Vocabulary Word List Taken from 365 New Words A-Year Calendar (2017) Vocabulary-WordList.txt ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- January 1 - Bravado: A pretense of bravery, the quality of being foolhardy. 2 - Gumption: Common sense, initiative 3 - Rescind: To take away, cancel, to make void 4 - Svelte: Slender, lithe. Having even and smooth lines, sleek. Urbane, suave. 5 - Accolade: A mark of acknowledgment, an expression of praise 6 - Magnum Opus: A great work; especially: the greatest achievement of an artist or writer. 7 - Palatable: Agreeable to the palate or taste. Agreeable or acceptable to the mind. 8 - Wherewithal: Means, resources; specifically: money. 9 - Eschew: To avoid habitually especially on moral or practical grounds. 10 - Tincture: Color, tint. A characteristic quality. A slight trace. A medicinal soulution in alcohol. 11 - Nefarious: Flagrantly wicked or impious, evil 12 - Rabble: A disorganized or confused collection of things. A disorganized or disorderly crowd of people: mob. The lowest class of people. 13 - Bailiwick: The office or jurisdiction of a bailiff. A special domain. 14 - Highfalutin: Pretintious, fancy. Expressed in or marked by the use of high-flown bombastic language. 15 - Perdure: To continue to exist, last. 16 - Winsome: Cheerful, lighthearted 17 - Pugilism: Boxing 18 - Debacle: A great disaster, a complete failure 19 - Lapidary: The art of cutting, polishing, or engraving precious stones usually other than diamonds 20 - Transpire: To take place, go on, occur 21 - Memento: Something that serves to warn or remind; also souvenir. 22 - Askance: With a side-glance, obliquely. With disapproval or distrust, scornfully. 23 - Alacrity: Promptness in response, cheerful readiness. 24 - Evanescent: Tending to vanish like vapor 25 - Foible: The part of a sword or foil blade between the middle and point. A minor flaw or shortcoming in character or behavior, weakness. 26 - Venerate: To regard with respect, to honor with a ritual act of devotion 27 - Pratfall: A fall on the buttocks, a humiliating mishap or blunder 28 - Clamant: Clamorous, blatant. Demanding attention, urgent. 29 -Emollient: Something that softens or soothes. 30 - Ultima: The last syllable of a word. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- February 1 - Zephyr: A breeze from the west, any of various lightweight fabrics and articles of clothing 2 - Balkanize: To break up (as a region or group) into smaller and often hostile units, divide, compartmentalize 3 - Euphuism: Aritifical elegance of language, an artificial, highly elaborate way of writing or speaking 4 - Parse: To analyze a sentence by naming its parts and their functions, analyze critically 5 - Knackered: Exhausted 6 - Acumen: Keenness and depth of perception, discernment, especially in practical matters 7 - Symposium: A formal meeting at which experts deliver addresses on a topic, a collection of opinions on a subject 8 - Gregarious: Social, a liking for companionship, sociable, of or relating to a social group 9 - Decrement: A gradual decrease in quality or quantity, the quantity lost by diminution or waste 10 - Cajole: To persuade with flattery, coax, to obtain from someone with gentle persuasion, to deceive with soothing words 11 - Vociferous: Marked by or given to vehement insistent outcry 12 - Axiomatic: Taken for granted, self-evident, base on or involving an axiom or system of axioms 13 - Proclivity: An inclination or predisposition, especially an inherent inclination toward something objectionable 14 - Mash: An intense and unusually passing infatuation, also the object of infatuation 15 - Urbane: Notably polite or polished in manner 16 - Scuttlebutt: Rumor, gossip 17 - Politesse: Formal politeness, decorousness 18 - Ostentatious: Marked by or fond of conspicuous or vainglorious and sometimes pretentious display 19 - Exclave: A portion of a country separated from the main part and constituting an enclave 20 - Stringent: Tight, constricted, marked by rigor, strictness, or severity, marked by money scarcity and credit strictness 21 - Rigmarole: Confused or meaningless talk, a complex and sometimes ritualistic procedure 22 - Ad hominem: Appealing to feelings or prejudices rather than intellect, marked by being an attack on one's character rather than one's actions 23 - Leviathan: A totalitarian state having a vast bureaucracy, something large or formidable 24 - Coup de grace: A blow or shot administered to end the suffering of one mortally wounded, a decisive finishing act 25 - Pho: A soup made of beef or chicken broth and rice noodles 26 - Stiction: The force required to cause one body in contact with another to begin to move 27 - Marginalia: Marginal notes or embellishments as in a book, nonessential items 28 - Swan Song: A song of great sweetness said to be sung by a dying swan, a farewell apperarance or final act of pronouncement ---------------------------------------------------------------------- March 1 - Vicissitude: An unexpected change or fluctuation. A difficulty or hardship usually beyond one's control. 