New Game: What's the Word?

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: EFFLUX

pronunciation: [EF-fləks]

 

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

 

Meaning:
1. The flowing out of a particular substance or particle.

 

Example:

"The efflux of the runoff from the melting snow left the grass soft and muddy."

"The lake is fed by the efflux of underwater springs."

 

About Efflux

“Efflux” is based on the medieval Latin “effluxus,” meaning “flow out.”

 

Did you Know?

While atmospheric carbon is most closely associated with human-made causes, there is also an efflux of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from natural sources. Volcanoes and wildfires contribute enormously to the natural efflux of carbon dioxide. Perhaps more surprisingly, so do large bodies of water: Lakes release C02, but freshwater rivers and streams release roughly five times as much C02 as freshwater lakes. This efflux is partly caused by a process called “ecosystem respiration,” in which organisms and plants consume oxygen and emit carbon dioxide.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: QUODLIBET

pronunciation: [KWAD-lə-bet]

 

Part of speech: noun
Origin: Latin, 15th century

 

Meaning:
1. (Literary) A lighthearted medley of well-known tunes.

2. (Archaic) A topic for or exercise in philosophical or theological discussion.

 

Example:

"I went to a jazz brunch this weekend that opened with a quodlibet of some of my favorite songs."

"Classic songwriters Irving Berlin and Gilbert & Sullivan were fond of including quodlibets in their tunes."

 

About Quodlibet

“Quodlibet” is a combination of the Latin words “quod libet,” meaning “that which is pleasing.”

 

Did you Know?

A “quodlibet” often refers to a medley of songs, but the term can also refer to the insertion of an easily recognizable reference to another song into a new tune. For example, on his 1963 breakthrough single “Fingertips,” Stevie Wonder inserts a quodlibet of the melody of “Mary Had a Little Lamb” into a long harmonica solo. Joni Mitchell’s 1971 song “River” contains a quodlibet melody lifted from the Christmas song “Jingle Bells,” but reimagined in a more melancholy tone. The Beach Boys may have intended “Surfin' USA” to be a quodlibet to Chuck Berry, but Berry still sued for a songwriting credit. Quodlibets are not plagiarized; they are intended to be obvious and recognizable nods to other songs.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: PREPENSE

pronunciation: [prih-PENS]

 

Part of speech: adjective
Origin: Anglo-Norman French, 17th century

 

Meaning:
1. Deliberate; intentional.

 

Example:

"The bird seemed to swoop down at my cat with a prepense hostility."

"The prosecution sought to show that the defendant committed the crime with malice prepense."

 

About Prepense

“Prepense” is based on the Anglo-Norman French term “prépensé,” meaning “thought of in advance.”

 

Did you Know?

Determining whether a crime was committed by prepense or spontaneously is an important part of criminal proceedings. Most agree a crime is worse when it has been considered in advance and carried out with full awareness of its potential harms to society than if it has occurred impulsively or in recklessness. In court cases, the expression “malice prepense” refers to the accusation that a defendant has acted with calculated ill intentions, which is very different from a person who commits a crime on the spur of the moment without reflecting upon its outcomes.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: INVOLUTE

pronunciation: [IN-və-loot]

 

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

 

Meaning:
1. Involved or intricate.

2. Curled spirally.

 

Example:

"The professor offered an involute explanation of the roots of World War I that many students struggled to follow."

"One of the great hurdles of learning coding is grasping the involute new vocabularies of programming languages."

 

About Involute

“Involute” is based on the Latin “involutus,” meaning “enveloped.”

 

Did you Know?

The common use for “involute” describes things that are involved, intricate, and complex. But “involute” is also a vocabulary word in botany, where it describes the state of leaves that curl up and inward onto themselves — such as when leaves roll into spirals. In other areas of biology, “involute” describes the complex whorl patterns visible in marine shells, such as the mollusks nautilus and spirula, and the shells of some snails that live on land.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: ANSCHAUUNG 

pronunciation: [AHN-shou-əng]

 

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

 

Meaning:
1. (Philosophy, Kantianism) Sense-perception.

