Word of the Day 12.11.08

inspissation

in·spis·sate (n-spst, nsp-st)

intr. & tr.v. in·spis·sat·ed, in·spis·sat·ing, in·spis·sates

To undergo thickening or cause to thicken, as by boiling or evaporation; condense.


[From Late Latin nspissre, nspisst-, to thicken : Latin in-, causative pref.; see in-2 + Latin spissus, thick.]


inspis·sation n.

in·spissator n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Noun 1. inspissation – the process of thickening by dehydration

drying up, evaporation, desiccation, dehydration – the process of extracting moisture
2. inspissation – the act of thickening

condensing, condensation – the act of increasing the density of something

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

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Posted on December 11, 2008 by admin

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Word of the Day 12.10.08

pique

pique (pk)

n.

A state of vexation caused by a perceived slight or indignity; a feeling of wounded pride.

tr.v. piqued, piqu·ing, piques

1. To cause to feel resentment or indignation.

2. To provoke; arouse: The portrait piqued her curiosity.

3. To pride (oneself): He piqued himself on his stylish attire.


[French, a prick, irritation, from Old French, from piquer, to prick, from Vulgar Latin *piccre, ultimately of imitative origin.]


pi·qué (p-k, p-)

n.

A tightly woven fabric with various raised patterns, produced especially by a double warp.


[French, past participle of piquer, to quilt, from Old French, to backstitch, prick; see pique.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Noun 1. pique – tightly woven fabric with raised cords

cloth, fabric, textile, material – artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers; “the fabric in the curtains was light and semitransparent”; “woven cloth originated in Mesopotamia around 5000 BC”; “she measured off enough material for a dress”
2. pique – a sudden outburst of anger; “his temper sparked like damp firewood”

vexation, annoyance, chafe – anger produced by some annoying irritation
Verb 1. pique – cause to feel resentment or indignation; “Her tactless remark offended me”

anger – make angry; “The news angered him”

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

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Word of the Day 12.9.08

interstice

in·ter·stice (n-tûrsts)

n. pl. in·ter·stic·es (-st-sz, -sz)

A space, especially a small or narrow one, between things or parts: “There is a gleam of luminous gold, where the sinking western sun has found a first direct interstice in the clouds” John Fowles.


[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin interstitium, from *interstitus, past participle of intersistere, to pause, make a break : inter-, inter- + sistere, to cause to stand, set up; see st- in Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Noun 1. interstice – a small structural space between tissues or parts of an organ; “the interstices of a network”

anatomical structure, bodily structure, body structure, complex body part, structure – a particular complex anatomical part of a living thing; “he has good bone structure”
areola – small space in a tissue or body part such as the area between veins on a leaf or an insect’s wing
2. interstice – small opening between things

opening – a vacant or unobstructed space that is man-made; “they left a small opening for the cat at the bottom of the door”

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

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Word of the Day 12.08.08

capitulate

ca·pit·u·late (k-pch-lt)

intr.v. ca·pit·u·lat·ed, ca·pit·u·lat·ing, ca·pit·u·lates

1. To surrender under specified conditions; come to terms.

2. To give up all resistance; acquiesce. See Synonyms at yield.


[Medieval Latin capitulre, capitult-, to draw up in chapters, from capitulum, chapter; see chapter.]


ca·pitu·lant n.

ca·pitu·lator n.

ca·pitu·la·tory (-l-tôr, -tr) adj.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Verb 1. capitulate – surrender under agreed conditions

surrender, give up – give up or agree to forgo to the power or possession of another; “The last Taleban fighters finally surrendered”

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.


capitulate

verb give in, yield, concede, submit, surrender, comply, give up, come to terms, succumb, cave in (informal) relent << OPPOSITE resist

Collins Essential Thesaurus 2nd Edition 2006 © HarperCollins Publishers 2005, 2006

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Posted on December 8, 2008 by admin

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Word of the Day 12.7.08

wanton

wan·ton (wntn)

adj.

