, screaming fight would never be called a squabble. A small, silly discussion about something small or trivial is more of a squabble. Friends and family members squabble all the time.

stalemate

A stalemate is an impasse in a contest, a point where neither player أ¢آ€آ" usually in chess أ¢آ€آ" can win or lose.,Stalemate is from an Old French word, estal, which means أ¢آ€آœplace,أ¢آ€آ‌ أ¢آ€آœposition,أ¢آ€آ‌ or أ¢آ€آœstand.أ¢آ€آ‌ To be in a stalemate with an opponent is to be in a locked position, or a stalled place, where neither player can make a profitable move. Chess is the most common context for a stalemate, but any contest or negotiation can result in a stalemate: "The discussions about buying their competitorأ¢آ€آ™s waffle house reached a stalemate and the deal died."

statute

A statute is a formal law or rule. Whether it's enacted by a government, company, or other organization, a statute is typically written down.,Local governments can pass all kinds of statutes, or written laws, to govern their citizens. A city's government might try to restrict the consumption of alcoholic beverages in public, or make it illegal to pet cats on the weekends. Of course, silly statutes like no cat-petting on weekends can be pretty hard to pass.

stickler

A stickler is someone who insists that things are done in a certain way. Say youأ¢آ€آ™re getting married and want to write your own vows, but your partnerأ¢آ€آ™s mother demands that you have a traditional ceremony. The mother is a stickler for tradition.,Stickler has its origins in a word meaning umpire, which may allude to a sticklerأ¢آ€آ™s bossy nature. Difficult problems or puzzles are called sticklers. It is helpful when remembering the definition of stickler that it has the word أ¢آ€آœstickأ¢آ€آ‌ in it. So someone who أ¢آ€آœsticksأ¢آ€آ‌ to the rules is a stickler.

stockade

A stockade is an enclosed pen used to herd cattle and other livestock. Stockades can also house men, in the sense of a penal camp. In both cases, the treatment tends to be on the rough side.,Stockades are also built as a means of protection or defense. Fun fact: Did you know that one of the most famous stockades in America was the original Wall Street in New Amsterdam أ¢آ€آ" that is, the protective wall of wooden stakes dug into the ground that marked the northernmost part of the Dutch settlement from Injun' territory? Or at least it did until the Dutch, in need of firewood, chopped it down.

stolid

A stolid person canأ¢آ€آ™t be moved to smile or show much sign of life, in much the same way as something solid, like a giant boulder, is immovable. Both are expressionless.,It's hard to get excited about the word stolid. It refers to emotionless people or things, and it even sounds pretty dull. Your face may be stolid, as you plod through the unemotional history of the word born in the 17th century of little more than Latin words for "foolish." In some definitions, stolid does have more complimentary synonyms, such as "dependable" or "calm," but these can be overshadowed by other words for stolid أ¢آ€آ" "empty," "blank," and "vacant," to name a few.

wanderlust

A strong desire to travel is called wanderlust. If you dream of backpacking through Europe and then taking a quick spin through southeast Asia, you have wanderlust.,The Germans call the strong urge for travel wanderlust, literally a desire for wandering. We loved the German efficiency of the word so much we annexed it for our own language. With a word like lust inside it, wanderlust really captures the dreamy passion travelers all share. Sometimes the word is also used for people who can't make a commitment to a job or a relationship.

subaltern

A subaltern is someone with a low ranking in a social, political, or other hierarchy. It can also mean someone who has been marginalized or oppressed.,From the Latin roots sub- ("below"), and alternus ("all others"), subaltern is used to describe someone of a low rank (as in the military) or class (as in a caste system). Subalterns occupy entry-level jobs or occupy a lower rung of the "corporate ladder." But the term is also used to describe someone who has no political or economic power, such as a poor person living under a dictatorship.

summation

A summation is a final review or conclusion, often given in a court of law. As the incompetent lawyer approached the bench for the final time, he told the judge and jury, "In summation, my client is guilty of all charges.",At the end of every court case, both the defense and prosecution give a summation أ¢آ€آ" a quick rundown of all the facts from the case to help the jury decide on a verdict. When used outside of the courtroom, summation simply means recounting a group of items or events. At the end of a father-son camping trip, the son gives his mother a summation of the trip. You'll note that summation begins with the prefix sum-, meaning "to add up." In fact, another definition for summation is the process of adding things together, or the final sum.

surge

A surge is a sudden strong swelling, like a tsunami wave that engulfs the land. Although a surge offers a fluid image, anything can experience a sudden surge, including emotions, political support, or an angry mob.,The original Latin word surgere, meaning أ¢آ€آœto spring up or rise,أ¢آ€آ‌ serves as the basis for the word surge, which refers to a great sudden growth or swelling. If you are watching a sad movie and you experience a sudden surge of emotion, do you quietly reach for a tissue, pretend something's in your eye, or simply weep and sob with reckless abandon. Yeah, me too. Christmas shopping can be dangerous when there is a surge of interest in one toy and desperate shoppers surge into stores trying to grab it up.

swarm

A swarm is a good word for a large group of bees going on the attack أ¢آ€آ" not good news. Like bees, any group of people or animals can be considered a swarm if they act together and quickly أ¢آ€آ" even fiercely.,On a hot day, when an ice-cream truck shows up, it's usually greeted by a swarm of hot, hungry kids. People at a concert can be a swarm أ¢آ€آ" and people in the swarm can be hurt, because there's lots of pushing and shoving. When tickets for a popular movie go on sale, a swarm of people will swarm the theater. As you can see, swarm works as either a noun or verb, and people could teach bees a thing or two about swarming.

Swath

A swath was originally the long narrow space created by a single swing of a scythe in a field of grass or corn as the cutter moved through it. Nowadays it is used more figuratively to mean any kind of path someone makes.,The figurative use of swath has nonphysical senses as well, as in the term "a significant swath of the population believes..." Or if someone is trying to attract attention to themselves, or is making quite a public stir, they might be said to be "cutting a swath through the business world" or "cutting a swath on the dance floor." Hopefully, neither of the latter involves using scythes.

talon

A talon is a large, hooked claw. Although talons are usually associated with eagles, hawks and other birds of prey, you can also use the word to describe the flesh-tearing claws or fingernails of raptors, werewolves or even enraged preschoolers.,Talons typically belong to predators أ¢آ€آ" the word implies bloody attack. An owl uses talons to stab and kill its prey. A chicken, however, uses claws to pick at its feathers and scratch around in the dirt. You can also pull talons into the conversation to be funny or sarcastic: أ¢آ€آœHey! Get your talons off that piece of cake. Itأ¢آ€آ™s mine.أ¢آ€آ‌

tarantula

A tarantula is a hairy, poisonous, black spider. Although they are furry and some people keep them as pets, you probably don't want to cuddle up to one.,Tarantulas are found primarily in subtropical South America. Their leg spans can range from three to twelve inches, which means that a very big tarantula is about as wide as a cowboy hat! While their bites are poisonous, you won't die from tarantula venom, unless the bite gets infected.

tart

A tart is small pie filled with fruit or custard, with no top crust, like the cherry tarts you bought at the bakery.,As an adjective, tart describes a sour taste, like lemon, or harsh words, like your friend's tart reply to a question that makes her mad. In the 19th century, tart was British slang for "pretty woman." Some believe it is a shortening of "sweetheart." But by the end of that century, tart described a prostitute, something many language scholars trace back to the tart that you get at the bakery.

tatter

A tatter is a raggedy end or scrap of something, particularly paper or fabric. Your crazy cat might climb the curtains every night, until there's nothing left hanging from the rod but tatters.,It's most common to find this word in its plural form, tatters. A homeless person might dress in tatters, and a serious hiker might wear a pair of socks until they're just tatters, then throw them away and put on a new pair. Tatter comes from an earlier word, tatrys, "slashed garments," which has a Scandinavian root and is related to words like the Old Norse tأƒآ¶turr, "rags."

taxonomist

A taxonomist is a biologist that groups organisms into categories. A plant taxonomist for example, might study the origins and relationships between different types of roses while an insect taxonomist might focus on the relationships between different types of beetles.,A taxonomist is not to be confused with a taxidermist, a person who specializes in the stuffing and mounting of dead animals. It's true, both words share their origins in the Greek taxis meaning "arrangement." But in the case of a taxonomist, it's not dead animals that are being arranged, its hierarchies of species.

tenant

A tenant is someone who lives in a place owned by someone else, usually paying rent. If you blast your music and let the cat pee in the corner, your landlord will not think that you're a very good tenant.,Tenant is often used to mean "renter," but it can mean anyone who has the right to live in a particular place, either because he signed a lease, which is a rental agreement, because he owns the land, or because government gave him a title to it. If you live in a big apartment building, you should be aware of your rights as a tenant, which usually include things like having heat in the winter and proper fire escapes.

throng

A throng is a crowd of people or animals. On the crowded platform, the throng of passengers attempted to push their way into the already overcrowded subway car.,When used as a noun, throng means a tightly packed crowd of people or animals. As a verb, it means to push together or squeeze into an area. The science fiction movie fans thronged into the auditorium when they heard their favorite actor had entered the building. The word comes to us from the Middle English term meaning "push" or "force one's way," which is exactly what you'd have to do if you got stuck inside a throng of people.

tightwad

A tightwad is someone who avoids spending money, like a relative who wraps a piece of junk from the basement in used wrapping paper and gives it to you, even though he or she could afford to buy you a nice birthday present.,The أ¢آ€آœtightأ¢آ€آ‌ part of this word refers to أ¢آ€آœclose-fisted.أ¢آ€آ‌ Itأ¢آ€آ™ll help you remember the meaning of tightwad if you picture a person with his fist tightly closed around a wad of money, not giving it up for anyone or anything. A tightwad takes being merely frugal or careful with money to a whole new level. It's not that tightwads are poor; they simply hate to part with their money, even if it's just a single dollar.

titter

A titter is an awkward laugh at something that you shouldnأ¢آ€آ™t be laughing at, like during dinner when Uncle Marvin makes a joke about your motherأ¢آ€آ™s new hairstyle. If you try to hide your laugh, itأ¢آ€آ™s probably a titter.,A laugh that you canأ¢آ€آ™t keep in but also canأ¢آ€آ™t let out, thatأ¢آ€آ™s a titter. It usually happens in situations where you shouldnأ¢آ€آ™t be laughing, like listening to your English teacher talk about a date he went on the night before, or when someone tells you a joke in a library. A titter is kinder than a snicker, less noticeable than a giggle, quieter than a chuckle, and way less fun than a chortle. Lifeأ¢آ€آ™s a joke, laugh it up!

toga

A toga is the draped, dress-like garment worn by men in ancient Rome. Today, businessmen wear suits and ties, but thousands of years ago, the business suit of Rome was a toga.,The "toga party" is practically a rite of passage in college. What could be more fun than dressing in a drapy, one-piece, off-the-shoulder tunic like they did in ancient Rome, while chugging beer and acting like an idiot. Frankly, it's hard to understand what the toga adds to the party. Is it more fun to get drunk in a weird, ancient half-dress than it is to get drunk in your own pants and shirt? The statue of Julius Caesar shows him wearing his toga, but much of it is hidden under his armored chest-plate.

torrent

A torrent is a heavy rain, or the flooding or wildly-running streams it causes, like the torrent that soaks everyone unlucky enough to be out on the street at that moment.,Because the noun torrent literally means "rushing stream," it is often describes fast-flowing water, like a rainstorm or creeks and rivers that overflow their banks. But the word can also describe any sudden inundation, like a deluge of words or thoughts, like when, in anger, you unleash a torrent of emotional words on your friend. Like a violent storm, you pour those words, not letting up in order to let him or her explain the other side of the story.

torso

A torso is the trunk of a human body أ¢آ€آ" minus arms, legs, and head. Anatomically, your torso's job is to protect your internal organs, like your heart, lungs, and kidney, which are all protected by your rib cage.,A statue of a torso in a museum, usually ancient Greek or Roman, is that of the trunk of a human body. These works of art, often carved from marble, are so old that they've frequently lost their arms and heads أ¢آ€آ" but still, the sturdy torso remains. Before the word described an actual human, it meant only "trunk of a statue," from the Greek root thyrsos, "stalk or stem of a plant."

totem

A totem is an emblem or badge that features an animal or plant. Each totem represents a family, clan, or tribe. Do you come from a long line of fishermen? Perhaps your familyأ¢آ€آ™s totem is a trout.,Any group can have a totem, but the word totem is from the Algonquian (Native American) word odoodeman for "his family mark." Totems are pictures أ¢آ€آ" usually on badges or emblems أ¢آ€آ" of animals or plants that represent a group of people, especially an extended family or clan. A totem could be a grizzly bear, oak tree, catfish, or just about any other living thing. Like a flag, a totem means a lot to the people it represents.

tract

A tract is a large, open piece of land أ¢آ€آ" like that tract of farmland you bought when you decided your dream in life was to raise llamas. Tract is also a word for a short pamphlet or booklet, like that tract you recently read entitled "The Care and Feeding of Llamas.",In addition to referring to areas of land and small booklets, the word tract can describe complicated systems or structures in the body. If you were to unwind your intestine, an important part of your digestive tract, it would not stretch across a large tract of land, but only 25-28 feet أ¢آ€آ" but that's still pretty long! (You probably don't need to read a tract on human anatomy to realize this would be an unhealthy experiment.)

tremor

A tremor is a trembling or shaking in a person or the Earth. If you're scared about speaking in public you might have a tremor in your voice أ¢آ€آ" or wish that an earthquake tremor would open up the floor and swallow you first.,If you're nervous or feeling queasy as you read a paper aloud, you might get a tremor in your hands and the paper itself will start to shake. When an earthquake rumbles, a powerful tremor might make a building shake so that it looks as fragile as a piece of paper. Not every tremor comes from fear or seismic activity, though: you can tremor or quiver with excitement as you anticipate something enjoyable.

Triad

A triad is three things or people considered as one unit. A triad is a trio.,A triangle is a shape with three sides. Similarly, a triad is a set of three things or people. To be a triad, three individual parts must also be considered a unit. A band with three members is a triad. A business with three divisions is a triad. A family with three members is a triad. A book with three volumes is a triad (usually called a trilogy). Triads are also called threesomes and trios.

tribunal

A tribunal is like a court. If you've done something wrong and you get caught it's likely you'll be brought before a tribunal, although not all tribunals are there to determine guilt.,Say, for example, you'd like to join a secret society. That society might convene a tribunal to determine whether you're worthy of joining. One way to remember tribunal is to focus on the tri at the beginning of the word. A tribunal is there to "try" a case. A tribunal is a group of people who oversee a trial. Your mom and dad could be a tribunal. You could also think of it as the group who oversees their tribe, which is, in fact, where the word comes from.

tribune

A tribune was someone in the government of ancient Rome who looked out for ordinary people, in other words, an elected representative. Tribune is also a word that newspapers like, such as the "Chicago Tribune" or the "Des Moines Tribune.",There are many types of tribunes, but the earliest dates from ancient Rome. In Rome, a tribune was an elected representative of the common people. A tribune was expected to look after the interests of the people, just like our politicians today. Another type of tribune comes from the world of architecture, specifically the architecture of Christian churches. The tribune is a part of the church, often under a dome, where you can find the throne of a bishop.

troth

A troth is a serious promise to be faithful, such as a pledge people make about getting married. If you and your girlfriend announce your troth at a family dinner, then that means you better be serious about your relationship.,You can pronounce troth to rhyme with "cloth" or to rhyme with "oath." In fact, oath is a synonym for troth. Both words are related to truth, in that when someone makes a troth or an oath, what is said is taken as the truth. You can see troth in words like betrothal, which means engagement, or betrothed, which refers to a person someone is engaged to.

vagabond

A vagabond is someone who moves around a lot. Picture Boxcar Willie, bandana on a stick thrown over his shoulder, going wherever the breeze takes him.,Vagabond can also be an adjective, a nomadic tribe is a vagabond one, or the person who moved eight times in two years is living a vagabond life. It's from the Latin word vagabundus (from vagari, "wander") which means "inclined to wander." So أ¢آ€آ" if you were born a ramblin' man, you might just be a vagabond.

vantage

A vantage is a really good place from which to survey a scene. You might find that the roof of the house offers an excellent vantage from which to drop water balloons on your kid brotherأ¢آ€آ™s head.,Vantage is a variation of advantage, but when we use vantage weأ¢آ€آ™re almost always talking about a position, not just general superiority. If you had extra tutoring for a big exam, you would have the advantage over a classmate who didnأ¢آ€آ™t. But if your seat for the test allowed you to see the answer sheet lying on the desk, well then you would have a superior vantage أ¢آ€آ" not that you would take advantage of that, of course!

vendetta

A vendetta is blood feud, a quest for revenge. A vendetta might separate families for generations, with members of one family murdering those of the other, all to satisfy an ancient grudge.,If a friend of yours breaks into your locker and fills it with crumpled up newspaper, you will not be able to hold your head up until you have carried out a vendetta. Perhaps you can tie his shoes together during French class without his noticing?

venture

A venture is a risky undertaking. If your latest venture is a dog food store, you hope there are some hungry dogs around. Also, to venture is to go somewhere possibly dangerous, like if you venture out into a snowstorm.,Venture is a shortened form of adventure. This happened sometime between 1100 AD and 1400 AD during the time that Middle English was spoken. While the two words are similar in meaning, when you subtract the "ad," you lose a teaspoon or two of fun, and add a heaping tablespoon of risk.

vertebrate

A vertebrate is an animal that has a backbone and a skeleton. Vertebrate animals include humans.,When you think about vertebrates, think about bones: this word has to do with animals that have a lot of bones, in the form of a skeleton. It especially refers to animals with a backbone, which protects their spinal cord. Vertebrates have many bones, including a skull which protects their brains, which tend to be large. People, dogs, horses, lizards, dogs, cats, and many other animals are in the vertebrate category. Animals without a backbone are called invertebrates.

viand

A viand is something really delicious. The grilled cheese sandwich at the diner near your house thatأ¢آ€آ™s better than any other grilled cheese sandwich in a 400 mile radius? Thatأ¢آ€آ™s a viand.,Viand comes from the Old French word viande, meaning أ¢آ€آœfood.أ¢آ€آ‌ A viand is something so good youأ¢آ€آ™ll think about it for weeks after you eat it. Your grandmotherأ¢آ€آ™s Thanksgiving turkey might be a viand, or maybe the hot chocolate you drink after sledding is a viand. No matter what you consider delicious, youأ¢آ€آ™re lucky if youأ¢آ€آ™re eating a viand.

vigil

A vigil is when you stay alert to guard something, as when you keep vigil over your hen house when the foxes are out. A vigil can also be solemn, as when a candlelight vigil is held for victims of a tragedy.,Vigil comes from the Latin word for "awake," and all its meanings include the idea of watchfulness. If you're attending a vigil or keeping vigil, you shouldn't expect to take a nap. The vigil is an apt kind of demonstration for peace movements, as it's calm, non-violent, and solemn, with participants standing quietly أ¢آ€آ" sometimes holding candles.

vintner

A vintner is a wine merchant أ¢آ€آ" the very person you'd visit if you wanted to buy a nice Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon.,Anyone who hails from France will immediately recognize the vin in vintner as the word "wine." Both vin and vintner descend from the Latin words vinum for wine, and vinetum, which means "vineyard." A vintner can be someone who simply sells wine, or who grows the grapes and produces the wine.

viper

A viper is a certain type of poisonous snake. The most common vipers in the United States are rattlesnakes and water moccasins.,Vipers are found in most places on earth, although some of the most famous poisonous snakes in the world, for example the cobra, are not vipers. Although viper is a scientific name for a particular family of snakes who poison others by biting them with hollow fangs that inject venom, it is often used generally to describe a spiteful, disloyal or back-stabbing person.

virtuoso

A virtuoso is an incredibly talented musician. You can also be a virtuoso in non-musical fields.,A politician who helps pass a lot of bills might be called a legislative virtuoso. A baseball player who hits a lot of home runs is a slugging virtuoso. Usually, this word applies to music. It's very common for a talented pianist or guitarist to be called a virtuoso. Whatever your talent, it's a huge compliment to be called a virtuoso.

vixen

A vixen is a female fox. Or it can be a woman with a temper. If you really want to insult a woman who is a little short on patience, call her a vixen. She wonأ¢آ€آ™t like it.,Somewhere along the line the word vixen came to mean a hot-headed or ill-tempered person. Nowadays vixen is often used as a derisive term for an unpleasant or mean woman. Vixen also gets used frequently in descriptions of female film characters. In this way it doesnأ¢آ€آ™t really mean that the character is bad tempered. As slang, to call someone a vixen means that she's sexy and flirtatious, a label she may or may not like.

vulture

A vulture is a type of bird أ¢آ€آ" with a bald head and neck أ¢آ€آ" that feeds on dead animals.,One of the most fearsome birds is the vulture: this bird of prey feeds on almost nothing but dead flesh. Unlike other animals that hunt, vultures go after animals that were killed by other animals or died naturally. Vultures are scavengers looking for corpses. And because of their morbid tastes, vultures are often associated with horror movies and scenes of carnage.

ward

A ward is a group of rooms or a section in a hospital or prison; in a hospital, different wards deal with different needs, like the psychiatric ward or maternity ward.,Although ward is most often used in connection with hospitals and prisons, cities and towns can also be broken into wards. These are usually geographic areas that are used in elections: city council members often represent wards of the city. A ward is also the name given to a child who is watched over by someone other than his parents. Sometimes children are known as "wards of the state," meaning they have been taken from their homes.

sundry

A woman emptying out her purse after many years might find an old stick of gum, a pair of broken sunglasses, a few movie tickets, and sundry items, meaning that that her purse was filled with a random collection of unrelated things.,Most people associate the word sundry with the old-fashioned drugstore in their neighborhood that used to sell all sorts of odds and ends, from magazines to hairbrushes. The word is typically used as an adjective to describe a collection of various different items found in one place, as in أ¢آ€آ" "I discovered records, perfume bottles, and sundry items at my neighbor's yard sale." The phrase "all and sundry" refers collectively to a group of people, as in, "I invited all and sundry of my relatives to my tea party."

yeoman

A yeoman was a farmer who owned and worked his own land أ¢آ€آ" not to be confused with "yo, man!",Although experts aren't entirely sure of the origin of yeoman, they speculate that it is a shortened version of young man. Yeoman is now just a historic term and it is unlikely to be used to describe a landowning farmer today. There are modern uses for the word, however, including in the U.S. Navy, the Royal Navy, a Yeoman of the Guard, and similar military terms.

spontaneity

Acting with spontaneity might mean bursting into song on the street, or throwing down your rake and jumping in a pile of leaves أ¢آ€آ" in other words, doing something without thinking it through beforehand.,The noun spontaneity is related to a more common word, the adjective spontaneous. The writer Ralph Waldo Emerson said, أ¢آ€آœOur spontaneous action is always the best. You cannot, with your best deliberation and heed, come so close to any question as your spontaneous glance shall bring you.أ¢آ€آ‌ He meant that if we learn to trust our instincts instead of weighing the potential consequences of everything we do, we'll make better decisions.

propinquity

Ah propinquity, a word meaning "proximity or physical closeness." Your propinquity to someone in a conversation will affect whether you can smell his breath or not.,Propinquity had a brief moment in the sun on a television show in the 1950s called Dobie Gillis. There was an episode in which the nerdy girl, who was in love with Dobie Gillis, decided to get him to love her back. How? Propinquity! And so she explained it to him, over and over and over, theorizing that just being near someone long enough would tip them over the edge into love. Sadly for her, it didnأ¢آ€آ™t work, but everyone who has ever seen or heard of the episode has the meaning of propinquity burned into their brain.

scaffold

An elevated temporary platform is called a scaffold. The scaffold is used because it is much safer and efficient to have workers and their materials on a platform than scrambling up and down ladders all day.,A scaffold is also the platform on which criminals used to be executed publicly by hanging or beheading. If you watch a lot of swashbuckler movies, you'll have seen depictions of a helpless person being threatened with beheading by a villain on a scaffold in a crowded square. Suddenly, out of the crowd a hero appears and saves the day, after which they ride off into the sunset.

Ulterior

An ulterior interest, argument, or revelation is one you try to keep hidden, like your ulterior motive for weeding your grandmother's garden is to have a conversation with your crush أ¢آ€آ" and Grandma's neighbor أ¢آ€آ" who happens to be outside, too.,The adjective ulterior is a Latin word which means أ¢آ€آœmore distantأ¢آ€آ‌ or أ¢آ€آœfuture.أ¢آ€آ‌ Something that is ulterior may lay the groundwork for what comes later, like a new friend who hangs out with you at your house but whose ulterior motive is to date one of your siblings, or the incredible popularity of a series of novels set in a real place having the ulterior consequences of that place becoming a tourist destination.

ulterior

An ulterior interest, argument, or revelation is one you try to keep hidden, like your ulterior motive for weeding your grandmother's garden is to have a conversation with your crush أ¢آ€آ" and Grandma's neighbor أ¢آ€آ" who happens to be outside, too.,The adjective ulterior is a Latin word which means أ¢آ€آœmore distantأ¢آ€آ‌ or أ¢آ€آœfuture.أ¢آ€آ‌ Something that is ulterior may lay the groundwork for what comes later, like a new friend who hangs out with you at your house but whose ulterior motive is to date one of your siblings, or the incredible popularity of a series of novels set in a real place having the ulterior consequences of that place becoming a tourist destination.

psyche

Another word for the place where your thoughts come from is your psyche. Not your actual brain, but whatever it is that generates all of your thoughts and emotions.,Psyche comes from the Greek psykhe, which means أ¢آ€آœthe soul, mind, spirit, or invisible animating entity which occupies the physical body.أ¢آ€آ‌ That about sums the way we understand the word today. People have their own individual psyches of course, but you often hear the word used to describe the similar mind set or thought process of a group of people, such as "the American psyche."

uproar

Any kind of noisy disturbance can be called an uproar. A large group of political protesters outside City Hall is likely to create an uproar.,There's often an uproar in the audience of a rock concert when the band first appears on stage أ¢آ€آ" people cheer and applaud and whistle. An announcement that the neighborhood donut shop is out of donuts could create another kind of uproar, especially if people have been standing in a long line dreaming of crullers and chocolate glazed donuts. Uproar comes from the German Aufruhr, "a stirring up."

wholesome

Anything wholesome is good for you. Hopscotch is in most cases a wholesome game, since you can't get into much trouble while hopping up and down on the concrete.,Wholesome foods are the ones that your body appreciates, the ones that help you stay healthy. Marshmallows and corn chips aren't what you'd call wholesome, but organically grown fruits and vegetables are. Wholesome can also apply to other things. If you project a wholesome image, other people see you as a decent, moral person, somebody who's trustworthy and not living a secret life of crime. The word wholesome comes from the Old English hal, meaning "healthy."

puny

Are your muscles looking small, weak, and totally inferior? In other words, puny? Sounds like somebody needs to eat more spinach.,Tiny, shrimpy, wimpy and totally unthreatening. That's puny in a nutshell أ¢آ€آ" a very small, totally lame looking nutshell. It's most often used to describe someone's inferior physique, but can also apply to anything little that's not about to get in your way. A puny mountain would be no challenge to an Olympic skier, just as a puny plate of hot dogs would be laughable to a world speed-eating champion.

simian

As a noun, a simian is a monkey or ape. Something monkey- or ape-like can be described using the adjective simian. So: something can be simian without being a simian. Got it?,The first syllable in simian rhymes with dim and gets the accent: "SIM-ee-an." This is a case in which the adjective form came before the noun. How? Simian comes from the Greek word simos, meaning "snub-nosed, bent upward." It wasn't until the late nineteenth century that this description became the label for those animals whose noses simian describes.

reserve

As a noun, reserve refers to the quality of a shy or modest person who doesnأ¢آ€آ™t easily express his or her feelings. As a verb, to reserve is to stash something away or to set it aside for future use.,Reserve can also refer to backup supplies or resources. If a military is running out of ammunition or food, they may have to dig into the reserve to replenish their supplies. Reserve is also used as a verb to mean "obtain in advance." If youأ¢آ€آ™re expecting a big crowd at your sister's dance recital, you might show up early to reserve seats for your family members. You could also reserve a table at a restaurant for dinner after the show.

spume

As a noun, spume means the froth you find on sea water. As a verb, it means to make frothy, as in...well...frothy seawater.,If you've ever wondered why seawater produces so much froth, note that the bubbles come from high concentrations of surfactants, or organic material in the water. The spuming, or bubbling action happens when breaking waves introduce air into the water and then trap it in bubble form. To remember spume, just think about the foam that washes up on the beach and sticks there for a time. You could be forgiven for thinking of it as what the ocean spews forth.

recount

As a verb, recount can mean either "tell the story of" or "add up again." As a noun, recount usually refers to the second (or third or fourth) tallying of votes in a close election.,The word count comes from the old French conter, which means "add up" or "tell a story." Here's a story to recount (narrate): In an election featuring Count Dracula and Count Johnson, Dracula wins by two votes, so Johnson demands a recount (an adding up of the votes again). The officials recount (count again) the votes, and this time find Count Johnson the winner. Dracula threatens to bite the officials and they quickly change their minds.

scuffle

As both a noun and a verb, scuffle involves an all-out brawl. As a noun, it is the clash itself, like a scuffle between sworn enemies, or as a verb, it refers to the actual fighting, like a bully who will scuffle with just about anyone.,A scuffle is not an organized bout: it is a free-for-all, with fists flying in any and all directions. As a verb, it tells about the act of this kind of wild fighting, like angry kids who scuffle to try to settle their problems, but it can also mean "dragging one's feet while walking." Here, the meaning is not related to fighting, but rather the sound made by those shuffling feet.

splice

As noun and verb, splice refers to the overlapping or interweaving of two ends of something to create the strongest possible attachment.,The earliest records of the word splice are from the early 16th century, when it was borrowed from the Middle Dutch verb splissen, used by sailors for joining ropes end to end by interweaving their strands. In 1912, the infant motion-picture industry took over the word splice to refer to the cutting and joining of film in the editing process. In 1975, scientists found they could alter genes by cutting and adding chunks of DNA, creating the science of gene splicing.

venison

Bambi, beware. Venison is deer meat intended as food.,Venison is derived from the medieval French word venesoun, which originally described the meat of any large animal, not just deer. Back then, venison was as common as a Big Mac today (rather than as the fairly classy meal it's considered today). In Britain, before 1066, when the French came over and conquered them, the Brits had pretty simple names for their meat: cow, pig, deer, etc. The French, with their high regard for cuisine, changed all that, and the names became beef, bacon, and venison. The British, though, despite the fancy new names, famously refused to take cooking as seriously as their new French rulers.

suffragist

Before 1920, women did not have the right to vote in the U.S. The suffragist movement fought for these rights, and the people who were part of that movement were suffragists.,The word suffrage means the right to vote in elections. It does not have to do with suffering. In America, the individual states determine who may vote. However, the U.S. Constitution states in the 19th Amendment that women shall not be denied the vote based upon their sex. Suffragists fought hard to bring this constitutional amendment about. Back then, female suffragists were known as suffragettes.

relent

Being unwilling to relent is a good qualification for a sales person. You have to keep trying to make the sale and never give in until you've made it.,The root of relent is the Latin "lentus," which means "to slow down or soften," and the original meaning (from the 15th century, no less) most likely had to do with the heart أ¢آ€آ" as in "to stop resisting love". Now, however, relent can have all manner of relevant applications, but the meaning is always the same: to let up, soften, yield or give in. Often, you'll hear the adjective relentless used to describe someone who won't relent: "The firemen refused to relent; they banged relentlessly on the door until I woke up."

ZEPHYR

Besides being the name of Babar's monkey friend in the much-beloved picture books about the elephant Babar, a zephyr is a gentle breeze.,In Greek mythology, Zephuros was the god of the west wind, and the bringer of light and early spring breezes. Zephyr derives from his name. That first day of spring, where suddenly you don't have to wear your jacket to school for the first time all winter? Thank the zephyr for that.

tether

Both a verb and a noun, tether keeps things tied together, or is the tie itself. Remember, when you tether that chair to those balloons, use a strong tether. You don't want to drop from the sky because you tied them together using a cheap piece of rope.,Think of the childhood game tether-ball. The ball is tethered to a pole by a tether. Tether usually refers to a rope or a chain, but it can also refer to an invisible bond or link. For example, the Internet can serve as a tether that links you to your pen pal in Germany. The love between a mother and her child keeps them tethered to each other for a lifetime. And whenever astronauts go for jaunts outside the space station, they tether themselves to the station using wires and a hook.

unsavory

Call something unsavory if it's unappetizing, tasteless, or morally offensive. Curdled sour milk is pretty unsavory, as are the dirty details of the latest political scandal.,The adjective unsavory was formed by merging un, meaning أ¢آ€آœnot,أ¢آ€آ‌ with savory, meaning أ¢آ€آœpleasant, agreeable.أ¢آ€آ‌ So if it's unsavory, it's unpleasant. First used to describe revolting tastes, unsavory now also applies to just about anything that figuratively leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Mobsters do all kinds of unsavory things to the people that cross them. So you probably shouldn't hang out with such unsavory characters.

weird

Call something weird when itأ¢آ€آ™s strange, bizarre, or strikes you as odd. Putting peanut butter on pizza is weird. So is most abstract, conceptual performance art.,Our definition of weird is rooted in Germanic mythology, where the أ¢آ€آœweird sistersأ¢آ€آ‌ were three funky-looking goddesses that controlled fate and destiny: We dropped the idea of destiny and clung to how weird the weird sisters looked. In todayأ¢آ€آ™s slang we even use weird as a verb, as in أ¢آ€آœto weird someone outأ¢آ€آ‌ or make them feel uneasy.

trivia

Can you name the twenty-third vice-president? Do you know all the state birds? If so, you must be good at trivia: facts that are interesting but not necessarily important.,Everybody probably knows trivia about something they enjoy. Baseball fans can quote batting averages of their favorite players; movie nuts can tell you exactly what films their favorite actors appeared in and who they played. The game "Trivial Pursuit" is full of questions about facts like that. Why would anyone bother with trivia? Usually, because they love the topic, or maybe they need to know it for their job. One person's trivia is another person's important information.

sacrilegious

Catholics regard using the consecrated host for any purpose besides Communion as sacrilegious. If you burn a copy of the Koran, Muslims find it sacrilegious. Sacrilegious means very disrespectful towards something sacred.,The Latin sacrilegus meaning "thief of sacred things" was used to describe robbers who plundered graves and temples. You can consider something sacrilegious to be as disrespectful as a graverobber towards things that others find holy. In modern ironic usage, any opinion that runs contrary to popular wisdom can be called sacrilegious. If you call the movie, "Citizen Kane" boring and self-indulgent, movie lovers might think you sound pretty sacrilegious.

terminus

Consider terminus the end of the line. Whether it describes a train station, a goal, or an era أ¢آ€آ" terminus refers to somethingأ¢آ€آ™s final point.,Ancient Romans worshiped Terminus as the god of boundaries, even performing sacrifices in his honor to bless objects that marked borders. You probably donأ¢آ€آ™t have to go that far if you just want to use the noun terminus. You can use it as a weighty way to indicate something is at the end of the line, such as the last stop on a bus or train route. It most often refers to the end of a transportation route, but it can also be used more generally to mark the end point of other things أ¢آ€آ" such as a marriage or a project.

sturdy

Describe something that is firmly constructed or strongly made as sturdy. That house you built was not sturdy at all. It blew down in the last wind storm. Fortunately, it was only a dog house and the dog wasn't in it.,Physical strength and robust health can also be described as sturdy. Your grandmother is pushing 80, but she is still pretty sturdy if she can beat you at tennis. The adjective sturdy can also describe something (or someone) determined, firm, stalwart, and steady. Hopefully, you and your siblings have a sturdy relationship, so you can withstand all the bickering over who gets to ride shotgun in the car.

throes

Did your team just lose the Super Bowl or the World Series? You're probably in the throes of despair أ¢آ€آ" experiencing intense feelings of suffering and agitation.,Although we normally associate the throes of some emotion or physical sensation to be an unpleasant state, that's not always the case. Some throes teeter on the borderline between delight and despair. Check out Bernini's sculpture in Rome of St. Theresa in the throes of spiritual ecstasy. Is she terrified or thrilled? Impossible to separate the two. She's in the throes.

sluggard

Do you know anyone lazy or slothful? Then you know a sluggard: an idle or sluggish person.,If you know that sluggish means slow-moving, then you have a clue to the meaning of sluggard. A sluggard is a lazy, sleepy, slow-moving person. A sluggard is likely to oversleep and even snooze through class or work. If you're alert and hard-working, no one will ever call you a sluggard or a slug. Being a sluggard is a great way to fail a class, lose a job, or just fall behind in general.

spangle

Do you like your outfits to have flair? A little sparkle? Then you're probably a fan of spangles, or small, shiny decorative things like sequins.,Vegas showgirls and beauty queens know all about spangle. Their outfits are usually covered in the sequins, crystals, golden beads and sparkly frills that are all considered kinds of spangles. And if you want to use spangle as a verb, go right ahead أ¢آ€آ" as in, "all that glitter certainly makes those showgirls spangle up on stage."

senescence

Do your stiff knees make it harder and harder to get out of that cozy chair? It may be that senescence is at work, meaning youأ¢آ€آ™re getting older.,Senescence is a fancy way to describe the process of aging. If you donأ¢آ€آ™t want to admit straight out that old age made you lose that tango contest, blame it on senescence أ¢آ€آ" it sounds mysterious and exciting. Senescence is sometimes used in a scientific context to describe cells in your body that can no longer grow and divide, which can affect your ability to dance like you did when you were 20.

stupefy

Don't be embarrassed if the magician's tricks stupefy you. It means you're amazed. Who doesn't want to be stopped in his tracks sometimes?,Stupefy looks a lot like stupid. But intelligence has nothing to do with being stupefied, which comes from Latin and means "to make stunned." Anyone can be stupefied by something scary, mysterious, or just plain remarkable. Think of tourists visiting New York City for the first time. They stare up at the skyscrapers, lost in wonder. Taking that moment to let themselves be amazed? Nothing stupid about it, unless they step on someone's foot, of course.

scotch

Don't get your hopes up: The verb to scotch has nothing to do with the well-known liquor. Instead, it means to prevent or stop something from happening.,To scotch is, most often, to prevent plans, efforts, or desires أ¢آ€آ" as opposed to things أ¢آ€آ" from coming about. You wouldn't say, for example, "turning off the flame is one way to scotch the steak." But you might say, "Our plans for spending the weekend camping in the mountains were scotched by the blizzard. No camping for us." Think of scotching as similar to throwing a wrench into someone's plans. Drinking Scotch is one way to scotch your efforts to remain sober.

spatula

Donأ¢آ€آ™t even think about making pancakes if you donأ¢آ€آ™t have a spatula. What else would you flip them with?,There are two main types of spatulas, both of which are kitchen utensils. One has a wide, flat surface attached to the end of a handle and is ideal for picking up, flipping, or serving hot foods like pancakes and hamburgers. The other has a more flexible end, usually made of rubber or plastic, and is used for mixing batter or spreading icing. Painters also use a type of spatula to mix or spread paint.

soliloquy

Ever see someone talking to himself while on a stage? That's what you call a soliloquy أ¢آ€آ" a character's speech voicing his or her own thoughts as if to himself. Shakespeare's plays are full of soliloquies.,The noun, soliloquy, comes from the Latin roots, solus "alone" plus loqui "speak" meaning "a talking to oneself." A soliloquy is a speech a character gives of his thoughts and reflections. Some of the most famous lines in drama are taken from soliloquies. Take "to be or not to be..." and "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, Creeps in this petty pace..." as two examples of lines from soliloquies that have tortured high school students around the globe. Not the Globe Theater, Silly.

solecism

Ever snore at the opera? Burp at the dinner table? Forget your mom's birthday? Probably all three, right? Well, don't worry. Instead of just screwing up, what you did was commit a solecism. Sounds kinda neat that way, huh?,The origin of solecism comes from the ancient Greek word meaning "speaking incorrectly," and solecism does have another meaning that's more specifically verbal. If you say something incorrectly, or make a grammatical error in writing, that's also a solecism. It can be just as mortifying as burping at the dinner table. Well, almost.

sidereal

Far out, man. I mean really far out أ¢آ€آ" as in related to the distant stars of the universe. That's what sidereal means.,Sidereal is an adjective that first popped up in the 17th century, and stems from the Latin word sidereus, which means "star." Anything that's sidereal has something to do with stars and constellations. And if you measure the days and weeks by the movement of the stars across the sky, that's called sidereal astronomy or sidereal time. But if you've got someplace to be, you'd be better off with a good calendar and a wristwatch.

sensitization

Feeling more sensitive these days? It might be the result of sensitization, the process of making someone react to something that previously had no effect.,The noun sensitization is formed from the verb sensitize, which in turn comes from the adjective sensitive, meaning "capable of sensation." In psychology talk, a person might develop a sensitization from an emotional situation. For example, a child who is verbally bullied on a regular basis might, through constant fear of attack, develop a sensitization toward other children and become more withdrawn.

seismic

For the ancient Greeks, "seismos" meant an earthquake. Later on, when the study of earthquakes became a science, anything seismic meant anything related to the study of the pressures in the Earth's crust.,The English language has a long and proud tradition of stealing scientific words and applying them in all sorts of ways that scientists probably wish they didn't: Darwinian, tempestuous, evolutionary أ¢آ€آ" to name but three. It's the same with seismic, which is now far more likely to be applied to political or psychological turmoil than anything to do with the earth opening up and molten hot lava spewing out.

shackle

Handcuffs are shackles. So are those leg irons some prisoners wear when they appear in court. In other words, a shackle is a restraint, either physical or psychological, that restricts movement.,We generally think of shackles as some sort of heavy metal cuff that is used to keep prisoners in check. But shackles don't have to be physical. Ignorance can be a shackle, so can an abusive family member, or the economy. In those cases, shackles are an external force that keep you from doing or being everything you want to. You can't see those shackles, but they can be every bit as confining as the metal cuffs.

truism

Here's a truism for you: Only people who look up words they don't know can expand their vocabularies. Did you find that statement obvious, boring, and saying nothing new or interesting? That's the perfect description of a truism.,Sometimes truisms can be mistaken for factual statements. In fact, despite their seeming obviousness, they are usually opinions. Many people who look up words in the dictionary don't improve their vocabularies, as much as they'd like to. Another truism: You get what you pay for. Well, a lot of the time, sure, but not always. That's why the word bargain was invented.

repellent

How can you tell that something is repellent? You dislike it so much, you want nothing to do with it. If something is repellent, it is highly offensive or disgusting.,To correctly pronounce repellent, accent the second syllable: "ruh-PELL-unt." Being repellent is sometimes a good thing, like when you're camping أ¢آ€آ" your water-repellent tent gets you through a rainstorm and bug repellent keeps you free of itchy bites. The word originates from the Old French word repeller, meaning "to drive away, remove."

