Sample wordlist from January 2008 KAOS meeting.

1)  hypocorism (n)   1: a pet name 2: the use of pet names.

 

            Darren started calling Sheila by the hypocorism Bubbles back when they were juniors in high school. 

 

2)  officinal  (adj) tending or used to cure disease or relieve pain: medicinal.

 

            The officinal properties of the plant, recently discovered in the Amazon rain forest, are still being studied.

 

3)  gruntle (v)            to put in good humor

            “If the kids are disgruntled by the extra chores,” said Richard, “perhaps they’ll be gruntled by the extra money they’ll make.”

 

4)  millefleur (adj) aving an allover pattern of small flowers and plants.

            A 16th-century Flemish millefleur unicorn tapestry hangs in London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.

 

5)  toothsome (adj)  1: agreeable, attractive 2: of palatable flavor and pleasing texture: delicious.

            The cookbook has recipes for a number of toothsome Italian dishes, including one for gnocchi in Bolognese sauce.

 

6)  Aesopian (adj)  conveying an innocent meaning to an outsider but a hidden meaning to member of a conspiracy or underground movement.

            What sounded like a friendly greeting from Jerome was in fact Aesopian code warning his coworker that their boss was in the next room.

 

7)  esculent  (adj) edible

            The new candy shop that opened on the corner offers a fine range of esculent delights.

 

8)  baleful (adj) 1: deadly or pernicious in influence 2: foreboding or threatening evil.

            As Conrad was hauled away in handcuffs, he gave us a baleful stare and said, “You haven’t heard the last from me.”

 

9) teleological (adj) exhibiting or relating to design or purpose especially in nature.

            At dinner, Sandra and Miguel debated whether or not the complex structure of the human eye implied a teleological origin.

 

10) stultify (v)                                       1: to cause to appear stupid, foolish, or absurdly illogical 2: to impair, invalidate, or make ineffective 3: to have a dulling effect on.

            Placing too many people in decision-making positions can have a negative effect of stultifying discussion and new ideas.

 

11) hazmat (n)  a material (as flammable or poisonous material) that would be a danger to life or to the environment if released without precautions.

            When asbestos was discovered, the school called in a hazmat team to identify and remove all of it.

 

12) cat’s-paw (n)  1: light air that ruffles the surface of the water in irregular patches during a calm  2) one used by another as a tool: dupe

            Lisa caught on to Eddie’s plan quickly and let him know that he’d have to find another cat’s-paw for his scheme.

 

13) panoptic (adj) being or presenting a comprehensive or panoramic view

            At the top of the mountain was a sightseeing point that gave us a panoptic view of the surrounding valleys.

 

14) aught (pron) 1: anything 2: all, everything

            “Then his father was living, and from him the boy had never received aught but kindness.”  Horatio Alger, The Errand Boy

 

15) redoubtable (adj)  1: causing fear of alarm: formidable 2: illustrious, eminent; broadly: worthy of respect

            For nearly 30 years, Johnny Carson stood out as the redoubtable king of late-night talk shows.

 

16) cybrarian (n) a person whose job it is to find, collect, and manage information that is available on the World Wide Web.

            For my paper on the civil rights movement, I submitted several questions to the cybrarian whose e-mail address had been posted by our local library.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 
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