Verbal Advantage - Level 05 » Index

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  • Word 1: Voluble
    Word 1: Voluble [VAHL-yuh-bul]
    Talkative, talking much and easily, characterized by a great and continuous flow of words.
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    Synonyms of voluble include long-winded, glib (word 8 of Level 3), garrulous (GAR-uh-lus), loquacious (loh-KWAY-shus), verbose (word 30 of Level 2), and effusive (e-FYOO-siv).
    Antonyms include reticent, terse (word 3 of Level 3), laconic (word 18 of Level 3), and taciturn (TAS-i-turn).
    Voluble refers to a person who talks freely and easily, and usually at great length. It may also mean characterized by a great and continuous flow of words; in this sense either speech or writing may be voluble.
  • Word 2: Commiserate
    Word 2: Commiserate [kuh-MIZ-uh-rayt]
    To sympathize, feel or express sympathy, show sorrow or pity for.
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    A somewhat unusual synonym of commiserate is the verb to condole (kun-DOHL), which means to grieve in sympathy, express condolence.
    To commiserate comes from a Latin verb meaning to pity, and by derivation commiserate means to share someone else’s misery. Commiserate is often followed by with: “When Sally lost her job, her coworkers commiserated with her.”
  • Word 3: Dilemma
    Word 3: Dilemma [di-LEM-uh]
    A predicament. In general, any difficult problem or unpleasant situation; specifically, a predicament in which one must choose between equally undesirable alternatives.
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    As I mentioned in my discussion of quandary (keyword 27 of Level 3), dilemma is often used today of any difficult problem or troublesome situation, but many good writers and speakers object to that as loose usage.
    Dilemma comes from the Greek di-, meaning two, and lemma, a proposition, and by derivation means a choice between two propositions. Strictly speaking, dilemma should be used only of situations in which one faces a choice between equally undesirable alternatives: Elected officials often face the dilemma of either voting for what their constituents want and going against their conscience, or voting their conscience and losing the support of their constituents.
    Quandary (KWAHN-duh-ree), quagmire (KWAG-myr, rhymes with bag liar), and dilemma all refer to complicated and perplexing situations from which it is hard to disentangle oneself.
    Quandary emphasizes confusion and uncertainty; someone in a quandary has no idea what to do to get out of it.
    Quagmire emphasizes hopelessness and impossibility. Literally, a quagmire is a bog, a tract of soft, wet ground. When used in a figurative sense, quagmire refers to an inextricable difficulty. Someone in a quagmire feels hopelessly stuck and unable to get out.
    By derivation, a dilemma is a choice between two equally undesirable, unfavorable, or disagreeable propositions. Hamlet’s famous dilemma was “to be or not to be.”
    Colloquial or informal expressions for the state of being in a dilemma include “in a fix,” “in a pickle,” “between a rock and a hard place,” and “between the devil and the deep blue sea.”
  • Word 4: Transitory
    Word 4: Transitory [TRAN-si-TOR-ee or TRAN-ziTOR-ee]
    Passing, temporary, fleeting, not permanent or enduring.
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    The words transitory, transient, ephemeral, and evanescent all mean passing, temporary.
    Evanescent (EV-uh-NES-int) comes from the Latin verb evanescere, to vanish, disappear, and refers to something that appears briefly and then fades quickly away: evanescent memories, evanescent joy.
    Ephemeral (e-FEM-uh-rul) means literally lasting only a day, but in a broad sense it refers to anything conspicuously short-lived: Our precious youth is ephemeral—lasting, it would seem, but a day. (Did you remember that short-lived is properly pronounced so that -lived rhymes with strived?)
    Transient (TRAN-shint, not TRAN-zee-int) refers to anything that lasts or stays only for a short while: a transient occupant, a transient event.
    Transient and our keyword transitory both come from the Latin transire, to go or pass over, the source also of the familiar words transit and transition. Transitory refers to something that by nature must pass or come to an end: Life is transitory, and sometimes so is love.
  • Word 5: Philanthropic
    Word 5: Philanthropic [FIL-un-THRAHP-ik]
    Charitable, benevolent, humane; motivated by or done out of a desire to help or improve the welfare of others.
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    The corresponding noun philanthropy means a desire to help others, especially through charitable giving.
    Philanthropy and philanthropic both come from the Greek philein, to love, and anthropos, man. Philanthropy means literally “love of mankind”; the adjective philanthropic means literally “loving mankind.”
    You can see the Greek philein, to love, in such words as philosophy, literally love of wisdom; and philharmonic, literally loving or devoted to music. You can see the Greek anthropos, man, in anthropology, the study of mankind, of human customs, habits, and traditions; and anthropomorphic (AN-throh-puh-MOR-fik), shaped like or resembling a man or human being.
    The words philanthropic, humanitarian, altruistic (AL-troo-IST-ik), and charitable all mean helping others. Charitable refers specifically to giving money to help others. Altruistic suggests unselfish giving. Humanitarian applies to persons or organizations devoted to reducing the pain and suffering of others. Philanthropic literally means motivated by a desire to help others; today the word is used chiefly of persons or organizations that make large charitable gifts, fund endowments, or finance humanitarian or cultural institutions.
  • Word 6: Lethargy
    Word 6: Lethargy [LETH-ur-jee]
    Lack of energy, sluggishness, dullness, apathy, stupor; an abnormally dull, drowsy, inactive condition or state of mind.
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    The corresponding adjective is lethargic, which means sluggish, drowsy, dull, apathetic: “Dan always felt lethargic after a big business lunch”; “Whenever we visit the zoo, the bears and the lions seem lethargic”; “Weeks after getting over the flu, Emily still felt lethargic.”
    According to the third edition of The American Heritage Dictionary (1992), lethargy “may be caused by factors such as illness, fatigue, or overwork, but it manifests itself in drowsy dullness or apathy.”
    Apathy (AP-uh-thee) and lethargy are close in meaning. Apathy suggests an indifferent state of mind, a thorough lack of emotion or concern: “Analysts predict that voter apathy will result in a low turnout for the election.” Lethargy is a prolonged state of dullness, inactivity, or lack of energy, a sluggish condition either of body or of mind: “The Renaissance roused Europe from the intellectual lethargy of the Middle Ages”; “As every college professor knows, nothing can penetrate or cure the lethargy of the college student who has partied too hard the night before.”
    More difficult synonyms of lethargy include torpor (TOR-pur), somnolence (SAHM-nuh-lints), lassitude (LAS-i-t(y)ood), languor (LANG-gur), and stupefaction (ST(Y)OO-puh-FAK-shin).
  • Word 7: Exonerate
    Word 7: Exonerate [eg-ZAHN-ur-ayt]
    To free from blame, free from a charge or the imputation of guilt, declare blameless or innocent.
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    Synonyms of exonerate include acquit, absolve, and exculpate (ek-SKUHL-payt or EK-skul-payt).
    Exculpate comes from the Latin ex-, meaning “out,” and culpa, blame, and means literally to free from blame. The word onerous (AHN-ur-us, like honor us, not OH-nur-us) means burdensome, and the corresponding noun an onus (OH-nus) means a burden. Exonerate combines the Latin ex-, out, with onus, a burden, to mean removing a burden—in modern usage, removing the burden of guilt.
  • Word 8: Pugnacious
    Word 8: Pugnacious [puhg-NAY-shus]
    Given to fighting, combative (kum-BAT-iv), quarrelsome, ready and willing to fight.
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    Challenging synonyms of pugnacious include contentious (kunTEN-shus), belligerent (buh-LIJ-ur-int), and bellicose (BEL-i-kohs). Antonyms include peaceable, clement (KLEM-int, word 43 of Level 2), and amicable (AM-i-kuh-bul).
    Pugnacious comes from the Latin pugnare, to box, fight with the fists, and still has the connotation of someone ready to put up his dukes. From the same Latin pugnare, to fight, we inherit the word pugilist (PYOO-ji-list), a boxer, someone who fights with his fists.
  • Word 9: Contrition
    Word 9: Contrition [kun-TRISH-in]
    Remorse, penitence, repentance, deep and devastating sorrow for one’s sins or for something one has done wrong.
