Word of the day

December

31)CAMARADERIE=ca⋅ma⋅ra⋅de⋅rie   /ˌkɑməˈrɑdəri, -ˈrædə-, ˌkæmə-/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [kah-muh-rah-duh-ree, -rad-uh-, kam-uh-]

–noun

comradeship; good-fellowship.

30)GASTRONOME=gas⋅tro⋅nome   /ˈgæstrəˌnoʊm/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [gas-truh-nohm]
–noun a connoisseur of good food; gourmet; epicure.

29)ULULATE=ul⋅u⋅late   /ˈʌlyəˌleɪt, ˈyul-/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [uhl-yuh-leyt, yool-]
–verb (used without object), -lat⋅ed, -lat⋅ing.

1.	to howl, as a dog or a wolf; hoot, as an owl.

2.	to utter howling sounds, as in shrill, wordless lamentation; wail.

3.	to lament loudly and shrilly.

28)PUERILE=pu⋅er⋅ile   /ˈpyuərɪl, -əˌraɪl, ˈpyʊərɪl, -aɪl/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [pyoo-er-il, -uh-rahyl, pyoor-il, -ahyl]
–adjective

1.	of or pertaining to a child or to childhood.

2.	childishly foolish; immature or trivial: a puerile piece of writing.

27)PUGILIST=pu⋅gi⋅list   /ˈpyudʒəlɪst/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [pyoo-juh-list]
–noun a person who fights with the fists; a boxer, usually a professional.

26)QUANDARY=quan⋅da⋅ry   /ˈkwɒndəri, -dri/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [kwon-duh-ree, -dree]
–noun, plural -ries. a state of perplexity or uncertainty, esp. as to what to do; dilemma.

25)LACKADAISICAL=lack⋅a⋅dai⋅si⋅cal   /ˌlækəˈdeɪzɪkəl/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [lak-uh-dey-zi-kuhl]
–adjective

1.	without interest, vigor, or determination; listless; lethargic: a lackadaisical attempt.

2.	lazy; indolent: a lackadaisical fellow.

24)ZEITGEIST= Zeit⋅geist

   /ˈtsaɪtˌgaɪst/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [tsahyt-gahyst]

–noun German.

the spirit of the time; general trend of thought or feeling characteristic of a particular period of time.

23)CANDOUR=(US candor)

• noun the quality of being open and honest.

— ORIGIN Latin candor ‘whiteness, purity’.

22)PILLORY=pillory
verb
to severely criticize someone, especially in a public way:


21)UNDULANT=undulant • \UN-juh-lunt\ • adjective

1 : rising and falling in waves

2 : having a wavy form, outline, or surface

20)FUGACIOUS=fu⋅ga⋅cious   /fyuˈgeɪʃəs/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [fyoo-gey-shuhs]
–adjective

1.	fleeting; transitory: a sensational story with but a fugacious claim on the public's attention.

2.	Botany. falling or fading early.

19)CONFABULATION=con⋅fab⋅u⋅la⋅tion   /kənˌfæbyəˈleɪʃən/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [kuhn-fab-yuh-ley-shuhn]
–noun

1.	the act of confabulating; conversation; discussion.

2.	Psychiatry. the replacement of a gap in a person's memory by a falsification that he or she believes to be true.

18)FLUMMOX=flum⋅mox   /ˈflʌməks/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [fluhm-uhks]

–verb (used with object) Informal.

to bewilder; confound; confuse.

17)PARI-PASSU=pa⋅ri pas⋅su   /ˈpɑri ˈpɑssu; Eng. ˈpɛəraɪ ˈpæsu, ˈpɛəri/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [pah-ree pahs-soo; Eng. pair-ahy pas-oo, pair-ee]
Latin.

1.	with equal pace or progress; side by side.

2.	without partiality; equably; fairly.

16)ESCHEW=es⋅chew   /ɛsˈtʃu/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [es-choo]
–verb (used with object) to abstain or keep away from; shun; avoid: to eschew evil.

15)PECCADILLO=pec⋅ca⋅dil⋅lo   /ˌpɛkəˈdɪloʊ/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [pek-uh-dil-oh]
–noun, plural -loes, -los. a very minor or slight sin or offense; a trifling fault.

14)FEY=fey   /feɪ/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [fey]

–adjective

1.	doomed; fated to die.

2.	appearing to be under a spell; marked by an apprehension of death, calamity, or evil.

3.	supernatural; unreal; enchanted: elves, fairies, and other fey creatures.

4.	being in unnaturally high spirits, as were formerly thought to precede death.

5.	whimsical; strange; otherworldly: a strange child with a mysterious smile and a fey man

13)VIRAGO=vi⋅ra⋅go   /vɪˈrɑgoʊ, -ˈreɪ-/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [vi-rah-goh, -rey-]
–noun, plural -goes, -gos.

1.	a loud-voiced, ill-tempered, scolding woman; shrew.