 

Example:

"Being raised off-grid without electricity or running water gave Jodi an excellent Anschauung, or intuition related her senses."

"While kindergarten lessons seem simple, they’re often designed to help children develop their Anschauung, or skills related to the five senses."

 

About Anschauung

“Anschauung” is taken directly from German.

 

Did you Know?

In German, “Anschauung” is associated with a person’s perspective, point of view, or opinion in general. However, in the field of philosophy, where it has been used and defined by a variety of major thinkers such as Hegel, Kant, and Schopenhauer, “Anschauung” (still capitalized as a German noun) refers to something closer to a blend of sensory observation and intuition, meaning the way the mind can recognize an object before it has any opportunity to interpret or assign it meaning. The idea of sense perception has extended to mean any sort of knowledge gained from the use of the five senses: sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: DAEDALIAN

pronunciation: [dih-DEI-lee-ən]

 

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

 

Meaning:
1. Ingeniously or cunningly designed; artistic, ingenious, intricate, skillful.

2. Difficult to comprehend due to complexity or intricacy.

 

Example:

"The walls of the mansion concealed a Daedalian series of hidden passages to which only the owner and architect knew the entrances."

"The dungeon master guided the role-playing gamers through a Daedalian series of worlds and scenes that tested the limits of their imaginations."

 

About Daedalian

“Daedalian” is based on the Latin “Daedalus,” from the ancient Greek “Δαίδαλος” (“Daídalos”).

 

Did you Know?

In ancient Greek myth, the inventor and architect Daedalus was a figure of wisdom and creativity, known for building the Labyrinth for King Minos, and for crafting the wax wings with which his son Icarus flew too close to the sun. Ancient Greeks credited Daedalus with designing the original structures upon which classical Greek buildings were based. In modern English, “Daedalian” pays tribute to his genius by invoking his name to describe anything ingeniously or craftily designed. “Daedalian” is distinct from the similar adjective “daedal” (which means “crafty” or “skillful”) through its specific description of design or imagination.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: HETEROCLITE

pronunciation: [HET-er-ə-klahyt]

 

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

 

Meaning:
1. Abnormal or irregular.

 

Example:

"My grandfather held a number of heteroclite beliefs, including that one must always drown out heavy rain with loud music."

"My neighbor is a friendly but heteroclite person who feeds raccoons."

 

About Heteroclite

“Heteroclite” is based on the Latin “heteroclitus,” which was based on the Greek “ἑτερόκλιτος” (“heteróklitos”). That term combined “héteros,” meaning “different,” with “klínō,” meaning “to lean.”

 

Did you Know?

“Heteroclite” is usually an adjective describing behavior or opinions out of the ordinary. However, like its synonym “eccentric,” “heteroclite” can also be a noun describing a person who behaves in an irregular manner. British culture has long celebrated heteroclite people — or “heteroclites” — in works such as John Timbs’ 1866 book “English Eccentrics and Eccentricities,” and Edith Sitwell’s 1933 book “The English Eccentrics.” In more recent decades, the British newspaper The Telegraph ran a special obituary series called “Eccentric Lives.”

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: AUTOSCHEDIASTIC

pronunciation: [aw-toh-skeh-dee-AST-ik]

 

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

 

Meaning:
1. Impromptu, improvised, ex tempore or offhand.

 

Example:

"At supper, the professor offered a fascinating autoschediastic history of the fall of Rome."

"In Boston, our host offered to take us on an autoschediastic tour of Fenway Park and the surrounding neighborhood."

 

About Autoschediastic

“Autoschediastic” is based on the ancient Greek “αὐτοσχεδιαστικός,” meaning “extemporaneous.”

 

Did you Know?