STRIATED

If a field is plowed into furrows, it's striatedأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"or, technically, it's marked with striae, which are stripes or grooves.,When you see striate, think of stripes. When you draw a row of stripes in clay with the tines of a fork, you're striating it. A striated rock surface might show evidence of the movement of glaciers thousands of years ago. Striated muscle has a striped appearance.

superannuated

If a friend describes your dot matrix printer as superannuated, then you should probably plan a shopping trip for electronics. Your friend has just pointed out that your printer is obsolete.,The word superannuated, pronounced "su-per-AN-you-ay-ted," comes from the Medieval Latin word superannuatus, which means أ¢آ€آœto be too old.أ¢آ€آ‌ You can use this word to describe things that are obsolete because of age, like a superannuated car you can't fix because replacement parts are no longer made. You also might be tempted to call the word superannuated, well, superannuated, because you donأ¢آ€آ™t hear it used very much anymore.

rare

If an event is rare, it doesn't happen often. If an object is rare, there aren't many of its kind. Obviously, finding a rare gem is a rare occasion.,Rare comes from the Latin word rarus, meaning أ¢آ€آœwidely spaced,أ¢آ€آ‌ as rare things are أ¢آ€آ" whether in actual space or in time. You thought it was rare to meet someone you have so much in common with, until he fainted looking at the rare steak you ordered. The rare that describes prepared meat actually has a separate origin: it comes from the long-gone word rear, meaning أ¢آ€آœhalf-cooked.أ¢آ€آ‌

SYNCOPATION

If no one's dancing at the school dance, it might be time to ask the DJ to play some music with more syncopation, or a strong, distinct rhythm that makes you want to move.,Jazz is the musical genre best known for syncopation, using rhythm and beats in unexpected ways to make exciting, finger-snapping music. Syncopation has been around for a lot longer than that, though أ¢آ€آ" it pops up in works by Bach and Mozart, for example.

welt

If someone hits you hard with a thin stick, your skin might rise up in a welt. Ouch. A welt is a swollen bruise.,The extra bit of stitching around the pocket of your jeans can also be called a welt as can the stitching that holds your shoe to its sole. In these cases as well as the mark on the skin, a welt is a rising where things meet أ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ" either where a blow meets the body, or where two types of fabric meet each other.

verve

If something has an energetic style or vitality, you can say it has verve. Dancers are noted for their verve on the stage. Morticians? Not so much.,Similar words to verve include vim, vigor, and أƒآ©lan. Verve comes from the Latin root word verba, meaning words, and in English originally meant a special talent in writing. Although the "special talent" sense is now archaic, verve is still an excellent choice to describe a writing style.

reparable

If something is broken or lost but can be put back together, or replaced, then it is reparable. You may be disappointed if someone knocks over your house of cards, but you can take comfort knowing that the structure is reparable.,Reparable is a close relative of its more common synonym repairable (both basically mean أ¢آ€آœable to be repaired"). The word reparable, though, is usually reserved for damages or injuries that can be reversed or losses that can be replaced, while the word repairable is more for things or problems that can be fixed. For example, if your friend broke your glasses, they are repairable, but if he hurt your pride, it is reparable أ¢آ€آ" hopefully.

squalor

If something is extremely dirty, filthy or just plain disgusting, it falls into the territory of the noun squalor. Weأ¢آ€آ™re not just talking about a messy room. Weأ¢آ€آ™re talking about a dungeon riddled with rats and roaches.,Squalor comes from the Latin squalere, which means أ¢آ€آœto be filthy.أ¢آ€آ‌ This word often refers to living conditions as in, أ¢آ€آœafter the disaster, the people were living in squalor.أ¢آ€آ‌ This word can also describe a city or a building that is in general disrepair such as أ¢آ€آœever since the budget cuts, the city has fallen into squalor.أ¢آ€آ‌ If you know someone whose head is always in the gutter, you might say they suffer from a أ¢آ€آœsqualor of the mind.أ¢آ€آ‌

retentive

If something is retentive, it is able to hold something else, so be glad if you have a retentive mind and grab a sponge if you need something retentive to sop up water.,Retentive is closely related to the word, retain. Both words come from the Latin retinere which means to hold back. If you are a farmer, it's good to know how water-retentive your soil is, or how much water it can hold and store. How much information can your brain hold and store? For someone with a retentive mind or memory or eye, it's quite a lot!

statutory

If something is statutory, it is related to or set by laws or statutes. Statutory restrictions on air pollution require drivers to have the emissions from their cars checked every few years.,You might wonder what the difference is between statutory and legal. Both are adjectives and both are concerned with the law. If something is legal, it is allowed by the law, whereas if it is statutory, it is regulated by law. In the negative, this is easier to understand. If something is not legal, the law says you can't do it. If something is not statutory, there are no laws regulating it.

tenuous

If something is tenuous it's thin, either literally or metaphorically. If you try to learn a complicated mathematical concept by cramming for 45 minutes, you will have a tenuous grasp of that concept, at best.,Tenuous comes from the Latin word tenuis, for thin, and is related to our word tender. Something can be physically tenuous, like a spiderweb or ice on a pond. We more often use it in a metaphorical sense, to talk about weak ideas. Tenuous arguments won't win any debate tournaments. Synonyms for tenuous, also used physically or metaphorically, are flimsy and shaky.

vogue

If something is the latest vogue, it is the latest fashion. When your new hairstyle catches on, it's in vogue أ¢آ€آ" or if it becomes unpopular, itأ¢آ€آ™s not.,Anything trendy or popular أ¢آ€آ" an activity, fashionable clothing, a home decorating style, board games أ¢آ€آ" can be called أ¢آ€آœin vogue.أ¢آ€آ‌ If you notice everyone scrambling to collect, say, robotic hummingbirds, you'll know that they are the vogue item. You might think that tall boots are no longer in vogue, and you notice a lot of short skirts showing up in Vogue magazine. Vogue أ¢آ€آ" the magazine أ¢آ€آ" often decides what fashion is in vogue.

unexceptionable

If something is unexceptionable, don't bother trying to find something wrong with it أ¢آ€آ" you won't. Your unexceptionable character makes you the perfect candidate to run for public office, but if you run, people will be looking for things to criticize.,If you break it down, exceptionable describes something objectionable or unacceptable. Put an un on it, for أ¢آ€آœnot,أ¢آ€آ‌ and unexceptionable is something no one can object to. If your baking is unexceptionable, your muffins are light and fluffy and melt in your mouth. In this arena, even a top baker would be unable to find fault. As for your run for public office, if your character is truly unexceptionable, you wonأ¢آ€آ™t mind those reporters snooping around!

salient

If something stands out in a very obvious way, it can be called salient. It's time to find new friends if the differences between you and your current friends are becoming more and more salient.,Salient, from the Latin verb salire "to leap," was originally used in English to refer to leaping animals such as a frog or deer and may still be used this way. Often, however, it is used in math or geography to mean protruding. A salient angle juts outward rather than inward. Figuratively, it means noticeable or prominent. When giving an argument, make your most salient points at the beginning or the end.

Quiescence

If there's a particular time of day when your ten kittens settle down to nap, you can call that their period of quiescence, or the time when they are all quiet and restful.,The noun quiescence looks similar to the word "quiet" for a good reason: quiescence is a quiet spell or state. It's used often to mean "dormancy," or the quieting of a symptom or a disease, such as the quiescence of a child's asthma symptoms during the winter months. The Latin root word is quies, which means "rest or quiet."

vassal

If this were Medieval Europe, you would probably be a vassal أ¢آ€آ" like most everyone else. Vassals were people who worked the vast plots of land that were held by lords, who though much fewer in number, held all the wealth and power.,In days of yore, vassals pledged devotion to feudal lords, who were the landowners, in exchange for protection and use of the landأ¢آ€آ"-called a fief. Use vassal when referring to a servant, or anyone wholly dependent on another, or to describe a place that is controlled by one that is more powerful. For example, during World War II, Poland was a vassal of Germany.

vainglorious

If you admire yourself in the mirror all the time and constantly brag about all the beauty contests you have won, you might rightfully get accused of being vainglorious.,A vainglorious attitude is not very likable in a person and can be annoying to be around. Vainglorious people are vain, excessively boastful, and have swelled pride. The base word, vainglory, dates all the way back to the 14th century and means أ¢آ€آœworthless glory.أ¢آ€آ‌

tonsure

If you are a monk that shaves all or some of your hair for religious reasons, that bald spot is called a tonsure. The act of creating that spot is also known as tonsure.,In Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity, hair is often considered a vanity. Men entering a religious order choose a tonsure as a way of denouncing the vanity and worldly ways represented by hair. At one time, tonsure was required if you wanted to enter the clergy, though today it rarely is. The tonsure represents a commitment to a more austere and less proud lifestyle.

rampart

If you are building a sand castle and want it to be extra realistic, donأ¢آ€آ™t forget the rampart. This protective wall may not keep the ocean away, but it might intimidate a few hostile hermit crabs.,This noun is derived from the French verb remparer, meaning أ¢آ€آœto fortify,أ¢آ€آ‌ and dates back to the 16th century. This usually refers to a large defensive wall surrounding a castle, but can be a barrier built along a road or an embankment constructed alongside a river. This word is famously used in the lyrics of "The Star-Spangled Banner," the national anthem of the United States: أ¢آ€آœO'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming...أ¢آ€آ‌

Writ

If you are ever served with a writ, then you better do what it says. A writ is a written document issuing a legal order.,The word writ has been around since before the twelfth century and was first used to describe a written document needed to have a case heard at the royal courts of England during the Middle Ages. Nowadays, the king is most likely no longer involved, but this word still refers to a legal document issued by a court of law. A writ contains a written order instructing someone to do something or to stop doing something. If you ever need to give out a writ, remember that the verb to serve is typically used to describe the issuing of a writ أ¢آ€آ" as in أ¢آ€آœTony was served with a writ on Monday.أ¢آ€آ‌

resourceful

If you are interviewing employees for your new pet store, you may want to ask if they are resourceful. If they are, it means they are good at problem solving, and this could come in very handy.,Think of resourceful people as أ¢آ€آœfull of resources,أ¢آ€آ‌ or tools for coming up with solutions. They adapt well to new or difficult situations and they are able to think creatively. For example, if a snake gets loose in the pet store, a resourceful person will be able to figure out how to lure it back into its cage again.

studious

If you are studious, you study a lot and you probably even enjoy it. Your studious habits might bring you excellent grades and "your" table at the library.,You can see study in studious. Remember, being smart doesn't make you studious أ¢آ€آ" unless you also hit the books. That's why studious people are sometimes also called bookish. Studious can also describe doing something carefully, with effort. If you are studious in your approach to baking, you read the recipe over and over, double-checked that you have all the ingredients and measure them down to the exact drop.

tutelage

If you babysit and tutor younger children after school, the kids are under your tutelage. You are responsible for their care and education.,Tutelage can mean guardianship as well as teaching and sometimes it's difficult to tell which sense is meant. If an athlete is under the tutelage of his coach, the coach teaches him but is also responsible for the athlete's health and well-being. When the word describes a situation where one country or culture takes charge of another, it's more clear that management and guardianship are meant.

SHARD

If you break a mirror, the thin sharp pieces you want to avoid are shards. A shard is simply a broken piece of metal, glass, stone, or pottery with sharp edges.,Don't confuse shard with shred, meaning to cut into strips, or chard, a leafy green vegetable. You could use a shard of metal to shred chard into salad, but be careful that you don't cut your hands to shreds!

shard

If you break a mirror, the thin sharp pieces you want to avoid are shards. A shard is simply a broken piece of metal, glass, stone, or pottery with sharp edges.,Don't confuse shard with shred, meaning to cut into strips, or chard, a leafy green vegetable. You could use a shard of metal to shred chard into salad, but be careful that you don't cut your hands to shreds!

reimburse

If you buy a basketball for your school team with your own money, and you ask your coach to reimburse you, you are asking him to pay you back. To reimburse is to compensate for an expense or loss.,The person who collects money at a college is the bursar, a purse is where you store money, and reimburse means to pay money back. All three of these words share the Latin root bursa 'moneybag.' If you want to be paid back for overpaid tuition, ask the bursar, Mr. Moneybags, to reimburse you from the schools purse.

slander

If you call your teacher a "dirty toad," you're going to get into troubleأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"she'll call you out on the slander. Slander is the act of making a false, negative spoken statement about someone.,In law, the word slander is contrasted with libel, which is the act of making a false written statement about someone. The noun slander is from Old French esclandre, escandle "scandal," from Late Latin scandalum "stumbling block, offense."

squat

If you crouch down very low and sit on your heels, you squat. If you have to talk to a small child, you might have to squat to talk face-to-face.,The verb squat also means to illegally occupy a building أ¢آ€آ" especially to live in it. If you own vacant property, you need to be careful that someone doesn't decide to squat in the empty house. As an adjective, squat describes someone who is very short and thick. In the movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the dwarfs are depicted as squat little men.

reprove

If you get into trouble and are sent to the principalأ¢آ€آ™s office, be prepared for the principal to reprove you for your behavior. To reprove is to scold, reprimand, or أ¢آ€آ" in plain English أ¢آ€آ" أ¢آ€آœchew out.أ¢آ€آ‌,Reprove is a verb used in the same way as أ¢آ€آœscold,أ¢آ€آ‌ or أ¢آ€آœdress down.أ¢آ€آ‌ To reprove is to express your dissatisfaction or disapproval with something. Itأ¢آ€آ™s a less severe word than denounce or decry. It is closer to the verb criticize. Your parents might reprove you for a minor offense like not cleaning your room or chewing with your mouth open. And, for the record, reprove is not the root word prove with the prefix re- as if to mean أ¢آ€آœprove again.أ¢آ€آ‌ If you use it that way, someone would likely reprove you.

reverberate

If you give a loud shout in a cavernous place, like a gym, or a church, the sound of your voice will reverberate throughout the room. Reverberate means sound waves traveling back and forth, as in an echo.,Often we use reverberate to talk about sound, or sometimes light. If a noise echoes for a long time, we can say the space reverberates with that noise. You may have heard of a reverb effect in audio processing, which is basically a long echo. We also use the word metaphorically to describe the impact of huge events. For example, the 2008 mortgage crisis in the US reverberated throughout the worldأ¢آ€آ™s economy, causing a global recession.

pulpit

If you go into a church an see a minister speaking from a high platform, he's speaking from the pulpit.,Pulpit was originally used to refer to the platform in a church that a preacher speaks from, but we often use it metaphorically for any kind of preaching, whether it's religious or not. If someone is trying to tell everyone else how to live, they're speaking from the pulpit, whether they're preaching the embrace of root vegetables or warning us that we will be attacked by aliens.

reparation

If you guessed that reparation is related to the word repair, you were right. Both come from the Latin word meaning "to restore." While reparation has a range of meanings, they all convey the sense of fixing or making up for a past wrong.,In contemporary usage, the plural form is more common than the singular. Victims of a crime, for example, may receive reparations from the perpetrators. A defeated nation may be forced to pay reparations to its victorious enemies. Many have suggested that the United States government should provide reparations to the descendants of slaves. The word almost always has legal or political connotations, and it conveys the sense of restitution أ¢آ€آ" often expressed in money أ¢آ€آ" for wrongdoing.

sleek

If you hair is sleek, it is smooth and glossy. If your car is sleek, it's shiny and looks like it goes fast. Sleek always means smooth, glossy, and streamlined.,Sleek is a variant of the word, slick. When you slick back your hair with grease, it becomes sleek. Cats are often called sleek with their silky coats and lithe movements. A dress could be described as sleek, if it fits tightly to your body and makes you look polished and perfectly fit. When something is sleek, it's aerodynamic.

WRAITH

If you have a vision of your grandfather just before he passes away, you have seen a wraith or a ghostly image. Wraith can also mean something thin, wispy, or ghost-like.,You could call a wisp of smoke rising from a chimney a wraith or you could say that a sick aunt had been reduced to a wraith أ¢آ€آ" a thin, ghostly, figure. Sometimes it's even a compliment, which shows how we idealize wraith-like fashion models. Wraith is of unknown origins, and there aren't any other words related to it.

torque

If you have ever tightened a bolt with a wrench, or tried to get the lid off a jar of strawberry jam, then you have dealt with the concept of torque أ¢آ€آ" a twisting action or a turning force.,The word torque, which rhymes with fork, is used in the field of physics as a measure of rotational force. For example, how much strength does it take to move an object, such as a screwdriver, around an axis, such as a screw? In ancient times, a torque was a necklace made of twisted metal. Now, torque is commonly used to describe the power of sports cars and their ability to accelerate, since car engines operate with rotating parts.

sadistic

If you kick your little brother in the shin and feel a strange sense of enjoyment as you watch him cry, then youأ¢آ€آ™re being sadistic, meaning that you get pleasure from hurting others.,The Marquis de Sade was an 18th century French nobleman who became known for his unusual practices أ¢آ€آ" which included finding pleasure from causing others pain. From the Marquis, we get the word sadism, which is used to describe someone who gets a strange enjoyment out of making others suffer. Someone who is sadistic might feel a cruel thrill from kicking a helpless puppy or making a child cry.

satirical

If you know the movie you are about to see is satirical, you expect it to make fun some aspect of human nature or even our society, like a satirical take on the glamorous world of fashion that portrays all the designers as celebrity-obsessed and unconcerned with true artistry.,Satirical is an adjective that describes satire, a work that is intended to ridicule the shortcomings and antics of a person or group. So, something that is satirical often looks like the real thing in order to make fun of it. For example, a sketch on a comedy show in which a comedian sits behind a news anchor desk and uses a serious tone to "report" on absurd events that really happened takes a satirical approach to both the events and the concept of broadcast journalism.

trough

If you live on a farm, you already know that a trough is what animals eat out of. The word actually refers to the shape of the container, and can mean anything that is low and hollowed outأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"a math curve, a depression in the ground.,In the olden days, people, like animals, ate from troughs. Gradually, we got fancy enough to divide our food between bowls and plates, but there is some lingering connection between the idea of trough and rough, peasant living.

sloth

If you lounge around in your bathrobe watching TV and ordering out for pizza, you'll get called a sloth. A sloth is actually a slow-moving, tree-dwelling mammal, but it has become a synonym for "lazybones.",Slug also doubles as the name of an animal and a term for someone who is lazy, slow or lethargic. But with slug, the animal name probably morphed into the human application, whereas sloth has meant "lazy person" or "laziness" for a long time. In the Catholic Church sloth was categorized as one of the seven deadly sins.

rave

If you rave about a book you just read, you're telling people you think it's great, or you're giving it a rave review.,Rave has two levels, one that implies you're very excited about something and the other that you are too excited, so you seem crazy. While raving about a movie means to talk it up, being a raving lunatic means you are engaging in a lot of crazy talk. When you rave about a performance, you talk enthusiastically about it. Take that enthusiastic talking to the next level, and you might be called raving in the crazy sense.

rebuff

If you rebuff someone, you reject or snub him. You might decide to rebuff a classmate's invitation to the dance after hearing him gossip meanly about a friend.,Although the verb rebuff is a somewhat old fashioned one to use for social relationships, it's still common in the world of diplomacy. One country's rebuff of another might start a war, or end peace talks, or otherwise reverberate through the world of international relations. You can also use rebuff as a noun أ¢آ€آ" deliberately ignoring your sister's text message is one example of a rebuff. The Italian root word, ribuffo, combines ri, expressing opposition, and buffo, "a puff."

subjugate

If you say you won't be kept down by the man, you are saying that you won't let the man subjugate you. To subjugate is to repress someone, or to make them subservient to you.,In subjugate you see the word subject. In this word, it's not talking about the subject of a sentence, rather it's talking about the kind of subjects that Kings have serving them. Subjugate is to reduce someone's status to that of a subject. It's a royal demotion, often brought by force or intimidation.

unwieldy

If you see an unwieldy person coming down the aisle of the bus with an unwieldy box, you may want to step aside because that's a double dose of clumsy. It's an awkward person carrying a box that is difficult to manage.,Something that is wieldy is easy to control or handle, so something unwieldy is not. However, the un- form of the word is much more common. The base word wieldy has its roots in Old English, meaning "to handle or control" أ¢آ€آ" used usually in reference to a weapon. You would not want an unwieldy person attempting to wield an unwieldy sword!

roster

If you see your name on the roster of players for the new softball team, then congratulations! Better start practicing, because youأ¢آ€آ™re on the list of players who made the team.,The word roster originally meant a list of the names, duties, and schedule of members of the military. That meaning is still in use, but today, a roster is more likely to be a list of players on your favorite team, a list of artists whose artwork appears regularly in a certain gallery, or a list of participants, such as an airline that posts its roster of flight crew members for the red-eye to Phoenix.

remit

If you send your client a bill for your consulting services, be sure to include your address so he knows where to remit the payment.,Remit means send back, and it has many uses. If you remit payment, you send it back to the person you owe it to. If youأ¢آ€آ™ve been in prison for five years of a seven-year sentence but youأ¢آ€آ™ve been on good behavior, a judge might remit the remainder of your sentence and let you go free. If you have a chronic illness and it seems to clear up or go away, we say it is in remittance.

slack

If you slow down at the end of a race, you slack off. When you use slack this way, it means to reduce your speed, to be sluggish, or to be negligent.,If something is loose, it's also said to be slack. A clothesline, for example, is slack if it is just hanging loosely between two trees. If you pull the clothesline tight, you reduce the slack. The root word of slack is the Old English word slأƒآ¦c, which means loose or careless. When you scold your friend for being careless about his responsibilities, you can say, "Pick up the slack!"

sententious

If you speak in sententious phrases, your listeners are probably falling asleep, as your speech is pompous and pretentious, and full of moralistic babble.,When sententious first appeared in English أ¢آ€آ" back in the late Middle Ages أ¢آ€آ" it meant "full of wisdom," but now it usually has a negative sense, meaning heavy handed and self-important. The sententious blowhard makes people laugh, and you can probably think of at least three cartoon characters who fit the bill أ¢آ€آ" often a politician or minister who drones on and on, oblivious to the fact that his audience is snickering or trying to sneak out.

Vain

If you spend all day admiring yourself in reflective surfaces أ¢آ€آ" mirrors, pools of water, the backs of spoons أ¢آ€آ" people may think you are conceited or vain.,If, to your horror, you have searched everywhere for a reflective surface but can't find one, you have made a fruitless or vain search for a mirror. Vain is from Latin vanus "empty," and in English it originally meant "lacking value or effect, futile"; we still say "a vain attempt" using that sense, and the phrase "in vain" means "without success." Normally, though, vain means "conceited, too proud of oneself." Carly Simon's line "You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you" is an excellent illustration of this use.

vain

If you spend all day admiring yourself in reflective surfaces أ¢آ€آ" mirrors, pools of water, the backs of spoons أ¢آ€آ" people may think you are conceited or vain.,If, to your horror, you have searched everywhere for a reflective surface but can't find one, you have made a fruitless or vain search for a mirror. Vain is from Latin vanus "empty," and in English it originally meant "lacking value or effect, futile"; we still say "a vain attempt" using that sense, and the phrase "in vain" means "without success." Normally, though, vain means "conceited, too proud of oneself." Carly Simon's line "You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you" is an excellent illustration of this use.

totter

If you spin yourself around until you are dizzy, you will likely totter if you try to step forward. Totter is a verb that means "move unsteadily, as though you are about to fall down.",To totter is to move in a wobbly, unsteady manner. When a person totters, they look like they are going to fall down. In a boxing match, a boxer might totter after taking a blow to the head. During an earthquake, buildings may totter, or sway, appearing as though they may fall down. Totter can also imply a rocking motion; a playground seesaw, for instance, is sometimes called "a teeter-totter."

stipple

If you stipple something, that means you add tiny dots of color or texture, such as using a special painting tool to stipple a plain wall with dots of a different color to make it look more interesting.,The verb stipple came into English from the Dutch word stippelen, meaning "to spot or dot.أ¢آ€آ‌ Artist stipple paint onto their canvases and from the distance, the dots look like a field of flowers. You can also stipple metal, by poking it with a tool that creates little circular dents أ¢آ€آ" that look like dots أ¢آ€آ" to give it an artistic look.

Tort

If you sue a surgeon for operating on your left foot instead of the right one, you are filing a tort suit. Hopefully, you'll walk out of court victorious (on both feet).,Tort comes from the Latin word tortum, meaning "wrong." When someone has done some wrong to you, you can seek justice (in the form of payment) by taking them to court. Tortum itself comes from tortus (also Latin) meaning "twisted." So remember if someone does something twisted, like spread terrible lies about you, you could pursue a tort claim.

surmount

If you surmount a challenge or difficult situation, you're not just getting over it. You're outdoing yourself, exceeding expectations, and overcoming the task at hand.,This word comes to us from the Old French verb for mount, or climb. Maria sang "climb every mountain..." in The Sound of Music. But she could have just as well meant "surmount every obstacle" أ¢آ€آ" because to surmount means to both reach the highest point of something, like a mountain, and to totally overcome a mountain-size problem.

Putrefaction

If you suspect that something in your yard is in a state of putrefaction, there's probably something stinky and rotten out there.,The relatives of this word in English all resemble it and fit neatly into one meaning category, "rotten." The mother of them all is putrid, from Latin putris, "rotten." This leads to putrefy, which means "make rotten," and finally putrefaction, the process of rotting or a state of being rotten. The ending is -faction rather than -fication on the pattern of many nouns that have Latin facere in their pasts: benefaction, malefaction, and liquefaction أ¢آ€آ" to name a few.

usurp

If you take over your neighbor's backyard and claim his in-ground swimming pool as your own, you might seize control of, or usurp his yard, but he'll probably call the cops on you.,Leaders who usurp power don't ask for permission to take control of their country. They seize power, often with the help of a large army of followers. A usurper doesn't have to be human. A brand-new radio station can usurp the most popular station in town by playing a better mix of music.

rubicund

If you tend to have red, rosy cheeks, you can be described as rubicund. An entire kindergarten class might be rubicund after an hour spent running around the playground.,The adjective rubicund is a slightly old-fashioned way to describe someone who's ruddy-cheeked or who flushes easily. Your rubicund face might be evidence of the long hike you took earlier, or possibly give away your embarrassment at being unprepared for the speech you're about to give. The word comes from the Latin rubicundus, with its roots of rubere, "to be red," and ruber, "red."

transpose

If you transpose something, you change the order. You could transpose the phrases in that first sentence by writing, "You change the order if you transpose something.",In music, you also transpose when you change the key. When a song is a little high for you, you can transpose it to bring it down into your natural range. In math, to transpose is to move something from one side of an equation to another. In the equation x + 3 = 2y, you can solve for x by transposing the 3 to the other side of the equation, which will change its sign and give you x = 2y - 3.

vouch

If you vouch for someone, you provide evidence or guarantee something on their behalf. If you vouch for your brother, you're saying he's a stand-up type of guy.,First used in the 14th century, vouch comes from the Latin vocitare, ("to call, call upon, or summon"). Sometimes it can mean offering supporting evidence, as when, for example, you're summoned to court to testify on someone's behalf. If you write a letter of recommendation for a student or co-worker, you vouch for their character and abilities. If you take out a student loan, the government will automatically vouch for you, that is, they'll guarantee the loan will be repaid.

unscathed

If you walked away from a nasty bike accident without a scratch, you walked away unscathed, meaning you came out unharmed.,You can also come through a scandal unscathed, with your reputation untarnished, or your dog-walking business may emerge from the financial crisis unscathed and more profitable than ever. With the word unscathed, there's always a sense of something bad that might have happened but didn't.

solder

If you want to be a metalsmith youأ¢آ€آ™ll have to become familiar with solder, which is the substance you use to fuse two metal surfaces.,The word solder traces back to the Latin word solidare, meaning أ¢آ€آœto make solid.أ¢آ€آ‌ Thatأ¢آ€آ™s what you use solder for: to make something solid. In this case you are joining two metal surfaces so they appear as one solid piece. The word also has a verb form, also solder, to describe the act of joining the metal pieces. You might use solder, for example, to solder a metal piece on a computer's motherboard.

Yarn

If you want to knit a hat, you're going to need yarn, the thick string made of twisted threads that's used to make sweaters, scarves, socks and other knitted things.,Yarn is made from fibers, and it comes in many colors. When you knit, you weave yarn with needles and end up with a pot holder or a pair of mittens. Another kind of yarn is a long story that's told out loud. You might, in fact, tell your friend a yarn while you crochet an afghan with yarn. The Old English root word, gearn, means "spun fibers," but it comes from the Proto-Indo-European ghere, or "intestine."

wrinkle

If you work to iron a stubborn wrinkle out of your shirt, you're trying to smooth out a crease. A wrinkle is a dent or line where that smoothness is interrupted.,You might fret about a wrinkle in your skirt or a new wrinkle on your face. Another kind of wrinkle is more figurative: a small complication or problem that arises suddenly. You could describe a torrential rain storm as a wrinkle in your plan to film a sunny scene in your movie, for example. The Old English root is gewrinclod, "wrinkled, crooked, or winding," and it comes from the verb wrinclian, "to wind."

reverie

If you're relaxing on the beach, dreaming of how you will never have to get up and go back to work, you're engaged in a reverie, or pleasant daydream.,There's nothing wrong with reverie, but if you follow its path into English, you'll see how closely it is connected to madness. The noun is from French rأƒآھverie, from a Middle French word meaning "wild speech, delirium," from rever "to roam, speak wildly." Middle French rever is also the source of English rave, as in raving mad.

somnolent

If you're somnolent, you're feeling sleepy or drowsy. It's best to avoid operating speedboats or motorcycles when you're somnolent.,Somnolent comes from the Latin word somnolentia, meaning sleepiness, which in turn is from the Latin root somnus, for sleep. You can feel somnolent, or describe something as somnolent. As an adjective it describes something that is likely to induce sleep, like a boring movie in an overheated theater, or the low, somnolent lighting in a museum exhibit of fragile, old illuminated manuscripts.

vertigo

If you're standing still but the room is inexplicably spinning, you might want to let someone know you're suffering from vertigo أ¢آ€آ" the sensation of dizziness or whirling.,Contrary to popular belief, vertigo is not exactly the same thing as acrophobia, the fear of heights. However, acrophobia can result in the symptoms associated with vertigo. Interestingly, when legendary director Alfred Hitchcock created a film about a detective with an intense fear of heights, he named the film Vertigo, not Acrophobia; perhaps he thought Vertigo was catchier.

proverb

If your Aunt Nellie is fond of sayings like "All's well that ends well," and "A penny saved is a penny earned," then she's a proverb expert. A proverb is a short, catchy phrase that expresses a true or useful idea.,Most proverbs have been around long enough, and endlessly repeated, that they are commonly seen as telling an important truth. People tend to use proverbs to give advice, the way you might say "practice makes perfect" to encourage your little brother to keep trying when he's learning to ride a bike. The Latin root proverbium combines the prefix pro with verbium, which together mean a word that you put forward, or a common saying.

psychosis

If your Uncle Marvin starts talking to his furniture and sewing his own clothes out of newspapers, he may be suffering from psychosis, which is a serious psychiatric illness in which a person loses touch with reality.,The Greek psykhe, or "mind" combines with the Latin suffix -osis, "abnormal condition," to form the word psychosis. An "abnormal condition of the mind" sounds like it could describe a lot of mental conditions, and in fact psychosis is a broad term that covers many different disorders. The symptom that those who suffer from psychosis have in common is that they don't experience reality in the same way that most people do; they may hallucinate, or see and hear things that aren't really there.

rueful

If your elaborate magic trick goes awry, and instead of pulling a rabbit out of an audience member's shoe, you set the shoe on fire, you might give a rueful smile. Rueful means apologetic or remorseful.,The adjective rueful sincerely expresses regret, but it manages to do it with a hint of humor. Rueful shows up a lot in descriptions of remorseful grins or apologetic smiles. If you're sorry about something you've done but you can still laugh at yourself a little bit, you feel rueful. The word itself comes from the verb to rue, which means "to regret."

suture

If your energetic dog gets his paws on your beloved teddy bear, and you donأ¢آ€آ™t realize it until itأ¢آ€آ™s too late, you might have to use a needle and thread to suture Teddyأ¢آ€آ™s left arm back onto his body.,Derived from the Latin sutura, which means أ¢آ€آœa sewing together,أ¢آ€آ‌ the word suture can function as both a verb and a noun. Teddyأ¢آ€آ™s situation aside, this word almost always refers to stitches performed on the human body. To suture is to stitch up a wound or incision. When used as a noun, it can refer to either the thread used for the stitching or the seam that is created by this process.

wage

If your job pays a good wage, it means that you earn a lot of money for the hard work you do. If you're not happy with your wage, you might have to wage war on your boss.,Wage is one of those words whose verb and noun forms have entirely different meanings. A worker's wage is how much money she makes. But when you wage something, you carry it out: for example, a warmonger is someone whose primary goal is to wage wars. The word is of Germanic origin, and it's related to both gage and wed, with their underlying meanings of "to pledge."

velocity

If your rocket is traveling at maximum velocity, it means it can't go any faster. Velocity is quickness of motion or action.,A synonym is celerity; a simpler word is speed. In physics, velocity specifically refers to the measurement of the rate and direction of change in position of an object. It is a vector quantity that specifies both the speed of a body and its direction of motion. The noun velocity descends from Middle English velocite, from Old French, from Latin vأ„آ"lأ...آچcitأ„آپs, from vأ„آ"lأ...آچx "fast."

vigilante

If youأ¢آ€آ™re a vigilante, you might take the law into your own hands by trying to catch or punish someone in your own way. If you wrestle jaywalkers down to the ground, you might be called a vigilante.,Vigilante is a form of the word "vigilant," which means keeping a watchful or close eye on events and people. Sometimes a vigilante will make news for catching a criminal, and sometimes vigilante groups form to target crimes in a bad neighborhood. A common combined use is "vigilante justice," meaning a form of law-keeping outside of the official channels of police and the courts.

vise

If youأ¢آ€آ™re going to be doing a lot of woodworking, youأ¢آ€آ™ll probably need a vise, a tool used to clamp pieces of wood in place while you work on them.,The word vise came into English through the French word vis, meaning أ¢آ€آœscrew.أ¢آ€آ‌ Picture yourself winding a lever that screws the jaws of a vise shut, and youأ¢آ€آ™ll understand what itأ¢آ€آ™s like to operate a vise. Remember to spell the word with an s, as not to confuse it with sound-alike vice, which can refer to a destructive habit that youأ¢آ€آ™d like to break. The two words are unrelated in meaning.

speechless

If youأ¢آ€آ™re speechless, you canأ¢آ€آ™t talk, usually because something surprising and crazy happened. You might be rendered speechless if you win the lottery or find a whale on your front lawn.,When youأ¢آ€آ™re speechless, youأ¢آ€آ™re at a loss for words. For example, people often say things like "I was speechless when I received the news about my brother!" or "The music left me speechless!" Itأ¢آ€آ™s an exaggeration. People use speechless in these cases to show how stunned or moved they were, even though they were probably still capable of speech. "I'm speechless" often really means "I'm shocked!"

trident

If youأ¢آ€آ™re the ancient Greek god of the sea, youأ¢آ€آ™re probably already familiar with a trident, a three-pronged spear you can use to stab things.,The trident, which is a spear with three points, or prongs, is often associated with the Greek god Poseidon, who used his trident to cause earthquakes and create sources of water. Mere mortals, however, are more likely to use a trident for spear fishing, or long ago, for military combat. Remember not to confuse a trident with a pitchfork, which is used mainly for lifting and tossing things.

travail

If youأ¢آ€آ™ve had to bust your behind, burn the midnight oil, and shed blood, sweat, and tears to get where you are today, you could say youأ¢آ€آ™ve endured significant travail. In other words, back-breakingly hard mental exertion or physical labor.,Travail comes to us from a sinister Latin word: trepalium, meaning أ¢آ€آœinstrument of torture.أ¢آ€آ‌ The closest English word is probably toil, though travail means youأ¢آ€آ™re not just exerting monumental effort but suffering as you do so. If your life has been hard-knock enough to be the stuff of old blues songs or Shakespearean tragedies, youأ¢آ€آ™ve had your share of travails. In French, incidentally, travail simply means work. The Spanish trabajo (work) is closely related.

trilogy

If youأ¢آ€آ™ve just started a trilogy of books, youأ¢آ€آ™ll be reading for a while. A trilogy is something that has three parts, so you'll have three books to read.,You can see the tri-, meaning "three," in trilogy. The word originates from the Greek word trilogia, meaning "series of three related tragedies performed at Athens at the festival of Dionysus." Today, you can use trilogy to describe three of anything, such as a trilogy of movies that has the same characters, settings, and themes.

regent

In a monarchy, if the king gets too sick to rule his country, a regent steps in to run things temporarily.,When kings or queens aren't able to do their jobs أ¢آ€آ" because they're ill, or often because they are children أ¢آ€آ" trusted advisers called regents fill in. You can think of a regent as a substitute monarch. There's also a more permanent kind of regent who helps to run a business or university and can also be called a trustee or board member. In Latin, regent means "ruling," from the verb regere, "to rule."

satyr

In classical mythology, satyrs were companions to Pan, a fertility god, and Dionysus, the god of wine and ecstasy. As you might guess, satyrs were not known for their mild-mannered ways: Like their patrons, they were excessively fond of women, drink, and song.,In Greek art, the satyr was depicted as a man with the ears and tale of a horse. Roman artists emphasized this creature's relationship to the goat-god Pan by giving the satyr a goat's ears, horns, and haunches. In both cases, the satyr's animal aspect symbolized his immoderate appetites. This noun can also be used metaphorically for a man whose sexual desire is stronger than his sense of decency.

Quatrain

In poetry, a stanza is like a paragraph, and a quatrain is a stanza of exactly four lines, often with an alternating rhyme pattern.,Hereأ¢آ€آ™s a quatrain from the poem أ¢آ€آœDreamsأ¢آ€آ‌ by Langston Hughes: أ¢آ€آœHold fast to dreams / For when dreams go / Life is a barren field / Frozen with snow.أ¢آ€آ‌ Most quatrains use alternating rhyme, like here with go and snow, and all quatrains have four lines, which explains why the French root of the word is quatre, meaning أ¢آ€آœfour.أ¢آ€آ‌ A quatrain can be one part of a long poem or an entire poem can be one quatrain أ¢آ€آ" the choice is yours.

ramshackle

Is your house in terrible condition? Does the roof leak? Is it half tumbling down? Congratulations! It's ramshackle أ¢آ€آ" in other words أ¢آ€آ" in terrible condition and barely holding together.,If you think there's a similarity between a place that's been ransacked and a place that's ramshackle, you'd be right. Ramshackle comes from ransackle, an old nineteenth century term for ransack. Although ramshackle is usually intended as a negative term, that's not always the case. Sometimes it can imply a certain cute picturesque quality. Buildings, places, and even some objects such as cars can be considered ramshackle.

whelp

It doesn't sound as cute as "puppy," but whelp means the same thing: a baby dog or wolf. This can also be a verb, as in "The mama poodle whelped six whelps.",Besides applying to canines such as wolves and coyotes, whelp is sometimes used to describe a young person. This usually isn't a compliment. If an older person calls a young person a whelp or says, "I don't know what's wrong with you whelps these days!," you can be sure they're not impressed by youngsters. To someone who studies animals, whelp is just the word for a puppy or for birthing. Like so many other words, the meaning depends on who's saying it and why.

reek

It smells absolutely rotten and offensive. Birds are falling from the sky because of the fumes. You might throw up from one whiff. Whatever it is, it reeks.,Shakespeare famously wrote about the "breath that from my mistress reeks," but that's not a nice way to talk about a girlfriend. The word usually describes smells, but can also be used to suggest something fishy, as in "the suspicious transactions reeked of mob involvement." But noses everywhere agree: Whether it's coming from your sneakers or from the aftermath of a shady deal, if something reeks أ¢آ€آ" it stinks to high heaven.

recession

Jobs being cut? Houses not selling? Everyone talking about the poor sales of everything from cars to bouquets of flowers? That's a recession, a time of economic decline.,Recession comes from the Latin word recessus, meaning "a going back, retreat." Think of all the things that get made and sold in a country. When fewer people buy things, orders for them slow down. The sales "go back" to a lower amount. This is an economic recession. This noun can also describe other kinds of "going back," like the recession of floodwaters that enable people to begin cleaning up their homes that had been filled with water.

pinion

Many cars use rack-and-pinion steering, in which the steering wheel turns a small-toothed pinion gear, which engages the larger rack that turns the car's wheels.,Pinions make steering easy and smooth. Pinion, in the sense of a gear, comes from Middle French peignon, which comes in turn from the Latin noun pecten, "comb," reflecting the toothed appearance of a pinion.

stricture

One meaning of stricture is a nasty criticism, while the other is a sharp contraction of a tube or canal in the body. Either meaning can mean great pain to the person experiencing the stricture.,The noun stricture finds its roots in the Late Latin word strictأ...آ«ra, which came from the stem stringere, "to draw tightly." You might remember that meaning by its relationship with the word constrict, meaning "to tighten or draw in." The additional meaning, that of أ¢آ€آœa critical remark,أ¢آ€آ‌ is often used in the plural form أ¢آ€آ" like "the critical strictures against cheating."

understate

One way to think about the verb understate is as the opposite of "exaggerate." If you want to make something seem smaller or less important than it really is, you're likely to understate it.,If you don't want your grandmother to worry about you, you might be tempted to understate, or downplay, the trouble you've had finding a new job. Business owners might understate their financial problems when they're applying for a bank loan, and a new student might understate her experience speaking French so as not to embarrass her inept French teacher.

provender

Provender is food that might not be fancy but it keeps you from going hungry, like the long-time provender of college students: rice, pasta, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and the occasional discount pizza.,The noun provender comes from the Latin word praebenda, meaning "things to be furnished or provided." Provender is a supply of food meant to sustain people, like a hearty stew that is lunch for military troops who need to keep their energy up. Provender can also describe a food supply for animals such as cows or horses. No matter who or what the provender feeds, the point is, it provides nutrition.

pulmonary

Pulmonary means of or relating to the lungs. A pulmonary specialist is a doctor who treats lung problems.,Once you know that pulmonary means "relating to the lungs," you know pretty much all there is to know. It will give you a lot more insight into whatever doctor's visits are coming up, because you will know that your pulmonologist is your lung doctor, your pulmonary artery is the one carrying blood to your lungs, and if you have a problem with pulmonary circulation, it means that you arenأ¢آ€آ™t getting enough blood to your...you guessed it, lungs.

punitive

Punitive describes inflicting a punishment. If someone takes punitive action against you, you'll probably whine and complain أ¢آ€آ" you're in trouble and you're about to get punished.,An easy way to remember the meaning of punitive is that it looks like the word punish أ¢آ€آ" both come from the Latin root word punire, "to inflict a penalty on." Punitive doesn't always refer to a person-to-person punishment, like a mom disciplining a child. It can also describe the unpleasant result of an action on a large scale, like the punitive effect higher taxes will have on the middle class.

solemnity

Put on a straight face when you think of the word solemnity; it is used for occasions that are all about seriousness and dignity.,The word solemnity has been around since the fourteenth century helping people describe the mood of occasions ranging from funerals of beloved public figures to ceremonies welcoming United Nations dignitaries. This is the noun form of the adjective solemn, and youأ¢آ€آ™ll often see it used with أ¢آ€آœof,أ¢آ€آ‌ as in أ¢آ€آœthe solemnity of the occasion called for hushed voices.أ¢آ€آ‌

Pyre

Pyre rhymes with fire. It's also a noun for a large pile of stuff for burning. Most times a pyre is part of a funeral أ¢آ€آ" the body is burned on it.,From the Greek pura or pur, meaning "fire," pyre came into English in the 17th century. Pyr is also the Czech word for "hot ashes." Remember, a pyre isn't the fire itself but the stuff that helps the fire burn, as firewood at a campfire. People and animals are burned on a pyre as part of a traditional funeral ceremony in some countries.

Rambunctious

Rambunctious means "noisy and out of control," like a rambunctious child who is so hard to handle that no babysitter has ever come back a second time.,People who are rambunctious, pronounced "ram-BUNK-shus," can be fun أ¢آ€آ" to a point. Laughing a little too loudly, or too often, seems refreshing at first أ¢آ€آ" so what if people sitting at other tables have started to look over? But after a while, rambunctious behavior makes you feel tired. You never know when the high energy of the rambunctious is going to cross over to obnoxiousness, when things will spill, feelings get hurt, and apologizes need to be made.

rancid

Rancid means sour, rotten, and nasty and refers most specifically to the sharp bad smell of decomposing oils or fats. "Rancid" is a great name for a post-punk band, but a lousy way to describe the sauce on your eggs Benedict.,If you've never had the pleasure of smelling something rancid, life has quite a wallop in store for you. As meat, fat, or oil decomposes the chemical change creates a sharp wretched stink that will cause you to recoil. It's just foul. The powerful horrendous fragrance of rancid butter, therefore, makes the word wonderfully potent to describe all sorts of things أ¢آ€آ" from a corrupt dictatorship to a party that's gone on a few hours too long.

raze

Raze means to tear an object down to the ground. Before Donald Trump can raze that family's home to build another skyscraper, he's going to have to cut them a big check.,Raze is most often used to refer to knocking buildings down for construction projects, but it can also describe tearing down other objects. You can raze the sand dunes in order to make the beach perfectly flat. Raze comes from the word rasen, meaning "to scrape or erase," and it sounds similar to the word erase, which can help you remember its meaning. If you raze something, in a way it has been erased أ¢آ€آ" it no longer exists in its previous form.

recess

Recess is a break from doing something, like work or school. Almost everyone looks forward to taking a recess أ¢آ€آ" even if you don't have access to monkey bars.,Recess comes from the Latin word recessus, meaning "a going back, retreat." You may have heard children talking about recess as their favorite part of school. This meaning of the word refers to the break in a school day for children to play, usually outside in a playground. As a verb, recess means to take a break at the end of a session أ¢آ€آ" usually in a court proceeding: "The judge announced the court would recess until the following day."

reconnaissance

Reconnaissance is checking out a situation before taking action. Often itأ¢آ€آ™s used as a military term, but you could also do reconnaissance on a new employee before you hire her, or a resort before you take a vacation.,Reconnaissance is a noun, and it technically means أ¢آ€آœthe act of reconnoitering.أ¢آ€آ‌ Whoa. Never heard that word before? Reconnoitering is just a fancy way of saying that youأ¢آ€آ™re checking something out أ¢آ€آ" sometimes in a sneaky way. If you like a girl in your Spanish class, you might ask a friend to do some reconnaissance to find out what sheأ¢آ€آ™s like. The word comes from the French reconnaأƒآ®tre, which means أ¢آ€آœrecognize.أ¢آ€آ‌

rectitude

Rectitude refers to behavior that is correct, upright and honorable. You have moral rectitude if you refuse to be involved with a plan that some kids in your class have to cheat on a test.,This is a word that's easy to remember! First of all, rectitude sounds like rector, a member of the clergy, who is supposed to be a person with a highly moral ... 'tude, if you will. It also has the same prefix as rectangle, that most upright of geometric figures. If someone talks about fiscal rectitude, they are concerned with doing the right thing financially.

regeneration

Regeneration involves remaking something. Your city may plan regeneration efforts to spruce up a riverfront area that has fallen on hard times.,Regeneration means "create again," which is what salamanders do when they lose their tails. People find this regeneration fascinating, but even humans experience regeneration when they produce new skin cells to heal wounds and burns. Regeneration is also a religious term that means a "new birth" in which a person changes from sinner to true believer.

