Words of the Week 04

Whenever I read, I keep a pencil handy and I underline words that I don’t know and dog ear the page so that I can go back and look them up in the dictionary. I have always been interested in etymology and even took Latin for three years. I hope that these words can help all of us in our writings. Be sure to check out your dictionary for additional usages of the words and spellings associated with changing the word from adjective to adverb to noun … etc.


ASKEW
adverb

Pronounced: ass-KEW

Meaning: Out of line or to one side.

Example: Jared’s house was leaning because one of the joints had gone askew.

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MONOLITH
noun

Pronounced: MONO-lith

Meaning: Something resembling a great stone.

Example: Sir Larry is considered a pillar of strength by his friends and a hulking obstinate monolith by his enemies.

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SKIRMISH
noun

Pronounced: SKER-mish

Meaning: A minor dispute or contest between opposing parties.

Example: Winston hopes that his skirmish with the neighbors over his dog does not foreshadow a lengthy feud.

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CRESCIVE
adjective

Pronounced: KRESS-siv

Meaning: Increasing or growing.

Example: The crescive vines traveled up the trellis.

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GALVANIZE
verb

Pronounced: GAL-vin-eyes

Meaning: To stimulate as if by the application of an electrical current.

Example: The enemy attack served to galvanize the government into immediate action.

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ERUDITION
noun

Pronounced: ay-rue-DISH-un

Meaning: An extensive knowledge acquired chiefly from books.

Example: The schoolmaster was esteemed as a man of great erudition.

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WITTICISM
noun

Pronounced: WIT-ti-ciz-um

Meaning: A clever or amusing expression.

Example: The careful use of a witticism in Kevin’s speech helped hold the attention of the listeners.

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CHURLISH
adjective

Pronounced: CHUR-lish

Meaning: Difficult to work with or deal with.

Example: Although he was a brilliant conductor, Toscanini could be churlish at times.

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RENOUNCE
verb

Pronounced: ree-NOUNss

Meaning: To announce one’s abandonment of the ownership of, give up, abandon or resign something possessed.

Example: In 1936, Prince Edward of Wales decided to renounce his claim to the throne of England and marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson.

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IRIDESCENT
adjective

Pronounced: ear-ri-DES-cent

Meaning: Showing colors like those of the rainbow.

Example: Louis C. Tiffany developed a famous type of iridescent glass.

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DERELICT
noun

Pronounced: DARE-uh-licked

Meaning: A thing voluntarily abandoned by its owner with the intention of not retaking it and rightly claimed by the first person who takes possession of it.

Example: Tom sank his yacht when his rescuers arrived lest it become a derelict.

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PTARMIC
noun

Pronounced: TAR-mick

Meaning: A substance that causes sneezing.

Example: Andrea is extremely allergic to dust, an everpresent ptarmic difficult for her to avoid.

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BOUDOIR
noun

Pronounced: BOOD-wah

Meaning: A woman’s dressing room, bedroom or private sitting room.

Example: The boudoir adjacent to the master bedroom was, to Brooke, the most fascinating room on the tour.

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JUNTA
noun

Pronounced: HOON-tah

Meaning: A closely knit group of persons composing or dominating a government, especially after a revolutionary seizure of power.

Example: The military junta set up its headquarters in the former presidential palace.

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ONEROUS
adjective

Pronounced: OH-ner-uss

Meaning: That involves, imposes or constitutes much oppressive or irksome work, effort, difficulty or responsibility.

Example: Ron grudgingly completed the onerous task of cutting and stacking the firewood.

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FARCICAL
adjective

Pronounced: FAR-sick-kal

Meaning: Receiving or meriting laughter or amused scorn as utterly without claim to serious consideration or as laughably inept.

Example: Shakespeare employs farcical characters in many of his plays to provide comic relief.

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LIQUESCENT
adjective

Pronounced: lih-KWES-scent

Meaning: Being, becoming or tending to become liquid; melting.

Example: When a giant asteroid hits the ground, it is transformed into a liquescent mass that becomes a fireball.

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VULNERARY
adjective

Pronounced: VUL-ner-ar-ree

Meaning: Promoting the healing of wounds; curative.

Example: There was a section in the old medical book about vulnerary herbs.

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KESTREL
noun

Pronounced: KES-trill

Meaning: A common small European falcon.

Example: Sean found an injured kestrel on the roof of the library.

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TENET
noun

Pronounced: TIN-net

Meaning: A principle, dogma, belief or doctrine generally held to be true, especially one held in common by members of a group or profession.

Example: The basic tenet of Central High’s Key Club is that community service benefits everyone.

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NIHILISM
noun

Pronounced: NYE-hill-izm

Meaning: A viewpoint that all traditional values and beliefs are unfounded and that all existence is consequently senseless and useless.

Example: The rock star’s lyrics were criticized for advocating a bleak nihilism.

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YORE
noun

Pronounced: YORR

Meaning: Time past and especially time long past.

Example: Adam’s favorite books contain stories about knights of yore.