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9/30/11

Ablution

You stand at a newsstand notwithstanding the stand with your brother.

Are you in good standing with your brother?
(answer at bottom)


Ablution
<ah-blew-shun>

Cleaning your body with water.

We had a great ablution in the lake.  The water cleaned us well.

n. [ L. ablutio, fr. abluere: cf. F. ablution.]
1. The act of washing or cleansing; specifically, the washing of the body, or some part of it, as a religious rite.
2. The water used in cleansin



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No.  Notwithstanding means in spite of.
So even though you took a stand with your brother .... you stood there.

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9/29/11

Navel

You go to a navy base.

You see a sailor's navel vessel.

How do I know his shirt is not white?









.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.



















A navel is a belly button.

He is probably not wearing a shirt.

Navel -
1. (Anat.) A mark or depression in the middle of the abdomen; the umbilicus.

Pronounced: <Nay-vel>


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9/28/11

abatement

abatement
<ah-bayt-ment>

To diminish to the point of ending.

The abatement of the rain brought out the sun.


(-ment), n. [OF. abatement, F. abattement.] 1. The act of abating, or the state of being abated; a lessening, diminution, or reduction; removal or putting an end to; as the abatement of a nuisance is the suppression thereof. 2. The amount abated; that which is taken away by way of reduction; deduction; decrease; a rebate or discount allowed. 3. (Her.) A mark of dishonor on an escutcheon. 4. (Law) The entry of a stranger, without right, into a freehold after the death of the last possessor, before the heir or devisee. Blackstone. Defense in abatement, Plea in abatement, (Law), plea to the effect that from some formal defect (e.g. misnomer, want of jurisdiction) the proceedings should be abated.


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PERSNICKETY

PERSNICKETY

<per-snik-et-tee>

Finicky. Fussy.
Unable to choose easily..

Paying too much attention to small details.

You are persnickety. We ran all over town to ten ice-cream stores.... because you will only eat cherry chocolate.

I am not persnickety... I will eat any flavor.

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9/26/11

Abject

Abject
<ab-jekt>

Listen


Being hopeless and sad.

You will never feel abject if you work hard and have good friends.

Sunk to a low condition; down in spirit or hope.

Translations:

Hopeless and sad
आत्मा या आशा में नीचे.
روح یا امید ہے کہ میں نیچے.
يجري حزينة بلا أمل.
Vô vọng và buồn.

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9/25/11

AZURE

AZURE
<azz-shore>

Listen

Bright blue.  The color of  the sky on a clear day.
It was a beautiful day.  The sky was azure.

a. [F. & OSp. azur, Sp. azul, through Ar. from Per. lajaward, or lajuward, lapis lazuli, a blue color, lajawardi, lajuwardi, azure, cerulean, the initial l having been dropped, perhaps by the influence of the Ar. azr-aq azure, blue. Cf. G. lasur, lasurstein, azure color, azure stone, and NL. lapis lazuli.] Sky-blue; resembling the clear blue color of the unclouded sky; cerulean; also cloudless. Azure stone (Min.), the lapis lazuli; also the lazulite.

Az´ure, n.
1. The lapis lazuli. [Obs.]
2. The clear blue color of the sky; also a pigment or dye of this color. ´In robes of azure.´ Wordsworth.
3. The blue vault above; the unclouded sky.   "Not like those steps on heaven’s azure." ~ Milton.
4. (Her.) A blue color, represented in engraving by horizontal parallel lines.


Translations:
English

AZURE
<azz-shore>
Bright blue.  The color of  the sky on a clear day.
It was a beautiful day.  The sky was azure.
Listen

Hindi
नीला
<azz-shore>
नीले उज्ज्वल. एक स्पष्ट दिन पर आसमान का रंग.
यह एक खूबसूरत दिन था. आकाश नीला था.



Urdu
AZURE
<azz-shore>
روشن نیلے رنگ. واضح دن آسمان کا رنگ.
یہ ایک خوبصورت دن تھا. آسمان azure تھا


Arabic
أزرق سماوي
<azz-shore>
مشرق زرقاء. لون السماء في يوم صاف.
كان يوما جميلا. كانت السماء الزرقاء.


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DENIZEN

DENIZEN
 <den-nee-zen>

 A person who lives in a city or country.

A dweller; an inhabitant
A citizen in a city.

The denizens celebrated the new year.  Everyone attended the celebration.


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9/23/11

Etcetera

Etcetera
<et-set-er-ah>


Etcetera means "and the rest".

