Mikey and Paigey: the daily word

Showing posts with label the daily word. Show all posts

Thursday, March 13, 2008

DWW11

Monday 3.10
rodomontade [rod-uh-mon-teyd, -tahd, -muhn-, roh-duh-] noun, adjective, verb, -tad·ed, -tad·ing. –noun

1.	vainglorious boasting or bragging; pretentious, blustering talk.

–adjective

bragging.

–verb (used without object)

3.	to boast; brag; talk big.

Tuesday 3.11
diffident [dif-i-duhnt] –adjective

1.	lacking confidence in one's own ability, worth, or fitness; timid; shy.

2.	restrained or reserved in manner, conduct, etc.

Wednesday 3.12
impute [im-pyoot] –verb (used with object), -put·ed, -put·ing.

1.	to attribute or ascribe: The children imputed magical powers to the old woman.

2.	to attribute or ascribe (something discreditable), as to a person.

3.	Law. to ascribe to or charge (a person) with an act or quality because of the conduct of another over whom one has control or for whose acts or conduct one is responsible.

4.	Theology. to attribute (righteousness, guilt, etc.) to a person or persons vicariously; ascribe as derived from another.

5.	Obsolete. to charge (a person) with fault.

Thursday 3.13
codicil [kod-uh-suhl] –noun

1.	a supplement to a will, containing an addition, explanation, modification, etc., of something in the will.

2.	any supplement; appendix.

Friday 3.14
assuage [uh-sweyj, uh-sweyzh] –verb (used with object), -suaged, -suag·ing.

1.	to make milder or less severe; relieve; ease; mitigate:

Saturday 3.15
inchoate [in-koh-it, -eyt] –adjective

1.	not yet completed or fully developed; rudimentary.

2.	just begun; incipient.

3.	not organized; lacking order

Sunday 3.16
lachrymose [lak-ruh-mohs] –adjective

1.	suggestive of or tending to cause tears; mournful.

2.	given to shedding tears readily; tearful.

Saturday, March 8, 2008

DWW10

Better late than never . . . right?

Monday 3.3
exegetical [ek-si-jet-ik-al]
–adjective
of or pertaining to exegesis; explanatory; interpretative.

Tuesday 3.4
prose [prohz]
–noun

1.	the ordinary form of spoken or written language, without metrical structure, as distinguished from poetry or verse.

2.	matter-of-fact, commonplace, or dull expression, quality, discourse, etc.

3.	Liturgy. a hymn sung after the gradual, originating from a practice of setting words to the jubilatio of the alleluia.

–adjective

4.	of, in, or pertaining to prose.

5.	commonplace; dull; prosaic.

–verb (used with object)

6.	to turn into or express in prose.

–verb (used without object)

7.	to write or talk in a dull, matter-of-fact manner.

Wednesday 3.5
oligarchy [ol-i-gahr-kee]

a form of government in which all power is vested in a few persons or in a dominant class or clique; government by the few.

2.	a state or organization so ruled.

3.	the persons or class so ruling.

Thursday 3.6
incontrovertible [in-kon-truh-vur-tuh-buh

–adjective

not controvertible; not open to question or dispute; indisputable: absolute and incontrovertible truth.

Friday 3.7
anodizes [ān-ə-dīz']
To coat (a metallic surface) electrolytically with a protective or decorative oxide.

Saturday 3.8
kismet[kiz-mit]
–noun
fate; destiny.

Sunday 3.9
exegesis
[ek-si-jee-sis]

–noun, plural

critical explanation or interpretation of a text or portion of a text, esp. of the Bible.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

DWW9

Sunday
dogged [daw-gid, dog-id]
–adjective
persistent in effort; stubbornly tenacious

Monday
quidnunc [kwid-nuhngk]
–noun
a person who is eager to know the latest news and gossip; a gossip or busybody.

Tuesday
felicitous [fi-lis-i-tuhs]

–adjective

1.	well-suited for the occasion, as an action, manner, or expression; apt; appropriate: The chairman's felicitous anecdote set everyone at ease.

2.	having a special ability for suitable manner or expression, as a person.

Wednesday
nostrum [nos-truhm]
–noun

1.	a medicine sold with false or exaggerated claims and with no demonstrable value; quack medicine.

2.	a scheme, theory, device, etc., esp. one to remedy social or political ills; panacea.

3.	a medicine made by the person who recommends it.

4.	a patent medicine.

Thursday
gloaming [gloh-ming]
–noun
twilight; dusk.

Friday
sedulous [sej-uh-luhs]
–adjective

1.	diligent in application or attention; persevering; assiduous.

2.	persistently or carefully maintained: sedulous flattery.

Saturday
slugabed [sluhg-uh-bed]
–noun
a lazy person who stays in bed long after the usual time for arising.

