New Game: What's the Word?

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: EXTROSPECTION

pronunciation: [ek-strə-SPEK-shən]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin:  English, early 20th century

 

Meaning:

1. The observation of things external to one's own mind, as opposed to introspection.

 

Examples:

"Thanks to the abundant wildlife and plants, Susan found herself lost in extrospection any time she walked in the forest."

"Introspection can be dangerous for a closing pitcher, while extrospection helps keep the pitcher’s focus attuned to the baseball game unfolding around him."

About Extrospection

“Extrospection” is based on the English word “introspection,” replacing the Latin “intro,” meaning “inward,” with the prefix “extro,” meaning “outward.” (“Spect” comes from the Latin for “look at.”)

 

Did you Know?

Mindfulness, the increasingly popular practice of cultivating meditative awareness of the present, is often fueled by extrospection. Though meditation is often associated with the idea of introspection, many schools of meditation encourage meditators not to become too attached to internal thoughts. One way to become more aware of the present is through extrospection, and to do so mindfully, one must observe simple things outside of one’s mind without judgment. As a result, a mindful meditator engaged in extrospection might acknowledge the rhythm of their breathing, the sensation of their feet upon the ground, or the sound of a passing car.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: STEMWINDER

pronunciation: [STEM-WIYN-dər]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: American English, 18th century

 

Meaning:

1. (Informal) An entertaining and rousing speech.

2. (Dated) A watch wound by turning a knob on the end of a stem.

 

Examples:

"The candidate delivered a stemwinder so powerful, her lead rose in the polls the next day."

"The coach gave a half-time stemwinder that revived the team's energy and confidence to pull out a win."

About Stemwinder

“Stemwinder” was formed within English to describe expensive watches whose winding mechanism was atop a stem.

 

Did you Know?

“Stemwinder” refers to a mostly forgotten technology: stem-wind watches, which were high-end timepieces when they were invented in the 1840s. From this notion of luxury items powered by winding came the modern term “stemwinder,” referring to a top-notch speech with the power to wind up its listeners. A stemwinder no longer has anything to do with watches — though some have mistakenly used the term to mean a speech so long that those in the crowd might begin to wind their watches out of boredom. During the course of a real stemwinder, however, nobody has time to fiddle with their watch — they’re too busy being wound up by invigorating oratory.

 

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: ANNEAL

pronunciation: [ə-NEEL]

 

Part of speech: verb

Origin: Old English, 12th century

 

Meaning:

1. Heat (metal or glass) and allow it to cool slowly, in order to remove internal stresses and make it easier to work.

2. (Biochemistry) Recombine (DNA) in the double-stranded form.

 

Examples:

"Rather than painting his stained glass, Paul chose to anneal the colors into the glass."

"At the workshop on silversmithing, we learned how to anneal the silver in order to make it less brittle."

About Anneal

“Anneal” comes from the OId English “onǣlan,” meaning “to burn, heat, or set fire to.”

 

Did you Know?

Though it may seem counterintuitive, the process of annealing glass and metal by heating them to high temperatures is intended to make them stronger by first making them softer and more flexible. The verb “anneal” is closely associated with “temper” in metalwork and glasswork: The annealing process uses heat to create tougher glass and metal. Yet the process actually requires an overall softening of the materials in order to reduce brittleness. A brittle material is very hard, but can snap easily. By contrast, tempered glass or metal that has been annealed has reduced its internal stress, creating a kind of elasticity that results in far stronger glasses and metals.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: AMBROSIAL

pronunciation: [am-BROH-zhəl]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Latin, 16th century

 

Meaning:

1. Related to the food of the gods in Greek mythology.

2. Describing something very pleasing to taste or smell.

 

Examples:

"Tommy prepared six ambrosial courses for the wedding reception dinner."

"We followed the ambrosial odor to the botanical gardens, where thousands of flowers were in bloom."

About Ambrosial

“Ambrosial” is based on the Latin “ambrosia,” meaning “food of the gods,” though the Latin term was based on the ancient Greek “ἀμβροσία” (“ambrosía”), meaning “immortality.”

 

Did you Know?

