31 December 2014
Hogmanay
[hog-muh-ney]
noun, Scot.
1. the eve of New Year’s Day.
2. (lowercase) a gift given on Hogmanay.
Origin
1670-1680; origin uncertain
Dictionary.com
Anagram
among hay
30 December 2014
Juggernaut
[juhg-er-nawt, -not]
noun
1. (often lowercase) any large, overpowering, destructive force or object, as war, a giant battleship, or a powerful football team.
2. (often lowercase) anything requiring blind devotion or cruel sacrifice.
3. Also called Jagannath. an idol of Krishna, at Puri in Orissa, India, annually drawn on an enormous cart under whose wheels devotees are said to have thrown themselves to be crushed.
Origin
Hindi
1630-1640; < Hindi Jagannāth < Sanskrit Jagannātha lord of the world (i.e., the god Vishnu or Krishna), equivalent to jagat world + nātha lord
Related forms
Juggernautish, adjective
Dictionary.com
Anagram
a urgent jug
a grunge jut
jug nut rage
29 December 2014
judicious
[joo-dish-uh s]
adjective
1. using or showing judgment as to action or practical expediency; discreet, prudent, or politic:
judicious use of one’s money.
2. having, exercising, or characterized by good or discriminating judgment; wise, sensible, or well-advised:
a judicious selection of documents.
Origin
French, Italian, Latin
1590-1600; < Latin jūdici (um) judgment (see judge, -ium ) + -ous; compare Italian giudizioso, French judicieux
Related forms
judiciously, adverb
judiciousness, noun
overjudicious, adjective
overjudiciously, adverb
overjudiciousness, noun
Can be confused
judicial, judiciary, judicious (see synonym study at the current entry)
Synonyms
1. See practical. 1, 2. See moderate. 2. rational, reasonable, sober, sound, sagacious, enlightened, considered. Judicious, judicial both refer to a balanced and wise judgment. Judicious implies the possession and use of discerning and discriminating judgment: a judicious use of one’s time. Judicial has connotations of judgments made in a courtroom and refers to a fair and impartial kind of judgment: cool and judicial in examining the facts.
Antonyms
1. imprudent. 2. silly, unreasonable.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the web for judicious
– You’re very judicious about when and where you distribute that e-mail address.
– Because without judicious planning, an unexpected bestseller can be devastating.
– At the heart of science are judicious observations and measurements.
28 December 2014
polyphony
[puh-lif-uh-nee]
noun
1. Music. polyphonic composition; counterpoint. Comprising of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody.
2. Phonetics. representation of different sounds by the same letter or symbol.
Origin
Greek
1820-1830; < Greek polyphōnía variety of tones. See poly-, -phony
Related forms
polyphonous, adjective
polyphonously, adverb
Dictionary.com
Anagram
phony ploy
27 December 2014
hallow (1)
[hal-oh]
verb (used with object)
1. to make holy; sanctify; consecrate.
2. to honor as holy; consider sacred; venerate:
to hallow a battlefield.
Origin
Middle English, Old English
900, before 900; Middle English hal (o) wen, Old English hālgian (cognate with German heiligen, Old Norse helga), derivative of hālig holy
Related forms
hallower, noun
hallow (2)
[huh-loh]
interjection, noun, verb (used without object), verb (used with object)
1. hallo (to call or answer someone)
Dictionary.com
Anagram
all who
26 December 2014
confute
[kuh n-fyoot]
verb (used with object), confuted, confuting.
1. to prove to be false, invalid, or defective; disprove:
to confute an argument.
2. to prove (a person) to be wrong by argument or proof:
to confute one’s opponent.
3. Obsolete. to bring to naught; confound.
Origin
Latin
1520-1530; < Latin confūtāre to abash, silence, refute, equivalent to con- con- + -fūtāre; cf. refute
Related forms
confutable, adjective
confuter, noun
unconfutable, adjective
unconfuted, adjective
unconfuting, adjective
Dictionary.com
Examples from the web for confute
– Nothing in this handbook should be used to supersede or confute competently developed site-specific estimates.
