September 2014 WOTDs

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30 September 2014

transpire

[tran-spahyuh r]

verb (used without object), transpired, transpiring.

1. to occur; happen; take place.
2. to emit or give off waste matter, watery vapor, etc., through the surface, as of the body or of leaves.
3. to escape, as moisture or odor, through or as if through pores.
4. to be revealed or become known.
verb (used with object), transpired, transpiring.
5. to emit or give off (waste matter, watery vapor, an odor, etc.) through the surface, as of the body or of leaves.

Origin
Middle French, Medieval Latin
1590-1600; < Middle French transpirer < Medieval Latin trānspīrāre, equivalent to Latin trāns- trans- + spīrāre to breathe

Related forms

transpirable, adjective
transpiratory [tran-spahyr-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee], adjective
untranspired, adjective
untranspiring, adjective

Can be confused

evanesce, evaporate, liquefy, melt, thaw, transpire, vaporize.

Usage note

1. From its earlier literal sense “to escape as vapor” transpire came to mean “to escape from concealment, become known” in the 18th century. Somewhat later, it developed the meaning “to occur, happen,” a sentence such as He was not aware of what had transpired yesterdaybeing taken to mean He was not aware of what had happened yesterday.In spite of two centuries of use in all varieties of speech and writing, this now common meaning is still objected to by some on the grounds that it arose from a misapprehension of the word’s true meaning.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for transpire

– Gamblers can also for the first time wager on the outcomes of events as the events transpire.
– Often they transpire in hot weather, and everyone’s sweating even before the first of too many official welcomes.
– Obviously, no great change will transpire because of a single speech.

Anagram

a sprinter
earn trips
ranter sip
rare pints

29 September 2014

emasculate

[v. ih-mas-kyuh-leyt; adj. ih-mas-kyuh-lit, -leyt]

verb (used with object), emasculated, emasculating.
1. to castrate.
2. to deprive of strength or vigor; weaken.
Synonyms: debilitate, undermine, devitalize, soften.
adjective
3. deprived of or lacking strength or vigor; effeminate.

Origin
Latin
1600-1610; < Latin ēmasculātus (past participle of ēmasculāre), equivalent to ē- e-1 + māscul(us) male + -ātus -ate1

Related forms
emasculation, noun
emasculative, adjective
emasculator, noun
emasculatory [ih-mas-kyuh-luh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee], adjective
self-emasculation, noun
unemasculated, adjective
unemasculative, adjective
unemasculatory, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for emasculate
– Atrazine in the water has been shown to chemically emasculate frogs, turning healthy males into hermaphrodites.
– The government would probably not have had to emasculate its new measures with clumsy compromises.
– Now television is poised to absorb and emasculate the movies, all in the name of home entertainment.

Anagram

casual meet
team clause
amulet case

28 September 2014

aberration

[ab-uh-rey-shuh n]

noun
1. the act of departing from the right, normal, or usual course.
2. the act of deviating from the ordinary, usual, or normal type.
3. deviation from truth or moral rectitude.
4. mental irregularity or disorder, especially of a minor or temporary nature; lapse from a sound mental state.
5. Astronomy. apparent displacement of a heavenly body, owing to the motion of the earth in its orbit.
6. Optics. any disturbance of the rays of a pencil of light such that they can no longer be brought to a sharp focus or form a clear image.
7. Photography. a defect in a camera lens or lens system, due to flaws in design, material, or construction, that can distort the image.

Origin

Latin

1585-1595; < Latin aberrātiōn- (stem of aberrātiō), equivalent to aberrāt (us), past participle of aberrāre (see aberrant ) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms
aberrational, adjective

Synonyms
1. wandering; deviation, divergence. 4. abnormality, eccentricity, illusion, delusion, hallucination.
Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for aberration

– Although there are no colors in the photograph, chromatic aberration will blur the image.

Anagram

arena orbit
tiara borne
boa terrain
a orient bar
a ranter bio

27 September 2014

insinuate

[in-sin-yoo-eyt]

verb (used with object), insinuated, insinuating.