Repletion

Repletion is a condition of being completely full of something. Your repletion at the end of a meal probably means you'll skip dessert.,Repletion is experienced by people who are full or satisfied by the amount of food they've eaten, but it can also describe other kinds of fullness. You might have a satisfied sense of repletion after being showered with praise أ¢آ€آ" in other words, you're feeling utterly satiated with compliments. Being replete means being full, filled, or well-supplied, and both words come from a Latin root, repletus, or "filled."

requisition

Requisition is a very official-sounding word that usually means "to take or seize." We're sorry that your luxury suite has been requisitioned by the mayor's office. No, we have no idea what he's doing in there.,Requisition looks a little like "request" and, in fact, it comes from the Old French word meaning exactly that. It can still be used that way, like when you make a requisition for a new office desk because the old one has three broken drawers. If a police officer requisitions your car for use in a high speed chase, it will initially require less paperwork.

vapid

Reserve the adjective vapid for the airhead in your office who brings nothing to the table, except maybe the doughnuts. Vapid is an adjective to describe someone or something that is dull or uninspiring.,"We prefer not to consider the shockingly vapid and primitive comments uttered by athletes in postcontest interviews," David Foster Wallace wrote. The word was originally used in English in a much more literal sense, describing beverages that lacked flavor. It comes from the Latin word vapidus, literally "having exhaled its vapor."

residue

Residue is anything that's left over when a substance has been removed, like the grease left over on a frying pan. It can also mean, simply, "remainder.",When residue refers to a liquid, itأ¢آ€آ™s whatأ¢آ€آ™s left at the bottom of a bottle, a pot, or a can after the rest has been poured out. Legally, the residue is the remainder of the money in an estate, after bills and taxes have been paid. So if your millionaire aunt leaves you her estate, but didnأ¢آ€آ™t pay any bills for the last ten years, you may not get much residue!

responsiveness

Responsiveness means "being able to react quickly," like a sports car whose responsiveness makes it fun to drive, or a "responding with emotion," like the responsiveness of an audience at the concert of their all-time favorite singer.,Have you ever wondered if your friends were even listening while you poured your heart out? Think about their responsiveness, or how focused they were on your feelings and their own. Did their eyes well up when you started to cry? Or did they stare into space, waiting until you were finished so that they could talk? Responsiveness is a characteristic that shows how much someone cares.

restraint

Restraint is the act of holding something back. For example, if you exercise restraint over your emotions, you won't burst out into tears in public.,As you may have guessed from its similar spelling, the word restraint comes from the verb restrain, which in turn comes from the Latin word restringere, meaning "draw back tightly, confine, check." When talking about an object, a restraint is a device used to maintain control of something. For example, if your leg is operated on, the doctors will use a restraint to hold it still.

resumption

Resumption is what you're doing when you resume, or start from the point where you left off. If your little sister has been bothering you, then goes out to play, you can expect peace for an hour, then a resumption of the annoyance when she returns.,Like the word resume, resumption has roots in the Latin prefix re- meaning "again" and sumere meaning to "take up." Combine these two root words: "to take up again" and you get the meaning of the word. If warring nations stop fighting in an attempt to negotiate a peace settlement, you can expect a resumption of hostilities between them if the negotiations fail.

revelry

Revelry is a wild, fun time. If you enjoy the revelry of a New Year's Eve party, you might pay for partying hard the next day.,The noun revelry means merrymaking, but because it comes from the French word reveler meaning to rebel, its tone indicates carousing or noisy partying. It's not your grandparents' tame, sedate cocktail party: revelry is a full-throttle festive gathering, where people outwardly enjoy themselves. In fact, a wild party was once called a "revel," though you don't hear that term used much today.

ribald

Ribald is an adjective you would use to describe someone who makes dirty sexual jokes. Vulgar, perverted, but still kind of funny أ¢آ€آ" thatأ¢آ€آ™s a ribald person.,Remember the time Uncle Marvin told hilarious stories about his sex life? Everyone was rolling with laughter, except your grandmother, who thought Marvinأ¢آ€آ™s ribald tales were disgusting. People are conflicted about whether being ribald is good or bad, and the fact that its root means أ¢آ€آœindulge in licentious pleasureأ¢آ€آ‌ and أ¢آ€آœprostituteأ¢آ€آ‌ doesnأ¢آ€آ™t clear up the matter much. Should you feel like behaving in a ribald way, remember that your saucy sense of humor might be offensive to others.

rider

Riders are people who are in motion أ¢آ€آ" riding bicycles, subways, horses, roller coasters and much more. Another kind of rider is a special list that attaches to, or "rides along" with, a contract.,The noun rider means "one who rides," but its other meaning is "a document that is added to legal or official documents." On Capitol Hill, lawmakers add riders to legislation documents to try to get certain stipulations to be part of new laws. You may have heard of touring musicians who demand that certain rare flowers be placed in their hotel rooms, which must have Italian linen sheets on the bed, and be exactly 71 degrees. It's all in the rider of the tour contract.

rift

Rift sounds like rip, and it's helpful to think of it that way. When there is a rift in a political party over a particular policy, it is like a rip or tear in the fabric of the group.,Rift has a slightly different sense than break. A group can have a rift without having fully broken apart. A rift can heal, though a break is permanent. A rift can arise between sisters over whose turn it is to do dishes; it can quickly heal when parents promise an ice cream trip when the dishes are done. The Earth's crust has rifts, where it's splitting apart, like in East Africa.

rotund

Rotund describes anything that's plump or round, like a teapot or your chubby Aunt Agnes.,Rotund describes someone who is round in shape, or obese. It's not a compliment. That's why it's probably okay to call Santa Claus rotund, but not your neighbor أ¢آ€آ" at least not to his face! It's fine to call round things rotund, however, like a rotund vase full of flowers, which particularly makes sense when you know that the root of rotund is the Latin word rotundus, meaning round, circular, like a wheel.

ruddy

Ruddy is used to describe something that is reddish أ¢آ€آ" like the color of red hair, tomatoes, or your cheeks on a cold winter's day.,Ruddy is commonly used to describe someone's complexion. In this case, it describes a healthy, reddish glow. Your skin might have a ruddy tone from working outside. You may hear someone use ruddy as a negative adjective, as well. In Britain it is a substitute for words like bloody or darn: "The ruddy door is stuck again. I'm going to take an axe to it!"

rummage

Rummage means to search for something, but in a scattered, disorganized manner. You can rummage through your drawer looking for a lost sock, or you could even hold "a rummage sale" to sell off all your socks that are missing their mates.,Ahoy, mateys: the word rummage hails from a sea-faring background. The Middle Dutch ruim, Germanic rum, and Old English rum all referred to a compartment on a ship, probably stemming from the Middle French verb arrumer, "to stow goods in the hold of a ship." The idea of rummaging as searching was first recorded in the 1620s. The first rummage sale also had its ship connection, as it was a sale on the docks of unclaimed items.

sallow

Sallow means unhealthy in appearanceأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"often yellow in colorأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"and is almost invariably used to describe someone's complexion. His smile was as engaging as ever, but from his sallow complexion, I knew he was sick.,Usually we say that when someone is sick they turn "green." You could also say their skin takes on a sallow look, and you'd mean the same thing. Sallow also describes the way someone looks if they have lost blood or are pale from fever.

sedentary

Scientists believe that one of the causes of the obesity epidemic sweeping the US is our sedentary lifestyle. Sedentary means sitting a lot and refers to a person or job that is not very physically active.,This adjective has a specialized meaning when referring to certain types of birds that stay in one area and do not migrate. Sedentary is from French sأƒآ©dentaire, from Old French, from Latin sedentأ„آپrius, from sedأ„آ"re "to sit."

seclusion

Seclusion means being separate, and apart from others, in a quiet kind of way. If you want seclusion, try a private island.,The word seclusion implies privacy as well as separateness. An island with no other islands around it or a cabin in the middle of a forest will offer you seclusion if you need to get away from other people. Some nations have a policy of seclusion أ¢آ€آ" they do not allow people, products, or ideas to cross their borders and enter the country.

secrete

Secrete is all about secrets. It means both "to hide" and "to release." When you squeeze a lemon, it secretes juice. When you stuff your money in a mattress, you secrete it there.,It's easy to remember that secrete's all about secrets when you see the word secret inside secrete. Imagine the first person who squeezed a lemon and secreted the juice. Probably felt like he'd discovered a secret stash of citrus goodness. If he was greedy, maybe he gathered all the lemons he could find and secreted them away in a box so no one else would learn the secret of the juice-secretion.

sensual

Sensual means physically pleasing. It often is used in a sexual context, but is not exclusively sexual in meaning.,Sensual has to do with the five senses, but it comes with a hint of lewdness, a suggestion of sex. Although you could have a sensual meal or experience that doesnأ¢آ€آ™t involve romance, if you want a word that refers to the five senses without any unsavory connotations, use its cousin sensuous.

shoddy

Shoddy refers to poor materials or quality. Maybe you passed on buying a house because it leaned in an odd way and various and sundry parts were falling off. Sounds like both the materials and workmanship were shoddy.,Shoddy originally referred to something that looked high-quality but wasnأ¢آ€آ™t. Later, a certain type of cloth made with leftover pieces and rags was called a shoddy. While shoddy often refers to materials or workmanship, questionable ethics can also be referred to as shoddy, as in the shoddy principles of a slumlord or the shoddy morals of someone who steals from their friends.

silt

Silt is the fine bits of clay and sand that become sediment settling at the bottom of a river or lake. If there's a lot of silt flowing in a river, it looks murky.,Silt is the super-fine dirt that you might see at the bottom of a lake or river. When your feet touch silt it feels slimy, and once itأ¢آ€آ™s stirred it up the water looks muddy. Where the Mississippi River enters the Gulf of Mexico, a lot of silt has been deposited and over time has built up a portion of land called the Mississippi Delta. The region surrounding this accumulation of silt is home to music called the Delta Blues.

Sinuous

Sinuous means winding or curvy. If you get lost on a sinuous mountain path, you'll need a compass or a GPS to figure out which direction leads back to camp.,The adjective sinuous comes from the Latin word sinus, which means to curve or bend. If you have a sinuous body, then you have lots of curves. Snakes use sinuous movements to travel. Live Oak trees have particularly sinuous branches. We usually use sinuous to talk about physical shapes of bodies or pathways, but you could also describe someone's logic as sinuous if it wanders all over the place when they're trying to explain something.

slick

Slick means smooth or slippery, but it can also describe a smooth, effortless style. How did that Girl Scout talk you into buying so many boxes of cookies? It must have been her slick sales pitch.,A great salesman is often described as slick أ¢آ€آ" he or she seems more like a friend than someone trying to sell you something. Things that are smooth and glossy can also be called slick, like the surface of a glass table or an icy patch on the sidewalk. Slick is also a verb, meaning "to smooth," like when you slick back your hair. The oldest meaning of slick is shiny, and in the 1620s, it was even the name of a kind of cosmetic.

slither

Slither means to move in a sideways motion, usually silently. Snakes, of all kinds, slither, from the original snake in the Garden of Eden, to that untrustworthy-looking individual who approaches you in the street.,Slither comes from the Old English term slidrian, meaning "to slide on a loose or gravely surface." While slide is in some ways similar to slither, it lacks its truly nasty moral and physical associations. It's a safe bet that slitherers do not have your best interests at heart.

wan

Someone who is wan is visibly unwell and lacking in energy. If youأ¢آ€آ™ve had the flu for over a week, and you finally get out of bed looking pale and tired, your mother might say that you look wan.,When your aunt comes to dinner and eats three helpings of dessert, she might seem a little wan as she drinks her tea, meaning she looks sickly and weak أ¢آ€آ" and no wonder, after so many slices of pie! Wan can also describe a fading light أ¢آ€آ" one that is sickly and weak, just like your aunt. When the light bulb in the living room burns out and leaves only wan twilight filtering in, youأ¢آ€آ™ll find it impossible to read.

Puckish

Someone who's puckish is up to a little trouble. Your puckish friend might play practical jokes on you, but they're more silly than mean spirited.,You can imagine a puckish person with a naughty twinkle in her eye. She might drive you crazy, but she also makes you laugh. This impish adjective dates from the 1860s, and we have Shakespeare to thank for it. It comes from Puck, the mischievous fairy-like creature from English folklore, made famous after being a character in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

ravening

Someone who's ravening is ferociously hungry, like a wild animal. A ravening monster in a horror film hunts its prey for food.,While a ravening wolf is fierce and brutal in its hunger, you can also use ravening to describe someone who acts wild or brutish in other ways. A businessman's ravening greed is so savage that he doesn't care who's hurt in his pursuit of money. A crowd of ravening children might dive for candy beneath a piأƒآ±ata, shoving each other out of the way. A now obsolete verb, raven, or "prey, plunder, or devour," is the root of ravenous.

prurient

Something is prurient if it focuses attention on sex not in an artistic way or to teach something, but purely to appeal to your baser instincts. If something is prurient, it's sure to offend somebody.,An MTV series that includes explicit teenage sex scenes might be considered prurient and have censors screaming to have it taken off the air. The word prurient comes from a Latin root that means literally, "to itch,أ¢آ€آ‌ and you may have heard the medical term pruritus, which means "severe itching." The word can also be used to describe any kind of perverse interest, like onlookers who have a prurient curiosity about the details of a particularly gory crime scene.

relevant

Something is relevant if it's appropriate or connected to the matter at hand. Relevant things are helpful and on point.,Relevant things are appropriate and make sense at that particular time. In the middle of history class, your teacher loves to get relevant questions: questions that have to do with the material. The teacher won't be thrilled to get a question about math: that's not relevant. You can also say a song or movie is relevant if it's connected to current events or issues people are talking about. When something is relevant, it just fits what is happening.

traumatic

Something is traumatic if it's very upsetting, painful, or disturbing. The word is related to a Greek word meaning "wound," so you can think of traumatic as something involving a wound, either physical or mental.,Your brother's reckless driving could make getting to school a traumatic experience in terms of your mental health. Traumatic can also describe a major physical injury, such as a traumatic brain injury. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a medical term used to describe the lasting and debilitating effects of something awful you've experienced, such as witnessing a disaster or suffering a major injury during combat.

Rapacious

Something rapacious is out to devour أ¢آ€آ" anything, and little can stand in its way. A rapacious landlord is out for more rent, and a rapacious eater is only satisfied at the all-you-can-eat buffet.,A 17th-century word, from the Latin rapere, "to snatch," rapacious originally described the people and animals who often preyed on weaker creatures and devoured them, by eating them or by ruining them through some scandal. Modern-day companies even get the label rapacious when their appetites for profit seem to devour "lesser" interests, like the environment and employee benefits.

rapacious

Something rapacious is out to devour أ¢آ€آ" anything, and little can stand in its way. A rapacious landlord is out for more rent, and a rapacious eater is only satisfied at the all-you-can-eat buffet.,A 17th-century word, from the Latin rapere, "to snatch," rapacious originally described the people and animals who often preyed on weaker creatures and devoured them, by eating them or by ruining them through some scandal. Modern-day companies even get the label rapacious when their appetites for profit seem to devour "lesser" interests, like the environment and employee benefits.

rickety

Something rickety أ¢آ€آ" like an old shack أ¢آ€آ" is shaky and likely to fall down because it's fragile.,Some buildings are sturdy, solid, and strong. Others are rickety: rickety things might blow over from a slight breeze. Rickety things are poorly designed or have just become rickety because of aging. Rickety things tend to shake, which is a sign they might fall apart any second. If you put a heavy load in a rickety cart, you might lost your load!

vitreous

Something that has the characteristics of glass أ¢آ€آ" hard, brittle, glossy, possibly transparent أ¢آ€آ" can be said to be vitreous, or glasslike. A vitreous surface works well for a kitchen counter.,The adjective vitreous, which appeared in the 1640s, is from the Latin vitrum, "glass." Since the 1660s, the gel that fills the eye between the lens and the retina has been known as the "vitreous humor," the "vitreous body," or simply "the vitreous," presumably for the gel's clear, glassine appearance. If the vitreous breaks down, becoming more liquid than gel (usually due to aging or an injury), it can be disrupted, creating vision problems.

SERAPHIC

Something that's seraphic resembles an angel. A seraphic smile is sweet and angelic.,The adjective seraphic means "like a seraph," or similar to a high-ranking angel. People with gentle, innocent faces are often said to be seraphic, and any kind of dreamy music or art can be described the same way. The word dates from the 17th century, from the Church Latin seraphicus, originally from the Hebrew seraphim, which is thought to mean "the burning one," as seraphs were traditionally "flaming" angels.

Speculative

Speculative describes very risky and unproven ideas or chances. You might have great ideas about starting your own business but your plans are speculative until you earn money from them.,Speculative describes abstract ideas أ¢آ€آ" usually with high risk أ¢آ€آ" that often come with excitement and expectation too. A speculative investment could mean putting lots of cash into a business or real estate property hoping it will make money later. Anything speculative is based on prediction: whatever it is hasn't happened yet.

spruce

Spruce is a verb that means you pay special attention to your personal appearance, especially your grooming and clothing. If you want to spruce up for a wedding, you'll need to rent a tuxedo and do something with your hair.,Spruce can also mean that you're making something else look better. You might spruce up the living room before your girlfriend's visit by vacuuming, throwing away all the trash, and putting away the dishes you left sitting around. Spruce is typically used in combination with the word up: spruce up. Spruce's use as a verb possibly originated from "spruce leather," which was used to make a popular type of jacket back in the 1400s.

Squalid

Squalid things appear neglected, or morally repulsive in nature, like a frat house after a semester of hard partying and zero cleanup.,Squalid comes from the Latin word squalare, meaning to أ¢آ€آœbe covered with a rough, scaly layer.أ¢آ€آ‌ A few word evolutions later and we have squalid, a word that describes something distasteful, dirty, unattractive, and as unkempt in appearance as the dry, scaly skin of an armadillo, or a room filled with pizza boxes, flickering light bulbs, and stained wallpaper. Squalid behavior is dirty, too, like cheating on a test and lying about it.

subordinate

Subordinate means putting one thing below anotherأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"a subordinate is someone who works for someone else, and to subordinate means to place or rank one thing below another. "We subordinate our desire for popcorn to our desire to keep watching the movie.",The ordinate part of subordinate refers to an ordering of things, and sub- means "lower." "In the army, a private is subordinate to an officer, whether that officer is his direct commander or not." When it's a noun or adjective, the word is pronounced "suh-BOR-duh-nit," and when it's a verb, "suh-BOR-duh-nate."

subsistence

Subsistence means the minimal resources that are necessary for survival. If you work for subsistence, you'll probably receive food, water, and lodging (internet access not included).,Subsistence can be used in a variety of subtly different ways. In addition to referring to necessities for survival, it can indicate one's means of obtaining those necessities (usually a job). And if you feel like getting philosophical, subsistence can refer to the very act of existence itself.

subtlety

Subtlety is the quality of being understated, delicate, or nuanced. You can really appreciate the subtlety of your gothic friend's art if you can distinguish among many different shades of black.,The Latin root of subtle and subtlety originally meant "finely woven" and was used to describe fabric. The subtlety of an argument is in the fine weave of the words and thoughts that it is made up of. When translating, you often lose the subtleties of the original language, the interlacing of word, idea and connotation. When you're trying to persuade your parents of something, subtlety might get you further than outright demands.

synthesis

Synthesis is the act of combining elements to form something new. If you describe your bedroom decor as a synthesis of Andy Warhol and Punk Rock, we'll know you mean a mixture of these two styles.,Synthesis is just as comfortable in the concrete realm as it is in the abstract. Scientists use it to talk about what happens when chemicals combine أ¢آ€آ" think of photosynthesis: the process by which plants synthesize light, carbon dioxide, and water to produce food. If you call a movie "Batman meets Titanic," then that's synthesis as well. Political science students can remember synthesis via the famous thesis-antithesis-synthesis concept that suggests societies change when a widely accepted idea (a thesis) is challenged by a new, contradictory idea (an antithesis), and then resolved via synthesis, or a combining of the two to produce something new.

taint

Taint means to contaminate. If your water supply is tainted with arsenic, you should stop drinking it right away.,Tainted and "tinted" are similarly spelled words with dissimilar meaningsأ¢آ€آ"-"tint" is what happens when you add color to somethingأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"if you tint white with red, you get pink. On the other hand, if you taint something, you are somehow spoiling or corrupting it. If you taint meat with the salmonella virus, you have a disaster and a public panic.

Tandem

Tandem describes an arrangement where people or animals are in formation, one behind the other. Couples attached at the hip sometimes like to ride tandem bicycles, which allow two people to pedal the same bike. How cute.,In 1785, tandem first came into existence as a noun meaning أ¢آ€آœcarriage pulled by horses harnessed one behind the other.أ¢آ€آ‌ About a hundred years later, people started to use tandem to refer to bicycles with two seats. This type of bicycle has two sets of pedals and two seats, but only one set of wheels. To transform tandem into an adverb, just stick in in front of it. "In tandem" can just mean "together" أ¢آ€آ" like two departments working in tandem on a project.

taut

Taut means "tight, not slack." "The tightrope ought to be taut and not dangling down by the lion cage.",It sounds like the word "taught" and means stretched tight, like a rope, muscles, or even nerves. It's nice to have a taut body with tight muscles, but not so great to have a taut mind أ¢آ€آ" tightly wound and tense. "The Olympic gymnast's taut body was something she worked hard for, but she gave a taut reply to reporters who asked her so many questions about her past, which she wished to keep a secret." Taut is derived from an Old English word, meaning basically "to pull." If you're fishing, you're happy when your line becomes taut, because there's probably a fish pulling at it. Or an old boot.

Tautology

Tautology is useless restatement, or saying the same thing twice using different words. أ¢آ€آœSpeedy sprint" is a tautology because sprint already means "speedy running.",The noun tautology originates from the Greek word tautologos, meaning أ¢آ€آœrepeating what is said.أ¢آ€آ‌ "From the public view's perspective" is a tautology in which the words perspective and view repeat the same idea. In the study of logic, a tautology is a statement that is necessarily true under any interpretation. "It will snow tomorrow, or it will not snow tomorrow" is an example. No argument here أ¢آ€آ" it's true any way you look at it.

spawn

Technically, the mass of small eggs laid by animals like fish, frogs, mollusks is called spawn. But the word has been borrowed to mean offspring, or the act of making them in general.,When someone is in league with the devil, a preacher might refer to them as أ¢آ€آœSatanأ¢آ€آ™s spawn.أ¢آ€آ‌ Your dad probably find something satanic in the kids next door when he refers to them as the neighborأ¢آ€آ™s spawn. Bill Gatesأ¢آ€آ™ programming project in college spawned Microsoft, a multi-billion dollar industry giant.

tedium

Tedium is the state of being really bored while doing something repetitive. You may loathe the tedium of eating dinner with the family أ¢آ€آ" after all, what is more boring than talking to mom and dad, especially if you could be texting friends?,The noun tedium comes from the Latin root word taedere, meaning to weary of, and that's still what tedium means today: bored and weary of it all. The noun can also mean a tedious period of time أ¢آ€آ" school concerts and assemblies are always two hours of tedium. Tedious is a related adjective form of the word. In order to relieve the tedium of homework, you should pick less tedious tasks, try fencing or painting to add some excitement to the day.

teetotalism

Teetotalism is a noun, meaning staying away from alcohol. If you see someone drinking a soda at a bar, he might practice teetotalism or he might just be planning to drive himself home.,Since drinking alcohol is generally an accepted practice now, the word teetotalism has fallen out of common use. You might think the groups promoting teetotalism in the United States in the 1920s succeeded when laws were passed prohibiting alcohol (effective from 1920 to 1933). However, you would be wrong, because with the Prohibition era came underground bars and homemade moonshine.

temperate

Temperate means mild, moderate. If you're a temperate person, you are calm, reasonable. If you live in a temperate climate, it's warm and sunny, but not too hot.,Like other words that sound similar, temperate has to do with measurement and range. Temperatures measure how hot and cold things are and someone with a temper is hot-headed or intemperate, the opposite of this word. A temperate person's life motto is summed up by Goldilocks: not too hot and not too cold, just right.

tenancy

Tenancy is the act of living somewhere, especially in a house, building, or apartment. You could say, for example, that your tenancy in the little white farmhouse lasted for six years, until you moved to the city.,The noun tenancy means a period of living in a certain place or having a business in a specific building. If you give up your tenancy, you move to a new place, and if your tenancy ends earlier than you expected, you may owe your landlord some money. The word tenancy is closely related to tenant, with its earliest meaning of "one who holds land," from a Latin root أ¢آ€آ" tenere, "to keep" or "to hold."

terminal

Terminal is a word with many meanings. Depending on how it's used, it can describe a place where passengers end their journey, a computer screen and keyboard, or a life-ending disease.,As a noun, terminal describes a bus or train station at the end of the line. When your aunt takes the bus into town, you pick her up at the terminal. Her visit becomes very sad when your aunt tells you she's been diagnosed with an illness that's terminal أ¢آ€آ" an adjective meaning she hasn't long to live. This is surprising news, since you've always believed your aunt is a hypochondriac. Now you have to go to your computer terminal and look up her disease.

terminology

Terminology is vocabulary associated with a certain field of study, profession, or activity. Knowing the terminology is an important part of being able to work in a given profession.,When your nuclear physicists friends start talking shop and it suddenly sounds like they are speaking a different language, they are probably using nuclear physics terminology. Education terminology includes "rubric," "lesson plan," "pop quiz," "term paper," "student engagement." Medical terminology includes "blood work," "CVC," "scalpel," "set." Lawyers sometimes use legal terminology such "forthwith," "heretofore" and "the part of the first part" to intimidate people they might want to threaten to sue. It works.

tertiary

Tertiary is another way of saying "third in importance," like socializing with co-workers being a tertiary reason for getting an after-school job أ¢آ€آ" less important than, first, earning money and second, gaining skills.,To correctly pronounce tertiary, say "TER-she-err-ee." If you are the third child born in your family, don't be tempted to call yourself the "tertiary child." This means you are less important that your two older siblings. However, in some cases, tertiary does not have to do with ranking third أ¢آ€آ" the Tertiary period marks the beginning of life for mammals, and in the United Kingdom, tertiary education means "college-level."

stodgy

The Queen's guards outside Buckingham Palace might seem stodgy (or stuffy and stuck-up), but they are only doing their job.,Stodgy is an adjective to describe anything dull, out-of-style, or even hard to digest. Just your luck getting stuck sitting next to stodgy Aunt Irma at Thanksgiving! From the looks of her stodgy moth-smelling clothes to her stodgy or dull conversation, chances are it will be a long meal. Just hope the mashed potatoes are light and fluffy.

Rancorous

The adjective rancorous comes in handy when you're describing someone's bitter grudge, like the attitude of your cousin who still won't speak to you after the April Fool's Day prank you played four years ago.,A story can be rancorous, if it's full of resentment, and so can an argument, if it's particularly bitter and angry. The word rancorous can be traced back to the Latin word rancere, which means "to stink." This in turn led to rancorem, "bitterness or rancidness." When you speak to your arch enemy and your words are so angry and bitter that they almost stink, go ahead and describe them as rancorous.

sibylline

The adjective sibylline means "having a secret meaning" or "foretelling the future," like a fortune teller whose crystal ball reveals a sibylline message about what will happen.,If you can predict the meaning of the word sibylline, you may come from a family of psychics أ¢آ€آ" or you may have a background in Greek mythology. The word has origins in the Greek word Sibulla, meaning "prophetess." Back in the times of the Greeks and Romans, a sibyl was a female oracle who delivered cryptic prophecies foretelling the future, often inspired by the deities. The adjective sibylline describes such talents or the messages they reveal.

tutelary

The adjective tutelary describes something that is supervising or guarding something else, like the tutelary duties of a babysitter who makes sure the kids don't hurt themselves at the playground.,To correctly pronounce tutelary, say "TOO-tuh-leh-ree." Tutelary comes from the Latin word tutus, meaning "watch over." You see this root in words like tutor and tutorial, which also involve watching over, though in a more specific sense that applies primarily to instructing. Tutelary's suffix -ary means "having to do with." So something that is tutelary has to do with keeping watch, like the tutelary presence of a parent supervising a child, or even a tutelary god in an ancient society.

Unfettered

The adjective unfettered describes something or someone uninhibited and unrestrained. If you write mysteries novels for a living you probably turn your unfettered imagination to murder and mayhem.,Unfettered comes from the Old English root word fetor, which was a chain or shackle for the feet. Un- means "not," so originally the word literally meant "not chained or shackled." Today there isn't much real shackling going on, so the adjective unfettered mainly describes something that is free or unrestrained. You'll see such uses as unfettered emotions, unfettered stock market growth, and unfettered speech.

unmitigated

The adjective unmitigated describes something that is undiminished, unqualified, or absolute. If your new recipe for chocolate cupcakes is met by enthusiastic cheers, you can assume you have an unmitigated success on your hands.,Unmitigated comes from the Latin roots un-, meaning "not," and mitigare, meaning "made mild, soft, or gentle." Perhaps because of these origins, although unmitigated can be used positively, as in unmitigated success, but the word is often paired more negatively. You knew the wedding was going to be an unmitigated disaster when the bride and groom didn't bother to show up at all, leaving the guests to sit waiting for hours.

viscid

The adjective viscid is used to describe something that is sticky or a thick, slow-moving liquid. If you bake bread and you get flour all over your counters, clean it up carefully because adding water can turn the flour into a viscid paste, and then you'll really have a mess!,The word viscid is from the Latin word viscum, or birdlime. Birdlime is a sticky substance made from sap and is smeared on branches. Small birds land on the branches and are trapped, allowing someone to easily catch them. The word viscous comes from the same root and has a similar meaning أ¢آ€آ" think of lava and how it moves slowly and thickly down a mountain.

solstice

The longest and shortest days of the year أ¢آ€آ" the days when the sun is furthest from the Equator أ¢آ€آ" are each called a solstice.,If you are on the part of the earth that is pointed towards the sun on the solstice, you are probably enjoying the longest day of summer. If you're pointed away, it is the shortest day of winter. Some people who do not believe in organized religion but like the idea of bringing lights inside and brightening a dark season celebrate the winter solstice, which falls a few days before Christmas.

reaper

The noun reaper refers to a person who harvests crops. If your part-time job involves harvesting corn by hand, then you're a reaper. Reaper can also refer to a piece of farm equipment used to harvest crops, especially grains.,It's not a coincidence that reap looks a lot like the word ripe. When the crops are ripe أ¢آ€آ" in Old English, "ready for reaping, fit for eating" أ¢آ€آ" a reaper, either human or mechanical, can harvest them. Reap means "to cut grain with a hook or sickle." This might remind you of the Grim Reaper, the personification of death in art, movies, and stories, who is shown carrying a sickle and is said to be the harvester of souls.

secession

The noun secession refers to a big break-up أ¢آ€آ" a formal split, an official أ¢آ€آœGood-bye to you!أ¢آ€آ‌ أ¢آ€آ" among political entities. If France has really, truly had it with the European Union, then a French secession movement may be in order.,You could think of secession as a kind of divorce for governments, an official and often lasting split between an alliance, federation, or other political group. Secession is the noun version of the verb secede (meaning to withdraw from an organization), and when a secession takes place the group doing the seceding makes a formal departure from the original group. A famous example of political secession happened right before the American Civil War, when eleven southern states withdrew from the U.S. government over the issue of slavery.

Shoal

The noun shoal can be used to refer to a group of fish or an area of shallow water. So when youأ¢آ€آ™re navigating a shoal in your row boat, you might look down and see a shoal of fish swimming out of the way.,If you like to fish, you might know that shoal can refer to shallow water, but it can also describe a sandbank that you can only see when the water is low. Both kinds of shoals are problems if youأ¢آ€آ™re trying to navigate in a boat أ¢آ€آ" you have to try not to run aground when you encounter either one. The word also has a verb form as well that describes water that gets shallow: it shoals.

sleight

The noun sleight refers to being able to use your hands with ease, especially when doing a trick. Sleight is often used in the phrase "sleight of hand." If you are a good magician, you can make a coin disappear with sleight of hand.,The noun sleight refers to cunning or cleverness, especially when used to trick or deceitfully. You can use a sleight of mind to trick yourself into believing that if you eat a box of cookies at dinnertime it counts as dinner. The word sleight with its meaning as being sneaky has a long history and comes from the Middle English word, sleghth, which also meant cunning. Back then people would have pronounced the "gh" even though today we don't.

swerve

The noun swerve means a sudden turn off your path. As a verb, it means to move off your original route, possibly to avoid a collision. You can swerve either toward something or away from it.,The word swerve can be traced to the Old English sweorfan, "to turn aside," which is precisely the modern sense. It was first used as a verb in the 13th century and as a noun in the 18th. Swerve refers to a sudden veering off, perhaps not as sharp as a turn, but more a bending of your path. Think of the trajectory as an arc or curve, and remember that swerve rhymes with curve.

Tintinnabulation

The noun tintinnabulation refers to a bell-like sound, like the tintinnabulation of wind chimes blowing in the breeze.,The sound of bells ringing, like church bells on a Sunday morning, can be called tintinnabulation. You can describe similar sounds that way, too أ¢آ€آ" like the telephone's tintinnabulation or the tintinnabulation of your sister's silver bracelets tinkling together as she walks. The Latin word tintinnabulum means "bell," and Edgar Allen Poe popularized tintinnabulation's usage in the aptly named poem "The Bells."

trunk

The noun trunk refers to the main stem of a tree. If you want to make maple syrup, you need to tap the trunk of the maple tree and collect the tree's sap, which can then be boiled into a sticky syrup.,The torso of the human body, from the neck to the groin أ¢آ€آ" but not including the head, neck, arms, or legs أ¢آ€آ" is sometimes referred to as the trunk. If you have hives on your trunk, you probably itch on your back, chest and abdomen. The word trunk comes from the Old French word tronc, which referred to the trunk of a tree or a headless body.

underlying

The obvious meaning of underlying refers to something beneath something else. But the word carries a more subtle meaning, that of something hidden but important, something that shapes the meaning or effect of something else, without being explicit itself.,Consider the adjective underlying as referring to a "subtext," which is something hidden. An example is sarcasm, when a person says one thing but means the opposite. In theater, an actor develops subtext for his or her character to establish an underlying reason for what that character says and does. Life is full of underlying reasons we do things. Worry over a grandparent's illness might be the underlying reason a child fails a test. (Then again, maybe she just didn't study.)

rubble

The pile of crumbled debris that's left over after something breaks or collapses is rubble. Famous scenes of rubble include the fallen Twin Towers on September 11 and the remains of the Haitian capital after the 2010 earthquake.,Rubble rhymes with "bubble," but when a bubble bursts, it just dissolves into liquid, while rubble is piles of rock, concrete, brick, and other remains that are a very physical reminder of destruction. Rock slides create rubble from rocks, and natural disasters and explosions create rubble from buildings, cars, and trees. Unfortunately, rubble is usually heavy and can trap people or things beneath it, as when bodies are found in the rubble of a fire or earthquake.

throttle

The throttle of an engine controls the fuel going in, and if you're going at full throttle, you'd better hang onto your hat.,You can think of a throttle as a throat, and the two words may be related. But as with a throat, if you block a throttle, something bad is likely to happen. You can throttle your car أ¢آ€آ" cut off the air to the engine, also known as applying the choke أ¢آ€آ" and you might stall it out. You can also throttle a person أ¢آ€آ" the image is that you grab the person by the throat and cut off his air. It's much better to use throttle figuratively, as when you beat someone really badly at tennis, you could say "you throttled her," but nobody has to get hurt.

Repine

The verb repine describes expressing gloom or discontent. Brooding, fretful, and sad أ¢آ€آ" these are the traits of people who repine at their circumstances in life.,Early American poet Anne Bradstreet used repine in her well-known poem, "Upon the Burning of Our House July 10th 1666," describing how the speaker got over the loss: "And when I could no longer look, / I blest His grace that gave and took, / That laid my goods now in the dust. / Yea, so it was, and so 'twas just. / It was his own; it was not mine. / Far be it that I should repine."

rancor

The word rancor is best when you're not just talking about anger, you're talking about a deep, twisted bitter type of anger in your heart. The open rancor in political discussion prevents cooperation between political parties.,The most helpful way to remember rancor with all its dark, miserable bitterness is to think of how rancor rhymes with canker, as in canker sore, the horrible painful burning on your lip. Or, you might want to remind yourself that rancor has its roots in the word rancid meaning "rotten." Rancor refers particularly to the sort of ill-will associated with resentment, envy, slow-brewing anger, and a very personal sort of hatred.

ravage

The word ravage can be used as a noun or a verb meaning destruction or to destroy. In a war, bombs and the attacking army will ravage the country under siege.,When ravage is used as a noun, you usually see it in the plural. Beware of the ravages of drugs on your body and your life. The city has almost been destroyed by the ravages of poverty and disaster. Often you see it paired with the word, time, to describe how things fall apart as they age. The ravages of time may be apparent in the lined faces and hunched postures of your grandparents.

sneak

The word sneak has many shades of meaning, but all involve doing something in a secretive or stealthy way. If you sneak home after midnight, that means youأ¢آ€آ™re quietly creeping into the house so no one will hear you.,In addition to moving furtively, sneak can also mean doing something secretly or slipping something in. You might sneak a cookie when no one is looking, or you might sneak your brother into a concert. You could even sneak a glance at that cute guy in your math class أ¢آ€آ" you do it when you think no one will notice. Sneak has a noun form that describes a furtive person أ¢آ€آ" someone who does a lot of sneaking.

unassuming

The word unassuming means modest, lacking in arrogance, pleasant, or polite. You'll find that some of the most unassuming people are actually the most interesting and powerful of all. They're just decent enough not to display it all the time.,It's been said that when you assume, you make an ass of you and me: that's because when you assume you draw conclusions that you shouldn't. If you're unassuming, you don't make that mistake. Even though he was a rock star, I found Jason to be unassuming and delightful. He treated everyone like a friend. It's the height of irony that the real Wizard of Oz turns out to be an unassuming country gentleman, when the image he projected was of fearsome, raw, tyrannical power.

stump

There are three ways to stump: you can ask someone a question they can't answer, you can travel making political speeches, or you can stomp.,Stump can mean many things as a verb. The most common use is when someone أ¢آ€آ" like a teacher أ¢آ€آ" asks a question that no one can answer. That's a case of the teacher stumping the class. Also, politicians traveling through a district, making speeches are stumping, giving what are called stump speeches. Once in a while, to stump means the same thing as two similar words, stomp and stamp. If you're stumping, stomping, and stamping around, you're making a lot of noise with your feet.

seamy

Things that are seamy have lost all morality. Your mother wouldn't approve of you going to a seamy video arcade, especially not if you went with a group of seamy people.,The seamy people at that video arcade could also be called "sleazy" or أ¢آ€آœa bad crowd.أ¢آ€آ‌ A house thatأ¢آ€آ™s falling down could also be seamy, and so is the bar on the corner where not even your uncle will go. If you find yourself in a seamy situation, the best thing to do is get out before you find yourself turning seamy, corrupted by the seamy folk lurking about.

touchy

Things that are touchy are hard to handle أ¢آ€آ" not literally, but to talk about. Touchy subjects make people upset.,There are a lot of touchy topics in life. Religion is a big one, since people have such different yet strong beliefs. Racism and sexism are touchy. Politics can be touchy. Asking someone how old they are or what they weigh are very touchy questions. Something is touchy is you need to handle it with kid gloves أ¢آ€آ" or maybe avoid the topic altogether. People often use euphemisms أ¢آ€آ" soft, evasive terms أ¢آ€آ" for touchy subjects, to make discussing them easier.

repository

Think of a repository as a storehouse, a place where things are kept until needed. A silo is a repository for animal feed, and a trivia buff's mind is a repository for useless information.,The noun repository has a somewhat formal ring to it أ¢آ€آ" why not just call a storehouse a storehouse, right? Think of a repository as somewhat more important and imposing than just a place to dump stuff. It has more of an air of authority, like the things stored there could change the world. Consider nuclear waste أ¢آ€آ" would you rather store it in a dump or a repository? I donأ¢آ€آ™t know about you, but I'd prefer the latterأ¢آ€آ"sounds safer.

sheaf

Those old love letters tied up with a ribbon at the back of your closet? Last week's newspapers bundled up for recycling? Each is a sheaf أ¢آ€آ" a tied up bundle of something ready for storage or carrying.,Although sheaf almost always refers to bundles of paper, there's one striking exception to this, as any fan of Robin Hood knows. What Robin and his merry men carried on their backs were sheaves أ¢آ€آ" bundles of arrows held in a handy little case called a quiver. After all, a sheaf of love letters or newspapers would make a pretty poor weapon against the evil Sheriff of Nottingham.

purse

Though purses are mostly carried by women, this is the kind of purse anyone would love to bring home: it's a prize, usually consisting of money.,The most common meaning of purse, as a woman's bag, can definitely help you remember the "prize" meaning of purse, because a woman who won a purse could carry her winnings in a purse. The non-bag type of purse is usually associated with sporting events: boxers and jockeys win purses. Other times, purse is used to describe money won in another context, like a photography contest. Another meaning is totally different: if you pucker or contract your lips, you're pursing them.

timbre

Timbre is a word that describes the tone or unique quality of a sound. If you play the same note on a piano and on a guitar, each note will have its own timbre.,Though an electric saw has its own timbre, as does the sound of a tree whooshing through the air, don't confuse timbre with "Timber!" the word you shout when chopping down trees. Timbre comes from the Greek word that means drum. Timber stems from an Old English word for building materials.

rapt

To be rapt is to be carried away, caught up, or otherwise engrossed in something. If a performer is really good or particularly mesmerizing, the audience will be totally rapt.,Rapt developed from the Latin raptus, meaning to أ¢آ€آœseize, carry off." So imagine something so interesting that it seizes your attention and carries you off to another world. In fact, rapt is related to the word rapture, which is an experience of extreme, other-worldly happiness. So do your teacher a favor and give her your rapt attention during math class.

sprightly

To be sprightly is to be full of youthful, vibrant energy. You donأ¢آ€آ™t have to be young to be sprightly, though, energetic old people can be sprightly, too. Weeeeeee!,The word sprightly comes from the word sprite, which is a small, elf-like fairy creature. If someone acts like a happy little fairy, has a lot of enthusiasm, and acts in a youthful way, sheأ¢آ€آ™s sprightly. To be sprightly is to be full of spirit and vitality, to be happy, and to have a positive attitude. Someone who radiates energy and positivity is sprightly.

stately

To be stately is to appear noble and impressive, almost in a larger than life kind of way. You may encounter a stately gentleman or a stately statue. If you do, take a little bow.,There are a few meanings of stately, but they both refer to people and things that have an impressive bearing. The first meaning has to do with nobility and class. A ceremony honoring a prince is stately, and the music and dress surrounding such events are stately. Stately things convey sophistication and regality. Also, stately can mean statuesque. Someone with great posture and an impressive physique is stately, almost as if they were made by a sculptor.

scoff

To laugh at someone with scorn is to scoff at them. People have scoffed at many great inventors, saying their products would flop because the public wouldn't be interested in things like the light bulb, the personal computer, or the pet rock.,The verb scoff is often followed by the word at ("scoff at the idea, scoff at the statement, scoff at the notion"). The verb can also mean to treat with contempt or to mock. Naysayers scoff at all kinds of theories, and grouchy old men tend to scoff for the heck of it.

prune

To prune means to clip, crop, cut back, and weed out. Pruning usually happens to overgrown trees and bushes, but can also be helpful for wild eyebrows and guest lists that are too long.,You may have also heard of another form of prune: the kind you eat. But other than dried plums, the word is generally used in verb form to describe giving something a much needed trim. Gardeners prune plants, cutting back dead branches and weak parts so they can thrive and grow better. Companies prune budgets to cut back on unnecessary spending. And you might need to prune your baseball hat collection if you're running out of places to put them.

quaff

To quaff is to gulp. Youأ¢آ€آ™re in a desert; you havenأ¢آ€آ™t had water in days; youأ¢آ€آ™re wicked thirsty. Then you find an oasis! You lean over and quaff the water.,If youأ¢آ€آ™re in a room with your favorite foods, you might stuff the food into your mouth. Quaffing is the same fun, but with beverages instead of foods. But just like with stuffing food, quaffing means you drink a little too much. Often, quaffing refers to alcoholic drinks, but it can mean any beverage in general, like milkshakes. Quaff a milkshake and youأ¢آ€آ™ll get a headache, but youأ¢آ€آ™ll have fun doing it.

recuperate

To recuperate is to get something back that you have lost أ¢آ€آ" could be good health, or money lost in a bad investment. When you recuperate, you heal and recover.,Recuperate comes from the Latin word recuperare أ¢آ€آœto take back,أ¢آ€آ‌ so when you recuperate you gain something back that was yours before أ¢آ€آ" health or money. Recuperate is usually something people do after an illness. If you break your knee playing rugby in college, you might go home to recuperate. If you don't want to sound fancy, just say you're recovering. It also means to get money back, so you can also try to recuperate your losses by staying in the poker game.

reiterate

To reiterate something is to say or do something again, or many times. Let me reiterate: if you repeat yourself, you're reiterating the thing you originally said.,This verb is from Middle English reiteraten, from Latin reiteratus, from reiterare "to repeat," from the prefix re- "again" plus iterare "to repeat, iterate." The English word iterate has the same meaning as reiterate, although it is not as commonly used.

renege

To renege is to go back on your word or fail to keep a promise.,Not quite lying, reneging is more a sin of omission أ¢آ€آ" failing to do what you said you would. The Latin negأ„آپre means "to deny," so by reneging on your word, you are denying someone whatever you promised them. In card games, you are said to renege if you play against the rules. To renege may be wrong, but it's not necessarily a punishable offense (unless you put that promise legally binding in writing). Still, it certainly doesn't make you look good!

renounce

To renounce is to officially give up or turn away from. People on a diet usually renounce pizza and chocolate cake, for example.,The transitive verb renounce is a stronger, more formal way of saying that you reject or disown something. A prince who's tired of the royal life could renounce his title and become a commoner, or a senator who wanted to become an independent would have to renounce his political party ties. You'd be wise to heed the wisdom of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who said: أ¢آ€آœTo renounce liberty is to renounce being a man, to surrender the rights of humanity and even its duties.أ¢آ€آ‌

renovate

To renovate means to renew or rebuild so that something is in good condition. When you move into an old house, you will probably want to renovate the kitchen and bathrooms.,Most usages of the word renovate revolve around buildings and architecture. During a generation change in a neighborhood, retired people move out and young families move in. They want to give new life to the old house they have bought so they renovate it by painting, redoing the floors, etc. If you renovate a historic building, you restore to its original splendor. Think of this sense of renewal if something renovates your spirits.

rent

To rent something is to pay money to use it, live in it, or borrow it. If you're not sure which musical instrument you'll stick with and enjoy playing, it's best to rent a few to try out before buying.,Rent is both a verb and a noun for borrowing or leasing something. If you rent an apartment, you pay money to live there, and that money is also rent. You can rent many things, from skates at a roller rink to furniture for the home you rent. You don't own things you rent أ¢آ€آ" you just use them temporarily. A rent is also a rip: "She fell and tore a big rent in one knee of her jeans."

