| * 2019 - 2020 * | |
| abeyance | a state of temporary inactivity : suspension 2: a lapse in succession during which there is no person in whom a title is vested |
| ab ovo | from the beginning |
| abulia | abnormal lack of ability to act or to make decisions |
| accoutrement | an accessory item or clothing or equipment--usually used in plural |
| ad hoc | concerned with or formed for a particular purpose 2: improvised |
| ● adjure | to command solemnly under or as if under oath or penalty of a curse : to urge or advise earnestly |
| adulation | excessive or slavish admiration or flattery |
| ● affable | being pleasant and at ease in talking to others 2: characterized by ease and friendliness |
| ● amicable | characterized by friendly goodwill : peaceable |
| ● animus | a usually prejudiced and often spiteful or malevolent ill will |
| antediluvian | of or relating to the period before the flood described in the Bible 2: made, evolved, or developed a long time ago |
| anthropomorphic | described or thought of as having a human form or human attributes |
| appellation | an identifying name or title : designation : the act of calling by a name |
| ● arbiter | a person with power to decide a dispute : judge : a person or considered authoritative |
| artifice | clever or artful skill : ingenuity b: a clever device or artful stratagem : trick 2: false or insincere behavior |
| atoll | a coral island consisting of a reef surrounding a lagoon |
| ●● atychiphobia | the morbid fear of failure |
| aught | anything 2: all, everything |
| avuncular | of or relating to an uncle 2: suggestive of an uncle especially in kindliness or geniality |
| balletomane | a devotee of ballet |
| bereft | deprived or robbed of the possession or use of something : lacking something needed |
| bootless | useless, unprofitable |
| brachiate | to progress by swinging from hold to hold by the arms |
| breadbasket | slang : stomach 2: a major ceral-producing region |
| bromide | a compound containing bomine : a tiresome person : a hackneyed statement or idea |
| bruit | report, rumor -- usually used with about |
| burgeon | to send forth new growth : sprout : bloom : to grow and expand rapidly : flourish |
| ● cabotage | trade or transport in coastal waters or airspace or between two points within a coutry |
| catbird seat | a position of great prominence or advantage |
| catch-22 | a problematic situation for which the only solution is denied by a circumstance inherent in the problem or by a rule |
| caterwaul | to make a harsh cry 2: to protest or complain noisily |
| chaussure | footgear : plural : shoes |
| chicane | to use deception : to trick or cheat |
| chin-wag | conversation, chat |
| chirography | handwriting, penmanship : calligraphy |
| ● chthonic | of or relating to the underworld |
| circuitous | having a circular or winding course : not being forthright or direct in language or action |
| ● circumlocution | the use of an unecessarily large number of words to express an idea 2: evasion in speech |
| clarion | brilliantly clear; also : loud and clear |
| ● cockamamie | ridiculous, incredible |
| cohort | a group of warriors or solidiers : band, group : companion, colleague |
| collogue | intrigue, conspire : to talk privately : confer |
| Colonel Blimp | a pompous person with out-of-date or ultraconservative views; broadly : reactionary |
| comminute | to reduce to minute particles : pulverize |
| compendious | marked by brief expression of a comprehensive matter : concise and comprehensive |
| conciliate | appease 2: to gain (as goodwill) by pleasing acts 3: to make compatible : reconcile |
| concinnity | harmony or elegance of design esp. of literary style in adaptation of parts to a whole |
| copious | yielding something abundantly : plentiful in number : full of thought, information, or matter |
| coruscate | to give off or reflect light in bright beams or flashes : sparkle 2: to be brilliant or showy in technique or style |
| countenace | the human face 2: favor approval |
| crackerjack | of striking ability or excellence |
| cunctation | delay |
| cupidity | inordinate desire for wealth : avarice, greed : strong desire : lust |
| ● dally | to act playfully; esp. : to play amourously : to deal lightly : toy : to waste time : linger |
| debilitate | to impair the strength of |
| defalcation | the act or an instance of embezzling 2: a failure to meet a promise or an expectation |
| deference | respect and esteem due a superior or an elder : affected or ingratiating regard for another's wishes |
| ● deipnosophist | a person skilled in table talk |
| deke | to fake (an opponent) out of position (as in ice hockey) |
| demagogue | a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises to gain power |
| demiurge | one that is an autonomous creative force or decisive power |
