Put in a good word

[bouquin]

Learned a new word recently? Share it by posting it here; give its definition.... and hey, gotta live dangerously, right?.... use it in a sentence. :thumbs_up

I'll have the first word ;)

Gelid - very cold; icy.

The wicked witch rested her gelid fingers on the newborn baby's bald head.

[ntropyincarnate]

limacine - of, relating to, or resembling a slug

The limacine couch potato is distressed, he cannot reach the remote.

[ntropyincarnate]

I've got another one!

gustation - the act or sensation of tasting

The gustation of the chocolate cream pie almost made me lose consciousness last night...just kidding :D

I love new vocabulary! Is anyone else going to join in?

[bouquin]

Tyro - a novice; neophyte; a beginner in learning anything. (from Latin tiro, meaning 'recruit').

The ten-year-old tyro from Turkey has just unseated the long-time undisputed World Cheese Chomping champion.

[bouquin]

Oppugn - to assail by criticism, argument, or action; to call in question; to dispute, oppose, contradict.

The employees oppugned management's decision to close the factory in Florida.

[bouquin]

Vulpine - of or resembling a fox; cunning or crafty.

The vulpine vagabond stole the unsuspecting students' sandwiches.

[ntropyincarnate]

decorticate - peel

I can't eat apples unless they are decorticated.

[bouquin]

philippic - any speech or discourse of bitter denunciation; a tirade.

The preacher's philippic concerning church members who marry non-believers was ardently applauded by the elders.

[bouquin]

fusty :
- having a stale smell; moldy; musty.
- old fashioned or out-of-date, as architecture, furnishings, or the like.
- stubbornly conservative or old-fashioned; fogyish.

The little old lady refused to let go of her family's fusty furniture.


___________________
"The trouble is, you get used to hell," ...
~ from THE FIFTH CHILD (by Doris Lessing)

[Ryduce]

Disport-To frolic or amuse.

[bouquin]

internecine :
- of or pertaining to conflict or struggle within a group, organization, or nation.
- mutually destructive; ruinous or fatal to both sides.
- characterized by great slaughter; deadly.
(origin: Latin - to kill out, exterminate)

The megacorporation collapsed because of incessant internecine clashes among its major stockholders.

________________________________
currently reading : The Facts Behind The Helsinki Roccamatios and Other Stories (by Yann Martel)

[bouquin]

persiflage
- light, bantering talk or writing.
- a frivolous or flippant style of treating a subject.

The young man's persiflage did not endear him to his girlfriend's grandfather.

____________________________
currently reading : Billy Bathgate (by E.L. Doctorow)

[*Classic*Charm*]

discalciate (sp?)

to take off one's shoes.

[Tournesol]

Insouciant [adj]: casually unconcerned

Her insouciant reaction spoke volumes about her real affections towards him.

[mickitaz]

agglomerating: a mass of things clustered together.

agglomerating objects into unweidly groups (The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Victor Hugo pg 81

[bouquin]

egregious
- extraordinary in some bad way; glaring; flagrant.

The couturier's egregious summer collection did not daunt his most faithful clients from buying his creations.


_________________________

The last thing we want to admit is that the bickering of the playground perfectly presages the machinations of the boardroom, that our social hierarchies are merely an extension of who got picked first for the kickball team, and that grown-ups still get divided into bullies and fatties and crybabies. What's a kid to find out?
( We Need To Talk About Kevin - - by Lionel Shriver)

[bouquin]

sententious
- adjective
1. abounding in pithy aphorisms or maxims.
2. given to excessive moralizing; self-righteous.

- Synonyms : preachy, didactic, sanctimonious, moralistic


_______________________
currently reading :
The Hound of the Baskervilles
- by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

[bouquin]

parvenu
- noun
1. a person who has recently or suddenly acquired wealth, importance, position, or the like, but has not yet developed the conventionally appropriate manners, dress, surroundings, etc.



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currently reading : A Clockwork Orange (by Anthony Burgess)

[bej6s]

contumacy
- Obstinate or contemptuous resistance to authority; stubborn rebelliousness.

