September 2018 – WOTDs

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September 2018 – WOTDs

30 September 2018

guiro

[gweer-oh; Spanish gee-raw]

noun, plural guiro.

1. a South American musical instrument consisting of a hollow gourd with serrated surface that is scraped with a stick.

Origin of guiro

Taino

1895-1900; < American Spanish güiro, literally, gourd, probably < Taino

Dictionary.com

29 September 2018

aperçu

[a-per-sy]

noun, plural aperçus [a-per-sy]. French.

1. a hasty glance; a glimpse.
2. an immediate estimate or judgment; understanding; insight.
3. an outline or summary.

Origin of aperçu

literally, perceived

Dictionary.com

28 September 2018

aguardiente

[ah-gwahr-dee-en-tee; Spanish ah-gwahr-th yen-te]

noun

1. a type of brandy made in Spain and Portugal.
2. a liquor, popular in South and Central America, made from sugar cane.
3. (in Spanish-speaking countries) any distilled spirit.

Origin of aguardiente

1815-1825, Americanism; < Spanish, contraction of agua ardiente literally, fiery water; see aqua, ardent

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for aguardiente

Historical Examples

They desired not to eat or to drink—not even of my aguardiente, which is the best.
Cabbages and Kings
O. Henry

We shall give him a share for the provisions, for the tools, for the aguardiente.
The Story of a Mine
Bret Harte

He readily yields to it, and tosses off another glass of the aguardiente.
The Lone Ranche
Captain Mayne Reid

27 September 2018

explicate

[ek-spli-keyt]

verb (used with object), explicated, explicating.

1. to make plain or clear; explain; interpret.
2. to develop (a principle, theory, etc.).

Origin of explicate

Latin

1525-1535; < Latin explicātus unfolded, set forth, past participle of explicāre, equivalent to ex- ex-1+ plicāre to fold; see -ate1

Related forms

explicator, noun
reexplicate, verb (used with object), reexplicated, reexplicating.
unexplicated, adjective
well-explicated, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for explicate

Historical Examples

This battle of Girondins and Mountain let no man ask history to explicate.
The World’s Greatest Books, Vol XII.
Arthur Mee

But Marie say there is the miss understand in our letters she cannot explicate.
Deer Godchild
Marguerite Bernard and Edith Serrell

Whether, if so, this will not explicate the Phnomena of the Clouds.
Micrographia
Robert Hooke

We have merely to explicate the idea of intelligent spirit possessing being in its plenitude.
The Catholic World. Volume III; Numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
E. Rameur

Science takes as its province mechanical causes, and leaves formal and final causes to the philosopher to explicate.
A Critical History of Greek Philosophy
W. T. Stace

An attempt to explicate them from the congruity and incongruity of Bodies: what those proprieties re.
Micrographia
Robert Hooke

Anagram

exit place
ax ice pelt

26 September 2018

cenote

[suh-noh-tee]

noun

1. a deep natural well or sinkhole, especially in Central America, formed by the collapse of surface limestone that exposes ground water underneath, and sometimes used by the ancient Mayans for sacrificial offerings.

Origin of cenote

Mexican Spanish Yucatec
1835-1845; < Mexican Spanish < Yucatec Mayan

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for cenote

Historical Examples

For these the Mayan Indian name is ” cenote,” and they are often huge.
The American Egypt
Channing Arnold

The floor of this cenote is near the watertable but not below it.
Summer Birds From the Yucatan Peninsula
Erwin E. Klaas

Dinny led on rapidly till they reached the turning in the direction of the old temple which contained the cenote.
Commodore Junk
George Manville Fenn

Probably the swallows were nesting in the cenote although the nests were inaccessible to view.
Summer Birds From the Yucatan Peninsula
Erwin E. Klaas

19 September 2018

amanuensis

[uh-man-yoo-en-sis]

noun, plural amanuenses [uh-man-yoo-en-seez]

1. a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another; secretary.

