Words Of The Week 2005 04

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.

AESOPIAN

adjective

Pronounced: ay-SOP-pee-in

Meaning: Conveying an innocent meaning to an outsider but a concealed meaning to an informed member of a conspiracy or underground movement.

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BILIOUS

adjective

Pronounced: BILL-yuss

Meaning: Peevish; irritable; cranky; unattractive or distasteful.

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CEVICHE

noun

Pronounced: suh-VEE-chay

Meaning: An appetizer of small pieces of raw fish marinated in lime or lemon juice, often with onions, peppers and spices.

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DAMASK

noun

Pronounced: DAH-mask

Meaning: An elaborately patterned, usually reversible fabric of linen, silk, cotton, wool or synthetic fibers, woven on a Jacquard loom.

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EBONIZE

verb

Pronounced: EH-boh-nyz

Meaning: Make or stain black in imitation of ebony.

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FORBEARANCE

noun

Pronounced: four-BEAR-rinse

Meaning: Patient endurance; willingness to wait; self-control; an abstaining from the enforcement of a right.

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GAINSAY

verb

Pronounced: GAIN-say

Meaning: To deny or dispute; contradict; to speak or act against; oppose.

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HAPLESS

adjective

Pronounced: HAPP-less

Meaning: Unlucky; luckless; unfortunate.

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INTREPID

adjective

Pronounced: in-TREP-id

Meaning: Fearless; dauntless.

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JALOUSIE

noun

Pronounced: JAL-low-see

Meaning: A blind or shutter made with horizontal slats that can be adjusted to admit light and air but exclude rain and sun.

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K RATION

noun

Pronounced: KAY RAH-shun

Meaning: An emergency military field ration for use under combat conditions, consisting of three separate packaged meals.

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LASSITUDE

noun

Pronounced: LAH-sih-tood

Meaning: Weariness of body or mind from strain, oppressive climate, etc.; indifference.

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METTLESOME

adjective

Pronounced: MEH-tull-sum

Meaning: Spirited, courageous.

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NADIR

noun

Pronounced: NAY-derr

Meaning: The lowest point; point of greatest adversity or despair.

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OBDURATE

adjective

Pronounced: AHB-dure-ret

Meaning: Unmoved by persuasion or pity; unyielding. Stubbornly resistant to moral influence; impenitent.

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PHLEGMATIC

adjective

Pronounced: fleg-MA-tick

Meaning: Not easily excited to action or display of emotion; having a calm temperament.

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QUAFF

verb

Pronounced: KWAF

Meaning: To drink copiously and with hearty enjoyment.

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RAFFISH

adjective

Pronounced: RAW-fish

Meaning: Disreputable or nonconformist; rakish.

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SYCOPHANT

noun

Pronounced: SICK-oh-fant

Meaning: A self-seeking, servile flatterer; a fawning parasite.

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TRACTABLE

adjective

Pronounced: TRACK-tah-bull

Meaning: Easily managed or controlled; docile; yielding; easily worked, shaped or otherwise handled; malleable.

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URBANE

adjective

Pronounced: ur-BAIN

Meaning: Having polish and suavity in manner or style; sophisticated.

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VITUPERATE

verb

Pronounced: vi-TOO-per-ate

Meaning: To use harsh and abusive language; to censure harshly.

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WUNDERKIND

noun

Pronounced: VOON-dur-kend

Meaning: A child prodigy; a person who succeeds, especially in business, at a comparatively early age.

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XANTHOUS

adjective

Pronounced: ZAN-thuss

Meaning: Yellowish.

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YAWP

verb

Pronounced: YAWP

Meaning: To utter a loud, harsh cry; yelp, squawk; to talk noisily or complainingly.

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ZAPPY

adjective

Pronounced: ZAH-pee

Meaning: Energetic, lively or fast-moving.

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WELL-HEALED

adjective

Pronounced: WELL HEALD

Meaning: Well-off, rich.

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XERIC

adjective

Pronounced: ZEAR-ick

Meaning: Of, pertaining to or adapted to a dry environment.

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YARDBIRD

noun

Pronounced: YARD-burd

Meaning: A soldier assigned to cleaning the grounds or other menial tasks as punishment.

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ZONIAN

noun

Pronounced: ZOH-nee-en

Meaning: A United States citizen living in the Canal Zone.

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ATTENUATE

verb

Pronounced: ah-TEN-yoo-ate

Meaning: To weaken or reduce in force, intensity, effect, quantity or value; to make thin, slender or fine.

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BOISTEROUS

adjective

Pronounced: BOY-stir-russ

Meaning: Rough and noisy; turbulent and stormy.

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CONUNDRUM

noun

Pronounced: ko-NUN-drum

Meaning: A riddle whose answer involves a pun; a puzzle.

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DISABUSE

verb

Pronounced: DISS-ah-byooz

Meaning: To free from deception or error.

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ENERVATE

adjective

Pronounced: IN-ur-vate

Meaning: To deprive of force or strength; destroy the vigor of; weaken.

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FULMINATE

verb

Pronounced: FULL-men-ate

Meaning: To explode with a loud noise; detonate; to issue denunciations.

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GUILELESS

adjective

Pronounced: GUYL-less

Meaning: Sincere; straightforward.

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HALLOW

verb

Pronounced: HAL-low

Meaning: To make holy, sanctify or consecrate; to honor as holy; to consider sacred.

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IMPAIR

verb

Pronounced: em-PEAR

Meaning: To make or cause to become worse, weaken or damage.

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JINGO

noun

Pronounced: JEENG-go

Meaning: A person who professes belligerent patriotism and favors an aggressive foreign policy.

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KWANZA

noun

Pronounced: KWAN-zah

Meaning: A harvest festival celebrated from December 26 to January 1 in some African-American communities.

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LASSITUDE

noun

Pronounced: LAH-sit-tood

Meaning: Weariness of body or mind from strain, oppressive climate, etc., listlessness, languor.

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MALINGER

verb

Pronounced: muh-LING-ger

Meaning: To pretend illness, especially in order to shirk duty or work.