While a prepared speech is how many people address a crowd, sometimes the most striking speeches are autoschediastic, or improvised. Many of history’s most famous autoschediastic speeches have been delivered by military leaders before battle — such as U.S. General George Patton’s notoriously bellicose and profane address to the Third Army ahead of the Allied invasion of France, or British Army Colonel Tim Collins’ speech to his troops before the Iraq War. Autoschediastic speeches can also occur in happier contexts, such as award shows, where off-the-cuff responses from winners (such as Jennifer Coolidge’s viral speech following her Golden Globes win for “The White Lotus”) can charm audiences far more than a speech delivered from notes.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: AERIE

pronunciation: [AIR-ee]

 

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

 

Meaning:
1. A large nest of a bird of prey, especially an eagle, typically built high in a tree or on a cliff.

 

Example:

"As we rounded the corner of the mountain trail, we spotted an eagle’s aerie and carefully avoided it."

"We didn’t have predatory birds in this area for decades until an aerie of hawks appeared in the trees at the edge of the park."

 

About Aerie

“Aerie” is taken from Latin, where it means “of the air.”

 

Did you Know?

“Aeries” are nests for any birds of prey, and because predatory birds are generally larger in size, their nests are often noticeably larger than the nests of common birds. The bald eagle in particular is known for the size of its aeries. At up to 6 feet in diameter, bald eagle nests are the largest birds’ nests in North America — not surprising given the fact that bald eagle wingspans can reach greater than 6 feet. The longer bald eagles remain in each particular aerie, the larger the nests themselves can become, as they add new material to the structure with each passing season.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: IMMISCIBLE

pronunciation: [ih-MIS-ə-bəl]

 

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

 

Meaning:
1. (Of liquids) Not forming a homogeneous mixture when added together.

 

Example:

"Patrick’s favorite cocktails involve liquors just immiscible enough that they can be layered one on top of the next without mixing together."

"Oil and vinegar are immiscible, which is a bit of a paradox, considering how naturally the flavors pair."

 

About Immiscible

“Immiscible” is rooted in the Late Latin “miscibilis,” meaning “something that may be mixed,” with the negating prefix “im-.”

 

Did you Know?

A mixture of immiscible liquids is known as an emulsion, and emulsions are part of many common food preparations. The most common of these is the mixture of immiscible oil and vinegar for salad dressings and other seasonings, but many other emulsions play an important role in the kitchen. Milk and ice cream variously combine oil and water, or oil and air. Mayonnaise combines three immiscible liquids: vegetable oil, an acid, and eggs. Hollandaise sauce is an emulsion of a similar mix, only it substitutes butter for oil.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: CAVIL

pronunciation: [KAV-əl]

 

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

 

Meaning:
1. Make petty or unnecessary objections.

 

Example:

"My mother is quick to express satisfaction with home renovations, while my father likes to cavil with contractors about minor issues."

"I thought my wife was caviling about the price of the computer, but the competitor listed it at $500 less, and she saved us a lot of money by asking for a price-match."

 

About Cavil

“Cavil” comes from the Old French “caviller,” meaning “to mock” or “jest,” from the Latin “cavilla,” meaning “banter in jest.”

 

Did you Know?

To “cavil” is to engage in an argument that borders on bad faith. It may be an argument made in good faith, but over trivialities or petty concerns few others take seriously. In the 17th century, Dr. Samuel Johnson defined the verb as “raising frivolous objections.” Unfortunately, frivolity is in the mind of the speaker; often a person who chooses to cavil feels they are making a significant argument concerning a subject of importance to them. Caviling ultimately results in an argument that few but the person making it believe is worth their time or trouble.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: ROSEATE

pronunciation: [ROH-zee-eyt]

 

Part of speech: adjective
Origin: Latin, 15th century

 

Meaning:
1. Make petty or unnecessary objections.

2. Optimistic or idealistic.

 

Example:

"Panes of roseate glass gave the room a perpetual warm light."

"In her roseate youth, Sandrine presumed she could become a star simply by moving to Los Angeles."

 

About Roseate

“Roseate” is based on a blend of the Latin “rosa” (meaning “rose”) and the English “rose,” with the suffix “-ate,” suggesting “similar to.”