2.	Archaic. a woman of strength or spirit.

12)CARAPACE=car⋅a⋅pace   /ˈkærəˌpeɪs/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [kar-uh-peys]
–noun a bony or chitinous shield, test, or shell covering some or all of the dorsal part of an animal, as of a turtle.

11)OROTUND=o⋅ro⋅tund   /ˈɔrəˌtʌnd, ˈoʊr-/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [awr-uh-tuhnd, ohr-]
–adjective

1.	(of the voice or speech) characterized by strength, fullness, richness, and clearness.

2.	(of a style of speaking) pompous or bombastic.

10)RODOMONTADE=rod⋅o⋅mon⋅tade   /ˌrɒdəmɒnˈteɪd, -ˈtɑd, -mən-, ˌroʊdə-/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [rod-uh-mon-teyd, -tahd, -muhn-, roh-duh-]
noun, adjective, verb, -tad⋅ed, -tad⋅ing. –noun

1.	vainglorious boasting or bragging; pretentious, blustering talk.

–adjective

2.

bragging.

–verb (used without object)

3.	to boast; brag; talk big.

09)SEPULCHER=sep⋅ul⋅cher   /ˈsɛpəlkər/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [sep-uhl-ker]
–noun

1.	a tomb, grave, or burial place.

2.	a. a cavity in a mensa for containing relics of martyrs. b. a structure or a recess in some old churches in which the Eucharist was deposited with due ceremonies on Good Friday and taken out at Easter in commemoration of Christ's entombment and Resurrection.

–verb (used with object)

3.	to place in a sepulcher; bury.

08)LASCIVIOUS=las⋅civ⋅i⋅ous   /ləˈsɪviəs/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [luh-siv-ee-uhs]
–adjective

1.	inclined to lustfulness; wanton; lewd: a lascivious, girl-chasing old man.

2.	arousing sexual desire: lascivious photographs.

3.	indicating sexual interest or expressive of lust or lewdness: a lascivious gesture.

07)POPINJAY=pop-in-jay   /ˈpɒpɪnˌdʒeɪ/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [pop-in-jey]
–noun

1.	a person given to vain, pretentious displays and empty chatter; coxcomb; fop.

2.	British Dialect. a woodpecker, esp. the green woodpecker.

3.	Archaic. the figure of a parrot usually fixed on a pole and used as a target in archery and gun shooting.

4.	Archaic. a parrot.

06)NEBBISH=neb-bish
   /ˈnɛbɪʃ/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [neb-ish]
–noun . a pitifully ineffectual, luckless, and timid person.

05).CHAGRIN=cha⋅grin   /ʃəˈgrɪn/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [shuh-grin]
noun, verb, -grined or -grinned, -grin⋅ing or -grin⋅ning. –noun

1.	a feeling of vexation, marked by disappointment or humiliation.

–verb (used with object)

2.	to vex by disappointment or humiliation: The rejection of his proposal chagrined him deeply.

3.	Obsolete. .

04).BOURGEOIS=bour-geois
1   /bʊərˈʒwɑ, ˈbʊərʒwɑ; Fr. burˈʒwa/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [boor-zhwah, boor-zhwah; Fr. boor-zhwa]
noun, plural -geois, adjective –noun

1.	a member of the middle class.

2.	a person whose political, economic, and social opinions are believed to be determined mainly by concern for property values and conventional respectability.

3.	a shopkeeper or merchant.

–adjective

4.	belonging to, characteristic of, or consisting of the middle class.

5.	conventional; middle-class.

6.	dominated or characterized by materialistic pursuits or concerns.

03). TATTERDEMALION= tat·ter·de·mal·ion /ˌtætərdɪˈmeɪlyən, -ˈmæl-/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[tat-er-di-meyl-yuhn, -mal-]
–noun

1.	a person in tattered clothing; a shabby person.

–adjective

2.	ragged; unkempt or dilapidated.

02). VANDALISM=van·dal·ism /ˈvændlˌɪzəm/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[van-dl-iz-uhm]
–noun

1.	deliberately mischievous or malicious destruction or damage of property: vandalism of public buildings.

2.	the conduct or spirit characteristic of the Vandals.

3.	willful or ignorant destruction of artistic or literary treasures.

4.	a vandalic act.

01). FORAY=for·ay /ˈfɔreɪ, ˈfɒreɪ/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation/ˈfɔreɪ, ˈfɒreɪ/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[fawr-ey, for-ey]
–noun

1.	a quick raid, usually for the purpose of taking plunder: Vikings made a foray on the port.

2.	a quick, sudden attack: The defenders made a foray outside the walls.

3.	an initial venture: a successful foray into politics.

–verb (used without object)

4.	to make a raid; pillage; maraud.

5.	to invade or make one's way, as for profit or adventure: foreign industries foraying into U.S. markets.

–verb (used with object)

6.	to ravage in search of plunder; pillage.