June 2015 WOTDs

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30 June 2015

ministration

[min-uh-strey-shuh n]

noun
1. the act of ministering care, aid, religious service, etc.
2. an instance of this.

Origin of ministration
Middle English, Latin
1300-1350; Middle English ministracioun < Latin ministrātiōn- (stem of ministrātiō) service, equivalent to ministrāt (us) (past participle of ministrāre to serve; see minister ) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms
ministrative, adjective
nonministration, noun
unministrative, adjective

Dictionary.com

Anagram

into martinis
minion traits
in trot simian

29 June 2015

fogy

[foh-gee]

noun, plural fogies.
1. an excessively conservative or old-fashioned person, especially one who is intellectually dull (usually preceded by old):
The board of directors were old fogies still living in the 19th century.

Origin of fogy
1770-1780; origin uncertain

Related forms
fogyish, adjective
fogyism, noun

Can be confused
foggy, fogy.

Dictionary.com

Slang definitions & phrases for fogy
fogy
noun

An old person; any very conservative, outdated person; dodo: College students today are young fogies (1785+)
A military longevity allowance, awarded for units of service : He got his pension and eight fogies (1881+ Armed forces)
[origin uncertain; perhaps fr French fougeux, ”fierce, fiery,” referring to the doughty spirit of an invalid soldier, whence fogy, ”fierce, fiery,” found by the 1860s; veteran soldiers were called foggies in the late 1700s, perhaps because they were regarded as moss-covered with age, fog being Scots dialect for ”moss”]

(The Dictionary of American Slang)

28 June 2015

conventicle

[kuh n-ven-ti-kuh l]

noun
1. a secret or unauthorized meeting, especially for religious worship, as those held by Protestant dissenters in England in the 16th and 17th centuries.
2. a place of meeting or assembly, especially a Nonconformist meeting house.
3. Obsolete. a meeting or assembly.

Origin of conventicle

Middle English, Latin
1350-1400; Middle English < Latin conventiculum a small assembly. See convent, -i-, -cle1

Related forms
conventicler, noun
conventicular [kon-ven-tik-yuh-ler], adjective

Dictionary.com

Example

– Apparently, while being shipped home as a probable enemy agent by Secret Intelligence Middle East, Raymond had gone ashore at Mombasa and eluded a police search by plunging straight into the interior under the name of Bill Smith and settling down as a handyman with a conventicle of Belgian nuns.
(Rogue Justice, by Geoffery Household, 1982)

Anagram

connect live
clone nice tv
client coven

27 June 2015

perfunctory

[per-fuhngk-tuh-ree]

adjective
1. performed merely as a routine duty; hasty and superficial:
perfunctory courtesy.
2. lacking interest, care, or enthusiasm; indifferent or apathetic:
In his lectures he reveals himself to be merely a perfunctory speaker.

Origin of perfunctory
Late Latin
1575-1585; < Late Latin perfūnctōrius negligent, superficial, derivative of perfungī to do one’s job, be done, equivalent to per- per- + fung-, base of fungī to perform, function + -tōrius -tory1

Related forms
perfunctorily, adverb
perfunctoriness, noun

Synonyms
1, 2. negligent, heedless, thoughtless, uninterested.

Antonyms
1, 2. careful, diligent.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for perfunctory

– Romney…well, honestly, I’m a little surprised there wasn’t even a perfunctory thank you.
(Watch Ed Schultz Tonight! Michael Tomasky March 12, 2013)

– Ronaldo also does more than the perfunctory share of philanthropy that we expect from our athletic superstars.
(Why It’s Still OK to Hate Sexy Bastard Cristiano Ronaldo After He Saved Team USA Emily Shire June 25, 2014)

– When the credits rolled, there was some polite and perfunctory clapping.
(Braving the Atlas Shrugged Crowd Allen Barra April 16, 2011)

Anagram

encrypt four
putrefy corn

26 June 2015

monomania

[mon-uh-mey-nee-uh, -meyn-yuh]

Noun
1. (no longer in technical use) a psychosis characterized by thoughts confined to one idea or group of ideas.
2.
an inordinate or obsessive zeal for or interest in a single thing, idea, subject, or the like.

Origin of monomania

1815-1825 New Latin; see mono-, -mania

Related forms
monomaniac [mon-uh-mey-nee-ak] noun
monomaniacal [mon-uh-muh-nahy-uh-kuh l], adjective

Example:

-In recounting the lives of lesser-known assassins like Bremer, Newton risks providing a platform for their monomania.
(‘Age of Assassins: A History of Conspiracy and Political Violence by Michael Newton – review’, Ian Thomson, 18 November 2012, http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/nov/18/age-of-assassins-newton-review).

