Here is a list of words I am trying to learn the meaning of. For more, see my essay about how to improve your vocabulary. HTDW means “having to do with.”
Remember that these words seem hard to me. They may not seem hard to you or they may seem impossibly unfamiliar to you. Remember: it’s a better use of your time to work on learning words you are already vaguely familiar with than learn by heart words you have never seen before.
A reader recommended taking the superhard vocabulary test called the Schmies Vocabulary Test. It’s a good test, but if you plan to take it, you should do that first before looking at the words below. (I include correct definitions of some of the words I got wrong below).
By the way, I won’t accept any comments here unless the comment is specifically about one of the words mentioned here.
- 20100215 affranchise. grant freedom from, as in slavery.
- 20100215 agrypnia. sleeplessness, insomnia; (a vigil before certain feasts).
- 20100215 altricial. meaning “requiring nourishment”, refers to a pattern of growth and development in organisms which are incapable of moving around on their own soon after hatching or being born. The word is derived from the Latin alere meaning “to nurse, to rear, or to nourish”, and refers to the need for young to be fed and taken care of for a long duration (antonym: precocial)
- 20100118 anaphora. rhetoric device of repeating the same string of words over several sentences for emphasis.
- 20091230 argosy. one or more merchant ships. (More).
- 2010215 astringency. dry, puckering mouthfeel caused by tannins found in many fruits such as blackthorn, chokecherry, bird cherry, quince and persimmon fruits, and banana skins. The tannins denature the salivary proteins, causing a rough “sandpapery” sensation in the mouth. Astringency tastes unpleasant to many mammals (including humans), which tend to avoid eating astringent fruit
- 20100215 astringent. sour or bitter in taste; chemical that tends to shrink or constrict body tissues, usually locally after topical medicinal application. The word “astringent” derives from Latin adstringere, meaning “to bind fast”. Two common examples are calamine lotion and witch hazel.
- 20091117 biddy . 1)hen or fowl, 2)garrulous woman, gossipy or interfering woman
- 20091117 blowsy (also blowzy). untidy in appearance (usually to describe a woman); slovely or sluttish; ruddy in complexion, red-faced
- 20091203 bonhomie. affability, disposition to be friendly and approachable (easy to talk to)
- 20091203 cadge v. ask for and get free, be a parasite
- 20091203 Chautauqua. adult education movement from the 19th/20th century; it brought entertainment and culture in a “summer camp” or lyceum format; named after a city in NY where they were held
- 20091126 charger. Large decorative plate used to dress up dinner parties at parties, weddings and other special events.
- 20100215 collaborationist. someone who collaborates with the enemy. “Collaboration” was coined by Marshall Philippe Pétain, who proclaimed the Vichy regime in July 1940 and actively supported Collaborationism with Nazi Germany.
- 20100215. compendious. briefly giving the gist of something. A compendium is a short brief summary of something.
- 20100215 concave/convex. Concave = hollowing inward, Convex = curving outward.
- 20090105 condign. fitting or appropriate and deserved; used especially of punishment; “condign censure”
- 20100215 Croesus. Last king of Lydia who was known for extreme wealth.
- 20100105 cuss (n). pest: a persistently annoying person; chap: a boy or man;
- 20011201 chyron. television graphic that occupies the lower area of the screen (like what you see on Fox News or CNN).
- 20100105 contumelious. arrogantly insolent; Of or pertaining to rudely contemptuous; insolent; disdainful
- 20100215 decamp. Leave from a camp; abscond.
- 20100310 disinter. Exhume (as for reburial).
- 20100215 Dives. Greek wealthy man in Jesus parable. He has a vision of the afterlife in which the beggar Lazarus has a majestic position.
- 20100119 doxology. short hymn of praise in Christian services
- 20100105 duvet. a soft quilt usually filled with the down of the eider; A thick, padded quilt used instead of blankets
- 20100215 ectomorphic. thin, skinny; having little fat
- 20100310 emollient. having a softening or soothing effect especially to the skin; lotion that produces this effect.
- 20100115 enclave. territory whose geographical boundaries lie entirely within the boundaries of another territory
- 20100105 eponym. the person for whom something is named; “Constantine I is the eponym for Constantinople” ; the name derived from a person (real or imaginary); “Down’s syndrome is an eponym for the English physician John Down”
- 20100115 exclave. territory legally attached to another territory with which it is not physically contiguous. See enclave.