Origin of amanuensis

Latin

1610-1620; Latin (servus) āmanuēnsis, equivalent to ā- a-4+ manu-, stem of manus hand + -ēnsis -ensis

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for amanuensis

Contemporary Examples

At Newsweek he dueled with his economic nemesis, Paul Samuelson, the amanuensis of the Keynesian revolution.
Nicholas Wapshott: A Lovefest Between Milton Friedman and J.M. Keynes
Nicholas Wapshott
July 30, 2012

“Dora you will perceive is now my amanuensis,” wrote her father.
The Best of Brit Lit
Peter Stothard
March 26, 2010

Historical Examples

For heaven’s sake let us know, pray, pray let us know who was Lincoln’s amanuensis ?
Diary from November 12, 1862, to October 18, 1863
Adam Gurowski

Perhaps he lectured and the amanuensis took down what he said.
Cyropaedia
Xenophon

To Louise was consigned the office of librarian; to Petrea that of amanuensis.
The Home
Fredrika Bremer

If so, what is he but their amanuensis —the recorder of their decrees?
The Story of My Life
Egerton Ryerson

And there had been no more attempts to write letters by way of an amanuensis.
Red Pepper Burns
Grace S. Richmond

The letters w and v are used indiscriminately by Knox’s amanuensis.
The Works of John Knox, Vol. 1 (of 6)
John Knox

The writing of an amanuensis must shew you the amount of my engagements.
The Letters of Cicero, Volume 1
Marcus Tullius Cicero

She became his amanuensis and secretary, and scarcely ever left his side.
Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 6 of 8
Various

Anagram

name a sinus
a mean sinus
assume a inn
minus a sane
sun asia men
i uses manna
me sin sauna
am us insane

18 September 2018

Rudra

[roo d-ruh]

noun, Vedic Mythology.

1. father of the storm gods and controller of the powers of nature.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for Rudra

Historical Examples

The horrors of Rudra the deadly are the mantle of Śiva the gracious.
Hindu Gods And Heroes
Lionel D. Barnett

These are twenty-seven, or thirty-six in number, the sons of Rudra.
The History of Antiquity, Volume IV (of 6)
Max Duncker

Rudra, the god of the storm, is repeatedly invoked in the Rigveda.
The History of Antiquity, Volume IV (of 6)
Max Duncker

Where, O Rudra, is that gracious hand of thine, which is healing and comforting?
Demonology and Devil-lore
Moncure Daniel Conway

The Maruts, the sons of red Rudra, were the spirits of tempest and thunder.
Indian Myth and Legend
Donald Alexander Mackenzie

Shiva, as we have indicated, developed from Rudra, the storm god.
Indian Myth and Legend
Donald Alexander Mackenzie

Rudra and Indra are also represented in the form of the boar.
The Popular Religion and Folk-Lore of Northern India, Vol. II (of 2)
W. Crooke

They are the sons of Rudra and the mottled cloud-cow Pṛiçni.
A History of Sanskrit Literature
Arthur A. MacDonell

Indeed, the only deity in whom injurious features are at all prominent is Rudra.
A History of Sanskrit Literature
Arthur A. MacDonell

For better is the anger of Rudra than the blessings of other gods.
Curiosities of Superstition
W. H. Davenport Adams

Word Origin and History for Rudra

storm god in Vedic mythology, from Sanskrit Rudrah, according to Klein literally “the howler, roarer,” from stem of rudati “weeps, laments, bewails,” cognate with Latin rudere “to roar, bellow,” Lithuanian rauda “wail, lamentation,” Old English reotan “to wail, lament.”

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

17 September 2018

Berith

[Sephardic Hebrew breet; Ashkenazic Hebrew bris; English bris, brit]

noun, Hebrew.

1. Brith.

Origin of Berith

bərīth literally, covenant
Brithor Berith, Brit, Bris
[Sephardic Hebrew breet; Ashkenazic Hebrew bris; English bris, brit]

noun, Hebrew.

1. the Jewish rite of circumcising a male child eight days after his birth.

Compare Brith Milah.

