Short & Sweet Treats discussion

Share the new vocabulary that you learned today, help us sharpen our own!
Sources: Webster, Grandiloquent Words, A.Word.A.Day

onychophagia: onych/o/phagia: nail eating/biting

thanks, Jen! nice thread

:)

epigram (ep-e-gram): a short poem or verse
that seeks to ridicule a thought or event,
usually with witticism or sarcasm.
ex:
Swans sing before they die- ‘twere no
bad thing
Should certain people die before they
sing!

pusillanimous \• adjective
: lacking in courage and manly strength and
resolution; contemptibly fearful

cytoplasm (noun)
In eukaryotic cells, the cytoplasm is that part of the cell between the cell membrane and the nuclear envelope. It is the jelly-like substance in a cell that contains the cytosol, organelles, and inclusions, but not including the nucleus. In fact, the cytoplasm and the nucleus make up the protoplasm of a eukaryotic cell.

In prokaryotic cells that do not have a well-defined nucleus, the cytoplasm is simply everything enclosed by the cell membrane. It therefore contains the cytosol, and all the other cellular components, including the chromosome in the nucleoid region.

LaLaLa Laura wrote: "epigram (ep-e-gram): a short poem or verse
that seeks to ridicule a thought or event,
usually with witticism or sarcasm.
ex:
Swans sing before they die- ‘twere no
bad thing
Should certain people d..."

Oh! I knew an epigram was a poem, but did not know they were specifically to ridicule. Good to know.

thanks danaë. now we both know :)

Inchoate: just begun and so not fully
formed or developed; I am glad your
inchoate proposals for integrating the
company were not accepted this time, thus
saving us face.

Mitosis
the process by which a cell, which has previously replicated each of its chromosomes, separates the chromosomes in its cell nucleus into two identical sets of chromosomes, each set in its own new nucleus.

Great idea for a thread! I'll add words as they crop up.

One thing I've found fabulous since I've been a proud kindle owner is the dictionary function; I'm finally finding out the real meaning of all those words which I thought I knew the meaning of, and never bothered to look up :-) It involved a major effort to cross the room, heave out the dictionary and flip the pages.

Pip wrote: "Great idea for a thread! I'll add words as they crop up.

One thing I've found fabulous since I've been a proud kindle owner is the dictionary function; I'm finally finding out the real meaning of ..."

I love the dictionary function, too, Pip. :)

Profligacy: recklessly wasteful; wildly
extravagant, profligate behavior;
Anderson’s profligacy cost him his job and
its better you tighten up your belt before
you go the same way.

Baldenfreude: Satisfaction derived from
the misfortune of bald or balding
individuals (coined by NYT columnist
Maureen Dowd); Humpty Dumpty’s antics
remain a constant source of baldenfreude
for children and adults alike.

"Doppelganger
Definition:
The term is derived from the German language and literally translates into ‘double walker’. It refers to a character in the story that is actually a counterfeit or a copy of a real/ genuine character. Doppelgangers of the main characters usually bear the ability to impersonate the original but have vastly different spirits and intentions. The doppelganger usually has a different appearance but an earthly soul and supernatural hoodwinking abilities that allow it to fool other unsuspecting characters."

Palimpsest - a manuscript page from a scroll or book from which the text has been scraped or washed off and written on again.

One of those words I thought I knew, but actually didn't.

Pip wrote: "Palimpsest - a manuscript page from a scroll or book from which the text has been scraped or washed off and written on again.

One of those words I thought I knew, but actually didn't."

Washable paper!

ephemeral - lasting for a short time

Soporific: adj; causing sleep; The
soporific drug caused Tony to fall asleep in
the board meeting.

triskaidekaphobia
tris·kai·deka·pho·bia
noun
fear of the number 13

rubicund - adjective (especially of someone's face) having a ruddy complexion

Automysophobia - fear of getting dirty

Opprobrium: harsh criticism, contempt;
His ludicrous attempts at mimicry in the
office only earned him the opprobrium of
his colleagues.

aegis

PRONUNCIATION:
(EE-jis)

MEANING:
noun: Protection, support, guidance, or sponsorship of a particular person or organization.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin aegis, from Greek aigis (goatskin), from aix (goat). Aigis was the name of the shield or breastplate of Zeus or Athena in Greek mythology. It was made of goatskin. Earliest documented use: 1704.

