Okay, so moving on...
If you know me at all, you know I love words. It's an ugly conceit of mine and I'm always catching myself speaking in a much too decorative voice and often embarrasing myself with a too flowery delivery. Whatever. It's my cross and I like it. So I make a point of collecting new words and introducing many of the unexpected ones into my everyday vocabulary. Nowadays, I pretty much just let em soak in naturally as I read and listen, but I used to really be after it, writing down lists of words and then looking them up in the wordbook later. Here's one of those lists:
So, I'm pleased to say that I now know a few of these and can use em in a sentence and all that, but let's look em up anyway. Having a digital dictionary on my desktop just makes it too, damn easy.
penury |ˈpenyərē|
noun
extreme poverty; destitution : he died in a state of virtual penury.
ORIGIN late Middle English : from Latin penuria ‘need, scarcity’ ; perhaps related to paene ‘almost.’
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anathema |əˈnaθəmə|
noun
1 something or someone that one vehemently dislikes : racial hatred was anathema to her.
2 a formal curse by a pope or a council of the Church, excommunicating a person or denouncing a doctrine.
• poetic/literary a strong curse : the sergeant clutched the ruined communicator, muttering anathemas.
ORIGIN early 16th cent.: from ecclesiastical Latin, ‘excommunicated person, excommunication,’ from Greek anathema ‘thing dedicated,’ (later) ‘thing devoted to evil, accursed thing,’ from anatithenai ‘to set up.’
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errant |ˈerənt|
adjective
1 [ attrib. ] erring or straying from the proper course or standards : he could never forgive his daughter's errant ways.
• Zoology (of a polychaete worm) of a predatory kind that moves about actively and is not confined to a tube or burrow.
2 [often postpositive ] archaic or poetic/literary traveling in search of adventure : that same lady errant. See also knight-errant DERIVATIVES
errancy |ˈerənsē| noun ( in sense 1 )
errantry |-trē| noun ( in sense 2 ).
ORIGIN Middle English (sense 2) : sense 1 from Latin errant- ‘erring,’ from the verb errare; sense 2 from Old French errant ‘traveling,’ present participle of errer, from late Latin iterare ‘go on a journey,’ from iter ‘journey.’ Compare with arrant .
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scabrous |ˈskabrəs|
adjective
1 rough and covered with, or as if with, scabs.
2 indecent; salacious : scabrous publications.
DERIVATIVES
scabrously adverb
scabrousness noun
ORIGIN late 16th cent.(first used to describe an author's style as [harsh, unmusical, unpolished] ): from French scabreux or late Latin scabrosus, from Latin scaber ‘rough.’
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agitprop |ˈajitˌpräp|
noun
political (originally communist) propaganda, esp. in art or literature : [as adj. ] agitprop painters.
ORIGIN 1930s: Russian, blend of agitatsiya ‘agitation’ and propaganda ‘propaganda.’
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riposte |riˈpōst|
noun
1 a quick clever reply to an insult or criticism.
2 Fencing a quick return thrust following a parry.
verb
1 [with direct speech ] make a quick clever reply to an insult or criticism : “You've got a strange sense of humor,” Grant riposted.
2 [ intrans. ] make a quick return thrust in fencing.
ORIGIN early 18th cent.: from French risposte (noun), risposter (verb), from Italian risposta ‘response.’
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copious |ˈkōpēəs|
adjective
abundant in supply or quantity : she took copious notes. See note at prevalent .
• archaic profuse in speech or ideas : I had been a little too copious in talking of my country.
DERIVATIVES
copiously adverb
copiousness noun
ORIGIN late Middle English : from Old French copieux or Latin copiosus, from copia ‘plenty.’
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petulant |ˈpe ch ələnt|
adjective
(of a person or their manner) childishly sulky or bad-tempered : he was moody and petulant | a petulant shake of the head.
DERIVATIVES
petulance noun
petulantly adverb
ORIGIN late 16th cent.(in the sense [immodest] ): from French pétulant, from Latin petulant- ‘impudent’ (related to petere ‘aim at, seek’ ). The current sense (mid 18th cent.) is influenced by pettish .
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putative |ˈpyoōtətiv|
adjective [ attrib. ]
generally considered or reputed to be : the putative father of a boy of two.
