Word of the Week: absquatulate (ăb-SKWŎCH-ə-lāt) Definition (Verb) To abscond, make off. In Context "Residents of the Gulf States coined the term 'absquatulate' to describe men who left the state to avoid their debts in order to 'squat' in the new republic." Scott Reynolds Nelson, A Nation of Deadbeats: An Uncommon History of America's Financial Disasters, 2012.
Word of the Week: valetudinarian (văl-ĭ-tōōd-n-ÂR-ē-ən) Definition (Noun) A person in weak health, especially one who is constantly concerned with his own ailments; an invalid. In Context “The evil of the actual disparity in their ages (and Mr. Woodhouse had not married early) was much increased by his constitution and habits; for having been a valetudinarian all his life, without activity of mind or body, he was a much older man in ways than in years; and though everywhere beloved for the friendliness of his heart and his amiable temper, his talents could not have recommended him at any time.” Jane [...]
Word of the Week: bugbear (BŬG-bâr) Definition (Noun) An object of dread, especially of needless dread; an imaginary terror. In weakened senses: an annoyance, bane, thorn in the flesh. In Context "As for that bugbear of a dissolution of the Union, I say, without fear of contradiction, that no practical man has ever believed in it for a day." Horace Mann, Slavery: Letters and Speeches, 1851.
Word of the Week: shenanigan (shuh-NAN-ih-gun) Definition (Noun) 1 : a devious trick used especially for an underhand purpose 2 a : tricky or questionable practices or conduct — usually used in plural b : high-spirited or mischievous activity — usually used in plural In Context "And the protesters outside were just the start of the shenanigans. Inside the building, one person attended the hearing dressed in a Russian troll costume." Kevin Roose, The New York Times, 16 Apr. 2018
Word of the Week: mantic (MAN-tik) Definition (Adjective) of or relating to the faculty of divination : prophetic In Context "Like everyone else, I was in awe of her mantic abilities, and I think she looked upon my storytelling endeavors with indulgence, having known both my father and my grandfather in their prime." Joydeep Roy-Bhattacharya, The Storyteller of Marrakesh, 2011
Word of the Week: chirography (kahy-rog-ruh-fee) Definition (Noun) handwriting; penmanship. In Context “ 'Three hours of hand-shaking is not calculated to improve a man’s chirography' he [Lincoln] said later that evening." Louis P. Masur, Lincoln's Hundred Days, 2012
winsome (WĬN-səm) Definition (Adjective) Pleasing or attractive in appearance, handsome, comely; of attractive nature or disposition, of winning character or manners. In Context "Patton had a winsome personal manner, however, and was an effective public speaker." George M. Marsden, The Soul of the American University: From Protestant Establishment to Established Nonbelief, 1994.
incipient (ĭn-SĬP-ē-ənt) Definition (Adjective) Beginning; commencing; coming into, or in an early stage of, existence; in an initial stage. In Context "The whiff of incipient anarchy in Iraq in recent days has provided a prospect so terrifying as to concentrate the minds of Republicans and Democrats, Iraq's sectarian political factions, and even the media." Robert D. Kaplan, "Salvation from a Hobbesian World," The Jerusalem Post, March 6, 2006.
chthonian (THŌ-nē-ən) Definition (Adjective) Dwelling in or beneath the surface of the earth. In Context "'Chthonian' is derived from the Greek for 'earth,' and the adjective was generally associated with the mythological underworld and its shadowy deities, the darker counterparts of the Olympians." Joseph R. Millichap, A Backward Glance: The Southern Renascence, the Autobiographical Epic, and the Classical Legacy, 2009. This word was suggested by Jeff Bergman in the Office of Human Resources.
zephyr (ZĔF-ər) Definition (Noun) A soft, mild, gentle wind or breeze. In Context "There was not even a zephyr stirring; the dead noonday heat had even stilled the songs of the birds; nature lay in a trance that was broken by no sound but the occasional far-off hammering of a woodpecker, and this seemed to render the pervading silence and sense of loneliness the more profound." Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, 1876.