2 - Phalanx: A body of troops in close array. A digital bone of the hand or foot. A massed arrangment of persons, animals, or things. 3 - Kaput: Utterly finished, defeated, or destroyed. Unable to function. Hopelessly outmoded. 4 - Minutia: A minute or minor detail. 5 - Caustic: Capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action, corrosive. Marked by incisive sarcasm. 6 - Imbroglio: A confused mass. A complicated situation. A painful or embarrassing misunderstanding. 7 - Truncate: To shorten by or as if by cutting off. 8 - Pachyderm: Any of various nonruminant mammals that have hooves or nails resembling hooves and usually thick skin. 9 - Space Cadet: A flaky, lightheaded, or forgetful person. 10 - Interloper: One that intrudes in a place or sphere of activity. 11 - Cleave: To divide by force, split. To separate into distinct parts and especially into groups having divergent views. To penetrate or pass through something. 12 - Incorrigible: Incapable of being corrected, amended, or reformed. Unruly. Unalterable, inveterate. 13 - Apex: The uppermost point, vertex. The narrowed or pointed end, tip. The highest or culminating point. 14 - Raconteur: A person who excels in telling anecdotes. 15 - Adulate: To flatter or admire excessively or slavishly. 16 - Saga: A tale of figures and events of Norway and Iceland from history or legend. A story of heroic deeds. A long detailed account. 17 - Obsequious: Marked by or exhibiting a fawning attentiveness. 18 - Empirical: Based on testing or experience. 19 - Desolate: Deserted, abandoned. forsaken, lonely. Dilapidated. Barren, lifeless. Cheerless, gloomy. 20 - Mot Juste: The exactly right word or phrasing. 21 - Journeyman: A worker who has learned a trade and works for another person. An experienced reliable worker, athlete, or performer. 22 - Exact: To call for forcibly or urgently and obtain. To call for as necessary or desirable. 23 - Shindig: A social gathering with dincing. A usually large or lavish party. Fracas, uproar. 24 - Prestidigitation: Sleight of hand, legerdemain. 25 - Newfangled: Attracted to novely. Of the newest style or kind. 26 - Antecessor: One that goes before. 27 - Smorgasbord: A luncheon or supper buffet offering a variety of foods and dishes. An often large heterogeneous mixture. 28 - Cataract: A clouding of the lens of the eye that obstucts the passage of light. Waterfall. Downpour, flood. 29 - Outlandish: Of or relating to another country. Out of the ordinary, bizarre. Exceeding proper or reasonable limits or stndards. 30 - Progeny: Decendants, children. Offspring of animals or plants. Outcome, product. A body of followers, disciples, or successors. 31 - Embezzle: To appropriate (as property entrusted to one's care) frudulently to one's own use. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- April 1 - Callow: Lacking adult sophistication, immature. 2 - Gamification: The process of adding games or gamelike elements so as to encourage participation. 3 - Operose: Tedious, wearisome. 4 - Red Herring: A herring cured by salting and slow smoking. Something that distracts attention from the real issue. 5 - Teleological: Exhibiting or relating to design or purpose especially in nature. 6 - Caveat: Warning. An explanation to prevent misinterpretation. A modifying or cautionary detail to be considered. 7 - Lothario: A man whose chief interest is seducing women. 8 - Placid: Serenely free of interruption or disturbance; also complacent. 9 - Derring-Do: Daring action: daring. 10 - Offal: The waste of by-product of a process. rubbish. 11 - Xanthic: Of, relating to, or tending toward a yellow color. 12 - Intercalate: To insert (as a day) in a calendar. To insert between or among existing elements or layers. 13 - Hashtag: A word or pharase preceded by the symbol # that classifies or categorizes the accompanying text (such as a tweet). 14 - Pecuniary: Consisting of or measured in money. Of or relating to money. 