Dictionary.com

Anagram

no amonia

25 June 2015

precipitous

[pri-sip-i-tuh s]

adjective
1. of the nature of or characterized by precipices :
a precipitous wall of rock.
2. extremely or impassably steep:
precipitous mountain trails.
3. precipitate.

Origin of precipitous
obsolete French
1640-1650; < obsolete French précipiteux; see precipitate, -ous

Related forms
precipitously, adverb
precipitousness, noun
unprecipitous, adjective
unprecipitously, adverb
unprecipitousness, noun

Can be confused
precipitate, precipitous.

Synonyms
2. abrupt, sheer, perpendicular.

Antonyms
1, 2. flat, level.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for precipitous

– In 1965, despite the precipitous decline in the worker-to-retiree ratio, Social Security paid its bills with a 2.2% payroll tax.
(The Coming Retirement Burden Megan McArdle February 7, 2013)

– Negrial walked the precipitous path, down a steep hill littered with rubble and glass, to his house.
(Haiti Earthquake Anniversary: Finding a Skull in the Rubble Lisa Armstrong January 13, 2011)

– This sort of precipitous drop can reflect gyrations in the price of gas.
(How the Kings of Fracking Double-Crossed Their Way to Riches ProPublica March 12, 2014)

Anagram

spicier pout
precious tip

24 June 2015

hermitage

[hur-mi-tij or for 3, er-mi-tahzh]

noun
1. the habitation of a hermit.
2. any secluded place of residence or habitation; retreat; hideaway.
3. (initial capital letter) a palace in Leningrad built by Catherine II and now used as an art museum.

Origin of hermitage
Middle English
1250-1300; Middle English < Old French. See hermit, -age

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for hermitage

– And let us be sure, also, that the Picasso goes back to the hermitage Museum.
(Putin’s World Cup Picasso ‘Bribe’ Tunku Varadarajan November 30, 2014)

– hermitage asked for the return of the materials but was told they were in the custody Karpov.
(Fraud and the City: Russia’s Manhattan Money Laundering Michael Daly September 15, 2013)

– As a result, the courts awarded judgments against the hermitage companies totaling some $973 million.
(Fraud and the City: Russia’s Manhattan Money Laundering Michael Daly September 15, 2013)

Anagram

He migrate
hate grime
I gather me

23 June 2015

evanescent

[ev-uh-nes-uh nt]

adjective
1. vanishing; fading away; fleeting.
2. tending to become imperceptible; scarcely perceptible.

Origin of evanescent
Latin
1745-1755; < Latin ēvānēscent- (stem of ēvānēscēns) vanishing, disappearing. See evanesce, -ent

Related forms
evanescently, adverb
nonevanescent, adjective
nonevanescently, adverb
unevanescent, adjective
unevanescently, adverb

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for evanescent
– But success in a mission of this size may only bring limited and evanescent political benefits.
(Obama’s Pirate Coup Julian Zelizer April 12, 2009)

– But that support was evanescent ; it’s already back below 50%, and probably still falling.
(Memo: The Aaron Sorkin Model of Political Discourse Doesn’t Actually Work Megan McArdle April 22, 2013)

– They are imagined as disembodied spirits, and are often visualized as vague or evanescent forms; hence, the white sheet routine.
(What’s the Difference Between Ghouls, Goblins, and Ghosts? Dictionary.com October 31, 2010)

Anagram

acne events
even stance
seen cane tv

22 June 2015

covey

[kuhv-ee]

noun, plural coveys.
1. a brood or small flock of partridges or similar birds.
2. a group, set, or company.

Origin of covey
Latin
1400-1450; Middle English, variant of covee < Anglo-French, Old French, noun use of feminine of past participle of cover to hatch < Latin cubāre to lie down; cf. couvade, concubine

Dictionary.com

21 June 2015

21 June 2015

mestizo

[me-stee-zoh, mi-]

noun, plural mestizos, mestizoes.
1. a person of mixed racial or ethnic ancestry, especially, in Latin America, of mixed American Indian and European descent or, in the Philippines, of mixed native and foreign descent.

Origin of mestizo
1580-1590; < Spanish, noun use of adj. mestizo < Vulgar Latin *mixtīcius mixed

Dictionary.com

Anagram

tom size

20 June 2015

lygophilia

Noun

The love of darkness.

Origin
From Ancient Greek λύγη (lugē, “twilight”) and φιλέω (phileō, “I love”).