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    Penitence is sorrow for having sinned or done wrong; it is often temporary. The penitent person may say “I’m sorry” today and sin again tomorrow.
    Remorse is deep sorrow. The remorseful person is tortured by a sense of guilt, and wishes he could erase what he has done.
    Contrition is even more intense than remorse. It comes from a Latin verb meaning to crush, and by derivation means a crushing sense of guilt accompanied by a sincere, earnest desire to repent, make amends, and change for the better.
    Contrition is the noun; the corresponding adjective is contrite (kun-TRYT, rhymes with a light), remorseful, penitent, full of guilt, regret, and sorrow for one’s sins or offenses: “When Larry’s wife found out about his mistress and his sleazy real estate deals and threatened to leave him, Larry was contrite and swore he’d mend his ways.”
  • Word 10: Abrogate
    Word 10: Abrogate [AB-ruh-gayt]
    To abolish by legal or authoritative action or decree.
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    Synonyms of abrogate include cancel, revoke, repeal, annul, nullify, and rescind (ri-SIND, word 31 of Level 3).
    To abolish means to do away with: to abolish slavery, abolish cruel and unusual punishment.
    Rescind, revoke, and repeal all suggest a formal withdrawal. Rescind means literally to cut off: you rescind an order. Revoke means literally to call back: you revoke a contract. To repeal means literally to call back on appeal, and applies to something canceled that formerly was approved: we repeal a law or an amendment.
    To annul (uh-NUHL) and to abrogate mean to cancel or make void. A marriage may be annulled. Rights and privileges are abrogated, abolished by authoritative action or decree.
  • Word 11: Officious
    Word 11: Officious [uh-FISH-us; do not say ohFISH-us]
    Pronounce the initial o of officious like the a in ago.
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    Meddlesome, nosy, intrusive, interfering, prying; specifically, offering unwanted advice or unnecessary services, especially in a high-handed, overbearing way.
    The officious person butts in and tries to tell others what to do, or offers help that others do not need. The officious person is a meddler, a busybody: “Lucy was sick and tired of her officious supervisor, who would constantly peer over her shoulder and in a single breath tell her what to do, offer to help her do it, and then upbraid her for not doing it right away.” (Do you know the precise meaning of upbraid? If you have the slightest doubt, look it up now.)
    A more difficult and unusual word for this type of unpleasant person is quidnunc (KWID-nuhngk, second syllable rhyming with skunk). Quidnunc comes directly from Latin and means literally “What now?” The quidnunc always wants to know what’s going on, the busybody is always sticking his or her nose into your business, and the officious person is always trying to manage your affairs.
  • Word 12: Intractable
    Word 12: Intractable [in-TRAK-tuh-bul]
    Hard to manage or control, stubborn, unruly.
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    Antonyms of intractable include obedient, compliant (kum-PLYint), malleable (MAL-ee-uh-bul), docile (DAHS-’l), and tractable.
    The antonyms tractable and intractable come from the Latin tractare, to drag around, haul, and also to manage, control. The familiar words traction and tractor come from the same source.
    Both tractable and intractable are used chiefly of persons rather than things: Tractable means obedient, compliant, easily managed; intractable means stubborn, unruly, hard to manage or control.
  • Word 13: Altruism
    Word 13: Altruism [AL-troo-iz-’m]
    Selflessness, unselfish concern for the welfare of others.
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    In the philosophy of ethics, altruism refers to the doctrine that promoting the welfare of society is the proper and moral goal of the individual. In this sense, altruism is opposed to egoism (EE-gohiz-’m), self-centeredness, specifically the doctrine that self-interest is the proper goal of the individual, that the only sensible thing to do in life is look out for number one.
    Egoism is distinguished from egotism (EE-guh-tiz-’m), both in spelling and meaning. Egotism is extreme self-involvement, excessive reference to oneself in speech or writing; the egotist (EEguh-tist) cannot stop talking about himself. Egoism implies selfcenteredness, concern for oneself; the egoist (EE-goh-ist) cares only about his own needs, concerns, and goals. Egoism is unpleasant but less intense and disagreeable than egotism.
    On the opposite end of the spectrum is altruism. The altruist is selfless, highly moral, and puts the needs of others and of society first. Altruism is unselfish concern for others.
  • Word 14: Accolade
    Word 14: Accolade [ak-uh-LAYD or AK-uh-layd]
    An award; sign of respect or esteem; expression of praise; mark of acknowledgment; anything done or given as a token of appreciation or approval: “At the ceremony she received an accolade from the president for her work”; “He was showered with accolades after the success of his project.”
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    Here’s an interesting word story for you: Accolade comes through French and Italian from the Latin accollare, to embrace, which comes in turn from ad-, meaning “to,” and collum, the neck, the source of the word collar.
    Originally, an accolade was an embrace, specifically the ritual embrace used in conferring knighthood. At one time this consisted of a ceremonial kiss and a light blow on each shoulder with the flat side of a sword. Later the embrace was dropped and the ceremony was limited to the tap on each side of the collar with a sword. From this ritual the word accolade has come to mean any special recognition of merit, achievement, or distinction.
    My preferred pronunciation for accolade is ak-uh-LAYD (last syllable like laid), but there are no fewer than three other established, acceptable pronunciations: AK-uh-layd, with the stress on the first syllable; ak-uh-LAHD, final syllable rhyming with rod; and AK-uh-lahd, stress on the first syllable.
  • Word 15: Vernacular
    Word 15: Vernacular [vur-NAK-yuh-lur]
    The native language of a people, especially, the common, everyday language of ordinary people as opposed to the literary or cultured language.
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    The noun vernacular may refer to a native language as opposed to a foreign one, and the adjective vernacular may mean native as opposed to foreign, as: English is my vernacular tongue. More often, though, vernacular is used of the common, everyday language of ordinary people. A vernacular expression is a popular expression, one used by ordinary folk. Vernacular literature is either popular literature or literature written in everyday as opposed to formal language. The phrase “in the vernacular” means in ordinary and unpretentious language.
    “I’m not going to do it” is formal language. “I ain’t gonna do it” is in the vernacular. “He doesn’t wish to speak with anyone” is formal language. “He don’t wanna talk to nobody” is vernacular.
    These examples of vernacular English are considered ungrammatical and substandard, and I want to be careful not to give you the impression that bad English is the only form of vernacular English. The vernacular comprises all language that is common and informal, any word or expression that ordinary people use—whether it is considered bad or good, acceptable or improper.
    In Modern English Usage, H. W. Fowler describes the vernacular as “the words that have been familiar to us for as long as we can remember, the homely part of the language, in contrast with the terms that we have consciously acquired.”
    Calling someone a “sharp cookie” is the vernacular way of calling someone intelligent, perceptive, judicious (joo-DISH-us, the next keyword in this level), or sagacious (suh-GAY-shus, word 6 in Level 8). Saying someone is a “phony” is the vernacular way of saying someone is a sham, an imposter, or a charlatan (SHAHRluh-tin, word 17 of Level 4). The vernacular of the East differs from the vernacular of the West, and often residents of different parts of the same state or city have their own vernacular— common, informal, everyday language.
  • Word 16: Judicious
    Word 16: Judicious [joo-DISH-us]
    Wise and careful, having or showing sound judgment.
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    Synonyms of judicious include sensible, levelheaded, prudent (word 47 of Level 1), and discreet. Antonyms include thoughtless, foolhardy, impetuous (im-PECH-oo-us), and temerarious (TEM-uh-RAIR-ee-us).
    Judicious comes through the Latin judicium, judgment, from judex, a judge. Judex and the Latin verb judicare, to judge, pass judgment, are also the source of the English words judge, judgment, judicial, pertaining to a judge or to a judgment, and judiciary (joo-DISH-ee-ER-ee), judges collectively or the judicial branch of government.
    As long as we’re passing judgment on all these words, here’s a spelling tip: Everyone knows the word judge has an e at the end, but many Americans don’t seem to realize that there is no e in the middle of the word judgment. The British (and many Canadians who follow British usage) prefer to retain this medial e and spell the word judgement. The preferred American spelling, however, is judgment.