15 - Belvedere: A structure (as a cupola or a summerhouse) designed to command a view. 16 - Confection: A sweet food or fancy dish. Candy. A piece of fine craftsmanshiup. A light but entertaining theatrical, cinematic, or literary work. 17 - Convalesce: To recover and strength gradually after sickness or weakness. 18 - Slew: A large number. 19 - Ungainly: Lacking in smoothness or dexterity, clumsy. Hard to handle, unwieldy. Having an awkward appearance. 20 - Impetus: A driving force. Incentive. Stimulation or encouragement resulting in increased activity. The property possessed by a moving body, momentum. 21 - Albeit: Conceding the fact that even though, although. 22 - Cloche: A transparent plant cover used for protection against the cold. A woman's close-fitting hat with deep, rounded crown and narrow brim. 23 - Hoopla: Excited commotion. Exaggerated or sensational promotion or publicity. 24 - Laissez-Faire: A doctine opposing governmental interference in ecoomic affairs. Abstention from direction or interference. 25 - Ragamuffin: A ragged often disreputable person; especially a poorly clothed often dirty child. 26 - Ideate: To form an idea or conception of. 27 - Connoisseur: A critical judge in matters of art or taste. One who enjoys with discrimination and appreciation of subtleties. 28 - Arboreal: Of, relating to, or resembling a tree. Inhabiting or frequenting trees. 29 - Hoity-Toity: Flighty. Marked by an air of superiority, highfalutin. 30 - Bathetic: Characterized by triteness or sentimentalism. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- May 1 - Notch: V-shaped hollow in an edge or surface. A narrow pass between two mountains. Degree, step. 2 - Inchmeal: Little-by-little, gradually. 3 - Paraphernalia: The personal property especially of a married woman. Articles of equipment, furnishings. 4 - Jilt: To drop (someone, such as a lover) capriciously or unfeelingly. 5 - Quintessence:The essence of a thing in its purest and most concentrated form. The most typical example or representative. 6 - Auxillary: Offering or providing help. functinoing in a subsidiary capacity. Constituting a reserve, supplementary. 7 - Frisson: A brief moment of emotional excitement, shudder, thrill. 8 - Conclave: A private meeting or secret assembly. A gathering of a groupo or association. 9 - Respite: A period of temporary delay. An interval of rest or relief. 10 - Sophmoric: Conceited and overconfident of knowledge but poorly informed and immature. Of, relating to, or characteristic of a sophomore. 11 - Cachet: A seal used especially as a mark of official approval. A feature or quality conferring prestige, also prestige. 12 - Verboten: Forbidden, especially prohibited by dictate. 13 - Aficionado: A person who likes, knows about, and appreciates a usually fervently pursued interest or activity, devotee. 14 - Festoon: A decorative chain or strip hanging between two points. A carved, molded, or painted ornament representing a decorative chain. 15 - Pica: An abnormal desire to eat substances (as chalk or ashes) not nornally eaten. 16 - Tawdry: Cheap and gaudy in appearance or quality, also ignoble. 17 - Zenith: The point of the celestial sphere directly above the observer. The highest point reached by a celestial body. Culminating point. 18 - Anachronism: A person or thing that is chronologically out of place, especially one from a former age that is incongruous in the present. 19 - Chastise: To inflict punishment on (as by whipping). To censure severely, castigate. 20 - Ephemeral: Lasting a very short time. 21 - Flotilla: A fleet of ships or boats. An indefinite large number. 22 - Cerulean: Resembling the blue of the sky. 23 - Yen: A strong desire or propensity, longing, also urge, craving. 24 - Tantalize: To tease or torment by or as if by presenting something desirable to the view but continually keeping it out of reach. 25 - Sporadic: Occurring occasionally, singly, or in irregular or random instances. 26 - Ramadan: The ninth month of the Islamic year observed as sacred with fasting practiced daily from dawn to sunset. 27 - Incipient: Beginning to come into being or to become apparent. 28 - Kenning: A compound word or phrase (such as "life-liquid" for blood) used especially in Old English and Old Norse verse. 29 - Complaisant: Marked by an inclination to please or oblige. Tending to consent to others' wishes. 30 - Whirligig: A child's toy having a whirling motion. Something that continuaously whirls or changes. 31 - Ineluctable: Not to be avoided, changed, or resisted, inevitable. