New Game: What's the Word?

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: CORVINE

pronunciation: [KOR-vahyn]

 

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

 

Meaning:
1. Of or like a raven or crow, especially in color.

 

Example:

"The bird was definitely a pigeon, but it was so dark it looked corvine."

"My nana’s parrot was brightly colored, but it had a distinctly corvine cleverness."

 

About Corvine

“Corvine” is based on the Latin “corvinus,” meaning “related to crows and ravens.” (From “Corvus,” meaning “crow.”)

 

Did you Know?

While “corvine” is sometimes used to describe a dark color like that of crows and ravens, it can also be used to describe a bird of remarkable intelligence, as crows are believed to be some of the most clever creatures in the animal kingdom. Crows and their relatives — which include ravens, jays, and magpies — not only use tools, but also work in partnerships with one another to achieve goals. They have the ability to remember human faces for long periods of time and communicate using a language of hundreds of distinct “words.” Researchers in 2020 revealed that crows are not just clever, but also self-aware, capable of understanding the limits of their intelligence, and of reflecting on what they know — a level of corvine consciousness scientists used to believe was unique to humans.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: WIZEN

pronunciation: [WIZ-ən]

 

Part of speech: verb
Origin: Old English, ninth century

 

Meaning:
1. To wither; to become, or make, lean and wrinkled by shrinkage, as from age or illness.

 

Example:

"We left the cabin in good shape, but four undisturbed winters gave it plenty of time to wizen."

"Sam’s features will wizen as he gets older, but he believes wrinkles give people character."

 

About Wizen

“Wizen” appeared in Old English as “wisnian,” from the proto-Germanic “wesaną,” meaning “to consume.”

 

Did you Know?

The process of “wizening” is often used to describe changes to people’s features that occur with age and exposure to sun and air. However, wizening fruits and vegetables has been an important means of preservation since at least 1500 BCE. Some of the same factors that wizen a person’s appearance — the sun and the wind — were used to wizen vegetables for preservation in the Mesopotamian era. Today’s sun-dried tomatoes are prepared in ways that aren’t dramatically different from the ways Mesopotamians made sun-dried figs and dates 3,500 years ago.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: MALIC

pronunciation: [MAL-ik]

 

Part of speech: adjective
Origin: French, 18th century

 

Meaning:
1. Pertaining to apples.

2. Of or pertaining to malic acid or its derivatives.

 

Example:

"Though there was no fruit in the pastry, the cream filling still had a malic flavor."

"Some of the tartness in apples is due to malic acid, one of their dominant flavorings."

 

About Malic

“Malic” entered English from the French word “malique,” based on the Latin “mālum,” meaning “apple.”

 

Did you Know?

Malic acid is a natural product often used as a nutritional supplement for skin health, as well as to help with kidney stones and dry mouth. However, malic acid is also used as a food additive, as it is even more sour than citric acid (derived from citrus fruits). Though it was named for the Latin word for apples (“mālum”) and is most prominent in sour apples, malic acid appears across a variety of other sour fruits, including rhubarb, grapes, berries, cherries, and tree fruits.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: HELIOTROPIC

pronunciation: [hee-lee-ə-TRAHP-ik]

 

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

 

Meaning:
1. Exhibiting the property of some plants of turning under the influence of light.

 

Example:

"When recorded in slow motion, many plants can be seen making a heliotropic turn every morning when the sun comes up."

"The sunbathers continually readjusted themselves in a heliotropic route around the pool."

 

About Heliotropic

“Heliotropic” was formed by combining the ancient Greek “ἥλιος” (“hḗlios,” meaning “sun”) and “τρόπος” (“trópos,” meaning “a turn”).

 

Did you Know?

A heliotropic plant follows the sun throughout the course of its daily cycle. The sunflower is the best-known heliotropic plant, as it follows the sun from east to west over the course of the day, before turning toward the east again overnight to prepare for the next day’s dawn. Many other plants and flowers engage in similar heliotropic movements. By the late 19th century, researchers were discovering that these plants responded to light in any form, not just solar light. As a result, “heliotropic” is often replaced with the term “phototropic.”

