Words of the Day

soupçon |so͞opˈsôN|

noun [ in sing. ]

a very small quantity of something: a soupçon of mustard.

anodyne |ˈanəˌdīn|

adjective

not likely to provoke dissent or offense; uncontentious or inoffensive, often deliberately so : anodyne new age music | I attempted to keep the conversation as anodyne as possible.

noun

a pain-killing drug or medicine.

• figurative something that alleviates a person's mental distress : an anodyne to the misery she had put him through.

vestiary |ˈvestēˌerē|

adjective poetic/literary

of or relating to clothes or dress.

noun ( pl. -aries)

a room or building in a monastery or other large establishment in which clothes are kept.

vesicate |ˈvesiˌkāt|

verb [ trans. ] chiefly Medicine

raise blisters on.

• [ intrans. ] form blisters.

DERIVATIVES

vesication |ˌvesiˈkā sh ən| noun

vesicatory |ˈvesəkəˌtôrē; vəˈsikə-| adjective & noun

vesperal |ˈvespərəl|

adjective

1 of or pertaining to evening.

2 of or pertaining to vespers.

noun

vespiary |ˈvespēˌerē|

noun ( pl. -aries)

a nest of wasps.

badinage |ˌbadnˈä zh |

noun

humorous or witty conversation : cultured badinage about art and life.

mellifluous |məˈlifloōəs|

(of a voice or words) sweet or musical; pleasant to hear : the voice was mellifluous and smooth.

DERIVATIVES

mellifluously adverb

mellifluousness noun

insouciance |inˈsoōsēəns; ˌa n soōˈsyä n s|

casual lack of concern; indifference : an impression of boyish insouciance.

DERIVATIVES

insouciant adjective

insouciantly adverb

ineluctable |ˌiniˈləktəbəl|

unable to be resisted or avoided; inescapable : the ineluctable facts of history.

DERIVATIVES

ineluctability |-ˌləktəˈbilitē| noun

ineluctably |-blē| adverb

accretion |əˈkrē sh ən|

the process of growth or increase, typically by the gradual accumulation of additional layers or matter : the accretion of sediments in coastal mangroves | figurative the growing accretion of central government authority.

• a thing formed or added by such growth or increase : about one-third of California was built up by accretions | the city has a historic core surrounded by recent accretions.

• Astronomy the coming together and cohesion of matter under the influence of gravitation to form larger bodies.

DERIVATIVES

accretive |əˈkrētiv| adjective

ineffable |inˈefəbəl|

too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words : the ineffable natural beauty of the Everglades.

• not to be uttered : the ineffable Hebrew name that gentiles write as Jehovah.

DERIVATIVES

ineffability |-efəˈbilitē| noun

ineffably |-blē| adverb

abnegate |ˈabniˌgāt|

renounce or reject (something desired or valuable) : he attempts to abnegate personal responsibility.

DERIVATIVES

abnegator |-ˌgātər| noun

milieu |milˈyoō; -ˈyə(r)| ( pl. milieux pronunc. same, or milieus )

a person's social environment: : he grew up in a military milieu.

invigilate |inˈvijəˌlāt|

to supervise candidates during an examination.