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.
masticate (MĂS-tĭ-kāt) Definition (Verb) To reduce (food) to a pulp with the teeth; to grind up by, or as if by, chewing. In Context "Another viewpoint is that the French have fewer heart attacks because they eat more slowly and masticate their food properly, chewing each mouthful twenty-five times, rather than wolfing down their dinner before pulling out from the Wendy's window." Theodore Fenske, While You Quit: A Smoker's Guide to Reducing the Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke, 2009.
conurbation (kŏn-ər-BĀ-shən) Definition (Noun) An aggregation of urban areas. In Context "In the United States, the Dallas-Fort Worth Urban Area is a good example of a conurbation." Stanley D. Brunn, Maureen Hays-Mitchell, and Donald J. Zeigler, Editors, Cities of the World: World Regional Urban Development, Fifth Edition, 2012.
tendentious (tĕn-DĔN-shəs) Definition (Adjective) Having a purposed tendency; composed or written with such a tendency or aim. In Context "Indeed, these texts are tendentious and combative, and they often skew well-known evidence to satisfy their particular needs – as did the French, the Chinese, and the Americans." Patricia M. Pelley, Postcolonial Vietnam: New Histories of the National Past, 2002.
pusillanimous (pyōō-sə-LĂN-ə-məs) Definition (Adjective) Of a person: lacking in courage or strength of purpose; faint-hearted, craven, cowardly. In Context "Mr. Richard Perle, the hawkish, outgoing Assistant Secretary of Defence, touched the mood of the White House when he said the allies were mealy-mouthed and pusillanimous in refusing to confront the Soviet Union with accusations of cheating and bad faith." Christopher Thomas, "US Patience with Europe Wears Thin," The Times, March 28, 1987. This word was suggested by Dan Day in the Office of Communications.
querulous (KWĔR-ə-ləs) Definition (Adjective) Of a person: complaining, given to complaining, full of complaints; fault-finding; peevish. In Context "They reminded him of his maternal grandmother in her last years, when, far from being a strong, sensible, courageous woman, she grew weak and querulous, her expression of general discontent increasing with her vulnerability." Patrick O'Brian, Desolation Island, 1978.