In classical Greek and Roman mythology, ambrosia was the food and anointing oil of the gods, and also something that granted immortality to those who consumed it. Over time, “ambrosia” became a more pedestrian term, referring to sweet treats and pleasant food. The adjective “ambrosial” may seem as though it should describe sweets (such as the fruit salad called “ambrosia”), and is likeliest to be applied to food, drinks, and other things with a heavenly scent. However, “ambrosial” can describe anything “worthy of the gods”; as such, it is often used to describe luxurious and extravagant foods, drinks, goods, and experiences.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: VULPINE

pronunciation: [VUHL-pahyn]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Latin, 17th century

 

Meaning:

1. Relating to a fox or foxes.

2. Crafty; cunning.

 

Examples:

"The red dog had a small, vulpine face and black whiskers."

"The villain of the film was recognizable by his vulpine expression."

About Vulpine

“Vulpine” is based on the Latin “vulpīnus” (meaning “foxlike”), which itself is based on the term “vulpēs,” meaning “fox.”

 

Did you Know?

“Vulpine” is used to invoke the image of the fox, a diligent predator known for its craftiness. In science, the word “vulpini” refers to the subspecies of doglike creatures (“caninae”), including a variety of foxes. The sister word “lupine,” describing similarity to wolves, is used as frequently as “vulpine.” Even when not referring to animals, the adjectives invoke the traits associated with the wolf and the fox. “Lupine” often describes ravenous hunger, and “vulpine” describes a crafty cunning.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: BELDAM

pronunciation: [BEL-dəm]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Middle English, 15th century

 

Meaning:

1. An old woman.

2. A witch.

 

Examples:

"The beldam down the street lives alone and independently despite her age."

"Helen grew her own herbs and sold tinctures at the local market, earning her a reputation as a beldam."

About Beldam

“Beldam” is a combination of the Middle English “bel,” meaning “fine,” and “dam,” meaning “mother.”

 

Did you Know?

Though “beldam” is an expression for an old woman similar to “granny,” it can easily be mistaken for two other words. The first is “bedlam,” referring to chaos; though the two words are separated by only one letter, they are unrelated. The second word is the French expression “belle dame,” or “fair lady,” and “beldam” does not refer to this either. Instead, it refers to a Middle English expression for “fine mother.” From the 15th century on, the term referred to a grandmother or great-grandmother, and by the end of the 16th century, it had begun to refer to any older woman — but also to frightening women in particular, which is how it became a term used to describe witches.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: LISSOME

pronunciation: [LIS-əm]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: English, 19th century

 

Meaning:

1. (Of a person or their body) Thin, supple, and graceful.

 

Examples:

"The acrobats were three lissome siblings capable of hoisting themselves up into a vertical tower."

"Adorable lissome otters frolicked both on the shore and in the water."

About Lissome

“Lissome” is a variant of the English word “lithesome,” from the Middle English “lithe,” meaning “to go.”

 

Did you Know?

“Lissome” is based entirely on its root word “lithe,” which simultaneously evokes slenderness and flexibility. As a result, “lissome” is frequently used to describe athletes whose training leaves them both slim and limber. Gymnasts, ballet dancers, fencers, and martial artists are often lissome — but this doesn’t apply to all athletes. Offensive linemen in football are talented and powerful, but aren’t known for their flexibility or slimness; marathon runners may be slim and fast, but are not known for being flexible. Yoga practitioners, on the other hand, are routinely lissome due to yoga’s focus on expanding flexibility.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: PHRONTISTERY

pronunciation: [FRAHN-tə-ster-ee]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Ancient Greek, 17th century

 

Meaning:

1. A place for thinking.

2. An establishment devoted to education or study.

 

Examples:

"The library’s elegant reading room was the perfect phrontistery for studying."

"The clearing in the forest was so quiet it was adopted as a natural phrontistery by introspective hikers."

About Phrontistery

“Phrontistery” comes from the ancient Greek “φροντιστής” (“phrontistḗ”), meaning “a thinker.”

 

Did you Know?