repulse

To repulse something is to repel it or drive it back. When you repulse your sister, you disgust her. When you repulse the enemy in battle or someone in conversation, you force them back or make them turn away.,Repulse is related to the word repel, and they mean similar things: to repulse an advance أ¢آ€آ" romantic or warring أ¢آ€آ" is to repel, or fend off, its advance. To repulse someone by being disgusting is to be repellent. You could repulse a person's attempts at conversation if you repulse him by picking your nose. Repulse is now most frequently used in the gross-out sense, but Jane Austin often had her characters repulse each othersأ¢آ€آ™ attempts at conversation or civility.

resound

To resound is to echo with sounds, usually loudly. When you sing in the shower, your voice resounds.,If you remember that re means again, then resounding makes a lot of sense: it's what happens when a sound rings out or echoes. A loud, booming voice is more likely to resound than a little whisper. If you stand on a building, yell your name, and then here it again, it resounded. Resounding is also called echoing, ringing, and reverberating. If you've ever heard a ring announcer, the microphone helps his or her voice resound to the crowd.

resurrect

To resurrect is to bring someone back from the dead. You can also resurrect things that are inactive or out of use.,If you've ever seen someone bring a dead person back to life in a science fiction or fantasy movie, you saw them resurrect someone. Turning someone into a zombie or vampire is a type of resurrecting, and in the Bible Jesus resurrects Lazurus. Also, this word can apply to any kind of revival. A song can resurrect faded memories. A forgotten project can be resurrected if you start it up again. Resurrecting always involves bringing something back to life.

resuscitate

To resuscitate is to revive a person who has lost consciousness. In recent years it's become important for people to learn CPR so that they might resuscitate someone who loses consciousness, and many schools and hospitals offer classes in CPR.,The Latin word suscitأ„آپre, "to raise," combines with re-, "again," to create the base of the verb resuscitate. Through the years, methods of resuscitation have advanced to the current sophisticated and effective levels of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, and defibrillation paddles that can shock a heart back to life. In fact, some patients nowadays ask to sign a "do not resuscitate" (DNR) order to allow them to die without medical interventions like resuscitation.

reticulated

To reticulate is to form a type of net or network.,Reticulating is an activity that creates a net or network. Linking a group of computers into a shared network reticulates them. A spider spinning a web is doing a form of reticulating. A businessperson making connections with many colleagues is reticulating by creating a social network with them. The key to any form of reticulating is that it makes connections: it links people or things in a type of net.

rile

To rile someone is to annoy or bother them. For example, a friend might rile you by constantly texting when you're trying to have a conversation with her. You can also rile water, meaning you make it muddy by stirring it up.,The verb rile is derived from roil, and they basically mean the same thing. However, rile is more commonly used to mean "annoy" and roil mostly describes stirred liquid. If you rile up your sister, what you say makes gets her worked up, ready to argue with you. When a kid splashes around in the tub, the water is roiled أ¢آ€آ" but if it gets all over the floor, his parents will be riled.

rue

To rue is to feel regret or remorse for something. If that position at the deli ended up involving a reality TV show that made everyone famous, you may rue the day you turned down the job.,Rue comes from the Old English word hreowan, meaning "to make sorry," and rue can still sum up a lot of sorrow in one small syllable. Rue is a modern verb that often looks back on the past. Shakespeare made famous the phrase "rue the day," meaning you bitterly regret a moment. For example, you might rue the day you had your first coffee if you become hopelessly addicted to it.

salvage

To salvage something is to save it...before it's too late. You might try to salvage your damaged reputation by defending yourself, or salvage a burnt piece of toast by scraping off the black residue.,As a noun salvage is the act of rescuing stuff from a disaster like a shipwreck or fire أ¢آ€آ" or the rescued goods themselves. As a verb, salvage means to collect or rescue that sort of item, or more generally to save something from harm or ruin. If you want to salvage your grade, you need to stop gaming so much and start studying more.

sap

To sap something is to drain or deplete something over time. If you sap a maple tree, you drain the liquid inside it to make maple syrup. But if you sap a person of strength, you've rendered him defenseless.,Whether used as a noun or verb, sap is rarely a good thing. If your energy or will is sapped, itأ¢آ€آ™s not meant lightly; it means you have been exhausted of all your reserve energy, youأ¢آ€آ™re reduced to a shell. If someone calls you "a sap," it suggests you lack strength and character. And if you get sap أ¢آ€آ" the sticky liquid inside a tree أ¢آ€آ" on your hands, good luck getting it off in the middle of a forest without a bar of soap and running water. Yuck.

saunter

To saunter is to stroll at a leisurely pace. The next time someone accuses you of dragging your feet and asks you to speed it up, calmly tell them that youأ¢آ€آ™re perfecting your saunter.,A verb of unconfirmed origin, saunter means to أ¢آ€آœwalk with a leisurely gait.أ¢آ€آ‌ As a noun, saunter describes that leisurely gait. Henry David Thoreau once said أ¢آ€آœit is a great art to saunter.أ¢آ€آ‌ So while crossing a busy street may not be the best time to test out your sauntering abilities, feel free to practice when you're not in a hurry.

scorch

To scorch is to burn something fiercely, to the point where its surface أ¢آ€آ" your face, prairie grass, a steak on the grill أ¢آ€آ" chars or otherwise changes color.,Although scorch usually refers to burning something (whether it's the sun or a blowtorch doing the burning), that's not always the case. An army can scorch an enemy territory أ¢آ€آ" meaning raze everything in sight, without technically setting it on fire. Scorch can also mean to quickly overpower something or somebody, as in: "We're gonna scorch the other team tomorrow."

screech

To screech is to make a piercing, high-pitched sound. It can also be the sound itself. Want to hear a screech? Take a little kidأ¢آ€آ™s lollipop away.,A screech is another word for a scream, shriek, or cry. Itأ¢آ€آ™s not fun to listen to. If a woman in a horror movie finds a bad guy in her closet, sheأ¢آ€آ™ll probably screech. If you surprise someone in the middle of the night, expect a screech. Things can also screech, like when a car screeches to a sudden stop at a red light.

sear

To sear something is to quickly cook or burn its surface by applying intense heat. When making beef stew, the color and flavor are usually better if you sear the meat first.,Sear comes from the Old English word searian which meant أ¢آ€آœdry upأ¢آ€آ‌ or أ¢آ€آœwither.أ¢آ€آ‌ Typically, the verb sear now refers to burning or scorching something with heat, but if you see the phrase أ¢آ€آœwind-seared,أ¢آ€آ‌ it means that a place أ¢آ€آ" or something left in that place أ¢آ€آ" has been withered by exposure to the elements. An unpleasant image can be seared into your memory, meaning you can't forget it.

sever

To sever something is to cut it off from the whole. If your girlfriend breaks up with you on your anniversary, you might respond by severing the blossoms off the roses you were planning to give her. (Just an idea.),Sever rhymes with ever, but it looks like the word severe, which means "harsh." The similarity between sever and severe is a good reminder to reserve sever for harsh, unpleasant circumstances. If youأ¢آ€آ™re trimming your fingernails, you might use the word clip, but sever wouldnأ¢آ€آ™t be appropriate. If, however, you somehow cut off your finger while clipping your fingernails, youأ¢آ€آ™re free to use the word sever أ¢آ€آ" or any other word you like أ¢آ€آ" on your way to the hospital.

shirk

To shirk your responsibilities is to avoid dealing with them أ¢آ€آ" like when you watch four consecutive hours of infomercials instead of facing your homework.,A verb is an action word, so it's ironic that the verb shirk suggests inaction in the avoidance of work. To shirk carries with it a negative connotation of laziness. When Eleanor Roosevelt was asked how she conquered her shyness to become a powerful public figure, she responded, "I faced each problem as it came along. . . . I never tried to shirk. I tried never to evade an issue. When I found I had something to do أ¢آ€آ" I just did it." Ah, Eleanor, why can't we all be a bit more like you?

snub

To snub is to ignore or refuse to acknowledge someone. If you want to snub your former best friend, you can refuse to even look at her when you pass in the hallway.,When you snub someone, you deliver an insult by pretending to not even notice someone that you know. Thereأ¢آ€آ™s an element of disdain and rejection to a snub, as if youأ¢آ€آ™re too good to even acknowledge the person. As a noun, a snub is that act of cold rejection. Your former friend probably noticed the snub, and sheأ¢آ€آ™ll probably snub you from now on. Snub also means "very short," like the nose on a bulldog.

soar

To soar means more than just to fly; it means to rise swiftly, to feel the wind slipping below you as you ride it higher, higher, higher. Flying is just moving through the air. Soaring, though, suggests exhilaration, even joy.,Think about the anticipation you feel when you buy a lottery ticket أ¢آ€آ" your hopes soar as you contemplate the possibilities. It's the same wonderful feeling you get when someone you have a crush on notices you, when you land that perfect job, when you hold your child. The word soar comes from the Latin, ex-, which means "out," and aura, meaning "breeze, air," together meaning "out of the air," which is precisely how it feels to soar.

stammer

To stammer أ¢آ€آ" or to have a stammer أ¢آ€آ" is to speak haltingly and to have trouble getting the words out. A stammer is also called a "stutter.",Stammering (or stuttering) has a couple of related meanings. A stammer is a serious problem for some people who have great difficulty speaking. They have trouble getting the words out, and their language does not flow. They might get stuck repeating one sound over and over again. This is a difficult problem to overcome. However, we all stammer sometimes, often because we're confused, scared, tired, or unsure of what to say.

stifle

To stifle is to cut off, hold back, or smother. You may stifle your cough if you don't want to interrupt a lecture or you may stifle the competition if you fear losing.,The verb stifle means أ¢آ€آœto choke, suffocate, drown.أ¢آ€آ‌ It can describe a claustrophobic feeling, like getting smothered by kisses from your great aunt. At its most extreme, stifle means to kill by cutting off respiration. The metaphoric sense of stifle didnأ¢آ€آ™t develop until well after the word was first recorded as a verb: "I can always tell أ¢آ€آ" but never let on for fear of damaging his ego أ¢آ€آ" that my boyfriend attempts to stifle tears during sappy parts of movies; his eyes well up at the corners and heأ¢آ€آ™ll sniffle uncontrollably, claiming allergies."

stumble

To stumble means to nearly fall by tripping or missing a step. When you walk over uneven cobblestones, itأ¢آ€آ™s easy to stumble, so please be careful.,While stumble often means to nearly fall, it can also mean to make a misstep of a different kind. If you stumble over your words, you speak in a stuttering confused manner. Politicians make so many public decisions that they're bound to stumble أ¢آ€آ" make a mistake أ¢آ€آ" occasionally. When you stumble on rare mushrooms, i.e. come across them unexpectedly, be sure have the species verified before you eat them.

suppress

To suppress something means to curb, inhibit, or even stop it. If the sound of your boss moving in his chair sounds like gas, youأ¢آ€آ™re going to have to learn how to suppress your giggles.,In the strictest sense, suppress means to put an end to something by force, like a government that suppresses the right to free speech by shutting down the newspapers or the military suppressing an uprising by rebel forces. But we also use suppress in less serious terms to describe an attempt to muffle or stifle something, such as suppressing a sneeze in a quiet theater or suppressing your true emotions to not cause a teary scene.

swell

To swell is to expand or grow larger. If your brother's face started to swell after he ate lobster for the first time, you'd probably guess that he's allergic to shellfish.,You can use the word swell to describe what happens to an injured body part, like a black eye that swells up, or in a figurative way, to describe a feeling of fullness, like when your heart swells with pride at your sister's big music performance. In the 1930s, swell became a popular slang term meaning great or excellent. But it also can describe a wealthy, elegant person, like a group of swells at a fancy restaurant.

swelter

To swelter is to be hot أ¢آ€آ" very, very hot, like on a humid, ninety-degree day. To swelter is to feel like you're in an oven.,This word is most often seen in the form sweltering, as in "The weather is sweltering! It's been over 95 degrees for a week straight." Any form of swelter is going to involve major heat أ¢آ€آ" enough heat to make you sweat buckets. The opposite of swelter is "freeze."

tact

To talk carefully without hurting anyoneأ¢آ€آ™s feelings, thatأ¢آ€آ™s tact. Politicians have tact, which makes them good at speaking about sensitive matters without making fools of themselves. At least, sometimes they have tact.,Around a friend whoأ¢آ€آ™s afraid of snakes, you use tact when talking about reptiles because you donأ¢آ€آ™t want to upset them. The Latin root word tangere means أ¢آ€آœtouch,أ¢آ€آ‌ and a person with tact avoids touching dangerous words like they are an electric fence. When you say something without tact, you أ¢آ€آœput your foot in your mouth,أ¢آ€آ‌ as the phrase goes. You donأ¢آ€آ™t literally put your foot in your mouth, although if you did youأ¢آ€آ™d avoid offending people with words.

tarnish

To tarnish is to become dull or discolored. Silver tends to tarnish easily, which is why your mother is always having you polish the family silver.,As a noun, a tarnish is the dull layer of corrosion that sometimes forms on metal items, usually the result of the metal reacting to oxygen in the air. Metals are most likely to tarnish, but so can anything that once felt sparkly and bright but has lost its luster أ¢آ€آ" even you. If the new kid just beat you in chess, your reputation as the best chess player in your class has started to tarnish. Better not lose again!

tarry

To tarry is to linger and take your time leaving. If you really like going to Sallyأ¢آ€آ™s Diner for dessert, you might tarry over coffee and end up leaving after theyأ¢آ€آ™ve closed the kitchen.,The verb tarry is perfect for describing what happens when those relatives that you see once a year come to your house for lunch and never seem to leave. When people tarry they stick around and take a long time to depart, sometimes lurking or loitering, or sometimes enjoying each other's company. Tarry can also mean to hang around a place without purpose. You might tarry in the park until the day is fading and you have to go home.

topple

To topple something is to knock it down. A house of cards can be toppled أ¢آ€آ" so can a government.,Things can topple in several ways. If a building collapses or falls down for any reason, it topples. If you knocked over another student, you toppled that person. Governments that are overthrown are also said to be toppled. When you see the word topple, someone or something is going down.

trickle

To trickle is to weakly flow out of something, like a faucet. A trickle is like a drip.,There are a lot of ways water can flow, but one type of slow dripping is called trickling. If your shower is only releasing a trickle of water, you're not going to get much of a shower. If it's raining أ¢آ€آ" but only a trickle أ¢آ€آ" you might not need an umbrella. A slightly leaky roof is trickling. A trickle is the opposite of a downpour or flood. Trickling can also be called dribbling.

tumid

To understand tumid, think about how your belly feels after Thanksgiving when you've just polished off that third helping of turkey with stuffing and Brussels sprouts. Gassy? Full? Distended? That's tumid for you.,Tumid is also used by critics all over to describe their subjects (or rather "victims"). Any art form, particularly writing or acting, is ripe for description as tumid if it's overblown, bombastic and, well, gassy. Often used interchangeably with turgid in this sense.

vaporize

To vaporize is to evaporate and turn into gas. If you're watching a sci-fi movie, it probably means to vanish quickly or be utterly obliterated by a phaser gun.,As the structure of the word suggests, vaporize means "turn into vapor." Sometimes this means just turning into gas, like when boiling water turns into steam and rises into the atmosphere. Other times, something more concentrated is left behind, like when maple sap is boiled down into syrup. And in the greenhouse (or grocery store produce section), to vaporize is also to spray your green things with a light coating of mist.

Veer

To veer is to make a sudden turn, like when a driver veers off the pavement or a pleasant conversation veers off in a troubling direction.,When you make any quick change of direction you veer. You can veer toward an attractive person at a party, leaving your friends mid-sentence. You veer away from an oncoming truck on the highway to avoid getting crushed. Originally, veer described a change in the direction of the wind, but as you can see, today, anyone or anything that changes direction veers.

veer

To veer is to make a sudden turn, like when a driver veers off the pavement or a pleasant conversation veers off in a troubling direction.,When you make any quick change of direction you veer. You can veer toward an attractive person at a party, leaving your friends mid-sentence. You veer away from an oncoming truck on the highway to avoid getting crushed. Originally, veer described a change in the direction of the wind, but as you can see, today, anyone or anything that changes direction veers.

verbalize

To verbalize something is to put it into words. If you need to get into the bathroom desperately, and the person in front of you hasnأ¢آ€آ™t noticed your agitation, youأ¢آ€آ™ll probably have to verbalize it, and quickly!,Verbalize comes from the word verbal, which describes spoken words. If people are extremely verbose, that means they talk all the time. Very shy people don't verbalize their feelings very often. Verbalize can also mean articulate, or clarify. If Iأ¢آ€آ™m working for you on a construction site, and you yell أ¢آ€آœSLAB!أ¢آ€آ‌ at me, I might have to ask you to verbalize what you mean by أ¢آ€آœSLAB!أ¢آ€آ‌

vying

To vie for something means to compete for it. Two teams may vie for the gold medal, but one will have to go home with silver.,Vie may be spelled the same as the French word, vie, but they are pronounced differently, vأ„آ« and vأ„آ" respectively, and are not related in meaning or history. English vie comes from the Latin verb meaning "to invite" as in to invite a challenge. Be careful of the spelling which includes an ie to y shift. أ¢آ€آœHe intends to vie for the top prize,أ¢آ€آ‌ but أ¢آ€آœHe is vying for the top prize.أ¢آ€آ‌

wade

To wade is to walk through water. If you've been fishing without a boat, you'll have to wade to reach your precious prize (if it gets away, you can brag about how big it was).,When you wade, it doesn't have to literally be through a liquid; wading includes any action that involves a laborious slog through something that offers resistance. For example, you might attempt to wade through a huge book like Moby Dick. And if you want to get into a fight? Wade right on into the brawling crowd. Or if it's verbal fisticuffs you're after, wade right on in to the debate.

warble

To warble is to sing in an uneven, quavering voice. You won't win any singing contests if you warble the songs.,Think of the class of song birds known as warblers. They have great songs, but they don't sound quite human. They trill, whistle, vibrate and constantly change pitch. That's a warble. Done well, a human warble can be as engaging as it is difficult. But an old lady with unsteady lungs and vocal chords may also warble, and it is neither deliberate nor very pleasing to the ears.

warp

To warp is to bend, twist, or otherwise become misshapen. Wooden furniture left outside in the rain will often warp from the moisture.,Getting wet makes some things warp, while plastic has a tendency to warp in the hot sun. Sometimes people use the word colloquially to mean "have a bad or distorting influence on," as when a politician insists that video games warp kids' minds. In weaving, the warp is all of the threads running one direction أ¢آ€آ" the ones that are woven over and under the warp are called the weft.

waver

To waver is to move back and forth, like when you waver, one minute thinking you'll stay home, planning to go meet your friends the next, until you finally make your decision.,Waver comes from the Old English word wأƒآ¦fre, which means أ¢آ€آœrestless.أ¢آ€آ‌ When the wind blows, it makes the leaves and flowers waver, or move, in that same direction. A person who wavers is much the same أ¢آ€آ" affected by any influence or change. He or she isn't sure what to do or may be too shy to express a preference until time is just about up and a decision must be made.

wean

To wean yourself from something is to gradually eliminate that thing from your life. You may want to wean yourself from watching too much TV, drinking two pots of coffee every morning, or obsessively reading the celebrity columns.,To wean an infant أ¢آ€آ" human or animal أ¢آ€آ" you gradually reduce consumption of motherأ¢آ€آ™s milk or bottled milk until the little one is no longer nursing or bottle-feeding. If you want to wean yourself from eating chocolate chip cookies, go from eating eight a day to only seven for the next few days, then to six for a few days and so on until you're no longer eating any chocolate chip cookies.

Wheedle

To wheedle is to sweet talk, or flatter someone in the hopes of getting something in return. You might try to wheedle a meter maid into not giving you a parking ticket. Good luck with that.,If you want your parents to do something for you that they donأ¢آ€آ™t want to do, you may have to wheedle them with breakfast in bed and a shower of compliments in order to get what you want. To wheedle someone is to أ¢آ€آœcharmأ¢آ€آ‌ that person, though itأ¢آ€آ™s a little more on the أ¢آ€آœsuck up toأ¢آ€آ‌ side than it is charming. The teacherأ¢آ€آ™s pet might try to wheedle her way into a better grade.

wring

To wring something is to twist or squeeze it, usually out of its original shape. If you annoy someone enough, they might threaten to wring your neck.,If you do laundry by hand, then you most likely wring out your shirts to get rid of excess water before hanging them out to dry. You can also wring out someone's hair after washing it. As you can tell, the word often has to do with getting liquids out of something. You might wring tears out of a person's eyes if you tell him the sad story of the day you lost your puppy.

transpire

Transpire is a fancy way of saying "happen." You might go to a fortune teller to find out what will transpire in the future.,Originally used to express when information became known or came to light, many purists will tell you that's really the best way to use transpire. It can also mean releasing vapor into the air, like when a plant transpires water through its leaves on a hot day. Note: you'll usually encounter this word in its past tense: for example, "We had to watch the replay to figure out what had transpired."

unearthly

Unearthly describes something supernatural أ¢آ€آ" a person or object that seems to come from another world. Unearthly beings are usually mysterious and can sometimes be scary, like the aliens you might see in a science fiction movie.,When unearthly was first used in the early 1600s, it meant "heavenly, sublime," a combination of un, meaning "not," and earthly. Unearthly can still be used is to describe something spiritual or having to do with the soul. If you feel an unearthly presence while walking in a cemetery at night, it might be a visitor from "the other side."

unfaltering

Unfaltering means unwavering, not changing. As an adult, you might thank your mother for her unfaltering support of your education, never letting you skip a night of homework. Now, not so much.,To falter means to almost lose strength or momentum, but not necessarily lose it entirely. If you are standing at the entrance to the stage, and thinking "I just can't go out and make a speech," you're faltering. If you never have that moment of doubt, your desire to give the speech could be described as unfaltering.

universal

Universal describes something for everything or everyone. Universal design is architectural design that accommodates every person. A universal remote can change the stations on all your home entertainment systems, but hopefully not at once.,The uni in universal means "one" so this word is all about "one for all and all for one." If it's universal, it applies to all cases. Like the universe itself, a universal emotion is one that every human can understand or relate to. The desire for your children to be safe and happy is universal. If you are to make a universal change in a document it means that every time the specified word appears, it should be fixed.

uproarious

Uproarious situations are very loud, a little out of control, and often hilarious. You might encounter an uproarious crowd at a soccer match, or even in your school cafeteria.,Your neighbors might like to throw uproarious dinner parties filled with screams of glee and pounding music, disturbing your sleep. Notice the word roar in there, because whether itأ¢آ€آ™s an uproarious gathering or just one uproarious joke, itأ¢آ€آ™s always an event of stunning and dramatic volume, like a lionأ¢آ€آ™s roar.

ursine

Ursine means having similarities to bears. Telling a woman that she has "ursine qualities" will not get you a second date. In fact, saying that a woman resembles a bear will probably get you slapped.,Ursine means to have bear-like qualities: big, furry, muscular, and lumbering. If you're using the word to describe a big, hulking football player it might be perceived as a compliment. If, on the other hand, you use ursine to describe a woman, she wouldn't be flattered at all. Ursine originated back in the 16th century, from the Latin word for أ¢آ€آ" you guessed it أ¢آ€آ" "bear."

rational

Use the adjective rational to describe people or ideas that operate according to logic or reason. While your brother has an artistic temperament, you have a rational one.,Rational comes from the Latin word rationalis, meaning reasonable or logical. If you're rational, you do things based on logic, as opposed to impulse or whimsy. The original meaning in English was of something endowed with the ability to reason. Before we knew how smart some animals like dolphins are, writers liked to distinguish rational human minds from the supposedly irrational, instinctual minds of animals.

sapient

Use the adjective sapient to describe someone who always gives the smartest advice, like your brilliant, insightful teacher or your wise little brother.,Calling someone sapient is a compliment, since it means "insightful and wise," although it's often used in a sarcastic way: "My sapient adviser said I should major in Communications." The phrase "sapient life forms" shows up frequently in science fiction, as well. The Latin root is the verb sapere, "to be wise," which is also the origin of sapiens, "wise man," as in Homo sapiens, or the human species.

stratified

Use the adjective stratified to describe something with many layers, either physically (like the layers of your skin) or socially (a kingdom with the king at the top and peasants at the bottom).,If youأ¢آ€آ™ve ever studied geology, youأ¢آ€آ™ve heard about strata: layers of sand, clay, and rock spread out one on top of the other. A lot of things can be described like that. The Amazon jungle is stratified أ¢آ€آ" with massive trees up high and shrubbery below. The division between rich and poor people is an example of a stratified society. And when you spread peanut butter onto bread, and then add jelly on top of that, well, sure, thatأ¢آ€آ™s a stratified sandwich.

sumptuary

Use the adjective sumptuary to talk about rules that control spending. You're most likely to see it in historical documents, in the context of "sumptuary laws" or "sumptuary regulations.",This adjective denoting restrictiveness in spending or behavior has fallen out of fashion in the modern age, and perhaps just as well: it looks confusingly similar to sumptuous, whose meaning is opposite in spirit. Both words are derived from Latin sumptus, which means "expense or expensive."

tensile

Use the adjective tensile to describe materials that can be shaped, such as the tensile clay that a potter crafts into a bowl or vase.,Tensile rhymes with "pencil." It might remind you of the word tense, and in fact, tensile can also mean "having to do with tension." Think about a tensile material, like wire. It will stretch and stretch until it reaches its limit. Drawn tight, with no slack, the wire has tensile stress.

unobtrusive

Use the adjective unobtrusive to describe something that doesnأ¢آ€آ™t attract much attention, like an unobtrusive waiter who doesn't interrupt diners to rattle off the nightly specials, or an unobtrusive stain on the floor that your parents haven't noticed.,When you need to blend in, look to the word unobtrusive, which is pronounced "un-ob-TROO-sive." Unobtrusive can describe anyone أ¢آ€آ" or anything أ¢آ€آ" that is not very noticeable, such as the unobtrusive black parka that makes you look more or less like everyone else on the city streets in winter, or the unobtrusive security cameras at your bank.

quicksilver

Use the noun quicksilver when you need a more poetic way to talk about the element known as mercury. If you look closely at an old-fashioned thermometer, you can see the quicksilver inside it.,It's more common to refer to this metal أ¢آ€آ" the only one that is liquid at room temperature أ¢آ€آ" as mercury, but it's also correct to call it quicksilver, which describes the properties of the element very well. Quicksilver is liquid, silver colored, and is fascinating to look at. The word comes from the sense of quick that means "alive;" the Latin root is argentum vivum, which is literally "living silver."

reverend

Use the noun reverend to talk about a clergy member of a Christian church, as in: "Let's ask the reverend if she'll marry us next week.",A minister, preacher, or priest can each also be called a reverend. The word is often capitalized, especially when it's used in the form "the Reverend so-and-so." In the early 15th century, it meant "worthy of respect," a meaning that's sometimes still used today, and by the late part of that century it was being used for clergy members too, though it was earliest spelled reverent.

shrew

Use the noun shrew أ¢آ€آ" at your own risk أ¢آ€آ" to refer to a woman who is argumentative, nagging, and ill tempered.,The noun shrew can also refer to a mouse-like animal with tiny eyes, a long snout, and a sharp bite. Superstitions associated with this small mammal led people in the thirteenth century to use the word shrew to describe a spiteful person, male or female. The word later came to be used to describe a nagging, ill-tempered woman, as in William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. Unless you are a famous dead author, however, you may want to steer clear of this one in conversation: itأ¢آ€آ™s considered offensive.

simile

Use the noun simile when describing a comparison between two fundamentally different things, such as: "His voice was smooth, like butter in a warm pan.",A simile (pronounced SIM-uh-lee) is a comparison that usually uses the words "like" or "as": "Me without a mic is like a beat without a snare," rapped Lauryn Hill in the song "How Many Mics." The word comes from similus, a Latin word meaning "the same." A simile is different from a metaphor, in which the comparison is less explicit, as in Shakespeare's line "All the world's a stage."

touchstone

Use the noun touchstone to describe a basis for comparison. For example, a filmmaker's touchstone might be her all-time favorite movie; she wants her movie to be that good or similar to it in some way.,Touchstone as it is defined today comes from an actual stone. In the late 15th century, gold and silver was rubbed, or touched against black quartz أ¢آ€آ" the touchstone أ¢آ€آ" to determine the purity of the metals. This was done by looking at the color of the streaks left on the stone. This is why a touchstone, in the figurative sense as it is used today, is a measuring tool.

treacle

Use the noun treacle to describe a book or a song that is so sweet and sappy that it makes you feel a little sick.,Treacle is literally a type of thick, sticky syrup أ¢آ€آ" that might help you remember its primary, figurative meaning as non-food thatأ¢آ€آ™s syrupy and sentimental. When someone lays on the flattery, that's treacle, as are overly sentimental music and calling your girlfriend "schmoopy-poo." Interestingly, the word treacle was originally used to mean "poison antidote," from the Greek root word thأ„آ"riakأ„آ", "antidote for venom."

Purvey

Use the verb purvey to describe the activities of businesses that supply things like food, like the bakery that purveys the best bread in the city.,Purvey, which rhymes with survey, is something that a restaurant or store does: offer us food or supplies that we pay for, like the airport shop that purveys books, magazines and other things that travelers need for their flights. A second meaning refers to spreading an idea أ¢آ€آ" like gossip أ¢آ€آ" usually to a large audience, like when someone purveys embarrassing details about your dating life. Ouch.

rally

Use the verb rally to describe that last push to finish a difficult something. When you hit that last mile in the race and are so tired you want to quit, that's when you rally, finding the strength to pick up the pace.,The verb rally is often used to describe a physical effort that has been renewed, but it can describe anything that involves bouncing back from a setback. For example, if something makes you feel disappointed, you rally to get your positive attitude back. Rally can also describe bringing people together, often to support a cause. The event itself is also called a rally, like pep rally in which students boost the confidence of their team as it heads into the championship game.

rhapsodize

Use the verb rhapsodize to refer to speaking with extreme enthusiasm أ¢آ€آ" and often at great length, like that friend who tends to rhapsodize about her favorite movie for twenty minutes straight.,To correctly pronounce rhapsodize, say "RAP-so-dies." A rhapsody is a conversation or speech that is elaborate and very emotional, so to rhapsodize is to speak that way. Someone with a tendency to rhapsodize gets carried away with the emotion of the topic. That's why when you rhapsodize you don't always notice that listeners stop listening if they don't share the same passion.

Stanch

Use the verb stanch to describe stopping a liquid from spreading. A bandage can stanch bleeding and thick towels can stanch the flow of water across the kitchen floor when you drop a full glass of water.,The vowel sound in stanch most frequently sounds like on: "stonch." Stanch can also be pronounced to rhyme with branch. Though it's a verb mostly commonly associated with keeping blood from flowing from a wound, the origin is likely the Latin word stagnum, meaning "pond, pool." This word is related to stagnate, describing water that has no movement.

tipple

Use the verb tipple when you want to show that someone drinks moderately but regularly. During Prohibition in the 1920s it was illegal to tipple but today you can tipple almost anywhere أ¢آ€آ" as long as you are 21.,As a noun, a tipple is an alcoholic drink. Your usual tipple may be a glass of wine with dinner, but at a summer barbecue your tipple may be beer. From tipple we also get the noun tippler أ¢آ€آ" a person who drinks regularly but moderately. Experts aren't sure where the word tipple comes from, but it may be from a Norwegian word, tipla, which means to drink slowly.

ragamuffin

Use the word ragamuffin to affectionately tease your friend who shows up late to brunch with messy hair, dark circles under her eyes, and her shirt on backwards. In essence, you are calling her a shabbily clad street urchin.,Now a generally playful and affectionate term indicating dishevelment, ragamuffin came into existence in the mid-14th century with a more punishing connotation. Derived in part from the word ragged, then used to refer to the devilأ¢آ€آ™s shaggy appearance, it has also historically been used to describe a lazy and worthless, or beggarly individual. Brewerأ¢آ€آ™s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable provides a helpful and quirky explanation for the word: أ¢آ€آœA muffin is a poor thing of a creature, a 'regular muff'; so that a ragamuffin is a sorry creature in rags.أ¢آ€آ‌

ruminant

Use the word ruminant for any cud-chewing animal, like a cow or a camel.,A ruminant is a mammal with hooves and a complicated system of stomach compartments whose digestion works by chewing partly digested food a second time in order to soften it. Cows, moose, giraffes, and goats are all ruminants. The Latin meaning of ruminant is literally "chewing over again" or "chewing the cud." A similar word is ruminate, which comes from the same root and means "think deeply about something."

sage

Use the word sage for someone or something wise and judicious. Thanks to the sage advice of your friend, you didn't write your teacher an angry e-mail!,Although you might think of a wizard when you hear the word sage, really it means a wise man. Today you see it used to refer to someone who has insight in a particular field. If someone is a policy sage, he knows just what advice to give politicians to make them understand the issue and respond successfully to it. In a totally unrelated use, there is also a plant called sage that is useful in home remedies and cooking.

scion

Use the word scion when talking about a young member of a family that is known to be wealthy, powerful or otherwise important, such as a prince, heiress or the children of, say, the President.,Scion sounds a little bit like son, which is helpful because it almost always means the son, daughter or descendant of a rich or prominent family. Its earliest examples were used to refer to the young shoots of larger, older plants. It's not surprising, then, that over the centuries its meaning has shifted to include the human offspring of certain well-established families. These days it's invariably used to talk about a person such as Prince William or, say, the late John F. Kennedy, Jr. أ¢آ€آ" both of whom are or were scions of their respective families.

vigilant

Use vigilant to describe someone who keeps awake and alert in order to avoid danger or problems. When taking the subway, be vigilant about your walletأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"always know where it is, or someone might steal it from you.,Vigilant descends from Latin vigilans, from vigilare "to be awake, watch," from vigil "awake, alert." If you stay awake all night, you're keeping watch or keeping a vigil. A vigilante (pronounced vij-uh-LAN-tee) is a person who acts outside the legal system to punish crime.

Veneration

Veneration is similar to worship or respect: we feel veneration for things and people we adore and are devoted to completely.,This is a strong word. The main meaning is for a type of religious zeal: if you unquestionably believe in your religion, then you feel and show veneration for your god and beliefs. Also, veneration can apply outside religion when you have enormous respect for something or someone. Great people like Martin Luther King or Mother Theresa inspire veneration. If you feel a combination of awe and love for someone, you are full of veneration.

vivisection

Vivisection means literally "to cut up something that's alive," and it's the term used for operating on live animals for scientific research. The word is usually used by people who oppose the practice.,You can see how the word would be an inflammatory way of describing experimentation on animals, as the root vivi-, meaning "alive," makes the practice sound all the more gruesome. Surgery on a (living) person would not be called vivisection. You can also use the word vivisection metaphorically, as you might write a review of a rap concert and perform a ruthless vivisection of the artist's rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."

vouchsafe

Vouchsafe is a verb meaning to offer something in a condescending way. You might vouchsafe to your brother the secret to your key lime pie recipe.,Because vouchsafe can mean making an offering in a gracious way, itأ¢آ€آ™s sometimes used in reference to religious acts أ¢آ€آ" you might vouchsafe your prayers unto God. Vouchsafe can also mean doing something in a condescending way, which makes it a word that's used in many of other contexts. For example, your fancy great aunt might vouchsafe to visit your dorm room. Vouchsafe comes from the Middle English expression أ¢آ€آœTo vouch something safe on someone,أ¢آ€آ‌ meaning you confer something in a way that's secure.

waggish

Waggish means that someone is humorous or witty أ¢آ€آ" the kind of person who'd keep you in stitches all night if you sat next to one at a party.,Despite the wag part of the word, waggish does not refer to the characteristic tail flick that our canine friends exhibit when they are happy to see us. Instead, waggish is an adjective and actually describes someone who is a wag أ¢آ€آ" the kind of hilarious person who keeps you entertained with witty stories and jokes.

wangle

Wangle means to get something through deception or devious coaxing, like the time you tried to wangle your way into a concert by pretending to be the singer's sister.,Wangle, which rhymes with tangle is similar in meaning to manipulate, although wangle has a more informal feel. The word's playful sound hints at its origin أ¢آ€آ" it came into English as slang. In the 1880s it was coined by British printers who used their skills to wangle, or fake, an image to look like something else. That tradition endures today with untrustworthy magazines that wangle photos of celebrities to deceive readers.

trek

Want to go on a trek through the mountains? Make sure you have good shoes, drinking water, and snacks. A trek is a long and difficult journey.,The word trek implies an extended trip that is hard أ¢آ€آ" a climb up a mountain or a journey through dense forests. In the movies and TV shows called "Star Trek," the crew of the Enterprise is on a journey through space that will last a long time. You wouldn't say that you took a trek to the corner grocery unless you had to fight through three feet of snow to get there.

seminary

What do ministers, priests, rabbis, and children have in common? They all might attend a school that has the word seminary in its name. A seminary is a school, especially one where people train to be religious leaders.,Seminary comes from the Latin word seminarium, meaning "plant nursery," which can be interpreted as, "breeding ground." Like a greenhouse that provides ideal conditions for seeds to grow into hearty plants, a seminary was first a place for young men to become priests. Seminary typically describes religious institutions but it can apply to nonreligious schools as well.

seedy

When a place is seedy, it's sleazy, run-down أ¢آ€آ" not the kind of place you'd take your mom. The East Village of New York was once known for being seedy, but now it's safe for children of all ages.,It's a mystery how the word seedy came to mean darkly rundown, slummy, and seamy, but it probably came from the appearance of flowers after they've shed their seeds. That's when they start to lose their color and eventually die. You'll find seedy used to describe places like dive bars, brothels, and those sections of town where dealers ply their drugs. Certain writers, such as Dennis Cooper and even Charles Dickens, are fascinated by the seedy underbelly of life in big cities, in scenes populated by wretched people and other outcasts.

rigor

When a school boasts of its academic rigor, it means its students learn a lot and work really hard. Rigor means thoroughness and exhaustivenessأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"the gold standard for a good teacher.,You may have heard of "rigor mortis"أ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"which is a medical term describing the stiffness of a body after death. Rigor used to mean stiffness outside of the corpse context, i.e., sternness. The word changes meaning along with our changing standards for what we want teachers to be.

volley

When an attacking army lets loose a barrage of bullets all at once, it's called a volley.,A volley of bullets, arrows, or rocks describes a large number of them being shot or thrown simultaneously. Another meaning of the noun volley involves just one projectile: a returned tennis ball, usually one that hasn't hit the ground before being smacked by a racket. The military meaning of volley has been around since the 1500's, while the sports meaning didn't arise until the late 1800's. The root word is the Latin volare, "to fly."

STASIS

When nothing's happening, that's stasis. A town government might be stuck in a period of stasis, unable to come to a decision about a controversial issue.,Sometimes opposing forces are equal in power, and since neither is stronger than the other, the result is a state where neither can gain any headway. This state is called stasis, and it is basically a stoppage of movement. In medicine, stasis describes the stopping of any bodily fluids from flowing, usually by an obstruction. The same idea is seen in literary stasis, where there is no forward movement in a story.

vegetate

When plants vegetate, they spread. When people vegetate, they relax. After a long day, if you want to vegetate or exert no effort in your body or mind, try sitting in front of the TV for hours.,The word vegetate has opposite meanings depending on whether you're talking about plants or people. When vegetables vegetate, they proliferate or spread really quickly. When a person vegetates, he remains completely idle. A person in a vegetative state is not able to function, only to vegetate or remain completely inactive.

remunerative

When something is remunerative, it means people get paid for it. Your job is remunerative, and if your research into new farming methods leads to a big government contract, then that also could be called remunerative.,Remunerative can also mean that something generates a lot of money, like the remunerative ice cream truck that appears at the park entrance on the hottest days of summer. In Latin, munus and muner- mean "gift." Re- means "again," emphasizing that the reward keeps coming, whether it is a weekly paycheck or something that continues to generate sales, like the ice cream truck.

sanguinary

When something is sanguinary it involves a lot of blood or, at least, the pursuit of blood. Vampire movies are sanguinary: Romper Room is not.,If you're familiar with French, then you'll recognize the French word for "blood," sang, in sanguinary. And if you do, then you'll have no trouble remembering the meaning, "having a bloodthirsty quality." Movies have become increasingly sanguinary. Why all the blood and gore? What happened to good old-fashioned suspense?

spectral

When something is spectral, it has a ghostlike quality; it seems to vanish or disappear. You may have heard of ghosts referred to as "specters": that means that they're spectral.,You may recognize the spect part of the adjective spectral from words like "spectacle," "spectrum," and "spectacular." All of these words share a similar meaning, which comes from the Latin verb specere, "look at, view." When something is spectral, think of it as something you can see but not touch أ¢آ€آ" though it won't always mean that literally. The young model was so skinny she had a spectral quality: she almost seemed to disappear.

rebuttal

When two people debate, one of them makes an argument, and the other follows with a rebuttal, which, plainly put, is the "no, you're wrong and this is why" argument.,We often associate rebuttals with arguments made in the courtroom or public debates that occur around election time, but the word can really apply to any situation in which an argument is put forth and someone disagrees, and explains why. Sports fans, for instance, like to argue about the likely winner of an upcoming game and when you make a case for why your friend is wrong, you are offering a rebuttal of his argument.

sluggish

When you are feeling draggy أ¢آ€آ" positively slug-like أ¢آ€آ" you are sluggish, or slow. If cookie sales are sluggish at your bake sale, you are selling very few treats.,Just about anything can be sluggish. An old computer that takes forever to load a piece of software is sluggish, as is a car that can't quite make it up a big hill. And who isn't sluggish in the morning before the first cup of coffee?! Picture a slug moving its heavy little body across a basketball court... Still going? Yes. It will take that slug forever to get to the foul line at the sluggish pace it's moving.

volition

When you do something voluntarily, you do it of your own volition, or will. Doing something willingly, or because you agree to it, is doing something of your own volition.,Volition comes from Latin and French roots meaning "wish" or "will." Legal speech and writing often include the word volition, as a way to affirm that a person involved in a crime acted "on their own volition," or consented to be part of the crime. Maybe criminals don't wish to go to jail, but their acts often show their volition to break the law.

stench

When you pass a dump, you might hold your nose and say, "Oh, I can't handle the stench." A stench is a bad smell.,Stench can also be used metaphorically. If it is discovered that many members of a police force have been taking money from mob bosses so that they can continue their life of crime, a new chief may be brought in to remove the stench of corruption from the office. In either sense, stench is the kind of smell that takes work to get rid of.

sow

When you plant seeds in the ground, you sow them. You can also sow things like doubts or ideas, simply by spreading them around. If your ideas (or your seeds) develop and grow, you've successfully sown them.,The verb sow is pronounced completely differently from the noun sow, which means "a female pig." When you sow flower seeds, it rhymes with "go." When you admire an enormous, muddy sow in a pig pen, it rhymes with "cow." When two words are spelled the same but sound different, they're called heteronyms.

pulverize

When you pulverize something, you break it up until it becomes dust or powder. You might pulverize coffee beans in grinder, running it until the coffee turns to powder.,Pulvis is the Latin word for "dust." When something is turned into dust, often it becomes useless. That's why pulverize can also mean "to destroy or demolish." Construction crews pulverize a building using wrecking balls and sometimes even explosives. The materials left behind are broken into such small parts that they can't be salvaged for other uses.

ransack

When you ransack, you rifle through things, steal some of them, and leave a huge mess behind. If neighborhood dogs got into a cupcake shop, they would probably ransack it.,You can use the verb ransack to describe a careful search أ¢آ€آ" you might ransack your backpack looking for your car keys, for example. Marauding armies, feral cats, burglars, and other troublemakers are often described as ransacking towns, rooms, gardens, or shops, especially if they take things and leave disarray in their wake. The word ransack comes from the Old Norse rannsaka, which has a similar meaning but is literally "search the house."

ration

When you ration your supplies, you dole them out a little at a time. A ration is also a wartime military meal, or the portion of food that someone is allowed in times of scarcity.,A ration is the fixed portion of food or other goods allowed to each person in times of shortages. In the military, a soldierأ¢آ€آ™s meal is called a ration, especially if itأ¢آ€آ™s portable. As a verb, to ration something is to allow each person to have only a specific amount. During times of war many things have been rationed: gas, rubber, luxury items, and food. If you are diabetic you need to strictly ration your sugar intake.

reinstate

When you reinstate someone, you return that person to a position or job. A principal might reinstate a laid off teacher when the school starts hiring again.,Bosses can reinstate employees, countries can reinstate kings and queens, and governments can reinstate, or bring back, old laws. For example, during times of war the United States could very well reinstate the draft, which is not currently a law but has been in the past. Although it's not as common as reinstate, the word instate, from which it comes, means "to put someone in a certain state or condition."

rig

When you rig something, you connect parts in a way that's so crazy it just might work. You could rig your jeans by using a paper clip to replace a button that pops.,Rig can also describe deceiving people to achieve a certain outcome. Voting multiple times, purposely miscounting the number of votes a person received, even throwing out certain people's votes: these are all ways to rig an election. Outraged people say, "The election was fixed!" This doesn't mean it was repaired; it means it was rigged أ¢آ€آ" fraud played a role in the outcome.

rip

When you rip something, you tear it quickly or forcefully. It's almost always better to rip off a Band-Aid than to peel it off slowly.,You can rip a piece of paper in half, or rip a hole in the roof of your tent. When you tear, split, or pull something apart, you rip it. You can also rip figuratively أ¢آ€آ" like when your move to a new city rips you apart from your best friend. A rip off is a bad deal or a swindle, a phrase that's been popular since about 1970, although rip meaning "steal" was used as prison slang much earlier.

scavenge

When you scavenge, you pick through discarded things looking for whatever is salvageable and can be reused. If you're looking for a replacement part for a vintage car, you might scavenge at the dump for a suitable part.,If you're a freegan you've embraced the idea of trying to live for free, recycling and reusing what others have discarded, leaving a small footprint on the planet. Youأ¢آ€آ™re on the lookout for good places to scavenge, such as the dumpster behind a busy supermarket, where you might find edible food, or the trash bins at clothing stores, where wearable clothing is tossed out. Vultures, hyenas, and other animals that feed on carrion أ¢آ€آ" dead animals أ¢آ€آ" also scavenge.