Origin

bərīth literally, covenant

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for Berith

Historical Examples

Abimelech has taken the whole city, but he can not take this temple of Berith.
New Tabernacle Sermons
Thomas De Witt Talmage

The temple of Berith must come down, and I do not care how it comes.
New Tabernacle Sermons
Thomas De Witt Talmage

One Inkepenne, a gentilman that Berith in his shield a scheker sylver and sables, was founder of it.
Bell’s Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Winchester
Philip Walsingham Sergeant

16 September 2018

fractious

fractious

[frak-shuhs]

adjective

refractory or unruly:
a fractious animal that would not submit to the harness.
readily angered; peevish; irritable; quarrelsome:
an incorrigibly fractious young man.

Origin of fractious

First recorded in 1715–25; fracti(on) + -ous

Related forms

frac·tious·ly, adverb
frac·tious·ness, noun
un·frac·tious, adjective
un·frac·tious·ly, adverb
un·frac·tious·ness, noun

Can be confused

factional factious fractious

Synonyms

1. stubborn, difficult. 2. testy, captious, petulant, snappish, pettish, waspish, touchy.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for fractious

Contemporary Examples

Relationships in her “blood family,” a distinction her brother pointedly made at her funeral, were often strained and fractious.
The Daily Beast logo
The Day the Fairytale Died
Marilyn Johnson
July 12, 2014

Starting with the House, Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) was largely successful in keeping his fractious caucus largely in check.
The Daily Beast logo
2014 New Year’s Resolutions for the D.C. Political Establishment
Ron Christie
January 2, 2014

The story told on these walls is a fractured and fractious one that consciously resists an easy narrative.
The Daily Beast logo
Finally, an Accurate Look Back at AIDS Activism in ‘Why We Fight’
Hugh Ryan
December 15, 2013

He was well aware of the fractious history between Congress and the White House on Gitmo and was determined to start anew.
The Daily Beast logo
Congress Cooperates, Obama Pushes Hard, and Closing Gitmo Has a Chance
Daniel Klaidman
December 12, 2013

We are a troubled and fractious country, in a difficult neighbourhood.
The Daily Beast logo
Rowdy Crowds At Mandela’s Memorial
Mark Gevisser
December 10, 2013

Historical Examples

Correy mooned around the Arpan sub-base like a fractious child.
The Terror from the Depths
Sewell Peaslee Wright

His voice had a fractious tone, as if he combated an unseen tyrant.
Country Neighbors
Alice Brown

I’ll break you to pieces, James H., if you are fractious; and I’ve got the weapons to do it with.
A Pessimist
Robert Timsol

You are old enough to know better, and yet you behave like a fractious child.
Menhardoc
George Manville Fenn

There’s a tray for each, of course; but a ball dress is such a fractious thing.
Moods
Louisa May Alcott

15 September 2018

Vaulderie

A term used by the French Inquisition to describe the act of forming a Satanic pact or connection with Satanic powers. People found guilty of Vaulderie were often tortured, imprisoned or burnt at the stake.

Anagram

I revalued
rude alive
value ride

14 September 2018

Abigor

Proper noun

(also Eligos or Eligor) is a Great Duke of Hell, ruling 60 legions of demons. He discovers hidden things and knows the future of wars and how soldiers should meet. He also attracts the favor of lords, knights and other important persons. He is depicted in the form of a goodly knight carrying a lance, an ensign and a sceptre (a serpent to Aleister Crowley). Alternatively he is depicted as a ghostly spectre, sometimes riding a semi-skeletal (sometimes winged) horse, or the Steed of Abigor. This is a minion of Hell itself, and was a gift from Beelzebub. It was created from the remains of one of the horses of the Garden of Eden.

Anagram

bog air

13 September 2018

wonk

[wongk]

noun Slang.

a student who spends much time studying and has little or no social life; grind.
a stupid, boring, or unattractive person.
a person who studies a subject or issue in an excessively assiduous and thorough manner:
a policy wonk.

