Vocabulary List

ablution \&-'blü-sh&n\ Noun

1. Relating to or occurring in the morning.a : the washing of one's body or part of it (as in a religious rite) b plural : the act or action of bathing
2. plural, British : a building housing bathing and toilet facilities on a military base

added on: October 31st, 2004

anent \ah-NENT\ Preposition

1. Regarding, concerning, about.

added on: December 08th, 2003

antaean \an-TEE-uhn\ Adjective

1. Very large.
2. Having extraordinary strength.

added on: December 04th, 2003

balneal \BAL-nee-uhl\ Adjective

1. Relating to baths or bathing.

added on: December 04th, 2003

bedizen \bi-DY-zuhn\ Verb

1. To dress or decorate in a showy or gaudy manner.

added on: December 05th, 2003

borborygmus \bor-buh-RIG-mus\ Noun

1. intestinal rumbling caused by moving gas

added on: December 05th, 2003

brass-collar \BRAS KOL-uhr\ Adjective

1. Unwaveringly loyal to a political party; always voting a straight party ticket.

added on: December 04th, 2003

cajole \kuh-JOAL\ Verb

1. to persuade with flattery or gentle urging especially in the face of reluctance : coax
2. to deceive with soothing words or false promises

added on: December 08th, 2003

candent \KAN-duhnt\ Adjective

1. glowing.
2. impassioned.

added on: December 08th, 2003

copacetic \kO-p&-'se-tik\ Adjective

1. very satisfactory

added on: December 04th, 2003

crux \KRUKS\ Noun

1. a puzzling or difficult problem : an unsolved question
2. an essential point requiring resolution or resolving an outcome
3. a main or central feature (as of an argument)

added on: December 05th, 2003

desideratum \dih-sih-duh-RAH-tum\ Noun

1. something desired as essential

added on: December 05th, 2003

drawcansir \draw-CAN-suhr\ Noun

1. A blustering, bragging bully.

added on: December 04th, 2003

duplicity \du-'pli-s&-tE\ Noun

1. contradictory doubleness of thought, speech, or action; especially : the belying of one's true intentions by deceptive words or action
2. the quality or state of being double or twofold
3. the technically incorrect use of two or more distinct items (as claims, charges, or defenses) in a single legal action

added on: October 31st, 2004

ephemeral \i-'fem-r&l\ Adjective

1. lasting one day only <an ephemeral fever>
2. lasting a very short time <ephemeral pleasures>

added on: December 08th, 2003

excerebrose \eks-SER-ee-bros\ Adjective

1. Brainless.
2. [From Latin ex- (out of) + cerebrum (brain).]

added on: December 04th, 2003

expunge \ik-SPUNJ\ Verb

1. to strike out, obliterate, or mark for deletion
2. to efface completely : destroy
3. to eliminate (as a memory) from one's consciousness

added on: December 05th, 2003

fecund \FEH-kund\ Adjective

1. fruitful in offspring or vegetation : prolific
2. intellectually productive or inventive to a marked degree

added on: December 04th, 2003

festinate \FESS-tuh-nut\ Adjective

1. hasty

added on: December 04th, 2003

flagitious \fluh-JIH-shuss\ Adjective

1. marked by scandalous crime or vice
2. villainous

added on: December 05th, 2003

gloaming \GLO-ming\ Noun

1. Twilight; dusk.

added on: December 08th, 2003

gregarious \gri-GAIR-ee-uhs\ Adjective

1. Enjoying the company of others; sociable.
2. (Of plants) growing together in clusters, but not matted.
3. (Of animals) living in groups.

added on: December 05th, 2003

grimalkin \grih-MAWL-kin\ Noun

1. a domestic cat; especially : an old female cat

added on: December 04th, 2003

hebetude \HEB-uh-tood\ Noun

1. lethargy, dullness

added on: December 08th, 2003

hubris \HYOO-bris\ Noun

1. exaggerated pride or self-confidence

added on: December 04th, 2003

impuissant \im-PWIH-sunt\ Adjective

1. weak, powerless

added on: December 04th, 2003

indigent \IN-di-juhnt\ Adjective

1. Lacking necessities of life, such as food, clothing, etc.; impoverished.
2. (Noun) A person who is extremely poor.

added on: December 05th, 2003

kerfuffle \ker-FUH-ful\ Noun

1. chiefly British : disturbance, fuss

added on: December 05th, 2003

kvell \kvel\ Intr. Verb

1. To feel proud; to beam; to gloat.

added on: December 04th, 2003

lachrymose \LAK-ruh-mohss\ Adjective

1. something desired as essential given to tears or weeping : tearful
2. tending to cause tears : mournful

added on: December 05th, 2003

matutinal \muh-TOOT-n-uhl\ Adjective

1. Relating to or occurring in the morning.

added on: December 08th, 2003

mawkish \MAW-kish\ Adjective

1. having an insipid often unpleasant taste
2. sickly or puerilely sentimental

added on: December 08th, 2003

mendacious \men-DAY-shus\ Adjective

1. given to or characterized by deception or falsehood or divergence from absolute truth

