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Definition
noun
a driver of a coach or cab
Today's word comes from the name of a notoriously speedy chariot driver. Originally a commander of chariots for Ahab, king of Israel, Jehu later led a revolt against the throne and became king himself. In the Bible, it is noted of Jehu that "he drives furiously" (_II Kings_ 9:20). In the 17th century, English speakers began using "jehu" as a generic term meaning "coachman" or, specifically, "a fast or reckless coachman." Today, we are more likely to use the word in reference to reckless cabdrivers. The phrase "drives like Jehu" is encountered occasionally, too. |
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verb 1 : to strike or sting with or as if with nettles
2 : to arouse to sharp but transitory annoyance or anger
A synonym of "vex," "peeve," and of course "irritate." |
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adjective
: possessing or expressing great sagacity
Human beings certainly like to think they're wise, and, in fact, the word "Homo sapiens" ("humankind") comes in part from the Latin word "sapiens," meaning "wise" or "intelligent." "Sapiens" in turn comes from the verb "sapere," which means "to be wise" (and which also gave us "sage" and "savant"). "Sapiens" and "sapere" are also ancestors of our adjective "sapient," of course. "Sapient" came to us from Latin by way of Middle French and has been used in English to mean "wise" since the 15th century. Today, the word is often used ironically or poetically. It also appears in scientific contexts with the meaning "possessing intelligence," as in "the existence of sapient beings elsewhere in the universe is one of the great questions that may be answered by further space exploration." |
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invidious \in-VID-ee-us\ adjective
1 : tending to cause discontent, animosity, or envy
2 : envious
3 a : of an unpleasant or objectionable nature : obnoxious *b : of a kind to cause harm or resentment
Fittingly, "invidious" is a relative of "envy." Both are descendants of "invidia," the Latin word for "envy," which in turn comes from "invidere," meaning "to look askance at" or "to envy." ("Invidious" descends from "invidia" by way of the Latin adjective "invidiosus," meaning "envious," whereas "envy" comes to English via the Anglo-French noun "envie.") These days, however, "invidious" is rarely used as a synonym for "envious." The preferred uses are primarily pejorative, describing things that are unpleasant (such as "invidious choices" and "invidious tasks") or worthy of scorn ("invidious remarks" or "invidious comparisons"). |
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scarify \SKAIR-uh-fye\ verb
1 : to make scratches or small cuts in (as the skin)
2 : to lacerate the feelings of
*3 : to cut or soften the wall of (a hard seed) to hasten germination |
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apodictic
\ap-uh-DIK-tik\ |
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apodictic \ap-uh-DIK-tik\ adjective
: expressing or of the nature of necessary truth or absolute certainty
There's something remarkable about a word which, when periodically dusted off, proves to have retained its freshness over 350 years -- and that's the case with "apodictic." It's a handy word that can describe a conclusive concept, a conclusive person, or even that conclusive person's conclusive remarks. The best known close relative of "apodictic" is "paradigm" ("an outstandingly clear or typical example"); both words are built on Greek "deiknynai," meaning "to show." More distant relatives (from Latin "dicere," a relative of "deiknynai" that means "to say") include "diction," "dictate," "edict," and "predict." |
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adjuvant \AJ-uh-vunt\ adjective
1 : serving to aid or contribute : auxiliary
*2 : assisting in the prevention, amelioration, or cure of disease
Things that are adjuvant rarely get top billing -- they're the supporting players, not the stars. But that doesn't mean they're not important. An adjuvant medicine, for example, can have a powerful healing effect when teamed up with another medicine or curative treatment. "Adjuvant" descends from the Latin verb "adjuvare" ("to aid"), which also gave us our nouns "coadjutor" ("assistant") and "aid." These days, "adjuvant" tends to turn up most often in medical contexts, but it can also be used in the general sense of "serving to aid." Likewise, the noun "adjuvant" can mean "a drug or method that enhances the effectiveness of medical treatment" or simply "one that helps or facilitates." |
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philippic \fuh-LIP-ik\ noun : a discourse or declamation full of bitter condemnation : tirade Named after three fiery speeches by Greek orator Demosthenes warning his countrymen against the imperialistic designs of Philip II, king of Macedon, and chastising them for their timidity and inaction. |
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truckle \TRUCK-ul\ verb : to act in a subservient manner : submit |
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| noun: a dull and tedious passage or section (as of a book) |
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incunabulum
\in-kyuh-na-byuh-lum\ |
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noun
1: a book printed before 1501
2: a work of art or industry of an early period |
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adj: full of danger or risk; hazardous
(often modifying "state" or "times") |
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solatium
\soh-LAY-shee-um\ |
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noun:
a compensation given as solace for suffering, loss, or injured feelings |
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noun:
1: the gape of a bird's mouth
2a: the mouth orifice
b: a gaping grin or grimace |
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objurgation
\ob-her-GAY-shun\ |
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Verb
1. To infatuate
2. To make dull or stupid; especially: to muddle with drunkeness |
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verb
1: to fight against
2: to call in question |
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noun
one of a group of early 19th century English workmen destroying laborsaving machinery as a protest; broadly : one who is opposed to especially technological change
Ned Ludd was a Leicestershire villager (probably mythical) of the late 1700s who, in a fit of insane rage, rushed into a stocking weaver's house and destroyed his equipment; subsequently, his name was proverbially connected with machinery destruction. According to an unsubstantiated account in George Pellew's "Life of Lord Sidmouth" (1847). |
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noun
alcoholic liquor; especially: liquor (as rum) weakened with water |
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noun
a scient that deals with the ear and its diseases |
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euphuism
\YEW-fyuh-wi-zum\ |
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noun
artificial elegance of language
Euphues, a young gallant with more wit than wealth and yet more wealth than wisdom--John Lyly's "Euphues, the Anatomy of Wit (1578) and "Euphues and his England (1580), noted for verbose form of rhetoric. The characters name may have been inspired by a Greek word meaning "gifted." |
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bissextile year
\bi-SEKS-tl YIR\ |
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noun
a leap year in the Julian or Gregorian calendar |
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rare noun
a book of ready reference |
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adjective
1 : made, done, or formed on or as if on the spur of the moment : improvised
2 : composed or uttered without previous preparation : extemporaneous |
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muckety-muck
\MUCK-uh-tee-muck\ |
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noun
an important and often arrogant person |
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noun
a group of usually seven illustrious or brilliant persons or things |
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1: traveling or given to traveling
2 *a :straying outside the proper path or bounds b: moving about aimlessly or irregularly
c: behaving wrongly |
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noun
1: ostentatious display: publicity
*2: dazzling effect: brilliance
3 a: brilliant or conspicuous success
b: praise, applause |
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hibernaculum
\hy-ber-NAK-yuh-lum\ |
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noun
a shelter occupied during the winter by a dormant animal (as an insect or reptile) |
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deglutition
\dee-gloo-TISH-un\ |
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Noun
: the act or process of swallowing |
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1 : the exhausted condition that results from lack of food and water
2 : the absence or loss of social, moral, or intellectual vitality or vigor |
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adjective
1 : insolent or rude in speech or behavior
2 : characterized by temporary or capricious ill humor : peevish |
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