Gracile

Websters 1828 Dictionary

Gracile GRAC'ILE, a. [L. gracilis.] Slender. [Not in use.]

Suggil

SUGGIL DEFINITIONS - 2 definitions found



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Websters 1828 Dictionary

Suggil SUG'GIL, v.t. [L. suggillo.] To defame. [Not in use.]

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Suggil \Sug"gil\, v. t. [L. suggillare, sugillare, suggillatum, sugillatum, literally, to beat black and blue.] To defame. [Obs.] --Abp. Parker.

Epistrophe

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition (2003)

epistrophe noun Etymology: Greek epistrophē, literally, turning about, from epi- + strophē turning — more at strophe Date: circa 1584 repetition of a word or expression at the end of successive phrases, clauses, sentences, or verses especially for rhetorical or poetic effect (as Lincoln's “of the people, by the people, for the people”) — compare anaphora

Laniation

Websters 1828 Dictionary

Laniation LANIA'TION, n. A tearing in pieces. [Little used.]

Soigne

WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005)

soigne adj 1: polished and well-groomed; showing sophisticated elegance [syn: soigne, soignee]

Quotidian

Websters 1828 Dictionary

Quotidian QUOTID'IAN, a. [L. quotidianus; quotus and dies.] Daily; occurring or returning daily; as a quotidian fever.
QUOTID'IAN, n.
1. A fever whose paroxysms return every day.
2. Any thing returning daily.

Adient

adient adj 1: characterized by acceptance or approach [ant: abient]

Tumulus

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Tumulus \Tu"mu*lus\, n.; pl. Tumuli. [L., a mound, a sepulchral mound, probably from tumere to swell. Cf. Tumid.] An artificial hillock, especially one raised over a grave, particularly over the graves of persons buried in ancient times; a barrow.

Tetchy

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition (2003)

tetchy adjective (tetchier; -est) Etymology: perhaps from obsolete tetch habit Date: 1592 irritably or peevishly sensitive ; touchy • tetchily adverb • tetchiness noun

Magniloquent

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Magniloquent \Mag*nil"o*quent\, a. [L. magnus great + loquens, -entis, p. pr. of loqui to speak. See Magnitude, Loquacious.] Speaking pompously; using swelling discourse; bombastic; tumid in style; grandiloquent. -- Mag*nil"o*quent*ly, adv.

Foretoken

foretoken - n. a prophetic sign; an omen - vt. to foreshadow

Anthropomorphism

Anthropomorphism – n. the attributing of human shape or characteristic to a god, animal, or inanimate thing.

Balbutiate

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Balbutiate \Bal*bu"ti*ate\, Balbucinate \Bal*bu"ci*nate\, v. i. [L. balbutire, fr. balbus stammering: cf. F. balbutier.] To stammer. [Obs.]

Wanion

Wan´ion
n. 1. A word of uncertain signification, used only in the phrase with a wanion, apparently equivalent to with a vengeance, with a plague, or with misfortune.

Innubilous

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Innubilous \In*nu"bi*lous\, a. [L. innubilus. See Nubilous.] Cloudless. [Obs.] --Blount.


"I hope tomorrow brings an innubilous day."

Insouciance

insouciance n 1: the cheerful feeling you have when nothing is troubling you [syn: carefreeness, insouciance, lightheartedness, lightsomeness]

Ineptitude

ineptitude n 1: unskillfulness resulting from a lack of training [syn: awkwardness, clumsiness, ineptness, ineptitude, maladroitness, slowness] 2: having no qualities that would render it valuable or useful; "the drill sergeant's intent was to convince all the recruits of their worthlessness" [syn: worthlessness, ineptitude] [ant: worth]

Veronica

Veronica
veronica \veh-RAH-ni-keh\ (noun) - 1 : A cloth with a representation of Jesus' face on it (from the legend that the face of Jesus was impressed on the kerchief offered him by Saint Veronica on the road to Calvary). 2 : A maneuver in bullfighting in which the matador stands erect with both feet firmly planted, attracts the bull with his cape, held away from his body, then sweeps the cape backwards allowing the bull to pass or dragging it over the bull's head, like St. Veronica wiping the face of Christ. 3 : A wild European plant with long spikes of flowers or low-growing single flowers similar to violets, usually blue but also white and pink.

"The dance floor was filled with gallantly swaying gentlemen wafted by ladies in elegant dress passing mystically through their capeless veronicas."

Today's word comes to us from Medieval Latin, probably by smushing together vera "true" + iconica "image," the feminine of iconicus "of an image." Latin "vera" is the feminine of verus "true." This root emerged in English as "very" and as the first element in "warlock," which came down to us from warloga "oath-breaker," when "war" meant "oath" and "leogan" meant "to lie." "Icon" comes from Greek eikon "image."

Today's entry comes from a suggestion of my good friend, Melinda. It does occur to me that she could be "punking" me and this entire definition could be made up. Oh well, it's not like anyone but the two of us are reading this blog anyway.