“Phrontistery” means “a place for thinking,” and since the Middle Ages, the term has often been used as a lofty synonym for a university, college, or other place of formal education. However, a phrontistery can be any place ideal for thinking — including public libraries and museums, as well as parks, forests, and any other places where meditation comes easily. The term has also been humorously applied to another location of frequent quiet reflection: the lavatory.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: EPITHALAMIUM

pronunciation: [ep-ə-thə-LEY-mee-əm]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, 16th century

 

Meaning:

1. A song or poem celebrating a marriage.

 

Examples:

"In place of a traditional epithalamium, the groom sang a Beatles love song to his spouse on the day of their wedding."

"In classical theater comedies, which often end in a wedding, an epithalamium is sometimes used to close the performance."

About Epithalamium

“Epithalamium” is borrowed directly from Latin, where the word is based on the ancient Greek “ἐπιθαλάμιον” (“epithalamion”), meaning “bridal song.”

 

Did you Know?

In ancient Greece, an epithalamium was a song sung at the door to the marriage chamber in celebration of the bride and groom, to bless the union and bring the wedded couple happiness. Over time, the word came to describe both a marriage song and a poem celebrating a marriage. Some of the most famous poets of ancient Greece, including Sappho and Pindar, are remembered for their epithalamiums. In the Italian Renaissance, it was a wedding tradition for celebrants to be honored with an epithalamium printed and delivered to them. Many of Shakespeare’s comedic dramas also end in an epithalamium to honor a happy wedding.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: AUTOPTIC

pronunciation: [aw-TAHP-tik]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Greek, 19th century

 

Meaning:

1. Seen with one's own eyes; belonging to, or connected with, personal observation.

 

Examples:

"The video evidence was unclear, but there was an eyewitness with autoptic testimony."

"Diana said the house was haunted, but Cherie argued that she hadn’t had any autoptic experiences."

About Autoptic

“Autoptic” is based on a combination of the ancient Greek terms “αὐτός” (“autos”), meaning “self,” and “ὀπτός” (“optós”), meaning “visible.”

 

Did you Know?

“Autoptic” is associated with the Greek word “αὐτοπτικός,” meaning “related to an eyewitness.” For this reason, the term “autoptic” has long been associated with legal procedures and other formal statements of fact, describing those statements that are based on personal observation and recollection. The term is also closely related to “autopsy,” whose Greek root “αὐτοψῐ́ᾱ” also means “to see with one’s own eyes.” Like an autoptic testimony, an autopsy is a formal circumstance in which an expert enters their direct observations into a legal record.

 

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: NIMIETY

pronunciation: [ni-MAHY-i-tee]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, 16th century

 

Meaning:

1. State of being in excess, more than is needed.

 

Examples:

"Arlene had a nimiety of Halloween candy and insisted Carl take some home after the party."

"Our backyard has such a nimiety of sparrows that their constant noise can become disruptive."

About Nimiety

This word comes from the Latin “nimietās,” meaning “excess” or “redundancy.”

 

Did you Know?

While “nimiety” is a neutral term describing a state of excess, it has frequently been used with negative connotations of wastefulness, dilution, and exhaustion. Often, “nimiety” means not just “more than necessary,” but rather “too much in a way that has unpleasant outcomes.” For example, a salad dressing might be overpowered by a nimiety of vinegar, or a dish might suffer a nimiety of salt or hot peppers. The term can also describe the absence of brevity: A writer might need an editor’s red pen to fix a nimiety of flowery adjectives.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: ACIDULOUS

pronunciation: [ə-SIJ-ə-ləs]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Latin, late 17th century

 

Meaning:

1. Sharp-tasting; sour.

2. (Of a person's remarks or tone) Bitter; cutting.

 

Examples:

"Yesenia prefers smooth cold-brew coffee to an acidulous dark-roast drip coffee."

"Angelica paid her many parking tickets in full, after first making an acidulous remark to the city clerk."

About Acidulous

“Acidulous” is taken almost directly from the Latin “acidulous,” meaning “sourish.”

 

Did you Know?

