Word |
Phonetic Pronunciation |
Part of Speech |
Definition |
alma mater
Latin |
AL-muh MAU-ter |
|
1. a school or university which one has attended or from which
one has graduated
2. the song or hymn of such school |
Ex.
Etym.
Rel. Themes: |
I recently sent a donation to my alma mater.
Latin for "fostering mother"
Latin Phrases
|
argentiferous
Latin |
ar-jen-TI-fer-us |
|
containing silver |
Ex.
Ex. 2.
Etym.
Rel. Themes: |
I see you have bedecked yourself in argentiferous riches in an effort to dissuade me from ogling other women.
The Mississippi is often mined for its argentiferous deposits of galena.
From the Latin argentum, "silver"
Words That Impress
|
|
BREW-mul |
|
archaic : indicative of or occurring in the winter; wintry |
Ex.
Etym.
Rel. Themes: |
The brumal winds howled like a pack of wolves and sucked the warmth from my bones.
From the Latin bruma, “winter”
Little-known Synonyms for Well-known Words
|
celerity
Latin |
se-LER-i-tee |
|
speed or rapidity of motion |
Ex.
Ex. 2.
Rel. Themes: |
She speaks with great celerity.
The army moved toward its target with a celerity previously unimaginable.
Little-known Synonyms for Well-known Words
|
cloying
Latin |
KLOY-ing |
|
something originally pleasing that is made disgusting or
distasteful by excess |
Ex. |
The air was full of the cloying smell of sweet perfume.
|
concupiscence
Latin |
con-CUE-pi-sens |
|
ardent sexual desire; LUST |
Ex.
Rel. Themes: |
Her presence aroused in him an uncontrollable concupiscence that was not easily
slaked.
Little-known Synonyms for Well-known Words
|
|
con-FAB-u-late |
|
1. to talk informally; CHAT
2. to fill in gaps in memory by fabrication |
Ex.
Rel. Themes: |
Dad is in the parlor confabulating with a prospective customer
Complex Words For Simple Things | Likely Literary | Little-known Synonyms for Well-known Words
|
fuliginous
Latin |
fyoo-LI-juh-nus |
adjective |
1. sooty, obscure, murky
2. having a dark or dusky color |
Ex.
Ex. 2.
Etym.
Rel. Themes: |
At the height of the Industrial Revolution, London
was perhaps the most fuliginous city on earth.
The mountains were obscured in a fuliginous mantle of storm.
From the Latin fuligo, “soot.”
Likely Literary | Little-known
Synonyms for Well-known Words
|
grandiloquent
Latin |
gran-DIL-o-kwent |
adjective |
1. pompously eloquent
2. making a show of knowledge by using large words |
Ex.
Rel. Themes: |
He was so grandiloquent I could barely understand him.
Big Words About Big Words | There's A Word For That? | Words That Impress
|
libidinous
Latin |
le-BID-i-nus |
|
having or exhibiting lustful desires |
Ex.
Rel. Themes: |
It is perhaps every young man’s dream to
find a libidinous mate and her
like-minded circle of friends.
Complex Words For Simple Things
|
|
mag-NIL-o-kwent |
|
1. extravagance in speech
2. bombastic in style or manner |
Ex.
Rel. Themes: |
He was so magniloquent I could barely understand him.
Big Words About Big Words | Words That Impress
|
|
matrocliny
Latin |
MA-truh-klin-ee |
|
inheritance of traits primarily from the mother (patrocliny
is the male equivalent of this term) |
Ex.
Rel. Themes: |
His matrocliny was apparent
because he shared the same knowing smile and brown eyes.
There's A Word For That?
|
muliebrity
Latin |
myoo-lee-EB-ri-tee |
|
1. womanly qualities
2. femininity (virility is the male equivalent) |
Ex.
Rel. Themes: |
John found the muliebrity of the club quite overwhelming, so he promptly turned about
and made for the doors.
Little-known Antonyms
for Well-known Words
|
munificent
Latin |
myoo-NIF-i-cent |
|
1. liberal in giving or bestowing
2. characterized by great generosity |
Ex.
Ex. 2.
Rel. Themes: |
Bill Gates is perhaps the most munificent individual in the world’s history, having contributed
billions of his own money to charities worldwide.
(as a noun) She relied on the munificence of her father when she asked for a new pony.
High-Falutin' Praises
|
non sequitur
Latin |
non SEK-wet-er |
|
1. an inference that does not follow from the premises
2. a statement that does not follow logically from anything
previously said |
Ex.
