January 2019 WOTDs
- andale
- arriba
- auto-da-fé
- campesino
- Centruroides
- connive
- depredation
- estimable
- gnurr
- hinky
- imprecation
- Kohinoor
- maenad
- marimba
- paisano
- posada
- rapacious
- satrap
- stolid
28 January 2019
stolid
[stol-id]
adjective
1. not easily stirred or moved mentally; unemotional; impassive.
Origin of stolid
Latin
1590-1600 First recorded in 1590-1600, stolid is from the Latin word stolidus inert, dull, stupid
Related forms
stolidity [stuh-lid-i-tee], stolidness, noun
stolidly, adverb
Can be confused
solid, stolid.
Synonyms
apathetic, lethargic, phlegmatic.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for stolid
Contemporary Examples
The New York Times began its review with the words “ stolid and humorless.”
‘From Up on Poppy Hill’: Goro Miyazaki, the Next Generation of Studio Ghibli
Melissa Leon
March 15, 2013
And when he did, he was not positioned in front of a stolid stage set.
Election Night 2012: Fashion of Jubilation And Mourning
Robin Givhan
November 7, 2012
Taylor was perfectly formed for the intuitive, opportunistic life of a rebel, but not for the stolid bureaucracy of government.
Liberian Nostalgia for War Criminal Charles Taylor
Finlay Young
April 28, 2012
27 January 2019
maenad
[mee-nad]
noun
1. bacchante.
2. a frenzied or raging woman.
Origin of maenad
Latin, Greek
1570-1580; < Latin Maenad- (stem of Maenas) < Greek Mainás a bacchante, special use of mainás madwoman
Related forms
maenadic, adjective
maenadism, noun
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for maenad
Historical Examples
These were the eyes of a girl who had raved like a maenad the night through.
A Thorny Path [Per Aspera], Complete
Georg Ebers
maenad : a frenzied Nymph, attendant on Dionysus in the Greek mythology.
The Golden Treasury
Various
Her eye gleamed: she ran to the cupboard and took out the maenad ‘s dress.
The History of David Grieve
Mrs. Humphry Ward
I was in a mind to wring the maenad ‘s neck three minutes ago.
The History of David Grieve
Mrs. Humphry Ward
But that statue will put it all right,’ and she pointed behind her to the maenad.
The History of David Grieve
Mrs. Humphry Ward
The tigress-mother swelled in her heart, and she looked like a maenad indeed.
Thomas Wingfold, Curate
George MacDonald
He followed: but the intense passion of the old hag hurled her onward with the strength and speed of a young maenad.
Hypatia
Charles Kingsley
She ceased to be a woman, complex, kind and petulant, considerate and thoughtless; she was a maenad.
The Moon and Sixpence
W. Somerset Maugham
She felt the gravity of his tone but, like a fierce maenad, she snatched at the torch, not caring how it revealed her.
Adrienne Toner
Anne Douglas Sedgwick
She flings her arms and tresses of Fire to the stars, a maenad in the planetary dance.
The Masque of the Elements
Herman Scheffauer
26 January 2019
connive
[kuh-nahyv]
verb (used without object), connived, conniving.
1. to cooperate secretly; conspire (often followed by with):
They connived to take over the business.
2. to avoid noticing something that one is expected to oppose or condemn; give aid to wrongdoing by forbearing to act or speak (usually followed by at):
The policeman connived at traffic violations.
3. to be indulgent toward something others oppose or criticize (usually followed by at):
to connive at childlike exaggerations.
Origin of connive
French, Latin
1595-1605; (< French conniver) < Latin co(n)nīvēre to close the eyes in sleep, turn a blind eye, equivalent to con- con- + -nīvēre, akin to nictāre to blink (cf. nictitate )
Related forms
conniver, noun
connivingly, adverb
unconnived, adjective
unconniving, adjective
Can be confused
connive, conspire.
Synonyms
1. plan, plot, collude.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for connive
Contemporary Examples
He defeated what was left of the Tatars, mostly by conniving with leaders of what was left of the Tatars.
Russian History Is on Our Side: Putin Will Surely Screw Himself
P. J. O’Rourke
May 11, 2014
Why, then, are we led to believe that her conniving ways are so ineffectual and misdirected?
The Abused Wives of Westeros: A Song of Feminism in ‘Game of Thrones’
Amy Zimmerman
April 30, 2014
Fondly nicknamed “the Worst Boy In Town,” Penrod is conniving but not clever, wicked but rarely cruel.