When “acidulous” is used to describe a flavor, it describes a sharply sour taste; in describing moods or words, the term implies bitterness. In flavor, the difference between sour and bitter is partly determined by acidity, the source of sourness, while bitterness is associated with earth and green leaves. If a dish seems to be falling flat, chefs often recommend adding an acid. In chemical terms, ingredients with a low pH of 0 to 7 are acids — vinegar and lemon have a pH of 2, wine and tomato are at 4, and buttermilk and coffee both have a pH of 4.5. Bitterness is found on the alkaline scale at a pH of 7 to 14.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: EXPISCATE

pronunciation: [EX-pis-keyt]

 

Part of speech: verb

Origin: Latin, 16th century

 

Meaning:

1. To find out by skill or laborious investigation.

2. To search out.

 

Examples:

"Through long periods of interrogation, the detective was eventually able to expiscate the whole story from the suspect."

"When I got in trouble at school, my mother always managed to expiscate the details from my brother."

About Expiscate

This comes from the Latin “expiscatus,” meaning “to fish out,” which itself is formed by combining “ex” (meaning “out”) and “piscari” (meaning “to fish”).

 

Did you Know?

The nature of the action of expiscating is to draw out a truth that someone is trying to keep hidden — or even does not understand to be the truth. As a result, most police interrogations and legal cross-examinations are driven by the desire to expiscate. Rather than simply revealing details already openly available, a police interrogator or cross-examining attorney works to expiscate the truth from a witness or suspect by asking direct and indirect questions that relate to the hidden truth, in the hope of catching them in a contradiction and forcing them to reveal the whole story.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: ATEMPORAL

pronunciation: [ey-TEM-pə-rəl]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Latin, 19th century

 

Meaning:

1. Existing or considered without relation to time.

 

Examples:

"Pauline experienced an atemporal feeling while watching her favorite movie, like time itself stopped as long as it was playing."

"I find myself deeply relaxed any time I’m on a beach vacation, because the ocean itself feels atemporal."

About Atemporal

This word is formed from Latin by adding the negating prefix “a-“ to the adjective “temporal” (from the Latin “temporālis,” meaning “of time”).

 

Did you Know?

“Atemporal” describes those things that exist outside of relation to time or that are unaffected by its passage. The term has been used in movies and TV, especially to describe a storyline that jumps around in time or references many different eras. For example, “Pulp Fiction” and other works by Quentin Tarantino avoid a conventional beginning-middle-end structure while also featuring music and cultural references from different eras. These details give the viewer a sense of being jerked out of traditional narrative chronology into something wilder, a realm where time doesn’t matter as much.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: RESIPISCENCE

pronunciation: [REH-sih-PIH-səns]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Middle French, 16th century

 

Meaning:

1. Repentance combining acknowledgment of wrongdoing and wish to do better in the future.

 

Examples:

"When I realized how I had offended my colleague, I immediately expressed my resipiscence."

"Morton expressed resipiscence for the wild behavior of his younger days."

About Resipiscence

“Resipiscence” is taken directly from a Middle French word based on the Latin “resipīscere,” meaning “to come to one's senses.”

 

Did you Know?

Forgiveness does not require resipiscence, but a show of repentance and a desire to do better can certainly encourage the wronged party to put the past behind them. For example, Earlonne Woods was sentenced in 1997 to decades in San Quentin State Prison after a series of robberies and kidnappings. Over his time in prison, he began to express resipiscence for his actions and the harm he caused to others, and he became the host of the podcast “Ear Hustle,” about life inside the prison. After he expressed his resipiscence and took responsibility for the crimes, California Governor Jerry Brown commuted his sentence and released him from prison in 2018.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: LACERTILIAN

pronunciation: [la-sər-TIL-yən]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Latin, 19th century

 

Meaning:

1. Relating to a reptile of the suborder Lacertilia; a lizard.

2. Lizardlike.

 

Examples:

"The lacertilian beachgoers line up on their towels on the sand every morning."

"Though they have certain lacertilian features, crocodiles are not actually large lizards."

About Lacertilian

“Lacertilian” is taken from the Latin, combining “lacerta” (meaning “lizard”) with the suffix “-ilia” (meaning “similar to”).

 

Did you Know?

