We love inviting all of our kith [ˈkɪθ] and kin to family cookouts on holidays.kith
noun [ˈkɪθ]
Kith is an old-fashioned term that refers to familiar friends, neighbors, or relatives. It is often used in the phrase “kith and kin,” which means “friends and relatives.”
the word endures with a meaning very close to that “neighbors and acquaintances” one. Today kith appears almost exclusively in the phrase kith and kin, meaning “friends and relatives.” English cowpoke
As an unrestricted free agent, [Azurá] Stevens can negotiate with any team when free agency begins in mid-January. She isn’t ready to divulge [dəˈvʌldʒ] what her expectations are for her future in the [WNBA] league, but she did say she will be testing the waters.divulge
verb [dəˈvʌldʒ]
To divulge something, especially secret or private information, is to make it known.
Latin vulgare, “to make known,” which traces ultimately back to the Latin noun vulgus, meaning “common people” or “mob.” While nowadays divulge can presumably involve blabbing to the rabble, the word usually implies a more careful and considered approach to sharing sensitive information. English cowpoke
The absence of hemlock pollen from one stretch of the fossil record is a notable lacuna [ləˈkunə] that suggests the tree may have once suffered from some type of blight that nearly wiped out the species.lacuna
noun [[ləˈkunə]]
Lacuna is a formal word that refers to a gap or blank space in something—in other words, a missing part. When used with respect to biology, lacuna also refers to a small cavity, pit, or discontinuity in an anatomical structure.
Lacuna, lake and lagoon all come ultimately from lacus, the Latin word for “lake.” Latin speakers modified lacus into lacuna to form a word meaning “pit,” “gap,” or “pool.” English cowpoke
There was a bit of a contretemps [ˈkɑntɹəˌtɑn] over the seating arrangements during wedding planning.contretemps
noun [ˈkɑntɹəˌtɑn]
The word contretemps refers to an inconvenient or embarrassing occurrence or situation. It can also refer to a dispute or argument.
keeping with the word’s French roots, contre- (meaning "counter") and temps (meaning "time"). (The word’s English pronunciation is also in keeping with those roots: \KAHN-truh-tahn\.) By the late 1700s, contretemps had proved itself useful outside of either activity by referring to any embarrassing or inconve... English cowpoke
A pregnant male seahorse, a shape-shifting octopus and a jellyfish that can cleave [ˈkliv] off a piece of itself to make another have been wondrous sights to behold.cleave
verb [ˈkliv]
Cleave means “to divide by or as if by a cutting blow” and “to separate into distinct parts and especially into groups having divergent views.”
Cleave is part of an exclusive lexical club whose members are known as contronyms: words that have two meanings that contradict one another. In the case of cleave the two meanings belong to two etymologically distinct words.
Scam artists often have an uncanny ability to ingratiate [ɪnˈɡɹeɪʃiˌeɪt] themselves with their victims using subtle flattery that only seems obvious in retrospect.ingratiate
verb [ɪnˈɡɹeɪʃiˌeɪt]
Ingratiate means “to gain favor or acceptance by deliberate effort.” It is usually used with with, and is often (though not always) used disapprovingly.
When you ingratiate yourself, you put yourself in someone’s good graces in order to gain their approval or favor. While the word ingratiate does not necessarily imply that your behavior is obsequious or otherwise improper, the word may be used disapprovingly by those who distrust your motives. Latin orgin. English cowpoke
Though five years apart in age, the two siblings are often in cahoots [kəˈhuts] when it comes to making mischief.cahoots
plural [kəˈhuts]
Cahoots is an informal word that is usually used in the phrase “in cahoots” to describe a partnership or alliance for making or implementing secret plans.
Cahoots is used almost exclusively in the phrase “in cahoots,” which means “in an alliance or partnership.” In most contexts, cahoots describes the conspiring activity of people up to no good.
The word’s origins are obscure, but it may come from the French word cahute, meaning “cabin” or “hut,” English cowpoke
We all admire his obdurate [ˈɑbdɚɹət] refusal to give up on his goal despite the many challenges he faced.obdurate
adj [ˈɑbdɚɹət]
Obdurate is a formal word that means “resistant to persuasion.” It is usually used to describe someone who is stubborn or not willing to change their opinion or the way they do something.
the words obdurate, dour, endure, and durable are etymological kissing cousins. All trace back to the Latin adjective durus, which means “hard.” English cowpoke
She was grateful to have in her mentor an ever-reliable source of sapient [ˈseɪpiənt] career advice.sapient
adj [ˈseɪpiənt]
Sapient is a formal word that means “possessing or expressing great wisdom.”
We human beings certainly like to think we’re wise. It’s a fact reflected in the scientific name we’ve given our species, Homo sapiens, which comes in part from the Latin word sapiens, meaning “wise” or “intelligent.” Sapient (which is basically just a fancy synonym of wise) has the same source. English cowpoke
Only once the novel's protagonist reaches her nadir [ˈneɪˌdɪr] does she arouse the reader's empathy, and we root for her to climb back to respectability.nadir
noun [ˈneɪˌdɪr]
Nadir refers to the lowest or worst point of something. When used in astronomy, nadir describes the point of the celestial sphere that is directly opposite the zenith and vertically downward from the observer.
