February 2015 WOTDs

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28 February 2015

cabotage

[kab-uh-tij, kab-uh-tahzh]

noun
1. navigation or trade along the coast.
2. Aviation. the legal restriction to domestic carriers of air transport between points within a country’s borders.

Origin
Middle French, Spanish
1825-1835; < French, derivative of caboter to sail coastwise, verbal derivative of Middle French cabo < Spanish cabo headland, cape2; see -age

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for cabotage
– cabotage services are reserved to national companies.

Anagram

boat cage

27 February 2015

zonule

zonule

[zohn-yool]

noun
1. a little zone, belt, band, or the like.

Origin
1825-1835; < New Latin zōnula. See zone, -ule

Related forms

zonular [zohn-yuh-ler], adjective

Dictionary.com

26 February 2015

subrogate

[suhb-ruh-geyt]

verb (used with object), subrogated, subrogating.
1. to put into the place of another; substitute for another.
2. Civil Law. to substitute (one person) for another with reference to a claim or right.

Origin
late Middle English Latin
1400-1450; 1540-50 for def 1; late Middle English (past participle) < Latin subrogātus (past participle of subrogāre to nominate (someone) as a substitute), equivalent to sub- sub- + rogā (re) to request + -tus past participle suffix

Related forms
subrogation, noun
unsubrogated, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for subrogate
– Waives the state’s right to subrogate with regard to any party to a contract, lease, or other written agreement.
– On occasion, one carrier may subrogate against the other in either property or casualty losses.
– We do however strongly object to the use of fee demonstration projects to harm, displace or subrogate concessioner operations.

Anagram

bat rogues
bags route

25 February 2015

Ghoughphtheightteeau

Courtesy of Grammarly.com:

 

potato1

 

24 February 2015

obviate

[ob-vee-eyt]

verb (used with object), obviated, obviating.
1. to anticipate and prevent or eliminate (difficulties, disadvantages, etc.) by effective measures; render unnecessary:
to obviate the risk of serious injury.

Origin
Latin
1590-1600; < Latin obviātus, past participle of obviāre to act contrary to, derivative of obvius; see obvious, -ate1

Related forms
obviable [ob-vee-uh-buh l] (Show IPA), adjective
obviation, noun
obviator, noun
preobviate, verb (used with object), preobviated, preobviating.
unobviable, adjective

Can be confused
ameliorate, obviate, vitiate.

Synonyms
preclude, avert, anticipate.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for obviate
– The new system also would not obviate concerns about the accidental or malicious storage of images.

Anagram

above it

23 February 2015

amative

[am-uh-tiv]

adjective
1. disposed to love; amorous.

– With an amative look in his eye, he gave her flowers and a kiss.

Origin
Medieval Latin
1630-1640; < Medieval Latin amātīvus, equivalent to amāt (us) (past participle of amāre to love) + -īvus -ive

Related forms
amatively, adverb
amativeness, noun
unamative, adjective
unamatively, adverb

Dictionary.com

Anagram

via mate

22 February 2015

woebegone

[woh-bi-gawn, -gon]

adjective
1. beset with woe; affected by woe, especially in appearance.
2. showing or indicating woe:
He always had a woebegone look on his face.

Origin
Middle English, Old English
1300-1350; Middle English wo begon orig., woe (has or had) surrounded (someone); wo woe + begon, past participle of begon, Old English begān to surround, besiege (see be-, go1)

Related forms
woebegoneness, noun

Synonyms
2. suffering, troubled, forlorn, gloomy.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for woebegone
– Redemption for the poem’s woebegone mariner comes when he embraces all life, no matter how lowly.
– Reasons and results couldn’t be worse than the woebegone state of expression to which human discord has devolved.
– Woebegone wooden houses, many of them falling down, dot the hillsides along the road.

Anagram

one web ego

21 February 2015

niveous

[niv-ee-uh s]

adjective
1. resembling snow, especially in whiteness; snowy.

E.g. You contemplate all the hours you sat attentive and alert on the flight deck, and how you never grew less enamored of the niveous white magnificence of clouds as you gazed down at them from thirty or thirty-five thousand feet.
-Chris Bohjalian, The Night Strangers, 2011

Origin
Latin
1615-1625; < Latin niveus snowy, snow-white, of, from snow, equivalent to niv- (stem of nix) snow + -eus -eous
Dictionary.com

Anagram

envious

20 February 2015

dour

[doo r, douuh r, dou-er]

adjective
1. sullen; gloomy:
The captain’s dour look depressed us all.
2. severe; stern:
His dour criticism made us regret having undertaken the job.
3. Scot. (of land) barren; rocky, infertile, or otherwise difficult or impossible to cultivate.

