August 2018 – WOTDs

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August 2018 – WOTDs

31 August 2018

unction

[uhngk-shuh n]

noun

1. an act of anointing, especially as a medical treatment or religious rite.
2. an unguent or ointment; salve.
3. something soothing or comforting.
4. an excessive, affected, sometimes cloying earnestness or fervor in manner, especially in speaking.
5. Religion.
the oil used in religious rites, as in anointing the sick or dying.
the shedding of a divine or spiritual influence upon a person.
the influence shed.
extreme unction.
6. the manifestation of spiritual or religious inspiration.

Origin of unction

Middle English, Latin
1350-1400; Middle English unctioun < Latin ūnctiōn (stem of ūnctiō) anointing, besmearing, equivalent to ūnct(us) (past participle of ung(u)ere to smear, anoint) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms

unctionless, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for unction

Historical Examples

Mr Pancks answered, with an unction which there is no language to convey, ‘We rather think so.’
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens

Juve pronounced these words with unction, in a solemn voice.
A Nest of Spies
Pierre Souvestre

If she should be able, after receiving absolution and the unction, she—she may see you, monsignor.
The Genius
Margaret Horton Potter

The others found an unction in my words, and that they operated in them what I said.
The Autobiography of Madame Guyon
Jeanne Marie Bouvier de La Motte Guyon

“Well, you boys listen to this,” and the postmaster read the item with unction.
The Rainy Day Railroad War
Holman Day

With what unction the word “men” rolled from Rosalie’s tongue.
Peggy Stewart at School
Gabrielle E. Jackson

For the third time he laughed to himself with depth and unction.
The Eyes of the Woods
Joseph A. Altsheler

No one else can do it with the feeling and unction natural to parents.
Thoughts on Missions
Sheldon Dibble

Even the Cameronians agreed that there was “ unction ” in the Doctor.
The Dew of Their Youth
S. R. Crockett

He adjured Pixie repeatedly, and with unction, to “Buck up!”
The Love Affairs of Pixie
Mrs George de Horne Vaizey

Anagram

icon nut
on tunic

30 August 2018

salve(1)

[sav, sahv]

noun

1. a medicinal ointment for healing or relieving wounds and sores.
2. anything that soothes, mollifies, or relieves.
verb (used with object), salved, salving.
3. to soothe with or as if with salve; assuage:
to salve one’s conscience.

Origin of salve(1)

Middle English, Old English
900 before 900; (noun) Middle English; Old English sealf; cognate with German Salbe salve, Sanskrit sarpis melted butter; (v.) Middle English salven, Old English sealfian

Synonyms

3. ease, alleviate, mollify.

salve(2)

[salv]

verb (used with or without object), salved, salving.

1. to save from loss or destruction; to salvage.

Origin

First recorded in 1700-10; back formation from salvage

salve(3)

[sal-vee; Latin sahl-wey]

interjection

1. hail!

Origin

1400-50; late Middle English < Latin salvē! literally, be in good health!; cf. salute

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for salve

Contemporary Examples

Its readership expands in times when more of us need its particular brand of salve.
What the Forward Prize Doesn’t Recognize About Poets
Mandy Kahn
July 13, 2014

His only salve has been counting down the days until graduation.
Mormon U. Forces Gays to Be Celibate
Emily Shire
May 13, 2014

Then came remedies: the powder, the salve, the wondrous elixir.
New Study Says Doctors Can’t “Just Say No” to Their Patients
Kent Sepkowitz
March 31, 2014

“Anything that tries to solve an issue in Northern Ireland, to put a salve on it, tends to enflame the situation,” he said.
Belfast in Chaos After Days of Protestant Rioting, Police Injuries
Nico Hines
July 16, 2013

In France, we are supposed to salve our consciences with the knowledge that draft horses are raised to be eaten.
My Horsemeat Lunch
Christopher Dickey
February 27, 2013

Historical Examples

He spoke with the sureness of a man of wealth, confident that money will salve any wound.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana

And this time the thing he wanted was to get the dervish to rub some of the salve on his other eye.
Tom Sawyer Abroad
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

And he hollered the first thing that “he wanted some of Hall’s salve.”
Samantha Among the Brethren, Part 2.
Josiah Allen’s Wife (Marietta Holley)

His wounded pride demanded a salve to be procured at any cost.
The Snare
Rafael Sabatini

But Gage was endeavoring to salve his smart and conceal his own shame.
The Siege of Boston
Allen French

29 August 2018

beano

[bee-noh]

noun

noun (pl) beanos
1. (Brit, slang) a celebration, party, or other enjoyable time
Collins English Dictionary