[bouquin]

lucubration :
- noun
1. laborious work, study, thought, etc., esp. at night.
2. a learned speech or dissertation.
3. Often, lucubrations : any literary effort, esp. of a pretentious or solemn nature.



_______________________
Currently reading :
Life of Pi (by Yann Martel)

[CognitiveArtist]

ostentatious

Adj. 1. intended to attract notice and impress others; "an ostentatious sable coat"

2. (of a display) tawdry or vulgar

[bouquin]

goombah :
- noun Slang.
1. a companion or associate, esp. an older person who mentors and advises; a godfather.
2. a member of a criminal organization.

Origin : probably alteration of Italian compare (godfather)

[CognitiveArtist]

Interdict

1. To prohibit or place under an ecclesiastical or legal sanction.
2. To forbid or debar, especially authoritatively.

[bouquin]

kibitz :
- verb
1. to offer advice or criticism.
2. to look on and offer unwanted, usually meddlesome advice to others.
3. to chat; converse.

[bouquin]

termagant :
- noun
1. a violent, turbulent, nagging, bad-tempered woman.
2. (initial capital letter) a mythical deity popularly believed in the Middle Ages to be worshipped by the Muslims and introduced into the morality play as a violent, overbearing personage in long robes.
- adjective
3. violent; turbulent; brawling; scolding; shrewish.

- Synonyms : shrew, virago, harridan, scold.

[Origin : alteration of Tervagan name of the imaginary deity.]


_________________________
Currently reading : The Poisonwood Bible (by Barbara Kingsolver)

[bouquin]

cabal :
- noun
1. a small group of secret plotters, as against a government or person in authority.
2. the plots and schemes of such a group; intrigue.
3. a clique, as in artistic, literary, or theatrical circles.
- verb
4. to conspire; plot

- Synonyms : junta, faction, band, league, ring.

[asilef73]

somnambulate:
–verb
to walk during sleep; sleepwalk.

[bouquin]

palooka :
- noun
1. an incompetent or easily-defeated athlete, esp. a boxer; mediocre prizefighter.
2. a stupid, clumsy person.

[Origin : 1920-25, Americanism, orig. uncertain]

[bouquin]

mendacious :
- adjective
1. dishonest, lying, untruthful.
2. false, untrue.




______________________________
Currently reading : The Winter's Tale (by William Shakespeare)

[djy78usa]

Absquatulate (verb):

To make off, decamp, or abscond

Dactylonomy (noun):

The art of counting on the fingers (not just using each finger to count to ten, but using each knuckle, joint, and bone, allowing the skilled dactylonomist to count up to 9,999

[bouquin]

Interesting words there, djy!



contumely :
- noun
1. insulting display of contempt in words or actions; contemptuous or humiliating treatment.
2. a humiliating insult.

- Synonyms : abuse, scorn, disdain, rudeness

[bouquin]

arrant :
- adjective
1. downright; thorough; unmitigated; notorious: an arrant malefactor
2. wandering; errant

- Synonyms : thoroughgoing, utter, confirmed, flagrant

[Pendragon]

dearth)


noun: an insufficient quantity or number


What I like about this forum is the dearth of boring people! :D

[bouquin]

hubris :
-noun
1. overbearing pride or presumption; arrogance.

Origin : Greek > hybris = insolence.

[bouquin]

locum :
- noun
1. someone (esp. doctor, dentist, clergyman) who substitutes temporarily for another member of the same profession.

[bouquin]

effete :
- adjective
1. marked by self-indulgence, triviality; lacking in wholesome vigor; degenerate; decadent: an effete society.
2. worn out; no longer productive.

- Synonyms : enervated, debilitated




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Currently reading : Six Young Filipino Martyrs (edited by Asuncion David Maramba)

[bouquin]

peroration :
- noun
1. a long speech characterized by lofty and pompous language.

[bouquin]

verboten :
- adj.
1. forbidden, prohibited.
2. excluded from use or mention.






______________________________
When we're all gone at last then there'll be nobody here but death and his days will be numbered too. He'll be out in the road there with nothing to do and nobody to do it to. He'll say: Where did everybody go?
~ from The Road (by Cormac McCarthy)

[bouquin]

caliginous :
-adj.
1. misty, dim, dark.


