January 2019 WOTDs

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January 2019 WOTDs

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

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