    Our keyword, judicious, means having or showing sound judgment. A judicious decision is a wise and careful decision. A judicious course of action is a sensible, levelheaded, prudent course of action.
  • Word 17: Chrysalis
    Word 17: Chrysalis [KRIS-uh-lis]
    The pupa of a butterfly; the stage in the development of the insect between the larval and adult stages, during which the insect is enclosed in a case or cocoon.
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    Chrysalis is now also used in a figurative sense to mean a sheltered and undeveloped state or stage of being: “Promising young artists and writers have always had to break out of their creative chrysalis to achieve the recognition they deserve”; “After four years at college she emerged from her chrysalis in the ivory tower into the wide-open world, fully mature and ready to accomplish great things.”
    In this general sense, chrysalis is a useful word that can add a nice touch of style to your expression. Be careful, however, to use it precisely. The danger lies in confusing chrysalis with the words transformation and metamorphosis (MET-uh-MORF-uh-sis).
    Listen to this sentence, which was written by a theater critic about a performance of George Bernard (BUR-nurd) Shaw’s Pygmalion: “Dirickson is convincing and eminently likable as Eliza, deftly handling the chrysalis from street urchin to lady while, along the way, growing in confidence and independence.”
    You cannot “handle” a sheltered and undeveloped state “from” one thing to another. What the critic meant to describe was a change that resembled the transformation a butterfly undergoes from its larval (LAHR-vul) stage, when it is but a caterpillar, through its chrysalis, its stage of development in the shelter of the cocoon, and then to fully formed adulthood. The proper word for that transformation is metamorphosis. Chrysalis means a sheltered state or undeveloped stage of being.
  • Word 18: Genteel
    Word 18: Genteel [jen-TEEL]
    Refined, polite, well-bred, sophisticated, elegantly stylish or fashionable, pertaining or belonging to high society.
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    Genteel came into English in the early seventeenth century from the French gentil, which at the time meant noble, polite, graceful. Originally genteel meant possessing the qualities of those of high birth and good breeding. That definition is still listed in current dictionaries, but today genteel usually suggests an excessive or affected refinement, and the word is often applied to someone or something that is trying to appear socially or intellectually superior.
  • Word 19: Jovial
    Word 19: Jovial [JOH-vee-ul]
    Merry, full of good humor, hearty and fun-loving, jolly, convivial (kun-VIV-ee-ul).
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    The exclamation “by Jove!” means literally “by Jupiter,” the name of the chief deity (properly pronounced DEE-i-tee, not DAYi-tee) in Roman mythology, called Zeus by the ancient Greeks. From Jove, who was renowned for his love of feasting and merriment, we inherit the word jovial, literally like Jove, merry, good-humored, convivial.
  • Word 20: Subterfuge
    Word 20: Subterfuge [SUHB-tur-fyooj]
    A deception, trick, underhanded scheme.
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    Synonyms of subterfuge include stratagem, artifice (AHRT-i-fis), and ruse (properly pronounced ROOZ to rhyme with news, not ROOS to rhyme with loose).
    By derivation subterfuge means to flee secretly, escape. In modern usage the word applies to any secret or illicit plan or activity designed to conceal a motive, escape blame, or avoid something unpleasant: “Mystery and spy novels abound with myriad examples of the art of subterfuge.”
    Don’t soften the g in this word and say SUHB-tur-fyoozh. The final syllable, -fuge, should rhyme with huge.
  • Word 21: Ebullience
    Word 21: Ebullience [i-BUHL-yints or i-BUUL-yints]
    Lively enthusiasm, high spirits, bubbly excitement.
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    Synonyms include exuberance, exhilaration, and effervescence (EF-ur-VESints).
    The words ebullition (EB-uh-LISH-in), ebullient (i-BUHL-yint or iBUUL-yint), and ebullience all come from the Latin verb ebullire, to boil, bubble.
    The noun ebullition literally means a boiling or bubbling up. It may be used figuratively of an emotional outburst, as “Lisa was delighted with her husband’s amorous ebullition on their anniversary.”
    The adjective ebullient means bubbling with enthusiasm, overflowing with high spirits: “The stadium was packed with thousands of ebullient fans.”
    The noun ebullience means bubbly enthusiasm, seething excitement, irrepressible exuberance: “When Jack won the lottery, he could not contain his ebullience.”
    Ebullience and ebullient are often mispronounced. Don’t say iBOOL-yints and i-BOOL-yint, or i-BYOO-lee-ints and i-BYOO-leeint. The BOOL and BYOOL sounds (which rhyme with fool) are wrong. Also, take care to eschew (es-CHOO, remember?) the sloppy mispronunciations EB-yuh-lints and EB-yuh-lint, which move the stress to the first syllable.
    In ebullience and ebullient, the stress should fall on the second syllable, -bul-, in which the u may have the sound of the u in bulk or bull.
  • Word 22: Impervious
    Word 22: Impervious [im-PURV-ee-us]
    Impenetrable, incapable of being entered or passed through; hence, unable to be moved or affected by something.
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    Synonyms of impervious include impassable, impermeable (imPUR-mee-uh-bul), and opaque (oh-PAYK). Antonyms include penetrable (PEN-i-truh-bul), passable, accessible, permeable, translucent (tranz-LOO-sint), and diaphanous (dy-AF-uh-nus).
    An impervious substance cannot be penetrated: certain fabrics are impervious to water; a recording studio must be well insulated and impervious to external noise. If you are impervious to pain, then pain does not penetrate your consciousness. And if your mind is impervious to reason, that means you cannot be moved or affected by any argument, no matter how persuasive.
  • Word 23: Remonstrate
    Word 23: Remonstrate [ri-MAHN-strayt]
    To object, protest, reprove, rebuke, argue or plead against.
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    To expostulate (ek-SPAHS-chu-layt) and to remonstrate are close in meaning. To expostulate suggests an earnest and sometimes passionate attempt to change someone’s views or behavior by pleading and argument. To remonstrate suggests a calmer and more reasoned attempt to show that someone is wrong or blameworthy.
  • Word 24: Efface
    Word 24: Efface [e-FAYS]
    To rub out, wipe out, obliterate, erase, expunge: “Time gradually effaced the memory of the tragedy.”
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    To efface may also mean to make oneself inconspicuous, keep oneself out of the limelight: “During the celebration, he effaced himself so his partner would get all the attention.” The selfeffacing person stays in the background and behaves in a modest, retiring fashion.
    Take care to distinguish the words deface and efface. To deface means to spoil the appearance of, ruin, disfigure, mar. To efface means to rub out, wipe out, erase, or to withdraw from notice, make oneself inconspicuous.
  • Word 25: Chimera
    Word 25: Chimera [ky-MEER-uh]
    A foolish fancy, fantastic notion or idea, figment of the imagination.
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    Synonyms of chimera include whimsy (WHIM-zee), crotchet (KRAHCH-it), maggot, and caprice (discussed in word 11 of Level 1).
    In Greek mythology, the Chimera was a fire-breathing monster with the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a serpent. In modern usage chimera may refer to that monster or a similar fabulous creature, but more commonly it means an absurd and fabulous creation of the mind. A chimera is a vain or idle fancy, an impossible or visionary idea. The corresponding adjective is chimerical (ki-MER-i-kul), which means imaginary, fantastic, preposterous, absurd.
  • Word 26: Incorrigible
    Word 26: Incorrigible [in-KOR-ij-uh-bul or inKAHR-]
    Bad beyond correction or reform, hopeless, irreformable; also, unruly, unmanageable, difficult to control.
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    Synonyms of incorrigible in the sense of “bad beyond correction or reform” include irredeemable, irreclaimable, unrepentant, inveterate (in-VET-uh-rit), and unregenerate (UHN-ri-JEN-uh-rit).
    Synonyms of incorrigible in the sense of “unruly, difficult to control” include obstinate (word 34 of Level 1), willful, and intractable (word 12 of this level).