 

Did you Know?

“Roseate” refers to “rose-colored,” a circumstance that can simply mean “colored pink,” or can also mean “excessively optimistic.” The expression “seeing the world through rose-colored glasses” has been in use since the 1830s as a poetic descriptor of living with optimism tinged with naivete — though in its early years, the term was “rose-tinted spectacles.” But roseate glasses serve a serious purpose: In optometry, pink-tinted lenses can heighten contrast and sensitivity to colors, increase depth of field, and protect from UV rays.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: FELICITATE

pronunciation: [fih-LIS-ih-teyt]

 

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

 

Meaning:
1. Congratulate

 

Example:

"We wanted to be the first to felicitate our niece on her spelling-bee victory."

"The CEO felicitated me for leading my division to record profits in the past year."

 

About Felicitate

“Felicitate” is based on the Latin “felicitatus,” meaning “to make happy,” from the Latin “fēlīx” (meaning “happy”).

 

Did you Know?

“Felicitate” is often thought of as a pure synonym for “congratulate,” though the term is more complicated than that. In order to understand it best, it helps to look at the Latin root “felicitatus,” meaning “to make happy.” More than simply offering congratulations, a person who felicitates is celebrating another’s happiness, or wishing joy upon that person. To felicitate suggests congratulating in a way that makes it clear the person has earned the right to happiness.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: DELIMIT

pronunciation: [dih-LIM-it]

 

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

 

Meaning:
1. Determine the limits or boundaries of.

 

Example:

"The neighbors gathered each spring to mend the wall delimiting each person’s property from the other’s."

"The geography of Long Island is delimited by water on three sides."

 

About Delimit

“Delimit” entered English from the French word “delimiter,” meaning the same thing. The French word was based on the Latin “dēlīmitō,” meaning “to mark boundaries.”

 

Did you Know?

While cities, towns, and settlements around the world have often been located close to water and other natural resources, these factors also delimit the growth of such cities. This is especially extreme in the case of San Francisco, which is not an island but is delimited by water on three sides, giving it a limited maximum of available land. However, there is more land in San Francisco today than there was 200 years ago. In the 1800s and 1900s, swamps and marshy areas around the city were drained and filled in with sand and other materials in order to expand the limits of the city. But even with those expanded areas, San Francisco remains strictly delimited by the bordering bodies of water.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: SOLON

pronunciation: [SO-lən]

 

Part of speech: noun
Origin: Proper name, 17th century

 

Meaning:
1. A wise legislator or lawgiver.

2. Any legislator.

 

Example:

"Our city benefited from electing as mayor a solon with a passion for local governance."

"The Babylonian King Hammurabi earned the reputation of a solon by creating the foundation of modern laws with the Code of Hammurabi."

 

About Solon

“Solon” is based on the ancient Greek name “Σόλων” (“Sólōn”).

 

Did you Know?

In sixth-century Athens, a man named Sólōn was one of the Seven Sages, ancient Greeks remembered for their wisdom. Sólōn himself was a lawmaker and poet whose ideas contributed to the development of democracy in the city-state of Athens. He helped develop and modernize Athenian law and is remembered for his sensible and intelligent manner of governance. Because of him, the noun “solon” describes an especially wise lawmaker.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: CONCATENATE

pronunciation: [kon-KAT-ən-eyt]

 

Part of speech: verb
Origin: Latin, 15th century

 

Meaning:
1. Link (things) together in a chain or series.

 

Example:

"One of the first things I learned in my virtual computer science class was to concatenate, or string together, a list of variables."

"Instead of scrolling a long list of individual tweets, it’s easier to use an app that concatenates strings of tweets into a single thread."

 

About Concatenate

“Concatenate” is based on the Latin “concatēnāre,” meaning “to link together.”

 

Did you Know?

