Word-Building Campaign

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Etymology

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etymology |ˌetəˈmäləjē| |ˈɛdəˌmɑlədʒi| |ˈɛtɪˌmɒlədʒi|
noun ( pl. -gies)
the study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history.
• the origin of a word and the historical development of its meaning.

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Mnemonic

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Dictionary
mnemonic |nəˈmänik| noun a device such as a pattern of letters, ideas, or associations that assists in remembering something. adjective aiding or designed to aid the memory. • of or relating to the power of memory

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Bashful

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bashful |ˈba sh fəl| |ˌbøʃfəl| |ˌbaʃfʊl| |-f(ə)l|
adjective
reluctant to draw attention to oneself; shy : don't be bashful about telling folks how you feel.
DERIVATIVES
bashfully |ˌbøʃfəli| adverb
bashfulness |ˌbøʃfəlnəs| noun

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Abash

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to make ashamed; to embarass
- Meredith felt abashed by her inability to remember her lines in the school chorus

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Unabashed

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To do something without shame or embarrassment

-Ken handed in a term paper that he had unabashedly copied from the National Enquirer

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Abate

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v. To subside; to reduce

Bad weather abates when good weather begins to return. A rain storm that does not let up continues unabated.

A tax abatement is a reduction in taxes. Businesses are sometimes given tax abatements in return for building factories in places where there is a particular need for jobs.

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Abdicate

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v. To step from a position of power or responsibility

Mary abdicated her responsibilities as a secretary by dumping in the garbage the reports she was supposed to type and flying to the Bahamas

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Abhor

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v. to hate very, very much; to detest

To abhor something is to view it with horror. Hating a person s almost friendly in comparison with abhorring him or her.

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Abject

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adj. Hopeless; extremely sad and servile; defeated

An abject person is one who is crushed and without hope. A slave would be abject, in all likelihood

Perhaps 90% of the time, when you encounter this word it will be followed by the word poverty. Abject poverty is hopeless. desperate poverty. The phrase "abject poverty" is overused. Writers use it b/c they are too lazy to think of anything more novel.

Prosecutors are interested only in abject surrender, and Black is willing to contemplate only total vindication.

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Abnegate

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v. To deny oneself things; to reject; to renounce


Samantha abnegated desserts for one month after getting on the scale

Self-abnegation is giving up oneself, usually for some higher cause

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Abortive

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adj. unsuccessful

Mary and Kate made an abortive effort to bake a birthday cake; that is, their effort did not result in a birthday cake.

To abort something is to end it before it is completed.

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Absolve

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v. to forgive or free from blame; to free from sin; to free from obligation


Tom's admission of guilt absolved Dick, who had originally been accuses of the crime.

It is also possible to absolve someone of responsibility: Bill absolved Mary of her obligation to go to the prom with him.

The act of absolving is called absolution.

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Abstract

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adj. Theoretical, impersonal

To like something in the abstract is to like the idea of it.

Bruno doesn't like abstract art; he thinks that a painting should resemble something real, not a lot of splattered paint.

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Abstruse

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adj. hard to understand

The professor's article, on the meaning of meaning, was very abstruse. Micheal couldn't even pronounce the words in it.

Nuclear physics is a subject that is too abstruse for most people.

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Abysmal

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adj. extremely hopeless or wretched; bottomless.

An abyss is a bottomles pit, or something so deep that it seems bottomless.
Abysmal despair is despair so deep that no hope seems possible.

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Accolade

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n. An award; an honor

This word is generally used in the plural

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Accost

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v. to approach and speak to someone agressively.

Amanda karate chopped the stranger wwho accosted her in the street and was embarassed to find he was an old blind man.

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Acerbic

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adj. bitter; sour; severe

(esp. of a comment or style of speaking) sharp and forthright : his acerbic wit.

Barry sat silently as our teacher read aloud her acerbic comments on his paper

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Caustic

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caustic |ˈkôstik| adjective 1 able to burn or corrode organic tissue by chemical action : a caustic cleaner. • figurative sarcastic in a scathing and bitter way : the players were making caustic comments about the refereeing

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Acquiesce

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v. To comply passively, to accept; to assent; to agree

To acquiesce is to do something without objection - to do it quietly.

To acquiesce is to exhibit acquiescence.

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Acrid

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adj. harsh; like acid

The chili we had at the party had an acrid taste; it was harsh and unpleasant.

Acrid is used most often with tastes and smells, but it can be used more broadly to describe anything that is offensive in a similar way. A comment that stung like acid could be called acrid. So could a harsh personality.

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Acrimonious

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adj. full of spite; bitter; nasty

George and Elizabeth's discussion turned acrimonious when Elizabeth introduced the subject of George's perennial, incorrigible stupidity.

