Vocabulary list--#4

ambisinister

am-bi-SIN-uh-ster

adjective

Clumsy or unskillful with both hands.


aureate

OR-ee-ut

adjective

1. Of a golden color or brilliance.
2. Marked by grandiloquent and rhetorical style.


autoschediastical

aw-toh-SKEE-dee-az-tik-uhl

adjective

Something improvised or extemporized.


bailiwick

BAY-luh-wik

noun

1. A person's specific area of knowledge, authority, interest, skill, or work.
2. The office or district of a bailiff.


bathetic

buh-THET-ik

adjective

Characterized by triteness or sentimentalism.


brummagem

BRUM-ih-jum

adjective

Not genuine, spurious, cheaply showy, tawdry.


cacoethes

kak-oh-EE-theez

noun

An irresistible urge, mania.


chatoyant

shuh-TOI-uhnt

adjective

1. Having changeable lustre, twinkling.
2. (Of a gem, especially a cabochon) displaying a band of light reflected off inclusions of other minerals.


concupiscible

kon-KYOO-pi-suh-buhl

adjective

Worthy of being desired.


daedal

DEE-duhl

adjective

1. Complex or ingenious in form or function, intricate.
2. Skillful; artistic, ingenious.
3. Rich; adorned with many things.


dharna

DAHR-nuh

noun

In India,the practice of exacting justice or compliance with a just demand by sitting and fasting at the doorstep of an offender until death or until the demand is granted.


dithyrambic

dith-uh-RAM-bik

adjective

1. Wildly enthusiastic.
2. Wildly irregular in form.

3. Of, pertaining to, or of the nature of a dithyramb.


eclat

ey-KLAH

noun

1. Brilliance of success, reputation, etc.
2. Showy or elaborate display.
3. Acclamation, acclaim.


edacious

ih-DAY-shus

adjective

1. Having a huge appetite, ravenous.
2. Excessively eager, insatiable.


effluvium

ih-FLOO-vee-uhm

noun

A slight or invisible exhalation or vapor, especially one that is disagreeable.


elide

ih-LAHYD

verb

1. To suppress, omit, ignore, pass over.
2. To omit (a vowel, consonant, or syllable) in pronunciation.
3. In law, to annul or quash.


extirpate

ek-ster-payt

transitive verb

1. To remove by the roots, to pull or cut out wholly with all parts.
2. To totally eradicate, to root out all traces of a problem, including all causes leading up to it.


flummox

FLUM-uks

verb

Confuse.


halcyon

HAL-see-uhn

noun

1. A kingfisher.
2. A mythical bird, identified with the kingfisher, that was fabled to nest at sea about the time of the winter solstice and to calm the waves during incubation.

adjective

1. Calm, quiet, peaceful, undisturbed, happy, as, "deep, halcyon repose."
2. Marked by peace and prosperity, as, "halcyon years."


homograph

HOM-uh-graf

noun

A word of the same written form as another but of different meaning, whether pronounced the same way or not.


hypnagogic

hip-nuh-GOJ-ik; -GOH-jik

adjective

Of, pertaining to, or occurring in the state of drowsiness preceding sleep.


glabrous

GLAY-brus

adjective

Smooth, especially having a surface without hairs or projections.


gloaming

GLOH-ming

noun

Twilight, dusk, crepulscular, Cemmarian.


gormandize

GOR-mun-dyze

verb

To eat gluttonously or ravenously.


grangerize

GRYEN-juh-rahyz

verb

1. To add to the visual content of a book by inserting images not included in the original volume, often by mutilating other books.
2. To mutilate books in order to get illustrative material for such a purpose.


imbroglio

im-BROHL-yoh

noun

1. A complicated and embarrassing state of things.
2. A confused or complicated disagreement or misunderstanding.
3. An intricate, complicated plot, as of a drama or work of fiction.
4. A confused mass, a tangle.


interminable

in-TER-muh-nuh-bul

adjective

Having or seeming to have no end, especially wearisomely protracted.


klatsch

KLAHCH

noun

A casual gathering of people, especially for refreshments and informal conversation.


lickerish

LIK-er-ish

adjective

1. Fond of and eager for choice food.
2. Greedy, longing.
3. Lustful, lecherous.


lucubration

loo-kyoo-BRAY-shun

noun

1. The act of studying by candlelight, nocturnal study, meditation.
2. That which is composed by night; that which is produced by meditation in retirement, hence (loosely) any literary composition.