Anagram

oily hag lip
hi yoga pill

19 June 2015

epigram

[ep-i-gram]

noun
1. any witty, ingenious, or pointed saying tersely expressed.
2. epigrammatic expression:
Oscar Wilde had a genius for epigram.
3. a short, often satirical poem dealing concisely with a single subject and usually ending with a witty or ingenious turn of thought.

Origin of epigram
late Middle English Latin Greek
1400-1450; late Middle English < Latin epigramma < Greek epígramma inscription, epigram. See epi-, -gram1

Can be confused
epigram, epigraph, epitaph, epithet.

Synonyms
1. witticism, quip, bon mot.

Dictionary.com

Anagram

rip game

18 June 2015

lath

[lath, lahth]

noun, plural laths [lath z, laths, lahth z, lahths]
1. a thin, narrow strip of wood, used with other strips to form latticework, a backing for plaster or stucco, a support for slates and other roofing materials, etc.
2. a group or quantity of such strips.
3. work consisting of such strips.
4. wire mesh or the like used in place of wooden laths as a backing for plasterwork.
5. a thin, narrow, flat piece of wood used for any purpose.
verb (used with object)
6. to cover or line with laths.

Origin of lath
Middle English, Old English
1000, before 1000; Middle English la (th) the; replacing Middle English latt, Old English lætt; cognate with German Latte, Dutch lat

Related forms
lathlike, adjective

Can be confused
lath, lathe.

Dictionary.com

Anagram

halt

17 June 2015

impudence

[im-pyuh-duh ns]

noun
1. the quality or state of being impudent; effrontery; insolence.
2. impudent conduct or language.
3. Obsolete. lack of modesty; shamelessness.

Origin of impudence
Middle English, Latin
1350-1400; Middle English < Latin impudentia shamelessness. See impudent, -ence

Synonyms
1. impertinence, rudeness; brass, brazenness, face, lip, boldness, presumption, sauce, pertness; nerve, gall.

Antonyms
1. courtesy.

Dictionary.com

Anagram

niece dump
pumice den
men iced up

16 June 2015

scabrous

[skab-ruh s]

adjective
1. having a rough surface because of minute points or projections.
2. indecent or scandalous; risqué; obscene:
scabrous books.
3. full of difficulties.

Origin of scabrous
Latin
1575-1585; < Latin scab (e) r rough + -ous

Related forms
scabrously, adverb
scabrousness, noun
unscabrous, adjective
unscabrously, adverb
unscabrousness, noun

Synonyms
2. lewd, wanton, improper.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for scabrous
– From Romantic squish to scabrous satirist to rebel wrangler to, finally, Ambassador of Goodwill.
(Poet and Rake, Lord Byron Was Also an Interventionist With Brains and Savvy Michael Weiss February 15, 2014)

Anagram

Sour cabs
cobras us
bus orcas

15 June 2015

bilious

[bil-yuh s]

adjective
1. Physiology, Pathology. pertaining to bile or to an excess secretion of bile.
2. Pathology. suffering from, caused by, or attended by trouble with the bile or liver.
3. peevish; irritable; cranky.
4. extremely unpleasant or distasteful:
a long scarf of bright, bilious green.

Origin of bilious

Latin

1535-1545; < Latin bīliōsus. See bile, -ous

Related forms
biliously, adverb
biliousness, noun
nonbilious, adjective
nonbiliously, adverb
nonbiliousness, noun

Synonyms
3. grumpy, crabby, cross, grouchy, dyspeptic.

Dictionary.com

I boil us

14 June 2015

surly

[sur-lee]

adjective, surlier, surliest.
1. churlishly rude or bad-tempered:
a surly waiter.
Synonyms: sullen, uncivil, brusque, irascible, splenetic, choleric, cross; grumpy, grouchy, crabby.
2. unfriendly or hostile; menacingly irritable:
a surly old lion.
Synonyms: threatening, malevolent.
3. dark or dismal; menacing; threatening:
a surly sky.

Synonyms: ominous.
4. Obsolete. lordly; arrogant.

Origin of surly
1560-1570; spelling variant of obsolete sirly lordly, arrogant, equivalent to sir + -ly

Related forms
surlily, adverb
surliness, noun
unsurlily, adverb
unsurliness, noun
unsurly, adjective

Synonym Study
Glum, morose, sullen, dour, surly all are adjectives describing a gloomy, unsociable attitude. Glum describes a depressed, spiritless condition or manner, usually temporary rather than habitual: a glum shrug of the shoulders; a glum, hopeless look in his eye. Morose, which adds to glum a sense of bitterness, implies a habitual and pervasive gloominess: a sour, morose manner; morose withdrawal from human contact. Sullen usually implies reluctance or refusal to speak accompanied by glowering looks expressing anger or a sense of injury: a sullen manner, silence, look. Dour refers to a stern and forbidding aspect, stony and unresponsive: dour rejection of friendly overtures. Surly implies gruffness of speech and manner, usually accompanied by an air of injury and ill temper: a surly reply.

