2012-13 Flashcards
prurient
arousing unwholesome desire
jusqu’au-boutisme
a
malapert
contumelious
Masada
ancient Palestinian fortress town on Dead Sea
yiskor
Yiddish, “may god remember,” a public prayer in remembrance of the dead
incarnadine
color of flesh or blood
homberg hat
a
Planck’s constant
The discovery of quantum physics, which implies the granularity int the physical universe
occiput
back of the skull
analeptic
drug stimulating central nervous system, trad. for restorative purposes such as inducing hunger
tufa
limestone formations from geothermal water
hemotoma
blood outside vessels in skin, similar to ecchymosis (bruise)
actuary, actuarial
professional who accounts for financial risk or uncertainty
faux-naif
a
gloaming
twilight
scurf
dandruff or similar flaky skin
scrim
woven fabric, used in theater/film to diffuse light
scrimshaw
design on bone or ivory
anthracite
coal
brattling
scampering, making a clattering sound by scampering
symphorophilia
paraphilia from disaster
torus
surface manipulation of a circle in three dimensions, from tube to globe
crapulous
intemperance, esp. eating and drinking
dashiki
West-African colorful men’s top
amboina
tree with pearly amber wood, used for decorating guns, knives, etc.
Jotto
word game
nostalgie de la boue
a
pone
Native American: unleavened cornmeal bread baked in ashes
chachka (or tchotchke)
bauble, trinket
Yoruba
subsaharan West-African tribe, mainly in Nigeria
paniche
French longboat
biblia pauperum
picture bible
eo ipso
from itself, in philosophy used to denote origin
Abu Simbel
Area in Egypt with massive stone statues
multiverse (origin)
coined by William James
raga
melodic mode in Indian classical music
Enkidu
in Epic of Gilgamesh, formed of clay, wild man, later companion of Gilgamesh
dystonia
abnormal contraction of muscles
allodynia
pain from a normally painless stimulus
hyperalgesia
extreme response to painful stimulus
engram
stimulus impression which can be completely brought back by repeating the stimulus. Coined by Richard Semon
Nathan of Gaza
herald of a false prophet
sodality
Christian confraternity, lay and based in works (as opposed to diocesan hierarchy)
trepverter
Yiddish, words that come to late, slow wit
esprit de l’escalier
a
cosa nostra
mafia
approbative ethical theory
an act is right if an authority (group, god) says it is
Vicuña
South American, related to the lama
macher
Yiddish: important or influential person (also ironic)
exiguous
very small in amount of size
neoteny
also pedomorphic: retention of juvenile traits
mitosis, mitotic
cell division with same DNA
kibisis
leather bag or wallet
uncial
written in upper case, or majuscule. describes medieval orthography, esp. Latin and Greek
ammonite
extinct sea creatures with shells like tight ram’s horns
bilobular
anatomy: have two lobes (brain, liver, etc)
calefaction
act of heating
anfractuous
sinuous or circuitous
Ite, missa est
Catholic, concluding words of the mass, from which the word derives. The response is deo gratias
cupric
of or containing copper
Fort Ticonderoga
important 18th French fort during 18th century French-Indian wars
phlogiston theory
17th century theory by Johann Becher to explain why things burn. That’s easy: they contain phlogiston
immiscible
not forming a homogenous mixture with brought together
laodicean
half-hearted, from a early Christian religious community
sequacious
lacking originality or independence of thought
ferule
any instrument for punishing children
erumpent
bursting forth
eluent
substance used as a solvent to separate materials
perfluent
flowing through
krugerrand
South African gold coin
louver, louvered
blinds made from horizontal slats
ninjo vs giri
Japanese, ninjo is the individual emotion that opposes and complements giri, or social obligation
purdah
Muslim: ritual social exclusion of women, equivalent to the Arabic term hijab
besom
crude broom
ergastic substance
opposed to bioplasm: the non-living, organic or inorganic material in a cell
4-F
unfit for military service
haimisch
Yiddish: cozy, homey
heimischer
German: a stay at home, a pantouflard
Hirschfeld
a style of drawn caricature
Ahriman
in Zoroastrianism, the evil spirit
Marimekko
Finish design style
Rebozo
Mexican: shawl passed down over generations, usually gathering threads and object
stolid
calm, showing little emotion, dependable
Gillie
(Scottish) hunting/fishing guide
ahimsa
(sanskrit, Hindu) non-violence; the injunction to do no harm
mome
(French) gamin
castellation
furnished with turrets
Caissa
(Renaissance invention) goddess of chess
tzaddik hador
(Jewish messianism) the righteous person born in every generation with the potential to become the messiah
baleboste
(Jewish) efficient housewife devoted to the wellbeing of her home
bissel
(Yiddish) a little
bupkes
(Yiddish) nothing; a disappointment
maven
(Yiddish) a trusted expert
mishegas
(Yiddish) insanity or craziness