mansuetude

MAN-swi-tood

noun

Mildness, gentleness.


nimbus

NIM-buhs

noun

1. (Fine Arts) A circle, or disk, or any indication of radiant light around the heads of divinities, saints, and sovereigns, upon medals, pictures, etc., a halo.
2. A cloud or atmosphere (as of romance or glamour) that surrounds a person or thing.
3. (Meteorology) A rain cloud.


nostrum

NOS-truhm

noun

1. A medicin of secret composition and unproven or dubious effectiveness, a quack medicine.
2. A usually questionable remedy or scheme; a cure-all.


opsimath

awp-se-maeth

noun

(Literary) A person who undertakes study late in life, a person who learns late in life (an old dog that can learn new tricks).


panegyric

paen-a-jai-ri

adjective

Laudatory, having the character of a panegyric.

noun

An encomium, a speech or other creative work of praise.


paphian

PEY-fee-uhn

adjective

1. Of or pertaining to love, especially illicit physical love.
2. Of or pertaining to Paphos, an ancient city of Cyprus sacred to Aphrodite.
3. Noting or pertaining to Aphrodite or to her worship or service.


philomath

FIL-uh-math

noun

A lover of learning, a scholar.


plenipotentiary

plen-uh-puh-TEN-shee-air-ee; -shuh-ree

adjective

1. Containing or conferring full power, invested with full power, as, "plenipotentiary license, plenipotentiary ministers."

noun

1. A person invested with full power to transact any business, especially, an ambassador or diplomatic agent with full power to negotiate a treaty or to transact other business.


prevaricate

prih-VAIR-uh-kayt

intransitive verb

To depart from or evade the truth, to speak with equivocation.


rapscallion

rap-SKAL-yun

noun

Rascal, ne'er-do-well.


risible

RIZ-uh-buhl

adjective

1. Capable of laughing, disposed to laugh.
2. Exciting or provoking laughter, worthy of laughter, laughable, amusing.
3. Relating to, connected with, or used in laughter, as, "risible muscles."


rubicund

ROO-bih-kund

adjective

Inclining to redness, ruddy, red.


sequacious

se-kway-shes

noun

1. Conformist, following others in thought and behavior rather than leading.
2. Following a logically consistent direction, as a sequacious argument or line of reasoning.


shambolic

shaem-bah-lik

adjective

(Colloquial) Chaotic, disorderly, disorganized.


somniloquy

sahm-ni-le-kwe

noun

1. Talking in your sleep, sleep-talking.
2. What you say when you talk in your sleep.


sprachgefuhl

shprahk-gee-ful

noun

A feeling or sensitivity for language and the correct use of grammar.


spirituel

spir-i-choo-EL

adjective

1. Showing or having a refined and graceful mind or wit.
2. Light and airy in movement, ethereal.


sockdolager

sok-DOL-uh-jer

noun

1. A decisive reply, argument.
2. Something unusually large, heavy, etc.
3. A heavy, finishing blow.


stultiloquy

stel-til-e-kwi

noun

Speaking foolishly, stupidly.


synecdoche

se-nek-da-kee

noun

1. The metaphorical technique of naming a specific part when referring to the whole.
2. Naming the whole to indicate a part.


thimblerig

THIM-buhl-rig

verb

1. To cheat or swindle, as in the traditional shell game known as thimblerig.


tutelage

TOO-tuh-lij

noun

1. An act of guarding or protecting.
2. The state of being under a guardian or tutor.
3a. Instruction especially of an individual.
3b. A guiding influence.


vitriolic

vi-tree-ah-lik

adjective

1. (Literally) Containing or similar to sulfuric acid or any of the metal sulfates.
2. (Figuratively) Extremely caustic, scathing, filled with rage andabasement, often accompanied by profanity.


verdant

VUR-dnt

adjective

1. Green with vegetation, covered with green growth.
2. Green.
3. Lacking experience or sophistication; naive.


vicissitude

vuh-SISS-uh-tood

noun

1. The quality or state of being changeable, mutability.
2a. An unexpected change or fluctuation.
2b. A difficulty or hardship usually beyond one's control.


vulpine

VUHL-pahyn

adjective

1. Cunning or crafty.
2. Of or resembling a fox.


ululate

UL-yuh-layt

intransitive verb

To howl, as a dog or a wolf, to wail as ululating jackals.


Vocabulary list--#1

Vocabulary list--#2

Vocabulary list--#3

Continuing project of POSP's stringer Tim. As usual, he does a fine job selecting cool words.