Word of the Day-opus0 评论
Opus (Noun)Pronunciation: ['o-pês]
Definition: (Erudite) A creative work, such as a novel, musical piece, or painting. Usage: The plural of "opus" is "opera," so the question arises, how is it possible to pluralize "opera," too ("operas")? Italian took the final [a] of the unusual Latin plural as the feminine singular ending found in many Italian nouns, such as la casa "the house," mia mamma "my mother," and began using the plural form as a discrete (separate) word. English borrowed "opus" from Latin but "opera," from Italian, the dominant language of the opera at the time. A major work is often called an "opus magnum" (Latin word order) or "magnum opus" (English word order). For a minor work, use the diminutive, "opuscule." Suggested Usage: Today's word is an erudite synonym for "work," so use it seriously only in an intellectually charged context, "Brendan's latest opus contains a modicum of verisimilitude conveyed with fatuous periphrasis." Of course, if you are not being serious, anything goes, "Winnie has a growing heap of unpublished opera." Don't forget the diminutive! "Actually, I think she did publish an opuscule or two in her youth." Word of the Day-peccable0 评论
Peccable (Adjective)Pronunciation: ['pek-ê-bêl]
Definition: Sinful, capable of sin, wrong-doing, or error—imperfect. Usage: Orphan negatives are the negatives of words fallen out of use, such as "hapless," "inane," "insipid," "immaculate," "impromptu," "nonchalant." An unlucky person is hapless but a lucky person is doesn't have much hap. You're very clean if you’re immaculate but not maculate if you’re very dirty and, if you don't care, you’re indifferent, but if you do, it shouldn't make you all that different. However, if you’re not impeccable, "sinless and incapable of sin," you will be peccable for "impeccable" is a false orphan negative. The stem, "peccable," still lurks around the edge of language, still a part of language though not of speech, our use of language. Suggested Usage: Today's word is a specialized term for one sense of "imperfect," "Miss Deeds led a peccable but overall agreeable life." Do allow for the double takes（心不在焉后突然注意而恍然大悟） of those listening to you when you use it, though: "Weems may be too peccable to keep the company books." Word of the Day-peccadillo0 评论
Pronunciation: [pek-ê-'di-lo]
Definition: A teeny-tiny, barely discernable sin or fault. Usage: The plural is "peccadillos" and there is no adjective. Notice English-speakers have doubled the "c" in the spelling of the word, no doubt, to solve the problem of remembering which internal consonant is doubled. (A spelling convenience in English! Will wonders never cease?) Suggested Usage: This is a useful term to have on your side when minimizing your shortcomings: "Mom! So I drove the car through the garage wall. Why do you allow my petty peccadillos roil you so?" It always understates events in the economic or political worlds: "Even his supporters are vexed by Clinton's frequent peccadillos." Word of the Day-quisling0 评论
Quisling (Noun)
Pronunciation: ['kwiz-ling] Definition: A traitor who turns against his or her own country to serve an invader. Usage: This is a relatively new word so far without lexical offspring. The adjective would be "quislingly" which sounds odd. Better use the compound "quisling-like." It sounds queer as a verb, too, though its meaning lends itself readily to verbalization in the sense of "betray to an invader." Suggested Usage: For those of us who remember World War II, today's word is a powerful condemnation in its literal sense, "The French partisans were always at risk of betrayal by quislings in their area." But as time scrapes on, "quisling" will no doubt take on a more general, diluted sense, "I knew the issue was dead when the new manager and his gang of quislings entered the conference room." Etymology: A commonization of the last name of Vidkun Quisling (1887-1945), head of Norway's government during the Nazi occupation of World War II. Of all the heads of European states who chose to subserve the Nazi regime in World War II, Quisling was the misfortunate one commemorated for his weakness throughout the European languages. quisling one who commits treason : collaborator The country is ruled by a puppet government composed of quislings. Did you know? Vidkun Quisling was a Norwegian army officer who in 1933 founded Norway's fascist party. In December 1939, he met with Adolf Hitler and urged him to occupy Norway. Following the German invasion of April 1940, Quisling served as a figurehead in the puppet government set up by the German occupation forces, and his linguistic fate was sealed. Before the end of 1940, "quisling" was being used generically in English to refer to any traitor. Winston Churchill, George Orwell, and H. G. Wells used it in their wartime writings. Quisling lived to see his name thus immortalized, but not much longer. He was executed for treason soon after the liberation of Norway in 1945. traitor, collaborator, treason Word of the Day-labile0 评论
