Word of the Day 63-76

Word of the Day 63~~December 2, 2009

Myrmidon \MUR-muh-don; -duhn\

noun;

1.
(Capitalized) A member of a warlike Thessalian people who followed Achilles on the expedition against Troy.
2.
A loyal follower, especially one who executes orders without question.


Origin:
Myrmidon derives from Greek Myrmidones, a warlike people of ancient Thessaly.

Word of the Day 64~~December 3, 2009


Roborant \ROB-uh-ruhnt\

adjective, noun;

1.
Strengthening; restoring vigor.

noun:

1.
A strengthening medicine; a tonic; a restorative.



Origin:
Roborant derives from the present participle of Latin roborare, "to strengthen," from robur, roboris, "strength."

Word of the Day 65~~December 4, 2009


Gallimaufry \gal-uh-MAW-free\

noun;

1.
A hodgepodge; jumble; confused medley.



Origin:
Gallimaufry, originally meaning "a hash of various kinds of meats," comes from French galimafrée, from Old French,

from galer, "to rejoice, to make merry" (source of English gala) + mafrer, "to eat much," from Medieval Dutch

maffelen, "to open one's mouth wide."

Word of the Day 66~~December 5, 2009


Nonplus \non-PLUHS\

transitive verb;

1.
To cause to be at a loss as to what to think, say, or do; to confound; to perplex; to bewilder.


Origin:
Nonplus is from the Latin non plus, "no more." To be nonplussed is to be at a point where "no more" can be said or

done.

Word of the Day 67~~December 6, 2009


Bonhomie \bah-nuh-MEE\

noun;

1.
A good nature; pleasant and easy manner.



Origin:
Bonhomie comes from French, from bonhomme, "good-natured man," from bon, "good" (from Latin bonus) + homme, "man"

(from Latin homo).

Word of the Day 68~~December 7, 2009


Fatuous \FACH-oo-uhs\

adjective;

1.
Inanely foolish and unintelligent; stupid.
2.
Illusory; delusive.



Origin:
Fatuous comes from Latin fatuus, "foolish, idiotic, silly."

Word of the Day 69~~December 8, 2009


Solicitous \suh-LIS-uh-tuhs\

adjective;

1.
Manifesting or expressing care or concern.
2.
Full of anxiety or concern; apprehensive.
3.
Extremely careful; meticulous.
4.
Full of desire; eager.



Origin:
Solicitous is from Latin sollicitus, "thoroughly or violently moved, disturbed, or agitated," hence "anxious,

uneasy, worried," from sollus, "whole, entire" + citus, past participle of ciere, "to move, to stir."

Word of the Day 70~~December 9, 2009


Ratiocination \rash-ee-ah-suh-NAY-shun; rash-ee-oh-\

noun;

1.
The process of logical reasoning.



Origin:
Ratiocination is from Latin rationcinatio, from ratiocinari, "to compute, to calculate, to reason," from ratio,

"reckoning, calculation, reason," from reri, "to reckon, to think."

Word of the Day 71~~December 10, 2009


Cogitate \KOJ-uh-tayt\

intransitive verb;

1.
To think deeply or intently; to ponder; to meditate.
2.
To think about; to ponder on; to meditate upon; to plan or plot.



Origin:
Cogitate comes from Latin cogitare, "to turn over in one's mind, to reflect, to think, to consider," from co- +

agitare, "to put in constant motion, to drive about," from agere, "to drive." It is related to agitate.

Word of the Day 72~~December 11, 2009


Recalcitrant \rih-KAL-sih-truhnt\

adjective;

1.
Stubbornly resistant to and defiant of authority or restraint.


Origin:
Recalcitrant derives from Latin recalcitrare, "to kick back," from re-, "back" + calcitrare, "to strike with the

heel, to kick," from calx, calc-, "the heel."

Word of the Day 73~~December 12, 2009


Palliate \PAL-ee-ayt\

transitive verb;

1.
To make (an offense or crime) seem less serious; extenuate.
2.
To make less severe or intense; mitigate.
3.
To relieve the symptoms of a disease or disorder.


Origin:
Palliate derives from Late Latin palliatus, past participle of palliare, "to cloak, to conceal," from Latin

pallium, "cloak."

Word of the Day 74~~December 13, 2009


Largess \lar-ZHES; lar-JES; LAR-jes\

noun;

also largesse

1.
Generous giving (as of gifts or money), often accompanied by condescension.
2.
Gifts, money, or other valuables so given.
3.
Generosity; liberality.


Origin:
Largess is from Old French largesse, "largeness, generosity," from large, from Latin largus, "plentiful, generous."

Word of the Day 75~~December 14, 2009


Numinous \NOO-min-us; NYOO-\

adjective;

1.
Of or pertaining to a numen; supernatural.
2.
Filled with or characterized by a sense of a supernatural presence.
3.
Inspiring awe and reverence; spiritual.


Origin:
Numinous is from Latin numen: literally a "nod of the head," as in giving a command, hence "divine power."

Word of the Day 76~~December 15, 2009


Appellation \ap-uh-LAY-shun\

noun;

1.
The word by which a particular person or thing is called and known; name; title; designation.
2.
The act of naming.


Origin:
Appellation comes from Latin appellatio, from appellare, "to name."