American Dreams, 1914: Penrod by Booth Tarkington
Nathaniel Rich
February 27, 2014
A sexy, sexual, conniving, social-media mentioning, sexy baby spider!
Frank Underwood Will Not Tolerate Insubordination in This Olive Garden
Kelly Williams Brown
February 24, 2014
Predictably, Harding was cast as a conniving, violent woman.
ESPN’s ‘The Price of Gold’ Revisits the Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan Scandal
Amy Zimmerman
January 15, 2014
Historical Examples
We shall never cast out the devil while conniving at his crimes.
Broken Bread
Thomas Champness
He was accused of conniving at the attempt of the king and queen to escape.
Lafayette
Martha Foote Crow
It never struck him that he was conniving at fraud; if it had, he would not have been deterred.
The Mystery of Lincoln’s Inn
Robert Machray
She felt that she had been conniving in one of the spy-plots that all the Empire was talking about.
The Cup of Fury
Rupert Hughes
This seems strikingly true in our conniving at the faults of our children.
Coelebs In Search of a Wife
Hannah More
20 January 2019
hinky
or hin·key, hink·ty, hinc·ty
[hing-kee]
adjective, hin·ki·er, hin·ki·est. Slang.
acting in a nervous or very cautious way.
suspicious:
Whenever he agrees with me, you know something hinky is going on!
snobbish; haughty.
Origin of hinky
First recorded in 1920–25; origin unknown
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for hinky
Historical Examples of hinky
My companion and I felt that while we were “getting” Hinky Dink, he was not failing to “get” us.
Abroad at Home
Julian Street
I only mean that I had always thought of Hinky Dink as a fictitious personage.
Abroad at Home
Julian Street
I experienced a somewhat similar emotion in Chicago on being introduced to Hinky Dink.
Abroad at Home
Julian Street
I’ll tell you what happens: some city editor sends a kid reporter to get a story about Hinky Dink.
Abroad at Home
Julian Street
“Hinky Dink” saw him, paid for a week’s lodging at the Mills Hotel, and gave him money for meals each day.
The Nation Behind Prison Bars
George L. Herr
19 January 2019
auto-da-fé
[aw-toh-duh-fey]
noun, plural au·tos-da-fé.
the public declaration of the judgment passed on persons tried in the courts of the Spanish Inquisition, followed by the execution by the civil authorities of the sentences imposed, especially the burning of condemned heretics at the stake.
Origin of auto-da-fé
1715–25; < Portuguese: act of the faith
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for auto-da-fe
Historical Examples of auto-da-fe
He saw the horizon of the future lurid with the flames of the auto da fe.
The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 3 (of 12)
Robert G. Ingersoll
It is doubtful if anything short of an auto da fe would have met their approval.
The Behavior of Crowds
Everett Dean Martin
Tezel, after his auto da fe at Frankfort on the Oder, had hastened to send his theses into Saxony.
History of the Reformation in the Sixteenth Century (Volume 1)
J. H. Merle D’Aubign
Men were living who had seen the horrors of the auto da fe and the splendors of viceregal authority.
Remember the Alamo
Amelia E. Barr
The roasting of a human victim at the auto da fe was a purely democratic institution.
Mexico and its Religion
Robert A. Wilson
14 January 2019
imprecation
[im-pri-key-shuh n]
noun
1. the act of imprecating; cursing.
2. a curse; malediction.
Origin of imprecation
Latin
1575-1585; < Latin imprecātiōn- (stem of imprecātiō), equivalent to imprecāt(us) (see imprecate ) + -iōn- -ion
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for imprecation
Historical Examples
He laughed again in one low burst that was as spiteful as an imprecation.
Tales of Unrest
Joseph Conrad
An imprecation of a sufficiently emphatic character was the only reply.
David Elginbrod
George MacDonald
Then, with an imprecation upon his lips, he turned and retired.
The Minister of Evil
William Le Queux
He vainly strives to rally under the fire of imprecation, but it is too late.
Marion’s Faith.
Charles King
With an imprecation of wrath he called his companion’s attention to the spot.
A Prisoner of Morro
Upton Sinclair
A torrent of imprecation rose to his lips, but he left it unuttered.
The Royal Pawn of Venice
Mrs. Lawrence Turnbull
An imprecation on a person who has surpassed another in an undertaking.
The Proverbs of Scotland
Alexander Hislop
In what do anathema, curse, execration, and imprecation agree?