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: ATTENUATE

pronunciation: [ə-TEN-yoo-eyt]

 

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

 

Meaning:
1. Reduce the force, effect, or value of.

2. Reduce in thickness; make thin.

 

Example:

"Taking small trips outside in a frigid climate can help attenuate your experience of the extreme cold."

"Wallpaper and thick rugs can help attenuate the echo in a room."

 

About Attenuate

“Attenuate” is based on the Latin “attenuāre,” meaning “to make thin.”

 

Did you Know?

In electronics, to “attenuate” anything means to take a strong signal and make it weaker. In the world of music and audio, it's sometimes necessary to attenuate the electronic signals of certain devices without altering their overall sound. For example, because amplifiers sound different at various levels of volume, a guitar player may discover that the exact tone she wants to get from her guitar only occurs with her amp cranked to ear-splitting volume. To fix this problem, the guitarist might invest in an attenuator, allowing her to dial up her amp to the warm, crackling, high-volume tone she wants, before also turning down the volume on that tone to a level that her fans can enjoy without covering their ears.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: RATAPLAN

pronunciation: [RAD-ə-plan]

 

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

 

Meaning:
1. A drumming or beating sound.

 

Example:

"At halftime, we could hear the rataplan of the marching band before they entered the field."

"The thunderstorm unleashed a rataplan of heavy rain that lasted hours."

 

About Rataplan

“Rataplan” is taken from the French “ran tan plan,” an onomatopoeic representation of the sound of drumming.

 

Did you Know?

As a noun, “rataplan” is a convincing evocation of the sound of a drum —particularly a military drum. It's a French word adopted into English, but there is another word that dates back even earlier: “tattoo.” Since the 17th century, English speakers have used the word “tattoo” to describe military signals by drum, as well as other drum sounds. Like “rataplan,” the word “tattoo” even sounds like a drumbeat. Unlike “rataplan,” however, “tattoo” isn’t onomatopoeic: It’s actually taken from the Dutch “taptoe,” describing the shutting of the tap on a cask.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: NEOTERIC

pronunciation: [nee-oh-TEHR-ik]

 

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

 

Meaning:
1. New or modern; recent.

 

Example:

"Even though his father has a bookshelf of classic literature, Tom only wants to read neoteric works."

"The university’s gallery is the hub of the city’s neoteric art scene."

 

About Neoteric

“Neoteric” is based on the Latin “neotericus,” meaning “modern.”

 

Did you Know?

While the adjective “neoteric” dates back to the 17th century, there was a group of first-century BCE Latin poets known as “Neoterics.” These poets were modern rebels for their time: They rejected the classical styles of epic poetry (such as the works of Homer) and wrote poems full of jokes, puns, and references to (then) modern society. The best-known Neoteric poet is Catullus, though today the word “neoteric” simply calls to mind that which is new and modern — the cutting-edge poets of 2,100 years ago are largely forgotten.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: FRICATIVE

pronunciation: [FRIK-ə-tiv]

 

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

 

Meaning:
1. Denoting a type of consonant made by the friction of breath in a narrow opening, producing a turbulent air flow.

 

Example:

"I had difficulty with fricative sounds, so I saw a speech therapist when I was a child."

"My husband snores, but he only makes gentle fricative noises I can sleep through easily."

 

About Fricative

“Fricative” is based on the Latin “fricativus,” itself based on the Latin “fricāre,” meaning “to rub.”

 

Did you Know?

“Fricative” is a phonetics term that describes specific sounds made by the mouth in spoken language. In particular, it deals with breathy sounds that sound like friction — such as those produced by the consonants “f” and “v.” Unlike “d” and “t” sounds, which involve briefly stopping the breath by blocking the tongue against the teeth, fricative sounds (including “s,” “z,” and “th”) are created by forcing air through a small passage between the teeth and either the tongue or the bottom lip.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: CATHEXIS

pronunciation: [kə-THEK-səs]

 

Part of speech: noun
Origin: Ancient Greek, 20th century

 

Meaning:
1. The concentration of mental energy on one particular person, idea, or object (especially to an unhealthy degree).

