New Game: What's the Word?

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: PROLEPSIS

pronunciation: [pro-LEP-sis]

 

Part of speech: noun
Origin: Ancient Greek, 15th century

 

Meaning:
1. The anticipation and answering of possible objections in rhetorical speech.

2. The representation of a thing as existing before it actually does or did so, as in he was a dead man when he entered.

 

Example:

"Tyrell expected objections, so he tried to include answers to possible questions in a prolepsis of his proposal to the HOA."

"The new biography of Charlie Chaplin begins with his birth, then in a prolepsis, jumps to the height of his fame."

 

About Prolepsi

The word entered late Middle English via Latin, from the Greek "prolēpsis," which comes from the word "prolambanein," meaning "anticipate."

 

Did you Know?

Many children are masters of prolepsis: For example, a child wishing to stay up past her bedtime might try to head off possible objections by telling her father, “I don’t think we’re doing anything important at school tomorrow, so I don’t need as much sleep,” before making her request. A separate narrative form of prolepsis occurs in fiction. This prolepsis is the flash-forward, as used in Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” Ebenezer Scrooge is transported both into the past, as a reminder of how things used to be, and into the future as a warning of how things could be. This second move — jumping from the present into the future — is a prolepsis. The flashback to Christmas Past, by contrast, is called an “analepsis.”

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: WRITHEN

pronunciation: [RITH-ən]

 

Part of speech: adjective
Origin: Old English, 14th century

 

Meaning:
1. (Literary) Twisted or contorted out of normal shape or form.

2. (Of antique glass or silver) Having spirally twisted ornamentation.

 

Example:

"The glassblower twisted a unique writhen ornamentation on each vase he created."

"It must have taken the carpenter weeks to carve this writhen banister."

 

About Writhen

The adjective “writhen” is based on the Old English verb “wriþan,” meaning “to twist” or “to wrap up.”

 

Did you Know?

“Writhen,” which describes twisted ornamentation, is closely related to the verb “writhe.” But “writhen” existed first, taken directly from an Old English word meaning “to twist,” “to bind,” or “to wrap up.” From it came the verb “to writhe,” which in its early definitions meant “to engulf” or “to tie up.” Over time, “writhe” came to describe a physical twisting or contorting motion, while today “writhen” describes objects designed to appear twisted and contorted, such as art and stemware made from twirled blown glass.

 

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: VEDETTE

pronunciation: [və-DET]

 

Part of speech: noun
Origin: French, 17th century

 

Meaning:
1. (Historical) A mounted sentry positioned beyond an army's outposts to observe the movements of the enemy.

2. A leading star of stage, screen, or television.

 

Example:

"Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth, two of the biggest action movie vedettes at the show, presented an award together."

"My grandmother used to read me celebrity gossip magazines like “Allo Vedettes” so we could talk about Quebec’s biggest vedettes."

 

About Vedette

“Vedette” is taken from French, where the word was based on the Italian “vedetta,” meaning “lookout” or “patrol.”

 

Did you Know?

“Vedette” has seen a swap in meaning since it entered English in the 17th century. In its early forms, “vedette” referred to an advance sentry outside an army’s encampment who kept tabs on the enemy. Instead of referring to those performing surveillance, “vedette” now refers to those people who are watched and seen: celebrities. Though considered outdated in France, “vedette” is still widely used in Canada’s French-speaking province Quebec, where it often celebrates “vedettes de chez nous,” or “major stars of our own.”

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: QUIETEN

pronunciation: [KWAI-ih-tn]

 

Part of speech: verb
Origin: English, 18th century

 

Meaning:
1. Make or become quiet and calm.

 

Example:

"My phone is plugged in across the bedroom so I have to get out of bed to quieten the alarm."

"Rodrigo finds it challenging to quieten his excitable students at the beginning of class."

 

About Quieten

“Quieten” was formed within English by taking the existing adjective “quiet” and adding the suffix “-en” to form a verb.

 

Did you Know?

The challenge of quietening a room full of students of any age is in capturing their attention. When an instructor enters a classroom full of students talking excitedly, they need students to quieten their activity and redirect their focus to a single source: the lesson at the front of the room. One of the most effective ways to quieten a classroom in college, high school, elementary school, and even preschool is to begin with humor and fun before gently moving the discussion toward more focused subjects.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: RAFFINÉ

pronunciation: [ra-fih-NEY]

 

Part of speech: adjective
Origin: French, 19th century

 

Meaning:
1. Refined, sophisticated.

