Monday, March 01, 2010

Feb. '10 List of Today's Word


Feeling a bit quaquaversal?

Here's a list of Today's Words that ran in February. (For previous months' lists, check the Craft and Industry archives.) I challenge you creative types to use at least six of these words in a sentence. Best sentence (chosen by me) wins a copy of my novel Exposure. Ready, set, go:

QUAQUAVERSAL (kway-kwa-VER-sul) adj.--turned in whatever way; going off in all directions at once.

ASPERITY (ah-SPER-uh-tee) noun--roughness of surface; roughness of manner or temper.

HEMIDEMISEMIQUAVER (HE-mi-DE-mi-SE-mi-KWAY-ver) noun: the sixty-fourth note.

APHONIA (ay-FOH-nee-uh) noun--loss of voice.

LYNCEAN (LIN-see-un) adj.--sharp-sighted.

ESEMPLASTIC (EH-sem-plas-tik) adj.--having the power to shape disparate things into a unified whole.

CONDIGN (kun-DINE) adj.--no more and no less than what is deserved or merited.

SEICENTO (say-CHEN-to) noun--the 17th century, specifically 17th century of art/literature in Italy.

ANOSMIA (uh-NOZ-mee-uh) noun--loss or impairment of the sense of smell.

DOYENNE (DOI-yun) noun--the senior female member of a body or group. (Male version: doyen).

CADUCITY (cuh-DYU-sud-ee) noun--feebleness from old age, senility.

AUTARKY (AH-tar-kee) noun--national economic self-sufficiency and independence.

ASCESIS (uh-SEE-sus) noun--rigorous training; self-discipline or self-restraint.

PERICOPE (puh-RIK-uh-PEE) noun--selection from a book, esp. a selection from the Bible, used as text for a sermon.

PHILTER (FIL-ter) noun--a love potion.

EBULLITION (EB-uh-LISH-un) noun--a boiling or bubbling up; sudden, violent outburst or display.

LITOTES (LIDE-uh-TEEZ) noun--understatement using a negative to express a positive: "He's not a dumb kid."

AGRESTIC (uh-GRES-tik) adj.--of or relating to the fields or country.

HUGGER-MUGGER (HUG-er MUG-er) noun--the act or practice of concealment; a disorderly jumble.

CHILIASM (KIL-ee-AZ-um) noun--theological doctrine of Christ's return to earth to reign for 1000 years.

SUBSELLIUM (sub-SEL-ee-um) noun--a low seat or bench.

PELAGIC (puh-LAH-jik) adj.-relating to, or living in the open sea.

RASORIAL (ruh-SOR-ee-ul) adj.--habitually scratching the ground in search of food.

RAMENTUM (ruh-MEN-tum) noun--something scraped off; a minute particle.

MISPRISION (muh-SPRI-zhun) noun--misconduct by a public official; a misunderstanding.

USTULATION (us-chu-LAY-shun) noun--the act of burning or searing.

ARENICOLOUS (air-uh-NIK-uh-lus) adj.--inhabiting or burrowing in sand.

CORBAN (KOR-ban) noun--an offering to God in fulfillment of a particular vow.

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Read March '10

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

It was only ascesis that kept the ebullition down to a low simmer as I said to the doyenne "Thou old beldam! Thou condigns ustulation, but I need thee to make me a philter. So no more of thy esemplastic hugger-mugger, or I may change my mind."

Anonymous said...

All at once suffering from sudden aphonia and anosmia, Marlene stopped looking at the agrestic landscape and abruptly backed against the subsellium and felt its asperity dislodge ramentum from her flesh, the ustulation rendering her quaquaversal and the resulting backlash of pain making her limbs buckle as if she had swallowed an overdose of a potent philter or from some unwelcome caducity. - from one of your newest Facebook friends (Beth) hee hee

Sheila Deeth said...

Oh dear. That hemidemi... took me back to learning to play piano with my Mum.

Hannah Y. said...

Lynette pounded the hemidemisemiquaver of the Steinway with particular asperity; she might be the doyenne of the orchestra, but her ascesis in piano technique enabled her to play the angry arpeggios of this Beethoven perfectly, the ebullition of the piece stirring in her fingers as she narrowed her lyncean eyes at the sheet music, daring it to challenge her with its difficulty.

Unknown said...

Alas, the lyncean doyenne, prim and proper, sat watchfully upon the subsellium and sang a magnificent melodic hymn as a corban, until she reached the hemidemisemiquaver and suffered aphonia.

John said...

The misprision of the mayor was worthy of ustulation, at least in some cultures,but the citizens would have settled for his arenicolous behavior with no philter for any woman around, though most felt any girl would have an anosmia from her ascesis from staying far away from the doyen of the city.

Donna Brennan said...

You didn't have to be LYNCEAN to see that the PHILTER didn't work, as he jumped up from the SUBSELLIUM in angry EBULLITION, his arms and head all QUAQUAVERSAL--but what else should I have expected considering the CADULITY of the gypsy DOYENNE who concocted the brew.