Dictionary.com

13 June 2015

insuperable

[in-soo-per-uh-buh l]

adjective
1. incapable of being passed over, overcome, or surmounted:
an insuperable barrier.

Origin of insuperable
Middle English,Latin
1300-1350; Middle English < Latin insuperābilis. See in-3, superable

Related forms
insuperability, insuperableness, noun
insuperably, adverb

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for insuperable

Second, they broke down the wall between teen music and adult music, a wall that had been insuperable until then.
– (A Revolution, With Guitars: How The Beatles Changed Everything Michael Tomasky January 27, 2014)

Not necessarily an insuperable or lethal problem, but a problem that must be overcome—and certainly not a plus.
– (Comrade Ryan’s Plan Has 110% Approval! David Frum August 15, 2012)

But he prefers women – and most certainly does not love the baron, for the insuperable reason that he loves nobody except himself.
– (David’s Bookclub: Sodom and Gomorrah David Frum September 28, 2012)

Anagram

beanie slurp

12 June 2015

demonym

[dem-uh-nim]

noun
1. the name used for the people who live in a particular country, state, or other locality:
Two demonyms for the residents of Townsville are Townsvillian and Townsvillite.

Origin of demonym
1995-2000; dem(o)- + -onym

Dictionary.com

Anagram

my demon
deny mom

11 June 2015

scree

[skree]

noun
1. a steep mass of detritus on the side of a mountain.
2. an accumulation of weathered rock fragments at the foot of a cliff or hillside, often forming a sloping heap Also called talus (Collins English Dictionary)

Origin of scree
Old Norse

1775-1785; < Old Norse skritha landslide

n. “pile of debris at the base of a cliff,” 1781, back-formation from screes (plural) “pebbles, small stones,” from Old Norse skriða “landslide,” from skriða “to creep, crawl;” of a ship, “to sail, glide,” also “to slide” (on snow-shoes), from Proto-Germanic *skrithanan (cf. Old English scriþan “to go, glide,” Old Saxon skridan, Dutch schrijden, Old High German scritan, German schreiten “to stride”).

Dictionary.com

10 June 2015

pelf

[pelf]

noun
1. money or wealth, especially when regarded with contempt or acquired by reprehensible means.

Origin of pelf

Old French, Middle English
1300-1350; Middle English < Old French pelfre booty

Dictionary.com

9 June 2015

macerate

[mas-uh-reyt]

verb (used with object), macerated, macerating.
1. to soften or separate into parts by steeping in a liquid.
2. to soften or decompose (food) by the action of a solvent.
3. to cause to grow thin.
verb (used without object), macerated, macerating.
4. to undergo maceration.
5. to become thin or emaciated; waste away.

Origin of macerate
Latin
1540-1550; < Latin mācerātus (past participle of mācerāre to make soft, weaken, steep); see -ate1

Related forms
macerater, macerator, noun
macerative, adjective
unmacerated, adjective

Synonyms
5. shrink, shrivel, fade, wither.

Dictionary.com

Anagram

eat cream
a cremate
race meat
a car meet

8 June 2015

graminivorous

[gram-uh-niv-er-uh s]

adjective
1. feeding or subsisting on grass:
A graminivorous animal. Pandas, cattle and horses are graminivores.

Origin of graminivorous
Latin
1730-1740; < Latin grāmin- (stem of grāmen) grass + -i- + -vorous (to eat)

Dictionary.com

Anagram

amorous virgin
a rooming virus
our soaring vim
vision mug roar

7 June 2015

turbid

[tur-bid]

adjective
1. not clear or transparent because of stirred-up sediment or the like; clouded; opaque; obscured:
the turbid waters near the waterfall.
2. thick or dense, as smoke or clouds.
3. confused; muddled; disturbed.

Origin of turbid

Latin
1620-1630; < Latin turbidus disturbed, equivalent to turb (āre) to disturb (derivative of turba turmoil) + -idus -id4

Related forms
turbidity, turbidness, noun
turbidly, adverb
unturbid, adjective
unturbidly, adverb

Can be confused
torpid, turbid, turgid.

Synonyms
1. murky, cloudy, roiled, muddy.