Pronunciation: ['ley-bIl or 'ley-bêl]
Definition: Changeable, unstable; apt to slip away. Usage: When used to describe personalities, today's word replaces "temperamental" or "moody," as in, "Birgitta was a labile lass with a personality hard to calculate." It also refers to unstable chemical and electrical changes. The noun is lability [lê-'bi-lê-tee]. Suggested Usage: Today's proffering works in discussions of international politics: "Don't talk to me about lability in the Middle East. We've reconsidered 3 vacations in the past 2 years over it." With its two 'liquid' sounds (L's in this case), the word is euphonic (nice-sounding) enough for poetic or romantic expression, "The sunny, labile days of that spring were hard to pin down in his memory; she was the constant that held that year together in his mind." Word of the Day-gambit0 评论
Pronunciation: ['gæm-bit]
Definition: A daring opening move in chess that sacrifices a piece for a future advantage. Usage: Applied first and foremost to the game of chess. Suggested Usage: Of course, it can be applied to any daring opening move, such as a provocative statement to open a conversation or a risky business maneuver that promises long-term gains. "Buying so much of the flood plain was a risky gambit that could pay off if fish-farming becomes profitable." Word of the Day-sedulous0 评论
Pronunciation: ['se-jê-lês] (US) or British ['se-dyu-lês]
Definition: Diligent, assiduous, zealous; applying oneself unflaggingly to a task. Usage: This is a qualitative adjective, which means it can compare, "more sedulous, most sedulous", form an adverb, "sedulously," and a noun, "sedulity" [sê-'ju-lê-tee] or [sê-'dyu-lê-tee]. Suggested Usage: Today's is another general purpose word, "If you do your homework sedulously this week, I'll take you to see the Red Sox play this weekend" is a good way for Bostonians to encourage good study habits. Use it outside the home, too: "If Ferenc were as sedulous in his work as he is in his golf, he would have dodged this last round of lay-offs." industrious diligent Word of the Day-assiduous0 评论
Assiduous (adjective)
Pronunciation: [ê-'sid-ju-wês] Definition: Persistently diligent and attentive at some activity; ardent. Usage: This word implies a stronger application of oneself to a job or task than does "diligent." It might also imply applying oneself overdiligently. "John was assiduous in pleasing his mother-in-law." The adverb, "assiduously," is probably used more than the adjective. The noun is "assiduity." Suggested Usage: Use this word where "diligent" does not seem strong enough: "Had Roger worked as assiduously on his homework as he did on his roller blades, he would be in Harvard now" or "Unfortunately, Felix can be quite assiduous when it comes to hacking security systems." 同根：insidious Word of the Day-extirpate0 评论
Pronunciation: ['ek-stêr-peyt]
Definition 1: To completely remove surgically. Usage 1: Extirpation (action noun), extirpative (adjective), extirpator (agentive noun). Definition 2: To annihilate, exterminate, destroy completely, especially by rooting out. Suggested Usage: The close definition is "to eradicate by rooting out," so the verb is best used along these lines: "We are going to extirpate every single source of drugs in the city," or "When we extirpate the last trace of political corruption from society, the development of other forms will be greatly expedited." Word of the Day-apposite0 评论
Pronunciation: ['æ-pê-zit]
Definition: Strikingly appropriate, applicable, or fitting; well put. Usage: Today's adjective has abandoned its family and gone out into the world on its own. The underlying verb, "appose," now means "to place on, apply" or "place in proximity," as in the case of appositive nouns. A noun in apposition to another is a noun referring to the same object added immediately following the first noun, as in, "His new financial advisor, Boesky, (made him feel a bit uneasy"). So "appose" and "apposition," oddly enough, have nothing semantically to do with today's word. Suggested Usage: "Apposite" is a prejudicial word that takes sides on questions of right and wrong, "I thought it very apposite of our group to bombard the committee with water balloons in protest of their decision to sell water rights to outsiders." It also takes sides on issues of social etiquette, "Yes, but do you think that, 'I just loved your sister to death,' was the apposite phrase to use at her funeral?" Word of the Day-lascivious0 评论