schlemiel
(Yiddish) clumsy person
schlimazel
(Yiddish) person with constant bad luck
tsuris
(Yiddish) trouble or woes
yenta
(Yiddish) an old gossip
Dome of the Rock
the 7th century temple on the rock from which Muhammed ascended to heaven
soupçon
a
epicist
epic poet
zugzwang
(chess) when the player has to make a move that is disadvantageous relative to passing or not moving
shikata ga nai
(Japanese) “it can’t be helped”
keloid
scar tissue that has become puffy and collagenous (like back scars from whipping)
hibakusha
survivors of the Hiroshima or Nagasaki bombings
pan-pan girls
Japanese women who fraternized with American soldiers during the occupation
algolagnia
sexual pleasure from physical pain
synodic period
time required for an orbiting body to return to its original position
pica
appetite for non-nutritive substances (clay, glue)
apsis
(periapsis, apoapsis) closest or furthest point in an elliptical orbit
Rayleigh scattering
scattering of light as it passes through particles
vitiligo
depigmentation of parts of the skin
pommis
wine: remainder of grape after pressing
Kachina doll
(Hopi) dolls contained spirits of nature or ancestors
gravid
pregnant, carrying developing young or eggs
Mount Ararat
actual mountains in Turkey, where Noah’s ark was supposed to have come to rest
ikabana
Japanese flower arranging
kanji
Japanese adaptation of Chinese characters
Béchamel sauce
French cream sauce
Lemuria
hypothetic lost land or continent, used to explain biogeography in the 19th century
Lord Mountbatten
last viceroy of India (1947)
Pantisocracy
utopian plan developed by Coleridge and others, originally intended for the US
pseudologia fantastica
pathological lying
mythomania
a mania for embroidering the truth. compare pseudologia fantastica
orrery
mechanical heliocentric model that shows the positions of planets
viaticum
(Catholic) Eucharist for the dying
venatic
living by hunting; fond of hunting
coefficient
(math) a multiplying factor (ie 7x)
deus absconditus.
belief that god is unknowable to the human mind
theophany
a god’s appearance to humans
salvator salvandus
Christ, saving oneself through oneself
redde rationem
showdown, paying accounts, day of Armageddon. Luke 16:2
parrhesia
(rhetoric) frankness in speech, or apology for frankness of speech
kenosis
emptying oneself to the will of God: Christ
talion law
lex talionis: eye for an eye
felix culpa
happy fall: St Augustine’s notion that God allowed the fall for greater good
picogram
1 trillionth of a gram
mook
(porn industry) a rube, naif
convolve
roll together
fissile
able to be split
clerestory
windows above eyesight to bring in light (orig. church)
grand mal
seizure affecting the entire brain
satyriasis
uncontrollable excessive sexual desire in a man
prenominate
previously mentioned
cancrine
having the features of a crab
styptic
stops bleeding, lit. tending to contract
sinistrorse
(plant) spiraling up left (dextrorse)
evection
moon’s orbit affected by sun’s gravity
chrestomathy
selected literary passages from one author
benthos
bottom of the sea. Benthic: of creatures living on the sea bottom
luxate
to put out of joint, dislocate
finial
(architec) ornamental endpoint (on a roof etc)
anodize
to coat with a protective coat (usual metal coated with oxide)
swivet
extreme distress or discomposure
phlogiston
imaginary substance used to explain combustibility
retorsive argument
demonstration of truth because it cannot be rejected rationally
Shivaree
(also Charivari) confusion, din
saprophyte
organism that takes its nourishment from dead or decaying organic matter
lussus naturae
a monster or marvel of nature
tinnitus
buzzing in the ear
creosote
pitch oil (esp. resin that accumulates in chimneys)
Tommyknockers
mythical creatures who live in mines and work alongside miners. They can be guardians or mischievous
obnubilate
do darken or obscure, as with clouds
diremption
tear apart or violently separate
Bodhisattva
one who gives up enlightenment to help others
satori
(Buddhism) sudden spiritual awakening
moksha
(Sanskrit) liberation from samsara
samsara
(literally, “continuous flow”) illusion: the cycle of life and death
hebophrenia
type of schizophrenia: foolish, senseless laughter, delusions, and regressive behavior
respice finem
(lit. look to the end) focus on the end result
Necker cube
optical illusion cube
regressus ad infinitum
a
taupe
(French, mole) brownish grey
Korsakoff’s syndrome
deficiency of vitamin B, often from alcoholism: confabulation along with apathy and amnesia
confabulation
invention of memories
Lotte Pritzel doll
meticulous wax dolls
gracile
gracefully slender
erysipelas
skin condition (inflammation)
a realibus ad realiora
from the real to the more real
cupular
cup-shaped
matunality
(coined by Isaac Dinesen) midnight to 2 am
exopthalmic
prominent eyeballs
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes
(Juvenal) Who watches the watchmen?
