Vocabulary list--#13

POSP stringer Tim's new list...

anthophilous 

an-THAH-fuh-lus

adjective

Feeding upon or living among flowers.


aphotic

ey-FOH-tik

adjective

Lightless, dark.


apoplectic

ap-uh-plek-tik

adjective

1. Intense enough to threaten or cause a stroke.
2. Of or pertaining to apoplexy.
3. Having or inclined to apoplexy.

noun

1. A person having or predisposed to apoplexy.


argot 

AHR-goh

noun

An often more or less secret vocabulary and idiom peculiar to a particular group.


armamentarium

ahr-muh-muhn-TAIR-ee-uhm

noun

1. A fruitful source of devices or materials available or used for an undertaking.
2. The aggregate of equipment, methods, and techniques available to one for carrying out one's duties.


banausic 

buh-NAW-sik

adjective

Serving utilitarian purposes only; mechanical; practical: architecture that was more banausic than inspired.


Bildungsroman

BIL-doongz-roh-mahn

noun

A type of novel concerned with the education, development, and maturing of a young protagonist.


borborygmus

bor-buh-RIG-mus

noun, plural borborygmi

Intestinal rumbling caused by moving gas.


chrestomathy

kres-TOM-uh-thee

noun

A collection of selected literary passages.


compeer

kuhm-PEER

noun

1. Close friend, comrade.
2. An equal in rank, ability, accomplishment, etc., peer, colleague.


divulse

dahy-VUHLS

verb

To tear away or apart.


ectopic

ek-TOP-ik

adjective

Occurring in an abnormal position or place; displaced.


fugacious 

fyoo-GAY-shus

adjective

Lasting a short time, evanescent.


imbriferous

im-bri-fe-ris

adjective

Rainy, showery, rain-bearing, auguring rain.


incondite

in-KON-dit

adjective

1. Ill-constructed,  unpolished, incondite prose.
2. Crude, rough, unmannerly.


ingeminate

in-JEM-uh-neyt

verb

To repeat, reiterate.


integument

in-TEG-yuh-muhnt

noun

1. A natural covering, as a skin, shell, or rind.
2. Any covering, coating, enclosure, etc.


intrapreneur

in-truh-pruh-NUR

noun

An employee of a large corporation who is given freedom and financial support to create new products, services, systems, etc., and does not have to follow the corporation's usual routines or protocols.


larrup

LAR-uhp

verb

To beat or thrash.


levigate

LEV-i-geyt

verb

1. To rub, grind, or reduce to a fine powder.
2. Chemistry. To make a homogeneous mixture of, as gels.

adjective

Botany. Having a smooth, glossy surface; glabrous.


lookism 

LOOK-iz-um

noun

Prejudice or discrimination based on physical appearance and especially physical appearance believed to fall short of societal notions of beauty.


luciferin

loo-SIF-uh-rin

noun

Any of various organic substances in luminescent organisms (as fireflies) that upon oxidation produce a virtually heatless light.


maffick

MAF-ik

verb

To celebrate with boisterous rejoicing and hilarious behavior.


matrilineal

ma-truh-LIN-ee-uhl

adjective

Inheriting or determining descent through the female line.


noctilucent 

nok-tuh-LOO-suhnt

adjective

Visible during the short night of the summer.

numen

NOO-min

noun

Divine power, especially one who inhabits a particular object.


obtest

ob-TEST

verb

1. To supplicate earnestly, beseech.
2. To invoke as witness.
3. To protest.
4. To make supplication, beseech.


omphalos

OM-fuh-luhs

noun

1. The central point.
2. The navel; umbilicus.
3. Greek Antiquity. A stone in the temple of Apollo at Delphi, thought to mark the center of the earth.


orectic 

aw-REK-tik

adjective

Of or pertaining to desire, appetitive.


pelagic

puh-LAJ-ik

adjective

1. Of or pertaining to the open seas or oceans.
2. Living or growing at or near the surface of the ocean, far from land, as certain organisms.


pochismo

poh-CHEEZ-moh

noun

1. An English word or expression borrowed into Spanish.
2. A form of speech employing many such words.
3. An adopted U.S. custom, attitude, etc.


pother

POTH-er

noun

1. A heated discussion, debate, or argument, fuss; to-do.
2. Commotion, uproar.
3. A choking or suffocating cloud, as of smoke or dust.


prorogue

proh-ROHG

verb

1. To defer, postpone.
2. To discontinue a session of (the British Parliament or a similar body).


putative 

PYOO-tuh-tiv

adjective

1. Commonly accepted or supposed.
2. Assumed to exist or to have existed.


spruik

sprook

verb

To make or give a speech, especially extensively, spiel.


tawpie

TAW-pee

noun

A foolish or thoughtless young person.


usageaster 

YOO-sij-as-ter

noun

A self-styled authority on language usage.

varlet

VAHR-lit

noun

1. A knavish person, rascal.
2A. An attendant or servant.
2B. A page who serves a knight.


ventose

VEN-tohs

adjective

Given to empty talk, windy.

vicinage

VIS-uh-nij

noun

1. The region near or about a place, vicinity.
2. A particular neighborhood or district, or the people belonging to it.
3. Proximity.

vilipend 

VIL-uh-pend

verb

1. To hold or treat as of little worth or account.
2. To express a low opinion of, disparage.


welkin

WEL-kin

noun

1A. The vault of the sky, firmament
1B. Heaven.
2. The upper atmosphere.