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Perennial

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adjective lasting or existing for a long or apparently infinite time; enduring : his perennial distrust of the media. • (of a plant) living for several years : tarragon is perennial. Compare with annual , biennial . • (esp. of a problem or difficult situation) continually occurring : perennial manifestations of urban crisis. • [ attrib. ] (of a person) apparently permanently engaged in a specified role or way of life : he's a perennial student. • (of a stream or spring) flowing throughout the year. noun a perennial plant.

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Incorrigible

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adjective (of a person or their tendencies) not able to be corrected, improved, or reformed : she's an incorrigible flirt. noun a person of this type.

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Acumen

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n. keenness of judgement; mental sharpness.

Ernie's near-total lack of acumen led him to invest all his money in a company that had already gone out of business.

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Acute

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adj. sharp; shrewd

An acute mind is quick, intelligent one. You have mental acuity. An acute pain is a sharp pain.

Acute means sharp only in a figurative sense. A knife, which is sharp enough to cut, is never said to be acute.

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Adamant

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adj. stubborn; unyielding; completely inflexible.

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Adherent

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n. follower; supporter; believer

The King's adherents threw a big birthday party for him, just to show how much they liked him.

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Hasten

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hasten |ˈhāsən| verb [ intrans. ] be quick to do something : he hastened to refute the assertion. • [with adverbial of direction ] move or travel hurriedly : we hastened back to Paris. • [ trans. ] cause (something) to happen sooner than it otherwise would : a move that could hasten peace talks. ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: extended form of haste , on the pattern of verbs in -en 1 .

I hasten to add I have nothing against Richard Breeden.

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Defenestrate

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defenestration |dēˌfenəˈstrā sh ən| noun formal or humorous the action of throwing someone or something out of a window.

The market doesn't seem to think so: any moment now -- perhaps by the time you read this -- the "Sun-Times Media Group" (as the rump of Hollinger International has been renamed) will slip below $4 a share -- or a quarter of what it was when Conrad was The market doesn't seem to think so: any moment now -- perhaps by the time you read this -- the "Sun-Times Media Group" (as the rump of Hollinger International has been renamed) will slip below $4 a share -- or a quarter of what it was when Conrad was defenestrated in November 2003.

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Corroborate

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corroborate |kəˈräbəˌrāt| verb [ trans. ] confirm or give support to (a statement, theory, or finding) : the witness had corroborated the boy's account of the attack.

"The key for the prosecution is corroboration," says Buell, the former Enron prosecutor.

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Ominous

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adjective giving the impression that something bad or unpleasant is going to happen; threatening; inauspicious : there were ominous dark clouds gathering overhead.

What is ominous is usually threatening and may imply impending disaster (: an ominous silence

This ominous trend would fatten the rich, further impoverish and oppress the poor and crush local economies.

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Rebut

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rebut |riˈbət| verb ( -butted , -butting ) [ trans. ] 1 claim or prove that (evidence or an accusation) is false : he had to rebut charges of acting for the convenience of his political friends. 2 archaic drive back or repel (a person or attack).

Conrad Black: Some of the institutions have been conducting an insurrection and i will forcefully rebbut them on that occasion.

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Insurrection

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THE RIGHT WORDThere are a number of ways to defy the established order or overthrow a government.You can stage an uprising, which is a broad term referring to a small and usually unsuccessful act of popular resistance (: uprisings among angry workers all over the country).An uprising is often the first sign of a general or widespread rebellion, which is an act of armed resistance against a government or authority; this term is usually applied after the fact to describe an act of resistance that has failed (: a rebellion against the landowners).If it is successful, however, a rebellion may become a revolution, which often implies a war or an outbreak of violence (: the American Revolution). Although a revolution usually involves the overthrow of a government or political system by the people, it can also be used to describe any drastic change in ideas, economic institutions, or moral values ( | the sexual revolution).An insurrection is an organized effort to seize power, especially political power, while an insurgency is usually aided by foreign powers.If you're on a ship, you can stage a mutiny, which is an insurrection against military or naval authority.But if you're relying on speed and surprise to catch the authorities off guard, you'll want to stage a putsch, which is a small, popular uprising or planned attempt to seize power.

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Ruse

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ruse |roōz; roōs| noun an action intended to deceive someone; a trick : Eleanor tried to think of a ruse to get Paul out of the house. ORIGIN late Middle English (as a hunting term): from Old French, from ruser ‘use trickery,’ earlier ‘drive back,’ perhaps based on Latin rursus ‘backward.’

Thesaurus
ruse noun his offer to help with my presentation was just a clever ruse ploy, stratagem, tactic, scheme, trick, gambit, cunning plan, dodge, subterfuge, machination, wile.