added on: December 07th, 2003

mercurial \m&r-'kyur-E-&l\ Adjective

1. of, relating to, or born under the planet Mercury
2. having qualities of eloquence, ingenuity, or thievishness attributed to the god Mercury or to the influence of the planet Mercury
3. characterized by rapid and unpredictable changeableness of mood
4. of, relating to, containing, or caused by mercury

added on: December 05th, 2003

milquetoast \MILK-toast\ Noun

1. a timid, meek, or unassertive person

added on: December 05th, 2003

misprision \miss-PRIH-zhun\ Noun

1. a: neglect or wrong performance of official duty b: concealment of treason or felony by one who is not a participant in the treason or felony c: seditious conduct against the government or the courts
2. misunderstanding, misinterpretation

added on: December 04th, 2003

nepenthe \nuh-PEN-thee\ Noun

1. a potion used by the ancients to induce forgetfulness of pain or sorrow
2. something capable of causing oblivion of grief or suffering

added on: December 05th, 2003

orotund \OR-uh-tund\ Adjective

1. Strong, clear, rich (as in voice or speech).
2. Pompous, bombastic.

added on: December 04th, 2003

pecuniary \pih-KYOO-nee-air-ee\ Adjective

1. consisting of or measured in money
2. of or relating to money

added on: December 05th, 2003

perquisite \PER-kwuh-zut\ Noun

1. a privilege, gain, or profit incidental to regular salary or wages; especially : one expected or promised
2. gratuity, tip
3. something held or claimed as an exclusive right or possession

added on: December 05th, 2003

pertinacious \per-tuh-NAY-shuss\ Adjective

1. a : adhering resolutely to an opinion or purpose b : perversely persistent
2. stubbornly unyielding or tenacious

added on: December 04th, 2003

petrichor \PET-ri-kuhr\ Noun

1. The pleasant smell that accompanies the first rain after a dry spell.

added on: December 04th, 2003

polyhistor \pol-ee-HIS-tuhr\ Noun

1. A person of great or wide learning.

added on: December 05th, 2003

quid pro quo \kwid-proh-KWOH\ Noun

1. something given or received for something else
2. a deal arranging a quid pro quo

added on: December 05th, 2003

raillery \RAY-luh-ree\ Noun

1. good-natured ridicule : banter
2. jest

added on: December 05th, 2003

sangfroid \SAHN-FRWAH\ Noun

1. self-possession or imperturbability especially under strain

added on: December 09th, 2004

sententious \sen-TEN-shuhs\ Adjective

1. Full of pithy expressions.
2. Full of pompous moralizing.

added on: December 04th, 2003

sesquipedalian \ses-kwuh-puh-DAIL-yun\ Adjective

1. having many syllables : long
2. using long words

added on: December 04th, 2003

sibyl \SIB-ul\ Noun

1. any of several prophetesses usually accepted as 10 in number and credited to widely separate parts of the ancient world (as Babylonia, Egypt, Greece, and Italy)
2. a : prophetess b : fortune-teller
   
   often capitalized

added on: December 05th, 2003

simon-pure \SY-muhn PYOOR\ Adjective

1. Genuinely pure; also used to describe an amateur as opposed to a professional.
2. Pretentiously or hypocritically virtuous.

added on: December 04th, 2003

simulacrum \sim-yuh-LAK-rum\ Noun

1. image, representation
2. an insubstantial form or semblance of something : trace

added on: December 04th, 2003

solecism \SAH-luh-sih-zum\ Noun

1. an ungrammatical combination of words in a sentence; also : a minor blunder in speech
2. something deviating from the proper, normal, or accepted order
3. a breach of etiquette or decorum

added on: December 04th, 2003

surfeit \SUR-fut\ Noun

1. an overabundant supply : excess
2. an intemperate or immoderate indulgence in something (as food or drink)
3. disgust caused by excess

added on: December 04th, 2003

tachytelic \\ Adjective

1. pertaining to abnormally rapid evolution.

added on: December 06th, 2003

taedium vitae \\ Noun

1. "weariness of life"

added on: December 06th, 2003

thersitical \thur-SIT-i-kuhl\ Adjective

1. Foulmouthed; scurrilous.

added on: December 04th, 2003

toothsome \TOOTH-suhm\ Adjective

1. Delicious.
2. Agreeable; pleasant.
3. Sexually attractive.
4. From tooth + -some. A related word is handsome, from hand + -some, literally easy to handle or manipulate.

added on: December 04th, 2003

tsuris or tsouris \TSOOR-is\ Noun

1. Trouble; aggravation; woe.

added on: December 04th, 2003

urtext \UHR-tekst, OOR-tekst\ Noun

1. The original or earliest version of a text, such as a musical composition or literary work.

added on: December 04th, 2003

uxorial \uk-SOR-ee-ul\ Adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a wife

added on: December 05th, 2003

whilom \HWI-luhm\ Adjective

1. Former
2. Adverb: Formerly

added on: December 08th, 2003