starchy : DEFINITION: (adjective) Rigidly formal. SYNONYMS: buckram, stiff. USAGE: Though I often poke fun at the butler’s starchy manner, I secretly love the formality and sophistication he brings to my everyday life. Discuss

princesse lointaine : An ideal but unattainable woman.

today’s iracundulous : iracundulous [fr. L. iracundus, inclined to anger] cf. iracund nonce-wd : irascible; passionate “Love is.. one of the

will-o’-the-wisp : DEFINITION: (noun) A pale light sometimes seen at night over marshy ground. SYNONYMS: friar’s lantern, ignis fatuus, jack-o’-lantern. USAGE: The white face of a dying man seemed suddenly to have floated up out of the darkness, to have come to him like a will-o’-the-wisp from the swamp. Discuss

plurisignification : The use of a word to convey multiple meanings at the same time.

today’s ragmatical : ragmatical [origin uncertain (after pragmatical?)] archaic : turbulent, riotous “Roger gets this, and Roger gets that; but,

devotee : DEFINITION: (noun) An ardent follower and admirer. SYNONYMS: buff, lover, fan. USAGE: He became a devotee of the moving-picture shows, spending as much as twenty and thirty cents a day and resolutely sitting out every repetition of program. Discuss

reductio ad absurdum : Demonstration of the falsity of a premise by showing an absurdity to which it would logically lead.

fecundity : DEFINITION: (noun) The quality of something that causes or assists healthy growth. SYNONYMS: fruitfulness. USAGE: The island is famous for its fecundity and exports tropical fruits to countries around the globe. Discuss

gedankenexperiment : A thought experiment: an experiment carried out in imagination only.