- 20100215. fuliginous. Pertaining to soot; sooty; dusky, gloomy
- 20100310 gallimaufry. odds and ends. motley assortment of things.
- 20100121 gamin. homeless boy who has been abandoned and roams the streets.
- 20100215 gibbous. Lunar phase in which moon appears more than half full.
- 20091126 gilded. (gild – to cover with a thin layer of gold); golden; covered with a layer of gold; having a falsely pleasant appearance.
- 20100215 glabrous. Having no hair or smooth growth.
- 20100310 glen. valley, typically one that is long, deep and U-shaped, with a waterway running through it.
- 20100215 hebetate. make dull in feeling or spirit; (botany: having a blunt point, as certain leaves ). From hebetare, to make blunt or dull.
- 20100310 hypnagogia. transitional state between wakefulness and sleep; also hypnagogic.
- 20091204 iatrogenic. induced by a physician’s words or therapy (used especially of a complication resulting from treatment). The terms iatrogenesis and iatrogenic artifact refer to adverse effects or complications caused by or resulting from medical treatment or advice.
- 20100215 inspissate. make thick or viscuous. To thicken, especially by boiling, evaporation, or condensation; condense.
- 20100121 Irish Travelers. nomadic Irish people (often called “knackers” or “gypsos” or “tinkers”).
- 20100310 legato. (in music) without breaks in between notes; continuous, without pause. smooth; connected.
- 20091126 leprous. htdw leprosy; appearing decayed
- 20091126 lissome. moving and bending with ease; lithe; quick and graceful in movement
- 20100310 mealy-mouthed. evasive, hesitant to state facts or opinions (as from timidity or hypocrisy). Not forthright.
- 20100201 merkin. pubic wig, originally worn by prostitutes after shaving their genitalia (this SFW picture says it all)
- 20100112 mumu. loose dress of Hawaiian origin with brilliant colors
- 20091230 obiter dicta. an incidental and collateral opinion that is uttered by a judge but is not binding; literally “something said in passing”;
- 20100310 obligato. a persistent but subordinate motif; a part of the score that must be performed without change or omission; note: contemporary use of the word refers to an indispensable motif OR its opposite; A later use has the contradictory meaning of optional, indicating that a part was not obligatory
- 20100228 onomastics. the branch of lexicology that studies the forms and origins of proper names
- 20100210 perfervid. ardent: characterized by intense emotion; Extremely, excessively, or feverishly passionate; zealous
- 20100215 precocial. refers to species in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching; covered with down and having eyes open; capable of leaving the nest within a few days
- 20100214 pretermit. disregard intentionally or let something pass; not to notice something;
- 20100215 pyknic. Having a squat or fleshy build; endomorphic.
- 20100215 potamic. htdw rivers.
- 20091121saccade – (n). (rare) a sudden jerking movement; a rapid jerky movement of the eye (voluntary or involuntary) from one focus to another
- 20091121 saccadic – characterized by discontinuous or sporadic movement; jerky. (see saccade)
- 20100219 soi-dissant. self-styled, self-proclaimed, supposed.
- 20100215 splice — join the ends of (as in film); marry
- 20091118 supererogation. Effort above and beyond the call of duty; more than what is needed or required (adj)
- 20100215. spendthrift. One who spends money prodigally or wastefully.
- 20091203 supernumerary a person serving no apparent function; a minor actor in crowd scenes. Non-regular member of a staff.
- 20091117 set-to: brief (usually heated) conflict or argument.
- 20091117 suss out: to examine so as to check out the accuracy, quality or condition; size up or study.
- 20100215 tantivy. rapid gallop; at full speed.
- 20100215 tarnish. make dull or spotty. Tarnish is a thin layer that forms over copper, brass, silver, aluminum, and other semi-reactive metals as their outermost layer undergoes a chemical reaction.
- 20100215 teleman. male figure built into a column in Greek sculpture. A female figure is called a caryatid.
- 20100215 trefa. Opposite of kosher. Meat that is not prepared properly according to Jewish law. Also trifa.
- 20100121 trichological: htdw the science of hair and scalp. Also, trichologist is a licensed hair expert.
- 20091126 trivet: an object placed between a hot serving dish and a table. Trivet also refers to tripods used to elevate pots from the coals of an open fire.
- 20100215 truckle. Yield out of weakness.
