As one 20th-century usage writer commented, “Qua is sometimes thought affected or pretentious, but it does convey meaning economically.”
Qua’s meaning is quite specific—it can substitute for the phrase “in the capacity or character of” or the preposition as in the right context,
as in “they wanted to enjoy the wine qua [kwɑː] wine, not as a status symbol.”qua
preposition [kwɑː]
What It Means
Qua is a preposition used in formal speech or writing that means “in the capacity or character of (someone or something).” It is used synonymously with as to indicate that someone or something is being referred to or thought about in a particular way. English Apr 18, 2024, 8:30 AM cowpoke
"Despite the hurdles, comedians continue to negotiate their inalienable [ɪˈneɪ.li.ə.bl̩] need to do stand-up to the point that money comes as a secondary concern." — Jake Kroeger, The Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2023inalienable [ɪˈneɪ.li.ə.bl̩]
adj
Something considered inalienable is impossible to take away or give up.
Alien, alienable, inalienable—it's easy enough to see the Latin word alius, meaning "other," at the root of these three words. English Apr 16, 2024, 6:25 AM cowpoke
The puppy managed to purloin [pərˈlɔɪn] a few cookies from the plate when no one was looking.purloin [pərˈlɔɪn]
verb
To purloin is to take something that belongs to someone else—that is, to steal it. Purloin is much more formal-sounding than steal, but is often—though not always—encountered in humorous contexts, suggesting that the theft is not serious.
from the Anglo-French verb purluigner, meaning “to prolong, postpone, or set aside.” English Apr 15, 2024, 6:53 AM cowpoke
To win the Kentucky Derby, a Thoroughbred must run 10 furlongs [ˈfɜrlɔŋ], or one and 1/4 miles.furlong [ˈfɜrlɔŋ]
noun
A furlong is a unit of distance equal to 220 yards (about 201 meters), and is used chiefly in horse racing.
back to Old English furlang, a combination of the noun furh (“furrow”) and the adjective lang (“long”). English Apr 14, 2024, 9:43 AM cowpoke
"Pet owners can have a tougher time finding apartments because of the surfeit [ˈsɜrfɪt]of landlords who don't allow dogs, cats or other animals in their buildings." — Andrew J. Campa, The Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2024surfeit [ˈsɜrfɪt]
noun
Formal word - refers to an amount or supply that is too much or more than you need.
synonymous: excess.
from Latin through Anglo-French English Apr 12, 2024, 9:04 AM cowpoke
“That Jagger can still sing and dance up a storm, at 80, is a triumph for him and should provide a vicarious [vaɪˈkɛriəs] thrill for anyone who attends a concert by the Rolling Stones next year.” — George Varga, The San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Dec. 2023vicarious [vaɪˈkɛriəs]
adj
A vicarious emotion or experience is one felt by watching, hearing about, or reading about someone else rather than by doing something yourself.
from the Latin noun vicis, which means “change” or “stead.” What’s more, you learn that vicis is also the source of the English prefix vice- (as in “vice president”), meaning “one that takes the place of.” English Apr 10, 2024, 9:18 AM cowpoke
The issue will be decided under the aegis [ˈiːdʒɪs] of an international organization.aegis [ˈiːdʒɪs]
noun
Aegis is a formal word that refers to the power to protect, control, or support something or someone. It is often used in the phrase under the aegis of.
English borrowed aegis from Latin, but the word ultimately comes from the Greek noun aigís, meaning “goatskin.” In ancient Greek mythology, an aegis was something that offered physical protection. English Apr 9, 2024, 7:49 AM cowpoke
Our hopes for an apology and a reasonable explanation for the error were met with fatuous [ˈfætʃuəs] platitudes.fatuous [ˈfætʃuəs]
adj
To describe something, such as an idea or remark, as fatuous is to say that it is foolish or silly rather than sensible or logical.
...fatuous and infatuation share the same Latin root, fatuus, meaning "foolish." Both terms have been part of English since the 17th century. English Apr 8, 2024, 7:08 AM cowpoke
Some scientists have conjectured [kənˈdʒɛktʃər] that Jupiter’s moon Europa could sustain life.conjecture [kənˈdʒɛktʃər]
verb
Conjecture is a formal synonym of the verb guess that means “to form an opinion or idea without proof or sufficient evidence.”
ultimately from the Latin verb conicere, which means, literally, “to throw together.” English Apr 7, 2024, 7:53 AM cowpoke
The refugees gathered in a hilly redoubt [rɪˈdaʊt] several miles from the outskirts of town.redoubt [rɪˈdaʊt]
noun
Redoubt can refer specifically to a small building or area that provides soldiers with protection from attack, or more broadly to any safe or protected place, whether literal or figurative.
Redoubt actually comes to us (via the French word redoute and the Italian word ridotto) from a different Latin verb—reducere, meaning "to lead back," the same root that gives us reduce. English Apr 6, 2024, 10:42 AM cowpoke
Many gardeners promote composting as being good environmental praxis [ˈpræksɪs].praxis [ˈpræksɪs]
noun
Praxis is a formal word referring to the practical application of a theory—in other words, what one does to act on a theory (such as feminist theory) to which one is committed.
Praxis is also used synonymously with action or practice to refer to the exercise of an art, science, or skill, or to customary conduct within a given sphere.
Both praxis and practice come ultimately from the Greek verb prassein (“to do” or “to practice”) English Apr 4, 2024, 8:23 AM cowpoke
The coach lambasted [læmˈbeɪst] the team for its poor play.lambaste [læmˈbeɪst]
verb
To lambaste something or someone is to criticize them very harshly. Lambaste is also sometimes used as a synonym of beat meaning “to assault.”