English Synonyms and Antonyms
James Champlin Fernald
“That imprecation had better have been spared, madam,” said the duke.
Windsor Castle
William Harrison Ainsworth
Now, the Queen muttered an imprecation, and called the name ‘Abarak!’
The Shaving of Shagpat, Complete
George Meredith
13 January 2019
estimable
[es-tuh-muh-buh l]
adjective
1. worthy of esteem; deserving respect or admiration.
2. capable of being estimated.
Origin of estimable
late Middle English Middle French Latin
1425-1475; late Middle English < Middle French < Latin aestimābilis, equivalent to aestim(āre) to esteem + -ābilis -able
Related forms
estimableness, noun
estimably, adverb
nonestimable, adjective
nonestimableness, noun
nonestimably, adverb
Synonyms
1. reputable, respectable, admirable, laudable, meritorious, excellent, good.
Antonyms
1. contemptible.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for estimable
Contemporary Examples
Now the estimable Cook Report has moved the race from Lean Republican to a Toss-Up.
Mark Sanford Ditched by NRCC, but Counting Him Out Would Be Unwise
John Avlon
April 18, 2013
To save himself, Nixon nominated the estimable Elliot Richardson to be his new attorney general.
How Kennedy Brought Down Nixon
Chris Matthews
September 13, 2009
Historical Examples
The very best sort; a most estimable fellow,—one of a thousand.
Ester Ried Yet Speaking
Isabella Alden
Besides, the majority of the clergy were most estimable men.
The Fat and the Thin
Emile Zola
He was a man of my own class; a gentleman of pleasant ways, amiable, estimable, and able.
Scaramouche
Rafael Sabatini
Have you not, father, said in the past that he was an estimable young man?
Daughters of the Revolution and Their Times
Charles Carleton Coffin
She was a most kind, estimable woman, and he admired her for her noble character.
Jolly Sally Pendleton
Laura Jean Libbey
How dared she feel the touch of so estimable a man to be so hateful?
Bulldog And Butterfly
David Christie Murray
Their culture is different from anything else, and yet it is most estimable and refined.
From Pole to Pole
Sven Anders Hedin
Someone else must attend to Miss Verona’s estimable aunt—positively!
Torchy, Private Sec.
Sewell Ford
12 January 2019
Centruroides
noun
– a genus of scorpions belonging to the family Buthidae. Several North American species are known by the common vernacular name bark scorpion. Numerous species are extensively found throughout the southern United States, Mexico, Central America, the Antilles and northern South America. Some are known for their interesting patterning or large size (among Buthidae); most if not all fluoresce strongly under ultraviolet illumination, except after moulting. They contain several highly venomous species, and fatalities are known to occur.
11 January 2019
campesino
[kahm-pe-see-naw; English kam-puh-see-noh]
noun, plural campesinos [kahm-pe-see-naws; English kam-puh-see-nohz] (Show IPA). Spanish.
1. (in Latin America) a peasant or farmer.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for campesino
Historical Examples
There was a long blank on the screen, then campesino ‘s cold face appeared.
Dead World
Jack Douglas
10 January 2019
arriba
Spanish
– translates as ‘go’ or ‘hooray’.
Usage
‘Arriba, Arriba, Andale, Andale’
– Speedy Gonzalez
9 January 2019
Andale
Spanish
– translates as ‘come on’, ‘let’s go’.
8 January 2019
gnurr
gnurr – The substance that collects over time in the bottoms of pockets or cuffs of trousers.
See also related terms for pockets.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
7 January 2019
paisano
[pahy-sah-noh, -zah-; Spanish pahy-sah-naw]
noun, plural pai·sa·nos [pahy-sah-nohz, -zah-; Spanish pahy-sah-naws] /paɪˈsɑ noʊz, -ˈzɑ-; Spanish paɪˈsɑ nɔs/.
paisan.
Southwestern U.S.
a rustic or peasant.
a roadrunner.
Origin of paisano
1835–45, Americanism; Spanish; French paysan. See peasant
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for paisano
Historical Examples
We got rid of our paisano with difficulty, and only under a promise to visit his chacra, somewhere in the vicinity, next morning.
Atlantic Monthly Vol. 6, No. 33, July, 1860
Various
They received the usual frank welcome of a paisano, and were told to dismount and unsaddle.
Ponce de Leon
William Pilling
Their cabalistic watchword was “Paisano” (fellow-countryman), their battle cry “Independence.”