Peckish

WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005)

peckish adj 1: somewhat hungry 2: easily irritated or annoyed; "an incorrigibly fractious young man"; "not the least nettlesome of his countrymen" [syn: cranky, fractious, irritable, nettlesome, peevish, peckish, pettish, petulant, scratchy, testy, tetchy, techy]

Ailurophile

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition (2003)

ailurophile noun Etymology: Greek ailouros cat Date: 1927 a cat fancier; a lover of cats

Caruncle

Websters 1828 Dictionary

Caruncle CARUNCLE, n.
1. A small fleshy excrescence, either natural or morbid.
2. The fleshy comb on the head of a fowl.

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WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005)

caruncle n 1: an outgrowth on a plant or animal such as a fowl's wattle or a protuberance near the hilum of certain seeds [syn: caruncle, caruncula]

Dactylist

Websters 1828 Dictionary

Dactylist DAC'TYLIST, n. One who writes flowing verse.

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Dactylist \Dac"tyl*ist\, n. A writer of dactylic verse.

This one is for you, Melinda.

Jejune

Jejune -
Pronunciation: \ji-ˈjün\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin jejunus empty of food, hungry, meager
Date: 1646
1 : lacking nutritive value
2 : devoid of significance or interest : dull
3 : juvenile, puerile

synonyms see insipid

— je·june·ly adverb

— je·june·ness \-ˈjün-nəs\ noun

New Year's diet began yesterday.

Exacerbate

exacerbate - vt.. 1. to make more intense or sharp; aggravate (disease, pain, feelings, etc.) 2. to irritate

The inadequacy I feel because I cannot pronounce this word was only exacerbated by hearing others use it three times in the last twenty-four hours.

Circumlocution

Circumlocution - n. a roundabout, indirect, or lengthy way of expressing something.

Perfunctory

perfunctory - adj. 1. performed merely as an uninteresting or routine duty; hasty and superficial; perfunctory courtesy. 2. without interest, care or enthusiasm; indifferent; In his lectures he reveals himself to be merely a perfunctory speaker.

I try to select a vocabulary word that is somehow pertinent to my day. I was assured that it is.

Corpulence

corpulence - n. fatness or stoutness of body; obesity; also corpulency - corpulent - adj. - corpulently adv.

Torpor

torpor - n. 1. a state of mental or physical inactivity or insensibility. 2. lethargy; apathy. 3. the dormant, inactive state of a hibernating or estivating animal.

Mulligan

Mulligan - A mulligan, in a game, happens when a player gets a second chance to perform a certain move or action. The practice is also sometimes referred to as a "do-over."

There are many theories about the origin of the term. The United States Golf Association (USGA) cites three stories explaining that the term derived from the name of a Canadian golfer, David Mulligan, one time manager of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, who played at The Country Club of Montreal golf course, in Saint-Lambert near Montreal during the 1920s. One version has it that one day after hitting a poor tee shot, Mulligan re-teed and shot again. He called it a "correction shot," but his friends thought it more fitting to name the practice after him. David Mulligan then brought the concept from Canada to the famous U.S. golf club Winged Foot. A second version has the extra shot given to Mulligan due to his being jumpy and shaky after a difficult drive over the Victoria bridge to the course. The final version of the David Mulligan story gives him an extra shot after having overslept, rushing to get ready to make the tee time.

An alternate, later etymology credits a different man named Mulligan — John A. "Buddy" Mulligan, a locker room attendant at Essex Fells C.C., New Jersey. In the 1930s, he would finish cleaning the locker room and, if no other members appeared, play a round with the asst. pro, Dave O'Connell and a cub reporter/member, Des Sullivan (later Golf editor for The Newark Evening News). One day his first shot was bad and he beseeched O'Connell & Sullivan to allow another shot since they "had been practicing all morning" and he had not! Once the "OK" had been given and the round finished, Mulligan proudly exclaimed to the members in his locker room for months how he had gotten an extra shot from the duo! The members loved it and soon began giving themselves "Mulligans" in honor of John "Buddy" Mulligan. Shortly, Des Sullivan began using the term in his golf articles in The Newark Evening News. The TV "Today Show" ran this story about 2005 and has it in their archives. Mulligan was located in the '70s at a VA Hospital on Long Island.

According to the USGA, the term first achieved widespread use in the 1940s.

According to the author Henry Beard, Thomas Mulligan was a minor Anglo-Irish aristocrat and passionate golfer, who was born on May 1, 1793 and lived near Lough Sclaff, on the Shannon estuary, in a modest manor house called Duffnaught Hall, which was totally destroyed in a mysterious fire one week after his death on April 1, 1879. According to the author, "Inasmuch as strokes taken after play is concluded on the 18th hole do not count towards the total entered on one's tally card, it seems to me eminently reasonable that any shots struck before play is properly commenced with a satisfactory drive on the first tee, should be of no more consequence to one's score than those swings which one has made by way of practice in the course of hitting balls upon the driving ground."[citation needed] In short, the player's first tallied stroke for a game is the first playable drive from the first tee, and any shots made beforehand are not scored.

Another early story from golf goes back to old terminology referring to a "mull," a small hill of grass or dirt used to tee the golf ball for easier striking prior to modern tees. When a bad shot was played, the player told his caddy "I'll have a mull-again" to play another shot.

Mulligans can be banked up and used the following week, although this is an unaccepted practice usually.