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- June 1 - Liaison: A close connection. An Illicit romantic relatinship. One who delivers information between groups. 2 - Sclaff: To scrape the ground instead of hitting the ball cleanly on a golf stroke. 3 - Tribulation: Distress or suffering resulting from oppression or persecution. A trying experience. 4 - Docile: Easily led or managed. 5 - Aegis: Shield, protection. Controlling or conditioning influence. Auspices, sponsorship. Control or guidance especially by an individual, group, or system. 6 - Uncouth: Strange or clumsy in shape or appearance. Lacking in polish and grace. Awkward and uncultivated in appearance, manner, or behavior. 7 - Ragout: Well-seasoned meat and vegetables cooked in a thick sauce. Mixture, melange. 8 - Gist: The ground of a legal action. The main point or part: essence. 9 - Slipshod: Wearing loose shoes. Shabby. Careless, slovenly. 10 - Sederunt: A prolonged sitting (as for discussion) 11 - Flummox: Confuse 12 - Crowdfunding: The practice of soliciting financial contributions from a large number of people and especially from the online community. 13 - Jejune: Lacking nutritive value. Devoid of significance or interest. Juvenile, puerile. 14 - Amuse-Bouche: A small complimentary appetizer offered at some restaurants. 15 - Carp: To find fault or complain querulously. 16 - Groundling: A spectator who stood in the pit of an Elizabethan theater. One with unsophisticaterd taste. One that lives or works on or near the ground. 17 - Sacrosanct: Most sacred or holy, inviolable. Treated as if holy: immune from criticism or violation. 18 - Ninny: Fool, simpleton. 19 - Aliment: Food, nutriment. Sustenance. 20 - Rash: Marked by or proceeding from undue haste or lack of deliberation or caution. 21 - Veracity: Devotion to the truth, truthfulness. Conformity with truth or fact, accuracy. Something true. 22 - Moxie: Energy, pep. Courage, determination. Know-how. 23 - Demure: Reserved, modest. Affectedly modest, reserved, or serious: coy. 24 - Conjecture: To arrive at or deduce by surmise or guesswork, guess. To form a supposition or inference. 25 - Panoply: A full suit of armor. A magnificent or imprressive array. 26 - Maelstrom: A powerful often violent whirlpool sucking in objects within a given radius. Something resembling a maelstrom in turbulence. 27 - Haughty: Blatantly and disdainfully proud. 28 - Teem: To become filled to overflowing. To be present in large quantity. 29 - Solace: Alleviation of grief or anxiety. A source of relief or consolation. 30 - Apocryphal: Of doubtful authenticity. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- July 1 - Collegium: A group in which each member has approximately equal power and authority. 2 - Vicarious: Done or suffered for the benefit of someone else. Sharing in another's experience. 3 - Aerodyne: A heavier-than-air aircraft (as an airplane, helicopter, or glider) 4 - Crux: A puzzling or difficult problem. An essential point requiring resolution or resolving an outcome. The most important point. 5 - Replete: Fully or abundantly provided or filled. Abundantly fed. Fat, stout. Complete. 6 - Zydeco: Popular music of southern Louisiana that combines tunes of French origin with elements of Caribbean music and the blues. 7 - Circumscribe: To constrict the range or activity of. To define or mark off carefully. To draw a line around. To surround by or as if by a boundary. 8 - Coiffure: A style or manner of arranging the hair. 9 - Palmy: Marked by prosperity, flourishing. Abounding in or bearing palms. 10 - Sinew: Tendon, especially one dressed for use as a cord or thread. Solid resilient strength: power. The chief supporting force. 11 - Conflate: To bring together, fuse. Confuse. To combine (as two readings of a text) into a composite whole. 12 - Troubadour: A lyric poet or musician in medieval Italy and France. A singer especially of folk songs. 13 - Inexorable: Not to be persuaded, moved, or stopped: relentless. 14 - Coterie: An intimate and often exclusive group of persons with a unifying common interest or purpose. 15 - Ilk: Sort, kind. 16 - Brusque:Markedly short and abrupt. Blunt in manner or speech. 17 - Quibble: To evade the point of an argument by caviling about words. Cavil, carp. Bicker. To subject to minor objections or criticisms. 18 - Steampunk: Science fiction dealing with 19th-century societies dominated by historical or imagined steam-powered technology. 19 - Cordial: Tending to revive, cheer, or invigorate. Sincerely or deeply felt. Warmly and genially affable. 