______________________________
Currently reading : Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture (by Apostolos Doxiadis)

[qimissung]

mundanity: the quality of being ordinary

I know the word mundane, but I didn't know for sure if it was an accepted suffix; apparently it is (although my spell check is a bit wary of it!)

One of the mundanities of life is looking things up in the dictionary.

And wow, bouquin, I am deeply impressed with your voracious curiosity about words!

[bouquin]

muliebrity :
- noun
1. womanly nature or qualities.
2. womanhood.

[Origin : Latin; deriv. of mulier = woman]



hi qimissung! I'm glad that you have the same curiosity!

[qimissung]

Hi Bouquin! I love words, too!

I did not know that peroration was a long speech characterized by lofty and pompous language! Although I did know that you can give a speech about nothing at all and people will nod and clap-it's been done and studied, although I've forgotten the particulars I'm sure peroration figured in it somewhere! :)

Where are you finding all these unusual words-in books your reading? Curious minds want to know.

[qimissung]

a priori (adj.)-from a general law to a particular instance. Valid independently.

Here's the sentence I read it in:
I think that a reading is as legitimate as it is useful or convincing; there doesn't have to be some kind of proof that the reading is a priori legitimized by the text.

[bouquin]

Hi Bouquin! I love words, too!

I did not know that peroration was a long speech characterized by lofty and pompous language! Although I did know that you can give a speech about nothing at all and people will nod and clap-it's been done and studied, although I've forgotten the particulars I'm sure peroration figured in it somewhere! :)

Where are you finding all these unusual words-in books your reading? Curious minds want to know.



I pick up these words from books I read. So far, the book from which i culled the most new words (for me, anyway) was Nabokov's Lolita.

[qimissung]

lucerne

noun
important European leguminous forage plant with trifoliate leaves and blue-violet flowers grown widely as a pasture and hay crop [syn: alfalfa]

[wilbur lim]

Surfeit-a too huge amount

[wilbur lim]

Dupe-fool;trick

[wilbur lim]

Hither-here(old-fashioned)

[bouquin]

miscegenation :
- noun
1. marriage or cohabitation between a man and woman of different races.
2. the mixing of races by interbreeding.




________________________________
'If only there could be an invention ... that bottled up a memory, like scent. And it never faded, and it never got stale. And then, when one wanted it, the bottle could be uncorked, and it would be like living the moment all over again.'
- Rebecca (by Daphne du Maurier)

[qimissung]

au·to·di·dact /ˌɔtoʊˈdaɪdækt, -daɪˈdækt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[aw-toh-dahy-dakt, -dahy-dakt]
–noun
a person who has learned a subject without the benefit of a teacher or formal education; a self-taught person.

[qimissung]

meme
n. A unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another.

[bouquin]

prolix :
extended to great, unnecessary, or tedious length; long and wordy.

[djy78usa]

Gadzookery \gad-ˈzü-kə-rē\ (n)

The use of archaisms (as in a historical novel)

This is my new favorite word.

[bouquin]

terpsichorean :
1. of or relating to dancing.
2. a dancer.

[bouquin]

hidebound :
- adjective
1. narrow and rigid in opinion; inflexible; stubbornly prejudiced.
2. oriented toward or confined to the past; extremely and obstinately conservative.




________________________________
Currently reading : T. C. Boyle Stories

[bouquin]

callipygian :
- adjective
1. having beautifully proportioned buttocks. Also, callipygous.

[Origin: Greek kallipugos : kalli (beautiful) + pugé (buttocks)]

[bouquin]

exegesis :
- noun
1. Critical explanation or interpretation of a text, esp. of the Bible.




____________________________________
Currently reading : MASTER AND MAN and Other Stories (by Leo Tolstoy)

[bouquin]

peculate :
- verb
1. to steal money (esp. public funds) or property entrusted to one's care; embezzle.

[wilbur lim]

Befit (adj)-suit

[bouquin]

bathetic :
- adjective
1. effusively or insincerely emotional; maudlin; mawkish.

[qimissung]

Eponymous

1. The hypothetical individual who is assumed as the person from whom any race, city, etc., took its name; as, Hellen is an eponym of the Hellenes.