Lizards are cold-blooded, but they are more comfortable when they’re warm, which is why they seek out heat and sun. The adjective “lacertilian” might not seem to apply to cats at first, but like lizards, cats adore the warmth of the sun. Cats are warm-blooded creatures, but cats enjoy sitting in patches of sun or on heating pads and electric blankets. External heat allows cats to reach a comfortable temperature without expending effort, leading to the lacertilian behavior of following the warmth.

 

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: SEPTUAGENARIAN

pronunciation: [sep-tə-wə-jə-NER-ee-ən]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Latin, 18th century

 

Meaning:

1. A person who is from 70 to 79 years old.

 

Examples:

"The audience of mostly septuagenarians wanted to hear the band’s hit songs from the 1960s."

"I hope that by the time I am a septuagenarian, I can retire near the beach."

About Septuagenarian

This was taken from the Latin “septuāgēnārius,” meaning “containing 70.”

 

Did you Know?

Septuagenarian refers to someone in their seventh decade of life, but "September" is the ninth month of the year. "Septum" is Latin for "seven," and under the ancient Roman calendar, September was the seventh of 10 months. In 46 BCE, the Julian calendar added January and February to the beginning of the year, and the rest of the months were bumped back.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: DROMEDARY

pronunciation: [DRAH-mə-der-ee]

 

Part of speech: noun

Origin: Old French, 15th century

 

Meaning:

1. An Arabian one-humped camel, especially one of a light and swift breed trained for riding or racing.

 

Examples:

"When we arrived in the town in the Saharan desert, we were surprised to see more dromedaries than horses or cars."

"Nearly 35% of all the dromedaries in the world live in the Horn of Africa."

About Dromedary

“Dromedary” is based closely on the Old French “dromedaire,” itself based on the Latin “dromedarius,” meaning “swift camel.”

 

Did you Know?

Growing as tall as 8 feet, dromedaries lived wild until they were domesticated between four and nine millennia ago. Dromedaries have always been a key part of life in Africa and the Arabian peninsula. The animals have carried both human passengers and cargo, while also nourishing generations with their milk and meat. Though the domesticated animals still appear mainly in the world’s most arid regions, a number of feral dromedaries have established themselves in the wilds of western Australia.

 

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: ANENT

pronunciation: [ə-NENT]

 

Part of speech: preposition

Origin: Old English, pre-13th century

 

Meaning:

1. Concerning; about.

 

Examples:

"I received a letter from the municipality anent increases to local taxes."

"The professor delivered a lecture anent the French Revolution and the Enlightenment."

About Anent

“Anent” is based on the Old English “on efen,” meaning “in line with” or “in company with.”

 

Did you Know?

“Anent” has existed in some form or another since Old English, which appears more like German than modern English. Early on, “anent” had several meanings, including “alongside,” “in line with,” or “along with.” The contemporary meaning of “anent” (“concerning”) has been one of the word’s earliest definitions since the 13th century. As the other definitions have fallen away, use of the term as a synonym for “about” has remained constant. In Scotland, the expressions “thereanent” and “whereanent” are similar to “thereabout” and “whereabout.”

 

Edited December 19, 2024 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

What's the Word: POLYGLOTTAL

pronunciation: [PAH-lee-glaht-əl]

 

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: French, 17th century

 

Meaning:

1. Knowing or using several languages.

2. (Of a book) Having the text translated into several languages.

 

Examples:

"We were grateful to our polyglottal guide, who could translate each of the different local languages into English for us."

"Many readers of T.S. Eliot’s polyglottal poem “The Waste Land” find its array of languages overwhelming."

About Polyglottal

“Polyglottal” is based on the French “polyglotte.” This is derived from the Greek “poluglōttos,” from “polu-“ (meaning “many”) and “glōtta” (meaning “tongue”).

 

Did you Know?

Many Deaf people who use sign language will also learn to read and write in their local spoken language. Deaf people in the United States will usually learn to read and write in English, but they’ll likely also learn American Sign Language (ASL). This makes most Deaf people bilingual. However, many Deaf people learn to read and write in more than one language, and they also may learn different sign languages, becoming polyglottal.