Origin of wonk

1960–65, Americanism; of expressive orig.; nautical slang wonk “a midshipman”

Related forms

wonk·ish, adjective

Dictionary.com

Related Words

geek nerd brain grub bookworm grind dweeb poindexter swotter

Examples from the Web for

Contemporary Examples

He hired a disaffected ex-Democratic wonk as his top social-policy guy.
The Daily Beast logo
Paul Ryan: Still a Total Jerk
Michael Tomasky
April 3, 2014

He saw a problem, and—as a self-proclaimed “wonk”—immediately moved to solve it.
The Daily Beast logo
What Paul Ryan Gets Wrong About ‘Inner-City’ Poverty
Jamelle Bouie
March 12, 2014

But before long, Morgan was ready to get off the wonk and back to the Oval Office.
The Daily Beast logo
Piers Morgan Pesters Clintons About 2016 Plans At CGI
Nina Strochlic
September 25, 2013

The ACA and every wonk assumes rational people who can make good financial decisions.
The Daily Beast logo
How Obamacare Looks On the Ground
Megan McArdle
June 5, 2013

Heather Ryan is a graduate of Drake University and wonk living in the heart of presidential political bliss in Iowa.
The Daily Beast logo
Pageant Moms Aren’t All Crazy
Heather Ryan
May 18, 2011

Anagram

know

12 September 2018

Ars Goetia

noun

First section of the Lesser Key of Solomon which contains descriptions of 72 demons that Solomon is said to have evoked and confined in a bronze vessel sealed by magic symbols, and that he obliged to work for him. A revised English edition of the Ars Goetia was published in 1904 by Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers and Aleister Crowley, as The Goetia based on manuscripts from the British Museum.

11 September 2018

lamia

[ley-mee-uh]

noun, plural lamias, lamiae [ley-mee-ee]

1. Classical Mythology. one of a class of fabulous monsters, commonly represented with the head and breast of a woman and the body of a serpent, said to allure youths and children in order to suck their blood.
2. a vampire; a female demon.
3. (initial capital letter, italics) a narrative poem (1819) by John Keats.

Origin of lamia

Middle English Latin Greek

1350-1400; Middle English < Latin < Greek lámia a female man-eater

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for lamia

Contemporary Examples

“The uprising has been a big challenge for us…really, the situation is awful,” said lamia Assem, director of marketing.
Winston Churchill’s Egyptian Getaway: The Old Cataract Hotel
Lauren Bohn
December 15, 2013

Historical Examples

But before it falls, a lamia comes to his aid and kills his sister.
Russian Fairy Tales
W. R. S. Ralston

“We had better get the lamia in condition first,” Trask said.
Space Viking
Henry Beam Piper

Suppose Dunnan comes and finds nobody here but Spasso and the lamia ?
Space Viking
Henry Beam Piper

The lamia bore a coiled snake with the head, arms and bust of a woman.
Space Viking
Henry Beam Piper

From the way the Space Scourge and lamia people laughed, it evidently was.
Space Viking
Henry Beam Piper

lamia can separate the elements and give beauty and pleasure unalloyed.
Keats: Poems Published in 1820
John Keats

Ceres was the goddess of harvest, the mother of Proserpine ( lamia, i. 63, note).
Keats: Poems Published in 1820
John Keats

Compare this conception of melancholy with the passage in lamia, i. 190-200.
Keats: Poems Published in 1820
John Keats

lamia struck his imagination, but his heart was given to Isabella.
Keats: Poems Published in 1820
John Keats

10 September 2018

Salic law

noun

1. a code of laws of the Salian Franks and other Germanic tribes, especially a provision in this code excluding females from the inheritance of land.
2. the alleged fundamental law of the French monarchy by which females were excluded from succession to the crown.
3. any law to the same effect.

Origin of Salic law

1540-1550 First recorded in 1540-50

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for Salic law

Historical Examples

The texts of the Salic law give us incontrovertible evidence.
The Common Law
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

By the Salic law no woman or descendant of a woman could occupy the throne.
What Is Man? And Other Stories
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

But the common and vulgar fool says: Must observe the Salic law.
The book of the ladies
Pierre de Bourdeille Brantme

Anagram

saw lilac
claw sail

9 September 2018

spavined

[spav-ind]

adjective

1. suffering from or affected with spavin [1. a disease of the hock joint of horses in which enlargement occurs because of collected fluids (bog spavin,) bony growth (bone spavin), or distention of the veins (blood spavin). 2. an excrescence or enlargement so formed.]