Word Origin and History for beano Expand
n. 1888, colloquial shortening of beanfest “annual dinner given by employers for their workers” (1805); they had a reputation for rowdiness. From bean (n.) + fest (n.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Examples

The chairman said that he remembered the last beano very well.
The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists
Robert Tressell

The intelligent foreigner may take it that beano simply means the worship of Bacchus.
Cakes & Ale

28 August 2018

teasel or teazel, teazle

[tee-zuh l]

noun

1. any of several plants of the genus Dipsacus, having prickly leaves and flower heads.
Compare teasel family.
2. the dried flower head or bur of the plant D. fullonum, used for teasing or teaseling cloth.
3. any mechanical contrivance used for teaseling.
verb (used with object), teaseled, teaseling or (especially British) teaselled, teaselling.
4. to raise a nap on (cloth) with teasels; dress by means of teasels.

Origin of teasel

Middle English, Old English
1000, before 1000; Middle English tesel, Old English tǣsel; akin to tease

Related forms

teaseler; especially British, teaseller, noun
unteaseled, adjective
unteaselled, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for teasel

Historical Examples

All these Indians spin the thread, of which they make their nets, of a kind of teasel.
The Conquest of the River Plate (1535-1555)
Ulrich Schmidt

The teasel and sun and moon were emblematical of the chief staples of the place; the woollen trade and the mining interests.
A Book of the West. Volume I Devon
S. Baring-Gould

In fact, ‘the seal of the Port-reeve bears a church between a teasel and a saltire, with the sun and moon above.’
Devon, Its Moorlands, Streams and Coasts
Rosalind Northcote

Anagram

elates
least

27 August 2018

Harpy

[hahr-pee]

noun, plural Harpies.

1. Classical Mythology. a ravenous, filthy monster having a woman’s head and a bird’s body.
2. (lowercase) a scolding, nagging, bad-tempered woman; shrew.
3. (lowercase) a greedy, predatory person.

Origin of Harpy

Latin, Greek< Latin Harpȳia, singular of Harpȳiae < Greek Hárpȳiai (plural), literally, snatchers, akin to harpázein to snatch away

Related forms

harpylike, adjective
Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for Harpy

Historical Examples

Madame Beattie was a familiar name to them, but they had never heard she was a Harpy.
The Prisoner
Alice Brown

It was also the day of the man behind the bar, of the gambler, of the Harpy.
The Trail of ’98
Robert W. Service

“Harpy it might have been, but happy it was not,” he answered with a groan.
The Three Commanders
W.H.G. Kingston

26 August 2018

midden

[mid-n]

noun

1. a dunghill or refuse heap.
2. kitchen midden.

Origin of midden

Middle English, Old Danish
1300-1350; Middle English midding < Old Danish mykdyngja, equivalent to myk manure + dyngja pile ( Danish mødding)

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for midden

Historical Examples

They happened to fall soft, on a midden, and got away unhurt.
From a Terrace in Prague
Lieut.-Col. B. Granville Baker

The day you do weel there will be seven munes in the lift and ane on the midden.
The Proverbs of Scotland
Alexander Hislop

One corner of this midden is bricked off to form a drainage pit.
The Red Watch
J. A. Currie

Some a little weaker, some with more bilge-water in it, or a trifle of a dash from the midden.
Mary Anerley
R. D. Blackmore

And Nod said softly: “Float but a span nearer to me, midden —a span and just a half a span.”
The Three Mulla-mulgars
Walter De La Mare

They stood about a ruin of felled trees, with a midden and its butterflies in the midst.
The Sea and the Jungle
H. M. Tomlinson

If you boys have no objection, I think I’ll spend the afternoon at my midden.
The Wailing Octopus
Harold Leland Goodwin

Anagram

minded

25 August 2018

artful

[ahrt-fuh l]

adjective

1. slyly crafty or cunning; deceitful; tricky:
artful schemes.
2. skillful or clever in adapting means to ends; ingenious:
an artful choice of metaphors and similes.
3. done with or characterized by art or skill:
artful acting; artful repairs.
4. Archaic. artificial.