DERIVATIVES
putatively adverb
ORIGIN late Middle English : from Old French putatif, -ive or late Latin putativus, from Latin putat- ‘thought,’ from the verb putare.
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pejorative |pəˈjôrətiv; ˈpejəˌrātiv|
adjective
expressing contempt or disapproval : permissiveness is used almost universally as a pejorative term.
noun
a word expressing contempt or disapproval.
DERIVATIVES
pejoratively adverb
ORIGIN late 19th cent.: from French péjoratif, -ive, from late Latin pejorare ‘make worse,’ from Latin pejor ‘worse.’
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saturnine |ˈsatərˌnīn|
adjective
(of a person or their manner) slow and gloomy : a saturnine temperament. See note at glum .
• (of a person or their features) dark in coloring and moody or mysterious : his saturnine face and dark, watchful eyes.
• (of a place or an occasion) gloomy.
DERIVATIVES
saturninely adverb
ORIGIN late Middle English (as a term in astrology): from Old French saturnin, from medieval Latin Saturninus ‘of Saturn’ (identified with lead by the alchemists and associated with slowness and gloom by astrologers).
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bathos |ˈbāθäs|
noun
(esp. in a work of literature) an effect of anticlimax created by an unintentional lapse in mood from the sublime to the trivial or ridiculous.
DERIVATIVES
bathetic |bəˈθetik| adjective
ORIGIN mid 17th cent.(first recorded in the Greek sense): from Greek, literally ‘depth.’ The current sense was introduced by Alexander Pope in the early 18th cent.
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effusive |iˈfyoōsiv|
adjective
1 expressing feelings of gratitude, pleasure, or approval in an unrestrained or heartfelt manner : an effusive welcome. See note at sentimental .
2 Geology (of igneous rock) poured out when molten and later solidified.
• of or relating to the eruption of large volumes of molten rock.
DERIVATIVES
effusively adverb
effusiveness noun
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abject |ˈabˌjekt; abˈjekt|
adjective
1 [ attrib. ] (of a situation or condition) extremely bad, unpleasant, and degrading : abject poverty.
• (of an unhappy state of mind) experienced to the maximum degree : his letter plunged her into abject misery.
• (of a failure) absolute and humiliating.
2 (of a person or their behavior) completely without pride or dignity; self-abasing : an abject apology.
DERIVATIVES
abjection |abˈjek sh ən| noun
abjectly adverb
abjectness noun
ORIGIN late Middle English (in the sense [rejected] ): from Latin abjectus, past participle of abjicere ‘reject,’ from ab- ‘away’ + jacere ‘to throw.’
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desultory |ˈdesəlˌtôrē|
adjective
lacking a plan, purpose, or enthusiasm : a few people were left, dancing in a desultory fashion.
• (of conversation or speech) going constantly from one subject to another in a halfhearted way; unfocused : the desultory conversation faded.
• occurring randomly or occasionally : desultory passengers were appearing.
DERIVATIVES
desultorily |-ˌtôrəlē| adverb
desultoriness noun
ORIGIN late 16th cent.(also in the literal sense [skipping around] ): from Latin desultorius ‘superficial’ (literally ‘relating to a vaulter’ ), from desultor ‘vaulter,’ from the verb desilire.
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approbation |ˌaprəˈbā sh ən|
noun formal
approval or praise : the opera met with high approbation.
DERIVATIVES
approbative |ˈaprəˌbātiv; əˈprōbətiv| adjective
approbatory |əˈprōbəˌtôrē| adjective
ORIGIN late Middle English : via Old French from Latin approbatio(n-), from the verb approbare (see approbate ).
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elegiac |ˌeləˈjīək; eˈlējēˌak|
adjective
(esp. of a work of art) having a mournful quality : the movie score is a somber effort, elegiac in its approach.
• (of a poetic meter) used for elegies.
plural noun ( elegiacs)
verses in an elegiac meter.
DERIVATIVES
elegiacally |ˌeləˈjīək(ə)lē| adverb
ORIGIN late 16th cent.: from French élégiaque, or via late Latin, from Greek elegeiakos, from elegeia (see elegy ).
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pullulate |ˈpəlyəˌlāt|
verb [ intrans. ] [often as adj. ] ( pullulating)
breed or spread so as to become extremely common : the pullulating family.