 

Example:

"My favorite scene in the movie is when the crowd in the ballroom pauses to watch as the raffiné woman glides down the staircase."

"At the party, I tried to think of worldly anecdotes that would make me seem raffiné."

 

About Raffiné

“Raffiné” is taken from the French, where it literally means “refined” (in all senses), but also “sophisticated.”

 

Did you Know?

When we use the word “raffiné” to describe someone or something extremely sophisticated, we’re reflecting a part of the history of the world economy. Between the 15th and 18th centuries, the fashion industry became central to the French economy. France, therefore, had reason to remain on the cutting edge of style; its national economy depended on it. England and other countries looked to France for cues on how to be stylish, cultured, and refined, not only in modes of dress, but in language as well. Many loanwords, such as “raffiné,” remain in use.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: INGEMINATE

pronunciation: [in-JEM-ə-neyt]

 

Part of speech: verb
Origin: Latin, 16th century

 

Meaning:
1. Repeat or reiterate (a word or statement), typically for emphasis.

 

Example:

"The mayor learned to ingeminate the main points in her weekly addresses to make sure they were understood as clearly as possible."

"Before they left for the weekend, Laura’s parents ingeminated they did not want a party thrown in their absence."

 

About Ingeminate

“Ingeminate” is based on the Latin “ingeminō,” meaning to “repeat” or “reiterate.”

 

Did you Know?

Most people ingeminate, or repeat, an important point any time they need to drive it home. However, most people experience more ingemination (the noun form) in front of their TVs and other screens than anywhere else, because that’s where they encounter advertising. One advertising theory holds that an audience must see a message seven times before they internalize it, which explains why sometimes the same ad will appear during every commercial break in a program, or across multiple online media. Advertisers ingeminate to keep the brand in the forefront of the customer’s mind.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: TUBBABLE

pronunciation: [TUB-ə-bəl]

 

Part of speech: adjective
Origin: English, 20th century

 

Meaning:
1. (Especially of fabric or clothes) Suitable for washing in a tub or washing machine.

 

Example:

"Anna owns many fancy gowns, and none of them is tubbable."

"The clothes in the washer are all tubbable, but some must be hung up to dry."

 

About Tubbable

“Tubbable” was formed in English by adding the suffix “-able” to the noun “tub,” referring to a laundry-washing tub.

 

Did you Know?

Before the invention of the washing machine, laundry had to be soaked in hot water before being beaten and scrubbed by hand, then rinsed. It was a lengthy and labor-intensive process, but inventors began patenting washing machines in the 17th century. By the 20th century, the washing machine — often a large tub with machinery attached to it — was a common household appliance. Clothes that were sturdy enough to be washed by machine were therefore called “tubbable.” The first recorded use of the word is in the 1920s, and it was a common synonym for “machine washable” into the 1980s. Today, as more clothing fabrics are tubbable by default, the term is used instead to describe children’s toys that can be used in the bath.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: EPHEMERA

pronunciation: [ih-FEM-ər-ə]

 

Part of speech: noun
Origin: Latin, 14th century

 

Meaning:
1. Things that exist or are used or enjoyed for only a short time.

2. Items of collectible memorabilia, typically written or printed ones, that were originally expected to have only short-term usefulness or popularity.

 

Example:

"Realizing many of his belongings were basically ephemera, Greg donated them to charity before he moved."

"When Sara is at the fair, she’d rather eat decadent foods than win ephemera on the midway."

 

About Ephemera

“Ephemera” is taken directly from the Latin, where it was borrowed from the ancient Greek “ἐφήμερᾰ” (“ephḗmera”), meaning “short lived” or “living for a day.”

 

Did you Know?

In the world of collectibles, “ephemera” refers to a broad category of items that were never intended to last a long time or have any particular value. This category includes things such as old periodicals, receipts, tickets, and product packaging, as well as outdated maps and documents that are now obsolete. All of these items were intended to exist for a very short period of time, but to modern collectors, ephemera from years ago provides a clear picture of life in the past.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: DEVOIR

pronunciation: [də-VWAR]

 

Part of speech: noun
Origin: Middle English, 14th century

 

Meaning:
1. A person's duty.

 

Example:

"Harrison believes it’s his devoir to feed all the stray cats on his block."

"During World War II, many Americans saw it as a devoir to grow their own vegetables in Victory Gardens."

 

About Devoir

“Devoir” has roots in both the Middle English “debvoir” and the Old French “deveir,” both of which are based on the Latin “dēbeō.” All of these roots mean “to owe.”