Origin of artful

1605-1615 First recorded in 1605-15; art1+ -ful

Related forms

artfully, adverb
artfulness, noun
unartful, adjective
unartfully, adverb
unartfulness, noun

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for artful

Contemporary Examples
Free from strict rules, Japanese distillers are making innovative, artful concoctions.
Watch Out, Scotland! Japanese Whisky Is on the Rise
Kayleigh Kulp
November 16, 2014

He was as striking in person as he is on screen—thin, white v-neck t-shirt, two-day scruff, artful bedhead.
Robert Pattinson’s Life After ‘Twilight’
Andrew Romano
June 13, 2014

All this artful excess seems intended to disorient and disinhibit guests descending from the busy theater district above.
Interactive Play ‘Queen of the Night’ Opens at Restored Diamond Horseshoe Club
Brian Spitulnik
December 31, 2013

With her artful fusion of fact and fiction, Phillips pulls off a rare sense of lightness and grace at the end of the novel.
Murder, She Wrote: Jayne Anne Phillips on Her New Novel
Jane Ciabattari
October 21, 2013

For this ensemble, Britney matched silky black pants with an artful, geometric corset.
Britney Spears’s 10 Looks in “Work Bitch”
Amy Zimmerman
October 2, 2013

Historical Examples

To be “infirm of purpose” is to be at the mercy of the artful or at the disposal of accident.
Tales And Novels, Volume 5 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth

If she fell, should he not save his friend from being the dupe of an artful intriguante?
Calderon The Courtier
Edward Bulwer-Lytton

Is incensed against him for his artful dealings with her, and for his selfish love.
Clarissa, Volume 3 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson

She raves at him for the artful manner in which he urges Clarissa to marry him.
Clarissa, Volume 3 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson

A preconcerted, forward, and artful flight, it must undoubtedly appear to them.
Clarissa, Volume 3 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson

23 August 2018

pagan

[pey-guh n]

noun

1. (no longer in technical use) one of a people or community observing a polytheistic religion, as the ancient Romans and Greeks.
2. a member of a religious, spiritual, or cultural community based on the worship of nature or the earth; a neopagan.
3. Disparaging and Offensive.
(in historical contexts) a person who is not a Christian, Jew, or Muslim; a heathen.
an irreligious or hedonistic person.
an uncivilized or unenlightened person.
adjective
4. of, relating to, or characteristic of pagans.
5. Disparaging and Offensive.
relating to the worship or worshipers of any religion that is neither Christian, Jewish, nor Muslim.
irreligious or hedonistic.
(of a person) uncivilized or unenlightened.

Origin of pagan

Middle English, Late Latin

1325-1375 Middle English < Medieval Latin, Late Latin pāgānus ‘worshiper of false gods’, orig. ‘civilian’ (i.e., not a soldier of Christ), Latin: ‘peasant’, noun use of pāgānus ‘rural, civilian’, derivative of pāgus ‘village, rural district’ (akin to pangere ‘to fix, make fast’); see -an

Related forms

paganish, adjective
paganishly, adverb
nonpagan, noun, adjective
nonpaganish, adjective
pseudopagan, adjective

Synonym Study

Heathen and pagan are primarily historical terms that were applied pejoratively, especially by people who were Christian, Jewish, or Muslim, to peoples who were not members of one of those three monotheistic religious groups. Heathen referred especially to the peoples and cultures of primitive or ancient tribes thought to harbor unenlightened, barbaric idol worshipers: heathen rites; heathen idols.

Pagan, although sometimes applied similarly to those tribes, was more often used to refer specifically to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who worshiped the multiple gods and goddesses said to dwell on Mount Olympus, such as Zeus and Athena (called Jupiter and Minerva by the Romans). The term was applied to their beliefs and culture as well: a pagan ritual; a pagan civilization.
Contemporary paganism, having evolved and expanded in Europe and North America since the 20th century, includes adherents of diverse groups that hold various beliefs, which may focus, for example, on the divinity of nature or of the planet Earth or which may be pantheistic or polytheistic. In modern English, heathen remains an offensive term, used to accuse someone of being unenlightened or irreligious; pagan, however, is increasingly a neutral description of certain existing and emerging religious movements.

Dictionary.com

21 August 2018

patina

[pat-n-uh, puh-tee-nuh]

noun

1. a film or incrustation, usually green, produced by oxidation on the surface of old bronze and often esteemed as being of ornamental value.
2. a similar film or coloring appearing gradually on some other substance.
3. a surface calcification of implements, usually indicating great age.