 

Example:

"During his week visiting us in Florida, our young grandson developed a cathexis with a gecko who lived on our porch."

"My husband has a cathexis on clean dishes and makes routine sweeps around the house to find dirty plates and glasses to bring to the dishwasher."

 

About Cathexis

“Cathexis” is based on the ancient Greek “κάθεξις” (“káthexis”), meaning “retention” or “holding.”

 

Did you Know?

In the early 20th century, the field of psychoanalysis was primarily being developed by Germans including Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Alfred Adler. They frequently used the common German word “Besetzung,” which, literally translated, means “an occupation.” But translators into English were having a difficult time getting the meaning quite right for English texts. Aiming to sound formal, translators reached for the ancient Greek word for “holding” or “retention,” “κάθεξις” (“káthexis”). “Cathexis” became a new English word meaning “a concentration of mental energy directed at one thing such as a person, object, or idea” — in short, the retention of focus in a single direction.

 

Edited February 8, 2023 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: OPPUGN

pronunciation: [ə-PYOON]

 

Part of speech: verb
Origin: Middle French, 15th century

 

Meaning:
1. Call into question the truth or validity of.

 

Example:

"My sister and I would never oppugn our grandmother’s far-fetched stories from her childhood."

"Anjali’s mother oppugned her account of where she’d been that evening after Anjali came home past curfew."

 

About Oppugn

“Oppugn” is based on the Middle French “opugne” and the Latin “oppugno,” meaning “fight against.”

 

Did you Know?

“Oppugn” is very similar to the word “impugn” — both verbs mean to “call into question the truth or validity” of a statement. The very fine difference between the two is that “impugn” has a more hostile implication. While a person might be neutral in oppugning a statement, a person impugning another is more likely to be doing so in an argumentative manner. It is possible to oppugn a person’s statement without attacking them, simply by saying they may be in error. To impugn another, however, is to assail them as incorrect and assault their credibility overall.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: ADIAPHOROUS

pronunciation: [ad-ee-AF-er-əs]

 

Part of speech: adjective
Origin: Ancient Greek, 17th century

 

Meaning:
1. Neither harmful nor beneficial.

 

Example:

"Many home remedies are adiaphorous potions, but they might offer a placebo effect."

"Kendall sees social media as adiaphorous, so he doesn’t worry about his kids being on their phones, but he would rather they spent that time reading."

 

About Adiaphorous

“Adiaphorous” is based on the ancient Greek “ἀδιάφορος” (“adiáphoros”), meaning “indifferent.”

 

Did you Know?

The idea of adiaphorous concepts is associated with the ancient Greek Stoic philosophers, who split human life into categories of good, bad, and indifferent. The term for “indifferent” was “adiaphora,” and they used it to describe activities that were neither essentially good nor essentially bad. An early example of something adiaphorous is the pursuit of fame, which is neither bad in nature, nor necessarily a good thing. Stoics believed adiaphorous actions were decided as good or bad by the way one carried them out.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: MICAWBERISH

pronunciation: [mə-KAW-bə-rish]

 

Part of speech: adjective
Origin: Proper name, 19th century

 

Meaning:
1. Resembling the character Wilkins Micawber in Charles Dickens' novel “David Copperfield,” especially in being irresponsibly optimistic.

 

Example:

"Our Micawberish guide assured us the rain would pass in a minute, but an hour later we were soaked through."

"When it came to paying his rent, Walter had a Micawberish habit that his landlord found very frustrating."

 

About Micawberish

Irresponsibly optimistic: A person who idles and trusts to fortune.

 

Did you Know?

In Charles Dickens’ 1850 novel “David Copperfield,” Wilkins Micawber is a financially scattered character who maintains an unflappable optimism that something positive will soon happen, even as he faces mounting challenges and tragedies. The phrase closely associated with Wilkins Micawber is “Something will turn up,” making Micawber symbolic of excessive optimism coupled with disorganization and recklessness.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: SYNCRETIC

pronunciation: [sin-KRET-ik]

 

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

 

Meaning:
1. Combining disparate elements in one system, especially as in forms of religious observance, philosophical systems, or artistic creations.

