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Click hereWhenever I read, I keep a pencil handy and I underline words that I don’t know and dog ear the page so that I can go back and look them up in the dictionary. I have always been interested in etymology and even took Latin for three years. I hope that these words can help all of us in our writings. Be sure to check out your dictionary for additional usages of the words and spellings associated with changing the word from adjective to adverb to noun … etc.
ONSLAUGHT
noun
Pronounced: ON-slot
Meaning: An especially fierce attack.
Example: The Britons were unable to withstand theonslaught of the Saxons.
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FERETORY
noun
Pronounced: FAIR-a-tor-ee
Meaning: A place for keeping an ornate coffin for the relics of a saint.
Example: Every two hours, the monks at the shrine of St. Dionysios in Greece perform a prayer service and open theferetory for viewing.
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BREVITY
noun
Pronounced: BREV-it-tee
Meaning: Expression in a few words.
Polonius told Queen Gertrude that “brevity is the soul of wit.”
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HIEROPHANT
noun
Pronounced: HIGH-ro-fant
Meaning: A priest in ancient Greece.
Example: Thehierophant portrayed in Tim’s history book was dressed in an animal skin and wore a crown of leaves.
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PEJORATIVE
adjective
Pronounced: puh-JOR-a-tiv
Meaning: Having a tendency to make or become worse.
Example: The critic’spejorative comments angered the entire cast.
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MNESTIC
adjective
Pronounced: NES-tik
Meaning: Of or relating to memory or the persistent effect of past experience of an individual.
Example: Granny spends much of her time reminiscing and performing othermnestic activities.
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QUELLABLE
adjective
Pronounced: KWEL-a-bull
Meaning: Capable of being quieted.
Example: The restless crowd provedquellable at the sight of the entertainer they’d come to see.
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ERADICATE
verb
Pronounced: ee-RAD-i-kate
Meaning: To do away with or destroy completely.
Example: Many wheat farmers use aerial sprays toeradicate weeds, diseases and insect pests from their fields.
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VITREOUS
adjective
Pronounced: VIT-tree-us
Meaning: Of, relating to, derived from or consisting of glass.
Example: The hugevitreous wall of skyscrapers reflected the mountains and the sunset.
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CHIVALRY
noun
Pronounced: SHIV-al-ree
Meaning: Qualifications or character of the ideal knight according to the romantic tradition of courtesy, gallantry and honor.
Example: To the knights of the Round Table,chivalry was of primary importance.
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LITURGICAL
adjective
Pronounced: lih-TUR-gick-kal
Meaning: Of, relating to or having the characteristics of ceremonial or ritualistic worship.
Example: The priest donned hisliturgicalvestments before the mass.
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AFFINITY
noun
Pronounced: uh-FIN-nit-tee
Meaning: Sympathy, especially as marked by community of interest.
Example: Marie felt anaffinity with the new chess prodigy, remembering how she had followed Bobby Fischer’s early career many years before.
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JARGON
noun
Pronounced: JAR-gun
Meaning: The technical terminology or characteristic idiom of specialists or workers in a particular activity or area of knowledge.
Example: Anna was sure the computer programmers were speaking English, but theirjargon made it impossible for her to understand what they were saying.
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SCOFFLAW
noun
Pronounced: SKOFF-law
Meaning: A contemptuous lawbreaker, especially one who ignores parking tickets.
Example: Thescofflaw tore up his ticket in front of the police officer and subsequently fined $500.
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GNOMIC
adjective
Pronounced: NO-mick
Meaning: Characterized by expressive of moralistic wisdom especially concerning human condition or conduct.
Example: The calendar contained 12 Norman Rockwell illustrations, each accompanied by agnomic sentiment.
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KINETIC
adjective
Pronounced: kin-EH-tick
Meaning: Relating to the motion of matter and the forces and energy associated therewith.
Example: Thekinetic theory of gases treats each molecule in a gas as a point, which has mass but negligible volume.
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DIAPHANOUS
adjective
Pronounced: die-AF-fan-nuss
Meaning: Characterized by such fineness and delicacy of nature as to permit seeing through.
Example: The jellyfish were sodiaphanous that you could be next to them in the water and never know they were there.
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ZOOPHILIST
noun
Pronounced: ZOO-fill-ist
Meaning: A lover of animals, especially a person concerned with the rights of lower animals and their protection from abuse.
Example: The notedzoophilist explained how deforestation is endangering several species of mammals and birds.
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NUMINOUS
adjective
Pronounced: NOO-min-nuss
Meaning: Dedicated to or hallowed by association with a deity.
Example: A soft light seemed to glow from thenuminous vessel on the altar.
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UMBRAGE
noun
Pronounced: UM-bridge
Meaning: Displeasure, resentment or annoyance.
Example: Hatred between nations disposes each more readily to offer insult and injury and lay hold of slight causes ofumbrage.
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WALLOP
verb
Pronounced: WALL-up
Meaning: Gain a decisive victory over, beat by a wide margin, trounce.
Example: Coach Garrett predicts that his team will soundlywallop the opposing team.