chapter 1 Flashcards
pausity
The word paucity means not enough of something. If you’ve got a paucity of good cheer, for example, you’d better cheer up! One good way to remember the meaning of paucity is that it’s a bit like pauper, as in The Prince and the Pauper. The prince had too much money, and the pauper had a paucity. There are a lot of words that mean “little” or “small,” but paucity is used when you mean specifically “not enough” or “too little.” People in LA don’t understand how New Yorkers can live with such a paucity of space. For what New Yorkers pay for a tiny apartment, Angelenos get a house and a yard.
painstaking
If you notice that painstaking is composed of pains and taking, you already have a pretty clear sense of what this adjective means: to be painstaking is to be so careful—so meticulous, so thorough that it hurts. Painstaking is most commonly paired with detail — in fact, writers might like to avoid the phrase “painstaking detail” as clichéd. In contemporary usage, the agony implied by the word often seems to be shared by both the person who makes a painstaking effort and the person confronted with the fruits of that labor: “Gertrude’s ability to appear politely interested was tested as her dinner companion related his painstaking attempts to establish himself as the true heir to the British throne.”
anachronism
An anachronism is something that doesn’t fit its time period, like if you say you’ll “dial” your smartphone. Anachronism comes from the Greek roots ana- which means “against” and chron- which means “time.” Together they represent a situation in which something happens that should not because it belongs to another time period. You see anachronisms all the time in the movies — they occur when you see a jet fly over a Civil War battle! Or knights jousting over a maiden during the time of Shakespeare!
aesthetic
The adjective aesthetic comes in handy when the subject at hand is beauty or the arts. A velvet painting of dogs playing poker might have minimal aesthetic appeal. Aesthetic, from a Greek word meaning “perception,” comes to us from German philosophers who used it for a theory of the beautiful. From this technical sense, it soon came to refer to good taste and to artistry in general; if something has “aesthetic value,” it has value as a work of art (even if nobody will pay much for it). It does not, however, refer to the objects themselves; do not talk about an “aesthetic painting.”
ambivalent
If you can’t decide how you feel about something, declare yourself ambivalent about it. Ambivalent means “having mixed feelings about something.” A Swiss psychologist named Eugen Bleuler coined the German word Ambivalenz in the early twentieth century, and it was soon imported into English. Bleuler combined the Latin prefix ambi-, meaning “both,” with valentia, “strength.” So etymologically speaking, if you’re ambivalent you’re being pulled by two equally strong things — but in practice, ambivalence often arises from caring very little either way. You might feel ambivalent about your lunch options if you have to choose between a murky stew and flavorless tofu.
prototype
A prototype is the original model, like a sample on which to base future designs. A company designing a new toaster will first design and build a prototype, to test it out and see if it’s any good. A prototype is your test case and becomes the model on which to base the design of the finished product. Often, however, the prototype can be a phase to work out the bugs. The prototype of our hands-free toothbrush was too dangerous; it needed to return to the lab for serious improvements. Like the word archetype, the word prototype can also mean the standard on which to base a definition of something. “A prototypical cheerleader is the girl to which all other cheerleaders might aspire.”
antecedent
An antecedent is a thing that comes before something else. You might think rap music has no historical antecedent, but earlier forms of African American spoken verse go back for centuries. In logic, mathematics, and grammar, the word antecedent (from Latin ante-, “before” + cedere, “to yield”) has the meaning “the first part of a statement.” More generally, it means “something that came before, and perhaps caused, something else.” The word is also an adjective: a lawyer or judge might talk about the “antecedent events” leading up to someone committing a crime.
ambiguous
Look to the adjective ambiguous when you need to describe something that’s open to more than one interpretation, like the headline “Squad helps dog bite victim.” Newspaper headlines can be unintentionally funny when they’re ambiguous. In “Squad helps dog bite victim,” is the squad helping a victim of a dog bite or helping a dog bite a victim? The ambi- prefix means “both ways,” while the guous part is from the Latin verb agere, “to lead or drive.” Thus an ambiguous sentence or situation drives us in two different directions at once. The accent is on the second syllable, “big,” which you can remember since something that’s ambiguous can lead to big misunderstandings.