Also, patine, [puh-teen]

Origin of patina
1740-1750; Italian: coating; Latin: pan. See paten

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for patina

Contemporary Examples

Organicness, too, can offer a patina of healthfulness to unsavory substances.
Your Health Food’s Hidden Sugar Bomb
Michael Schulson
July 8, 2014

Sandoval has also managed to burnish his image with a patina of integrity in the scandal-scarred Silver State.
Nevada Guv Faces Fans and Foes in Reelection
Lloyd Green
March 18, 2014

The latter provided numbers, passion, righteousness, self-righteousness, and a patina of faux populist clout.
The South Has Indeed Risen Again and It’s Called the Tea Party
Jack Schwartz
December 8, 2013

They grounded the curious and unexpected fabrics with their texture and patina.
Balenciaga’s Nicolas Ghesquiere Shows Whispers of Brilliance in Spring 2013 Collection
Robin Givhan
September 27, 2012

Historical Examples

Soon it would acquire a patina and become part of the jungle.
When the Owl Cries
Paul Bartlett

patina is a most fascinating subject, once you get thoroughly into it.
The Abandoned Farmers
Irvin S. Cobb

In fact among friends I am now getting to be known as the patina Kid.
The Abandoned Farmers
Irvin S. Cobb

The percentage of lead in the patina has also slightly increased.
The Preservation of Antiquities
Friedrich Rathgen

If there is a tone or patina, that should be pure and uniform.
The Confessions of a Collector
William Carew Hazlitt

20 August 2018

cachexia

[kuh-kek-see-uh]

noun, Pathology.

1. general ill health with emaciation, usually occurring in association with cancer or a chronic infectious disease.

Also, cachexy [kuh-kek-see]

Origin of cachexia

Late Latin

1535-1545; < Late Latin < Greek, equivalent to kak(ós) bad + héx(is) condition ( hek-, variant stem of échein to have + -sis -sis ) + -ia -ia

Related forms

cachectic [kuh-kek-tik], cachectical, cachexic, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for cachexia

Historical Examples

There exists in some individuals a predisposition to “catching cold,” independent of any cachexia.
A System of Practical Medicine By American Authors, Vol. II
Various

In the cachexia from tumours an increase of the eosinophil cells has been observed by various authors.
Histology of the Blood
Paul Ehrlich

The cachexia and rapid decline are not seen in catarrhal ulceration.
A System of Practical Medicine By American Authors, Vol. II
Various

It produces anæmia and cachexia in animals when given in small repeated doses.
Poisons: Their Effects and Detection
Alexander Wynter Blyth

The symptoms which induce women to seek medical aid are haemorrhage, foetid discharge, and later pain and cachexia.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 7
Various

The cachexia Africana, like other spanœmic states of the system, may run into Phthisis, or become complicated with it.
Cotton is King and The Pro-Slavery Arguments
Various

Malaria, if severe, may interrupt gestation through fever or cachexia.
The Ethics of Medical Homicide and Mutilation
Austin O’Malley

19 August 2018

droit du seigneur

[French drwa dy se-nyœr]

noun

1. the supposed right claimable by a feudal lord to have sexual relations with the bride of a vassal on her first night of marriage.

Origin of droit du seigneur

1815-1825; < French: literally, right of the lord

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for droit du seigneur Expand

Historical Examples

More than this, they enjoy a sort of ” droit du seigneur,” and no man’s wife or daughter is safe from them.
The Story of the Malakand Field Force
Sir Winston S. Churchill

18 August 2018

stentorian

[sten-tawr-ee-uh n, -tohr-]

adjective

1. very loud or powerful in sound:
a stentorian voice.

Origin of stentorian

1595-1605, First recorded in 1595-1605; Stentor + -ian

Related forms

stentorianly, adverb
unstentorian, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for stentorian

Contemporary Examples

I mean, you know, obviously one sounds terribly sort of stentorian and, you know, I mean… Ultimately, it is what it is, right?
Hanging Out with Ian McEwan: Full Transcript
The Daily Beast Video
April 14, 2010

Historical Examples

The tone in which this was spoken was harsh and stentorian, and almost made me bounce.
The Room in the Dragon Volant
J. Sheridan LeFanu

Without waiting for an answer, he commenced, in stentorian tones.
The Room in the Dragon Volant
J. Sheridan LeFanu

Anagram

anti-stoner
insane trot
retains ton
no nitrates
instant ore
ten rations
satin tenor

17 August 2018

cacique

[kuh-seek]

noun

1. a chief of an Indian clan or tribe in Mexico and the West Indies.
2. (in Spain and Latin America) a political boss on a local level.
3. (in the Philippines) a prominent landowner.
4. any of several black and red or black and yellow orioles of the American tropics that construct long, pendent nests.

