Robert Nagle’s Ongoing Word List

June 2019 Update. To my delight, I have found a free offline dictionary for my android device which allows you to bookmark words you don’t know. (Definitions come from Wikidictionary — not the best, but it has a lot of words). I’ll be syncing the two word lists when I can. 

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 vaguely familiar with than trying to  learn words you’ve never seen before.

One reader suggested taking this vocabulary test which tries to estimate the number of English words you actually know. I scored 40,800 words but it might actually be a little lower. I verified some of the words I thought I knew and found that 4-5 of them I didn’t know at all. If you plan to take this vocabulary test, I’d recommend doing that first before looking on this page.

Another  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).  Now the New York Times has started to write an annual column about the 50 most commonly looked up words from the NYT site. Here’s the 2009 article (and PDF of the word list) . Here’s the 2010 article (and the word list PDF). Here’s the 2011 version

By the way, I won’t accept any comments here unless the comment is specifically about one of the words mentioned here.

  • 20110610 abed. (archaic). In bed.
  • 20150402 ab initio. from the beginning; from the onset,
  • 20140204 aborn. born, begotten, created, developed.
  • 20100412 ablation. removal of material from the surface by vaporization, chipping or other erosive processes. This term is used in spaceflight, glaciology, medicine, fire prevention.
  • 20100608 adenoidal. htdw adenoids (the back of the throat area containing the tonsils). adenoidal might describe an overly nasal-sounding voice.
  • 20100618  adjure. bid or ask for earnestly; command solemnly; issue a formal command.
  • 20110411 affiant. person who swears to an affidavit.
  • 20100215 affranchise. grant freedom from, as in slavery.
  • 20100215 agrypnia. sleeplessness, insomnia; (a  vigil before certain feasts).
  • 20100714 allopathic. pejorative term referring to traditional medical treatment (as opposed to homeopathic or Ayuveda or other alternative medicines).
  • 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)
  • 10171110 ambit. sphere or scope (as of influence). limits, boundary, circumference
  • 20110324 ambulatory. related to walking, mobile; (n) a covered walkway (as in a cloister);
  • 20150901 amphibolous. Having a grammatical structure that allows of two interpretations; equivocal. generally referring to ambiguity of phrasing.
  • 20100710 anamorphic. gradual evolution from one organism to another. htwd with a distorting optical system; anamorphosis: a distorted projection or perspective; especially an image distorted in such a way that it becomes visible only when viewed in a special manner
  • 20181002 anfractuous. full of windings and intricate turnings; tortuous.
  • 20100118 anaphora. rhetoric device of repeating the same string of words over several sentences for emphasis.
  • 20140207 anhedonia. inability to feel pleasure from activities normally thought as enjoyable.  joylessness, (psychological term)
  • 20140624 Antipodean. 1. 1950s  Australian modern art movement which embraced figurative art as opposed to abstract expressionism. 2. as different as possible; contrarian; antithesis.
  • 20110713 antisepsis. Prevention of infection by inhibiting or arresting the growth and multiplication of germs (infectious agents). Antisepsis implies scrupulously clean and free of all living microorganisms.
  • 20130320 antistrophe. the section of a choral ode answering a previous strophe in classical Greek drama; the second of two metrically corresponding sections in a poem; the second part of an ode, metrically identical to the strophe but telling the “other side” of the tale.
  • 20100929 aphasia. inability to use or understand language because of a brain lesion. Inability to express oneself because of some disorder.
  • 20140410 apogee. furthest point from the moon. Aphelion vs. perihelion. farthest point from the sun (peri = closest point to the sun).
  • 20161001 apophasis. rhetorical device where a subject brings up a subject by denying it or denying that it should be brought up.
  • 20100608 apoplectic. Marked by extreme fury or anger or excitement, akin to a seizure.
  • 20100609 apostasy. renunciation of belief or abandoning of one’s religious faith.
  • 20170325 appoggiatura. (Musical) accented dissonance resolved to a consonance  (read this NPR piece on it).
  • 20110602 agate. 1. an impure form of quartz consisting of banded chalcedony; used as a gemstone and for making mortars and pestles. 2. unit of typographical measure. It is 5.5 typographical points, or about 1/14 of an inch.
  • 20141006 arbitrage. the simultaneous buying and selling of securities, currency, or commodities in different markets or in derivative forms in order to take advantage of differing prices for the same asset.
  • 20161230 Arcadian. htdw Greek region of Arcadian; rustic, peaceful and pleasant, simple.
  • 20110412 arraignment a formal reading of a criminal complaint in the presence of the defendant to inform the defendant of the charges against him or her. In response to arraignment, the accused is expected to enter a plea. …
  • 20091230 argosy. one or more merchant ships. (More).
  • 20100608 asterism. cluster of stars which is not one of the actual 88 constellations.  optical phenomenon in certain gems where the reflection of light on the gem will appear to look like a star.
  • 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.
  • 20160422. attainder (as in “bill of attainder”).  unconstitutional kind of law which passed judgement on a category of people without due process. It basically circumvented the judicial system and violated civil rights because it targeted an entire class of individuals.
  • 20160823 autoclave. pressure chamber used in medical environments to sterilize medical instruments.
  • 20150113 autogenic. self-generated, related to a therapy where the body trains itself to relax/control breathing. originating within the individual to whom applied. (more about medical definition).
  • 20160714 avulse. to pull off or tear off forcibly.
  • 20111026 Balearic. 1. islands along the Spanish coast which includes Ibiza. Balearic beat refers to a musical style of EDM music popular among European tourists on these islands, rave, etc. discovered by Paul Oakenfold and others.
  • 20161220 banlieue. suburb of a French city, usually economically-depressed, with a  immigrant population
  • 20110325 bathetic. effusively or insincerely emotional; bathos = satire of pathos by Alexander Pope; discovery or expression of humor in a linguistic phrase through some ironic combination of ideas. It may be deliberate, through the use of an incongruous combination of ideas in order to provide a seemingly unintended humorous aspect, or unintentional, providing fun for the critical reader.
  • 20100701 batten. long flat strip of or squared wood or metal used to hold something in place or as a fastening against a wall.strip of wood used for fastening a door or for tarpaulin that covers a ship’s hatch. V. to strengthen or fasten something with battens;
  • 20110610 batwing. one of a pair of swinging doors (as at the entrance to a western saloon); formed or shaped like a bat’s wing; “a dress with batwing sleeves”
  • 20161122 beau monde. world of fashionable society. high society.
  • 20111120 beignet. A square of fried dough eaten hot sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar; a fritter
  • 20111229 beleaguer. lay siege to; beset with difficulties
  • 20100608 bemused. deeply absorbed in thought;  baffled or perplexed by many conflicting statements or situations. bewildered.
  • 20100527 berm. A narrow ledge or shelf, as along the top or bottom of a slope. The shoulder of a road; A raised bank or path, especially the bank of a canal opposite the towpath.
  • 20100608 besotted. 1. drunk 2. infatuated; intellectually or morally blinded.
  • 20111026 bespoke. items customized to a customer’s specifications, personalized, tailored. created without use of a pre-existing pattern. literally to give order that it be made.
  • 20120911 bey. governor of a Turkish district or province  during the Ottoman period. honorary Turkish title.
  • 20091117 biddy . 1)hen or fowl, 2)garrulous woman, gossipy or interfering woman
  • 20101011 bilge. lowest compartment on a ship where the two sides meet at the keel. word is sometimes also used to describe the water that collects in this compartment. Water that does not drain off the side of the deck drains down through the ship into the bilge.
  • 20100524 biennium. Period of two years
  • 20120910 bird dog. (v) to search out or pursue with tireless perseverance; individuals, sometimes junior salespeople, who seek out sales leads and prospects for more experienced salespeople.