Anagram
cue font
cote fun
25 December 2014
festal
[fes-tl]
adjective
1. pertaining to or befitting a feast, festival, holiday, or gala occasion.
Origin
Latin
1470-1480; < Latin fēst (um) feast + -al1
Related forms
festally, adverb
Dictionary.com
Anagram
a felts
24 December 2014
ossuary
[osh-oo-er-ee, os-]
noun, plural ossuaries.
1. a place or receptacle for the bones of the dead.
Also, ossuarium.
Origin
Late Latin
1650-1660; < Late Latin ossuārium, variant of ossārium, equivalent to oss- (stem of os) bone + -ārium -ary
Dictionary.com
Examples from the web for ossuary
– Their finds included an ossuary, that is, a large pit with human remains.
Anagram
as yours
says our
a rosy us
23 December 2014
immix
[ih-miks]
verb (used with object), immixed or immixt, immixing.
1. to mix in; mingle.
Origin
Middle English, Latin
1400-1450; back formation from Middle English immixt (e) mixed in < Latin immixtus past participle of immiscēre to blend, equivalent to im- im-1+ mix- (see mix ) + -tus past participle suffix
Dictionary.com
22 December 2014
ocker
[ok-er]
noun
1. an uncultured Australian male.
2. an uncouth, offensive male chauvinist.
adjective
3. of or relating to such a person.
4. typically Australian.
Origin
1960s; after Ocker, a character in an Australian television series
Dictionary.com
21 December 2014
spree
[spree]
noun
1. a lively frolic or outing.
2. a bout or spell of drinking to intoxication; binge; carousal.
3. a period, spell, or bout of indulgence, as of a particular wish, craving, or whim:
an eating spree; a spending spree.
4. a period or outburst of extreme activity: the team’s scoring spree;
no motive for his killing spree.
Origin
1795-1805; origin uncertain
Spree
[shprey]
noun
1. a river in E Germany, flowing N through Berlin to the Havel River. 220 miles (354 km) long.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the web for spree
– They may live frugally and hoard what they have, or dissipate it in a wild spree.
– Here’s how to turn your next stroll through the woods into a shopping spree.
– It is part horror, part thriller, featuring a couple of hitmen on a mercenary killing spree.
Anagram
peers
20 December 2014
palabra
[pah-lah-vrah]
noun, plural palabras [pah-lah-vrahs] Spanish.
1. a word.
2. speech; talk.
Dictionary.com
Examples
To conquer or die is no theatrical palabra, in these circumstances, but a practical truth and necessity. — Thomas Carlyle, The French Revolution, 1837
Origin
Palabra came to English from Spanish in the early 1600s.
Anagram
a bar pal
19 December 2014
ossify
[os-uh-fahy]
verb (used with object), ossified, ossifying.
1. to convert into or cause to harden like bone.
verb (used without object), ossified, ossifying.
2. to become bone or harden like bone.
3. to become rigid or inflexible in habits, attitudes, opinions, etc.:
a young man who began to ossify right after college.
Origin
Latin
1705-1715; < Latin ossi- (stem of os) bone + -fy
Related forms
ossifier, noun
unossifying, adjective
Dictionary.com
Examples from the web for ossify
– Each of the lateral parts begins to ossify from a single center during the eighth week of fetal life.
– His world-views became ossified because he confused fact with opinion.
18 December 2014
eidetic
[ahy-det-ik]
adjective
1. of, relating to, or constituting visual imagery vividly experienced and readily reproducible with great accuracy and in great detail.
2. of or relating to eidos.
Origin
Greek
1920-1925; < Greek eidētikós, equivalent to eîd (os) eidos + -ētikos -etic
Related forms
noneidetic, adjective
Dictionary.com
Examples from the web for eidetic
– eidetic images differ from other forms of visual imagery in several important ways.