scowl

When you scowl you make an angry face. The angry face you make is also called a scowl. Lighten up.,Scowl is an expressive word: it shares "ow" with frown, and if you say it like you mean it you might end up scowling yourself. Being scowled at is more unsettling than being frowned at. A scowl is like an angry frown you would give someone if you disapproved of them. A frown expresses sadness, but a scowl expresses disdain.

scuttle

When you scuttle, you move with quick anxious steps, like a bug running for cover when a light is turned on.,Use the word scuttle when you want to describe running or fast walking thatأ¢آ€آ™s characterized by short, hasty steps, like someone or something that tries to hurry أ¢آ€آ" a person who is late for work scuttling through a crowd of slow-moving pedestrians أ¢آ€آ" but can't. It is also found in these well-known lines from T.S. Eliot's poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock": "I should have been a pair of ragged claws / Scuttling across the floors of silent seas."

shimmer

When you shimmer you shine, although sometimes quite weakly.,A shimmer is small and sometimes weak, and in danger of going out, but it's there all the same and often beautiful. You know how silk catches the light and shines in lovely ways? That's a shimmer. How about when you feel like it's the end of the world but there's a little piece of you that believes things are going to get better? That's a shimmer of hope. Or when you open a door to a dark room and the light from the hall falls into the darkness? That's a shimmer of light.

simulate

When you simulate something you imitate it. Hollywood makeup artists can use pencils and gray wigs to simulate old age in a young actor. It can also mean to modelأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"a computer can simulate disaster scenarios in cities.,If you really admire someone's calm-under-pressure attitude, you may try to simulate their demeanor. When opening a present, it's polite to simulate surprise and excitement about the gift item, even if you already have it or it is ugly as dirt. Don't try to simulate your parents' signatures on excuse cards, thoughأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"signatures are unique to individualsأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"impossible to simulate perfectly.

slink

When you slink, you move in a deliberately quiet and sneaky way. You might slink into your physics class, hoping the teacher won't notice how late you are.,Kids playing hide and seek will sometimes slink around the house, quietly searching for good hiding spots, and wild animals tend to slink through the woods or fields when they're stalking prey or trying to avoid becoming prey themselves. Slink comes from the Old English word slincan, "to creep or crawl," which was mostly used to describe the movements of reptiles.

slough

When you slough, you get rid of the rough. To slough is to remove an outer layer, like filing dry skin from feet. You can slough away emotions too, like the heebie-jeebies you get thinking about dead skin from people's feet. Ew.,Slough rhymes with "rough." It doesn't sound as though it'll give you a beautiful result, but when you slough away old skin, new skin appears. Snakes shed or slough off their skins as they grow and get rid of icky cells, and humans do the same, though fortunately we don't slough off one big skin as snakes do. Maybe it's best to slough off that mental image with a nicer one.

snuffle

When you snuffle you breathe in a sniffly, stuffed-up way through your nose. People are most likely to snuffle when they're crying or have a bad cold.,For some people, spring means warmer weather and pretty flowers, but for others it means their allergies make them snuffle and sneeze continuously. When you see a sad movie in a theater, you'll probably hear people snuffle all around you أ¢آ€آ" and if you visit the zoo or a farm, you can watch animals snuffle, or sniff at things. The Old English version of snuffle is snofl, "phlegm or mucus."

spin

When you spin, you whirl around in a circle. Many kids love to spin on a merry-go-round.,You can spin in a happy circle, and you can describe this movement as a spin. Another way to use the word spin is for a deliberate twisting of information, especially when it's done by politicians. A candidate might spin a news report to make herself look more appealing, for example, or spin bad news to make it appear good. This meaning of spin is relatively new, not being used much until the mid-1980's.

stamp

When you stamp, you step hard, either on the ground or on some object. If you're terrified of bugs, you might be tempted to stamp on a big, weird looking beetle.,You can stamp your foot when you're angry, or stamp out a small campfire after you've finished toasting marshmallows. Another way to stamp is to apply a mark or pattern to something أ¢آ€آ" you might stamp your classmates' hands with ink as they enter the school dance, or stamp your return address onto an envelope. Stamp comes from Middle English, with a Germanic root أ¢آ€آ" it's closely related to the German word stampfen, or "stamp with the foot."

strew

When you strew something, you scatter it all over the place. At a wedding, for example, the flower child's job is to strew the path with petals.,One of the scariest parts of "The Wizard of Oz" is when the winged monkeys pounce on the Scarecrow and strew his insides all over the forest floor. It's a tricky word, because it sounds the same in the present as it does in the past. The monkeys strew the straw then and might strew it now: in any case, the straw will be strewn all over. After the clambake, the beach was strewn with empty shells and beer bottles. After strewing all that stuff, they forgot to clean up.

substantive

When you talk about substantive change, you mean change that really makes a difference. After a substantive discussion, you will have an in-depth understanding of what you are talking about.,When something is substantive, there is a lot of there there, be it meaning or volume of things. The word brings a serious tone. While it is often used to talk about problems and their solutions, a big steak dinner could be called substantive as could a very long piece of writing. In any case, you use it when there is a lot of substance involved.

rotundity

When you talk about the rotundity, or roundness, of a voice, you're talking about how full-bodied and easily heard it is. The rotundity of a person is how round they are in the belly. Any 3D object that has a roundness to it can be described in terms of its rotundity.,The word rotundity comes from the Latin rotundus meaning "round, circular, wheel-like." A rotunda is a circular building with a dome over it. The rotundity or roundness of its structure is what gives it its name. The rotundity of an opera singer's voice is what allows her song to carry and fill a room. The rotundity of Santa Claus' belly is part of what makes him the jolly character we love so much.

tantalize

When you tantalize people, you torment them in a specific way أ¢آ€آ" by showing them something they want but canأ¢آ€آ™t have. You could tantalize people with cavities and nut allergies by eating pecan pie in front of them.,The word tantalize comes from a Greek story about a guy named Tantulus who was so evil that the gods of the underworld came up with a special punishment just for him (they were really good at that). They put him in a pool of water that drained away every time he bent down to drink. There was also a tree above his head that whisked away its juicy apples every time he tried to pick one. So, it only makes sense that to tantalize someone is to torture them with what they cannot have.

thrash

When you thrash someone, you beat them أ¢آ€آ" literally, with your fists, or figuratively, by winning a game or competition.,You can describe your game plan for a chess match this way: "I plan to thrash that show-off in just ten moves." You can also threaten to physically thrash someone, like a neighborhood bully who's been known to thrash much smaller kids. Thrash was originally a sixteenth-century variation on the word thresh, which means to separate grain from wheat or another plant by beating it.

tread

When you tread on the earth, you walk on it. The next time your pal thinks you have it too easy, you might ask him, أ¢آ€آœWhy donأ¢آ€آ™t you tread in my shoes for a day?أ¢آ€آ‌,Tread usually implies stepping with force, but it can also simply mean placing your feet, one after the other, on the ground. You might try to tread lightly on the moss in the backyard so you don't damage it. Tread is also a noun that means the mark that a tire leaves on the ground, or the actual grooves on the tire. You might be relieved that the tread marks at the crime scene didn't match your brother's truck after all.

waylay

When you waylay someone, you stop them from doing what they were going to do, either by using violence or some other tactic.,To waylay, or to be waylaid, is usually not a good thing: Mom would not be proud. Robbers waylay their victims. Outlaws waylaid stagecoaches in the Old West. The verb's origin, from wegelage, means "lying in wait, with evil or hostile intent." You might also use waylay to show someone being interrupted from finishing the task at hand: "I shouldأ¢آ€آ™ve been studying, but was waylaid by my friend's invitation to go bungee jumping."

whine

When you whine, you complain in a pitiful, annoying way. Your younger sister will whine if your piece of cake is bigger than hers.,Whine is both a noun and a verb. The verb means "to complain bitterly." Kids tend to cry or even yell when they whine, though most adults settle for constant griping and an unwillingness to let it go already. "Poor me" and "It isn't fair" أ¢آ€آ" these are common whines. Whine can describe a high-pitched, screeching noise, like the squeak made by an old, broken machine.

uncouth

When you're at a fancy dinner party, if you burp after you eat, use your fingers to spread butter on your bread, and hang spoons from your nose, people will probably say you are uncouth, meaning vulgar and ill-mannered.,The adjective uncouth comes from Old English and it meant "unfamiliar or not well known." As the meaning developed, the word came to mean "rude, vulgar, or lacking refinement." Interestingly, the word uncouth came first and its antonym, couth, was developed to describe someone who is cultured, polished, and sophisticated. Although couth gets an entry in the dictionary, you will still hear the word uncouth used far more often.

termination

Whether it refers to getting fired from a job, a contract running out, or the assassination of a deep-cover spy, termination is "the end of the line.",You may be familiar with a certain time-traveling cyborg assassin, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. His character was a "terminator," in a movie of the same name, and his goal was the termination of Sarah Connor. Lucky for Sarah, and the supposed future of our planet, the termination was unsuccessful. In the real world, you're more likely to see the word termination used when a contract, program, or job comes to an end, unexpectedly or as planned.

progenitor

While any ancestor can be a progenitor, or previous member of a family line, the word is usually applied to someone who was an originator of or major contributor to the characteristics of that line.,The word progenitor can be traced to the Latin prأ...آچgignere, which means "to beget," and so is linked to the beginning of a genealogical line. The clue comes in the "gen" part, meaning "birth, procreation," and signifying the genetic contribution of an ancestor to a family line. Prأ...آچ- means "forward," and the -tor suffix indicates someone doing an action أ¢آ€آ" so a progenitor is someone who gives rise to a family line.

revert

While revert means to return to something earlier or to go back, it's often used wrongly in combination. If you're buying the older version of the game, you might say you're "reverting back," which is like saying "go back back.",Revert has been around since the early 14th century, and it has changed little in meaning from the original "turn back" and "return." You can revert to a simpler way of life or revert to bad behavior. Software users might revert to an older version of a program with fewer bugs. Though rare in modern use, some international English speakers do use "revert back" for "reply" in writing and e-mail, but most of the time, using revert with "back" is redundant, or repetitive.

Supine

You can be described as supine when you're lying face up أ¢آ€آ" for example, your favorite yoga poses might be the supine ones. Someone who is very passive or lethargic could also be called supine أ¢آ€آ" for instance, someone might be supine in the face of continuous threats and insults.,The adjective supine comes from a Latin word, supinus, which means أ¢آ€آœthrown backwardsأ¢آ€آ‌ or أ¢آ€آœinactive.أ¢آ€آ‌ Whenever a person or animal is lying on its back, belly-up, it is supine. When your hand is open, palm-up, it is also supine. Supine can even describe a person who gives insufficient resistance, or who is lazy and ineffectual. "When Jack refused to object to the landlordأ¢آ€آ™s repeated أ¢آ€آ" and gouging أ¢آ€آ" rent increases, he was supine."

supine

You can be described as supine when you're lying face up أ¢آ€آ" for example, your favorite yoga poses might be the supine ones. Someone who is very passive or lethargic could also be called supine أ¢آ€آ" for instance, someone might be supine in the face of continuous threats and insults.,The adjective supine comes from a Latin word, supinus, which means أ¢آ€آœthrown backwardsأ¢آ€آ‌ or أ¢آ€آœinactive.أ¢آ€آ‌ Whenever a person or animal is lying on its back, belly-up, it is supine. When your hand is open, palm-up, it is also supine. Supine can even describe a person who gives insufficient resistance, or who is lazy and ineffectual. "When Jack refused to object to the landlordأ¢آ€آ™s repeated أ¢آ€آ" and gouging أ¢آ€آ" rent increases, he was supine."

Sere

You can describe something that is dried up, withered, or without moisture with the adjective sere. The desert climate, for example, is sere, as is your skin after a day in the wind.,Sereأ¢آ€آ™s shriveled and withered meaning crops up in things like Shakespeare's Macbeth ("My way of life Is fallأ¢آ€آ™n into the sere, the yellow leaf;" 5:III), or in archaic references to Sere-month (August), but it isn't frequently used in modern conversation. The variant spelling of sere is sear, which has other meanings that see more modern use.

serpentine

You can use the adjective serpentine to describe things that look like a serpent or are snakelike. Looking down at the carved riverbeds in the Grand Canyon is like looking into a basket of snakes: the serpentine twists curve throughout the canyon floor.,Not everyone likes snakes, but those who arenأ¢آ€آ™t grossed out by the highly flexible bodies of serpents might enjoy using the word serpentine for things that resemble their snaky, curvy lines. Strands of hair, cracks in dry desert, and roller-coaster rides can look serpentine, and you might tangle with a serpentine hose while minding your own business and watering the plants. Sometimes serpentine even describes people who are snakelike or slippery in character.

siren

You know that loud wailing sound coming up the highway behind you? That's the siren on the police car racing along, lights flashing, chasing a speeder (not you, of course).,The word comes from the Sirens in ancient Greek mythology, the women whose beautiful singing lures sailors to wreck their ships on the rocks. Remember Odysseus, in The Odyssey of Homer? He had his crew plug their ears and then tie him to the mast, so that he could hear the Siren song but not be destroyed by it. Most women won't mind if you call them a siren أ¢آ€آ" meaning they're dangerously beautiful. Who'd object to that?

putrid

You know that science experiment that used to be lunch that is now rotting in the back of your fridge? Because it's decomposing and stinks to high heaven, you can call it putrid.,The adjective putrid describes something that is rotting and has a foul odor, but it can also describe anything that is totally objectionable or exceptionally terrible. Something that is morally corrupt or evil can also be described with putrid: "The putrid politician took kickbacks for his vote at work and cheated on his wife at home."

quay

You know that wharf on the bank of the river where all the boats park? It's not an aqua parking lot. It's called a quay.,When you visit France and take a walk beside the wharves where boats dock and unload passengers, you can say you've been strolling along the quays of the Seine. The English spelling of this word was originally key, and that's one way to pronounce it even today, an alternative to "qway." Quay comes from the Old North French cai, "sand bank."

vulpine

You may encounter a vulpine smile, a vulpine movie director, or a vulpine laugh أ¢آ€آ" whatever it is, be on guard. The word vulpine describes something that is crafty like a fox.,The word vulpine traces back to the word vulpes, the Latin word for أ¢آ€آœfox,أ¢آ€آ‌ and the word can be used literally to describe something directly related to a fox. Nowadays, however, youأ¢آ€آ™re more likely to hear it used to describe something that has the characteristics of a fox. Many cultures associate the fox with cunning and shrewdness, and the word vulpine has come to be used to describe something that has a crafty, intelligent, slightly predatory quality.

putative

You might be the putative leader of your lacrosse team, even if someone else holds the title of captain. Putative means to be known as something by reputation, or assumed to be something, or generally accepted.,Every once in a while, a putative planet is reported in the news, which we get very excited about and which usually turns out to be an illusion. But in 2005, an astronomer discovered what appears to be a new planet beyond Neptune. But is this putative planet for real? There is always some doubtأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"something not quite officialأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"about putative things.

unctuous

You might know the idea of the adjective unctuous by other words like "oily," "smarmy," or overly "flattering." When a person is unctuous, you can't trust their kindness, because they usually want something in return.,Interestingly, unctuous is derived from the Latin unctus which means "anointed with oil," which is where the "oily" connotation comes from. Unctuous and "oily" are synonyms that both suggest that someone is trying to butter you up; they're being nice, because they're hoping you'll give them what they want. Talk-show hosts, used-car salesmen, people who want your job: all of these are people we think of (rightly or wrongly) as being unctuous. Being an unctuous jerk, he gave me a gift, hoping I'd give him a record deal.

Waffle

You might think of a waffle as a grid-patterned pancake-like food that's tasty with syrup, and you'd be right. But the word is also a verb that means to avoid making a definitive decision.,The verb waffle seems to have its origins in the 1690s as the word waff, "to yelp," possibly in imitation of the yelping of dogs. The word soon came to mean "to talk foolishly" and then eventually "to vacillate, to change." The food term waffle, as part of "waffle iron," appeared in 1794, a descendant of the Dutch word wafel, which comes from the same Germanic source as weave: it's easy to see the waffle pattern as similar to a woven fabric.

spat

You probably recognize the word spat from the phrase "lover's spat," which describes a minor squabble between a couple. The spat is usually over something as silly as which partner has to do the laundry, and the relationship usually recovers quickly, with no long-term harm done.,For the purposes of this definition, the noun spat refers to a minor argument or mild bickering. That is the definition by which spat is probably best known, but the word has other meanings. Depending on how you use spat, it can be the past participle of spit, the short piece of leather men wore over their shoes in the old days, or an oyster that hasn't quite reached its prime.

reciprocate

You reciprocate when you return a favor, return a compliment, or respond "the same to you" to the angry guy in the car you just passed. In short, you react to an action, statement, or emotion by mirroring it.,This one comes from the Latin verb reciprocare, meaning to move back and forth. Its root makes it sound as if reciprocate implies only a physical action, but it's also used for the less tangible. If you fail to pay the rent, your landlord might reciprocate by evicting you. If your crush acts like he doesn't know you exist when you pass him in the halls, it's probably safe to say he does not reciprocate your amorous feelings.

virile

You'll often hear the word virile referring to a manly, powerful man, because the word means having physical strength and other typical masculine qualities.,When you think of a virile man, you imagine a tough, strong guy who's full of energy, vigor, and sexual potency. He's definitely not a wimp. Men admire him and women want to be with him. Superman is one guy who could easily be described as virile. The Man of Steel, with his muscles rippling under the "S" emblazoned on his costume, has superhuman strength and charm. That's why Lois Lane can't keep her eyes أ¢آ€آ" and hands أ¢آ€آ" off him.

rostrum

You've probably listened to speakers who stood on a raised platform, or watched the winners in sports competitions step up onto a platform to accept their awards. The platform they're standing on is called a rostrum.,Rostrum, originally "animal snout or bird's beak" in Latin, has a back-and-forth history. The word came to be used for the battering beak at a warshipأ¢آ€آ™s bow. The ancient Romans used beaks from captured ships to decorate a platform from which orators could speak, called the rostra, the plural of rostrum. In the mid-17th century, rostrum came to mean a platform for speeches, performances, or receiving awards. By the way, the plural of rostrum is still rostra.

quietude

Your mother has probably more than once asked you for quietude even if she hasn't used the word. Quietude means a state of peace and quiet. It goes hand in hand with solitude.,Quietude is a word that is used less and less, as we seem to have less time and space for it. A park used to be a good place to find quietude, but with cell phones, you're likely to begin chatting even when no one else is around. If you really want quietude, you might try a library, or a chapel. Meditation can be used to bring you a moment of quietude wherever you are. Try it now. Ohhhmmm. Ohhhmmm. Ohhhmmm.

ulcer

A canker sore is a common form of ulcer or open sore. An ulcer can be on an external surface like the mouth or an internal surface, like the stomach. They are caused by a break in skin or mucus membrane that won't heal.,Ulcer comes from the Greek elkos meaning "wound." An ulcer is a wound or lesion that is inflamed and painful. Ulcers are commonly found in the stomach where they are called peptic ulcers. They are caused by a bacteria in the intestinal tract or an overuse of drugs that disturbs the lining of the digestive tract. An ulcer is very acidic and painful. I hope you don't get one.

tawny

A color adjective, tawny describes something that is a mix of yellow, orange, and brown colors. A lion has a beautiful tawny coat.,Tawny comes from the Anglo-Norman word, taune, which means tanned. Although you might think first of sun tans, which do indeed produce tawny colors in light-skinned people (as long as they don't go straight to lobster red), tan first meant the bark of an oak tree, used to cure leather. It's from the look of tanned leather that we get skin tans and the word tawny.

refectory

A fancy word for a dining hall, or a place for communal meals, is a refectory. It is usually used to describe a dining hall in a religious institution, like where monks eat together.,The word refectory comes from the Latin word reficere which means "to restore, renew." A meal together is a great way of restoring unity to a group. Nothing renews community like a great dinner, and the conversation that occurs around it. Lunch in your school's refectory? Maybe not so much.

satrap

A governor of an ancient Persian province was called a satrap. These areas ruled by satraps were called "satrapies.",The Persian emperor Cyrus the Great first chose satraps to rule individual provinces, around 530 BCE. Each satrap controlled a specific amount of land, collecting taxes and maintaining law and order. The word satrap continued to be used in various places, including India and East Asia, to refer to local rulers. The word comes from the Latin satrapes, with the Old Persian root xأ...آ،athrapavan, "guardian of the realm," from xأ...آ،athra-, "realm," and pavan-, "guardian."

tryst

A meeting is when people get together for any reason. But when they are sneaking to meet, notably as secret lovers, it's called a tryst.,The origin of the word tryst comes from Middle English, and originally referred to a designated hunting station. Today it has come to refer to mainly romantic meetings, often with a secretive feel to it. (That's appropriate أ¢آ€آ" arenأ¢آ€آ™t we all hunting for love?) The word tryst might also suggest a hint of danger or intrigue. Perhaps the most romantic tryst in literature was the meeting between Romeo and Juliet أ¢آ€آ" and just look where they ended up!

Stupor

A person in a stupor is considered barely conscious or stunned; or, if you consult Led Zeppelin lyrics: dazed and confused.,Stupors can be brought on by drugs, alcohol, illness, or shocking news. You might doze off with a lampshade on your head if youأ¢آ€آ™re in a drunken stupor. Medically speaking, a person in this state responds only to pain. You can also be in a stupor if youأ¢آ€آ™re in shock, like if your boss says he's replacing you with a robot, or if Mister Ed the talking horse kicks you in the gut. Like stupid, it comes from the Latin word stupere that means basically أ¢آ€آœto be stunned.أ¢آ€آ‌

reputed

A person of great or fine repute is someone who's widely known and highly respected. The word has a stuffy feel, so you're better off describing a cellist as being of great repute than, say, a rapper or comedian.,Like the words reputation and putative, repute comes from the Latin word putare, which means "consider." And the re? Let's say that the cellist Yo-Yo Ma is widely respected. That means a lot of people consider him to be great. He's considered great not just once but again (and again and again).

teleology

A philosophy of teleology sees purpose in ends rather than stated causes, making the outcome the actual, or "final" cause. When you see things in terms of teleology, you explain actions by their results.,We can trace the origin of teleology to the Greeks: to teleos, meaning "complete," and its root telos, meaning "result." Then we add the suffix -logy, which means "logic," or "reason." The philosophy itself suggests that acts are done with a foregone purpose in mind أ¢آ€آ" people do things knowing the result they wish to achieve. As Aristotle said, "Nature does nothing in vain." So far, there's no teleology to explain why you haven't left the couch for several hours.

projectile

A projectile is a type of weapon that is propelled towards its target. If you shoot a gun at someone, the bullet is a projectile, but the gun itself is not.,When projectile refers to a weapon, it is always propelled by something else. Think of the bullet in a gun or a spear thrown by a person. A rocket, which is self-propelled, is also called a projectile. As an adjective, projectile means "propelled forward" as in a projectile force or weapon. Sometimes you see the expression, projectile vomiting, a particularly violent way to throw up.

protuberance

A protuberance is something that sticks out, like a swelling or a lump or a bunion on your foot. A protuberance doesnأ¢آ€آ™t have to be hideous; it could be your nose on your face or a knot on a tree.,The late Latin word prأ...آچtأ...آ«berأ„آپre meant "to swell," coming from the prefix pro, which means "forward," and the root word tأ...آ«ber, meaning "swelling." And "root word" is appropriate here, since a tuber is a thick, fleshy part of a root, like a potato. And that should help you remember how to spell the word protuberance. Don't you love it when a word's meaning and its spelling work together?

protege

A protأƒآ©gأƒآ© is a person who receives special protection and promotion from someone more established in a field. If your boss introduces you as his newest protأƒآ©gأƒآ©, you're off to a good start in your career.,Essentially, a protأƒآ©gأƒآ© is a teacherأ¢آ€آ™s pet, someone who is given special status or favors. Often, the word is used for someone who has special standout talent and is taken up as an upcoming star or powerhouse. The wordأ¢آ€آ™s original associations, however, have nothing to do with talent and everything to do with how a person treats the protأƒآ©gأƒآ© أ¢آ€آ" the source of the word means أ¢آ€آœprotection.أ¢آ€آ‌

proviso

A proviso is something added to a document or agreement that details the terms. You might agree to buy a used car with a proviso that the fuzzy steering-wheel cover is included as part of the sale.,Proviso looks a lot like the words "provide" and "provision," and it goes back to the Latin verb providأ„آ"re, "foresee, provide." Proviso often implies that there are conditions to getting something, as when you agree to take your younger brother to the movies with you, provided أ¢آ€آ" with the proviso أ¢آ€آ" that you get popcorn and an 82-ounce soft drink. Most parents would agree, with the proviso that the drink be no more than 20 ounces. Agreed?

pseudonym

A pseudonym is a name that someone, often a writer, uses instead of their real name. The real name of Dr. Seuss was Theodore Seuss Geisel. Mark Twain was a pseudonym for the writer Samuel Clemens.,A near synonym of pseudonym is pen name. Similarly, an allonym is the name of an important person in history that is taken by a writer as a pseudonym. Some of Shakespeare's plays might have been written by other writers using an allonym. If an actor uses a fake name, it is usually called a stage name. And there's no fancy work for nicknameأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"it's just what your family and friends call you.

purveyor

A purveyor is someone who supplies goods أ¢آ€آ" often food or drinks. If you're a seafood purveyor, you will always smell a bit fishy أ¢آ€آ" which is no surprise, considering that you sell cod and haddock all day long.,A purveyor can be someone who provides food or drinks, as in the popcorn purveyor who walks up and down through the stands of a baseball game trying to peddle his salty treats. When you go to the circus you will see clowns, who are purveyors of silliness because of their repertoire of fun and hilarious stunts.

Quartet

A quartet is a musical group with four members. If you play the viola, you might form a string quartet with two violinists and a cellist.,You can use the noun quartet to describe your four-person singing group, and you can also use it to talk about the piece of music you're performing, if it's written specifically for four voices or instruments. The word quartet comes from the Italian quarto, or "fourth," which in turn has it roots in the Latin quartus, also meaning "fourth."

query

A query is a question, or the search for a piece of information.,The Latin root quaere means "to ask" and it's the basis of the words inquiry, question, quest, request, and query. Query often fits the bill when referring to Internet searches, polite professional discourse, and subtle pleas. You could query as to the whereabouts of the lavatory, but you'd sound a bit prim and be better off asking "Where's the toilet?" If your job entails dealing with annoying questions and complaints, you could make it sound better by proclaiming, "I respond to customer queries."

poltroon

A poltroon is a coward. Poltroons have a lack of courage and fortitude.,Poltroon is an old-fashioned word for a type of person that exists in every time period: a coward. If you behave in a way that shows no courage or confidence, you're acting like a poltroon. In movies, the villains are often poltroons who are sneaky and devious instead of brave and straightforward. A hero is the opposite of a poltroon. Poltroons can be described as craven and abject, but most of all, cowardly.

psychiatrist

A psychiatrist is a doctor who specializes in emotional, behavioral, or mental disorders. Sigmund Freud is the founder of the field of psychiatry, pioneering psychoanalytic treatment.,The noun psychiatrist has Greek roots in psykhe, meaning mind, and iatreia, meaning healing, so the word psychiatrist is literally one who heals the mind. As opposed to a psychologist, who also offers psychotherapy, a psychiatrist is a medical doctor and, as such, can prescribe medication for things like depression and anxiety.

quorum

A quorum is not necessarily a majority of members of a group, but the minimum needed in order to conduct business. For example, if two members of a group are absent, there can still be a quorum, meaning the meeting can go on without them.,The noun quorum is plural of qui in Latin, meaning "of whom." The first quorum was an eminent group of justices of the peace. The word quorum was used in the commission papers that gave them the authority to act. Over time the current meaning, the minimum number needed to conduct business, was added, but the word still retains the meaning of a select group, as well.

remittance

A remittance is a payment that gets sent somewhere else. If you get a bill in the mail, you will usually have at least a week to send your remittance.,To "remit" is to send money or make a payment and what you send is called remittance. Buying anything from a website involves a remittance أ¢آ€آ" usually from a grownup's credit card, just as keeping your cell phone going requires a regular remittance to cover minutes and messages. If you go on a trip and run out of money, you might need an emergency remittance for a plane or train ticket to get home.

rivulet

A rivulet is a small stream. A rivulet is to a river as a baby is to an adult.,There are several ways to remember this word. One is the similarity of its sound to "river." Another is the suffix -let, which indicates small things. For example, a piglet is a small pig or baby pig. A 300-pound pig probably wouldn't drown in a tiny rivulet, but a piglet should stay clear. Another word for rivulet is "streamlet."

quadruped

A squirrel, a zebra, a deer, a wolf, and a grizzly bear meet in a field. Yes, a disaster in the making, but also a bunch of quadrupeds أ¢آ€آ" animals that walk on four feet.,Cut quadruped in half and it makes sense: quadru means four, like when a woman births four babies they are called quadruplets. And أ¢آ€آ"ped is for the feet: think of centipedes and millipedes, insects that have so many feet itأ¢آ€آ™s disturbing. A human is a biped because they walk on two feet. If you meet a human with four feet, you could call him a quadruped. You could also call the circus and let them know their quadruped is loose.

suitor

A suitor is a guy who asks you out on a date. You can describe your sister's prom escort as her suitor.,The noun suitor is an old fashioned word for a somewhat old fashioned kind of person: a man who woos or courts a woman. If a boy serenades you from below your bedroom window, he is your suitor, especially if he hopes to marry you one day. In the fourteenth century, a suitor was a fan or follower أ¢آ€آ" the romantic meaning came along almost two hundred years later. The root is the Latin word sequi, "to attend or follow."

vicar

A vicar is a member of the clergy who is not high-ranking but is still considered a holy representative of the church.,Vicars are set slightly below the official head of a congregation or parish, sometimes acting as an agent or substitute clergyman. Originally considered an earthly go-between for man and God, the meaning of the word moved diminished as the vicar became sort of a "deputy" priest or parson. You can find a vicar in the Church of England, and also in the Episcopal and Roman Catholic churches. Consider that "vicarious" means something taking another's place أ¢آ€آ" that's what a vicar does.

roseate

As its sound might suggest, roseate has to do with "rosy." Anything that's roseate is rose colored or pinkish. It's often used in the term "roseate glow," typically to describe a sunset.,Ever heard of the phrase "seeing life through rose tinted glasses," meaning seeing life way too optimistically and unrealistically? Well, roseate can have that sense as well. If you're painting "too roseate" a picture of what college is like to your parents, you're either deliberately or unintentionally giving them a picture that's a bit too good to be true.

postulate

Assume something or present it as a fact and you postulate it. Physicists postulate the existence of parallel universes, which is a little mind-blowing.,Anyone who has suffered through geometry class is familiar with some of the greatest hits, like Euclid's postulate and the point-line-plane postulate. Those are propositions that have to be assumed for other mathematical statements to follow logically. As a verb (pronounced "POST-you-late") it describes the act of presenting an idea, theory, belief, or concept.

trappings

Big house, shiny new car, a custom-made suit, an expensive watch, cool sunglasses... If you have these things, you have the trappings of success, which means you own things that give you the outward appearance of success.,The word trappings originally described the decorations people attached to their horse's bridle and saddle. The goal was to make a statement about the rider's power and privilege. Today, we still have trappings, but they take other forms, such as expensive clothing with big logos or big diamond earrings. Trappings are material items that tell the world that someone has money أ¢آ€آ" or a credit card أ¢آ€آ" but not about who he or she is on the inside.

Sluggard

Do you know anyone lazy or slothful? Then you know a sluggard: an idle or sluggish person.,If you know that sluggish means slow-moving, then you have a clue to the meaning of sluggard. A sluggard is a lazy, sleepy, slow-moving person. A sluggard is likely to oversleep and even snooze through class or work. If you're alert and hard-working, no one will ever call you a sluggard or a slug. Being a sluggard is a great way to fail a class, lose a job, or just fall behind in general.

timidity

Do you suffer from timidity? If so, you probably feel uneasy in new places and situations. You might fear having to make decisions. But as you get more comfortable, your timidity will go away.,The noun timidity is related to the Latin word timidus, from timere, meaning أ¢آ€آœto fear.أ¢آ€آ‌ In fact, fear is often a cause of timidity أ¢آ€آ" fear of the unknown, fear of not knowing what to do. For example, you might experience timidity in visiting a country for the first time because you aren't sure of the local customs or you don't speak the language well. Because you are afraid of embarrassing yourself, you hold back.

seethe

If a liquid seethes, it is boiling, but if it's a person who's seething, watch out! He or she is really angry!,In the cooking sense, to seethe means to boil and if you are seething with anger, you might say that your blood is boiling. However seethe can also mean filled with activity. Imagine a room seething with excited people. Now imagine that you are watching that room from a balcony. See how the people move here and there? It's almost as if they are bubbling around.

scurvy

If you are a pirate who doesn't get to shore very often to shop for fresh fruits and veggies, you might suffer from scurvy, a disease caused by vitamin C deficiency.,Scurvy has some alarming symptoms: your gums become soft and tender and your teeth fall out. Scurvy has become a rarity in most parts of the world, but in regions where food is scarce and malnutrition common, it's still a problem. The unpleasant associations of the word also make it a colorful (and archaic) way to describe something low-down and miserable, as in "that was a scurvy trick you played on me, you dastardly cur!"

trance

If your eyes are open but you're not fully awake and in control, you may be in trance. Someone might have hypnotized you, or just a glimpse of your latest heartthrob might send you into a trance.,Trances donأ¢آ€آ™t have to be magic or mysterious أ¢آ€آ" when you avoid facing your problems head-on, youأ¢آ€آ™re creating your own trance. President Obama once said, speaking of America's decades-long dependence on foreign oil, "We cannot keep going from shock when prices go up, to trance when they go back down." He meant that when prices rise, we all complain, but when they fall, we forget we ever had a problem and refuse to change a thing.

Quell

Meaning to suppress or overcome, quell is what you have to do with nerves before a big test and fears before going skydiving.,When it first came into existence, the verb quell actually meant أ¢آ€آœto murder.أ¢آ€آ‌ That's a bit more serious than our modern definition, but you can use that old definition to help you imagine offing your worries or putting a permanent end to criticism. These days quell is often used to mean "pacify," as in the police quelling an angry mob or a mom quelling a kid's temper tantrum.

warranty

Most cars and toys come with a warranty, a written guarantee that the product will not fail within a certain amount of time. If it does, the manufacturer will repair or replace it for free.,Many people talk about the way appliances break the day after their warranty expires. The word itself is a Middle English variant on the word, guarantee. Both words mean similar things, but warranty is more specific. I can guarantee you that I will pick you up by seven so we can get to the game on time, but I would not issue a warranty about it.

shambles

Originally a word for a slaughterhouse, shambles now usually means "one heck of a mess," as in "You were supposed to clean your room, but it's still a shambles!,When the job market is in a shambles, people have trouble finding work. When a supermarket is in a shambles, there might be melons and milk spilled all over the floor. If everyone in a classroom is talking and yelling at once, the class is a shambles, because no one can hear each other or get any work done. People say things are "in shambles" or "a shambles" أ¢آ€آ" they mean the same thing. However you say it, a shambles is chaotic, disorderly, out of hand, and off the hook أ¢آ€آ" a major, five-alarm mess.

polarity

Polarity is a relationship between two opposite characteristics or tendencies, like the polarity of two sides of a debate, or of the superhero and villain in a comic book.,Polarity can literally refer to a positive or negative electric charge. Less literally, it indicates something with two opposing but related qualities. You might visualize polarity as a battery holder with a plus sign on one end and a negative on the other. More than just opposites, polarity suggests opposites that are interconnected. What would the light of day be without the dark of night? Good without evil? Yin without Yang?

reckon

Reckon means guess, or imagine, and is often used by rural types in Hollywood movies who say things like "I reckon I'll be moseyin' on.",Reckon means guess or think, as in "I reckon he's put his nose where it don't belong one too many times.أ¢آ€آ‌ If reckon sounds odd, thatأ¢آ€آ™s because it's mostly gone out of style. When used to talk about prediction, it's a little more common, as in "Who do you reckon is going to win the Super Bowl?" Still, it sounds a little old-fashioned. Many people use the word just for fun. Saying "I reckon" sounds more humorous than "Yes."

seasoned

Seasoned describes a person who has been around forever, doing what they do, and doing it well أ¢آ€آ" throughout the seasons. They have lots of experience, and they can handle just about anything that comes their way.,To become seasoned takes a long time, because it means you are an old pro أ¢آ€آ" someone who has dedicated years to a specific skill or activity. A seasoned hiker can tell you the fastest path up any mountain, and a seasoned bowler spends hours practicing in order to bowl strikes every time. Seasoned can also describe food that is full of herbs and spices, like the heavily seasoned French fries that seasoned bowlers eat at a bowling alley.

semblance

Semblance is all about illusion. Cramming all of your dirty clothes into the closet gives the semblance, or false appearance, that you've done your laundry أ¢آ€آ" but the stench might give you away.,Semblance comes from the 14th-century French word for "resemble," and it is a noun for things that look one way on the outside but are very different on the inside. A popular combination is to say that a person or place has the "semblance of order," when, underneath, everything is out of control.

senility

Senility refers to mental deterioration that often comes with old age, as in severe memory problems. If you find your shoes in the fridge or accidentally call your son by the dog's name, you may wonder if senility is kicking in.,Senility is related to the word senile, which itself is from the Latin word senilis, meaning "old age." There are subtle differences between senility and Alzheimer's disease, which causes memory loss as well as emotional and behavioral changes. If you suspect someone you care about is experiencing senility or Alzheimer's disease, you should consult a physician because treatments may be available to help slow the process.

septic

Septic is connected to dangerous waste products. If your house is not connected to your town or city's sewer, your waste from drains and toilets goes into a septic tank.,Derived from a Greek word meaning "rotten," septic can indicate that something is infected. When a hospital patient goes into "septic shock," it means that their body, wracked by an infection, is starting to fail. People in septic shock are victims of a condition called sepsis.

sobriety

Sobriety is the state of being sober, which can mean either not intoxicated or being solemn. If he takes a drink, an alcoholic ends a stretch of sobriety. You might note sobriety in the stands when your team is losing.,When thinking about sobriety, think about the Puritans, and the way they kept the Sabbath. For them, even laughing on a Sunday was seen as an excessive display. Known for sobriety, they preferred a day marked by prayer and contemplation. It goes without saying that they frowned upon the consumption of any form of alcoholأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"favoring sobriety of both kinds.

venial

Some crimes are unforgivable. Others are venial أ¢آ€آ" venial crimes and sins are excusable. They're not a big deal.,In school, there are so many things that are against the rules: talking during class, tossing spitballs, pulling the fire alarm, stealing a basketball, etc. Something venial would be something against the rules but forgivable. For example, if you were late for school because your parents were in the hospital, that lateness is venial. If you burned the gym down, that could never be considered venial. When you see venial, think "forgivable," "excusable," and "no biggie."

synthetic

Something made of artificial material, not natural items, can be described as synthetic. Some football stadiums have synthetic grass, and a leisure suit from the 1970s might be made of synthetic fabric.,The adjective synthetic usually describes things created by chemical synthesis (synthetic compound, synthetic drug, synthetic material), but it sometimes describes an emotion that is feigned or not genuine. A person who exudes only synthetic friendliness probably isn't someone you want to hang out with, for example.

staccato

Staccato is a musical term for notes that are played quickly and sharply. It can also refer to anything characterized by similar beats, such as the staccato clacking of a woman's high heels on a tile floor.,There is nothing quite so pleasant as lying in bed on a Saturday morning listening to the staccato tapping of rain on the roof, knowing that everything you had planned will now be canceled. Other staccato sounds are not so pleasantأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"your neighbor learning to play the drums, a jack hammer right outside your window.

stanza

Stanzas are the building blocks of formal poetry, like paragraphs in a story or verses in a song. They usually have the same number of lines each time, and often use a rhyming pattern that repeats with each new stanza.,Shakespeare was the master of the stanza. His sonnets had three stanzas that were each four lines long, and then a two-line stanza at the end, all with a very particular rhyme and rhythm pattern. Poems with stanzas always have some sort of structure to them, but not all poetry uses stanzas, for example أ¢آ€آ" free verse tends to be wild poetry without structural rules.

stock

Stock is collective noun for the stuff a store or a company has to sell, be it toilet paper, automobiles or clothing. Many stores close once a year for a few days to do an inventory of their stock.,Stock is used in all kinds of contexts, as both a noun and a verb, but always has an eye on the things that are present and available. Stock boys stock the shelves at grocery stores. Consumers stock up on toilet paper. Car thieves take stock (assess the stuff they can do) when they run out of gas and the sirens are getting louder. And finally, companies sell stock أ¢آ€آ" small shares of ownership أ¢آ€آ" in their companies to raise money.

succor

Succor is relief or help. If you've just woken up in the midst of a lion's den, wearing nothing but raw meat pajamas أ¢آ€آ" sounds like you could use some succor!,In archaic times, succor meant a reinforcement of troops during a hard battle. These days though, those reinforcements are a bit more figurative. Succor is a helping hand in a time of need, relief when the going gets tough. Succor can also be used as a verb, as in, "After Bob fell overboard, he was saved أ¢آ€آ" succored by a life preserver."

sustenance

Sustenance comes from the word sustain, which means to continue. Sustenance is food or drink that allows you to continue to be alive. For many, prayer is a source of spiritual sustenance.,If your chief source of sustenance is candy, you are going to get sick, but you will have a good time while it lasts. In much of the world, rice and beans provide sustenance to human beings. In the US, Native Americans taught Europeans how to grow corn, which turned into a major source of sustenance for their population.

swarthy

Swarthy means dark skinned. If you like tall, dark and handsome men, you find a swarthy complexion attractive.,Not everyone with dark skin is swarthy. The word is usually used to describe someone whose skin is weather beaten and darkened by the sun, or has an olive complexion. But the famous 19th-century American poet Walt Whitman, who was of English and Dutch stock, seemed to be describing himself in his poem "Behold This Swarthy Face," so swarthy may be in the eyes of the beholder.

tactile

Tactile has to do with the sense of touch. There's a huge tactile difference between smooth glass and rough sandpaper.,Anything to do with touch can be described as tactile. Ever notice how a dog would rather sleep on a soft blanket than a rubbery leather couch? That's because dogs have tactile preferences: the softer the better. Different textures of food are tactile أ¢آ€آ" they feel different in your mouth, aside from how they taste. You deal with the world of tactile things every day أ¢آ€آ" you use your tactile sense whenever you touch anything.

ratiocination

Take your time and think things through logically. That's what it means to use ratiocination to solve a problem.,To correctly pronounce ratiocination say, "rat-ee-oh-seh-NA-shun." Ratiocination uses reason or logic to figure something out. It might involve determining probabilities, syllogisms, even mathematical formulas, or simply following all the steps in a process that you believe will lead you to the correct or best answer. Ratiocination is the opposite of taking a wild guess or just "going with your gut."

unguent

That sometimes sticky or greasy salve you put on cuts or rashes is also called an unguent. Whether it's a cream or a gel, the main purpose of an unguent is to heal or protect a sore.,Unguent comes from the Latin unguentum, "ointment." Ancient unguents were luxurious and included fragrant oils used to anoint and perfume the skin. Some were even symbolically incorporated into religious ceremonies. In old-time of medicine shows, potions and unguents were sold as having magical properties but were usually concocted from common ingredients that could sometimes even be dangerous.

urchin

That young child dressed in dirty hand-me-downs and running rampant through city streets is an urchin. Street urchins, as they are commonly called, have a reputation for getting into trouble.,Strangely enough, urchin, pronounced "UR-chin," comes from the 13th century French word yrichon, which means أ¢آ€آœhedgehog,أ¢آ€آ‌ and is still used as such in parts of England today. As for people who are urchins, perhaps they got the name because at the time, they were so small, wild and many in number أ¢آ€آ" like hedgehogs. The 19th century novelist Charles Dickens wrote about so many fictional urchins, most famously Oliver Twist, that dickens has become a synonym for urchin.

resort

The noun resort means "turning to something or someone else for assistance." You tried everything to figure out your math homework on your own, so asking your dad for help was your last resort.,Resort, pronounced "re-ZORT," is also a verb that means "to adopt a course of action to improve your situation." It's when you use that last resort: if you can't convince your mom to let you go rock-climbing, you will resort to begging. Resort also means a fancy hotel, usually in a very scenic location, or a place you go often أ¢آ€آ" when your friends didn't know where you were, they checked your resorts: the gym and the park.

tiller

The tiller is what steers a boat أ¢آ€آ" specifically, the handle attached to the rudder. Tillers are generally found on smaller boats because it would take too much force to steer larger ships with hand tillers.,If you have never been on a sailboat before, it may take you a few minutes to figure out how to move the tiller to smoothly steer the boat because you might move the tiller in the opposite direction that you want the boat to go. If you want the bow of the boat to go starboard (right), for example, you need to move the tiller to the port side (left) and vice versa. Rapid back and forth movement on the tiller helps create drag and slows the boat.

plummet

The verb plummet means "to drop sharply," like eagles that plummet toward earth, seeking prey, or school attendance that plummets when there is a flu outbreak.,To correctly pronounce plummet, say "PLUH-met." This verb describes something that drops sharply or quickly, like a roller coaster that plummets down a hill, temperatures that plummet overnight, or sales of roses and candy that plummet after Valentine's Day. If something plummets, this doesn't mean it will stay down or low forever, just that it has experienced a sharp drop.