“Concatenate” is a very old word with many modern applications. It entered English from Latin in the 15th century — first as an adjective describing things chained together, then as a verb describing that chaining. “Concatenate” has become an important verb for the age of abundant digital data. Microsoft Excel includes the option to “concatenate data,” and data-entry workers might enter reams of unorganized information, and later concatenate it into more accessible databases for easier searching and reading.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: LONGANIMITY

pronunciation: [long-gə-NIM-ih-tee]

 

Part of speech: noun
Origin: Latin, 15th century

 

Meaning:
1. Patience or tolerance in the face of adversity.

2. Forbearance, long-suffering.

 

Example:

"My mother impressed me with her longanimity in the face of my 2-year-old’s temper tantrum."

"The high school principal practiced longanimity by trading detentions in exchange for community service."

 

About Longanimity

“Longanimity” is based on the Latin “longanimitās,” meaning “patient” or “forbearing.”

 

Did you Know?

Television loves characters that embody extreme longanimity: Think of the infinitely patient Leslie Higgins on “Ted Lasso,” the adorably unflappable Jerry Gergich on “Parks and Recreation,” or the maniacally uncomplaining Ned Flanders on “The Simpsons.” Especially on shows such as these comedies, with over-the-top personalities, a character radiating longanimity makes a hilarious counterpoint and foil for extreme behavior. This calls back to the vaudevillian comedy tradition of a “straight man,” or a comedian who keeps a straight face and deadpan composure in order to contrast the eccentric and bizarre behavior of another.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: SEQUELA

pronunciation: [si-KWEL-ə]

 

Part of speech: noun
Origin: Latin, 18th century

 

Meaning:
1. A condition which is the consequence of a previous disease or injury.

 

Example:

"In middle age, Ilana suffered lingering tinnitus as a sequela to the live music shows she attended without earplugs in her younger days."

"Eric’s problems with his Achilles tendon were sequelae that began with a bad ankle sprain."

 

About Sequela

“Sequela” is taken directly from a Latin term meaning “that which follows.”

 

Did you Know?

Closely associated with the English word “sequel,” “sequela” (the plural of which is “sequelae”) describes a medical condition that is a follow-up to some other medical circumstance. Generally speaking, sequelae are long-term conditions that arise out of a particular injury or disease. For example, a concussion is a temporary injury, but it often creates a lasting sequela known as “postconcussion syndrome” that includes headaches, dizziness, fatigue, and confusion. In many cases, sequelae are so persistent that they present significant secondary problems unrelated to their original cause.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: VESPERTINE

pronunciation: [VES-pər-tahyn]

 

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

 

Meaning:
1. Relating to, occurring, or active in the evening.

 

Example:

"The pub is lovely in the daytime, but it comes alive when the vespertine crowd arrives after supper."

"There are a few different vespertine animals, including owls, living in our acre of forest."

 

About Vespertine

“Vespertine” is based on the Latin “vespertīnus,” meaning “evening.”

 

Did you Know?

While there are many crepuscular animals — those active at dawn and dusk — the animals active only in evening are described as “vespertine.” (Those active in the pre-dawn hours, meanwhile, are known as “matutinal.”) The best-known vespertine animals are bats and owls, but many insects also appear during the vespertine hours, and there are even vespertine flowers, which bloom in the evening. However, "vespertine" does not describe the whole night: Those creatures and plants that continue their activity all night are nocturnal, not vespertine.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: FURBELOW

pronunciation: [FUR-bə-loh]

 

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

 

Meaning:
1. Adorn with trimmings.

 

Example:

"Most of the office dressed business casual, but Katia arrived to work each day furbelowed with designer shoes, vintage glasses, and eye-catching jewelry."

"I find taking the time to furbelow myself before I leave the house gives me confidence and pride in my appearance."

 

About Furbelow

“Furbelow” is a corruption of the French term “falbala,” describing a ruffle or flashy ornament.

 

Did you Know?

“Furbelow” entered the English language as a noun describing pleated or gathered strips of skirts or petticoats, but the word has nothing to do with either the noun “fur,” or the preposition “below.” Rather, it’s a corruption of the French word “falbala,” which describes ornamentation in dress.