20 - Non Sequitur: An inference that does not follow from the premises. A statement that is not clearly related to anything previously said. 21 - Perfervid: Marked by over wrought or exaggerated emotion: excessively fervent. 22 - Freegan: An activist who scavenges for free food (as in waste receptacles at stores and restaurants) as a means of reducing consumption of resources. 23 - Nascent: Coming or having recently come into existence. 24 - Maudlin: Drunk enough to be emotionally silly. Weakly and effusively sentimental. 25 - Travail: Painful work or exertion: toil. Agony, torment. Childbirth, labor. 26 - Catfish: A freshwater fish with a large head and long thin feelers about the mouth. A person who sets up a false profile on a social network for deceptive purposes. 27 - Askew: Out of line: awry. 28 - Repartee: A quick and witty reply. A succession or interchange of clever retorts. Adroitness and cleverness in reply. 29 - Lily-Livered: Lacking courage: cowardly. 30 - Doyen: The senior or most experienced member of a group. The oldest example of a category. 31 - Antebellum: Existing before a war; especially: existing before the American Civil War. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- August 1 - Penchant: A strong and continued inclination; broadly: liking. 2 - Wreak: To cause the infliction of (vengeance or punishment). To give free play or course to (malevolent feeling). Bring about, cause. 3 - Shangri-la: A remote beautiful imaginary place where life approaches perfection: utopia. A remote usually idyllic hideaway. 4 - Mettlesome: Full of vigor and stamina: spirited. 5 - Fraternize: To associate or mingle on fraternal terms. To associate with members of a hostile group especially against orders. To be friendly or amiable. 6 - Glitterati: Wealthy or famous people whose lifestyle is usually expensive and well-publicized: celebrities. 7 - Spiel: A voluble line of often extravagant talk; also: a speech delivered especially to sell or promnote something. 8 - Tractable: Capable of being easily led, taught, or controlled: docile. Easily handled, managed, or wrought: malleable. 9 - Cadre: Framework. A central unit especially of trained personnel able to assume control and train others. A group of people with a unifying relationship. 10 - Prescience: Foreknowledge of events: divine omniscience. Human anticipation of the course of events: foresight. 11 - Desultory: Marked by lack of definite plan, regularity, or purpose. Disappointing in progress, performance, or quality. 12 - Faze: To disturb the composure of: disconcert, daunt. 13 - Gadabout: A person who goes from place to place in social activity. 14 - De Rigueur: Prescribed or required by fashion, etiquette, or custom: proper. 15 - Passel: A large number or amount. 16 - Capricious: Governed or characterized by sudden, impulsive, and seemingly unmotivated ideas or actions: unpredictable. 17 - Heliolatry: Sun worship. 18 - Contretemps: An inopportune or embarrassing occurrence or situation. Dispute, argument. 19 - Irascible: Marked by hot temper and easily provoked anger. 20 - Plaudit: An act or round of applause. Enthusiastic approval - usually used in plural. 21 - Crazy-Quilt: Resembling a patchwork quilt without a design: haphazard. 22 - Aggregate: A mass of body of units or parts somewhat loosely associated with one another. The whole sum or amount: sum total. 23 - Stipulate: To make an agreement to do something: contract. To specify (something) as a condition or requirement (as of an agreement or offer). 24 - Perfunctory: Characterized by routine or superficiality: mechanical. Lacking in interest or enthusiasm. 25 - Torpor: A state of mental and motor inactivity with partial or total insensibility. A state of lowered physilological activity in hibernating animals. Apathy, dullness. 26 - Nonchalant: Having an air of easy unconcern or indifference. 27 - Fracking: The injection of fluid into shale beds at high pressure in order to free up petroleum resources (such as oil or natural gas). 28 - Leitmotif: A melodic phrase or figure that recurs in a music drama. A dominant recurring theme. 29 - Succinct: Marked by compact precise expression without wasted words. 30 - Purview: The range or limit of authority, responsibility, or intention. Range of vision, understanding, or cognizance. 31 - Bivouac: To make a temporary encampment under little or no shelter. To take shelter often temporarily. To provide temporary quarters for. