June 2013 – WOTDs

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30 June 2013

scuttlebutt

[skuht-l-buht]

noun

1. Nautical
a. an open cask of drinking water.
b. a drinking fountain for use by the crew of a vessel.
2. Informal. rumor or gossip.

Origin:
1795–1805; 1900–05 for def 2

news; information; gossip. (The legend of origin is that the scuttlebutt was a butt [= cask, keg] of drinkingwater located near a scuttle [= hatch]. Sailors gathered there to exchange gossip.) :  What’s the scuttlebutton the steeple clock? Why did it stop?

29 June 2013

fiat

[fee-aht, -at; fahy-uht, -at]

noun

1. an authoritative decree, sanction, or order: a royal fiat. Synonyms: authorization, directive, ruling, mandate, diktat, ukase.
2. a fixed form of words containing the word fiat, by which a person in authority gives sanction, or authorization.
3. an arbitrary decree or pronouncement, especially by a person or group of persons having absolute authority to enforce it: The king ruled by fiat.

Origin:
1625–35; < Latin: let it be done, 3rd singular present subjunctive of fierī to become

28 June 2013

willy-nilly

[wil-ee-nil-ee]

adverb

1. in a disorganized or unplanned manner; sloppily.
2. whether one wishes to or not; willingly or unwillingly: He’ll have to do it willy-nilly.
adjective
3. shilly-shallying; vacillating.
4. disorganized, unplanned; sloppy: willy-nilly work.
Origin:
1600–10; from the phrase will ye, nill ye. See will1 , nill

27 June 2013

ruddy

[ruhd-ee]

adjective, rud·di·er, rud·di·est, adverb
adjective
1. of or having a fresh, healthy red color: a ruddy complexion.
2. red or reddish.
3. British Slang. damned: a ruddy fool.
adverb
4. British Slang. damned: He’d ruddy well better be there.
Origin:
before 1100; Middle English rudi, Old English rudig. See rudd, -y1

Related forms
rud·di·ly, adverb
rud·di·ness, noun

25 June 2013

battology

[buh-tol-uh-jee]
noun
– wearisome repetition of words in speaking or writing.

Origin:
1595–1605; < Greek battología ( bátt ( os ) stammerer + -o- -o- + -logia -logy)

Related forms
bat·tol·o·gist, noun
bat·to·log·i·cal [bat-l-oj-i-kuhl], adjective

Example of battology (or buzzwords used beyond the pale) in corporate jargon:

‘going forward’
‘in this space’
‘touch base’
‘shift the paradigm’
‘buy-in’
‘learnings’
‘core competency’
‘utilise’
‘at the end of the day’
‘thought leadership’
‘buzzword’

24 June 2013

tranche

[trahnch, trahnsh; French trahnsh]

noun

1. Finance.
a. one part or division of a larger unit, as of an asset pool or investment: The loan will be repaid in three tranches.
b. a group of securities that share a certain characteristic and form part of a larger offering: The second tranche of the bond issue has a five-year maturity.
2. any part, division, or installment: We’ve hired the first tranche of researchers.
verb (used with object), tranched, tranch·ing.
3. Finance. to divide into parts: tranched debt; A credit portfolio can be tranched into a variety of components that are then further subdivided.
Origin:
1930–35; < French: literally, ‘a slice’ < Old French, < trenchier, trancher ‘to cut’; see trench

23 June 2013

sophrosyne

[suh-fros-uh-nee]

noun

– healthy state of mind, characterised by moderation; discretion; prudence.

Origin:
< Greek sōphrosýnē, derivative of sṓphrōn prudent

22 June 2013

myopic

22 June 2013

myopic

[mahy-op-ik, -oh-pik]

adjective
1. Ophthalmology . pertaining to or having myopia; nearsighted.
2. unable or unwilling to act prudently; shortsighted.
3. lacking tolerance or understanding; narrow-minded.
Origin:
1790–1800; myop(ia) + -ic

Related forms
my·op·i·cal·ly, adverb
non·my·op·ic, adjective
non·my·op·i·cal·ly, adverb
un·my·op·ic, adjective

21 June 2013

prudent

[prood-nt]

adjective

1. wise or judicious in practical affairs; sagacious; discreet or circumspect; sober.
2. careful in providing for the future; provident: a prudent decision.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin prūdent- (stem of prūdēns ), contraction of prōvidēns provident

Related forms
pru·dent·ly, adverb
non·pru·dent, adjective
non·pru·dent·ly, adverb
pre·pru·dent, adjective
pre·pru·dent·ly, adverb

Can be confused: prudent, prudential.

Synonyms
1. sensible. 2. economical, thrifty, frugal.

20 June 2013

sagacious

[suh-gey-shuhs]

adjective

1. having or showing acute mental discernment and keen practical sense; shrewd: a sagacious lawyer.
2. Obsolete . keen of scent.