| demulcent | soothing |
| denigrate | to attack the reputation of : defame : to deny the importance or validity of : belittle |
| derelict | abandoned esp. by the owner or occupant : run-down 2: lacking a sense of duty : negligent |
| derrick | a hoisting apparatus employing a tackle rigged at the end of a beam : a framework or tower |
| ● despot | a ruler with absolute power and authority : a person exercising power tyrannically |
| devolve | to pass to another (something, such as a tradition or responsibility) : to degenerate |
| devotion | religious fervor : piety : a religious exercise of practice for private use |
| ● diablerie | black magic : sorcery : a representation of sorcery in words or pictures : mischievous conduct or manner |
| diffident | hesitant if acting or speaking through lack of self-confidence : reserved, unassertive |
| ● disaffected | discontented and resentful esp. against authority : rebellious |
| disinformation | false information deliberately and often covertly spread (as by the planting of rumors) in order to influence public opinion |
| disingenuous | lacking in candor; also : giving a false appearance of simple frankness : calculating |
| ● disputatious | inclined to dispute : marked by disputation : provoking debate : controversial |
| doctrinaire | attempting to put inot effect an abstract doctrone or theory with little or no regard |
| dreidel | a 4-sided toy marked with Hebrew letters and spun like a top |
| ● dudgeon | a fit or stae of indignation--often used in the prase in high dudgeon |
| duress | forcible restraint or restriction 2: compulsion by threat : unlawful constraint |
| ● ebullient | boiling, agitated : having or showing liveliness and enthusiasm : exuberent |
| ● echelon | a steplike arrangement : one of series of leveles or grades in an organization or field of activity |
| ecstatic | of, relating to, or marked by rapturous delight |
| effete | no longer fertile : having lost character, vitality, or strengh : soft or delicate from - |
| effulgence | radiant splendor : brilliance |
| elephantiasis | enlargement and thickening of tissues caused by obstruction of lymphatics 2: an unwanted growth or enlargement |
| encomium | glowing and warmly enthusiastic praise : also : an expression of this |
| epigone | follower, disciple; also : an inferior imitator |
| ● epigram | a terse, sage, or witty and often paradoxical saying : expression in the manner of such a saying |
| epithet | a characterizing word or phrased used in place of a name : abusive word or phrase |
| eponymous | of, relating to, or being one for whom or which somethign is or is believed to be named |
| esemplastic | shaping or having the power to shape disparate things into a unified whole |
| evince | to constitute outward evidence of : to display clearly : reveal |
| exiguous | excessively scanty : inadequate |
| exodus | the mainly narrative second book of cannonical Jewish and Christian Scripture 2: a mass departure : emigration |
| expatriate | a person who lives in a foreign country : a person who has renounced his or her native country |
| expunge | to strike out, obliterate, or mark for deletion : to efface completely : destroy |
| facile | easily accomplished, handled, or attained : shallow, simplistic 2: ready fluent : poised, assured |
| facsimile | an exact copy : system of transmitting and reproducing graphic mater by means of signals sent |
| faineant | idle and ineffectual : indolent |
| favonian | of or relatingto the west wind : mild |
| felicitate | to consider happy or fortunate : to offer congratulations to |
| fiduciary | involving a confidence or trust : held or holding in trust for another |
| fillip | to urge on : stiulate |
| finicky | extremely or excessively particular, exacting, or meticulous in taste or standards |
| ● fire-sale | heavily discounted |
| ● flaneur | an idle man-about-town |
| flatfoot | condition in which the arch of the instep is flattened so the entire sole rests upon the ground |
| flippant | lacking proper respect or seriousness |
| flotsam | floating wreakage of a ship or its cargo; broadly : floating debris |
| flyting | a dispute or exchange of personal abuse in verse form |
| foolscap | a cap or hood usually with bells worn by jesters : a conical cap for slow or lazy students |
| ● forebear | ancestor; forefather; also : precursor |
| froward | habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition |
| frowsy | musty, stale : having a slovenly or uncared-for appearance |
| fructify | to bear fruit : to make fruitful or productive |
| ● fulcrum | the support about which a lever turns : one that supples capability for action |
| funambulism | tightrope walking : a show esp. of mental agility |
| gamut | the whole series of recognized usical notes : an entire range or series |