    The adjective corrigible means “capable of being corrected, amended, or reformed.” By adding the privative (PRIV-uh-tiv, meaning “depriving” or “canceling”) prefix in-, meaning “not,” to the adjective corrigible, we get its antonym, incorrigible, not capable of being corrected, amended, or reformed—and therefore hopelessly bad, irreformable, as an incorrigible drinker, an incorrigible practical joker.
    Because incorrigible behavior cannot be corrected or reformed, it also cannot be managed or controlled, and from that logical inference grew the second meaning of incorrigible: unruly, unmanageable, difficult to control. Wild, unruly teenagers and spoiled children who will not mind their parents are often called incorrigible.
  • Word 27: Juxtapose
    Word 27: Juxtapose [JUHK-stuh-POHZor JUHKstuh-pohz]
    To place side by side or close together, especially so as to compare or contrast.
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    The first half of the word juxtapose comes from the Latin juxta, which means “near, close by.” The second half, -pose, comes from the Latin ponere, to put, place, the source also of the familiar word position and the more challenging word posit (PAHZ-it). To posit means to put forward as true, set down as a fact, as the Declaration of Independence posits that “all men are created equal.” By derivation the verb to juxtapose means “to place near, put close by.”
    When you juxtapose two or more things you place them side by side, usually for the purpose of comparing or contrasting them. Painters often juxtapose colors for a striking effect; philosophers and scientists juxtapose ideas so as to evaluate them; a consumer might juxtapose two products, place them side by side, to decide which one is better.
    The corresponding noun is juxtaposition (JUHK-stuh-puh-ZISH-in).
  • Word 28: Conversant
    Word 28: Conversant [kun-VUR-sint]
    Familiar, acquainted, well-informed or well-versed.
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    Conversant comes from the Latin conversari, to associate with, the source also of the verb to converse and the noun conversation. When you are conversant with something you have had a conversation with it; you have associated with it, and therefore you are familiar or well acquainted with it. The person who is conversant with astronomy or folklore or Russian history or the microcomputer industry is well informed and able to speak knowledgeably about the subject.
    Conversant and versed are close synonyms. Conversant is usually followed by with; versed is usually followed by in. Versed often suggests the familiarity that comes from experience. You can be versed in the ways of life, versed in the techniques of marketing or public relations, or versed in the culture of a foreign country. Conversant often suggests the familiarity that comes from having studied something or acquired information about it. You can be conversant with the work of a certain writer, conversant with economics, conversant with modern art, or conversant with current events.
  • Word 29: Esoteric
    Word 29: Esoteric [ES-uh-TER-ik]
    Intended for or designed to be understood only by a select group, known only by a few people; hence, not public, secret, confidential.
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    Synonyms of esoteric include mysterious, impenetrable, inscrutable (word 48 of Level 3), cryptic (KRIP-tik), abstruse (ab-STROOS, word 5 of Level 6), arcane (ahr-KAYN), and recondite (REK-undyt).
    Antonyms of esoteric include plain, apparent, accessible, manifest, discernible (word 32 of Level 3), lucid (word 45 of Level 3), and perspicuous (pur-SPIK-yoo-us).
    Esoteric comes from a Greek word meaning “inner,” and by derivation means intended for or known only by an inner circle. According to the 1914 edition of the great Century Dictionary, the word esoteric “originally applied to certain writings of Aristotle of a scientific, as opposed to a popular, character, and afterward to the secret…teachings of Pythagoras; hence, [esoteric has come to mean] secret; intended to be communicated only to the initiated.”
    Because esoteric refers to that which is secret or understood only by a few select people, in recent years the word has come to be used more generally to mean beyond most people’s knowledge or understanding, highly complex and difficult to comprehend, as an esoteric theory or the esoteric language of computer programming.
    Many educated people now use the word in this more general way, and there is nothing wrong with that—except that I suspect most people who use esoteric today are not aware of the word’s original, more specific meaning. Thus, you will have a leg up on them if you keep in mind the precise meaning of esoteric: intended to be communicated only to the initiated.
    An esoteric theory is complex and impenetrable because it is designed to be understood only by a select group. An esoteric purpose is secret and mysterious because it is known only by a few chosen people.
    The antonym or opposite of esoteric is exoteric (EKS-uh-TER-ik). Exoteric begins with the prefix exo-, which means “outer, outside.” Exoteric means external, popular, of the outside world or open to public view. Exoteric writing is intended for the world at large; it is communicated to or suitable for the general public. Esoteric writing is intended for an inner circle; it is understood only by a few people.
  • Word 30: Auspicious
    Word 30: Auspicious [aw-SPISH-us]
    Favorable, fortunate, marked by favorable circumstances or good fortune, conducive to success, boding well.
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    The ancient Romans were, by modern standards, a highly superstitious people who believed in supernatural signs and omens and who often consulted oracles, astrologers, clairvoyants (klair-VOY-ints), and soothsayers (the sooth- rhymes with truth) when they wanted to know what the future held in store for them. One of the most popular fortune-tellers in ancient times was the auspex (AW-speks), who practiced a form of divination known in Latin as auspicium, which meant the act of predicting the future by observing the flight of birds.
    In English, the word auspice (AW-spis) means an omen or sign, especially a favorable one. From that sense auspice came to be used in the plural, auspices (AW-spi-siz), to mean protection, guardianship, or sponsorship, as an investigation conducted under the auspices of the government. Both the noun auspice and the adjective auspicious come from the Latin auspicium, which in turn comes from avis, bird, and specere, to look at, observe. By derivation auspicious refers to that which an auspex, or birdwatcher, has said will have a favorable outcome.
    In modern usage auspicious applies to anything marked by favorable circumstances or good fortune. An auspicious debut is a favorable debut, one conducive to future success. When the telephone rings and the caller wants to buy your product or pay for your services, that’s an auspicious call, one marked by good fortune. And when you meet someone at a party who later turns out to be an important business contact, that meeting can only be described as auspicious, favorable, fortunate.
    The adjectives auspicious and propitious (pruh-PISH-us) are close in meaning. Propitious by derivation means rushing forward or striving after something—in the vernacular (word 15 of this level) or in colloquial (word 43 of this level) terms, “going for it.” In current usage propitious usually refers to favorable conditions or a favorable time for doing something: fishermen hope for propitious weather; stockbrokers are always looking for the propitious moment to buy or sell. Auspicious means favorable in the sense of boding well, giving indication of success. An auspicious event is one that seems an omen of success, good fortune, or prosperity.
  • Word 31: Itinerant
    Word 31: Itinerant [eye-TIN-ur-int]
    Wandering, traveling about, moving from place to place, especially to perform work.
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    Synonyms of the adjective itinerant include migratory, wayfaring, vagrant, nomadic (noh-MAD-ik), ambulatory (AM-byuh-luh-tor-ee), and the interesting word peripatetic (PER-i-puh-TET-ik). I’ll discuss peripatetic further in the tenth and final level of the program, so keep reading!
    Itinerant is also a noun meaning an itinerant person, a wanderer, wayfarer, someone who travels from place to place.
    The words itinerant and itinerary (eye-TIN-uh-rair-ee) come from the Late Latin verb itinerari, to travel, go on a journey. An itinerary is a route, a course taken on a journey, especially a detailed plan or list of places to visit while traveling, as “The travel agent prepared an itinerary for their trip to Europe, noting their transportation schedule and the hotels where they planned to stay.”
    In current usage itinerary is sometimes used loosely as a synonym of agenda, but these words should be sharply distinguished. An agenda is a list of things to be done or dealt with, especially a list of items to be addressed in a meeting. An itinerary is a list of places to go, a detailed plan for a journey.
    The words itinerant, nomadic, vagrant, and ambulatory all mean moving or traveling about.
    Ambulatory, from the Latin ambulare, to walk, means walking, able to walk around: “When Kevin broke his leg the doctor said it would be at least three months before he’d be ambulatory again.”
    Vagrant comes ultimately from the Latin vagari, to wander, and means wandering about with no fixed purpose. Vagrant is usually applied to people, such as hobos and tramps, who have no home or job and who wander about in a shiftless way.