The American Occupation of the Philippines 1898-1912
James H. Blount
Sick with expectancy of the news he feared, he rode up, dismounted, and dropped Paisano’s reins.
Heart of the West
O. Henry
6 January 2019
posada
[poh-sah-duh; Spanish paw-sah-th ah]
noun, plural posadas [poh-sah-duh z; Spanish paw-sah-th ahs]
1. (in some Spanish-speaking countries) a government-operated or -approved inn offering moderately priced rooms to tourists, especially in a historic area.
Origin of posada
1755-1765; Spanish: inn, lodging, dwelling, equivalent to pos(ar) to lodge, rest (< Late Latin pausāre; see pose1) + -ada, feminine of -ado -ate1
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for posada
Contemporary Examples
posada used the skeleton as a way of talking about politics, commenting on life.
New Orleans’ Carnivalesque Day of the Dead
Jason Berry
November 1, 2014
It is tempting to think that posada would be proud of how far his calavera images have traveled.
New Orleans’ Carnivalesque Day of the Dead
Jason Berry
November 1, 2014
“We are going to do what we need to do to be here for our patients,” says posada.
Pro-Choice Texas Will Not Back Down
Emily Shire
March 28, 2014
Rivera and Jeter are certain Hall of Famers while Pettitte and posada will get some consideration.
The Last Days of Derek Jeter’s Yankees
Allen Barra
October 21, 2010
Historical Examples
It was no doubt a posada and some other traveller was trying for admittance.
Within the Tides
Joseph Conrad
Then he turned in to the posada, and hastily summoned Mateo.
The Argonauts of North Liberty
Bret Harte
I was assisted by the landlord of the posada, who had risen, and was stalking about in his serape.
The Scalp Hunters
Mayne Reid
The posada was a wretched one, but there were few people in it.
In New Granada
W.H.G. Kingston
She is worth a journey to the posada to see, but then, what is that—what are a few wisps of flowers?
When Dreams Come True
Ritter Brown
5 January 2019
marimba
[muh-rim-buh]
noun
1. a musical instrument, originating in Africa but popularized and modified in Central America, consisting of a set of graduated wooden bars, often with resonators beneath to reinforce the sound, struck with mallets.
Origin of marimba
Portuguese Kimbundu
1695-1705; Portuguese; Kimbundu or a related Bantu language; akin to kalimba
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for marimba
Contemporary Examples
You’ll hear a marimba and dulcimer every so often in this crescendoing collection of stellar four-part harmonies.
10 Great Bands You’ve Never Heard
Winston Ross
May 26, 2013
Historical Examples
One of their chief instruments is the ‘ marimba ‘ or ‘Tyanbilo,’ a form of harmonium.
Chatterbox, 1906
Various
The marimba is played with drum-sticks of rubber, and the tone is good and powerful.
Chatterbox, 1906
Various
This form of marimba is also met with amongst the natives of Costa Rica.
Chatterbox, 1906
Various
The Portuguese have imitated the marimba, and use it in their dances in Angola.
Great African Travellers
W.H.G. Kingston
Others assert that the Indians have known the marimba time out of mind, and undoubtedly invented it.
The Gegence; A Comedy Ballet in the Nahuatl-Spanish Dialect of Nicaragua
Daniel G. Brinton
The Smithsonian Institution contains a good specimen of the marimba.
The Gegence; A Comedy Ballet in the Nahuatl-Spanish Dialect of Nicaragua
Daniel G. Brinton
4 January 2019
satrap
[sey-trap, sa-]
noun
a governor of a province under the ancient Persian monarchy.
a subordinate ruler, often a despotic one.
Origin of satrap
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin satrapa < Greek satrápēs < Old Persian khshathra-pāvan- country-protector
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for satrap
Historical Examples
When he had heard her words, Pharnabazus decided that the woman ought to be satrap.
Hellenica
Xenophon
Hence the Persians argued that they had been betrayed by the satrap.
Hellenica
Xenophon
He has made the satrap, as you see, a fugitive and a vagabond in his own vast territory.
Hellenica
Xenophon
What could be clearer, therefore, than that he was about to make a dash at the satrap’s home in Caria?
Agesilaus
Xenophon
Where a satrap is appointed he has charge of both departments.
The Economist
Xenophon
3 January 2019
rapacious
[ruh-pey-shuh s]
adjective
given to seizing for plunder or the satisfaction of greed.
inordinately greedy; predatory; extortionate:
a rapacious disposition.
