New Word A Day - 365 Computer Terms

NEW! 365 Computer Terms! Cartoons!

Apposite

Apposite

<app-o-sit>

Listen: apposite

applicable; fitting; pertinent;

something relevant to something else.

A smile is apposite at a party because everyone is having fun.

Memory trick:
apposite reminds of appropriate.

At work:
Wearing a tie is apposite for a job interview.


© 2016 E. Carruthers

Alacrity

Alacrity

<a-lak-rit-tee>

Listen: Alacrity

cheerfulness; willingness; eagerness;

being quick to have joy and happiness.

I accept your invitation with alacrity.  It will be a great party!

Memory trick:
alacrity rhymes with "a lack of pity".
our lacks are small because we are happy.

At work:
The meeting filled with alacrity when we heard the good news.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers
   

Codicil

Codicil

<kod-dee-sil>

Listen: Codicil

addendum; supplement; appendix;

an addition at the end of a book or report.

I added a codicil to the back of my report. It says where I found the information.

Memory trick:
codicil reminds of "co" "dictionary".
dictionary reminds of words.
we add more words.

At work:
I will add a codicil to the contract that will say when the job will be done.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers 

Importunate

Importunate

< im-poor-choo-nit >

Listen: Importunate

demanding; annoying; persistent;

being a bother at an unlucky time.

The importunate bird tried to get my sandwich.

Memory trick:
importunate reminds of unfortunate.

At work:
Don't make importunate sales calls. Always call after confirming it is a good time.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers

Immoderate

Immoderate

Listen: Immoderate

<im-mod-er-rate>

excessive; extravagant; unreasonable;

having an usually large amount of a thing.

Yesterday the rain was immoderate. Today the sun is shinning.

Memory trick:
im reminds of impossible.
impossible to be moderate.

At work:
Our immoderate orders are a happy surprise. We will work hard to fill them.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers

Quasi

Quasi

< kwayz-eye >

Listen: Quasi

resembling; almost; mock;

to be like something but not exactly.

You are a quasi-teacher. You always have the correct answers.

Memory trick:
quasi reminds of "quack".
if it quacks like a duck... it's a duck.
if it's acts like something... it is that something.

At work:
She is a quasi computer genius. She never studied but she knows it all.


© 2016 E. Carruthers

Fortuitous

Fortuitous

<for-two-ah-tis>

Listen: Fortuitous

unforeseen; unexpected; chance.

something lucky happening at random.

It was fortuitous we met. I was lucky to meet you.

Memory trick:
fortuitous reminds of fortune.

At work:
The surge in sales was fortuitous because we did not expect them.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers

Neophyte

Neophyte

< Knee-Oh-Fight >

novice; newcomer; learner;

A beginner who makes mistakes.

I am not a neophyte. I’ve been playing for a long time. Don't cover your ears.

Memory trick:
Neo means new.

At work:
I was a neophyte programmer but now I am an expert because I took classes.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers
 

Acquisitive

Acquisitive

<ah-qwiz-zit-tiv>

predatory; greedy; materialistic;

being eager to get things, knowledge or money.

The acquisitive squirrel gathered nuts all day. It was happy all winter.

Memory trick:
acquisitive reminds of acquire.
acquire means to get something.

At work:
She is relentlessly acquisitive about accounting. She is the best accountant we have.


Be acquisitive about knowledge.

(c) 2016 E. Carruthers

Carp

Carp

<karp>

nag; whine; gripe;

to constantly complain about little things.

The author did not like the carp of the critics but it made her a better writer.

Memory trick:
a carp is also a fish.
think of an annoying fish.

At work:
The widget now comes in all colors because of the carp from the clients. They did not like black and white.


Enough with the carp!


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers

Acolyte

Acolyte

<ack-koh-lyte>

groupie; assitant; helper;

someone who is a follower.

She was an acolyte of the mystery author. She read every book he wrote.

Memory trick:
acolyte reminds of collie.
a collie is a loyal dog.

At work:
The employee became an acolyte of the CEO. He tried to be like him.

In use:
I will be your acolyte.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers

A neophyte became erudite.