prostrate

The verb prostrate means "to make helpless or defenseless." Illness, injury, food poisoning, grief أ¢آ€آ" any of these things can prostrate people, or lying down in a helpless position.,The word prostrate traces back to the Latin word prostratus, meaning أ¢آ€آœthrown down.أ¢آ€آ‌ If you are prostrate, you feel thrown down and laid flat. It can describe lying on the ground in a helpless position, or it can be used to describe someone who has been overcome or made unable to function, such as someone who is prostrated by grief or illness.

repine

The verb repine describes expressing gloom or discontent. Brooding, fretful, and sad أ¢آ€آ" these are the traits of people who repine at their circumstances in life.,Early American poet Anne Bradstreet used repine in her well-known poem, "Upon the Burning of Our House July 10th 1666," describing how the speaker got over the loss: "And when I could no longer look, / I blest His grace that gave and took, / That laid my goods now in the dust. / Yea, so it was, and so 'twas just. / It was his own; it was not mine. / Far be it that I should repine."

sheathe

The verb sheathe means to place in a sheath. What's a sheath? Well, that's any kind of protective covering.,With that extra "e" on the end sheathe gives off a very old English vibe. Perhaps that's because all those knights were often sheathing their swords so as not to scare the fair ladies. Those knights were also sheathed in armor when going into battle or setting off to joust. These days, with medieval armaments in low demand, not much gets sheathed أ¢آ€آ" except maybe the kitchen knives in the knife block or your cat's claws when they retract.

skimp

The verb skimp refers to using a limited amount of something. When tomato prices are high, a cost-conscious restaurant might skimp on the amount of chopped tomatoes it puts on salads.,Skimp can also describe getting by spending very little money, like someone who skimps in order to save for the future. You can also skimp on time and effort, like when you skimp on the amount of care you put into your math homework. Skimp is likely a variation of scrimp, which means "to make too small" and comes from the Swedish word skrumpna, meaning "to shrink, shrivel up."

pulse

The word pulse has many shades of meaning, but most of them involve something characterized by short, rhythmic bursts. If youأ¢آ€آ™re angry, the muscles in your jaw might pulse أ¢آ€آ" meaning they contract quickly in short bursts.,Pulse can be a noun that describes the rhythmic pumping of blood through your veins and arteries. Youأ¢آ€آ™ve probably had a nurse take your pulse as a way to measure your heart rate. Pulse can refer to other things that have a rhythmic beat, like the pulse of dance music or a pulse of flashing light. The verb describes something that throbs, literally or figuratively. Your blood will pulse through your veins, or a busy city may pulse with life.

throb

Things that throb have a strong, regular pulse or rhythm. Loud music with a heavy beat or bass line can seem to throb inside your head أ¢آ€آ" especially if your downstairs neighbors are playing it while you're trying to sleep.,Your heartbeat throbs especially fast when you're upset or just after you've been running, and something painful can throb too, like the ache of a stubbed toe. No one's exactly sure where the word throb comes from أ¢آ€آ" most experts guess that it originated as a representation of the sound and feeling of your pulse.

sunder

Think of the word sunder as violently tearing something apart. A frequent line in a wedding ceremony is, "What God has joined together, let no man tear asunder." Keep that in mind, and you'll have the meaning of the word.,Throughout its history, the word sunder has carried the same basic meaning, "to tear or break apart." It is of good Germanic stock, coming from the Old English verb sundrian. All of the related Germanic words, then and now, carry the idea of separation, usually in a violent or unpleasant manner.

receptive

To be receptive is to be open to new ideas or change. If youأ¢آ€آ™re responsive to other peopleأ¢آ€آ™s suggestions and not set in your ways, then youأ¢آ€آ™re not only receptive, but flexible.,The adjective receptive actually comes from a Latin word that means receive. So a receptive person is willing to receive things, especially opposing arguments, constructive criticism, and helpful hints. How receptive you are speaks to your willingness to have an impression made upon you. It can be good to be large and in charge sometimes, but you can also benefit from stepping back and being receptive to what life brings.

ratify

To ratify a treaty or contract is to officially approve it by signing or voting for it. You and your brothers and sisters might devise a plan for a family vacation to Disney World, but it would need to be ratified by your parents.,You are most likely to hear the word ratify when talking about laws. In the US, Congress writes bills, but they need to be ratified before they become law. An amendment to the U.S. Constitution must be ratified by three-fourths of the states, either passed by the state legislatures or by state conventions.

tortuous

Tortuous means twisting or complicated. "James Bond drove his custom BMW 120 mph on the road that was tortuous in its twists and turns. He had to stop the evil madman's plan for world domination that was so tortuous even 007 could not understand it.",From Latin torquere "to twist," tortuous means something with twists and turns أ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ" a path, an argument, a story. It is important not to confuse it with torturous, which means characterized by great pain. "The contemporary string quartet was tortuous in its tonal shifts, but only torturous at the point where the violinist ran her nails up and down a chalkboard."

transcendent

Transcendent describes something so excellent that it's beyond the range of human understanding.,Transcendent shares the prefix trans, meaning "across," with many familiar words such as transport (carry across), transcontinental (across a continent), and transparent (light shines across). Transcendental meditation carries people across to a higher consciousness. So something transcendent goes across boring reality into super awesomeness in a world all its own. It moves you. Angels are transcendent, and even your favorite novel can be transcendent. Beware of someone who finds the cheesecake transcendent; she may tend to exaggerate.

transport

Transport means to move something, often large quantities of commercial products, over great distances. Container ships transport goods made in China to the U.S., where they will be sold.,A pipeline can transport oil. A school bus transports children. Soldiers get their postings but then must wait for news of their transport. If you are in a hurry to get something to market, you might consider using air transport, though that's expensive. Transport is from Latin words meaning "carry across."

unbridled

Unbridled means unrestrained. When you find out that you just won the lottery, feel free to jump up and down with unbridled joy. Go ahead, most people would probably let loose in the same way.,A bridle is the contraption used to control a horse, including the reins held by the rider and the bit that goes into the horseأ¢آ€آ™s mouth. Add the un prefix and it means there is no control. Unbridled is often used to describe peopleأ¢آ€آ™s emotions or actions and it can be either a good or a bad thing. If you have unbridled spending, youأ¢آ€آ™re in danger of going in debt. If you tackle homework with unbridled enthusiasm, youأ¢آ€آ™re likely going to get good grades.

undulating

Undulate means to move in a wave-like pattern. If a sound increases and decreases in pitch or volume like waves, you can say the sound is undulating. When searching for the lost boy, the rescuers' cries undulated through the forest.,The verb undulate comes from the Latin word undula, which means "wavelet" (unda means "wave"). So any action shown with the verb undulate has that waving sense to it. If something moves in a wavy, pattern, for example, it is said to undulate. The wind might cause prairie grass to undulate, or music might cause hips to undulate.

ungainly

Ungainly is the opposite of graceful, convenient, or easy. A clumsy dancer boogies in an ungainly or awkward fashion.,Though you see gain in ungainly, the word does not have to do with growing, or getting ahead. Ungainly comes from an Old Norse word meaning not convenient or, in other words, awkward. If you want to impress your gym teacher or sports coach, first appear ungainly and then surprise him with your great athletic ability. Applying to college can be an ungainly process without an advisor to help.

unilateral

Unilateral means "one-sided." If parents make a unilateral decision to eliminate summer vacation, it means that the studentsأ¢آ€آ™ opinions or opposing views werenأ¢آ€آ™t considered.,When someone makes a unilateral decision, he or she acts alone, without considering the feelings, opposing opinions or concerns of others. But itأ¢آ€آ™s not always a bad thing to act unilaterally. If you are in a fight with your sister and havenأ¢آ€آ™t spoken to each other for a week, you could choose to do her chores, compliment her or make other unilateral, good-faith efforts to bring the bad feelings to an end.

unkempt

Unkempt literally means أ¢آ€آœnot combed,أ¢آ€آ‌ but use it to describe anything with a sloppy appearance. Your hair probably looks unkempt when you roll out of bed in the morning. Keep it that way if you're going for the rock star look.,From the fusing of un- أ¢آ€آœnotأ¢آ€آ‌ with kempt أ¢آ€آœneatأ¢آ€آ‌ comes the adjective unkempt. Kempt has fallen out of use, but unkempt persists as a popular word to describe anything unpolished, rough, or disorderly. Pig sties, the corrals where pigs live, are usually quite unkempt. That's why your mom keeps calling your messy, unkempt train wreck of a room a pig sty.

unwonted

Unwonted is a pretty old-fashioned word now, meaning something unusual or out of the ordinary. Nowadays, unwonted is a pretty unwonted word itself.,Unwonted was once a particularly beloved literary term, favored by authors like Henry James and Charles Dickens, whose books were filled with "unwonted circumstances," and the like. Not to be confused أ¢آ€آ" as it often is أ¢آ€آ" with unwanted, meaning not wanted or desired. The confusion arises not just because the words sound identical, but because their meanings overlap: it's a safe bet that anything unwonted is generally unwanted, too.

varnish

Varnish is a shiny coating that's painted on a floor or piece of furniture and then dries clear and luminous. After refinishing an old oak chair, you might apply a coat of varnish. (Just don't sit on it until it's dry.),Varnish gives artwork, furniture, and other objects a finished, glossy look, and it also protects the surface. Most varnish is made from oil, solvent, and resin. You can also use the word as a verb, meaning "to coat with varnish." Many people decide to varnish their wood floors or their wooden kitchen counters. The Medieval Latin root word is vernix, "odorous or fragrant resin."

Shrivel

When things shrivel, they wrinkle up and get smaller, the way leaves begin to shrivel and turn brown in the fall.,A lack of moisture can cause something to shrivel, and in humans it tends to be the natural process of aging that makes people shrivel a bit. Flowers will shrivel if you forget to water them, and grapes will eventually shrivel into raisins if you dry them out long enough. The root of shrivel is uncertain, but it may have a Scandinavian source and be related to the Swedish word skryvla, "to wrinkle."

stink

When things stink, they smell terrible. If you throw food scraps in your kitchen trash can, it will eventually start to stink.,You can say that something stinks أ¢آ€آ" your dog's breath, or your brother's feet أ¢آ€آ" and you can call the offensive odor itself a stink. Figuratively, something can stink even if it doesn't literally smell bad: "I'm sorry, but that movie you recommended really stinks. It's awful." The Old English root is stincan, "emit a smell of any kind, or exhale."

roue

You can describe a smooth-talking, no-good man as a roue. You could also call him a lady's man, a rake, or a Lothario.,This one deserves a full etymology: it's French, a participle of rouer, "to break on the wheel," and it's also the name first applied to the profligate companions of the Duc d'Orlأƒآ©ans. So in other words, a roue is a really bad dude. Roue is not common in conversation but that didn't stop Oscar Hammerstein from lyricizing it in "The Sound of Music:" "Eager young lads and roues and cads / Will offer you food and wine."

sere

You can describe something that is dried up, withered, or without moisture with the adjective sere. The desert climate, for example, is sere, as is your skin after a day in the wind.,Sereأ¢آ€آ™s shriveled and withered meaning crops up in things like Shakespeare's Macbeth ("My way of life Is fallأ¢آ€آ™n into the sere, the yellow leaf;" 5:III), or in archaic references to Sere-month (August), but it isn't frequently used in modern conversation. The variant spelling of sere is sear, which has other meanings that see more modern use.

testy

You might feel a bit testy before taking a test, but the words test and testy are unrelated. Feeling testy means being peeved, annoyed, or irritated.,The adjective testy is associated with being irritable and on edge. If you find yourself frustrated and becoming impatient, you might make a testy remark like أ¢آ€آœWhat the heck is taking so long?أ¢آ€آ‌ If a family member is acting particularly cranky over breakfast, you might say, أ¢آ€آœWell, arenأ¢آ€آ™t you testy this morning!أ¢آ€آ‌ However, a comment like that could be met with a testy reply such as أ¢آ€آœMind your own business!أ¢آ€آ‌

wastrel

Your brother who spends money as quickly as he gets it, always wearing new clothes and taking friends out for expensive dinners? You might call him a wastrel, meaning he spends his money foolishly.,The word wastrel looks and sounds like waste, which means, as a verb, "to spend or use carelessly" أ¢آ€آ" as a noun, it's the thing that is not used effectively. A wastrel is someone who tends to waste things, careless with anything from money to time, and everything else, too. You can tell wastrels by behavior like running the water while brushing their teeth or spending every dime they have on ice cream and luxurious sweaters.

tantrum

A tantrum is a short-lived fit of frustration. Kids have them. Politicians have them. Reality show stars have them. I bet even you have had one!,To understand what tantrum means, stake out a supermarket and observe parents with toddlers. Soon, you will see a small child, incapable of expressing the complexities of why he or she really needs a lollipop, erupt into a full-blown tantrum. When people explode into tantrums, they no longer seem able to control their impulses. (I canأ¢آ€آ™t have that lollipop or that place on the island? Well, Iأ¢آ€آ™m going to FREAK OUT!) Even the most mature of us are susceptible to tantrums when we are tired, hungry or discouraged.

sluice

Anything that resembles a water slide with a gate is a sluice أ¢آ€آ" a narrow channel that controls water flow.,The word originally comes from an old English word meaning a narrow channel that controlled a flow of water, usually to a watermill, and it still has that meaning. A sluice can also mean a splash أ¢آ€آ" often with cold water and usually done with some vigor. A rude, watery slap in the face. Torture victims in movies inevitably have their faces sluiced to bring them round for further questioning.

sway

Back and forth...back and forth...back and forth...are you sea-sick yet? The sway, or rocking motion, of a boat is too much for many stomachs.,People can sway if they're dizzy, tilting from side to side as they walk. On a windy day you can see trees swaying and bending in the wind. Swaying is usually a gentle motion, but if you're easily swayed, you're in trouble. That means you're easily influenced by others. People of power often "hold sway" over their followers, controlling them with the seeming ease of the breeze.

voluminous

Consider that volume is a measure of size. That will help you understand that voluminous refers to something very large in size or extent.,Suppose instead of calling a book a book, you called it a volume. Suddenly, it seems to be part of a much bigger thing. And what if it were only Volume I, with 23 more volumes to go? Even bigger, right? In fact, it's more than big; itأ¢آ€آ™s voluminous. Voluminous describes very large things. The flouncy skirt of a wedding dress? Voluminous. Media coverage of some movie star's divorce? Also voluminous. The word voluminous describes something ample, extensive, and just plain huge.

provocative

If something is provocative, it provokes a reaction. A provocative book might get people talking about a controversial idea. A provocative statement, such as "I hate babies," will get another kind of reaction.,The action, thought, or feeling is often a desired one, called forth on purpose. In fact, provocative is often used to describe actions or ways of dressing that cause sexual feelings. But provocative things can also call forth something unwanted: "She was angered by the provocative remarks." This adjective was borrowed from French provocatif, from Late Latin provocativus "calling forth," from Latin provocare "to call forth, challenge."

revile

If something is reviled, you alone donأ¢آ€آ™t dislike it; a whole community of like-minded souls has to hate its guts. For instance, spam is widely reviled. (The junk e-mails, not the potted meat. Somebody out there really does like that potted meat.),If youأ¢آ€آ™re the only one who hates, say, your math teacher, itأ¢آ€آ™s not fair to say that person is reviled. If she is majestically unpopular with the entire senior class and is routinely the butt of geometry-themed insults, well then sadly, this instructor is indeed reviled. Generally, when someone or something is reviled, much of the poison aimed is in print, such as critical reviews or insulting editorials.

rescission

If youأ¢آ€آ™ve really had it with your business partner, you may make a motion for rescission to dissolve your legal ties. Rescission refers to the canceling of a contract or other legal agreement.,The word rescission entered English in the17th century from the Latin word rescissio(n-), from resciss-, meaning أ¢آ€آœsplit again.أ¢آ€آ‌ When a rescission takes place, you can think of it as two parties that are split up again أ¢آ€آ" itأ¢آ€آ™s as if they never had any ties together. Youأ¢آ€آ™ll most often hear the word used in a legal context. If someone violates part of a contract, then the other party might seek rescission, meaning the contract will be declared void.

ravine

In a Western, outlaws will lie in wait at the top of a ravine, or narrow valley, until they see a traveler entering at the bottom. Then, the outlaws will come pounding down the ravine's steep sides.,Ravines can be lonely and violent places averse to settlement as nothing can be built along their steep sides. The word ravine itself derives from the archaic rapin, which is a violent seizure of property. During times of heavy rains and snow melt, a ravine may be filled with violent, rushing water.

wake

In the wake, or aftermath, of a death, it's traditional in many cultures to hold a wake, a vigil for the dead. There's a third meaning of wake, too, you know: it's the waves that a boat leaves behind as it slices through the water. And that's not all...,Wake has three meanings as a noun, and, yes, just about as many meanings as a verb! So get set. To wake is come out of sleep, a verb you'll recognize from "Wake up! You're asleep at the wheel!" You can wake feelings, as well as the people who are having them. The wake before the funeral caused Mike to wake from his depression and decide to live life to the fullest. His first act was to water ski; he eventually mastered staying upright while crossing the wake of the boat that was towing him.

sarcasm

Irony employed in the service of mocking or attacking someone is sarcasm. Saying "Oh, you're soooo clever!" with sarcasm means the target is really just a dunderhead.,Sarcasm is sometimes used as merely a synonym of irony, but the word has a more specific sense: irony that's meant to mock or convey contempt. This meaning is found in its etymology. In Greek, sarkazein meant "to tear flesh; to wound." When you use sarcasm, you really tear into them. A clever person coined the variant spelling sarchasm (a blend of sarcasm and chasm) and defined it as "the gap between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it."

voyeur

Make sure you close the curtains at night, just in case thereأ¢آ€آ™s a voyeur in the neighborhood. A voyeur is someone who likes to watch people without them knowing.,The word voyeur came into English in the twentieth century from the French word voir, meaning أ¢آ€آœsee.أ¢آ€آ‌ A voyeur is someone who peeps, or spies on other people, watching them do things they probably don't want to be seen, or someone who likes to hear stories about strangers' private lives. When you spell voyeur, make sure you remember the ending is spelled أ¢آ€آœeur,أ¢آ€آ‌ a legacy of the wordأ¢آ€آ™s French heritage.

stellar

Meaning outstanding, wonderful, better than everything else, stellar is a word of praise or excitement. Thomas Edison invented many things, but his stellar achievement might have been the light bulb.,Stellar literally means "like a star." When it comes time for your debut on Broadway, you will sure hope that the reviews say that you delivered a stellar performance. You could also use stellar to talk about actual stars, of course, or you could even blend the two: enjoy the stellar beauty of your beloved under the stellar light of a moonless night.

quell

Meaning to suppress or overcome, quell is what you have to do with nerves before a big test and fears before going skydiving.,When it first came into existence, the verb quell actually meant أ¢آ€آœto murder.أ¢آ€آ‌ That's a bit more serious than our modern definition, but you can use that old definition to help you imagine offing your worries or putting a permanent end to criticism. These days quell is often used to mean "pacify," as in the police quelling an angry mob or a mom quelling a kid's temper tantrum.

waif

No matter how cold-hearted you are, it's tough not to feel sympathy for a waif أ¢آ€آ" a neglected or orphaned child.,From Oliver Twist to Harry Potter, literature is filled with stories of young waifs who persevere through hardship. In contrast to street urchins or ragamuffins, waifs are generally seen as wholly innocent victims of their situation. This fact may explain why waifs make such compelling literary protagonists. Who's going to root against a kind-hearted orphan? And who would admit it if they did?

plaster

Plaster is a building material that's applied as a wet paste and dries very hard and smooth. The walls inside your house might be made of plaster.,New houses typically have interior walls made of drywall, rather than plaster, but older homes usually have many plaster surfaces. Plaster starts as a mixture of lime, gypsum, sand, or cement that's mixed with water. This soft substance is applied to surfaces where it hardens أ¢آ€آ" either for walls, works of art, or as casts used to hold broken bones steady. In Britain, a plaster is also a sticky bandage, while an American would call this a Band-Aid.

trumpery

Pretty or fancy objects that are completely useless can be called trumpery. Your huge collection of animal salt and pepper shakers is nothing but trumpery.,Trumpery is typically fun to look at, but not very practical or worth very much. Many collectible objects are trumpery, like the dolls your grandma buys to display throughout her house or the cheap plastic jewelry your sister always spends her allowance on. Another kind of trumpery is equally useless or worthless speech, whether it's written or spoken. Trumpery comes from the Old French tromperie, with its root of tromper, "to deceive."

prey

Prey is an animal hunted for food. If you're a delicious-looking deer during hunting season, watch your back! You're the prey for all those guys in orange jackets carrying rifles.,Prey can also mean the human subject of an attack, or ridicule, by another person. Remember those bullies in school? The younger kids whom they shoved into lockers were their prey. Prey can also be used as a verb, meaning to hunt or go after. I bet most people would agree it's better to prey on something else than to be the preyed upon!

protrude

Protrude means to stick out. A gravestone protrudes from the ground, a shelf protrudes from a wall, a lollipop stick protrudes from your mouth.,From the Latin prأ...آچ- "forward, out" + trأ...آ«dere "to thrust," protrude often describes coastlines where rocks stick out into the water. Prأ...آچ- gives us protrusion "something that sticks out," and protuberance "something that grows out of something else"أ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"a goiter, for example, or a nose.

psychosomatic

Psychosomatic describes a physical illness that results at least in part from mental causes. If you are under a lot of stress, the strain can trigger a psychosomatic condition like a stomach ulcer.,Have you heard of the mind-body connection? That if you enjoy mental well-being you will also likely have good physical health أ¢آ€آ" and vice versa? Psychosomatic originally used to describe the relationship between the body and the mind, and it comes from the merging of two Greek words, psykhe, mind, and somatikos, "body." A psychosomatic illness is triggered or made worse by a mental issue; the body gets worn down by things like constant worry and stress.

queer

Queer originally just meant "weird," but it's unfortunately evolved into an offensive term for "homosexual.",Like many words, queer has many meanings. One is "odd," as in "I feel kind of queer today." The other is "gay." Calling someone queer is a slur: it has about the same meaning and level of offensiveness as fag. As a verb, queering can mean to endanger or expose to risk, and also to hinder, thwart, foil, or baffle. As usual, you can figure out which meaning of queer someone intends by the other words around it.

quench

Quench means to put out, put an end to, or satisfy. If you're stranded in the middle of the desert with nothing to drink, you're probably dreaming of a nice big glass of ice water to quench your thirst.,Quench originally meant أ¢آ€آœextinguish fires.أ¢آ€آ‌ That meaning still works today, but we've expanded it to also apply to quenching the fiery thirst of a summer marathon runner or quenching the hot flames of passion. If you want to get deep about the word quench, consider what Voltaire said: أ¢آ€آœSuperstition sets the whole world in flames; philosophy quenches them.أ¢آ€آ‌

rabies

Rabies is a deadly disease that can be spread between mammals through saliva, usually when one animal is bit by another. If you run into a raccoon foaming at the mouth, don't pet him; he may have rabies.,Most dog and cat owners are familiar with rabies, because it's an illness they regularly have their pets vaccinated against. An unvaccinated pet that's bit by an animal with rabies almost always dies أ¢آ€آ" and this is also true for humans who contract rabies and aren't treated. In Latin, rabies means "madness," and this accurately describes some of the symptoms of this terrible disease.

rampant

Rampant means wild, out of control, to be up on your hind legs roaring at the world. You don't have to be four-legged: "The children ran rampant at the supermarket even though their mother tried to control them.",If you're running rampant, you're on a rampage. Both come from the French word ramper meaning "to climb, creep" like an animal on hind legs, paws in climbing-mode, or like wild plants such as the kudzu that ran rampant over an old barn until the entire thing was covered. There can also be rampant wildfires that destroy houses in the Southwest, or robots that run rampant in the lab after the janitor accidentally sets them free.

rapport

Rapport is a good sense of understanding and trust. If you have good rapport with your neighbors, they won't mind if you kick your ball onto their property every now and then.,If you have rapport with someone, you two communicate with trust and sympathy. The word is often used to mean good interaction between people in different positions or roles such as parent and teacher, teacher and student, doctor and patient, supervisor and worker, or speaker and audience. It is always important to establish rapport with people you come into contact with regularly. Pronounce this borrowed word from the French ra-POOR.

rapture

Rapture is a feeling of emotional ecstasy so magical it's almost as if you've been transported to some other world.,Coming to us from an old French word meaning "carried away," rapture certainly involves getting swept off to Shangri-La. It's happiness so extreme that you just about float to heaven, complete with big goofy grin plastered to your face. Traditionally reserved for those feeling spiritual ecstasy, rapture now extends to anyone feeling overwhelmed my emotion أ¢آ€آ" sparked by everything from a passionate kiss to scoring an awesome dress on sale.

ravel

Ravel is an interesting verb, in that it can mean both "tangle" and "untangle." So if you work to ravel yarn into a neat ball, your cat may come along and try to ravel it again.,The first syllable in ravel is accented and gets the short a sound, as in apple: "RA-vle" How can a word mean both one thing and its opposite? In the case of ravel, the answer is sewing: As threads come unwoven from a cloth, they become tangled on each other. Since untangling is never far from tangling, ravel covers both meanings.

reactionary

Reactionary describes people on the far right politically. Reactionaries occupy a political space past conservative, near where ultra-conservative bumps shoulders with fascist.,A reactionary is someone reacting (in horror) to what most of the world considers to be progress. No one describes themselves as reactionaryأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"you will hear it more often as a condemnation, as in "I cannot support the reactionary policy of mandatory military service for 18-year-olds."

relish

Relish isn't just a hotdog topping. The verb relish means to enjoy something immensely. You may relish eating the relish on your hotdog, or you may relish taking an afternoon nap.,The word relish has been around since the 16th century and comes to us from the French, who are pretty good at indulging and savoring. When at a dinner party, win points with your host by sighing happily after each bite to show just how much you relish the meal. Relish is also a kind of spicy or savory condiment, the stuff you slather on hotdogs or hamburgers. So if you're fickle when it comes to pickles, you might ask them to hold the relish.

repugnance

Repugnance means strong distaste for something. If you love animals, you probably feel repugnance for people who mistreat their horses.,The word repugnance comes from Latin root words, re, meaning back, and pugnare, to fight. When we use repugnance, we don't just mean the feeling of fighting back or resisting, but also a feeling of horror or sickness that causes you to resist in the first place. If something grosses you out, you feel repugnance for it. Repugnance can also express a feeling of moral horror: you probably feel repugnance at photographs of torture.

requisite

Requisite is a formal or fancy word for indispensable. During your punk phase, you refused to leave the house without the requisite leather jacket, black boots, and mohawk.,To remember this word, notice how similar it is to required. College students looking to sign up for classes they find interesting often bump up against the word prerequisite, which refers to a list of classes they will need to take before the one they're interested in.

residual

Residual describes what remains after most of something is gone. Itأ¢آ€آ™s an almost formal word for whatأ¢آ€آ™s leftover. If youأ¢آ€آ™ve gotten over your breakup but you still have the urge to kick your ex, then you have some residual bitterness.,Residual comes from the Old French root word residu, which means "a remainder." That's why residual can be something that is left behind, like the residual grime on your kitchen counter from wiping it with a dirty sponge or residual feelings of guilt that remain after you dumped your girlfriend because you were rude. A residual is also a payment to a performer, writer, or director of a television show every time the commercial airs; itأ¢آ€آ™s a kind of royalty.

retain

Retain means to hold on to or keep. People who can retain a lot of information are often mistaken for geniuses, but really they just have very good memories.,To retain is to keep or maintain, whether in mind, possession or a certain condition. If you have a great personal assistant, you'll probably want to retain him for as long as you can. If your body is retaining water you might look a little plump. The verbs restrain and detain sound similar, but they mean to keep something by force.

retrograde

Retrograde describes moving in a backwards or reverse direction. If you're suddenly told that you can no longer vote because you're a woman, that's a retrograde affront to your civil rights. Start protesting!,This word comes from the Latin retrogradus, meaning "going backward." You might hear retrograde used in astronomy to describe the movements of the planets. If a planet like Mercury is in retrograde, that means it appears to be moving backwards. Retrograde can also describe something that's going from better to worse. The farm's retrograde practice of spraying their crops with harsher and harsher pesticides is causing our health to suffer.

rhetoric

Rhetoric is speaking or writing that's intended to persuade. If your goal is to write editorial columns for "The New York Times," you should work on your rhetoric.,Rhetoric comes from the Greek meaning "speaker" and is used for the art of persuasive speaking or writing. When people listened eagerly to long speeches and studied them in school, rhetoric was generally used positively; now it is often a negative term, implying artfulness over real content. If someone gives a clever speech but doesn't really address the problem, you might say, "That's just a lot of rhetoric."

runic

Runic writing consists of ancient characters that are tough to decipher. These days the word might better fit a doctor's signature or a confusing instruction manual.,Runes were the symbols used by Germanic people for writing in the Middle Ages. In those days, writing was rare, and people tended to look at it is as magical and a little threatening. Runic inscriptions continue to have an air of mystery about them, because they're so hard to read.

ruthless

Ruthless means showing no mercy or compassion. If you really want to cut down on the clutter in your apartment, you can't be sentimental about keepsakes. You have to be ruthless and throw out everything that's not absolutely essential.,If you're ruthless, you're the polar opposite of Mother Theresa. You get called heartless and cold-blooded. That's one of the reasons the word crops up so often to describe dictators and tyrants, though it can also apply to other personality types أ¢آ€آ" like corporate raiders and colleagues so success-driven that they'll gladly steamroll anyone to get ahead. It finds its way into milder contexts, too: Just be ruthless and rip off the Band-Aid already!

saline

Saline is an adjective that means "salty." While "salty" is a perfectly good word to use when describing French fries or tears, saline tends to be a word you might hear in a more official setting, like in a hospital or in a geology class.,If you watch a lot of hospital dramas on TV, you have definitely heard the exclamation, أ¢آ€آœNurse, the patient needs an IV saline solution, stat!أ¢آ€آ‌ because sick people in hospitals tend to get saline solutions to keep them hydrated. Saline mostly has a scientific meaning; it is not usually used to mean salty tasting. If you want to get really scientific, salt is actually called sodium chloride, but "sodium chloride pretzels" would probably not fly off the grocery store shelves.

scurry

Scurry means to move quickly, at a frenzied pace, and often also implies the urge to hide. When you come upon a mouse in your house, chances are it will scurry away.,Think of scurry this way أ¢آ€آ" anytime you describe someone as scurrying, you're comparing them to a mouse. When you say troops scurried back behind their defensive lines, you're insulting them. When you say children scurry around searching for eggs during an Easter egg hunt, you think they're cute.

sherbet

Sherbet is a frozen dessert made of fruit juice and sugar. Though it looks like ice cream, sherbet is a little different since it's made with little or no milk or cream.,Since sherbet is typically made with fruit, it often comes in shockingly bright colors like pink, orange, or green and has a refreshing taste. This delicious summer treat has been around a long time, in some form at least أ¢آ€آ" the word sherbet came into English in the 17th century from the Turkish word zerbet, meaning "drink made from diluted fruit juice and sugar." Make sure you don't add an extra "r" in sherbet: the ending is spelled "bet."

sinuous

Sinuous means winding or curvy. If you get lost on a sinuous mountain path, you'll need a compass or a GPS to figure out which direction leads back to camp.,The adjective sinuous comes from the Latin word sinus, which means to curve or bend. If you have a sinuous body, then you have lots of curves. Snakes use sinuous movements to travel. Live Oak trees have particularly sinuous branches. We usually use sinuous to talk about physical shapes of bodies or pathways, but you could also describe someone's logic as sinuous if it wanders all over the place when they're trying to explain something.

slovenly

Slovenly is what your great aunt Mehitabel might call you if you came to high tea without a necktie. It means "messy or unkempt," but is a word you probably won't hear messy or unkempt people using.,Slovenly has meant messy or unkempt since the 1500s, but it had a brief heyday before that of meaning "low or base." This class association remains embedded in the word أ¢آ€آ" someone who uses the word slovenly today is most likely also going to raise his or her pinky while drinking from a cup of tea.

solicit

Solicit means to ask for. It is what those people on the street are doing, when they ask, "Do you have a moment to talk about the destruction of the planet?" They are soliciting donations for their cause.,Solicit has an official sounding impressiveness to itأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"doesn't soliciting donations sound better than begging for money? It can also have a more sinister cast. "When the teacher left the room, two girls solicited their friends to throw all the textbooks out the windows, injuring members of the cheer squad below أ¢آ€آ" where they were soliciting signatures for a petition banning smoking in the football locker rooms."

SENTIENT

Someone sentient is able to feel things, or sense them. Sentient usually occurs in phrases like "sentient beings" and "sentient creatures," making it clear that things that donأ¢آ€آ™t have life donأ¢آ€آ™t have feelings. Explain that to a pet rock.,Sentient comes from the Latin sentient-, "feeling," and it describes things that are alive, able to feel and perceive, and show awareness or responsiveness. Having senses makes something sentient, or able to smell, communicate, touch, see, or hear. Whether or not plants and living things other than animals and people are sentient depends on whom you ask.

venal

Someone with venal motives is corrupt and maybe a little evil. Nobody wants to be thought of as venal.,Venal actions include taking bribes, giving jobs to your friends, and cheating. Venal means about the same thing as "corrupt" or "corruptible." Venal people are considered sleazy and untrustworthy. They're often criminals. No one is perfect, and most of us have venal motives at some point.

prevalent

Something prevalent is common in a particular place at a particular time. Prevalent things are hard to avoid. When you see the word prevalent, think "It's everywhere!",Have you ever noticed how all of a sudden a new word, band, or hairstyle will become super-popular? You may never have seen those things before, and then suddenly they're prevalent. When something is common, it's prevalent. You could say drug use is prevalent among criminals. You could say good study habits are prevalent among good students. If a certain opinion is common, then that's a prevalent view in society.

Rickety

Something rickety أ¢آ€آ" like an old shack أ¢آ€آ" is shaky and likely to fall down because it's fragile.,Some buildings are sturdy, solid, and strong. Others are rickety: rickety things might blow over from a slight breeze. Rickety things are poorly designed or have just become rickety because of aging. Rickety things tend to shake, which is a sign they might fall apart any second. If you put a heavy load in a rickety cart, you might lost your load!

salacious

Something salacious is full of juicy details أ¢آ€آ" but they're the kind of raunchy, lusty, dirty details you probably don't want to hear.,Implying a certain kind of moral looseness, salacious is often used to describe nasty gossip, obscene reports and steamy tales. Salacious things are usually not fit for general public consumption and probably need some kind of parental guidance warning. Think of the tawdry accounts of some politician's affair with a staffer, or a particularly sex-filled reality show on TV.

tautological

Something tautological is redundant and circular, especially when talking about logic. "Logical things are logical" is a tautological sentence.,We use the word tautological for statements that go in a circle, like this sentence: "A circle is circular." This is a logical problem, because it doesn't make sense to define something in terms of itself. If you don't know what a fish is, then "fish are fishy" means nothing. When you're trying to make a point, avoid tautological statements.

sleazy

Something that is sleazy is low and nasty. Itأ¢آ€آ™s a perfect word to describe characters like the sleazy door-to-door con men who cheat old ladies into selling them their jewelry at a deep discount.,Sleazy originally meant flimsy, but nowadays itأ¢آ€آ™s only used to describe morally degraded people or places. Usually it refers to sexual behavior, but it is often associated with people trying to swindle others as well. Itأ¢آ€آ™s not as bad as perverse or criminal, which suggest that a line has been crossed. But sleazy people make you feel uncomfortable, for sure.

supererogatory

Something that is supererogatory is a little too much أ¢آ€آ" more than what you want or need. It could be an extra layer of tinsel on an already flashy Christmas tree or a second lengthy apology after the first one was accepted.,You could probably argue that the word supererogatory might be, well, supererogatory. After all, the word superfluous is very close in meaning. And you might notice that excessive is a shorter, more common synonym for both of those words. Necessary or not, if you encounter supererogatory just remember that it means "too much," even to the point of creating a slightly bad impression.

upright

Something that's upright stands straight up. When you sit upright, your back is straight and vertical. Even your grandmother would approve of your posture.,Most cars have seats that can fold forward or lean back, and then snap upright, back into a normal sitting position; and when you're in class, you're usually expected to sit upright, facing your teacher at the front of the room. Another way to use upright is to mean "upstanding" or "trustworthy," so if your friend finds a wallet full of money and returns it to its owner, you can call her an upright citizen.

tremulous

Something tremulous is shaky and quivering, usually from fear or lack of strength. If you're nervous at your first big job interview, your hands might be a little tremulous.,Youأ¢آ€آ™ve likely heard the unsteady voice of a person close to tears, or seen the trembling legs of a frightened child أ¢آ€آ" both could certainly be described as tremulous. But you can also use this adjective to describe a statement or action that lacks resolution and courage, or even simply something that's shivering from the cold.

spare

Spare describes something that is extra. If you have a spare tire for your bike you can replace a flat, and if there's enough change in your pocket you can spare some to patch a friend's tire.,As a noun, a verb, and an adjective, the word spare has many meanings. A leftover part is a spare, you can spare a life when you save an animal or person, and you have spare time when you finish a project early. If you "spare no expense" you spend lots of money and when you spare a friend's feelings, you keep upsetting details to yourself. And if you have a moment to spare, you have time to share.

studied

Studied describes a result achieved, not spontaneously, but by calculated and deliberate effort. It will probably take a studied effort to not appear nervous when you give an oral presentation.,Leaders often do not respond immediately to important events. They get a little background information first so they can give a studied response. When stars have to stand around on the red carpet before the Oscars to have their pictures taken, their smiles become less spontaneous and more studied. Even if you walk past a group of girls with studied nonchalance, they still know that you have noticed them.

suspense

Suspense is a feeling of excited waiting. If you have been waiting for weeks to get an answer to your proposal of marriage, you are being kept in suspense.,The verb form, suspend, literally means to keep hanging. Suspense can be used in all sorts of ways. Movies that keep you on the edge of your seat in fear use suspense to draw you in. Suspense doesnأ¢آ€آ™t always have to be scary, but it is usually agitating. If you are in suspense, youأ¢آ€آ™re waiting on something that you really have to know.

promiscuous

The adjective promiscuous is often used pejoratively to refer to someone who has many romantic partners. However, the word can also be used in a general sense to mean "not limited, restrained, or restricted." If you're a promiscuous reader, you'll read just about anything أ¢آ€آ" from biographies to science fiction to the back of the cereal box.,Promiscuous is not limited to a romantic context. Long ago promiscuous described "a disorderly mixture of people and things," and shades of that original meaning linger. If a chef at an Italian restaurant is promiscuous, you might find him mixing ingredients from South America or Asia into his pasta. Carpet bombing as opposed to targeted invasion might be called a promiscuous use of military force.

ventral

The adjective ventral refers to the area on the body in the lower front, around the stomach area. The ventral fin on a fish is the one on its belly.,The ventral area of anything, plant or animal, is its underside. In directional terms, the ventral side is the area forward from (or under) the spinal cord. The word comes from the Latin noun venter, which meant "belly," which lent its meaning to ventrأ„آپlis, which referred to anything pertaining to the belly area. When a shark is swimming toward you, you see the dorsal fin on its back but not the ventral fin on its belly, which remains unseen beneath the waves.

unison

The noun unison describes something that is synchronized or simultaneous, like when someone asks a question and you and your friend respond with the exact same answer at the same moment. When something is said in unison, two or more voices sound like one.,Unison comes from the Latin root words uni, meaning "one," and sonous, meaning "sound." So unison literally means one sound, and in music, it still retains that meaning. Unison occurs when two or more people play or sing the same pitch or in octaves. Outside of music, you may have experienced unison speaking when your class recites something together or unison movement when a group performs a dance routine.

proscenium

The proscenium of a theater stage is a structure in front of the stage that frames the action of the play. It can be square or arched, and the stage curtain is generally directly behind it.,The ancient Greeks gave us the modern concept of theater and, with it, the proscenium, one of the divisions of the stage. The word itself can be broken down into prأ...آچ-, "in front of," and skأ„آ"nأ„آ", "scene": The proscenium is thus the part "in front of the scenery." In a modern theater, the proscenium makes up the so-called "fourth wall," the invisible barrier that separates the stage from the audience and through which the audience watches the action.

quintessence

The quintessence of something is its perfect, ideal example. Some people say that the quintessence of American cuisine is the hamburger. Vegetarians may beg to differ.,Ancient Greek philosophers claimed there were five elements: earth, wind, air, fire, and a fifth substance that made up objects in the heavens. This idea was passed down through the ages to Latin-speaking scholars who called the fifth element quintessence أ¢آ€آ" from the Latin words quintus, meaning أ¢آ€آœfifth,أ¢آ€آ‌ and essentia, meaning أ¢آ€آœbeing.أ¢آ€آ‌ Eventually, the wordأ¢آ€آ™s meaning evolved into our modern definition of an ideal, a potentially heavenly example of something أ¢آ€آ" you know, like a hamburger.

schism

The sound of the word schism reminds some people of the sound of a piece of paper being torn in two; which makes sense أ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ" when a group has a big fight and the group is torn in two, that's a schism.,Although the Spanish club could have a schism over taco night versus tamale fest, schism often refers to splits in the church. You might have heard of the Great Schism of 1074, when the eastern Christian church, headquartered in Byzantium (now Istanbul), broke away from the western one headquartered in Rome.

pulsate

Things that pulsate throb with a regular, rhythmic beat أ¢آ€آ" like the piped-in music at a trendy discotheque.,Music can pulsate, electromagnetic waves can pulsate, and your head can pulsate when you have a splitting headache. When someone takes your pulse by placing fingers on the inside of your wrist or on your neck, they're counting your heartbeats by feeling the blood pulsate through your arteries.

retard

To retard something is to slow it down. A lack of fresh fruit and vegetables can retard the growth of a young child.,This word should be used with a lot of caution. Calling someone who's mentally retarded أ¢آ€آ" or of low intelligence أ¢آ€آ" a retard is considered very offensive by many people. That use should be avoided. On the other hand, this is a harmless word when used as a verb. While skiing, a heavy, bulky jacket could retard your progress down the mountain. Keeping a plant out of sunlight would retard its growth. When you see retard, think slow and "Use with caution."

skim

To skim is to remove something from the surface of a liquid. Some cooks skim the fat off of the top of their chicken noodle soup, others skim the cream off milk to make skim (or skimmed) milk.,Cream is what you skim off the surface of milk, and if you don't like the whipped version, you might skim it from your hot chocolate. Another way to use the word skim is to mean "read quickly," like when you skim the newspaper, catching just the headlines as you search for the comics section. Skim has an Old French root, escumer, "remove scum," from escume, "scum." The "glance through a book" meaning came later, in the late 1700أ¢آ€آ™s.

slacken

To slacken is to loosen the tension on or tightness of something. If you slacken the clothesline any more, the clothes will be on the ground next time you hang out the wash.,Slacken, in the "to loosen" sense, can also be used figuratively. Because you have been so responsible, we're going to slacken the rules about curfew on non-school nights and let you stay out an hour later. Slacken also means to slow down or make less active. If you are in a sprint race, you won't want to slacken your pace until after you cross the finish line or you might not win.

Wend

To wend means to choose a path and then walk that path. The path may not always be the fastest route, but at least it should get you there. Eventually.,Itأ¢آ€آ™s always good to have a goal, and thatأ¢آ€آ™s true with wending. You know where you want to go, so you wend your way there. Youأ¢آ€آ™ll notice that wend looks like the verb wind, and they both come from the same Old English wendan, which means أ¢آ€آœto turn, depart.أ¢آ€آ‌ When you wend, you may take curvy, windy roads, a more scenic route, some detours and side alleys, just for fun. But donأ¢آ€آ™t wend too much or youأ¢آ€آ™ll be late.

tramp

Tramp means to walk or stomp heavily. Your midnight tramp to the kitchen for milk and cookies doesn't thrill your downstairs neighbors.,Tramp comes from the German trampen, for "stamp." If you walk heavily, people will say you tramp, but if you're going on a tramp, that means you're going for a long walk or hike. If someone calls you a tramp, they either mean you're a slut or a hobo أ¢آ€آ" each meaning comes vagrant, or wanderer, and the low-life behaviors associated with vagrants.

repel

Use the verb repel when you want to turn something away, like drenched yourself in bug spray in an attempt to repel the mosquitoes that plague you when you go camping.,This versatile word can be used in relation to everything from bugs to unwanted romantic advances. The word repel can be used to describe the act of driving something away, as in the case of bugs or other pesky critters, including potential suitors. It can also be used to describe something that causes disgust or distaste. For example, the thought of eating snails might repel you.

ventriloquist

Ventriloquists prove that even adults sometimes play with dolls. Specifically, these performers pretend to make their dolls, puppets, or dummies speak for entertainment purposes.,The Latin word ventriloquium means أ¢آ€آœto speak from the stomach.أ¢آ€آ‌ Ventriloquists have learned the art of projecting their voices, speaking without moving their lips, and moving the mouths of their dummies simultaneously so that it seems like their dummies are talking. Usually, they sit on a stage and pretend to have a conversation as part of a comedy routine.

victuals

Victuals are anything that can be used as food. Even that plate of mystery meat that the lunch lady just gave you could be considered victuals.,You won't hear many people these days talking about packing their fridge with victuals. Actually pronounced "vittles," it's an old fashioned word for food that sounds like it belongs in a black and white western movie. And it certainly has some dusty roots أ¢آ€آ" word nerds can trace victuals all the way back to the Latin words for "nourishment," "livelihood" and "sustenance."

vivid

Vivid is an adjective that describes a bold and bright color, an intense feeling, or an image in your mind that is so clear you can almost touch it.,Sometimes you have a vivid dream that feels so real that even when you wake up, you canأ¢آ€آ™t tell if the dream is really over. In that dream, perhaps there were flowers with deep, rich, and vivid colors that looked like they were painted. Vivid comes from the Latin vivere, which means أ¢آ€آœto live,أ¢آ€آ‌ and vivid memories do seem to live on.

weary

Weary as an adjective means "very tired or worn out," like weary students who finished a long week of studying and taking tests.,Weary comes from the Old English word werig, meaning "tired." It can also describe being extremely bored and sick of something, like on a long drive, you might grow weary of your father's singing voice. As a verb, weary means "to exhaust or wear out," like when the children you are babysitting weary you with their game of running away every time you tell them to get ready to leave the park.