unconventional
To be unconventional is to act, dress, speak, or otherwise exist out of the bounds of cultural norms. If you eat cheeseburgers for breakfast, that’s somewhat unconventional. Anything that’s nonconformist or out of the ordinary can be described as unconventional. Every culture has its own conventions — or norms — and what may be unconventional in one region might be typical in another. The perception of what’s unconventional is determined by context.
indingenous
Use indigenous to describe a plant, animal or person that is native or original to an area. Though Switzerland is known for its chocolates, chocolate, which comes from the cocoa plant, is indigenous to South America. Indigenous, aboriginal and native all mean the same thing. Aboriginal, however, is commonly used in connection with Australia, and native with North America. The most neutral of the three terms, indigenous comes from the Latin word, indigena meaning “a native.” An indigenous ceremony or religion is one traditionally used by a certain group of people.
recalcitrant
If someone is so pig-headed that he won’t budge on an issue, call him recalcitrant. Not that it will make a difference… Recalcitrant is from Latin calcitrare, meaning “to kick,” so someone who is recalcitrant is kicking back against what’s wanted of them. Synonyms are unruly, intractable, and refractory, all referring to what is difficult to manage or control. Writers are frequently referring to recalcitrant Democrats and Republicans, since many people are stubbornly loyal to their political parties and unwilling to change.
affable
Affable means friendly, pleasant, and easy to talk to. An affable host offers you something to drink and makes you feel at home. The adjective affable entered English by way of the Latin word affābilis, which means “kind, friendly.” If you’re stuck on an airplane next to someone affable, the trip won’t be so bad because that person will be easy to chat with but won’t talk your ear off. Synonyms of affable also refer to a pleasant and mild friendliness, such as genial, hospitable, and gracious. Affable people generally seem like they’re in a good mood and are happy to see you.
nostalgia
Think of the noun, nostalgia, when you long for the good old days of the past. The noun nostalgia was invented by a Swiss doctor in the late 1600s. He put together the Greek nostos “homecoming” and algos “pain, distress” as a literal translation of the German Heimweh “homesickness.” Originally, it was a medical diagnosis for mercenary soldiers. Today, it describes a bittersweet longing for the past. Think of the dreamy way your grandpa tells stories of his childhood — he’s got nostalgia.
obsolete
Use the adjective obsolete for something that is out of date. As the Rolling Stones song “Out of Time” goes, “You’re obsolete, my baby, my poor old-fashioned baby.” Obsolete is from the Latin obsolescere “to fall into disuse,” and it is a very handy adjective for anything that is no longer used, from words to factories to computer software to ways of thinking. Something that is obsolete has usually been displaced by a newer, shinier innovation. Compact discs made records and cassettes obsolete, and then downloadable digital music files made compact discs obsolete.
morose
A morose person is sullen, gloomy, sad, glum, and depressed — not a happy camper. When someone is morose, they seem to have a cloud of sadness hanging over them. This word is stronger than just sad — morose implies being extremely gloomy and depressed. We all can be morose at times, like after the death of a friend or family member. Whether you’re morose due to an event or just because you’re feeling blue, you should try skipping or whistling a little tune to perk things up.
altruistic
Someone who is altruistic always puts others first. An altruistic firefighter risks his life to save another’s life, while an altruistic mom gives up the last bite of pie so her kid will be happy. This word comes from the Old French altruistic and means “other people” and before that the Latin alter, which means “other.” Our current word comes from the nineteenth century and comes from philosophy. It means that it’s important for people to be concerned with the good of others and to act unselfishly. When the word refers to the animal world, it means behavior that may actually harm the individual animal but will benefit the species in general. This is a truly selfless act!