A neophyte became erudite.

neophyte
<nee-oh-fite>

erudite
<err-roo-dyte>

A neophyte became erudite. = A beginner became educated.

neophyte = beginner

erudite = educated

I am a neophyte at computer programming. I have a lot to learn.

She studied for years and became erudite. She wrote books to share her knowledge.

I am not a neophyte. I am erudite.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers

Antagonism

Antagonism

<ant-tag-on-niz-ihm>

hatred; opposition; disagreement;

having open and obvious hostility.

A cat and dog will not have antagonism if they are raised together.

Memory trick:
antagonism reminds of anti.
anti means opposite.

At work:
A meeting will remove the antagonism between you two. I am sure you will become friends.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers
 

Malediction

Malediction

<mahl-lah-dik-shun>

curse; jinx; hex;

a magical words used to put a bad spell on someone.

He thinks words can put a malediction on his team and they will lose.

Memory trick:
malediction reminds of "mal" or bad.

At work:
She said a malediction when her computer would not start. She said kind words after it started.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers

Derision

Derision

<der-rij-shun>

ridicule; mockery; scorn;

showing contempt with insults and laughter.

The boys wailed with derision when his hat blew off and he had to chase it.

Memory trick:
derision reminds of deride.
deride means to mock.

At work:
Never react with derision to any question the client may ask. There is no such thing as a stupid question.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers

Posit

Posit

<paz-it>

propose; presume; suppose;

to assume something is going to happen;

It is safe to posit the sun will rise in the morning. It is sure to happen.

Memory trick:
posit reminds of positive.
I am positive it will come true.

At work:
We can posit sales will rise when we reduce our prices. We will have more sales.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers
 

Obsequious

Obsequious
 
<ahb-seek-qwee-us>
 
servile; subservient; slavish;
 
being submissive and groveling.
 
She is not obsequious. She gives her opinion and stands up for herself.
 
Memory trick:
obsequious reminds of obsessed.
we flatter and fawn when we are obsessed.
 
At work:
I don't want obsequious employees. I want people who are willing to speak up.
 

(c) 2016 E. Carruthers
 

Knotty

Knotty

<not-tee>

complicated; tricky; puzzling;

something difficult to understand.

The math question was a knotty problem. I could not figure it out.

Memory trick:
You have to solve a knot to untie it.

At work:
The bugs in the computer program was a knotty problem. We rebuilt it instead of fixing it.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers
 

Seminal

Seminal

<sem-in-nahl>

major; influential; formative;

something important that leads to later events.

The invention of the wheel was a seminal development. It changed the world.

Memory trick:
seminal reminds of minimal.
we grow from a minimal point.

At work:
The discovery was a seminal moment. It led to products that made us a fortune.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers
 

Opprobrious

Opprobrious

<ah-pro-bre-us>

abusive; hurting; humiliating;

showing hate or scorn.

The boy gave the vegetables an opprobrious look. He smiled when butter was added.

Memory trick:
opprobrious reminds of oppose.

At work:
He decided not to send the opprobrious email. He wanted to think of something positive to write.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers

Apocryphal

Apocryphal

<ah-pok-ruh-fil>

untrue; mythical; false;

a false story or idea widely believed to be true.

The earth is flat was an apocryphal belief. Everyone thought it was true.

Memory trick:
apo - CRY - phal
remember the boy who cried wolf - a story about a lying.

At work:
We had an apocryphal faith in the product. We had to rebuild it because the quality was not good.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers

Ossify

Ossify

<oss-sih-feye>

rigid; harden; stiffen;

to become hard due to time.

You must finish before the paint can ossify. It is hard to paint when the canvas gets stiff.

Memory trick:
ossify reminds of "iffy".
it becomes "iffy" to change it when it gets hard.


At work:
A bad computer program will ossify and become impossible to fix. Program it correctly from the start.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers
 

Prevaricate

Prevaricate

<preh-vair-rah-kayte>

fib; distort; con;

to lie by exaggerating the truth.

It's easier to tell the truth. You have to remember your lies when you prevaricate.

