antebellum

Use the adjective antebellum to describe something that happened before the
American Civil War. You could talk about touring a historic antebellum plantation
house in Georgia, for example.

When historians describe the time before the Civil War, they call it "the antebellum
period." The southern United States at that time is often called "the antebellum
South." You might describe a plantation, an antique dress, or other artifacts of that
historical period as antebellum. Officially, the word antebellum can describe the
time just before any war, but it's usually used in reference to the Civil War. It
comes from the Latin phrase ante bellum, literally "before the war."

The antenatal department is running as normal, as are chemotherapy, audiology,

paediatrics, gynaecology, community and therapy and laboratory services.

He was not sure, moreover, whether Madame Staubach would not have been
shocked at any proposal in reference to an antenuptial embrace.

antediluvian

Antediluvian means "before the flood" — that is, the Biblical flood with Noah's
ark. Generally, though, the word is used — often humorously — to describe
something really, really old.

In popular language, antediluvian is almost always used to exaggerate how

comically, ridiculously old and out-of-date something is. You may laugh at your
parents' antediluvian ideas of what's proper for going out on a date. And how about
those antediluvian computers they still insist are fine! When the word was coined
in the seventeenth century, however, it was meant literally. Back then, the science
of reconstructing the Earth's history used the Bible as a frame of reference.

Valetudinarian

weak or sickly person especially one morbidly concerned with his or her health

They began to think me some poor valetudinarian; but though I was in torments, a
feeling of vanity made me endeavour to behave sensibly.
panegyric

A formal, high-minded speech can be described with a formal, high-minded word

— the word panegyric, which is a very elaborate tribute to someone. You could
consider most eulogies as panegyrics.

It stands to reason that the original use of the word panegyris, from which
panegyric derives, was to describe a public gathering in honor of a Greek god. The
Latin, L. panegyricus, altered slightly to mean "public eulogy," which around the
16th Century shifted to the French panégyrique, which meant "laudation." In any
case, the word today stands for high praise given in a speech or tribute as
highfalutin as the word itself sounds.

encomium

An encomium is a fancy word for a formal speech or piece of writing that warmly
praises someone or something.

Encomium comes from the Greek word enkomion which, in a nutshell, is to honor
someone or something at a party in a poetic speech. It used to refer to the song for
the winner of the Olympic Games, sung at a victory celebration. You might hear an
encomium at a retirement party, after you publish a fabulous book, or even at a
funeral (a eulogy, or speech at a funeral about the person who died, is a kind of
encomium). It's pronounced with a long O, en-CO-mium.

anthology

A collection of writings is an anthology. The heavy textbooks that span the

literature of an entire culture and that school children transport in over-sized
backpacks with wheels? Those are anthologies.

An anthology used to be just a collection of poetry, and the word came from the
17th-century Greek word anthologia for "flower gathering" or "collecting." A
contemporary anthology can include anything from classic literature to rap music
lyrics. Often an anthology focuses on one type, or genre, of writing, as in an
anthology of horse riding haikus, or even an anthology of writings on writing.
However, sometimes textbook-style anthologies — like Global Literature — will
ambitiously try to include works from writers throughout the ages and from
throughout the world.

omnibus

An omnibus is another word for a bus, as in a large vehicle carrying lots of

passengers. Other names are autobus and coach.

This word has bus in it, and that's the main meaning of omnibus. As a book, an
omnibus is collection of articles either all on the same subject or written by a single
author. An omnibus of Joyce Carol Oates would fill more shelves than all of
Shakespeare’s plays. A third meaning is something that covers a lot of different
subjects at once, like an omnibus bill that has legislation about gun control,
transportation, and parking meters.

anthropology

Anthropology is the scientific study of the origins of humans, how we have

changed over the years, and how we relate to each other, both within our own
culture and with people from other cultures.

Anthrōpos is the Greek word for “human being,” and the suffix -logy means “the
study of.” The study of human beings, that’s anthropology. Indigenous tribes in
Australia, Brazilian coffee farmers, political activists in Iran, a second grade class
in Missoula, Montana; these are all groups of people you might study if you were
into anthropology. Every culture has its own particular rituals, behaviors, and
lifestyles, and people in the field of anthropology document the many varieties of
human experience.

