Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Word of the day

MARCH

22.POTENTATE=po⋅ten⋅tate [poht-n-teyt] –noun a person who possesses great power, as a sovereign, monarch, or ruler.

21.OSTRACIZE=Os⋅tra⋅cize [os-truh-sahyz]
–verb (used with object), -cized, -ciz⋅ing.
1. to exclude, by general consent, from society, friendship, conversation, privileges, etc.: His friends ostracized him after his father's arrest.
2. to banish (a person) from his or her native country; expatriate.
3. (in ancient Greece) to banish (a citizen) temporarily by popular vote.

20.NUGATORY=
nu⋅ga⋅to⋅ry [noo-guh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee, nyoo-] –adjective
1. of no real value; trifling; worthless.
2. of no force or effect; ineffective; futile; vain.
3. not valid.

19.MODICUM=
mod⋅i⋅cum  [mod-i-kuhm] –noun a moderate or small amount: He hasn't even a modicum of common sense.

18.LUMPEN=lum⋅pen [luhm-puhn]
–adjective
1. of or pertaining to disfranchised and uprooted individuals or groups, esp. those who have lost status: the lumpen bourgeoisie.
–noun
2. a lumpen individual or group.


17.KATABASIS=
ka⋅tab⋅a⋅sis [kuh-tab-uh-sis] –noun, plural -ses [-seez]
1. a march from the interior of a country to the coast, as that of the 10,000 Greeks after their defeat and the death of Cyrus the Younger at Cunaxa.
2. a retreat, esp. a military retreat.

16.JUXTAPOSITION=
jux⋅ta⋅po⋅si⋅tion  [juhk-stuh-puh-zish-uhn] –noun
1. an act or instance of placing close together or side by side, esp. for comparison or contrast.
2. the state of being close together or side by side.


11.INCLEMENT=
in⋅clem⋅ent [in-klem-uhnt] –adjective
1. (of the weather, the elements, etc.) severe, rough, or harsh; stormy.
2. not kind or merciful.

10.HECKLE=
heck⋅le [hek-uhl] verb, -led, -ling, noun –verb (used with object)
1. to harass (a public speaker, performer, etc.) with impertinent questions, gibes, or the like; badger.


9.GLOMERATE=
glom⋅er⋅ate  [glom-er-it, -uh-reyt]
adjective compactly clustered.

8.FEALTY=
fe⋅al⋅ty [fee-uhl-tee] –noun, plural -ties.
1. History/Historical.
a. fidelity to a lord.
b. the obligation or the engagement to be faithful to a lord, usually sworn to by a vassal.
2. fidelity; faithfulness.
7.EFFACE=ef⋅face [i-feys] –verb (used with object), -faced, -fac⋅ing.
1. to wipe out; do away with; expunge: to efface one's unhappy memories.
2. to rub out, erase, or obliterate (outlines, traces, inscriptions, etc.).
3. to make (oneself) inconspicuous; withdraw (oneself) modestly or shyly.


.DEPREDATION=
dep⋅re⋅da⋅tion  [dep-ri-dey-shuhn] –noun the act of preying upon or plundering; robbery; ravage.


5.CASTIGATE=cas⋅ti⋅gate [kas-ti-geyt] –verb (used with object), -gat⋅ed, -gat⋅ing.
1. to criticize or reprimand severely.
2. to punish in order to correct.

4.BADINAGE=
bad⋅i⋅nage  [bad-n-ahzh, bad-n-ij] noun, verb, -naged, -nag⋅ing.
–noun
1. light, playful banter or raillery.
–verb (used with object)
2. to banter with or tease (someone) playfully.

3.APOTHEOSIS=a⋅poth⋅e⋅o⋅sis
[uh-poth-ee-oh-sis, ap-uh-thee-uh-sis], plural -ses [-seez, -seez]
1. the elevation or exaltation of a person to the rank of a god.
2. the ideal example; epitome; quintessence: This poem is the apotheosis of lyric expression.

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