Origin:
1600–10; sagaci(ty) + -ous

Related forms
sa·ga·cious·ly, adverb
sa·ga·cious·ness, noun
qua·si-sa·ga·cious, adjective
qua·si-sa·ga·cious·ly, adverb
su·per·sa·ga·cious, adjective

Synonyms
1. wise, sage, discerning, clever, intelligent, judicious, acute, sharp, keen, perspicacious.

Antonyms
1. unwise.

19 June 2013

hot-spur

[hot-spur]

noun

– an impetuous or reckless person; a hothead.

Origin:
1425–75; late Middle English; after Sir Henry Percy, to whom it was applied as a nickname

Related forms
hot·spurred, adjective

18 June 2013

appose

[uh-pohz]
verb (used with object), ap·posed, ap·pos·ing.

1. to place side by side, as two things; place next to; juxtapose.
2. to put or apply (one thing) to or near to another.

Origin:
1585–95; by analogy with compose, propose, etc. < Latin appōnere to place near, set alongside, equivalent to ap- ap-1 + pōnere to place

Related forms
ap·pos·a·bil·i·ty, noun
ap·pos·a·ble, adjective
ap·pos·er, noun
non·ap·pos·a·ble, adjective
un·ap·pos·a·ble, adjective

Example:

The stent is thin, flexible and expands to appose the vessel wall.

17 June 2013

vituperation

[vahy-too-puh-rey-shuhn, -tyoo-, vi-]

noun

– verbal abuse or castigation; violent denunciation or condemnation, e.g. ‘The besieged politician has endured months of vituperation from the media’.
Origin:
1475–85; < Latin vituperātiōn- (stem of vituperātio ), equivalent to vituperāt ( us ) (see vituperate) + -iōn- -ion

Synonyms
censure, vilification, spite, scolding, defamation, aspersion.

Antonyms
praise.

16 June 2013

zugzwang

[tsook-tsvahng]
noun Chess.

– a situation in which a player is limited to moves that cost pieces or have a damaging positional effect.

-a situation in which any move or option chosen, will be bad.

Origin:
1900–05; < German, equivalent to Zug move + Zwang constraint, obligation

Example sentence:

The company restructure presented staff with a zugzwang in which they would either keep their jobs and accept lower pay, or leave their jobs and be made redundant.

15 June 2013

quisling

[kwiz-ling]

noun

– a person who betrays his or her own country by aiding an invading enemy, often serving later in a puppet government; fifth columnist.

Origin:
1940; after Vidkun Quisling (1887–1945), pro-Nazi Norwegian leader

14 June 2013

fag end

noun

1. the last part or very end of something: the fag end of a rope.
2. the unfinished end of a piece of cloth; remnant.

Origin:
1605–15

Example:

I belong to the fag-end of Victorian liberalism, and can look back to an age whose challenges were moderate in their tone, and the cloud on whose horizon was no bigger than a man’s hand.

– E.M. Forster

13 June 2013

Efficient breach

A legal and economic theory which postulates that there are occasions when voluntarily breaching a contract and paying damages as a result, is more efficient, or will incur less cost, than fulfilling the terms of the contract.

12 June 2013

sentient

[sen-shuhnt]
adjective
1. having the power of perception by the senses; conscious.
2. characterized by sensation and consciousness.
noun
3. a person or thing that is sentient.
4. Archaic. the conscious mind.
Origin:
1595–1605; < Latin sentient- (stem of sentiēns, present participle of sentīre to feel), equivalent to senti- verb stem + -ent- -ent

Related forms
sen·tient·ly, adverb
non·sen·tient, adjective
non·sen·tient·ly, adverb
un·sen·tient, adjective
un·sen·tient·ly, adverb

11 June 2013

verbose

[ver-bohs]
adjective
characterized by the use of many or too many words; wordy: a verbose report.
Origin:
1665–75; < Latin verbōsus, equivalent to verb ( um ) word + -ōsus -ose1

Related forms
ver·bose·ly, adverb
ver·bose·ness, noun
un·ver·bose, adjective
un·ver·bose·ly, adverb
un·ver·bose·ness, noun

Can be confused: verbal, verbose.

Synonyms
prolix; tedious, inflated, turgid; voluble, talkative, loquacious. See bombastic.

Antonyms
laconic.

The Reveal

For the last couple of weeks the Words of the Day have all had one thing in common besides most of them starting with the letter ‘V’. I can now reveal (for those who haven’t already guessed) that the recent WOTDs (highlighted below) are from the discourse delivered by V at the beginning of the cult movie, ‘V for Vendetta’:

‘But on this most auspicious of nights…permit me then, in lieu of the more commonplace sobriquet…to suggest the character of this dramatis persona. Voilà!In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran…cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate.This visage, no mere veneer of vanity…is a vestige of the vox populi,now vacant, vanished.However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified…and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice…and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition.The only verdict is vengeance,a vendetta…held as a votive not in vain,for the value and veracity of such…shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous.Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose.So let me simply add that it’s my very good honor to meet you…and you may call me V‘.