“A remarkable thing about microbes—and it is only remarkable from our

anthropocentric point of view—is the coöperation among them,” he told me.

anthropomorphic

Your favorite TV shows when you were a toddler probably had anthropomorphic
characters like Thomas the Tank Engine or Arthur, who are non-human, but have
human characteristics, such as human faces and the ability to talk.
You may have heard of anthropology, the study of human beings. Like
anthropomorphic, it derives from the Greek word anthrōposi, which means "human
being." One thing human beings like to do is anthropomorphize animals and
inanimate objects. If that sounds fancy, just think about a kindergarten student
putting a smiley face on his drawing of a sun.

anthropoid

Next time you are in need of a subtle insult that will completely go over your
oafish brother’s head, accuse him of being just barely anthropoid, or somewhat
resembling a human.

Anthropoid is formed from the Greek word for human being, anthrōpos and the
ending -oid, meaning “resembling.” Anthropoid can describe fictional animals that
look like humans, like the three bears in the Goldilocks story, standing upright and
wearing their Sunday best. The word also can describe objects that have been
decorated to have human features, such as an anthropoid mask with a painted-on
face (there’s a good insult for your great-aunt who wears too much make-up).

misogyny

Misogyny is the hatred of women. Whenever someone thinks that all women share
one trait — usually something negative — that’s misogyny.

The noun misogyny, pronounced "miss-AH-jih-nee," comes from the Greek word
misogynia, which means “woman-hater.” Misogyny is prejudice — like bigotry or
racism — that’s directed toward women. Misogyny takes many forms, from hiring
a less-qualified male job candidate instead of a woman to excluding women from
joining a club, just because of their gender.

misogamy

If you know a confirmed bachelor who dates a lot but never settles down, he may
not have met the right person yet — or he may suffer from misogamy, a hatred of
marriage.

Misogamy is made up of two Greek words, mis meaning "hate," and gamy
meaning "marriage." You might get it confused with another mis- word that sounds
similar, misogyny, which is completely different as it means "a hatred of women."
Associated words: savant, philomath, philomathy, misology, oracle, pedant,
pedantry. lease, v. let, demise, rent. lease, n. letting, demise; tenure.

bigamy

When you are married to two people at the same time, that’s called bigamy. For
example, if someone gets remarried before his or her previous marriage's divorce is
finalized, that's bigamy.

The noun bigamy originates in the Greek as a combination of the prefix bi-,
meaning “double,” and gamos, which means “marrying.” There are some cultures
and religions that promote, encourage and otherwise allow polygamy, but where
it’s illegal, which is most of the Western Hemisphere, it’s called bigamy.

polygamy

Polygamy is the practice of being married to more than one husband or wife at a
time.

Polygamy comes from the Late Greek word polygamos, meaning “often married.”
While viewed as controversial in the Western world, polygamy is a custom that's
been practiced by humans throughout history, and is still practiced in many places.
It was a distinguishing characteristic of early Mormonism — founder Joseph Smith
had more than 30 wives. In zoology, monogamy, or having only one mate, is rare,
while polygamy, the mating habit of animals with numerous mates, is much more
common.

Polygyny

having more than one wife at a time

But the authors found that polygyny had an even stronger effect on females: It
made them drabber.

Polyandry

having more than one husband at a time

The royal Saudi family is moving so fast the next step will be to authorize the
polyandry for Saudi women .
Hagiocracy

noun: A government by holy persons. Also a place thus governed.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Greek hagio- (holy) + -cracy (rule). Two synonyms of this term are
hagiarchy and hierocracy. Also, literally speaking, hierarchy is the rule of the high
priest. Earliest documented use: 1846.

USAGE:

"But money has assumed a more exalted place in the Fed's hagiocracy in recent
months."

Alan Murray; Slow Money Growth Stirs Worry at Fed; The Wall Street Journal
(New York); Jul 29, 1991.

Episcopacy

the collective body of bishops

He was drummed out of the episcopacy by Rome at the behest of Argentina’s

conservative bishops.

oligarchy

Does it ever feel like just a few people have all the power? If it's a government
that's run like this, it's an oligarchy. A country that has this form of government is
an oligarchy too.

The political term, oligarchy, comes to English from the Greek with its meaning
intact - a form of government run by a small number of people such as wealthy
landowners, royalty or powerful military figures. If you say that you can't fight the
oligarchy, you mean the leaders of such a place. Sometimes the word refers to the
few powerful people in charge of a large company or system. A financial oligarchy
might try to block reform.

plutocracy

In a plutocracy, the people are ruled by the wealthy few. A plutocracy is very
different from a democracy, in which in person's vote counts equally.

Whenever you see the suffix -cracy, you know you're dealing with a form of
rulership or government. The first part of the word comes from the Greek ploutos,
meaning wealth. Put them together, and you get plutocracy, a government ruled by
the rich. How does this differ from, say, an aristocracy? Well, the truth is that it
isn't very different. Members of the aristocracy tend to be rich, but their money
tends to be "old money." In a pure plutocracy, even the overnight billionaire can be
a ruler.