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- September 1 - Exorbitant: Not coming within the scope of the law. Exceeding the customary or appropriate limits in intensity, quality, amount, or size. 2 - Commensurate: Equal in measure or extent: coextensive. Corresponding in size, extent, amount, or degree: proportionate. 3 - Fetter: A chain or shackle for the feet. Something that confines: restraint. 4 - Nuance: A subtle distinction or variation. Nicety. Sensibility to, awareness of, or ability to express delicate shadings. 5 - Dilapidate: To bring into a condition of decay or partial ruin. To become decayed or partially ruined. 6 - Rubric: A rule expecially for the conduct of a liturgical service. Heading, title, also: class, category. A guide listing specific criteria for grading or scoring. 7 - Pixilated: Somewhat unblanced mentally; also: bemused. Whimsical. 8 - Tutelage: An act of guarding or protecting. The state of being under a guardian or tutor. Instruction especially of an individual, a guiding influence. 9 - Jocose: Given to or characterized by joking. 10 - Archipelago: A group of islands. A group or scattering of similar things. 11 - Verbose: Containing more words than necessary: wordy; also: impaired by wordiness. Given to wordiness. 12 - Savant: A person of learning; especially: one with detailed knowledge in some specialized field (as of science or literature). 13 - Arcadia: Often capitalized: a region or scene of simple pleasure and quiet. 14 - Blandish: To coax or persuade with flattery: cajole. To act or speak in a flattering or coaxing manner. 15 - Yooper: A native or resident of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan -- used as a nickname. 16 - Disheveled: Marked by disorder or disarray. 17 - Obeisance: A movement made in token of respect or submission. Acknowledgment of another's superiority or importance. 18 - Parochial: Of or relating to a church parish. Limited in range or scope (as to a narrow area or region): Provincial, narrow. 19 - Augur: To foretell (something) or to predict the future expecially from omens. To give promise of: presage. 20 - Shofar: A ram's-horn trumpet blown by the ancient Hebrews in battle and during religious observance. 21 - Unwieldy: Not easily managed, handled, or used (as because of bulk, weight, complexity, or awkwardness): cumbersome. 22 - Equinox: Either of the two times each year (about March 21 and September 23) when the sun crosses the equator. 23 - Dossier: A file containing detailed records on a particular person or subject. 24 - Resplendent: Shining brilliantly: characterized by a glowing splendor. 25 - Teetotaler: One who practices or advocates teetyotalism: one who abstains completely from alcoholic drinks. 26 - Amerce: To punish by a fine whose amount is fixed by the court; broadly: punish. 27 - Harangue: A speech addressed to a public assembly. A ranting speech or writing. Lecture. 28 - Boondoggle: A braided cord worn by Boy Scouts as a neckerchief slide, hatband, or ornament. A useless or wasteful project. 29 - Cavalier: Debonair. Marked by or given to offhand and often disdainful dismissal of important matters. 30 - Plenitude: The quality or state of being full: completeness. A great sufficiency: abundance. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- October 1 - Tousle: Dishevel, rumple. 2 - Implacable: Not capable of being appeased, significantly changed, or mitigated. 3 - Mise-en-scene: The arrangement of actors and scenery on a stage. Stage setting. The physical setting of an action. 4 - Cursory: Rapidly and often superficially performed or produced: hasty. 5 - Sophistry: Subtly deceptive reasoning or argumentation. An argument apparently correct in form but actually invalid. 6 - Demarche: A course of action. A diplomatic initiative or maneuver. Protest presented through diplomatic channels. 7 - Paucity: Smallness of number: fewness. Smallness of quantity: dearth. 8 - Dexterous: Mentally adroit and skilllful: clever. Done with dexterity: artful. Skillful and competent with the hands. 9 - Lobscouse: A sailor's dish of stewed or baked meat with vegetables and hardtack. 10 - Quirk: Curve, twist. 11 - Shaggy-Dog: Of, relating to, or being a long-drawn-out circumstantial story concerning an inconsequential happening. 12 - Brogue: A heavy shoe often with a hobnailed sole. A stout oxford shoe with perforations and usually a wing tip. 13 - Crescent: Marked by an increase: increasing. 14 - Contraband: Illegal traffic in goods. Goods whose importation, exportation, or possession is forbidden; also: smuggled goods. 