1. Immoral or unchaste; lewd.

2.

a. Gratuitously cruel; merciless.

b. Marked by unprovoked, gratuitous maliciousness; capricious and unjust: wanton destruction.

3. Unrestrainedly excessive: wanton extravagance; wanton depletion of oil reserves.

4. Luxuriant; overabundant: wanton tresses.

5. Frolicsome; playful.

6. Undisciplined; spoiled.

7. Obsolete Rebellious; refractory.

v. wan·toned, wan·ton·ing, wan·tons

v.intr.

To act, grow, or move in a wanton manner; be wanton.

v.tr.

To waste or squander extravagantly.

n.

1. One who is immoral, lewd, or licentious.

2. One that is playful or frolicsome.

3. One that is undisciplined or spoiled.


[Middle English wantowen : wan-, not, lacking (from Old English; see eu- in Indo-European roots) + towen, past participle of teen, to bring up (from Old English ton, to lead, draw; see deuk- in Indo-European roots).]


wanton·ly adv.

wanton·ness n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Noun 1. wanton – lewd or lascivious woman

sensualist – a person who enjoys sensuality
light-o’-love, light-of-love – a woman inconstant in love
Verb 1. wanton – waste time; spend one’s time idly or inefficiently

expend, spend, drop – pay out; “spend money”
2. wanton – indulge in a carefree or voluptuous way of life

live – lead a certain kind of life; live in a certain style; “we had to live frugally after the war”
3. wanton – spend wastefully; “wanton one’s money away”

expend, spend, drop – pay out; “spend money”
4. wanton – become extravagant; indulge (oneself) luxuriously

ware, squander, consume, waste – spend extravagantly; “waste not, want not”
5. wanton – engage in amorous play

chat up, coquet, coquette, flirt, mash, philander, romance, dally, butterfly – talk or behave amorously, without serious intentions; “The guys always try to chat up the new secretaries”; “My husband never flirts with other women”
6. wanton – behave extremely cruelly and brutally

behave, act, do – behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself; “You should act like an adult”; “Don’t behave like a fool”; “What makes her do this way?”; “The dog acts ferocious, but he is really afraid of people”
Adj. 1. wanton – occurring without motivation or provocation; “motiveless malignity”; “unprovoked and dastardly attack”- F.D.Roosevelt

unmotivated – without motivation
2. wanton – casual and unrestrained in sexual behavior; “her easy virtue”; “he was told to avoid loose (or light) women”; “wanton behavior”

unchaste – not chaste; “unchaste conduct”

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

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Word of the Day 12.6.08

mawkish

mawk·ish (môksh)

adj.

1. Excessively and objectionably sentimental. See Synonyms at sentimental.

2. Sickening or insipid in taste.


[From Middle English mawke, maggot, variant of magot; see maggot.]


mawkish·ly adv.

mawkish·ness n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Adj. 1. mawkish – effusively or insincerely emotional; “a bathetic novel”; “maudlin expressions of sympathy”; “mushy effusiveness”; “a schmaltzy song”; “sentimental soap operas”; “slushy poetry”

emotional – of more than usual emotion; “his behavior was highly emotional”

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

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Word of the Day 12.05.08

screed

screed (skrd)

n.

1. A long monotonous speech or piece of writing.

2.

a. A strip of wood, plaster, or metal placed on a wall or pavement as a guide for the even application of plaster or concrete.

b. A layer or strip of material used to level off a horizontal surface such as a floor.

c. A smooth final surface of a substance, such as concrete, applied to a floor.