  • 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)
  • 20100608 bonobo. pygmy chimpanzee.
  • 20190604 boreal. htwd the north, coming from the north
  • 20110713  briar patch. A dense thicket of thorny plants; ground made impassible by the impenetrable overgrowth of prickly vegetation; An intellectual or philosophical issue abounding with seemingly unresolvable problems; a theoretical quandary or impasse.
  • 20100701 broadside. 1. circular: an advertisement distributed widely; 2. tirade: a speech of violent denunciation, 3.  all of the armament that is fired from one side of a warship; 4.  collide with the broad side of; “her car broad-sided mine”; 5. with a side facing an object; “the train hit the truck broadside”; “the wave caught the canoe broadside & capsized it.”
  • 20100708 brownfield. abandoned or underused industrial and commercial facilities available for re-use. Expansion or redevelopment of such a facility may be complicated by real or perceived environmental contaminations. previously developed land.
  • 20111219 bruin. a bear, especially in fables.
  • 20130115 bruit. 1. (usually foll by: about) to report; rumour: it was bruited about that the king was dead. 2. (Pathology) med an abnormal sound heard within the body during auscultation, esp a heart murmur. 3. a loud outcry; clamour
  • 20111229 bushwhacker. disparaging term for an unsophisticated person; Confederate guerilla during the Civil War; person who clears bush or land
  • 20091203 cadge v. ask for and get free, be a parasite
  • 20140310 caisson.  watertight underwater structure in which construction takes place; large box designed to fit against the side of a ship and used to repair damaged hulls under water.  chest or wagon for holding or conveying ammunition.
  • 20130115. caitiff. despicable coward, cowardly
  • 20111027 calliope.  A keyboard instrument resembling an organ but with the notes produced by steam whistles, used chiefly on showboats and in traveling fairs; Greek muse of epic poetry. Calliope was the muse of eloquence and heroic poems. She was the chief of the muses, and was said to have been the mother of Orpheus by Apollo.
  • 20130115 cantle.  raised rear part of a saddle; A corner, segment, or portion; a piece
  • 20110411. capias pro fine. writs or warrants written after defendant has defaulted on an agreement with the court. “that you take for the fine”
  • 20150906 cargo cult is a religious movement usually emerging in tribal or isolated societies after they have had an encounter with an external and technologically advanced society. Usually cargo cults focus on magical thinking and a variety of intricate rituals designed to obtain the material wealth of the advanced culture they encountered.  The term “cargo cult” has caught the imagination of the public and is now used to describe a wide variety of phenomena that involve imitating external properties without the substance.
  • 20180806 carnet. legal authorization to provide services. (or to allow the importation of certain goods to countries without paying duties.
  • 20170626 cashier. to dismiss from service; dismiss dishonorably.
  • 20140501 casuistry. reasoning used to resolve moral problems by extracting or extending theoretical rules from particular instances and applying these rules to new instances. The term is also commonly used as a pejorative to criticize the use of clever but unsound reasoning (alleging implicitly the inconsistent—or outright specious—misapplication of rule to instance),
  • 20150910 castellan. governor or captain of a castle.  In medieval times, nobles built castles to prevent invasions and took vassals and appointed them as  castellans to guard these buildings.  Later castellans grew powerful on their own.
  • 20180307 catabolism. the breaking down in the body of complex substances into simpler ones– often accompanied by a release of energy.
  • 20180901 catafalque. an ornamental structure sometimes used in funerals for the lying in state of the body
  • 20110511 cataleptic. a nervous condition characterized by muscular rigidity and fixity of posture regardless of external stimuli, as well as decreased sensitivity to pain
  • 20130629 catamaran.  multihulled vessel consisting of two parallel hulls of equal size
  • 20101017 catchment. Any structure or land feature which catches and holds water; refers to an area (usually smaller than a watershed) which “catches” rainfall and is drained by a common stream.
  • 20130115 cenacle. clique or circle, especially of writers. dining or supper hall. religious retreat house.
  • 20160528. cenotaph. empty tomb or monument erected in honor of one or more people who have died.
  • 20140310 censer.  vessel for burning incense. Varying in composition in size (stone, metal, pots, etc).
  • 20110325 charwoman. cleaning woman especially in a large building.
  • 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.
  • 20170811 chasten. to correct by punishment or suffering; to prune s.t.  of  falsity, excess or pretense.
  • 20190407 cheongsam. tight-fitting woman’s (or men’s)dress, usually bright colored, patterned or embroidered, with a split at the thigh. Asian dress.
  • 20110705 chicane. An artificial narrowing or turn on a road or auto-racing course; (in card games) A hand without cards of one particular suit; a void; trickery: the use of tricks to deceive someone (usually to extract money from them)
  • 20111229 chiton.  A long woolen tunic worn in ancient Greece; A marine mollusk that has an oval flattened body with a shell of overlapping plates
  • 20130228 chivvy. Tell (someone) repeatedly to do something, – an association that chivvies government into action
  • 20111201 chyron. television graphic that occupies the lower area of the screen consisting of continuous running text (like what you see on Fox News or CNN).
  • 20141001 cisgender. related types of gender identity where individuals’ experiences of their own gender match the sex they were assigned at birth. complement to transgender.
  • 20130115 clerisy. educated people as a group; intelligentsia.
  • 20130106 cloche. small translucent cover for protecting plants in winter, tight fitting woman’s hat, convex dish cover.
  • 20160415 coffle. line of animals, prisoners or slaves chained together.
  • 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.
  • 20160611 columbarium. Room used for public storage of urns.
  • 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”
  • 20160715  consigliere. close advisor, especially to a crime boss.
  • 20100418 contumacy. refusal to obey a court order.  contumacious means Contemptuous of authority; willfully disobedient; rebellious; Willfully disobedient to the summons or orders of a court
  • 20100105 contumelious. arrogantly insolent; Of or pertaining to rudely contemptuous; insolent; disdainful
  • 20170912 contumely. harsh language or treatment arising from haughtiness or contempt.
  • 20110412 continuance. The state of remaining in existence or operation; A postponement or adjournment.
  • 20160420 cormorant. category of acquatic bird. also called SHAGS.
  • 20120710 corolla. Petals of a flower, typically forming a whorl within the sepals and enclosing the reproductive organs
  • 20100923 courgette. small summer squash.
  • 20100607 creche. a hospital where foundlings (infant children of unknown parents) are taken in and cared for; representation of Christ’s nativity scene.
  • 20111229 crepuscular. Of, resembling, or relating to twilight. Crepuscular is a term used to describe some animals that are primarily active during twilight, that is at dawn and at dusk. The word is derived from the Latin word crepusculum, meaning “twilight.” Crepuscular is thus in contrast with diurnal and nocturnal behavior. …
  • 20110512 creosote. A dark brown oil distilled from coal tar and used as a wood preservative. It contains a number of phenols, cresols, and other organic compounds
  • 20170726 crevasse. deep crack or fissure, usually in a glacier.  When this crack is in a rock, it is called a “crevice”.
  • 20110504 cryosphere. collectively describes the portions of the Earth’s surface where water is in solid form, including sea ice, lake ice, river ice, snow cover, glaciers, ice caps and ice sheets, and frozen ground (which includes permafrost).
  • 20100215 Croesus. Last king of Lydia who was known for extreme wealth.
  • 20110717 crotchet. 1)quarter note;  2) A perverse or unfounded belief or notion; oddity: a strange attitude or habit 3)hook: a sharp curve or crook; a shape resembling a hook
  • 20170620 crudite. traditional French appetizer of raw vegetables dipped in vinegars
  • 20100105 cuss (n). pest: a persistently annoying person; chap: a boy or man;
  • 20110719 cussedness. meanspirited disagreeable contrariness
  • 20100608 cynosure. something that provides guidance (like the North Star), something that attracts admiration and attention.  From greek cynosura, which means Pole Star.