2. being of or marked by a decrepit or broken-down condition:
a spavined old school bus abandoned in a field.

Origin of spavined

late Middle English

1400-1450 First recorded in 1400-50, spavined is from the late Middle English word spaveyned. See spavin, -ed3

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for spavined

Contemporary Examples

It reminded him of the man who had a poor old lean, bony, spavined horse, with swelled legs.
Did Abraham Lincoln Actually Say That Obama Quote?
James M. Cornelius
September 8, 2012

Historical Examples

Alfred was provided with a rickety buggy and a spavined horse.
Watch Yourself Go By
Al. G. Field

I can size a player up as quick as a horse buyer can a spavined nag.
Baseball Joe at Yale
Lester Chadwick

Say, wouldst thou rise with a lantern jaw and a spavined knee?
Pierre; or The Ambiguities
Herman Melville

He rode on a bob-tailed, big-headed, spavined and spotted horse.
The King of Ireland’s Son
Padraic Colum

He got down off the bob-tailed, big-headed, spavined and spotted horse, and came in.
The King of Ireland’s Son
Padraic Colum

“Walks like a pair of spavined sugar tongs,” was Waddles’ comment.
Fore!
Charles Emmett Van Loan

“Looks like that car is spavined, or something,” commented Bill.
The Border Boys Across the Frontier
Fremont B. Deering

And they’re all tryin’ to borry money off’m me and sell me spavined hosses.
The Skipper and the Skipped
Holman Day

The position assumed by the spavined horse is often characteristic.
Lameness of the Horse
John Victor Lacroix

Anagram

visa pend
via spend
VIP sedan

8 September 2018

hors de combat

[awr duh kawn-ba]

adverb, adjective, French.

1. out of the fight; disabled; no longer able to fight.

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for hors de combat

Historical Examples

I wouldn’t have troubled you to send for me, only the tandem’s hors de combat.
Frank Fairlegh
Frank E. Smedley

He is not hors de combat on the plain, or one could see him even ten miles off.
The Rifle Rangers
Captain Mayne Reid

“I am glad to say that Legrand’s safe, but hors de combat,” I went on.
Hurricane Island
H. B. Marriott Watson

More than two hundred were hors de combat, most of them killed.
Famous Sea Fights
John Richard Hale

The lecturer on Church and State was hors de combat ; he was in charity with all men.
Salem Chapel, v.1/2
Mrs. Oliphant

The headlight was hors de combat ; only the “dimmer” would work.
Across America by Motor-cycle
C. K. Shepherd

A little while before it had been Jim’s motor which was hors de combat.
The Hero of Panama
F. S. Brereton

On my way I passed a Tank which, for the time being, was hors de combat.
How I Filmed the War
Lieut. Geoffrey H. Malins

And so far was he successful that already he had put two hors de combat.
In the Day of Adversity
John Bloundelle-Burton

Dr. Downie was frightened, and Panky so muddled as to be hors de combat.
Erewhon Revisited
Samuel Butler

Anagram

cobras method
marched boots
both comrades

7 September 2018

advent

[ad-vent]

noun

1. a coming into place, view, or being; arrival:
the advent of the holiday season.
2. (usually initial capital letter) the coming of Christ into the world.
3. (initial capital letter) the period beginning four Sundays before Christmas, observed in commemoration of the coming of Christ into the world.
4. (usually initial capital letter) Second Coming.

Origin of advent

Middle English, Latin

1125-1175; Middle English < Latin adventus arrival, approach, equivalent to ad- ad- + ven- (stem of venīre to come) + -tus suffix of verbal action

Synonyms

1. onset, beginning, commencement, start.

Second Coming

noun

1. the coming of Christ on Judgment Day.

Also called Advent, Second Advent.

