Vocabulary list--#2

acedia

uh-SEE-dee-uh

noun

1. Sloth.
2. Laziness or indifference in religious matters.

aeromancy

air-uh-man-see

noun

The prediction of future events from observations of weather conditions.

agita

AJ-uh-tuh

noun

A feeling of agitation or anxiety.

Antaean

an-TEE-un

adjective

1. Mammoth.
2. Having superhuman strength.

apoptosis

ae-pep-toh-sis

noun

Genetically programmed cell death, sometimes called 'cell suicide', which plays an important role in shaping the distinct forms of tissues in living organisms.

balneal

bal-NEE-uhl

adjective

Of or pertaining to baths or bathing.

Barmecidal

bahr-muh-SYE-dul

adjective

Providing only the illusion of abundance.

casuistry

KAZH-oo-uh-stree

noun

1. Specious, deceptive, or oversubtle reasoning, esp. in questions of morality.
2. The application of general ethical principles to particular cases of conscience or conduct.

chary

CHAIR-ee

adjective

A. Discreetly cautious.
1. Hesitant and vigilant about dangers and risks.
2. Slow to grant, accept, or expend.

couvade

koo-VAHD

noun

A practice in certain cultures in which the husband of a woman in labor takes to his bed as though he were bearing the child.

degringolade

de-graeng-ga-lahd

noun

No, we aren't talking about drink made from some tropical fruit called a degringol today, nor does this word come from a Spanish slur pertaining to Americans. A degringolade is simply a rapid deterioration, a sudden decline in condition, or a sudden downfall.

eisteddfod

eye-STETH-vawd

noun

A usually Welsh competitive festival of the arts especially in poetry and singing.

evanescence

ev-uh-NES-ens

noun

1. A gradual disappearance.
2. To dissipate or disappear like vapor.

fantod

FAN-tod

noun

1. A state of extreme nervousness or restlessness (usually expressed in the plural.)
2. A sudden outpouring of anger, outrage, or a similar intense emotion.

floccinaucinihilipilification

flahk-si-naw-si-ni-hi-li-pi-li-fi-kay-shên

noun

Considering something to be worthless.

flosculous

flo-sjju-us

adjective

Of or pertaining to nature of flowers, having the savour of flowers.

foudroyant

foo-DROI-uhnt

adjective

1. Overwhelming and sudden in effect.
2. Pathology. (Of disease) beginning in a sudden and severe form.
3. Striking as with lightning.

fulgurate

FUHL-gyuh-reyt

verb

1. To flash or dart like lightning.
2. Medicine. To destroy (esp. an abnormal growth) by electricity.

grimalkin

grih-MAWL-kin

noun

A domestic cat; especially : an old female cat.

inchoate

in-KOH-ut

adjective

Being only partly in existence or operation; especially : imperfectly formed or formulated.

incunabulum

in-kyoo-NAB-yuh-luhm

noun

1. The earliest stages or first traces of anything.

2. Extant copies of books produced in the earliest stages (before 1501) of printing from movable type.

jeremiad

jair-uh-MYE-ud

noun

A prolonged lamentation or complaint; also : a cautionary or angry harangue.

koan

KOH-ahn

noun

A nonsensical or paradoxical question to a student for which an answer is demanded, the stress of meditation on the question often being illuminating.

liminal

LIM-uh-nul

adjective

1. Of or relating to a sensory threshold.
2. Barely perceptible.
3. Of, relating to, or being an intermediate state, phase, or condition : in-between, transitional.

perfidious

per-FID-ee-us

adjective

Of, relating to, or characterized by faithlessness or disloyalty; treacherous.

gasconade

gas-kuh-NAYD

noun

Bravado or exaggerated boasting.