| gargantuan | tremendous in size, volume, or degree : gigantic, colossal |
| glaucous | of a pale yellow-green color : having a powdery or waxy coating that gives a froasted apperance |
| gloaming | twilight, dusk |
| gnomic | characterized by aphorism : given to the composition of aphoristic writing |
| golden handcuffs | special denefits offered to an employee as an inducement to continue serivce |
| Gordian knot | an intricate problem; esp. : a probelm insoluble in its own terms |
| gorgonize | to have a paralyzing or mesmerizing effect on : stupefy, petrify |
| gormless | lacking intelligence : stupid |
| gravamen | the material or significant part of a grievance or complaint |
| grimalkin | a domestic cat; esp. : an old female cat |
| grisly | inspiring horror or intense fear : inspiring disgust or distaste |
| grok | to understand profoundly and intuitively |
| habeas corpus | a writ issued to bring a party before a court : the right to obtain such a writ |
| ● haggard | of a hawk : not tamed : wild in appearance : having a worn or emaciated appearance : gaunt |
| halcyon | of or relating to the kingfisher : calm, peaceful : happy, golden : prosperous, affluent |
| ● harbinger | one that pioneers in or initiates a major change : precursor : one that presages or foreshadows |
| hard-boiled | devoid of sentimentality : tough 2: hardheaded, practical |
| hebdomadal | occurring, appearing or done every week : weekly |
| hegemony | dominant influence or authority over others : the social, cultural, ideological, or economic influence |
| ● hermitage | the habitation or condition of a hermit : secluded residence or private retreat; also : monastery |
| heterodox | contray to or different from an acknowledged standard, a traditional form |
| hirsute | hairy 2: covered with coarse stiff hairs |
| ● histrionic | deliberately affected : theatrical : of or relating to actors, acting, or the theater |
| homily | a usually short sermon 2: a lecture or discourse on a moral theme 3: inspirational catchphrase |
| hyperbole | extravagant exaggeration |
| hypermnesia | abnormally vivid or complete memory or recall of the past |
| hyphenate | a person who performs more than one function (as a producer-director in filmmaking) |
| incongruous | lacking congruity as : not harmonious : incompatible : not conforming : disagreeing |
| ● incumbent | the holder of an office of ecclesiastical benefice : one that occupies a particular position or place |
| ● indefeasible | not capable of beign annulled or voided or undone |
| indigence | a level of poverty in which real hardship and deprivation are suffered |
| ineffable | incapable of being expressed in words : indescribable : unspeakable : not to be uttered : taboo |
| infix | a derivational or inflectional affix appearing in the body of a word |
| ingurgitate | to swallow greedily or in lage quantities : guzzle |
| inkling | a slight indication or suggestion : hint, clue 2: a slight knowledge or vague notion |
| inselberg | an isolated mountain |
| ● insuperable | incapable of being surmounted, overcome, passed over or solved |
| ● intemperate | not moderate or mild : severe : lacking or showing lack of restraint |
| intransigent | characterized by refusal to compromise or to abandon an often extreme position or attitude |
| inveterate | firmly established by long presistence 2: confirmed ina habit : habitual |
| jalousie | a blind with adjustable horizontal slats for admitting light and air while excludign sun and rain |
| jeunesse doree | young people of wealth and fashion |
| katzenjammer | hangover : distress : a discordant clamor |
| ● keelhaul | to haul under the keel of a ship as punishment or torture : rebuke severely |
| kickshaw | a fancy dish : a showy trifle |
| king's ransom | a very large sum of money |
| lacuna | a black space or a missing part : gap, also : deficiency, inadequacy : a small cavity, pit |
| langue | language viewed abstractly as a system of forms and conventions used for communication |
| lanuginous | covered with down or fine soft hair |
| levigate | polish, smooth : to grind to a fine smooth powder while in moist condition |
| lido | a fashionable beach resort |
| Locofoco | a member of the US Democratic party |
| logomachy | a dispute over or about words 2: a controversy marked by verbiage |
| ● lookism | prejudice or discrimination base on physical appearance and esp. physical appearance |
| luciferin | any of various organic substances that upon oxidation produce a virtually heatless light |
| lucubration | laborious or intensive study; also : the product of such study; usually used in plural |
| luculent | clear in thought or expression : lucid |
| ludic | of, relating to, or characterized by play : playful |
| lugubrious | mournful; esp. : exaggeratedly or affectedly mournful 2: dismal |