 

Did you Know?

“Devoir” developed as a word simultaneously in English and French, and in general the word means the same thing in both languages: “duty” or “obligation.” However, in French, “devoir” is also a verb meaning “to have to,” and it is commonly used to describe things one must do, such as renewing a driver’s license. There is no equivalent for “homework” in French, describing work done away from school. Rather, French students do their “devoirs” (a plural noun), a term that accentuates their duty to the work. In English, “devoir” may evoke lofty ideals of duty and service to one’s nation, community, or family. In French, “devoir” just refers to everyday tasks that everyone has to do.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: PERSEVERATE

pronunciation: [pər-SEV-ə-reyt]

 

Part of speech: verb
Origin: English, 20th century

 

Meaning:
1. Repeat or prolong an action, thought, or utterance after the stimulus that prompted it has ceased.

 

Example:

"Though Cassie has been out of birdseed for two months, the birds outside her window perseverate in hanging around her feeder."

"Even though baseball season is over, I perseverate in reading the MLB news ahead of next season’s spring training."

 

About Perseverate

“Perseverate” was a verb created out of the existing English noun “perseveration,” which was based on the Latin “persevērāre,” meaning “to abide by” or “to continue steadfastly.”

 

Did you Know?

When does someone “perseverate” rather than simply “persevere”? The words are very similar and share a common Latin root, but “persevere” is a more general verb that describes the action of persisting at a task in spite of obstacles. The term “perseverate” was developed by psychologists in the early 20th century to describe circumstances in which a patient continued to respond to a stimulus even when the stimulus was removed. “Perseverate” means to persist in an action even though the reason for doing so no longer exists. For example, a person may perseverate in getting their hair trimmed at a specific salon even though the hairdresser they like has long since moved out of state.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: BUSKER

pronunciation: [BUS-kər]

 

Part of speech: noun
Origin: Spanish, 17th century

 

Meaning:
1. A person who performs music or other entertainment in the street or another public place for monetary donations.

 

Example:

"The busker outside the restaurant was playing a moving rendition of a Whitney Houston song."

"Shirish put himself through college by performing as a busker with his guitar outside the movie theater downtown."

 

About Busker

“Busker” is based on the verb “to busk,” meaning “to ask for money in exchange for entertaining the public in the street.” This term was likely based on the Spanish “buscar,” meaning “to seek,” or “to fetch.”

 

Did you Know?

Cities as disparate as Halifax, Dubai, San Diego, Tullamore, and Zagreb play host to busker festivals every year. Many of these claim to be “the world’s largest festival of buskers,” though none has been proven to be so. The buskers themselves are as creative as they are unpredictable. There are plenty of performances of live music, juggling, and magic, but there are deep variations on even those traditional ideas. People attending a busker festival might see someone juggling chainsaws and bowling balls, or musicians playing whimsical instruments (and non-instruments) in surprising ways.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: UNDERBREATH

pronunciation: [un-dər-BRETH]

 

Part of speech: adjective
Origin: English, 19th century

 

Meaning:
1. Vocalized under one's breath.

 

Example:

"Sharon told Elsie about her blind date in an underbreath voice because they were on the bus."

"When my father left the room, my mother told me in an underbreath whisper what she’d bought him for his birthday."

 

About Underbreath

“Underbreath” was formed within English by adding the preposition “under” as a prefix to “breath.” “Breath” is based on the Old English “brǣþ,” meaning “odor,” “exhalation,” or “vapor.”

 

Did you Know?

“Underbreath” operates as three parts of speech. The first is as a noun: An underbreath is a remark made in a whisper or otherwise under one’s breath; the goal is not to be heard. For example, “In the crowded gallery, Shanice told me her opinion of the art in an underbreath.” But “underbreath” can also be an adjective, such as “an underbreath criticism,” which would be a whispered criticism. “Underbreath” can also be an adverb and modify a verb or adjective, such as “My mother lectured me underbreath so as not to wake my sister.”

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: TOPIARY

pronunciation: [TOH-pee-ehr-ee]

 

Part of speech: noun
Origin: Latin, 16th century

 

Meaning:
1. The art or practice of clipping shrubs or trees into ornamental shapes.

2. Shrubs or trees clipped into ornamental shapes.

 

Example:

"The botanical gardens boasted an expert in topiary who clipped the bushes into animal shapes."

"Topiaries are a fun way to interest young children in plants and gardening."