2. A name, as of a people, country, and the like, derived from that of an individual.

[qimissung]

brack·ish
adj.

1. Having a somewhat salty taste, especially from containing a mixture of seawater and fresh water: "You could cut the brackish winds with a knife/Here in Nantucket" (Robert Lowell).
2. Distasteful; unpalatable: a thin, brackish gruel.

[wilbur lim]

Immutable
adj.

1.Unchangeable

[bouquin]

pernickety :
- adjective
1. characterized by excessive precision and attention to trivial details; precise, fastidious.

[bouquin]

casuistry :
- noun
1. specious, deceptive, or excessively subtle reasoning, esp. in matters of morality; fallacious or dishonest application of general principles.
2. the determination of right and wrong in questions of conduct or conscience by analyzing cases that illustrate general ethical rules.




__________________________________
Currently reading : Last Orders (by Graham Swift)

[bouquin]

ballyhoo :
-noun
1. a clamorous and vigorous attempt to win customers or advance any cause; blatant or sensational advertising or publicity.
2. noisy shouting or uproar.

-Synonyms : buildup, fanfare, hoopla, hype.

[Haven]

Bodacious

Remarkable, spirited, audacious, bold

According to wiki... probably a mix of bold and audacious


Who is the gaucho amigo
Why is he standing
In your spangled leather poncho
And your elevator shoes
Bodacious cowboys
Such as your friend
Will never be welcome here
High in the Custerdome

from Gaucho by Steely Dan

[bouquin]

dithyrambic :
- adjective
1. wildly enthusiastic; boisterous.
2. wildly irregular in form.

[wilbur lim]

Malignant adj
1.Evil

[bouquin]

obloquy :
- noun
1. censure, reproach, or abusive language aimed at a person or thing, esp. by numerous persons.
2. disgrace suffered as a result of abuse or vilification; state of ill-repute.

- synonyms : blame, calumny, aspersion, revilement.

- origin : from Late Latin obloquium = abusive contradiction.

[bouquin]

coruscate :
- verb
1. to give forth vivid flashes of light; sparkle; scintillate; glitter.

- origin : Latin coruscare = to quiver, flash.





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Currently reading : A Room with a View (by E. M. Forster)

[bouquin]

sedulous :
- adjective
1. diligent in effort or application; assiduous; persevering.

Synonyms : constant, persistent, tireless.




_____________________________
Currently reading : Out of Africa (by Karen Blixen)

[bouquin]

shibboleth
- noun
1. a peculiarity of pronuncation, behavior, custom, mode of dress, etc., that distinguishes people of one group or class from those of another.
2. a word or phrase identified with a particular group or cause; a slogan, catchword.




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Currently reading: The Hours (by Michael Cunningham)

[bouquin]

moxie :
- noun (slang)
1. the ability to face difficulty with spirit and courage.
2. aggressive energy; vigor; verve; pep; initiative.
3. skill; know-how; expertise.

[Haven]

Synchronicity

Synchronicity is an explanatory principle, according to its creator, Carl Jung. Synchronicity explains "meaningful coincidences," such as a beetle flying into his room while a patient was describing a dream about a scarab. The scarab is an Egyptian symbol of rebirth, he noted. Therefore, the propitious moment of the flying beetle indicated that the transcendental meaning of both the scarab in the dream and the insect in the room was that the patient needed to be liberated from her excessive rationalism. His notion of synchronicity is that there is an acausal principle that links events having a similar meaning by their coincidence in time rather than sequentially. He claimed that there is a synchrony between the mind and the phenomenal world of perception.

http://skepdic.com/jung.html

I always liked that word. But this is the best explaination of it. Did not know it was created by Carl Jung !

[bouquin]

peremptory :
- adjective
1. imperative; not allowing contradiction, refusal or denial: a peremptory command.
2. dictatorial; imperious: a swaggering, peremptory manner.

- Synonyms : bossy, dogmatic, masterful, overbearing, authoritative

[bouquin]

inveigh :
- verb
1. to protest vehemently; to speak against in an impassioned manner; to give vent to angry disapproval.

- Synonyms : castigate, harangue, condemn

- Origin : Latin > invehi = to attack with words.




