Monday, August 31, 2009

August '09 List of Today's Word

My favorites this month are catechresis, Laodicean, and Xanthippe.

I challenge you to create a sentence using at least six of these words--without falling into a catechresis.

POCOCURANTE (poh-coh-cyu-RAHN--tee) adj.--unconcerned, indifferent, nonchalant.

NYCTALOPIA (nik-tal-OH-pee-uh) noun: reduced vision in dimness or darkness; night blindness.

PUNCTILIO (punk-TIL-ee-oh) noun--nice detail of conduct in a ceremony or in an observance of a social/moral code.

PARVENU (PAR-vuh-NYU) noun--one who makes great pretensions because of newly acquired wealth/station in life.

NIDIFICATION (NI-di-fi-KAY-shun) noun--the act or process of building a nest.

PRETERMIT (pre-ter-MIT) verb--to let pass without mention/omit; to leave undone/neglect; to interrupt or suspend.

DESIDERATUM (duh-sid-uh-RAHT-um) noun--something desired as essential; something sought for or aimed at.

BANAUSIC (buh-NAH-sik) adj.--governed by utilitarian purposes/practical; moneymaking/breadwinning.

ASTROGATE (AS-truh-GATE) verb--to guide (as a rocket) in interplanetary flight; to navigate in space.

ONYCHOPHAGIA (uh-nu-koh-PHAY-jee-uh) noun--biting one's nails.

XANTHIPPE (zan-THIP-pee) noun--an ill-tempered woman, a shrew. After Xanthippe, wife of Socrates.

INTERNECINE (in-ter-nuh-SEEN) adj.--marked by great slaughter/deadly; relating to conflict within a group.

SCHWERPUNKT (SCHVUR-pungkt) noun--focal point; area of concentrated effort, as in a military operation.

VOLITANT (VOL-i-tunt) adj.--flying or capable of flying; moving about rapidly.

SALTATION (sal-TAY-shun) noun--act of leaping; an advance by leaps instead of constant gradation; sudden change.

INTERMONTANE (in-ter-mon-TANE) adj.--situated between mountains.

QUIESCENT (kwee-ESS-unt) adj.--marked by a state of inactivity or repose; tranquilly at rest.

DISHABILLE (dis-uh-BEEL) noun--the state of being partially or very casually dressed.

MATUTINAL (muh-TOOT-i-nul) adj.--relating to or occurring in the morning.

LUGUBRIOUS (lu-GOO-bree-us) adj.--marked by or giving rise to grief; exaggeratedly mournful; disposed to gloom.

TERATISM (TER-uh-TIZ-um) noun--anomaly of organic form and structure, e.g., monstrosity; worship of monsters.

MUCEDINOUS (myu-SED-uh-nus) adj.--having the nature of or resembling mold or mildew.

HUMECTANT (hyu-MEC-tunt) adj.--having moistening qualities.

CATECHRESIS (CAT-uh-KREE-sus) noun--use of the wrong word for the context.


CONVENTICLE (con-VEN-ti-cul) noun--an assembly or meeting, especially of a society or body of persons.

MANSUETUDE (MAN-swuh-TOOD) noun--the quality or state of being gentle; meekness, tameness.

NUGATORY (NYU-ga-TOR-ee) adj.--having little or no consequence/worthless; having no force.

MARMOREAL (MAR-more-EE-ul) adj.--relating to or resembling marble.

MENDACITY (men-DASS-i-dee) noun--the practice or an instance of lying.

LAODICEAN (lay-aw-di-SEE-un) adj.--lukewarm or indifferent in religion or politics. From church of Laodicea.

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Read September ‘09

2 comments:

Hannah said...

Her friends would say she was a mansuetude, her prococurante boss would probably call her nugatory, but Jenna Falkner knew that deep down inside, she wasn't quiescent -- she was an independent adventurer, volitant, outgoing; even if she did have the habit of onychophagia, even if she did have marmoreal skin that burned if she so much as stepped into a ray of sunlight without some SPF 50, and even if laodicean coffee turned her into a complete xanthippe; still, part of her felt she could go bungee jumping or skydiving anyday.

Um...I think I did fall into a catechresis with that sentence -- several times.

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