Search found 7441 matches
- Tue Jul 22, 2008 10:49 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: USUFRUCT
- Replies: 1
- Views: 3922
USUFRUCT
• usufruct • Pronunciation: yu -zê-frêkt • Hear it! Part of Speech: Noun, mass (no plural) Meaning: The right to benefit from the use of property belonging to someone else. Notes: Today's Good Word comes from the world of law and hasn't mingled with the general language enough to develop a large fa...
- Mon Jul 21, 2008 10:42 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: SOLILOQUY
- Replies: 5
- Views: 8129
SOLILOQUY
• soliloquy • Pronunciation: sê- li -lê-kwi • Hear it! Part of Speech: Noun Meaning: A monologue, a speech to oneself, a speech made when no one else is present or, on stage, to the audience by one performer. Notes: Usually, if a word ending on a Y is preceded by a vowel, the Y does not change to I...
- Sun Jul 20, 2008 11:57 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: LOGOPHILE
- Replies: 2
- Views: 4705
LOGOPHILE
• logophile • Pronunciation: lah -gê-fail • Hear it! Part of Speech: Noun Meaning: Someone who loves words, a connoisseur of words. Notes: Logophile is a word that we have neglected far too long in our Good Word series. It brings with it an entourage of related words: the adjective logophilic , the...
- Sat Jul 19, 2008 11:25 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: UNCTUOUS
- Replies: 10
- Views: 13504
UNCTUOUS
• unctuous • Pronunciation: êngk -chwês • Hear it! Part of Speech: Adjective Meaning: 1. Overly charming and ingratiating, pretending sincerity, uncomfortably suave and genteel in behavior. 2. Oily, fatty, greasy, rich (food). 3. Rich in nutrients (soil). Notes: Today's good and slippery word comes...
- Fri Jul 18, 2008 11:00 pm
- Forum: Site News
- Topic: A Meeting of Minds
- Replies: 11
- Views: 37132
A Triple Play Would have been Nice
Yes, Paul and I talked about the three of us getting together. I think that would have been coup worth remembering. Too bad. Next time.
Yes, Perry, I would call the switch fair free trade.
Yes, Perry, I would call the switch fair free trade.
- Fri Jul 18, 2008 10:57 pm
- Forum: Site News
- Topic: Rhyming Compounds
- Replies: 7
- Views: 30280
Rhyming Compounds
The latest addition to the site is a glossary of rhyming compounds (sing-song, flip-flop, etc.) along with an essay discussing them. You can get started with them at http://www.alphadictionary.com/articles ... nds00.html
- Fri Jul 18, 2008 10:54 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: SHOAL
- Replies: 1
- Views: 3840
SHOAL
• shoal • Pronunciation: shol • Hear it! Part of Speech: Noun Meaning: 1. A sandbar, a shallower spot in a body of water. 2. A crowd of sea life swimming together in large numbers, a school of sea life. Notes: As the Word History will show, the good doctor is offering two words for the price of one...
- Fri Jul 18, 2008 12:00 am
- Forum: Site News
- Topic: A Meeting of Minds
- Replies: 11
- Views: 37132
A Meeting of Minds
Those of you who know or remember Paul Ogden (I'm not sure what his nickname here is) might like to read my current blog: http://www.alphadictionary.com/blog/?p=223. The Agora gets a passing mention.
- Thu Jul 17, 2008 11:52 pm
- Forum: Res Diversae
- Topic: A Burning Question
- Replies: 8
- Views: 16198
Burning Up and Down
I'm not sure but it would burn me up if he burned my house down.
- Thu Jul 17, 2008 11:48 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: REMORSE
- Replies: 12
- Views: 15776
REMORSE
• remorse • Pronunciation: rê- mors • Hear it! Part of Speech: Noun, mass Meaning: A deep sense of regret, compunction, an embarrassment deriving from guilt combined with repentance. Notes: Today's word comes with a healthy happy family of derivations, all bearing clear resemblances to their father...
- Wed Jul 16, 2008 10:41 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: DISQUISITION
- Replies: 6
- Views: 9268
DISQUISITION
• disquisition • Pronunciation: dis-kwê- zi -shên • Hear it! Part of Speech: Noun Meaning: 1. A diligent investigation, a thorough piece of research. 2. An elaborate analytical essay or a detailed treatise on a research project. Notes: Today's Good Word comes from a very old and distinguished famil...
- Tue Jul 15, 2008 11:24 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: Ajar
- Replies: 9
- Views: 12406
Ajar
• ajar • Pronunciation: ê-j ahr • Hear it! Part of Speech: Adjective, Defective Meaning: 1 . Slightly open (door, window). 2. Disconnected, at odds, out of kilter. Notes: Today's Good Word is what I call in my scholarly research "defective adjectives". I gave them that name (no one else h...
- Mon Jul 14, 2008 10:48 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: INTREPID
- Replies: 1
- Views: 3889
INTREPID
• intrepid • Pronunciation: in- tre -pid • Hear it! Part of Speech: Adjective Meaning: Absolutely fearless. Notes: Today's Good Word is the negation of trepid "timid, fearful", a word we hear less often (Mickey is a trepid little mouse). The noun intrepidity sounds a little odd, so you mi...
- Sun Jul 13, 2008 11:41 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: CONJURE
- Replies: 3
- Views: 6354
CONJURE
• conjure • Pronunciation: kahn -jur • Hear it! Part of Speech: Verb, transitive Meaning: 1. To bring forth by magical power or incantation. 2. To evoke, to bring forth from nowhere unexpectedly. Notes: Although respectable writers have used conjurement as a noun for today's verb, conjuration and c...
- Sat Jul 12, 2008 10:47 pm
- Forum: Good Word Discussion
- Topic: LUSTRATION
- Replies: 3
- Views: 6446
LUSTRATION
• lustration • Pronunciation: lês- tray -shên • Hear it! Part of Speech: Noun, mass Meaning: Ceremonial purification, religious absolution of wrong-doing. Notes: English words based on luster are difficult to keep straight. Luster is a sheen, glowing, or glistening. Unsurprisingly, lustrous means &...