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Currently reading: Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids (by Kenzaburô Oé)

[optimisticnad]

Bescumber (verb)

To spray with poo.

e.g I bescumber you all!!!

;-)

[bouquin]

chicanery :
- noun
1. trickery or deception by quibbling or sophistry.

- Synonyms : artifice, cunning, ploy, ruse

- Origin : French > chicanerie = trickery

[bouquin]

viaticum :
- noun
1. the Eucharist or Communion given to a dying person or one in danger of death.
2. (Rom. Antiq.) a provision or allowance for traveling made to officials who were sent into the provinces on public missions.
3. supply or provisions for a journey.




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Currently reading : Bel Canto (by Ann Patchett)

[bouquin]

numinous :
- adjective
1. spiritual, supernatural; mysterious.
2. spiritually elevated; sublime.




__________________________________
Currently reading : The Map of Love (by Ahdaf Soueif)

[bouquin]

lucullan :
- adjective
1. lavish, luxurious, sumptuous.




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Currently reading : The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick (by Peter Handke)

[bouquin]

anthropomorphism :
- noun
1. the representation of objects (esp. a god) as having human form or traits; attribution of human motivation, characteristics, or behavior to inanimate objects, animals, or natural phenomena.




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Currently reading : Collected Stories (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)

[Thespian1975]

Quondam - Former, Once was.

[jekan blazer]

polymorphanucleatedphagilisticleucocite: (noun) a white blood cell


:banana:

[bouquin]

coterie :
- noun
1. a small, often select group of persons who associate with one another closely and frequently; a clique.

- synonyms : clan, clique, club, gang, inner circle, pack, ring, society.




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Currently reading: The Good Soldier (by Ford Madox Ford)

[bouquin]

perspicuous :
- adjective
1. lucid; easy to understand; clearly expressed or presented.

- synonyms : clear-cut, intelligible, explicit




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Currently reading: La Reine du Silence by Marie Nimier

[bouquin]

scurrilous
- adjective
1. grossly or obscenely abusive
2. characterized by coarse or vulgar language; coarsely derisive

- synonyms: vituperative, insulting, offensive, foul-mouthed.




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Currently reading: What a Carve Up! (by Jonathan Coe)

[DanielBenoit]

polymorphanucleatedphagilisticleucocite: (noun) a white blood cell


:banana:

lol!


concomitant: Accompanying, happening at the same time or as a result of something else.


Love this thread!

[bouquin]

meretricious
- adjective
1. attracting attention in a vulgar or flashy manner.
2. based on falsehoold, pretense, deception, or insincerity.
3. pertaining to a prostitute or prostitution.

- synonyms: tawdry, gaudy; sham, spurious




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Currently reading: THE DIAMOND AS BIG AS THE RITZ and Other Stories (by F. Scott Fitzgerald)

[Lynne50]

sanguine...adj.



bloodred...'ruddy' complexion

Synonyms....confident, optimistic

[bouquin]

pulchritude
- noun
1. great physical beauty; comeliness, loveliness.

[tailor STATELY]

susurrus - noun
su⋅sur⋅rus [soo-sur-uhs]
plural - su⋅sur⋅rus⋅es. a soft murmuring or rustling sound; whisper.

In the great hall, before the Sacrament meeting started, the congregational tone was a reverent susurrus of fellowship greeting.

Autumn leaves dancing along the ground in a light breeze engage in a soft susurrus of sound.

(note: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onomatopoeia)

[bouquin]

valetudinarian

- noun : an invalid; a person who is excessively concerned about his or her poor health or ailments.

- adjective : in poor health; chronically ailing; constantly and morbidly concerned with one's health.





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Currently reading: Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha (by Roddy Doyle)

[bouquin]

paean

- noun : any song of praise, joy or triumph.


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Currently reading: DEATH IN VENICE & Other Stories (Thomas Mann)

[bouquin]

adjuration

- noun : an earnest request; entreaty.




_______________________
Currently reading: Le Liseur (by Bernhard Schlink)

[bouquin]

concatenate

- verb : to link together; to connect in a series or chain.

- adjective : linked together, as in a chain.