I like animals.  I like cats, dogs, horses and Etcetera .
In the example above... it means "and all other animals".
Etcetera is a Latin expression that means "and other things" or "and so forth".
It is often used by English speakers and is spelled as Etcetera or Et cetera.


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9/22/11

EPHEMERAL

EPHEMERAL
<eh-fem-or-ral>

Means:
Short lived.

The sunset is ephemeral.  It's night before you know it.

a. 1. Beginning and ending in a day; existing only, or no longer than, a day; diurnal; as an ephemeral flower. 2. Short-lived; existing or continuing for a short time only. ´Ephemeral popularity.´ V. Knox. “Sentences not of ephemeral, but of eternal, efficacy.” Sir J. Stephen. Ephemeral fly (Zoöl.), one of a group of neuropterous insects, belonging to the genus Ephemera and many allied genera, which live in the adult or winged state only for a short time. The larvae are aquatic; — called also day fly and May fly.

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9/21/11

Acrimonious

Acrimonious
ak-ree-moan-ee-iss

To have a bitter temper.

I never feel acrimonious when I hold my cat. He cheers me up.


a. [Cf. LL. acrimonious, F. acrimonieux.] 1. Acrid; corrosive; as acrimonious gall. [Archaic] Harvey. 2. Caustic; bitter-tempered’ sarcastic; as acrimonious dispute, language, temper.
Memory Trick;

A crimon ious - reminds of - A crime not to be harmonious.
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9/20/11

Preternatural

Preternatural

<pre-tur-nat-tur-ral>

Something unusual that is not magical or supernatural.

It was preternatural to find turtles on my car.
 a. [Pref. preter + natural.] Beyond of different from what is natural, or according to the regular course of things, but not clearly supernatural or miraculous; strange; inexplicable; extraordinary; uncommon; irregular; abnormal; as a preternatural appearance; a preternatural stillness; a preternatural presentation (in childbirth) or labor. “This vile and preternatural temper of mind.” South. Syn. — See Supernatural
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9/19/11

INELEGANCE

 INELEGANCE
<in-el-lee-gants>

Not refined.  Not classy.  Not elegant. Lacking good taste. Drab.

The inelegance of the ugly duckling contrasted against the elegant beautiful swan.


We were amazed at the inelegance of his hat.  It was dirty and filled with holes.

Memory Trick:
ineligible to be elegant

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ASSUAGEMENT

ASSUAGEMENT
Pronounced: <AH-SWAY-JE-MENT>

Means: To give relief.

My use: Having a foot bath is an assuagement for sore feet.



Literary:
Do you find amusment,
to take your cares away,
then it is an assuagement,
and makes better your day
~ E. Carruthers

Memory trick:
ass . uage . ment
ass reminds of assist
uage sounds like away
assist  away

n. [OF. assouagement, asuagement.] Mitigation; abatement.

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9/17/11

Obfuscate

Obfuscate

 <ob-few-skate>

 To hide something with something hard to see or understand.

Butterflies obfuscate my view of  the tree.  They are everywhere and cover it completely.



a. [L. obfuscatus, p. p. of obfuscare to darken; ob (see Ob-) + fuscare, fuscatum, to darken, from fuscus dark.] Obfuscated; darkened; obscured. [Obs.] [Written also offuscate.] Sir. T. Elyot.

Ob•fus´cate , v. t. [imp. & p. p. Obfuscated p. pr. & vb. n. Obfuscating.] To darken; to obscure; to becloud; hence, to confuse; to bewilder. “His head, like a smokejack, the funnel unswept, and the ideas whirling round and round about in it, all obfuscated and darkened over with fuliginous matter.” Sterne. “Clouds of passion which might obfuscate the intellects of meaner females.” Sir. W. Scott.

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9/16/11

MEA CULPA

MEA CULPA

<may-ah-kul-pa>

Means:  My mistake.  Admitting a personal error or fault.


"I left the cake out in the rain.  Mea culpa.  It won't happen again."


Mea culpa is a Latin phrase that translates into English as "my mistake" or "my fault".

It is often used by English speakers as a way to avoid saying "My mistake" in English - while admitting the mistake.

It often means that the speaker does not think the mistake was important.




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9/15/11

Obdurate

Obdurate
 
Pronounced:
< Ob-jer-rit >
(looks like rate, but is said like rite)

It means:
Not moved by pity.
Stubborn against good advice.