SOLICITOUS

When you hear the word solicitous, think of your mom أ¢آ€آ" attentive, caring, and concerned. It's nice when your waiter gives you good service, but if he or she is solicitous, the hovering might annoy you.,Solicitous comes from the Latin roots sollus "entire" and citus "set in motion." If someone is solicitous, they are entirely set in motion caring for you. Your neighbors are solicitous if they try to help your family out all the time. Use this word too if you're eager to do something. A good student will be solicitous to appear interested in what the teacher says أ¢آ€آ" even when it's not that interesting.

rejuvenate

When you make something young again or give it more life and energy, you rejuvenate it. For example, you can often rejuvenate a not-quite-dead plant, bringing it back to health with some water and some TLC.,One way to remember the word rejuvenate is to pick it apart to its heart, the juve. This juve sounds like juvenile أ¢آ€آ" which refers to youth. Add the prefix re, which means "again," and the "ate" suffix, which stands for "do or make." Put them all together and you get "make young again" أ¢آ€آ" the meaning of rejuvenate. We all want to be younger, as witnessed by all the ads for products that promise to rejuvenate us through special cosmetics or foods or exercise equipment.

testator

When you make your last will and testament, you are the testator, and if the will is written and witnessed according to the law of the land, your estate will be divided in the way you, the testator, requested.,The noun testator comes from the Latin verb testari, meaning أ¢آ€آœmake a will,أ¢آ€آ‌ أ¢آ€آœbe witness,أ¢آ€آ‌ or أ¢آ€آœdeclare.أ¢آ€آ‌ Perhaps your aunt, as testator of her will, indicated that she wanted you to inherit her collection of garden statuettes to keep her daughter from أ¢آ€آœsmashing them to bits and heaving them in the dump.أ¢آ€آ‌

recite

You are showing off your ability to recite, or repeat aloud from memory, when you say the entire text of "The Gettysburg Address" or name all the past winners of your townأ¢آ€آ™s asparagus eating contest.,Recite entered the English language as a legal term but is now more often used in the realms of education, literature, and religion. Children in school may be assigned a famous poem to recite in front of the class or be tested on how well they can recite their multiplication tables. In many religious traditions, being able to recite passages of sacred texts is an important part of practicing the religion.

saccharine

You might be tempted to turn the radio dial when you hear a love song that is saccharine, meaning that itأ¢آ€آ™s too sweet and sentimental to bear.,The adjective saccharine comes from the Middle Latin word for sugar. Saccharine is a type of sugar substitute that you might sprinkle on your cereal or berries to sweeten them without the calories of real sugar. The word is used to describe something so sweet that itأ¢آ€آ™s annoying أ¢آ€آ" like a very sentimental song or a tear-jerking commercial.

plait

You might get an odd look if you ask your hairdresser to put your hair in a plait, but sheأ¢آ€آ™ll eventually figure out what you want: a braid.,Plait, which sounds the same as plate, feels a bit like itأ¢آ€آ™s from a bygone era, though the word is still in use today. A woman wearing a hairstyle with plaits might be on her way to meet Lord Something-or-Other, in the hopes of receiving a marriage proposal. Meanwhile, someone wearing a braided hairdo might be preparing for a night on the town or just a trip to the grocery store.

waffle

You might think of a waffle as a grid-patterned pancake-like food that's tasty with syrup, and you'd be right. But the word is also a verb that means to avoid making a definitive decision.,The verb waffle seems to have its origins in the 1690s as the word waff, "to yelp," possibly in imitation of the yelping of dogs. The word soon came to mean "to talk foolishly" and then eventually "to vacillate, to change." The food term waffle, as part of "waffle iron," appeared in 1794, a descendant of the Dutch word wafel, which comes from the same Germanic source as weave: it's easy to see the waffle pattern as similar to a woven fabric.

ramble

You ramble when your talking or your walking goes on and on and on. And on. Youأ¢آ€آ™re in no hurry to make a point or get to your destination أ¢آ€آ" if there is one at all.,The word ramble comes from similar roots as roam. They both mean wander, but theyأ¢آ€آ™re often used a little differently. You might roam around on vacation to relax or find adventure. If youأ¢آ€آ™re a shark, you roam the deep sea for food. On the other hand, if the person on the plane next to you chatters nervously and canأ¢آ€آ™t stop, you wish they wouldnأ¢آ€آ™t ramble on like that.

reduce

You reduce something when you lessen its volume, size, or degree. That's why we say when someone goes on a diet, it's because they want to reduce; it's a polite way of suggesting they need to drop pounds and become a smaller size.,The word reduce first appeared in Old French during the 14th Century, when it meant "bring back." From the Latin re, which meant "back," coupled with ducere, meaning "bring or lead" أ¢آ€آ" we ended up with reduce. The current meaning, "to lessen," appeared in the late 1700's, drawn from the word's military use, "reduce to ranks," which meant break into smaller units. Cooks use the word reduce when they reduce a liquid, boiling it down until it has less volume and is thicker.

scruple

Your scruples are what keep you from doing things you consider to be morally or ethically wrong. Your scruples won't allow you to cheat on a test, or steal from your brother's Halloween candy stash.,The noun scruple comes from a Latin word, scrupulus, which means a small, sharp stone. Some say that the philosopher Cicero first used the word analogously to compare a worry to a small, sharp stone in your shoe that bothers you. From there the word scruple took on the ethical principles meaning. If you are doing something bad, your scruples will bother you أ¢آ€آ" but emptying your shoe probably won't help.

vital

A patient's vital signs are their important body functions, such as pulse rate, that shows they are still alive. Use the adjective vital to describe something that is important and necessary, or a person full of energy.,Vital descends from Middle English, from Old French, from Latin vأ„آ«tأ„آپlis, from vأ„آ«ta "life." If you are vital to the organization you work for, it means they cannot live without youأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"or at least that you're an important part of the team. If you're a vital force in your church volunteer group, you probably are a leader with lots of energy to give.

sect

A sect is a religious group that exists inside of a larger religion. Think of it as a section of a particular religion.,Although objectively speaking a sect is merely a subdivision of a larger religious group, the word often carries with it the feeling of a part of a religion that has broken away. It often has a negative connotation in English because it implies that the group departed from what was standard to believe something different or odd. If you are comparing two sects you might talk about their sectarian differences.

uxorious

A man who dotes on or really adores his wife is uxorious. Your uxorious grandfather, for example, might plan your grandmother's surprise birthday party months in advance.,Uxorious goes back to the Latin root أ...آ«xor, "wife," and it came into English in the 16th century. Uxorious is usually negative, a way to show that a husband has too much concern for his wife or is submissive to her desires. It's also an increasingly dated, old fashioned word, as a husband is considered uxorious if he lets his wife "control" him. There's no corresponding adjective you can use of a wife "controlled" by her husband.

Seraph

A seraph is an angel أ¢آ€آ" a heavenly, human-like creature with wings.,In Christianity, a seraph is an angel of the first order, which is a very important angel. A seraph is a member of a group of angels called the seraphim, who are believed to have six wings. In paintings and sculpture, a seraph is often portrayed as a child with wings. Seraphic is a word meaning "angelic."

wretch

A wretch is someone who is so miserable and unlucky that you almost have to feel sorry for the person. You might pity the poor wretch who was fired at work over something that wasnأ¢آ€آ™t even his fault.,Wretch traces back to the Old English word wrecca, meaning أ¢آ€آœbanished personأ¢آ€آ‌ أ¢آ€آ" so no wonder a wretch is so unhappy! A wretch is in such a bad situation that a sense of pity typically goes along with the word, and youأ¢آ€آ™ll often see the terms أ¢آ€آœpoor wretchأ¢آ€آ‌ or أ¢آ€آœunfortunate wretch.أ¢آ€آ‌ Wretch can also be used more informally to describe someone whoأ¢آ€آ™s wicked or hateful, like that ungrateful wretch who complained to the boss when you brought snacks to work.

ultimatum

An ultimatum is a final demand attached to a threat, like "If you don't do it, I'll never speak to you again." Ultimatums are serious business.,The noun ultimatum has Latin roots meaning "final" and that's still what the word means today. It is the final demand, usually with an implicit or explicit "or else" attached to it. Often, the person on the receiving end of the ultimatum rebels, however, and will say something like, "Don't give me any ultimatums!"

sensuous

Anything that is pleasing to the senses can be called sensuous. The feel of a soft cashmere sweater on your skin, the taste of dark chocolate, even the smell of your favorite person أ¢آ€آ" all of these can be sensuous experiences.,Sensuous describes anything that feels, tastes, smells, looks, or sounds good. Eating delicious food or relaxing in a warm bath are sensuous activities. But something intellectually satisfying, like doing a crossword puzzle or solving a math problem, is not exactly sensuous, even if you really like doing it. Use sensuous to describe stuff that makes your five senses happy.

purgatory

Being stuck in standstill traffic can feel like purgatory, but this brief spell of unpleasantness is nothing compared to the misery endured by souls waiting to get into heaven, which is the original meaning of the word.,Purgatory comes from a Late Latin verb meaning "to cleanse" أ¢آ€آ" purge shares the same root. In Roman Catholic doctrine, souls atoned for past sins in purgatory before entering heaven. In fact, for centuries, purgatory was often regarded as an actual physical place. Today, if you say you are in purgatory, you feel stuck or not able to continue towards a goal. High school might feel like purgatory because even though you're finished with your carefree childhood, you don't have the freedoms of adulthood yet.

righteous

Do you consider yourself a moral person, who tries to do good and be good? If the answer is yes, you are righteous أ¢آ€آ" in the right.,Being righteous literally means to be right, especially in a moral way. Religious people often talk about being righteous. In their view, the righteous person not only does the right thing for other people but also follows the laws of their religion. Heroes like Martin Luther King are often called righteous. On the other hand, this word can be a little negative. If you call someone self-righteous, it means they're a little too sure they're right and better than other people.

spry

If you are an old lady, remaining spry is something you aspire to. It means "nimble." You might also use it to describe a goat that jumps easily along from mountain crag to mountain crag.,The most common use of spry is to describe people who are aging. You might say that at 92, your great grandmother is still spry and sharp as a tack. Spry refers to her physical well-being; "sharp as a tack" to her mental faculties.

spoonerism

Here's the official meaning of spoonerism: "The transposition of initial consonants in a pair of words." Zzzzzzzzz. Okay, pretty dull sounding, but in practice actually pretty funny: "My lips are zipped" becomes "my zips are lipped.","Popcorn" becomes "cop porn." "Son, it is now kisstumary to cuss the bride." You get the idea. We owe the invention of the Spoonerism, or at least its great fame, to a nineteenth-century English reverend named Archibald Spooner, who was famous for mixing up his words. He wasn't a drunk, although drunkenness can sometimes cause spoonerisms, just absent-minded. The first two examples above, by the way, are modern Spoonerisms, too risquأƒآ© for the good reverend himself. The last? A 100% genuine original Spoonerism.

turbid

If a liquid is dark and murky and you can't see through it, it's turbid. Itأ¢آ€آ™s usually used as a criticism أ¢آ€آ" a turbid river is generally a polluted one, but then again a good pint of real ale should be turbid. Go figure.,Turbid comes from the Latin word turbidus, which means "muddy, full of confusion." Although itأ¢آ€آ™s usually used to describe liquid, like that turbid creek your rain boot disappeared in, it can also be used to describe writing thatأ¢آ€آ™s unclear. If your teacher says your essay for English is turbid, itأ¢آ€آ™s time to go back to work! Outlines and thesis statements can help clear up turbid prose.

verity

If your friend tells you she saw a UFO yesterday afternoon, you might be inclined to question the verity, or truthfulness, of her statement. Everyone knows UFOs are only visible at night.,Verity can also be used to mean أ¢آ€آœa true idea, belief, or statement.أ¢آ€آ‌ Abstract concepts like love and goodness are often referred to as verities, conveying the idea that they are universal truths. Verity is related to the word verify, meaning أ¢آ€آœto determine whether something is true." If your friend tells you that UFO story again, you should verify its verity!

simplistic

It would be simplistic to say that people who get good grades study more. This answer doesn't account for the complexities of how we learn and are tested. When something is simplistic, it is overly simple.,When your mother tells you to just ignore a bully, you might find her advice simplistic. How can you just ignore his insults? She might also tell you that he probably doesn't have a good home life, or is jealous of you. These too will sound simplistic. The fact is, sometimes there is no simple answer to a problem, and all attempts to solve it quickly will be simplistic.

ruse

Movie bank robbers always seem to pull some kind of ruse, a deceptive trick or tactic like hiding the money underneath the bank while they drive off in the getaway car to avoid capture by the police.,You'd use a ruse if you were up to something sneaky and were trying to get away with it without being discovered. The wife planning a surprise birthday party for her husband could send him out to the supermarket as a ruse, a trick so she could sneak one hundred of his closest friends into the house without him noticing.

plaintive

Plaintive is an adjective for describing someone or something with a pleading, sorrowful, desperate tone. If you have ever heard the plaintive howl of a wolf, then you know what we are getting at here.,A plaint, as in complaint, is an expression of sorrow or grief. This word has also been bent a little at the ends to become plaintiff, or complainantأ¢آ€آ"the suffererأ¢آ€آ"in a lawsuit. So, whether you are hearing a plaintive tone in a courtroom, at a funeral, or in the wild (as in an animal's plaintive howl), you can be assured that someone or something desires something desperately.

pucker

Pucker is a verb for what happens when something smooth or flat gets folded up into little wrinkles, like how you pucker your lips when you go to kiss someone أ¢آ€آ" you, wild flirt, you!,When you use a sewing machine, sometimes the cloth puckers in wrinkly clumps that make it hard to sew in a straight line. Most of the time, itأ¢آ€آ™s lips that do the puckering, maybe because you want a kiss, but also sucking on a lemon can make your lips pucker. If someone tells you to أ¢آ€آœpucker up,أ¢آ€آ‌ they might want to kiss you, or they might throw a sour pickle at your head. Either way, get ready.

pudding

Pudding is a sweet, creamy dessert that you eat with a spoon. The song أ¢آ€آœWe Wish You a Merry Christmasأ¢آ€آ‌ implores someone to أ¢آ€آœbring us some figgy pudding,أ¢آ€آ‌ but chocolate or vanilla would be much easier to find.,Most pudding is made with milk, sugar, and flavoring with a thickening agent like cornstarch. Your favorite might be dark chocolate, butterscotch, or rice pudding. These are delicious, smooth, and usually served cold. In Britain, pudding simply means "dessert," but in North America pudding is a specific kind of after-dinner treat. Back in the 1300s, pudding had a different meaning: "a kind of sausage." You can still get that kind of blood pudding in England. If you must.

sodden

Pull out your galoshes. When it's been raining for days, there are puddles everywhere, and the grass is thoroughly soaked, it's safe to say the ground is sodden.,Coming from the Middle English word for "boiled," sodden is certainly closely tied with lots and lots of liquid. Saturated, soppy and soaking, anything that's sodden is drenched to the core and probably a mess. That goes for people, too: You can call someone sodden if they're acting stupid or dull, especially if they've had too much to drink.

quash

Quash means to put down, stop, extinguish, and itأ¢آ€آ™s usually used to talk about ideas, feelings, or political movements. You wouldnأ¢آ€آ™t quash a grape underfoot; you would squash it. But if you were a military dictator, you would quash a revolution.,Quash is an extreme word. It comes from the French word for smash, or shatter. If something is quashed it is completely suppressed, usually by something or someone very powerful or authoritative. If you wrote a poem and asked your favorite teacher to read it, and that teacher tore it to pieces, then your hopes were most likely quashed.

queasy

Queasy describes a feeling of nervousness, uneasiness, or anxiety. If you're queasy about making a speech in front of the entire high school, you have a feeling that it won't go well.,Queasy can also mean feeling sick to your stomach. If you eat a sandwich made of turkey that expired two months ago, you'll likely feel queasy and throw up. If you feel queasy during a flight, both meanings of the word can apply: you may be queasy أ¢آ€آ" as in anxious أ¢آ€آ" because you're afraid of flying. And you may also be queasy أ¢آ€آ" as in sick to your stomach أ¢آ€آ" as a result of the air turbulence.

quizzical

Quizzical usually means puzzled or questioning, though it can also mean confused, surprised, comical, or mocking. If someone's looking at you with a quizzical expression when you mention your summer, it might mean they don't know about your adventures at space camp.,The word quiz tucked inside quizzical should help you remember the idea of questioning that this adjective often suggests. The word also comes in handy to describe being eccentric or odd, as well as skeptical or derisive. You raise a quizzical eyebrow every time you see me in my giant fur hat. Does that mean you donأ¢آ€آ™t like it?

severity

Severity is a plain, no-frills hardnessأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"or the degree of hardness. You might talk about the severity of the northern winter, or the severity of your grandfather's discipline.,Severity, with its root in severe, has several nuances. It can mean a hardship, like warأ¢آ€آ™s severity. It also refers to an extreme plainness. Think of the severity of Amish life: no phones, cars, or other modern technology. And you might use it to describe your math teacherأ¢آ€آ™s manner: his severity is indicated by his short, clipped sentences, angry stare, and propensity to fail students without mercy.

prefigure

Something that is a sign of things to come can be said to prefigure the future thing أ¢آ€آ" and usually not in a good way.,Sleeping through your alarm Monday morning might prefigure your entire week أ¢آ€آ" in other words, it might be a sign of the unlucky days ahead.English is rich in terms that have the basic meaning of "tell something about the future." Perhaps because we all wish we knew more about it! The Latin root of prefigure is praefigurare, from prae, "before," and figurare , "to form or shape."

skulk

Skulking is cowardly. It means hiding out, either because you're trying to pull something off in secret, or you're trying to get out of doing something you're supposed to be doing.,If you cut school, it makes sense to do it in the style of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," and enjoy yourself. Will the punishment be worse than if you skulk around town, avoiding teachers and people your parents know, not doing anything you really want to do? In spy movies, there are always bad guys in hotel lobbies, skulking about, hiding behind open newspapers.

turncoat

Someone who betrays his country during a war would be called a turncoat. If you suddenly start supporting a rival sports team, you might be called a turncoat, too. A turncoat is a traitor.,Turncoat comes from the ancient practice of wearing a badge or pin on one's coat signifying the party or leader you supported. By "turning your coat" you quite literally hid your allegiance to others. Often used interchangeably with defector, and while they are similar they are not quite the same. Turncoat is worse: it implies no possibility of any good or honest motive. Defector can at least sometimes have a neutral or even positive implication.

scintillate

The verb scintillate means to twinkle or glow, as in a flickering light. You may find it romantic to sit on the deck overlooking a lake on a clear night, where you can enjoy the scintillating stars in the sky and the reflection of the moon on the water.,Scintillate means to be sparkling and lively. Scintillate has its roots in the Latin words scintillare, meaning "to sparkle," and scintilla, meaning "a spark." The verb scintillate is related to the adjective scintillating and the noun scintilla. If you enjoy witty repartee, people may say your conversation scintillates with humor and they enjoy how you are so clever.

thespian

Thespian is a fancy word for actor. Since this word is related to Thespis, the guy who first took the stage in Ancient Greece, you can feel real scholarly using the word thespian.,As an adjective, you can use the word thespian to describe something that is related to drama. If you enjoy theater, you can say you enjoy thespian pursuits. Many high school drama clubs offer Thespian status to club members who earn a certain number of points by acting in shows or working on backstage tech for them. Note that the word thespian is sometimes capitalized because it is taken from a person's name.

threadbare

Those jeans you wear every day that have holes in the knees and thin patches in the rear? They're threadbare. Threadbare means thin from overuse.,Furniture, clothing or a rug is threadbare if the fabric is thin and worn through. If your father tells the same jokes over and over again, you might accuse him of having a threadbare sense of humor. A friend who chooses to live a threadbare lifestyle doesn't have a lot of things, and what they do have is not in the best of shape. When you see this word, picture your childhood stuffed animal with the fur rubbed thin from too much cuddling.

prude

Use prude to describe someone who is too concerned with being proper or modest. It is a derogatory label affixed most often to girls or women who are not forthcoming romanticallyأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"it's not very nice.,Prude was borrowed from French, short for prude femme "wise and good woman," from Old French prud "wise, good" plus femme "woman." Though the word prude took on a disapproving or negative meaning, Old French prud also meant "capable, brave," and is probably the source of English proud.

salutary

Use salutary to describe something that's good for your health, like the salutary benefits of exercise, laughter, and getting enough sleep every night.,When you look at the word salutary, you might expect it to have something to do with showing respect to military personnel, perhaps by saluting. In fact, salutary and salute do share a Latin root: salus, which means "good health." When you salute someone, or say "Salud!" before clinking glasses and taking a first sip, you're essentially giving your salutary wish أ¢آ€آ" in other words, hoping a person enjoys good health.

suffuse

Use suffuse to describe things that spread until they fill a space, like the infectious laughter that becomes a roar on a particularly good night at the comedy club. You might say comedy suffuses the area.,Suffuse is a synonym for steep. Like tea whose flavor grows stronger the more it steeps, when you suffuse something it spreads throughout until an area is full, or even overly full. Another synonym, infuse, looks a lot like suffuse. Both words come from the Latin word fundere, which means "to pour."

vibrant

Vibrant colors are bright. Vibrant sounds are loud and resonant. Vibrant people are ones you rememberأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"they're bright and full of personality.,Vibrant was originally intended to describe sounds. Sound waves vibrate, and when they vibrate more rapidly, they sound brighter. Singers and string instrument players increase this effect by shaking the notes they play through a technique called vibrato that increases the vibrancy of their sound.

venom

Weأ¢آ€آ™re pretty sure you wouldnأ¢آ€آ™t drink a mysterious substance labeled أ¢آ€آœpoisonous snake venom,أ¢آ€آ‌ even if you didnأ¢آ€آ™t know the meaning of venom. However, just to be clear, venom means "poison." Stay away from it.,Venom is poisonous fluid produced by animals such as snakes, spiders, and certain people. Okay أ¢آ€آ" we take that last one back, sort of. Scientifically speaking, people donأ¢آ€آ™t produce venom, but they can certainly do so in a metaphorical sense. Thatأ¢آ€آ™s why venom can also be used to mean أ¢آ€آœmaliceأ¢آ€آ‌ or أ¢آ€آœhatred.أ¢آ€آ‌ If you encounter someone who seems full of venom, remember that kindness can be a good antidote. (So can a really insulting remark.)

trepidation

When plain old "fear" isn't enough to get across a deep feeling of dread about something on the horizon, use the more formal word trepidation.,"It was with a certain trepidation that I attended an advance screening of Rob Zombie's Halloween in Hollywood last night," wrote a film reviewer. Some dictionaries note that trepidation carries connotations of apprehension about an upcoming threat. In most cases, though, you can get by with the simpler word fear أ¢آ€آ" why use three syllables when you could make do with one? The word comes from the Latin verb trepidare, "to tremble."

thematic

When you visit a museum and the cat paintings are grouped together in one room, and the fruit paintings in another, you could conclude that the curator favors a thematic arrangement, meaning grouped by topic, rather than chronologically or by artist.,Thematic relationships are everywhere. You could apply a thematic arrangement to your closet, putting the 1970s disco-wear in one section and your motorcycle gear in another. When you're studying the works of Charles Dickens, finding the thematic similarities across all the novels helps you remember them more easily. That song your garage band has been working on has a thematic development, too, starting with a line of melody, changing it a little, taking it in a different direction, then returning to the theme.

Woo

When you woo someone, you are being charming because you think that it will make them love you more. You want to win their heart, so you woo them, you flirty dog you.,Poetry is a great way to woo someone, because who could resist such beautiful words? Wooing requires a romantic heart and a lot of focused attention on the person you desire. But wooing isnأ¢آ€آ™t always just done for love, and you can woo someone because you want their support, like when a rock band woos a record label to release their album, or wooing your grandmother because you need to borrow some money.

titillate

A juicy steak may titillate your taste buds, or sexy images in a foreign film may titillate your desire. Titillate means to excite someone's imagination, especially in a sexual way.,Titillate comes from a Latin verb that means "tickle," and that's what something that titillates does to the imagination. Today's media bombard you with images made to titillate, from video game heroines with extreme physiques to casual nudity on prime-time TV. But it doesn't have to be sex to titillate. A display of fabulous pastries in a bakery window can titillate your senses, or whispered rumors about your high school principal's past life as a rodeo queen may titillate your curiosity.

tureen

If a waiter brought a big, deep serving dish to your table, removed its lid, and began ladling soup into your bowl, you could confidently call the dish a tureen.,A tureen can be made out of earthenware or porcelain or even silver; the most famous tureen أ¢آ€آ" or at least the most expensive أ¢آ€آ" may have been an 18th century French model that was auctioned off in 1996 for more than ten million dollars.

remediable

If it's remediable than it can be fixed or cured. Your dog's bad breath, dangerous shopping habits, and poison ivy are all remediable afflictions.,Remediable is a formal way of describing something that can be fixed up because there's a remedy for it. Horace Mann, the first American advocate of public education, said that أ¢آ€آœevil is inevitable, but is also remediableأ¢آ€آ‌ أ¢آ€آ" meaning that even the most rotten kids can be reformed and rehabbed into model citizens. Today's detention hall monitors might disagree.

rousing

If you've ever been "roused" out of your sleep by someone, then you'll have no trouble seeing that rousing refers to anything that gets you going, up on your feet, energized.,There's nothing like a rousing tournament of Twister to get you off your butt and into the game. Cheerleaders and rock stars are in the business of creating rousing spectacles. They want their audiences to get up on their feet, clap their hands, and get on the bandwagon. A good drinking song, too, is rousing, inspiring folks to clink their glasses, sway back and forth, and, well, keep drinking. Beethoven was a master of music that was thoughtful one minute and rousing the very next.

smelt

No, this verb doesn't involve using your nose. When you smelt metal, you remove it from ore, or rock. Heat is required to smelt iron.,Smelt looks a lot like melt and that is an easy way to remember what this process involves. To smelt metal, you have to heat the rock, which is called ore, until the metal inside it melts or liquefies. That metal is the part that has use and value, but hard work is needed to extract it.

prehensile

Prehensile means "able to grasp" and often refers to such body parts as claws, feet, and tails. Elephants curl their prehensile noses around objects in order to pick them up.,Prehensile is an adjective that comes from a French word for أ¢آ€آœgrasped.أ¢آ€آ‌ Humans and other primates (like monkeys, lemurs, and gorillas) have prehensile hands with curling fingers for grasping أ¢آ€آ" a definite advantage over dogs, for instance, who canأ¢آ€آ™t use a pencil when poetic inspiration strikes them. Prehensile can also mean "greedy" or "grasping for riches."

pterodactyl

Pretend that you are living during the Cretaceous period. Then look up at the sky. That fierce winged creature swooping down on you is a pterodactyl, a flying reptile.,The word pterodactyl, pronounced "tear-uh-DACK-til," refers to a now-extinct group of winged reptiles known as pterosaurs. The word comes from the Latin Pterodactylus, the creatures' genus name, which originated in the Greek pteron, meaning أ¢آ€آœwing,أ¢آ€آ‌ and daktulos, meaning أ¢آ€آœfinger.أ¢آ€آ‌ Although technically not a dinosaur, this flying reptile thrived during the same time period is as often seen among dinosaurs in movies.

reciprocal

Reciprocal describes something that's the same on both sides. If you and your sister are in a big fight on a long car trip, you might resolve it through a reciprocal agreement that you'll stop poking her and she'll stop reading road signs out loud.,The word mutual is a near synonym in most uses: reciprocal/mutual friendship, describing, a relationship in which two people feel the same way about each other, or do or give similar things to each other. If you tell someone you like them and they say, "The feelings are reciprocal," that means they like you too. In math, a reciprocal is a number that when multiplied by a given number gives one as a product.

refraction

Refraction is the bending of light or sound as it passes through something like a wall (sound) or a window (light).,The result of the refraction of light particles as they pass through water or a prism is a rainbow. Since different colored light particles move at different speeds, refraction causes the colors to split by how fast they are moving. Sound waves also experience refraction when traveling in warm air over cool water. This is why you can sometimes hear someone talking from far across a lake in the morning or evening.

retribution

Retribution is the act of taking revenge. If you pull a prank on someone, expect retribution.,Retribution comes from the Latin for giving back what's due, either reward or punishment. But when we talk about retribution, we only talk about punishment. The old punishment code of "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," is an example of retribution. Some people think about large events like tornados or earthquakes as cosmic retribution for human pride. Some synonyms are compensation, recompense, requital.

rote

Rote means learning a fact by repeating it. Rote means learning a fact by repeating it. Rote means learning a fact by repeating it. Do you remember what rote means yet?,Some teachers think rote learning is bad for students. They say that if students just use memorization to learn knowledge that they will not have a deeper understanding of how things relate to one another or can be applied. Another way rote is used, is to refer to knowing something so well that you can recite it from memory, or by heart. You might know a lot of nursery from childhood by rote.

wrongheaded

Something that's wrongheaded is foolish, misguided, and stubborn. A wrongheaded politician might run for president despite polls showing there's no way he can win.,A wrongheaded entrepreneur may go ahead with her plans to open an ice cream shop for dogs despite being advised not to by everyone she knows. You might feel angry about a judge's wrongheaded decision in an important court case. Anyone who uses bad judgement is wrongheaded, especially when the mistake seems obvious. The adjective wrongheaded has been around since the 1730's.

sparse

Something thatأ¢آ€آ™s sparse is thin, not dense. If youأ¢آ€آ™re looking for the perfect place to build a tree house, a sparse forest is probably not your best bet.,From the Latin sparsus, meaning أ¢آ€آœscattered,أ¢آ€آ‌ we get the adjective sparse, which means أ¢آ€آœfew and scattered.أ¢آ€آ‌ Thinning hair is sparse, as is the population of an endangered species. Or a small and scattered crowd for an unpopular band. Synonyms include dispersed, infrequent, and scanty. Antonyms, on the other hand, include full, lush, and plentiful.

sate

Sometimes you're so hungry you feel like you could eat a ten-course meal. Other times it takes just a small salad to sate your appetite, or to satisfy your hunger.,The verb sate comes from the Old English sadian, أ¢آ€آœto satiate,أ¢آ€آ‌ and can be applied to any situation regarding the satisfaction of a need or an appetite. If you have been craving something sweet, your craving might be sated by a bag of jellybeans. However, if it seems like you can never get enough jellybeans, your appetite for sweets might be described as insatiable, a word used to describe a person or entity whose appetites أ¢آ€آ" literally or figuratively أ¢آ€آ" are impossible to satisfy.

subservient

Subservient means "compliant," "obedient," "submissive," or having the qualities of a servant. Something that's subservient has been made useful, or put into the service of, something else.,Our word subservient is unusual because it actually comes from the Latin word of exactly the same spelling and almost the identical meaning أ¢آ€آ" "subjecting to" or "complying with." Usually words change a little in spelling or meaning when they are adopted from another language, but this one did not. Maybe the word subservient seemed so subservient that it could comply with the rules of any language!

sylvan

The adjective sylvan refers to a shady, wooded area. The word suggests a peaceful, pleasant feeling, as though you were far away from the noise of modern life.,As a noun, sylvan means a being that inhabits the woods. The Roman god of woods and fields was known as Silvanus, sometimes also known as the half-man, half-goat sylvan called Pan. Shakespeareأ¢آ€آ™s character Puck, in "A Midsummer Night's Dream," seems based on a sylvan, and other authors used the image as well. The adjectival use of the Middle French word sylvain evolved in the mid-16th century. The word is most often used today to describe an idyllic wooded area.

tundra

The tundra is a vast treeless plain near the Arctic Circle where the subsoil is permanently frozen. Despite the stark cold, many animals thrive on the tundra, including insects, migrating birds, and foxes.,A tundra is a great description of any stark icy cold place أ¢آ€آ" say, the walk to class on a college campus during February أ¢آ€آ" but it is an actual geographic location, near the Arctic circle in North America, Russia, and Scandinavia. Smaller tundras can exist near the South Pole but it's often too cold there. The word comes from the Finnish tunturria which means "barren land." Santa's reindeer live on the tundra and go by the name of caribou in North America. Of course, none of them can fly.

wheedle

To wheedle is to sweet talk, or flatter someone in the hopes of getting something in return. You might try to wheedle a meter maid into not giving you a parking ticket. Good luck with that.,If you want your parents to do something for you that they donأ¢آ€آ™t want to do, you may have to wheedle them with breakfast in bed and a shower of compliments in order to get what you want. To wheedle someone is to أ¢آ€آœcharmأ¢آ€آ‌ that person, though itأ¢آ€آ™s a little more on the أ¢آ€آœsuck up toأ¢آ€آ‌ side than it is charming. The teacherأ¢آ€آ™s pet might try to wheedle her way into a better grade.

tessellated

Use tessellated, an adjective, to describe a mosaic pattern formed from small tiles, blocks, or stones pieced together: "The tessellated pavement of blue and gold stones glistened in the sunlight.",To correctly pronounce tessellated, accent the first syllable: "TESS-ul-ay-ted." It comes from the Greek word tessera, "a cube or square of stone or wood." Later, it came to mean "made of small square stones or tiles," or mosaics. Tessellated can also refer to an interlocking pattern, such as one made by paving stones on a walkway: "The tessellated pavement in front of the church was over 150 years old."

sonorous

Used to describe sound or speech that is full, rich, and deep, sonorous is a great word for snoring, for bass voices, and for low notes on the tuba.,Skip the first "o" and you'll see snore inside this word, which should give you a clue as to its deeply resonant character. Another way to remember sonorous is that son sounds like "sound," and that's what this word is all about.

superfluous

When something is so unnecessary that it could easily be done away with, like a fifth wheel on a car or a fifth person on a double date, call it superfluous.,Superfluous (soo-PER-floo-uhs) means "more than required." Use it when pointing out something that could be removed without detracting from the quality of something: "For a climb over a glacier, the very thickest shoes are absolutely necessary; beyond these, all else seems superfluous to me," wrote the adventurer Charles Stoddard in 1899. The word comes from Latin and literally means "overflowing": super, "over" + fluere, "to flow." So you can think of a superfluous addition as flowing over the boundaries of what's needed.

swathe

When you swathe yourself in a blanket, you are wrapping or swaddling yourself up in it. Swathe a baby up and you're creating a little cocoon where she can sleep.,The word swathe can also be spelled swath. When spelled with an e, it is pronounced like the word "bathe." When you bathe, you immerse yourself in water and when you swathe yourself, you immerse or bundle yourself in blankets. Commonly, this word can be used to talk about how you might wrap a baby up, but it's also the word for a long strip or bandage to protect a wound.

titular

You might say youأ¢آ€آ™re the boss man in your household, but if everybody else in the family ignores you, 'boss man' is probably a titular position for you. In other words, itأ¢آ€آ™s just a title. Thereأ¢آ€آ™s no power behind it.,We get titular from the Latin word titulus, meaning "title." Nowadays, it means that you hold an official title but donأ¢آ€آ™t have any power or responsibility along with it. The Queen of England is a titular head of state. She doesnأ¢آ€آ™t actually govern. A titular director doesnأ¢آ€آ™t direct. Titular can also mean referencing the title. If you're playing the role of Dave in the play All About Dave, you're playing the titular role.

stupor

A person in a stupor is considered barely conscious or stunned; or, if you consult Led Zeppelin lyrics: dazed and confused.,Stupors can be brought on by drugs, alcohol, illness, or shocking news. You might doze off with a lampshade on your head if youأ¢آ€آ™re in a drunken stupor. Medically speaking, a person in this state responds only to pain. You can also be in a stupor if youأ¢آ€آ™re in shock, like if your boss says he's replacing you with a robot, or if Mister Ed the talking horse kicks you in the gut. Like stupid, it comes from the Latin word stupere that means basically أ¢آ€آœto be stunned.أ¢آ€آ‌

PRECIS

A precis is a summary of something's main points. If you've ever jotted down notes about your main ideas before writing a persuasive essay, you've used a precis.,Precis looks like precise, and of course, you always want your precis to be precise. But the words are pronounced differently. Precis comes from the French word prأƒآ©cis, so say it like this: "PRAY see." Or you can accent the other syllable: "pray SEE." The s is only pronounced if the word is plural: "PRAY sees." The spelling stays the same.

skiff

A skiff is a small boat. If you decide to purchase a skiff instead of giant yacht, you're probably someone who prefers the quiet, simple life. (Or maybe you just didnأ¢آ€آ™t want to spend the money on a yacht.),A skiff may be powered by oars, sails, or a motor, but in any of these cases, a typical skiff can carry only a few passengers. Skiff originally referred to a small boat attached to a large ship; the skiff would have been used for communication with and transportation to other large ships and the shore. Winslow Homer, a 19th-century American artist, often portrayed skiffs in his depictions of marine scenes.

torpedo

A torpedo is a type of missile or bomb fired underwater. To torpedo is to attack with torpedoes.,Torpedoes are cigar-shaped projectiles that are used to attack other submarines or boats. The word torpedo comes from the name of a kind of electric ray that numbs you with its sting (torpediniformes). Torpedoes can also be used to attack a target on land. When a submarine fires torpedoes, they're torpedoing the target. Torpedoes explode upon impact, and they're very powerful weapons.

tribute

A tribute is a sign of respect or admiration, an award to honor a person's accomplishments. A famous director receives a lifetime achievement award as a tribute to his many successful films.,We're most familiar with the use of the word tribute meaning to honor someone with words or an award. You can hear a tribute if you're lucky enough to attend an entertainment awards ceremony, or need to attend a funeral. Students will give a retiring teacher flowers as a tribute to her years of service in education. Tribute can also mean a kind of payment that's given from one nation to another.

prank

Pretending to be someone else on the phone or putting a whoopee cushion on someone's chair are two very old types of a prank, or practical joke, played at someone else's expense.,There are many kinds of pranks in the world. If you called a friend and said you were the police, that would be a prank phone call. Some pranks can be mean and even dangerous, while others are silly. Some people prank their friends, while others prank people they dislike. Some people never outgrow the need to pull a good prank. A less common meaning of prank is to dress up in a showy or silly way.

remission

Remission refers to a stage of lesser intensity, when something subsides or improves. Remission is usually a good thing أ¢آ€آ" like when your cancer is in remission, it means that it is manageable and not getting any worse.,Remission comes from the Latin remissionem, meaning "relaxation, a sending back." If something difficult lets up, you'll be able to relax a little. For example, if are being pelted non-stop during a dodgeball game, you'd hope for a remission, so you have a minute to take a breath and find your glasses. Another meaning of the noun remission is a payment. Your college tuition remission must be taken care of before you start classes.

rendezvous

Rendezvous is a very French way to say "meeting" or "date." So go ahead and call your next dentist appointment or lunch date with friends a rendezvous.,In the 1590s, rendezvous meant أ¢آ€آœa place for assembling of troops.أ¢آ€آ‌ And you'll still hear military tacticians talking about "rendezvous points" today. But more often we use rendezvous to describe an assembling of friends, an appointment, or a date with your secret lover. If you're feeling extra Frenchy, you can use rendezvous as a verb, as in "Let's rendezvous next Saturday at the mall."

reprise

Reprise means "repeat an earlier role." If youأ¢آ€آ™re asked to reprise your role as "kid entertainer" at the annual family reunion, that means people want you to do it again this year.,Early on, reprise was a part in a song or other musical composition that is repeated. The word still carries that meaning, but now it's more likely to be used as a verb to describe an action or part that is repeated, often a performance. For example, if you played a role in a wildly successful film that is going to have a sequel, you would reprise your role. The word comes from the French word repris, meaning "take back."

snivel

Sometimes, when you really want something, you might resort to whining and blubbering to get it أ¢آ€آ" in other words, you'll snivel. It's never pretty, so try to keep your dignity, and don't snivel!,If you want a real picture of the verb snivel, consider that the meaning of the assumed Old English word snyflan meant "to run at the nose, to sniffle." Even worse, that was derived from snofl, or "mucus." Pretty picture, eh? The word came to mean "be tearful," and it suggested someone who was weak or nasty. Today it is often used in its adjective form, sniveling, followed by a contemptuous noun like "coward."

unfledged

Something that is unfledged is young and inexperienced, such as an unfledged short story writer who has great style but whose stories have plots that are impossible to follow.,The word unfledged can be used literally to describe a baby bird that doesnأ¢آ€آ™t yet have feathers and canأ¢آ€آ™t fly or leave the nest. It can also describe a person who is inexperienced or not yet completely developed. An actor just learning his craft could be called unfledged. It can also be used to describe ideas that are still developing, such as an unfledged plan أ¢آ€آ" there are goals but all the steps for reaching them aren't in place.

supernal

Something that's heavenly or otherworldly is supernal. A supernal understanding of life, for example, would be a deeper, spiritual, or religious awareness.,Things with a spiritual emphasis can be described as supernal, particularly in books and religious literature. A religious Christian might find supernal wisdom in the Bible, while supernal revelations might come to a Hindu during prayer in a temple. Supernal can also mean simply "exceptional:" "The supernal poets are the ones who put words to feelings." The Latin root is supernus, "situated above."

sapid

Something that's sapid is very flavorful or savory. A sapid beef stew tastes rich and delicious.,The adjective sapid is a fairly uncommon way to describe something with a rich, deep flavor. You can declare your grandmother's Thanksgiving feast sapid, though you may have to reassure her that it's a compliment أ¢آ€آ" sapid is more often used in scientific or industry writing about food than in cooking magazines. It comes from the Latin sapidus, "savory, or having a taste," from the root sapere, which means both "to taste" and "to be wise."

strident

Something that's strident is loud, grating, and obnoxious. Your roommate's strident laughter as he watches cartoons late into the night might inspire you to buy a pair of ear plugs.,Strident is related to the Latin word strix , meaning "screech owl." This is a kind of owl that doesn't hoot. It screeches in a strident way. Strident can also describe the forceful expression of an unpopular opinion. Don't confuse strident with striding, which means walking quickly with a wide step. If you're angry at your brother, you might come striding into his room and begin making a strident case for why he has done you wrong.