Stratocracy

government by the military and an army

There were then, in fact, two great forces in the government acting in and by each
other—the Stratocracy, and the Autocracy.

A kakistocracy (English pronunciation: /kækɪsˈtɑkɹəsi/) is a state or country run by

the worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous citizens.[1][2] The word was
coined as early as the 1600s.[3] It was also used by English author Thomas Love
Peacock in 1829.

regicide

Regicide is the killing of a king (or queen.) From the Latin regis, meaning "king"
and the ancient French cide, meaning "killer." Today it can also be applied to
politicians who topple a president or prime minister.

People had been killing kings and queens (think Cleopatra) long before the term
regicide really took off, which was after the execution of King Charles I in
England in 1649. The guy had his head chopped off, but a far worse fate awaited
those who had signed off in Parliament on the head-chopping. They were hung,
drawn, and quartered — i.e., cut up and hanged while still alive. Dangerous
profession, regicide.

parricide

If a character in a novel kills one of her own parents, it's called parricide. Your dad
will be impressed by your vocabulary skills if you say mid-argument, "I'm so mad
at you I could commit parricide!"

You can use the word parricide for the crime of murdering a mother or father, but
it also means "one who kills their own parent." Historically, people who kill
parental figures (like kings, for example) have also been charged with parricide.
Parricide features as an important plot point in many books, ranging from "Harry
Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" to "The Brothers Karamazov." Parricide
combines Latin roots parus, "relative" and cida, "killer."

According to Resnick, there is altruistic filicide, in which the parent believes he or

she is killing the child for its own good.

uxoricide

Uxoricide is a fancy way to talk about a man murdering his wife. Some people
believe that O.J. Simpson is guilty of uxoricide, though he was acquitted in a
criminal trial.

Through history, there have been many men either guilty or suspected of uxoricide,
including England's King Henry VIII, who had two of his wives executed, and the
Roman Emperor Nero, who reportedly also killed two wives. You can use this
impressive word for both the act of murder or the murderer himself. It comes from
the Latin roots uxor, "wife," and cida, "cutter, killer, or slayer."

mania

Mania is an extreme interest, desire, or craze. If you dye your dog's fur to match
the colors of your favorite football team, you might be suffering from sportsmania.

Mania has for centuries been associated with “madness” or “mental derangement.”
It's still used in the mental health fields to mean the excitable, overactive phase of
bipolar disorder or, as a suffix, to describe a compulsion, such as kleptomania (to
steal) or pyromania (to set fires). More generally, it might be used as a suffix to
describe enthusiasm, as in Beatlemania (The Beatles) or Pottermania (Harry
Potter).

dipsomaniac

A dipsomaniac is a drunkard or alcoholic: someone who drinks alcohol to excess.

Since dipsomania is a word for alcoholism, it makes sense that a dipsomaniac is an

alcoholic. A dipsomaniac has a physical need for alcohol that goes beyond being
thirsty: it’s an addiction. The dipsa root (meaning "thirst") turns up in a few other
somewhat obscure words, such as adipsia(meaning "loss of thirst") and polydipsia
(meaning "excessive thirst").

prophylactic

Prophylactic might sound like a prehistoric period when dinosaurs roamed the
earth, but it actually describes something that can prevent something negative, such
as disease. Prophylactic surgery to remove a mole can prevent skin cancer.

If you want to avoid getting sick, you can get a vaccine, take medicine, or have
surgery — all of which are considered prophylactic measures. Delve deeper into
the history of this four-syllable word and you'll find the Greek term
prophulaktikos, which means to "guard before." Prophylactic can also describe a
contraceptive used to prevent pregnancy. This use of the word started because
condoms, which are prophylactics, were originally designed to prevent disease, not
pregnancy.

philology

Philology means the study of language. Not learning specific languages per se, but
grammar and history, and how sounds and meanings change over time.

If you study philology, you don't need anyone to tell you that the word philology
comes from the Greek philologia "love of learning." It's one of the words ending in
-logy, which means "study." Think biology (life), archaeology (ancient things),
psychology (the mind), sociology (society).
Epigraphy, or long flowing inscriptions, proclaiming the merits of the sultans or of
the chambers themselves, enters largely into the decoration.

chromatic

The adjective chromatic is useful for describing things related to color, like the
beautiful chromatic variation of the sky at sunset.