Dictionary.com

Anagram

rid tub

6 June 2015

cognomen

[kog-noh-muh n]

noun, plural cognomens, cognomina [kog-nom-uh-nuh]
1. a surname.
2. any name, especially a nickname.
3. the third and commonly the last name of a citizen of ancient Rome, indicating the person’s house or family, as “Caesar” in “Gaius Julius Caesar.”.

Compare agnomen (def 1).

Origin of cognomen
1800-1810; < Latin, equivalent to co- co- + nōmen name, with -g- on model of nōscī: cognōscī; see cognition

Related forms
cognominal [kog-nom-uh-nuh l, -noh-muh-], adjective
cognominally, adverb

Dictionary.com

Anagram

conmen go
congo men
gnome con

5 June 2015

estoppel

[e-stop-uh l]

noun, Law, Legal.
1. a bar or impediment preventing a party from asserting a fact or a claim inconsistent with a position that party previously took, either by conduct or words, especially where a representation has been relied or acted upon by others.

Origin of estoppel
Middle French
1575-1585; < bung, cork, Middle French estoupail stopper. See estop, -al2

Dictionary.com

– Even without a written and signed contract, the court found that the behaviour of both parties constituted an estoppel and issued its ruling as though a contract did exist.

Anagram

peel tops
pot sleep
pole step
pet slope
lost peep

4 June 2015

exophasia

[ek-soh-fey-zhuh, -zhee-uh]

noun
1. ordinary, vocalized, audible speech.

Compare endophasia.

Origin of exophasia
< New Latin; see exo-, -phasia

Dictionary.com

Example

– He called it ‘thinking out loud’, but his wife was exasperated by his constant exophasia with himself whenever he was making a decision.

– On the other hand, the terms ‘exophasia’ and ‘endophasia’ to label audible speech and sub-vocal speech seem to me to be examples of the second type, jargon; they have no advantages over simpler everyday terms’.
(Linguistics and the Teacher, Volume 112 Page 120, by Ronald Carter)

Anagram

Ex Asia Hop
Pi sea hoax

3 June 2015

traipse

[treyps] Informal.

verb (used without object), traipsed, traipsing.
1. to walk or go aimlessly or idly or without finding or reaching one’s goal:
We traipsed all over town looking for a copy of the book.
verb (used with object), traipsed, traipsing.
2. to walk over; tramp:
to traipse the fields.
noun
3. a tiring walk.

Origin of traipse
1585-1595; earlier trapse, unexplained variant of trape, obscurely akin to tramp

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for traipse
– Buy a pair of these and traipse around a big city center or off road through the Icelandic countryside.
(The Daily Beast’s 2014 Holiday Gift Guide: For the Anthony Bourdain in Your Life Allison McNearney November 28, 2014)

Get your own tailored tuxedo blazer to traipse around town in.
(The Daily Beast’s 2014 Holiday Gift Guide: For the Carrie Bradshaw in Your Life Allison McNearney November 28, 2014)

We imagine the cadre of Hollywood starlets who like to traipse about commando would be severely handicapped in this event.
(7 Craziest Guinness Records The Daily Beast Video November 12, 2009)

Anagram

parties
pirates

2 June 2015

viscous

[vis-kuh s]

adjective
1. of a glutinous nature or consistency; sticky; thick; adhesive.
2. having the property of viscosity.

Also, viscose.
Origin of viscous
Middle English, Late Latin
1350-1400; Middle English < Late Latin viscōsus, equivalent to Latin visc (um) mistletoe, birdlime (made with mistletoe berries) + -ōsus -ous

Related forms
viscously, adverb
viscousness, noun
hyperviscous, adjective
pseudoviscous, adjective

Can be confused
vicious, viscose, viscous.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for viscous
– Black gays, in turn, are accusing their white gay peers of viscous racism.
(Gays and Blacks (and Gay Blacks) Go to War The Daily Beast November 5, 2008)

– What The Great Beauty and Fellini share is the Roman light—3,000 years of viscous sun.
(The New Fellini: Paolo Sorrentino’s ‘The Great Beauty’ Jimmy So November 17, 201

1 June 2015

albedo

[al-bee-doh]

noun, plural albedos.
1. Astronomy. the ratio of the light reflected by a planet or satellite to that received by it.
2. Meteorology. such a ratio for any part of the earth’s surface or atmosphere.
3. the white, inner rind of a citrus fruit.

Origin of albedo

Late Latin
1855-1860; < Late Latin albēdō whiteness, equivalent to alb (us) white + -ēdō noun suffix; cf. torpedo
Dictionary.com

Anagram

be load

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