Origin
Middle English, Latin
1325-1375; Middle English < Latin dūrus dure1

Related forms
dourly, adverb
dourness, noun
Synonyms

1. morose, sour, moody. See glum.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for dour

– So far the show favors dour bickering over fish-out-of-water rural humor, much to its detriment.
– And people ask me why I look so dour.
– These tales will undoubtedly delight dog lovers and will not fail to charm even the most dour skeptics of supernatural phenomena

19 February 2015

lenity

[len-i-tee]

noun, plural lenities.
1. the quality or state of being mild or gentle, as toward others.
2. a lenient act.

Origin

Latin
1540-1550; < Latin lēnītās. See lenis, -ty2

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for lenity

– The jury was informed of the factual basis for each charge and the rule of lenity does not apply.
– Under the rule of lenity, any ambiguity is interpreted to favor the defendant.
– Court declines to apply the common law rule of lenity and applies the common law no fractions of the day rule.

Anagram

ye lint
yet nil

18 February 2015

periphrasis

[puh-rif-ruh-sis]

noun, plural periphrases [puh-rif-ruh-seez]
1. the use of an unnecessarily long or roundabout form of expression; circumlocution.
2. an expression phrased in such fashion.

Also, periphrase [per-uh-freyz]

Origin
Latin, Greek
1525-1535; < Latin < Greek períphrasis. See peri-, phrase, -sis

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for periphrasis

– Other languages employ periphrasis, with idiomatic expressions or auxiliary verbs.

Anagram

sapphire sire
rip parishes
per airships

17 February 2015

accroach

[uh-krohch]

verb (used with object)
1. to assume to oneself without right or authority; usurp.

Origin
Middle English, Anglo-French, Germanic
1275-1325; Middle English acrochen < Anglo-French a (c) crocher to catch hold of, seize, usurp, Old French: derivative of croc hook, crook1(< Germanic) with ac- ac-; cf. encroach

Related forms
accroachment, noun

Dictionary.com

Anagram

coach car

16 February 2015

interpose

[in-ter-pohz]

verb (used with object), interposed, interposing.
1. to place between; cause to intervene:
to interpose an opaque body between a light and the eye.
2. to put (a barrier, obstacle, etc.) between or in the way of.
3. to put in (a remark, question, etc.) in the midst of a conversation, discourse, or the like.
4. to bring (influence, action, etc.) to bear between parties, or on behalf of a party or person.
verb (used without object), interposed, interposing.
5. to come between other things; assume an intervening position or relation.
6. to step in between parties at variance; mediate.
7. to put in or make a remark by way of interruption.

Origin

Middle French
1590-1600; < Middle French interposer. See inter-, pose1

Related forms
interposable, adjective
interposal, noun
interposer, noun
interposingly, adverb
uninterposed, adjective

Synonyms
1. introduce, insert, insinuate, inject. 3, 7. interject. 6. intervene, intercede.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for interpose
– And the speaker may interpose his own personality between you and the poem, for better or worse.
– Instead of soup kitchens or shelters, the movement tries to interpose education between children and their poverty.
– Repeatedly, he interrupts a dramatic moment to interpose information.

Anagram

entire ops
stereo pin

15 February 2015

clod

[klod]

noun
1. a lump or mass, especially of earth or clay.
2. a stupid person; blockhead; dolt.
3. earth; soil.
4. something of lesser dignity or value, as the body as contrasted with the soul:
this corporeal clod.
5. a part of a shoulder of beef.

Origin
late Middle English Old English
1400-1450; late Middle English clodde, Old English clod- (in clodhamer fieldfare); see cloud

Related forms
cloddily, adverb
cloddiness, noun
clodlike, adjective
cloddy, adjective

Synonyms
2. boor, yokel, lout, oaf, dunce.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for clod
– Chipping off a clod or two, he reveals silvery veins of ice.
– Spray the clod and wait a minute or two before dropping the clod in a jar of water.
– She will also help create and deploy the clod cards.

