Word of the Day Challenge

[Chasing Dreams]

While she was trying to fathom how she ended up where she was, she could only hope things turned out okay even if she had to struggle big time before things calmed down for her. She replayed everything that happened that led up to the place she was in now to try to find clarity on when things started to turn bad, but she couldn't pinpoint just one cause of her current state.

[Jaclyn]

  She looked at the old chapel with it’s flying buttresses and saw possibilities. If cities could fly, then by St. Brigid – Blessed Be, then so could this elder place dedicated to her name. She lifted her staff and gathered the chapel with its stone wings about herself and the buttresses slowly flexed like the wings of a dragon of old, and it lifted up and found a thermal and circled what remained of the once green isle and then took to the heavens to find a new home among the stars.

[Chasing Dreams]

She wasn't at all surprised at all to see the manager lampoon on their boss. She knew their manager was the only one brave enough to do something like that especially when everyone else was worried about getting fired or given a terrible assignment that their boss handed out when someone went against him. 

[Daeva]

haggard
adjective| HAG-urd
 

Definition

1 : not tamed
2a: wild in appearance

2b : having a worn or emaciated appearance : GAUNT


Weekly Theme

Slice of Life


Did You Know?

Haggard has its origins in falconry, the ancient sport of hunting with a trained bird of prey. The birds used in falconry were not bred in captivity until very recently; traditionally, falconers trained wild birds that were either taken from the nest when quite young or trapped as adults. A bird trapped as an adult is termed a haggard, from the synonymous Middle French word hagard. Such a bird being notoriously wild and difficult to train, haggard was easily extended to apply to a “wild” and intractable person. Eventually, the word came to express the way the human face looks when a person is exhausted, anxious, or terrified. Today, the most common meaning of haggard is “gaunt” or “worn.”

[Daeva]

opprobrium
noun| uh-PROH-bree-um
 

Definition

1: something that brings disgrace

2a : public disgrace or ill fame that follows from conduct considered grossly wrong or vicious

2b : CONTEMPT, REPROACH



Weekly Theme

Slice of Life


Did You Know?

Unfamiliar with opprobrium? Tsk, tsk, tsk. Just kidding—unfamiliarity with a word is hardly grounds for, well, opprobrium. We're here to learn! Besides, opprobrium is quite formal and has few close relations in English. It comes from the Latin verb opprobrāre, which means "to reproach." That verb, in turn, comes from the noun probrum, meaning "a disgraceful act" or "reproach." The adjective form of opprobrium is opprobrious, which in English means "deserving of scorn" or "expressing contempt." One might commit an "opprobrious crime" or be berated with "opprobrious language," for example.

[Chasing Dreams]

With all the rain the town had gotten in the last three weeks, the once pristine fields were turbid swampy mess. The water from the river overflowed into them bringing with them a muddy and weedy mess.

[Chasing Dreams]

While she was exploring the ruins of a castle with one of her friends, she couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like to see the castle in all its glory. Her friend pointed out that the buttresses were one of the few things left standing and remaining even though many parts of th3 castle were gone.

[Daeva]

voracious
adjective| vaw-RAY-shus
 

Definition

1: having a huge appetite : RAVENOUS

2 : excessively eager : INSATIABLE



Weekly Theme

Slice of Life


Did You Know?

Voracious is one of several English words that come from the Latin verb vorare, which means "to eat greedily" or "to devour." Vorare is also an ancestor of devour and of the -ivorous words that describe the diets of various creatures. These include carnivorous ("meat-eating"), herbivorous ("plant-eating"), omnivorous ("feeding on both animals and plants"), frugivorous ("fruit-eating"), graminivorous ("feeding on grass"), and piscivorous ("fish-eating").

[Daeva]

caterwaul
verb| KAT-er-wawl
 

Definition

1: to make a harsh cry

2: to protest or complain noisily


Weekly Theme

Urban Legend

Did You Know?

An angry (or amorous) cat can make a lot of noise. As long ago as the mid-1300s, English speakers were using caterwaul for the act of voicing feline passions. The cater part is, of course, connected to the cat, but scholars disagree about whether it traces to Middle Dutch cāter, meaning "tomcat," or if it is really just cat with an "-er" added. The waul is probably imitative in origin; it represents the feline howl itself. English's first caterwaul was a verb focused on feline vocalizations, but by the 1600s it was also being used for similar non-cat noises and for noisy people or things.