1. to suggest or hint slyly:
He insinuated that they were lying.
2. to instill or infuse subtly or artfully, as into the mind:
to insinuate doubts through propaganda.
3. to bring or introduce into a position or relation by indirect or artful methods:
to insinuate oneself into favor.
verb (used without object), insinuated, insinuating.
4. to make insinuations.

Origin

Latin

1520-1530; < Latin insinuātus, past participle of insinuāre to work in, instill. See in-2, sinuous, -ate1

Related forms

insinuative [in-sin-yoo-ey-tiv, -yoo-uh-] (Show IPA), insinuatory [in-sin-yoo-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee], adjective
insinuatively, adverb
insinuator, noun
half-insinuated, adjective
preinsinuate, verb, preinsinuated, preinsinuating.

Synonyms

1. See hint. 2. introduce, inject, inculcate.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for insinuate Expand

– His enemies insinuate that it was not his political insights that were worth so much, but his influence and connections.
– Your questions are disingenuous because they’re meant to insinuate there are fundamental and serious issues with climate change.
– This, in no way, is meant to insinuate that the comments received were tallied as votes in a referendum.

Anagram

annuities
a suite inn

26 September 2014

comity

[kom-i-tee]

noun, plural comities.

1. mutual courtesy; civility.
2. Also called comity of nations. courtesy between nations, as in respect shown by one country for the laws, judicial decisions, and institutions of another.

Origin

Latin

1535-1545; < Latin cōmitās, equivalent to cōm (is) affable + -itās -ity

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for comity

– Electronic communication between them has yet to catch up with the new spirit of comity.
– Ideological comity clearly outweighs intellectual integrity here.
– Each episode in this elaborate dance has been designed to advance transatlantic comity a step.

Anagram

icy tom
Om City

25 September 2014

dissonant

[dis-uh-nuh nt]

adjective

1. disagreeing or harsh in sound; discordant.
2. out of harmony; incongruous; at variance.
3. Music. characterized by dissonance.

Origin

late Middle English Anglo-French, Latin
1400-14501400-50; late Middle English dissonaunte (< Anglo-French) < Latin dissonant- (stem of dissonāns, present participle of dissonāre to sound harsh), equivalent to disson- (derivative of dissonus discordant; see dis-1, sound ) + -ant- -ant

Related forms

dissonantly, adverb
undissonant, adjective
undissonantly, adverb

Synonyms

2. incompatible, incongruent, inconsistent.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for dissonant

– Reading about a dissonant chord doesn’t make it sound any sweeter, but repeated hearing certainly does.
– The dissonant chords and primitive rhythms had a still more unnerving effect upon the audience.
– Upending such a value set is too cognitively dissonant for many on both sides of the equation.

Anagram

saint nods
sand is not

 

24 September 2014

consonant

[kon-suh-nuh nt]

noun

1. Phonetics.
(in English articulation) a speech sound produced by occluding with or without releasing (p, b; t, d; k, g), diverting (m, n, ng), or obstructing (f, v; s, z, etc.) the flow of air from the lungs (opposed to vowel ).
(in a syllable) any sound other than the sound of greatest sonority in the syllable, as b, r, and g in brig (opposed to sonant ).
Compare vowel (def 1b).
(in linguistic function) a concept empirically determined as a phonological element in structural contrast with vowel, as the b of be, the w of we, the y, s, and t of yeast, etc.
2. a letter that usually represents a consonant sound.
adjective
3. in agreement; agreeable; in accord; consistent (usually followed by to or with):
behavior consonant with his character.
4. corresponding in sound, as words.
5. harmonious, as sounds.
6. Music. constituting a consonance.
7. Physics. noting or pertaining to sounds exhibiting consonance.
8. consonantal.

Origin

Middle English, Anglo-French, Latin

1350-1400; Middle English consona (u) nt (< Anglo-French) < Latin consonant- (stem of consonāns, present participle of consonāre to sound with or together). See con-, sonant

Related forms

consonantlike, adjective
consonantly, adverb
unconsonant, adjective

Synonyms
3. concordant, congruous, conformant.

Antonyms
6. dissonant.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for consonant Expand

– And then you have to couch it in the right terms, to have it be consonant with the other values of the university.
– Once you’ve got the infixes and the prefixes in your head, and the three- consonant root verbs you can construct any word you want.
– Select any consonant after you have guessed at a word, and it will appear in each appropriate square in the puzzle.

