Friday, December 23, 2005

Egalitarian

Word for the day is: Egalitarian

adjective of, relating to, or believing in the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities

Taken from this article:
The egalitarian nature of the internet is under threat, argues internet law professor Michael Geist.

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Pliant

Words for the day are: Pliant and pliable.

Pliant

adjective pliable

Taken from this article:
The gel allows the battery to be extremely pliant, with a thickness of 300 microns.



Pliable

adjective easily bent; flexible

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Venerate

Word for the day is: Venerate

verb [with obj.] (often be venerated) regard with great respect

Taken from this article:
We should not dismiss Wikipedia, but we should not venerate it either.

Portent

Word for the day is: Portent

noun a sign or warning that something, especially something momentous or calamitous, is likely to happen

Taken from this article:
Parker's effort was merely a portent of what was to come two minutes before the interval when Owen struck again to re-establish their lead.

Sunday, December 18, 2005

Bereavement

Word for the day is: Bereavement

Derivation from the verb bereave.

verb (be bereaved) be deprived of a close relation or friend through their death

Taken from this article:
Benitez to stay in Japan despite bereavement.

Saturday, December 17, 2005

Loquacious

Word for the day is: Loquacious

adjective talkative.

Taken from this article:
Mr Durkan has been characterised by his political enemies as lacking charisma in a political environment dominated by more than its fair share of media personalities.

But he can hold his own in any political debate and despite being rather loquacious is also widely regarded for his one-liners. As finance minister, he would quip: "Does my budget look big in this?"

Friday, December 16, 2005

Assiduous

Word for the day is: Assiduous

adjective showing great care and perseverance

Taken from this article:
Mr Grieve was praised for his "skilled and assiduous performances in the House of Commons where he has continued all year to harass the government and call ministers to account".

Thursday, December 15, 2005

Curdle

Word for the day is: Curdle

verb separate or cause to separate into curds or lumps

e.g. The sauce may curdle if you add too much lemon juice.

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Tortuous

Word for the day is: Tortuous

adjective full of twists and turns

Taken from this article:
Liverpool fans endured a tortuous route to the final, with only a late goal from Gerrard against Olympiakos in the group stages keeping them in the tournament with Bayer Leverkusen, Juventus and Chelsea all seen off along the way.

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Purview

Word for the day is: Purview

noun [in sing.] the scope of the influence or concerns of something

Taken from this article:
e.g. It said it should be able to implement the justice system as it involved religious matters which come under state purview.

Monday, December 12, 2005

Cold

Today is: COLD

adjective - of or at a low or relatively low temperature, especially when compared with the human body

Example:
It is a very cold day today.

Sunday, December 11, 2005

Repudiate

Word for the day is: Repudiate

verb [with obj.] refuse to accept or be associated with

Taken from this article.
e.g. Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel on Thursday called the remarks "an outrageous gaffe, which I want to repudiate in the sharpest manner", while in Washington for a meeting with George W. Bush.

Saturday, December 10, 2005

Week 3

Words learnt last week:

contrite, decrepit, ominous, assuage, wan , dissemble, sunny

Allay

Word for the day is: Allay

verb [with obj.] diminish or put at rest (fear, suspicion, or worry)

e.g. Experts are trying to allay fears that salmon and fish in the South are under threat from a foreign fish species.

Friday, December 09, 2005

Sunny

Word for the day is: Sunny

adjective (of a person or their temperament) cheery and bright
adjective (sunnier, sunniest) bright with sunlight
adjective (of a place) receiving much sunlight

e.g. (of a person or their temperament) He seems to be quite sunny today.

Thursday, December 08, 2005

Dissemble

Word for the day is: Dissemble

verb [no obj.] conceal one's true motives, feelings, or beliefs

dissemblance noun
dissembler noun

e.g. In my experience, Cameron never gave a straight answer when dissemblance was a plausible alternative.

verb [with obj.] disguise or conceal (a feeling or intention)

e.g. He smiled, dissembling his true emotion.

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

Wan

Word for the day is: Wan

adjective (of a person's complexion or appearance) pale and giving the impression of illness or exhaustion

e.g. I would do anything to bring a smile to her wan face.

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Assuage

Word for the day is: Assuage

verb [with obj.] make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense

e.g. Home Affairs Minister Datuk Azmi Khalid and his 14-member delegation arrived yesterday morning on a goodwill tour to assuage China’s concern of the recent spate of incidents involving Chinese nationals in Malaysia.

Monday, December 05, 2005

Ominous

Word for the day is: Ominous

adjective giving the worrying impression that something bad or unpleasant is going to happen; threateningly inauspicious

e.g. Celtic charged back to the top of the Premier League and went 17 points clear of arch rivals Rangers after staging an ominous second-half comeback to win 3-1 at Aberdeen.

Sunday, December 04, 2005

Decrepit

Word for the day is: Decrepit

1. adjective (of a person) elderly and infirm
2. adjective worn out or ruined because of age or neglect

e.g. Business chiefs and Nigerian political leaders have rescued a landmark deal aimed at replacing the country's scarce and decrepit phone line coverage.

Saturday, December 03, 2005

Contrite

Word for the day is: Contrite

adjective feeling or expressing remorse at the recognition that one has done wrong

e.g. "It was out of frustration, a folly that he is deeply contrite about. He has never tried to escape the consequences."

Week 2

Words learnt last week:

nascent, xenophobia, supercilious, harangue, fawn, destitute, remorse

Friday, December 02, 2005

Remorse

Word for the day is: Remorse

noun [mass noun] deep regret or guilt for a wrong committed

e.g. A former US church leader who confessed to the notorious "Bind, Torture, Kill" (BTK) serial murders in Kansas has expressed remorse at the deaths.

Thursday, December 01, 2005

Destitute

Word for the day is: Destitute

adjective without the basic necessities of life

e.g. The fighting caused several million people to become destitute refugees.
Disclaimer: I am neither an English native speaker nor a qualified English teacher.