    Nomadic applies not to individuals but to tribes or groups of people who lack a permanent home, and who wander together from place to place to sustain themselves: “The nomadic tribes of the desert must move from oasis to oasis to provide enough water for themselves and their livestock.”
    Itinerant applies to people who travel from place to place to work or seek work, and the word usually suggests traveling on a regular course or circuit. An itinerant preacher goes from town to town, spreading the gospel. Itinerant laborers must travel from place to place to do their work. In the past, the legal system had many itinerant judges who traveled on a regular circuit to adjudicate (uh-JOO-di-kayt) cases in various far-flung districts.
  • Word 32: Cull
    Word 32: Cull [rhymes with dull]
    To pick out, select from various sources, gather, collect.
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    Cull comes from the Latin colligere, to gather, the source also of the familiar words collect and collection.
    The verbs to cull and to glean are close in meaning.
    Glean (rhymes with spleen) was originally used in farming to mean to gather up the stray bits and pieces of a crop that remained after the reapers or gatherers had done their work. From that sense, glean came to mean to collect or gather mentally, especially to learn or discover something bit by bit, in a laborious fashion: the investigator gathers facts to glean information; the historian gleans knowledge about the past by studying old records and documents.
    The unusual noun a cull means something picked out or rejected as inferior or worthless, and in its original sense the verb to cull means to eliminate culls, as to cull livestock, to separate inferior specimens from the herd, or to cull lumber, to pick out and remove defective pieces. From that sense, cull came to mean to pick out so as to collect and keep, to select with an eye for retaining rather than rejecting.
    Today we speak of culling useful information or culling ideas, meaning we gather that information or those ideas from various sources. When you cull flowers from a garden you select and gather them, and when you cull interesting words from reading, you pick them out and collect them in your mind.
  • Word 33: Promulgate
    Word 33: Promulgate [pruh-MUHL-gayt or PRAHMul-gayt]
    To make known, publish, proclaim, make public in an official manner.
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    You may pronounce this word with the accent either on the second syllable or on the first. Pruh-MUHL-gayt is the original American pronunciation; PRAHM-ul-gayt was imported from Britain in the 1920s. Since the 1960s, PRAHM-ul-gayt has steadily eclipsed the traditional pruh-MUHL-gayt, and today PRAHM-ulgayt is sanctioned by all dictionaries and preferred by many educated speakers. (My sympathies, however, remain with pruhMUHL-gayt.)
    Synonyms of promulgate include announce, advertise, broadcast, disseminate (di-SEM-i-nayt), and bruit (BROOT, like brute). All of these words share the meaning of bringing something to the attention of the public, making it widely known.
    The verb promulgate has two corresponding nouns: promulgation (PRAHM-ul-GAY-shin or PROH-mul-GAY-shin) is the act of making something public or widely known; a promulgator (PRAHM-ul-GAY-tur or, traditionally but now less often, pruh-MUHL-gay-tur) is a person who makes something widely known, who proclaims or publicizes it.
    Promulgate comes from the Latin promulgare, to publish, proclaim. The word applies chiefly to making something known in a formal or official way: the government promulgates a new law or policy; religions promulgate their doctrine or creed; a corporation promulgates its financial status in an annual report to stockholders; and people often promulgate their opinions on radio talk shows and on the editorial pages of the newspaper.
  • Word 34: Gratuitous
    Word 34: Gratuitous [gruh-T(Y)OO-i-tus]
    Free, given without charge or obligation; also, without legitimate cause or reason, uncalled-for, unjustified, baseless, unwarranted.
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    Gratuitous comes from the Latin gratuitus, meaning not paid for, unprovoked, or spontaneous. Related English words include the adjective gratis (GRAT-is, not GRAH-tis), which means free, without charge, and the noun a gratuity, a gift or favor given in return for a service. After dining in a fancy restaurant, you leave the waiter a gratuity; after eating in a greasy spoon, you leave the server a tip.
    In modern usage, gratuitous may be used to mean either given without charge or obligation, or given without legitimate cause or reason.
    When your boss gives you an unexpected pay raise, it’s a gratuitous blessing; if a friend offers you a free pair of tickets to a ballgame, they’re gratuitous. On the other hand, a gratuitous remark or gesture is not given freely; it’s uncalled-for, unwarranted. Likewise, a gratuitous assumption is baseless, and a gratuitous criticism is unjustified.
    Whenever you see or hear gratuitous used, be sure to consider the context carefully to determine in which sense you should construe the word.
    I shall conclude this discussion by offering you some gratuitous advice on usage. After you hear it, you may decide whether it was gratuitous in the sense of “given freely” or gratuitous in the sense of “unjustified, uncalled-for.”
    Have you ever received a “free gift” or been given something “for free”? Of course you have, but are you also aware that when you accepted that “free gift” or that whatnot “for free,” you acquiesced in two of the most preposterous redundancies in the English language?
    Think about it for a moment. A gift is something given free, a present. You wouldn’t say a “free present,” would you? That would sound ridiculous, which it is. Similarly, “free gift” is ridiculous because the phrase literally means “something given free without charge.” So why do so many people insist on saying “free gift” when a gift already is free?
    I’ll tell you why: because for years marauding hordes of advertising copywriters and marketers have assaulted us with this redundant phrase in every sleazy, gratuitous pitch they make on radio or television or drop into our mailboxes, until our brains are so saturated with it that we can’t look a gift horse in the mouth without calling it free. That, in a word, is mind control.
    The question now is, Shall we continue to let ourselves be subjugated by the mind-numbing mannikins of Madison Avenue, or shall we strike a blow for freedom in our own writing and speech by striking free from the redundant “free gift”?
    I hope you will consider that question the next time someone offers you “something free for nothing.”
    Likewise with the phrase “for free” used to mean “for nothing.” William Safire, the columnist on language for The New York Times Magazine, calls “for free” a joculism (JAHK-yoo-liz-’m), which he defines as “a word or phrase intended to be an amusing error that is taken up as accurate by the unwary.” Safire posits that this joculism arose from a joke line from the 1930s: “I’ll give it to you free for nothing.” Just as irregardless began as a jocular play on the words irrespective and regardless and then weaseled its way into the speech of those who didn’t realize irregardless was a joke and not a legitimate word, so did the joke-phrase “for free” mutate from a facetious usage into a widely accepted one.
    Everywhere you turn today you hear educated speakers saying “I’ll give it to you for free” or “Only a fool works for free” without giving a second thought to the fact that, as Safire puts it, “something is either free or for nothing—not both.” To that I would add that if the pure and simple word free by itself doesn’t satisfy your verbal appetite and you yearn for something more verbose, then use the formal “without charge,” the trendy “costfree,” or the emphatic “at no cost to you.”
    So remember, my verbally advantaged friend, that there’s no such thing as a free lunch, and there’s no such thing as a “free gift,” because nothing in this world is “for free.” When it comes to language, one word is almost always better than two, even when they’re free, without charge, and at no cost to you.
  • Word 35: Nomenclature
    Word 35: Nomenclature [NOH-men-KLAY-chur]
    A system of names, especially a system of names used in a science, art, or branch of knowledge.
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    Nomenclature combines the Latin nomen, meaning “name,” with calare, to call, and by derivation means “name-calling,” not in a negative but in a neutral, disinterested sense. From the same source comes the unusual English word nomenclator (NOH-men-KLAY-tur). According to the Century Dictionary, “in ancient Rome candidates canvassing for office…were attended each by a nomenclator, who informed the candidate of the names of the persons they met, thus enabling him to address them by name.” From that sense nomenclator came to be used to mean one who invents names for things, specifically a person who assigns technical names in scientific classification.
    Nomenclature is the system of names used by a nomenclator, the whole vocabulary of names or technical terms used in a given science, art, or branch of knowledge. Engineering, philosophy, economics, and chemistry all have distinct nomenclatures, as do music, carpentry, computer science, and plumbing. In the eighteenth century, the Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus (KARuh-lus li-NEE-us) founded the binomial (by-NOH-mee-ul, “twoname”) system of nomenclature, which has since been adopted by many sciences.
  • Word 36: Droll
    Word 36: Droll [rhymes with bowl]
    Amusing, humorous, comical; especially, funny or witty in an odd or outrageous way.