Daily use:
The obdurate boss would not listen to our complaints.
We still had to work late.
obdurate
ob
(reminds of)  =  object or refuse
dur (reminds of) = duration or forever
ate (reminds of)  =  ate or already eaten
I object forever to your words, I have already eaten my own words

Listen: Obdurate

a. [L. obduratus, p. p. of obdurare to harden; ob (see Ob-)+ durare to harden, durus hard. See Dure.] 1. Hardened in feelings, esp. against moral or mollifying influences; unyielding; hard-hearted; stubbornly wicked. “The very custom of evil makes the heart obdurate against whatsoever instructions to the contrary.” Hooker. “Art thou obdurate, flinty, hard as steel, Nay, more than flint, for stone at rain relenteth?” Shak. 2. Hard; harsh; rugged; rough; intractable. ´Obdurate consonants.´ Swift. Sometimes accented on the second syllable, especially by the older poets. “There is no flesh in man’s obdurate heart.” Cowper. Syn. — Hard; firm; unbending; inflexible; unyielding; stubborn; obstinate; impenitent; callous; unfeeling; insensible; unsusceptible. — Obdurate, Callous, Hardened. Callous denotes a deadening of the sensibilities; as. a callous conscience. Hardened implies a general and settled disregard for the claims of interest, duty, and sympathy; as hardened in vice. Obdurate implies an active resistance of the heart and will aganst the pleadings of compassion and humanity. — Ob´du•rate•ly (#), adv.Ob´du•rate•ness, n.

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9/14/11

Perdition

Perdition
<per-dish-shun>

With family and friends...
... perdition is never your condition.
.
.
.
.
Perdition means complete loss or destruction of something.

n. [F., fr. L. perditio, fr. perdere, perditum, to ruin, to lose; per (cf. Skr. para away) + -dere (only in comp.) to put; akin to Gr. , E. do. See Do.] 1. Entire loss; utter destruction; ruin; esp., the utter loss of the soul, or of final happiness in a future state; future misery or eternal death. “The mere perdition of the Turkish fleet.” Shak. “If we reject the truth, we seal our own perdition.” J. M. Mason. 2. Loss of diminution. [Obs.] Shak.

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9/13/11

Eschew

Eschew
<eh-shoo>


To shun or avoid.


(es•chu´), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Eshewed (-chu´d); p. pr. & vb. n. Eshewing.] [OF. eschever, eschiver, eskiver, F. esquiver, fr. OHG. sciuhen, G. scheuen; akin to E. sky. See Shy, a.] 1. To shun; to avoid, as something wrong, or from a feeling of distaste; to keep one’s self clear of. “They must not only eschew evil, but do good.” Bp. Beveridge. 2. To escape from; to avoid. [Obs.] “He who obeys, destruction shall eschew.” Sandys.

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9/12/11

SEXAGENARIAN

SEXAGENARIAN

<Seks-ah-jen-air-ee-an>

A person who is sixty years old.

a. [L. sexagenarius, fr. sexageni sixty each, akin to sexaginta sixty, sex six: cf. sexagenaire. See Six.] Pertaining to, or designating, the number sixty; poceeding by sixties; sixty years old. Sexagenary arithmetic. See under Sexagesimal. — Sexagenary, or Sexagesimal, scale (Math.), a scale of numbers in which the modulus is sixty. It is used in treating the divisions of the circle.

Sex•ag´e•na•ry, n. 1. Something composed of sixty parts or divisions. 2. A sexagenarian. Sir W. Scott.

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9/11/11

AGGRANDIZE

AGGRANDIZE

<ah-grand-dyes>

Aggrandize means to make bigger.

v. t. [imp. & p. p. Aggrandized ; p. pr. & vb. n. Aggrandizing .] [F. agrandir; à (L. ad) + grandir to increase, L. grandire, fr. grandis great. See Grand, and cf. Finish.] 1. To make great; to enlarge; to increase; as to aggrandize our conceptions, authority, distress. 2. To make great or greater in power, rank, honor, or wealth; — applied to persons, countries, etc. “His scheme for aggrandizing his son.
Prescott.3. To make appear great or greater; to exalt. Lamb. Syn. — To augment; exalt; promote; advance.

Ag´gran•dize, v. i. To increase or become great. [Obs.] “Follies, continued till old age, do aggrandize.
J. Hall.”


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9/10/11

Terminus

Terminus
 <term-meen-nis>

A final goal.  A boundary. A finish point.

"THE END" is the terminus for a movie.

n.; pl. Termini (#). [L. See Term.] 1. Literally, a boundary; a border; a limit. 2. (Myth.) The Roman divinity who presided over boundaries, whose statue was properly a short pillar terminating in the bust of a man, woman, satyr, or the like, but often merely a post or stone stuck in the ground on a boundary line. 3. Hence, any post or stone marking a boundary; a term. See Term, 8. 4. Either end of a railroad line; also the station house, or the town or city, at that place.