You could describe the chromatic intensity of a fireworks display or the excellent
chromatic perception of an artist, who is skilled at seeing nuances of color. In
physics, the word chromatic has to do with the scientific aspects of color and light.
The earliest uses of chromatic, in the 1590s, only referred to music, but by the
1800s it was used to mean "color," which is also the meaning of the Greek root,
khroma.

catcall

Boooo! Hisss! Come on ref! Are you blind?! Those are just a few family-friendly
catcalls, or rowdy cries of disapproval.

Next time you're stuck watching a terrible movie, don't throw rotten tomatoes at
the screen. Try a catcall instead. The impassioned taunts and disapproving shouts
are already a staple at sporting events across the globe. They're also a favorite
among construction workers, who like to whistle at and catcall the ladies walking
by. Which, by the way, is totally inappropriate.

At bugle call the next morning, for the first time during his military service, Hall
did not report for duty.

clarion

If you hear the clarion call of the stage, it means you want to be an actor. Clarion
means loud and clear, and a clarion call is a call to something that is hard to ignore.

A clarion is a medieval horn with a clear sound. Hard to ignore, but also pure and
clear in tone. There's nothing shrill about a "clarion call." Martin Luther King Jr.'s
clarion call for all races in the U.S. to live together in peace and harmony has lived
on after his death.

facsimile
A facsimile is a copy or reproduction of something. Many parents hope their
children will be facsimiles of themselves; many children have other plans in mind.

Facsimile comes from two Latin roots: facere, meaning "to make," and simile,
meaning "like." Fax machines are so called because they copy and transmit
facsimiles of documents, or faxes for short, over phone lines. Grammatically
speaking, photocopiers also make facsimiles, but oddly enough those are referred
to as copies — not faxes.

expatriate

An expatriate is someone who lives in another country by choice. If you leave your
split-level ranch in Ohio and move to a writers' commune in Paris for good, you've
become an expatriate.

Expatriate can also be a verb, so that American in Paris has expatriated. There was
a scene of expatriates, or expats, living in Paris in the roaring '20s that included
writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Gertrude Stein. The word used to mean to get
kicked out of your native country — it's from the French word expatrier which
means "banish." The prefix ex means "out of" and the Latin patria "one's native
country," but the word took a turn and now refers to people who left without
getting shoved out.

expatriation

Expatriation is the process of leaving your country and living in a new one, or the
act of forcing a person to do this. If you decide to pack up your things and move to
the remote island nation of Kiribati, that's expatriation.

When a fairy tale king banishes a princess from the kingdom, it's one kind of
expatriation—you could also call it "exile" or "deportation." Then there's the
expatriation that happens when someone chooses to move from one country to
another. A U.S. citizen might attend college in Canada, then stay and become a
Canadian citizen afterward, for example. Expatriation comes from the French
expatrier, "banish," from ex-, "out of," and the Latin patria, "native land."

evince
The verb evince means to show or express clearly; to make plain. Evidence can
evince the innocence of the accused, and tears can evince the grief of the
mourning.

Evince is a rather formal word that reveals the presence of something hidden —
usually a feeling. So, if you are happy, your smile might evince your happiness.
And if you are angry, the skull and crossbones on your tee shirt might evince your
anger. Evincing is about expressing. If you are keeping your feelings inside, there's
not a lot of evincing going on.

grimace

The grimace on her face when he asked her to the prom told him her answer was
"no" before she said a word. A grimace is a facial expression that usually suggests
disgust or pain, but sometimes comic exaggeration.

Picture someone wrinkling his nose, squeezing his eyes shut, and twisting his
mouth and you'll have a pretty solid mental image of a grimace. It can be a verb, as
in "the class grimaced at the teacher's suggestion of a pop quiz." Or it words as a
noun. "The class gave a grimace when the teacher suggested a pop quiz." Its
forerunner was the 17th century Spanish grimazo, meaning caricature, and grima,
meaning fright.

allude

When you allude to something, you don't identify it or mention it specifically. If

you allude to the fact that a cop is sitting right behind you, your friends might stop
talking about their plans to rob a bank.

Choose Your Words

allude / elude

Allude is coy, to allude is to refer to something in an indirect manner. But elude’s

favorite thing to do is hide from the cops; it means to evade. Because the accent is
on the second syllable in both words, it’s easy to get them mixed up.

Allude is from Latin allūdere "to play with, joke" from the prefix ad- "toward" plus
lūdere "to play." The corresponding noun is allusion, which is often used of an
indirect reference in literature: Helen, a fitting name for a woman of great beauty,
is an allusion to Helen of Troy.

allude/elude

Allude is coy, to allude is to refer to something in an indirect manner. But elude's

favorite thing to do is hide from the cops; it means to evade. Because the accent is
on the second syllable in both words, it's easy to get them mixed up.