15 - Effusive: Marked by the expression of great or excessive emotion or enthusiasm. Characterized or formed by a nonexplosive outpouring of lava. 16 - Persnickety: Fussy about small details: fastidious. Having the characteristics of a snob. Requiring great precision. 17 - Supersede: To cause to be set aside. To take the place or position of. To displace in favor of another. 18 - Milieu: The physical or social setting in which something occurs or develops: environment. 19 - Copious: Yielding something abundantly. Plentiful in number. Full of thought, information, or matter. Lavish, abundant. 20 - Valhalla: The great hall in Norse mythology where heroes slain in battle are received. A place of honor or glory. 21 - Colloquial: Of or relating to conversation. Used in or characteristic of informal conversation. Using conversational style. 22 - Farrago: A confused mixture: hodgepodge. 23 - Pejorative: Having negative connotations; especially: tending to disparage or belittle: depreciatory. 24 - Bevy: A large group or collection. A group of animals and especially quail. 25 - Hobbyhorse: A stick with an imitation horse's head at one end. A rocking horse. A favorite topic. 26 - Ramshackle: Appearing ready to collapse: rickety. Carelessly or loosely constructed. 27 - Writhe: To move or proceed with twists and turns. To twist from or as if from pain or struggling. To suffer keenly. 28 - Skulduggery: Underhanded or unscrupulous behavior; also: a devious device or trick. 29 - Frolic: To amuse oneself: make merry. To play and run about happily: romp. 30 - Epitaph: An inscription in memory of a dead person. A brief statement commemorating or epitomizing a deceased person or something past. 31 - Hallowed: Holy, consecrated. sacred, revered. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- November 1 - Taphephobia: Fear of being buried alive. 2 - Fungible: Being such that one part or quantity may be replaced by another equal part or quantity in the satisfaction of an obligation. Interchangeable. 3 - Druthers: Free choice: preference -- used especially in the phrase "if one had one's druthers". 4 - Sully: To make soiled or tarnished: defile. 5 - Point Man: A soldier who goes ahead of a patrol. One who is in the forefront; especially: a principal spokesman or advocate. 6 - Weltschmerz: Depression caused by regarding the actual in contrast with the ideal. A mood of sentimental sadness. 7 - Officinal: Tending or used to cure disease or relieve pain: medicinal. 8 - Brouhaha: A state of commotion or excitement: hubbub, uproar. 9 - Invective: An abusive expression or speech. Insulting or abusive language. 10 - Doff: To remove (an article of wear) from the body. To take off (the hat) in greeting or as a sign of respect. To rid oneself of: put aside. 11 - Armistice: Temporary suspension of hostilities by agreement between the opponents: truce. 12 - Pompadour: A man's hairstyle forming a high mound in front. A woman's hairstyle brushed into a loose full roll around the face. 13 - Contentious: Likely to cause disagreement or argument. Exhibiting an often perverse and wearisome tendency to quarrels and disputes. 14 - Kibosh: Something that serves as a check or stop. 15 - Ombudsman: An official who investigates complaints against authorities. One who investigates reported complaints. 16 - Plummy: Full of plums. Choice, desirable. Having a plum color. Rich and mellow often to the point of affectation. 17 - Gourmand: One who is excessively fond of eating and drinking. One who is heartily interestd in good food and drink. 18 - Consummate: Complete in every detail: perfect. Extrememly skilled and accmplished. Of the highest degree. 19 - Vestige: A mark or visible sign left by something that existed before; also: a minute remaing amount. 20 - Arch: Principal, chief. Mischievous, saucy. Marked by a deliberate and often forced playfulness, irony, or impudence. 21 - Injunction: Order, admonition. A court order requiring a party to do or refrain from doing a specified act. 22 - Polyglot: Speaking or writing several languages. Composed of elements from different languages. Widely diverse (as in ethnic or cultural origins). 23 - Cornucopia: A horn-shaped container filled with fruit and grain emblematic of abundance. An inexhaustible store: abundance. 24 - Satiety: The quality of being full or gratified. Revulsion or disgust caused by overindulgence. 