Origin of cacique

Spanish, Taino
1545-1555; < Spanish < Taino (Hispaniola)

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for cacique

Contemporary Examples

It is from the perspective of a Mexican cacique on his deathbed.
My Father Sergio Muñoz Bata’s Friendship With Novelist Carlos Fuentes
Lorenza Muñoz
May 16, 2012

Historical Examples

He sat in the midst of a circle of lamplighters, and was the cacique, or chief of the tribe.
The Lamplighter
Charles Dickens

He was the cacique of the Sun and he was vexed because he had not been called earlier.
The Trail Book
Mary Austin

16 August 2018

Dazzle Ships

Dazzle camouflage was a style of military camouflage used during World War I and World War II. It was the innovation of Devon artist, Norman Wilkinson. Unlike most camouflage, Dazzle was not meant to conceal the ship, but to provide an illusion that made it difficult to identify the type of ship and its speed and direction of travel. It is alleged that Picasso tried to take credit for the Dazzle paint scheme as it closely resembled cubism, which had inspired Wilkinson’s idea for the paint schemes.

Examples of Dazzle Ships

HMS Mauretania (1918)

SS Olympic with returned soldiers at Halifax, Canada (1917)

– painted by Arthur Lismer

USS Leviathan (1918)

USS Nebraska (1918)

USS Charles S. Sperry (1944)

15 August 2018

sentimental

[sen-tuh-men-tl]

adjective

1. expressive of or appealing to sentiment, especially the tender emotions and feelings, as love, pity, or nostalgia:
a sentimental song.
2. pertaining to or dependent on sentiment :
We kept the old photograph for purely sentimental reasons.
3. weakly emotional; mawkishly susceptible or tender:
the sentimental Victorians.
4. characterized by or showing sentiment or refined feeling.

Origin of sentimental

1740-1750 First recorded in 1740-50; sentiment + -al1

Related forms

sentimentally, adverb
antisentimental, adjective
antisentimentally, adverb
hypersentimental, adjective
hypersentimentally, adverb

Synonyms

1. romantic, tender, nostalgic; maudlin, bathetic.

Antonyms

1, 4. dispassionate.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for sentimental

Contemporary Examples

A good commercial Christmas song must avoid being too sentimental or too cutesy.
Yes, I Like Christmas Music. Stop Laughing.
Michael Tomasky
December 24, 2014

Northanger Abbey, after all, parodies the tropes and excesses of sentimental Gothic novels.
The Birth of the Novel
Nick Romeo
November 27, 2014

While Kalman tends to mine the past for material, she is as irreverent as she is sentimental.
The Singular Artist of New Yorkistan
Lizzie Crocker
November 14, 2014

The simultaneously upbeat and sentimental ode to friendship is equal parts funk, trance, pop, and R&B.
The Swedish Queen of Soulful Pop: Mapei Won’t Wait for You to Listen
Caitlin Dickson
October 16, 2014

In another series, drafting a fantasy football team by the side of a fallen comrade could be sentimental, even borderline maudlin.
The MVPs of Sleaze Are Back: FXX’s ‘The League’ Ups the Degenerate Ante
Emily Shire
September 4, 2014

Historical Examples

Let us see if there is any foundation for this sentimental balderdash.
The Man Shakespeare
Frank Harris

This was the first time she had ever heard Martin ask for something as sentimental as a kiss.
Dust
Mr. and Mrs. Haldeman-Julius

This country is absurd with its sentimental regard for individual liberty.
The Secret Agent
Joseph Conrad

The public has a sort of sentimental regard for that fellow.
The Secret Agent
Joseph Conrad

There was not a trace of sentimental expression to this absorption.
Hetty’s Strange History
Anonymous

14 August 2018

execrable

[ek-si-kruh-buh l]

adjective

1. utterly detestable; abominable; abhorrent.
2. very bad:
an execrable stage performance.

Origin of execrable

Middle English, Latin

1350-1400 for earlier sense “expressing a curse”; 1480-90 for def 1; Middle English < Latin ex(s)ecrābilis accursed, detestable. See execrate, -able

Related forms

execrableness, noun
execrably, adverb

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for execrable

Contemporary Examples

Anything, for example, to take our minds off the execrable “dining experience.”
Your iPod (Most Likely) Won’t Bring Down the Plane
Clive Irving
October 31, 2013

So I’m not criticizing her, and I’m certainly not defending DW Griffith’s execrable opinions.
The Economic History of Stereotypes
Megan McArdle
June 3, 2013

Historical Examples

And he’s likely to talk the most execrable slang, or to quote Browning.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson

Ah, I would willingly have killed that execrable Smith, for he was poisoning my life.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt

Not a word of it seemed to be true, and the style in which it was written was execrable.
Monday or Tuesday
Virginia Woolf

Why should not they admit that little picture, although he himself thought it execrable ?
His Masterpiece
Emile Zola

The host of the little inn had not exaggerated—the road was execrable.
Maurice Tiernay Soldier of Fortune
Charles James Lever

But the dinner was execrable, and all the feast was for the eyes.
Falk
Joseph Conrad

It is execrable stuff—the milk of sirens mingled with sea-water.
Lippincott’s Magazine, Vol. 20, August 1877
Various

“Just time if we put on some speed; but the roads are execrable,” he vouchsafed.
A harum-scarum schoolgirl
Angela Brazil

13 August 2018

rebozo

[ri-boh-soh, -zoh; Spanish re-baw-thaw, -saw]

noun, plural rebozos [ri-boh-sohz, -zohz; Spanish re-baw-thaws, -saws] (Show IPA)

1. a long woven scarf, often of fine material, worn over the head and shoulders by Spanish and Mexican women.