Anagram

Canton son
scant noon

23 September 2014

surfeit

[sur-fit]

noun

1. excess; an excessive amount:
a surfeit of speechmaking.
2. excess or overindulgence in eating or drinking.
3. an uncomfortably full or crapulous feeling due to excessive eating or drinking.
4. general disgust caused by excess or satiety.
verb (used with object)
5. to bring to a state of surfeit by excess of food or drink.
6. to supply with anything to excess or satiety; satiate.
verb (used without object)
7. to eat or drink to excess.
8. to suffer from the effects of overindulgence in eating or drinking.
9. to indulge to excess in anything.

Origin

Middle English, Middle French
1250-1300; (noun) Middle English sorfete, surfait < Middle French surfait, surfet (noun use of past participle of surfaire to overdo), equivalent to sur- sur-1+ fait < Latin factus, past participle of facere to do (see fact ); (v.) sorfeten, derivative of the noun

Related forms

unsurfeited, adjective
unsurfeiting, adjective

Synonyms

1. superabundance, superfluity. 5, 6. stuff, gorge. 6. fill.
Antonyms

1. lack.
Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for surfeit

– Unfortunately, the basic appeal of such debates is often diluted by an excess of detail and a surfeit of characters.
– Instead, the technology-driven surfeit of modern information has made the need for clarity and concision more acute.
– It does them no harm, although if they eat too many they may have some difficulty digesting a surfeit of cicada skins.

Anagram

sure fit
surf tie

22 September 2014

slake

[sleyk]

verb (used with object), slaked, slaking.

1. to allay (thirst, desire, wrath, etc.) by satisfying.
2. to cool or refresh:
He slaked his lips with ice.
3. to make less active, vigorous, intense, etc.:
His calm manner slaked their enthusiasm.
4. to cause disintegration of (lime) by treatment with water.
Compare slaked lime.
5. Obsolete. to make loose or less tense; slacken.
verb (used without object), slaked, slaking.
6. (of lime) to become slaked.
7. Archaic. to become less active, intense, vigorous, etc.; abate.

Origin

Middle English, Old English
before 1000; Middle English slaken to mitigate, allay, moderate, lessen one’s efforts, Old English slacian to slacken, lessen one’s efforts, equivalent to slæc slack1+ -ian causative verb suffix

Related forms

slakable, slakeable, adjective
slakeless, adjective
unslakable, adjective
unslakeable, adjective
unslaked, adjective

Synonyms

1. satisfy, quench, gratify, relieve.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for slake

– And some of the water would continue to be used for irrigation or to slake the thirst of urban areas.
– Room temperature, or even warmer drinks are the best way to slake thirst.
– We have to slake our thirst for crude and invest immediately and aggressively in alternative energy sources.

Anagram

leaks

21 September 2014

repository

[ri-poz-i-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee]

noun, plural repositories.

1. a receptacle or place where things are deposited, stored, or offered for sale:
a repository for discarded clothing.
2. an abundant source or supply; storehouse:
a repository of information.
3. a burial place; sepulcher.
4. a person to whom something is entrusted or confided.
5. Chiefly British, warehouse.

Origin

Latin

1475-1485; < Latin repositōrium that in which anything is placed; see reposit, -tory2

Synonyms

1. depot, storehouse, depository.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for repository

– With each open course offered, the content repository grows exponentially.
– These metaphors would then be stored in the metaphor repository.
– The ballot should then be physically transported to a secure repository and read by a machine by a second manufacturer.

Anagram

pie or story
tripe or soy
prise or toy

20 September 2014

surcease

[sur-sees]

verb (used without object), surceased, surceasing.

1. to cease from some action; desist.
2. to come to an end.
verb (used with object), surceased, surceasing.
3. Archaic. to cease from; leave off.
noun
4. cessation; end.

