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by Dr. Goodword
Mon Mar 18, 2024 6:45 pm
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: Enteric
Replies: 0
Views: 25

Enteric

• enteric • Pronunciation: en- ter -rik • Hear it! Part of Speech: Adjective Meaning: 1. Pertaining to the intestines or, more generally, the digestive tract. 2. Designed to pass through the stomach unaltered and disintegrate in the intestines. Notes: Here is a word that has become much more useful...
by Dr. Goodword
Sun Mar 17, 2024 6:20 pm
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: Bonkers
Replies: 0
Views: 29

Bonkers

• bonkers • Pronunciation: bawng -kêrz • Hear it! Part of Speech: Adjective Meaning: 1. Crazy. nuts, balmy, daft, loony, bananas, meshuga. 2. (British navy slang) Tipsy, light-headed, mildly drunk. Notes: Today's word is a rather funny synonym of crazy. It contains a very rare suffix, -ers, which p...
by Dr. Goodword
Sat Mar 16, 2024 10:09 pm
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: Blarney
Replies: 0
Views: 41

Blarney

• blarney • Pronunciation: blahr -nee • Hear it! Part of Speech: Noun, mass Meaning: 1. Persuasive cajolery, eloquent flattery, silver tongued speech. 2. Nonsense, poppy-cock; foolish, misleading talk. Notes: Today's word is a lexical orphan, albeit an unusual one. It is unusual for a noun to refer...
by Dr. Goodword
Fri Mar 15, 2024 5:15 pm
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: Obfuscate
Replies: 0
Views: 40

Obfuscate

• obfuscate • Pronunciation: ahb -fê-skayt • Hear it! Part of Speech: Verb, transitive Meaning: 1. To dim or darken, to obscure by light deprivation or other means. 2. To make confusing, to obscure the meaning of, to make less comprehensible. Notes: The spelling of this word is rather easy since th...
by Dr. Goodword
Thu Mar 14, 2024 9:01 pm
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: Relic
Replies: 0
Views: 36

Relic

• relic • Pronunciation: re -lik • Hear it! Part of Speech: Noun Meaning: 1. An object or idea that has survived history in ways others in their class have not, a remnant. 2. An object or idea cherished for its association with a famous historical or religious figure, a memento. Notes: Today's word...
by Dr. Goodword
Wed Mar 13, 2024 6:53 pm
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: Funambulism
Replies: 0
Views: 39

Funambulism

• funambulism • Pronunciation: fê- næm -byê-li-zêm • Hear it! Part of Speech: Noun Meaning: 1. Rope or wire walking, tightrope or slack-rope, highwire, or skywalk. 2. A delicate complicated maneuver requiring a balancing act between two opposing forces. Notes: I love words that lead us down the gar...
by Dr. Goodword
Tue Mar 12, 2024 10:49 pm
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: Hypocorism
Replies: 3
Views: 108

Hypocorism

• hypocorism • Pronunciation: hai-pê- kor -ri-zêm • Hear it! Part of Speech: Noun Meaning: 1. A pet name, a nickname, an unofficial affectionate label. 2. The use of such names. Notes: Here is the word for all shortened names and some labels, including diminutive nicknames like Billy or Jimmy , or ...
by Dr. Goodword
Mon Mar 11, 2024 10:33 pm
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: Furlong
Replies: 0
Views: 48

Furlong

• furlong • Pronunciation: fêr -lawng • Hear it! Part of Speech: Noun Meaning: A unit of length measuring 660 feet, 220 yards, 1/8 of a mile or 201 meters. Notes: Here is a word that is bit dated but still available. If you are a horse-racing fan, you hear it often. It is unrelated to furlough , so...
by Dr. Goodword
Sun Mar 10, 2024 10:48 pm
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: Apricity
Replies: 2
Views: 103

Apricity

• apricity • Pronunciation: ê- pri -si-ti • Hear it! Part of Speech: Noun Meaning: The light or warmth of the sun, especially in winter. Notes: Here is a pretty word with a pleasant meaning that has been crushed under the wheels of time. Actually, before it became a victim of chronology back in the...
by Dr. Goodword
Sat Mar 09, 2024 2:48 pm
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: Luftmensch
Replies: 4
Views: 602

Re: Luftmensch

Monika Freund sent this comment about luftmensch : In German there is a similar expression: Luftnummer . It means, if someone promises something that, upon closer inspection, turns out to be impossible, that is also a „Luftnummer“. “Das ist eine Luftnummer,” is what people say, for example, when som...
by Dr. Goodword
Fri Mar 08, 2024 7:58 pm
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: Meritocracy
Replies: 2
Views: 91

Meritocracy

• meritocracy • Pronunciation: mer-ri- tah -krê-si • Hear it! Part of Speech: Noun Meaning: Governance by people chosen on the basis of merit, for their competence rather than birth, wealth or other criteria. Notes: This word, parallel to democracy , comes with the same full panoply of derivational...
by Dr. Goodword
Thu Mar 07, 2024 11:28 pm
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: Lambaste
Replies: 2
Views: 124

Lambaste

• lambaste • Pronunciation: læm- bayst • Hear it! Part of Speech: Verb, transitive Meaning: No, today's word has nothing to do with basting lamb, not even if you are on the lam: it means 1. to beat or thrash thoroughly or 2. to scold or chastise furiously. Notes: Today's Good Word is a lexical orph...
by Dr. Goodword
Wed Mar 06, 2024 10:34 pm
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: Steeplejack
Replies: 0
Views: 65

Steeplejack

• steeplejack • Pronunciation: stee -pêl-jæk • Hear it! Part of Speech: Noun Meaning: Someone who works on spires, steeples, smokestacks, and other tall structures. Notes: Today we have a word that reached the height of its popularity in 1940 according to Google Books Ngrams. It is a lovely lexical...
by Dr. Goodword
Mon Mar 04, 2024 6:12 pm
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: Fruition
Replies: 0
Views: 61

Fruition

• fruition • Pronunciation: fru- i -shên • Hear it! Part of Speech: Noun, mass Meaning: 1. Successful completion, fulfillment, materialization, intended results. 2. Enjoyment of something possessed. 3. The action of bearing fruit. Notes: Today's word and fruit are other examples of the English habi...
by Dr. Goodword
Sun Mar 03, 2024 11:24 pm
Forum: Good Word Discussion
Topic: Gargantuan
Replies: 2
Views: 112

Gargantuan

• gargantuan • Pronunciation: gahr- gæn -chu-ên • Hear it! Part of Speech: Adjective Meaning: Huge, colossal, gigantic. Notes: Today we have a large word referring to extra large objects. It is the adjective made from an archaic word, Gargantua "a giant". A gargantuist at one time referre...

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