Words of the Day Study Guide

Week 1

ferrule:  the cap at the end of the staff of an umbrella

pintle:  the verticl pin inserted in a hinge

aglet:  the plastic end of a shoe lace

chimb: the metal rim of a barrel

neb:  the curved tip on the wooden handle of a knife

opisthenar:  the back of the hand

Week 2

fils -- (fr. French -- son);  sometimes used after a name with a meaning of Jr.

kop -- (fr. Afrikaans -- head); a prominent isolated hill or plateau in southern Africa  

shako -- (fr. Hungarian csakos - peaked); a military cap in the form of a cylinder or cone, with a visor and a plume or pompon

Week 3

to steal someone's thunder -- to take credit for something someone else was going to say or actually did.

greased lightning -- refers to doing something incredibly fast

sunny-side up -- a fried egg that is not turned or doesn't have the yolk broken

a flood of applicants -- a very large number of people applying for a position.

Week 4

Enigma -- fr. Greek ainigma, fable -- a puzzle or mystery

Relievo -- fr. Latin relevare, to raise -- a painting or sculpture that is raised, giving the appearance of a third dimension

Tokamak -- fr. Russian -- a device that uses a powerful magnetic field to confine plasma in the shape of a torus, which we discovered is a donut shape.

Week 5

__________ hunter, line, quarters (ans. head)

__________ board, note, ring (ans. key)

__________ line, pass, product (ans. by)

bank, cook, text __________ (ans. book)

bull's, evil, private __________ (ans. eye)

curtain, lightning, ram __________ (ans. rod)

Week 6

Braggadocious -- literally, this word means excessive and obnoxious sniffing; figuratively it describes arrogant and boastful behavior

Caldera -- fr. Latin, caldaria, a cauldron -- a large, basin-like crater on a volcano

Minyan -- fr. Hebrew minyan, number -- traditionally, the minimum number of males (10) required to conduct a religious service

Week 7

Caftan -- fr. Persian qaftan -- a long garment having long sleeves and tied at the waist by a belt, worn under a coat in the Middle East.

En clair -- fr. French, en clair, in clear -- in ordinary language; clearly spoken

Ça m'est égal -- fr. French meaning "That's equal to me" -- It doesn't matter; "Whatever"

Week 8

Potatory -- fr. Latin, potatorius, drinkable -- of, relating to, or given to drinking

Gyrovague -- fr. Latin gyro , circle + vagus, wandering about -- a vagrant monk who wandered from monastery to monastery 

Week 8, cont.

Discommode -- fr. French dis, "un" + commoder, convenience -- to inconvenience, disturb, trouble  (None of the students knew any meanings of commode, i.e. a small cupboard or a portable toilet, so they didn't see how this was a red herring)

Friable -- fr. Latin friabilis, to crumble -- easily crumbled or reduced to powder

Week 9

icon -- fr. Greek, eikon, likeness, image -- a picture or image; a person or thing that is revered or idolized

idee fixe -- fr. French, "fixed idea" -- an obsession or idea that you can't get out of your head

id est -- fr. Latin, "that is" -- that is to say, in other words -- commonly abbreviated i.e.

exempli gratia -- fr. Latin "for the sake of example" -- for example, such as -- commonly abbreviated e.g.

idiot savant -- fr, French, "learned idiot" -- a person with learning disabilities who has exceptional skills in a particular area

Week 10

misanthropic -- fr. Greek, misanthropos, hating humankind -- a characteristic marked by a hatred of manking

legatee -- fr. Latin, legatus, deputy -- a person to whom a legacy is given

congeal -- fr. Latin congelare, to freeze -- to change from a soft, fluid form to a more stable form

caustic -- fr. Greek, kaustikos; burning -- capable of burning or corroding

trifle -- fr. Middle English, treoflen, to mock -- a matter of trivial importance

garret -- fr. French garite, watchtower -- a small, attic space

Week 11

deftly -- fr. Middle English daefte, awkward, meek -- nimble, skillful, clever

corroborate -- fr. Latin, corroborare, to strengthen -- to make certain, confirm

plaque -- fr. French, plaquer, to plate  -- an inscribed, commemorative tablet, the stuff on your teeth

laden -- fr. Old Dutch, hlatha, loaded  -- burdened, loaded down

jocund -- fr. Latin, jocundus, pleasant -- cheerful, merry, blithe

Week 12

I used the Words of the Day exercise to expand our vocabulary around common and over-used words:  said & moved.  We brainstormed a some other creative expressions for these words.  Then, we used them to describe 1) a baby, 2) a cowboy, 3) a happy person, 4) a frightened person.

Week 13

yurt -- fr. Russian, yurt—a circular tent used in northern Asia, especially Mongolia

yoghurt – fr. Turkish. yog, to condense – a fermented dairy product

yarmulke -- fr. Turkish, raincap – a small prayer cap worn by Jewish men

yeshiva -- fr. Hebrew, yəshībhāh, to sit – a college or seminary for Jewish men