Origin

late Middle English Middle French Latin
1400-1450; sur-1+ cease; replacing late Middle English sursesen (v.) < Middle French sursis (past participle of surseoir) < Latin supersessus (past participle of supersedēre to forbear; see supersede ), equivalent to super- super- + sed (ēre) sit1+ -tus past participle suffix, with dt > ss
Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for surcease
– Electricity has given so much comfort to womankind, such surcease to her life of drudgery.
– More numerous, but relatively small, is the number that seek surcease from pain when aching or ulcerated teeth are to be drawn.
– High-level meetings with creditor nations bring no surcease.

Anagram

a rescues
uses care
sea cures

19 September 2014

emote

[ih-moht]

verb (used without object), emoted, emoting.

1. to show or pretend emotion :
to emote over the beauties of nature.
2. to portray emotion in acting, especially exaggeratedly or ineptly; behave theatrically:
The actress emoted for all she was worth.
Origin

1915-1920, Americanism; back formation from emotion

Related forms
emoter, noun
overemote, verb (used without object), overemoted, overemoting.
Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for emote

– Computer power is a primary bottleneck to creating robots that can speak and emote.
– In fact, it’s this missing-hand-turned-evil that’s pictured above, encouraging its former owner to emote.
– They want him to emote and perform the proper theatrical gestures so they can see their emotions enacted on the public stage.

Anagram

me toe

18 September 2014

allusion

[uh-loo-zhuh n]

noun

1. a passing or casual reference; an incidental mention of something, either directly or by implication:
The novel’s title is an allusion to Shakespeare.
2. the act or practice of making a casual or indirect reference to something; the act of alluding :
The Bible is a fertile source of allusion in art.
3. Obsolete. a metaphor; parable.

Origin

Late Latin

1540-1550; < Late Latin allūsiōn- (stem of allūsiō), equivalent to allūs (us), past participle of allūdere (see allude; al- al- + lūd- play + -tus past participle suffix) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms

preallusion, noun

Can be confused

allusion, reference.
allusion, delusion, elusion, hallucination, illusion (see synonym study at illusion )

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for allusion
– This is an enormous collection of the allusion s to Shakespeare from 1591 to 1700.
– This was a startling allusion to several bodies of knowledge simultaneously.
– Belief is the process where the brain converts illusion to allusion, and allusion into certainty.

Anagram

soul nail

17 September 2014

foment

[foh-ment]

verb (used with object)

1. to instigate or foster (discord, rebellion, etc.); promote the growth or development of:
to foment trouble; to foment discontent.
2. to apply warm water or medicated liquid, ointments, etc., to (the surface of the body).

Origin

Middle English Late Latin
1350-1400; Middle English fomenten < Late Latin fōmentāre, verbal derivative of Latin fōmentum soothing application, poultice, contraction of *fōvimentum, equivalent to fōv (ēre) to keep warm + -i- -i- + -mentum -ment

Related forms

fomenter, noun
unfomented, adjective

Can be confused

ferment, foment.
Synonyms

1. incite, provoke, arouse, inflame, excite, stir up; encourage, stimulate.
Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for foment

– There are other demagogues there now who have and continue to foment war.
– Moreover, critics say that the army has historically done little but brutalise its own citizenry and foment instability.
– To foment revolution, with a drip-drip of snarky stories about corruption.

Anagram

oft men

16 September 2014

sidle

[sahyd-l]

verb (used without object), sidled, sidling.

1. to move sideways or obliquely.
2. to edge along furtively.

noun
3. a sidling movement.

Origin

1690-1700; back formation from sideling (earlier spelling sidling misconstrued as present participle of a verb ending in -le )

Related forms

sidlingly, adverb
unsidling, adjective
Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for sidle

– The thief would sidle up to its relative quietly in an effort to get at the food.
– Consumer spending will no more than sidle ahead, and fixed investment will continue to decline.
– Moments with dialogue are brief and easy to sidle around.

Anagram

slide
idles
is led

15 September 2014

litany

[lit-n-ee]

noun, plural litanies.
1. a ceremonial or liturgical form of prayer consisting of a series of invocations or supplications with responses that are the same for a number in succession.
2. the Litany, the supplication in this form in the Book of Common Prayer.
3. a recitation or recital that resembles a litany.
4. a prolonged or tedious account:
We heard the whole litany of their complaints.