wry
A wry sense of humor is a sarcastic one. You were late for work, stepped into a mud puddle, and you forgot your lunch. If your co-worker asks how your morning is going, you can reply with a wry tone, “Perfectly perfect.” The original use for the adjective wry was to describe something that was bent or twisted, so a sprained ankle could be described as “a wry ankle.” Today, the word wry is often used to describe less tangible twists. Wry humor and wry wit both describe a sense of humor that is a little twisted from the norm.
plausible
If something is plausible, it’s reasonable or believable. Things that are plausible could easily happen. A woman becoming President is very plausible. A giraffe becoming President is not. Plausible things are not far-fetched at all. Things in fantasy stories — such as wizards, dragons, and unicorns — are not plausible. On the other hand, some things in science fiction stories might be plausible: who knows where spaceships will eventually go? If something really seems like it could happen, then it’s plausible. One of the many tricky parts of life is figuring out what’s plausible and what’s not.
snide
Snide means insulting or contemptuous in an indirect way. If your friend is wearing too much purple eye shadow and your other friend whispers to you, “What? Was she in a car wreck?” that’s a snide comment. Snide remarks are the kinds of things people say with a sneer on their face. When you leave a movie theater and your friend says, “I can’t believe someone was actually paid to write that screenplay,” he’s being snide. Instead of saying, “That movie was terrible,” he’s expressing his disdain in a more underhanded and indirect way.
endemic
If you want to underscore just how commonly found and present something is within a particular place, try the word endemic. Tight pants are endemic in my lunch room! Although endemic meaning “prevalent” often describes a plant or disease, it can also refer to something less tangible and more unwanted such as violence or poverty. Many complain of endemic corruption in the local government. Despite its -ic ending, endemic can also be used as a noun to signify a plant or animal that is prevalent in a certain region. If an endemic is brought to another area which it takes over, destroying the local population, it’s classified as an invasive species. And researchers have cataloged several new African endemics.
bane
The noun bane refers to anything that is a cause of harm, ruin, or death. But we often use it for things that aren’t that bad, just feel like it. You might say mosquitoes are the bane of your existence. The source of this word is Middle and Old English bana, meaning “destroyer, murderer.” The now obsolete meaning of “deadly poison” is seen in the names of poisonous plants such as wolfsbane and henbane. Although “bane of my existence” is a commonly heard phrase, there’s something deliciously archaic about the word bane. It conjures up villages preyed upon by dragons, or witches adding one bane or another to a steaming kettle.
austerity
If you’ve ever had a teacher who was particularly stern and strict, you might have (quietly) remarked on his austerity. When you’re talking about the character of a person, austerity means “sternness and severity.” Austerity’s original meaning, taken from the Greek word austeros, was “bitter or harsh taste.” While it’s rarely used that way anymore, it’s still a great description of the word’s current meanings. As well as describing a personal quality of sternness, it also means “a simple, plain manner” and “an extreme frugality.” So you could talk about the austerity of a very plainly decorated room or the austerity you’re forced to live with ever since your parents stopped giving you a weekly allowance. If your lack of money had a taste, it might very well be “bitter or harsh.”
ubiquitous
It’s everywhere! It’s everywhere! When something seems like it’s present in all places at the same time, reach for the adjective ubiquitous. “Cities like Singapore aim to cloak themselves in ubiquitous, free Wi-Fi in the next few years,” The Wall Street Journal reported recently — meaning that those savvy Singaporeans will find a wireless connection everywhere they go. The word, comes from the Latin ubique, meaning — you guessed it — “everywhere.” The usual pronunciation is “yoo-BIK-wih-tihs,” but Joseph Heller must have had the older variant “ooh-BIK-wih-tihs” in mind when he wrote in Catch-22 that a character “padded through the shadows fruitlessly like an ubiquitous spook.”