Also, reboso, rebosa, riboso, ribozo.

Origin of rebozo

1800-1810; Spanish: scarf, shawl, equivalent to re- re- + bozo muzzle

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for rebozo

Contemporary Examples

She made the design as a comment on the comforting nature of wrapping oneself in a rebozo.
Shining a Spotlight on Mexico’s Iconic Textile—the Rebozo
Liza Foreman
June 16, 2014

Photographs by Lourdes Almeida explore the meaning of the style in which a rebozo is worn.
Shining a Spotlight on Mexico’s Iconic Textile—the Rebozo
Liza Foreman
June 16, 2014

Made from Japanese paper and thread, her rebozo is a critique of the condition of the planet and human behavior, the artist said.
Shining a Spotlight on Mexico’s Iconic Textile—the Rebozo
Liza Foreman
June 16, 2014

rustre

[roi-ster]

noun / adjective (french)

lout, someone who is rude, lack of education, of delicacy.

Example: He is such a rustre.

11 August 2018

mortiferous

[mawr-tif-er-uh s]

adjective

1. deadly; fatal.
‘avoid the mortiferous snake’.

Origin of mortiferous

Latin

1525-1535; < Latin mortiferus death-bearing, equivalent to morti- (stem of mors) death + -ferus -ferous

Related forms

mortiferousness, noun

Dictionary.com

Anagram

Softie Rumor
Furriest Moo
Morose Fruit
Our Mr Softie
Reform Is Out

10 August 2018

cupidity

[kyoo-pid-i-tee]

noun

eager or excessive desire, especially to possess something; greed; avarice.

Origin of cupidity

1400–50; late Middle English cupidite (< Middle French) < Latin cupiditās, equivalent to cupid(us) eager, desirous (cup(ere) to desire + -idus -id4) + -itās -ity

Related forms

cu·pid·i·nous [kyoo-pid-n-uh s] /kyuˈpɪd n əs/, adjective

Synonyms

covetousness, avidity, hunger, acquisitiveness.

Dictionary.com

Examples of cupidity

Contemporary Examples

Colonialists like Robert Clive, victor of the seminal Battle of Plassey in 1757 that is seen as decisively inaugurating British rule in India, were unashamed of their cupidity and corruption. On his first return to England, Clive took home £234,000 from his Indian exploits (£23 million pounds in today’s money, making him one of the richest men in Europe).
Inglorious Empire: what the British did to India
Shashi Tharoor

Historical Examples

A new look flashed into her eyes, not cupidity, but purpose.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart

Romance, more than cupidity, is what attracts the gold-brick investor.
Wild Justice: Stories of the South Seas
Lloyd Osbourne

“I am that,” exclaimed the other, with a gleam of cupidity in his shifty eyes.
The Golden Woman
Ridgwell Cullum

He was about to let her carry out her threat if she saw fit when his cupidity overcame him.
The Harbor of Doubt
Frank Williams

The curses of Heaven light on the cupidity that has destroyed such a race.
The Pioneers
James Fenimore Cooper

Anagram

I cup tidy
I’d up city

9 August 2018

sine qua non

[sahy-nee kwey non, kwah, sin-ey; Latin si-ne kwah-nohn]

noun

1. an indispensable condition, element, or factor; something essential:
Her presence was the sine qua non of every social event.

Origin of sine qua non

Late Latin. From the Late Latin word sine quā (causā) nōn without which (thing) not
causa sine qua non. Literally, a cause without which not

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for sine qua non

Contemporary Examples

That accumulation of identities is already a sine qua non when speaking of Hispanics, like Zimmerman.
George Zimmerman, Hispanics, and the Messy Nature of American Identity
Ilan Stavans
April 6, 2012

In the land of the industrial revolution, foreign ownership and management is the sine qua non of industrial success.
Britain is in No Position to Rule the Waves
Noah Kristula-Green
March 8, 2012

This unsmoked, wet-cured ham is the sine qua non of Parisian butcher shops: a light, ephemeral meat, sweet but umami.
Easter’s Top Five Hams
Mark Scarbrough
March 30, 2010

8 August 2018

craw

[kraw]

noun

1. the crop of a bird or insect.
2. the stomach of an animal.
Idioms
3. stick in one’s craw, to cause considerable or abiding resentment; rankle:
She said I was pompous, and that really stuck in my craw.