Memory trick:
prevaricate reminds of fabricate.
fabricate means to create something.

At work:
The secret to marketing is to prevaricate. The secret to making a customer happy is to deliver more than you promised.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers
 

Iconoclast

Iconoclast

<eye-kahn-nah-klast>

heretic; rebel; cynic;

someone who is a critic of an established institution.

He is an iconoclast and never celebrates birthdays. He does not believe in the tradition.

Memory trick:
iconoclast reminds of "icon blast".
we blast old icons.

At work:
He disagrees with the classical methods of design. He thinks they are ineffective.


(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Feint

Feint

<faynt>

hoax; trick; bluff;

to deceive someone by pretending to do something.

The player did a feint to the left and ran to the right. He made his opponent trip.

Memory trick:
feint reminds of faint or to become dizzy.
we faint when we are tricked.

At work:
The realtor fell for the feint that we did not want the office. We pretended to not want it so we could get a better price.

(c) 2016 E. Carruthers
 

Apathetic

Apathetic

<ah-pah-thed-tik>

indifferent; uninterested; unmoved;

being in an uncaring state.

The apathetic dog ignored the annoying cat and stayed asleep.

Memory trick:
Apathetic reminds of apathy.

At work:
Be less apathetic when you greet customers. Greet them with a smile.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers
 

Parity

Parity

<pah-rit-tee>

unity; balance; uniformity;

being equal in amount or quantity.

The artist gave me a valuable painting. It was in parity to the money I would have received.

Memory trick:
parity reminds of pair.
two alike things are a pair.

At work:
The parity of the deal was good. We get new clients and they get our technology. It was an equal exchange.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers 
 

Condone

Condone

<kond-own>

accept; ignore; excuse;

to allow someone to do something.

I don't condone loud music at night. I like it nice and quiet.

Memory trick:
condone reminds of con.
we are con when we oppose something.

At work:
We condone staying late to work because the quiet is productive.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers
 

Willful

Willful

<wil-full>

headstrong; uncooperative; adamant;

being stubborn and unwilling to cooperate.

The willful boy refused to share his toys with the other children.

Memory trick:
willful reminds of "will full".
we don't cooperate when we are filled with will.

At work:
You must be patient with a willful customer. Solve their problem and win a customer for life.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers
 

Cardinal

Cardinal

<kard-en-nul>

primary; pivotal; essential;

the most important element or key thing.

The cardinal rule for running is to lift your knees and pump your elbows.

Memory trick:
cardinal reminds of card.
we have an instruction card for what is important.

At work:
The cardinal requirement of a salesperson is to greet with a smile.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers

Foment

Foment

<foh-meant>

instigate; incite; whip up;

to provoke someone into doing something.

I don't want to foment trouble between us. I will share my cookies with you.

Memory trick:
foment reminds of foam.
we get foam when we stir something.

At work:
He was trouble and would foment discontent in his fellow employees. Things are peaceful now since he left.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers
 

Fly-by-night

Fly-by-night

<fleye-bye-nite>

dishonest; deceitful; crooked;

being unreliable and untrustworthy.

My friend is not a fly-by-night person. I know I can trust him.

Memory trick:
a dishonest person flees in the cover of darkness.

At work.
We did not sign the contract with that fly-by-night company. They were stealing from clients.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers

Truncate

Truncate

<trun-kayte>

abbreviate; condense; abridge;

to shorten something by cutting things out.

You have to truncate a message when you send it on twitter. Long sentences are not allowed.

Memory trick:
truncate reminds of trunk.
we put things in a trunk and have less.

At work:
You need to truncate your advertisement. You only have a few seconds to grab their attention.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers

Encomium

Encomium

<en-kome-me-um>

eulogy; accolade; compliment;

something written praising someone.

The critic showered an encomium on the author. It was a great tribute.

Memory trick:
encomium reminds of economy or money.
we make a good economy for someone we praise.

At work:
We composed an encomium for his retirement party. He will be missed.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers

Mutinous

Mutinous

<mute-tin-nus>

rebel; defiant; riotous;

someone rebelling against authority.

The mutinous dog chased the stick and refused to bring it back.