  • 20160305 declasse. fallen in social status, inferior standing.
  • 20130829 defalcation.  sum of money that has been embezzled;  embezzlement
  • 20100215 decamp. Leave from a camp; abscond.
  • 20180307 demulcent. serving to soothe or soften.  (n). A soothing, usually mucilaginous or oily substance, such as glycerin or lanolin, used especially to relieve pain in inflamed or irritated mucous membranes.
  • 20140401 diachronic. Of or concerned with phenomena, such as linguistic features, as they change through time. of, relating to, or studying the development of a phenomenon through time;. This contrasts with syncronic which covers phenomena or an event without reference to its chronological context.
  • 20150720 diegetic.  Narrative term referring to “telling” narration (as opposed to mimetic, which is showing).  Narrative style  that presents an interior view of a world in which details about the world itself and the experiences of its characters are revealed explicitly through recounted narrative; diegetic sound (in cinema)   refers to music or sound whose source is implied or present onscreen (i.e., from a radio, or a band in the background, etc).  Nondiegetic sound is superimposed on the actual sound to add dramatic effects: (for horror, surprise, or feeling).
  • 20181227 discomfit. 1. to make uneasy or perplexed. Disconcert. 2. thwart the plans of ; frustrate
  • 20100418 disingenuous. not straightforward or candid; giving a false appearance of frankness; Not noble; unbecoming true honor or dignity; mean; unworthy; fake or deceptive;
  • 20100310 disinter. Exhume (as for reburial).
  • 2010506 dispositive. intending to or resulting in disposition (disposing of or settling a matter)
  • 20131122 distal.  situated away from the center of the body or from the point of attachment. ex. “the distal end of the tibia”
  • 20130415 donnish. Like a college don, pedantic,
  • 20100215 Dives. Greek wealthy man in Jesus parable.  He has a vision  of the afterlife in which the beggar Lazarus has a majestic position.
  • 20161103 dobro.  acoustic guitar modified to be a resonator guitar, (Dobro is one specific brand name).  They produce sound by carrying string vibration through the bridge to one or more spun metal cones (resonators), instead of to the sound board (guitar top)
  • 20170420 dowdy. not neat or becoming in appearance. unfashionable, lacking smartness in taste (often to describe females).
  • 20100119 doxology. short hymn of praise in Christian services
  • 20100325 dudgeon. a feeling of intense indignation (now used only in the phrase `in high dudgeon’)
  • 20140904 dun. 1.  make persistent demands on (someone), especially for payment of a debt. 2. Person (usually a creditor) who duns another. 3. brownish-gray. 4. horse of that color.
  • 20100105 duvet. a soft quilt usually filled with the down of the eider; A thick, padded quilt used instead of blankets
  • 20131005 dybbuk. In Jewish folklore, the wandering soul of a dead person that enters the body of a living person and controls his or her behaviour.
  • 20140402 easement. is a non-possessory right of use and/or entry onto the real property of another without possessing it. It is “best typified in the right of way which one landowner, A, may enjoy over the land of another, Easements are helpful for providing pathways across two or more pieces of property or allowing an individual to fish in a privately owned pond. An easement is considered as a property right in itself at common law and is still treated as a type of property in most jurisdictions.
  • 20100215 ectomorphic. thin, skinny; having little fat
  • 20161220 egret. white heron with showy long plumage
  • 20100325 eldritch. having a supernatural aspect to st., eerie, otherworldly, 2. weird, sinister, otherworldly
  • 20130115 embonpoint. plumpness, stoutness.
  • 20130412 embrasure. A small opening in a wall through which weapons may be fired. Windows and arrow or rifle loops are usually wider on the inside. Embrasures for cannons are generally wider on the outside. This angled opening allows for greater angles of fire. (also called “crenels”).
  • 20160424 empyrean. heavenly, celestial; also (noun), heaven or the highest part of heaven; literally on the pyre.
  • 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
  • 20160315 enfilade. flanking military formation. v. to rake something with gunfire.
  • 20101029 enthalpy. in thermodynamics, the measure of the heat content or a chemical or physical system.
  • 20100325 epicene. bisexual; having an uncertain sexuality; noun whose single form can designate either a male or a female. The words author and poet are both examples.
  • 20140310 epiphenomenon. secondary phenomenon that occurs alongside or parallel to the primary phenomenon, but is not directly related to it.
  • 20100608 epistemic. htdw the study of knowledge and what is knowable.  Epistemicism is a philosophy about vagueness, asserting that when using vague words like “bad” or “thin” that it is possible to know when the term no longer applies.
  • 20140918 epithalmic. (epithalmium). poem or song written to celebrate a marriage; nuptial mode.
  • 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”
  • 20101220 equable, not varying, not easily irritated, calm.
  • 20140902 esquadrille. small squadron, (from WW1 where it referred to a loosely-defined group of aircraft capable of similar tasks, in most cases not more than six aeroplanes).
  • 20130115 estivation. act of spending the summer. A state of dormancy or torpor during the summer. (like hibernation, but for summer).
  • 20100115 exclave. territory legally attached to another territory with which it is not physically contiguous. See enclave.
  • 20121001 exfiltration. extraction, opposite of infiltration. In computer security, refers to the unauthorized release of data from a computer system.
  • 20100608 expostulate. to reason with someone for the purpose of dissuasion. expostulation is a reason for arguing against a premise. 2. the act of expressing earnest opposition or protest.
  • 20110325 exogamic. characterized by or fit for fertilization by a flower that is not closely related; pertaining to or characterized by the custom of marrying only outside the limits of a clan or tribe
  • 20110411 expunction. act of erasing or expunging;  type of lawsuit in which a first time offender of a prior criminal conviction seeks that the records of that earlier process be sealed, thereby making the records unavailable through the state or Federal repositories. syn. expungement.
  • 20150815 factotum. Someone hired to do a variety of jobs; a jack of all trades.
  • 20100608 feckless. not fit to assume responsibility; ineffective; incompetent;  “feckless attempts to repair the plumbing”
  • 20111014 feedstock. Raw material to supply or fuel a machine or industrial process; Often the term is used to denote material that came from nature and is in an unprocessed or minimally processed state. …
  • 20190607 finical. funicky, fastidious
  • 20170726 fisk. point by point refutation of an argument, named about the journalist who used to do this.
  • 20170227 fissiparous. factious, dividing into pieces, causing division or fragmentation.
  • 20111031 flageolet. French kidney bean, A small flutelike instrument resembling a recorder but with four finger holes on top and two thumb holes below
  • 20110324 foulard. thin, soft material of silk or silk and cotton, typically having a printed pattern.
  • 20100608 fraught. 1.  marked by distress.  a “fraught mother-daughter relationship.”   2. v, to load (as on a ship).  3. Adj,  Laden, furnished,
  • 20110610 frangible. Able to be broken; breakable; fragile; A material is said to be frangible if through deformation it tends to break up into fragments, rather than deforming plastically and retaining its cohesion as a single object. …
  • 20140310 fuddle. to put into a state of confusion; to befuddle, to intoxicate. to make drunk.
  • 20170304 fugacious. lasting a short time, fleeting.
  • 20100215. fuliginous. Pertaining to soot; sooty; dusky, gloomy
  • 20100310 gallimaufry. odds and ends. motley assortment of things.
  • 20160416. gamboge. gum resin from various Asian trees, yellow-orange and a cathartic.  (OBs)
  • 20100325 gasconade. n. bluster or bragging.
  • 20100121 gamin. homeless boy who has been abandoned and roams the streets.
  • 20120113 garotte. instrument of execution for execution by strangulation; strangle with an iron collar
  • 20140315 gaslighting. form of mental abuse where the perpetrator presents false memories to someone with the aim to convince them they are crazy or out of touch. Refers to the film with the same name.