 

Example:

"Mark’s mother is Jewish and his father is Episcopalian, so they celebrate a syncretic Christmas-Hanukkah in December."

"The Civic Pride Association was a syncretic collection of groups who sometimes opposed one another, united by their love of the city."

 

About Syncretic

“Syncretic” is based on the 17th-century English word “syncretism,” itself based on the Greek “synkretizein,” meaning both “concretize” and “unite against a common enemy.”

 

Did you Know?

Some of the oldest organized religions merged several strands of belief into a unified syncretic faith, but more visible in the modern world are syncretic political organizations, which attempt to unite the interests of different political leanings into a single movement. In many countries, long-standing political parties have adopted syncretic platforms that include some of their opponents’ policies. In the U.S., the U.K., and Canada, the “Third Way” is a syncretic blend of economic approaches favored by conservatives paired with progressive platforms on social issues.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: ALFRESCO

pronunciation: [al-FRES-koh]

 

Part of speech: adjective
Origin: Italian, 18th century

 

Meaning:
1. Done or eaten in the open air.

 

Example:

"We enjoyed a delightful alfresco supper at the end of our hike."

"For alfresco nightlife, you might consider one of the party boats on the river."

 

About Alfresco

“Alfresco” is based on the Italian “al fresco,” meaning “in the cool” (implying outdoors).

 

Did you Know?

“Alfresco” is taken directly from an Italian phrase that means “in the cool outdoor air.” However, the phrase translates literally to just “in the cool.” As a result, Italian also developed related terms. For example, “a fresco” describes a technique of painting murals on fresh plaster when it is still cool. From this comes the artistic term “fresco,” which describes a painting on fresh plaster into which the colors are absorbed as the plaster dries.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: FEUILLETON

pronunciation: [foi-ih-TAWN]

 

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

 

Meaning:
1. A part of a newspaper or magazine devoted to fiction, criticism, or light literature.

2. An article printed in a feuilleton.

 

Example:

"Newspaper feuilletons have shrunk as criticism and light literature have moved online."

"The feuilleton section of a newspaper provides an imaginative counterbalance to the strict facts of news reporting."

 

About Feuilleton

“Feuilleton” is taken directly from French, where the word can mean a literary article or newspaper section, but can also mean “soap opera.”

 

Did you Know?

In the golden age of newspapers, many aimed to offer readers a complete intellectual experience. Rather than simply report the news, weather, and sports, they also offered sections of literary criticism (sometimes in the form of book reviews) and new fiction. This general-interest section of newspapers was known as a “feuilleton.” This term was taken from French, where it described a nonpolitical supplement to French political newspapers, containing criticism, gossip, and literary writing. Many 19th-century French feuilletons featured serialized fiction works that became classics, such as Alexandre Dumas’ “The Three Musketeers.”

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: DIASPORA

pronunciation: [dahy-AS-pər-ə]

 

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

 

Meaning:
1. The dispersion or spread of a people from their original homeland.

2. People who have spread or been dispersed from their homeland.

 

Example:

"The largest population center for the Jewish diaspora is the United States, which has a larger Jewish population than Israel."

"The Irish diaspora didn’t exist until the 19th century, when Irish people fled famine to begin new lives in the United States, Canada, and Australia."

 

About Diaspora

“Diaspora” is based on the ancient Greek “διασπορᾱ́” (“diasporā́"), meaning “scattering.”

 

Did you Know?

The term “diaspora” now commonly refers to populations of people scattered outside their place of origin, but it is most closely associated with the Jewish people. It began with the exile of the Judahites from the Kingdom of Judah in the sixth century BCE. Only after their exile, when they existed as a diaspora, did Judahites become known as “Jews.” Diasporas can be created by a variety of conditions that either drive people from, or entice them away from, their homes. The Jewish diaspora is also a good example of how widely a diaspora may be scattered geographically. Even though the state of Israel is considered to be the Jewish homeland, nearly twice as many Jews live in the United States, while the Jewish diaspora stretches all over the world.

