Word of the Day Archive
October 2002
- parsimonious: frugal to excess.
- moiety: a half; a small part.
- venial: capable of being forgiven; excusable.
- accede: to agree or assent; also, to become a party.
- portend: to foreshadow; to bode.
- chthonic: dwelling in or under the earth; also, pertaining to the underworld.
- mercurial: changeable; temperamental; volatile.
- ineffable: incapable of being expressed.
- adventitious: added extrinsically; not essentially inherent.
- omnipresent: present in all places at the same time.
- gourmand: one who enjoys good food in great quantities.
- crepuscular: pertaining to twilight.
- exalt: to praise, glorify, or honor.
- contradistinction: distinction by contrast.
- soporific: causing sleep; also, something that causes sleep.
- deride: to laugh at with contempt.
- laconic: using or marked by the use of a minimum of words.
- bellwether: a leader or leading indicator.
- effulgence: the state of being bright and radiant.
- riparian: of or pertaining to the bank of a river.
- mordant: biting; caustic; sarcastic.
- woebegone: woeful; also, run-down.
- scintilla: a tiny amount; a spark.
- halcyon: peaceful; undisturbed; happy.
- tendentious: marked by a strong tendency in favor of a particular point of view.
- palimpsest: an object or place whose older layers or aspects are apparent.
- ostentation: excessive or pretentious display.
- captious: disposed to find fault or raise objections.
- ersatz: being a substitute or imitation.
- paroxysm: an outburst; a fit.
- tenebrous: dark; gloomy.