To allude is to talk around something, give hints, and generally not say what you
really want to say. You allude to something when you don't want to say it outright:

In fact, McCarthy alluded to Williams as being an afterthought in Green Bay's

game plan. (Washington Post)

Your film alludes to various versions of the "sleeping beauty" myth — was there a
single starting point? (New York Times)

To elude, on the other hand, is to get away. Elude does love hiding from the law,
but it can also refer to an idea you can't grasp or cheap health care:

It was a secluded zone with no mobile telephone reception — perfect for eluding
law enforcement snooping. (New York Times)

Gregory Standifer was arrested at the scene after allegedly attempting to elude
police by jumping out of a window, police said. (Chicago Tribune)
How the aspiring artist achieved his accomplished technique eludes us. (New York
Times)

Good, cheap health care has long eluded America. (Economist)

Allude to something by saying all but what you actually want to say. Elude evades
and gets away, like a name that's on the tip of your tongue.

impute

The verb impute can be used to blame someone for doing something bad, give
credit for good work, or just tell it like it is, like when you impute your lateness to
my not telling you where to meet me.

When you impute something, you name the cause of something that has happened.
For example, you might impute your ability to sing well to the thousands of dollars
your parents spent in voice lessons. In other words, you name the source. You can
also impute a person, like imputing to a teacher your love of learning — he or she
helped you become more interested in school and your classes.

refute

The verb refute is to prove that something is wrong. When the kids you're
babysitting swear they brushed their teeth, you can refute their claim by presenting
the dry toothbrushes.

Choose Your Words

rebut / refute

To rebut is to try to prove something isn’t true, but to refute is to actually prove it
isn’t. Getting them mixed up won’t get you kicked out of the debate club, but it’s
worth knowing the difference.

Evidence and arguments are used to refute something. So are facts. For example, if
children who eat chocolate before going to bed go straight to sleep, that refutes the
idea that sugar keeps them up. Refute comes from the Latin refutare for "to check,
suppress." A near synonym is confute, but save refute as an everyday word for
proving something is false.

rebut/refute

To rebut is to try to prove something isn't true, but to refute is to actually prove it
isn't. Getting them mixed up won't get you kicked out of the debate club, but it's
worth knowing the difference.

To rebut is more than just "to deny," it's a serious attempt to prove something is
false. If you rebut something, you haven't necessarily won the argument; you've
only presented your side of it:

A Jesuit priest has taken to YouTube and his blog to rebut arguments raised by
British physicist Stephen Hawking. (Catholic News Service)

Baldwin has used his Twitter account to rebut criticism. (Washington Post)

Refute means to disprove something straight up. If you refute something, you
successfully win the argument:

The hearing was unfortunately based on hearsay evidence that we were not able to
refute by cross-examining anyone. (Eagle Tribune)

Daly refuted the report Monday, saying that only one general manager had
expressed concern. (New York Times)
So, if you try to defeat an accusation, you rebut it. You still need to butt in again,
so you re-but, as in "But wait! I can still prove it!" If you actually defeat the
accusation, you have refuted it.

bisque

A bisque is a creamy soup. Your favorite seafood restaurant might make a

delicious lobster bisque.

A classic French bisque is made with broth from shellfish — either crab, lobster,
shrimp, or crayfish — although thick, cream-based vegetable soups are often also
called bisques. Originally, a bisque was thickened not with cream but with rice and
the ground shells of crustaceans. The word bisque, "crayfish soup" in French,
stems either from the Bay of Biscay or the technique of bis cuites, or "twice
cooked."

succor

Succor is relief or help. If you've just woken up in the midst of a lion's den,
wearing nothing but raw meat pajamas — sounds like you could use some succor!

In archaic times, succor meant a reinforcement of troops during a hard battle.

These days though, those reinforcements are a bit more figurative. Succor is a
helping hand in a time of need, relief when the going gets tough. Succor can also
be used as a verb, as in, "After Bob fell overboard, he was saved — succored by a
life preserver."

myopic

Myopic is an adjective meaning shortsighted in every sense. Whether you need

glasses or a new attitude, if you can't see the forest for the trees, you're myopic.