Etym.
Rel. Themes: |
A well-timed non sequitur can be humorous, but an ill-timed one will make you look like
a fool.
Latin for “it does not follow”
Latin Phrases | Legalese
|
|
aub-NOO-bi-late |
|
to becloud or obscure |
Ex.
Rel. Themes: |
The judge’s ruling included excessive amounts
of dicta, which did nothing but obnubilate his main points.
Complex Words For Simple
Things | Little-known
Synonyms for Well-known Words | Words
That Impress
|
|
peck-uh-DIL-oh |
|
a slight offense |
Ex.
Etym. |
While much of Europe wrote off Clinton’s
escapade with Lewinsky as a mere peccadillo,
the American public was in an uproar.
Diminutive of the Spanish pecado,
or “sin.”
|
|
pres-tuh-dij-i-TAY-shun |
|
sleight of hand, esp. when performing magic tricks |
Ex.
Re. Themes: |
Had I not dealt the cards myself, I would have
sworn my friend had engaged in prestidigitation to win the hand.
Complex
Words For Simple Things | Words
That Impress
|
prodigal
Latin |
PRAW-di-gul |
|
1. recklessly extravagant
2. characterized by wasteful expenditure; LAVISH
3. yielding abundantly |
Ex.
Rel. Themes: |
His prodigal ways
earned him many friends, but quickly left him bereft of any
wealth.
High-Falutin' Insults
|
pulchritude
Latin |
PUL-kri-tood |
|
physical beauty |
Ex.
Rel. Themes: |
He was a dashing figure of great pulchritude,
sculpted as from a stone by the gods.
Complex Words For Simple
Things | High-Falutin' Praises | Likely Literary | Little-known Synonyms for Well-known Words
|
scabrous
Latin |
SKAB-rus
SKAY-brus |
adjective |
1. difficult
2. rough to the touch; having small, raised dots or patches
3. dealing with indecent or scandalous themes |
Ex.
Ex. 2.
Ex. 3.
Rel. Themes: |
We found ourselves in a scabrous situation.
The dragon’s scabrous skin was rough to the touch.
The film was far too scabrous for my taste.
Likely Literary
|
|
sententious
Latin |
sen-TEN-chus |
adjective |
1. using wise sayings, aphorisms, or proverbs
2. using pompous language |
Ex.
Rel. Themes: |
There goes a sententious fellow; so vain with his knowledge of the language that he
can hardly speak it.
Big Words About Big Words
|
sesquipedalian
Latin |
ses-kwi-pi-DALE-yen |
adjective |
1. having many syllables
2. tending to use long words |
Ex.
Etym.
Rel. Themes: |
I prefer the more sesquipedalian Wall Street Journal to the local papers.
Literally, "a foot-and-a-half long,"
from Latin sesqui- + ped- (foot).
Big Words About Big Words | Words
That Impress
|
sine qua non
Latin |
sin-i kwa NAWN
sin-i kwa KNOWN |
noun |
an indispensable or essential thing |
Ex.
Etym.
Rel. Themes: |
For nearly 20 years, Alan Greenspan has been
the sine qua non of the Federal
Reserve Board.
Latin for “without which not”
Latin Phrases | Legalese
|
somnolent
Latin |
SOM-no-lent |
|
1. drowsy; sleepy
2. inducing or tending to induce sleep |
Ex.
Rel. Themes: |
The quiet murmur of the somnolent stream made vigilance a chore.
Likely Literary
|
sororal
Latin |
suh-ROR-ul |
adjective |
of, relating to, or characteristic of a sister; sisterly
(fraternal is the male equivalent) |
Ex. |
Tennis has attracted a whole new following: avid fans
of the intense, sororal showdowns
between Venus and Serena Williams.
|
vertiginous
Latin |
ver-TIJ-i-nus |
adjective |
1. tending to produce vertigo or dizziness
2. inclined to frequent and often pointless change; inconstant
3. revolving; whirling; rotary |
Ex.
Rel. Themes: |
The ship hurtled along at a vertiginous speed as it climbed to the very parapets of Heaven.
Likely Literary | Words
That Impress
|
vinaceous
Latin |
vi-NAY-shus |
adjective |
having the color of red wine |
Ex.
Ex. 2.
Etym.
Rel. Themes: |
The vinaceous petals
stood out in stark contrast against the surrounding greenery.
The vinaceous rosefinch is a stunning find for a birdwatcher.
From the Latin vinaceus, meaning "of
wine."
Likely Literary | There's
A Word For That?
|
|
