DarkRavie Posted August 12, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2019 (edited) What's the Word? - CURMUDGEON Part of speech: noun Origin: Unknown, 16th century meaning: 1. A cranky and unpleasant figure, usually an old man --- 2. A miserly person unwilling to share "The curmudgeon next door banged on his wall anytime he heard my footsteps." "I don't want to be a curmudgeon, but would pick up after your dog?" Edited August 24, 2019 by DarkRavie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted August 13, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2019 (edited) What's the Word? - MIASMA Part of speech: noun Origin: Ancient Greek meaning: 1. An unpleasant atmosphere --- 2. A poisonous, gaseous or noxious cloud "Breaking out of the miasma of poverty is no easy task." "The miasma left behind by the sewage truck made us all cover our mouths and noses." Edited August 24, 2019 by DarkRavie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted August 14, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2019 (edited) What's the Word? - NASCENT Part of speech: adjective Origin: Latin, early 17th century meaning: 1. New and untested --- 2. Emerging or budding "My nascent basketball skills have a lot of room for improvement." "The nascent product hadn't yet been tested, but everyone at the company had high hopes for its future impact." Edited August 24, 2019 by DarkRavie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted August 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2019 (edited) What's the Word? - BOFFO Part of speech: adjective Origin: American English, 20th century meaning: 1. Wildly successful or popular --- 2. Outstanding "The actress delivered such a boffo performance that she won an Academy Award." "The play had a boffo final act, resulting in a standing ovation from the audience." Edited August 24, 2019 by DarkRavie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted August 16, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2019 (edited) What's the Word? - MONDEGREEN Part of speech: noun Origin: English, 1950s meaning: 1. A word or phrase that results from misheard language --- 2. A made-up lyric or line that replaces a song's real words "Singing along with Hendrix, she belted out the mondegreen "Excuse me while I kiss this guy."" "He raps so quickly that his fans know only mondegreens rather than the true words of his songs." Edited August 24, 2019 by DarkRavie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted August 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2019 (edited) What's the Word? - HANDSEL Part of speech: noun Origin: Old English or Old Norse meaning: 1. A gift given for good luck --- 2. An initial payment "My new business partner gave me a thoughtful handsel — she framed the first dollar we'd made — on our first week working together." "We had to pay a handsel before the landlord would reserve the apartment for us." Edited August 24, 2019 by DarkRavie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted August 18, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2019 (edited) What's the Word? - DECIDUOUS Part of speech: adjective Origin: Latin. 17th century meaning: 1. In botany, shedding leaves annually or at certain points in the growth cycle --- 2. Transitory or ephemeral "Come winter, the beautiful deciduous forest becomes barren and dull, and we wait for regrowth in the spring." "I didn't realize the trees in my yard were deciduous, and every fall I have to rake fallen leaves on a daily basis." Edited August 24, 2019 by DarkRavie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted August 19, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2019 (edited) What's the Word? - HALCYON Part of speech: adjective Origin: Ancient Greek meaning: 1. Calm, serene or tranquil --- 2. A time in the past marked by peace and happiness --- 3. Of or relating to the halcyon bird "I miss the halcyon days of my childhood when I didn’t have to worry about the pressures of adult life." "Her halcyon lifestyle may seem wonderful, but it was earned by decades of hard work and determination." Edited August 24, 2019 by DarkRavie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted August 20, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2019 (edited) What's the Word? - ABECEDARIAN Part of speech: adjective Origin: Late Latin, 17th century meaning: 1. Of or relating to the alphabet --- 2. Arranged in alphabetical order --- 3. Basic, rudimentary "Anyone with abecedarian interests should try out for the spelling bee." "Please use an abecedarian system when you file these documents." Edited August 24, 2019 by DarkRavie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted August 21, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2019 (edited) What's the Word? - VERDANT Part of speech: adjective Origin: French, late 16th century meaning: 1. Bright green in hue --- 2. Green due to lush, growing vegetation --- 3. Inexperienced or fresh "The verdant trees and plants of the Amazon rainforest are stunningly beautiful." "Living in a drab city, I long for the verdant pastures of the countryside." Edited August 24, 2019 by DarkRavie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted August 22, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2019 (edited) What's the Word? - ELEEMOSYNARY Part of Speech: adjective Origin: Medieval Latin, late 16th century meaning: 1. Of or relating to charity or donations --- 2. Supported by charitable giving "Her generous eleemosynary pursuits fully funded a new animal shelter." "The eleemosynary organization relies on donations to stay in business." Edited August 24, 2019 by DarkRavie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted August 23, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2019 (edited) What's the Word? - SARTORIAL Part of speech: adjective Origin: Latin, 19th century meaning: 1. Of or relating to a tailor --- 2. Of or relating to fashion "She makes excellent sartorial choices and is always impeccably dressed." "I indulge my sartorial interests by visiting a tailor after every shopping excursion." Edited August 24, 2019 by DarkRavie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted August 24, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2019 What's the Word? - TINTINNABULATION Part of Speech: noun Origin: Latin, 19th century meaning: 1. The ringing of bells --- 2. A tinkling sound, like that of a bell "I always look forward to the joyous tintinnabulation at church during the Christmas season." "The faint tintinnabulation in my ears is starting to drive me crazy." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted August 25, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2019 What's the Word? - HOARY Part of speech: adjective Origin: Old English, 16th century meaning: 1. Gray or white as a result of aging --- 2. Old "The man's hoary appearance was antithetical to his jovial, youthful energy." "The hoary stories I heard as a kid have been passed down for generations in my family." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted August 26, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2019 What's the Word? - ASSIDUOUS Part of speech: adjective Origin: Latin. mid 16th century meaning: 1. Showing exceptional effort and perseverance --- 2. Meticulous and diligent --- 3. Constant or incessant "Her assiduous attention to detail in her work helped her land the big promotion." "He is an assiduous house cleaner—he doesn't leave a single surface untouched." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted August 27, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2019 What's the Word? - DEGUST Part of speech: verb Origin: Latin, early 17th century meaning: 1. To carefully and thoughtfully savor food --- 2. To taste in small portions "The experienced food critic would degust each dish with a discerning palate." "I prefer to degust every ingredient, and you can't do that if you inhale the food as soon as it's set in front of you." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted August 28, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2019 What's the Word? - VICINAL Part of speech: adjective Origin: French, early 17th century meaning: 1. Adjacent, local --- 2. Of or relating to a neighborhood or limited area "My dog's loud barking disturbed every vicinal household." "When I dine out, I stick to vicinal restaurants that I can walk to from my house." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted August 29, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2019 What's the Word? - PATULOUS Part of speech: adjective Origin: Latin, early 17th century meaning: 1. Open and expanded --- 2. Spreading out from the center, as the branches of a tree "The patulous branches of the mighty oak tree extended 10 feet from its trunk." "I spread the icing on the cake in a patulous, petal-like design, starting in the center." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted August 30, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2019 What's the Word? - DISEMBOGUE Part of speech: verb Origin: Spanish, late 16th century meaning: 1. To flow out, as from the mouth of a river --- 2. To discharge --- 3. To pour out, leak "The river began to disembogue from the dam, pouring debris into the lake." "I didn't realize that the milk was beginning to disembogue from a hole in the bottom of the carton." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkRavie Posted August 31, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2019 What's the Word? - BRUSQUE Part of speech: adjective Origin: French & Italian, 16th century meaning: 1. Very abrupt or curt --- 2. Rudely blunt "Her short, brusque reply said more than any wordy explanation could." "Rather than being brusque with customers, I try to listen and respond politely." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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