25 - Mogul: A person of rank, power, influence, or distinction often in a specified area. 26 - Carminative: Expelling gas from the stomach or intestines so as to relieve flatulence or abdominal pain or distension. 27 - Velleity: The lowest degree of volition. A slight wish or tendency: inclination. 28 - Superannuated: Outmoded, Old-fashiuoned. Incapacitated by advanced age. Older than most of its kind. 29 - Juggernaut: Chiefly British. A large heavy truck. A massive inexorable force, campaign, movement, or object. 30 - Compunction: Anxiety arising from awareness of guilt. Distress of mind over an anticipated action or result. A twinge of misgiving: scruple. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- December 1 - Exonerate: To relieve of a responsibility, obligation, or hardship. To clear from accusation or blame. 2 - Sea Change: A marked change: transformation. 3 - Churlish: Of, resembling, or characteristic of a shurl: vulgar. Marked by a lack of civility or graciousness. Difficult to work with or deal with. 4 - Imprimatur: A license to print or publish especially by Roman Catholic episcopal authority. Sanction, approval. 5 - Extenuate: To lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of by making partial excuses: mitigate. To lessen the strength or effect of. 6 - Xylography: The art of making engravings on wood especially for printing. 7 - Audacious: Daring, bold. Insolent. Marked by originality and verve. 8 - Corollary: A deduction from a proposition already proved true. Something that naturally follows from another thing. 9 - Escapade: A usually adventurous action that runs counter to approved or conventional conduct. 10 - Purfle: To ornament the border or edges of. 11 - Donnybrook: Free-for-all, brawl. A usually public quarrel or dispute. 12 - Olifactory: Of, relating to, or connected with the sense of smell. 13 - Perquisite: A privilege or profit made in addition to regular pay. Gratuity, tip. Something claimed as an exclusive right. 14 - Epoch: A usually extended period: era, age. An event or time that begins a new period or development. 15 - Fulvous: Of a dull brownish yellow: tawny. 16 - Canoodle: To engage in amorous embracing, caressing, and kissing. 17 - Predilection: An established preference for something. 18 - Aspersion: A sprinkling with water especially in religious ceremones. A slanderous or defamatory remark. 19 - Elegiac: Of, relating to, or suggesting an elegy (a poem or song expressing grief or sorrow). 20 - Frenetic: Frenzied, frantic. 21 - Ingenuous: Showing innocent or childlike simplicity and candidness. Lacking craft or subtlety. 22 - Bona Fides: Good faith: sincerity. Evidence of one's good faith or genuineness. Evidence of one's qualifications or achievements. 23 - Viand: An item of food; especially: a choice or tasty dish. Plural: provisions, food. 24 - Creche: A representation of the Nativity scene. 25 - Froufrou: A rustling especially of a woman's skirts. Showy or frilly ornamentation. 26 - Chockablock: Brought close together. Very full. 27 - Gustatory: Relating to or associated with eating or the sense of taste. 28 - Equivocal: Subject to multiple interpretations: ambiguous. Of uncertain nature, disposition or classification. 29 - Linchpin: A locking pin inserted crosswise. One that holds together parts or elements that exist or function as a unit. 30 - Unbeknownst: Happening or existing without the knowledge of someone specified. 31 - Fortitude: Strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Additional Words Ethos: The characteristic spirit of a culture, era, or community as manifested in its beliefs and aspirations. Logo: A symbol or other design adopted by an organization to identify its products, uniform, vehicles, etc. Logos: The Word of God, or principle of divine reason and creative order, identified in the Gospel of John with the second person of the Trinity incarnate in Jesus Christ. https://www.google.com/#q=definition+logos Socratic Method: Socratic method, also known as maieutics, method of elenchus, elenctic method, or Socratic debate, is a form of cooperative argumentative dialogue between individuals, based on asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking and to draw out ideas and underlying presumptions. It is a dialectical method, often involving a discussion in which the defense of one point of view is questioned; one participant may lead another to contradict themselves in some way, thus weakening the defender's point. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socratic_method ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------