Friday, February 22, 2008

DWW8

The words have been glaring at me from digital sticky notes all week, begging to be posted. So I finally gave in. I think it's a fantastic selection of etymological merit.

Monday
cronyism [kroh-nee-iz-uhm] –noun
the practice of favoring one's close friends, esp. in political appointments.

Tuesday
blithe [blahyth, blahyth] –adjective

1.	joyous, merry, or gay in disposition; glad; cheerful: Everyone loved her for her blithe spirit.

2.	without thought or regard; carefree; heedless: a blithe indifference to anyone's feelings.

Wednesday
pusillanimous [pyoo-suh-lan-uh-muhs] –adjective

1.	lacking courage or resolution; cowardly; faint-hearted; timid.

2.	proceeding from or indicating a cowardly spirit.

Thursday
debonair [deb-uh-nair] –adjective

1.	courteous, gracious, and having a sophisticated charm: a debonair gentleman.

2.	jaunty; carefree; sprightly.

Friday
parley [pahr-lee]
–noun

1.	a discussion or conference.

2.	an informal conference between enemies under a truce, esp. to discuss terms, conditions of surrender, etc.

–verb (used without object)

3.	to hold an informal conference with an enemy under a truce, as between active hostilities.

4.	to speak, talk, or confer.

Saturday
redintegrate [red-in-ti-greyt, ri-din-] –verb
to make whole again; restore to a perfect state; renew; reestablish.

Sunday
alacrity [uh-lak-ri-tee] –noun

1.	cheerful readiness, promptness, or willingness: We accepted the invitation with alacrity.

2.	liveliness; briskness.

Monday, February 11, 2008

DWW7

Sunday 2.10

calumny [kal-uhm-nee]

–noun, plural -nies.

1.	a false and malicious statement designed to injure the reputation of someone or something: The speech was considered a calumny of the administration.

2.	the act of uttering calumnies; slander; defamation.

Monday 2.11
quasi [kwey-zahy, -sahy, kwah-see, -zee]
–adjective
resembling; seeming; virtual

Tuesday 2.12
interpolation [in-tur-puh-ley-shuhn]
–noun

1.	the act or process of interpolating or the state of being interpolated.

2.	something interpolated, as a passage introduced into a text.

Mathematics.

a.	the process of determining the value of a function between two points at which it has prescribed values.

b.	a similar process using more than two points at which the function has prescribed values.

c.	the process of approximating a given function by using its values at a discrete set of points.

Wednesday 2.13
voracious (vô-rā'shəs, və-)
– adjective
1. Consuming or eager to consume great amounts of food; ravenous.
2. Having or marked by an insatiable appetite for an activity or pursuit; greedy

Thursday 2.14
asinine [as-uh-nahyn]
–adjective

1.	foolish, unintelligent, or silly; stupid

Friday 2.15
cantankerous [kan-tang-ker-uh

s]
–adjective
disagreeable to deal with; contentious; peevish

Saturday 2.16
ca·thar·sis [kuh-thahr-sis] –noun

1.	the purging of the emotions or relieving of emotional tensions, esp. through certain kinds of art, as tragedy or music.

2. Psychaitry.
a. psychotherapy that encourages or permits the discharge of pent-up, socially unacceptable
affects.
b. discharge of pent-up emotions so as to result in the alleviation of symptoms or the
permanent relief of the condition

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

DWW6

Monday
umbrage [uhm-brij] noun

1.	offense; annoyance; displeasure: to feel umbrage at a social snub; to give umbrage to someone; to take umbrage at someone's rudeness.

2.	the slightest indication or vaguest feeling of suspicion, doubt, hostility, or the like.

3.	leaves that afford shade, as the foliage of trees.

4.	shade or shadows, as cast by trees.

5.	a shadowy appearance or semblance of something.

Tuesday
agitprop [aj-it-prop]
–noun

1.	agitation and propaganda, esp. for the cause of communism.

2.	(often initial capital letter) an agency or department, as of a government, that directs and coordinates agitation and propaganda.

3.	Also, ag·it·prop·ist. a person who is trained or takes part in such activities.

–adjective

4.	of or pertaining to agitprop.

Wednesday
spizerinctum [spiz-er-ink-tum] noun
1. energy, vigor, or vitality.
2. a tacky decoration

Thursday
asseverate [uh-sev-uh-reyt] verb (used with object)
to declare earnestly or solemnly; affirm positively; aver.

Friday
pericope [puh-rik-uh-pee] noun

1.	a selection or extract from a book.

Saturday
susurration [soo-suh-rey-shuhn] noun

a soft murmur; whisper.

Sunday
nimiety [ni-mahy-i-tee] noun

1.	excess; overabundance: nimiety of mere niceties in conversation.

2.	an instance of this.