– His tales were produced with a combination of will, eidetic memory and emotional immaturity.
– Sensory information storage is also known as sensory register, sensory store, and eidetic and echoic memory.
Anagram
iced tie
17 December 2014
salvo (1)
[sal-voh]
noun, plural salvos, salvoes.
1. a simultaneous or successive discharge of artillery, bombs, etc.
2. a round of fire given as a salute.
3. a round of cheers or applause.
Origin
Italian, Latin
1585-1595; earlier salva < Italian ≪ Latin salvē salve3
salvo (2)
[sal-voh]
noun, plural salvos. Archaic.
1. an excuse or quibbling evasion.
2. something to save a person’s reputation or soothe a person’s feelings.
Origin
1635-45; < Latin salvō, ablative of salvus safe, found in legal phrases
Dictionary.com
Examples from the web for salvo
– But under salvo or cloudy conditions, you’ve got problems.
– By some measures, the government’s initial salvo was a qualified success.
– Hardly a week goes by without another salvo in the music wars, which have been going on now for years.
– Two new books and a exhibition offer the opening salvo in what will be a continuing barrage.
– Browsing through the pictures shows that this salvo of updates has been a winner.
– The next day, he rushed to get her reaction to the all-star salvo.
– It answers any ill-advised criticism with a salvo of lawsuits.
– It was an early salvo in what would become an endless, thankless, unwinnable war.
Anagram
ovals
16 December 2014
pullulate
[puhl-yuh-leyt]
verb (used without object), pullulated, pullulating.
1. to send forth sprouts, buds, etc.; germinate; sprout.
2. to breed, produce, or create rapidly.
3. to increase rapidly; multiply.
4. to exist abundantly; swarm; teem.
5. to be produced as offspring.
Origin
Latin
1610-1620; < Latin pullulātus (past participle of pullulāre to sprout), derivative of pullulus a sprout, young animal, diminutive of pullus; see pullet
Related forms
pullulation, noun
Anagram
pull a lute
15 December 2014
baleful
[beyl-fuh l]
adjective
1. full of menacing or malign influences; pernicious.
2. Obsolete. wretched; miserable.
Origin
Middle English, Old English
1000, before 1000; Middle English; Old English bealofull. See bale2, -ful
Related forms
balefully, adverb
balefulness, noun
Can be confused
baleful, baneful.
Synonyms
1. harmful, malign, injurious, detrimental; evil, wicked; deadly.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the web for baleful
– Authenticity now dominates our way of viewing ourselves and our relationships, with baleful consequences.
– The polls corroborate the baleful economic portents.
– But this time the scare is about more than bad mortgage loans and their baleful effect on the credit markets.
Anagram
able flu
lab fuel
14 December 2014
rube
[roob]
noun, Informal.
1. an unsophisticated person from a rural area; hick.
Origin
1895-1900; generic use of Rube; compare earlier use of Reuben in same sense
Dictionary.com
Examples from the web for rube
– Except in the southeastern quadrant of the country, bourbon has been shunned as the drink of the rube and the codger.
– The audience broke into indulgent laughter, humoring the rube savant.
13 December 2014
appurtenance
[uh-pur-tn-uh ns]
noun
1. something subordinate to another, more important thing; adjunct; accessory.
2. Law. a right, privilege, or improvement belonging to and passing with a principal property.
3. appurtenances, apparatus; instruments.
Origin
Middle English
1350-1400; Middle English < Anglo-French, equivalent to ap- ap-1+ -purtenance a belonging; see purtenance
Dictionary.com
Examples from the web for appurtenance
– But he did have one peculiar appurtenance : around his neck hung high-powered binoculars, painted shiny gold.
– The appurtenance of welcome is fashion and ceremony.
– Access is defined as the ability to walk to the piping and/or appurtenance.
Anagram
canape punter
a pecan punter
a entrance pup
reenact nap up
12 December 2014
disingenuous
adjective
1. lacking in frankness, candor, or sincerity; falsely or hypocritically ingenuous; insincere:
Her excuse was rather disingenuous.