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    Synonyms of droll include ridiculous, ludicrous, farcical, and waggish. Antonyms include sober, sedate, staid (pronounced like stayed), and austere (word 17 of Level 3).
    Droll comes from a French word meaning a buffoon, a jester, or a wag. Droll was once used as a noun to mean a buffoon, someone who clowns around telling jokes and performing amusing tricks— the kind of person that today we might describe as “the life of the party.” The noun a droll is now old-fashioned, and in current usage droll is used as an adjective to mean amusing or witty in a quirky, eccentric way. A droll person has a playful, lively sense of humor; a droll expression is an oddly comical expression; a droll remark is humorous in an offbeat way.
    The corresponding noun is drollery (DROH-lur-ee), which may denote either an oddly amusing quality or something said or done in a slightly outrageous and amusing way.
  • Word 37: Insatiable
    Word 37: Insatiable [in-SAY-shuh-bul or in-SAYshee- uh-bul]
    Greedy, hungry, unable to be satisfied or appeased.
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    Synonyms of insatiable include ravenous, voracious (vor-RAYshus), unquenchable, and unappeasable. The direct antonym is satiable, capable of being satisfied.
    From the Latin satis, which means “enough, sufficient,” English has inherited the antonyms insatiable and satiable, the verbs to satisfy and to satiate (SAY-shee-ayt), and the challenging noun satiety (suh-TY-i-tee).
    To satiate means to satisfy completely or somewhat to excess. When you fill your hungry belly with a hearty meal, you are satiated with food. If you occasionally feel that Verbal Advantage is stuffing your brain with more words than it can comfortably contain, then you’re feeling satiated with words. But don’t worry. I don’t think you’ll reach the point of satiety. The noun satiety means a state of excessive gratification, satisfaction beyond what one normally desires.
    Our keyword, insatiable, means incapable of being satiated, not able to achieve satiety, unable to be satisfied or appeased— in short, greedy, hungry, ravenous.
    The human animal can be insatiable in many ways. You can have an insatiable appetite for food, or drink, or sex; you can have an insatiable desire to make money or achieve fame; you can have an insatiable hunger for attention; you can have an insatiable longing for the way things were; and you can have an insatiable thirst for knowledge or for learning new words.
  • Word 38: Beguile
    Word 38: Beguile [be-GYL]
    To deceive, delude, or mislead; also, to charm, amuse, or delight.
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    Synonyms of beguile in the sense of “deceive, delude, or mislead” include dupe and gull, which were discussed in word 11 of Level 2, and also hoodwink, swindle, bamboozle, ensnare, and cozen (KUZ-’n, like cousin). Synonyms of beguile in the sense of “charm, amuse, or delight” include enchant, enrapture, enthrall (enTHRAWL), and ensorcel (en-SOR-sul), also spelled ensorcell, a poetic word that by derivation means to practice sorcery upon.
    The word guile (rhymes with mile) comes to us through Old French, probably from an Old English word meaning sorcery or divination. The notion that the practitioners of sorcery are evil wizards has led to the modern meaning of guile: deceitful craftiness, treacherous cunning.
    The prefix be- at the beginning of the verb to beguile is an intensifier meaning “completely, thoroughly.” You can see this intensifying prefix be- in the words besmirch, to smirch or stain thoroughly; befuddle, to completely fuddle or confuse; and beware, to be completely wary of, to be thoroughly on one’s guard.
    In its original sense the verb to beguile means to deceive completely by means of guile, crafty, treacherous cunning. In Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament, Eve tells God, “The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.” Since Shakespeare’s time beguile has also been used in a far less sinister way to mean to completely capture the attention of, to thoroughly divert or distract, and so to charm, amuse, or delight.
    Depending on the motives of the beguiler, when you are beguiled you may either be thoroughly charmed and enraptured or completely distracted and deceived. Beguiling eyes are captivating, fascinating eyes; beguiling words are crafty, deceptive, misleading words.
  • Word 39: Vindictive
    Word 39: Vindictive [vin-DIK-tiv]
    Seeking or wanting revenge, vengeful, characterized by a desire to get even.
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    Vengeful and vindictive are close in meaning, and both words are used of people who have a strong desire for revenge or retribution. (Retribution means repayment—specifically, repayment in the form of punishment in return for a wrong.)
    The vengeful person wants to inflict an equivalent degree of suffering upon the wrongdoer in accordance with the famous code of Hammurabi (HAH-muu-RAH-bee), the ancient Babylonian king, which stipulated “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”
    The vindictive person is less rational and more fervent. When a vindictive person feels wronged he is driven to retaliate at all costs. Consequently, vindictive often suggests gratuitous or unjustified retaliation for an offense that is imagined rather than actual.
  • Word 40: Replete
    Word 40: Replete [ri-PLEET]
    Fully or richly supplied, well-stocked, chock-full, filled to capacity.
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    Synonyms of replete include stuffed, crammed, gorged, abounding, brimming, teeming, laden, and surfeited (SUR-fi-tid).
    Replete comes from the Latin replere, to refill, fill again, from re, meaning “again,” and plere, to fill. From the Latin plere, to fill, and the adjective plenus, full, come the familiar English words plenty and plentiful, and the more challenging words plenitude (PLEN-i-t(y)ood), an abundance, ample amount, and plenary (PLEE-nuh-ree), which means full or complete in all respects. Plenary powers are complete powers; a plenary session of Congress is a fully attended session of Congress.
    Our keyword, replete, by derivation means filled to capacity, well-stocked, abounding. A river may be replete with fish; a house may be replete with furniture; a conversation may be replete with humor; a book may be replete with insight; a mind may be replete with wisdom; and a life may be replete with experience. Verbal Advantage, of course, is replete with words.
    The words replete and fraught (rhymes with caught) are close in meaning but are used in different ways.
    Fraught comes from Middle English and Middle Dutch words meaning “loaded, freighted, full of cargo.” By derivation fraught suggests carrying a heavy load. That which is fraught is burdened or weighted down: a situation may be fraught with danger; a person’s face may be fraught with worry; a life may be fraught with pain and suffering. Fraught suggests great weight or emotional intensity, and is usually used of that which is burdensome or distressful. Replete, on the other hand, suggests great volume or mass, and may be used of any abundant supply. A train overflowing with passengers is replete with passengers, not fraught with them, but a relationship full of conflict is fraught with conflict, not replete with it.
    Recently, replete has come to be used to mean complete. The words are not synonymous or interchangeable. Complete means lacking nothing, having all necessary elements, ingredients, or parts. Replete means well-stocked, fully or richly supplied. A multivitamin may come complete with all the minimum daily requirements. When your body absorbs those vitamins, it is replete with them.
  • Word 41: Preclude
    Word 41: Preclude [pri-KLOOD]
    To prevent, make impossible, exclude or shut off all possibility of something happening.
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    Synonyms of preclude include avert, obviate (AHB-vee-ayt), and forestall. Antonyms include incite, instigate (IN-sti-gayt), and engender (en-JEN-dur).
    Preclude comes from the Latin prae-, meaning “before,” and claudere, to shut, close up. By derivation preclude means to take steps beforehand to shut off or close the door on something.
    In modern usage, preclude suggests preventing something by excluding or shutting off all possibility of its happening: Immunization can preclude many fatal diseases. An alarm system may decrease the chance that your car will be stolen, but it will not preclude it. The framers of the U.S. Constitution adopted the Bill of Rights as a means of precluding the passage of any law that would infringe upon or abrogate the basic rights of citizens in a democracy.
  • Word 42: Castigate
    Word 42: Castigate [KAS-ti-gayt]
    To punish or criticize severely.
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    Synonyms of castigate include chasten (CHAY-sin), chastise (chasTYZ or CHAS-tyz), rebuke, reprimand, reprove, and censure (SENshur, word 28 of Level 3).
    Antonyms of castigate include approve, reward, praise, commend, laud (LAWD), extol (ek-STOHL), and eulogize (YOO-luh-jyz).
    The verbs to chasten, to chastise, and to castigate all mean to punish in slightly different ways.