[Middle English screde, fragment, strip of cloth, from Old English scrade, shred.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Noun 1. screed – a long monotonous harangue

harangue, rant, ranting – a loud bombastic declamation expressed with strong emotion
2. screed – a long piece of writing

piece of writing, written material, writing – the work of a writer; anything expressed in letters of the alphabet (especially when considered from the point of view of style and effect); “the writing in her novels is excellent”; “that editorial was a fine piece of writing”
3. screed – an accurately levelled strip of material placed on a wall or floor as guide for the even application of plaster or concrete

strip, slip – artifact consisting of a narrow flat piece of material

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

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Posted on December 5, 2008 by admin

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Word of the Day 12.4.08

evocation

ev·o·ca·tion (v-kshn, v-)

n.

1. The act of evoking.

2. Creation anew through the power of the memory or imagination.


evo·cator n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Noun 1. evocation – imaginative re-creation

imagery, imaging, mental imagery, imagination – the ability to form mental images of things or events; “he could still hear her in his imagination”
2. evocation – calling up supposed supernatural forces by spells and incantations

conjuring, conjury, conjuration, invocation – calling up a spirit or devil
exorcism, dispossession – freeing from evil spirits
3. evocation – stimulation that calls up (draws forth) a particular class of behaviors; “the elicitation of his testimony was not easy”

stimulant, stimulus, stimulation, input – any stimulating information or event; acts to arouse action

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

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Posted on December 4, 2008 by admin

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Word of the Day 12.3.08

mus·ter (mstr)

v. mus·tered, mus·ter·ing, mus·ters

v.tr.

1. To call (troops) together, as for inspection.

2. To cause to come together; gather: Bring all the volunteers you can muster.

3. To call forth; summon up: mustering up her strength for the ordeal. See Synonyms at call.

v.intr.

To assemble or gather: mustering for inspection.

n.

1.

a. A gathering, especially of troops, for service, inspection, review, or roll call.

b. The persons assembled for such a gathering.

2. A muster roll.

3. A gathering or collection: a muster of business leaders at a luncheon.

4. A flock of peacocks. See Synonyms at flock1.

Phrasal Verbs:

muster in

To enlist or be enlisted in military service: She mustered in at the age of 18.

muster out

To discharge or be discharged from military service: He was mustered out when the war ended.

Idiom:

pass muster

To be judged as acceptable.


[Middle English mustren, from Old French moustrer, from Latin mnstrre, to show, from mnstrum, sign, portent, from monre, to warn; see men-1 in Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Noun

1.

muster – a gathering of military personnel for duty; “he was thrown in the brig for missing muster”

assemblage, gathering – a group of persons together in one place

armed forces, armed services, military, military machine, war machine – the military forces of a nation; “their military is the largest in the region”; “the military machine is the same one we faced in 1991 but now it is weaker”

2.

muster – compulsory military service

militarisation, militarization, mobilization, mobilisation – act of assembling and putting into readiness for war or other emergency: “mobilization of the troops”

levy en masse, levy – the act of drafting into military service

armed forces, armed services, military, military machine, war machine – the military forces of a nation; “their military is the largest in the region”; “the military machine is the same one we faced in 1991 but now it is weaker”

Verb

1.

muster – gather or bring together; “muster the courage to do something”; “she rallied her intellect”; “Summon all your courage”

gather, pull together, collect, garner – assemble or get together; “gather some stones”; “pull your thoughts together”

2.

muster – call to duty, military service, jury duty, etc.

send for, call – order, request, or command to come; “She was called into the director’s office”; “Call the police!”

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

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Posted on December 3, 2008 by admin

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Word of the Day 12.2.08

smithereens

smith·er·eens (sm-rnz)

pl.n. Informal

Fragments or splintered pieces; bits: The fragile dish broke into smithereens.


[From Irish Gaelic smidirn, diminutive of smiodar, small fragment.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Noun 1. smithereens – a collection of small fragments considered as a whole; “Berlin was bombed to smithereens”; “his hopes were dashed to smithereens”; “I wanted to smash him to smithereens”; “the toilet bowl ws blown to smithereens”

aggregation, collection, accumulation, assemblage – several things grouped together or considered as a whole

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

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Posted on December 2, 2008 by admin

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