Origin
1645-1655; dis-1+ ingenuous
Related forms
disingenuously, adverb
disingenuousness, noun
nondisingenuous, adjective
nondisingenuously, adverb
nondisingenuousness, noun
Dictionary.com
Anagram
disguise noun
undoing issue
11 December 2014
ingenuous
[in-jen-yoo-uh s]
adjective
1. free from reserve, restraint, or dissimulation; candid; sincere.
2. artless; innocent; naive.
3. Obsolete. honorable or noble.
Origin
Latin
1590-1600; < Latin ingenuus native, free-born, honorable, frank, equivalent to in- in-2+ gen- (base of gignere; see ingenious ) + -uus deverbal adj. suffix; see -ous
Related forms
ingenuously, adverb
ingenuousness, noun
half-ingenuous, adjective
half-ingenuously, adverb
half-ingenuousness, noun
Can be confused
ingenious, ingenuous (see usage note at ingenious )
Synonyms
1. frank, straightforward, open. 2. guileless.
Usage note
See ingenious.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the web for ingenuous
– The claim is perhaps cagily ingenuous, by a writer often accused of being too cerebral and cool-hearted.
– Many actors could have been too winsome or ingenuous in the part of such a professional good guy.
– It is impossible not to accept it in the ingenuous spirit in which it was fabricated.
Anagram
ennui go use
use gun ion
10 December 2014
martinet
[mahr-tn-et, mahr-tn-et]
noun
1. a strict disciplinarian, especially a military one.
2. someone who stubbornly adheres to methods or rules.
Origin
1670-1680; after General Jean Martinet (died 1672), French inventor of a system of drill
Related forms
martinetish, adjective
martinetism, noun
Dictionary.com
Examples from the web for martinet
– While not slighting the captain’s martinet personality, he gives a performance that is filled with empathetic understanding.
– The reprobate with the heart of gold, or the old-line martinet who resents the incursions of progress.
– It is a triangle romance, with a martinet of a divisional superintendent doing a noble deed during an exciting moment
Anagram
rant item
9 December 2014
supernal
[soo-pur-nl]
adjective
1. being in or belonging to the heaven of divine beings; heavenly, celestial, or divine.
2. lofty; of more than earthly or human excellence, powers, etc.
3. being on high or in the sky or visible heavens.
Origin
Middle French, Latin
1475-1485; < Middle French < Latin supern (us) upper + -ālis -al1
Related forms
supernally, adverb
Dictionary.com
Examples from the web for supernal
– This, the supernal power of opium, is not a fact of ancient mysteries and visionary poets alone.
Anagram
spurn ale
lapse run
nap rules
8 December 2014
viand
[vahy-uh nd]
noun
1. an article of food.
2. viands, articles or dishes of food, now usually of a choice or delicate kind.
Origin
Middle English, Middle French, Latin
1350-1400; Middle English viaunde < Middle French viande < Vulgar Latin *vīvanda, for Latin vīvenda things to be lived on, neuter plural gerund of vīvere to live
Dictionary.com
Examples from the web for viand
– The conversation was rude and clamorous, but the viands and wine were good.
– They had the same fare as the boys, used the tin dishes, and praised the viands.
Anagram
divan
7 December 2014
ostensible
[o-sten-suh-buh l]
adjective
1. outwardly appearing as such; professed; pretended:
an ostensible cheerfulness concealing sadness.
2. apparent, evident, or conspicuous:
the ostensible truth of their theories.
Origin
French, Latin
1720-1730; < French < Latin ostēns (us), variant of ostentus (see ostensive ) + French -ible -ible
Related forms
ostensibly, adverb
nonostensible, adjective
nonostensibly, adverb
unostensible, adjective
unostensibly, adverb
Can be confused
ostensible, ostensive.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the web for ostensible
– ostensibly preparing for the north, he secretly planned for the south.
