Word of the Day 32-37

Word of the Day 32~~November 1, 2009


Irenic \eye-REN-ik; -REE-nik\

adjective;

1.
Tending to promote peace; conciliatory.


Origin:
Irenic comes from Greek eirenikos, from eirene, "peace."

Word of the Day 33~~November 2, 2009


Truculent \TRUCK-yuh-luhnt\

adjective;

1.
Fierce; savage; ferocious; barbarous.
2.
Cruel; destructive; ruthless.


Origin:
Truculent derives from Latin truculentus, from trux, truc-, rough, savage, fierce.

Word of the Day 34~~November 3, 2009


Sommelier \suhm-uhl-YEY; Fr. saw-muh-LYEY\

noun;

1.
A restaurant employee who orders and maintains the wines sold in the restaurant and usually has extensive knowledge about wine and food pairings.


Origin:
Sommelier derives from French, from Old French, "officer in charge of provisions, pack-animal driver," alteration of sommerier, from sommier," beast of burden," from Vulgar Latin saumārius.

Word of the Day 35~~November 4, 2009


Skulduggery \skul-DUG-uh-ree\

noun;

also skullduggery

1.
Devious, dishonest, or unscrupulous behavior or activity; also: an instance thereof.


Origin:
The origin of skulduggery is unknown.

Word of the Day 36~~November 5, 2009


Maunder \MON-duhr\

intransitive verb;

1.
To talk incoherently; to speak in a rambling manner.
2.
To wander aimlessly or confusedly.


Origin:
Maunder is perhaps a dialectal variant of meander (possibly influenced by wander).

Word of the Day 37~~November 6, 2009


Felicitous \fuh-LIS-uh-tuhs\

adjective;

1.
Suitably applied or expressed; appropriate; apt.
2.
Happy; delightful; marked by good fortune.


Origin:
Felicitous is derived from Latin felicitas, "fertility, hence success, happiness," from felix, "fertile, successful, happy."