distrait
(French distracted) esp. by anxiety (somewhat elegant)
lese-majeste
(medieval) an offense against the king
nissus
striving after a goal
Bhikkhu
Buddhist monk (Bikkhuni - nun)
sylph
(also sylphid, a young sylph) (from Paracelsus) mythological creature of the air
tathata
(also dharmata) the condition of having arrived at one’s current state
Historische krankheit
(Nietzsche)
Entkunstgung
(Adorno) the destruction of art’s quality as art
Vexata quaestio
(legal) a commonly disputed problem
hyaline
have a glassy appearance
avulsion
tearing away (esp. parts of the body)
chiliastic
doctrine that Jesus will reign for 1000 years
cheval-de-frise
barbed ground impediment
ankylosis
stiffness from bone’s adhesion to a joint
neotenize
(neoteny) to cause to retain juvenile features
tantivy
at full gallop/top speed
anfractuous
sinuous or circuitous
ferkin
small wooden cask (roughly 1/4 barrel)
feuilleton
novel or section of newspaper with light fiction
succedaneum
substitute
Quonset
(trademark) semi-circular structure build with corrugated steel
piacular
making atonement for sacrilege: piacular sacrifice
coffle
a line of animals or slaves chained together
otiose
serving no practical purpose
q.v.
(bibliographical) quod vide: “see this cross reference”
escharotic
causing sloughing of skin (either a drug or an injury)
sessile
(organism) fixed/immobile
paphian
prostitute: orig. inhabitant of Paphos, center of worship of Aphrodite
anodize
to coat metal with a protective film
anserine
goose-like
sic vos non vobis
(Virgil) “this you do not for yourselves”
etiolated
pale from lack of light
ptosis
drooping eyelid (ptotic)
phytotoxin
toxin produced by a plant
oscitant
(lit. gaping) yawning, as from drowsiness
armigerous
bearing heraldic arms
obtundation
mental blunting: less than full mental capacity (us. from trauma) along with reduced pain
Baker-miller pink
(pepto-bismal pink) (psych) used in the Navy to calm people in the correctional facilities. Part of a broader theory that color affects mood (studies led by Alexander Schauss)
Anthropocene
(informal) geological/chronological term designating period of human industrial habitation of the earth
pantophagy
habit/ability to eat all kinds of food
inedia
the alleged ability to subsist on air alone (also breatharian)
redshift
light doppler from object moving away (op. blueshift)
autolysis
self-digestion (bodies use of own cells for nourishment)
grimoire
manual of magic or witchcraft
Matrioshka dolls
nesting dolls
fissiparous
inclined to division into separate groups. reproducing by fission
flatus vocis
a mere sound/word without corresponding objective reality
oligomenorrhea
infrequent menstruation
periphescence
(Jeffrey Eugenides, Middlesex) first fever of human bonding
sericulture
silk farming
peplus
(Greek) loose outer garment
tertulia
(Spanish) informal literary group
apotemnophilia
sexual arousal involving the fantasy of amputation
bloviate
to be verbose (bloviated)
chiropteran
bat-like
Cenozoic
current geological era (lit “new life”)
Ship of Theseus
(Plutarch) paradox of the sameness in difference
paraphilia
sexual arousal from atypical objects, situations
fuge, tace, quiesce
(Christian) flee (the world), be silent, and patiently wait (God to speak to you) (Saint Arsenius)
eutrophication
(also hypertrophication) abnormal bloom from addition of nutrients (e.g. algae bloom)
oriflamme
banner, symbol, ideal inspiring devotion and courage (orig. from Saint Dennis)
nisus formativus
periodic desire for procreation
accombination
a combining together
Sierpinski triangle
triangle fractal
synanthropy
plants or animals that benefit from living near or with humans
per forza di levare
(Michelangelo) description of the process of removal (in sculpture) to find the true form
explananda
something to be explained
difiniendum
something to be defined
gnosiology
intuitive (spiritual) knowledge
apoptosis
programmed cell death
apophasis
mentioning by not mentioning (also proslepsis)
adynaton
(lit without power to effect) figure of speech in which an impossible situation is proposed: I will sooner…
cerise
cherry color
trichobothria
the hair of a spider that help it detect vibrations
epicene
intersexual, effeminate
equipotentiality
having bilateral potential: (neuropsychology) the ability of the mind to develop capacities regardless of environmental factors.
(behaviorism) (arbitrary) associative linking
nootropic
“smart drugs” - cognitive enhancers (memory, performance, etc)
monocausotaxophilia
(Karl Popper) fixation on a single explanation
anoesis
consciousness as pure passive receptiveness
kaizen
(Japanese) continuous small improvements in standardized behavior to produce more effective results
entre chien et loup
dusk: when you can’t tell if it is a dog or wolf
spallation
ejection of fragments from impact
hypnagogic
drowsiness just before sleep (hypnogogia -transition from wakefulness to sleep)
macropod
marsupial
Chicago window
(one large window with two narrower on either side)
corten steel
steel alloy that strengthens with rust
oculus
(architecture) circular opening in a roof or interior of a building
Oleg Cassini
Jackie Kennedy’s style
zymic
related to fermentation
mundus miliebris
feminine effects (material objects)
gaffirophobia
fear of bridges