Myopic began as a description of the condition that made people squint and was
easily cured with a pair of pink cat-eye glasses, but it came to include people or
plans with a lack of foresight. Although it's good to live in the moment, it's not a
compliment to be called myopic — a myopic party host might have festive
decorations but no food for hungry guests, and myopic students have no interest in
anything beyond what's on the test. In terms of pronunciation: it's a
tomato/tomahto word: pronounce it "my-OP-ick" or "my-OH-pick," although that
short o sound is preferred.

tunnel vision

visual impairment involving a loss of peripheral vision

Assistant Public Defender Crystal Carbellos told jurors nothing tied her client to
the crime, adding investigators suffered from “tunnel vision” in targeting Williams.

second-guess

When you second-guess something, you either predict what will happen in the
future, or look back and reevaluate something that happened in the past. You might
second-guess your decision to wear shorts after it starts snowing.

You can second-guess how your favorite player will perform in the Super Bowl,
but you won't know until you watch the game. And then you might second-guess
the way your team played. The first use of second-guess has you guessing what
someone will do. The second, which is more common in the U.S., comes from
baseball slang, "for a fan who loudly questions decisions by players."\

payroll

A company's payroll is a complete list of everyone who works there and how much
money they make. The small coffee shop where you work might have just four
employees on its payroll.

Any business or organization with a paid staff has a payroll. A school's payroll
might include the principal, teachers, office workers, school nurse, and
maintenance workers, for example. You can also use the term payroll for the entire
amount of money that a company pays its workers over the course of a year, or for
the department that calculates these salaries and hands out paychecks.

payola

When a radio station is paid money in exchange for frequently playing a certain
song, that's payola. If you bribe your local disc jockey to feature your latest hip hop
track on her morning show, it's payola.
Any media exposure that's secretly paid for is considered payola, although it's most
common in the music industry. Radio stations can be legally paid to play music,
but that has to be made clear during the broadcast — otherwise, it's illegal. The
word payola, from "pay off," has been around since the 1930s, and in 1959, the US
Senate launched the Congressional Payola Investigations, making payola a legal
term (and a misdemeanor).

payload

Payload is what a vehicle carries. If you have a plane with a payload of one ton,
then that plane can carry one ton (including you and the snacks you may bring
aboard).

Often, payload is estimated to be everything on board a vehicle that's worth money,

or that produces income for the vehicle's owner. In the case of a commercial jet,
that might be all the paying passengers. In other cases, a truck, ship, or plane's
payload includes every single person and item on board, including the flight crew
and fuel. From about 1936, payload frequently referred to bombs carried by a
military plane or missile.

whittle

To whittle is to pare or carve away. Wood carvers whittle pieces of wood,

removing bit by bit until what's left is a sailor with a yellow raincoat or a lone wolf
howling at the moon.

Whittle can also mean to reduce an amount or number of items. In this sense, it is
commonly paired with the words away or down. A courtroom attorney might
"whittle away" at a defendant's alibi until the truth emerges. You might "whittle
down" a to-do list or "whittle away" at your student loan debt every month. But
only a highly skilled wood carver can whittle a chunk of pine into that old salty
dog with a yellow raincoat.

whet

To whet is to sharpen. You could whet a knife's blade with a whetting stone, or you
could whet your appetite by having some Doritos.
The verb whet can mean "to stimulate or make more acute," and the word is often
used in the phrase "whet [your] appetite," which can be used literally or
figuratively. You could serve light appetizers to whet everyone's appetite for
dinner or you could whet an actor's appetite by giving him a small role that inspires
him for greater roles. You can whet other things in this sense as well — such as
curiosity, fear, or pleasure.

suffrage

Suffrage is the right to vote in public elections. Universal suffrage means everyone
gets to vote, as opposed to only men, or property holders. Suffrage has nothing to
do with "suffering," unless the wrong person is elected.

Female supporters of women's suffrage in 1906 were called suffragettes, because

the French suffix –ette was trendy back then. But nowadays words with -ette are
shunned because they imply the inferiority of women. So it seems that female
supporters of a woman's right to vote were referred to by a sexist term.

pejorative

Call a word or phrase pejorative if it is used as a disapproving expression or a term

of abuse. Tree-hugger is a pejorative term for an environmentalist.

Coming from the Latin word for "worse," pejorative is both an adjective and a
noun. As an adjective, it means disapproving or disparaging. Hack is a pejorative
term for a bad writer. If you call someone a politician in the pejorative sense, you
mean that they are scheming and out for personal gain. Terms of abuse such as jerk
and negative euphemisms such as bottom feeder are pejoratives, words you use
when you want to call someone a bad name.