 

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: PELAGIC

pronunciation: [pə-LAJ-ik]

 

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

 

Meaning:
1. Relating to the open sea.

 

Example:

"Many sharks are pelagic and don’t often venture close to shore."

"With towering waves and pummeling winds, pelagic storms can be terrifying."

 

About Pelagic

“Pelagic” is based on the ancient Greek “πελαγικός” (“pelagikós”), meaning “of the sea.”

 

Did you Know?

About 50% of the Earth consists of oceans more than 2 miles deep. Generally, the term “pelagic” refers to the open ocean, but an ocean’s “pelagic zone” refers both to areas away from shore, and also away from the bottom. The pelagic zone is close to no soil, above and below the water. In this area, pelagic animals are abundant, including schools of small fish such as sardines and anchovies, and bigger predatory fish that feed on them, such as tuna, swordfish, and sharks.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: NOTABILIA

pronunciation: [no-tə-BIL-ee-ə]

 

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

 

Meaning:
1. Things worthy of notice.

 

Example:

"TV detective Columbo’s trick was that he always seemed distracted, but he actually kept track of all notabilia."

"The museum exhibit is an immersive experience with notabilia all around the rooms and on the walls."

 

About Notabilia

“Notabilia” is the plural from the Latin “notabilis,” meaning “notable.”

 

Did you Know?

“Notabilia” is a fancy way of saying “things worth noticing.” In historical terms, “notabilia” describes events and people that had a significant impact either on their moment in time, or on culture since. For example, the 20th century was full of notabilia — in the form of the two world wars, important people doing memorable things, and many society-changing inventions ranging from the Wright Brothers’ first aircraft and Einstein’s theory of relativity to radio, television, and computers. Modern tech stars hope the ideas and products they develop today will help create the notabilia of tomorrow.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: ANTINOMY

pronunciation: [an-TIN-ə-mee]

 

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

 

Meaning:
1. A contradiction between two beliefs or conclusions that are in themselves reasonable; a paradox.

 

Example:

"Susan is aware that being a superstitious atheist is an antinomy, but she still knocks on wood."

"It may seem like an antinomy that in order to succeed, one must fail often, but it’s a matter of gaining experience and learning how to avoid failure in the future."

 

About Antinomy

“Antinomy” is based on the Latin “antinomia,” meaning “contradiction.”

 

Did you Know?

“Antinomy” is a word for logical paradox or inconsistency closely associated with 18th-century German philosopher Immanuel Kant. In his book “Critique of Pure Reason,” Kant introduced a number of logical paradoxes now known as “Kant’s antinomies” to show how two equally reasonable ideas could ultimately contradict one another. For example, Kant made a carefully reasoned argument that the universe and time had a beginning and strict borders, and then made an equally logical argument concluding the universe and time were both without beginning or end. The goal of Kant’s antinomies was to show how reason alone was not enough to resolve metaphysical problems, because even the best-reasoned arguments could ultimately arrive at opposite conclusions.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: PANGLOSS

pronunciation:[PAN-glahs]

 

Part of speech: noun
Origin: Proper name, 18th century

 

Meaning:
1. A person who is optimistic regardless of the circumstances.

 

Example:

"As the storm soaked through our tent, my Pangloss of a husband suggested it was a chance to test our waterproof sleeping bags."

"When our flight was delayed, the Pangloss in line in front of me cheered for the opportunity to get some time to read the news."

 

About Pangloss

“Pangloss” is taken from “Doctor Pangloss,” a character created by 18th-century French writer Voltaire.

 

Did you Know?

In Voltaire’s 1759 satire “Candide, or Optimism,” the French Enlightenment writer and thinker introduced the character of Doctor Pangloss. Pangloss is the living embodiment of the optimistic theory that this is the best of all possible worlds. Voltaire created Pangloss to satirize the risks of excessive optimism. This made “Pangloss” a critical term for someone who maintains optimism regardless of how dire circumstances may become.