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Word of the week |
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Previous and favourite words of the week, courtesy of dictionary.com |
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Osculation - The act of kissing, also; a kiss
Caitiff - a mean and cowardly person
Sequacious - 1. proceeding smoothly and regularly 2. disposed to follow, especially slavishly
Vexillology - the study of flags
Peculate - to steal money or goods entrusted to one; embezzle
Ablaut - The systematic substitution of one root vowel sound for another in different inflectional forms or derivatives of a word, as in ‘ring, rang, rung’
Invective - vehement denunciation; insulting or abusive language
Vituperation - verbal abuse or castigation; violent denunciation or condemnation
Manichean - pertaining to a dualistic world view, particularly a perpetual contest between forces of dark and light; from the teachings of Mani |
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Horripilation - the act or process of the hair bristling on the skin, as from cold or fear; goose bumps
Pandiculation - an instinctive stretching, as on awakening or while yawning
Defalcate - to steal or misuse money or property entrusted to one's care
Crepuscular - of, pertaining to, or resembling twilight; dim
Thaumaturgy - the performance of miracles or magic
Haptic - relating to the sense of touch; tactile
Heliolatry - worship of the sun
Oscitant - yawning, as with drowsiness; dull, lazy or inattentive
Obloquy - public disgrace
Objurgate - to reproach or denounce vehemently |
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Rhinotillexomania - Obsessive picking of the nose
Homologous - corresponding in position, proportion, structure, value, or other property
Invidious - tending to provoke envy; containing or implying envy or insult
Iambic - a foot or measure in poetry consisting of two syllables, an unaccented followed by an accented or a short syllable followed by a long
Velleity - the lowest degree of desire; imperfect or incomplete volition; a slight wish or inclination
Ruth - Compassion or pity for another; sorrow about one’s own misdeeds or flaws
Noctivagant - Pertaining to going about in the night; night-wandering
Bathos - triteness or triviality in style
Pleonasm - the use of more words than are necessary to express and idea; redundancy; e.g. “free gift” |