Lascivious (adjective)
Pronunciation: [læ-'si-vi-yês] Definition: Lustful, lewd, wanton; eliciting or expressing carnal desire. Usage: From an older word "lascivy" = "lasciviousness," this word seems to have run amok, accumulating several suffixes only to return full circle semantically to its original meaning. The adverb is "lasciviously" and the current noun is "lasciviousness." The verb is lasciviate "to behave lewdly." Avoid such behavior at all costs but enjoy the word when criticizing others. Suggested Usage: Here is the perfect substitute for the overworked metaphorical sense of "dirty" as in, "The lascivious jokes told by the fraternity brothers made Chastity uncomfortable all weekend." But we have to rue the unwarranted oversight of the verbal counterpart of today's word: "Our old friend, Tucker Doubt, lasciviates evenings in the red light district of our fair city." Word of the Day-harangue0 评论
Harangue (verb)
Pronunciation: [hê-'ræng] Definition: Verbal harassment, a tirade; a ranting uncontrolled preachment or piece of writing focused on a subject of interest only to the speaker or author. Usage: Today's noun serves equally well as a verb; one can harangue one's neighbors about petty grievances or harangue one's children about whom they associate with (though, of course, one shouldn't). Don't forget the "ue" on the end of today's word—a remnant of its French heritage. Someone who harangues is a haranguer. Suggested Usage: Harangues are a natural part of politics: "C-SPAN, the federal television network, brings the political harangues of both houses of Congress right into our living rooms." You do, more than occasionally, encounter them in other arenas, though, "After her long harangue about how he does nothing around the house, Ida Claire noticed through the window that her hubby had mown the lawn and weeded the flower beds while she napped." Word of the Day-dishevel0 评论
Dishevel (verb)
Pronunciation: [di-'shev-êl] Definition: To disorder or tousle, especially hair or clothing. Usage: This is one of those negated words without a positive correlate, e.g. "disgruntled," "unkempt," "nonchalant." If I am disheveled and tidy up, why am I not then "sheveled?" (Do kempt people make you gruntled or chalant?) In current American usage, "dishevel" takes the endings -ing and -ed without any changes to the stem; in British usage, the "l" is doubled: "dishevelled," "dishevelling." Suggested Usage: Disheveledness can be irksome or disarmingly attractive: "He looked up from the garden, a streak of dirt across his forehead and hair on end, and his disheveled appearance endeared him to her all the more." The word for it also slips comfortably into the metaphorical, "Watching five kids and a Labrador Retriever for a day completely disheveled Mia's sense of humor." disheveled , adjective; also dishevelled: In loose disorder; disarranged; unkempt; as, "disheveled hair." His cheeks were perpetually rosy, and his thinning sandy brown hair was brushed straight back -- and disheveled just enough to suggest a man in a hurry.-- Kai Bird, The Color of Truth I was known for my disheveled attire, messy desk and erratic work habits.-- Michael Isikoff, Uncovering Clinton He was wearing a disheveled shirt buttoned up wrong and a belt outside the belt loops and even with the beanie on his head looked as always handsome.-- Susan Minot, Evening At one point she bends her body in an arc, lifts a hind leg, and scratches her shoulder, leaving a disheveled spot in her fur.-- Richard Nelson, Heart and Blood Word of the Day-risible0 评论
Pronunciation: ['ri-zê-bêl]
Definition: (1) Given to laughter, likely to laugh; (2) related to laughter; (3) eliciting laughter, laughable, funny, comic. Usage: This word reminds us that, in addition to all the other clever things humans do that distinguish them from other creatures, we are also the risible creature, the only species capable of laughter. Babies begin to laugh when they are only 3-4 months old and those that laugh the most throughout their lives, seem to have the healthiest relationships. The adverb is "risibly" and the noun, "risibility." Suggested Usage: Today's word is a bit odd in that it can mean either laughing oneself or causing others to laugh. In this sentence, it could mean either: "Everyone loves that risible Irish darling, Beryl O'Laughs; she keeps everyone in stitches（忍不住大笑）." Here are two that separate the two main senses: "Risible foreigners must enjoy the antics of the US Congress" (sense 1) and "You've invented an electric pencil? That is as risible an idea as I've ever heard" (sense 3).
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