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Compiled by POSP stringer Tim.

adumbrate

AD-um-brayt

verb

1. To foreshadow vaguely, intimate.
2. To suggest, disclose, or outline partially.
3. To overshadow, obscure.


adventitious

ad-ven-TISH-us

adjective

1. Coming from another source and not inherent or innate.
2. Arising or occurring sporadically or in other than the usual location.


amaranthine

am-uh-RAN-thin

adjective

1. Unfading, everlasting.
2. Of or like the amaranth flower.
3. Of purplish-red color.


ambsace

EYMZ-eys

noun

1. The smallest amount or distance.
2. The lowest throw at dice, the double ace (two ones.)
3. Bad luck, misfortune.


anacoluthon

an-uh-kuh-LOO-thahn

noun

Syntactical inconsistency or incoherence within a sentence; especially : a shift in an unfinished sentence from one syntactic construction to another.


apocryphal

uh-PAH-kruh-ful

adjective

Of doubtful authenticity.


aporia

uh-PAWR-ee-uh

noun

1. Difficulty determining the truth of an idea due to equally valid arguments for and against it.
2. In rhetoric, the expression of a simulated or real doubt, as about where to begin or what to do or say.


aposiopesis

ae-pa-si-e-pee-sis

noun

A sudden breaking off of a thought in mid sentence, as though the speaker were unwilling or unable to continue.


aureate

AWR-ee-it

adjective

1. Characterized by an ornate style of writing or speaking.
2. Golden or gilded.
3. Brilliant; splendid.


canonical

kuh-NON-i-kuhl

adjective

1. Authorized; recognized; accepted.
2. Included in the canon of the Bible.
3. In mathematics, (of an equation, coordinate, etc.) in simplest or standard form.


chaffer

CHAFF-er

verb

1a. To haggle, exchange, barter.
1b. To bargain for.
2. British: to exchange small talk, chatter.


defenestration

dee-fen-uh-STRAY-shun

noun

1. A throwing of a person or thing out of a window.
2. An usually swift dismissal or expulsion (as from a political party or office).


erubescent

er-oo-BES-uhnt

adjective

Becoming red or reddish; blushing.


flivver

FLIV-er

noun

A small cheap usually old automobile.


gallivant

GAL-uh-vant

verb

1. To go about usually ostentatiously or indiscreetly with members of the opposite sex.
2. To travel, roam, or move about for pleasure.


gormless

gorm-less

adjective

Lacking intelligence and vitality, having no common sense or initiative; dull.


handsel

HAN-suhl

noun

1. First encounter with or use of something taken as a token of what will follow.
2. A gift or token for good luck or as an expression of good wishes.
3. A first installment of payment.


hieratic

hai-rae-tik

adjective

1. Sacred, characterizing or used by priests.
2. Having to do with a simplified form of hieroglyphics.
3. Highly formal in style, adhering tightly to the standards of a style.


hyperborean

hye-per-BOR-ee-un

adjective

1. Of or relating to an extreme northern region, frozen.
2. Of or relating to any of the arctic peoples.


Lammas

LAM-us

noun

1. August 1st originally celebrated in England as a harvest festival -- called also Lammas Day.
2. The time of the year around Lammas Day.


mantic

MAN-tik

adjective

1. Of or pertaining to divination.
2. Having the power of divination.


maven

may-ven

noun

An expert or connoisseur; someone with profound knowledge of a subject.


melismatic

mi-liz-MA-tik

adjective

Characterized by the singing of several notes to one syllable of text, for emotional impact, as in blues and other musical styles.


mundify

MUHN-duh-fahy

verb

To purge or purify.


netsuke

NETS-kay

noun

A small and often intricately carved toggle (as of wood, ivory, or metal) used to fasten a small container to a kimono sash.


objurgation

ahb-jer-gay-shun

noun

A harsh rebuke.


onymous

ahn-a-mes

adjective

1. Named, having a name.
2. Having a name attached or associated; not anonymous, as an onymous letter to the editor.


panache

puh-NAHSH

noun

1. An ornamental tuft (as of feathers) especially on a helmet.
2. Dash or flamboyance in style and action : verve.


patois

pat-WAH

noun

1. A regional version of a language differing from its standard, literary form.
2. Arural or provincial form of speech.
3. Any jargon or private form of speech.


predial

PREE-dee-ul

adjective

Of or relating to land or its products.


runic

ROO-nik

adjective

1. Having some secret or mysterious meaning.
2. Consisting of or set down in runes.
3. Referring to an interlaced form seen on ancient monuments, metalwork, etc., of the northern European peoples.


sagacious

suh-GAY-shus

adjective

1. Of keen and farsighted penetration and judgment, discerning.
2. Caused by or indicating acute discernment.


sedulous

se-je-les

adjective

Diligent, assiduous, zealous; applying oneself unflaggingly to a task.