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seamstress

A seamstress is a person whose job involves sewing clothing. You could be a

seamstress if you hem your own pants, but most seamstresses work in factories
sewing garments using sewing machines.
Traditionally, a seamstress was a woman who sewed seams in clothes using a
machine, or occasionally by hand. Seamstresses weren't considered as skilled as a
dressmaker, who makes custom clothing, or a tailor, who alters clothes to fit a
specific person. Each of these titles is a distinct job, but they are commonly used
interchangeably. Some people use the newer, unisex term sewist instead of
seamstress.

lopsided

Something that's lopsided is crooked or off-balance, like your grandma's lopsided

hat, which sits askew on her head.

You can use the adjective lopsided to describe things that are crooked or
asymmetrical. A bad toothache might cause one side of your jaw to swell, leaving
your face feeling — and looking — lopsided. Your might say that your school's
student council election is lopsided if one candidate is clearly more qualified than
the other. The word lopsided was originally lapsided, and in the early 1700s it
almost always referred to a tilting ship.

beguile

To beguile is to trick someone, either with deception or with irresistible charm and
beauty. You could be beguiled by a super model or by a super con artist.

Beguile doesn't always mean that the person or thing beguiling is tricking you, but
there is a sense with this word of enchantment that takes away the viewer's normal
powers of judgment. A beautiful place or idea can beguile as easily as a person.
You might be so beguiled by the idea of a picnic on the beach that you forgot there
are two feet of snow on the ground.

facetious

If someone is being facetious they’re being playful with an edge. A knock-knock

joke isn’t facetious, but if you call it the most advanced form of comedy, you’re
probably being facetious.

facetious
The word facetious describes something you don't take seriously. Remove the
middle "e," and factious describes a dissenting group. And finally there's fatuous,
which is a fancy way to say dumb.

The word facetious comes from the French facétie for “joke,” and has come to
describe a joke with a little drop of sarcasm. It used to imply “funny and witty,” as
in, “Oh what a facetious chap!” But now it has taken on a darker tone, like a joke
that’s not quite appropriate. Whether appreciated or not, facetious things are not
for real.

facetious/factious/fatuous

The word facetious describes something you don't take seriously. Remove the
middle "e," and factious describes a dissenting group. And finally there's fatuous,
which is a fancy way to say dumb.

Someone who is facetious (fuh-see-shus) is only joking. If you tell your mom you
want Brussels sprouts with every meal, make sure it's clear you're being facetious
if you actually don't like Barbie cabbage. Facetious remarks are sometimes
inappropriate too. Facetious in the wild:

"Granted, many of the Lent-related Twitter posts are likely facetious, so the list is
to be taken with a grain of salt." (Time)

"If you're going to be facetious, really pour on the sarcasm so that hardly anyone
could mistake your tone." (Forbes)

A factious (fak-shus) group disagrees with the mainstream and breaks off into a
smaller group of angry rebels. A factious group doesn't have to be angry, but it
helps. It's a word often used in politics -- in fact, it comes from the Latin factionem
for "political party." Factious issues divide people. Examples:
"It was the arbitrary invention of a particular time and place — the factious and
violent medieval church." (Time)

"He first of all required them to banish Fénelon from their house as being a
factious and rebellious person." (Dawson, William LeSueur)

The word fatuous (fah-chus) means silly, foolish, and maybe a little bit smug. In a
debate, you might call your opponent's response fatuous. Here are examples:

"They realized then what a silly, fatuous thing it was to do, going out and killing
rare birds." (Scientific American)

"Not to mention his fatuous conflation of Marxism, Freemasonry and Judaism."

(Salon)

Don't take anything facetious on its face because it's not serious. Reserve factious
for factions. And fatuous? Totally foolish.

kosher

In Jewish law, food must be ritually cleaned and prepared in order to be kosher, or
fit to eat. Today, it can also mean anything that is proper or legitimate. Is it kosher
to date your best friend's ex? Depends on who you ask.

The word kosher, literally meaning “clean” or “pure,” refers to food that has been
ritually prepared or blessed so it can be eaten by religious Jews. It comes from the
Hebrew word kasher, meaning "proper" or "lawful," and became common in
English in the mid-19th Century. It can be used as an adjective, for example,
"kosher meat." In the mid-1920's, the word took on a more general meaning, used
to refer to anything that was acceptable.

primer

A primer gets you ready for what comes next. You could use one kind of primer
when you are learning to read, or another kind when you are preparing to paint a
room.

Any way you use the word primer, it's a first step or preparation for something
else. There's primer you use before painting, and an engine primer that prepares a
machine to be started. In these examples, primer rhymes with timer. When primer
describes an introductory textbook, it rhymes with dimmer. In the 14th century, a
primer was a prayer book. This word comes from primus, the Latin word for first.

contagion

Have you ever noticed how when one person yawns, the people around him tend to
do so as well? This phenomenon can be described as a contagion, the spreading of
an emotional or mental state (in this case, fatigue).

