Words of the Day Study Guide

Week 1

ferrule:  the cap at the end of the staff of an umbrella

pintle:  the verticl pin inserted in a hinge

aglet:  the plastic end of a shoe lace

chimb: the metal rim of a barrel

neb:  the curved tip on the wooden handle of a knife

opisthenar:  the back of the hand

Week 2

candid -- (fr. Latin, candidus, white); frank, outspoken, open and sincere

blether -- (fr. Old Norse, blathr, nonsense); foolish talk

magnanimity -- (fr. Latin, magnus, great, large); a high-minded, noble act

Week 3

picturesque -- visually charming or quaint, as if resembling or suitable for a painting

anomalous -- deviating from or inconsistent with the common order, form, or rule; irregular; abnormal

impregnable -- strong enough to resist or withstand attack; not to be taken by force, unconquerable

Week 4

Prowess-- fr. Old French proesse, bravery -- exceptional bravery, courage, or ability

Feeble-- fr. Latin flebilis, lamentable -- physically weak; frail

Dirk-- fr. Scottish -- a dagger from the Scottish Highlands

Week 5

Pandemonium -- fr. Milton's capital of hell in Paradise Lost -- a wild uproar or unrestrained chaos

Lubber -- fr. Middle English lob, a clumsy person -- a big, clumsy, stupid person

Squabble -- fr. Swedish sqvabbel, to quarrel or gossip -- to verbally engage in a petty quarrel

Limpid -- fr. Latin limpidus, clear -- clear, transparent, calm, especially with water

Week 6

Chromo-- fr. Greek, khroma, color -- a shortened version of chromolithograph, which is a picture printed in colors from a series of lithographic stones or plates

Inquire-- fr. Latin, inquirere, to seek for -- to seek information by asking

Frivolity-- fr. Latin, frivolus, worthless, trifling-- an act that is self-indulgent and carefree, lacking seriousness

Week 7

Jowls-- fr. Middle English, chawl, jaw -- the lower part of the cheeks

Discrepancy  -- fr. Latin, discrepare, to sound discordant -- the state of being inconsistent or in disagreement

Eloquent -- fr. Latin, eloquent, speaking out -- having fluent, forceful, and appropriate speech

Week 8

Rheumatism-- fr. Greek, rheu/rhei, flow, stream -- any disorder of the extremities or back, characterized by pain and stiffness

Placid-- fr. Latin placidus , calm, quiet -- pleasantly calm or peaceful

Avaricious-- fr. Latin, avaritia, greed -- characterized by an insatiable greed for riches; an inordinate, miserly desicre to gand and hoard wealth

Palliation-- fr. Latin palliatus, to cloaked, covered-- relieving or lessening without curing; alleviate, mitigate

Week 9

impasto -- fr. Italian, impastare, a paste,  -- laying paint thickly or using pigmented plaster to create a raised effect

impresario -- fr. Italian, imprendere, to undertake  -- a person who organizes and produces a theatrical performance

in absentia -- fr. Latin, in absentia, in [his] absence -- in the absence of a person indicated

incognito -- fr. Latin, incognitus, unknown -- having one's identity concealed, as under an assumed name

Week 10

res publica -- Latin, res, "thing," and publica, "of the public" -- a public affair, of or belonging to the state or commonwealth

res non verba -- Latin, res, "thing," non, "not," verba, "words" --  deeds, not words

restaurateur -- French restaurater fr. Latin restaurator, "restorer" -- the owner or manager or a restaurant

     [Note: We talked for a bit about how the word that meant "restorer" became the word that means an owner of a restaurant.  I love making those connections between original roots of a word and the current day meaning.  Our language is so very rich!]

Week 11

lasagne-- fr. Latin, lasanus, chamber pot -- a one-dish, layered pasta meal with strips of pasta, meat, cheese, and tomato sauce

laudator temporis acti-- Latin -- a praiser of times past; one who loves the "good old days"

Laus Deo-- Latin -- "Praise be to God"

Week 12

I used the Words of the Day exercise to expand our vocabulary around common and over-used words:  said & moved.  We brainstormed a some other creative expressions for these words.  Then, we used them to describe 1) a baby, 2) a cowboy, 3) a happy person, 4) a frightened person.

Week 13

yurt -- fr. Russian, yurt—a circular tent used in northern Asia, especially Mongolia

yoghurt – fr. Turkish. yog, to condense – a fermented dairy product

yarmulke -- fr. Turkish, raincap – a small prayer cap worn by Jewish men

yeshiva -- fr. Hebrew, yəshībhāh, to sit – a college or seminary for Jewish men