WotD Archives – October 2011

October 31st, 2011

Stygian /STIJ-ee-uhn/
Adjective
1. Of or pertaining to the River Styx or Hades.
2. Dark or gloomy.
3. Infernal; hellish.

October 28th, 2011

Impugn /im-PYOON/
transitive verb
1. To challenge as false (another’s statements, motives, etc.); cast doubt upon.
2. Archaic. To assail (a person) by words or arguments; vilify.

October 27th, 2011

Hopeless Romantic /HOHP-lis roh-MAN-tik/
adjective
1. This person is in love with love.  They believe in fairy tales and love.  They’re not to be confused as stalkers or creepy because that’s not what a hopeless romantic is.  All hopeless romantics are idealists, the sentimental dreamers, the imaginative and the fanciful when you get to know them.  They often live with rose colored glasses on.  They make love look like an art form with all the romantic things they do for their special someone

(From the Urban Dictionary)

Also see.

October 26th, 2011

Mezzanine /MEZ-uh-neen/
noun
1. The lowest balcony or forward part of such a balcony in a theater.

October 21st, 2011

Serendipity /ser-uhn-DIP-i-tee/
noun
1. An aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.
2. Good fortune; luck.

October 20th, 2011

Tawdry /TAW-dree/
adjective
1. Gaudy, showy and cheap.
2. Low or mean; base: tawdry motives.
noun
1. Cheap, gaudy apparel.

October 19th, 2011

Attrition /uh-TRISH-uhn/
adjective
1. A gradual, natural reduction in membership or personnel, as through retirement, resignation, or death.
2. A gradual diminution in number or strength.

October 18th, 2011

Salient /SEY-lee-uhnt/
adjective
1. Strikingly conspicuous; prominent.  “A salient argument.”

October 17th, 2011

Aesopian /ee-SOH-pee-un/
adjective
1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of Aesop or his fables.
2. Conveying an innocent meaning to an outsider but a hidden meaning to a member of a conspiracy or underground movement.

October 14th, 2011

Caveat /KAV-ee-aht/
noun
1. A warning or caution; admonition.

October 13th, 2011

Miasma /my-AZ-muh/
noun
1. Noxious emissions: smoke, vapors, etc., especially those from decaying organic matter.
2. An oppressive or unpleasant atmosphere.

October 12th, 2011

Levity /LEV-ih-tee/
noun
1. Lightness of mind, character, or behavior; lack of appropriate seriousness or earnestness.

October 11th, 2011

Picaresque /pik-uh-RESK/
adjective
1. Of or relating to humorous or satiric fiction describing, in a series of episodes, the adventures of a roguish hero.
2. Of or relating to rogues or scoundrels.

October 10th, 2011

Clandestine /klan-DES-tin/
adjective
1. Kept or done in secret, often in order to conceal an illicit or improper purpose. “The CIA maintains clandestine operations in many countries.”

October 6th, 2011

Vesuvian /vuh-SOO-vee-uhn/
adjective
1. Volcanic; of, pertaining to, or resembling Mount Vesuvius.
noun
2. A type of match formerly used for lighting cigars; fusee.

October 5th, 2011

Arduous /AHR-joo-uhs/
adjective
1. Demanding great effort or labor; difficult: “An arduous undertaking.”
2. Testing severely the powers of endurance; strenuous: “A long, arduous, and exhausting war.”

October 4th, 2011

Antithesis /an-TITH-uh-sis/
noun
1. Direct contrast; opposition.
2. The direct or exact opposite: “Hope is the antithesis of despair.”

October 3rd, 2011

Oxymoron /ok-si-MOHR-on/
noun
1. A phrase in which two words of contradictory meaning are used together for special effect, for example, “wise fool” or “to make haste slowly.”