Origin
Late Latin, Late Greek

before 900; < Late Latin litanīa < Late Greek litaneía litany, Greek: an entreating, equivalent to litan- (stem of litaínein, variant of litaneúein to pray) + -eia -y3; replacing Middle English letanie, Old English letanīa < Medieval Latin, Late Latin, as above

Can be confused
litany, liturgy.

Synonyms

4. list, catalog, enumeration.
Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for litany

– Higher education faces a litany of challenges, and desperate measures are required.
– The litany of statistics is as deadening as it is depressing.
– Ask anyone about the activities they perform each a day and they’ll rattle off a litany of actions.

Anagram

lay tin

14 September 2014

mitre

[mahy-ter]

noun

1. (Christianity) the liturgical headdress of a bishop or abbot, in most western churches consisting of a tall pointed cleft cap with two bands hanging down at the back
2. short for mitre joint
3. a bevelled surface of a mitre joint
4. (in sewing) a diagonal join where the hems along two sides meet at a corner of the fabric
verb (transitive)
5. to make a mitre joint between (two pieces of material, esp wood)
6. to make a mitre in (a fabric)
7. to confer a mitre upon: a mitred abbot

Word

C14: from Old French, from Latin mitra, from Greek mitra turban

Anagram

remit
timer
merit

13 September 2014

remit

[v., n. ri-mit; n. also ree-mit]

verb (used with object), remitted, remitting.
1. to transmit or send (money, a check, etc.) to a person or place, usually in payment.
2. to refrain from inflicting or enforcing, as a punishment, sentence, etc.
3. to refrain from exacting, as a payment or service.
4. to pardon or forgive (a sin, offense, etc.).
5. to slacken; abate; relax:
to remit watchfulness.
6. to give back:
to remit an overpayment.
7. Law. to send back (a case) to an inferior court for further action.
8. to put back into a previous position or condition.
9. to put off; postpone; defer.
10. Obsolete. to set free; release.
11. Obsolete. to send back to prison or custody.
12. Obsolete. to give up; surrender.
verb (used without object), remitted, remitting.
13. to transmit money, a check, etc., as in payment.
14. to abate for a time or at intervals, as a fever.
15. to slacken; abate.
noun
16. Law. a transfer of the record of an action from one tribunal to another, particularly from an appellate court to the court of original jurisdiction.
17. something remitted, as for further deliberation or action.
18. the act of remitting.
19. Chiefly British. the area of authority of a person or group.

Origin

Middle English Latin
1325-1375; Middle English remitten < Latin remittere to send back, let go back, concede, allow, equivalent to re- re- + mittere to send

Related forms
remittable, adjective
nonremittable, adjective
nonremittably, adverb
preremit, verb (used with object), preremitted, preremitting.
unremittable, adjective

Synonyms
1. forward. 4. excuse, overlook. 5. diminish. 6. return, restore.

Antonyms
1. retain. 4. condemn. 5. increase.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for remit

– Before economic reforms began, state firms simply received all financing from the government budget and remitted any profit.
– The country is home to a large stock of dollars, many of them remitted by migrant workers, and a sizeable stock of gold.
– The creditors care only about their payments and the value of the dollars that are remitted.

Anagram

mitre
timer
merit

12 September 2014

congruent

[kong-groo-uh nt, kuh n-groo-, kuh ng-]

adjective

1. agreeing; accordant; congruous.
2. Mathematics. of or pertaining to two numbers related by a congruence.
3. Geometry. coinciding at all points when superimposed:
congruent triangles.

Origin

late Middle English Latin

1375-1425; late Middle English < Latin congruent- (stem of congruēns, present participle of congruere to come together, fit in, agree), equivalent to con- con- + -gru- base of uncertain meaning (attested only in this v. and ingruere to fall upon) + -ent- -ent

Related forms

congruently, adverb
noncongruent, adjective
noncongruently, adverb
Can be confused Expand
congruous, congruent, incongruous, incongruent.
Dictionary.com

Examples from the web for congruent

Salary is commensurate with education and experience and is congruent with national standards.
He simply felt you could not speak coherently about internal experiences, which was a perfectly congruent position.
By the time she entered her teens, she could look forward to marriage and to a life congruent with the one she knew.