[Chasing Dreams]

The three week trek in the mountains had left most of them feeling worn out. All of them had a haggard appearance from not shaving or having been able to keep their unruly hair from doing whatever it wanted.

[Chasing Dreams]

She had tried to ignore all the gossip going on about someone she was close to because none of it was good. She knew he had messed up bringing opprobrium to their small town, but  she knew it didn't define who he was. She couldn't help but be angry that he had messed up so badly, but knew he was trying to fix his awful mistake.

[Daeva]

retinue
noun| RET-uh-noo
 

Definition

: a group of retainers or attendants


Weekly Theme

Urban Legend

Did You Know?

Retinue comes via Middle English from the Anglo-French verb retenir, meaning "to retain or keep in one's pay or service." Another retenir descendant is retainer, which has among its meanings "one who serves a person of high position or rank." In the 14th century, such retainers typically served a noble or royal of some kind, and retinue referred to a collection of retainers—that is, the noble's servants and companions. Nowadays, the word retinue is often used with a bit of exaggeration to refer to the assistants, guards, publicists, and other people who accompany a high-profile individual in public. You might also hear such a collection of folks called a suite or entourage, two other words that come from French.

[Daeva]

translucent
adjective| trans-LOO-sunt
 

Definition

1: permitting the passage of light:

2 : free from disguise or falseness






Weekly Theme

Urban Legend

Did You Know?

Let’s shine a light on translucent and a couple of its relatives. Look closely and you will see the same group of three letters in translucent, elucidate, and lucid, illuminating the family relationship between the three words. All descend from the Latin word lucēre, meaning "to shine." Translucent is from lucēre plus trans-, which means "through"—hence, something translucent allows light to pass through. To elucidate something is to metaphorically shine a light on it by explaining it clearly; a lucid person is able to think clearly, and lucid writing is easy to understand. We hope this light explainer helps clarify things.

[Daeva]

jeopardy
noun| JEP-er-dee
 

Definition

1 : exposure to or imminence of loss or injury : DANGER

2 : the danger that an accused person is subjected to when on trial for a criminal offense



Weekly Theme

Urban Legend

Did You Know?

Geoffrey Chaucer employed the word jeopardy in his late 14th-century masterpiece, The Canterbury Tales, but its Middle English form can make it hard to spot: it appears in the phrase "in jupartie" with a meaning very much akin to the word's meaning in the modern phrase "in jeopardy"—that is, "in danger." The spellings of what we now render only as jeopardy were formerly myriad. The Oxford English Dictionary reports that between the late 14th and mid-17th centuries the word was spelled in a great variety of ways, among them iuperti, yoberte, iepardye, ieoberye, and jobardy.

[Jaclyn]

At risk of imminent jeopardy, Willie Nelson woke Merle Haggard at 3:00 am to sing Townes van Zandt’s Pancho and Lefty on their album that turned out to bear the same name. They used Emmylou Harris’ version. Later, Emmylou sang Merle’s part with Willie in a tribute to van Zandt. Some songwriters have said it’s one example of a perfect song.

[Lilias]

We sat in the drawing room, on the matching sofas with the faded rose silk damask upholstery we remembered from our youth, drinking port and enjoying the shade while listening to the kids flying their kites in the back garden, heedless of the heat and glare. They had built the kites themselves; I had supervised while they sawed the balsa wood sticks to size, but the tying, the papering, the tail fashioning, those were all their own work. Brandon's kite had managed to get tangled in the branches of the pear tree within ten minutes, which he was not impressed about, after so much work. Jason was sharing his own, and he was definitely not letting his brother forget his magnanimity any time soon.

'So, how does it feel to be head of the family?' I asked Cara.

She looked down at her hands, like they were someone else's. The moonstone signet ring needed to be resized, but even at the right size it would look too big on her delicate fingers.

