Words of the Wee 07

Whenever I read, I keep a pencil handy and I underline words that I don’t know and dog ear the page so that I can go back and look them up in the dictionary. I have always been interested in etymology and even took Latin for three years. I hope that these words can help all of us in our writings. Be sure to check out your dictionary for additional usages of the words and spellings associated with changing the word from adjective to adverb to noun … etc.

ONSLAUGHT

noun

Pronounced: ON-slot

Meaning: An especially fierce attack.

Example: The Britons were unable to withstand the

onslaught

of the Saxons.

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FERETORY

noun

Pronounced: FAIR-a-tor-ee

Meaning: A place for keeping an ornate coffin for the relics of a saint.

Example: Every two hours, the monks at the shrine of St. Dionysios in Greece perform a prayer service and open the

feretory

for viewing.

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BREVITY

noun

Pronounced: BREV-it-tee

Meaning: Expression in a few words.

Polonius told Queen Gertrude that “

brevity

is the soul of wit.”

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HIEROPHANT

noun

Pronounced: HIGH-ro-fant

Meaning: A priest in ancient Greece.

Example: The

hierophant

portrayed in Tim’s history book was dressed in an animal skin and wore a crown of leaves.

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PEJORATIVE

adjective

Pronounced: puh-JOR-a-tiv

Meaning: Having a tendency to make or become worse.

Example: The critic’s

pejorative

comments angered the entire cast.

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MNESTIC

adjective

Pronounced: NES-tik

Meaning: Of or relating to memory or the persistent effect of past experience of an individual.

Example: Granny spends much of her time reminiscing and performing other

mnestic

activities.

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QUELLABLE

adjective

Pronounced: KWEL-a-bull

Meaning: Capable of being quieted.

Example: The restless crowd proved

quellable

at the sight of the entertainer they’d come to see.

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ERADICATE

verb

Pronounced: ee-RAD-i-kate

Meaning: To do away with or destroy completely.

Example: Many wheat farmers use aerial sprays to

eradicate

weeds, diseases and insect pests from their fields.

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VITREOUS

adjective

Pronounced: VIT-tree-us

Meaning: Of, relating to, derived from or consisting of glass.

Example: The huge

vitreous

wall of skyscrapers reflected the mountains and the sunset.

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CHIVALRY

noun

Pronounced: SHIV-al-ree

Meaning: Qualifications or character of the ideal knight according to the romantic tradition of courtesy, gallantry and honor.

Example: To the knights of the Round Table,

chivalry

was of primary importance.

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LITURGICAL

adjective

Pronounced: lih-TUR-gick-kal

Meaning: Of, relating to or having the characteristics of ceremonial or ritualistic worship.

Example: The priest donned his

liturgical

vestments before the mass.

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AFFINITY

noun

Pronounced: uh-FIN-nit-tee

Meaning: Sympathy, especially as marked by community of interest.

Example: Marie felt an

affinity

with the new chess prodigy, remembering how she had followed Bobby Fischer’s early career many years before.

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JARGON

noun

Pronounced: JAR-gun

Meaning: The technical terminology or characteristic idiom of specialists or workers in a particular activity or area of knowledge.

Example: Anna was sure the computer programmers were speaking English, but their

jargon

made it impossible for her to understand what they were saying.

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SCOFFLAW

noun

Pronounced: SKOFF-law

Meaning: A contemptuous lawbreaker, especially one who ignores parking tickets.

Example: The

scofflaw

tore up his ticket in front of the police officer and subsequently fined $500.

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GNOMIC

adjective

Pronounced: NO-mick

Meaning: Characterized by expressive of moralistic wisdom especially concerning human condition or conduct.

Example: The calendar contained 12 Norman Rockwell illustrations, each accompanied by a

gnomic

sentiment.

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KINETIC

adjective

Pronounced: kin-EH-tick

Meaning: Relating to the motion of matter and the forces and energy associated therewith.

Example: The

kinetic

theory of gases treats each molecule in a gas as a point, which has mass but negligible volume.

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DIAPHANOUS

adjective

Pronounced: die-AF-fan-nuss

Meaning: Characterized by such fineness and delicacy of nature as to permit seeing through.

Example: The jellyfish were so

diaphanous

that you could be next to them in the water and never know they were there.

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ZOOPHILIST

noun

Pronounced: ZOO-fill-ist

Meaning: A lover of animals, especially a person concerned with the rights of lower animals and their protection from abuse.

Example: The noted

zoophilist

explained how deforestation is endangering several species of mammals and birds.

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NUMINOUS

adjective

Pronounced: NOO-min-nuss

Meaning: Dedicated to or hallowed by association with a deity.

Example: A soft light seemed to glow from the

numinous

vessel on the altar.

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UMBRAGE

noun

Pronounced: UM-bridge

Meaning: Displeasure, resentment or annoyance.

Example: Hatred between nations disposes each more readily to offer insult and injury and lay hold of slight causes of

umbrage.

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WALLOP

verb

Pronounced: WALL-up

Meaning: Gain a decisive victory over, beat by a wide margin, trounce.

Example: Coach Garrett predicts that his team will soundly

wallop

the opposing team.