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Bastion

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bastion |ˈbas ch ən| noun a projecting part of a fortification built at an angle to the line of a wall, so as to allow defensive fire in several directions. • a natural rock formation resembling such a fortification. • figurative an institution, place, or person strongly defending or upholding particular principles, attitudes, or activities : the last bastion of male privilege. ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: from French, from Italian bastione, from bastire ‘build.’

Thesaurus
bastion noun 1 fortified with ditches and bastions projection, outwork, breastwork, barbican; Architecture bartizan. 2 a bastion of respectability stronghold, bulwark, defender, support, supporter, guard, protection, protector, defense, prop, mainstay.

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Genuflect

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One entry found for genuflect.
Main Entry: gen·u·flect
Pronunciation: 'jen-y&-"flekt
Function: intransitive verb
Etymology: Late Latin genuflectere, from Latin genu knee + flectere to bend -- more at KNEE
1 a : to bend the knee b : to touch the knee to the floor or ground especially in worship
2 : to be servilely obedient or respectful
- gen·u·flec·tion /"jen-y&-'flek-sh&n/ noun

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Sagacious (adj.)

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Having or showing keen mental discernment and good judgement; shrewd.

"They were sagacious enough to avoid any outright confrontation."

Sagaciously (adv.)

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Magnate (noun)

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A wealthy and influential person, especially in business.

A media magnate

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Magnanimous (adj.)

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very generous or forgiving, especially toward a rival or someone less pwerfull than oneself.

Magnanimity (noun)
Magnanimously (adv.)

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Antiquated (adj.)

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old-fashioned or outdated

"this antiquated central heating system.

Thesaurus
behind the times, anachronistic, old-fangled, passé, démodé, horse-and-buggy

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Antediluvian (adj.)

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of or belonging to the time before the biblical Flood: gigantic bones of antediluvian animals.

Chiefly humorous, ridiculously old-fashioned

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Archaic (adj.)

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Very old or old-fashioned

Archaically (adv.)

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Err (verb)

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Be mistaken or incorrect; make a mistake. "The jude had erred in ruling that the evidence was inadmissible."

rr on the right side act so that the least harmful of possible mistakes or errors in is the most likely to occur. err on the side of display more rather than less of (a specified quality) in one's actions : it is better to err on the side of caution. to err is human, to forgive divine proverb it is human nature to make mistakes oneself while finding it hard to forgive others.

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Fret (verb)

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(fretted/fretting) [intrans] be constantly or visibly worried or anxious "she fretted about the cost of groceries"

[trans] gradually wear away (something) by rubbing or gnawing "the bay's black waves fret the seafront"

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Formidable (adj.)

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inspiring fear or respect through being impressively large, powerful, intense, or capable: "a formidable opponent."

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Embattled (adj.)

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(of a place or people) involved in or prepared for war, especially because surrounded by enemy forces.
(of a person) beset by problems or difficulties: "the worst may not be over for the embattled senator."

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Galvanize (verb)

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shock or excite (someone), typically into taking action: the urgency of his voice galvanized them into action

[often of adjective] (galvanized) coat (iron or steel) with a protective layer of zinc: an old galvanized bucket.

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Alchemy (noun)

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The medieval forerunner of chemistry, based on the supposed

figurative: a process by which paradoxical results are achieved or incompatible elements combined with no obvious rational explanation: his conducting managed by some alchemy to give a sense of fire and ice.

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Tabula Rosa

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An absence of preconceived ideas or predetermined goals, a clean slate, viewed as having no innate ideas

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Deference (n.)

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humble submission and respect

He addressed her with the deference due to age.

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Prosaic (adj.)

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Having the style or diction of prose; lacking poetic beauty, commonplace; unromantic

the masses were too preoccupied by prosaic day-to-day concerns

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Prose (n.)

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written or spoken language in its ordinary form, without metrical structure

figurative plain or dull writing, discourse, or expression : medical and scientific prose.

verb [ intrans. ] talk tediously : prosing on about female beauty.

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Inexorable (n.)

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Impossible to stop or prevent

the seemingly inexorable march of new technology.

(of a person) impossible to persuade by request or entreaty : the doctors were inexorable, and there was nothing to be done.

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Furtive (adj.)

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attempting to avoid notice or attention, typically because of guilt or a belief that discovery would lead to trouble; secretive

they spent a furtive day together | he stole a furtive glance at her.


suggestive of guilty nervousness : the look in his eyes became furtive

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Teetotaler (n.)

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A person who never drinks

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Ephemeral (adj.)

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Lasting for a very short time

fashions are ephemeral. See note at temporary . • (chiefly of plants) having a very short life cycle. noun an ephemeral plant.

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Plenary (adj.)

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unqualified; absolute : crusaders were offered a plenary indulgence by the pope.

(of a meeting) to be attended by all participants at a conference or assembly, who otherwise meet in smaller groups : a plenary session of the European Parliament.
noun a meeting or session of this type.