Origin of craw

Middle English

1350-1400; Middle English crawe, probably akin to crag2

Can be confused

craw, crow.
craw, crawl.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for craw

Contemporary Examples

One image in the film also stuck in my craw : a shot of a little boy in the audience holding up his white stuffed unicorn.
The Stacks: Pauline Kael’s Talking Heads Obsession
Pauline Kael
November 22, 2014

The seizure of this particular spring sticks in the craw of Palestinian activists—see the “infographic.”
The Settlement Movement and The Environmental Card
Kathleen Peratis
August 21, 2012

But what really stuck in my craw was that Pope mindlessly repeated a spate of spurious claims about ethanol and Brazil.
How Wall Street Will Ruin the Environment
Robert Bryce
June 26, 2009

Historical Examples

The seed came from the craw of a wild swan that they had shot.
Old Rail Fence Corners
Various

Something stuck in his craw, and he couldn’t figure out what it was.
The Bramble Bush
Gordon Randall Garrett

“He ain’t got the sand in his craw to make a killing,” said one of the listeners.
Rimrock Trail
J. Allan Dunn

“Just the same, he’s got something in his craw,” replied the sheriff.
Rimrock Trail
J. Allan Dunn

Fill the craw of the fowl, &c.; but do not cram it so as to disfigure its shape.
The Cook’s Oracle; and Housekeeper’s Manual
William Kitchiner

It was pumping up the food from its craw, in the same way that a pigeon does.
In a Cheshire Garden
Geoffrey Egerton-Warburton

7 August 2018

Parousia

[puh-roo-zee-uh, -see-uh, pahr-oo-see-uh]

noun

1. advent (def 4).
2. (lowercase) Platonism. the presence in any thing of the idea after which it was formed.

Origin of Parousia

Greek

1870-1875; < Greek parousía a being present, presence, equivalent to par- par- + ous- (stem of ôn, present participle of eînai to be) + -ia -ia

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for Parousia

Historical Examples

They also betray the expectation of the early coming of the Parousia.
Sources of the Synoptic Gospels
Carl S. Patton

They betray the conviction that the time of the Parousia is near.
Sources of the Synoptic Gospels
Carl S. Patton

Luke (xvii, 34) wishes to suggest that the Parousia may occur in the night.
Sources of the Synoptic Gospels
Carl S. Patton

Furthermore, it is not only in the earlier epistles that expressions occur which seem to suggest that the Parousia is near.
The Literature and History of New Testament Times
J. Gresham (John Gresham) Machen

The thought of an incarnation or a Parousia of Wisdom is absolutely foreign to Jewish thought.
The Origin of Paul’s Religion
J. Gresham Machen

Luke, or his source, wishes to indicate that the Parousia may be in the night, and so adds the words and .
Sources of the Synoptic Gospels
Carl S. Patton

6 August 2018

withershins or widdershins

[with -er-shinz]

adverb, Chiefly Scot.

1. in a direction contrary to the natural one, especially contrary to the apparent course of the sun or counterclockwise: considered as unlucky or causing disaster.

Also wid·der·shins [wid-er-shinz] /ˈwɪd ərˌʃɪnz/.

Compare deasil.

Origin of withershins

1505–15; Middle Low German weddersin(ne)s, Middle High German widdersinnes, equivalent to wider (Old High German widar) opposite (see with) + sinnes, genitive of sin way, course (cognate with Old English sīth); see send1, -s1

Dictionary.com

Historical Examples

But this is telling our tale “withershins about,” as they say in Netherby.
Cleg Kelly, Arab of the City
S. R. (Samuel Rutherford) Crockett

To go ‘withershins’ seems to have been reserved for cursing and excommunication.
Balder The Beautiful, Vol. I.
Sir James George Frazer

To go round the person in the opposite direction, or “withershins,” is an evil incantation and brings ill-fortune.
The Kath Sarit Sgara
Somadeva Bhatta

A weak man like his learned brother Withershins was not a judge to keep the high-roads safe, and make crime tremble.
In a Glass Darkly, v. 1/3
Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Having arrived at their rendezvous, they danced round it ‘withershins’—that is, in reverse of the apparent motion of the sun.
Witch, Warlock, and Magician
William Henry Davenport Adams

Anagram

shrewish nit
whist shrine

5 August 2018

gage

[geyj]

noun

1. something, as a glove, thrown down by a medieval knight in token of challenge to combat.
2. Archaic. a challenge.
3. Archaic. a pledge or pawn; security.
verb (used with object), gaged, gaging.
4. Archaic. to pledge, stake, or wager.