    Chasten is related to the word chaste, pure, and by derivation to chasten means to punish in order to purify or make chaste. In modern usage chasten usually suggests purifying by subjecting to harsh discipline, inflicting pain or suffering to improve the character of someone or something. Military recruits are chastened during basic training; a preacher may chasten a congregation for its sinful ways; a mild heart attack may chasten the workaholic to slow down and take better care of himself. You may also chasten your mind or chasten your style, purify or subdue it by subjecting it to harsh discipline.
    The verb to chastise was once used as a dignified word for inflicting corporal punishment—in other words, to punish by whipping or beating. In the nineteenth century, teachers were permitted—and often expected—to chastise students who misbehaved in class, and for much of the twentieth century, before the concept of the “time-out” became popular, spanking was considered an acceptable way of disciplining a naughty or obstreperous child. (Do you need to look up obstreperous? Quick— grab your dictionary and do it now.)
    Today chastise may still be used to mean to inflict corporal punishment, but more often the word suggests administering a strong verbal rebuke. When a teacher chastises a student today, it’s with harsh words, not a hickory stick. The corresponding noun chastisement may be pronounced either CHAS-tiz-ment or chasTYZ-ment. CHAS-tiz-ment is the traditional pronunciation; chasTYZ-ment has been recognized by American dictionaries since the late 1940s.
    Castigate comes from the Latin castigare, to punish with words or blows. Like chastise, castigate was once used of corporal punishment, but today the word is nearly always used to mean to beat up verbally, criticize severely, especially to subject to harsh public criticism. Politicians often castigate their opponents during a campaign. Some reviewers may praise a book for its controversial ideas, while others may castigate it. If the boss reads you the riot act in front of the whole office, consider yourself castigated. The corresponding noun is castigation, as “a pugnacious radio talk show host with a vicious penchant for castigation.”
  • Word 43: Colloquial
    Word 43: Colloquial [kuh-LOH-kwee-ul]
    Conversational; pertaining to, characteristic of, or used in spoken language; hence, informal, casual, natural.
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    Colloquial, colloquium (kuh-LOH-kwee-um), and colloquy (KAHLuh-kwee) all come from the Latin loqui, which means to speak, converse. Loqui is also the source of the word loquacious (lohKWAY-shus), extremely talkative.
    The noun colloquy is a dignified synonym for conversation, but while conversation may apply to any exchange of spoken words, colloquy usually refers to a more formal or intellectual discussion, the kind of talk that occurs between scholars or on television shows where journalists analyze the news. When you or I talk with people at a party or over dinner, that’s a conversation, but when William F. Buckley, Jr., talked with his guests on “Firing Line,” that was a colloquy.
    The noun colloquium means a gathering in which a colloquy takes place, a conference or meeting for discussion, specifically a relatively informal meeting for the purpose of exchanging views on a subject.
    The adjective colloquial means conversational, of the spoken language, and therefore informal or casual. Remember vernacular, word 15 of this level? Colloquial speech is speech that uses the vernacular, the common, everyday language of ordinary people.
    The corresponding noun colloquialism (kuh-LOH-kwee-ul-iz-’m) means a colloquial expression, a bit of vernacular language, a word or phrase used in common, everyday, informal speech. There are many thousands of colloquialisms in the language, and you probably use dozens—maybe even hundreds—of them every day without thinking twice about it. For example, every time you say yeah instead of yes you are using a colloquialism, an expression more appropriate to informal speech than to more formal speech and writing.
    Here’s a dictionary usage tip: The next time you look up a word and preceding the definition you see the abbreviation coll. or colloq., that means the word—or the word used in that particular sense—is a colloquialism, and you may reasonably infer that it is characteristic of colloquial or conversational language.
    In concluding this discussion, I would like to stress that colloquial speech and colloquialisms are not necessarily substandard or illiterate, as some ultrapurists might have you believe. To begin with, without the colloquial the English vocabulary would be circumscribed (word 11 of Level 3) and stiff, and if there were some way to outlaw the use of colloquialisms then communication between people of different backgrounds and levels of education would soon become impossible. Then it probably would not be long before English went the way of Latin —into extinction. Most of our communication is spoken, not written, and a liberal dose of colloquial or conversational words and expressions is what keeps a language fluid, fresh, and vital.
    Of course, not all colloquialisms are useful or acceptable to all speakers. Some colloquialisms are objectionable because they suggest uneducated or coarse informality. A classic example of that sort is the word ain’t. Other colloquialisms are objectionable because they’re illogical, and here perhaps the best example is the expression “I could care less,” which is commonly used in colloquial or informal speech to mean “I could not care less.” If you can care less, then that means you still have some caring left in you, whereas if you cannot care less, then you do not care at all, which is the sense those who use the improper colloquialism mean to convey.
    The point is, there are relatively few examples of exceptionable (do you need to look that up?) colloquial language. The vast majority of colloquial or informal expressions are not only acceptable but also useful and even necessary in conducting our day-to-day communication.
  • Word 44: Obfuscate
    Word 44: Obfuscate [ahb-FUHS-kayt or AHB-fuhskayt]
    To make obscure, cloud over, darken, make unclear or indistinct.
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    Synonyms of obfuscate include confuse, complicate, muddle, bewilder, shroud, eclipse, and adumbrate (ad-UHM-brayt or AD-umbrayt). Antonyms of obfuscate include expose, unveil, clarify, and elucidate (i-LOO-si-dayt).
    The corresponding noun is obfuscation (AHB-fuh-SKAY-shin). Have you ever heard the joke-phrase “Please eschew obfuscation”? That’s an ironic way of advising someone to avoid jargon and communicate in clear and simple terms.
    Obfuscate comes from the Latin obfuscare, to darken, and by derivation means to deprive of light, make dark or dim. In modern usage obfuscate may mean either to make something obscure or indistinct, or to make it confused, muddled, or unclear. You can obfuscate the truth, obfuscate your meaning, or obfuscate your intentions. Think of obscure when you think of the verb to obfuscate.
    Obfuscate may be pronounced ahb-FUHS-kayt or AHB-fuh-skayt. The latter pronunciation, which has been heard in American speech since the early twentieth century, was originally British. Although AHB-fuh-skayt was criticized and called erroneous by authorities of the 1920s and 1930s, it is now fully standard and preferred by many cultivated speakers.
  • Word 45: Facile
    Word 45: Facile [FAS-’l, rhymes with castle]
    Easy, easily done; performed or achieved in an easy, effortless way; working or acting in a smooth, free, and unrestrained manner.
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    Synonyms of facile include quick, ready, fluent, nimble, dexterous, expert, and adroit (word 41 of Level 3).
    Antonyms of facile include difficult, awkward, unwieldy, laborious, irksome, obstinate (word 34 of Level 1), onerous (AHN-ur-us), intractable (word 12 of this level), and refractory (ri-FRAK-tur-ee).
    The adjective facile, the noun facility, and the verb to facilitate all come through the Latin facilis, meaning “easy to do,” from the verb facere, which means “to make” or “to do.” All three words suggest ease of performance or action.
    Facilitate means to make easier, help along, as “She was hired to facilitate the project.” When using facilitate, remember that the word applies to an action or operation, not to the performer of it. Installing new production equipment will not facilitate the workers on an assembly line; it will facilitate assembly of the product.
    The noun facility means dexterity, aptitude, ease of movement or action. The word usually suggests a practiced ability to do something with quick, skillful ease: he plays the piano with facility; her facility in handling a tricky situation; an impressive facility with words.
    Our keyword, facile, is often used of speech or the mind to mean able to perform quickly and smoothly, as “a facile wit,” or “a facile tongue.” Facile is now often used in a negative sense to mean done or arrived at too easily, without sufficient care or effort: a facile answer is smooth and easy to the point of being glib (word 8 of Level 3); a facile solution is simplistic or superficial.
    In Modern English Usage, the classic guide by H. W. Fowler, first published in 1926, Fowler notes that the value of facile “as a synonym for easy or fluent or [dexterous] lies chiefly in its depreciatory implication. A facile speaker or writer is one who needs to expend little pains (& whose product is of correspondingly little import). A facile triumph or victory is easily won (& comes to little).”