  • 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.
  • 20111219 girdle (v).  encircle, surround with a belt or girdle; botany, Cut through the bark all the way around (a tree or branch), typically in order to kill it or to kill a branch to make the tree more fruitful
  • 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.
  • 20100506 grandee. person of high eminence or rank;  nobleman of rank in Spain or Portugal.
  • 20111020 gravaman. essence or most serious part of a complaint or argument. grievance.
  • 20130801 gravid. pregnant.
  • 20160513 gradient. degree of inclination; inclined surface;  adj. rising or descending by a regular  rate of inclination;
  • 20100710 grayfield. property has been developed and has infrastructure in place but the property’s current use is outdated or prevents a better or more efficient use of the property. Such property includes vacant, blighted, obsolete, or otherwise underutilized property. Ex. an old shopping mall with very few tenants.
  • 20100714 groundling. plant or animal that lives close to the ground;  bottom fish; person with uncultivated tastes;  spectator in the cheap standing-room only  seats in Elizabethan theatre.
  • 20110715 grist. Grain that is ground to make flour; Malt crushed to make mash for brewing; Useful material, esp. to back up an argument
  • 20110712 gunwale. The upper edge of the side of a boat or ship
  • 20101230 gyre. coil; a round shape formed by a series of concentric circles (as formed by leaves or flower petals). In oceanography it refers to rotating ocean currents, particularly those involved by wind movement.
  • 20170404 hallmark.  mark indicating quality or excellence;  standard mark used to stamp gold,silver, precious metal to indicate level of quality or origin; outstanding or distinguishing feature.
  • 20170701 hallal. permissible according to Islamic law.  (antonym: haram)
  • 20111014 harrier. person who is engaged in persistent attacks on others or incursions into their land; A hound of a breed used for hunting hares. OR A long-winged, slender-bodied bird of prey with low quartering flight.
  • 20160420 hawser. (nautical) heavy rope for mooring or towing.
  • 201112229 hauteur. haugtiness of manner; disdainful pride.
  • 20140310 haversack. a small, sturdy bag carried on the back or over the shoulder, used esp. by soldiers and hikers.
  • 20100215 hebetate. make dull in feeling or spirit;  (botany:   having a blunt point, as certain leaves ). From hebetare, to make blunt or dull.
  • 20140209 heteronomous — (antonym of autonomous). influenced by a law or force outside the individual.  Subject to external controls and impositions. Lack of moral freedom. from Kant.
  • 20140209 heuristic —   (psychology). simple, efficient rules, learned or hard-coded by evolutionary processes, that have been proposed to explain how people make decisions, come to judgments, and solve problems typically when facing complex problems or incomplete information. Researchers test if people use those rules with various methods. These rules work well under most circumstances, but in certain cases lead to systematic errors or cognitive biases. (Generally). experience-based techniques for problem solving, learning, and discovery that give a solution which is not guaranteed to be optimal.
  • 20100608 high tea. late afternoon  or early evening meal including tea.
  • 20100727 homeostasis. property of a living organism or system to adjust its internal conditions to maintain a stable  equilibrium
  • 20110114 hopper. A container for a bulk material such as grain, rock, or trash, typically one that tapers downward and is able to discharge its contents at the bottom; A tapering container, working with a hopping motion, through which grain passed into a mill; A railroad car able to discharge coal or other bulk material through its floor; A barge for carrying away mud or sediment from a dredging machine and discharging it; funnel-shaped receptacle; contents pass by gravity into a receptacle below
  • 20140310 hostler. archaic, man employed to look after horses of people staying at an inn. (also spelled “ostler).
  • 20130115 hypermnesiapsychol an unusually good ability to remember, found in some mental disorders and possibly in hypnosis
  • 20130115. hypnopompic. state of consciousness leading out of sleep.  Contrasts with hypnogogia. The hypnopompic state is emotional and credulous dreaming cognition trying to make sense of real world stolidity. They have a different phenomenological character.
  • 20110610 hydropathy. internal and external use of water to treat disease. The  term hydrotherapy and hydropathy are  synonymous with the term “Water cure” as it was originally marketed by practitioners and promoters in the 1800s.
  • 20100618 hypergamy. the practice of seeking a spouse of higher social or economic status.
  • 20100310 hypnagogia. transitional state between wakefulness and sleep; also hypnagogic.
  • 20100608 hyponym. Word that is more specific than another word. Scarlet is a hyponym of red.
  • 20111229 hysteresis. phenomenon in which the value of a physical property lags behind changes in the effect causing it, as for instance when magnetic induction lags behind the magnetizing force; The persistence of an effect even when the initial cause has ceased to operate. In economics, it refers to the persistence of unemployment even when the demand deficiency that caused it no longer exists.
  • 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.
  • 20111229 immiscible. (of liquids) Not forming a homogeneous mixture when added together; incapable of mixing.
  • 20111026 immiserate. to make miserable, impoverish; In Marxist theory, the immiseration thesis (also referred to as emiseration thesis) refers to the view that the nature of capitalist production logically requires an ever greater reduction in real wages and worsening of working conditions for the proletariat.
  • 20100608 inchoate. 1. incipient, 2. “inchoate crime” is the crime of preparing or seeking to commit a crime. (i.e., a conspiracy crime or any  thought crime).  Conduct deemed criminal without actual harm being done, provided that the harm that would have occurred is one the law tries to prevent.
  • 20171003 indicia. (pl of indicium), indications or signs; distinctive markings.
  • 20100215 inspissate. make thick or viscuous.  To thicken, especially by boiling, evaporation, or condensation; condense.
  • 20120220 interpolation. 1(literary). an entry or text which was not written by the original author. It was added/recreated by editors or someone else; for old hand-copied manuscripts, these parts were added by mistake. In music refers to an abrupt change in musical elements from the main theme. In music and musical composition, especially 20th century and later, interpolation is an abrupt change of elements, with (almost immediate) continuation of the first idea. For music of the Classical period, interpolation is defined in the context of a musical sentence or period as, “unrelated material inserted between two logically succeeding functions.
  • 20111229 inveigh. write or talk about with great hostility.
  • 20180802 invigilate — to proctor, to oversee an examination.
  • 20100121 Irish Travelers. nomadic Irish people (often called “knackers” or “gypsos” or “tinkers”).
  • 20120911 irrendentism. political belief that people should be controlled by or moved to the country to which they are ethnically or historically related
  • 20100712 jabot. portion of the clothing accessory that hangs below the supporting tie or collar. usually worn ornamentally for various official costumes (like judges). (from French jabot: a bird’s craw or crop, a pouch in the digestive tract just below the throat that holds food until ready to pass into the stomach).
  • 20100608 jejune.  1. insubstantial (lacking in nutritious value); 2. adolescent (displaying or suggesting a lack of maturity), 3. insipid (lacking interest or significance or impact).
  • 20120821. jetty.  1.A landing stage or small pier at which boats can dock or be moored. 2. A breakwater constructed to protect or defend a harbor, stretch of coast, or riverbank. (wikipedia)
  • 20100914 jones (v). have an intense craving (like heroin). I’m jonesing for some basketball. I’ve got a basketball jones.
  • 20110824  joinery. The wooden components of a building, such as stairs, doors, and door and window frames, often refers to the part of woodworking that involves the joining together of parts of wood.
  • 20161220 jongleur. wandering minstrel in medieval France or England.
  • 20180313 kakistocracy. government system by the worst, least qualified or most corrupt.
  • 20150903 krill.  small crustacean which is near the bottom of the aquatic food chain because they feed on phytoplankton. Over half is eaten by whales, sharks, penguins and also by humans in Asia.
  • 20100820 labile. (chemistry, biology). readily undergoing change or breakdown; constantly undergoing change or something that is likely to undergo change.