Origin

First recorded in 1635-45

Related forms

post-Advent, adjective

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for advent

Contemporary Examples

Like Lent, the season of advent was a period of reflection and fasting, and items such as dairy and sugar were forbidden.
One Cake to Rule Them All: How Stollen Stole Our Hearts
Molly Hannon
December 24, 2014

I would venture to say that advent is something America needs right now, religious or not.
During Advent, Lots of Waiting, But Not Enough Hope
Gene Robinson
December 7, 2014

They told me that advent was all about waiting and hoping – that they were indeed a community of waiting and hoping.
During Advent, Lots of Waiting, But Not Enough Hope
Gene Robinson
December 7, 2014

Then came the horrors of World War I, with the advent of tanks and airplanes and poison gas.
How Clausewitz Invented Modern War
James A. Warren
November 24, 2014

The writer A. Lezhnev said, “I view the incident with Shostakovich as the advent of the same ‘order’ that burns books in Germany.”
When Stalin Met Lady Macbeth
Brian Moynahan
November 9, 2014

Historical Examples

The effect was, indeed, presently accomplished by the advent of Smithson into the office.
Within the Law
Marvin Dana

The visitor’s advent was announced again by the brass knocker on the front door.
Thoroughbreds
W. A. Fraser

He had so long and so passionately looked for the advent of that moment!
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola

“I think your mother wants to speak to you, Frank,” Alice said, upon this advent.
Alice Adams
Booth Tarkington

But with the advent of the boys from the barn there appeared reinforcements of the enemy.
Frank Roscoe’s Secret
Allen Chapman

3 September 2018

assart

[ahs-sart]

noun

British

historical

– piece of land converted from forest to arable use.

‘an assart cut from the woods a few years back’

More example sentences

‘In July 1203, at the height of the crisis in Normandy, King John instructed his chief forester, Hugh de Neville, to sell forest privileges ‘to make our profit by selling woods and demising assarts.’’
1.1 mass noun The action of converting forest to arable use.
‘heavy penalties were imposed for waste and assart’

Verb

[WITH OBJECT]

British

historical

– Convert (forest) to arable use.

‘the Earl of Salisbury was convicted of having assarted 2,300 acres of the parks in 1604’

More example sentences

‘In this system land around the village was gradually colonized from the waste (assarted), and cultivated for crops.’

‘Clearance of woodland and heath (assarting) continued, especially in the Weald of Kent and Sussex, in the Chiltern hills, and in the Arden district of Warwickshire.’

‘This land comprised dismembered lands of the old manses or lands won from the former or by assarting from the waste.’

‘In the period down to the early 1300s, he argued, it was population growth which explained the slow but steady economic expansion – the growth of towns, the process of assarting, and the quickening of activity generally.’

Origin

Late Middle English (as a noun): from Old French essarter, from medieval Latin ex(s)artare, based on ex ‘out’ + sar(r)ire ‘to weed’. The verb dates from the early 16th century.

2 September 2018

swidden

[swid-n]

noun

1. a plot of land cleared for farming by burning away vegetation.

Origin of swidden

Middle English, Old Norse
1951; special use of dial. (N England) swidden area of moor from which vegetation has been burned off, noun use of swidden, swithen to singe < Old Norse svithna to be singed, derivative of svītha to singe (compare dial. swithe, Middle English swithen)

Dictionary.com

1 September 2018

elfin

[el-fin]

adjective

1. of or like an elf.
2. small and charmingly spritely, merry, or mischievous.
noun
3. an elf.

Origin of elfin

Middle English, Old English
1560-1570; alteration of Middle English elven elf, Old English elfen, ælfen nymph, equivalent to ælf elf + -en feminine suffix (cognate with German -in); ælf cognate with German Alp nightmare, puck, Old Norse alfr elf

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for elfin

Contemporary Examples

Mickey Rooney, the elfin actor who could pull out all the stops on stage and on film, died Sunday in Los Angeles at the age of 93.
Mickey Rooney Was Hollywood’s Golden Age Showman
Lorenza Muñoz
April 7, 2014

Before these famous cartoons went viral, Santa was depicted either as a tall, thin, and less than jolly fellow or an elfin man.
8 Facts You Never Knew About Christmas
Brandy Zadrozny
December 24, 2013

Historical Examples

She forgot that her boy was of elfin as well as of mortal race.
Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, Volume 1, No. 3, August, 1850.
Various

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