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 .

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).

septuagenarian

|ˌsep ch oōəjəˈne(ə)rēən|nouna person who is from 70 to 79 years old.

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 .

roué

|roōˈā|nouna debauched man, esp. an elderly one.

paucity

paucity |ˈpôsitē|noun [in sing. ]the presence of something only in small or insufficient quantities or amounts; scarcity : a paucity ofinformation.

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.

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.

fasces

• (in Fascist Italy) such items used as emblems of authority.

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.

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

1. (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.