Anagram

cold

14 February 2015

fusty

[fuhs-tee]

adjective, fustier, fustiest.
1. having a stale smell; moldy; musty:
fusty rooms that were in need of a good airing.
2. old-fashioned or out-of-date, as architecture, furnishings, or the like:
They still live in that fusty, gingerbread house.
3. stubbornly conservative or old-fashioned; fogyish.

Origin
Middle English
1350-1400; Middle English fusti, equivalent to fust (noun) < Old French: wine cask, tree trunk (< Latin fūstis stick, pole) + -y1

Related forms
fustily, adverb
fustiness, noun

Synonyms
1. close, stuffy, oppressive; smelly, malodorous.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for fusty
– The fuming magicians with their fusty deceits ought to stop griping and get with the times.

13 February 2015

canard

[kuh-nahrd; French ka-nar]

noun, plural canards [kuh-nahrdz; French ka-nar]
1. a false or baseless, usually derogatory story, report, or rumor.
2. Cookery. a duck intended or used for food.
3. Aeronautics.
an airplane that has its horizontal stabilizer and elevators located forward of the wing.
Also called canard wing. one of two small lifting wings located in front of the main wings.
an early airplane having a pusher engine with the rudder and elevator assembly in front of the wings.

Origin
Old French
1840-1850; < French: literally, duck; Old French quanart drake, orig. cackler, equivalent to can (er) to cackle (of expressive orig.) + -art -art, as in mallart drake; see mallard

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for canard
– There’s that canard again, from people who ought to know better.
– And the canard about tenure making it difficult to fire teachers is ridiculous.
– By repeating this false canard you provide an interesting example of the tide of misinformation.

Anagram

narc ad
and car

12 February 2015

stour

[stoo r]

noun
1. British Dialect.
tumult; confusion.
a storm.
2. British Dialect. blowing dust or a deposit of dust.
3. Archaic. armed combat; battle.
4. British Dialect. a time of tumult.

Origin
Middle English, Old French, Germanic
1250-1300; Middle English < Old French estour battle < Germanic; akin to storm

Dictionary.com

Anagram

roust

11 February 2015

numpty

numpty
[nuhmp-tee}
/ˈnʌmptɪ/
noun (pl) -ties
1. (Scot, informal) a stupid person
– He was quite the numpty.

Word Origin
– of unknown origin

Collins English Dictionary

Anagram

my punt

10 February 2015

animadvert

[an-uh-mad-vurt]

verb (used without object)
1. to comment unfavorably or critically (usually followed by on or upon):
to animadvert at length upon his faulty use of English.
verb (used with object)
2. Obsolete. to take cognizance or notice of.

Origin

Latin

1630-1640; < Latin animadvertere to heed, censure, equivalent to anim (um), accusative of animus (see animus ) + advertere to advert

Related forms
animadverter, noun

Dictionary.com

Anagram

data vermin
invader mat
main advert
rad Vietnam
A dim tavern

8 February 2015

dolorous

[dol-er-uh s, doh-ler-]

adjective
1. full of, expressing, or causing pain or sorrow; grievous; mournful:
a dolorous melody; dolorous news.

Origin
Middle English, Old French
1375-1425; Middle English dolorous, dolerous < Anglo-French, Old French; see dolor, -ous

Related forms
dolorously, adverb
dolorousness, noun
undolorous, adjective
undolorously, adverb
undolorousness, noun

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for dolorous
– It is a heavy and labored drama in the old dolorous manner.
– What happened was not all dolorous lamentation, though there is some of that.
– The movie turns dolorous and grim-and also spectacular in a conventional way, with cars and buses flung across open spaces.

Anagram

soul door
solo dour

7 February 2015

morose

[muh-rohs]

adjective
1. gloomily or sullenly ill-humored, as a person or mood.
2. characterized by or expressing gloom.

Origin
Latin
1555-1565; < Latin mōrōsus fretful, peevish, willful, equivalent to mōr- (stem of mōs) will, inclination + -ōsus -ose1

Related forms
morosely, adverb
moroseness, morosity [muh-ros-i-tee] (Show IPA), noun
supermorose, adjective
supermorosely, adverb
supermoroseness, noun

Synonyms
1. moody, sour, sulky, surly. See glum.
Antonyms
1. cheerful.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for morose Expand
– He was unusually morose, even for a man who is usually morose.
– I’ve been so morose today, thinking of everything I failed at.
– Audiences also loved this biopic, which is loosely based on the life of a morose comic-book creator.

