occiput
noun: The back part of the head or skull.
Category: Today’s Word
Today’s Word
putsch
Definition: (noun) A sudden attempt by a group to overthrow a government. Synonyms: coup, coup d'etat, takeover. Usage: The people had been expecting a putsch …
lunation
noun: The time between two new moons, about 29 and a half days. A lunar month.
august
Definition: (adjective) Inspiring awe or admiration; majestic. Synonyms: lordly, grand. Usage: He was of august lineage, and was widely admired for his family connections. Discuss
bissextile
adjective: Relating to the leap year or the extra day in a leap year. noun: Leap year.
hauteur
Definition: (noun) Haughtiness in bearing and attitude. Synonyms: arrogance, haughtiness, lordliness. Usage: There was no trace of hauteur in her expression, and she seemed humbled …
saturnalian
adjective: Marked by unrestrained revelry, overindulgence, licentiousness, etc.
coeval
Definition: (adjective) Originating or existing during the same period; lasting through the same era. Synonyms: coetaneous, contemporaneous. Usage: The range was composed of grand, solid, …
aderation
noun: The act of giving a monetary value to something.
sanies
Definition: (noun) A thin, fetid, greenish fluid consisting of serum and pus discharged from a wound, ulcer, or fistula. Synonyms: pus, festering, ichor, purulence, suppuration. …
cultivable
Definition: (adjective) Capable of being farmed productively. Synonyms: arable, tillable. Usage: Though she had inherited a large farm, it was practically worthless because of the …
leeway
Definition: (noun) A margin of freedom or variation, as of activity, time, or expenditure; latitude. Synonyms: margin, allowance, tolerance. Usage: Lisa's parents gave her a …
blatteroon
noun: A babbler.
curlicue
Definition: (noun) A fancy twist or curl, such as a flourish made with a pen. Synonyms: squiggle. Usage: Her penmanship was beautiful, but with so …
affectation
Definition: (noun) A show, pretense, or display. Synonyms: pose, mannerism. Usage: Strickland would not go near them, not from any affectation of stoicism, for I …
cyesis
noun: Pregnancy.
larynx
Definition: (noun) The part of the respiratory tract between the pharynx and the trachea, having walls of cartilage and muscle and containing the vocal cords …
exuviate
verb tr., intr.: To shed or cast off.
reredos
Definition: (noun) A painted or carved screen placed above and behind an altar or communion table. Synonyms: altarpiece. Usage: The artist is best known for …
interpunction
noun: 1. Punctuation. 2. A punctuation mark. 3. The insertion of punctuation marks in a text.
fatuity
Definition: (noun) Something that is utterly stupid or silly. Synonyms: absurdity, fatuousness, silliness. Usage: In his fatuity, the beggar believed the princess to be in …
paring
Definition: (noun) Something, such as a skin or peel, that has been pared off. Synonyms: shaving, sliver. Usage: We do not mourn over the parings …
inveigh
Definition: (verb) To give vent to angry disapproval; protest vehemently. Synonyms: rail. Usage: The detective had, indeed, good reasons to inveigh against the bad luck …
swan
noun: 1. Any of various long-necked large waterbirds, usually in white plumage. 2. Someone or something of unusual beauty, grace, purity, etc. verb intr.: 1. …
surcease
Definition: (noun) A stopping. Synonyms: cessation. Usage: More than anything else in the world, my frayed and frazzled mind wanted surcease from weariness in the …
scend
verb intr.: To rise or lift by, or as if by, a wave. noun: The rising movement of a wave or a ship on a …
fanfare
Definition: (noun) A spectacular public display. Synonyms: ostentation. Usage: Because they were considered hometown heroes, the returning astronauts were greeted with much fanfare. Discuss
infame
noun: A person having a bad reputation. verb tr.: To defame: to attack the reputation or to disgrace. adjective: Having a bad reputation.
cadge
Definition: (verb) Ask for and get free; be a parasite. Synonyms: bum, grub, mooch, sponge. Usage: Though she had a pantry full of groceries, Sheila …
deacon
noun: In a church, a person appointed as a lay leader to a position below a pastor, priest, etc. verb tr.: 1. To present the …
rhetorician
Definition: (noun) A person who delivers a speech or oration. Synonyms: orator, speechifier, speechmaker. Usage: They continued to correspond, she in the unweighed language of …
pinion
noun: 1. A feather or a wing, especially the terminal segment of a wing. 2. A small cogwheel engaging with a larger wheel or a …
cozen
Definition: (verb) To mislead by means of a petty trick or fraud. Synonyms: deceive, delude, lead on. Usage: He has wronged me and deceived me …
hydroponics
Definition: (noun) A technique of growing plants (without soil) in water containing dissolved nutrients. Synonyms: aquiculture, tank farming. Usage: The soil where he lived was …
burnish
Definition: (verb) To make smooth or glossy by or as if by rubbing; polish. Synonyms: furbish, buff, flush. Usage: Every afternoon, she would obsessively burnish …
gratis
adverb, adjective: Without payment; free.
succinct
Definition: (adjective) Characterized by clear, precise expression in few words; concise and terse. Synonyms: compendious, summary, compact. Usage: Some students enjoyed the teacher's succinct style, …
agley
adverb, adjective: 1. Awry 2. Wrong.
reticle
Definition: (noun) A grid or pattern placed in the eyepiece of an optical instrument, used to establish scale or position. Synonyms: graticule, reticule. Usage: Looking …
sinistrad
adverb, adjective: Toward the left side.