 

About Topiary

“Topiary” is based on the Latin “topiarius,” meaning “related to ornamental gardening.”

 

Did you Know?

Topiary is the practice of turning trees and bushes into shapes both by careful trimming and by slowly training the trunks and branches to grow in different patterns over time. The products of the topiary process are also called topiaries. Topiaries emerged as early as ancient Rome, when an associate of Julius Caesar pioneered shaped gardens. In early forms, topiaries were plants and bushes shaped like animals, but also symbols such as obelisks and puzzles. However, topiary gardening developed more quickly in regions that didn’t have stones appropriate for more traditional forms of sculpture. There were more topiaries in England in the 18th century than there were in Italy, owing to England’s abundance of trees and shrubs in place of stone suitable for carving.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: UNTENABLE

pronunciation: [ən-TEN-əb-əl]

 

Part of speech: adjective
Origin: French, 17th century

 

Meaning:
1. (Especially of a position or view) Not able to be maintained or defended against attack or objection.

 

Example:

"Julian made a passionate but untenable argument that the world was flat."

"The army realized its position in the valley was untenable and retreated up the hill."

 

About Untenable

“Untenable” is based on the French word “tenable,” meaning “capable of being held.” “Tenable” entered English in the early 17th century, and by the end of that century, “untenable” had been created in English to describe that which was incapable of being held.

 

Did you Know?

Something that is “untenable” implies a mistake. In military usage, “untenable” describes a position that troops cannot hold and must abandon. When “untenable” describes a position in an argument, it refers to a position that can’t be defended in good faith and must be abandoned. Yet it’s hard for anyone to give up an untenable position until they’re sure they have no means of defending it. It’s often only once a person sees that they can’t continue to argue an untenable point that they’ll acknowledge their position has been defeated by logic.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: TOPSTITCH

pronunciation: [TAHP-stiCH]

 

Part of speech: verb
Origin: English, 19th century

 

Meaning:
1. Make a row of continuous stitches on the top or right side of a garment or other article as a decorative feature.

 

Example:

"Arlene topstitched her pillow too tightly, causing the trim to look pinched."

"Topstitching often applies the last stitch to a garment in order to keep everything else in place."

 

About Topstitch

“Topstitch” was formed by combining the adjective “top” and the noun “stitch.” “Stitch” is based on the Old English “stiċe,” meaning “a puncture,” “a thrust with a pointed implement,” or “a pricking sensation.”

 

Did you Know?

In sewing, topstitching can serve decorative purposes and provide a reinforcing stitch. It's common to topstitch the outer sides of clothing, such as around back pockets, where the process adds flair and design. A decorative topstitch is often done in a thread of contrasting color from the material being sewn. But topstitching can also provide a supportive element and can be used to hold pleats in place in order to maintain the basic design of a garment and help it hold up to washing and wear.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: FLAPPABLE

pronunciation: [FLAP-ə-bəl]

 

Part of speech: adjective
Origin: English, 20th century

 

Meaning:
1. Excitable and quick to lose one's composure.

 

Example:

"Despite the blue skies, the radio forecasted rain, so my flappable boss ordered us to close the restaurant patio immediately."

"My aunt Anna is usually a pretty levelheaded person, but she is surprisingly flappable while watching playoff basketball."

 

About Flappable

“Flappable” was formed in reverse from the existing word “unflappable,” itself formed in English in the 20th century based on the word “flap,” meaning “to agitate,” or “upset.”

 

Did you Know?

Both “flappable” and its predecessor “unflappable” are based on a particular definition of the word “flap,” which as a noun can mean “a commotion,” and as a verb can mean “to upset,” or “to cause to be flustered.” The adjective “unflappable” emerged in English after World War II with the meaning “unflinching,” “difficult to upset,” or “relaxed in times of stress.” “Flappable” was soon coined as the opposite of this new term, meaning “easy to upset,” or “agitated during times of stress.”

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: BIOSPHERE

pronunciation: [BI-ə-sfeer]

 

Part of speech: noun
Origin: German, 19th century

 

Meaning:
1. The regions of the surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of the Earth (or analogous parts of other planets) occupied by living organisms.

 

Example:

"Humanity in the 21st century is far more aware of its effects on the biosphere than at any previous point in history."

"Nathan’s concern for the future of the biosphere led him to study environmental sciences."

 

About Biosphere

“Biosphere” was coined in German by Austrian geologist Eduard Suess, from the Greek “bios,” meaning “life,” and “sphaira,” meaning “sphere.”

