doctoral candidate in rhetoric and scientific and technical communication
word of the day
limn
07 years ago
by dawn
in word of the day
verb ~ 1. to draw or paint on a surface; *2. to outline in clear sharp detail: delineate; 3. to describe
*The star’s autobiography limns the glitz and glamour of her life as a Hollywood celebrity.
Merriam-Webster’s 365 New Words Calendar, www.pageaday.com, Workman Publishing
ancilla
07 years ago
by dawn
in word of the day
noun ~ an aid to achieving or mastering something difficult
Her new book was a kind of ancilla to the classics, a collection of odd facts and appealing anecdotes.
Merriam-Webster’s 365 New Words Calendar, www.pageaday.com, Workman Publishing
hyperbole
07 years ago
by dawn
in word of the day
noun ~ extravagant exaggeration
Though quite good, the restaurant’s food hardly lived up to the hyperbole of the newspaper ads.
Merriam-Webster’s 365 New Words Calendar, www.pageaday.com, Workman Publishing
cloying
07 years ago
by dawn
in word of the day
adjective ~ disgusting or distasteful by reason of excess; also: excessively sweet or sentimental
The movie, a romantic comedy, had some clever moments but was ultimately marred by cloying and irritating sappiness.
Merriam-Webster’s 365 New Words Calendar, www.pageaday.com, Workman Publishing
trenchant
07 years ago
by dawn
in word of the day
adjective ~ 1. vigorously effective and articulate; also: caustic; *2. sharply perceptive: penetrating
*For the most part, the great detective solved his cases by means of trenchant observation but every once in a while he relied on old-fashioned luck.
Merriam-Webster’s 365 New Words Calendar, www.pageaday.com, Workman Publishing
desuetude
07 years ago
by dawn
in word of the day
noun ~ discontinuance from use or exercuse: disuse
Years of desuetude had turned the once-trim baseball field into a sandlot with patches of uneven grass.
Merriam-Webster’s 365 New Words Calendar, www.pageaday.com, Workman Publishing
flat-hat
07 years ago
by dawn
in word of the day
verb ~ to fly low in an airplane in a reckless manner: hedgehop
Our flight instructor warned us repeatedly that anyone caught flat-hatting would be dropped from his school.
Merriam-Webster’s 365 New Words Calendar, www.pageaday.com, Workman Publishing
stentorian
07 years ago
by dawn
in word of the day
adjective ~ extremely loud
“Stop that man,” Tom yelled in a stentorian voice as he jostled his way through the crowd after the pickpocket.
Merriam-Webster’s 365 New Words Calendar, www.pageaday.com, Workman Publishing
interdigitate
07 years ago
by dawn
in word of the day
verb ~ to become interlocked like the fingers of folded hands
“The edges [of bridge expansion joints] often are shaped like combs, the teeth of one interdigitating with teeth of the other.” — Washington Post, January 14, 1998
Merriam-Webster’s 365 New Words Calendar, www.pageaday.com, Workman Publishing
courseware
07 years ago
by dawn
in word of the day
noun ~ educational software
The new courseware includes many interactive learning activities and is an excellent companion to the textbook.
Merriam-Webster’s 365 New Words Calendar, www.pageaday.com, Workman Publishing