Hobson's choice

HAHB-sunz-choyss

noun

1. An apparently free choice when there is no real alternative.
2. The necessity of accepting one of two or more equally objectionable
alternatives.

hegira

he-JAY-ruh

noun

1. A journey to a more desirable or congenial place.
2. The flight of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina to escape persecution a.d. 622: regarded as the beginning of the Muslim Era.

haptic

HAP-tik

adjective

Relating to the sense of touch; tactile.

noun

The science that deals with the sense of touch.

heliolatry

hee-lee-OL-uh-tree

noun

Worship of the sun.

infradig

in-fruh-dig

adjective

Being beneath one's dignity: undignified.

nescience

NESH-ee-unss

noun

Lack of knowledge or awareness; ignorance.

nitid

NIT-id

adjective

Bright; lustrous.

morganatic

mawr-guh-NAT-ik

adjective

Of or pertaining to a form of marriage in which a person of high rank, as a member of the nobility, marries someone of lower station with the stipulation that neither the low-ranking spouse nor their children, if any, will have any claim to the titles or entailed property of the high-ranking partner.

oscitant

OS-i-tuhnt

adjective

1. Yawning, as with drowsiness; gaping.
2. Drowsy or inattentive.
3. Dull, lazy, or negligent.

paraclete

pae-ra-kleet

noun

1. The Holy Spirit as a consoler, a comforter.
2. Any person who consoles, comforts, or intercedes for another.

philogyny

fi-LOJ-uh-nee

noun

Love of or liking for women (opposite of misogyny.)

piquant

PEE-kuhnt

adjective

1. Agreeably stimulating, interesting, or attractive.
2. Agreeably pungent or sharp in taste or flavor.

3. Of an interestingly provocative or lively character.

prolegomenon

proh-lih-GAH-muh-nahn

noun

Prefatory remarks; specifically: a formal essay or critical discussion serving to introduce and interpret an extended work.

rococo

roh-kuh-KOH

adjective

1. Ornate or florid in speech, writing, or general style.
2. Pertaining to a style of painting developed simultaneously with the
rococo in architecture and decoration, characterized chiefly by smallness of scale, delicacy of color, freedom of brushwork, and the selection of playful subjects as thematic material.

rataplan

rat-uh-PLAN

verb

To produce the sound as of the beating of a drum.

noun

1. A sound of or as of the beating of a drum.
2. A tattoo, as of a drum, the hooves of a galloping horse, or machine-gun
fire.

rupestrine

ru-pes-treen

adjective

Growing on rocks (plants), living among rocks (animals), appearing on rocks (everything else).

tatterdemallion

tae-der-de-may-lyen

noun

1. Ragamuffin, a person in dirty, raggedy clothes, usually a child.
2. Guttersnipe.

Vagitus

ve-jai-tes

noun

1. The first cry of a new-born baby.
2. The cry or wailing of any small child.

vellicate

VEL-i-keyt

verb

1. To touch (a body part) lightly so as to excite the surface nerves and cause uneasiness, laughter, or spasmodic movements.
2. To irritate as if by a nip, pinch, or tear.
3. To move with spasmodic convulsions.

vespertine

VES-per-tin

adjective

1. Of, pertaining to, or occurring in the evening.
2. Botany. Opening or expanding in the evening, as certain flowers.
3. Zoology. Becoming active in the evening, as bats and owls.

vestigial

ve-STIJ-ee-uhl

adjective

1. Relating to a body part that has become small and lost its use because of
evolutionary change.
2. Pertaining to, or of the nature of anything that is no longer present or
in existence.

Wellerism

WELL-uh-riz-um

noun

An expression of comparison comprising a usually well-known quotation
followed by a facetious sequel.

yaw

YAW

verb

1. To move unsteadily; weave.
2. To deviate temporarily from a straight course, as a ship.
3. (Of a vehicle) to have a motion about the vertical axis.

zaftig

ZAHF-tik

adjective

Full-bodied; well-proportioned.

zephyr

ZEF-er

noun

1. A gentle, mild breeze.
2. Literary. The west wind.
3. Any of various things of fine, light quality.


New feature at POSP...periodic vocabulary list--#1