  • 20110719 lanolin. A fatty substance found naturally on sheep’s wool. It is extracted as a yellowish viscous mixture of esters and used as a base for ointments
  • 20110616 lanyard. A rope threaded through a pair of deadeyes, used to adjust the tension in the rigging of a sailing vessel; A cord passed around the neck, shoulder, or wrist for holding a knife, whistle, or similar object
  • 20100310 legato.  (in music) without breaks in between notes; continuous, without pause. smooth; connected.
  • 20140310 legerdemain. sleight of hand. show of skill or deceitful cleverness.
  • 20180930 lenitive. capable of easing pain or discomfort;
  • 20111229 lenticular. Shaped like a lentil, esp. by being biconvex; Of or relating to the lens of the eye
  • 20091126 leprous. htdw leprosy; appearing decayed
  • 20190622 lily-livered – cowardly, lacking courage
  • 20100608 limn. v. to delineate/describe;  portray. “limned” means “described”  or “represented” in a lifelike manner.
  • 20100608 limnologist. specialist in the study of freshwater lakes and ponds.
  • 20091126 lissome. moving and bending with ease; lithe; quick and graceful in movement
  • 20100508 louche.  or questionable taste or morality;  to become cloudy when mixed with water. The louche effect is a known phenomena that turns a liquid cloudy when mixed with water.
  • 20190420 lucubration. laborious study or meditation.
  • 20140310 lupin. flowering  legume plant; kind of edible bean.
  • 20160415. macron. diacritical remark indicating a long vowel. Appears like a long line.  Antonym is breve.
  • 20140115 mammon. wealth or riches as personified in the Bible.
  • 20120801 mansard. roof that has 4 sloping sides; of a roof) having two slopes on all sides with the lower slope steeper than the upper; “the story formed by a mansard roof is usually called the garret”
  • 20110109 maquette – (architecture or sculpture), rough miniature model of something; prototype.
  • 20170726 massif. group of mountains formed when geological structures are moved together on the earth’s crust.
  • 20100310 mealy-mouthed. evasive, hesitant to state facts or opinions (as from timidity or hypocrisy).  Not forthright.
  • 20170727 melodica. pianica, blow organ.
  • 20141031 melismatic. an ornamental phrase of several notes sung to one syllable of text, as in plainsong or blues singing.
  • 20160513 meander.  bend in a sinewy river. A meander forms when moving water in a stream erodes the outer banks and widens its valley, and the inner part of the river has less energy and deposits silt.
  • 20170215 memento mori. reminder that you have to die. named after a slave who would remind a Roman general that he would have to die even after being celebrated in victory. Also refers to art and symbols of this reminder.
  • 20100201 merkin. pubic wig, originally worn by prostitutes after shaving their genitalia (this SFW  picture says it all)
  • 20101231 metic.  In ancient Greece, a legal resident without citizen rights.
  • 20110219 middest. situated near the middle, middlemost, midmost
  • 20171230 mishigas. Yiddish: craziness, tomfoolery, foolishness.
  • 20101015 mordant. biting, caustic; (n) Any substance used to facilitate the fixing of a dye to a fibre; usually a metallic compound which reacts with the dye using chelation.
  • 20101015 mordent. A musical  ornament consisting of a single alternation between a given pitch, and the one immediately below it
  • 20170726 moulin. circular shaft in a glacier, through which surface water falls.
  • 20130415 mughal. name given the Muslim rulers, or emperors, who controlled western India, with decreasing effectiveness, from 1526 to 1858
  • 20111026 mulligan. Type of stew odds and ends of food. (in informal golf) An extra stroke allowed after a poor shot, not counted on the scorecard; To replay a shot without counting it as a stroke.
  • 20100112 mumu.  loose dress of Hawaiian origin with brilliant colors
  • 20150221 muzhik. a Russian peasant.
  • 20130115 myrimidion. member of a warlike tribe during Greek tribe ruled by Archilles against Troy. faithful follower who carries out orders unquestioningly.
  • 20131005 natch. Slang for naturally.
  • 20160813 navvy. laborer employed in excavation or construction of a road.
  • 20110625 nacreous. consisting of or resembling mother-of-pearl; iridescent: having a play of lustrous rainbow colors; “an iridescent oil slick”; “nacreous (or pearlescent) clouds looking like mother-of-pearl”;
  • 20180131 nebbish. a timid, weak or weak-willed person.
  • 20111205 neoteny. The retention of juvenile features in the adult animal; also called juvenilization, is the retention, by adults in a species, of traits previously seen only in juveniles (a kind of pedomorphosis), and is a subject studied in the field of developmental biology. …
  • 20110321 neuralgia. Acute, spasmodic pain along the course of 1 or more nerves.
  • 20140114 nib. sharpened point of a quill pen. Sharp point or tip.
  • 20110413 nisi. adj. (of a decree, order, or rule) Taking effect or having validity only after certain specified conditions are met; “the decree is nisi and not absolute”11
  • 20110426 nolle prosequi.  legal, to be unwilling to prosecute or pursue action against,
  • 20100608 nonce.  for the present occasion, for  a single occasion. a word that is devised or coined or used for only one occasion.
  • 20120415 non compos mentis. Not sane or in one’s right mind
  • 20131120 numinous. English adjective, taken from the Latin Numen, and used by some to describe the power or presence of a divinity.
  • 20110719 nutria.  large semiaquatic rat, originally from S. America but now in N. America as well. Also: Coypu.
  • 20091230 obiter dicta. an incidental and collateral opinion that is uttered by a judge but is not binding; literally “something said in passing”;
  • 20101220 ocelot. nocturnal wildcat of Latin and South America.
  • 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
  • 20100412 omerta. A rule or code that prohibits speaking or divulging information about certain activities, especially the activities of a criminal organization. Code of silence practiced by the Mafia.
  • 20130114 oneiromancy. practice of divination by interpreting dreams.
  • 20100228 onomastics. the branch of lexicology that studies the forms and origins of proper names
  • 20130115 opsimath. person who starts learning late in life.
  • 20131202 ostinato. (Italian for STUBBORN). is a motif or phrase that persistently repeats in the same musical voice, usually at the same pitch. The best-known ostinato-based piece may be Ravel’s Boléro
  • 20130906 outbliette. dungeon accessible only by a trapdoor on the top.
  • 20100428 outlier. extreme deviation from the mean which likely is due to a measurement error; a statistical anomaly. (More).
  • 20150415 outsize.  exceptionally large.
  • 20110325 ouzo. anise-flavored aperitif drunk in Cypress or Greece.
  • 20160512 oxbow. u-shaped piece of wood placed around neck of oxen; a bow-shaped bend in a river, or the land embraced by it.   oxbow lake. a bow-shaped lake formed in a former channel of a river.(More).
  • 20131104 Ozymandian. Suggesting or pertaining to Shelley’s Ozymandias, a proud king whose empire and memory have long since crumbled into obscurity; A work of great hubris, generally fleeting and devoid of meaning, especially a tremendous structure or public work.
  • 20140115 pabulum. something that gives nourishment; something that gives insipid intellectual enjoyment
  • 20110824 palladium. source of protection. safeguard. named after the statue of Athena believed to protect the city of Troy.
  • 20140310 paillasse. thin mattress made of straw or sawdust
  • 20110705 pannier. basket, Each of a pair of bags or boxes fitted on either side of the rear wheel of a bicycle or motorcycle;
  • 20160910 panjandrum. powerful personage or self-important individual.
  • 20160315 parapet.  (or breastwork) is a wall of stone, wood or earth on the outer edge of a defensive wall or trench, which shelters the defenders; a breastwork is considered a temporary formation; a parapet is formed of more lasting material (like concrete, bricks, etc).  It could simply be a barrier which is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. It comes ultimately from the Italian parapetto (parare = to cover/defend and petto = breast).