From Arabic. The source of nadir is naḍhīr, meaning "opposite"—the opposite, that is, of the zenith, the highest point of the celestial sphere which is positioned vertically above the observer. (The word zenith itself is a modification of another Arab... English cowpoke
Some consider (however ironically) french fries to be the apotheosis [əˌpɑθiˈoʊsəs] of U.S. cuisine.apotheosis
noun [əˌpɑθiˈoʊsəs]
What It Means
Apotheosis means "the perfect form or example of something" or "the highest or best part of something." It can also mean "elevation to divine status; deification."
Among the ancient Greeks, it was sometimes thought fitting to grant someone "god" status. Hence the word apothéōsis, from the verb apotheóō or apotheoûn, meaning "to deify." (All are rooted in Greek theós, meaning "god,") English cowpoke
The court's profile has only increased as a new majority has moved rapidly on a range of polarizing issues. That has also increased scrutiny on the justices, the activities of their spouses, and when the court's members should recuse [ɹɪˈkjuz] themselves from cases.recuse
verb [ɹɪˈkjuz]
Recuse means “to disqualify (oneself) as judge in a particular case.” More broadly, it can also mean “to remove (oneself) from participation to avoid a conflict of interest.”
Accuse and recuse not only share space in the vocabulary of the courtroom, they both ultimately trace back to the Latin word causa, meaning “legal case,” “reason,” or “cause.” English cowpoke
The high school gymnast had quite the auspicious [ɔˈspɪʃəs] year, taking gold or silver in nearly every competition.auspicious
adj [ɔˈspɪʃəs]
Something described as auspicious is full of promise, showing or suggesting that future success or good results are likely. Auspicious can also mean “attended by good fortune.”
auspicious comes from Latin auspex, which literally means “bird seer” (from the words avis, meaning “bird,” and specere, meaning “to look at”). In ancient Rome, these “bird seers” were priests or augurs who studied the flight and feeding patterns of birds, then delivered prophecies English cowpoke
Under normal circumstances, most of us can’t drop what we’re doing with zero notice, buy a last-minute airplane ticket, and just show up to gallivant [ˈɡæləˌvænt] across the country with someone we’re attracted to, without telling anyone where we are.gallivant
verb [ˈɡæləˌvænt]
Gallivant means “to go or travel to many different places for pleasure.”
borrowed from the French word galant, to verb gallant to describe the process a suitor used to win a lady’s heart, and “gallanting” became synonymous with “courting.” It’s this verb gallant that is the likely source of gallivant, which originally meant “to act as a gallant”. Today, however, gallivant is more likely to describe pleasurable wandering than romancing. English cowpoke
The only way to rectify [ˈɹɛktəˌfaɪ] severe thermal or chemical damage is to frequently trim off dead ends and allow for healthier hair to grow down without being affected by lingering damage,’ says [trichologist, Shab] Caspara.rectify
verb [ˈɹɛktəˌfaɪ]
Rectify means “to correct something that is wrong.”
When you rectify something, you correct an error or make things right, which is fitting because rectify and correct both ultimately trace back to the Latin word regere, which can mean “to lead straight,” “to direct,” or “to rule.” English cowpoke
She evinced [ɪˈvɪns] a fondness for animals of all kinds from an early age.evince
verb [ɪˈvɪns]
Evince is a formal word that means "to display clearly." Someone who evinces an attitude, emotion, quality, etc., shows it clearly.
the thing evinced is typically an intangible, such as an attitude or intent. Before the current use in the late 18th century, the word could mean "to conquer or subdue" and "to convince or conclusively refute," both meanings evincing a link to the word's Latin ancestry: the verb evincere, means "to ... English cowpoke
Even a minor scandal has the power to tarnish an otherwise immaculate [ɪˈmækjələt] reputation.immaculate
adj [ɪˈmækjələt]
Immaculate means "spotlessly clean" or "without flaw or error." In botany and zoology, the word describes beings that have no colored spots or marks.
You may already use the word immaculate flawlessly, but most of us have a spottier history with its antonymous counterpart, maculate, which means "marked with spots" or "impure." Both words can be traced back to macula, a Latin noun (plural maculae or maculas) English cowpoke
With dauntless [ˈdɔntləs] persistence, the ship's crew navigated the vessel through the unexpected storm, escaping with minimal damage and no casualties.dauntless
adj [ˈdɔntləs]
Someone or something described as dauntless [ˈdɔntləs] is incapable of being intimidated or subdued, or in other words, fearless.
its ultimate source lies in the Latin verb domare, meaning “to tame” or “to subdue.” English cowpoke
The council is reviewing a plan that aims to ameliorate [əˈmiljɚˌɹeɪt] the town's affordable housing crisis.ameliorate
verb [əˈmiljɚˌɹeɪt]
Ameliorate is a formal word that means "to make something, such as a problem, better or more tolerable." (make bad less bad)
Ameliorate traces back to melior, a Latin adjective meaning "better," and is a rather formal synonym of the verbs better and improve.
better and improve always be chosen over ameliorate when something good is getting better still ("he improved his successful program," "she bettered her impressive s... English cowpoke
My brother's friends are an unpredictable bunch of zanies [ˈzeɪni].zany
noun [ˈzeɪni]
A zany is a person who acts like a buffoon to amuse others, or one who is generally foolish or eccentric. Zany also has a more specific sense that refers to a type of clown or acrobat in old comedies.
The oddballs among us are likely familiar with zany as an adjective, meaning "eccentric." But did you know the word originated as a noun—one that has withstood the test of time? Zanies have been theatrical buffoons since the heyday of the Italian commedia dell’a... English cowpoke