The origins of lambaste (which can also be spelled lambast) are somewhat uncertain, but the word was most likely formed by combining the verbs lam and baste, both of which mean “to beat severely.” (This baste is unrelated to either the sewing or cooking one.) English Apr 3, 2024, 7:04 AM cowpoke
The images of the underwater cave show a strange world of ethereal [ɪˈθɪriəl] beauty.ethereal [ɪˈθɪriəl]
adj
Ethereal means "of or relating to the regions beyond the earth" or "of or resembling heaven." It can also mean "lacking material substance" and "relating to, containing, or resembling a chemical ether."
The ancient Greeks believed that the heavens and its denizens were made of a purer, less tangible substance known (in English transliteration) as either quintessence or ether. Ether was often described as an invisible light or... English Apr 2, 2024, 6:40 AM cowpoke
“Godzilla has long been seen as a symbolic representation of the nuclear devastation that Japan suffered, and that theme is evident here as well. But Godzilla Minus One adds a more personal dimension in the form of Koichi’s lingering trauma; the only way he thinks he’ll be able to expiate [ˈɛkspiˌeɪt] his guilt is by destroying the monster.” — Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Dec. 2023expiate
verb
formal word that typically means “to atone or make amends for something, such as a sin or offense.”
from the Latin verb expiare (“to atone for”), a combination of ex- and piare, which itself means “to atone for” as well as “to appease.” (Piare comes from pius, meaning “faithful, pious.”) English Mar 31, 2024, 8:56 AM cowpoke
His braggadocio [ˌbræɡəˈdoʊʃiˌoʊ] hid the fact that he felt personally inadequate.braggadocio [ˌbræɡəˈdoʊʃiˌoʊ]
noun
Braggadocio refers to brash and self-confident boasting—that is, the annoying or exaggerated talk of someone who is trying to sound very proud or brave.
The English poet Edmund Spenser originally created Braggadocio as a personification of boasting in his epic poem The Faerie Queene. As early as 1594, about four years after the poem was published, English speakers began using the name as a general term for any blustering blowhard. English Mar 29, 2024, 8:56 AM cowpoke
I was left feeling flabbergasted [ˈflæbərˌɡæstɪd], discombobulated [dɪs.kəmˈbɑːbjəˌleɪtɪd] and totally Bamboozled [bæmˈbuːzəld] by the shenanigans and sheer tomfoolery [tɒmˈfuːləri], which were a mere lollygag [ˈlɑliˌɡæɡ]. The malarkey [məˈlɑrki] caused a real brouhaha and an absolute kerfuffle. Everything had turned into a cattywampus [ˌkætiˈwɒmpəs] and as a result I felt like a nincompoop [ˈnɪŋkəmˌpuːp] so it was time for me to skedaddle [skɪˈdædl]!1. Flabbergasted
- astonish
2. Discombobulated
- disconcert or confuse (someone)
3. Bamboozled
- trick
4. Tomfoolery
- silliness
5. Lollygag
- spend time aimlessly; idle; dawdle
6. Malarkey
- meaningless talk; nonsense
7. Cattywampus
- n. an imaginary fierce wild anima : bogey
- adj. variant of catawampus [ˈkætəˌwɒmpəs]: fierce, savage, destructive // askew, awry, cater-cornered
8. Nincompoop
- idiot
9. Skedaddle
- run away English Mar 29, 2024, 8:24 AM cowpoke
From the moment we met, we felt connected; we knew it was kismet [ˈkɪz.mɛt].kismet [ˈkɪz.mɛt]
noun
Kismet refers to a power that is believed to control what happens in the future. It is synonymous with both fate and destiny.
borrowed kismet from Turkish in the 1800s, but it ultimately comes from the Arabic word qisma, meaning "portion" or "lot." English Mar 26, 2024, 7:19 AM cowpoke
The politician was criticized for genuflecting [ˈdʒɛn.jəˌflɛkt] to corporate interests.genuflect [ˈdʒɛn.jəˌflɛkt]
verb
To genuflect is to kneel, or nearly kneel, on one knee and then rise again in worship or as an act of respect. In figurative use, genuflect means "to be humbly obedient or respectful."
from the Late Latin word genuflectere, formed from the noun genu ("knee") and the verb flectere ("to bend"). English Mar 25, 2024, 7:04 AM cowpoke
"Half of the workforce was laid off, but those whose roles turned out to be somewhat critical were then begged to return. Some unlucky engineers were dragooned [drəˈɡun] into launching the new Twitter Blue feature, which would charge users $7.99 per month for a 'verified' check mark; the rollout was catastrophic." — Sheon Han, The New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2024dragoon [drəˈɡun]
1) When used with into, dragoon means "to force or convince someone to do something."
2) WITHOUT into, dragoon means "to subjugate or persecute by harsh use of troops."
History has recorded the dragonish nature of the dragoons who persecuted the French Protestants in the 17th century during the reign of Louis XIV. English Mar 22, 2024, 9:19 AM cowpoke
The press secretary made a point at the briefing not to address the scurrilous [ˈskɜrələs] rumors surrounding the senator.scurrilous [ˈskɜrələs]
adj
1) Formal adjective that most often describes language that contains obscenities, abuse, or, especially, slander (诽谤)—that is, a false statement that damages a person’s reputation.
2) Scurrilous can also describe someone who uses or tends to use scurrilous language, or it can describe a person or thing as evil or vulgar.
from the Middle French word scurrile, which comes ultimately from the Latin noun scurra, meaning “buffoon” or “jester.” English Mar 21, 2024, 6:16 AM cowpoke