Contagion can apply not only to the spread of emotions but also to the spread of
disease. If you’re feeling sick, you should stay home to reduce the risk of
contagion. (Be sure to use the word contagion when you call in sick; it’s a great
opportunity to impress people with your vocabulary.) Contagion is akin to the
word contagious, an adjective describing things that spread from person to person,
like certain diseases... and yawning.

stratagem

A stratagem is a scheme or a clever plot. You can have a stratagem for winning a
chess game, getting the girl (or boy), and avoiding a punishment. However, your
opponents, crushes, and parents may have a trick or two of their own.

Sometimes a stratagem is a gem of an idea, really clever and worth trying. Great
generals start a battle plan with a stratagem, and businesses might have a stratagem
for making more money. A stratagem is often a trick or a way to deceive an enemy
or get something through a plot or ploy, but it can also mean just a great idea that
outwits someone. Your teacher probably has a stratagem for helping you remember
and spell words.

incendiary

An incendiary device is a bomb. An incendiary statement is, "You're ugly and

stupid." Both are likely to produce an explosion of one kind or another.

Incendiary means more than flammable. It means explosive, in both a literal and
figurative way. If you're a radical who changes the world by exciting people and
makes as many enemies as followers, you're an incendiary figure. The speeches
you give that rile people up are incendiary. The fires you set are also incendiary,
and by setting them you are also likely to be called an incendiary — someone who
burns things, more commonly known as an arsonist.

minutia

The tiny details of anything can be called minutiae. Minutia — which you'll
usually see as minutiae, the plural version — is a little like trivia.

Notice how minutia almost has the word mini in it? That's a good clue to the
meaning, which is "small things or details." People who are sports fans tend to love
minutiae — like what a player's batting average is, right down to the third decimal
point. Anytime you're dealing with itty-bitty details, you're looking at minutiae.

anodyne

When your back is killing you from helping your friend move furniture into his
new apartment, you need to take an anodyne, a painkiller.

An anodyne doesn’t have to be actual medicine. If the pure joy of helping your
friend is soothing enough to make you forget your aching back, that counts as an
anodyne too (though perhaps an unlikely one). Anodyne can also be used as an
adjective to describe something that relieves pain, or is at least inoffensive. When
you’re stressed out or unhappy, try looking at anodyne pictures of kittens. Er,
unless you had a bad experience with a cat once.

panacea
If someone offers you a pill that promises eternal life, don’t take the pill. It’s a
panacea, a remedy that falsely claims to solve every problem ever.

The Greek word pan means “all” (think of a panorama, a view where you can see
everywhere). The Greek word for “cure” is akēs (which looks like the word
“aches”). Those are the roots of panacea, a cure for all aches. But a panacea
doesn’t really cure everything; it just acts like it can. Use the word to describe an
unbelievable solution, like a new law that will make everyone rich, or a robot that
does your homework for you.

aseptic

If something is aseptic it is sterile, sanitized, or otherwise clean of infectious

organisms. Hospitals make every effort to keep operating rooms aseptic so that
patients don’t contract infections after surgery.

The prefix “a-” almost always means that a word means the opposite of its base.
The adjective aseptic, “a-” plus the root “septic,” describes anything that is not
septic or is without sepsis. The origin of septic is the Greek word septikos meaning
“characterized by putrefaction.” Putrefaction is the rot that happens to flesh after it
dies, and when something is aseptic it is free of any rot, filth, bacteria or viruses
that could cause disease or death.

ascetic

Want to live an ascetic lifestyle? Then you better ditch the flat panel TV and fuzzy
slippers. To be ascetic, you learn to live without; it's all about self-denial.

Ascetic is derived from the Greek asketes, meaning “monk,” or “hermit.” Later
that became asketikos, meaning “rigorously self-disciplined,” which gives us the
Modern English ascetic. Ascetic can be a noun: a person with incredible self-
discipline and the ability to deprive herself, or an adjective that describes such a
people or their lifestyle.

wheedle

To wheedle is to sweet talk, or flatter someone in the hopes of getting something in

return. You might try to wheedle a meter maid into not giving you a parking ticket.
Good luck with that.
If you want your parents to do something for you that they don’t want to do, you
may have to wheedle them with breakfast in bed and a shower of compliments in
order to get what you want. To wheedle someone is to “charm” that person, though
it’s a little more on the “suck up to” side than it is charming. The teacher’s pet
might try to wheedle her way into a better grade.