Memory trick:
mutinous reminds of staying mute or refusing to talk.
we are mute when we refuse to answer.

At work:
The  mutinous employee did not show up because he did not like his assignment.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers 

Gratis

Gratis

<grat-tis>

free; gift; complimentary;

something given without charging money.

Our rooms were provided gratis. We did not pay a dime.

Memory trick:
gratis reminds of grateful.
we are grateful for a free gift.

At work:
We will give the computers gratis to the school. It's a way to give back to the community.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers
 

Diverge

Diverge

<deye-verj>

split; deviate; separate;

to go off a path in a different direction.

We decided to diverge onto the exit and and leave the main road.

Memory trick:
di reminds of two.
verge means to approach.
we approach the second way.

At work:
Our concepts are starting to diverge. We need a meeting to get on the same page.


(c) 2015 E. Carruthers 

Malingerer

Malingerer

<mah-ling-ger-ruh>

loafer; dodger; shirker;

someone who slacks off from work - often by lying about being sick.

The man is a malingerer. He is out sick but I saw him at the gym.

Memory trick:
malingerer reminds of malign or lie.
linger reminds of something constant and lasting.
a lie that lasts.

At work:
I think she is a malingerer. We need to ask for a note from the doctor.


(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Proponent

Proponent

<proh-poan-nent>

advocate; backer; patron;

a person who supports a cause.

I am a proponent of eating vegetables because they are good for you.

Memory trick:
proponent reminds of pro.

At work:
He is a proponent of good testing. He never releases bad programs.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers

Complaisant

Complaisant

<Kum-play-sant>

compliant; docile; accommodating;

being agreeable and wanting to please.

The complaisant dog waited for her command. It was friendly and obedient.

Memory trick:
complaisant reminds of "come pleasant".

At work:
Your complaisant and happy. It is a pleasure to work with you.


(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Censorious

Censorious

<sen-soar-ree-us>

disapproving; condemning; denouncing;

being extremely critical;

The first review was censorious but great reviews followed. The play was a success.

Memory trick:
censorious reminds of censor.
censor means to block out something.
we censor the unlikable.

At work:
The censorious complaints are well deserved. We need to do a better job.


(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Ratify

Ratify

<rat-tuh-feye>

affirm; okay; endorse;

to authorize something with approval.

The town did ratify the new parking rules. You can park there all day.

Memory trick:
we rate it when we agree with it.

At work:
We decided to ratify the terms of the contract. We can now sign it.


(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
 

Nettle

Nettle

<net-tul>

annoy; provoke; harass;

to do something to upset someone.

The cat liked to nettle the dog. He liked to be chased.

Memory trick:
think of the nettles on a rose.
they are meant to bother you.

The product problems will nettle the customers. We must delay the launch.


(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
 

Inundate

Inundate

<in-nen-dayte>

flood; overrun; swamp;

to overload or overwhelm beyond capacity.

The rain would soon inundate my garden with water. I could not see the vegetables.

Memory trick:
inundate reminds of "in under".

At work:
We should not inundate them with too much work. We need to manage their projects.


(c) 2015 E. Carruthers 

Goad

Goad

<gode>

incite; prod; provoke;

to urge someone until they do something.

I used a treat to goad the dog into my car. We became friends forever.

Memory trick:
goad reminds of go.
we make them go.

At work:
A demonstration will goad the customer into buying. You always get a sale.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers

Imperturbable

Imperturbable

iym-per-terb-bab-bul

composed; cool; sedate;

being calm and assured.

The imperturbable actress carried on after she forgot her lines. No one knew it.

Memory trick:
imperturbable reminds of impervious.
impervious means to not let anything pass through.

At work:
He was imperturbable and continued the presentation after the prototype fell apart.


(c) 2016 E. Carruthers

Ostracize

Ostracize

<oss-tra-size>

shun; reject; exile;

to snub someone and to ignore them.

Memory trick:
ostracize reminds of ostrich.
an ostrich is a solitary bird and keeps to itself.

At work:
We can't ostracize the project manager. We all need to work together.


(c) 2015 E. Carruthers