Today's Words: tempestuous, thermodynamics

tempestuous
thermodynamics

tempestuous: \těm-pěs'chōō-əs\; characterized by violent emotions or behavior; tumultuous; stormy.

thermodynamics: \thûr'mō-dī-nām'ĭks\; the science concerned with the relations between heat and mechanical energy or work, and the conversion of one into the other: modern thermodynamics deals with the properties of systems for the description of which temperature is a necessary coordinate.

Today's Words: taxonomy, tectonic

taxonomy
tectonic

taxonomy: \tāk-sŏn'ə-mē\; The scientific classification of organisms into specially named groups based either on shared characteristics or on evolutionary relationships as inferred from the fossil record or established by genetic analysis; the science, laws, or principles of classification; systematics; division into ordered groups or categories.

tectonic: \těk-tŏn'ĭk\; relating to, causing, or resulting from structural deformation of the earth's crust; of or pertaining to construction or architecture.

Today's Words: supercilious, tautology

supercilious
tautology

supercilious: \sōō'pər-sĭl'ē-əs\; having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy; expressive of contempt.

tautology: \tô-tŏl'ə-jē\; (logic) an empty or vacuous statement composed of simpler statements in a fashion that makes it logically true whether the simpler statements are factually true or false; for example, the statement Either it will rain tomorrow or it will not rain tomorrow; needless repetition of the same sense in different words; redundancy; “to say that something is ‘adequate enough’ is a tautology.”

Today's Words: subjugate, suffragist

subjugate
suffragist

subjugate: \sŭb'jə-gāt'\; to bring under control; conquer; to make subservient; enslave.

suffragist: \sŭf'rə-jĭst\; an advocate of the extension of political voting rights, especially to women.

Today's Words: sanguine, soliloquy

sanguine
soliloquy

sanguine: \sāng'gwĭn\; of a healthy, reddish color; ruddy; of the color of blood; red; cheerfully confident; optimistic.

soliloquy: \sə-lĭl'ə-kwē\; the act of speaking to oneself; a dramatic or literary form of discourse in which a character talks to himself or herself or reveals his or her thoughts without addressing a listener; a specific speech or piece of writing in this form of discourse.

Today's Words: reparation, respiration

reparation
respiration

reparation: \rěp'ə-rā'shən\; the act or process of repairing or the condition of being repaired; the act or process of making amends; expiation; something done or paid to compensate or make amends; reparations—compensation or remuneration required from a defeated nation as indemnity for damage or injury during a war.

respiration: \rěs'pə-rā'shən\; the metabolic processes whereby certain organisms obtain energy from organic molecules; processes that take place in the cells and tissues during which energy is released and carbon dioxide is produced and absorbed by the blood to be transported to the lungs; a single complete act of breathing in and out; “thirty respirations per minute”; the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation.

Today's Words: recapitulate, reciprocal

recapitulate
reciprocal

recapitulate: \rē'kə-pĭch'ə-lāt'\; to review by a brief summary, as at the end of a speech or discussion; summarize; to repeat in concise form; to make a summary.

reciprocal: \rĭ-sĭp'rə-kəl\; the number by which a given number must be multiplied to get a result of one (the reciprocal of one-half, for example, is two); concerning each of two or more persons or things; especially given or done in return; performed, experienced, or felt by both sides.

Today's Words: quasar, quotidian

quasar
quotidian

quasar: \kwā'zär', -sär', -zər, -sər\; an extremely distant, and thus old, celestial object whose power output is several thousand times that of our entire galaxy; a starlike object that may send out radio waves and other forms of energy; many have large red shifts.

quotidian: \kwō-tĭd'ē-ən\; everyday; commonplace; recurring daily.

Today's Words: polymer, precipitous

polymer
precipitous

polymer: \pŏl'ə-mər\; a naturally occurring or synthetic compound consisting of large molecules made up of a linked series of repeated simple monomers.

precipitous: \prĭ-sĭp'ĭ-təs\; done with very great haste and without due deliberation; extremely or impassably steep.

Today's Words: plagiarize, plasma

plagiarize
plasma

plagiarize: \plā'jə-rīz'\; to use and pass off (the ideas or writings of another) as one's own; to appropriate for use as one's own passages or ideas from (another).

plasma: \plāz'mə\; the colorless watery fluid of the blood and lymph that contains no cells, but in which the blood cells (erythrocytes, leukocytes, and thrombocytes) are suspended; an electrically neutral, highly ionized gas composed of ions, electrons, and neutral particles; it is a phase of matter distinct from solids, liquids, and normal gases.

Today's Words: pecuniary, photosynthesis

pecuniary
photosynthesis

pecuniary: \pĭ-kyōō'nē-ěr'ē\; relating to or involving money;

photosynthesis: \fō'tō-sĭn'thĭ-sĭs\; the process in green plants and certain other organisms by which carbohydrates are synthesized from carbon dioxide and water using light as an energy source. Most forms of photosynthesis release oxygen as a byproduct.