• be very crowded; be full of life and activity : the supertowers of our pullulating megalopolis.
DERIVATIVES
pullulation |ˌpəlyəˈlā sh ən| noun
ORIGIN early 17th cent.: from Latin pullulat- ‘sprouted,’ from the verb pullulare, from pullulus, diminutive of pullus ‘young animal.’
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acrimony |ˈakrəˌmōnē|
noun
bitterness or ill feeling : a quagmire of lawsuits, acrimony, and finger-pointing.
ORIGIN mid 16th cent.(in the sense [bitter taste or smell] ): from French acrimonie or Latin acrimonia, from acer, acri- ‘pungent, acrid.’
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plaintive |ˈplāntiv|
adjective
sounding sad and mournful : a plaintive cry.
DERIVATIVES
plaintively adverb
plaintiveness noun
ORIGIN late Middle English : from Old French plaintif, -ive, from plainte ‘lamentation’ (see plaint ).
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panacea |ˌpanəˈsēə|
noun
a solution or remedy for all difficulties or diseases : the panacea for all corporate ills | the time-honored panacea, cod liver oil.
DERIVATIVES
panacean |-ˈsēən| adjective
ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: via Latin from Greek panakeia, from panakēs ‘all-healing,’ from pan ‘all’ + akos ‘remedy.’
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insular |ˈins(y)ələr|
adjective
1 ignorant of or uninterested in cultures, ideas, or peoples outside one's own experience : a stubbornly insular farming people.
• lacking contact with other people : people living restricted and sometimes insular existences.
2 of, relating to, or from an island : the movement of goods of insular origin.
• of or relating to the art and craftwork of Britain and Ireland in the early Middle Ages, esp. a form of Latin handwriting : insular illumination of the 6th century.
• (of climate) equable because of the influence of the sea.
3 Anatomy of or relating to the insula of the brain.
DERIVATIVES
insularity |ˌins(y)əˈlaritē; -ˈler-| noun
insularly adverb
ORIGIN mid 16th cent.(as a noun denoting an islander): from late Latin insularis, from insula ‘island.’
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pandemic |panˈdemik|
adjective
(of a disease) prevalent over a whole country or the world.
noun
an outbreak of such a disease. See note at epidemic .
ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from Greek pandēmos (from pan ‘all’ + dēmos ‘people’ ) + -ic .
USAGE On the difference between pandemic, endemic, and epidemic, see usage at epidemic .
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fallow 1 |ˈfalō|
adjective
(of farmland) plowed and harrowed but left unsown for a period in order to restore its fertility as part of a crop rotation or to avoid surplus production : incentives for farmers to let the land lie fallow in order to reduce grain surpluses.
• figurative inactive : long fallow periods when nothing seems to happen.
• (of a sow) not pregnant.
noun
a piece of fallow or uncultivated land.
verb [ trans. ]
leave (land) fallow.
DERIVATIVES
fallowness noun
ORIGIN Old English fealgian [to break up land for sowing,] of Germanic origin; related to Low German falgen.
fallow 2
noun
a pale brown or reddish yellow color.
ORIGIN Old English falu, fealu.
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rejoinder |riˈjoindər|
noun
a reply, esp. a sharp or witty one : she would have made some cutting rejoinder but none came to mind.
• dated Law a defendant's answer to the plaintiff's reply or replication.
ORIGIN late Middle English : from Anglo-Norman French rejoindre (infinitive used as a noun) (see rejoin 2 ).
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chattel |ˈ ch atl|
noun
(in general use) a personal possession.
• Law an item of property other than real estate. See also goods and chattels .
ORIGIN Middle English : from Old French chatel, from medieval Latin capitale, from Latin capitalis, from caput ‘head.’ Compare with capital 1 and cattle.
Okay, then.
Now we're all a lot smarter!
Here are some of the other things on the card...
A Big Girl's Blouse
I made a quick Google search for "As long in the making as a President" and turned nothing up. It's obviously a quote from something I must've been reading or watching then, whenever that was, but I can't give it a source.
The Falcon Strikes Back is, of course, an old movie but I haven't a clue what musta been so great about the soundtrack.
And I have no news on Dr. Mankle. Sorry.
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