Anagram

grunt once
cogent run

11 September 2014

peripatetic

[per-uh-puh-tet-ik]

adjective

1. walking or traveling about; itinerant.
2. (initial capital letter) of or pertaining to Aristotle, who taught philosophy while walking in the Lyceum of ancient Athens.
3. (initial capital letter) of or pertaining to the Aristotelian school of philosophy.
noun
4. a person who walks or travels about.
5. (initial capital letter) a member of the Aristotelian school.

Origin

late Middle English Latin Greek
1400-1450; late Middle English < Latin peripatēticus < Greek peripatētikós of Aristotle and his school, literally, walking about, equivalent to peripatē- (verbid stem of peripateîn to walk about, equivalent to peri- peri- + pateîn to walk; akin to path ) + -tikos -tic

Related forms

peripatetically, adverb
peripateticism [per-uh-puh-tet-uh-siz-uh m], noun

Synonyms

1. wandering, roving; vagrant.
Dictionary.com

Anagram

a receipt tip
irate peptic
peace trip it
Pi tie carpet

10 September 2014

posit

[poz-it]

verb (used with object)

1. to place, put, or set.
2. to lay down or assume as a fact or principle; postulate.
noun
3. something that is posited; an assumption; postulate.

Origin
Latin
1640-1650; < Latin positus, past participle of pōnere to place, put
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2014.

Examples from the web for posit

So let me posit something equally fair.
What I’m saying is, posit your conclusions as questions to the group.
Other scientists posit information as a basic building block of the universe, like energy and matter.

Anagram

I stop
Pi sot

9 September 2014

janissary

[jan-uh-ser-ee]

noun, plural janissaries.

1. (often initial capital letter) a member of an elite military unit of the Turkish army organized in the 14th century and abolished in 1826 after it revolted against the Sultan.
2. (often initial capital letter) any soldier in the Turkish army.
3. a member of any group of loyal guards, soldiers, or supporters.

Also, janizary [jan-uh-zer-ee]
Origin
French Italian Turkish
1520-1530; < French janissaire < Italian gian (n) izzero < Turkish yeniçeri, equivalent to yeni new + çeri soldiery, militia
Dictionary.com

8 September 2014

poetaster

[poh-it-as-ter]

noun

1. an inferior poet; a writer of indifferent verse.

Origin

Medieval Latin
1590-1600; < Medieval Latin or Neo-Latin; see poet, -aster1

Related forms
poetastering, poetastery, poetastry, poetasterism, noun
poetastric, poetastrical, adjective

Synonyms
rhymester.
Dictionary.com
Examples from the web for poetaster
Nor are such creatures merely the province of the past and the poetaster.
Here the old-fashioned term poetaster may apply, if only obliquely.

7 September 2014

peroration

[per-uh-rey-shuh n]

noun

1. a long speech characterized by lofty and often pompous language.
2. Rhetoric. the concluding part of a speech or discourse, in which the speaker or writer recapitulates the principal points and urges them with greater earnestness and force.
Origin
late Middle English Latin
1400-1450; late Middle English < Latin perōrātiōn- (stem of perōrātiō) the closing of a speech. See perorate, -ion
Related forms
perorational, perorative, adjective
peroratorical [puh-rawr-uh-tawr-i-kuh l, -ror-uh-tor-], adjective
peroratorically, adverb
peroratory [puh-rawr-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee, -ror-], noun
Can be confused
oration, peroration.
Dictionary.com

Anagram

overrate pi
pirate over

6 September 2014

pugilist

[pyoo-juh-list]

noun

1. a person who fights with the fists; a boxer, usually a professional.

Origin
Latin
1780-1790; < Latin pugil (see pugilism ) + -ist
Related forms
pugilistic, adjective
pugilistically, adverb
unpugilistic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2014.

Examples from the web for pugilist
But, it graphically characterizes the pugilist as to type.
Yet so far she has proved to be no great shakes as a pugilist.
All you need to do is roughly align your ambulant pugilist with a human punching bag, then let loose on him.