Origin of gage

Middle English, Middle French, Germanic

1350-1400; Middle English < Middle French < Germanic; see wage

Examples from the Web for gage

Contemporary Examples

That means six years, at least, of 30-hour gym days and, at gage, $600-a-month training costs.
Gabby Douglas, Ryan Lochte: Why Families of America’s Olympics Athletes Are Broke
Kevin Fallon
August 7, 2012

But Grimes estimates that there are roughly 20 girls at gage training at elite levels, and writing those accompanying checks.
Gabby Douglas, Ryan Lochte: Why Families of America’s Olympics Athletes Are Broke
Kevin Fallon
August 7, 2012

4 August 2018

modish

[moh-dish]

adjective

1. in the current fashion; stylish.

Origin of modish

1650-1660, First recorded in 1650-60; mode2+ -ish1

Related forms

modishly, adverb
modishness, noun
unmodish, adjective
unmodishly, adverb

Synonyms

smart, chic, fashionable, trendy.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for modish

Contemporary Examples

It feels bizarrely out of place, and the horde of modish Angelenos decide to capture it on their iPhones and Androids.
Paris Hilton’s Trippy Los Angeles Release Party For Her Single With Lil Wayne
Jean Trinh
October 9, 2013

A group of modish young Angelenos has congregated at Eveleigh, a bistro off Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood.
Andrew Bachelor, a.k.a. King Bach, Is the King of Vine—And Comedy’s Next Big Thing
Marlow Stern
August 29, 2013

Top-40 music is blaring and the crowd, most of whom are standing, is young, modish, and easy on the eyes.
Inside Beacher’s Madhouse, L.A.’s Craziest Nightclub
Marlow Stern
June 22, 2013

United received heaps of critical acclaim stateside and Phoenix became a favorite among the modish indie crowd.
Phoenix on New Album ‘Bankrupt!’ and Journey to Rock Superstardom
Marlow Stern
April 22, 2013

Historical Examples

There was evidence of great care and taste in every fold of her modish dress.
Wayside Courtships
Hamlin Garland

Tis modish to say women are tender, Phoebe; more modish than true.
The Maidens’ Lodge
Emily Sarah Holt

She wore a modish hat that was immensely becoming, and looked charming.
Langford of the Three Bars
Kate Boyles

Judge then, if to me a lady of the modish taste could have been tolerable.
Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded
Samuel Richardson

Orson Vane’s bias toward the theatre did not displease the modish.
The Imitator
Percival Pollard

And Anne, neither classic nor modish, still vaguely resembled her!
The Gorgeous Isle
Gertrude Atherton

3 August 2018

Shamal

noun

A shamal (Arabic: شمال‎, ‘north’) is a northwesterly wind blowing over Iraq and the Persian Gulf states (including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait), often strong during the day, but decreasing at night. This weather effect occurs anywhere from once to several times a year, mostly in summer but sometimes in winter. The resulting wind typically creates large sandstorms that impact Iraq, most sand having been picked up from Jordan and Syria.

2 August 2018

gallus

/ˈɡæləs/

adjective

1. (Scot) bold; daring; reckless

Word Origin

a variant of gallows used as an adjective, meaning fit for the gallows
Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Examples from the Web for gallus

Historical Examples

But gallus birds like you and your company, it’s best for us not to be seen in company with.
Romance
Joseph Conrad and F.M. Hueffer

The word gallus, a Gaul, is of course the same as the Irish gal, a stranger.
Notes and Queries, Number 219, January 7, 1854
Various

1 August 2018

tzimmes

[tsim-is]

noun

1. Also, tsimmes. Jewish Cookery. any of various sweetened combinations of vegetables, fruit, and sometimes meat, prepared as a casserole or stew.
2. fuss; uproar; hullabaloo:
He made such a tzimmes over that mistake!

Origin of tzimmes

1890-1895; < Yiddish tsimes, akin to dialectal German (Swabia) zimmes, zimbes compote, stew, Swiss German zimis lunch; compound (orig. prepositional phrase) with Middle High German z, ze unstressed variant of zuo (German zu) at, to + Middle High German, Old High German imbiz, imbīz snack, light meal ( German Imbiss), noun derivative of Old High German enbīzan to take nourishment; see in-1, bite

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