Wednesday, June 19, 2013
nadir
|ˈnādər; ˈnādi(ə)r|noun [in sing. ]the lowest point in the fortunes of a person or organization : they had reached the nadir of their sufferings.• Astronomy the point on the celestial sphere directly below an observer. The opposite of zenith .
Sunday, June 16, 2013
wan
|wän|adjective(of a person's complexion or appearance) pale and giving the impression of illness or exhaustion : she was looking wan and bleary-eyed. See note at pale .• (of light) pale; weak : the wan dawn light.• (of a smile) weak; strained.• poetic/literary (of the sea) without luster; dark andgloomy.
foyer
|ˈfoiər; ˈfoiˌā|nounan entrance hall or other open area in a building used by the public, esp. a hotel or theater.• an entrance hall in a house or apartment.
sclera
|ˈskli(ə)rə|noun Anatomythe white outer layer of the eyeball. At the front of the eye it is continuous with the cornea.
orchidaceous
orchidaceous |ˌôrkiˈdā sh əs|adjective Botanyof, relating to, or denoting plants of the orchid family (Orchidaceae).
tumescent
tumescent |t(y)oōˈmesənt|adjectiveswollen or becoming swollen, esp. as a response to sexual arousal.• figurative (esp. of language or literary style) pompous or pretentious; tumid : his prose is tumescent, full of orotund language.
anthracite
anthracite |ˈanθrəˌsīt|nouncoal of a hard variety that contains relatively pure carbon and burns with little flame and smoke. Also called hard coal .
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Thursday, June 6, 2013
propinquity
|prəˈpi ng kwətē|noun1 the state of being close to someone or something;proximity : he kept his distance as though afraid propinquity might lead him into temptation.2 technical close kinship.
Monday, June 3, 2013
vicissitude
|vəˈsisəˌt(y)oōd|noun (usu. vicissitudes)a change of circumstances or fortune, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant : her husband's sharp vicissitudes of fortune.• poetic/literary alternation between opposite or contrasting things : the vicissitude of the seasons.
mezzanine
|ˈmezəˌnēn; ˌmezəˈnēn|nouna low story between two others in a building, typically between the ground and first floors.• the lowest balcony of a theater, stadium, etc., or the front rows of the balcony.adjective [ attrib. ] Financerelating to or denoting unsecured, higher-yielding loans that are subordinate to bank loans and secured loans but rank above equity.
rutilant
|ˈroōtl-ənt|adjective poetic/literaryglowing or glittering with red or golden light : rutilant gems.
fasces
|ˈfasˌēz|plural noun historical(in ancient Rome) a bundle of rods with a projectingax blade, carried by a lictor as a symbol of amagistrate's power.
• (in Fascist Italy) such items used as emblems of authority.
• (in Fascist Italy) such items used as emblems of authority.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
supernal
|səˈpərnl|adjective chiefly poetic/literaryof or relating to the sky or the heavens; celestial.• of exceptional quality or extent : he is the supernalpoet of our age | supernal erudition.
ultimate thule
1. The northernmost region of the habitable world as thought of by ancient geographers.
2. A distant territory or destination.
3. A remote goal or ideal: "the ultima Thule of technology, the ne plus ultra . . . the answer to every earthly problem" (John Gould).
|
spansule
|ˈspansoōl|noun trademarka capsule that when swallowed releases one or more medicinal drugs over a set period.
succor
|ˈsəkər| ( Brit. succour)nounassistance and support in times of hardship and distress.• ( succors) archaic reinforcements of troops.verb [ trans. ]give assistance or aid to : prisoners of war were liberated and succored.
cadre
|ˈkadrē; ˈkäd-; -ˌrā|nouna small group of people specially trained for a particular purpose or profession : a small cadre of scientists.• a group of activists in a communist or other revolutionary organization.• a member of such a group.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
callow
|ˈkalō|adjective(esp. of a young person) inexperienced and immature :earnest and callow undergraduates. See notes at gullible, rude, youthful .
sine qua non
sine qua non |ˌsini ˌkwä ˈnōn; ˌsini ˌkwä ˈnän|nounan essential condition; a thing that is absolutely necessary : grammar and usage are the sine qua non of language teaching and learning.
satyriasis
|ˌsatəˈrīəsis; ˌsā-|noununcontrollable or excessive sexual desire in a man.Compare with nymphomania .
languor
|ˈla ng (g)ər|noun1 the state or feeling, often pleasant, of tiredness orinertia : he remembered the languor and warm happiness ofthose golden afternoons.2 an oppressive stillness of the air : the afternoon was hot, quiet, and heavy with languor.
regale
|riˈgāl|verb [ trans. ]entertain or amuse (someone) with talk : he regaled herwith a colorful account of that afternoon's meeting.• lavishly supply (someone) with food or drink : he was regaled with excellent home cooking.
avant la lettre
- (The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought): (idiomatic) Before the term was coined; used after a term applied anachronistically.
- Suffragettes were feminists avant la lettre. — Suffragettes were feminists before the word "feminist" existed.
- [The events of 1848] were transmuted into a symbol of fraternal multiculturalism avant la lettre.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)