Nov 27, 2018

2018's Last Words

Word gatherings from my last few months' readings... faves in bold as always. 
  • descant - talk tediously or at length
  • apposite - apt in the circumstance or in relation to something
  • argot - jargon or slang of a particular group or class
  • atonal - not written in any key or mode
  • interlocutor - a person who takes part in a dialogue or conversation
  • dipsomaniac - a drunkard or alcoholic
  • anomie - lack of usual social or ethical standards in an individual or group
  • parlous - full of danger or uncertainty; precarious
  • quiddity - a distinctive feature; a perculiarity
  • libertine - a person who behaves w/o moral principles or sense of responsibility
  • peripeteia - a sudden reversal of fortune or change in circumstances
  • miff - annoy
  • striae - a linear mark, slight ridge, or groove on a surface
  • plangent - (of a sound) loud, reverberating, and often melancholy
  • suzerainty - overlordship
  • cachet - the state of being respected or admired; prestige
  • oriflamme - a scarlet banner or knight's standard
  • avuncular - relating to an uncle
  • consanguineous - denoting people descended from the same ancestor
  • hoyden - a boisterous girl
  • decoction - the liquor resulting from concentrating the essence of a substance by heating or boiling, especially a medicinal preparation made from a plant
  • denizen - an inhabitant or occupant of a particular place; or a foreigner afforded certain rights in the adopted country
  • nostrum - a pet scheme or favorite remedy, especially one for bringing about social/political reform
  • postern - back or side entrance
  • ululate - howl or wail as an expression of strong emotion, typically grief
  • purblind - slow or unable to understand; dimwitted
  • mordant - (of humor) having/showing a sharp, critical quality; biting
  • peregrinations - a journey, especially a long or meandering one
  • calumny - the making of false/defamatory statements to damage someone's reputation; slander
  • gestalt - an organized whole that is perceived as more than the sum of its parts
  • codicil - an addition or supplement that explains/modifies/or revokes a will or part of one
  • funerary - relating to a funeral or the commencement of the dead
  • perforce - used to express necessity or inevitability

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