  • Word 46: Convivial
    Word 46: Convivial [kun-VIV-ee-ul]
    Sociable, merry, festive.
    →
    Synonyms of convivial include jovial (word 19 of this level), and also genial (JEE-nee-ul), companionable, affable (AF-uh-bul), and gregarious (gruh-GAIR-ee-us). Antonyms include unsociable, reserved, solitary, and aloof (word 20 of Level 1).
    Convivial comes from the Latin convivium, a feast, banquet, which in turn comes from the prefix con-, meaning “together,” and vivere, to live. By derivation convivial means gathering together to eat, drink, and be merry. In modern usage convivial may mean either “pertaining to a feast or festive occasion” or “fond of eating, drinking, and good company.” A convivial atmosphere is a merry, festive atmosphere; a convivial person is a friendly, sociable person, especially someone who likes to socialize while eating and drinking.
  • Word 47: Eschew
    Word 47: Eschew [es-CHOO, like s plus the word chew]
    To avoid, shun, abstain from; keep away from something harmful, wrong, or distasteful.
    →
    Don’t be misled by the sound and spelling of eschew; the word has nothing to do with the act of chewing—for which the fancy synonym, by the way, is mastication (MAS-ti-KAY-shin). When you masticate your food, you chew it thoroughly.
    Eschew comes through Middle English from Old French and Old High German words meaning to shun, avoid, or dread. According to the third edition of The American Heritage Dictionary, eschew suggests avoiding or abstaining from something “because to do otherwise would be unwise or morally wrong.” Morally upright people eschew evil, teetotalers eschew alcohol, nonsmokers eschew tobacco, and vegetarians eschew meat—which doesn’t mean they masticate it but that they avoid eating it.
    In recent years some people have begun pronouncing eschew as es-SHOO, like s plus shoe, so that in 1993 one dictionary, Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, tenth edition, recognized this mispronunciation along with the even more eccentric e-SKYOO (almost like askew). For a thorough account of why you should eschew these variants, see the entry for eschew in my Big Book of Beastly Mispronunciations. In the meantime, remember that there is no shoe in eschew (and no skew either). Put a chew in it.
    You may recall that in the introduction to this level I noted that there are two bad habits you must eschew at all costs. First, don’t invent your own pronunciations, and second, don’t blindly imitate the way other people pronounce words. If you follow those two guidelines, you will have no trouble eschewing objectionable pronunciations and mastering the correct ones.
  • Word 48: Prodigious
    Word 48: Prodigious [pruh-DIJ-us]
    Enormous, huge, tremendous, immense; extraordinary in size, extent, force, or degree.
    →
    Synonyms of prodigious include mammoth, monumental, colossal, gargantuan, elephantine, herculean, and Brobdingnagian.
    The last four synonyms are interesting words worthy of brief comment.
    Gargantuan (gahr-GAN-choo-in) comes from the name Gargantua, the hero of the famous satirical romance by Franois Rabelais, published in 1532. Gargantua, says the Century Dictionary, is “a giant of inconceivable size, who could drink a river dry. The name is doubtless from Spanish garganta, [throat], gullet.” In modern usage gargantuan sometimes suggests gluttony, as a gargantuan feast, but it is perhaps most often used as a stronger synonym of gigantic or enormous, as a gargantuan house or a gargantuan achievement.
    Elephantine (EL-uh-FAN-tin, also EL-uh-FAN-teen or EL-uh-FAN-tyn) may mean pertaining to an elephant, but the word is most commonly used to mean resembling an elephant, and therefore huge, heavy, and awkward. A person may be of elephantine proportions or walk with an elephantine gait. A king-sized bed or an overlarge couch might also be described as elephantine, suitable for an elephant, immense.
    The adjective herculean (hur-KYOO-lee-in or HUR-kyoo-LEE-in) comes from the name Hercules, the famous hero of Greek mythology renowned for his great feats of strength and courage. By derivation herculean means worthy or characteristic of the mighty Hercules. A herculean task demands all your strength and stamina; a herculean effort is a mighty, powerful effort. (The word is now usually spelled with a small h.)
    The unusual word Brobdingnagian (BRAHB-ding-NAG-ee-in, don’t forget to pronounce the ding) refers to the gigantic inhabitants of the imaginary land of Brobdingnag (BRAHB-ding-nag) in Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, or to anyone or anything equally enormous. Because of its literary flavor and peculiar sound, Brobdingnagian (always spelled with a capital B) is probably best reserved for situations in which you want to achieve a humorous or satirical effect. For example, when your very large, very formidable Aunt Eloise makes her thunderous entrance at your next family reunion, you might greet her by saying, “My dear, you look positively Brobdingnagian this evening!” The antonym of Brobdingnagian is the more familiar word Lilliputian (LIL-i-PYOO-shin), which also comes to us from Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels.
    And now back to our keyword. Prodigious comes through the Latin prodigiosus, strange, wonderful, marvelous, from prodigium, an omen, portent, sign. From the same source we have inherited the word prodigy (PRAH-di-jee), a person of marvelous talent or wonderful ability.
    Since about 1600, prodigious has been used to mean huge, enormous, of extraordinary size or extent, and also marvelous, wonderful, phenomenal, causing wonder or amazement. In modern usage the context often suggests both senses: a prodigious talent is both enormous and amazing; a prodigious accomplishment is both phenomenal and huge; prodigious energy is both astonishing and tremendous; and a prodigious event or a prodigious undertaking is often both extraordinary and wonderful.
    When you think of the word prodigious, consider this: William Shakespeare composed twenty of his plays in only ten years, an output that can only be described as prodigious.
  • Word 49: Idiosyncrasy
    Word 49: Idiosyncrasy [ID-ee-oh-SING-kruh-see]
    A peculiarity, distinctive characteristic of a person or group, an identifying trait or mannerism.
    →
    An idiosyncrasy, an eccentricity (EK-sen-TRIS-i-tee), and a quirk (KWURK, rhymes with shirk) all designate behavior that is peculiar or distinctive.
    Quirk is a mild term for any unusual trait, characteristic, or mannerism. Constant use of um, like, and y’know is a quirk of adolescent speech. Old people often have quirks, odd preferences or strange ways of doing things.
    An eccentricity is a habit or characteristic that seems strange or peculiar because it differs from what is considered usual or normal. A friend of mine who is also a writer prefers to spell his name without the customary period after the middle initial. Of course, every time he publishes an article he winds up in a battle with some copyeditor who insists on “correcting” this eccentricity.
    Our keyword, idiosyncrasy, comes from Greek and means literally “one’s own peculiar temperament, habit, or bent.” In modern usage the word suggests a distinctive characteristic or identifying trait that sets a person apart. An idiosyncrasy may appear somewhat strange or odd, or it may simply mark someone or something as individual and different from others: a writer may have certain stylistic idiosyncrasies; a wine connoisseur can tell you the idiosyncrasies of a particular vintage; and to a person from the Midwest, the speech of someone from New England is full of idiosyncrasies, peculiar or distinctive characteristics.
    Idiosyncrasy is the noun; the corresponding adjective is idiosyncratic (ID-ee-oh-sin-KRAT-ik), peculiar, distinctive, odd.
  • Word 50: Approbation
    Word 50: Approbation [AP-roh-BAY-shin]
    Approval, acceptance; especially, official approval or authorization.
    →
    Synonyms of approbation include commendation, endorsement, sanction, ratification, and acclamation (AK-luh-MAY-shin).
    Antonyms include rejection, opposition, disapprobation, renunciation, repudiation, disavowal, and abjuration (AB-juu-RAY-shin).
    The noun approbation comes from the Latin approbare, to approve, and by derivation means approval. However, because of its Latin derivation, approbation is more formal and dignified than approval. Children seek the approval of their parents; the president of the United States seeks the approbation of Congress or the electorate. When you want the go-ahead on a plan, you ask your boss for approval. When your plan succeeds and your boss rewards you with a raise or a promotion, that’s approbation.
Answer Key
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