Anagram

Romeos
more so

6 February 2015

harridan

[hahr-i-dn]

noun
1. a scolding, vicious woman; hag; shrew.

Origin
French
1690-1700; perhaps alteration of French haridelle thin, worn-out horse, large, gaunt woman (compared with the initial element of haras stud farm, though derivation is unclear)

Synonyms
nag, virago, scold.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for harridan
– Ann is a shrill, sarcastic harridan who has nothing pleasant to say as she makes her way to the gin bottle in the office bar.
– She’s a harridan of a manager-ripping through the staff, sacking many old stalwarts, and slashing operating costs.
– Eddie is warmed by her sporty friendliness, especially in contrast to the harridan convalescing in his hotel bedroom.

Anagram

darn hair
hard rain

5 February 2015

polymath

[pol-ee-math]

noun
1. a person of great learning in several fields of study; polyhistor.

Origin
Greek
1615-1625; < Greek polymathḗs learned, having learned much, equivalent to poly- poly- + -mathēs, adj. derivative of manthánein to learn

Related forms
polymathic, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for polymath
– Part literary critic, part existential elegist, he presents himself as the polymath ‘s polymath.
– The polymath ‘s polymath on his epic cookbook, patent-licensing and the law, and why he’s getting into nuclear power.
– He has been a polymath all his life, plunging into one discipline after another.

Anagram

opal myth
play moth

4 February 2015

hidebound

[hahyd-bound]

adjective
1. narrow and rigid in opinion; inflexible:
a hidebound pedant.
2. oriented toward or confined to the past; extremely conservative:
a hidebound philosopher.
3. (of a horse, cow, etc.) having the back and ribs bound tightly by the hide.

Origin
1550-1560; hide2+ -bound1

Related forms

hideboundness, noun

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for hidebound
– And a lot of its buyers are hidebound truck guys, suspicious of change or fads.
– That’s amazing considering how hidebound truck buyers can be.
– Perhaps you are using satire to point out how impossibly hidebound is the traditional structure.

Anagram

behind duo
honied bud

3 February 2015

fugue

[fyoog]

noun
1. Music. a polyphonic composition based upon one, two, or more themes, which are enunciated by several voices or parts in turn, subjected to contrapuntal treatment, and gradually built up into a complex form having somewhat distinct divisions or stages of development and a marked climax at the end.
2. Psychiatry. a period during which a person suffers from loss of memory, often begins a new life, and, upon recovery, remembers nothing of the amnesic phase.

Origin
French, Italian
1590-1600; < French < Italian fuga < Latin: flight

Related forms
fuguelike, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for fugue

– Dissociative fugue or dissociative amnesia is a rare but intriguing emotional disorder.
– Maybe novelists can go into some kind of fugue state while they’re writing and it’s enjoyable.
– Even in this fugue of misery, they understand and accept the situation

2 February 2015

squalid

[skwol-id, skwaw-lid]

adjective
1. foul and repulsive, as from lack of care or cleanliness; neglected and filthy.
2. wretched; miserable; degraded; sordid.

Origin

Latin

1585-1595; < Latin squālidus dirty, equivalent to squāl (ēre) to be dirty, encrusted + -idus -id4

Related forms

squalidly, adverb
squalidness, squalidity [skwo-lid-i-tee] (Show IPA), noun

Synonyms

1. unclean. See dirty.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for squalid
– The urban poor often lived and worked in squalid and dangerous conditions.
– Finding potable water is a problem for those living in squalid camps, but it may not be their biggest concern.
– The only landscapes he noticed were window-views of houses and his own squalid gardens, full of buddleia, which he also painted

Anagram

la squid

1 February 2015

propitiate

[pruh-pish-ee-eyt]

verb (used with object), propitiated, propitiating.
1. to make favorably inclined; appease; conciliate.

Origin

Latin

1635-1645; < Latin propitiātus, past participle of propitiāre to appease. See propitious, -ate1

Related forms

propitiable [pruh-pish-ee-uh-buh l] (Show IPA), adjective
propitiatingly, adverb
propitiative, adjective
propitiator, noun
nonpropitiable, adjective

Synonyms
See appease.

Antonyms
anger, arouse.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for propitiate
– It is a vision of tribes who worship together, propitiate the gods together, and die together.

Anagram

opiate trip
patriot pie
irate pi pot
pair tiptoe
I pot pirate

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