Word Origin and History for pugilist
n. 1789, from Latin pugil “boxer, fist-fighter,” related to pugnus “a fist” (see pugnacious ) + -ist. Related: Pugilistic (1789); pugilistically. Pugil occasionally turns up in English as “boxer, fist-fighter” (from 1640s), but it has not caught on. Pugil stick (1962) was introduced by U.S. military as a substitute for rifles in bayonet drills.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

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Pi guilts
I gulp its

5 September 2014

concord

[kon-kawrd, kong-]

noun

1. agreement between persons, groups, nations, etc.; concurrence in attitudes, feelings, etc.; unanimity; accord:
There was complete concord among the delegates.
2. agreement between things; mutual fitness; harmony.
3. Grammar, agreement (def 6).
4. peace; amity.
5. a treaty; compact; covenant.
6. Music. a stable, harmonious combination of tones; a chord requiring no resolution.

Origin

Middle English, Old French, Latin
1250-1300; Middle English concorde < Old French < Latin concordia, equivalent to concord- (stem of concors) harmonious ( con- con- + cord-, stem of cors heart ) + -ia -ia

Related forms

concordal, adjective
Synonyms
4. harmony, goodwill, friendship.

Antonyms
4. ill will, animosity.

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4 September 2014

grueling

[groo-uh-ling, groo-ling]

adjective

1. exhausting; very tiring; arduously severe:
the grueling Boston marathon.
noun
2. any trying or exhausting procedure or experience.

Also, especially British, gruelling.
Origin
1850-1855; slang gruel punishment (noun), punish (v.) + -ing2, -ing1

Related forms

gruelingly, adverb

Examples for grueling

– The grueling schedule that many doctors go through to train as specialists is about to ease.
– They put themselves through grueling marathons of public scrutiny.
– Business travel is grueling enough without having to put up with someone you don’t know well for the entire evening.

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gurgle in
lug reign
glue grin

3 September 2014

insatiable

[in-sey-shuh-buh l, -shee-uh-]

adjective
1. not satiable; incapable of being satisfied or appeased:
insatiable hunger for knowledge.

Origin

late Middle English Latin
1400-1450; late Middle English insaciable < Latin insatiābilis; see in-3, satiable
Related forms

insatiability, insatiableness, noun
insatiably, adverb

Synonyms

voracious, unquenchable, bottomless.

Examples for insatiable

– These insatiable fish will also prey upon one another.
– It is a world driven by insatiable gadget lust and no small amount of money.
– Addiction is an insatiable drive to use a drug because of the pleasure it affords and the side effects of craving that pleasure.

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banalities
anti abseil
alien bates

2 September 2014

morph

[mawrf]

noun

1. Linguistics. a sequence of phonemes constituting a minimal unit of grammar or syntax, and, as such, a representation, member, or contextual variant of a morpheme in a specific environment.
Compare allomorph (def 2).
2. Biology. an individual of one particular form, as a worker ant, in a species that occurs in two or more forms.
verb (used with object)
3. to transform (an image) by computer.
verb (used without object)
4. to be transformed:
morphing from a tough negotiator to Mr. Friendly.

Origin

1945-19501945-50; back formation from morpheme, or independent use of -morph
Related forms
morphic, adjective

1 September 2014

overture

[oh-ver-cher, -choo r]

noun

1. an opening or initiating move toward negotiations, a new relationship, an agreement, etc.; a formal or informal proposal or offer:
overtures of peace; a shy man who rarely made overtures of friendship.
2. Music.
an orchestral composition forming the prelude or introduction to an opera, oratorio, etc.
an independent piece of similar character.
3. an introductory part, as of a poem; prelude; prologue.
4. the action of an ecclesiastical court in submitting a question or proposal to presbyteries.
the proposal or question so submitted.
verb (used with object), overtured, overturing.
5. to submit as an overture or proposal:
to overture conditions for a ceasefire.
6. to make an overture or proposal to:
to overture one’s adversary through a neutral party.

Origin

1300-50; Middle English < Old French; see overt, -ure; doublet of aperture
Synonyms Expand

1. See proposal.

for overture

– overture ranks ads according to how much advertisers bid.
– There is no fear in this glance, but neither is there curiosity or any sort of social overture.
– Overture is really a great one because of its elegant simplicity.

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