  • 20100619 passim. in various places; here and there. used especially with the name of a book or writer to indicate that something (as a word, phrase, or idea) is to be found at many places in the same book or writer’s work
  • 20100418 pastiche. work of art that imitates the style of some previous work; medley: a musical composition consisting of a series of songs or other musical pieces from various sources
  • 20100329 patchouli. small East Indian shrubby mint; fragrant oil from its leaves is used in perfumes; heavy perfume made from it. (more).
  • 20160415 Pelagian. heresy that original sin did not taint human nature and that man is capable of choosing between good and evil without needing God.
  • 20160415 Pelagic (as in Pelagic Zone). (Greek — “open sea”). Any water level which is not near the bottom of a lake or sea and not near the shore. described as a invisible water column. Below that is the benthic zone or demersal zone.
  • 20180930 percipient. n. one that perceives. capable of or characterized by perception, discerning.
  • 20140501 perigee. the point in the orbit of the moon or a satellite at which it is nearest to the earth.
  • 20100426 peristyle. series of columns surrounding a building or court.
  • 20100210 perfervid. ardent: characterized by intense emotion; Extremely, excessively, or feverishly passionate; zealous
  • 20101126 perspicuous. Clearly expressed, easy to understand; lucid. (logic) Of a language or notation, such as that of formal propositional calculus: where the process of inference from premises to conclusion is explicitly laid out.From Latin perspicuus, in turn from perspiciō (“see through”).
  • 20170912 perseveration. repetition of a particular response despite the absence or cessation of the stimulus.
  • 20140206 pettifog.  placing undue emphasis on petty details, to carry on a petty, shifty, or unethical law business.
  • 20161102 phillipic. Fiery, damning speech or tirade delivered against a particular political actor. The original phillipic was delivered by Demosthenes against Phillip II of Macedon in the 4th century BCE.
  • 20170301 phlogiston. fire-like element in combustible material which — according to a discredited scientific theory — was allegedly released during combustion.
  • 20170610 pied-a-terre.  small living unit in a city which is separate from one’s primary residence.
  • 20190607 planogram. Visual representations of a store product  display used by merchandisers. 
  • 20110325 plenary. full in every respect; fully attended, well-attended, absolute. complete
  • 20101220 poetaster. Inferior poet.  contemptuous name for unskilled poet.
  • 20120710 pollywog. Tadpole.
  • 20111003 poltroon. coward.
  • 20121409 poniard. small slim dagger.
  • 20131201 portage the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water
  • 20110602 portiere. a hanging placed over a door or over the doorless entrance to a room. In Margaret Mitchell’s novel, Gone with the Wind, the protagonist Scarlett O’Hara makes a new dress from her mother’s green velvet portieres.
  • 20110325 portress. female porter or doorkeeper.
  • 20130115 pother. bother, commotion. A state of nervous activity; a fuss.
  • 20161005 precatory. referring to a wish or suggestion which does not have the force of a demand  or a law which must be obeyed.
  • 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
  • 20190906 prig. 1. n petty thief, dandy, smug or supercilious person (esp British). 2.v to flich or steal.
  • 20100214 pretermit. disregard intentionally or let something pass; not to notice something;
  • 20150815 procrustean. tending to produce conformity by rigid or ruthless methods.  Procustes was a mythical robber who tied people to their beds and stretched their bodies to make them fit it.
  • 20100312 prolepsis.  1. anachronistic representation of something as existing before its actual time.  2. rhetorical device by which objections are anticipated beforehand.
  • 20100215  pyknic. Having a squat or fleshy build; endomorphic.
  • 20100215 potamic. htdw rivers.
  • 20111026 pret-a-porter— French for ready-to-wear or “off the rack.”  Type of clothing wear which is factory made and sold in standard sizes,  as opposed to made-to-measure or bespoke clothes
  • 20130115 pule. whine or whimper.
  • 20161220 purl. v. to flow or ripple with a murmuring sound (like water);  2. (n) a basic stitch in knitting, the reverse of the knit, formed by pulling a loop of the working yarn back through an existing stitch and then slipping that stitch off the needle. 3. one of a series of small loops along the edge of lace braid. 4. a twisted gold or silver embroidery thread.
  • 20160420 punkah.(especially in India) a fan, especially a large, swinging, screenlike fan hung from the ceiling and moved by a servant or by machinery.
  • 20171110 purview. extent or range of activity or power or compentence; range of vision.  LEGAL: main body of a statute ( as opposed to a preamble).
  • 20140215 pyrolyze. make or become decomposed through heating to a high temperature.
  • 20120906 quisling. traitor who collaborates with an enemy force occupying a country.
  • 20100325 raffish. dapper: marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners; Characterized by careless unconventionality; rakish; Low-class; disreputable; vulgar
  • 20110118 rainmaker. Executive who is successful at bringing new business to the firm.
  • 20110719 ramekin — small ceramic bowl used for serving sauces, soups, condiments,side dishes.
  • 20111229 ramrod – rod for ramming down the charge of a muzzleloading firearm; Used in similes and metaphors to describe someone’s erect or rigid posture; A person, esp. one in a position of leadership, who is strict and uncompromising
  • 20140310 ravening. greedily rapacious, voracious or rapacacious or predatory (like a wolf)
  • 20140801 redoubt. temporary or supplemental fortification;enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks.
  • 20120709 rhapsode –  A person who recites epic poems, esp. one of a group in ancient Greece whose profession it was to recite the Homeric poems from memory
  • 20100418 reconditeness. wisdom that is recondite and abstruse and profound;  esotericism; “the anthropologist was impressed by the reconditeness of the native proverbs.” (note that this is a secondary definition after its primary definition of esoteric/rare).
  • 20170320 retronym.  neologism that arose from a new technology to  make it easier to distinguish between the older and newer technology. i.e., “snail mail” . Here’s a list of known retronyms.
  • 20101011 revanchism. political policy of endeavouring to regain lost territory
  • 20180616 rhonchus. a continuous sound consisting of a dry whistlelike noise with a lower pitch than that of a wheeze, produced in the throat or bronchial tube due to a partial obstruction.
  • 20131117 riptide (or rip current). Strong channel of water flowing away from the shore.
  • 20101123 roman a clef. novel with a key. a novel in which actual persons and events are disguised as fictional characters
  • 20100820 rookery. breeding ground for gregarious birds (such as rooks); colony of breeding animals; slang: dense slum housing in nineteenth-century cities, and especially London.
  • 2017011 roue. debauched man, particularly an old one.
  • 20110215 rubric. an authoritative rule of conduct or procedure; a title or heading that is printed in red or in a special type; A heading in a book highlighted in red; scoring tool for subjective assessments. It is a set of criteria and standards linked to learning objectives that is used to assess a student’s performance on papers, projects, essays, and other assignments. …
  • 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)
  • 20170320 salmagundi – jumble, mixture. specifically an English mixed salad,
  • 20161126 satrap — provincial governor in the ancient Persian empire; any subordinate or local ruler.
  • 20160315 saturnine. sluggish in temperament, gloomy, taciturn, suffering from lead poisoning.
  • 20111229 scalawag. A person who behaves badly but in an amusingly mischievous rather than harmful way; a rascal; A white Southerner who collaborated with northern Republicans during Reconstruction, often for personal profit. The term was used derisively by white Southern Democrats who opposed Reconstruction legislation.
  • 20150901 scapular. Christian garment worn over the shoulder. The monastic scapular is a larger piece of cloth; the devotional scapular (worn by laypeople) is much smaller;  it typically consists of two small (usually rectangular) pieces of cloth, wood or laminated paper, a few inches in size, which may bear religious images or text.
  • 20180829 scarab. dung beetle; amulets depicting dung beetles during ancient Egyptian times and remained popular  and seen to have religious significance.