| ● maieutic | relating to or resembling the Socratic method of eliciting new ideas from another |
| mansuetude | the quality or stae of being gentle : meekness, tameness |
| ● marmoreal | of, relating to, or suggestive of marble or a marble statue esp. in coldness or aloofness |
| marshal | a person who arrages and directs the ceremonial aspects of a gathering |
| megillah | slang : a long involved story or account |
| ● meliorism | the belief that the world tends to improve and the humans can aid its betterment |
| meritorious | worthy or reward, gratitude, honor, or esteem |
| ●● meshuggener | a foolish or crazy person |
| mimesis | imitation, mimicry |
| ● monger | broker, dealer--usually used in combination : one who spreads discreditable information |
| motley | variegated in color : made up of many different people or things |
| ● munificent | very liberal in giving or bestowing : lavish 2: characterized by great liberality or generosity |
| mutatis mutandis | with the respective differences having been considered |
| ● nebbish | a timid, meek, or ineffectual person |
| nexus | a nnecting point or link; also : a causal link 2: a connected group series 3: center, focus |
| niveous | of or relating to snow : resembling snow (as in whiteness) : snowy |
| nonage | the state of beign a legal minor 2: a period of youth : lack of maturity |
| numinous | supernatural, mysterious 2: filled with a sense of the presence of divinity |
| objet trouve | a natural or discarded object found by chance and held to have aesthetic value |
| obnubilate | to make cloudy or obscure |
| occiput | the back part of the head or skull |
| omnium-gatherum | a miscellanceous collection (as of things or persons) |
| oneiric | of or relating to dreams : dreamy |
| pace | contrary to the opinion of - usually used as an expression of deference to someone opinion |
| palindrome | a word, vrse, or sentence or a number that reads the same backward or forward |
| pantheon | a temple dedicated to all the gods, also : the gods of a people 2: a group of illustrious persons |
| ● pariah | a member of a low caste of southern India :outcast |
| pastiche | a musical, literary, or artistic work that imitates the style of previous work |
| ● pathos | an element in experience or in artistic representation evoking pity or compassion |
| pedagogical | of, relating to, or befitting a teacher or education |
| penitence | the quaility or state of being penitent : sorrow for sins of faults |
| perfidious | of, relating to, or characterized by faithlessness or disloyalty : treacherous |
| permeable | capable of being permeated : penetrable, esp. : having pores or opening that permit liquids or gases to pass through |
| petard | a case containing an explosive to break down a door or gate or breach a wall |
| ● pianistic | of, relating to, or characteristic of the piano : skilled in or well adapted to piano playing |
| piebald | composed of incongruous parts : of different colors esp. spotted or blotched with black & white |
| pink | to perforate in an ornamental pattern : to cut a saw-toothed edge on : pierce, stab : ridicule |
| plenary | complete in every respect : absolute, unqualified : fully attended or constituted |
| polemic | an aggressive attack on or refutation of the opinions or priciples of another |
| ● popinjay | a strutting supercilious person |
| portentous | being a sign or omen : elicting amazement or wonder 3: self-sonsciously solemn or serious |
| precatory | expressing a wish |
| precocial | capable of a high degree of independent activity from birth |
| precarious | dependent on uncertain premises or chance circumstances 2: dangerouly lacking in security or steadiness |
| prehension | the act of taking hold, seizing, or grasping 2: mental understanding : comprehension |
| profligate | wildly extravagant : very wasteful : abandoned to vice and corruption : shamelessly immoral |
| pusillanimous | lacking courage and resolution : marked by contemptible timidity |
| qua | in the capacity or character of : as |
| quiddity | whatever makes something the type that it is : essence 2: a trifling point : quibble |
| ● quiescent | marked by inactivity or repose : tranquilly at rest : causing no trouble or symptoms |
| rarefied | being less dense 2: of relating to, or interesting to a select group : esoteric 3: very high |
| rathskeller | a usually basement tavern or restaurant |
| recalcitrant | obstinately defiant of authority or restraint 2: difficult to manage or operate : resistant |
| redolent | exuding fragrance : aromatic 2: full of specified fragrance : scented |
| revanche | revenge esp. : a usually political policy designed to recover lost territory or status |
| rodomontade | a bragging speech : vain boasting or bluster : rant |
| rostrum | a stage or platform for public speaking |