 

Did you Know?

The invention of the “biosphere” — both the concept, and the word to describe it — is actually one of Eduard Suess’ lesser achievements. The Austrian geologist, who lived from 1831 to 1914, was instrumental in developing the modern concept of plate tectonics — the movement of the plates that make up the shell of the Earth. Suess was possibly the first geologist to argue that horizontal plate movements, rather than upward motions from below, created new geological structures. He broke with the wisdom of the time, which held that volcanoes created mountains. Suess instead argued that horizontal shifts in geological plates created both mountains and volcanoes. These arguments created the foundation of many modern understandings of plate tectonics.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: HARDPAN

pronunciation: [HARD-pan]

 

Part of speech: noun
Origin: American English, 19th century

 

Meaning:
1. A hardened impervious layer, typically of clay, occurring in or below the soil and impairing drainage and plant growth.

 

Example:

"We hoped to put in a garden behind our house, but the ground was mostly hardpan and inhospitable to gardening."

"The first residents in the area opted not to build basements due to the difficulty of digging through hardpan."

 

About Hardpan

“Hardpan” was formed in English by combining “hard” as a prefix to the geological term “pan,” which describes land located in a depression, often where there has been (or still is) a body of water.

 

Did you Know?

Hardpan isn’t always the top layer of soil, but it often lurks immediately below. Because it has been compacted through weight — often the product of land that water used to sit upon — hardpan is dense and sometimes similar to clay. This means hardpan can be an unpleasant surprise for home gardeners, especially those looking to dig deeply enough to plant new trees. Hardpan soil can also make it hard for tree roots to grow, stifling above-ground growth. For gardeners who persevere in digging through dense hardpan and plant new seeds, hardpan remains tough to irrigate, as it tends to repel water. Because of this, hardpan tends to encourage the erosion of the soil level above it while lowering water conservation.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: RENASCENT

pronunciation: [rih-NEY-sənt]

 

Part of speech: adjective
Origin: Latin, 17th century

 

Meaning:
1. Becoming active or popular again.

 

Example:

"I thought disco was dead, but Cindy’s well-attended disco party proved it was renascent."

"Former San Diego Padres first baseman Yonder Alonso has enjoyed renascent celebrity as an MLB on-air analyst."

 

About Renascent

“Renascent” joins the prefix “re-” (suggesting “again”) to “nascent,” which is based on the Latin “nascēntis” (meaning “I am born”).

 

Did you Know?

John Travolta achieved a truly renascent turnaround in his career. Travolta’s early fame in the 1970s came with some of that era’s most recognizable roles: Vinnie Barbarino on TV’s “Welcome Back Kotter,” Danny Zuko in “Grease,” and Tony Manero in “Saturday Night Fever.” Even as these roles made Travolta a superstar, they also made him a symbol of the trends of that decade. By the late 1980s, Travolta was often a punchline for jokes about a time far out of fashion. However, after Quentin Tarantino cast him as eccentric hitman Vincent Vega in the 1995 smash film “Pulp Fiction,” Travolta enjoyed a renascent superstardom. In the five years following “Pulp Fiction,” Travolta starred in as many movies as he had in the preceding two decades.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: PALINODE

pronunciation: [PAL-ə-nohd]

 

Part of speech: noun
Origin: Latin, 17th century

 

Meaning:
1. A poem in which the poet retracts a view or sentiment expressed in a former poem.

 

Example:

"After tasting my wife’s pecan pie, my uncle gave a surprising palinode in which he took back his aversion to nuts in pies and cakes."

"The courtroom was staggered when the prosecution’s star witness gave a palinode to retract his accusation."

 

About Palinode

“Palinode” is from the Middle French “palinod,” taken from the Latin “palinōdia,” meaning “recantation.”

 

Did you Know?

In modern usage, “palinode” can be both a noun (describing a retraction or reversal) or a verb (meaning “to recant”). Yet both ideas are based on an idea that calls back to the poetry of the 17th century. During that period, poems held the popular imagination in the way that popular music does today, and poets often used their poems to advance political points, criticize society, and even dunk on their enemies. Sometimes 17th-century poets got carried away with their grudges and needed to take back some of their nastier lines — think of it as the early ancestor to the hip-hop diss track. To do so, a poet would write a palinode — a poem in which they took back the prior insult. Today, you don’t need to write a poem to make a palinode: All it takes is a retraction of a previously held position.