(of animals) subsisting by the capture of living prey; predacious.
Origin of rapacious
1645–55; < Latin rapāci- (stem of rapāx greedy, akin to rapere to seize; see rape1) + -ous
Related forms
ra·pa·cious·ly, adverb
ra·pac·i·ty [ruh-pas-i-tee] /rəˈpæs ɪ ti/, ra·pa·cious·ness, noun
un·ra·pa·cious, adjective
un·ra·pa·cious·ly, adverb
un·ra·pa·cious·ness, noun
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com
2. ravenous, voracious, grasping; preying.
Synonym study
2. See avaricious.
Antonyms
2. generous.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for rapacity
Contemporary Examples
Even as we cheer for her stamina, we shrink from her rapacity.
Brecht’s Mercenary Mother Courage Turns 75
Katie Baker
September 10, 2014
Historical Examples
His eyes shone with rapacity and hope; he became confidential.
Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard
Joseph Conrad
Her folly and rapacity will sooner or later have their effect.
Memoirs of the Court of George IV. 1820-1830 (Vol 1)
Duke of Buckingham and Chandos
“I don’t know that rapacity is confined to trade,” admitted Annie.
A Houseful of Girls
Sarah Tytler
And the Spaniard here, who has been driven out for his cruelty and rapacity.
A Little Girl in Old Detroit
Amanda Minnie Douglas
With the rapacity Kidd had the cruelty of his odious calling.
The History of England from the Accession of James II.
Thomas Babington Macaulay
2 January 2019
Kohinoor
or Koh-i-noor
[koh-uh-noo r]
noun
an Indian diamond weighing 106 carats; now part of the British crown jewels.
Origin of Kohinoor
From the Persian word kōhinūr literally, mountain of light
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for kohinoor
Historical Examples
He had no more desire to possess her than to own the Kohinoor.
In a Little Town
Rupert Hughes
It stands to reason that you save the Kohinoor and let the little stones go.
The Best Short Stories of 1917
Various
She has been brought up like the Kohinoor, never out of somebody’s sight.
That Fortune
Charles Dudley Warner
The largest Diamonds of the world have been obtained from these mines, some exceeding the Kohinoor in size.
Birds and Nature, Vol. 12 No. 4 [September 1902]
Various
You’ve won the Kohinoor; and although you seem to live in the clouds, you’ve had the sense to make things pukka straightaway.
Far to Seek
Maud Diver
1 January 2019
depredation
[dep-ri-dey-shuh n]
noun
the act of preying upon or plundering; robbery; ravage.
Origin of depredation
1475–85; Late Latin dēpraedātiōn- (stem of dēpraedātiō) a plundering, equivalent to dēpraedāt(us) (see depredate) + -iōn- -ion
Related forms
dep·re·da·tion·ist, noun
Dictionary.com
Examples from the Web for depredations
Contemporary Examples
The depredations suffered by Southern blacks at the hands of white authorities had been known, at an abstract level, for decades.
The Daily Beast logo
When a Picture Is Too Powerful
Jeff Greenfield
September 15, 2014
Is it the depredations of unfettered capitalism that make people the servants of the market rather than the other way around?
The Daily Beast logo
You Say You Want a Revolution?
Christopher Dickey
June 23, 2013
Only grassroots opposition stopped, or at least limited, their depredations.
The Daily Beast logo
America’s New Oligarchs—Fwd.us and Silicon Valley’s Shady 1 Percenters
Joel Kotkin
May 14, 2013
Iran has also succumbed over the course of a cruel century, in large part because of the depredations of the Pahlavi dynasty.
The Daily Beast logo
Prince Ali Reza Pahlavi Suicide: Tragic End to Iran’s Dynasty
Stephen Kinzer
January 5, 2011
Historical Examples
He had no right to try the Begums, nor did he pretend to try them.
The Roof of France
Matilda Betham-Edwards
What do you mean by the word rebellion, as applied to the Begums?
End of the Tether
Joseph Conrad
Now they could not be sent by the Begums in their own person.
The Expedition to Borneo of H.M.S. Dido
Henry Keppel
Sheridan pleaded the cause of the Begums in what has been reckoned the finest speech ever heard in modern times.
Historical Tales, Vol. 9 (of 15)
Charles Morris
This depraved old man has clearly no feeling for symmetry of form or face; a long career of Begums has utterly vitiated his taste.
In School and Out
Oliver Optic