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PROPITIOUS

PROPITIOUS

<pro-pish-us>

Convenient. Favorable. Kind.

The weather today is propitious.

Memory Trick:
prop.it.ious = proper it to us

a. [L. propitius, perhaps originally a term of augury meaning, flying forward (pro) or well; cf. Skr. pat to fly, E. petition, feather.] 1. Convenient; auspicious; favorable; kind; as a propitious season; a propitious breeze. 2. Hence, kind; gracious; merciful; helpful; - - said of a person or a divinity. Milton. “And now t’ assuage the force of this new flame,
And make thee [Love] more propitious in my need.” Spenser. Syn. — Auspicious; favorable; kind. — Propitious, Auspicious. Auspicious (from the ancient idea of auspices, or omens) denotes ´indicative of success,´ or ´favored by incidental occurrences;´ as an auspicious opening; an auspicious event. Propitious denotes that which efficaciously protect us in some undertaking, speeds our exertions, and decides our success; as propitious gales; propitious influences. — Pro•pi´tious•ly, adv.Pro•pi´tious•ness, n.


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9/9/11

FACILE

FACILE
<fa-seel>

Facile means easy to do.
Easy to master

That project was facile. I finished it ahead of time.

Memory trick:
fa - for
cile - seal

for seal - so easy a seal can do it.

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9/8/11

PRODIGAL

PRODIGAL
Pronounced: prody-gul

Means: Extravagant spending. Reckless use of money.
“When the blood burns, how prodigal the soul Lends the tongue vows.”
- William Shakespeare -

You are a prodigal person.  You did not need to buy ten cars.

Memory Trick
prod – i – gal
prod reminds of product
i reminds of I or me
gal reminds of gallon or a lot
products I buy by the gallon

Listen: Prodigal

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9/6/11

PROGENY

PROGENY 

<pra-jen-nee>

A child or offspring.


Your progeny is beautiful.  She looks just like her mother!


n. [OE. progenie, F. progenie, fr. L. progenies, fr. progignere. See Progenitor.] Descendants of the human kind, or offspring of other animals; children; offspring; race, lineage. ´ Issued from the progeny of kings.´ Shak.

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9/5/11

ANIMUS

ANIMUS
<an-ee-mus>

Animus means to have a bad temper.

You can make your day better by having no animus to anyone.

n.; pl. Animi . [L., mind.] Animating spirit; intention; temper. nimus furandi [L.] (Law), intention of stealing.

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9/3/11

ENERVATED

ENERVATED
<en-er-vay-ted>

Enervated means tired or worn out.

It also means debilitate, exhaust or fatigue.


I ran for two hours.  The hot sun made me enervated.


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Antipode


Antipode
<an-tee-pohd>

The exact opposite of.

Out is the antipode of in.

n. One of the antipodes; anything exactly opposite. “In tale or history your beggar is ever the just antipode to your king.
Lamb.” The singular, antipode, is exceptional in formation, but has been used by good writers. Its regular English plural would be an´ti•podes, the last syllable rhyming with abodes, and this pronunciation is sometimes heard. The plural form (originally a Latin word without a singular) is in common use, and is pronounced, after the English method of Latin, an•tip´o•dez. 


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9/2/11

Pro Forma

Pro Forma
<pro-for-ma>

Comes from the Latin term meaning "for the sake of form"..

It means to do something that is always done.

It is something that is necessary to do,  but done mostly the same way every time.

For example:
It is pro forma that I lock my door when I leave the house.  ~ since you always do it... it is a habit or a ritual.

When you start a new job... it is pro forma that you fill out forms.
It is something done by everyone and is considered a formality (something done because it has always been done that way).

Very often... no one knows why a pro form thing is done,  because it's been done that way for so long.

When someone says that filling out a form is pro forma - they mean it is not only for you to do - but everyone has to fill out that form.




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9/1/11

ANTONYM

ANTONYM
<Ant-o-nim>

Antonym means a word with an opposite meaning to another word.



Up is an antonym to down.

n. [Gr. a word used in substitution for another; + , , a word.] A word of opposite meaning; a counter term; — used as a correlative of synonym. [R.] C. J. Smith.

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IMMUTABLE

  IMMUTABLE <Im-mute-ah-bul> Unalterable; permanent; total; An unchangeable and undeniable absolute An immutable law never changes bec...