  • 20110412 scire facias.  writ requiring a person to show why a particular judgment should not be enforced or annulled. (from the Latin meaning “to know the causes”). A court command to a borrower to show up at a hearing and show cause why a foreclosure should not be authorized.
  • 20100608 sclerotic.  hardened, stiff, htdw with the stiffening of muscles (like MS). becoming rigid and unresponsive; losing the ability to adapt.
  • 20121101 scrappy. 1. Consisting of disorganized, untidy, or incomplete parts; 2. Determined, argumentative, or pugnacious
  • 20111229 scuttle. A metal container with a sloping hinged lid and a handle, used to fetch and store coal for a domestic fire; An opening with a lid in a ship’s deck or side; Run hurriedly or furtively with short quick steps; Sink (one’s own ship) deliberately by holing it or opening its seacocks to let water in; Deliberately cause (a scheme) to fail; is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull.
  • 20140115 sedulous. assiduous, diligent, industrious,
  • 20160230 sepsis. whole body inflammatory response to infection. This condition is considered to be life-threatening. Sepsis occurs when chemicals released into the bloodstream to fight the infection trigger inflammatory responses throughout the body.  It is usually treated with IV liquids and antibiotics.
  • 20150903. shank.  1. lower part of leg between ankle and knee; any narrow part of various devices or equipment; straight narrow part connecting two or more complex pieces of equipment.  2. poorly played golf shot where the ball is hit by the wrong part of the golf club.
  • 20110610 skullduggery. trickery: verbal misrepresentation intended to take advantage of you in some way
  • 20100325 serried – (especially of rows as of troops or mountains) pressed together; “in serried ranks”
  • 20091117 set-to: brief (usually heated) conflict or argument.
  • 20110906 shaggy dog story. extremely long-winded tale featuring extensive narration of typically irrelevant incidents, usually resulting in a pointless or absurd punchline.
  • 20161220 sheath. close-fitting cover for a blade or sword. protective covering;  v: enclose or encase.
  • 20110205 shiv – knife used as a weapon; Usually associated with a makeshift instrument fashioned from something not normally used as a weapon (like a plastic spoon or a toothbrush); To stab someone with a shiv; By extension, to stab someone with anything not intended as a stabbing weapon
  • 201509 shoal. 1. a large number of fish swimming together. To form a shoal (fish).  (more) 2. a place where a sea, river, or other body of water is shallow (more). a sandbank or sand bar in the bed of a body of water, especially one that is exposed above the surface of the water at low tide.
  • 20100325 shunt – passage (of bodily fluid etc) by which something is diverted from one channel to another
  • 20160513 sinewy. muscular; having sinews (tendons); strength, power, resistance.
  • 20110109 ska -musical genre originating from jamaica in the 1950s which combined elements of calypso and Carribean styles with rhythm and blues
  • 20101220 snowclone. rhetorical term for a type of cliche or phrasal template that can be adapted to many situations.  Ex. “Gray is the new black.”  “I’m a doctor, not a X.”
  • 20100219 soi-dissant. self-styled, self-proclaimed, supposed.
  • 20100524 soteriology.  study of religious doctrines of salvation.
  • 20130114 sparge. to spray or sprinkle.  to introduce air or gas into (a liquid).
  • 20100215. spendthrift. One who spends money prodigally or wastefully.
  • 20100215 splice — join the ends of  (as in film); marry
  • 20100820 squab –flesh of a pigeon suitable for eating; young domestic pigeon;
  • 20140504 stalking horse —  figure that tests a concept with someone or mounts a challenge against someone on behalf of an anonymous third party. If the idea proves viable or popular, the anonymous figure can then declare its interest and advance the concept with little risk of failure; financial: A stalking horse offer, agreement, or bid is an attempt by a debtor to test the market in advance of an auction
  • 20110610 stave.  (n).  One of a number of narrow strips of wood, or narrow iron plates, placed edge to edge to form the sides, covering, or lining of a vessel or structure; esp., one of the strips which form the sides of a cask, a pail, etc. A vertical wooden post or plank in a building or other structure; Any of the lengths of wood attached side by side to make a barrel, bucket, or other container; (v) Break something by forcing it inward or piercing it roughly; Avert or delay something bad or dangerous; (transitive) To delay by force; to drive away. Often with off.
  • 20110825 steampunk. subgenre of 1980s sci fi that mixes futurism with anachronistic technologies, Victorian fashion/machines. HG Wellsish.
  • 20131205 stovepipe (v). pejorative term for a system that has the potential to share data or functionality with other systems but which does not. The term evokes the image of stovepipes rising above buildings, each functioning individually. stovepiped – of or relating to data stored in separate databases; “stovepiped information” (for political intelligence gathering): is a metaphorical term which recalls a stovepipe’s function as an isolated vertical conduit, and has been used, in the context of intelligence, to describe several ways in which raw intelligence information may be presented without proper context. It is a system created to solve a specific problem. The lack of context may be due to the specialized nature, or security requirements, of a particular intelligence collection technology. It also has limited focus and data within is not easily shared. (health). The use of the term ‘stovepiping’ has also been used in relation to global health for many years now. It refers to the misallocation of funds from donors to organisations in response to a certain disease.
  • 20110610 strabismus. Abnormal alignment of the eyes; the condition of having a squint; A defect of vision in which one eye cannot focus with the other on an object because of imbalance of the eye muscles; a squint
  • 20161220 stripling. young man, adolescent.
  • 20140310 strop. device for sharpening a razor; flexible strip for sharpening a razor.
  • 20101114: stupa. dome-shaped shrine for Buddhists, usually for holding the relics or remains of the Buddha or a saint.
  • 20161107 suborn. Induce someone to do something illegal or to commit perjury.
  • 20160430 succulent (botanical). plants having some parts that are more than normally thickened and fleshy, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word “succulent” comes from the Latin word sucus, meaning juice, or sap; primary: (of food) tender, juicy, and tasty.
  • 20120731 sub specie aeternitatis. Viewed in relation to the eternal; in a universal perspective. Latin for “under the aspect of eternity”; hence, from Spinoza onwards, an honorific expression describing what is universally and eternally true, without any reference to or dependence upon the merely temporal portions of reality.
  • 20100608 sumptuary. regulating or controlling expenditure or personal behavior; sumptuary laws  are “laws made for the purpose of restraining luxury or extravagance, particularly against inordinate expenditures in the matter of apparel, food, furniture, etc.”
  • 20111229 superannuated. Obsolete through age or new technological or intellectual development; A retirement benefit fund, or pension, for which regular contributions are deducted from one’s salary whilst in employment;
  • 20091118 supererogation. Effort above and beyond the call of duty; more than what is needed or required (adj)
  • 20091203 supernumerary a person serving no apparent function; a minor actor in crowd scenes. Non-regular member of a staff.
  • 20110411 surety. Money given to support an undertaking that someone will perform a duty, pay their debts, etc.; a guarantee; state of being sure or certain of something; A person who takes responsibility for another’s performance of an undertaking, for example their appearing in court or the payment of a debt
  • 20091117 suss out: to examine so as to check out the accuracy, quality or condition; size up or study.
  • 20160712 suture. joining of the lips/edges of a wound; seam as if sewn;
  • 20110625 swagga jack (slang). To steal another persons swagger. To not be original in style. “Yo all you do is copy. Stop trying to swag jack me”.
  • 20110325 sward. turf: surface layer of ground containing a mat of grass and grass roots
  • 20160627 sympatric. (of animals or plants, especially of related species or populations) occurring within the same geographical area; overlapping in distribution.
  • 20140410 synchronic. Of or relating to the study of phenomena, such as linguistic features, or of events of a particular time, without reference to their historical context. 2. synchronous.
  • 20100704 tail risk. financial term related to unlikely risk of the price of an asset changing by 3 standard deviations or more.