USAGE:
"The French hope that by April an African force will have come under the UN's aegis."
The Battle Moves to the Mountains; The Economist (London, UK); Feb 9, 2013.

hypocorism

PRONUNCIATION:
(hy-POK-uh-riz-uhm, hi-)

MEANING:
noun
1. A pet name.
2. The practice of using pet names.

that's interesting, Jen. its funny. it sounds like the word "hypocrite" that was the direction my mind went

LaLaLa Laura wrote: "that's interesting, Jen. its funny. it sounds like the word "hypocrite" that was the direction my mind went"

Wordsmith has a site for words of the day :)

Apostates: pl; a person who abandons a
belief or principle; The millionaire
technocrat and his cronies were publicly
derided for being apostates, after they were
exposed of polluting the environment while
purporting to have spent large sums for
water conservation.

I bet we all know someone like this

Solipsistic: the theory that the self is all
that can be known to exist; His solipsistic
view about life ensured that he lived in
social isolation.

paregmenon

PRONUNCIATION:
(puh-REG-muh-non)

MEANING:
noun: The juxtaposition of words that have the same roots. Examples: sense and sensibility, a manly man, the texture of textile.

Obduracy: refusing to change in any
way; Anthony’s obduracy in his legal case
expedited his impeachment.

LaLaLa Laura wrote: "Obduracy: refusing to change in any
way; Anthony’s obduracy in his legal case
expedited his impeachment."

I've been known to suffer with obdurateness.

LOL Jen. I think we all do ;)

Internecine: causing destruction to both
sides; The African states’ internecine
conflict continues to extract a terrible toll
on innocent human lives

LaLaLa Laura wrote: "Internecine: causing destruction to both
sides; The African states’ internecine
conflict continues to extract a terrible toll
on innocent human lives"

Good choice for the day with govt shut down

sharp girl. you know Jen I hadn't even thought of that! good catch

caboodle

PRONUNCIATION:
(kuh-BOOD-uhl)

MEANING:
noun: The lot, collection, or crowd.

NOTES:
The word is mostly seen in the expression "kit and caboodle" meaning "the whole lot".

ETYMOLOGY:
Perhaps from boodle (money, goods, people), from Dutch boedel (property). Earliest documented use: 1848.

USAGE:
"New York City teems with questionable urban legends. But the fable about the postal clerk and his wife, a Brooklyn librarian, scrimping to amass an astounding collection of modern art, cramming all 5,000 pieces in a rent-controlled one-bedroom apartment, then donating the whole kit and caboodle to the National Gallery of Art in Washington and galleries in all 50 states, is true."
Douglas Martin; Herbert Vogel, Fabled Art Collector, Dies at 89; The New York Times; Jul 24, 2012.

"Theresa cruised through the office once a month with a caboodle full of scissors, smocks, and hair color.
" Lisa Baron; Life of the Party; Citadel Press; 2011.

like the whole kit n caboodle!

LaLaLa Laura wrote: "like the whole kit n caboodle!"

Yup!

Peripatetic: going from place to place;
The peripatetic bards of yore propagated
the words of the Holy Prophet

LaLaLa Laura wrote: "Peripatetic: going from place to place;
The peripatetic bards of yore propagated
the words of the Holy Prophet"

Tongue twister anyone?

haha

Nascent: beginning to exist, not fully
developed; In its initial stage, the nascent
film industry faced harsh opposition from
moral groups.

Desultory: going from one thing to
another, without a definite plan or purpose;
Garcia’s desultory conversation got
everybody yawning.

pediculous

PRONUNCIATION:
(pe-DIK-yuh-luhs)

MEANING:
adjective: Infested with lice: lousy; contemptible.

ETYMOLOGY:
From pedis (louse). Earliest documented use: 1540.

USAGE:
"We prisoners called ourselves the Jerseys, not out of respect for this vile, pediculous hulk, but because it was our commonality, the glue that held us in its glorious stink."
Jerome Charyn; Johnny One-Eye; Norton; 2008.

"Harris called one of the pair a 'slimy, contemptible oaf ... ignorant pediculous loafer ... untalented, worthless, parasitical bloodsucker."
Jim Seavor; Our Town Controversial? Providence Journal (Rhode Island); Oct 5, 1985.

that's pediculous!

LOL :) I felt very itchy after reading that definition!

true same here Jen!

Redoubtable: deserving to be feared and
respected; Mike’s redoubtable instincts as a
prize-fighter kept his opponents at arm’s
distance.