SPORTIVE

Sportive is a good adjective to describe fun-loving people who are playful and lively, like your sportive friends who run straight to the water or hit the volleyball court when they get to the beach.,Sportive describes people whose idea of fun is being in motion. They run around, hike, bike, play sports أ¢آ€آ" anything but sit still. There is another meaning of sportive that doesn't require so much action. Those sportive types are sports fans, who may be athletes themselves, or just big fans of a team or a sport.

sportive

Sportive is a good adjective to describe fun-loving people who are playful and lively, like your sportive friends who run straight to the water or hit the volleyball court when they get to the beach.,Sportive describes people whose idea of fun is being in motion. They run around, hike, bike, play sports أ¢آ€آ" anything but sit still. There is another meaning of sportive that doesn't require so much action. Those sportive types are sports fans, who may be athletes themselves, or just big fans of a team or a sport.

sinewy

Something muscular, with a tight and stretched toughness, is sinewy. Tennis players' lean arms have a sinewy beauty, all the muscles showing as they hit their smoking serves.,A sinew is a tendon that attaches muscles to bones, and something sinewy has a lot of sinew or shows a lot of built-up tissues. If you're a carpenter or a piano player, you probably have well-exercised, sinewy hands and fingers. Lines in nature, such as tree limbs and roots, can be sinewy too. Being sinewy is attractive when it's in good health, but it can also make you look too stretched or thin, even scrawny. Tough meat can be sinewy and unchewable.

repeal

To repeal something أ¢آ€آ" usually a law, ordinance or public policy أ¢آ€آ" is to take it back. For example, dog lovers might want the town council to repeal the law that says residents can have no more than four dogs.,The verb repeal comes from the Anglo-French word repeler, أ¢آ€آœto call back.أ¢آ€آ‌ Repeal is almost always used in the context of law: When a government decides to get rid of an ordinance or law, that ordinance or law is repealed. That means it is no longer in effect, like if the weather becomes unseasonably hot, the schools might repeal the part of the dress code to permit students to wear shorts.

trinket

The word trinket refers to an inexpensive, flashy ornament or piece of jewelry. A rhinestone brooch to pin to your jacket is a showy trinket that won't break the bank.,Trinkets aren't always made to be worn like jewelry. The word trinket can also refer to novelty items such as silly magnets with sayings on them or keepsake spoons. If you've ever stopped into a store at the airport that sells goods like keychains, mugs, and buttons, then you've seen trinkets. Trinkets are often purchased on a vacation أ¢آ€آ" they're small enough to stick into your pockets before you board the plane home.

schematic

Use the adjective schematic to describe a drawing that's very simple and symbolic. That drawing your cousin made of a house with a pointy roof, smiling stick figures, and a round yellow sun? Very schematic.,The word schematic can apply to ideas as well as drawings. In this case, schematic describes an overly simple interpretation of something complex, like a work of literature or a detailed plan for social change. Think of it like the drawing of a boxy house and stick figures, only applied to ideas أ¢آ€آ" it's an outline of something that may not capture all the important details.

unwitting

Use the adjective unwitting to describe someone who doesn't know certain important information, such as unwitting computer users who don't know that an online shopping site is tracking all their activity.,Unwitting can also describe something you do almost automatically, like the unwitting way you double-check that the door is locked when leaving the house. It can also indicate that something is done without intention, like an unwitting arrival at a by-invitation-only event. Wit means "clever," so something that is unwitting is not clever.

valor

Valor is honor plus dignity. Itأ¢آ€آ™s gallant bravery and strength, especially on the battlefield or in the face of danger. Saint George displayed valor when he finally slayed the dragon. Itأ¢آ€آ™s a trait fit for a hero.,Valor comes from the Latin valorem for أ¢آ€آœstrength, moral worth,أ¢آ€آ‌ with the sense of أ¢آ€آœcourageأ¢آ€آ‌ added later. Valor is often displayed in the face of something designed to crush it, like a battle in a war, and it is often rewarded with the conferring of a medal. Valor is a word associated with war heroes and knights of yore, but anyone who faces death and doesnأ¢آ€آ™t look away displays valor.

waft

When your grandmother cooks her famous spaghetti sauce, many wonderful smells may waft from the kitchen. In other words, the air will gently carry this familiar aroma throughout the house.,Though the verb waft usually involves movement through air, it has watery roots. A "wafter" was a convoy ship in the 16th century, and these words may have derived from the similar looking wave. Waft can refer to scents, sounds, and even smoke. So, if your grandmotherأ¢آ€آ™s sauce begins to burn, smoke could waft from the kitchen as well.

rabid

Chances are that if the tail-wagging dog that just appeared on your doorstep is also foaming at the mouth and chewing on your welcome mat, it's rabid and you should back away slowly; no petting for this infectious pup.,While you've likely heard it used to describe an animal infected by rabies, rabid (derived from the Latin verb rabere "be mad, rave") can also dramatically describe a person exhibiting fanatical, extremely enthusiastic, or raging behavior. That guy who nearly knocked you off the stands at the football game with his energetic fist-pumping and then was later kicked out for getting into a fight with another fan? Rabid on both counts.

stampede

Do you see hundreds of cattle thundering toward you? Then stop reading and get out of there! A stampede is coming.,Stampede is a word for animal behavior that fits people sometimes too. During the holidays, desperate parents might stampede the mall, especially the toy stores. Fans of a popular movie might stampede to get tickets. A stampede of teen girls can usually be found chasing the latest boy bands. Stampede can be a noun or a verb, but either way, look out!

suborn

One of the reasons Mafia bosses are so good at avoiding prison is that they know how to suborn witnesses and jurors أ¢آ€آ" that is, to bribe people to lie. After all, it wouldn't be nice if an accident were to happen on the way to court, right?,Technically speaking, suborn doesn't just mean induce someone to conveniently "forget" something in the witness stand, or otherwise get creative with their imagination. An inducement to any kind of crime is suborning, but by far the most common use is in the legal sense above. Or "witness tampering," as the cops call it.

pushy

Pushy people are aggressive and bold about getting what they want. A pushy used car salesperson will make you feel bullied into buying something even if you were just interested in admiring convertibles.,If you're pushy, you're not afraid to let your ambition show, or to boss other people around. Pushy parents might argue with a teacher who gives their child a bad grade, and pushy newspaper reporters will invade your privacy to get a good story. This adjective was originally used, around 1891, to describe a cow. Just a few years later, it began to describe people as well.

satire

Satire is a way of making fun of people by using silly or exaggerated language. Politicians are easy targets for satire, especially when they're acting self-righteous or hypocritical.,Even though the ridiculous language of satire isn't intended to be taken seriously, well-made satire can use mockery to get at more serious truths. Sometimes satire can even overtake reality: when the television sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live presented a mock debate between Al Gore and George W. Bush during the 2000 presidential campaign season, the satire was so dead-on that it influenced the way people thought of the candidates.

stoop

Stoop means to lean your head and torso forward and down. If you're six feet tall and you tour a historical building, you'll have to stoop to get through the low doorways.,Stoop comes from the same root as steep. You can stoop to clear a doorway, or stoop metaphorically, by lower your morals. If you used to be an honest garbageman but now haul "garbage" for the mafia, you have "stooped to their level." If you slouch and droop, you're stooping. When owls quickly descend on their prey, that's also called stooping. Stoop is also the term for the stairs leading up to a front entrance of a house.

supernumerary

Supernumerary is an adjective that describes something thereأ¢آ€آ™s too much of. If a scheduling mishap results in three extra people showing up for work, then you have supernumerary staff.,You probably know that something that's super is extreme in some way. And in supernumerary youأ¢آ€آ™ll see part of the word أ¢آ€آœnumeral,أ¢آ€آ‌ which means أ¢آ€آœnumber.أ¢آ€آ‌ So it makes sense that the adjective supernumerary describes an excess of something أ¢آ€آ" an extraordinary number of that thing. Similarly, the noun version of supernumerary describes someone who's extra and has nothing to do. She just isnأ¢آ€آ™t needed, like the player who never gets off the bench.

succumb

Use the verb succumb to say that someone yields to something they've tried to fight off, such as despair, temptation, disease or injury.,If you succumb to cancer, it means you die of it. From this sentence you can see that this verb is usually followed by the preposition to. The Latin root is succumbere, from the prefix sub- "under" plus -cumbere "to lie down."

ploy

A ploy is a clever plan that helps you get what you want. A manipulative little girl might shed tears simply as a ploy to get her mother to buy her ice cream.,A politician might add amendments to a bill as a ploy to delay voting, or a hooligan might yell, "Fire!" in a movie theater as a ploy to sneak his friends in. A sneaky move in a game is a ploy, and sensational news about a celebrity can be just a ploy to get him more media attention. The first recorded use of ploy was in 1722, meaning "anything with which one amuses oneself" in Scottish and Northern English dialects.

raiment

Raiment is an old-fashioned word for clothing, particularly fancy clothing, like ladies who always wore their best raiment when calling on friends.,Raiment is formal clothing. It comes from the Old French word areer or "to array," which describes dressing in decorative clothing, or adorning yourself in the very best. The word raiment has mostly gone out of use, much like the rare practice of getting very dressed up.

recidivism

Recidivism means going back to a previous behavior, especially criminal behavior. People that work with prisoners are always hoping to lower recidivism rates.,The word recidivism comes from the Latin root words re, meaning "back," and caedere, meaning "to fall" أ¢آ€آ" or literally "to fall back." The word is most commonly used to discuss the relapse rate of criminals, who have served their sentence and have been released. However, it can be used for any relapse in behavior. Alcoholics who do not receive support are more prone to recidivism than those in recovery programs, such as Alcoholics Anonymous.

remorse

Remorse, a noun, is what you feel if you regret your actions or wish for another outcome.,The noun remorse has a very vivid origin. It comes from the Latin roots re for "again" and mordere "to bite." So, if you feel remorse, it means that your conscience is working on you, your past actions are biting you back, and making you feel very regretful. Synonyms for this word are "penitence," "rue," and "contrition." If you took a cookie from the cookie jar and ate it you can't return it; all you can feel is remorse for what you did!

renown

Renown is fame and acclaim أ¢آ€آ" the kind of celebrity that most people only dream about. Renown is not only about celebrity, though; it also means being highly respected in one's field.,Actors, musicians, and artists practice their art, sometimes for many years, to gain the kind of renown, or fame, that will launch their faces onto the covers of magazines and make their name known in every household. Greta Garbo, Luciano Pavarotti, and Salvador Dali all became renowned in their respective fields. They won numerous awards, and who isn't familiar with their names? Even things or places can achieve renown if they offer something worth celebrating. An ice cream parlor can become renowned for its incredible mint chip ice cream, or a bank can be renowned for its excellent customer service.

seep

Seep means to leak slowly. When you see the word, imagine water coming in through your sneakers on a rainy day. It's not a lot of water, but your feet still get pretty wet.,The word seep is related to the Dutch word for ooze. Oil seeps from the earth and blood seeps from a wound. Seep falls somewhere between gush and drip on a scale of how liquid flows and suggests a liquid that is thick, and unwanted. In the figurative sense, some things that seep, like bad thoughts that seep into your mind, are also unwanted. But sometimes you wish that the flow would increase like when financial aid only seeps into a disaster zone.

shed

The small, simple building in your yard where you keep tools or gardening equipment is a shed.,As a noun, shed means "hut," and probably comes from the word shade. But shed is also a verb meaning "to cast off," like when a snake sheds its skin. If your couch is covered in fur, it might be because your dog is shedding. You can shed non-physical things, like a bad habit. Does your cat shed? If so, maybe I should sleep in the shed since I'm allergic.

tenure

Take the noun tenure for the period of time a person holds a position or office. Your tenure as a student ends when you graduate high school أ¢آ€آ" unless, of course, you go on to college.,Tenure from the Latin tenere means "to hold" and refers to the period of time a person works at a particular job or in an office. A president might have to deal with a recession during his tenure in the White House. In university jargon, if you have tenure, you have a permanent teaching position or professorship. In this sense, tenure can also be used as a verb. You've got it made if you're tenured at age 29.

venturesome

The adjective venturesome describes someone who is willing to take risks, someone brave. If you have a venturesome child, you may worry because she's the one you find on top of the playhouse instead of inside it.,The root word of venturesome is venture, and venture is short for aventure, which is a form of adventure, which we understand to be an interesting or exciting experience. Some people are more venturesome than others. You may thrive on mountain climbing or going to the top of the Eiffel Tower, or your idea of adventure may be occasionally trying a strawberry jelly with your peanut butter instead of grape.

spasmodic

Something that is spasmodic is experiencing a fit, a loss of muscular control. If you are spazzing out, you are spasmodic.,A sudden fit or involuntary contraction of the muscles is called a spasm; thus spasmodic means to behave in such a way. Spasmodic is also commonly used to refer to a violent emotional outburst أ¢آ€آ" for example, your parents might be spasmodic when they discover you're really majoring in partying, not medicine, at college.

staid

Something that is staid is dignified, respectable أ¢آ€آ" possibly even boring, like a staid dinner party that is heavy on the important guests but light on the laughs.,Staid is pronounced just like "stayed" أ¢آ€آ" in fact, it comes from stay, meaning "fixed" or "permanent." Something that is staid is sedate, slightly dull, and tends to stay the same. Whether itأ¢آ€آ™s a middle-class lifestyle, a conservative law firm, your unadventurous aunt, or an old navy plaid sofa, the word staid can be used to describe anything that maintains a respectable self-restraint and takes no chances.

spatial

Spatial describes how objects fit together in space, either among the planets or down here on earth. There's a spatial relationship between Mars and Venus, as well as between the rose bushes in the backyard.,Spatial has to do with the distance between things, so mathematicians and computer scientists love using the word. "They measured the spatial relations of ping-pong balls in the gravity-free room." It can also refer to how people perceive the objects in front of them. If you're not wearing your glasses, your spatial perception might be off. If you're a space cadet, you might wander off into space. Not surprisingly, spatial is from the Latin word spatium for "space."

stout

Stout describes something fat, dependable, or rugged. If someone calls you stout, ask them exactly what they mean before bursting into tears and skipping dinner. It could be a compliment!,Most supermodels would not want to be described as stout, which is often a nicer way of saying "fat." But a little teapot doesn't mind being "short and stout." Something stout is dependable, too, like your favorite snow boots that keep your feet dry winter after winter. Since it also means "sturdy," if you call that supermodel stout when he prances through the finish line of a triathlon, he'll just pump his fist in agreement.

recital

The hardest part about piano lessons is having to give a recital, or to demonstrate what you've learned in front of an audience.,You can also use the noun recital to describe the telling of a story. Your uncle might be famous for boring people at parties with his recital of youthful Boy Scout adventures, for example. In the 1500s, recital was strictly a legal term, the "statement of relevant facts," but the musical meaning had come into use by the 1800s. The root is the Latin word recitare, "repeat from memory."

suavity

Suavity is the art of making people like and want to be around you, like the celebrity whose suavity helped him land great movie roles أ¢آ€آ" even though he wasn't the most talented actor to audition.,Suavity, pronounced "SWAH-vuh-tee," depends on saying all the right things to "get in good" with everyone around. So, though it is a graceful and often helpful thing to have suavity, it also might be a little less than real: In avoiding any topic that might get the conversation moving in a more lively and even heated direction, those who possess great suavity may also make things a little boring, fake, even. Talking about the weather and where everyone went on vacation does get a bit old.

supposititious

Supposititious is a fancy word for "based on guesswork." The word is most often used in a legal sense. If a piece of evidence is supposititious, then it's basically hypothetical. It doesn't have any hard facts to back it up.,As the sound of the word suggests, supposititious is related to the more common supposition, meaning something uncertain or unconfirmed. Supposititious also has a slightly different and less common meaning of something that has been substituted illegally for something else. If you ask for Champagne in a bar and you get a glass of sparkling white instead, that is truly one supposititious beverage.

pyromaniac

Someone who loves to set fires أ¢آ€آ" and, for whatever reason, can't stop setting them أ¢آ€آ" is a pyromaniac.,Maniac is a word attached to many words for mental illness, but this has to be one of the most scary. A pyromaniac has a frequent, powerful desire to set fires. This is different from an arsonist, who sets fires for money. Pyromaniacs just set fires because they want to and feel a compulsion to. Pyromania is a sickness. A pyromaniac could also be someone who loves watching fires.

supple

Something or someone that is supple bends and moves easily, like a contortionist at a circus sideshow. If you can wrap your legs around your neck, you most likely have a supple body.,Supple is often used as an adjective describing a body أ¢آ€آ" such as a dancerأ¢آ€آ™s; a fabric أ¢آ€آ" such as soft leather; or a sound أ¢آ€آ" such as an accomplished singerأ¢آ€آ™s voice. This makes for a strange supple family, but all of its members can move with ease and flexibility. More idiomatically, supple can also be used to describe a mind. In this sense, it does not mean أ¢آ€آœeasily brainwashed,أ¢آ€آ‌ but has a more positive association with the open-mindedness of free-thinkers.

zest

Zest is a kind of zeal or enthusiasm. If you've got a zest for something, you put your whole heart and soul into it. Dancers who have great zest leap, kick, and soar their way around the stage with a kind of joyful energy.,Oddly enough, zest can also be the outer peel of a lemon or orange, which chefs scrape into their dishes when they want to add some tartness and tanginess to a recipe. People who live with that same kind of spice are said to have a "zest for life." In other words, they live their lives with a lot of flavor and gusto. A student who has a zest for learning dives into her books with an enjoyment and relish most people reserve for their wedding day.

plumage

If you like the looks of the color and pattern formed by a birdأ¢آ€آ™s feathers, then you like its plumage.,The word plumage traces back to the French word plume, meaning feather, and itأ¢آ€آ™s a way of referring to all the feathers that form the color and patterns of a particular bird. For example, birdwatchers study illustrations of birds so that they can recognize, say, a golden hawk in flight by its plumage.

probe

If you probe something, you investigate it thoroughly. If you go into business with someone, you might probe her finances to make sure that she has a good track record.,Although it is usually used as a verb أ¢آ€آ" "the police probed the manأ¢آ€آ™s disappearance" أ¢آ€آ" it can also be used as a noun to describe an information-gathering device. In 1979 the United States launched the world's first space probe into outer space. It was a spacecraft rigged with cameras, which were used to photograph Jupiter and Saturn.

primal

The adjective primal describes something that's essential or basic, like the primal urge to protect yourself and your family from harm.,The Latin root of primal is primus, which means first. If your friend talks about his primal self, he means the most basic, important part of who he is. You can think of this as a first priority, just as the primal urges of all animals is survival. Primal can also describe something that's original, or at its earliest stage, like a primal or primeval forest, the most ancient example of that kind of terrain.

plane

A plane is a vehicle that flies through the air, but it is also a tool used to make something smooth and flat, a kind of tree or a level surface. As a verb, to plane something is to make it flat and smooth.,Don't confuse plane with plain, an adjective that means "simple" or a noun that means "flat land," like the plains of the American Midwest. This can be tricky because plane describes something that is flat and level, or the tool or action that makes something flat and level. If you remember that plain applies only to landforms, the difference will be plain to see أ¢آ€آ" meaning obvious.

plebiscite

A plebiscite is a direct vote by eligible voters to decide an important public question, such as a change to the constitution, secession, or a similar issue of national or regional importance.,The word plebiscite comes from the Latin word plebiscitum, meaning a decree of the people, with the roots plebs, "the common people," and scitum, "decree." A plebiscite can also be called a referendum. Periodically, for example, Quebec separatists hold a plebiscite to determine whether Quebec should secede from Canada. So far, the secessionists have not prevailed at the polls.

plumber

A plumber is someone whose job includes fixing pipes and installing water and sewage systems. If your kitchen sink is clogged, a plumber is the person to call.,Plumbers's work ranges from relatively simple tasks like repairing toilets and removing clogs from drains, to much more complicated jobs including replacing all the old corroded pipes in a bathroom floor with new ones. The word plumber has been around since ancient Rome, when a plumber was "anyone who works with lead," and lead was a common material for pipes, baths, drains, and conduits. Fixing anything made of lead (which included roofs) made someone a plumber back then.

podiatrist

A podiatrist is a foot doctor. Got a bunion? A hammer toe? Call the podiatrist.,The word podiatrist is composed of two ancient Greek parts: pod, meaning "foot," and iatrist, meaning "healer." Other kinds of doctors have a similar suffix: think psychiatrist أ¢آ€آ" a doctor of the mind. The pod prefix and suffix is used to name a number of things. For example, a camera tripod has three "feet." Pea pods and iPods? Nothing to do with feet!

postmortem

A postmortem is a medical examination of a dead body. It's a kind of autopsy done to learn exactly how the person died.,In Latin, mortem means "death," and post means "after." A postmortem, logically enough, is something that happens after death, usually an examination. Another type of postmortem is a meeting or discussion that follows the completion of a project أ¢آ€آ" this kind does not involve an actual death, but simply the end of something, like an art installation or a business venture.

potentate

A potentate is a person so powerful they don't have to follow the rules that govern everyone else. Potentate normally refers to a king or dictator, but you can call anyone with virtually unlimited power a potentate.,The king of a country, the conductor of an orchestra, the commander of a battleshipأ¢آ€آ"all of these are examples of a potentate. Take a look at potentate, and you'll see the word potent, which means "powerful," as in "that's one potent cup o' joe!" It's easy to see, then, how potent becomes potentate just by adding a few letters. A potentate is a powerful person. Anna Wintour is a potentate of the fashion world, and her decisions can make or break whole careers.

Precepts

A precept is a rule or direction, often with some religious basis, dictating a way you should act or behave.,Precepts are little life lessons that are usually passed down to children by authority figures such as parents, teachers, or religious figures. They are not as simple or practical as "eat your vegetables"; they tend to be more weighty and pretentious. In Hamlet, the character Polonius dished out a few choice precepts to his son Laertes: "neither a borrower nor a lender be" and "give every man thy ear, but few thy voice." Of course Laertes never lived long enough to benefit from Polonius's sage advice, since Hamlet offed him with his own poisoned blade.

precinct

A precinct is an area of town marked off for official purposes, often to vote, or to organize the police force. When a cop hears of a crime on the police blotter that's happening in his precinct, he knows to hop in his car and head over there.,The word precinct comes from the Latin precinctum meaning "enclosure, boundary line." A precinct is an area that has a clear boundary line around it, making it easier for the police to know where a crime is taking place, or where you should go to vote. The word precinct has also come to mean police headquarters in a particular district. If you're being held at the precinct, you're at the police station local to where you committed your crime.

precipitant

A precipitant is a cause or reason for some event. So if you skip your Biology test on March 17th, your parents might deduce that your enjoyment of the St. Patrick's Day parade was a precipitant of your actions.,See the pre in precipitant? Since pre means "before," you can remember that a precipitant always comes before something else. Precipitant can also mean "hasty" أ¢آ€آ" a precipitant marriage is one where both parties marry too quickly. Not to be confused with percipient, meaning someone with unusual sensitivity and understanding of people and events. A percipient person would never skip his Biology test.

precis

A precis is a summary of something's main points. If you've ever jotted down notes about your main ideas before writing a persuasive essay, you've used a precis.,Precis looks like precise, and of course, you always want your precis to be precise. But the words are pronounced differently. Precis comes from the French word prأƒآ©cis, so say it like this: "PRAY see." Or you can accent the other syllable: "pray SEE." The s is only pronounced if the word is plural: "PRAY sees." The spelling stays the same.

predator

A predator is an animal that eats other animals أ¢آ€آ" or people or companies who act like they do. Lions are predators, but so are pickpockets and some giant corporations.,The word predator started out referring to insects that ate other insects, but has grown to include any animal that eats another animal. We humans like to think of ourselves as the top of the food chain, but scary movies love to disagree, like in the 1987 movie Predator, where creepy aliens try to kill and eat us. Predators don't have to kill and eat you, though; they can also just take your stuff. It's from the Latin word praedator which means "plunderer," which is more like something a pirate would do.

prelate

A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy, such as a cardinal, abbot, or bishop, who has authority over lesser clergy. Both Catholic and Protestant religions have prelates in their ranks.,The source of prelate is the Latin adjective praelatus, "noble," whose meaning is appropriate to the modern meaning, a high-level church dignitary. The word was applied to those high-ranking clergymen around the beginning of the 13th century, the Middle English coming from the Middle French prelat. As the church's importance increased, so did the importance implied by the word prelate. Ambrose Bierce referred to a prelate as "one of Heaven's aristocracy."

premise

A premise is what forms the basis of a theory or a plot. When you called 911 on the guy in your back yard, it was on the premise that he was a thief and not the meter-reader.,In logic, the premise is the basic statement upon whose truth an argument is based. Criticize alternative theories by demonstrating their false premises. In a more general sense, it's a basic assertion. On the premise that people are generally good, you keep your doors unlocked. Premise is also used more loosely for the starting point for a plot. A movie's premise could be that two people trapped on a desert island will inevitably fall in love.

primate

A primate is a monkey, ape, human, or other similar mammal. You've probably visited the primate house at the zoo.,When you see the word primate, you probably think of monkeys. A monkey is just one example of a primate, though أ¢آ€آ" lemurs are primates too, and so are gibbons, and even people. The things we all have in common are large brains, opposable thumbs, bendy toes, and good eyesight. The Latin word primas, or "first," is the root of primate, which scientists sometimes call "the highest order of mammals."

prodigy

A prodigy is someone who is so naturally talented at something that they become a master of that particular skill as a childأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"you can be a musical prodigy or a math prodigy. Mozart was one, writing symphonies and playing for kings when he was only five years old.,Prodigy is one of those wonderful words whose different meanings tell a story about how the meanings of words bloom over time. The word derives from the Latin prodigium, meaning an omen or a sign of something to come. Prodigies are kids who often seem so talented that their success must presage even greater mastery, though, of course, the irony is that most prodigies peak in their youth.

prong

A prong, like a spike, a tine, or a spoke, is something that sticks out and is pointy. The prongs of your fork are useful for spearing food and delivering it to your mouth.,Besides forks, many other objects have prongs, from hoes and rakes to electrical plugs to an animal's horns or antlers (in fact there's a specific group of antelopes commonly called pronghorns). Before it was spelled prong, the word was prange, "pointed instrument," from the Anglo-Latin pronga, "pointed tool," and possibly the Germanic prange, "stick."

prop

A prop is something you use as a support, like a broom that serves as a prop to hold a door open. A prop is also something that goes on stage, like a garbage can in a Beckett play.,When you use a prop, you can say you prop something, or prop it up: "Here, prop your blanket fort up with this chair." This handy word also means "a moveable object used on the set of a movie or play." If you get a film job as a prop master, you'll be in charge of placing props in the correct spot before a scene is shot. This theatrical meaning is actually a shortened form of properties.

progeny

A sing-song rhyme may help in remembering the word progeny: "All of you, all of me, together we make progeny." The "you" and "me" can be a man and a woman making a baby, or trees and plants making little offshoots, or progeny of their own.,Synonyms for progeny include "descendants," "product," and "offspring," and the word is applied to more than just living creatures. An idea can give birth to, so to speak, progeny, or similar ideas from the main seed idea; and a suite of products, such as a progeny of handheld applications, can come from a main prototype. Children are progeny of their parents, just as tomatoes are the progeny of plant pairings. Most anything that is the fruit of something planted or seeded is progeny.

prod

A teacher might use a verbal prod when students aren't participating in class. A prod is an encouragement, like the threat of a quiz. Just hope the teacher doesn't use the kind of prod a rancher uses to keep cattle moving!,Prod can also be a verb that refers to a soft poke or a nudge, like when you prod someone in the ribs with your finger. It can also describe verbal encouragement that's used when you want something or want to know something. For example, you might prod your sister into helping you do your math homework.

prosper

As any fan of Star Trek knows, أ¢آ€آœlive long and prosperأ¢آ€آ‌ is good advice. The verb prosper means to do well, succeed, or thrive.,The verb prosper commonly means to generate wealth like, أ¢آ€آœthe bank aims to prosper from its new investments.أ¢آ€آ‌ But more generally it means أ¢آ€آœgrow strongerأ¢آ€آ‌ or "flourish" أ¢آ€آ" such as أ¢آ€آœafter a slow start, fall crops prosper,أ¢آ€آ‌ or أ¢آ€آœwe hope the animals will prosper in their new environment.أ¢آ€آ‌ You can prosper from good advice or a wise decision, for example, أ¢آ€آœcheaters never prosperأ¢آ€آ‌ is one piece of advice that you can prosper from.

plaudit

As its sound might suggest, plaudit is indeed related to "applaud" and "applause." In fact it's really just a fancy way of saying "praise" or "acclamation.",Plaudit is used more in a literary sense than in spoken English, and particularly applies to the reception of a work of art, most notably a play. In fact, the word comes from the Latin plaudite, loudly uttered by Roman actors at the end of a play and meaning "applaud!" Kind of like cue cards for game show audiences now.

precipice

Cartoon characters often end up on a precipice, the edge of a steep cliff, where their chubby toes curl and cling as they totter and eventually fall, making a hole in the ground below and getting up again. Most real people avoid precipices.,Unless you're a skilled climber or mountain-sport enthusiast, a precipice is a scary thing. Some imagine falling off and making the sharp drop, while others get dizzy just thinking about looking down. This makes sense, considering that the 17th-century English word precipice comes, through French, from Latin words meaning "headlong" and even "abrupt descent." In modern use, precipice also describes how it feels to fall, or fail, in areas of life that don't involve mountains, such as being "on the precipice of losing everything."

portly

Don't call someone fat. Be nice, and call them portly. Portly is just one of several words that are kinder than "fat," including "stout," "heavy," and "pleasingly plump.",The tenor was portly, but all that girth makes it easier for him to produce all that sound. One way to remember the meaning of the word portly is to think of a bottle of port, the sweet wine that tastes like sherry and is notoriously calorific. Want to be less portly? Then try drinking less port and other alcoholic beverages.

prolong

I don't want to prolong this definition, so I'll keep it short. To prolong is to make something last longer or to stretch it out in time.,You see the word long in prolong and it's no trick. If you prolong an argument with a sibling, you make it longer than it naturally would be. Prolong always has to do with time. When you stretch your neck or a piece of cloth to make it appear longer, you are elongating, not prolonging, it.

plenary

If something is full or complete, you can describe it as plenary. When you get to be a teenager, your parents can give you plenary responsibility for your siblings when they go out. They pay pretty well to boss the kids around!,Although the adjective plenary can be used to describe anything that is full or complete, it most often describes a full meeting session, as in a political meeting or a board meeting. The school board met in a plenary session today to discuss the purchase of land for a new high school. When you got asked to be the plenary speaker at the board meeting, you made sure to put it on your resume right away.

potable

If something is potable that means it's safe to drink. In developed countries, tap water is usually potable. Puddle water is not. I know you want to take a sip of that puddle water, but please, restrain yourself.,Potable can also be a noun, meaning any drinkable liquid. The word comes from the Latin potare, meaning "to drink." Not only did the Romans come up with that word; they built some of the world's first aqueducts, above-ground channels that brought potable water from the mountains to the cities. Potable water is often in short supply after natural catastrophes like earthquakes and hurricanes, and its availability is often discussed on the news.

potential

If you can describe something as possible but not yet actual, choose the adjective potential. Companies try to reach potential customers through advertising.,Potential, from the Latin potentia "power," sounds more complicated than it is. It describes something or someone that has the power to become something. A potential success is not yet a success but could be if circumstances are right. When a situation has the potential for disaster, it could turn bad easily. You have potential if you have a natural but undeveloped ability to do something and a building with potential will be really nice once it's fixed up.

prosperous

If you have a new car, a new high-paying job, and some flashy new shoes, then you could be described as prosperous, meaning you have material success that seems like it will continue to grow.,The adjective prosperous often describes a person or a personأ¢آ€آ™s future, but it can apply to anything thatأ¢آ€آ™s experiencing growth and success. Prosperous derives from the Latin word prosperus, meaning أ¢آ€آœdoing well.أ¢آ€آ‌ Great pronouns of this happy word include golden, well-heeled, flourishing, and thriving.

poise

If you have poise, you are cool under stress. People with poise can handle pressure without showing it.,If youأ¢آ€آ™re calm while singing the national anthem in front of thirty million people, youأ¢آ€آ™ve got a lot of poise. This is a rare quality people admire. Another meaning is to brace yourself for something difficult, as in: when you hear about a tornado, you're poised for more bad news. You can also be poised as in "on the brink" of something. If you stand on the diving board it could be said youأ¢آ€آ™re poised to take the plunge.

potion

If you meet up with any witches on Halloween, donأ¢آ€آ™t drink the potion they offer you. This liquid could be poisonous, magical, or it could simply taste very strange.,While a potion can be any drinkable liquid, it usually refers to medicinal concoctions or mysterious brews, as found in fairy tales and fables. This noun is related to the Latin verb, potare, which means, أ¢آ€آœto drink.أ¢آ€آ‌ You might also notice its similarity to the adjective potable, another word for أ¢آ€آœdrinkable.أ¢آ€آ‌ Some common types you may read about or hear about are أ¢آ€آœsleeping potions,أ¢آ€آ‌ أ¢آ€آœlove potions,أ¢آ€آ‌ and أ¢آ€آœmagic potions.أ¢آ€آ‌

presume

If you presume something, it means you act as though it's true before all the evidence is in. If you are presumed to be the fastest runner, don't get too cocky أ¢آ€آ" that word implies that you haven't actually raced yet.,To presume is to take something for granted. The famous quote أ¢آ€آœDr. Livingstone, I presume?أ¢آ€آ‌ comes from the explorer Henry Morton Stanley, who ran into the explorer David Livingstone in the wilds of Africa in 1871. Itأ¢آ€آ™s funny because these were the only two white men known to be in that part of Africa at the time.

privation

If you're lacking the basic necessities of life أ¢آ€آ" food, water, political freedom, and so on أ¢آ€آ" you're suffering from privation.,Privation has become a rather old-fashioned word, and when used now is often with irony: present day privations are usually of the order of not having wireless Internet or video games. It's interesting to compare privation with the similar word deprivation, which is used more commonly now. Deprivation usually suggests that someone or something has actually caused the privation.

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prestige

People, cars, schools, clubs, banksأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"all can be said to have prestige. Star in a blockbuster movie? Your prestige level just shot up. Get caught shoplifting? A prestige killer.,When something has prestige it is said to be prestigious. Often this is applied to collegesأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ""After earning straight As and lettering in three Varsity sports, Vivian had her choice among prestigious universities." To remember this word think about pres- أ¢آ€آ" people or things with prestige often are covered by the press.

platonic

Platonic describes a relationship that is purely spiritual and not physical. If a guy and a girl hang out all the time but aren't boyfriend and girlfriend, they'd describe their friendship as platonic.,This word platonic refers to the writings of Plato, an ancient Greek philosopher who wrote on the interesting subject of love. Platonic love and platonic friendships are marked by the absence of physical or sexual desire. Plato did acknowledge physical desire, but thought that if two people truly inspired each other, their spiritual or ideal love would bring them closer to God.

pliable

Pliable means bendable but not breakable. Wax is pliable, good leather is pliable. If you describe a person as pliable, it usually means that he's easily influenced, like a nightclub owner who takes orders from a crime boss.,When Madame barks "Plier!" (rhymes with "okay") in ballet class, all the students obediently bend their knees into a graceful semi-crouch. Plier is French for bend and it's the root of the word pliable. The word pliable itself is quite pliable, an apt description for everything from building materials to a person's character.

portend

Portend means to show a sign that something calamitous is about to happen. The teetering, tottering, pile of fine china piled up after the dinner party portends an imminent crash of broken plates and dishes.,Portend is a verb warning of omens, or bad signs. Dark clouds rumbling in over a county fair in Kansas portend the thunderstorm and even tornado that is likely to ruin the festivities. Portend is a helpful way for authors to foreshadow dark events ahead in their stories.

posture

Posture is the way you position your body or arrange your limbs. So stand up straight, put your shoulders back, and lift that chin up.,Ballerinas have an elegant, graceful posture, and soldiers tend to display a rigid, strong posture. If you sit hunched over your desk every day you'll end up with terrible posture. This noun describes the way you carry yourself, but can also describe a certain body position you take, like the different postures in yoga. If you're accused of posturing though, that's a different story أ¢آ€آ" that means you're behaving unnaturally to impress someone.

potent

Potent means really strong, but not like a body builder. Use potent instead to describe things like intense smells, powerful magic potions, and very influential people.,From the Latin potentum, meaning أ¢آ€آœpowerful,أ¢آ€آ‌ potent is just that: having tremendous strength or influence in either a moral or physical sense. A potent question gets to the heart of the matter and sparks serious discussion. Really stiff drinks can be potent, as can your breath after a garlicky meal. And as the composer Igor Stravinsky once asked, "What force is more potent than love?"

pretension

Pretension is what you're guilty of when you boorishly try to impress other people with how important or clever you are.,When you speak with pretension, you're boastful and you puff yourself up as someone very important or of great worth. If you have literary pretentions, you mostly likely think you're a great writer, but you most likely are not. As you might imagine, this word has the same Latin roots as pretend and pretense. A pretension can also be the advancing of a claim.

primary

Primary means basically "first." When you vote in a primary, that is the first election in a series. When a matter is of primary concern, it means it's of first importance. Primary school is the first you go to (after nursery school, at least).,There's an interesting alternate system for counting first, second, third, etc. up to tenth. It's primary, secondary, tertiary, quaternary, quinary, senary, septenary, octonary, nonary, and denary. There's also a word for twelfth, duodenary, though that أ¢آ€آ" along with all the words after tertiary أ¢آ€آ" is rarely used.

primogeniture

Primogeniture is when the oldest son inherits all or more of his parents' stuff than any of his siblings. When a king dies, his eldest typically son inherits the throne by the rules of primogeniture.,It may seem vastly unfair, but primogeniture dates back to the Old Testament. Examples of this practice in which the first-born son receives exclusive inheritance rights can be found throughout history and around the world أ¢آ€آ" from the Middle East to Medieval Europe. Today, perhaps the most widely known example of primogeniture is the succession of the British throne, which gives preference to the eldest male child above all others.

proboscis

Proboscis is the scientific term for certain mammals' noses, especially long and flexible ones such as an elephant's trunk or a tapir's snout. If someone calls your nose a proboscis, they mean you've got a pretty big 'un.,Proboscis comes from the Greek word for an elephant's trunk, proboskis, which translates as "means for taking food." Not to get too technical, but flies and other insects also have a proboscis, though if you ever end up on "Jeopardy!" it's worth knowing that they are not in fact true noses but actually part of their mouths. So there.

profane

Profane language is the kind that gets bleeped on TV. The word profane can also describe behavior that's deeply offensive because it shows a lack of respect, especially for someone's religious beliefs.,The Latin root profanus means "unholy," and that's where it all started. If you take the Lord's name in vain, you've profaned Him and probably made your religious mom pretty angry too. Don't even try the profane curse words so vital to a truly great hip-hop track but perhaps not recommended for dinner with Grandma.

prognosis

Prognosis concerns people who are so sick they might die. What is their prognosis? It is a word doctors use to talk about the path a disease will take with a person.,Prognosis comes from the Greek pro- "before" and gnosis "knowledge." It means to know beforehand, but keep in mind that it is only a probable outcome and not a sure thing. Financial analysts frequently change their prognosis of the economy as they hear each piece of good or bad economic news. And if the weather prognosis is sunny and dry, but you see dark clouds forming, you would be wise to pack an umbrella.

prophylactic

Prophylactic might sound like a prehistoric period when dinosaurs roamed the earth, but it actually describes something that can prevent something negative, such as disease. Prophylactic surgery to remove a mole can prevent skin cancer.,If you want to avoid getting sick, you can get a vaccine, take medicine, or have surgery أ¢آ€آ" all of which are considered prophylactic measures. Delve deeper into the history of this four-syllable word and you'll find the Greek term prophulaktikos, which means to "guard before." Prophylactic can also describe a contraceptive used to prevent pregnancy. This use of the word started because condoms, which are prophylactics, were originally designed to prevent disease, not pregnancy.

practicable

Something that is practicable is something that can be reasonably done. Look at the word within the word, practice, plus the suffix -able, and you have something that is able to be put into practice, or practicable.,Practicable is an adjective built from the word practice and can thus be traced to the Medieval Latin verb practicare and the Medieval French pratiquer, both of which meant "to practice." With the addition of a "c" to remind us of "practice," the French praticable, "able to be put into practice," became the English practicable.

plump

Something that's plump has a nice round shape. You could describe watching your plump little cousin eating one plump grape after another.,Objects and people can both be described as plump, as long as they're full or round or chubby. Though some people might be offended by being called plump, it's meant to describe an appealing roundness. And when you plump something, you pat or shake it so that it becomes fuller: "Let me plump those pillows on the bed while you tuck the sheets in."

piscatorial

Teach a man to fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man to excel in the piscatorial arts, and he eats for a lifetime. Piscatorial means having to do with fishing.,Piscis is Latin for fish, the name of the astrological sign meaning "fish" (spelled Pisces, the Latin plural), and also the root of piscatorial. Think of the word as a cousin to agricultural. If we lived in a place that relied as heavily on fisheries as we do on farms, piscatorial might be as common a word as agricultural.

pore

That trickle of sweat didn't just miraculously appear أ¢آ€آ" it was secreted out of a pore, a really tiny opening on the surface of your skin.,When used as a noun, pore means any tiny hole or opening that allows the passage of liquid. In humans, pores are the little holes that bring us such pleasures as armpit sweat and, when clogged, pimples. But when used as a verb, to pore means to concentrate your attention on or devote hours of focus to something: like poring over the overwhelming choices in the antiperspirant aisle.

propulsive

The adjective propulsive describes something that has the power to drive something forward. You would not want a propulsive jet engine on your model airplane أ¢آ€آ" itأ¢آ€آ™s just too much power for something that should stay in the basement.,You can think of propulsive as describing an object that has propellers (like a helicopter) that move it forward. But the word propulsive is not just for the literal. Use propulsive to make a description more colorful and imaginative. The word suggests a feeling of propelling, like hearing a soaring melody with a propulsive rhythm or a propulsive speech that makes you want to change the world.

polar

The idea of polar suggests equal opposites. For example, the North and South Poles are at opposite ends of the planet, and both are equally glacial, or very cold, which, by the way, is another meaning of polar.,The English word polar derives from the Latin polus and the Greek polos, which means "axis." (See the connection with the North and South Poles?) The discovery of polar bears was first recorded in the mid- 18th century, while the idea of "polar opposites" came about in 1832. The adjective polar is also used to describe something vitally important, an idea that came from the importance of Polaris, the North Star, which has always been a voyagerأ¢آ€آ™s guide.

poultice

The next time you have a cut or an infection, maybe you should put some cereal on it. A poultice is a soft material أ¢آ€آ" often cereal-like أ¢آ€آ" used for healing. Think of a poultice as a mushy, sticky bandage.,If you have a wound, infection, rash, or inflammation, you will probably cover it with a bandage or apply medicine to it: a poultice may accomplish both at once. Used in many cultures, a poultice may be mixed with medicine or heated. It can be made of clay, porridge, or even bread! Not surprisingly, the word poultice can be traced to the Latin route puls, meaning أ¢آ€آœporridgeأ¢آ€آ‌ or "a warm cereal.

plenitude

The noun plenitude means the state of being full or complete; also, an abundance. After the thirty inches of snow your town got over the weekend, you may joke that you have a plenitude of snow.,You can remember the meaning of plenitude if you remember that both plenitude and the word plenty come from the same Latin word plenus, meaning full or complete. Note that the spelling of plenitude has only one "t," although people misspell the word as plentitude because they closely relate plenitude and plenty. You can even find the variant spelling in some dictionaries.

potpourri

The noun potpourri can refer to a mixture or collection of seemingly unrelated items, an unusual assortment. You may own a potpourri of books أ¢آ€آ" from classic literature to trashy novels and from Shakespeare's plays to comic books.,The noun potpourri often refers to a scented mixture of spices and dried flowers that is usually kept in a decorative bowl or jar and used to perfume a room. What's interesting is that the name for this attractively fragrant mixture comes from the French phrase pot pourri, which literally means "rotten pot." The phrase was used to describe a stew. Clearly, some things translate better than others.

prelude

The prefix "pre-" means أ¢آ€آœbefore,أ¢آ€آ‌ so it makes sense that a prelude is an introductory action, event or performance that comes before a bigger or more momentous one.,People speaking old school French and Latin understood a prelude to be the "notes sung or played to test the voice or instrument." Today preludes are more like introductions than practice, but you can still think of them as a small warm up to the main event. Preludes are often used in classical music, as well as in novels, to set the tone for the rest of the orchestral piece or story.

pique

The verb pique means to make someone angry or annoyed. But when something piques your interest or curiosity, here the verb pique just means to arouse, stimulate, or excite.,Both the noun and verb are pronounced "pأ„آ"k" and were borrowed from a French word meaning "a prick, irritation," from Old French, from piquer "to prick." So you can see how something that pricks you could make you both excited and angry. But it's frustratingأ¢آ€آ"أ¢آ€آ"enough to make you want to storm away from learning vocab. That storming away, by the by, might be called a "fit of pique."

Pluck

To pluck is to pick or pull a single item out of many, like a flower or a hair. As a noun, pluck is energy or enthusiasm, even when things are looking grim.,Don't pluck only the best cherries off the tree: that's cherry-picking! Before you cook a goose, you need to pluck its feathers. If it looks like your goose is cooked, however, then show some pluck, and figure out a way to save yourself. Some characters who are famous for showing pluck include the Artful Dodger, Little Orphan Annie, and Benji the dog. They all kept their chins up and kept on trying, even when things looked really dark.

pluck

To pluck is to pick or pull a single item out of many, like a flower or a hair. As a noun, pluck is energy or enthusiasm, even when things are looking grim.,Don't pluck only the best cherries off the tree: that's cherry-picking! Before you cook a goose, you need to pluck its feathers. If it looks like your goose is cooked, however, then show some pluck, and figure out a way to save yourself. Some characters who are famous for showing pluck include the Artful Dodger, Little Orphan Annie, and Benji the dog. They all kept their chins up and kept on trying, even when things looked really dark.

Plumb

To plumb a body of water, you measure its depth. To plumb a house, you connect all of its pipes. To make carpentry plumb, you get it exactly vertical.,Originally, the verb plumb only meant أ¢آ€آœto measure the depth of water.أ¢آ€آ‌ These days, if you أ¢آ€آœplumb the depthsأ¢آ€آ‌ of something, you go in deep for knowledge and experience: your Heidegger seminar may plumb the depths of German Existentialism like Jacques Cousteau plumbed the depths of the ocean.

pose

To pose is to assume a particular stance. Like a runway model strutting to the end of the catwalk, posing with her hands on her hips, and then gracefully walking back.,The original meaning of pose from the 14th century is "to put in a certain position." The sense of pose as "to assume a certain attitude" emerged in the 1850أ¢آ€آ™s. When a person poses, he presents himself in a particular way, often with the hope of impressing others. But if you're just posing objects, then the word loses the negative connotation.

prate

To prate means to talk on and on about something. While it may be interesting to hear about other peopleأ¢آ€آ™s vacations, when they prate about them until the wee hours, it becomes intolerable.,There are more than a few instances where the famous have discouraged prating. Nursing great Clara Barton discouraged prating about أ¢آ€آœmoral influencesأ¢آ€آ‌ when she encouraged a cigarette and a good, stiff glass of whiskey for Civil War soldiers. Herman Melville warned against mocking a loverأ¢آ€آ™s wounded heart, saying أ¢آ€آœthe stabbed man knows the steel; prate not to him that it is only a tickling feather.أ¢آ€آ‌

preen

When a bird or a cat preens, it smooths its feathers or cleans its fur. When you preen, you primp and pay careful attention to how you're dressed and groomed, as if you're inviting the whole world to watch you.,You can also preen just by puffing yourself up and congratulating yourself for something. You've just landed your triple flip on the ski jump, and, as you swoosh to a stop at the foot of the hill and take off your skis, you preen as you make your way through the adoring crowd.

prance

When you prance, you swagger around with exaggerated, proud movements. If you've seen many rock concerts, you've seen people prance around onstage.,When people prance, they're showing off, strutting for the benefit of their audience. Horses prance too, with a gait that's also a little artificial, using high, springy steps. You might prance a little when you run up on stage to accept an award, and a show horse might be equally inclined to prance as it moves past the judges. The horse gait definition is the original meaning of prance, and it probably comes from the Middle English pranken, "to show off."

premeditate

When you premeditate, you are planning ahead. While most people associate this word with crime, let's hope you can think of a better reason to premeditate أ¢آ€آ" like buying groceries before a storm.,When you meditate, you think deeply. The prefix pre- means أ¢آ€آœbefore,أ¢آ€آ‌ so to premeditate means to think about a situation before youأ¢آ€آ™ve jumped into it. If youأ¢آ€آ™ve ever cooked a meal, youأ¢آ€آ™ve premeditated the ingredients you need to get started. In a courtroom youأ¢آ€آ™ll hear about "premeditated murder," which means the accused killer planned out his crime and it wasnأ¢آ€آ™t a crime of passion. Premeditating can be a good thing, but not when it involves murder.

proletarian

Working class, blue collar, plebeian and certainly not aristocratic أ¢آ€آ" that's what the adjective proletarian means.,Proletarian has roots in the Latin word proles, which means "offspring." That's because back in ancient Rome, a proletarian was a member of the proletariat, the class of society that had no wealth and didn't own property. The only thing these proletarians had to offer was their hard work and their children. Today's proletarians are a little better off; they're considered the working class and just might have better benefits through their unions than some white-collar workers out there.