'It doesn't, yet', she said. 'I haven't made a single decision, not even confronted the others.' I knew she was inwardly petrified. She had never been the acquisitive kind, and now she had been handed power and control over all the family's assets, rather than either of her brothers, who I knew for a fact would not take kindly to being sidelined. What was her father thinking, making her his primary heir without even a warning, let alone any coaching?

'You have made a decision', I corrected. 'You have accepted your inheritance. And I'm going to support you every step on the way.'

[Lilias]

When the twins were finally asleep, I closed their bedroom door as quietly as possible and tiptoed downstairs, to find Lin nursing a glass of wine on the sofa and more than half asleep. She didn't look as haggard as she had when I came back, but nodding off at half past eight was saying something.

'What a day, huh?' I chuckled, settling down by her side and pulling her against me.

'A day of gratuitous cruelty and suffering', mumbled Lin, snuggling close. 'It will be a while before I can absolve Mrs Keane of her part in this.'

Mrs Keane, the twins' teacher, had taught the class about pangolins on Friday, complete with videos and colouring sheets, because apparently the next day, today, was World Pangolin Day. The twins were enthralled, to the point of obsession. We all know how long the obsessions of six-year-olds last, but that doesn't help when you're in the thick of it. They had begged and wheedled to be taken to a zoo to see the critters up close, even after being told, in no uncertain terms, that there were very few zoos in the world that had pangolins, and the closest to us was over four hours' drive away. Eventually, they had settled for watching videos – everything that YouTube had to offer, aside from the ones Mrs Keane had already shown them. And, of course, the burden of sourcing all those visuals fell squarely on Lin, since I happened to be working the particular Saturday.

'Well, it could have been worse. Mrs Keane might have decided to organise that zoo trip, and then you'd have to accompany them.' I dodged Lin's punch for show – she was too groggy to make it land – and kissed the top of her head. 'Have a nap, or even go to bed. I'll deal with the dishes.'

'I don't want to leave you alone, when you've been away all day already', grumbled Lin, but she really was having trouble keeping her eyes open.

'We have all of tomorrow to ourselves, while the kids are at your parents. Let them bamboozle the grands with anteater talk.' Lin giggled. Her father was a retired biologist, and not only he wouldn't be bamboozled, but he might offer more information than the young ones would know what to do with. Perhaps their obsession wouldn't last as long as we feared, after all.

[Daeva]

demean
verb| dih-MEEN
 

Definition

: to lower in character, status, or reputation


Weekly Theme

Urban Legend

Did You Know?

There are two words spelled demean in English. One has a construction similar to its synonym, debase: where debase combines the prefix de- with an adjective base, meaning “low” or “vile,” demean applies de- to the adjective mean, meaning “inferior or contemptible.” The basic meaning the pair shares, “to lower in character or esteem,” is quite at odds with that of the other demean: “to conduct or behave oneself.” This demean comes from the Anglo-French verb demener (“to conduct”), and is generally used in formal contexts to specify a type of behavior, as in “he demeaned himself in a most unfriendly manner”; “she demeaned herself as befitting her station in life”; and “they knew not how to demean themselves in the king’s presence.” As such, it may be possible to demean someone for the way they demean themselves, though we assert that would be doubly mean.

[Lilias]

The letter had been glued into the back cover of Grandma's prayer book; the glue had dried several times and had been painstakingly reapplied, until the top margin of the sheet, otherwise yellowed and almost translucent with age, had turned brownish and hard like glass. Grandma obviously wanted to ensure, as best she could, that the letter wouldn't fall out and get lost.

It was written, predictably, in old-fashioned cursive, in the language of the old country, the same as the book itself. It was another quirk of Grandma's, that, although she had become fluent in English after emigrating, she insisted her whole life on praying in her native language. 'It feels fake, otherwise', she would say, adding that her brain had outright refused to learn the Creed in English.

So none of us could read the letter, even if she had been willing to show us, until after her death, when we asked her lawyer, another first-generation immigrant, to translate it for us. We had deciphered the date, 28 October 1940, and our imaginations were conjuring up all sorts of wartime drama. The truth in those few lines was simpler, but no less deep.

Dear Marina, it said, If you are reading this, it means I did not make it back home. I'm so sorry, my precious. I wanted nothing more than to see you grow and bloom, but first I had to fight for you to be free to do so. You will not remember me, but I will, until we meet again. Be kind to your mother, none of this is her fault. I miss you terribly. Love, Dad.