Today's Words: paradigm, parameter

paradigm
parameter

paradigm: \pār'ə-dīm', -dĭm'\; one that serves as a pattern or model; a set or list of all the inflectional forms of a word or of one of its grammatical categories: the paradigm of an irregular verb; a set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them, especially in an intellectual discipline.

parameter: \pə-rām'ĭ-tər\; any factor that defines a system and determines (or limits) its performance; a constant in the equation of a curve that can be varied to yield a family of similar curves.

Today's Words: oxidize, parabola

oxidize
parabola

oxidize: \ŏk'sĭ-dīz'\; to combine with oxygen; make into an oxide; to increase the positive charge or valence of (an element) by removing electrons; to coat with oxide.

parabola: \pə-rāb'ə-lə\; a plane curve formed by the intersection of a right circular cone and a plane parallel to an element of the cone or by the locus of points equidistant from a fixed line and a fixed point not on the line.

Today's Words: omnipotent, orthography

omnipotent
orthography

omnipotent: \ŏm-nĭp'ə-tənt\; having unlimited or universal power, authority, or force; all-powerful.

orthography: \ôr-thŏg'rə-fē\; the art or study of correct spelling according to established usage; the aspect of language study concerned with letters and their sequences in words; a method of representing a language or the sounds of language by written symbols; spelling.

Today's Words: nonsectarian, notarize

nonsectarian
notarize

nonsectarian: \nŏn'sěk-târ'ē-ən\; not limited to or associated with a particular religious denomination.

notarize: \nō'tə-rīz'\; to certify (a document, contract, etc.) or cause to become certified through a notary public.

Editing Tip(s) of the Day

Today tips are from Christa Allan, whose excellent article: GROWING GRAMMAR: WONDER WORDS (as in…I wonder which word to use?) can be found at the following blog: ginaconroy.com/groupblog/wordpress/?p=689

Today's Words: nihilism, nomenclature

nihilism
nomenclature

nihilism: \nī'ə-lĭz'əm, nē'-\; a revolutionary doctrine that advocates destruction of the social system for its own sake; the delusion that things (or everything, including the self) do not exist; a sense that everything is unreal; complete denial of all established authority and institutions.

nomenclature: \nō'mən-klā'chər, nō-měn'klə-\; a set or system of names or terms, as those used in a particular science or art, by an individual or community, etc.; the names or terms comprising a set or system.

Today's Words to Define

lugubrious
metamorphosis
mitosis
moiety
nanotechnology

lugubrious: \lŏŏ-gōō'brē-əs, -gyōō'-\; Mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially to an exaggerated or ludicrous degree.
metamorphosis: \mět'ə-môr'fə-sĭs\; the marked and rapid transformation of a larva into an adult that occurs in some animals; a striking change in appearance or character or circumstances; a complete change of physical form or substance especially as by magic or witchcraft.
mitosis: \mī-tō'sĭs\; cell division in which the nucleus divides into nuclei containing the same number of chromosomes.
moiety: \moi'ĭ-tē\; one of two (approximately) equal parts; one of two basic subdivisions of a tribe.
nanotechnology: \nān'ə-těk-nŏl'ə-jē\; the science and technology of devices and materials, such as electronic circuits or drug delivery systems, constructed on extremely small scales, as small as individual atoms and molecules.

Today's Words to Define

kinetic
kowtow
laissez faire
lexicon
loquacious

kinetic: \kə-nět'ĭk, kī-\; relating to the motion of material bodies and the forces associated therewith; characterized by motion; supplying motive force.
kowtow: \kou-tou', kou'tou'\; the act of kneeling and touching the forehead to the ground; try to gain favor by cringing or flattering; bend the knees and bow in a servile manner.
laissez faire: \lěs'ā fâr', lā'zā\; the doctrine that government should not interfere in commercial affairs; noninterference in the affairs of others.
lexicon: \lěk'sĭ-kŏn'\; a language user's knowledge of words; a wordbook or dictionary.
loquacious: \lō-kwā'shəs\; very talkative; garrulous; talking or tending to talk much or freely; chattering; babbling; characterized by excessive talk; wordy.

Today's Words to Define

inculcate
infrastructure
interpolate
irony
jejune

inculcate: \ĭn-kŭl'kāt', ĭn'kŭl-\; teach and impress by frequent repetitions or admonitions; to teach (others) by frequent instruction or repetition; indoctrinate.
infrastructure: \ĭn'frə-strŭk'chər\; an underlying base or foundation especially for an organization or system; the basic facilities, services, and installations needed for the functioning of a community or society, such as transportation and communications systems, water and power lines, and public institutions including schools, post offices, and prisons.
interpolate: \ĭn-tûr'pə-lāt'\; to introduce (something additional or extraneous) between other things or parts; interject; interpose; intercalate; Mathematics: to insert, estimate, or find an intermediate term in (a sequence); to alter (a text) by the insertion of new matter, esp. deceptively or without authorization; to insert (new or spurious matter) in this manner.
irony: \ī'rə-nē, ī'ər-\; the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning: the irony of her reply, “How nice!” when I said I had to work all weekend; an expression or utterance marked by a deliberate contrast between apparent and intended meaning; a literary style employing such contrasts for humorous or rhetorical effect; witty language used to convey insults or scorn; incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs.
jejune: \jə-jōōn'\; not interesting; dull; lacking maturity; childish; lacking in nutrition; lacking knowledge or experience; uninformed.