  • 20160415. tack. (nautical): 1. a part of the sail, 2. a description of how the boat is aligned with the wind, 3. a manoeuver that turns the boat between starboard and port tack. Antonym of tacking is jibing.
  • 20111219 tannin. A yellowish or brownish bitter-tasting organic substance present in some galls, barks, and other plant tissues, consisting of derivatives of gallic acid, used in leather production and ink manufacture; (wine).  Tannins are natural substances found in grapes, and also in tea, chocolate, and other items. They help a wine age properly, but can also give some people headaches.
  • 20100215 tantivy. rapid gallop; at full speed.
  • 20100528 tarmac. tarmacadam: a paving material of tar and broken stone; mixed in a factory and shaped during paving. Tarmac refers to a material patented by Edgar Purnell Hooley in 1901.
  • 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.
  • 20130115 tatterdemalion. A person wearing ragged or tattered clothing; a ragamuffin. ragged
  • 20130201 tchotchke. small doodads, knicknacks,  lagniappes, swag  with the connotation of being  cheap, worthless or tacky.
  • 20100215 teleman.  male figure built into a column  in Greek sculpture.  A female figure is called a caryatid.
  • 20110324 tenor. (secondary). the general meaning or substance of an utterance; “although I disagreed with him I could follow the tenor of his argument”. In systemic functional linguistics, the term tenor refers to the participants in a discourse, their relationships to each other, and their purposes.
  • 20100608 tergiversate. to equivocate or deliberately evade using obfuscation. 2. to change sides; apostasize;
  • 20100608 tergiversation. the act of turning one’s back. the act of abandoning someone or something; betrayal;  2. equivocation;  delay in providing a clear answer with the intent to mislead.
  • 20140310 tidewater. water that inundates at tide time; water affected by tides. low coastal lands drained by tides.
  • 20140310 thurible. metal censer suspended by chains  for dispensing incense, often used in the context of Catholicism.
  • 20140310 tipple. to drink alcohol frequently but in small amounts; apparatus for tipping contents of a boxcar.
  • 20100426 titration. common laboratory method of quantitative chemical analysis that involves applying a reagent with a known concentration whose concentration is not known. most use visual indicators (like color) to indicate an endpoint. titrate means to measure something with this kind of analysis.
  • 20120820 tony. fashionable among wealthy or stylish people.
  • 20150815 torch song. sentimental love song where the singer laments a lost love,  either where one party is oblivious to the existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affected the relationship. The term comes from the saying, “to carry a torch for someone”, or to keep aflame the light of an unrequited love.
  • 20110610 tosspot. (British), habitual drinker (pejorative). Tosspot is a British slang insult, which can mean, depending on the context, a drunkard, a masturbator, or an objectionable person.
  • 20110915 trebuchet. medieval sling used for hurling missiles at an enemy during combat.
  • 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.
  • 20130115 tricorn.  hat having the brim turned up on three sides.
  • 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.
  • 20140310 trundle.  n. small wheel or roller, act of rolling, v. to push or propel by rollers. to spin, twirl.
  • 20150309 tu quoque.  logical fallacy of trying to dispute someone’s point by accusing that person of hypocrisy.
  • 20140310 tureen. broad deep dish for serving soup.
  • 20110713 ultracrepidarian. Of a critic, giving opinions on something beyond his or her knowledge.
  • 20160420 ungainly. awkward, not graceful, unwieldy
  • 20100418 uxorious. foolishly fond of or submissive to one’s wife
  • 20150903 valence. relative combining capacity of an atom or group compared with that of the standard hydrogen atom.   2. in psychology (especially when discussing emotion), it means the intrinsic attractiveness (positive valence) or aversiveness (negative valence) of an event, object, or situation. 3. (linguistics) the number of grammatical elements with which a particular word, especially a verb, combines in a sentence.
  • 20130115 valetudinarian. A sickly or weak person, especially one who is constantly and morbidly concerned with his or her health: Constantly and morbidly concerned with one’s health.
  • 20101125 vamp. (v) make up; “vamp up an excuse for not attending the meeting”; piece (something old) with a new part; “vamp up an old speech”; act seductively with (someone); provide (a shoe) with a new vamp; “revamp my old boots”; (n) coquette: a seductive woman who uses her sex appeal to exploit men; femme fatale; piece of leather forming the front part of the upper of a shoe. 4. (musical). ostinato, a repeating musical figure, section, or accompaniment used in jazz, gospel, soul, and musical theater. Vamps are also found in rock, funk, reggae, R&B, pop, country, and post-sixties jazz. Vamps are usually harmonically spare: A vamp may consist of a single chord or a sequence of chords played in a repeated rhythm
  • 20150910 vassal. person who entered a mutual obligation with a monarch or lord  in feudal Europe. The lord would provide privileges such as land in exchange for military protection.
  • 20140309 vedette. mounted sentinel stationed in advance of an outpost; small scouting boat used to observe and report on an opposing force. 2. leading star or singer; starlet; used in some Latin American countries to describe female singers and entertainers skilled in Latin styles of singing and/or dancing and/or acting
  • 20110325 verbigeration. An obsessive repetition of meaningless words and phrases, especially as a symptom of mental illness.
  • 20130114 verdure. verdant, covered with green vegetation.
  • 20170214 vestibular. (biology) htdw the system which keeps the body balanced (i.e. not dizzy or prone or falling).
  • 20130115 vibrissae. Any of the long stiff hairs that project from the snout or brow of most mammals, as the whiskers of a cat. 2. One of several long modified feathers that grow along the gape of the mouth of insect-eating birds.
  • 20110707 virtuous cycle. complex of events that reinforces itself through a feedback loop. A virtuous circle has favorable results, and a vicious circle has detrimental results. A virtuous circle can transform into a vicious circle if eventual negative feedback is ignored.
  • 20180820 vitalism. belief that “living organisms are fundamentally different from non-living entities because they contain some non-physical element or are governed by different principles than are inanimate things
  • 20161105 vitrify. transform a substance into glass by heating it up and then cooling it rapidly.
  • 20110709 vulgate. common or colloquial speech;  traditionally accepted text of any author; The principal Latin version of the Bible, prepared mainly by St. Jerome in the late 4th century, and (as revised in 1592) adopted as the official text for the Roman Catholic Church
  • 20100820 warren. series of underground tunnels occupied by rabbits; overcrowded residential district; “free warren” refers to a franchise or privilege granted by a medieval  English sovereign promising to hold them harmless for hunting game within a certain area
  • 20101017 watershed. A region of land within which water flows down into a specified body, such as a river, lake, sea, or ocean; a drainage basin or catchment basin.
  • 20110625 wheelbase. The distance between the front and rear axles of a vehicle
  • 20110325 whippet. active, playful breed of dog similar to greyhound.
  • 20130115 williwaw. 1. A violent gust of cold wind blowing seaward from a mountainous coast, especially in the Straits of Magellan. 2. A sudden gust of wind; a squall. 3. state of great turmoil.
  • 20130415 withal. (Adv). in addition; as a further factor or consideration; All the same; nevertheless (used when adding something that contrasts with a previous comment). 2. (prep)With (used at the end of a clause)
  • 20150308 woodshed. practice alone, especially on a musical instrument.
  • 20111229 zaftig. having a full rounded figure (for a female).  Yiddish; Of a woman, having a plump and sexually attractive figure; voluptuous, well-proportioned
  • 20170116 zenana. “of the women.”. Refers to the part of a house belonging to a Hindu or Muslim family in S Asia which is reserved for the women of the household.
  • 20100824 zeugma . The act of using a word, particularly an adjective or verb, to apply to more than one noun when its sense is appropriate to only one or in different ways; “`Mr. Pickwick took his hat and his leave’ is an example of zeugma”

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