Grandma's father had written her that note before leaving for the front, knowing that his 18-month-old daughter wouldn't be able to read it for years to come. Ironically, he had survived the front lines, only to go straight into the Resistance and die in action, not too long before the country was liberated, deliberately cut off from his family, for their own safety. No wonder Grandma kept it close to her throughout her long life, on the opposite side of the world. They must have had so much catching up to do.

[Chasing Dreams]

This was her first year attending the ball despite doing all she could to avoid it. She hadn't wanted to go because she had no interest in finding a suitable partner to marry as her parents had instructed her to despite her being in her twenties. When the food was served, she quickly lost her appetite as several in attendance had voracious appetites and the way they were eating was no something she wanted to see.

[Daeva]

inveterate
adjective| in-VET-uh-rut
 

Definition

1 : confirmed in a habit : HABITUAL


2 : firmly established by long persistence




Weekly Theme

Urban Legend

Did You Know?

Despite how it may seem at first glance, inveterate has nothing to do with lacking a spine. That’s invertebrate, which came into English in the early 19th century from New Latin, the Latin vocabulary used in scientific description and classification. Inveterate, on the other hand, is a true veteran of the English language, with a membership card dating to the 15th century. Like veteran, inveterate ultimately comes from the Latin adjective vetus, which means "old." (In times past, inveterate had among its meanings "old.") The more direct source of inveterate, however, is the Latin adjective inveteratus, with which it shares the meaning "firmly established by long persistence." Today inveterate most often describes someone who so frequently or invariably engages in a particular habit or attitude as to be regularly identified with that habit or attitude, as when political columnist Jamelle Bouie observed "The truth is that our best presidents—or at least our most successful ones—have been inveterate flip-floppers, willing to break from unpopular positions, move with political winds, and adjust to new complications."

[Chasing Dreams]

She hadn't expected any of those in her apartment complex to cause any issues as she had lived there for over a year without any issues. She knew a new family moved in down the hall a few days ago and now as she was trying to get some reading done, she could hear what sounded like a teenager caterwauling about how it wasn't fair they were grounded all weekend long.

[Chasing Dreams]

When things weren't going the way her boss wanted them to go, he asked her to call his retinue of marketers to come up with a few more ideas to pitch to the client he didn't want to lose. She did as instructed, but knew the client was stubborn and extremely hard to work with even if he'd give the company more clients.

[Daeva]

proximity
noun| prahk-SIM-uh-tee
 

Definition

: the quality or state of being proximate : CLOSENESS


Weekly Theme

Urban Legend

Did You Know?

The fact that the star closest in proximity to our sun (approximately 4.2 light-years distant) is named Proxima Centauri is no coincidence. The history of proximity hinges on the idea of closeness, both physical and metaphorical. English speakers borrowed the word from Middle French, which in turn acquired it from forms of the Latin adjective proximus, meaning "nearest" or "next." Close relatives of proximity in English include proximal, proximate, and the somewhat more rare approximal (meaning "contiguous"). A number of other languages, including Catalan, Portuguese, and Italian, have similar words that come from the Latin proximus.

[Daeva]

connive
verb| kuh-NYVE
 

Definition

1 : to pretend ignorance of or fail to take action against something one ought to oppose

2a : to be indulgent or in secret sympathy : WINK

2b : to cooperate secretly or have a secret understanding

3 : CONSPIRE, INTRIGUE


Weekly Theme

Western

Did You Know?

Connive may not seem like a term that would raise many hackles, but it certainly raised those of Wilson Follett, a usage critic who lamented that the word "was undone during the Second World War, when restless spirits felt the need of a new synonym for plotting, bribing, spying, conspiring, engineering a coup, preparing a secret attack." Follett thought connive should only mean "to wink at" or "to pretend ignorance." Those senses are closer to the Latin ancestor of the word: connive comes from the Latin verb connivēre, which means "to close the eyes" and which is descended from -nivēre, a form akin to the Latin verb nictare, meaning "to wink." But many English speakers disagreed, and the "conspire" sense is now the word's most widely used meaning.