Category: Today’s Word

Today’s Word

hummock

Definition: (noun) A small natural hill. Synonyms: hillock, knoll, mound. Usage: The servant girl took a break from her work in the fields to roll …

Trojan

noun: 1. A person from Troy. 2. One who exhibits great stamina, energy, and hard work. 3. A merry fellow. 4. In computing, a piece …

gratify

Definition: (verb) Yield (to); give satisfaction to. Synonyms: pander, indulge. Usage: No ruler should put troops into the field merely to gratify his own spleen; …

canter

verb tr., intr.: 1. To move at an easy pace. 2. To ride a horse at a canter. noun: 1. An easy pace. 2. A …

squall

Definition: (verb) Utter a sudden loud cry. Synonyms: cry, scream, yell, shout, holler, hollo, call. Usage: The new mother breathed a sigh of relief as …

Roman holiday

noun: An entertainment event where pleasure is derived from watching gore and barbarism.

dodder

Definition: (verb) Walk unsteadily. Synonyms: coggle, totter. Usage: The two elderly ladies were slowly doddering along, minding their own business, when a bike messenger sped …

coventrate

verb tr.: To devastate, such as by heavy bombing.

brainy

Definition: (adjective) Having or marked by unusual and impressive intelligence. Synonyms: smart as a whip, brilliant. Usage: The brainy teen was surprised to see books …

elapse

Definition: (verb) Pass by. Synonyms: glide by, go by, slide by, slip by, slip away, go along. Usage: A month has elapsed since our last …

concordant

Definition: (adjective) Being in agreement: harmonious. Synonyms: accordant, agreeable, consonant, conformable. Usage: No one was surprised that the candidate's views were concordant with those of …

shrivel

Definition: (verb) Wither, as with a loss of moisture. Synonyms: shrink. Usage: The heat shriveled the unwatered seedlings. Discuss

yichus

noun: Prestige, social status, or pedigree.

helter-skelter

Definition: (adverb) In headlong and disorderly haste. Synonyms: wildly, rashly, recklessly, pell-mell. Usage: Montgomery cracked his whip at them, and forthwith they all turned and …

shonda

noun: 1. Disgrace or shame. 2. Someone or something that brings shame or disgrace.

jollity

Definition: (noun) A jolly or merry mood, condition, or activity; gaiety. Synonyms: joviality. Usage: The genial festival of Christmas … lights up the fireside of …

frum

adjective: Religious; observant of religious laws.

tuffet

Definition: (noun) A low seat or a stool to rest the feet of a seated person. Synonyms: footrest, footstool, ottoman. Usage: He reclined in his …

plotz

verb intr.: To faint, collapse, explode, or flop down, as from excitement, frustration, surprise, exhaustion, etc.

cognoscente

Definition: (noun) A person with superior, usually specialized knowledge or highly refined taste. Synonyms: connoisseur. Usage: I may not be a cognoscente of art, but …

combatant

Definition: (noun) A person or group engaged in or prepared for a fight, struggle, or dispute. Synonyms: battler, belligerent, fighter, scrapper. Usage: Here the two …

disaffect

Definition: (verb) Arouse hostility or indifference in where there had formerly been love, affection, or friendliness. Synonyms: alienate, estrange. Usage: She loved him, but the …

belligerence

Definition: (noun) A hostile or warlike attitude, nature, or inclination. Synonyms: pugnacity, aggressiveness. Usage: The little lawyer glared at me a moment, and then the …

Trojan horse

noun: Something or someone placed in order to subvert from within.

cock-a-hoop

Definition: (adjective) Exhibiting self-importance. Synonyms: boastful, braggart, crowing, self-aggrandizing, big. Usage: I didn't mean to be cock-a-hoop about my promotion, but I couldn't help telling …

Canterbury tale

noun: A story that is long, tedious, or absurdly implausible.

coronal

Definition: (noun) Flower arrangement consisting of a circular band of foliage or flowers for ornamental purposes. Synonyms: chaplet, lei, wreath, garland. Usage: Instead of a …

urbane

Definition: (adjective) Showing a high degree of refinement and the assurance that comes from wide social experience. Synonyms: svelte, polished, refined. Usage: In his mind, …

scattergood

Definition: (noun) Someone who spends money prodigally. Synonyms: spendthrift. Usage: I prefer to think of myself not as a scattergood but as a collector of …

ardor

Definition: (noun) Feelings of great warmth and intensity. Synonyms: fervency, fire. Usage: He spoke with great ardor at the rally, inspiring the crowd with his …

protract

Definition: (verb) Lengthen in time; cause to be or last longer. Synonyms: prolong, draw out, extend. Usage: What, even, if he got away … before …

enunciatory

adjective: Announcing; declaring; pronouncing.

luxuriant

Definition: (adjective) Produced or growing in extreme abundance. Synonyms: lush, profuse, riotous, exuberant. Usage: The rivulet was hidden by the luxuriant vegetation of the banks …

coequality

noun: The state of being equal with one another, as in rank, power, value, etc.

louche

Definition: (adjective) Of questionable taste or morality. Synonyms: shady. Usage: It did not surprise me that the owner of that louche nightclub downtown was arrested …