10 June 2013

verbiage

verbiage

[vur-bee-ij]

noun
1. overabundance or superfluity of words, as in writing or speech; wordiness; verbosity.
2. manner or style of expressing something in words; wording: a manual of official verbiage.

Origin:
1715–25; < French, equivalent to Middle French verbi ( er ) to gabble + -age -age

9 June 2013

vichyssoise

[vish-ee-swahz, vee-shee-swahz]

noun

– a cream soup of potatoes and leeks, usually served chilled and often garnished with chopped chives.

Origin:
1915–20; < French ( crême ) vichyssoise (cream soup) of Vichy

8 June 2013

verily

[ver-uh-lee]
adverb
in truth; really; indeed.

Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English; see very, -ly

7 June 2013

virtuous

[vur-choo-uhs]

adjective
1. conforming to moral and ethical principles; morally excellent; upright: Lead a virtuous life.
2. chaste: a virtuous young person.

Origin:
1300–50; alteration (with i < Latin ) of Middle English vertuous < Anglo-French < Late Latin virtuōsus, equivalent to Latin virtu ( s ) virtue + -ōsus -ous

Related forms
vir·tu·ous·ly, adverb
vir·tu·ous·ness, noun
non·vir·tu·ous, adjective
non·vir·tu·ous·ly, adverb
non·vir·tu·ous·ness, noun

6 June 2013

vigilant

[vij-uh-luhnt]

adjective

1. keenly watchful to detect danger; wary: a vigilant sentry.
2. ever awake and alert; sleeplessly watchful.

Origin:
1470–80; < Latin vigilant- (stem of vigilāns ), present participle of vigilāre to be watchful. See vigil, -ant

Related forms
vig·i·lant·ly, adverb
vig·i·lant·ness, noun
hy·per·vig·i·lant, adjective
hy·per·vig·i·lant·ly, adverb
hy·per·vig·i·lant·ness, noun

Can be confused: vigilant, vigilante.

Synonyms
2. wide-awake, sleepless. See alert.

Antonyms
1. careless.

5 June 2013

vindicate

[vin-di-keyt]

verb (used with object), vin·di·cat·ed, vin·di·cat·ing.
1. to clear, as from an accusation, imputation, suspicion, or the like: to vindicate someone’s honor.
2. to afford justification for; justify: Subsequent events vindicated his policy.
3. to uphold or justify by argument or evidence: to vindicate a claim.
4. to assert, maintain, or defend (a right, cause, etc.) against opposition.
5. to claim for oneself or another.

4 June 2013

veracity

[vuh-ras-i-tee]

noun, plural ve·rac·i·ties for 4.
1. habitual observance of truth in speech or statement; truthfulness: He was not noted for his veracity.
2. conformity to truth or fact; accuracy: to question the veracity of his account.
3. correctness or accuracy, as of the senses or of a scientific instrument.
4. something veracious; a truth.
Origin:
1615–25; < Medieval Latin vērācitās, equivalent to Latin vērāc- (stem of vērāx ) true + -itās- -ity

Related forms
non·ve·rac·i·ty, noun, plural non·ve·rac·i·ties.

Synonyms
1. honesty, integrity, credibility.

3 June 2013

votive

[voh-tiv]

adjective

1. offered, given, dedicated, etc., in accordance with a vow: a votive offering.
2. performed, undertaken, etc., in consequence of a vow.
3. of the nature of or expressive of a wish or desire.

Origin:
1585–95; < Latin vōtīvus, equivalent to vōt ( um ) a vow + -īvus -ive

Related forms
vo·tive·ly, adverb
vo·tive·ness, noun

2 June 2013

vendetta

[ven-det-uh]

noun
1. a private feud in which the members of the family of a murdered person seek to avenge the murder by killing the slayer or one of the slayer’s relatives, especially such vengeance as once practiced in Corsica and parts of Italy.
2. any prolonged and bitter feud, rivalry, contention, or the like: a political vendetta.

Origin:
1850–55; < Italian < Latin vindicta vengeance; see vindictive

Related forms
ven·det·tist, noun

1 June 2013

volition

[voh-lish-uhn, vuh-]
noun
1. the act of willing, choosing, or resolving; exercise of willing: She left of her own volition.
2. a choice or decision made by the will.
3. the power of willing; will.
Origin:
1605–15; < Medieval Latin volitiōn- (stem of volitiō ), equivalent to vol- (variant stem of velle to want, wish; see will1 ) + -itiōn- -ition

Related forms
vo·li·tion·al, vo·li·tion·ar·y [voh-lish-uh-ner-ee] Show IPA , adjective
vo·li·tion·al·ly, adverb
non·vo·li·tion, noun
non·vo·li·tion·al, adjective
pre·vo·li·tion·al, adjective

Synonyms
1. discretion, choice.

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