Words posted this month:
- cynosure
- filiopietistic
- haecceity
- irenic
- jiggalorum
- logorrhoea
- lummox
- makebate
- mondegreen
- oppugn
- opprobrium
- otiose
- pakapoo ticket
- paralipsis
- pare
- pettifog
- pleonasm
- poodle-faker
- quetzal
- quincunx
- sinecure
- sporange
- tmesis
- unctuous
- zedonk
30 June 2012
unctuous
[uhngk-choo-uhs]
adjective
1. characterised by excessive piousness or moralistic fervour, especially in an affected manner; excessively smooth, suave, or smug.
2. of the nature of or characteristic of an unguent or ointment; oily; greasy.
3. having an oily or soapy feel, as certain minerals.
29 June 2012
Oppugn
[uh-pyoon]
verb (used with object)
1. to assail by criticism, argument or action
2. to call in question or dispute
Related forms:
1. oppugner (noun)
2. unoppugned (adjective)
26 June 2012
Mondegreen
[mon-di-green]
noun
a word or phrase resulting from a misinterpretation of a word or phrase that has been heard.
e.g.
- ‘scuse me while I kiss this guy’ – mondegreen of today’s metaphor.
- ‘there’s a bathroom on the right’ – mondegreen of Creedence Clearwater Revivals ‘there’s a bad moon on the rise’.
Quincunx
noun
1. an arrangement of five objects, such as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
2. botany. an overlapping arrangement of five petals or leaves, in which two are interior and one is partly interior and partly exterior.
3. astrology. an aspect of 150o between two planets.
24 June 2012
zedonk
[zee-dongk, -dawngk, -duhngk]
noun
pare
[pronounced – pair]
verb (used with object), pared, par·ing.
[fil-ee-oh-pahy-i-tis-tik]
adjective (anthropology)
Pertaining to reverence of forebears or tradition, especially if carried to excess.
A clunky word, filiopietistic is a clear combination of Latin roots. Filio means “brotherly”; piet is related to piety; and the suffix-istic (related to -ism) denotes the noun related to a verb (like baptism).
Usage: ‘The popular historical narratives of the many immigrant groups may indeed be filiopietistic in the exaggerated and often shrilly made claims for their important contributions to the making of the country of their choice’. — Orm Øverland, immigrant Minds, American Identities
[tuh-mee-sis]
noun
1. a case or sac in which spores are produced. (Alternative of sporangium)
also refer: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sporange
18 June 2012
Quetzal
noun – [ket-sahl]
1. any one of several large Central and South American trogons of the genus Pharomacrus, having golden-green and scarlet plummage, especially P. mocino (resplendent quetzal), the national bird of Guatemala: rare and possibly endangered.
2. a paper money and monetary unit of Guatemala, equal to 100 centavos. Abbreviation: Q
noun
15 June 2012
An illegible, messy piece of writing.
Pakapoo is the name of a Chinese lotto game containing 20 characters. A ticket in the game was covered in columns of Chinese characters which were indecipherable to most non-Chinese speaking participants. The game was popular in the 19th century in Australia and New Zealand.
For more information refer to www.chineseaustralia.org/tags/pakapoo
Logorrhoea
logorrhoea or esp ( US ) logorrhea (ˌlɒɡəˈrɪə)
— noun
1. pathologically incoherent, repetitious speech.
2. incessant or compulsive talkativeness; wearisome volubility.
Origin:
Related forms
log·or·rhe·ic, adjective
Cynosure
[sahy-nuh-shoor, sin–uh–] noun
1. something that strongly attracts attention by its brilliance, interest, etc.: the cynosure of all eyes.
2. something serving for guidance or direction.
Origin:
1590–1600; < Latin Cynosūra < Greek Kynósoura the constellation Ursa Minor, equivalent to kynós dog’s(genitive of kýōn ) + ourá tail
Related forms
cy·no·sur·al, adjective
Sinecure
[sahy-ni-kyoor, sin-i-] noun
1. an office or position requiring little or no work, especially one yielding profitable returns.
2. an ecclesiastical benefice without cure of souls.
Origin:
1655–65; < Medieval Latin ( beneficium ) sine cūrā (benefice) without care; see cure
Related forms
si·ne·cure·ship, noun
si·ne·cur·ism, noun
si·ne·cur·ist, noun
Otiose
[oh-shee-ohs, oh-tee-]
adjective
1. being at leisure; idle; indolent.
2. ineffective or futile.
3. superfluous or useless.
Origin:
1785–95; < Latin ōtiōsus at leisure, equivalent to ōti ( um ) leisure + -ōsus -ose1
Related forms
o·ti·ose·ly, adverb
o·ti·os·i·ty ˌoʊʃiˈɒsɪti,ˌoʊti-Show Spelled[oh-shee-os-i-tee, oh-tee-]
o·ti·ose·ness, noun
Synonyms
1. lazy, slothful. 2. idle, vain, profitless. 3. redundant, worthless, pointless
Paralipsis
\par-uh-LIP-sis\, noun:
The suggestion, by deliberately brief treatment of a topic, that much of significance is being omitted, as in “not to mention other faults.”
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Pleonasm
\PLEE-uh-naz-uhm\, noun:
1. The use of more words than are necessary to express an idea; as, “I saw it with my own eyes.”
2. An instance or example of pleonasm.
3. A superfluous word or expression.
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