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Word Of The Day Archives - May 2007
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
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| touchstone (n) |
basis for comparison |
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| Sentence: |
John was the touchstone by which I measured all other scholars. |
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| Similar Words: |
criterion |
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Wednesday, May 2, 2007
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| pedantic (adj) |
intended to teach |
| pedant, pedantry |
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| Sentence: |
Please don't be pedantic; if I need someone to teach me, I will let you know. |
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| Similar Words: |
didactic |
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Thursday, May 3, 2007
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| impassive (adj) |
without emotion |
| impassiveness |
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| Sentence: |
I made an impassive plea for support to the unsympathetic board of directors. |
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| Similar Words: |
stolid |
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Friday, May 4, 2007
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| complacent (adj) |
self-satisfied |
| complacency |
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| Sentence: |
Complacent, the town utterly failed to prepare for the inevitable hurricane. |
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| Similar Words: |
conceited, smug |
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Saturday, May 5, 2007
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| spurious (adj) |
bogus |
| spuriousness |
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| Sentence: |
The con man made a spurious claim to the gold. |
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| Similar Words: |
specious |
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Sunday, May 6, 2007
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| avocation (n) |
occupation; hobby |
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| Sentence: |
Firefighting is my job; rock-climbing is my avocation. |
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| Similar Words: |
calling, profession |
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Monday, May 7, 2007
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| ingrained (adj) |
firmly fixed |
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| Sentence: |
Frugality is unshakably ingrained in most children of the Great Depression. |
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| Similar Words: |
inveterate |
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Tuesday, May 8, 2007
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| overture (n) |
opening, introduction |
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| Sentence: |
President Nixon made an overture to China and ushered in a new era in U.S. foreign policy. |
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| Similar Words: |
proposal |
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Wednesday, May 9, 2007
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| antipathy (n) |
distaste |
| antipathetic |
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| Sentence: |
Raised in a strictly religious household, Joe had a strong antipathy toward atheists. |
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| Similar Words: |
abhorrence, aversion |
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Thursday, May 10, 2007
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| legerdemain (n) |
magic |
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| Sentence: |
Through what legerdemain did you acquire those strong muscles? |
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| Similar Words: |
deception, trickery |
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Friday, May 11, 2007
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| warranted (adj) |
deserved |
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| Sentence: |
Was the glowing book review warranted, or was the reviewer being less than candid? |
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| Similar Words: |
merited |
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Saturday, May 12, 2007
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| plaintive (adj) |
expressing sorrow |
| plaintiveness |
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| Sentence: |
The deposed leader's plaintive advice for the country moved his followers to tears. |
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| Similar Words: |
mournful, melancholy |
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Sunday, May 13, 2007
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| distraught (adj) |
worried |
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| Sentence: |
Distraught over his child's sickness, the young mother could neither work nor sleep. |
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| Similar Words: |
agitated, overwrought |
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Monday, May 14, 2007
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| welter (v) |
tumble about, wallow |
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| Sentence: |
After the boat capsized, all the passengers weltered in the heavy surf. |
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| Similar Words: |
roll, heave |
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Tuesday, May 15, 2007
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| friable (adj) |
crumbly |
| friableness |
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| Sentence: |
The friable insulation on the old wires was the cause of many short circuits in my house. |
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| Similar Words: |
deteriorated, powdery |
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Wednesday, May 16, 2007
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| hedonistic (adj) |
pleasure-seeking |
| hedonism |
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| Sentence: |
Self-sacrifice and self-denial were unknown to my hedonistic brother. |
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| Similar Words: |
sybaritic, libertine |
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Thursday, May 17, 2007
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| veritable (adj) |
genuine |
| veritableness |
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| Sentence: |
My uncle in Kentucky was a veritable Daniel Boone. |
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| Similar Words: |
utter |
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Friday, May 18, 2007
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| inimitable (adj) |
not subject to imitation |
| inimitability |
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| Sentence: |
The inimitable Robin Williams will be visiting our campus this fall. |
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| Similar Words: |
matchless |
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Saturday, May 19, 2007
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| ferment (n) |
state of agitation |
| fermentation |
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| Sentence: |
The whole town was in ferment with news of the villain's escape. |
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| Similar Words: |
unrest |
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Sunday, May 20, 2007
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| auditory (adj) |
relating to hearing |
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| Sentence: |
The expensive stereo is supposed to have superior auditory qualities, but no one can really tell. |
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Monday, May 21, 2007
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| olfactory (adj) |
relating to the sense of smell |
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| Sentence: |
My brother's sensitive olfactory cells could detect onions from two rooms away. |
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Tuesday, May 22, 2007
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| facile (adj) |
adept |
| facileness |
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| Sentence: |
My teacher had a facile mind for delivering witty remarks on almost any subject at the spur of the moment. |
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| Similar Words: |
adroit, effortless, fluent |
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Wednesday, May 23, 2007
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| nadir (n) |
lowest point |
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| Sentence: |
The nadir of my career was getting fired from my first job at age 27. |
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| Similar Words: |
bottom |
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Thursday, May 24, 2007
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| protean (adj) |
versatile |
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| Sentence: |
The singer-entertainer was a man of protean talents. |
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| Similar Words: |
multifaceted |
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Friday, May 25, 2007
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| guile (n) |
skillful deceit |
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| Sentence: |
The little boy's guile was cute only at first; soon we learned that we could not trust him. |
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| Similar Words: |
cunning |
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Saturday, May 26, 2007
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| decimate (v) |
wipe out |
| decimation |
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| Sentence: |
The plague decimated Europe in the Middle Ages. |
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| Similar Words: |
eradicate |
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Sunday, May 27, 2007
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| apparition (n) |
ghost |
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| Sentence: |
The actor was made to appear as an apparition floating across the stage. |
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| Similar Words: |
phantom |
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Monday, May 28, 2007
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| milieu (n) |
surroundings |
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| Sentence: |
What was the milieu of the house in which you grew up? |
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| Similar Words: |
environment |
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Tuesday, May 29, 2007
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| clamor (n) |
continuous noisiness |
| clamorous |
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| Sentence: |
A clamor in the streets of Pamplona foretold the running of the bulls. |
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| Similar Words: |
tumult, racket |
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Wednesday, May 30, 2007
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| limpid (adj) |
clear |
| limpidness |
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| Sentence: |
The ace reporter's writing was both economical and limpid. |
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| Similar Words: |
lucid, pellucid |
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Thursday, May 31, 2007
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| shackle (v) |
restrain with a metal device |
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| Sentence: |
The guards shackled the prisoner and took him away. |
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| Similar Words: |
fetter |
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