– ostensibly, the restrictions are designed to control illegal logging and related activities.
– In both instances, the company is using my personal data ostensibly to better to serve me, but really to make a buck.
Anagram
sensible to
belies tons
besets loins
bile stones
noble site
best noises
bite lesson
tense boils
6 December 2014
odious
[oh-dee-uh s]
adjective
1. deserving or causing hatred; hateful; detestable.
2. highly offensive; repugnant; disgusting.
Origin
Middle English, Latin
1350-1400; Middle English < Latin odiōsus, equivalent to od (ium) hatred, odium + -ōsus -ous
Related forms
odiously, adverb
odiousness, noun
unodious, adjective
unodiously, adverb
unodiousness, noun
Can be confused
malodorous, odious, odoriferous, odorous, smelly, stinky.
odious, odorous.
Synonyms
1. abominable, objectionable, despicable, execrable. See hateful. 2. loathsome, repellent, repulsive.
Antonyms
1. attractive, lovable.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the web for odious
– She learned the rough work of the household, the odious labors of the kitchen.
– He expected odious solitary scavengers but instead found sophisticated hunters living in complex clans.
– The war would be repulsive because the leader was odious.
Anagram
I do duo
5 December 2014
camoufleur
[kam-uh-flur]
noun
– one who camouflages or is skilled in camouflage, particularly military.
Origin:
French: to disguise
Anagram
a clue forum
coal emu fur
Example:
– A team of camoufleurs was responsible for camouflaging military installations.
4 December 2014
antiquity
[an-tik-wi-tee]
noun, plural antiquities.
1. the quality of being ancient; ancientness:
a bowl of great antiquity.
2. ancient times; former ages:
the splendor of antiquity.
3. the period of history before the Middle Ages.
4. the peoples, nations, tribes, or cultures of ancient times.
5. Usually, antiquities. something belonging to or remaining from ancient times, as monuments, relics, or customs.
Origin
Middle English, Anglo-FrenchLatin
1350-1400; Middle English antiquite < Anglo-French < Latin antīquitās, equivalent to antīqu (us) old (see antique ) + -itās -ity
Related forms
preantiquity, noun, plural preantiquities.
subantiquity, noun, plural subantiquities.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the web for antiquity
– Searching for or removal of any object of antiquity including arrowheads, pottery or other artifacts is prohibited.
– The techniques used in handcrafting silver have changed little since antiquity.
– No other hominin of such antiquity –including Lucy–is as complete as this one.
Anagram
a tiny quit
3 December 2014
coterie
[koh-tuh-ree]
noun
1. a group of people who associate closely.
2. an exclusive group; clique.
3. a group of prairie dogs occupying a communal burrow.
Origin
Medieval Latin
1730-1740; < French, Middle French: an association of tenant farmers < Medieval Latin coter (ius) cotter2+ -ie -y3
Synonyms
1. See circle.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the web for coterie
– There is always a fun-loving coterie of practical jokers in every club.
– Speak to the significance of your ideas beyond your coterie.
– His reliance on a coterie of compatriots provoked particular irritation.
Anagram
cite roe
eco tier
core tie
2 December 2014
autarky
[aw-tahr-kee]
noun, plural autarkies.
1. the condition of self-sufficiency, especially economic, as applied to a nation.
2. a national policy of economic independence.
Also, autarchy.
Origin
Greek
1610-1620; < Greek autárkeia, equivalent to aut- aut- + arke- suffice + -ia -ia
Related forms
autarkic, autarkical, adjective
autarkically, adverb
autarkist, noun
Dictionary.com
Anagram
a yuk rat
1 December 2014
autarchy
[aw-tahr-kee]
noun, plural autarchies.
1. absolute sovereignty.
2. an autocratic government.
3. autarky.
Origin
Greek
1655-1665; < Greek autarchía self-rule. See aut-, -archy
Related forms
autarchic, autarchical, adjective
autarchically, adverb
autarchist, noun
Dictionary.com
a racy hut