| roustabout | a worker in an oil field, on a dock, or on a ship : a worker at a circus or carival |
| Rube Goldberg | accomplishing by complex means what seemingly could be done simply |
| saltation | the action or process of leaping or jumping : dance : the origion of a new species |
| sanctimonious | hypocritically pious or devout |
| sansculotte | an extreme radical republican in France at the time of the Revolution 2: a radical or violent extremist in politics |
| ● saturnine | born under or influenced by the planet Saturn : cold and steady in mood : slow to act or change |
| schadenfreude | enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others |
| sciential | relating to or producing knowledge or science : having efficient knowledge : capable |
| sentient | responsive to or conscious of sense impressions 2: having or showing understanding or knowledge : aware |
| septentrional | northern |
| sequester | to set apart : segregate 2: to seize by authority of a writ |
| ● simon-pure | of untainted purity or integrity: also : pretentiously or hypocritically pure |
| skosh | a small amount : bit, smidgen |
| slake | satisfy, quench : to cause to heat an crumble by treatment with water |
| ● sobriquet | a descriptive name or eithet : nickname |
| sockdolager | something that settles a matter : decisive blow or answer : finisher |
| soi-disant | self-proclaimed, so-called |
| solicitous | showing attentive care or protectiveness : full of concern or fears : appreensive |
| ● spilth | the act or an instance of spilling : something spilled : refuse, rubbish |
| sparge | sprinkle, bespatter; esp. : spray 2: to agitate (a liquid) by menas of compressed air or gas |
| sternutation | the act, fact, or noise of sneezing |
| struthious | of or relating to the ostriches and related birds |
| suborn | to induce secretly to do an unlawful thing 2: to induce to commit prejury : to otain (perjured testimony) from a witness |
| sui generis | constituting a class alone : unique, peculiar |
| ● supercilious | coolly and patronizingly haughty |
| surfeit | an overabundant supply : excess : an intemperate or immoderate indulgence in something |
| sward | a portion of ground covered with grass : grassy surface of land |
| sycophant | a servile self-seeking flatterer |
| synecdoche | a figure of speech by which a less encompassing term is put for more encompassing term or vice versa |
| thew | muscular power or development : strength, vitality : muscle, sinew - usually used in plural |
| tintinnabulation | a jingling or tinkling sound from or as if from bells |
| tocsin | an alarm bell or the ringing of it 2: a warning signal |
| ● trichologist | a person who specializes in hair and scalp care : hairdresser |
| ● tristful | sad, melancholy |
| troglodyte | one who lived or was reputed to in a cave 2: a person characterized by reclusive habits |
| turbid | cloudy or discolored by suspended particles : confused, muddled |
| turducken | a boneless chicken stuffed into a doneless duck stuffed into a boneless turkey |
| unctuous | fatty, oily : smooth and greasy in texture or appearance : plastic : insincerely smooth in speech |
| ● untoward | difficult to manage or work with : unruly : marked by trouble or unhappiness : unlucky |
| usufruct | the legal right of using and enjoying the fruits or profits of something belonging to another |
| vade mecum | a book for ready reference : manual : something regularly carried about by a person |
| valedictory | of or relating to an act of bidding farewell : expressing or containing a farewell |
| validate | to establish that something is legal, official, or correct 2: to grant offical sanction to by marking |
| ● vaunted | highly or widely praised or boasted about |
| ● verdant | green in tint or color : green with growing plants : unripe in experience or judgment : green |
| victual | food usable by people 2: supplies of food |
| vignette | a running ornament or design on the pages of a book : a picture or engraving |
| ● vinaceous | of the color of red wine |
| vouchsafe | to grant or furnish often in a graciosu or condescending manner : to give by way of replay |
| weald | a heavily woooded area : forest 2: a wild or uncultivated usually upland region |
| whilom | former |
| ● widdershins | in a left-handed, wrong, or contrary direction : counterclockwise |
| winnow | to remove (something, such as chaff) by a current of air 2: to remove sparate |
| xenial | relating to, or constituting hospitality or relations between host and guest |
| ● xeric | characterized by, relating to, or requiring only a small amount of moisture |
| yashmak | a veil worn by Muslim women that is wrapped around the upper and lower parts of the face |
| zeitgeist | often capitalized : the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of an era |
| zest | keen enjoyment : relish, gusto |