Words Of The Week 2005 05

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.

ASSIDUOUS

adjective

Pronounced: ah-SID-due-uss

Meaning: Constant, unremitting; Working diligently at a task; persevering, industrious.

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BALEFUL

adjective

Pronounced: BAIL-full

Meaning: Menacing or malign; threatening evil.

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CONTUMACIOUS

adjective

Pronounced: kon-too-MAY-shus

Meaning: Stubbornly perverse or rebellious; willfully disobedient.

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DROSS

noun

Pronounced: DRAWSS

Meaning: Waste matter or refuse; A waste product taken off molten metal during smelting, essentially metallic in character.

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EQUIPOISE

noun

Pronounced: EH-qwi-poiz

Meaning: An equal distribution of weight; even balance; equilibrium.

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FERVID

adjective

Pronounced: FUR-vid

Meaning: Heated or vehement in spirit, enthusiasm, etc.; burning, glowing.

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GARNER

verb

Pronounced: GARR-nur

Meaning: To gather or deposit in or as if in a granary or other storage place; to get, acquire or earn.

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HARROW

verb

Pronounced: HARE-row

Meaning: To disturb painfully or keenly; to distress the mind or feelings of.

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IMPASSIVE

adjective

Pronounced: em-PA-siv

Meaning: Showing or feeling no emotion; unmoved; not subject to suffering.

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JABBERWOCKY

noun

Pronounced: JAH-bur-wock-kee

Meaning: Writing or speech with nonsensical words.

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KANJI

noun

Pronounced: KAHN-jee

Meaning: A system of Japanese writing using Chinese-derived characters.

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LOQUACIOUS

adjective

Pronounced: low-KWAY-shus

Meaning: Talking or tending to talk much freely; talkative; characteristic of excessive talk; wordy.

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MOROSE

adjective

Pronounced: MORE-ohs

Meaning: Gloomily or sullently ill-humored, as a person or mood; characterized by or expressing gloom.

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NOISOME

adjective

Pronounced: NOY-sum

Meaning: Offensive or disgusting, as in odor; harmful or injurious to health; noxious.

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OSTENSIBLE

adjective

Pronounced: oss-TEN-sih-bull

Meaning: Outwardly appearing as such; professed; pretended.

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PRECEPT

noun

Pronounced: PREE-sept

Meaning: A commandment or direction given as a rule of action or conduct; an injunction as to moral conduct; a maxim.

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QUIESCENT

adjective

Pronounced: kwee-ESS-cent

Meaning: Being at rest; quiet;still; inactive or motionless.

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REFRACTORY

adjective

Pronounced: ree-FRACK-tore-ree

Meaning: Hard or impossible to manage; stubbornly disobedient.

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SQUALID

adjective

Pronounced: SKWA-lid

Meaning: Filthy or repulsive as from neglect; degraded; sordid.

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TRUCULENT

adjective

Pronounced: TRUCK-cue-lunt

Meaning: Aggressively hostile; belligerent; brutally harsh; scathing or savagely brutal.

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UNTOWARD

adjective

Pronounced: un-too-WARD

Meaning: Unfavorable or unfortunate; improper.

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VERISIMILITUDE

noun

Pronounced: vair-ih-sim-MIL-lih-tood

Meaning: The appearance or semblance of truth; likelihood; probability.

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WANE

noun

Pronounced: WAIN

Meaning: To decrease in strength and intensity, etc.; to decline in power, importance, etc.

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XENOBIOTIC

noun

Pronounced: ZEN-o-buy-ot-tick

Meaning: A chemical or substance that is foreign to an organism or biological system.

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YAMMER

noun

Pronounced: YAMM-mur

Meaning: To whine or complain; to talk loudly or persistently.

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ZEN

noun

Pronounced: ZIN

Meaning: A movement of Buddhism, introduced into China in the 6

th

century and into Japan in the 12

th

century, that emphasizes enlightenment by means of meditation and direct, intuitive insights.

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AVER

verb

Pronounced: ah-VURR

Meaning: To assert or affirm with confidence; declare in a positive or peremptory manner.

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BLITHE

adjective

Pronounced: BLYTH

Meaning: Lighthearted in disposition; cheerful; carefree; heedless.

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CREDULOUS

adjective

Pronounced: KRED-yoo-luss

Meaning: Willing to believe or trust to readily; gullible.

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DEMUR

verb

Pronounced: dih-MURR

Meaning: To make objection, especially on the grounds of scruples; take exception; object.

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EPITOME

noun

Pronounced: ee-PIT-toh-mee

Meaning: A person or thing that is typical of or possesses to a high degree the features of a whole class; embodiment.

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FROWARD

adjective

Pronounced: FRO-word

Meaning: Willfully contrary; not easily managed.

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GRIEVOUS

adjective

Pronounced: GREE-vuss

Meaning: Causing grief or great sorrow; causing serious harm; characterized by great pain or suffering.

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HEDONISM

noun

Pronounced: HEE-dun-izm

Meaning: The doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the highest good; devotion to pleasure and self-gratification as a way of life.

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INTRANSIGENT

adjective

Pronounced: in-TRAN-sih-gent

Meaning: Refusing to agree or compromise; uncompromising; inflexible.

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JEREMIAD

noun

Pronounced: jair-ih-MY-add

Meaning: A prolonged lament; compliant.

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KECK

verb

Pronounced: KECK

Meaning: To retch; to feel or show disgust or strong dislike.

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LUBRICIOUS

adjective

Pronounced: loo-BRISH-uss

Meaning: Arousing or expressive of sexual desire; lustful; lecherous.

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MENDACITY

noun

Pronounced: min-DAH-city

Meaning: The quality of being false or untrue; lie or falsehood.

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NEXUS

noun

Pronounced: NECKS-uss

Meaning: A means of connection, tie or link; a connected series or group; the core or center, as of a matter or situation.

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OBVIATE

verb

Pronounced: OBB-vee-ate

Meaning: To anticipate and prevent or render unnecessary by effective measures.