clandestine
Pick the adjective, clandestine, to describe something that is done in secret, like your clandestine attempts to steal your brother’s Halloween candy. Clandestine, an adjective imported from Latin, describes a secret, usually illegal activity. Often these things have to do with political and spy organizations. The CIA might run a clandestine operation to infiltrate terrorist organizations. Words with similar meanings include secret; covert, used especially for military matters; undercover, common in espionage; and surreptitious which emphasizes a person’s efforts to keep something secret.
aloof
That emotionally cold and detached fellow who keeps to himself, smoking clove cigarettes and reading French philosophy, would best be described as aloof. In Middle English, aloof was originally a nautical term; the loof (now spelled luff) is the windward side of a ship. Smart sailors wanting to avoid a hazard on the leeward side would give the order, “A loof!” From this command we get the idea of steering clear of something (or someone). In modern usage the word has taken on a negative connotation: an aloof person is certainly not one most of us want to associate with.
auspicious
Use the adjective auspicious for a favorable situation or set of conditions. If you start a marathon by falling flat on your face, that’s not an auspicious start. If something seems likely to bring success — either because it creates favorable conditions or you just consider it a lucky sign — label it auspicious. The word is related to auspice, “a divine omen,” an old word with a colorful history. In Latin, an auspex was a person who observed the flight of birds to predict things about the future. Luckily, you no longer have to be a bird-watching fortune-teller to guess whether something is auspicious or not.
dearth
If there is a dearth of something, there is not enough of it. A dearth of affordable housing is bad, but a dearth of bed bugs is a blessing. Dearth is an Old English noun formed from the adjective deore “precious, costly” and the noun-forming suffix -th. Though the relationship of dearth meaning “lack, insufficient amount” to the adjective dear is not so obvious, it is still easy to imagine that something precious is probably also in short supply. Dearth is used almost exclusively in the phrase “a dearth of.”
surreptitious
When someone behaves in a surreptitious way, they’re being secretive. They’re doing something that they don’t want to be seen doing. While surreptitious means secret, it has the added sense of “sneaky” or “hidden.” During the Jewish Passover meal of Seder, an adult will surreptitiously place a piece of matzoh somewhere in the house for the children to hunt for later in the meal. You’ll see surreptitious applied mostly to actions, rather than to things or ideas. We do things surreptitiously. The members of the secret society hold surreptitious meetings because, well, they’re a secret society. I was very surreptitious in how I organized the surprise party: she never knew!
sarcastic
Sarcastic humor is biting humor; it hurts. The talent-show judge who rolls his eyes at your dancing and says things like “The average border Collie has more talent than you” is a sarcastic person given to sarcastic remarks. Sarcastic comes from the Greek word sarkazhein, which literally means “tear the flesh.” Maybe that’s why we also refer to our talent-show judge’s remark as “cutting.” When someone’s being sarcastic, sometimes it’s the tone, rather than the words, that let you know, like when our talent-show judge says exaggeratedly, “Great job! I almost confused you for Pavarotti!” (And then adds “Not!” or gives you the thumbs-down.)
diffident
The adjective diffident describes someone who is shy and lacking in self-confidence. If you are shy and have a diffident manner, you should probably not choose one of these professions: substitute teacher, stand-up comic, or lion-tamer. Diffident can describe someone who is reserved and restrained. Some may mistake your diffident manner for coolness or aloofness. Although it may be in your nature to be diffident, you will find it impossible to remain so when you visit my family. They are a big, noisy, outgoing bunch and they will make you join in the fun until you let loose and open up. Don’t say you weren’t warned!
boon
Boon means something beneficial to a specific person, entity, or cause. “Getting called out of school on the day of the test was a boon for Sam, as he hadn’t remembered to study.” Boon derives from the Old Norse bón, a request for a favor. Think of boon as a favor that no one has necessarily asked for, something extra. “We’d just spent our last dollar on a cup of coffee so it was a real boon to find a ten dollar bill lying on the sidewalk.” Boon can also be an adjective for someone friendly and welcoming, as in “a boon companion.”