somatic

soh-MAT-ik

adjective

1. Of the body, bodily, physical.
2. In anatomy, zoology, pertaining to the body wall of an animal.
3. In cell biology. pertaining to or affecting the somatic cells, as distinguished from the germ cells.


usufruct

YOO-zoo-fruhkt

noun

The right to use the property of another as long as it isn't damaged.


vaticination

vuh-tiss-uh-NAY-shun

noun

1. Prediction.
2. The act of prophesying.


volition

voh-LISH-un

noun

1. An act of making a choice or decision; also, a choice or decision made.
2. The power of choosing or determining, will.


zugzwang

TSOOK-tsvahng

noun

A situation in which a player is limited to moves that have a damaging effect.


Footnote...some words will go away.

"Dictionary compilers create endangered words list"

Collins experts remove obsolete words – including aerodrome and wittol – from smaller dictionaries

August 21st, 2011

guardian.co.uk

Aerodrome and charabanc are among the words presumed to have become extinct in the past year, according to lexicographers.

Collins Dictionary experts have compiled a list of words which have fallen out of use by tracking how often they appear.

Other words on the list include "wittol"– a man who tolerates his wife's infidelity, which has not been much used since the 1940s.

The terms "drysalter", a dealer in certain chemical products and foods, and "alienism", the study and treatment of mental illness, have also faded from use.

Some of the vanished words are old-fashioned modes of transport such as the "cyclogiro", a type of aircraft propelled by rotating blades, and charabanc, a motor coach.

The "stauroscope", an optical instrument for studying the crystal structure of minerals under polarized light, is also no longer used.

Dr Ruth O'Donovan, asset development manager at Collins Language Division in Glasgow, said: "We track words using a very large database of language which is a very large collection of various texts from spoken and written language, including books, newspapers and magazines so we can track language change over time.

"We track new words but we can also track for the frequency of existing words and when they get below a certain threshold we see them as being obsolete, though they may be used in very specialist circumstances.

"Such words are in our largest dictionary but we've categorised them as obsolete, as although they go out of general use they are still of interest to historians so it's useful to have them in the dictionary. But we would exclude them from our smaller dictionaries."

Other words which have passed out of use include 'supererogate' which means to do or perform more than is required.

While 'succedaneum', meaning something used as a substitute also no longer trips off the modern tongue.

Neither does 'woolfell'. the skin of a sheep or similar animal with the fleece still attached.

The dictionary experts have also identified a word still commonly used in the 21st century, though its meaning has changed.

While 'fun fur' now means synthetic fur, up until the 1960s it meant cheap fur from animals such as rabbit, which was often dyed various colours.

The data was discovered as part of research for the publication of the next Collins English Dictionary in October this year.


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Hebesphenomegacorona

Hebesphenomegacorona...

aka "square dipyramid, pentagonal orthocupolarotunda, gyrobifastigium, metabidiminished rhombicosidodecahedron, snub disphenoid, disphenocingulum, pentagonal gyrocupolarotunda, and triangular orthobicupola". Add that to your vocabulary next to "supercalafragilistic expialadocious".

Said NASA when this photograph was released...

Four hundred years ago the makeup of our solar system was a matter of intense debate. Was Earth at the center of everything? Or the Sun? Astronomers knew of six planets including our own. Why six? And what determined their spacing? No one knew.

In 1595, Johannes Kepler had a beautiful idea. He was fascinated by the five "perfect solids," also known as Platonic solids: the tetrahedron, the cube, the octahedron, the dodecahedron and the icosahedron (pictured right). Each is made of only one kind of regular polygon--a triangle, a square or a pentagon--hence their "perfection." Kepler realized that these five solids nestled one inside another defined the supporting structures for six circular orbits. Planetary orbits! "The intense pleasure I have received from this discovery can never be told in words," wrote Kepler.

Too bad it was wrong. Planetary orbits are not circular--a fact later discovered by Kepler himself. Now we know there are nine planets, not six, and the Platonic solids have nothing to do with the architecture of our solar system.

Nevertheless, 3D solids made of squares and triangles and pentagons continue to fascinate scientists and explorers. Witness today's picture: a hebesphenomegacorona onboard the International Space Station.

This solid has 21 faces, three squares and 18 triangles. It is one of the three-dimensional shapes called "Johnson solids" you can make by mixing different kinds of regular polygons. In 1969, mathematician Viktor Zalgaller proved there were only 92 Johnson solids, and he gave each one a fanciful name: e.g., square dipyramid, pentagonal orthocupolarontunda, gyrobifastigium, snub disphenoid, and hebesphenomegacorona. (A fun word game: try to use one of these names in everyday conversation.)

What's a hebesphenomegacorona doing onboard the ISS? We're not sure. It was made by Ed Lu or Yuri Malenchenko using paper and tape. One of them fixed it to the top of the Destiny Lab window and took its picture with the cloudy Pacific Ocean in the background.

Were they testing Zalgaller's proof in microgravity? Passing the time on a Saturday morning? Building models of weird solar systems? Maybe they were just playing word games.